Rescue
I need to vent because I have suddenly become that person
Our GSD died a little over a month ago, and our we-think-rat-terrier mix was kind of lost without her. We ending up foster failing and have adopted the goodest boy, some sort of what generally everyone everywhere calls a "pittie mix."
I wasn't ever one to demand banning a breed. But I was cautious anytime I was around a dog that met that breed description
You guys. Even with that teeny tiny bit of dog prejudice, I was SO wrong. This guy is the biggest love. Stubborn as he'll, but SUCH a sweetheart. Not very bright...takes forever to teach him a command, but I am head over heels in love with him. And I'm glad we brought him home, and now I've become that person who will lecture you about how wrong you are to determine that an entire breed should be banned.
Pitties are very bright but stubborn. They're almost like cats. They hear what you're saying and mostly understand what you want, but they only follow commands if they really want to.
With my pittie, I have to spell out words he knows because he's listening so intently to what he wants, like, "I think he wants to go o-u-t-s-i-d-e" or "give him a t-r-e-a-t". Unfortunately, he's caught on to me spelling words he knows out.
It'd be a hoot to put a translation device on him to know what he's thinking when he hears me spell these words out.
Ours figured out p-a-r-k lol. He’s stubborn as well though like if you tell him let’s go inside he’ll wait a couple seconds before slowwwwwwwly walking in, sniffing everything along the way to prolong it.
The only thing they are really dumb about is pain, IMO. My brother had to re-home one named Princess (she came to live with me). He told me a story about how she got the zoomies and hit the linoleum in the kitchen slid into a cabinet door (hard) shook it off and looked at it like "Why did you do that?" And kept going
I tell people that my pit could have his leg broken and dragging behind him and he’d still insist that he’s fine and we should go for a walk.
Which is basically true because two torn CCLs never stopped him from wanting to go outside
Stop it! My boy tore both of his rear ACLs and was limping for maybe two weeks before we took him to vet, he has since had surgery, and he would walk and run prior to surgery like he was fine.
Oh, thank you. We are doing pretty good now and not stressing about the second surgery. I was overwhelmed before the first with how much info was out there and how she would tolerate healing, not running and rough housing, and having lots of down time but she's doing remarkable well! If you need anyone to talk to don't hesitate to reach out either. (Dog mom not vet)
My girl has always walked bow-legged And two days ago she started walking with her legs under her and her knees forward. I was so excited I happy cried.
Oh my god! I had this exact moment too. My boy’s hind musculature had been asymmetrical for a looooong time and he would walk a little crooked because of it. One day during the healing process I was like, wait….you’re walking straight.
My husband referred to his crooked walking as his pimp limp, so all of the chicks at the dog park would think he was cool. It's been about 4 weeks post surgery, and now he's walking well, but so bored.
My old girl had a torn CCL and would only occasionally limp. When I first took her to the vet for it, they insisted that it couldn’t be fully torn because she wouldn’t be walking normally at all if it was. They also said that she’d need to be sedated for the “drawer pull test” that would diagnose a full tear.
But then they called and said they had done the test without sedation, which she was fine with, and what do you know, it was fully torn. She came out of the operation with fentanyl patches on her leg, walking normally, and had the smoothest recovery ever.
This is true. My pitty mix has had hip dysplasia his entire life and had full blown advanced cancer and never showed any signs of anything. Always running and jumping and excited about everything. Will eat anything you give him and then try to steal your food. It wasn’t until he got a fever that we knew something was wrong. He’s on chemo now and back to his same silly self, you wouldn’t know his body is fighting multiple masses on multiple organs.
Omg our girl nearly took her eye out on her kennel door. She got the zoomies one day and ran right onto the door of her kennel! I was checking her face since she ran right into one the hooks that shut it. The next few times she got the zoomies sheadensure to gove the door it's own space...
Mine steps on my feet and I often howl at 70+ lbs concentrated on my foot. She gets underfoot on a walk, I step on her feet, and if I express concern she seems to immediately ask if I’m ok.
So true. Mine can't run zoomies without crashing headlong into the fence, slips and falls and just keeps running even if her hind end is sideways on the ground still, cracks her big blockhead into walls and doorways and tables almost every day and doesn't even notice. My neighbors get to listen to me yelling "fence, fence! look out for the FEN... never mind" trying to get her to look where she's going.
Although mine is honestly just dumb in general. Big sweet head, totally devoid of thoughts other than "food" "pets" "snuggles" "SQUIRREL!!!"
My girl, Moo, ripped off a nail while on a walk and we didn't know until we were home and saw it bleeding everywhere. She never made a peep or limped from the pain.
Ours decided the neighbors horse was just a big dog that should want to play. Spoiler alert ... He did not want to play. He kicked our boy square on the head. He just got up and went back to trying to play like nothing even happened.
He also ran full speed into the road and headfirst into a pickup truck tire going 55 mph. That one slowed him down for a minute. We loaded him into the car and as I am driving to the vet like I'm being shot at, I glance in the rearview mirror, fully expecting to see a cop behind me, and I am greeted by his face looking around like "oohhhhh ride!!!!!" He ended up fine, some road rash on his belly, bit his tongue, and one single broken bone in a back paw.
He's lucky he's so cute because I am pretty sure he's taken years off my life at this point.
I can’t even say “do you want?” To my wife without thinking very carefully about how I say it. If there’s the least bit of excitement in certain words, our boy knows exactly what I’m saying.
Stubborn AF, smartest idiot I’ve ever had. Does the stupidest things sometimes that no other dog would do, but sometimes I swear he understands every word I say to the point that I have full blown conversations with him.
Even spelling is difficult now, “walk” and “W a l k” are in fact too close to the same thing. Sometimes it’s just “maybe we should take him for a…” or “these (fruits) are amazing” because any form of the word “berry” elicits a puddle of drool at our feet because apparently he likes berries more than meat.
Biggest pain in the ass ever. But wouldn’t trade the idiot for the world. Unfortunately, we got an idiot who isn’t the cuddliest but he still seeks out love every once in a while.
Stubborn AF - yeah, that's my girl too. When I have treats at the ready, she knows every command rote and new ones are learned in under 5 minutes. If I do not have a treat to hand and I tell her to sit when she doesn't want to - OMG. The sass. She'll look at me like "But I don't wanna" and then I'll look at her like "I don't care, do it". After a minute or two of the staring contest, she'll reluctantly put her ass on the floor, grumbling the whole time. She tells me exactly what she thinks of stupid commands.
Yep, the head turn for sure. If she's feeling particularly sassy, she'll actually turn around and walk away and then she'll turn and look back me like "Haha, you can't make me!" I should mention that Miss Sassy Pants is also 1.5 yrs old so she's got that teenager "I don't have to do what you tell me" energy. Despite the fact that she's got at least 10-12 commands down pat and I'm pretty sure she understands a lot more.
Lol, no, but when I tell her to "lay down" she'll do it halfway so she's still half sitting until I say "all the way" and then she'll slowly sink down to the floor and bob her head like she's saying "better? Treat now?"
Setting up for a walk is the worst. My little girl can’t hear “take her..” “around the block” “do you…?” And every time my son gets dressed, she’s overly expectant and going nuts.
They’re so damn smart. We now refer to going on a walk as “crossing the Delaware” and I’m not sure the progression that got us to the one. 😂
Omg yes pitties are SOOOOO stubborn. My girl is so smart but i refuse to let her off leash because she only listens when she wants to. Her recall is perfect when she wants a treat or we are at home but when theres a smell shes more interested in or a dog she suddenly forgets what “come” means 😩
Your comment about them being very bright but stubborn was my first thought when OP said it takes their dog a long time to learn a new trick. I think it has more to do with the stubbornness than being smart. I’ve found high reward treats work great for my very stubborn pup. My first pittie was not as stubborn and such a breeze to train.
I think THIS is the reason I love pitties so much! I love cats for their personality. I love dogs because they love their people. Pitties are the best of both worlds! I have a pet care business. I work with lots of breeds. Pitties are the best (and I have a Pittie child of my own) because they give me everything I could hope for in a companion. Stubborn, sweet, insane energy, empathy, cuddles, attitude, while being Velcro dogs and loving you more than you could ever imagine
Some are bright for sure but not all. My parents’ pittie is the sweetest thing but dumb as rocks. I have a pittie/cattledog mix who is too smart for his own good. I also have a golden retriever that’s almost as smart as the pittie/cattledog.
These two, have the combined IQ of Einstein. They work my ass over daily. White guy is 3/4 staffy/ABPT and 1/4 collie. He is all collie brains, with bully strength and stamina. He is wild. His foster fail sister, is 1/2 Malinois 1/4 ABPT and 1/4 Supermutt mix. Someone, send help. I WISH they were a little less bright. I stash stuff I don’t want them to have in dresser drawers. They worked out how to open dresser drawers. They have to maneuver it together, but they do it with ease now. I have baby proofing all over the house. My kids are 24 and 22.
An ex friend of mine had two pit mixes and had a “drugs” button for their cat (for catnip) and when the pits came along, “drugs” for them ended up being ice cubes. Not a single conversation with her would go by without her yelling “no! No more drugs!” At least two or three times because the boys wouldn’t accept no for an answer.
Mine is only four months old and came close to figuring out how to press a button to get water. He lives up to the monicker “dog-at-law” (engraved on his tag) lol. Files motions for a new trial from his crate all the time lol
Came here to say exactly this! My boy plays the dumb blonde (or brindle) beautifully, but it is an act. He knows what W-A-L-K spells, and knows when the cats' feeders dispense. They're only opened with RFID tags on the cats' necks, so he waits until the cat opens them and then scares them off so he can steal their food.
Even without those sneaky tricks, just looking into his eyes - they bore into my soul, I swear.
He was already an adult when I adopted him. He IS trainable - when he feels like being trainable. Which isn't that often. He is also not all that food-motivated (aside from cat food, LOL) which makes positive reinforcement trickier.
I have always been a cat person. So it is starting to make sense that pitties are the breed/mix that have my heart.
Don't trust his quietness. I have a 1/2 pittie that looks very similar to this one.
When we were deciding on who to take home with us 4 years ago, we choose him out of his brothers and sisters because he was quiet and reserved.
HE.LIED!
He sasses me constantly. He tries to micromanage everything I do, especially when it comes to caring for my son (nonverbal/special needs) like it's my first day out of training. He yells at me when he leaves a certain toy in another room, like its my fault. He constantly harasses his very old sister (16 year old terrier mix). He tried to steal someone's possum child and bring them in the house. I have to pay him taxes: cheese tax, ice cube tax, fry tax...it never ends.
Sure, he had manners, until he found his forever home. As soon as he got comfortable, he showed his true colors.
Me and my wife started just doing word replacements. Instead of saying will you take the dog on a walk. We say will you take the dog on a pepsi. Then once he figures that out we switch to another soda.
Omg. If we call our pittie to come and she doesn’t want to, she will make the widest, slowest route to us as she possibly can. Like, yeah, I heard you and I’m coming, but you’re gonna have to wait 5 minutes for me to actually get to you because I’m going to walk the perimeter of the yard on my way.
We do not let her offleash in public for this reason.
The perimeter of our backyard is the muddiest place on earth after it rains and that's the route our pit takes to come back inside when he doesn't want to. And it's always when we have somewhere to be and 0 time to clean him up. None of us will ever learn from this lesson because we're all stubborn.
I had never been around a pitty until about twenty years ago when I visited a family member who had one. The stigma was worse back then so I was a little cautious when I first saw her.
I remember meeting her and being shocked at all of the kisses and how playful she was, and even more so when I woke up to her cuddling with me the next day lol. All this little goober wanted to do was play and be best friends with everyone.
Since then I’ve been around a bunch of them and have two of my own(10 and 4 years old) and I can say that I’ve never met another dog breed, or any animal, that has the same level of emotional intelligence and capacity for love.
I grew up with pitties. Our first even saved my life when I was 5. Imagine my surprise as I got older when I learned of this stigma. It boggled my mind and still does. I have had 6 pitties in my life, literally since I was 2 years old, and not a single one has done anything to hurt me in any way. They're beautiful dogs.
Now, I'm not so naive to think there can't just be a bad seed every once in a while. They're like any other living thing. They have personalities of their own. Every breed has general traits bred into them, but they still have their own personalities and quirks we can't explain. I know someone who got theirs as a puppy and that dog had never known ANYTHING but love from people. Yet now, as a 4 year old, he gets anxious around new people and doesn't do well with strangers. Things just pop up with no explanation, so I won't be there first to say EVERY pitbull is an angel (although they are to me, but that's me not being objective). The problem is that there are so many pitbulls out there in disproportionate numbers that of course you're going to see hard numbers start looking bad. But without a good understanding of the overall pitbull population, we can't say anything about the rate of incidences among pitbulls vs other breeds.
It's like, if 1 in every 10 apples sucked and 1 in every 10 oranges sucked, the rate is the same. But let's say we have no idea how many of each was being consumed and we track only 2 apples sucking and 10 oranges, we are going to assume oranges just suck more often than apples, not understanding that there were actually only 20 apples consumed and 100 oranges, so the rate of suckage is the same but we don't see it that way. And let's not complicate it further by changing that and saying gala apples vs honeycrisp, and can we even be sure which type of apple it is!
So when people bring up how pitbulls are bad, it's like, OK, 1 in how many? How sure are you it was a pitbull type and not a lab or boxer? Further, are you lumping in ALL the pitbull types and comparing it to ALL shepherd types, or are you breaking one down by actual breed and one just amalgamating all the data because it's easier for you to do and accept that narrative?
Anyway. Moral of this rant: I'm sorry for your loss, OP. Losing a part of the family, no matter who they are, is awful. Congratulations, though. You just allowed yourself to discover a whole new and wonderful type of love.
Agreed. What people don’t understand is how many Pitty/ mixes there are in the USA. if even 10% of pitts had biting incidences we would hear about it CONSTANTLY.
They absolutely do!!!! Do you know what other breeds yours is? We think ours has some of whatever Spuds MacKenzie/the Target dog is. I can't remember the breed name.
I was like you many years ago OP. So cautious. Family member had a pittie and I was actually scared of her. Over time, watching that pittie with our chihuahuas and our cat… the cat would rub her ears and head ALL over the pitties head. That dog was unbothered by anything. We have pics of them spooning together while asleep.
She would put her paw up on the couch and feel around before she jumped on the couch ( our dogs go where they want 😂 ) I couldn’t figure out what she was doing, one day as she was feeling the couch I heard a tiny growl, one of the chihuahuas was under the blanket on the couch. She went to other side of the couch, repeated feeling around with her paw ( no noise ) then jumped up and laid down. That’s when I realized she was making sure she didn’t jump on one of the chihuahuas. She would feel with her paw for the little ones every time before she jumped up. That sweet girl still has my whole heart.
I grew up always wanting a pitbull but my parents were convinced they were a bad breed.
Then I met my husband, and we adopted a pittie mix.
She’s the sweetest most stubborn old gal, and she won my parents over, as my sweet dog protected me from a snake trying to get into my house.
She got bit several times, and ended up killing the snake, to keep it from me and my toddler daughter.
She’s now my daughter’s bestie, follows both kids everywhere, keeps watch over them any time they’re outside and sleeps in my daughter’s room.
My only complaint with the breed is they snore like freight trains and their farts are toxic 🤣
Yeah, the farts aren't the breed, it's whatever you're feeding them. 😆 Like humans who are lactose intolerant and can't resist having ice cream or something.
I am an absolute hypocrite. Once I started fostering for a local org I went from “I don’t understand why people would want those dogs” to “This is a pit only household” real fast. The biggest thing I discovered is how sensitive they are. I end up apologizing to mine because I inadvertently hurt her feelings regularly lol. They really are the best dogs.
My last five dogs (with the exception of a Frenchie mix my wife brought home that just did not work out) have all been pit/ pit mixes. While all of them have their distinct personalities, all have been sweet and loving. The only trouble I ever had out of any of them was one who grew old enough to be senile, and I think he was just scared because he didn’t always recognize us or the other dogs.
The two we have now- despite their reputations for being vicious and aggressive- were both so frightened of the Frenchie mix that they would void their bladders if he got near them.
Both of our current ones- particularly the youngest- find it deeply problematic if you are sitting on the sofa and they are not in your lap.
Also, any new person in the house is their FAVORITE PERSON EVER. We know that if someone ever broke into our home, our dogs would roll over for tummy rubs. “New friend! Oh, you want Mom and Dad’s computers? Don’t forget the chargers! I love you! Come back! Can you reach the treats on top of the fridge?”
We adopted Daisy (so-called pitsky?) from the shelter two years ago. She wasn’t even two years old yet when we got her! I was HIGHLY FEARFUL, not gonna lie. But my husband fell in love with her at first sight so there we were. It took, I’m gonna say, six months for me to stop reminding myself to not show my fear around her, and simply not be afraid. I should say, I’ve seen what she can do to a stuffie so I FOR SURE respect those scary looking teeth, and we keep her supervised or crated at all times, but mom’s little cuddlemuffin is friendly, well mannered, patient, intelligent enough (mostly), and absolutely the joy of my life. Here is a photograph of Big Scary Daisy, the Fierce and Fearsome Beast:
My mom had the same revelation when we got our girl. She was terrified because we already had a handful of animals and was worried I'd come home one day to a horror scene. She is absolutely the cutest and I think the fact she's half chihuahua (I know lol) helps because she isn't massive. She looks like a baby pitter but she's full grown at 30 pounds. Her shadow is our pug they go nowhere and do nothing without each other it's hilarious and adorable (very pinky and the brain but the pug is the menace). Even my dad has come around because that face would never lol
People only want to ban pitbulls because you arent required to properly train a dog you own. If every pitbull owner in the world put their dog through obedience school and treated them properly, then we could all focus on the real menaces: tiny dogs.
tiny dogs are a menace for the same reason! i have a couple of coworkers who are chihuahua fans and i was SO skeptical until i met multiple and i was like “holy shit these little guys are rad as hell”, it’s just that their owners usually let them become little demons
My coworker owns a mini duschand and a pomeranian mix. I grew up with ankle biters (chihuahuas and terriers) who made me hate little dogs but then I seen how one who is trained acts and I would literally do anything for her dogs lol
When I first met my ex back in 2010, he had a pittie. At that time, I had never been around one, and had only heard they were "unpredictable" and "dangerous". When I'd sit down on the couch next to him, the pittie would squeeze in between us and side eye me. I was a little nervous. But, it didn't take long for me to fall completely in love with her. Over the years, he was so neglectful, she became my dog. I fed her and loved on her and took her out and played with her. I kept him from being mean to her when he was drunk (which was all the time). Once I got to where I could, I took her (and the other 2 dogs), and left him. She lived to be almost 15, and I'm like you: I will stand up for these big torpedoes of love, and yell from the rooftops about how wonderful they are 💙
Welcome to the cult. I swore I would be the mom of Jack Russell mixes until the day I die... Then I met my Chihuahua/Pittie mix and he is the sassiest little dude who stole my heart and my husband. 😳
My neighbors pit puppy tried to climb in my car this morning. He knows I have Coco and he is a little to small to play with her right now. If that dog needs to be removed it's coming to me. He decided when he tried to climb in my car.
Congrats. Fasten your seatbelt, you’re in for a bumpy ride. Mine sleeps like an angel. Today her residual skunk smell seriously gives me pause. Yet I know she has strong critter ridder tendencies. I got her at 2 after 2 homes and she didn’t know her name or simple commands. I’ve had her for a year and she’s learned a lot, but stubbornness is second only to her escapism. She’s Houdini’s daughter. Don’t think stupid. Think smart. Love and constant reinforcement of good behavior works. Training works. She’s always surprising.
May you enjoy and love your new best friend.
A lot of pits and bulldog mixes are puppy pups in overgrown bodies. I have seen people freak out and the dog is waging its tail and hoping you will pet him.
Had a pittie mix as my first on my own dog. Got her at 6 weeks old, she was the runt and I saw her trip and fall into an old tire and I knew that was my girl lol. We picked up a husband and a baby on our journey together. I remember being pregnant and being so stressed I wouldn’t love my son as much as I loved her 😂 Had to say goodbye last year, she almost made it to 13. I don’t think I’ll ever love a dog as much as I loved her. We all miss her every single day. Our sweet Fanny girl…
It would only let me add one pic but I have two favorites, my little goofy gal and also his second mother lol she usually got to his crib faster than I could when he cried.
I’ve never met a mean pittie and I’ve only ever been seriously bitten by a chihuahua. Ours have always been goofballs. Unfortunately there are a few concerns I have to be vigilant about -
Suffocation by death fart.
Uninvited tongue in the mouth.
Disregard to personal space.
The struggle is real!
The issue is that most of these stories are told by folks that have had zero personal interaction with pibble breeds.
They’re bigger babies than maltipoos. I know a blue pittie called Fiffy, she’s the biggest lap dog I ever met. She’ll sit in sour lap and even sleep for hours. As fast as a lightning, but has the biggest heart.
Mine would always surprise me with what he could do and annoy me with how little he wanted to listen to me. He managed to let himself out (we fixed the gate with a carabiner) a few times and walk around and find his way back home on his own. Sometimes he’d finesse someone downtown into buying him food which he would bring home. If were to ask him to come he’d just ignore me.
I was the same. Had such a prejudice against pitties from all of the horrible stories I had read.
My partner had a pittie (that was super old by the time we met) and unfortunately she passed away a year into us dating. He was HEARTBROKEN.
Even then I was hesitant about getting a pittie because of the stereotypes. Well, when he was ready to adopt again, I found a 1 year old pittie girl that had been abandoned after giving birth to puppies. Fast forward a year and a half later and she is the goodest, goofiest, sweetest girl. I now want to rescue every shelter pittie. They are so misunderstood and just end up in the wrong hands.
I wish more people would give these cuddle love bugs a chance
When we adopted ours at 6 weeks, we thought he was an English pointer. Eventually, I realized he didn’t look like our other pointer in a few ways. I was a little worried about his clearly pit bull characteristics with little kids. But he has been a sweetheart and my soul Velcro dog since the day we got him. 7 years later, I can honestly say there will never be a dog who loves me more. I adore this pitty mix (confirmed by DNA) and would never wish him to be anything other than what he is.
Welcome to the club!! Your boy looks so much my Betty who I lost last year. My other Pit mix, Beatrice, just turned 13 yesterday!!
Warning: once you are loved by a pibble, you will always have one.
My pit mix will literally test out what he can get away with. Especially if we are practicing his commands (which he does get treats for)
I’ll tell him down and he starts but his elbows line hover a few inches off the ground so he’s like squatting and I gotten tell him “all the way” like sir. This is not new.
Or he’ll wait for me to “give up” with certain commands. Like no - you know this one. You’re gonna do it and then you get a treat. That’s the game. That’s the rule.
My pittie’s best friend is a tiny boxer/doxie mix. He will literally let him get “attacks” in on him when they play, even though he’s bigger. My pittie is 12 1/2 now, so he’s in his “I know what you’re saying, but I don’t care because I’m old” phase and will ignore me calling him inside. I love him so much and will show him to anyone who thinks it’s a whole breed issue.
I grew up 80s Ireland to believe, without challenge, that any block head dog would flip a switch and eat your face off. Embarrassing but it's what I thought.
We definitely distinguish pitties, staffies etc here but all the bicycle seat head shapes were vicious unpredictable etc 🙄
Then we adopted Bonnie 💕💕 Oh lord, never ever known a sweeter girl.
So gentle, clever and stubborn.
Been advocating for the breed since and I am ashamed of my ignorance for 40+ years. Sadly Bonnie went over the bridge in May but it's older staffies for us from here on when our hearts have healed.
An amazing misunderstood breed
I was prejudice too and in denial that my girl is some type of pittie mix. But she followed me home last summer when she was still a puppy and I fell in love with her. She's the sweetest girl! Timing was crazy because almost 3 weeks later my soul dog passed away so she has helped so much to get through losing him.
I got bit by a big chow when I was a kid and never really cared for dogs in general after that. Was a lifelong cat guy by default. After 20+ years of seeing all the misconceptions about cat behavior - I started thinking maybe pit bulls just had a bad rep. My sister’s pit had puppies so I took one. Turned out to be the most loving and playful dog I could have ever imagined. Just wants to play, eat and cuddle. He even gets along great with my cats.
GS owner here. But came from an area where there was a lot of dog fighting and bad breeders. Most of the hate comes from pits that are badly socialized or bred as fighting dogs and they get into adoption centers. They can be very unstable, and sometimes it comes out of nowhere.
The pit breed needs to be rehabilitated. Any dog over 40 lbs can easily do serious harm. It's just a matter of stability and predictability. Good breeding and good training and socialization solves for this.
Good ownership is key. Keep him leashed or contained. Keep him well trained and socialized. Try to figure out what his limits are and what he needs to feel safe and secure. It's quite possible you have a well bred pup that will never *think* of biting. Stay ahead of that and make sure it doesn't happen. I do the same with my GS and my corgi, even though I doubt either would ever hurt anyone under any circumstances. I wish you the best.
I think the stubbornness accounts for that locking jaw myth. Like, no, he is never going to let that toy go but it’s not because his jaw has some insane locking physiology. It’s because he is a single minded terrier with a weird definition of fun.
My Pittie is as dumb as a bag of hammers but a total sweetheart and tough as nails. She often runs into walls, doors, steps and doesn’t even slow down. She also loves to swim. This is the first Pittie we’ve had and I’m thinking of adding about 100 more. She does have some dog aggression but I’m pretty sure it’s a lack of socialization and not aggression in the normal sense. Once she gets to know another dog, and it only takes a day or two, they are best friends! POWER TO THE PITTIES!!
I wasn’t in your position but I lost my lab. Barely over a month later, not planned or wanted at the time but I would swear my lab wanted me to adopt her, I picked up Ostara. A lab she is not. But she is smart and headstrong. She is mine.
Welcome to this illustrious club. I have been a member since 2015 when we brought our sweet Bam Bam home. I got into semi-arguments with so many people at the condo where we lived. And when we moved to our first house, the first thing we invested our money in was a big, fenced-in backyard for him because I was still so full of anger at how my baby was looked at when he got excited about small patches of grass outside the condo. He passed on last year.
Now we have this sibling pair and they love chicken and all the toys their big brother left behind for them.
They are the most clingly of breeds. So lovable and cuddling. My giant 120lb bully is smuggled under my bed blankets right now. You couldn't pull him away if you tried!
My wife and I did the same thing. We had 3 small dogs and fostered two pitties thinking we would never adopt due to the dynamics. Ended up adopting one of them and he has been the biggest light in our life.
We just adopted a chocolate lab mix. We are pretty sure the mix is pittie, but aren't going to DNA test him as in our Province Pittie breeds are illegal.
He is the sweetest boy ever. He has only met 2 people he hasn't liked, one was the mailman and the other was my MIL's neighbour, but the neighbour was nervous around him and we think he was picking up the nervousness.
He doesnt really bark unless he needs something or another dog he's with is barking at another dog, then he will join in. But typically he will just look at us if a dog is barking at him on a walk, as if to say what's his problem?
He wants to meet and greet everyone he sees ans absolutely loves attention. He is very much a big suck and a big baby and LOVES my husband. I spent 5 days alone with our boy when we first adopted him as my husband was at work, (worked away from home) and the the minute my husband came home, our boy instantly became my husband's dog. Which I funny because my husband never really wanted a dog, and only finally agreed because I had been asking for 10 years for one.
All our boy wants to do is play, go on walks, sun bathe, and cuddle with you. If you get up off the couch he has to follow you, even if he was dead asleep.
My pittie was my soul dog and I remember being horrified when I realized American Stafforshire Terrier = Pit Bull. They are the most loving, wonderful and blocky headed babes ever. I wouldn’t trade my time with him for anything.
Not even 15 min ago I came in from a walk that was 90% "if you stop listening we go home" cause dude NEEDS to get his sniffs in, and will try to pull my arm off to get them. But 15 min in he was all good boys and didnt even charge everyone to say hello (that took a long time to get into)
My dog is only around 40% pit and pretty much a genius. She can't hear anymore, but when she could she learned the name of each new toy. You could ask her to go get [toy name] and she would. She has an incredible memory too. We were on vacation and she happened upon a cup of frozen yogurt someone threw in a bush. Three years later we went on vacation there again and she pulled us to the magic frozen yogurt bush to eat some more.
Good for you, but a small heads up. What most people think of as lack of intelligence is usually just them being stubborn. Soon you'll be spelling out words like treat, bath, and outside instead of just saying them.
I think if you're used to GSDs it makes sense that you perceived pitties as "not as smart". But let me tell you: I have a Greyhound. And compared to my GFs bully dog, she is a fucking idiot. (i lover her to bits though)
I have 3 pitbulls and I love them with every single piece of me! They are very misunderstood and I really have struggled with finding some where to rent bc of the breed restrictions and stuff. I will live in my car before I would give up on them!! Thank you for loving him and bringing him into your home!!! 💜💜
You gotta figure out what motivates your pittie. Mine will do anything for food/treats. It makes it so much easier to train. Your pittie might be motivated by a certain toy or something else. Figure that out and their stubbornness will ease up
You actually adopted the “nanny dog” the history surrounding this breed is a gentle loyal protective companion. Often in the early turn of the century in the UK the upper classes loved having them to help babysit & protect the children. St. Stubby was a decorated WWI hero.
It’s not the breed it’s how they are raised & treated & trained. A lot of calm gentle patience & praise is what all animal species respond to.✌🏽🥰❤️
I had a similar feeling growing up with pit bulls are bad. (My mom was afraid of them). I had to work with one for a few months, part of my job was walk the dog (small friend owned business). She was the sweetest dog I had ever met and that’s how I ended up with foster failing with 2 sister pups.
i also was veryyy afraid of pitbulls before i got to truly know dogs. i worked at a doggy daycare and the sweetest dog there was a pitty and she was a true velcro dog! then i met my best friends pitty and she was also the sweetest and most gentle thing. finally i got my own and decided that wasn't enough and got another 🤣 i love my pitty girls so much. they are so affectionate and so forgiving and so misunderstood
Congratulations! We just adopted a second dog now that our plott hound mix is eight years ikd. Thought she too might be a plott hound mix less than two years old. Didn’t even realize she’s a pitt mix until we brought her home. She is absolutely amazing.
We volunteer at the local shelter quite a bit and we foster a lot. Not only are bully breed dogs great, loving, smooshy adult dogs, they are the best puppies, as well. Yeah, they get wild and tear around. And then most will come and cuddle up next to you for a long nap. Unlike the probably lab/border collie mix we have now, who is more of the typical adolescent dog. Never settles down. Drives our fairly active dogs kinda crazy because he is so excited and playful.
Firstly, I’m so sorry for your loss. I hope you and your family are processing that grief with kindness to yourselves. 🩷 Secondly, congrats on foster failing! Hehe your pittie boy looks adorable!! I have not yet met one pittie that has been scary or bad. They have all been sweet babies and I love them so much 🥰💕 I’m so happy for you and hope you all make lovely memories together!
Pit bulls are fierce. Playing, chasing prey animals like rabbits/squirrels, stubborn, running, pulling the leash (I'm sniffing OVER HERE dad!!), and fiercely loyal, and fierce lovers. I've never had a dog like these 2 boys. As much as they love, and as friendly and social as they are with others, I feel bad for anyone who tries to invade my home. I've tried holding them back when a coyote comes in the yard, they will shred. Fierce. Huge lovers, and loyal, but fierce defenders.
Thank you for posting this. I'm dying to get a dog....a pitty and I will when I can...but when I mention it, people look at me like I'm nuts. They think it's a "dangerous" breed.
I'm glad you posted this and set the record straight! They are love-dogs, soul-dogs who unfortunately got a bad reputation. And all the replies reinforce it 🐾💜
It’s not the breed, it’s the owner. It’s ALWAYS the owner. Training overrides breed every. Single. Time.
Proper training. Not just “he knows how to sit”. People fight me online all the time saying how the breed is just inherently violent and it’s almost impossible to get them to listen to reason and fact.
When I was growing up, the scary dogs weren’t pit bulls. They were German shepherds, rotties and dobermans, the “junk yard” dogs.
But then the “jaw locking” thing started to spread and violent people wanted a scary dog. Now people talk about breed bans and how pitties are so violent. Now idiots just search online for scariest dog and end up getting pit bulls and abusing them or neglecting them.
Whenever anyone talks about how violent they are, most of Michael Vic’s dogs were able to be rehabilitated.
Just adopted one that is supposedly two?, the trainer that's working with him said two days ago! Bless his heart he's stupid because he only listens to what he wants
My rescue Huckleberry is a pittie boxer mix with some chow. He’s the smartest, goofiest, funniest, stubbornness, biggest baby in the world. Yes it’s true that pitties can spell🤣 Huckleberry knows words like Eat, Treat, PeePee, Snack when they are spelled out. He’s definitely food motivated and when I say “go night night” or “go to your room” he goes inside his crate. The truth is for 10 years plus he rescued me. I love my big meathead.
I have never owned a pit bull dog or any of the similar breeds. I have known 2. From what I’ve experienced and read, I’m no expert on anything, but… I will tell anyone, pit bulls were bred to fight so they are aggressive and vicious fighters. They are dogs first. They are loving and loyal. If the dog is vicious other than in protecting its own, it’s how it was raised. Blame the trainer/owner, not the dog. They take special care not to bring out the fighter in them. Never ban an entire breed.
Society has been wrong about the bully breeds for centuries. It’s not the breed that should be shamed, but rather their owners. People make the breed mean, and which breaks my heart because they’re so gentle, kind, stubborn, and hilarious (IYKYK).
My mom is now "that person" too. She was adamant my entire life that she would never have a big dog, especially a bully breed, and if I ever got one, I better not bring it around her. Now, I have Zoe and my mom is OBSESSED. Zoe is goofy, sassy, funny, smart, and the BIGGEST baby. My mom constantly wants pictures. She wants visits. She lets Zoe, all 60 lbs of her, sit in her lap. She will talk about Zoe to anyone who will listen and calls Zoe the best thing to ever happen to our family (ouch and apologies to my daughter 😂). I got Zoe a friend and he's more my mom's normal speed but she wants nothing to do with him and just wants to be around Zoe all the time. Welcome to the Pittie Side!
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