After the sudden and tragic loss of our big dog boy in March, we adopted an American Staffordshire Terrier puppy (popularly sorted into the “pit bull” category). I want to share my happiness!
I was a little concerned about the breed, as there are mountains of negative info about them.
I’m here to say that Baxter is the sweetest, funniest, most athletic pup I’ve ever had. He’s five months old now and is amazing in the following ways:
-He loves our three other dogs and has brought our one-year-old lab back to life (the other two are elderly collies).
-He has a funny and unique vocabulary. I’ve never heard a dog make some of the sounds he does.
-He is incredibly cuddly and loves pets, hugs, and having his paws held when he sleeps.
-He passed puppy kindergarten with flying colors and earned an “AKC Star Puppy” degree. He adored his class colleagues and was very gentle with the smaller dogs.
-He is poetry in motion. Incredibly fast and lithe, he has established his own backyard agility course.
-His fur is black, shiny, and is like petting velvet (and he doesn’t shed – at all!)
-He is joyous. All of the time.
Thanks for letting me share the love! (And, no, I can’t post a pic. My ancient BlackBerry is having issues uploading photos).
I’ve met plenty of Big Mean Dogs, and in fact every most of them have been friendly and lovable and gregarious. To be sure, some of them do insist on knocking everybody down and licking their faces. Pit Bulls galore, several Rottweilers (okay, one actually mean one), Dobermans, and one Godzilla-size dog that the owner said was a Mastiff puppy.
ETA: Yeah, what they all said. Pics or it didn’t happen.
The pit bull documentary Beyond the Myth (IMHO, an imperfect but fun film) shows a bunch of quotes from children who live with pitties. I distinctly remember one little girl saying “Pit bulls are like velvet hippos.”
While I love all dogs, that huge pittie grin is something else!
