We look at the blanketed lumps that are our dogs, and I don't think that we could love them more. Our dogs are pit bull terriers.

Nowadays people worry about pit bulls, but that hasn't always been the case. When I was a child, parents worried about German shepherds and Doberman pinschers.

Many famous people have shared their lives with pit bulls: Helen Keller, Teddy Roosevelt, Fred Astaire, John Steinbeck and Thomas Edison. Petey, the dog on "Little Rascals," adored by a whole generation, was a pit bull. During the 1940s and 1950s one of America's most popular family pets was the American pit bull terrier. Today, Alicia Silverstone, Drew Barrymore, Shaq O'Neal, Mary Tyler Moore, Jon Stewart and Robert Ferguson of Green Bay Packer fame are just a few of the people who own pit bulls.

So what has happened since the days when everyone loved Petey? Our society has managed to take one of the best family dogs and turn them into hellhounds. The pit bull has fallen victim to the careless deeds of unethical breeders and irresponsible and downright bad owners. Any isolated and poorly socialized dog can be a bite waiting to happen. This bad combination, along with the tendencies of a sensationalistic media, has ruined the pit bull's reputation.

Two summers ago our dogs were walking quietly on their leashes when they were attacked by a stray husky and a boxer. Somehow between our report to the police and the newspaper story, the boxer that bit the man who tried to help my husband protect our dogs was misidentified as a pit bull terrier. That stray dog was never found, and the man had to go through rabies shots.

Statistics listing pit bull terriers as a leading source of dog bites are misleading. Statistics don't tell us how many of a particular breed of dog there are in relation to the number of bites. It seems any dog that meets the description of being a stocky muscular dog is labeled a "pit bull." (See if you can identify the pit bull at www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html.)

The American Canine Foundation reports that registered pit bull terriers alone make up almost 10 percent of the estimated 52 million dogs in the United States. The term "pit bull" is often used to describe four breeds of dogs: the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and the bull terrier. Rufus, the dog who recently won the Best of Show award at the Westminster Dog Show, is a bull terrier.

The American Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier are considered by the AKC to be some of the finest family dogs. In Britain, Staffordshire terriers are nicknamed "nanny dogs" because of their steadfast, sturdy and devoted nature with children. According to the American Temperament Test Society, pit bull terriers rank very closely to golden retrievers in temperament. (See www.atts.org/index.html.)

Bites do happen and not just from badly socialized pit bulls with careless or stupid owners. The reality is that children are more susceptible to dog-related injuries than adults, often because they don't know how to behave around dogs. But statistics also show that children are more likely to be killed by drapery cords, five-gallon water buckets, horses or cows, while adults are more likely to die in a house-slipper-related accident.

Our dogs are smart and well-behaved, and even a bit goofy sometimes. They all walk around mud puddles. They all would prefer to sleep in till at least 9 a.m. on cold winter mornings.

Their best trait and the trait that makes us love them the most is their great desire to make us, their people, happy. Sadly enough, that is also the trait that gets them in the most trouble. Sometimes the trust of generous-hearted pit bulls is betrayed. That is a sad thing. For all of us.

Kirsten Houtman is a librarian who lives and works in Madison.
Published: March 23, 2006

Kirsten & her Husband adopted Gen Mai Chai  from CDT  in 2005,Traveling from Wisconsin one weekend with their 2 other rescued bullies, It was a pleasure meeting them as well as being able to place Gen Mai with such a loving wonderful family. Gen Mai ,formally known as " The River Piggy" was rescued from South Bend Animal Control Indiana, where the Staff there where determined to find this little guy a home after the horrific situation he came from.