“Pit Bulls can be really sweet, loving dogs if they’re raised right.“
Ever heard someone say that? Have YOU ever said it yourself? I know that when people say this, they mean it with the best intentions, but it’s such a harmful phrase. Let me explain why.
Animal shelters all over the United States are filled with homeless Pit Bulls. And I know you’ve heard me say that the Pit Bull is the most euthanized dog in the country. Both of these things are, in part, the result of people believing that how a Pit Bull is raised will completely determine what kind of dog it becomes.
Let’s say you go to your local shelter because you’ve finally decided the kids are old enough for a dog. Should you get a puppy, or should you consider an adult dog? You’re just not sure, so you walk through the facility looking at dozens of dogs every age, breed, and size.
You see several adult Pit Bulls, and just like all the others, they’re wagging their tails and trying to get your attention, hungry for love. There’s one you’re particularly drawn to, because he has a beautiful white coat and a coal-black nose and soul-piercing eyes, and you wonder what his story is.
But then you think to yourself, I don’t know anything about this dog.
What if he was raised to be mean? How do I know I can I trust him around my children? My other animals? I just don’t know enough about him to take him home.
But the truth is, you have to ask yourself those very same questions about every single dog in that shelter, regardless of breed. You have to ask those questions about a dog you find in a Craiglist ad, or through a breeder, in a pet store, or through a rescue.
Every dog is an individual, just like every human being is an individual. They’re different, just like all people are different. They have varied personality characteristics. Some are good with kids, some aren’t. Some like other animals, some don’t.
But these things aren’t determined by breed. They’re part of what makes up each individual dog.
I know you remember the Michael Vick dogfighting tragedy. Fifty-one Pit Bulls were seized from his home, pulled from deplorable conditions. Most had been abused and tortured, and those that hadn’t been mistreated had witnessed the abuse of the others. Some simply could not be saved, but surprisingly 47 of them went to sanctuaries and rescues to be rehabilitated.
Today some of those dogs still live in sanctuaries, foster homes, and rescues. But an impressive number of them have been adopted and are now living with families – families like yours and mine! Many of them became certified therapy dogs and are true ambassadors of their breed.
Take a look here at Handsome Dan, a rehabilitated, reformed, and rehomed Vick dog. He lets his baby sister read to him every night before bed.
And here are some photos of Georgia {Handsome Dan’s mama!}, the most recent Vick dog to finally go home!
My point is, these dogs were raised in the worst conditions. They weren’t loved. They weren’t properly cared for. Many were trained to fight, and just as many were used as bait to start the fights.
And yet after being rescued, they still wanted love and companionship and family.
Most shelters evaluates dogs’ behavior before making them available for adoption. There are many criteria that a dog is judged upon, and while there are no absolute guarantees, that is true of all dogs - not just Pit Bull-type dogs.
So I implore you. Rather than get a puppy to raise and mold in hopes of creating the kind of dog you want, won’t you take a closer look at an adult dog who may very well already be the kind of dog you want? Look at who and what a dog is right now, rather than wondering what his past was like. Truth is, his past isn’t nearly as important as his future, and you can be a part of that.
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I have a boxer (M-8+ yrs), a lab mix (F-12 yrs) and we just adopted a pit/boxer mix M-who is almost 1 yr. We had him nuetered a month ago because he attacked the boxer when we weren’t home. (The lab jumped in too and she’s NEVER been aggressive)! He is the most loving dog towards us, especially me, but very strong and hyper (55lbs and boxey). I think he may be ‘jealous’ of other male dogs towards me because he sleeps on the foot of my bed. Last night the boxer and lab were in the floor and he jumped off the bed and attacked the boxer (and again the lab pitched in). I’m torn about what to do with him. I hate to get rid of him but don’t want our boxer to live in fear and be targeted at any given time. We are keeping them separated as much as possible but this is becoming very stressful to us all. We also have 4 grandchildren who are very loud and active and I’m afraid he may bite/attack one of them – not because he’s ‘mean’ but maybe thinking they’re fighting and/or hurting each other or me. Any suggestions would be very helpful as I’m about at the end of my rope…!
JoAnn, the problem you’re having is a dog problem, not a Pit Bull problem. People will try to blame it on the Pit Bull, but this is typical dog behavior that happens in all breeds. It does sound as though he is jealous and possessive of you. Pit Bulls are lovers, so it doesn’t surprise me if he’s decided he wants you all to himself. Also, maybe he simply doesn’t like your Boxer.
No matter what the cause, you’re right that you can’t keep living with it forever. I’m guessing it isn’t going to change, and you don’t want to put ANY of your dogs or your grandchildren in danger. It might be time to start looking for a safe, loving home for the Pit Bull. You want everyone to be safe and happy, and it just might be that your home isn’t the best fit for him.
I agree. ‘Pit bulls’ are involved in serious human aggression incidents at a disproportionate rate. I accept this as true, even statistics are probably exaggerated by relative over-reporting of ‘pit bull’ incidents, and some dogs in media reports called ‘pit bulls’ which aren’t by stretch of the definition. But the reason might be better be termed as about ‘how the dogs are managed’, rather than ‘how they are raised’. The latter as you say tends to imply deeply learned bad behavior that could never be reversed. The great majority of those incidents involved non-neutered/spayed dogs, and aggressive behavior is favorably modified by neutering; same with chaining a dog up, not exercising it, etc. The dominant contributing factors to bad ‘pit bull’ incidents *are* owner behaviors, but not necessarily things that permanently ruin a dog.
Ours is an escapee from a reputed fighting breeder. She’s stunningly beautiful, awesomely powerful and athletic, colloquially a ‘pit bull’ but the most obvious component of her mixed heritage is Dogo Argentino. That owner wanted her back, for breeding, and eventually found her at the shelter where she ended up, but by then she was spayed so he gave up. I don’t know her exact upbringing, but there’s no reason to think it was very good, and reasons to think it was bad (her ears are completely cut off, she’s deathly afraid of belts, and she trembles if scolded more than very mildly). But it’s hard to describe without droning on a long time, and getting all sappy, just how terrific she is with people: amazing.
I agree. I am a professional trainer. I had a dog ( an AKC German-lined GSD with great linage) that was “raised right”, but he was a horrible, fear-aggressive dog! You had to drag him out of the closet, if you wanted him to do anything, because he ate, slept, drank, and used the bathroom in that 4×3 space. I tried to socialize him to people, animals, circumstances, but he got very scared and scary outside of the closet. He was born that way, not even the breeder trusted him when I took him. In the end after 10 months of every training technique I could think of and 3 other master trainers could think of, I decided he was geneticly unsound and put him down. It is, as you said, about the dog. Not any one thing makes a person or a dog.
At one point in time when I was actively brokering dogs I always chuckled when pitbull breeders would contact me looking to purchase Shepherds to guard their pitbulls. Funny how a dog that is supposedly so human aggressive is also one of the most stolen breeds in the country. The fact that they required another breed to protect their pitbulls speaks volumes.
I’m so glad you put words to this… It always irritated me in a way when, after I told people I had pit bulls, they say, “Oh, they can be such nice dogs if you raise them right.” It’s almost an underhanded compliment (that is to say, not really a compliment at all). I will never let that comment pass without a response again.
My pit bull was not “raised
right.” When we first brought her home, she was snappy,
agitated, and didn’t want to come in the house. I convinced my
husband we should adopt a pit bull, and I wondered if I had made a
mistake. After few weeks she started to calm down, and within eight
weeks, she was a different dog. We believe that before we adopted
her at six months, she had experienced little human contact. She is
now a goofy social butterfly who has to say hello to all the
neighbors when we take her out for a walk. She spends the first ten
minutes at the dog park greeting all the regulars (people) and then
plays with the other dogs. She remembers everyone she meets, and the
only dangerous thing about her is her tail (her weapon of mass destruction).
Our girl is a big cuddle bug and brings us so much joy. All she needed was a chance, and it breaks
my heart to think of all the dogs that don’t get one. I would
certainly encourage adopting an adult dog. Puppies are cute, but that
only lasts a few months, and older dogs are so much easier to
housebreak and train.
I have gotten some strange comments
regarding my dog.
One woman asked me if she has anger
issues like other pit bulls?
I wanted to say: no, but I think she
may have a drinking problem.
Another woman told me that pit bulls
become vicious when they turn two.
My dog did maul a shoe, murder a garden
hose, and eviscerate a stuffed animal.
Pit bulls seem to get the worst from people, and they deserve so much more.
whenever someone, upon meeting my lovely dog, tells me that “pit bulls can be such nice dogs if you raise them right” i tell them that i got her already a year old from an animal shelter in New Jersey. then i go on to tell them she was dumped at the shelter because her first owner wanted a mean dog, and she was ‘too nice’.
they usually don’t know what to say after that.
Great story and great information. I’ve been reading as much as I can about these pups, and I am starting to become a big fan and hopefully a future owner.
I agree with you, Megan! Thanks for the feedback! I hope you’ll visit my blog again soon! Have a great week!
Victoria, good for you! I’m glad you tell people about your dog! It’s so important for us to change perception every time we have a chance! Have a great day!
I hear that a lot and it always makes me cringe a little and then explain that, “No … dogs are individuals and have personalities just like anyone, most good, good some bad. I have seen a lot of dogs from horrible backgrounds who are just as sweet as can be. There are dogs that can’t be made mean no matter how much someone might try. And, there are dogs that have been made to fight, but really that was not their choice and they would by nature just want to play and be friendly and when given the choice, that’s what they do.”
You’re absolutely right Victoria! That’s how we got Rusty. He was about two years old when he came to us. His previous ‘owners’ wanted a fighting pit, but Rusty wouldn’t fight, he was too nice. Rusty is the sweetest dog I have ever known!
Good, Victoria! I’m glad that from now on, you will let people know that it really doesn’t have anything to do with how they’re raised. It’s all about the individual dog! :)
I hope you can become an owner, too, Walt! You will not be disappointed! Thanks for visiting, and please come back again! :)
You are so right, Viola!
So true! The behavior a dog exhibits in a shelter is often so entirely different from the behavior they exhibit in a stress-free, loving environment.
So true about all animals. I adopted a cat that was about to be put down, a beautiful Himalayan. They said she bit. I’ve had her 10 years and she’s never bit me once. Sometimes you just have to trust your instincts.
Amen to this story….we have 7 pitbulls ….all from shelters….2 of which were deemed aggressive….which are 2 of the biggest lovers I will ever know and have the pleasure of all the love they shower on me and my family…..I can’t stress enough that a shelter environment is scary just like a pnatentuary would be to you….how would you act in a prison????? Nuff said.
great way too put it Heather
Once you go pit, you never go back!
You are right, Laurel. Even dogs that have been trained to fight can be rehabilitated into gentle, loving family dogs. Thanks for visiting today! :)
every time I hear that comment I try to educate them regarding the Victory dogs. I have 2 pits in my shelter that I’m afraid nobody will adopt because of the “way they were raised”. Both are sweet loving, loyal dogs, but both need adopters with Bully breed knowledge. I WILL find them the right homes…………I know I will. Its educate, Educate, EDUCATE regarding the breed……..actually any breed!
TJ Stevens, Well spoken :) I just recently adopted a pit mix, she’s 4 yrs old, was HW+ & due to be put down, I too was uneducated about the breed & was scared because of all the negative publicity this breed has gotten, because of the education awareness I realize these dogs aren’t what the media portrays them to be!!! & my new furbaby has been given a second chance! I’ve had several different breeds of dogs, mostly toy breeds & they were more aggressive than any pit I’ve encountered! My pit is the most loving, obedient, loyal, & smartest dog I’ve had, I salute all the organizations & animal lover’s that are out there spreading awareness, if not for them I wouldn’t have such a sweet animal, I myself am & will continue spreading awareness :)
TJ – We just adopted a pit bull from a shelter that had been there for 4 months, simply because she is a pit bull and no one wanted to give her a chance. I can tell you that we thought twice about it too simply because of the reputation the breed had, the fear-mongering by the media etc. It was actually a very tough decision and we thought about it for several days before we filled out the application, but having had her now for over 3 weeks, we have absolutely NO regrets! She is such a sweet, smart, loving dog who is just eager to please – I feel SO lucky to have her!!!
It can also have to do with breeding, I learned from a lady that raised, breed and showed boxers. Never breed an aggressive dog to another. She always tried to find a mate that would bring out the best qualities of Mom & Dad in the puppies
I LOVE my rescue “pit” she is the most devoted loving dog EVER !!!! I laugh when we walk her and people cross the street or pick their dogs up…..it’s silly ignorance