When Heroes Are The Pits
Kristine Crawford - July 2007

Every day thousands of dogs across the country are discarded, unwanted, and left in the streets or at the doors of a shelter. Dakota was one of those dogs. She was just another pup, among a litter of pups that was abused and going to be abandoned and/or destroyed.  But I rescued the exuberant pup, and after years of training, overcoming stereotypes and some incredible obstacles, Dakota became a world famous search and rescue (SAR) dog.

Dakota is a 10-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier who has been deployed on over 200 search and rescue missions.  These searches include high profile cases such as the search for Laci Peterson and the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, where she worked tirelessly, searching for the seven astronauts that lost their lives, to help bring closure to their families and to a grieving nation.

Dakota has made multiple finds, both the living and also the deceased.  Because of Dakota’s incredible accomplishments, what she has overcome, and what she stands for, she has received numerous awards, including a certificate of appreciation from the FBI.  She has also been featured in books, newspapers, magazines and on cable television programs including Animal Planet and National Geographic.

Watching Dakota work is a remarkable sight, and she loves to work. Whether it’s at a search or one of the many other community activities she performs, her eyes shine, her tail wags with emotion, and she is exquisitely aware of everyone around her. More interesting than that though are the subtle things that might be overlooked---like the smile that reaches the eyes of the of the young child’s face that Dakota has stopped to visit at a local hospital, or watching 200 children learn life saving skills during Dakota's Safety Around Dog presentations. Then seeing Dakota, sitting with perfect manners, take a moment with each child as they pet her. Dakota's humble beginnings and her success at overcoming obstacles in her life often inspires physically and mentally challenged children, encouraging them to overcome their personal obstacles or work past their own disabilities.

Despite her heroism, Dakota faces discrimination and hatred.  This selfless, giving companion is called names like “monster” and “baby-killer”.  Why?  Because Dakota is a pit bull.  The enigmatic breed that, even animal experts agree, faces unwarranted prejudice.

Case in point: Two years ago Dakota and I, along with my other two pit bulls Cheyenne and Tahoe, moved to a home with a homeowners association.  Shortly after moving in, I received an eviction notice stating I had 7 days to move out.  When I asked why, I was told it was because the Board of Directors were afraid my pit bulls might "attack" the neighborhood children. I pointed out that my dogs have passed every temperament test there is, passed the extensive testing to be world class search and rescue dogs, have spent countless hours working with disabled and abused children, and teach Safety Around Dogs classes to children at local schools, most of whom are the very same children that live in the association. Additionally, these were the very dogs that would be called if ever one of those children came up lost or missing!  They said that they needed to ensure the safety of the neighborhood children.   I asked about the three registered/convicted child molesters living in the neighborhood, the ones who had already demonstrated they would not hesitate to hurt a child.   If the goal was to ensure the safety of the children, were they being asked to leave too?  No, they were not.  So, after all the years of hard work my dogs had done in the community and all the lives they had saved, my dogs and I were treated WORSE than registered sex offenders, simply because of what my dogs LOOK like.  As we drove away on our final day, one of the convicted child molesters waved to me as he sat on his porch, watching the children in the street.

It’s incidences like these where I turn to Dakota for strength, for this rugged looking dog has a heart as strong as her muscular body.  Her head in my lap and paw set atop my knee, with soulful eyes she tells me she understands.  I’ve always believed we can learn far more from our dogs than we can ever teach them.  The way they love so openly and accept people without judgment.  Cheyenne, Dakota, and Tahoe can make a disabled child forget about their disability or teach an abused child how to love, and they do all of this without ever saying a word.

America lacks heroes right now, and we all need heroes, real heroes---the kind that inspire us to not only reach for, but to grasp onto qualities that inspire the hearts of others.  I know where to look, and so do the many people whose lives Dakota has touched with her presence.  We look in that soft spot in our hearts, where heroes are “THE PITS.”