Pit Bull Lookalike Terrier Dog Befriends Baby Goose [Video]

A pit bull lookalike, a Staffordshire bull terrier, has befriended a tiny gosling. The unlikely friendship between the baby Canada goose orphan and the muscular dog has inspired a brief BBC video to remind us that even the most powerful dog can be a gentle protector.

Brian Wheelhouse, the founder of the Whitehall Dog Rescue center in Leeds, UK, wanted to share the story of the unlikely friendship between dog and goose to emphasize that a well-trained dog of any species can be a loving animal.

I’ve had to report on many gruesome pit bull attacks myself, so in the interest of fairness I also wanted to tell the other side. As you’ll see in the video, abandoned gosling Orville was brought to the rescue but not expected to live.

Here, the baby gosling not only began to thrive, but the bird imprinted on the powerful-looking Ruby and began to follow her around for each of the day’s three exercise walks.

“People think quite often that the Staffordshire bull terriers are such a horrible dog and that it will kill children or kill other dogs,” Wheelhouse said to the BBC. “They’re not all like that. People aren’t all the same, and dogs aren’t all the same.”

As I’ve ranted many times before, irresponsible owners who let untrained or dangerously trained dogs roam in packs are the problem — not a breed. And, yes, the Staffordshire bull terrier is a different breed from the American pit bull terrier, but we also need to be realistic about how people talk about these animals.

When it’s attacking you, and it isn’t a German shepherd or a Rottweiler, it’s going to be described as a generic pit bull by the average person and by most law enforcement officers as well.

The best way to change the image of all pit bull, bull terrier, and pit bull mix breeds is for responsible owners to properly train and control happy, healthy dogs.

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of the correct name for an animal, the species of goose is Canada goose, not Canadian goose. Don’t get me started.

Anyway, this awwww-inspiring video from the BBC can’t help but awaken you to more positive possibilities for pit bull lookalike dogs.

Admit it. Isn’t the pit bull lookalike being trailed by a baby gosling just adorable?

[baby Canada goose photo by Mike’s Birds via Flickr and Creative Commons]