My father had a pitbull when I was in middle/high school. He’d never hurt anyone, though someone still found it necessary to shoot him while he was venturing the neighborhood. (This was in the sticks. Most people’s dogs were allowed free roam.) It’s probably a good thing we never found out who it was.
Now my stepbrother has one. He’s been having a hard time finding a place to live because of it. My place will allow any pets except pit bulls and dobermans. I think it’s stupid. These dogs are physically built a little better for fighting so a few assholes train them for such, but when raised by decent human beings, they’re just like any other dog. I guess you can chalk it up to people are stupid. I’d love a pit bull but until I own a place, I think I’ll stick with my tarantulas.
Here’s an old picture of Simone at six months – she just turned two…need new pictures! She’s an American Pit Bull Terrier, and a total sweetheart, who thinks everyone she sees is going to be her friend, unless they’re on an Evil Skateboard, or worst of all, vacuuming. Rescued from starving on the street when she walked up to our nephew, all wide-eyed and bony.
This is Sadie by the river. Note the way she spreads her toes out to grip the rock. She was rescued from death row in a North Carolina kill shelter, nursing nine new puppies (also scheduled for the needle) and with various health issues of her own. We then fostered her for medical care once the puppies were rehomed. She had full-blown heartworm, hookworm, and fleas; her left hip had been smashed and never healed right, resulting in the ball joint being just a mass of bone chips that hurt her with every step, and her right hop has three shotgun pellets or BBs in it, according to the X-Rays. She too was desperately underweight, and she was fearful of sudden movements and feet when she came to live with us.
Sadie is an interesting mix – we surmise American Staffordshire Terrier (one of the “pit bull breeds”) mixed with…Bassett and/or Beagle? Maybe Corgi?
They adore us, and the feeling is mutual.
Sailboat
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This is my girl, Poppy. She’s a Staffordshire Bull Terrier I got from a rescue. I was looking for my first dog - something small, I was thinking, and fluffy, maybe a toy spaniel. I came home with her - well, who could resist those big brown eyes?
When I moved to London I couldn’t bring her with me, so she stayed in Devon with my mum, and has become her best friend. Like other bull-breeds mentioned here, she’s the sweetest-natured, most loving dog you can imagine. While she does do the “launching herself at you in an orgy of affection” thing, she can also be very gentle. When out on walks with the toddler of one of my mum’s friends, she sticks by her side instead racing on ahead as she normally would, and gently herds her on if she fell behind. And when a friend of mine who’s terrified of dogs was visiting recently, she kept a respectful distance, didn’t jump or bark, but just spent the whole weekend quietly but determinedly making friends with her. By Saturday evening, she was sat at her side, with her head on her knee, and my friend stroking her with an amazed but delighted look on her face.
I can’t imagine ever owning another kind of dog now. They’re just the best.
I’m surprised at the first pic you included. That muzzle makes him look far scarier than much else I could imagine. My first thought was of Hannibal Lector.
Tho I am personally on the dopey golden end of the canine spectrum, yesterday at the dog park I was playfully knocking around a 100+# Amerivcan bull. Fine dogs indeed. Far superior to the vast majority of yapdogs. Just when I’ve seen so many people cower in response to my grinning goldens, I personally wouldn’t have a pit-variety.
He has to wear it because of the breed-specific legislation; if I walk him without it, they could take him away and put him down. So, like it or not (and neither of us do), that’s what he looks like whenever he’s off my property. The fact that he looks like Hannibal Lector is what’s so particularly evil about the muzzle law - people are way more scared of him when he’s got it on, even tho a dog with a muzzle is the safest dog around.
Yeah - I figured as much. And realized you were presenting yourself as a responsible pet owner. I was just expressing my personal thoughts that, as there are so many neat dogs out there that are not legally required to be muzzled, my personal choice would be to own a breed other than a pit.
Of course, I’m the type of irresponsible dog owner who has been known to walk his dogs off-leash, so I wouldn’t care to deal with a muzzle.
I really REALLY like all non-aggressive dogs. I go out of my way to be around quite many dogs quite frequently, and off the top of my head I cannot recall a single instance where I was harmed or even threatened by a pit/staff/bull terrier/rott/mastiff/etc. Hell, I can immediately recall 2 damned yappy little dustmop shits that have drawn blood from me. I’m more comfortable around most pits than I am around many cats, as dogs impress me as telegraphing their moods far more obviously.
It struck me as odd, how strongly that photo impressed me - a big dog lover. If I had seen a pit in any mood other than teeth-bared, hackles up, my reaction would have been “Aww, sweet doggie!” But a smiling playing pit in a muzzle makes me instinctively think “Vicious dog!”
Similar issue - was talking with a woman at the dog park the other day about dobes. She commented on how if owners didn’t do their ears and tails, people wouldn’t even realize they were dobes. But with the ears done, they look mean. Same with boxers - and pits. Yes, I realize that the majority of resue-pits were done at an early age…
Just saying with all the baggage pits carry (rightly or wrongly), I have a hard time imagining myself owning one.
Can you spot the little hound? He loves walking with the big boys.
I felt the same way, honestly. Then I looked after a friend’s pittie (she looked just like my current dog, but half the size and with docked ears) and fell completely in love with her.
Then I heard stories from my friends with greyhounds and jack russell terriers, about people responding with fear and prejudice against their dogs and calling them pit bulls. Not kidding. Jack Russell Terriers. I figured - if ignorant people are going to fear my dog regardless of the breed, why should I try to accommodate them?
My dog was well loved and perfectly socialized when I got him. He was only in the pound to begin with because of the pit bull law (his previous owner hadn’t neutered him, which is illegal, so he got taken away), not because of any behaviour problems. It seems much less likely that such a nice dog of any other breed would end up in the shelter.
But what it comes down to is that I don’t really like most people much myself, so I’m not bothered by having a dog that only certain people like. I’m not really a dog-park sort of person anyway, and with a pit bull, I have an excuse to stay away.
I’m with you. My dogsitter and her partner have four of them, and I’m quite certain that her partner likes my dog far better than those Jacks. (My dog loves it there, but you should see how fast he bolts for the door when we come to pick him up …)
I know a guy with four pit bulls, and although that seems rather excessive to me, I’d still rather live there than in the House of Jacks.
My first post…
I love pit bulls. A friend in high school had a couple and they were, as others have said, the sweetest, gentlest dogs. The only danger is being drowned in slobber because they are affectionate. Most, if properly socialized, even make great dogs if you have kids. My friends older brother had a four year old daughter, and their pits tolerated having their tails and ears pulled where other dogs would likely snap.
I’d very much like to have one myself, preferably a rescue, but with my current schedule it would be unfair to the pittie. Thanks to everyone for sharing their pictures.
You’ve left out the danger of getting banged into by an enthusiastic pit doing zoomies, and the all-too-real danger of a fat lip or black eye from some bullet-headed-lover bouncing up as you bend down to say hi. I’ve seen lengthy lists of injuries inflicted on unsuspecting pit bull fans who tried to kiss a way-too-excited bully.
But it’s not aggression.
Used to be called “nanny dogs” for their great reputation with children.
Thank you for recognizing that work schedules matter to an active dog. My wife and I are only able to care for our duo by working as a team and handing off duties frequently; no idea how I’d manage as a single. For example, she works close enough to home that she can do a mid-day walk on her lunch hour.
A conspiracy theorist might say that’s one of the principal reasons behind muzzle laws – it’s the yellow badge of this hated minority.
I personally think ear cropping started because it mimics the position of the ears when a dog is extremely focused on something – ears up, gathering information. It makes the dog look (to us) more intent. This makes watchdogs like Dobies look alert and harder to fool (possibly deterring bad guys?) and fighting dogs like pit bulls look more aggressive.
True. It’s like, how mean would a Rotty look with a big, wagging tail? I see lots of Rotties with tails now, and they still look great. But hey, pitbulls are wonderful too. It’s definitely the owner, and not the dog that is at fault, 99 times out of 100.
Yeah. My wife and I work 30 minutes from home (in opposite directions) and are currently in grad school. Once Grad school is done and a new job aquired it might become feasible to have a middle-of-the-day walkie. 'Til then we’ll just have to wait.
Funny story - a few years ago I was walking Poppy, my Staff, when this tiny little unleashed JR puppy came rushing up and started snapping and snarling at her. Poppy tried to ignore it for quite a while and kept walking, but it was still following her, snapping away. Finally, she lost patience, and pinned it, with one paw on it’s wee belly - her paw being nearly the same size as the whole dog. Poppy just stood there, looking down at it, with a “when you’ve learned to behave yourself I’ll let you back up” expression on her face", and the daft thing was still snapping and squirming away, as if it was going “Just you wait! As soon as I get up again I’m going KILL you!”
I have a sneaking fondness for JRTs, they’re such spunky little dogs.
Great pic.
Can you spot the little hound? He loves walking with the big boys.
