For something other than COVID.....

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My sister lost her dog about 6 months ago.  She is now moved into a new home and is currently fostering a dog - a small pittie.  She has had the dog for 2 weeks and he has been an utter jewel, smart as a whip, behaves, pees and poops where he is supposed to and doesn't destroy anything.  He has shown no signs of aggression.  Any other breed, she would be jumping all over this dog to keep but the fact that he's a pittie has given her pause.

She has checked into her homeowner's insurance and there is nothing in there about dog breeds, so that is clear.

I know nothing about dogs.  He does have some more training to better walk on a leash, he wants to trip my sister up.  He won't do stairs.  He's about 3 years old, and weighs 45 lbs so is not a full sized dog and not sure what he's been bred with.  He has shown no aggression, loves people.  

Does she have anything to worry about?

[Rukh O'Rorke]

this won't be pretty.....

[weltschmerz]

Jul 15, 2020 14:09:21 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

My sister lost her dog about 6 months ago.  She is now moved into a new home and is currently fostering a dog - a small pittie.  She has had the dog for 2 weeks and he has been an utter jewel, smart as a whip, behaves, pees and poops where he is supposed to and doesn't destroy anything.  He has shown no signs of aggression.  Any other breed, she would be jumping all over this dog to keep but the fact that he's a pittie has given her pause.

She has checked into her homeowner's insurance and there is nothing in there about dog breeds, so that is clear.

I know nothing about dogs.  He does have some more training to better walk on a leash, he wants to trip my sister up.  He won't do stairs.  He's about 3 years old, and weighs 45 lbs so is not a full sized dog and not sure what he's been bred with.  He has shown no aggression, loves people.  

Does she have anything to worry about?

I would say no.
I ran a pittie rescue, and they were BIG dogs. They were very well-behaved and would do anything to please. These dogs would take a bullet for you. I re-homed most of them to families with children, and they called me regularly, telling me what great dogs they were. No problems.

[haapai]

It sounds like her biggest worry is that the previous owner will recognize their stray dog while he is being walked and want him back. 

[bookkeeper]

I had a friend who adopted a pit bull from a shelter.  She was one of the most loving and loyal dogs I have ever seen.  Mostly wanted to snuggle on the couch with you.

This pit bull saved a human in the yard when a bear charged at him.  Great Dog that died of cancer way too soon.

This was my first experience around the breed.  I personally would not have a pit bull around babies or small children as I consider that too large a risk.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 15, 2020 14:24:45 GMT -5 haapai said:

It sounds like her biggest worry is that the previous owner will recognize their stray dog while he is being walked and want him back. 

Luckily, this was a rescue from Alabama, she's in Minnesota.  

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Has she checked city limitations?  It doesn't matter if it is the nicest dog in the world or what your homeowners/rental insurance says CB will not allow pit bulls within city limits.  If you are caught and reported it's immediate removal of the dog.  Our shelter is full of them because people cannot seem to get the message.

I have nothing against pit bills in general myself I just hate seeing them all dumped at the shelter and almost impossible to adopt out all thanks to people who think they are above the rules.  If you don't like it petition to change it, don't get a dog then hope to never get caught.  It's not fair to the dog.

[Deleted]

No, they are fantastic dogs as long as they have not been abused or trained to fight.

[dannylion]

My best dog buddy is a pittie mix.  She is the Best Dog Ever!  Sweet tempered, gentle, well behaved, submissive personality, great with cats (she lives with 4 cats), likes other dogs.  Every dog is different, of course, but pitties are not naturally aggressive unless they are trained to be.  They are very strong, though, so that would be the only issue that would concern me with walking the dog on a leash until it was reliably trained to do so.  If the dog has a dominant personality, it might not do well with cats or other dogs (especially smaller ones), but it would not necessarily attack without provocation unless it had been trained to do so.  Pitties get a bad reputation because of the way some people train them; it is not in their nature to be generally aggressive or dangerous for no reason.  

[Tiny]

I would be saying this no matter what kind of dog it was (yorkie to mastiff):

1.) how does the dog do with other dogs of various sizes? When he's on a leash, when he's off leash in the yard (and the other dog is on the other side of the fence)? Has he gone to the dog park/doggie day care and gotten along with the other dogs? Can you work with/live with/deal with it if there's any sort of aggression AND how that may change your life as you work around these issues (maybe you won't be able to take the dog to store or sit outside at the bar with the pup? )

2.) how does the dog do with food or a favorite toy? When there are other humans or dogs around? Again, can you work your life around a structure for "dinner" time or "play time"? I know quite a few multi dog households that have "dinner" routines for their pups so there's no battles/fights (these are the sweetest, most well trained dogs I know... I've dog sat them - and abide by the dinner time routine - it's set up for a reason.)


Some dogs (and cats) just can't have their issues "fixed/repaired/replaced with good habits".  A good owner will work with their dog (or cats) strengths and weaknesses and remember to keep everyone's safety and comfort in mind.     

None of the things are deal breakers - I know responsible owners with overall "good dogs" who have to pay attention (avoid the situation or distract/control the pupper) in some situations and they do so.    (aggressive towards other dogs or over food or just doesn't like pushy humans who want to pet and kiss them without a period of "getting to know you". ) 

FWIW: any dog can be aggressive - in just about any situation - sometimes unexpectedly. Even the kindest, gentlest, most lovable pupper can take a chunk out of someone or another animal.


(and one other aside... the one thing I've noticed about the best dogs - is that their owner/pet parent is almost ALWAYS watching their dog (reading it's body language/watching situations)  when the pupper is out and interacting with guests/other dogs/their own family members.   They don't ever really "forget" about the dog.  )

[mollyanna58]

I have seen a lot of pits through my volunteer work, and I adopted a pit I fostered.  They are sweet, loving, goofy dogs.  My Liberty got a shotgun blast to the side of her face and she still loves people.  (A deputy sheriff in MS was sent out to "take care of" the stray pit bull. Fortunately he was a bad shot.)

[Deleted]

Jul 15, 2020 14:56:02 GMT -5 Tiny said:

I would be saying this no matter what kind of dog it was (yorkie to mastiff):

1.) how does the dog do with other dogs of various sizes? When he's on a leash, when he's off leash in the yard (and the other dog is on the other side of the fence)? Has he gone to the dog park/doggie day care and gotten along with the other dogs? Can you work with/live with/deal with it if there's any sort of aggression AND how that may change your life as you work around these issues (maybe you won't be able to take the dog to store or sit outside at the bar with the pup? )

2.) how does the dog do with food or a favorite toy? When there are other humans or dogs around? Again, can you work your life around a structure for "dinner" time or "play time"? I know quite a few multi dog households that have "dinner" routines for their pups so there's no battles/fights (these are the sweetest, most well trained dogs I know... I've dog sat them - and abide by the dinner time routine - it's set up for a reason.)


Some dogs (and cats) just can't have their issues "fixed/repaired/replaced with good habits".  A good owner will work with their dog (or cats) strengths and weaknesses and remember to keep everyone's safety and comfort in mind.     

None of the things are deal breakers - I know responsible owners with overall "good dogs" who have to pay attention (avoid the situation or distract/control the pupper) in some situations and they do so.    (aggressive towards other dogs or over food or just doesn't like pushy humans who want to pet and kiss them without a period of "getting to know you". ) 

FWIW: any dog can be aggressive - in just about any situation - sometimes unexpectedly. Even the kindest, gentlest, most lovable pupper can take a chunk out of someone or another animal.


(and one other aside... the one thing I've noticed about the best dogs - is that their owner/pet parent is almost ALWAYS watching their dog (reading it's body language/watching situations)  when the pupper is out and interacting with guests/other dogs/their own family members.   They don't ever really "forget" about the dog.  )

This describes how I was with my standard poodle. He lived peacefully and happily with my Bullmastiff, but he took his guarding duties seriously. He was aggressive with anyone and anything that came onto my property without me letting him know it was ok, and with anyone that got too close to me or my kids when we took him out.

I learned pretty quickly to read his body language. Whenever something or someone got his attention and he perceived a potential “threat” to my property, myself or my kids, I could tell by his body language and would tell him to sit or down, and stay. 

My neighbors thought it was funny that he was so pretty but had a bad attitude, so they (kids AND adults!) would actually come on my property and agitate him when he was in my fenced in back yard. Also, random people we would encounter when I took him out to parks or whatever, would often dismiss my warning that he would bite and try to pet him anyway, which I still don’t understand. Then they would act so surprised when he would growl at them when they got too close, wanting to pet him.

I can’t imagine ignoring a dog owner’s warning that their dog bites, but it happened to me all the time with that dog.

So, he was a dog I couldn’t really “forget” about. But even though he could be aggressive, it was usually because a human was doing something they shouldn’t.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Speaking of any dog can be aggressive apparently there is someone Charlotte can't stand.  DH's younger 15 year old nephew, certainly old enough to know better, decided to follow her around our house and antagonize her and ignored repeated requests to stop by Gwen.   Charlotte snapped at him. 

Nephew is no longer welcome in our home.   His dad isn't either, years ago he did the same thing to Midnight to point where I thought Midnight was going to tear his face off (she was in the yard and I was inside and came out to see what the ruckus was about).   I can honestly say I would not have stopped her.

So we know where nephew got his dog manners from.   People suck.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Not a problem with city limits for pit bulls, so my sister is good there.

She is taking this very seriously, and has been watching how he interacts with others, including dogs.  Right now, every dog they've approached has been a positive experience.  However, despite  us having Harriet for 3 years now, I still pay attention when Harriet comes around a new dog.  She says that he has been good around all the people that have been introduced to him so far.  He adores her kids (and there are no small children in her circle right now, so this is not an issue).

I was thinking though that if he (name up for consideration, the name the fostering group gave him was Strut.  My sister was going to name him Tank as he's built like one, until I suggested naming him Sherman and she likes that idea better) bonds to my sister and is protective, that is not a bad thing.  My sister lives essentially alone in Minneapolis.  Having a dog for protection is not a bad thing, even though my sister can handle a firearm.

[haapai]

A dog doesn't have to be scary or particularly protective of its owner to provide protection, particularly when the owner is asleep.  My own dog would wag his tail and demand pets from anyone who burglarized the home but that's enough for me.  I'd hear him getting up and I'd hear his tags jingling.  The extra seconds of warning are worth a lot.  I sleep much better knowing that he is around.

[weltschmerz]

Jul 15, 2020 16:26:40 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Not a problem with city limits for pit bulls, so my sister is good there.

She is taking this very seriously, and has been watching how he interacts with others, including dogs.  Right now, every dog they've approached has been a positive experience.  However, despite  us having Harriet for 3 years now, I still pay attention when Harriet comes around a new dog.  She says that he has been good around all the people that have been introduced to him so far.  He adores her kids (and there are no small children in her circle right now, so this is not an issue).

I was thinking though that if he (name up for consideration, the name the fostering group gave him was Strut.  My sister was going to name him Tank as he's built like one, until I suggested naming him Sherman and she likes that idea better) bonds to my sister and is protective, that is not a bad thing.  My sister lives essentially alone in Minneapolis.  Having a dog for protection is not a bad thing, even though my sister can handle a firearm.

Tonka. Like a truck.

[Deleted]

Personally, if I was alone, I might get a pittie because they are beautiful and awesome dogs.  But I would not take a rescue because, around here, they are rescued from eye candy owners, folks that want them to be as big and badass as possible.  They are from stock bred for aggression, raised for aggression.  I haven't personally had a problem with the breed because I am not a submissive person.  I pet sat my neighbor's pit cross several times and simply did not accept his attempts at dominance including mounting behavior (he was ultimately euthanized after mounting and urinating on a child in the family).  I encounter them roaming loose on our street and haven't had a problem yet, but make it a point to show a positive approach to their presence without fear.  

[justme]

If I got a dog I would 100% want one. They are absolutely sweethearts and the only negative is that they're ripe to be taken advantage of by asshole owners. Most of what you hear about them is wrong. And I'd guess at least half of the headlines of "pitbull attacks" isn't even a damn pit (which by the way isn't even a damn breed). A lot of the time it's a bloody boxer but no one is afraid of those breeds. 

It being trained well is a good thing. Not training the dog or having a strong owner would be a problem with ANY larger dog.

They weren't bred to be aggressive, but were bred to be animal aggressive - and there is a difference. A lot of the stories on pitbull bites if you read the story the dog was actually responding to another dog attacking it and the human was bit when they put their hand/arm between the dogs which makes it ENTIRELY the human's fault. 

[countrygirl2]

They may be, but not taking a chance on one, too many others out there and our personal insurance nor rental property insurance will cover one. they must  have some bad stats to do that.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 15, 2020 18:26:00 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

They may be, but not taking a chance on one, too many others out there and our personal insurance nor rental property insurance will cover one. they must  have some bad stats to do that.

Not an issue.  She has checked with her insurance.

My FIL and SIL are both vets.  There are a lot of dogs that they did not like, but ironically, pitties  were not one of them.  

[weltschmerz]

Jul 15, 2020 18:05:41 GMT -5 @donethat said:

Personally, if I was alone, I might get a pittie because they are beautiful and awesome dogs.  But I would not take a rescue because, around here, they are rescued from eye candy owners, folks that want them to be as big and badass as possible.  They are from stock bred for aggression, raised for aggression.  I haven't personally had a problem with the breed because I am not a submissive person.  I pet sat my neighbor's pit cross several times and simply did not accept his attempts at dominance including mounting behavior (he was ultimately euthanized after mounting and urinating on a child in the family).  I encounter them roaming loose on our street and haven't had a problem yet, but make it a point to show a positive approach to their presence without fear.  

I met a lovely black and white pittie today; such a sweetheart! The owner said his girlfriend is really nervous around the dog, which in turn makes the dog nervous. They feed off each others' feat.

[Deleted]

A friend has a daughter who's a veterinarian; she and her DH got a pit bull puppy when their oldest was only a year old- The kids are now 6 and 4 and I've never heard a bad word about the dog- just that she's sweet and the kids love her. I figured a veterinarian must know what she's doing. Maybe it really is the training that makes some of them killers.

[justme]

Any dog if abused enough can turn. It just happens that people that abuse the dogs pick the bigger dogs to do that and even of the bigger dogs pick the "tough" ones. I've seen some nasty ass dogs of breeds that "big tough guys" wouldn't be seen. Some of the more aggressive dogs I've seen are the ones I can kick across the room if they attack me so are only a problem for the little kids. 

Any dog about the same size as pitbulls can do as much damage. I know when I was kid german shepards were the tough guy dog of the moment. If you've seen what they can do as a police dog - just think of that power unrestrained by lack of training or abuse. 

It's all just weird because there's a technical pit bull breed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier the breed I personally prefer (I want a blue!) is also often referred to as a pitbull en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Staffordshire_Terrier which the American Kennel Club classifies as smart and good natured. And there's other breeds too that people call pitbull. 

Pitbulls are also well known as excellent therapy dogs. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 15, 2020 19:23:50 GMT -5 justme said:

Any dog if abused enough can turn. It just happens that people that abuse the dogs pick the bigger dogs to do that and even of the bigger dogs pick the "tough" ones. I've seen some nasty ass dogs of breeds that "big tough guys" wouldn't be seen. Some of the more aggressive dogs I've seen are the ones I can kick across the room if they attack me so are only a problem for the little kids. 

Any dog about the same size as pitbulls can do as much damage. I know when I was kid german shepards were the tough guy dog of the moment. If you've seen what they can do as a police dog - just think of that power unrestrained by lack of training or abuse. 

It's all just weird because there's a technical pit bull breed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier the breed I personally prefer (I want a blue!) is also often referred to as a pitbull en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Staffordshire_Terrier which the American Kennel Club classifies as smart and good natured. And there's other breeds too that people call pitbull. 

Pitbulls are also well known as excellent therapy dogs. 

This is what my sister’s dog is.  He is really gorgeous, and full grown about 45 lbs.  

[thyme4change]

Worth 8 and a half minutes of your life.

[mollyanna58]

Jul 15, 2020 19:54:22 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Worth 8 and a half minutes of your life.

I have seen this before and love it.

[mamasita99]

Out Samantha was a pit or Rottweiler mix of some sort, a big girl. I had her since she she was a baby, when a kid at the Boys and Girls Club I worked at had puppies that needed homes. She was super smart and loved by pretty much everyone. I have pics of our girls as babies laying all over her. But damn, she did not want other dogs messing with her people or her treats. If there was any sign of aggression from a strange dog Sammy would go right after it. She was perfectly fine around dogs we knew, too, like my parents dogs, but we learned the line in the sand was dog bones and other treats. She would draw blood protecting a dog bone. Again, just from other dogs, she didn’t care if people touched the bone.

[shanendoah]

My Smokey was a 65lb Pit mix. The only reason I don't have another one right now was that I was afraid, when we lost him, that I would expect another dog that looked like him to be him, and that wouldn't be fair to either of us. I will have a Pit mix again.

I will simply agree with the statements of you have to pay attention to the dog. When you have a Pit, you know that if something happens with your dog, your dog will be blamed, no matter what actually happened. It doesn't matter if the person was harassing your dog. It doesn't matter if the other dog attacked first. Because of their reputation, Pits are always considered the problem. And because of their jaw strength, any slip can have serious consequences.

And that's the biggest thing. If your Chihuahua gets annoyed and bites someone, unless it's a toddler (and Chihuahua bite a LOT), they aren't going to do any damage. There aren't going to be any medical or police reports. You pick up your Chihuahua and walk away. If something happens and your Pit bites someone, that person could have serious medical problems, and your Pit is likely now dead.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I'd get some obedience training to make sure he understands she's dominate.   This is in regards to any super smart dog/breed we ended up having problems with Sabah because I didn't enforce and DH never started training her.  She wasn't a bad dog or anything but given she was 80 lbs if she had chosen to do something there would have been little I could have done to stop her if she didn't listen to me.  

I made it a point with DH once she passed that there were to be no more Australian Shepherds because we clearly are not capable of providing them the structure/life they need and we may not get so lucky with a second one.

Our shelter won't adopt out Huskies, German Shepherds, Rottweilers or Dobermans to people who do not have experience with training and handling the breeds.  None of them are bad breeds but they need guidance and training.   The often end up back at the shelter if they don't screen for previous experience.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't worry about it more than any other dog I'd taken in and was getting along with as long as the insurance was fine and there was no city bans on the breed. 

I just missed out on a 3 year old yellow lab because I hemmed and hawed to long.  My SIL posted one on Facebook her friend had to get rid of because of bad allergies (her and one of her kids).  Pretty bummed.  She would have been perfect.  Well trained, loves kids and cats... But, by the time I posted I'd take her there were two people in front of me.