A Lover, Not a Fighter ( A Rant)

fureverywhere

fureverywhere

beloved friend who will always be with us in spiri
Location
Northern NJ, USA
As my avatar states I am passionate about the bully breeds. One of my prouder moments was a display case I once set up in the children's section of the local library. My daughter helped me and we turned it into a bull breed advocacy message. It was a maybe ten by ten glass case and every month people can take turns exhibiting their collections. We had books, pictures, statues, and postcards from Hello Bully (a Pittsburgh rescue group). The postcards were especially good press.

One was a series of twelve dog photos, "Pick Out The Pit Bulls". One the other side were these dogs true breeds. One was a full pit bull terrier. The others were mastiffs, a Border Collie, two Dogo Argentino's, a Cane Corso. None considered bull breed except for the boxy shoulders, thick neck, big head, and small set eyes. Almost sounds like what the Nazi's did to people. There are places where breed ban laws exist. Based on if your dog looks Aryan...whoops I mean "pit bull".

A place like Denver Colorado. One of the first places to legalize weed. But when they enacted breed ban laws people had a choice. You can move immediately or lose your dog...based on what the dog looked like. Dogs were seized and euthanized based on what they looked like. It's still the same in the UK although there is a big group trying to overturn the laws. Many shelters still are biased, if not out of fear for lack of space. The small dogs get homed the same day. Other breeds might take weeks or might be farmed out to rescue groups.

But the bullies can stay a long time. They can't be placed with just anybody. An intact male can be worth big bucks to someone who wants to breed them. Why breed them when there are so many? To fight of course. But it's not their nature to fight. Bullies are among the most people pleasing breeds of dog you will ever meet. That is their down fall. If your human cages you, starves you...but if you kill another dog you get steak and your human is happy. See how it works?

But if that same dog ends up in a home where he is neutered, muscles like that you don't need any more testosterone. If he is loved and has a strong stable leader. That is he is spoiled rotten but taught his limits. If you chase a cat Mommy will squinch up her eyes like Joe Pesci. You DO not want that to happen. Then you have a big loveable lapdog. He will guard his family with his life. But with his family will remain an overgrown puppy. I can't say enough for the breed. This has been a public service announcement.



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Oh and an adorable one of my Levon
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Great pictures Fur, I turned the first two around. I've met some very sweet Pitbulls who run free with the other dogs, people and children at the dog park. The way they behave definitely has to do with the owners, too many people want to be tough through their dog's personality and the dog suffers for it. There's a lot of Pits who are treated badly, abused, chained on short chains in back yards, and taught to be mean, even fight other dogs. Some pups are sadly used as bait dogs.

Although I've petted some friendly Pitbulls, there are times I've cringed walking past some on chains, who looked like they'd tear my dogs to shreds if they broke loose, due to irresponsible, trashy owners who shouldn't be allowed to own any pets, IMO.

Your photos show how loving they can be, great pics. You are a caring owner and it shows, your Levon is an angel! :love_heart:
 


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I agree with your stance about breed legislation and discrimination, and am happy to see many advocacy groups (like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah) fighting to get that legislation overturned. I have a Chow Chow mix that I adopted from a kill shelter in 2006. She's solid black, to boot. Black dogs are the least likely to get adopted. The shelter listed her as a "schipperke" mix. I seriously doubt there is one bit of schipperke in her, I think it was the shelter's attempt at distracting from her Chow Chow appearance as they knew her chances of adoption would be slim. I spent many years as a dog groomer, and I can attest that any breed can become a safety hazard if in the hands of irresponsible or ill-willed owners.

I also know from personal experience as the guardian of a terrier mix, that terrier breeds are stubborn, smart, and very confident, and require an owner who is able to stay one step ahead of them if they are to become a canine good citizen, if you will. I personally love pitties, and find their personalities very endearing. A pittie might just be my next rescue.......but I have my hands and house full right now with five adorable misfits :love_heart:
 
Bluecheese50 said:
Those animals are banned in the UK thank goodness, and would be put down if discovered, and the owner prosecuted!
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Why do you look at the photos above and then make a comment like that? Obviously these folks love their 'pits' and obviously those lovable mutties aren't even a threat to a cat!

My daughter also has a pit-cross and Hooch is a great dog and everyone who meets him loves him. She also has a four pound chihuahua and frankly the little one is a bigger nuisance.

I do think one of the problems with this strong breed is owners who not only don't train them to be mean and aggressive but simply don't know how to train them period. Hooch has always had the best house manners, but his previous owners didn't know how to socialize him with other dogs and he used to get into scuffles regularly.....until my daughter took him. When she got him, she couldn't take him to the dog park and used two leashes and a halter on him because he weighs 90 pounds while she was only 115.

She very quickly discovered that when he misbehaved, she could get right in his face, grab him by the jowls, look him in the eye and holler at him and remind him that she was the only thing he had to fear. And this is a dog that on a couple of occasions saved her from a bear that was chasing another little dog around the apartment complex! But he quickly learned that when 'mom' yelled his name, he darn well better listen.

Now she uses one leash only, takes him to the dog park with his pit bull girl friend and he gets along with all the dogs. Training, training, training wouldn't you say folks?

Some folks just aren't suited to this breed and it's not the dogs fault.

Love the photos by the way folks! The one of the cat with the dog is especially adorable.
 
Debby, I agree totally. Because we live in the country, (or it was until recently), many people have dropped off their unwanted dogs. Generally just after the Christmas holidays when they get new puppies for gifts. Over the last 25 years here, we have found and adopted at least 10 pit bulls, and several other breeds as well. Sometimes we could find good homes for the cute one, but we never even tried with the pits, because their fates were too perilous. But through all those years, I've never found a better family dog. They grew up with our kids and the animals on our farm, and they were so protective of all. You can't find a cheaper security system, much less one that will give you kisses when your upset.

:nicethread::yes:

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This is Reba, my husband's last Furbaby.
 
AWWWWW Reba looks like my Sophie before her muzzle went gray, even her eyelashes, beautiful picture!

Two stories that stand out for me. I'm sure I've shared the one before...

Being in the waiting room of an urban vet clinic. I was waiting for Callie to be released to me. It was way crowded so a long wait. People and pets were in every chair. But off to the side there was one family. The dog was probably a mastiff/Presario mix, huge black and white galoot. But you could see people giving him and his family wide berth despite the crowded conditions.
I figured I'm adopting almost a miniature of this guy. I said the magic words " Is he friendly?". The tail wagged the dog, he knew what I said and became this big lickylicky happyhappy pup instantly.

And it was beautiful because all these folks who had been keeping away, leaned in to pet him too. All of a sudden the whole room wanted to love this happy guy rolling on the floor. Don't judge a pup by his cover ya know?

The second was when I was walking home through a rough neighborhood one afternoon. There was a young black man against the front of a liquor store. At his feet a very serious male bull. I took a chance and said "Is he friendly?". Not only did the young man grin at me, but once again the dog understood..." Waggy waggy, licky,licky, oh yes please scratch me there, you are my new best friend!". Same thing...young man and dog were not at all what they seemed.
 
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My sweet Bonnie is a black and white 65+ pound pit bull, adopted in 2015 at 7+ years old (estimated by the shelter). She had not been treated well in her previous life, and had been medically neglected. Yet she is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever had (and I've had a lot of them over the years). She's perfect in the house, and she is quite the kisser. She is SO grateful to be a house doggie, have good food, and a wonderful vet who has resolved her infected ears and skin and removed a nasty growth from her neck. She loves to sleep upside down on the couch with her feet in the air, and loves to go on long walks. She is aggressive to no one, though she does not approve of cats and isn't particularly fond of little dogs (particularly chihuahuas) who sometimes want to charge her, barking and snarling. She pretty much does the doggie equivalent of laughing at them. She LOVES children and lets the little girls next door fuss over her, dress her up and have tea parties with her. She rolls around on the ground with total doggie joy when they come to play with her.

She is, in my estimation, the perfect dog for me and I love her dearly. I am SO glad she came to live with me.
 
I don't understand breed hostility either. These are pics of obviously wonderful pets. No one is forced to have a pit bull, but many love them. Rotties have a bad rep also, yet most are big mush balls.
 
Chows, Dobermans, German Shepherds...every era seems to pick their "Demon Dog". It's just ignorance. I remember the first year we had him I took Callie to a local dog Halloween party. He was dressed as a hot dog. He has peach fuzz fur so it kept him warm. Plus who can fear a mid-sized hot dog? I know he changed more than a few people's minds that day. One family walked past us and the little girls ran to hug him...the poor dad turned white as a sheet " Uh hum Erin, you have to ask first uh...". But Callie was just basking in the attention. Later on we went to the playground with my daughter. There was little Erin again " OH LOOK CALLIE IS HERE!!!"...there's my big boy surrounded on all sides by kids. He fell asleep on his side, smiling and exhausted by all the walking and lovin'.
 
The best (and possibly the smartest) dog that I have ever had was a Gladiator Doberman named Bruno. He was like an overgrown Dobie on steroids, and he had been neutered and trained as a guard dog before I got him.
The local mill had gone on strike, and they bought Bruno to protect angry workers from vandalizing the mill while it was closed.
Once things were worked out, the mill was going to have Bruno put to sleep, so one of the workers who lived nearby took Bruno home with him.

I was working for Comined Insurance at the time, and one day at a house call, I saw a magnificent, but skin-and-bones Dobie chained to a big truck tire in the mud and the cold of early March in north Idaho Spring weather. He was shivering, all of his dog food had been spilled and scattered in the mud.
One look, and I asked the owner to give me the dog, which he did. I had a canopy on the back of my little Mazda pickup, put Bruno in there, got him a warm blanket and a bowl of fresh food which I put inside of the spare tire so that it would not spill, and finished my work for the day.
That night, I gave Bruno a warm bath, and he happily slept next to the bed. From then on, he traveled with me when the weather was okay for that, and stayed home when the weather was bad.

I had him for many years until he got too old and crippled up and had to be put down, and he was the best dog that anyone could ever hope to have.
When I was gone, he was on guard duty, and I never feared coming home to a dark house alone at night. But when I had company, Bruno loved it, and would sit next to people and lean his whole body into their legs to get petted.
He was a wonderful dog, and I miss him to this day.
 
It sounds like the dog issue is a little bit like gun control, no one is going to change anyone's mind. I'm sort of in the middle on this. I grew up with German Shepards, we once had a miniature doberman, we raised Rottweilers for a few years and they are my favorite dog ever, we (us and members of our family) have had Pittbulls.

I've known some dogs personally in each of these breeds (except the Dobermans because I haven't really been around any except the miniature) who has had to be put down because they were so mean. But some of the best, most loving dogs were also in these groups. And it isn't always how they were raised (although that is usually the case) as I know some who were raised in a good environment and still almost "devil dogs".

One was a dog my neighbors gave our oldest son. She raised Bull Terriers and had one of the best kennels set up I've ever seen. She loved all her dogs and she and her husband gave them excellent care. She sent dogs all over the US. So she had a male dog that was born with 3 legs. She knew he didn't like cats but she claimed she didn't know he was was so cranky. She gave him to our son when the dog was probably a couple years old.

Anyway, our son could manage him fine and they loved each other. He even took him on a few trips in his truck across the country. (He was a long haul trucker) and had Obe about 2 years. When he was out of town our grandson kept the dog up in the mts with him. He lived in the house with them and got tons of love. And he was very loving to them.

Then our son started going with a lady with a tiny long haired chihuahua and 2 of those greyhound type dogs. I forget what they are called but they are suppose to be small greyhounds, but they look pretty big to me. Anyway, they moved in together and for 3 or 4 months they thought the dogs were getting along fine.

Our son had been injured in a truck accident so he was home to keep track of the dogs and all went well. Then one day he took his girl friend to the hospital (she is a RN) a few minutes away and when he came home he said he walked into a blood bath. The little dog was already dead but he was able to save the one dog Obe was after and then he hadn't gotten to the other one yet.

This was the first time Obe had attacked another dog but he probably had never been alone with another dog before. Our son was so upset the vet didn't charge him for putting his dog (who he dearly loved) down. Of course, he charged for sewing up the one greyhound. A few months later my son and his girlfriend broke up as her dogs were her children. And our son was mourning for his dog Obe even though he realized he had to have him put down. She had suffered from depression for years and was on heavy med and when Robin Williams committed suicide she said he had done a beautiful thing.

Our son couldn't go on living with someone talking about suicide and her depressions were getting to him. (He took after me, I can't be around depressed people very long.) So their relationship didn't make it. I contacted her after our son died and she is still working and said she's doing well but still loves our son and misses him.

I could easily tell 10 other stories good and bad about these big dogs. I can't have a rottweiler because of property insurance here but they are my favorite dog. As in gun control, it seems like for every heart warming story, someone can come up with a "the dog killed a child story".
 
Happyflowerlady said:
The best (and possibly the smartest) dog that I have ever had was a Gladiator Doberman named Bruno. He was like an overgrown Dobie on steroids, and he had been neutered and trained as a guard dog before I got him.
The local mill had gone on strike, and they bought Bruno to protect angry workers from vandalizing the mill while it was closed.
Once things were worked out, the mill was going to have Bruno put to sleep, so one of the workers who lived nearby took Bruno home with him.

I was working for Comined Insurance at the time, and one day at a house call, I saw a magnificent, but skin-and-bones Dobie chained to a big truck tire in the mud and the cold of early March in north Idaho Spring weather. He was shivering, all of his dog food had been spilled and scattered in the mud.
One look, and I asked the owner to give me the dog, which he did. I had a canopy on the back of my little Mazda pickup, put Bruno in there, got him a warm blanket and a bowl of fresh food which I put inside of the spare tire so that it would not spill, and finished my work for the day.
That night, I gave Bruno a warm bath, and he happily slept next to the bed. From then on, he traveled with me when the weather was okay for that, and stayed home when the weather was bad.

I had him for many years until he got too old and crippled up and had to be put down, and he was the best dog that anyone could ever hope to have.
When I was gone, he was on guard duty, and I never feared coming home to a dark house alone at night. But when I had company, Bruno loved it, and would sit next to people and lean his whole body into their legs to get petted.
He was a wonderful dog, and I miss him to this day.
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What a wonderful story! You were not only a lovely blessing ( for Bruno) but you got blessed in return. Karma goes both ways obviously!
 
Poor Callie...with his head and chest and bitty chicken legs he would sink like a stone. Sophie is AmStaff, great swimmer.
 
I would consider a Pit ONLY if I didn't have other small dogs and cats... I wouldn't trust one around them... you just never know.. nor can you be 100% certain that they will not react to a trigger from another animal... They have been bred to be animal aggressive and I wouldn't want to take the chance.
 
My vet says Bonnie is probably mostly AmStaff, as well. She's pretty much built like a tank.

Sophie has boxer and German Shepherd mixed in there so she's tall and lean, Callie is the tank.

I would consider a Pit ONLY if I didn't have other small dogs and cats... I wouldn't trust one around them... you just never know.. nor can you be 100% certain that they will not react to a trigger from another animal... They have been bred to be animal aggressive and I wouldn't want to take the chance.

With that it completely depends on the dog. Sophie is fear aggressive but petrified of our house cats. But no she's not safe around strange cats, dogs or wildlife. But then again she was a canine basket case from day one. That's not the breed, it might just be a bad early life. We'll never know.

Callie could take out a horse in one bite. But other dogs, cats, women, children are all his best friend. Even if a strange dog barks at him he doesn't react. He has nothing to fear from other creatures and I think he knows that...Mr. Bomb Proof. He looks imposing, but really the most even keeled dog you could want.
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Fur.... If I didn't have little tiny dogs and cats.. I would absolutely LOVE to take in a homeless Pit and give it a good home.. I have no doubt they are loyal and loving pets... but I stand pat... I would not trust one around my other animals.. You just never know what will present a trigger to one..
 
Actually QS that's wise. When ya adopt an adult you're getting a surprise package. We were just lucky we could accommodate Sophie's issues. If she had been adopted by a house with small dogs or young kids it could have been tragic.
 
Enjoyed the stories about pit bulls and other dogs, all dogs have to be treated with respect, especially the powerful ones.It's all about the owners really isn't it?There is no bad car either only bad drivers
Here in the UK a vet usually decides if the dog is a pit bull ( dangerous dogs act) they were being used as weapons by thugs.
Staffies and bull mastiffs are allowed, and are usually lovely dogs.
 

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