"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." ~ Albert Einstein ~
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America’s New Secret Weapon
They are smaller and much more nimble than a German shepherd; friendlier and safer to handle then the average Belgian malinois and shed less than a Labrador retriever. Records with the American Temperament Testing Society (ATTS) show them with a higher passing rate for excellent, friendly temperament than the golden retriever. And Washington’s premier law enforcement agency, The Washington State Patrol, one of the nation’s premiere law enforcement agencies, has more of them working the streets and in training as narcotics and explosives detection K-9s than members of any other pure breed. They are truly the best kept secret weapon in law enforcement’s fight against terror plots and illegal narcotics trafficking.
They are American Pit Bulls.
That’s right. You read that correctly.
After two decades taking their turn - like the Doberman before them - as the fad "bad boy" dog attracting irre sponsible and even criminal owners, today’s press coverage of the American pit bull is predictably all one sided. "Killer Pit Bull" is a sexy headline - it sells soap as the old saying goes - but it is hardly a fair and accurate representation of this old and storied breed. More importantly, while focusing on the misfortunes of only the “pit bull”, the media ignores those involving other breeds, thus giving an even more one-sided bias.
Numerically the American Pit Bull is far and away the most popular and populous breed in the United States today. Thousands upon thousands live as loving and loyal family pets, but because of their popularity, shelters are filled with thrown away pit bulls, and backyard breeders peddle purebred puppies at flea markets for $50. With this tragic overpopulation comes the unavoidable percentage of animals which are mentally damaged and mishandled by cruel, ignorant or even criminally minded dog owners. Due to their being a fad you’ve heard about the damaged dogs - but here you’ll hear about some of the vast majority of American Pit Bulls, those living as loving family pets or valued working dogs.
Like any performance bred working dog, the American Pit Bull can be a lot of dog. Strong, agile, intelligent, determined and very, very willing to please its owner; both good and bad dog owners have figured this out and use it to their own ends. So, while you might find a pit bull whose criminal owner sets it to guard illegal narcotics, you will also find pit bulls owned by law enforcement locating those drugs. There is no “bad breed”.
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