Or so people say. I’d say, misinformed people, misled by sensational media reports about the American Pit Bull Terrier, the world’s most maligned breed of dogs.

FEROCIOUS our Padfoot is definitely NOT. Although our dog hails from a fighting line -- father Tommie and mother JoGirl are from the Carver / Bullyson lines, respectively, says pit bull breeder Joseph Cudyamat -- Padfoot grew up with all the love at our home that he has become a very gentle, sensitive, lovable, huggable dog. “Gentle” by pit bull standards, of course, is different from what we humans know as gentle. Because when Paddy “plays” with us, other people actually consider it as “mauling.” Being the world’s strongest dogs, pit bull play can be rough, if you’re not prepared for it.

And so I would say that pit bulls are not for everyone. If you’re the type who’s so busy with work and no time to spend with your dog, the APBT is not the dog for you. If you’re the type who don’t want your clothes soiled with the pit bull constantly pouncing on you to get your attention, this dog is not for you.

Pit bulls can be the most rewarding of pets, if you invest the time to get to know your dog. If you ignore him most of the day and put him on a cage or tie him with a leash most of the time, then you may end up with a most problematic dog you wished you didn’t adopt in the first place. Once you set him loose, he will burst forth with maximum energy and all your wife’s plants in the garden will disappear, your newly washed clothes out there in the sun will become rags, your most expensive Nike will be reduced to a rubbery mass, and the clothes you’re wearing will be soiled with his paws as he constantly jumps at you in his attempts to coax you to play with him.

That was how Padfoot was when he got leashed too long too often. Once, our new labandera had to shout to high heavens, “O Lord, please Lord, tabangi ko Lord!” as the puppy Padfoot playfully jumped at her repeatedly.

Pit bulls have so much energy in them that you need to help them release it. How? With frequent exercise. Lots of exercise. If you’re not prepared to spend at least 30 minutes of walking with him in the early morning almost every day, then don’t bother getting a pit bull. Me, I’m not complaining, because I’ve long wanted to have a regular exercise. I just couldn’t maintain jogging regularly, especially when I sleep late the night before. But with Padfoot knocking on our doors with his muffled whimpering and his pleading eyes demanding for his lakwatsa while we’re sipping our coffee every morning, it’s just so hard to say no. Then he starts galloping (there is no other way to describe this; you have to see it to believe it) all the way to the gate when he sees me getting his leash for the walk.

As you may have heard, pit bulls are the fiercest of all dogs in a dog fight. No other breed can come close. But only if you train them so. Otherwise, they are naturally harmless and love the company of people, thus making them a favorite among pet lovers. It would really be nice to see Padfoot fight with those small askals who bark at us in the streets with their fangs bared. But I’m glad that Padfoot, who has not been taught to fight, does not show any violent tendencies at all. Once I got so irritated with two little dogs in the neighborhood always harassing us in our early morning walks. “You want a fight? Here’s your fight!” And released Padfoot from his leash. To my consternation, Padfoot just playfully ran away as fast as he could, smelling the earth and the plants as he went. I almost ran out of breath running after him.

Once, our maid left the gate half open, and Padfoot slipped right through. I rushed out to catch him while I was still in my slippers and sleeping clothes. But he just ran away as I came close, stopping to glance at me, and running again every time I came near him, right in the middle of the road, bumping into cars along the way. I was so worried because it was 7 o’clock in the morning, peak of vehicular and pedestrian traffic at La Salle where we live nearby. Will he attack people, especially children?! Will he get sideswiped?! Oh my! I lost sight of him when I reached La Salle, and have resigned myself to the fact that I’ve lost my dog. And so I returned home, fearing that later in the day, I’ll just hear in the news that some wild pit bull attacked and killed animals and people.

I got my car to search for him. To my relief, I found him crouching by the road side near Redemptorist church. But he was trembling with fear, with mud all over his body, and wounds on both his front legs. He just followed our early morning route! He bothered no people at all, because all those I asked along the way if they saw an unfamiliar dog, said they didn’t.

Such are pit bulls who grew up in a friendly environment -- harmless, friendly, loving. However, just remember to always keep them away from Kitty and the chickens, or they will end up like your Nike. :-)

Pit bulls, of course, are very photogenic. See how Padfoot always looks at the camera every time I take his picture? Because he’s so cute I couldn’t resist picking up my camera. I guess he’s the most photographed animal -- human beings included -- in Iligan. I have over 1,300 pictures of him since the 13 months he’s been with us. These pictures on exhibit are among the best. Hope you enjoy them.


-- Bobby T.