Petey the Pit Bull

My husband was talking about The Little Rascals the other night. I grew up without a TV, so I missed out on seeing many of the iconic shows that most people know well. I don't recall ever seeing the Little Rascals, so Mike pulled up some old videos online and we had fun watching them.

One thing that I didn't know was that Petey, the canine member of the gang, was a "pit bull" - an American Pit Bull Terrier. Pete the Pup was just as much a member of the gang as any of the kids. (He was played by a number of different dogs over the years.) We happened upon a video clip of the story of Petey which I found so fun and interesting (see below!). I learned that Petey helped the kids in many situations - flying kites, saving them from drowning, and merely providing comfort.

I loved watching the clips of the kids with Petey. The dog obviously loved those kids (all of the dogs I should say!) They interacted with him as if he was their buddy, their friend, and not "just a dog".

I really enjoyed learning that Pete was a Pit Bull - the dog of so much controversy today. He was much loved - not only by the actual actors working with him, but by everyone watching the show on TV. I'm sorry to see that this breed has taken such a bad rap. I know there are cases where bad things HAVE happened, but overall, this breed does not deserve to have such a bad name in my opinion.

Next up - I'll have to watch some episodes of Lassie I guess! (Another show I have never seen!) Enjoy watching the clips of Petey in the video below!

--Tammy

Comments

[Laurel]

Ah, yes. Spanky, Darla, Alfalfa and the gang. I used to watch them a lot as a kid because they were my mother's favorite from her childhood! While I thought they were weird and old fashioned, it was fun to hear her laugh and enjoy them. She actually got to be an extra in one of the episodes that was supposedly shot around Austin, Minnesota. Never really knew if that was true or not and don't recall ever seeing the episode!

Anyway, even back then, my favorite character was definitely the dog! Thanks for the fun memories...

[Dana]

Thanks for sharing this with us. I did actually know that Petey was a pit bull (just because I've blogged about the breed many times before). I agree that they've taken a bad reputation over the years. As an owner of a pit bull, I can tell you that these dogs can be as sweet and loving as any other dog. With that said however, their breeding makes them extremely strong, muscular, and stubborn. They DO need appropriate socialization and need owners who know what they're doing. In reality, pit bulls attract the worst kind of owner and therein lies the problem. Good discussion Tammy!

[jan]

This breed was once "America's dog." The RCA "His master's dog" was also a Pit Bull. So sad what has been done to them.