Giant pitbull turns into gentle protector after mom’s surgery — and refuses to leave her side

Doug is an American Pitbull who goes by @doug.thexlbully on Instagram. On February 19, the owner shared a video where the dog learned to stay calm and composed around her when she had undergone surgery. Not only this, the dog conformed to every command that her husband laid, ensuring the dog's safe behavior. 

Doug is heavy and large. He is about 35 kgs, and when his human mother had surgery, heavy physical movements around her were prohibited. Given the circumstances, the dog had to be trained and made aware of his mother’s new condition. Though she knew that her dog was the most caring canine ever, and perhaps would not need heavy training. However, it was important to ensure the animal’s calm demeanour, so her husband performed a few tests to ensure that. For instance, commanding him to “sit, turn, go upstairs, etc,” which the dog followed very politely. 

Doug’s owner, who runs the social media page,  has used the platform to spread awareness on American Pit Bulls being a safe breed. “One of the most misunderstood dog breeds of all time, showing their true nature when it comes to loving their humans,” she said in the caption of the video. The video has garnered 9.9 million views and thousands of comments showing support for loving pit bulls. “Wish the lawmakers had seen this before they passed the unfair laws. You are right, they are highly misunderstood. He is a perfect boy. Gentle and full of empathy,” shared @kanch6.“They make the best nurses,” said another @sunnybunny6374. 

According to the ASPCA, BSL, or Breed Discrimination Legislation (BDL), regulates and bans certain dog breeds to decrease dog attacks on humans and other animals. This law is infamously known as the “pit bull law” because of its specificity in targeting this particular breed. Most commonly targeted dogs are American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and English Bull Terriers. However, many peer-reviewed studies have found inadequacies in this law's protection of humans against dog bites. Plus, ASPCA highlighted that the media have specifically tarnished the image of pit bulls, and multiple studies prove that pit bulls are not aggressive.

For All Animals, a non-profit organization, cited a quote from a 2008 study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, the journal of the International Society for Applied Ethology, that said “…it is inappropriate to make predictions about a given dog’s propensity for aggressive behavior based solely on its breed.” Another study drew claims that golden retrievers showed the same signs of aggressiveness as pit bulls. Plus, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 55 million dogs in the USA never bite or kill humans, and during 1995-1996, rottweilers were the most commonly reported breed involved in fatal attacks. The data reflects the inadequate law's inclination in targeting a specific breed, which has not prevented dog attacks per se. Plus, it has produced a negative image around pitbulls, given that other dogs are equally aggressive. Doug's demeanour around his mother proves for his breed that they can be equally loving and understanding dogs.