Ms. Mandi’s Blog

Did you know that the term “pitbull” is slang?  “Pit” references back to the late 1800′s in Europe when this breed was trained for fighting in the pits with another “pitbull” to their death.  During these fights only one dog was the winner and the other was tossed aside dead or to die while bleeding to death.  The term “bull” refers to the Bulldog breed.  A “pitbull” was evolved by crossing an American Bulldog and a Terrier.  The bulldog in those days isn’t the same breed as the bulldog today.  The technical name for this breed of “pitbull” is Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Staffordshire American Bull Terrier, American Bull Terrier, and Staffordshire Terrier.  Each variation has its differences in size and slight appearance differences.

 
Why do I mention this?  I am mentioning this breed because I have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier; from this point  I will refer to him as Bowzar.  His is my best friend and one of the best dogs I’ve ever known and or have had the pleasure of owning.  He’s gentle, so smart, and makes me laugh.  This is more than I can say about a lot of humans I know:/
 
This morning has been a rough one for me, not feeling particularly cheery by any means.  I was sitting on my bed feeling sorry for myself while having a good and needed cry when he jumped up on the bed and nestled his nose into my ear.  I might add that it was a very cold and wet nose at that.  He made me laugh, but he wasn’t laughing, he had sadness in his eyes.  He was looking back at me the same way that I was feeling inside.  He understood that I was feeling sad and came to me on his own to let me know that he understood.  He understood that I was feeling sad without any words or explanations on my part.  Who can we say in our lives who can understand our feelings without any words?  Not many people have this kind of connection with another human being, but animals do.
 
I know “pitbulls” have a bad wrap.  Trust me, if I saw a “pitbull” in a dark alley, I would pee my pants.  I’m not here to say that they are all good, by any means.  Over the years different breeds have gotten a bad wrap; the Doberman Pinscher, the Chow, the Rottweiler.  It is just like some people are good and some are bad, the same with animals.  They are the product of their owners. What I am saying is “not to judge a book by its cover”.  Bowzar was raised with lots of love and he returns the love to us.  He is a good boy and I am lucky to have him. It’s not the breed that is bad; it’s their reputation.
 
P.S.  Speaking of which, Bowzar just came up to me as I ‘m sitting at my desk typing and nudged my leg with his nose, letting me know that he is here and thinking of me……. .