People Refused To Let Their Dogs Play With This Sweet Pittie, But Everything Changed
Gigi, a sweet Pit Bull, was heartbroken after the loss of her best friend, King, a senior Labrador.
Her days of playing and companionship were suddenly replaced with loneliness, and Aaron, her owner, noticed how deeply she missed her friend.
To cheer her up, Aaron took Gigi to the park, hoping she could socialize and make new friends. But things didn’t go as expected—other dog owners avoided her, leaving Gigi to play by herself.
It was heartbreaking for Aaron to see Gigi excluded, so he decided to do something about it.
Enduring Unfair Pit Bull Prejudice
Pit Bulls are among the most misunderstood dog breeds, suffering from negative stereotypes that paint them as dangerous.
However, some scientific studies point out that “no truth exists in these common stereotypes.” (e.g Duberstein, A., King, B., & Johnson, A. R. 2023).
Source: @sweeti_gigi
Despite this, Aaron and Gigi faced this bias directly.
“I wanted to take Gigi to the park to help socialize her. People were avoiding her.” Aaron explained to The Dodo. “They didn’t want their dogs playing with her, so she ended up playing by herself. And that just made me feel so awful, watching my dog not be able to have fun with other dogs.“
Even on their daily walks, people crossed the street to avoid them.
Aaron’s response was calm, stating, “I never get like frustrated or mad because in my mind, I’m just like, ‘They don’t know us’. They’re going off something that they believe without even meeting us.“
Aaron, too, has experienced bias.
Source: @sweeti_gigi
“We’ve been told that I look like a typical Pit bull owner,” he said.
Despite owning many dogs, Pit Bulls hold a special place in his heart. He brought Gigi home in 2021, and she bonded immediately with King.
After King’s passing, both Aaron and Gigi went through a period of grief, deepening their bond.
Creating A Space For Gigi To Shine
Determined to break the cycle of rejection and loneliness, Aaron took action.
He founded what he called the “Bully Breed Meetup.”
Source: @sweeti_gigi
Their first event took place in San Diego. At first, Gigi was unsure, but as more dogs arrived, her joy became undeniable. Her tail wagged with excitement, and she was finally able to play freely with other dogs.
Aaron shared on Instagram, “To see GiGi’s personality grow. To see the love pouring out of her. The joy. The smile she has when she sees her friends […] We’ve been through so much. We’ve battled against a lot of hate. But we still lead with love.“
What started as a simple effort to make Gigi happy soon grew into a powerful movement.
Aaron and Gigi have become advocates for Pit Bulls, using social media to show the world how loving and kind these dogs truly are.
With many more meetups planned, the future looks bright.
Source: @sweeti_gigi
“My favorite part has been just seeing these dogs grow in that space and find their comfort zone, find their happy place with their humans,” Aaron added.
Follow Gigi’s inspiring journey on Instagram, along with her devoted dad who happily calls himself “Gigi’s assistant.”
