ATTN: American Pit Bull owners.

[Celeste]

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That dog killed because it had a prey drive. That had little to do with the breed, more to do with the fact that it was a dog. Lots of breeds have a high prey drive and it is up to the owner to protect both the dog and the "prey."

 

[rebecca10782]

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Those are the most precious pictures I have ever seen!

 

[Dar]

i did not go through all 12 pages....but i bet someone has already mentioned this but a puppy is the route to go...baby it spoil it and it will be the best dog ever!

a friend rescues pits and from her experiance most negitive or questionalable pits can be reformed...but it takes a lot of training...no dog is a bad dog...just bad training...

 

[rebecca10782]

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Hmm...I have had two and never smelled there feet, but I believe you. I have two Siamese cats and there bellies smell like freshly laundered clothes. I love it! They don't get in the laundry, so it must be their natural smell

I always pick them up and put my nose in their bellies, they are as soft as rabbits

 

[snowydiamonds]

My eldest child w/his beautiful boy:

His beautiful boy has friends who like to visit and ask for milk and cookies:

Isn't that a great pic?

 

[kstaven]

Quote:
That dog killed because it had a prey drive. That had little to do with the breed, more to do with the fact that it was a dog. Lots of breeds have a high prey drive and it is up to the owner to protect both the dog and the "prey."

Well said. I can only add TRAINING, is a must for a dog. By that I mean training through a person who KNOWS the breed and its potential characteristics very well. Many people feel they can train a dog and while that may be true for basics, few actually have the experience to redirect instinct based responses.

 

[LittleYellowOne]

I currently have 2 APBT, both neutered males by the names of Bosco and Phantom, though at one point I had about 13 APBT in my house; (my uncle was an irresponsbile breeder, but I also did fosters and rescues). We had the ASPCA called on us for the number of dogs we had, they all rushed over to greet the agent they sent out, but one word and they were all back in the house; the guy they sent was amazed at how well our dogs listened, but we got fined anyway~

It definitely has a lot to do with how they're raised, but never forget that genetics plays a big part. My two dogs were both raised the exact same way, from the same age; one loves everyone, the other hates strangers, one will eat any animal that crosses his path, the other wouldn't dare~

That being said, they DO have a tendency to be other-dog aggressive, my dogs cannot be out together at the same time; one must be in a cage at all times. They hit sexual maturity and tried to kill each other numerous times, scarring themselves up in the process, but never once did they growl or snap at us. We couldn't choose which one to keep, so we kept them both, but they can never interact.

Now pictures! First is Bosco! He hates strangers, but was always fond of my opossum when he was alive, doesn't mind my chicken, and let my sisters conure attack him as he just walked away. Yeah that's me in the second picture~

Now is Phantom! My mom bought him for fifteen dollars off some guy who was going to dump him in the woods. He's a real sweetie, and loves eeeeveryone! Just not animals~ And yes, that's me in the second picture... just with different hair...

And here's the two of them together, before they realized they were boys~

To sum it up, they're great dogs- for the right person! You have to be prepared to protect your dog from himself; that means keeping him out of situations that can end badly. Pitbulls get a lot more hype than other dog breeds, so as an owner, you're going to be watched more closely. As an owner, you become an ambassador for the breed, so don't let us down~

 

[mamaKate]

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I have heard this, but don't believe it's necessarily true. I babysat between homes for a nine month old pit bull who had been kept in a cage that didn't permit her to stand and left in her own urine. With no training, she was a teddy bear and loved my dogs. I had a neighbor who kept them for fighting. He would come and poke the little female to tease her with sticks. She was still sweet and friendly. I reported him, but the authorities didn't seem to care. It's the owners who are the problem, not the dogs. Pit Bulls, Dobies, Rotts, GSD's and a couple other great breeds are now banned in my county.

 

[rebecca10782]

I was so happy to see this post!

We just took in a Pitbull and I was going to post his story on here to help kill the rumors about the breed. But first I must tell Angel's story...
Angel was a Sharpie/Pitbull mix, she was BRED to fight. We took her in after she had already been exposed to dog fights. I was about 12 years old when she came along. She was the sweetest dog ever. Her "mama" was a Golden Retriever, Ginger. My mother bred Siamese kittens and not only did she never go after one, but she was terrified of them

She was constently beat up by the cats and once by an itty bitty baby raccoon

She and Ginger were the best friends I have ever had. They both recently died of cancer, and I still will cry to this day when I think about them. Here is a picture of Angel in her Halloween costume. She wasn't to thrilled with the humiliation

here is a picture of Ginger (I can't leave her out.) Actually, a completely unrelated story, but it is to funny. When Ginger had her leg amputated, my mom would use a sling to help her get around when she didn't have much strength. One day, an animal control officer came up to her and gave her a ticket for not having her on a leash! The poor baby couldn't even walk, how would she possibly get into any trouble?

I think that women took her job just a little too seriously

Wasn't she dangerous looking???
Anyway, back to the subject. We acquired Champ a few weeks back. We have already found a home

but will have him for a few more weeks. It gets harder and harder as each day passes to not get any more bonded than we already are. The first time I meet him I couldn't help but be frightened because his jaw is SO huge and his eyes are very intense because they are very very light green. He looks very vicious. But it only took a few minutes to fall head of heals in love with him

He is only about a year old and was never fixed. But he does not hump or show any sign of aggression (he has an appointment to be fixed.) He has soooo much energy. He is constantly trying to play with our Golden Retriever Bailey. He's is constantly getting attacked because he annoys him so much

and he will roll over and show his belly. We have kittens and chickens, and all he has ever done is try to play with them, of course we don't let him loose with them though because he plays to roughly. The first time he meet my toy poodle, he tried to sniff her butt and she snarled and shrieked at him so loudly, he ran over and hid behind my dad

Just in case any of you have not seen a picture of her, her she is in all over her viciousness.

Anyway, here is Champ, I am going to take some more pictures in color to show off his gorgeous eyes

He doesn't look very vicious in this picture since he is smiling. I call him Block head = )

I just love to grab his muzzle and give kiss him all over! He hasn't ripped my face off yet

He is such a snuggle bug

I am sooo in love, I don't know what we are going to do without him.

 

[ibpboo]

Great pictures and great stories!