Poison
By: Gary Hammonds (A Must Read)

When I think of poison, I usually conjure up thoughts of a creature, be it man or animal, in the throes of agony dying of a toxic substance that they have ingested either accidentally or on purpose. The scenario I ask you to consider at the time, are the effects of people on one another, the dogs, or some other environmental stimulus on the individual. I have known people over the years who were really sound and came from good backgrounds, but fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up in lockup. Some, like the prodical son, came to themselves while others were destined to a life of trouble. That is why I often tell folks who ask me, that besides a foundation for your kids, one of the most important things you can do is to know who they are hanging with.

I have noticed situations where two people hooked up and the blend made for "pure de poison." Sometimes this is two friends and other times it is a marital relationship. I have known more than a few couples that were "good as gold" to themselves, but put them together and toxic is an understatement. I am not just talking about a troubled relationship, but people just going bad like Bonnie and Clyde.

I have said all this to set the stage for the dogs that often seem to be the catalyst for a situation that is bound to go bad. It is not just in the APBT. There have been coon hound guys who were so obsessed that their dog addiction POISONED all their relationships. The APBT seems to have this affect on many segments of our fraternity. I have seen marriages go down the tubes because of the dogs and the dogs themselves are not the problem, but the folks who became obsessed seem to forget the things that are important. This isn't to say the dogs are unimportant, but they should fall behind family, job, and other obligations that you made.

To me, the important thing is to keep the dogs in perspective. I was one of those folks, in the early years, to almost lose it because of my fascination with the dogs. Had I not been so busy in life, and the dogs just a part of a very full plate, I am certain some of my family would have had me committed. Not only are there relationships often poison to the people and those they come in contact with, but to the dogs themselves. I have seen dogs used, abused, and neglected for any number of reason, all of which have no validity as far as I am concerned. Frank Fitzwater's wife once confided in the "Little Plumber", that "these dogs would make you go crazy", and her husband and some of his cronies were proof. Dave shared this with several of us one day and we were pretty much in agreement that some of those old guys that ran with Frank were pretty much looney tunes, but for Frank it was probably more the rot gut than the dogs. Either way, we realized there there was some truth to what she had said.

The final poison I keep hearing about, takes place in chat rooms(message boards). The Internet "Gladiators" slay me. They call other people's dogs curs, have cuss fights, stoop to slander, and of course make terroristic threats. You can bet there will be people doing jail time for some of the things they say they will do, before it is all said and done. It would seem that the bulldogs and chat, mix about as well as bulldogs and alcohol. I hope this strikes a cord with some, and they re-assess their situations.

If I were to advise everyone who owns these dogs, take inventory, then do an evaluation, make every effort to enjoy the dogs, be happy, and do not let the situation control or manipulate you or your life. Above all, do NOT let the dogs become POISON to you or your relationships, and for sure please do not let your actions become poison to the dogs.