Kids brought home a pit puppy

[Deleted]

Thanks to moon for allowing me to post this as an exception.

My kids went to the lake yesterday. They found an abandoned pup tangled in rope, with a fish hook stuck in his lip. I raised my kids to love animals, so, of course, they freed the pup. Then they went to all the campers, etc, in the area, and tried to locate the owners. No one claimed the pup. They brought him home. He is a beautiful pup, looks about 4 months old from the size of his huge paws. Very friendly, seems totally healthy, was hungry.. pup bone ribs sticking out that plumped up when he ate, and ate, and ate. Poop is good, also. Wet nose, friendly to us, and to our other dogs, and to the little one-- age 3 in July.
Deal IS------- "Kids-- that pup is a pure pit......" Not sure what to do now. We, as a family, do not own dogs like pits. We have a boxer and 3 different kinds of chihuahuas.
I DON'T want to take this pup to the pound, because the last time I went to the pound it was full of abandoned pits. I even tried to adopt a pit/dalmation mix that was gorgeous and friendly, and the SPCA would not let us because we had kids and it was part pit. NO pits or even pit mixes are allowed to be adopted to families.
I also am leery of putting a pit pup on Craig's List, because what if it is someone that wants mean, fighting type dogs that answers?
BUT-- I am kind of afraid of keeping him, too. I read a lot online about pits this morning, and it seems it depends on who you listen to as far as pits go. One thing I read is that pits, more so than other dogs, are much more likely to attack people or other dogs unprovoked. THAT is scary.
Anyone have any experience with pits?

[Deleted]

Thank you all for your answers on chat.

[cme1201]

Pit's can be wonderful pets, an animals temperament is in how it is raised, meanest dog I ever saw was a Chihuahua foul tempered little beast, and I would have been also if I had to live with it's owner, she hated everyone she knew.

But, an animal is still an animal and will always be an animal.

I have a 1/2 dachshund/pit cutest ugliest thing I have ever seen, and I have 3 kids, dog fights with them and they with him. Puppies are puppies they learn just like kids by testing limits, set the limits firmly and you can train it to be your best friend and most ardent defender.

I moved this response from the chit chat thread.

[Deleted]

One of my chihuahuas is mean, too. My long haired one. He is nice to family, and that is all. I love him, but if he was a big dog.... thx for the pit info about your dog. This pup looks 100% pit.
Tenn's suggestion about pit rescue groups is good. I didn't know they had them.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...thanks to your family for rescuing this pup...
...and hey, maybe you can go on that PitBoss TV show... get great info on the puppy, 15min of fame, and then maybe some cool parting gifts?

[Tennesseer]

krickitt-just keep this in mind if you are thinking of keeping the dog with children in the house. I believe the dog in this story is the one your buddy used to have.

A Cane Corso Mastiff brutally kills a four-year-old Brooklyn boy with the dog turning on anyone who tried to come to the child's aid.

May 29, 2011

A Cane Corso Mastiff killed a 4-year-old boy, who the dog knew as part of the family. This very tamed Cane Corso Matiff killed Jayelon Graham in Brooklyn on Friday night.

The dog attacked and bit this little boy multiple times around the head, neck and torso, causing massive bleeding for the four-year-old. This happened in the family’s apartment, while most of the family members were at home. The dog's vicious attack could not be stopped by family members or neighbors, as the dog would turn on anyone who tried to intervene. The boy was taken away from the dog by police and firefighters, who needed to use tools to do this. The child was rushed to a nearby Brookdale Hospital, but he was dead by the time he arrived.

Along with little Jayelon, there were two other children in the house at the time, a two -year-old and a five-year-old, neither were harmed by the dog. The Cane Corso Mastiff was removed from the house by the New York Animal Care and Control agency. The agency also took another family pet, a German Sheppard, from inside the apartment.

The boy’s mother, Saquina Jubeark told investigators that she and the children had just come home from a shopping trip when she realized she had left keys in a babies stroller. She went out into the hallway to retrieve the keys and when she came back in, she noticed that the kids were unusually quiet. She opened the bedroom door to find the dog standing over Jaylon biting him, while the other children were hiding by the bed.

www.huliq.com/12079/cane-corso-mastiff-dog-brutally-kills-4-year-old-brooklyn-boy

[Deleted]

LOL, Been there!! I can see me in my broken bone friendly muu-muu with my walker on TV.. maybe my cutie daughter?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....
;D

[Deleted]

HORRIBLE story. Tenn-- what do you mean my buddy???

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

May 29, 2011 12:50:43 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

LOL, Been there!! I can see me in my broken bone friendly muu-muu with my walker on TV.. maybe my cutie daughter?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.....
;D

...no... you in the muu-muu... definitely...

[koeth]

Dog's....quite a delicacy

[Opti]

Krickitt, see if you can find some pit bull societies and talk to people there. When I went to a local cruise night last year I met a guy with a young pit bull and didn't know until then there are at least 5 different kinds of pit bulls. Find out what kind you have and go from there. His was young, highly intelligent and very friendly. I think the right kind raised right can be safe, but you need to know what you have. Also, a pit bull society might help place them with a decent owner instead of some crazy that might mistreat or take advantage of the dog.

Good luck.

[Deleted]

Thx, Optimist. He's a beautiful, friendly dog, and we love rescue dogs, plus we will put the money in to taking care of them. Even though we don't have much money, animals have always been part of our family. I didn't know about different kinds of pits. Tomorrow I will try to reach local pit people, and see what info I can find out. We are taking him for a shot, any way, but we go to a low cost clinic, kind of in and out. $10 for a shot and quick check. Can't beat that. Low cost spay and neuter, too.

[Deleted]

Read up on pit bulls. I did not to long ago. I found out that they are no better or worse than other dogs. Also attack wise both German Sheppard's & Rottweilers do more damage. What they have gotten is a lot of bad press.

Oh & dominance among animals is a strange thing. Our smallest & crippled dachshund (back surgery at 2) totally dominated our largest dachshund (who out weighted her almost double). Even when she was 18 years old she was still the leader of the pack.

BTW: My wife's 3 most favorite animals that come into her clinic are all pits (big lap dogs). The 3 most viscous animals that come into the clinic are Chihuahua's. It depends on who they are raised.

[Deleted]

That's what I am thinking, too, tex. Just don't want to be stupid. We recently had to put in a new back fence because our Boxer could see over a small part of the fence, neighbors behind thought HE was a pit, and turned us in to the community center board. My CHIHUAHUA is far meaner than my Boxer, but none of my dogs run wild, so no matter. I'm a sucker for animals, and the way we found this one gets to me.
I also saw the thing about German Sheps and Rotties being AS dangerous as pits. When my kids were little we had a great shep. It reached a point where we had 4 kids compared to the 2 we had when we got him, and he started acting weird. After he tried to bite the baby we sold him. He was pure bred, long haired, smartest dog I ever had, but he got strange as our family size grew.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Krickitt ... contact these people for assistance.

www.adopt-a-bull.com/

Adopt-A-Bull is an all volunteer, 501c3 nonprofit animal welfare organization. We specialize in the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of bully breeds from local shelters and on occasion private individuals.

Adopt-A-Bull rescues as many dogs as possible that would otherwise be euthanized at local area shelters, which are always overcrowded. We are committed to assisting as many dogs find responsible placement, but we are limited by the number of foster homes that we have. Due to our limited number of foster homes we can rarely take owner surrenders.

If you are having behavioral problems with your dog, please ask us for advice. Our main goal is to keep these dogs in your home. We understand that bully breeds are not for everyone or every household which is why we can offer assistance in placing your dog provided you can care for him or her while we look for a home. Your dog must be spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccinations. Please keep in mind that it will take time to find a responsible home for an adult bully breed, especially if there are any behavioral considerations such as dog aggression or shyness that must be accounted for. In most cases it will take over a month to place your dog in a new home.

If you agree to continuing to house your dog and it meets the above mentioned criteria please fill out the placement assistance form under the forms tab on the main header of this website. Please be as detailed and honest as possible as this information is what is used to write your dogs bio which will give a perspective adopter insight as to whether or not your dog is the right one for their household. Once this is completed please send a few good photographs of your dog to [e-mail] .We can not stress enough that a photo is worth a thousand words. Please try to send photos which show your dog in a positive light. Do not send pictures which have multiple dogs in them as it can be confusing for the potential adopter.

Once we receive this information we will contact you to answer any questions that you may have. All of our dogs including placement assistance dogs are posted as available on several websites including www.adopt-a-bull.com and www.petfinder.com . As room at our adoption centers is available you may be asked to bring your dog in to Petsmart on our adoption days to get more exposure to potential adopters.

Placement assistance form : www.adopt-a-bull.com/assistance_application.shtml

[mmhmm]

Krickitt, here are shelters in your area, both no-kill and foster care shelters:

No kill shelters:
www.imstoday.net/paws/search.aspx?from=nopawsleftbehind.org&action=findNoKillShelter

Foster shelters:
www.imstoday.net/paws/search.aspx?from=nopawsleftbehind.org&action=findNoKillShelter

My neighbors have a pit bull and he's a wonderful dog. They've got two kids and never a problem; however, the parents are both veterinarians. They know what they're doing. The probability is, the dog will likely not be a problem if raised with love. Still, with little ones in the home, there's a reason to be concerned and cautious, in my opinion. You don't know where the dog is from or anything about its parents. It is, therefore, a little bit risky.

[Deleted]

Thank you both. I have several options to try tomorrow. I feel kind of bad. I mean, if it was just a little mutt, we would not think twice about keeping him. Thx. But-- I have done some googling, and seen that many landlords won't even rent to people with pits. Assuming this extended family I have will not last as long as the dog lives, it may be best to just find him a good forever home.

[mmhmm]

The foster shelters might be able to give you a heads up as to people who are looking for dogs, even if they can't take the dog in (too full). You should be able to call the organizations and find out where they stand. Some are really very full, unfortunately, but might be able to further direct you as to what's the best thing to do.

My neighbors' dog was left as a pup at their veterinary clinic. They brought him home and he's been with them for nearly six years now. Awesome dog!

[Deleted]

I hear pits have problems with other dogs more than with people. I have my other dogs to think of, too. He's such a nice little guy, though. All the dogs are getting along fine NOW, but he is a pup, and dogs have their "pecking order", and are nice to pups. If I knew how to work my webcam and blahblahblah I could show him to you guys. He's black and white with hints of red in the black when the sun hits him, shiny, beautiful. Sitting right next to me right now.

[handyman2]

Krickett how do you know it is a pit. people mis-apply that term just because of it's square head or big paws. Unless you know who bred it there is no way you can be sure. I have seen some dogs labeled as pit that were in know way a pit breed.
Pits are a cross between a boxer and a terrior. Some mix in other breeds to make them meaner and usually end up with an ugly dog. But I have seen what I knew as a pit that looked like an ordinary hunting dog.

[Deleted]

Good question, handy. My boxer is very square headed and looks more pit than some boxers. Mild as a lamb. This pup had the look of an American Bulldog.. let me see if I can find a good pic. Not the huge square jawed, barrel chested look, but it is a pup. I was on a pit website this morning, several, in fact, and he looks like the pups I saw. But now I know there are several varieties of pits... just like chihuahuas, maybe.. looking for pic..

[Deleted]

His face looks just like this, except for coloring. Not the killer pit look.

[deziloooooo]

The stories are out there, and it was brought up "if trained properly"...and will just say are you and the rest of the adults in the house hold , are you up to or capable of training this animal, the time, temperment, it isn not for all. . From what i understand it isn 't a animal tha one just lets grow up...there is children in the home, also other smaller animals.

There is also the cost. Food and vets..needs the shots, have to have them thus have to bring to the Vet, if can't afford, then can't keep the dog.

[Deleted]

Cost is not our issue. Our pets are our kids, and a whole lot cheaper. Now the pup has growled at my granddaughter when she was doing nothing... most likely just new, scared.

[Tennesseer]

May 29, 2011 12:52:14 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

HORRIBLE story. Tenn-- what do you mean my buddy???

I believe kofi had a Cane Corso Mastiff.

[Deleted]

KOFI?? You assume KOFI had a killer dog?? WHY?? Post proof of that, or even just anything that points that way!!! Do it now, Tenn, or you are slandering him.

[deziloooooo]

dupli

[deziloooooo]

original being deleted...some are getting very touchy here or just looking for a chance to..[which I beleive is the case ]whichever, on a somber weekend like this better just remove it..

think stiil up but not the original

[handyman2]

with young children and new pets you need to tell the children not to mess with them when feeding the pup especially when they have been poorly fed for some time. Animals who have not been fed properly for a time become defensive with their food bowls.
Pits are usually docile till about three years old. If they are going to be aggressive that seems to be the age it starts showing up.
Just looking at a dog is hard to tell if it has pit breeding or not. You might take the pup to a dog trainer and see what they say. They have more experience with identifying dogs. The one in the picture looks like part hound and boxer.

[bobbysgirl]

May 29, 2011 17:37:23 GMT -5 @krickitt said:

His face looks just like this, except for coloring. Not the killer pit look.

This is a picture that looks exactly like our dog. It is a Staffordshire Terrier. Also refer ed to as an English pit bull.

My dog is a rescue dog. She was badly mistreated and loves children. BUT I never let her near a child that is smaller than her.

I don't know what her background is and I would be devastated if she ever hurt a child.

I love her, but I know no matter what -she is a pit before a family member. Animals can never be 100% tame. Just MHO.