Mikey

Mikey is our first owner-surrendered dog, and came from our local area. Usually Steve has to catch the dogs himself, so this was a nice change of pace. Mikey is not an aggressive or defensive dog, but he has suffered severe abuse and has had a lack of socialization, resulting in somewhat odd behaviors that need some work. Steve has determined that Mikey was beaten and kicked, and struck with objects; he had a strong fear of anything held in a person's hand for the first few days at the Sanctuary, but he appears to have overcome that issue. His first day with Steve, he was very upset, crying all day and howling whenever he was left alone for a few minutes, but by day two, he was happy and playful.

Mikey is a case of a good natured, totally adoptable pit bull that truthfully doesn't need to live at the Sanctuary, but with so many pit bulls in need of homes, and so much misunderstanding about the breed, there are few options, so we decided to keep Mikey here, rather than letting him drift from one home to the next, or end up being euthanized in an animal shelter somewhere. He's part of the family now, and he's not going anywhere.

The 'nature versus nurture' debate is one that often arises when discussing pit bulls, with one side claiming that the dogs are bred for aggression and violence and can not be taught anything else, and the other claiming that environment is the sole factor in a dog's behavior. While proponents of the breed insist that the dogs are bred to be loyal companions, not killers, their own argument defeats the 'environment only' stance -- if a dog can be bred to be loving and loyal, then certainly it can also be bred to be violent and aggressive. Several of the dogs at Olympic Animal Sanctuary are mentally unsound as a result of their genes, and no amount of rehabilitation will completely reverse the effects of generations of irresponsible breeding.

That said, the vast majority of pit bulls are not naturally vicious, and they are no more territorial than the average herding dog. Environment is an important factor in the dogs' temperament, which is why with careful conditioning a pit bull can make a loving companion, and on the other side, why dog fighters torture their dogs to heighten their aggression and fine tune their 'fight or flight' response to stress.

We do not recommend pit bulls for homes with children; their single-mindedness and unique physical attributes make the occasional 'slip-ups' that all dogs have potentially more severe. In other words, all dogs bite under the right circumstances, but the way that pit bulls bite is a little different and can be more serious. But for those with the time and space (and no small children), and the commitment to animal welfare, a spayed or neutered pit bull might be the perfect companion, and animal shelters all over America are full of dogs like Mikey. Consider adopting one if you're able; you'll be saving the dog's life and enriching your own.

Click the images to enlarge.




Mikey at home with the pack -- the morning grazing and sniffing ritual.