Pit bull pal

>> Breed’s fan dedicated to rehabilitating
the rep of man’s least understood friend

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Franc Desmond

Age: 28

Occupation: Founder of the MTL Pitbull Club

Bio: This affable, good-natured St-Henri stud got to know his first pit bull, Max, at age three, back when he was just a wee tot growing up in Mont-Saint-Hilaire. He also got to know just how poorly the dogs were viewed by the general public when a by-law banning the breed was adopted by the South Shore municipality “based on hysterical and inaccurate media reports.” Although his family was ultimately allowed to keep Max—who was something of a vedette here, having appeared in several late-’80s/early-’90s Québécois films and TV shows, including Rock et Belles Oreilles—Franc has been committed ever since to “raising awareness” about the breed, recently starting up the MTL Pitbull Club (purepitbull.blogspot.com) so pit bull parents can both network and better educate the public about “these superdogs.” He pays his bills via his print shop (SilverTigerPrinting.com) and is currently designing a clothing line, Black Tiger Clothing, which will be on the racks this summer.

Why he’s so devoted to a certain breed of pooch: “I grew up in an all-white, all-French town that had a lot of misconceptions about black people. I’ve experienced racism all my life, but you know, I was always a good student, never a bad kid or anything, always trying to help people. But people get ideas from TV and media and then think all black people are a certain way. So I relate to the pit bulls. They suffer from the same discriminations. That’s what draws me to their cause.”

What’s so great about pit bulls in the first place? “Pit bulls are the top breed in terms of performance, agility, athleticism, courage, loyalty. More than any dog, they’ll do what you ask of them and that, in turn, is what makes them so dangerous—the fact they have such a high performance level and are so willing to do anything for their human companions, including fight.”

Won’t a loving beagle do the same thing? “Pit bulls are more loyal than other breeds. Originally bred solely to fight, their handlers needed to be able to pull them out of the fighting ring without getting injured, so they bred them to be more loyal to humans as well. And you’ll find this trait in them today. They’re great pets.”

If pit bulls are so wonderful, why their bad rep? “Because they often fall into the wrong hands, characters looking to be tough who misuse them. That, and too much low-level breeding.”

If one were looking to have sex with a canine, or film one’s girlfriend engaged in the activity, would a pit bull make for a good partner or would it be wiser to stick with tradition and go with a German Shepherd? “Um, I don’t know, stick with tradition, I guess. I’d be afraid of a pit bull.”

Pit bull versus Doberman? Who’s gonna win the bout? “The pit bull, definitely.”

Pit bull versus Rhodesian Ridgeback? Who to put your money on? “The pit bull, definitely.”

Pit bull versus Michael Vick? Who’s he gonna root for? “The pit bull, definitely.”

Last book read: The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne.

Musical preferences: Bob Marley, LTJ Bukem, Maz.

Words of wisdom: “Live, learn, love, laugh.”

Comments: dimwit@hdot.net