Meet a pit bull that's trained to assist

I'm so glad that there are stories like this that come to light about good pit bulls. I have a red nosed pit bull like Bob Marley and she is a kind and funny dog. I love that I get to change people's perceptions of pit bulls just by being out and about with my own dog. I hope that this will open everyone's eyes about reality vs reputation and how good bullys come from responsible and ethical owners.

What a heart-warming story! Kudos to Jeff Hayman for trying to show the wonderful things that pit bulls can do. I have a boxer-pit bull mix that I adopted a few years ago from Animal Rescue of Tidewater. Everyone who meets him is absolutely charmed by his happy face and constantly wagging tail. He is gentle as a lamb.

Helen Keller, the famous blind, deaf, mute woman, was pit bull assisted....and she was proud of it. Just a thought.

As a matter of fact, Pit Bulls represent what they were bred for quite well. Many Pit Bulls do tend to be animal aggressive and, whether or not they start the fight with another dog, they will certainly end it. There is a very important point you failed to mention though. Along with being bred to fight other dogs to the death, they were also bred for many generations to be completely friendly and submissive to humans, and they are. A Pit Bull is much more likely to do serious damage or kill another dog in a fight, however, though capable of severe damage if they do attack a human, they are far less likely to engage in such an act to begin with than lots of other breeds. Additionally, it's very ignorant to compare any domestic dog to a tiger

You can't take out instinct out of any animal. Think about it. The tigers that the amazing team Sigfreid and Roy's, raised and loved in Las vegas from birth attacked it's own owner due to"inborn instinct". Nothing and no amount of"training" removed this. It's in the blood. Why does no one understand this? An animals first instinct is to be an animal and no amount of love, training or anything else will change that. Pit bulls were bred for fighting to the death. This is the reason it takes 3 men to open its jaws once they latch on to something or someone. Lets be real..as humans we love to portray our feelings onto the animals we have such as kindness, love and humanity, which is the furthest thing from the truth. An animal is an animal.

I'd be more than happy to sit next to Bob Marley or any other service dog on a plane.

It saddens me that some posters seem to be hoping for a tragedy just to confirm their own biased opinions.

In this article, the professionals are not concerned about the dog or the youn man. They are concerned about the publicity that this may bring to their respective programs. They are more concerned about the PR than anything else.
I once new a family that trained their 2 living great danes into being guard dogs. No one could be around them after that. It is more the media's fault that those poor animals have such a bad reputation. It is nice to see a positive story for a change.

My mother was raised with pitbulls. The last one her family had would walk her to the bus stop. He would nudge her away from the road and he would walk between her and the road. He was there waiting when she returned home doing the same thing. Ironically, I owned a Newfoundland, one of the most gentle dogs around. Totally unprovoked, he attacked my mother when he was 16 months old resulting in plastic surgery on her face. Three months later, unprovoked, he attacked me, once again in the face. Due to an untreatable illness, my mother recently had to put her dog down, a pitbull-boxer mix. Sweetest dog around. Her dog even accepted my shepherd huskie mix when I moved in 2 months ago. You can't generalize breeds.

if only there were more stories like this about this breed.!!!we have 2 pits'. our baby girl is 12 and our loverboy is 9. they bring such joy to our home and family. people need to realise any dog is only a reflection of its owner.

prej·u·dice

noun, verb, -diced, -dic·ing.

-noun 1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.

2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, esp. of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.

4. such attitudes considered collectively: The war against prejudice is never-ending.

5. damage or injury; detriment: a law that operated to the prejudice of the majority.

-verb (used with object) 6. to affect with a prejudice, either favorable or unfavorable: His honesty and sincerity prejudiced us in his favor.

-Synonyms 2. preconception, partiality, predilection, predisposition. See bias. 6. bias, influence.

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," racial prejudice is involved in the case against Tom Robinson, but prejudice is also involved in people's attitudes toward Boo Radley, which had nothing to do with race.
Or a

Why do some people blame the dog? It's the owner - not the dog - that trains to kill! Before you assume, do your research! Or are you too stupid to face facts? It's not the breed of dog, it's the human that trains the specific dog to kill! Vick could have used any breed and you would be all over that breed!

I believe that it is how a dog is trained on their outcome in life. I think this is a great story about pit bulls, and bravo for sharing this for the viewers to see. This might change the outlook on some, which is a good thing. This young man is making the effort to inform everyone the good things this type a breed can be used. Thanks for the story.

It's people like Vick that make dogs killers, and Kerry Dougherty that play on people fears. This causes the problem. Any dog can be kind a gentle. Any dog can be a killer. Give them a chance.

Why? Why did he choose a breed known for killing and mauling when there were so many more choices of dogs more keen to his needs? This is a typical example of how this lovable story for Pit Bull owners to laud the public of pet sweetness, but we all know damn well, how "Cuddles" "Bambi", "Sweetness", "Angel", etc. have become the killers of other dogs and children. I am sure that Cuddles, or Marley will be very protective of his master in the future, but at what cost to whomever gets in its way? This seems like a story out of Mayberry for the Pit Bull crowd, but given the history of the Pit Bulls,, could very well turn out to be tragedy for another innocent life, mauled by a Pit Bull!
This guy could have chosen so many breeds more suitable

As a fellow pit bull owner, it always makes me sad to hear people constantly blame the dog for essentially what it's owner has taught it. It's just as easy to make a Golden Retriever into a fighting dog if that's all that you teach it. Teach a pet to be kind and loving though, and that's all it's going to be. I am glad to see a story like this after all the negativity that has been shed thanks to dog fighting and the people behind it. Kudos to the young man to putting his confidence in his dog, not just his pit bull.

What a wonderful pup. We own two pit bulls, who are just like family to us. Bob Marley will do fine with Jeff, but too bad he'll have to deal with a lot of ignorant people over the years.

I just hope we won't be reading a tragic story about the two of them in the newspapers or see it on the news. Until you can prove with total uncertainty that the breed is safe - you can bet that any airplane or public transportation where a breed like that is present will definitely not be one in which I will be traveling!!! Kerry and the rest of us with sense enough to protect ourselves and our family will find alternate transportation, thank you! Those professionals who spoke in regards to their concern for the pit bull being a service animal aren't pulling their opinions out of the sky, they are educated and knowledgeable and only want to protect those needing the assistance of a service animal. May God be with you, Jeff Hayman!

It really warms my heart to see a story like this. Having owned 2 pitbulls, I can honestly say that I've never encountered a smarter, more sweet breed of dog. Bravo to the owner and his big good boy! We need more owners like Jeff!

What a change to read something nice about this breed of dogs. I have a 15 yr old pitbull who is a big pussy cat and always has been. I haven't met one person friend or stranger who after meeting her would disagree!! She has never nipped at or bit anyone in her 15 years. She doesn't growl at anyone, whether she knows them or not. She rarely barks at anything, even other dogs. I do however have an aggressive pomeranian who lives next door who recently took a chunk out of my knuckle. Would there be a story written on this particular aggressive little yapper??? I think not. Good luck to you Jeff and Marley. Don't let the nay-sayers get you down.

What a swell story! I will be watching how this one turns out. I would truly love to see this turn out to be a success story instead of reading later that the dog ate off that youngs man's face and spit out hearing aids.

I still don't trust that breed of dog, but I hope for the best and that I am wrong.

It is about time that there is a good, heart warming story about this bred of dogs! For those people, that wont share transportation by plane or whatever other means get over it!
Dogs are just like people--- you never know when something might go wrong in their heads but I dont see humans being "banned" from planes or buildings!

Good for Mr. Hayman, and shame on Mr. Hudson and Ms. Dickson for their ignorant remarks. There are service and therapy dogs of all breeds out there, a dog need not be a specific breed to help people. And no business is allowed to refuse admittance to a certified service/therapy dog, regardless of breed - it's the law. Assistance/therapy dogs are some of the most highly trained, thoroughly temperament tested animals in society. If you choose to have ignorant fear based on media-induced hysteria, so be it. A highly trained service animal is nothing to be afraid of, regardless of it's breed.

Nothing at all wrong with Pits, just some of the owners. A dog is what you make it and appears Marley has a good owner.

I think this is a great article as well, I love the positive news on pitbulls!! I have a blue pit & he is just as loving as can be - all he wants to do is cuddle & be the center of attention. Plenty of people get over there pitbull fear when they meet Buddha, my pitbull. But, it really hurts when people classify all pitbulls as being 'bad dogs' - don't they realize there is no such thing. There is only bad owners, who train there dogs improperly. :)

this gives me optimism on overcoming my fear of dogs. im terrified, no matter what the breed lol

Excellent article. Regarding the people exiting a plane; I figure the fewer ignorant passengers there are on a plane the greater chance there is a of safe landing.

For those afraid of his dog I suggest you try and train yours. Dogs are dogs. They can be trained by their owners, providing the owners are smarter than their dogs. It is the untrained dogs that are worrisome.

It may be that your uncontrollable dogs cause you to fear his well behaved dog. So itstead of pointing the finger at others, let good citizenship start at home.

We do have the 5th amendment in this country. You don't have to testify against yourself. So if you can't control your dog, don't tell me. Fix it.

I didn't see where the dog in the article is an American Staffordshire Terrier. There is such thing as an American Pit Bull Terrier so maybe that's what this dog is. In any case, they look similar. These breeds are some of the best behaved dogs I have ever dealt with. Their temperments are loving and fun and they are easily trained which is why they are often pegged as mean dogs - they can be trained to be mean too which is sad. I have an American Staffordshire Terrier who will bark and bark when she meets someone new but it is because she is excited to play and make a new friend. People should punish the deed not the breed. These dogs should not be restricted and punished; the stupid people who make them bad dogs should be punished instead

To identify Mr. Hayman's American Staffordshire Terrier as a "pit bull" exacerbates predjudice against the animal. The press, Mr. Hayman, and the the rest of us should refrain from using that moniker. Mr. Hayman's dog is an american stafforshire terrier. Editors of the Pilot take note, never again use the term "pit bull" in reference to any canine.

if someone is afraid of the dog being on a plane then they can leave. This is a good story on how pits are good dogs if they are raised and trained properly. If you dont want to be around this type of dog then you leave....not the dog

Lets face it, pit bulls just catch a bad rap. What people don't realize is that a pit is just like any other dog. It can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. I don't care if the dog comes from a whole bloodline of fighting dogs, the chain can be broken with a little TLC. If you socialize your pit with other dogs & people from a young age you don't have to worry about it biting or lashing out when it gets older. It's all about how you treat and care for the dogs. But the pit will always seen as a bad dog in the public eye as long as people continue to train them to do bad things. A dog only wants to please his owner. If you train him to sit, he sits, if you train him to "sick" he will do so also.