I adopted a pit bull--actually she's an Irish Staffordshire Terrier, according to her records-- last year who was actually rescued from a dog fighting ring.

She's a little over 2 years old, and was fostered with two labs. She still came to us with a lot of anxiety and trust issues.

But... we took her to training classes--eight weeks worth, and will be working on getting a Canine Good Citizen Certification in the next year. To achieve this goal, we'll probably attend another training class--just to make sure she has a good chance of passing. Eventually, I'd like to work with her on agility training... or perhaps therapy dog work.

The training has been great for all of us. It's help our pittie become more social... and obedient.. but more in a fun way. She really enjoys it, and enjoys her walks.. playing frisbee. She's is really beautiful to watch as an athlete or sorts. She really is a beautiful creature.

My cousin owned a pit bull without incident. The dog lived until 16 years of age. My cousin used to take his pittie on TV shows as to advocate the breed. Now my cousin owns Mastiffs as well as some other dogs. He lives on a farm, so... he has a lot of animals.

I've read all the stories both pro and con about the breed. Right now, all I can say I have NOT seen our pittie aggressive in the least except she once snapped at our Chihuahua when he tried to take her bone. But other than that, she plays with him...and our cat. Our pittie doesn't even bark. On of my friend said that we've got a great watch dog. I told her my Chi is more of watch dog than my pittie.

I will say that our pittie doesn't know her own strength... and she can play rough when she gets wound up. So I don't ever leave her alone with the other dogs, but I can't leave my other two dogs alone together either! They are all crate-trained...and I also have taken our pittie to doggie play days. No problems whatsoever at this point.

But.. I do agree... she's been a challenged due to her strength more than her size.. as well as being fearful.

Oh.. I talked to the investigator and original rescue group about the fight ring. The investigator said absolutely, these fight handlers abuse the dogs. In my pittie's case, there were dogs hanging from trees... to try to strengthen their necks. My dog had been isolated...and we think she has been tasered because she seems to be afraid of cell phones... She was afraid of my dog clicker, for example, so I quit using it.

Anyway... I'm no expert on the breed, but... hey... I read people used to be afraid of bloodhounds. I just think...it's "pit bull" type dogs are strong albeit very friendly.. and can easily overwhelm somebody who is not used to dealing with dogs...

[Edited 11/19/12 10:29am]

deadmansbones said:

I adopted a pit bull--actually she's an Irish Staffordshire Terrier, according to her records-- last year who was actually rescued from a dog fighting ring.

She's a little over 2 years old, and was fostered with two labs. She still came to us with a lot of anxiety and trust issues.

But... we took her to training classes--eight weeks worth, and will be working on getting a Canine Good Citizen Certification in the next year. To achieve this goal, we'll probably attend another training class--just to make sure she has a good chance of passing. Eventually, I'd like to work with her on agility training... or perhaps therapy dog work.

The training has been great for all of us. It's help our pittie become more social... and obedient.. but more in a fun way. She really enjoys it, and enjoys her walks.. playing frisbee. She's is really beautiful to watch as an athlete or sorts. She really is a beautiful creature.

My cousin owned a pit bull without incident. The dog lived until 16 years of age. My cousin used to take his pittie on TV shows as to advocate the breed. Now my cousin owns Mastiffs as well as some other dogs. He lives on a farm, so... he has a lot of animals.

I've read all the stories both pro and con about the breed. Right now, all I can say I have NOT seen our pittie aggressive in the least except she once snapped at our Chihuahua when he tried to take her bone. But other than that, she plays with him...and our cat. Our pittie doesn't even bark. On of my friend said that we've got a great watch dog. I told her my Chi is more of watch dog than my pittie.

I will say that our pittie doesn't know her own strength... and she can play rough when she gets wound up. So I don't ever leave her alone with the other dogs, but I can't leave my other two dogs alone together either! They are all crate-trained...and I also have taken our pittie to doggie play days. No problems whatsoever at this point.

But.. I do agree... she's been a challenged due to her strength more than her size.. as well as being fearful.

Oh.. I talked to the investigator and original rescue group about the fight ring. The investigator said absolutely, these fight handlers abuse the dogs. In my pittie's case, there were dogs hanging from trees... to try to strengthen their necks. My dog had been isolated...and we think she has been tasered because she seems to be afraid of cell phones... She was afraid of my dog clicker, for example, so I quit using it.

Anyway... I'm no expert on the breed, but... hey... I read people used to be afraid of bloodhounds. I just think...it's "pit bull" type dogs are strong albeit very friendly.. and can easily overwhelm somebody who is not used to dealing with dogs...

[Edited 11/19/12 10:29am]

But, apparently, your dog is still a demon.

In all seriousness, it's nice to read an educated, reasonable post like this. The pit cross that I am thinking of getting is currently in training to get her Canine Good Citizen Certification. I would also be interested in making her a therapy dog as well.

JustErin said:

deadmansbones said:

I adopted a pit bull--actually she's an Irish Staffordshire Terrier, according to her records-- last year who was actually rescued from a dog fighting ring.

She's a little over 2 years old, and was fostered with two labs. She still came to us with a lot of anxiety and trust issues.

But... we took her to training classes--eight weeks worth, and will be working on getting a Canine Good Citizen Certification in the next year. To achieve this goal, we'll probably attend another training class--just to make sure she has a good chance of passing. Eventually, I'd like to work with her on agility training... or perhaps therapy dog work.

The training has been great for all of us. It's help our pittie become more social... and obedient.. but more in a fun way. She really enjoys it, and enjoys her walks.. playing frisbee. She's is really beautiful to watch as an athlete or sorts. She really is a beautiful creature.

My cousin owned a pit bull without incident. The dog lived until 16 years of age. My cousin used to take his pittie on TV shows as to advocate the breed. Now my cousin owns Mastiffs as well as some other dogs. He lives on a farm, so... he has a lot of animals.

I've read all the stories both pro and con about the breed. Right now, all I can say I have NOT seen our pittie aggressive in the least except she once snapped at our Chihuahua when he tried to take her bone. But other than that, she plays with him...and our cat. Our pittie doesn't even bark. On of my friend said that we've got a great watch dog. I told her my Chi is more of watch dog than my pittie.

I will say that our pittie doesn't know her own strength... and she can play rough when she gets wound up. So I don't ever leave her alone with the other dogs, but I can't leave my other two dogs alone together either! They are all crate-trained...and I also have taken our pittie to doggie play days. No problems whatsoever at this point.

But.. I do agree... she's been a challenged due to her strength more than her size.. as well as being fearful.

Oh.. I talked to the investigator and original rescue group about the fight ring. The investigator said absolutely, these fight handlers abuse the dogs. In my pittie's case, there were dogs hanging from trees... to try to strengthen their necks. My dog had been isolated...and we think she has been tasered because she seems to be afraid of cell phones... She was afraid of my dog clicker, for example, so I quit using it.

Anyway... I'm no expert on the breed, but... hey... I read people used to be afraid of bloodhounds. I just think...it's "pit bull" type dogs are strong albeit very friendly.. and can easily overwhelm somebody who is not used to dealing with dogs...

[Edited 11/19/12 10:29am]

But, apparently, your dog is still a demon.

In all seriousness, it's nice to read an educated, reasonable post like this. The pit cross that I am thinking of getting is currently in training to get her Canine Good Citizen Certification. I would also be interested in making her a therapy dog as well.

Well, I'm not going to lie: she can be a handful sometimes because she's a young dog even though not a puppy. She still has a lot of puppy in her though!

So far, she's very, very sweet... a little shy of my husband, but not all men. The trainers think her shyness toward my husband is due to his tall stature, plus quiet demeanor. They are finally starting to connect, but it's taken quite a while. Just the other morning, he was playing with all three of our dogs on our bed, so and that was a real breakthrough for her.

Our pittie likes all women though and seems to like children. Another thing that's quite interesting, Joplin... that's her name... she's very observant... very quiet and observant. She just sits back and takes-in everything.

The trainers told me she's quite intelligent..which is both a good and bad thing! LOL! We sort of have to stay one step ahead of her because she can be a little manipulative--in that puppy sort of way. The trainers have really helped us learn how to deal with her using positive reinforcement completely... talking in a "calm" voice... It's all been quite interesting, actually.

We take her to Home Depot and PetSmart. At first, she was scared to death to even walk into Home Depot. Now she's just a little "star" because the staff really seems to like her. They know her name, but don't remember mine! LOL!

About the training classes, this particular pit bull rescue encourages their clients to attempt the canine good citizen certification as well as training classes. Not all dogs--regardless of the breed are going to pass the CGC test. But it's really the process that's more important.

We pay $50, but get that fee reimbursed if we attend all the sessions. We've gone through advanced training, but the trainer said we can take it again if we like to help prepare better for the test. So that's what we're probably going to do.

It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun, too!

I just wanted to come back to say...I hope your pittie give you as much joy as Joplin has given us this past year. It's been a very rewarding experience. She's brought a new.. sort of gentle dynamic to our other "pack" members, too, believe it or not.

That's not to say she's anything more than a dog. I never saw my Rat Terrier mix fight until she went after my mom's elderly dog--even hurting him, for example. So I've learned due to that experience NOT to take things for granted. Why should we expect dogs to behave 100% of the time, when people don't--or Joplin wouldn't be in this situation in the first place, I would imagine?

So I manage their environment quite well: I don't feed them together. I try not to set-up situations where jealousy might occur--like with toys and things. I also don't leave them outside unattended for very long, if at all. I don't allow them the run of the house when we're gone, etc.

At 43 pounds of pure muscle, Joplin is just bigger than they are. So... I AM careful, and the trainers have really helped us learn how to manage our environment to where my husband and I are the leaders...not any of the dogs.. as "Cesar Millan" as that might sound! LOL!

But I sure wouldn't trade adopting Joplin for anything. We have just learned so much...even about ourselves!

So good luck with your pittie! It's a decision I'm sure you won't regret.

[Edited 11/19/12 11:23am]

Hopefully the dog will be put down as it is a threat to others.

I just wanted to come back to add a little something.

I was out walking another pittie today... I joined Joplin's pit bull rescue group.. for the training.. and then meetups.. what have you. It's very interesting on a lot of levels.

Anyway... as I was walking this gentle giant--he was at least two times the size of Joplin.. but just a very sweet dog.. I was thinking if I would adopt another larger dog.. Of course, there is NO WAY that I could adopt another dog now: our house is full. But.. just in the future.

And you know... I just think people need to be careful in creating "packs" of large dogs. I'd probably have two pitties if I could possibly... But I don't think I'd have three... or let's say.. three large dogs.. I just think the dynamics can be difficult and overwhelming..

I just think it's so sad these animals are overbred, and there are just not enough homes. Of course pits aren't the only dogs or domestic animals that are overbred.. It's just a shame that the only humane option for these souls is to be euthanized.

We all talk about how the dogs are monsters... but who created this situation..

It's just sad all the way around. But.. then again...what else should we expect, really?

PurpleJedi said:

Mastiffs are renown for their calm nature though, no?

There must be more to this story.

My ex-boss had a mastiff. The dog was MASSIVE.

...and was so calm that you wonder if it would even get up to do anything about a burglar.

My ex boss actually did the research and bought him BECAUSE it was the type of dog that doesn't bark, doesn't jump around, and all that.

RIP to this poor woman.

Mastiffs are very calm animals. I pet sit for one, and he is the sweetest dog ever. Doesn't bark when I come in the door, wags his tail when he sees me walk in, and he loves to be petted. I'm thinking there's more to this story too. Yes, mastiffs are definitely massive. I recently read that they are the biggest breed of dog, which surprised me. I thought that a St. Bernard would be bigger, but I guess not.

uPtoWnNY said:

I don't think the dog was a Bullmastiff. The breed wasn't bred to attack, but to pounce on intruders and pin them to the ground. They'e considered gentle giants.

Pokeno4Money said:

tinaz said:

You all are giving small dags a bad rap! Like I said, I have a chihuahua and until recently a rat terrier RIP

They are NOT all yippy and tempermental!

[Edited 11/17/12 5:05am]

I prefer big dogs, like my Papillon

I recently was watching a dog show on TV, and there was a Papillon on there. Cute dogs; I love their ears.

So sad she lost her life to her pet. If the mastiff was adopted, than there is no telling what that poor animal had to go through before coming to his/her new home. If he/she came from an abusive previous owner and/or had not had any socialization or training than of course that was just a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. I've seen adopted dogs who don't like men because men are the ones who had mistreated them. I've seen them terrified of children and even people's hands because they had been hit so much with an open hand. They do remember things; they are far from dumb. Mastiffs are usually very docile. One of our doctors has one and she's a big baby who just wants to play and give kisses but she was also purchased as a puppy so her background was never shady and she got proper training and was extremely socialized at a young age.

Another thing that many people don't factor in with dogs is how the dog was made. I've seen extremely aggressive Great Danes and we found out from their owner that the breeder had been inbreeding to make puppies. Inbreeding is definitely something can cause abnormalities in dogs and it's extremely common with these pure bred puppies nowadays. Puppy mills are also a problem with behaviors which is why I'm against pet stores that sell dogs because most of these puppies are from puppy mills unless they are gotten from private breeders and there comes the problem of inbreeding again. I'm an advocated for spaying and neutering pets and adoption because there are way to many dogs being put to sleep due to overcrowding in shelters. Save a life; adopt a pet.

I'm a Veterinary Technician and I've worked with almost every breed of dog you can think of for 16 years now. To this day, the majority of mean dogs I have worked with have usually been small breeds because they think they are 100 pounds and will challenge you. Problem with that is that because they usually weigh less than 20 pounds, most people think they are harmless; which is really a joke because some of them are absolutely awful when it comes to anyone who isn't their owner. When they start fighting with you, it's a nightmare. They are super cute until they try to bite your fingers off because you're not their mom or dad and they don't want you to touch them.

Pit bulls get the most undeserved, bad reputation of all the dog breeds. I've worked with thousands of them over the years and only remember having 3 that were extremely PEOPLE aggressive and all of them had been adopted. One was used for fighting; one had been severely beaten and abused by its previous owners; and the last had been used as a 'bait dog' to train fighting Pit Bulls. It's sad that this breed gets such a bad rap because back in the early 1900s they were called 'the nanny breed' because they watched and protected the children. It's because they are trained to fight that they have become the outlaws of the dog world and that's disgusting to me. It's their terrible upbringings that have villanized them and it's sad that people shun them because they were raised by assholes. The large majority of them are total babies who just want to play and be loved on. If anything, they are oftentimes just dog aggressive but even that's based on their upbringing like with any dog.

Sadly, I'd trust a Pit Bull before I trusted most of the adored small breeds. So many of these small dogs are just aggressive because they are usually spoiled and won't tolerate not getting their way. They often aren't trained because they are 'so cute' and most of them don't have a clue what 'no' means as they try to chew your thumb off. The cute factor dissipates for me once they start growling at me. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt because I am a stranger to them. I'll do the baby talking and say their name over and over again; which, is usually the only human words they truly understand. If that doesn't work, than it's 'go time' as I usually call it. My job is to keep them healthy and if that makes me the bad guy than I'll gladly be the villian in this chapter if it means prolonging their lives.

I've worked with tons of dogs in all sizes that are scared to death of the vet but most of them don't show any aggressive behavior at any point during their visit; so, size really doesn't matter to me. If he/she wants to tango, he/she will get checked with the quickness; because, I'm gonna let them know that I'm in charge; not them. They can act however they want to at their house; but, they are in my house now and they will show respect. If the dog tries to bite me, I will muzzle them in front of their owner after delivering a stern 'no' in their direction. It's sad that I've seen more well behaved cats than dogs because cats are usually the pets that are the most difficult to handle.

Sorry, but I have a cat and she knows I'll check her if she even thinks about trying to bite me or anyone else; so, I have no problem whatsoever disciplining someone's untrained dog right in front of them. They should know better. I've seen too many children mauled by dogs. Small kids don't understand that you shouldn't touch a dog without asking the owner first and they get bitten as a result of their curiosity. I'll be damned if I'm gonna allow a pet's owner to let their dog act like that around strangers. I don't care how cute little Scruffy is; he cannot attack people because he's afraid...that is not okay. ALL dogs can be unpredictable regardless of what size they are so socialization and proper training are always a must if anyone is thinking about taking on the responsibility of adding a new dog to their family.

[Edited 11/29/12 11:12am]