I am always drawn to stories about pit bulls and their related breeds, as they do, without, question, get a bad rap from humankind. What these breeds also endure is how man uses them for fighting, teaches them aggression, and in most every case turns them into something of a darker nature. 

If treated with love and affection, pit bulls are like every other creature. Some may react negatively, some may be born bad, some may never be able to overcome their own nature. It’s the same thing in humans, who supposedly are at the top of the genetic chain. 

Pit bulls are also forced to overcome generations of negative breeding by man. They were a much different dog decades ago, until man decided to turn them into something evil and dangerous. Naturally, they are being bred properly again today, and one day will be a much different animal than the one being abused in our lifetimes. 

Which brings us to Sharky, a young man who only knew kindness and love for creatures around him. This pit bull had a difficult life, as many of them do. Yet he was able to show everyone around him what a true inner love these animals have, and how when treated with love, they respond in kind.

You will notice the past tense in my writing. That’s because while the post above was made here in 2019, Sharky left us several years ago. At the age of 9, his life was ended after a bout with cancer. As happens so often here in the viral world, many stories are told and posted that are actually from a much earlier time. It would have been nice to know that Sharky was still caring for his menagerie, but the true evil that is cancer took him from the world much too soon. 

Still, we have his memories. We have his dazzling smile, and numerous stories of how he overcame a reputation and showed love to all around him, down even to the smallest creature. 

Here we are, five years later, and Sharky is still teaching us lessons of life we all need to understand and accept. 

Good boy, Sharky. Good boy.