Should I Adopt this Pit Bull?

[Oogway the russian tort]

I wanted a dog for a long time and want to contribute in helping in saving dog from dying. I came across Greta she was one of the only dogs that was quite. As soon as i squatted down to see her see came trouting up to the gate of the kennel. I offered my hand for her to smell and then i started to pet her she seems=ed very nice even mashing her face a little so she could get more surface area when I pet her. I asked the workers there and she said this dog snaps at other dogs and isn't good with children. I decided to ponder this and look online but their are so many different things about pit bulls on how their loyal and kind if treated right, but i also don't know the past history of this dog which worries me (it is a stray)so i don't know if she would randomly lash out. I just wanna know should i adopt her or adopt another one. I'll post photos of her soon.

 

[ascott]

I wanted a dog for a long time and want to contribute in helping in saving dog from dying. I came across Greta she was one of the only dogs that was quite. As soon as i squatted down to see her see came trouting up to the gate of the kennel. I offered my hand for her to smell and then i started to pet her she seems=ed very nice even mashing her face a little so she could get more surface area when I pet her. I asked the workers there and she said this dog snaps at other dogs and isn't good with children. I decided to ponder this and look online but their are so many different things about pit bulls on how their loyal and kind if treated right, but i also don't know the past history of this dog which worries me (it is a stray)so i don't know if she would randomly lash out. I just wanna know should i adopt her or adopt another one. I'll post photos of her soon.

are you a strong, dominating personality?
do you have small, passive (normal) children that the dog will have access to?
do you have other animals in the household
are you aware that pit bull is a wonderful, loyal, strong, tenacious, vivacious breed that is very "on" most of the time?
if you are not willing to commit a routine, a strong personality naturally....then perhaps you should pass....
if you are all of these things and more...then yep, sounds like a great match

 

[jsheffield]

Bringing a rescue pitbull into our life had been wonderful, and horrible, and wonderful.



Olive was born and lived in Texas for her first few years, and that's where she contacted heartworm ... we found out about her and made arrangements for her to come up to live with us in NH after her treatments.



She's a love and a lovely dog, but is fundamentally different than our other rescues ... the others we were living with at the time she came were Labrador-collie and Labrador-dane ... She's a Labrador pitbull.



She needed work and love and time to get used to me (men) again after some abuse. She still needs work and reinforcement on mouthing after a lifetime of bad habits. She is high energy and needs lots of walks and exercise.



We live Olive and she loves us, but she's still a handful, and probably will remain so.


She's still a little Chewie ...

Jamie

 

[EllieMay]

I believe that pets are like people in the fact that Their personalities and traits should not be judged on breed or race alone. They each have individual and unique footprints. while the “majority” might be a starting basis for information... there are always exceptions. This pet could be a disaster for one and a god send for for someone else. I think you will know if it feel right to you. Good luck!

 

[Toddrickfl1]

They are great dogs!

 

[ascott]

I believe that pets are like people in the fact that Their personalities and traits should not be judged on breed or race alone. They each have individual and unique footprints. while the “majority” might be a starting basis for information... there are always exceptions. This pet could be a disaster for one and a god send for for someone else. I think you will know if it feel right to you. Good luck!

I never mentioned people, you did...I would not compare the human species to animal, reptile, insect or any other. Although I have known some humans in my day that would carry some of the traits of reptile, insect and others ))

There are absolutely breed traits in dogs (which is not a negative and I never said it was)...just as there are traits in species of tortoise and turtle and a long list of other animals.

There are always warm and fuzzy exceptions...always.

 

[ascott]

View attachment 262146 They are great dogs!

Gorgeous.

 

[ascott]

View attachment 262138

Bringing a rescue pitbull into our life had been wonderful, and horrible, and wonderful.

View attachment 262133

Olive was born and lived in Texas for her first few years, and that's where she contacted heartworm ... we found out about her and made arrangements for her to come up to live with us in NH after her treatments.

View attachment 262134

She's a love and a lovely dog, but is fundamentally different than our other rescues ... the others we were living with at the time she came were Labrador-collie and Labrador-dane ... She's a Labrador pitbull.

View attachment 262135

She needed work and love and time to get used to me (men) again after some abuse. She still needs work and reinforcement on mouthing after a lifetime of bad habits. She is high energy and needs lots of walks and exercise.

View attachment 262136

We live Olive and she loves us, but she's still a handful, and probably will remain so.

View attachment 262137
She's still a little Chewie ...

Jamie

Fantastic...

 

[EllieMay]

I never mentioned people, you did...I would not compare the human species to animal, reptile, insect or any other. Although I have known some humans in my day that would carry some of the traits of reptile, insect and others ))

There are absolutely breed traits in dogs (which is not a negative and I never said it was)...just as there are traits in species of tortoise and turtle and a long list of other animals.

There are always warm and fuzzy exceptions...always.

I think I wasn’t clear in my post. It wasn’t a response to what you said.. my comparison to humans was in how you judge.. example - I would not look at a person wearing overalls and assume they were a farmer or see a person of a certain color and assume that they had a particular amount of money.. I agree completely that there are certain traits exuded by certain breeds... I only meant that it doesn’t apply to every one. I think all cases should be judged on an individual basis..
so, I wasn’t at all critiquing your opinion, only stating mine.

 

[Kelly.324]

are you a strong, dominating personality?
do you have small, passive (normal) children that the dog will have access to?
do you have other animals in the household
are you aware that pit bull is a wonderful, loyal, strong, tenacious, vivacious breed that is very "on" most of the time?
if you are not willing to commit a routine, a strong personality naturally....then perhaps you should pass....
if you are all of these things and more...then yep, sounds like a great match

I’d second all of these questions, they’re definitely all ones you need to ask yourself.
As well, how much do you work and how long would the dog need to be left on it’s own.
Whilst rescue dogs are amazing they can be a lot of work, just like any dog, but sometimes do take a little more work in my experience (ie, they might need to be housetrained again, may need socialisation/retraining and a lot of patience)
But the main question is not “is this the right dog for me” it’s more “am I the right person and do I have the right lifestyle for this dog”

 

[LaLaP]

I grew up with a rescued Pit Bull and she was the most loyal and loving dog. She didn't get along with other dogs and she would growl at obnoxious children (except my brother and I). She also wanted to kill all Mexican men (leading us to believe she had been abused by a Mexican man previously) so she had her quirks but she was the best dog ever and I'm so glad my parents chose her.
... and my brother was mauled and nearly killed by a golden retriever who was a gentle family dog of a friend so I agree that you just never know.

 

[Oogway the russian tort]

I grew up with a rescued Pit Bull and she was the most loyal and loving dog. She didn't get along with other dogs and she would growl at obnoxious children (except my brother and I). She also wanted to kill all Mexican men (leading us to believe she had been abused by a Mexican man previously) so she had her quirks but she was the best dog ever and I'm so glad my parents chose her.
... and my brother was mauled and nearly killed by a golden retriever who was a gentle family dog of a friend so I agree that you just never know.

when you got your rescue how did/long did you leave her alone because she would be alone for about 8 hours a day or the dog might not be fit for me as i read a bunch of blogs talking about how they need a companion (human) at all times and get destructive if bored.

 

[Oogway the russian tort]

 

[LaLaP]

when you got your rescue how did/long did you leave her alone because she would be alone for about 8 hours a day or the dog might not be fit for me as i read a bunch of blogs talking about how they need a companion (human) at all times and get destructive if bored.

I doubt my parents gave that much thought when they brought her home. She was home all day while we were at work and school. We moved a lot over the years and sometimes she would stay in the house all day and some places she would stay outside... also depending on weather.
My parents weren't the type to make special arrangements for a dog.. I'm not saying that's right I'm just saying she did just fine with my parents' very lax animal keeping habits. But every dog is different of course.

 

[TechnoCheese]

View attachment 262212 View attachment 262213

Awww...

 

[Blackdog1714]

Due to their breeding pits could have a higher than usual aggression to other dogs. With that said I recommend multiple visits to the dog and arrange time out of her kennel and away from other dogs to lessen their anxiety. Be objective and watch their behavior closely while offering stimuli. I have seen dogs that rage against a kennel gate get adopted and become loving family guardians. Mostly be prepared for a needy muscled scared cat! Good luck

 

[Oogway the russian tort]

Due to their breeding pits could have a higher than usual aggression to other dogs. With that said I recommend multiple visits to the dog and arrange time out of her kennel and away from other dogs to lessen their anxiety. Be objective and watch their behavior closely while offering stimuli. I have seen dogs that rage against a kennel gate get adopted and become loving family guardians. Mostly be prepared for a needy muscled scared cat! Good luck

i setup a meet and greet with her and invited my family to see how she behaves with us lets hope it goes good.

 

[Tom]

I wanted a dog for a long time and want to contribute in helping in saving dog from dying. I came across Greta she was one of the only dogs that was quite. As soon as i squatted down to see her see came trouting up to the gate of the kennel. I offered my hand for her to smell and then i started to pet her she seems=ed very nice even mashing her face a little so she could get more surface area when I pet her. I asked the workers there and she said this dog snaps at other dogs and isn't good with children. I decided to ponder this and look online but their are so many different things about pit bulls on how their loyal and kind if treated right, but i also don't know the past history of this dog which worries me (it is a stray)so i don't know if she would randomly lash out. I just wanna know should i adopt her or adopt another one. I'll post photos of her soon.

Pit bulls can be wonderful dogs in the right hands, or they can be terrible dogs in the wrong hands. Yes they have been bred to be dog aggressive for hundreds of years, but that doesn't need to be a problem. Keep the dog well trained, on a leash and out of the dog park. No need to be sniffing butts and noses with strange dogs met on the street. Really, all of that goes for any dog. A dog cannot be aggressive toward another dog if it is in a sit stay on a leash and not in contact with another dog. I raise and handle all of my dogs this way. There is absolutely NO benefit to letting strange dogs run wild together or "meet" on leash, yet there is tremendous risk. You keep your dog over there with you on leash, and I'll keep mine over here on leash and behaving, and we can have a pleasant conversation while the dogs practice their sit/stays and patience.

Along with the hundreds of years of breeding to fight other dogs, during that same time, they were also bred to never show any "man" aggression. The two things go hand in hand. There are always exceptions. I've seen plenty of pitties with no dog aggression, and several that would bite a person, but both of those are out of the ordinary. Typically, pit bulls tend to mold themselves into whatever kind of dog their people want. Sweetness and loyalty run strong in most of them.

My advice, if you want the dog, is to bring in a private trainer that does bite work and knows all about dog aggression. Do a course of regular old basic obedience with this trainer. Trainers who understand and work with aggression also tend to understand the rest of the dog's personality better. Whatever trainer you work with, please understand that cookies and clickers are fine. Anyone who dismisses these techniques is lacking. Also understand that leash corrections and correction collars are also fine. They are not cruel and inhumane in any way when used properly. Knowing what combination of these techniques and methods will best serve YOUR dog is what makes one trainer better than another.

 

[wellington]

I agree with Tom.
With any dog, you the human must be the leader and take control of every situation.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Regular training in obedience is a must. I have a 165 lb Newfie and a 105 Shiloh Shepherd. Both have had hours of obedience training even though it is only visible in the Shiloh. The training strengthens your bond with the dog and allows you to have a dog you do not need to afraid to walk. Also I have met fighting pits that were the most human loving dogs you could meet.