Pit Bull owners?

Question

I have been wanting a dog for 21 years, and I have always wanted to adopt an adult pit bull. Everyone told me this was a terrible idea, 1. because pit bulls are 'mean' and 2. because you don't know the background of an adult pit bull. WELL, I adopted a 1 year old pit bull a few weeks ago, and she is absolutely the best. She is soo sweet, she loves everyone, even my cats. I am so glad I didn't listen to 'them', and I went and got my pit bull! She has even changed my parents minds about pit bulls. My mom has always been terrified of pit bulls, but today Cadence was sitting in my mom's Lap! giving her Kisses! And my mom was gladdly accepting them. This is something I honestly never thought I would see.

Tell me about your pit bull. Has he/she changed people's minds about pit bulls?

Im Listening: One pit bull obviously did change your mind about pit bulls. You are basing your opinion on that one pit bull that tried to attack your dog. This was a stray pit bull that could have been abused, neglected, or used as a fighting dog, which would explain the aggressive nature toward other dogs.
And pit bulls are not the number one dog to attack a person.. And a lot of dogs are mistaken for pit bulls when reported.

I am just sensetive about pit bulls because I know they are excellent dogs when in the right hands.

Answer 1

Pit bulls are excellent dogs. (remember pit bulls are a class of dog not a specific breed) Mine is actually a therapy dog and visits daycares and senior centers. They are smart as a whip and can be trained beyond belief. They also have the most wonderful personalities. I got mine from the SPCA and he was 2. They had done a temperment test on him and knew that he was not going to be one of the mean ones (they are mean cause people are jerks and force them to be mean). If you get your pit at a respectable place. the local Animal Shelter or a local pit rescue then you will know the dog has been put through his paces and will be a good family pet. With a pit, as with any dog, you must train it. Only by teaching the animal to be well manored can you help break the stigma associated with pits. And that is one thing to keep in mind, people tend to be ignorant when it comes to pits. They let thier fear do the talking, the general media is in a large part responcible for that. You always hear about the bad things that happen with pits. You rarely hear about the good things. I love my pit dearly he is my baby. When I introduce my pit (who is named corky and suites his name) to people they ask what breed he is and look absolutly stunned when they hear he is a pit. He is well manored and listens when told to do something.

One time I had a repair man come to the yard. I had forgotten that corky was in the yard when the door bell rang. I asked the man if he was not scared to enter the yard with a pit in it. His answer gave me a chuckle. He said "Well I had the gate open and was entering the yard when the pit ran at me at about 100 miles an hour. I left and qiuckly shut the gate. Then the pit started jumping in place with this huge grin on his face. With ears and lips flopping madly I realised nothing that looks that goofy could be mean. So I came in the yard and petted him then came up to the house"


+Quote+
American Temperament Test Results, 2004
American Pit Bull Terrier – 83.4% passed
American Staffordshire Terrier – 83.3% passed
Staffordshire Bull Terrier - 93.2% passed
German Shorthaired Pointer – 75.7% passed
Golden Retriever- 83.6% Passed

A media created monster, not a breed at all, "pit bull" is a slang term that targets three breeds; the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.


Consider: These three targeted breeds achieved a combined passing score of 86.6%, a higher passing percentage than the Golden Retriever. Proving once again that in the hands of responsible owners, "pit bull" dogs make excellent companions!
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/item.php?id=5&topic=1&item=73


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Also bear in mind that pit bulls are dogs breed to fight in pits. They fight other animals. Bulls Dogs what ever. But since day one they have been breed to be non-human agressive. Imagine if you will a pit fight between 2 dogs and the handlers want to seperate the dogs for what ever reason. They dont want to have to worry about being bitten. These dogs can be agressive to other animals but should not be aggressive to humans.

Also most police forces jails etc can not and will not use pit bulls as police/guard dogs because they are so human friendly they would not only allow the perp to escape they would likely go along for the trip.

Answer 2

I have a very petite female Pit bull. She is a great dog. I have 2 other pit bulls in my life that were also great dogs.

Any breed of dog can be trained to be a killer.
That is the fault of the owner.
Anyone could train a Labrador to kill.
It is all in the way they are raised not what is in their blood.
My mom doesn't like Pit bulls, but she loves my little Maggie more so than any of the 3 other dogs I have.
German Shepard
English Mastiff (Gentle Giant)
Mixed up Mutt

Answer 3

My pit, Sara, has changed my mind on pits. I really didn't want one because of the stigma that went with them. After we adopted her (she was just six weeks old, adopted from a kill shelter) I did research and was lucky that Animal Planet had a special about pits that month. Learning that it is not the breed but the owners that create the 'bad' dog was a relief.
At three, Sara is the sweetest little girl. She is small, topped at twenty-eight pounds so far, so she is still a lap dog. She even loves to play with new dogs and does not have an issue with new dogs in her yard. I socialized her with several animals when she was young to make this possible. She has always been around kids and backs away from her food dish if anyone touches while she is eating. I spent a lot of time time 'preventing' the stereotyping on her breed and it has been worth it. She is a wonderful pet and I wouldn't think twice about getting another pit.

The only draw back so far, it is really hard to rent a place if they know you have a pit bull so I refer to her as a terrier.

Answer 4

My best dog ever (Hooche) was a 92lb male red nose. I got him from a rescue group I'd heard of through a trainer I knew.
Hooche was apparently a fighter who didn't do so well in the pit and ended up with a hurt elbow.
I will admit I was hesitant to take home a retired fighter,but I took him home for a "test drive"
He was a smart , eager to please,friendly and social dog that everyone loved. He did have to be de-programed from the fighting, but within a few months he was cool and had dog friends.
He was a loyal friend ,family member and pet for close to 12 years and he is missed
I always told everyone he was an Am Staff so they didn't freak and once they knew him ,I then told them a Pit and Am Staff are basically the same. The only people who have bad things to say about Pits are those who have not been around them.

Answer 5

We have a 9 month old pit bull. She's still in the crazy puppy stage but she's very sweet. The people who say those things about pit bulls are people who have never had any kind of experience with a normal (not mistreated or trained to fight) pit bull. Every pit bull I've ever come in contact with are extremely friendly dogs.

Answer 6

I do not have one, but I wanted to say I think it's great you're putting a positive image with the breed. They are good dogs. It's the wrong breeders and owners we need to worry about. I am a dog training Instructor who works in an area with a lot of Pits. The majority are sweet loving dogs. The other Instructor I work with has a Pit/Boxer/Lab mix. I love that dog, she's great. She's a great ambassador for Pits where we are. I wish they would stop paying so much attention to this breed and spend more time making sure bad people can't breed or own any kind of dog. Keep up the good work.

Answer 7

Hasn't changed my mind- I knew they could be nice- if trained correctly. I know my guy has the force to be a killing machine if he wanted to, but he is not raised that way. He is completely loyal and hates to get yelled at. He also listens a lot better than any other dog we have owned.
His only aggression is with balls. If he sees another dog have a ball (rock, snowball, horse poop ball, etc) he will attack that dog visciously for it. We are his second home from a shelter. The first one home, he bit a kid (and we are assuming because the kid was teasing him with a ball). He has no problem with anyone holding a ball- we can take it right out of his mouth, but you need to throw it. If you hold it- he will keep trying to get it (which may include your fingers by accident). No ball, and the aggression goes completely away.
My sister built a snowman on top of the picnic table, and all Hunter (the pit bull) saw was 3 balls. He did a flying leap at the head (chomp! all gone). He was confused at where it went, so a flying leap again (chomp- the body of the snowman). Poor guy, still confused went after the bottom ball to no luck. We can't build any sized snowmen in our yard because Hunter will attack and try to play with the snowballs :)

We can't bring him to the dog park (because he will hurt another dog over a ball), but he does great with other dogs (if no balls around) and all ages of people. We have kids come over all the time, and they usually end up yanking his tail or riding on top of him- and he loves it.

Answer 8

In rescue, I deal with pit bulls all the time. They are absolutely wonderful, loving dogs. Most of them are huge babies. Sadly, some people do use them for fighting (which is highly illegal), but they are not like that naturally, rather, some are just trained to fight.
I know a trainer that works exclusively with pit bulls, bulldogs, staffies, etc. She has also noticed that pit bulls are really just misunderstood because criminals have sought to abuse them and make them fight.

Overall, you did a good thing by adopting her. Just keep spreading the good news about pit bulls, and the importance stopping animal abuse/dog fighting..

Answer 9

I just got a 6 week old Pit Bull...he is so nice and sweet...Everyone keeps trying to tell me to get rid of it but I have been around a lot of Pit Bulls and they have always been sweet to me...My mom accepts the fact that I got one but my dad hates it so I got to keep it at my boyfriends house till I turn 17 and move out...I guess it just shows to prove if you raise a pit bull the rite way it pays off...

Answer 10

I bought a pit bull a month ago, she just turned five months, Her name is Lyla. I never had a dog growing up, because my mom said she was scared of them. The day she came over, I found out just how terrified she really was of dogs. It took about five mins. of my mom standing outside of the door before she would come in, and when she finally did step in the house she looked like she was about to cry. About an hour of Lyla being social and loving with my mom, my mom calmed down and was holding her and giving her kisses. Now she loves her, my mom calls Lyla her grandpuppy and every time she comes over now, shes got a new treat or toy for her. My mom is still scared of dogs, but not of Lyla anymore. I absolutely adore my pit bull and I hate hearing these stories about pit bulls being used as fight dogs or states banning these great breeds of dogs. So Congrats on your new addition!