Pit Bulls For Dummies. D. Caroline Coile

132

      131  133

      132  134

      133  135

      134  136

      135  137

      136  138

      137  139

      138  140

      139  141

      140  142

      141  143

      142 144

      143  145

      144  146

      145  147

      146  148

      147  149

      148  150

      149  151

      150  152

      151  153

      152  154

      153  155

      154  156

      155  157

      156  158

      157  159

      158  160

      159  161

      160 162

      161  163

      162  164

      163  165

      164  166

      165  167

      166  168

      167  169

      168  170

      169  171

      170  172

      171  173

      172  174

      173  175

      174  176

      175  177

      176  178

      177  179

      178 180

      179  181

      180  182

      181  183

      182  184

      183 185

      184  186

      185 187

      186  188

      187  189

      188  190

      189  191

      190  192

      191  193

      192  194

      193  195

      194  196

      195  197

      196 198

      197  199

      198  200

      199  201

      200  202

      201  203

      202  204

      203  205

      204  206

      205  207

      206  208

      207  209

      208 210

      209  211

      210  212

      211 213

      212 214

      213 215

      214 216

      215  217

      216  218

      217  219

      218  221

      219  222

      220  223

      221  224

      222 225

      223  226

      224  227

      225  228

      226  229

      227  230

      228  231

      229  232

      230  233

      231  234

      232  235

      233  236

      234  237

      235 238

      236 239

      237 240

      238 241

      239 242

      240 243

      241  245

      242  246

      243  247

Introduction

      Pull up a chair and spend some time with one of the most amazing, yet controversial, breeds to ever wag a tail. A breed of satin and steel, Pit Bulls are a mixture of softness and strength, an uncanny canine combination of fun, foolishness, and serious business, all wrapped up in love. If you ignore any of these ingredients you’re cheating yourself, and your dog, of the best relationship possible. My aim with this book has been to include the same mixture. Parts of it will be fun, a few parts perhaps even foolish, and much of it serious — always with the aim of strengthening and lengthening the bond between you and dog, and ensuring the Pit Bull earns back its good name.

      But this book, like the breed, also comes with a caveat. As much as I hate to admit it, the breed has earned its controversial status. The Pit Bull has another side, one that too many dog lovers (and books) deny, ignore, or excuse. To do so isn’t fair to Pit Bull owners, other dogs, and the breed itself. Understanding this breed — both the good and the bad — is the best way to protect it. The irrefutable fact is that more Pit Bulls have killed more people and other dogs than any other type of dog has done. Owning any dog is a big responsibility, but because Pit Bulls aren’t like any other dog, owning a Pit Bull requires even more vigilance.

      This is not a book meant to sit on your shelf as a collector’s item. This book should have ragged pages and chewed covers, with dog hairs as bookmarks. It should have imprints of tiny puppy teeth and full-grown paw prints marking the pages with your dog’s progress through life,