Tales & Tails of New York

To Pit or not to Pit -- Russel's Tale  

What an awesome dog!   I was gazing into the handsome face of a 4-year-old "Pit Bull" (American Staffordshire Terrier) in the adoptions ward at the Manhattan AC&C.   I was normally not a particular fan of the breed, not because I didn't appreciate Pits, but because they were so hard to place.  

Usually (as in this case,) there was no information on them, as most people dropping Pits off to the shelter, claimed the animals to be "strays."  

I wanted to walk past the cage containing the handsome brown and white Pit Bull and move on, but instead, found myself asking the animal attendant to take the dog out of the cage for me.  

I expected the powerful looking dog to pull me all over the place.   But, instead he walked right next to me, as if he had previously been trained. 

The dog was very loving and affectionate, gazing gently at my face and offering a couple of licks.   But, he seemed most devoted to Charlie, the older diminutive black man who tended to the dogs.  The dog wanted to follow him around.  

"Wow, he really seems to like you!" I said to Charlie, noting the Pit's seeming bonding.  

"Yea, he's really a very good dog," Charlie replied, stroking Russel gently on the head.  The dog responded with a slew of wet kisses.  

"Has anyone showed interest in him?" I asked further.  

"Nah, too many of 'em here," Charlie responded with a note of genuine sadness in his voice. "His time is running out."  

"Well, maybe not anymore," I answered, having already made up my mind to take this dog.  

I asked Renee, the New Hope (rescue) coordinator for the Manhattan AC&C to put a memo on the Pit for me and to arrange to get him neutered.  

"Will do," Renee answered. "He did very well on his behavioral eval tests. He should be a good dog."  

"Should we leave him a few more days in adoptions, in case someone wants him?" I asked.  

"No," Renee answered.  "Let's get him out of here as fast as possible.  He's not going anywhere here."  

A few days later, I returned to the AC&C on East 110th Street, to pick up the now neutered Pit Bull and bring him to "Run Spot Run," the dog boarding place we used located on East 91 St.  

"I think I'll name him, 'Russel' after Russel Crowe," I told Renee while she drew up the paper work.  

"Sounds good enough to me, " Renee smiled.  "He really is a very nice dog. I'm glad you're taking him."  

Russel was such a pleasure to walk, I decided to walk him to the boarding facility, rather than try and get a cab.  I wasn't sure how successful I would be finding a cab to pick up me and the rather intimidating looking Pit Bull.  

Russel was about 60 lbs of pure muscle.  There wasn't an ounce of flab on him.  He appeared to have been very well cared for at one time. 

One had to wonder what his real history was?   Did something happen to his former owner?  Was his owner an older black man (judging by the dog's sheer devotion and love for Charlie at the shelter)?  Or did the people simply "move" or tire of caring for him? 

The only information I had on Russel was that he came into the shelter as a Bronx "stray."  He had apparently been found in a school yard.  

Over the next few weeks, Russel did very well at Run Spot Run.  He played well with other dogs and was very friendly to the dog handlers.  Everybody loved him.  

But, despite advertising him on Petfinders and other adoption sites, I had no calls to adopt him.  

In the meantime, I broke my wrist one night while walking my own dog, Tina at 1AM in the morning.  

My little Corgi/Spitz mix is about nine-years-old and I have never thought of her as any kind of "protection" dog, but on this particular night with no one on the street at that hour, Tina decided to act like a guard dog with three men walking down Lexington Ave.  For some bizarre reason she lunged at one of the men and I had to pull suddenly back on the retractable leash with all the force in me.  It was lightly raining and my foot slipped on the wet subway grating.

I fell backwards and landed squarely on my left wrist.   The pain was excruciating, forcing me to sit there more than 15 minutes on the grating, literally seeing stars.   It was obvious I broke something.  

The next morning I had to go to the Emergency Room and was fitted with a cast.  

Luckily, Russel was a lot easier to walk than my own little dog, Tina.   I still continued to walk Russel most days at Run Spot.   Other times, a volunteer dog walker walked him and the others dogs we had at Run Spot, including a sweet red male Chow named, "Niki."  

But, if Russel was generally friendly with other dogs, he was not a dog to be challenged in any way.  

One day, Melissa made the mistake of walking Russel and Niki together.  It was a very hot early summer day and she brought them to a water fountain to drink.  Russel was drinking water and then Niki tried to jump up and get water for himself.   The two dogs got into a fight.  

Melissa sustained a superficial scratch, trying to break the dogs up.  A couple of men helped her separating the dogs and she then called one of the handlers at Run Spot to help her bring the dogs back to the boarding place.  Russel wasn't hurt at all, except for a minor abrasion, but Niki had a puncture wound on his front leg.  I had to take him, limping, to the vet.  

"What made you decide to walk a male Chow and Pit Bull together?" I later asked Melissa. "You know its against my rules to walk dogs together -- but especially two male, dominant breeds."  

"I always walk two dogs together and never had a problem!" Melissa answered defensively.  

Although Melissa had been very helpful to me, I decided that I could not put the job of walking dogs into the hands of volunteers if I could not trust them to follow rules.  When I thought of all the things that could have gone horribly wrong in an incident like this, I could only be thankful matters weren't a great deal worse.  

Niki's wound healed quickly and the Chow was adopted about a week after the incident.  

I still had no offers for Russel, but continued to enjoy walks with him every day and just "hanging out" on park benches.  I really loved this handsome hunk!  If I didn't already have animals at home, Russel would have been mine.   But, I could not predict how Russel would be around cats and didn't want to take any chances.  

I always felt a little funny walking a powerful Pit Bull with a cast on my left arm.  I wondered (with the "reputation of Pit Bulls) if people thought I was some kind of "victim" of the dog I was walking?    

It was probably not the best "advertising" walking a Pit Bull with an arm cast.  

As I originally figured, Russel was proving to be a very difficult adoption, despite being extremely loving, housebroken and well trained.   

To (rescue) Pit or not to (rescue) Pit was the question.  

My dog boarding bills were through the roof, but still I had no regrets about "pulling" Russel. He was slowly teaching me that Pits are among the most loving and devoted dogs on the planet.  If Russel wasn't a Pit, I wouldn't have needed a leash with him.  He literally walked with me in lockstep.  

About two months after rescue, I finally had an adoption offer for Russel.  

Alex and Gina were a young, active and upwardly mobile couple who traveled frequently and hung out with the major trend setters in New York.  She was a model and he was in real estate.   They loved Russel.  

I gave full instructions and warnings with Russel.    "He is a great dog in every way.  While good with most dogs, he will not be challenged.  Keep him away from dominant type males. Never put him with cats.  I don't know his history and sometimes these dogs can be trouble around other animals.  You have to remember Russel is very powerful. But, he truly loves people. Everyone."  

It's been more than four months since Russel's (now named, "Tank.") adoption.  I heard from Gina and Alex a couple of weeks ago.  They had nothing but raves about "Tank."  He swims, he retrieves, he goes hiking with them.  All their friends love him.  He has been a perfect dog.  

To Pit or not to Pit?   Well, every dog is an individual and has to be "judged" as such.  But, one has to respect the strength and athleticism of Pit Bulls.  It is strength and energy that needs to be channeled properly.  

The AKC suggests that American Staffs are the #1 breed recommended around children.  

It was, after all a Pit Bull who was the companion to the kids from the "Little Rascals," so many years ago.   Such a shame that too many bad people have exploited the strength and devotion of these dogs for the wrong purposes.  

It is now one of the biggest tragedies and challenges we face in the animal world:  

What to do about all the Pit Bulls?  

But, for all the wonderful Pits -- like Russel -- that we have rescued and placed over the years, I have to say, responsibly place the good ones here already and neuter all but those in the hands and care of recognized, credited and knowledgeable breeders.  

Sadly, we have way, way too much of a good thing.                                               

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