Now given the reputation of pit bulls, you might wonder how I could put “comfort” and “pit bull” in the same frame. But there’s a funny thing about familiarity: once you get to know an unknown, it’s not nearly as scary. Case in point, Mittens (yes, mittens) the Pit Bull, my great-grandchild.
When grandson Michael who is in the Navy came home for Christmas last year, he brought his dog. She adopted us as grandparents. Sometimes overly so. But the well-muscled Mittens against the white puffy comforter and the blood-red pillow, make for interesting contrasts.
And I found out something interesting in the bargain. The dogs we fear, i.e. pit bulls, are actually the breed American Terrier. Has a very different ring to it doesn’t it? There’s probably a lesson in there for all of us about stereotypes and misinformation.
janetsunderland.com 
I’ve been told that some mothers of beautiful daughters are also surprisingly territorial and prone to snap protection behaviors. LOL But that has nothing to do with all those sterotypes about redheads and their tempers.
LOL… nah, couldn’t be. Or the Irish/Scottish part either.
They are very territorial, perhaps more-so than, say, a golden lab, but the fact that they can be very protective of their domain doesn’t make them “bad” dogs.
Absolutely correct.
Thanks, Terry. I know you are correct. After having a pit bull on my lap and feeling how strong even a young one is, I can understand the carefulness around them, however. Mittens, who is very well trained and loved, took off after a dog that had dared to stray into one corner of our yard. She whipped out of the house and across the yard and into a fight so fast, we were all shocked. She allowed Michael to pick her up and get her back, but it was still a surprise.
Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, has for years had a Pit Bull named Daddy, which he takes with him when he visits people who have misbehaving or aggressive dogs. Daddy I think is retired now, but Milan makes the point that so-called “bad” dogs are almost always created and trained by “bad” humans. It’s shameful, in my opinion, to assume that all dogs of a certain breed are bad.