Reader, I promise there is a new, non dog related post coming up very shortly, but before then I'd like to take some time and pay tribute to Daddy The Pit Bull who passed away on February 19th, 2010.
Daddy: The World's Pit BullI don't check e-mail over the weekend and I barely even browse the internet (it helps me keep my sanity by "unplugging" myself from the interweaving series of tubes that I love so much), so when I woke up Monday morning and read that Daddy the Pit Bull (from Cesar Millan's National Geographic Channel show Dog Whisperer) had passed away on February 19th the news was more or less a shock. Not a life changing, mind altering type of shock that caused me to sob uncontrollably while reassessing my place in this world, but the sort of quiet, calm shock that could only be reasonably expressed with a deep sigh and a shake of the head. "That's terrible," I whispered to myself in a vain attempt not to wake up my girlfriend, but she heard me anyway and asked me what happened. "Daddy died," I said. "Ooh, I'm sorry, baby. That stinks," was her pitch-perfect response before she rolled over and caught a few more minutes of shut-eye. My dog, Vinnie, was lying at the love of my life's feet, somehow taking up more space in the bed than I did the night before. I looked over at him, he looked up at me and I slid over to where he as laying and gave him a big hug and said, "don't you do that to me until I'm ready, buddy." He snorted, laid back down and slept until it was time for him to go outside.
My first impression of Daddy was that of a dog who would "mess you up," and not of the calm-submissive, perfect four legged friend that was actually on display week in and week out. I didn't know the intricacies of "dog speak" as well as I do now, so it was impossible for me to see anything but a giant, lumbering, block headed Pit Bull that was preternaturally blessed with a perfect demeanor. Six seasons of devoted fandom and several books later, I know now that Daddy was much, much more than a dog. He was an ambassador for the canine kingdom, but especially for one of the most ill reputed dogs in the entire world. Obviously, I'm referring to Pit Bulls and their heinous portrayal as vicious, man-eaters. While the pictures of Pit Bulls engaged in dog fights are horrifying, as are the images of people who have come into contact with the rare, wild and aggressive Pit, that doesn't mean the entire breed should be condemned as "second class canine citizens."
Daddy, with his amazing personality and slow, confident swagger had the ability to light up any room he sauntered in to, and after a while, and once the show's popularity began to sky rocket, it seemed as if the owners who contacted Cesar Millan for help with their dogs really just wanted to see Daddy. I don't blame them at all. Daddy was a force unto himself and rightly deserved the fan base he's accumulated over the years, because it's rare to see any dog act so perfectly. But, from personal experience with several Pit Bulls in my neighborhood - all of which have owners that put in a lot of time and effort with their dogs to balance them properly - I know that the great majority of Pit Bulls have the same confident self-awareness and calm presence that Daddy put on display week in and week out as Cesar's right hand "man."
Daddy never so much as growled at a dog that showed signs of aggression towards him, instead he would remove himself from the instability and wander around happily until the unstable pooch he was tasked to help calmed down, got into the right mindset and was ready to be a dog again. Then Daddy would work his magic, and it was always breathtaking to see a dog that could so easily intimidate the average human act like a meek, lovable pussycat in their presence - even, more remarkably, if they were nervous- because Daddy never seemed to mind. He always seemed to be looking up with those big eyes as if to say, "hey, man it's fine, I get it, I'll be here when you need me," and he was always their when he was needed. Whether it was rearing his protege Junior into another benevolent ambassador, or helping Cesar show other dogs what it means to be perfectly balanced and happy; Daddy always showed up, did his job and made the entire world forget he happens to come from a breed of dogs that is constantly and unjustly vilified for being people-aggressive. Which was his ultimate job and one which he did splendidly.
I don't have it in me to be long winded and overly explanatory, but if you want to read a great treatise on the mistreatment of Pit Bulls you can head over to Gladwell.com and read the brilliant article "Troublemakers: What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Profiling," by my favorite non-fiction writer, Malcolm Gladwell. It really sums up -perfectly- my feelings about Pit Bulls and other dogs that have been incorrectly labeled as "people aggressive," so, there you go. You're welcome.
In closing, let me extend my heartfelt thanks to Daddy for showing all of us what it means to be a truly balanced dog, and my condolences to the Millan family. I know what they are going through must be very difficult since Daddy has been with them so long and lived so closely with them. You are all in my thoughts, and again, thank you Daddy and Cesar for being such positive role models and helping to change the world one dog at a time.
Daddy and his protege, Junior. Perfect as always.
So long, Daddy. You will be missed.
My first impression of Daddy was that of a dog who would "mess you up," and not of the calm-submissive, perfect four legged friend that was actually on display week in and week out. I didn't know the intricacies of "dog speak" as well as I do now, so it was impossible for me to see anything but a giant, lumbering, block headed Pit Bull that was preternaturally blessed with a perfect demeanor. Six seasons of devoted fandom and several books later, I know now that Daddy was much, much more than a dog. He was an ambassador for the canine kingdom, but especially for one of the most ill reputed dogs in the entire world. Obviously, I'm referring to Pit Bulls and their heinous portrayal as vicious, man-eaters. While the pictures of Pit Bulls engaged in dog fights are horrifying, as are the images of people who have come into contact with the rare, wild and aggressive Pit, that doesn't mean the entire breed should be condemned as "second class canine citizens."
Daddy, with his amazing personality and slow, confident swagger had the ability to light up any room he sauntered in to, and after a while, and once the show's popularity began to sky rocket, it seemed as if the owners who contacted Cesar Millan for help with their dogs really just wanted to see Daddy. I don't blame them at all. Daddy was a force unto himself and rightly deserved the fan base he's accumulated over the years, because it's rare to see any dog act so perfectly. But, from personal experience with several Pit Bulls in my neighborhood - all of which have owners that put in a lot of time and effort with their dogs to balance them properly - I know that the great majority of Pit Bulls have the same confident self-awareness and calm presence that Daddy put on display week in and week out as Cesar's right hand "man."
Daddy never so much as growled at a dog that showed signs of aggression towards him, instead he would remove himself from the instability and wander around happily until the unstable pooch he was tasked to help calmed down, got into the right mindset and was ready to be a dog again. Then Daddy would work his magic, and it was always breathtaking to see a dog that could so easily intimidate the average human act like a meek, lovable pussycat in their presence - even, more remarkably, if they were nervous- because Daddy never seemed to mind. He always seemed to be looking up with those big eyes as if to say, "hey, man it's fine, I get it, I'll be here when you need me," and he was always their when he was needed. Whether it was rearing his protege Junior into another benevolent ambassador, or helping Cesar show other dogs what it means to be perfectly balanced and happy; Daddy always showed up, did his job and made the entire world forget he happens to come from a breed of dogs that is constantly and unjustly vilified for being people-aggressive. Which was his ultimate job and one which he did splendidly.
I don't have it in me to be long winded and overly explanatory, but if you want to read a great treatise on the mistreatment of Pit Bulls you can head over to Gladwell.com and read the brilliant article "Troublemakers: What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Profiling," by my favorite non-fiction writer, Malcolm Gladwell. It really sums up -perfectly- my feelings about Pit Bulls and other dogs that have been incorrectly labeled as "people aggressive," so, there you go. You're welcome.
In closing, let me extend my heartfelt thanks to Daddy for showing all of us what it means to be a truly balanced dog, and my condolences to the Millan family. I know what they are going through must be very difficult since Daddy has been with them so long and lived so closely with them. You are all in my thoughts, and again, thank you Daddy and Cesar for being such positive role models and helping to change the world one dog at a time.
Daddy and his protege, Junior. Perfect as always.So long, Daddy. You will be missed.
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