Wild Pit Bulls…Couldn’t Drag Me Away…
First, a Portrait of Stribling Avenue
I live on a weird street — Stribling Ave in Charlottesville, Virginia. It’s in a nice area, in close proximity to the University of Virginia. Frankly, there are no bad areas of Charlottesville, but somehow this particular street doesn’t have that squeaky clean, pink popped-collar polo bleached teeth college town vibe that the rest of the campus has. For those that are familiar with C’ville, the landmark I use to help locate Stribling is a bar called “Durty Nelly’s”. I’m almost positive they spelled “dirty” that way on purpose.
Anyway, my street has houses that sell for $230k (which, sadly, translates to “really really crappy” in Charlottesville) all the way up to maybe half a million dollars. It’s a mix of renters and homeowners, I’m guessing more renters though. All economic levels are represented on this street, which is something I have never experienced before — usually a street is ghetto or nice, not a mix. There are some grad students, families, older single people, a little bit of everything really. Train tracks run through the backyards of all the houses on the west side of the street, and for some reason this is a prime spot for hobos to jump off the train. I’ve been stopped by a train hopper and asked “which way is Charlottesville?” It was difficult to answer, since technically we were standing in Charlottesville, but I felt compelled to “be cool” and not give any indication that I knew he had just hopped off a frieght train. “Uhh…it’s that way.”
Carl
One of my neighbors — I’ll call him Carl since I have no idea what his name is — has a female pit bull. She doesn’t seem particularly friendly, and in fact does not appear to be a pet as much as a guard dog. She is permanently chained outside his house. She has a small dog house with a sloppy pile of cinder blocks almost entirely covering the doorway. I’ve never seen her being walked, pet, or having any contact with humans. It seems cruel to me, pit bulls have pretty short fur and usually very low body fat and Virginia can get down into the teens and 20’s in the Winter. Pit bulls are not really built for the cold in my opinion.
(These aren’t the pups in question, but aren’t they cute?!)
Well anyway, for whatever reason, Carl was in jail for a couple months this winter. I was glad because he likes to pretend that Stribling is a drag strip and drives his car at 45mph through the sharp, blind turns, even when there are 6 yr olds learning to ride their bikes on this small residential street. While Carl was in jail, his pit bull had puppies. If you’ve never seen a pit bull puppy, they’re actually the cutest possible puppies on the planet. Every day, I would walk my dog down the street and sneak a peek at Carl’s yard to see the cute little puppies chillin’ with their mom. The mom would bark, the puppies would come running to her, and I would pray that the chain was solid because she looked like she wanted to kill me and play with my carcass. I’d continue walking, mom would finally settle down and everything was good.
Then the puppies kept growing. They got big fast. When they were tiny, they tended to cling to their mom and it wasn’t an issue that they didn’t have a fence, a chain, or collars. But then they got bigger and bolder. I started seeing them outside of their yard, roaming around the nieghborhood looking for little morsels of food. By the way, did I mention that people litter all up and down our street? It’s really frustrating because this would be a nice looking street if people didn’t litter. Plus, apparently, litter attracts feral pit bulls puppies. Yes yes, there are wild pit bull puppies roaming free in my neighboorhood now. Hey Carl, thanks a lot. They are completely unsocialized. I’ve tried to lure them with treats, but they run scared from humans, which isn’t a good sign.
Get Up…Get Down…Animal Control is a Joke in Your Town
The animal control dude rolls through our street once a day now to check on the pups. I chatted with him a while back, and he said that he can’t do anything about the dogs unless he happens to drive by when they’re out of the yard. He’s not allowed to go into the yard and take the puppies. I wouldn’t get near them with mom-dog around. So, it’s a weird situation. The dogs are only going to get bigger. Without them being socialized, at a certain point they will become dangerous and probably aggresive. I like pit bulls, I have a pit mix myself — his name is Pizza. When raised properly and trained properly, pits can be really good pets. But, let’s be honest, when they are unsocialized and untrained, they are basically killing machines: something like 1500 pounds per square inch of jaw pressure, with locking jaws to boot. We’re basically talking about land sharks. Friggin’ Carl!
March 21st, 2006 at 10:26 am
Move to Richmond, Sally!
March 21st, 2006 at 10:48 am
That sucks. It’s people like that, that give pits a bad name. Pizza is awesome and I am sure these pups have potential too.
This just sounds like a neighborhood child mauling waiting to happen.
By the way, since you mention it, Stribling is a weird town. The renters and owners mix is interesting but even within the renters there’s a mix. Some are townies like Carl and others are UVa students. That’s a pretty weird mix.
March 21st, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Sad story, the sleepy pup all the way to the right in the photo is no longer with us. I’m not sure what happened, but he made it to about 1 year. His name was Jedi. He was a good dog. :(
March 23rd, 2006 at 10:31 pm
[...] Bob Gibson memorializes his daughter Stella’s dearly departed chicken, Funky. Michael continues his ongoing story of his recent week in Spain. Cory tells us all about Buddhist filmmaker Takashi Miike. Patience is “pissed off that two of [her] kids live with the threat of violence every school day”. Anoop Ranganath ate an apple and it really hurt. Mike relates the story of a friend who is the literal poster child for UVa’s financial aid program who just left school in his fourth year because he can’t afford tuition. Bill Emory provides the history of one particular piece of land in the Woolen Mills, tracing it back to 1870. Scott Johnny had one of those small-town moments that are obvious to locals, shocking to newbies. Sally’s neighbor on Stribling has feral pit bull puppies that wander around the street foraging for food, and animal control won’t do anything. Maiaoming names five blogs she’d create if only she had the time. Jennifer, inspired by Anne Metz’ recent Starlight Express trip, took the shuttle herself, and judges it so-so. Ryan is a little freaked out by Mark Warner’s visage. Mayor David Brown is digging the changes at Reid’s. (Side note: I once saw a candidate for office take a swipe at Reid’s; the audience turned on him at that very moment.) Tim McCormack consumed the most disgusting-smelling fruit in the world, the durian, and lived to blog about it in excruciating detail. Jordan Conley, new to town, doesn’t know what to make of the crazy guy’s signs on Park Street. And, finally Bryan McKenzie figures that neither Vance High nor Joan Schatzman come off well in their spat. [...]
March 30th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Haha, awesome. Can I get a witness from any locals on how weird Stribling is?
October 12th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
hey how are u doing i really think this is a very sad story because i have 15 pit bulls and i love every 1 of them.You see i take in all the dogs of the streets and all the dogs that noone wants and put them through tranning for 6-8 weeks until they are ready and trained to go to a loving home. i really think that you should email me back and tell me if them poor beautiful dogs are still out there homeless and scared out there in the cold and also winter is about to be here so email me back. thank you
Shannon S p.s.-maybe we can make a deal
October 12th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Hi Shannon, thanks for writing back. This story took place in Virginia last year, and I have since moved to California so I’m not sure what happened to the pups. It is a sad story.
December 14th, 2006 at 11:21 am
awww Pizza looks like a pitbull/dane mix and is adorable!!! It’s sad about the pitbulls, you should try to catch them, landsharks would be horrible and give pits an even worse name.
carl sounds like a moron and you should prrrrobably throw sticks at him. or rocks, and get him to catch the puppies.
poor little things :(
January 31st, 2007 at 12:57 pm
damn nice pits wish I could have one.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Animal control will most likely put a pit bull to sleep. They are considered high risk dogs and animal control does not want to deal with them. What needs to be done is a pit bull rescue center needs to be contacted. they will try and find good homes for these dogs. The dogs are not mean until they are raised to be. I did not believe this until I saw a pit chained outside my neighbors house for months. He went to jail and my boyfriend bought it off his wife for $50. She just didn’t want to deal with him. Now he sleeps with me every night and plays with the 2 year old that I babysit. Somethng needs to be done about bad owners, not about specific breeds of dogs.
April 24th, 2007 at 11:00 am
PIT BULLS DO NOT HAVE LOCKING JAWS!!! It is a common myth that is fed to people and they are forced to believe!!!! My mom works at the animal shelter and just because Pit Bulls have the mentality to latch on and not let go doesnot mean they have locking jaws!! Sorry to break the news to you but they really dont and I am not just saying that to sound like a jerk or anything I just want people to know the truth!
April 24th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Alright, take it easy, take it easy. The locking jaws thing wasn’t really the point of this post, but thanks for the myth-busting. I do know that people who fight pits use “breaking sticks” to open their jaws up when they’ve latched on to an opponent in a fight — you’ll see the breaking sticks come up again and again in house searches on those Animal Precinct reality shows. So, maybe pits can’t technically “lock” their jaws, maybe it’s more like their jaws are so strong, you have to use a stick to create enough leverage to open them back up again.
May 11th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
There is NO such thing as LOCKING JAWS, i have spaniels and if they have something in their mouth such as a dead mouse or even a toy they dont want to share you can not open their mouths if your life depended on it. Stop spreading crap about pit bulls, I use to have one and he was a very nice dog. I agree something should definatly be done about the mom and pups before someone gets killed or they end up hit by a car or something. People should have permits to own animals. is your dog pizza a pit mixed with a greyhound that is sure what he looks like
“Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.”–Mark Twain
May 13th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Hmm, I think you should read my previous comment. The one where I said “take it easy. The locking jaws thing wasn’t really the point of this post, but thanks for the myth-busting…” etc.
Yes, my dog Pizza is a pit mix. I really like pit bulls, when they’re trained properly. When they’re not socialized or trained properly, they are dangerous animals — moreso than most other breeds of dogs in my opinion. But, yes I am a pit fan — when they’re raised up right.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:55 am
i have a pit and it loves to play with lil kids itz only 10 month and iz good with other dog ita always with ppl
this was when it was 1 month
July 25th, 2007 at 9:52 am
I hope Carl’s in jail now and those pits are in better homes. Poor things. I have a year old pit who I just absolutely love. She’s a wonderful dog. But like thousands of other pit bulls, she had belonged to a family that left her outside. It’s not the saddest or the worst pit bull story, but it’s something that’s very common and needs to stop.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
kool dog man i have 2 pit bull and boxer mix 5 months old and they are gteat!
September 23rd, 2007 at 11:34 am
i have a pit and her name is taquilla and her bark is bigger than her bite. i had to give her to a friend because in my town i would have to pay $100 a day just to keep her. i almost did but i needed the money for school and books. i really miss her. so did my mom. she cried when we got rid of her.
October 10th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I love pits super much…the only problim is my dad hates um’ I often Make power points on them,and how we should be kind to them.SAd story.I want to be an animal cop…I hats animal abusers..They stink.Pit bulls can kill…but only if treated badly…Hwo can answer my question?This lady raised to pitbulls,from pups…then they attacked and killed her…Why?hey shyann…sad pitbull story.Go Grace!Well gotta go.
December 21st, 2007 at 9:19 am
this is to shyann~ aww thats a sad story but how long ago was this anyways….why would you have to pay $$100 dollars A DAY in order to keep Taquilla??? hope you can get her backk somedday! byebye
December 30th, 2007 at 10:02 am
I am sure glad you know not all pit bulls are mean i have 2 pure bread pit bulls and they are as sweet as candy their names are Arie and Sadie
January 8th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
The only way a pitbull will attack is if you bother them. Its like if you make eye contact with them they feel endangered as if a human is going to do something to them. Pitbulls dont attack for no reason. They are either being neglected or are just being aggravated by certain things. I have two pitbulls myself their names are Bisquit which is the female and Gravy who is the male. They ar etwo good dogs. They know when to act bad. Thats when they ar ein the back yard playing with each other or either when someone is playing rough with them. They do not bite when they ar being played with either. So the main thing is pitbulls dont attack for no unapparent reason.
January 10th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Look pitbulls are amazing dogs…I have never owned one but I have been around them plenty and they are the sweetest things in the world…If it wasnt for owners who treat their dogs like crap, Pitbulls wouldnt even have bad names and people wouldnt think of them as “monsters”…I often have arguments with my parents about pitbulls because I have always wanted to own one but they too are against pitbulls…I am soon to be 18 and as soon as I get my own place i am going to have a few of them…With love and care and the proper training, pitbulls make the best companions in the world…What people dont realize is that any dog can act in an aggressive way, it is just in pitbulls that when treated wrong or neglected the retalliate, which again so can any other dog…So for people that think pitbulls are the worst possible dogs to own and think they are monsters, please think again, stop and look at all the other dogs who have attacked…They are not all PITBULLS…Thank You
February 15th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Did any of you get dogs from pet stores cause you seem to love dogs.Ands dogs from pet stores normally come frome puppy mills. My dad does not like pits and does not trust them and when i told him i wanted one he thought i was crazy for wanting an”aggreive” dog but i want to have a pit sancuary so they dont get put down for being aggresive when with proper training it can be fixed EVEN THOSE USED FOR FIGHTING
June 11th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
That is a sad story my boyfriend recently surprised me with a pit bull puppy that we named King, and we recently enrolled him in obedience school! I think its terrible how someone can treat an animal like that
July 21st, 2008 at 2:53 am
I think the owner of the dogs is stupid. Pit bulls are very nice and willing dogs that will make great family pets, if only they are socialized like all dogs. without the socialisation they become a danger(as with all dogs) and then peoplego around saying they are dangerous.
I wouldnt get animal control to take them though because they will just say they are a danger and put the to sleep, instead i would find the nearest pit bull centre and tell them what is happening.
August 3rd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
omg thats soo sad i wish i could put this pic on on my group called save the pit bulls
September 11th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Pit bull jaws do not lock. While their jaws are very strong, the mechanism is the same as any other breed.
October 16th, 2008 at 7:07 am
DEY SHOULD NOT B IN A CAGE
October 24th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Wag1
pit bullz r propa sik i got 1
if u wanna now more add ma new addy
Tigger_4eva@hotmail.co.uk