DS rescued a Pit Bull-HELP!

[marathonmommy]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I'm just saying that it is something she should know before letting the animal have free reign in her home. For example, if it attacked a little neighbor girl, she should know immediately. If it was just that it wasn't housebroken or some other silly thing, then it's no big deal. Does that make sense??

Sure . . . I get what you are saying.
But, everything the poster has said about the previous owner spells TRASH to me.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Of course the owner is trash, but I still agree that it would be a good idea to know why the dog was going to be killed. If the dog attacked a person, it automatically has to be put down. It sounds like that probably isn't the case, but why take chances with your family? Also, it will give her a better idea of the background of this dog and the (mis)treatment that he experienced at his old house.

 

[KMZOB]

I agree with everyone to take it to the vet right away. We rescued a "Black Lab Mix" puppy in February....She was so beautiful, but I realized right away she was mixed with Pit Bull. It scared me...but, I grew up with German Shepards and Rottweilers...so what's a little Pit Bull, right?!

I wanted a dog, but a small dog...not a big dog. We have a small house and a 4 year old son. I also didn't want a puppy! I have to agree with the previous poster who said that there is a bigger plan...sure is. Maggie is the best thing that happened to us. We love her to pieces...and while she gets a little crazy sometimes (she's just under 1 year old) she is a great dog! She doesn't bark unless she wants to play or there are deer in the yard. and she loves to play!!

As far as house training...crate training works wonders. Maggie was trained in no time. She still had a few accidents, but they were mostly because DH didn't pay attention to her cues to go out.

We did take her to training right away because we wanted to make sure she didn't get bad habits....we need to bring her for the next level. Pit Bulls are extremely smart animals and you can train them to do just about anything. You need to praise them for their good behavior and they are happy to please. I taught Maggie how to sit on command before she did training.

Have fun with the new addition to your family. If you decide that you cannot keep it, I would contact a rescue society...they will find someone who is willing to take in that breed...and hopefully ensure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands!

Good Luck!

 

[eeyoresnr]

CathrynRose....thank you for the links to those articles...great reading

one of the pics reminded me of my husbands son... when he was little I was apprehesive about him being around Dixie I laugh at that because he would sit on that poor dog when she was sleeping and hold on to her ears and ride on her back...he would grab her tail and she would just pull him around the room... when he would lay down to watch tv she would be right there with him... he is only here every other weekend and is almost 8 now and Dixie is so happy when he is here cuz she gets to sleep on his bed with him

 

[luvtogo12]

Thank you for all the great advice and all the research! We will take her to the Vet tomorrow for an evaluation and will look into training as well.

As far as the previous owners, they simply did not want the dog any longer. They have 4 other dogs and I guess they were just trying to eliminate one or more.

As it stands, it looks like she will be staying.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have rescued dogs before and it does sound from your description she is skittish. The best thing to do is go to the vet as the pp suggested and after that look for a trainer. A skittish, fearful dog, regardless of breed, can resort to fear aggression. A much harder, if not almost impossible to correct on your own. Attaching so quickly to your ds is a great thing, but in a fearful dog may have its own consequences as well. We have a dog that we rescued that is lab/something mix. Since the beginning she has been a great dog, she was 6 weeks when we got her, so the abuse was not so ingrained in her. To this day, 4 years later though, she has difficulty in situations where she has "fear" and no matter what we do not trust her around small children her size (she is only about 3 ft high, 40 lbs), small dogs etc. Just something we have never gotten over with her. She also can not be in the house if the vacuum is running, she can't ride in the car etc.

Sounds like your pup has a great new home, just have to work with her. I am not a big believer that its only "pits" or "rotties" that have aggression issues. Any breed of dog depending on the enviornment they were raised in can have issues. Is it more in the bloodline of these dogs, not sure. But, I have a few friends that have pits and they are just about the sweetest dogs ever. And they have never had problems with aggression.

Kelly

I have a fear rescued dog. Even though we have done oodles of training (daily), he is the low man in the pack, he still BIT my 7yo nephew.

Fear agressiveness is the hardest thing to train out of a dog, if ever.

I am speaking as DOG (animal) not breedtype.

Butters is 3+ and we are going to have to muzzle him on walks. And he will be locked up when children are over.
It really sucks.

 

[eeyoresnr]

Thank you for all the great advice and all the research! We will take her to the Vet tomorrow for an evaluation and will look into training as well.

As far as the previous owners, they simply did not want the dog any longer. They have 4 other dogs and I guess they were just trying to eliminate one or more.

As it stands, it looks like she will be staying.

just wondering how your son and the dog are doing

 

[CathrynRose]

YES - OP? Any updates?

 

[EthansMom]

I haven't read the other posts, but wanted to let you know that you should contact your ins. agent regarding having the dog added on your homeowner's policy. Unfortunately, some insurance companies will not cover certain dogs (the list often includes breeds that tend to be territorial like Pit Bulls, Chows, etc...). Just a PSA... check with your insurance agent!

 

[Tantor]

yes, any updates???

 

[luvtogo12]

Hi!!! I am so sorry, I forgot all about this thread. My SIL sent me a link to this thread (guess she has no idea that I wrote it - LOL).

Well.......1.3 years later, she is still with us. It started off very innocent, I really had no itentions of keeping her.

We took her to the vet for all her shots. The vet seems to think she is mixed with dalmation. He said she was thin but otherwise in good health (no worms, etc). She eats well and is a healty weight.

She had major seperation issues for quite some time. She would chew to pieces anything she could find of the person(S) she felt left her. One time, she took all my clothes (only mine) out of the laundry room, piled them up in the living room and was lying on them when I got home. It was the craziest thing, silly girl. She is still a little skitish, very nervous around mops, brooms and VERY afraid of the vaccuum cleaner. I tell her I am ready to vaccuum and she runs to the back door. I let her out and she hides between the hedges and the house and sometimes, it takes two hours before she will come back in.

She has no food aggressions and has not been aggressive toward anyone. She trained very quickly.

She has a "friend" next door and they have play dates every now and again. She is a little rough with her friend but in a playful way. My neighbor laughs at me because I get nervous and think she is being too rough. She has a favorite tree in the back yard where she places all her toys, too cute. She loves the comfort of having a blanket on her and loves to be touched or have something touching her.

She is at my side all day. I was laid off from my job in May so she is used to having me around. I am not sure if her seperation issues will return if/when I find a job.

So, in a nutshell............she is here to stay. She is my buddy (as DH always tells people). She is a silly dog. She "tells" on herself if she did something she knows she should not have. If I come home and she greets me at the door with her head hung, I know she did something wrong (usually, she was on the couch which is not allowed).

Thanks to all for your concern, support and advice. I am just so sorry I did not come back to this thread.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

Please don't believe a thing you read about pitbulls. They are currently a fad dog and are being adopted by bad people. Bad owners cause bad behavior. Toward the beginning of this century, pitbulls were considered great family dogs, and I've seen a picture of Helen Keller with her pitbull. Pitbulls do not deserve the reputation that rednecks and thugs have promoted.

I completely agree....that's a pit (mixed with Lab) in my avatar lying on his back on my bed. That's his favorite position to lie in...he is waiting to get a belly rub. The only thing he fights with is my blankets and my sheets....he unmakes my bed every time I make it. He does growl at his "brother" (who is bigger than he is by about 15-20 pounds) but only when his brother gets too close to his food or to me. He is definitely the most playful and probably the sweetest dog that I've ever known.

 

[Tuffcookie]

i would get a behavioural evaluation-it's generaly a requirement before placement when you get any dog from a rescue group. the behaviourists can reccognize behaviours that could be potentialy problematic or dangerous that you may not. the behaviours can be due to the manner in which the dog was previously treated but they can also be natural behaviours inherant in a particular breed that are exaggerated (and dangerous) due to poor breeding practices.

as someone else suggested-check on local and state ordinances regarding the dog, i'll add that you probably want to check with your homeowner's insurance as well.

Very good advice, indeed!

TC

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I didn't see that the original post was so old when I responded...sorry about that.

 

[horseshowmom]

I didn't see the thread the first time around last year, but it was interesting to read. Several months ago, my daughter and her new husband found a female pit bull who was emaciated. A nearby town had outlawed pitbulls, so we're guessing that she was abandoned out in the country (you know how all dogs abandoned out in the country will "find" a home ).

I was very hesitant when DD called me. They already had adopted some abandoned kittens and another abandoned dog. While we have always had lots of animals around, I was very concerned about the pitbull. We couldn't find a rescue to take her and couldn't find her home (even with my offering to pay for her spaying), so she stayed with DD.

I have to say that the dog has been an absolute sweetie. She doesn't bark or cause problems. They have since acquired a 3rd dog, and she gets along great with both of the other two.

OP, I'm glad things have worked out so well!

 

[HeatherH]

Hi!!! I am so sorry, I forgot all about this thread. My SIL sent me a link to this thread (guess she has no idea that I wrote it - LOL).

Well.......1.3 years later, she is still with us. It started off very innocent, I really had no itentions of keeping her.

We took her to the vet for all her shots. The vet seems to think she is mixed with dalmation. He said she was thin but otherwise in good health (no worms, etc). She eats well and is a healty weight.

She had major seperation issues for quite some time. She would chew to pieces anything she could find of the person(S) she felt left her. One time, she took all my clothes (only mine) out of the laundry room, piled them up in the living room and was lying on them when I got home. It was the craziest thing, silly girl. She is still a little skitish, very nervous around mops, brooms and VERY afraid of the vaccuum cleaner. I tell her I am ready to vaccuum and she runs to the back door. I let her out and she hides between the hedges and the house and sometimes, it takes two hours before she will come back in.

She has no food aggressions and has not been aggressive toward anyone. She trained very quickly.

She has a "friend" next door and they have play dates every now and again. She is a little rough with her friend but in a playful way. My neighbor laughs at me because I get nervous and think she is being too rough. She has a favorite tree in the back yard where she places all her toys, too cute. She loves the comfort of having a blanket on her and loves to be touched or have something touching her.

She is at my side all day. I was laid off from my job in May so she is used to having me around. I am not sure if her seperation issues will return if/when I find a job.

So, in a nutshell............she is here to stay. She is my buddy (as DH always tells people). She is a silly dog. She "tells" on herself if she did something she knows she should not have. If I come home and she greets me at the door with her head hung, I know she did something wrong (usually, she was on the couch which is not allowed).

Thanks to all for your concern, support and advice. I am just so sorry I did not come back to this thread.

So glad things worked out for you!

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I'm so glad things worked out. I would love to see a picture! Pits can sure be some of the sweetest dogs!

 

[JessicaR]

She sounds like an absolute sweetheart! Thanks for coming back and updating! I am so happy to read that she stayed with you.

 

[christiane]

Love Happy Endings!

Thank you for giving such a loving home to your girl.

 

[luvtogo12]

I'm so glad things worked out. I would love to see a picture! Pits can sure be some of the sweetest dogs!

Yes, I will post some pictures. I just have to get one of my kids to help me. One day, I will learn.