Dog in my back yard...

songbyrdsweet

Okaaaaaaaaayyyyy............. Sooooooooo............... I guess I don't know my dog breads. Haha!

I thought the dog I put in my yard looked like a boxer-mix... my husband got home and was like "Kristi, this dog is a pit bull". I just laughed... oops! :noway: Hubby said it is probably mixed with something else if it's a stray.

Anyway, we are debating on what to do since pits are known to be agrressive dogs... we have one little boy already and another child on the way. I've heard two theories when it comes to the "aggressive" pit bull: 1) It depends on the owner, or 2) It's the dog breed, owner doesn't matter. I have to say that I kind of agree more with the theory that a dog's aggressiveness depends on its owner. The reason I say this is b/c my grandparents had a pit as I grew up. It was around 5 or so grandkids and lots of other people... their pit (Spike was his name) never showed any signs of aggression... in fact, he was REALLY sweet.

My question is what do you all think? :huh: :huh: :huh:

We kept the dog in our house last night... we gave it a bath... gave it bones to chew on... the entire night he was sweet as can be. My husband even took the bone away from him several times and he never even motioned to us that he was going to bite or growl. He slept in a kennel in our living room all night - after about 5 minutes of whining, he was very quiet.

I'm in a delima here... HELP!!! :sad: :sad: :sad:

Kris

I worked in a kennel for a year...I was there 13 hours/day over the summer, and any time I wasn't at school. I saw 50-75 dogs per week, and they all were as individual as we are. I had nice labs, vicious labs, big mastiffs that acted like lap dogs, and little min pins that would gnaw through your finger if their teeth were big enough. Believe me, you can't breed violence. You can breed physical traits--strong sense of smell, floppy ears, different fur--but temperament is learned.

Yes, I had a violent pit bull. It came in with an equally violent rottweiler from the same home. I had to throw the food into the kennel and slam the door shut. But I also had a pit who would get up on his haunches and recline against the kennel door like a little person so I could scratch his back. :laugh:

What you DO have to take into consideration is that this dog is a STRAY--not a pit. Any breed that is a stray should be assessed by a professional who can look for triggers that might cause aggression. Just like people, they don't like certain things...it might not like its face or tail or paws touched, or it might guard its food closely, or become obsessive with toys. Those are things you need to be aware of, because most dogs are generally friendly until you do that one thing that caused them stress while they were on the street.

I feel very strongly about stigmatized dogs...many are mistreated and then become aggressive and have to be put to sleep, or people won't take them because they assume they're born violent. I would have 50 dogs if I could, I want a pack just like Caesar on the Dog Whisperer hehe!

kerikitkat

Hi! I'm not exactly new around here, but I haven't posted regularly in a few months, so... nice to meet y'all.

Anyway, as for the pit question, I am hugely against breed-specific stigmas. Chihuahuas, yorkies, golden retrievers, border collies, and a lot of other "family" dogs score much lower than the average pit on a standard behavior and personality test! Yes, pitbulls are powerful and therefore more likely to do serious damage if one attacks, but that's as far as it goes in my opinion.

I work with a rescue which takes in a lot of pit bulls because other rescues are unwilling to do so. The misconceptions about this breed are so sad! I have fostered two in the last 3 months and both were amazingly affectionate and happy dogs that never showed an inkling of aggression toward my husband and I or our 5 year old nephew. Now, it's true that pits tend to be aggressive towards other DOGS, which is inherent to their breed. Aggression towards people is absolutely not a part of their breed. Even pits who have been fought are often extremely affectionate and submissive towards humans.

So, bottom line, I wouldn't let the fact that this sweet pup might be a pit mix scare you away. And particularly the fact that he's young means that he has a lot of learning and conditioning ahead of him - so YOU can be the one who teaches him how to behave and he's more likely to get along with the dog you already have! I'd say give it a shot if you really like him. Don't pass him over just because of his breed. :flowerforyou:

arewethereyet

if you look at my pictures you will see the blackdog, JOJO the sweetest puppikins ever.
She protected me from a large german shephard with beer can owners at the dog park, who thought it was funny that their 110 pound dog jumped up on the table in front of me.

She lays on my feet when its cold, and must have a 'kiss' each time I return home.

In all honesty I think she is checking my breath for chips and soda....but any way she loves us.

When we got her she was 4 month old pup who had been played with very agressively. I knew she was bound for the needle and told my DH so. he was really into Ceasar Milans Dog Whisperer at the time.

He had her purring like a kitten in 2 weeks. I have never had a dog that was so well behaved. She is 3 now and has never growled, snarled or nipped at anyone.

The meanest dog I ever had weighed 8 pounds and was a Rat Terrier....you couldnt pick her up if she was sleeping or youd lose a finger!

I have never went and purchased a dog, because I know GOD will send one just when he sees the need.

Enjoy!!:flowerforyou:

Periphria

if you look at my pictures you will see the blackdog, JOJO the sweetest puppikins ever.
She protected me from a large german shephard with beer can owners at the dog park, who thought it was funny that their 110 pound dog jumped up on the table in front of me.

She lays on my feet when its cold, and must have a 'kiss' each time I return home.

In all honesty I think she is checking my breath for chips and soda....but any way she loves us.

When we got her she was 4 month old pup who had been played with very agressively. I knew she was bound for the needle and told my DH so. he was really into Ceasar Milans Dog Whisperer at the time.

He had her purring like a kitten in 2 weeks. I have never had a dog that was so well behaved. She is 3 now and has never growled, snarled or nipped at anyone.

The meanest dog I ever had weighed 8 pounds and was a Rat Terrier....you couldnt pick her up if she was sleeping or youd lose a finger!

I have never went and purchased a dog, because I know GOD will send one just when he sees the need.

Enjoy!!:flowerforyou:



I also have never purchased a dog, for the same reasons as "arewethereyet"

Our first dog we were given by our brother-in-law and she was a big cuddley german sheperd/malimute cross, our second dog was my husbands first call for a stray in the park (he should never have come home and told me about the dog) he was a german sheperd/rotti cross and our third dog we rescued from a dog shelter close to where we lived. Boarder collie/black lab cross. All these dogs have been awesome. They all have had their werid things because they were from other homes first. Dog number 1 was scared of floors. LOL nothings funnier than a big dog shakeing because she has to go over the floor to get outside. Dog number 2 was scared of sharp noises and dog number 3 hates to be left a lone. But they all turned out to be great dogs.

Healthier_Me

Well, I took Buster (we decided to name him) to the vet this morning and I AM SOLD! Minus a curable case of hook worms he is healthy as can be! Yay! I also asked our vet about the Pit Bull breed and she was like "I hate it because Pits have a very bad rep because of all the things you see on TV and hear about from others but with proper raising they can be as gentle as a lab." Those are her exact words. She also said that she has known some very aggressive labs, and even golden retvrs. She reassured me that he seems like a very well-mannered, sweet dog and that if we show him how to be gentle then that is how he will be... and since he is still young and show no signs of being abused then there is a great chance that he will be a wonderful dog to add to our family.

I also want to mention that she said that MOST of the Pits that attack people aren't fixed, raised in packs (which automatically make them more aggressive and protective), and their owners show them how to be that way. She added that most of the aggressive Pits are born around other aggressive Pits (taught to be that way).

Put it this way... after the vet I went to Walmart and got him a collar, a leash, and some toys. I'm going to go with my gut feeling on this one and as long as he isn't claimed we are keeping the doggy. I will take some pictures of him tonight and post them... he is SO CUTE AND SWEET! :smooched:

I really appreciate all your advice and sympathy for my tough decision. I am very excited to have a new playmate for my lab/chow mix, my son, and my husband. I think he will be a great dog!

Thanks Everyone! :flowerforyou:

Kris

Yay!!

Your little familia is growing by the second huh Kristation?

Our little cocker spaniel pup is named Buster!.. Cute name!!!

Take care honey bunz!