I remember when I was afraid of dogs. I remember when I would approach the porch of my cousin’s house tentatively, but once her Shih Tzu mix greeted me at the door by jumping on me, I would scream and clutch onto my father tightly. The twenty pound dog meant no harm, but I had no idea what he was going to do to me. A Shih Tzu was a relatively small breed; so, ever interacting with a medium-sized Pit Bull Terrier was beyond what I would agree to, especially with all the breaking news about their continuous mauling of mankind. I believed that they were truly a monster, with all these stories about a pit bull “clenching tightly” onto a little girl, unwilling to let go, another one fiercely attacking another innocent dog, as well as dozens of these animals discovered in a backyard, all trained to fight...the list simply went on and on.

As I grew up, my fear of dogs dissipated, and I got my very own Pomeranian, a small, fluffy, cream-colored boy with a long, plumed tail. It was as far from a pit bull as could be. When I took him out for walks, and a pit bull passed by, I would tense up and keep him close to me, just in case the pit bull escaped from his owner and attacked.

In March of 2013, I began volunteering at an animal shelter with my mother. I wanted to be exposed to more animals that I wouldn’t normally have a chance to. In just a year, I encountered a small, brindle pit bull named Moose, barely even a year old. The staff called him a “very sweet puppy who just needed to work on walking on leash.”

I had seen him on the website, and thought that my mom and I could handle the forty-pound pit. Yes, he did pull, and often bit his leash, not knowing what to do with it, but I could just tell from the round, soft eyes and his tail becoming a blur from all the crazy wagging I saw as I gazed through the kennel doors that he had a heart of gold.

As we opened the kennel to take him out on a walk, Moose jumped up to greet us with kisses. Because I had become so exposed to animals, I embraced it all. It was unbelievable that he craved human companionship so greatly. His face was so eager, his whole rear wiggling with excitement. As we were about to exit the kennel and go outside, he ducked under his bedding sheets, revealing a rubber purple ball underneath that he held so proudly in his mouth. It already had a few teeth marks stretching around the entire ball, showing his extreme love for it. With some training already under his belt, he followed us through the New York City streets, the ball in his mouth making countless people smile as they walked past. He became an innocent pup in many people’s eyes, who just wanted to have fun during his life, no matter what was thrown at him.

At times, he would let go of his ball, leaving it rolling in the middle of the street, and then remember that he had forgotten about it, and immediately pounce after it. That never failed to make me laugh. After his silly antics were done, he would gaze up at me with his shining hazel eyes, as if he was very proud of what he had accomplished that day.

On a day after school, the Volunteer and Events Manager asked my mother and me if we wanted to help out on guiding a shelter tour and orientation for fifth graders from a school in the Bronx. We were thrilled to have this experience, although I was nervous in speaking to students who were similar to my age, as they may not take me seriously. However, there was no question between the staff that Moose would be the dog that would expose the children to dogs, because his friendly, energetic spirit matched those of the students, and I knew that seeing his happy-go-lucky smile would relax me instantly.

After a ten-minute video about the animal shelter’s no-kill policy and the adoption process, everyone became restless. However, the fifth graders’ faces immediately lit up as they saw his huge, blocky head, with his mouth clutching his favorite purple ball.

There wasn't even a word about his breed. None of the students were aware of the outrage and disgust people had for this friendly, fun-loving animal. He performed his tricks obediently, even following the roll-over command that he was barely exposed to. He gazed at me enthusiastically, eyes lighting up trick after trick, as if wanting to know what was coming up next. As they left, many of the children fearful at first of such a large dog were willing to try and give him a pat. Of course, Moose responded accordingly, giving the hands that just scratched his ears a huge lick. People were inspired to come down to the shelter and volunteer, and meet more adoptable animals.
It didn't take that long for a wonderful family to come and take him home. There were a lot of happy tears, the staff giving him endless hugs and belly rubs while he held on tightly to his favorite purple ball. When it came my turn to say goodbye to him, his tail wagged like it always did every week, and he put his paws on my shoulders, like a true human hug. He had taught me a lot of lessons. His brindle color was not very attractive, with a mixture of dark brown, black, and gray markings, but his personality really shone through. He made me so comfortable with the breed, and showed that each dog was an individual, just like each person.
A few months later, a regal, blond colored pit bull named Louie came to the shelter, abandoned because he wasn't a puppy anymore and had grown bigger than what his owners expected. Every Saturday, I would greet this handsome boy, and each week, he seemed to perk up more. Louie had gotten used to the rhythm of shelter life, and had begun to enjoy new human companionship, despite the stress from hearing many of the dogs passing by and barking. He always seemed to walk like a little prince; whenever he saw me, he calmly waited at the kennel door, expecting a long belly rub or a walk to the dog park. When he was surrounded by all the people he loved though, he became so goofy, tongue lolling out at the side of his mouth.

One day in winter, with my cheeks a rosy pink and snow crunching under my boots, we set off to the dog park. There was a slightly icy wind, but he seemed unaffected by it. Since it was cold, and many people were out of town that Christmas break, we had the dog park all to ourselves. It was a small arena behind a large playground meant for people to engage in sports in. The old metal gate leading to the dog run screeched as we moved in, but Louie seemed to know what was about to happen. He darted in immediately as we unleashed him, and began to sniff the surrounding area. The day-old snow had paw-prints from those who had come before us imprinted into them, and some of the ice held particles of soil and twigs in them. It was not the prettiest sight, but being able to spend it with such an affectionate but misunderstood soul was definitely a magical experience.
I grabbed a brand-new, neon-green tennis ball from the rusted basket, and threw it across the run, and he chased after it, his tail high and his mouth wide open, almost like he was smiling. At one point, as I enjoyed the misty city skyline, he leaped on the bench with me and sat right beside me, head resting on my shoulder. I felt his breath on my cheeks and his soft, velvety fur brush by my neck.

We stayed for almost an hour when little white flakes began to spin and swirl down onto the ground. The snowflakes landed on my hands, burning my skin as they fell, before melting completely. It was time to leave, so we ran back the two blocks, snowflakes colliding with my face and our footsteps loud on the wet cement sidewalk. We skidded to a halt five feet in front of a family. A blond-haired girl, perhaps around four or five years old, dressed in a polka-dot skirt walked hand-in-hand alongside her parents. My mom and I already moved Louie to one side of the sidewalk, so they would have a clear path to pass through, but apparently that wasn’t enough.
“Be careful; he’s dangerous,” the woman said, shooting a disdainful look at the two of us before picking up her child from the ground and putting her over her shoulder.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks, and I clenched the leash tightly, turning my knuckles white. My heart was beating definitely quicker than before, and I had the urge to confront her with that statement. I had seen the brutal comments about euthanizing pit bulls on the Internet before, and the subtle glances of contempt by those on the New York sidewalks, but I had never experienced an insult thrown so directly. It was different seeing people scorn a dog that I knew so well and would be the last dog on Earth to ever think of harming anyone, and it really sent my mind racing. I wanted to yell and scream and tell them to pet him and see for themselves that he was just a sweet dog who held no grudges but it was hard to change perspectives of people who didn’t even give you a chance.

Fortunately, Louie got adopted only a few weeks to a lovely woman who I kept in touch with. His easygoing and gentle disposition led his whole new neighborhood to completely fall in love with him, which I found amazing. It was the fact that pit bulls like Louie existed that would change society’s perception of them, one person at a time.

It wasn't just about saving the breed, even though I valued that immensely. More than a million pit bulls are being euthanized every year, some barely given a chance for adoption before getting put down. Some are completely banned in certain states, meaning that any pit bull, even ones living in a family, will be taken to a shelter to be euthanized. But it was also about general stereotypes and changing perspectives. There are bad examples of the breed, who are trained to fight, and sometimes to kill, but not all are evil. There are people of all races who do unimaginable actions to others, but millions of innocent people aren't being destroyed based on these few people. In the end, all of us are products of our environment, and even living beings who are born to hostile environments can change with a little love and care. No one is born with a tainted heart.