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WHEN HEROES ARE THE PITS

© Joy Butler

Probably every child, at some point, has wished for a "Lassie dog". Who could resist falling in love with the well-mannered, protective, and obedient collie on the movie screen? Through decades of positive media images, the collie breed has enjoyed favorable popularity.

The truth is, the very first Lassie character, named Pal, was handed over to Rudd Weatherwax because the owners no longer wanted an unruly, motorcycle-chasing dog. Yes, Pal, an unruly, rescue dog, became the first Lassie. However, it didn't just happen. Pal required careful training and care. It seems that, in real life, Lassies are not born; they are made.

Before Lassie, another dog, Petey, starred on the children's series, "Lil Rascals", and brought popularity to his breed. Petey was a purebred, UKC registered American Pit Bull Terrier, a breed well favored for their intelligence, courage, and gentleness with children. In Britain, they were known as the "nanny dog" because they could be trusted to be gentle with, as well as protective of, children. In fact, Theodore Roosevelt had a pit bull in the White House and Cooledge had two.

Except for a few victimized bulldogs who, in recent years, fell into the hands of an irresponsible, unsavory crowd seeking a macho image, these valuable dogs are proving their true nature in many ways.

Weela, the Ken-L-Ration Dog Hero of 1993, was a pit bull who saved the lives of 30 people, 29 dogs, 13 horses, and a cat when the Tijuana River Dam in California broke during a flood. She led the people to safety, finding the safest crossings through the floodwaters, and later braved a raging river while towing food to stranded animals.

It was a pit bull terrier, named Sebastian, who responded when a Rottweiler attacked a 6 year old child. He, unhesitatingly, attacked the Rottweiler and kept the dog away from the child until his owner, an off duty police officer, arrived. Ironically, this incident resulted in a "dangerous breed ban."

The dog holding more working titles than any other dog in the world is a pit bull named Bandog Dread. This intelligent, loving dog also inspired his owner, Dianne Jessup, to write the novel, "The Dog Who Spoke With Gods".

Popsicle fell into the wrong hands and had been used in fights when a police officer in Buffalo rescued him, caked with blood and undernourished. Now, with training, he routinely works among civilians as a drug dog. He once sniffed out 3075 pounds of cocaine crossing the Texas/ Mexico border under a tractor/trailer rig.

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