DS rescued a Pit Bull-HELP!

[Val]

We have a coon hound/pit bull cross that we acquired under similar circumstances. She was younger- about 10 weeks, but had also been horribly abused (in fact, she came with a badly broken back leg as a result of the abuse). She is now 9 1/2 and is such a dear part of our family. She still is a very nervous dog, and as with yours, has some separation anxiety. As long as she is left with our golden, she is fine....but don't leave her alone or she will eat the furniture (we crate her for her sake and the furniture's sake if she is left alone). She is still very, very submissive- and tends to roll over and pee on strangers when they attempt to pet her (guess having a wet foot is better than a bite!?!).

Regardless, she is a beloved member of our family. Lots and lots of work, but my 4 kids learned so much about animal behavior and accepting and teaching as a result. As others have said, she does well when there is an "alpha" around- she likes to know she is safe, and making her behave actually seems to reassure her. She is funny though- the golden outweighs her 100 pounds to 40, and a result of the abuse she is a bit arthritic so she can't beat him to the toys or balls. Instead, she steals them and puts the toys/balls in HER bed....and she does this little "lady" growl/whine when the golden goes near them. He lays in front of her bed and whines and whines and whines....while she comes to us for pets. It is as if she is saying "haha". Other than that the 2 dogs get along very well- no food aggression or anything. She also loves the cats....two are known to share her bed with her (it's cold in the winter in IL).

Dogs bring so much companionship and joy to our lives....it is amazing sometimes how comforting they can be!

 

[JerseyJanice]

She sounds like a great dog! I'm really glad it all worked out.

Did I miss where you posted her name?

 

[TerriP]

What a great update!!!! Thank you for coming back and letting us know how she's doing!

What's her name? Can't wait to see a pic!

 

[PrincessBelle39]

Glad to hear things have worked out. We adopted a dog from the animal shelter about 6months ago. We were told he was a staffy x at the time. But lately a few people have mentioned pitbull and looking at one of the photos in this post I would have to agree. He is the most beautiful loving dog. Very excitable but then he's still only 12months old. We love having him around and he's fantastic with the kids.

 

[simba928]

Glad to hear things have worked out. We adopted a dog from the animal shelter about 6months ago. We were told he was a staffy x at the time. But lately a few people have mentioned pitbull and looking at one of the photos in this post I would have to agree. He is the most beautiful loving dog. Very excitable but then he's still only 12months old. We love having him around and he's fantastic with the kids.

A staffy is a pit. Pit bull is not a breed, it is a type of dog. American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are all pit bull type dogs. Sometimes American Bulldogs and Bull Terriers are classified as pit bull types as well. It's really interesting seeing people's reaction to what a dog is called. I work at a shelter and if we put a dog in as a Staffordshire Terrier, people flock to the dog. If we call the dog a pit bull, people stay away. We recently had an American Bulldog and he was VERY popular. Had we called him a pit bull, though, people would have stayed away from him. I've even seen mothers with small children walking through the kennel and the second they see a pit bull type dog they grab the child and pull the kid about 3 feet away from the cage, even if the dog is sleeping in the back. They have no problem letting the kid go right up to a growly, barky lab, though.

 

[HunnyPots]

So glad you were able to give her the home she deserves! You'll have a friend for life!