I shall never forget, I shall never forget...

It's a mantra I wake up to each day along with the morning coffee and standing out in the cold waiting for the dogs to come back in..."I shall never forget". It's remembered in the faces that haunt me from the computer screen every day. It's remembered every time I hesitate a moment in reposting an urgent cry for help. It's remembered when I am in my car listening to the sad refrains of Maria Daines' "I don't want to fight no more". And it's remembered every time I hug my dogs and look into their solemn brown eyes.

I suppose there are people who wonder why I would have opted to advocate for pitbulls in the sea of animal rights issues out there. Or what insane thoughts must have been going through my head the day I veered right instead of going straight ahead and ended up at the shelter, adopting a pitbull mix. All I can say is there is something that tugs at my heartstrings when a creature which has suffered so much at the hands of man is so vilified and misunderstood and become one of the true underdogs of the dog world. Pitbulls need heroes and I chose to be one.

It's been a little over a year and a half since I made that decision to take a detour and now I share my life with two pitbulls, both of whom had rocky starts in life. Unwanted, left to fend for themselves, with few prospects for a happy ending, these two have taught me a lot about what pitbulls are and are not. In the process they have changed who I am as a person and taught me things about myself I never would have thought of, little less learned.

Charm was one thing, a mix who was still growing out of the puppy stages and infinitely energetic. I think the true beginnings of understanding arrived with Domino, who tops the charts in size and strength. I remember our first days together, he would jump up on the couch and sit up and stare into my eyes, which was very unnerving.

I would think, what is he thinking? Can I trust him? Did I take on too much? It seems funny looking back now as I struggled to maintain that calm interior exactly how deep my own misunderstanding ran. Domino still jumps up on the couch and fixes me with his unnerving stare and it generally means are we going for a walk anytime soon, is it time to eat yet? I totally underestimated the deep and complex intelligence of pitbulls, something which I have no problem with today.

I have learned to read the many expressions of Domino, the difference between a wagging tail and a WAGGING tail. The way he draws up his jowls when he is thinking about something. And I have learned that in every moment of every day, he is the most trustworthy, gentle, loving soul there is. Everytime I see him with kitten, Fable, latched onto his nose and pulling on his lips, it makes me smile and I no longer keep an eye out for any roughness on his part. All in all, I don't think in my long life with dogs I have ever had such complete and total faith in a dog.

A lot of people say I lucked out with my two. I may be lucky, but it wasn't luck. I think that is why it tugs at my heartstrings so much to see pitbulls dying in shelters without being given a chance or banned because of what they are. I know in my own heart that if I had opted to give any of those pitbulls a chance I would have been as deeply rewarded. And rewarded I have been.

I don't think there could have been a more effective way for me to discover that part of myself that is a lot kinder, a lot more joyful and a lot more gentle. Pitbulls do that to you if you give them a chance. When you share your life with a creature who embodies those qualities, it is hard not to be forever changed. There's a saying "I want to be the person my dog thinks I am". I think it had to have been written with pitbulls in mind.

So whether we're tearing up the agility course:

Or working hard at obedience school:

Or helping raise money for a local shelter:

Or just hanging out at home:

I repeat to myself "I shall never forget". I shall never forget that there are cowards who put dogs out to fight. I shall never forget there are people who would torture these dogs for fun. I shall never forget there are people who would rescue them from fighting and then kill them because they are too vicious. I shall never forget that we created these precious beings and then betrayed them so cruelly. I shall never forget to tell people that all they need is a chance, one chance, to prove that there is no forgiveness quite like a pitbull's.

Thanks to Sherry Kidwell for a wonderful video. Give pitbulls a chance.