Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/kiah-justin/

Pitbulls have always suffered being stereotyped as aggressive and dangerous dogs. But more people should be made aware that a dog’s personality and behavior does not depend on the breed of the dog.

The lovely pitbull above is Kiah, New York’s first official pitbull police dog.

Kiah was rescued from abusive conditions by her current handler and partner in the Poughkeepsie Police Department, Officer Justin Bruzgul. Kiah was originally found by Brad Croft, a dog trainer for police and SWAT teams, in Texas. In a past report, she was said to have been abandoned and found bleeding in a grocery store parking lot, her previous owner had hit her in the head with a hammer, they assumed.

Croft said that even though Kiah suffered through her previous owner, she didn’t seem to hold any grudge and wasn’t wary of people. He began training the pitbull and although Kiah was hard to train initially, Croft said that she was a fast learner. Watch Kiah doing her narcotics training in the video below.

Justin Bruzgul trained and graduated with Kiah in Texas and she was actually Bruzgul’s first K9 partner. Officer Bruzgul said that he was open minded when he learned that his K9 partner would be a pitbull since his sister owned one as well and he had been a dog owner his whole life too.

Aside from her duties as a police dog, Kiah is also helping to create a new image for pitbulls as a breed ambassador. “All pitbulls are not nasty and aggressive, and she’s [Kiah] a perfect example. She’s lovable, she’s friendly, she came from a horrible situation… That’s ultimately what makes it the most rewarding, getting her a better life, and she has,” Justin said in an interview.

Pitbulls and pitbull mixes are some of the most common breeds found in shelters and Kiah is doing her best to remove the stigma against their breed. Through the combined efforts of Kiah, the police force, and organizations like Universal K9, where Kiah trained, it may result in more pitbulls to be introduced as service animals and pets, in turn, reducing the numbers that are abandoned and left unadopted in shelters.

Just look at Kiah’s lovely smile in the photo below with her handler, Justin, and a kid who attended a demo held by the Poughkeepsie Police Department and their K9 units.

For more gentle pittie stories, click here and here.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog