Nitro the Hero American Staff

This Amazing Pit Bull Story comes from Frankie Piccone and is about his wonderful dog Nitro
an American Staffordshire Terrier and his beloved son of 13yrs, may his sweet soul RIP.

It was Frankie’s first time owning this breed, having only had Golden Retrievers, Labradors and a German Sheppard but Nitro was by far the smartest of them all. At not even 4 months, Nitro was trained with just hand commands and basic words but by the 5th month he was doing tricks, climbing trees, jumping over 6 ft walls and following everything and anything he was commanded to do. Frankie taught him to be friendly and non aggressive, to walk by his right side without a leash and to not cross the street without a hand gesture. He was well behaved off leash and Frankie never had to worry about him chasing after any dog, cat, squirrel, or other animal. Nitro was so trained to listen to Frankie’s commands that even when a friend of his tossed a steak into the street and told him to get it, Nitro didn’t budge until Frankie gave him the gesture. By the 7th month Nitro was being trained to guard and protect and knew a trigger word, “tijerras”, which means scissors in Spanish and was only to be used for defense.

The story begins one night when Frankie, who worked with a professional drag racing team at the time, got back home to New York City from the NHRA circuit event in Texas and took Nitro out in his not so great neighborhood for a walk. Nitro was in the bushes taking care of business when out of the nowhere a man sneaks up behind Frankie with a gun to his back and tells him to give him all of his belongings. As Frankie reaches for his wallet, Nitro jumps out of the bushes and bites the man’s hand causing him to drop the gun. The man tries to grab the gun with his free hand so Frankie yells the trigger word “tijerras” and Nitro starts biting down harder as Frankie proceeds to kick the mugger. The man starts yelling and just a few minutes later a squad car pulls up. One of the neighbor’s must have called due to the screaming. The cop draws his gun out and says that he’s going to shoot the dog so Frankie stops kicking the man and commands Nitro to release him. Nitro releases the mugger and Frankie grabs him so the cop won’t shoot his dog. The cop is scared and asks where the leash is all the while the mugger is inching closer to where the gun was in the bushes. Frankie screams to the cop that the mugger is trying to reach for the gun he just tried to rob him with as another squad car pulls up. This time a woman cop draws her gun out and points it at Frankie screaming for him to get on the ground and release Nitro. Frankie doesn’t want Nitro to get shot so he lays on top of him covering him from open fire while the mugger gets cuffed. The cops then come over to Frankie wanting to detain him as well and still pointing their guns at him and Nitro. He explains what just transpired and after an id check they release him and tell him what a great dog he has and that he is brave for protecting his dog because had he not, Nitro would’ve been shot.

Now Frankie is very good friends with those officers and it’s been over 9 years since that incident happened. Nitro has always left a great first impression with anyone that he has met. He saved Frankie’s life 3 times at gun point in NYC, he just wishes he could have returned the favor as cancer got the best of Nitro. Frankie misses him dearly as he is the son he never had. Nitro was honestly loved by many people in this country and has touched many hearts. Frankie knows he’s in a far better place now and is looking for places to take Frankie when they finally reunite.

“RIP my beloved son daddy truly misses you.”- Frankie Piccone

It is stories like this that truly show what great companions Pit Bulls can be. They love and protect you with their whole being. Please don’t judge the breed, judge the deed.

The Los Angeles Pit Bull Problem

I was born and raised in Los Angeles County, more specifically the San Fernando Valley and as you may or may not know I have been obsessed with dogs for as long as I can remember. When I was younger my father would take me to the local L.A. County shelter on a regular basis because I would always  beg him to go see the dogs. Since I couldn't have one do to our living situation I would go visit them as much as I possibly could. Now that I'm older I still visit and it always breaks my heart to see as he sad eyes as I walk by each cage but something dawned on me back then that rings true still to this day. The majority of dogs are Pit Bull or Pit Bull  mixes. It's sad that these dogs are in there to begin with but what makes it worse for me as an avid Pit advocate and dedicated lover is the fact that the predominant breed is of the Pit variety. Now this got me to thinking and wondering why that is. I know they may not have the best reputation due to the manipulation of negative media portrayal so I started doing some analyzing on my own. Stray dogs obviously got caught and Pits can be quite crafty escape artists and with no tags or microchip it is inevitable that they get picked up but then there are a large number of owner surrenders. So why are so many owners surrendering their Pit Bulls?

Moving? No time? The cute puppy grew to be too large? Whatever the reason may be this is a sad thing to do, to surrender your dog? Los Angeles has an epidemic of Pit Bulls on death row. This needs to stop.

The statistics from the Los Angeles Animal Services website states that between the years of 2010 to 2014 15,307 Pit Bulls were euthanized.

That's only L.A. County and only in a four year span. Now think about the United States as a whole, the world as a whole. That's a lot of Pit Bulls dying!

How you can Help

1. If you are interested in getting a Pit Bull please do your research. Understand that a puppy grows and needs more space and activity so be ready to take on the responsibilities that come with owning these dogs. Dogs live for a number of years. Be ready to commit to these years.

2. Socialize, socialize, socialize! Introduce your dog to as many new people, dogs, cats, kids, animals as possible. Well behaved dogs all have one thing in common, socialization. This is the key to help against aggression problems that stem from lack of social stimulation.

3. Train your dog! I cannot stress this enough. Train your dog as soon as you bring him into your home. Untrained Pit Bulls are seen as hazards even though they may mean no harm. You must train your Pit Bull and avoid the negative stereotype.

4. Spay or Neuter. This is a huge reason Pits end up in Shelters, over breeding. Please if you are not a licensed breeder that has quality lineage, do not breed your dogs! I cannot tell you how many times I see backyard breeders pumping out puppies for profit and it disgusts me.

5. Look into adopting versus buying. The more dogs are adopted the less end up dying in shelters.

6. Become a breed ambassador. Show others how great owning a Pit Bull can be and promote positivity with your own well behaved dog as a role model. This does a great deal. I have encountered people who were scared of Pit Bulls but after meeting Bentley changed their minds.

7. Do not advocate dog fighting. Not only is it illegal it is highly immoral and horrible. Dogs are not made to fight each other to the death. Report any dog fighting you may come across at once. There is no excuse for this violence.

If everyone practices responsible techniques we could drastically reduce the number of unnecessary Pit Bull deaths. Imagine if you were given away to a shelter because you were no longer wanted only to live a lonely existence and eventually die. It's not fair for anyone. Let's work on this problem together.

Cheers,

BSL and Pit Bulls

What exactly is BSL?

BSL is an abbreviation for Breed Specific Legislation. Not only is this Legislation targeting specific breeds of dog, but dogs that appear to have characteristics of certain breeds. Your dogs may not even be close to what is on the ban list but may be affected negatively nonetheless. In Iowa, a Pit Bull is defined as “any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds (more so than any other breed), or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics.”

Pit Bull type breeds are included in every single breed restriction or ban that has been set in place by each region that has implemented a legislation, every single one! This ban affects dogs all around the world. These bans and restrictions around the world vary from region to region but the effect that it's having on these dogs is very real.

The following are some of the legislation requirements that you must follow depending upon the region your are in:

Must not own, sell, harbor, breed, keep a Pit Bull type dog.

Leash and or muzzle your dog when in public.

Must be 21 years of age or older

Post "Beware of Dog" signs around your residence.

Procure $100,000 US in liability insurance.

Spay/neuter the dog.

Must surrender the dog to be euthanized if it has bitten a person or animal.

Everyday, Pit Bulls are being killed due to legislation. In the areas where these dogs are illegal to have, there are many people that have no choice but to relocate their dogs within a certain time frame or give them up where they eventually are killed. Since it is already hard as it is to relocate Pit Bulls, the rise in deaths has grown drastically. These are dogs that have never harmed a thing in their lives and are gentle and loving and are being forced out of their homes to suffer an unjustifiable death with no where to go but shelters where they are put down. It's a Holocaust of sorts and is completely unfair to loving dogs and owners alike, who both feel the impact.

The ban affects home owners and renters alike because insurance companies see these breeds as a liability and will not allow them on their properties, making finding a residence extremely hard for owners that do not wish to give up their dogs.

There is a fear of these breeds now and this causes people to cast judgment solely based upon a false sense of fear. The truth is that dogs sometimes attack people,, not just a specific breed or breeds, but the species as a whole. By banning and killing off dogs solely based off of appearance, we are endorsing and showing that stereotyping is okay and should be enforced. It is showing that every dog that looks a certain way is exactly the same. This is so wrong on so many levels. Instead of killing off dogs that belong to a responsible owner why not punish owners who are irresponsible. Why should the actions of the few affect the masses so dramatically?

Banning these breeds, instead of implementing new laws that target irresponsible owners and dogs that actually are dangerous, is not working. These dogs are now being bred by people who just want to make a profit based on their desirability, who in fact, are worsening the breeds. These dogs are being bred in mills and with no concern for good temperaments, genes, and health problems, which is causing more stereotyping to happen. What should be done instead of banning the breeds, is enforcing proper breeding practices and responsible dog ownership.

The fight to end BSL is one that will take the efforts of every person that cares about these dogs. If we don't stand up for them no one will and then what? Let them die, suffer, and soon be banned everywhere causing the extinction of many breeds? Ending BSL starts with you. Educating yourself and others and being a responsible dog owner is just the beginning to a long road of changing the view about Pit Bulls and Pit Bull type breed.

So will you join in on the fight?

Why Pit Bulls are Awesome

After being a Pit Bull owner for over 11 years, I feel that I am qualified to give you reasons as to why Pit Bulls are absolutely the best dogs. Hopefully I can change your mind if you've ever doubted their greatness. These are the top ten reasons why Pit Bulls are awesome but we all know there many many more.

1. Pit Bulls are very athletic. Pits are bundles of energy and can keep up with the most active of lifestyles. Whether you hike, run, or skateboard, these pooches will keep up with you and keep you company. Their lean and muscular bodies make them agile and able to endure long hours of activity.

2. They aim to please. Pit Bulls were made to follow direction and love to please their humans. When there is something they can do for you they will enjoy it, especially being rewarded with praises and pets after doing so.

3. The are easy to groom. With their short coats, they are super easy to groom only requiring a regular bath, some ear cleaning and some teeth cleaning for clean gums and fresh breath. If you keep your Pit active, nail clipping should be very minimal due to the nails filling down against the ground.

4. The Pit Bull smile. One of my favorite characteristics has got to be the famous Pit Bull smile. If you've seen it you know exactly what I mean, if not then you are missing out on cuteness overload.

5. They have personality. Every Pit Bull I meet has it's own distinct personality from the laid back type to the completely off the wall hyper Pit, the are uniquely interesting. Their facial expressions and mannerisms will have you laughing. They don't have a problem trying to tell you what's on their mind. Whether you can decipher their message is a different story though.

6. Pit puppies make your heart melt. Okay, puppies in generally make my heart melt but not like a pit puppy. There's just something about their tiny little faces that make me squeal with joy and want to squeeze them especially when they have plump little bellies. Just adorable!

7. They are easy to train. With a strong desire to make their owners happy, Pit Bulls are among the top breeds that are highly trainable. They follow direction very well and love performing tricks to show off their skills.

8. They know how to be gentle. Pit Bulls know how to be gentle with children, babies, smaller animals, the elderly and the disabled. There are many Pit Bulls that are service dogs because of their trainability.

9. They are the best cuddlers. Pits love to cuddle up next to you and keep you warm, they'll even get under the blanket with you. They love being comfortable and might use your pillow for their heads. Sharing the bed with you is one of their favorite things to do.

10. They are all around attractive. Pits are good looking dogs that come in an array of colors. They come in different sizes depending on the specific breed, whether it is American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier or Bull Terrier there is a style bound to fancy even the pickiest person.