Oh what a total surprise!!!
A Genuine Purebred!!!
Like we say about horses, "
" Deal with the dog in front of you, not what others say he’s supposed to be like".
Tiger sounds like a super dog and you are both so lucky to have met up.
his temperament may be exactly why he wound up homeless yet is purebred.
if someone was hoping he would be a fighting dog, the abusive handling may have been in an attempt to bring out his inner savage… only he doesn’t have one.
Oh thank you both. Yes 1oo% PB but apparently no savage. Just a dog slinky who would rather flop over and expose his belly in offering. He’s a goofball. He is a canine slinky And he’s A LOT! He ate my roses yesterday. He’s such a puppy. I verbally shamed him and he did not touch them today. He just wants to chew and play and awkwardly run around with his wonky left front leg. He’s a good good dog when He is tired. I can do that.
Holy cow!! Your result is amazing!! I would not have guessed 100% APBT for Tiger, sure a mix…… but 100!!
My Riley (profile pic) was a pittie. He loved all the things and strangers were just friends he hadn’t met yet. The kindest, goofiest love ball there ever was. (I would tell people he was a boxer cross to make them feel better). He was an amazing dog and I am sure Tiger under your kind hand will offer the same.
How are things with him and your senior dog?
Lilly’s kit was received at the lab this past week. DH had the kit in the car for a few days after we swabbed.
I’ll keep you guys posted!
Senior dog (Oliver) is very very gruff with Tiger. Oliver isn’t abusive but he is quite snarky when Tiger gets all puppy like and needs reminded of manners. Tiger ALWAYS acquiesces. Always. Oliver does not like Tiger at all near me but he tolerates it, but he gets up and stand watch. My sweet old man. it breaks my heart a little. I really did not want to introduce another dog into the dynamic, but there was no other way. But I have been very vigilant and no harm no foul Saddest part is watching Oliver stare at me when I am working with Tiger. He looks so betrayed. Perhaps that anthropomorphizing… but Oliver is 14 years old Which is pretty freaking old for a large dog! And he’s is my heart
If it makes you feel any better, my old gal (nearly 14) has tolerated my younger guy (nearly 11) for his entire life and she still looks like she’s actively being betrayed when I’m working with the younger one. When I just work with her, the younger guy looks like his heart is breaking into a million pieces, never to be put back together again.
As both of mine are getting older, I’m trying to make plans for what to do when one goes off to rainbow bridge. My old gal will NOT tolerate a new addition to the household if she outlives him, but my younger guy does not have it in him to be alone, he needs a constant companion.
You are doing the right thing for your pack by continuing to monitor the needs of everyone involved and adjusting as required. I am so happy for Tiger that you came into his life and I know you are working to ensure the safety and good experiences of everyone.
I will say, a friend of mine has an adopted PB who is THE biggest lovebug in the world. She just wants butt scratches all the time and will also roll over to expose her belly all day every day. That friend has two dogs that she brings to the farm all the time (with horses, cats, dogs, pigs, and goats in the barn, and all those animals plus cows outside… and then all the deer, rabbits, coyotes, etc etc etc too) and it’s her other dog, the shepherd/cattle dog mix that needs to wear a muzzle due to high prey drive and some poor life decisions as a pup. The PB is a slinky dog who is goofy and kind and sensitive with a verbal reprimand being all that’s required to correct bad behaviour - just like you describe Tiger.
Thank you! That truly makes me feel better! I do need to remember that while dog breeds do carry some general traits … in the end dogs are individuals.
He looks just like a sweet lovey APBT to me
I think people often picture short, squat staffies when they hear APBT, but pitties are often quite lithe (though very muscular). And of course, they are so so commonly backyard-bred that there’s very little “breed standard” to speak of.
We also own two pit mixes, one half and one who is almost entirely pit, with a splash of staffy and a couple others. The mostly-pit is a the snuggliest, weeniest, loviest little dog I’ve ever met. Very sensitive. Not terribly prey-driven, or at least low-drive enough that she’ll still recall when she’s spotted a rabbit and learned not to chase chickens pretty quickly. Generally just a really easy girl, wants to please and be with her people. We tell everyone she meets she’s a pit- doing our part to make people rethink their anti-pit biases!
ETA: The one place I do think caution with the pit genetics is warranted is that they are more pre-disposed to dog aggression, and it often won’t show up until sexual maturity (~2yo or so). Both of ours are great with other dogs, but I do know some who loved to play as puppies and then as they got older, started to prefer that other dogs keep their space.
Adding that the easy correction seems pretty common with the APBTs in our experience. As I said, sensitive! Our girl just needs a look or one sharp word and she stops what she’s doing. Easiest dog to potty train in the world as a puppy- had one accident inside, I think we yelled to interrupt, put her outside, and never happened again. Our younger dog is 50% pit, 30% GSD and some coonhound and the GSD/hound traits really overpower the pit. He is STUBBORN. Everything has to be his idea .The two are really polar opposites.
Thank you for your valuable insight into ABPTs! Especially the note of caution re: sexual maturity. He so far seems to be completely submissive to other dogs. But I will tuck that back into my mind to be vigilant about.
The two dogs I had somewhat negative experiences at two different times over the years were both bitches (female). And their dog on dog aggression took immense care. And it was only female to female. They both just could not take a joke or a slight. Didn’t know how to pull teeth when things got squirrelly. What’s the saying? Males fight for breeding rights… females for breathing rights? Anyway … I am thankful Tiger has such a good temperament. Despite whatever early issues he endured. It doesn’t seem to have soured him on the joy of being a dog. It’s hard to explain … but he is the most grateful dog I’ve ever stopped my truck on the side of the road to try and catch.
I second this statement. Riley was so sensitive. He just wanted to please. A harsh look and a rumble from me was all it took.
And he would get so butt-hurt when I worked with our other dogs… because, “whatabout MMMEEEE!, you don’t love mMMMEEEEE anymore” And then he would look sad and defeated because I spent time with Buma.
Grateful is a wonderful way to describe Tiger.
I love this
I’ve heard the breeding/breathing saying as well. We decided to go with a male when we added a second because even though our female wouldn’t hurt a fly (and seems to prefer other female dogs??) we were worried about a new female taking issue with her. I have a family member with two females who have lately decided they do not get along and they have to wear muzzles whenever they arent separated. Really intractable once established.
Agreed my experience also. I’m 54 years old and have had multiple dogs for my entire life. The only times I’ve experienced problems getting new ones to integrate it was adding a new female with an established female.
I have taken in two female strays at once that were a chow shepherd mix and a JRT/possum(only kidding here, but she looks like an opossum). But because they were obviously raised together, they never bothered each other, and I had all males
My late father was a small animal veterinarian. He practiced in South Florida. Home of the pitbull. I remember when Dade and Broward counties tried to outlaw pit bulls completely. I think back in the 70s and 80s they kind of were a different sort of dog ….then the fighting culture started and the poor husbandry and ownership proliferated… And the pounds and the shelters became full of poorly bread, poorly socialized bully breeds.
Definitely a sad state of affairs. If I look at pitbulls through the lens of pure dog-breeding theory, I agree with those that say the breed shouldn’t continue, simply because dog breeds are meant to be bred to standard that supports their use in a certain job and the modern pitbull simply doesn’t have one (besides the obvious current use).
BUT that doesnt change the fact that there are many love-bug pitties out there with lovely personalities that make great family dogs. Maybe some intrepid breeders out there will someday work establish new companion-type breed with reduced dog-reactivity/aggression, lower prey drive and more predictable traits overall. Not everyone in the market for a companion dog wants a toy breed and I do think the common pit personality has a lot to offer.
Agreed! Hey thanks @Ziggy793 for your thoughts. Really appreciate them. Hope you have a lovely day!
That was my guess too. But still cool!
It is a bit of a surprise to have a purebred stray! Wow.
Way back when I worked in a vet clinic, we had a client who had a huge brindle pitbull. Purebred and intact. He was gorgeous and weighed in at about 100 lbs. When Mac came in and a doc would ask for help holding him for a blood draw or whatnot it was kind of a joke. I mean, I couldn’t keep that dog from doing whatever the hell he wanted to do but it never came up. He was always a perfect gentleman. We could do anything to him and never a grumble or a look. Thank Dog!
So they are out there. Congrats to you.
Thank you ! And what a cool story! Love Mac!
Mine was obsessed with eating the rose hips off ours when he was a pup, I thought it was the strangest thing! Hasn’t touched them in the last 2 years though.
I had two special APBTs in my life. They bucked every negative stereotype I ever heard about the breed. The first was a ditch dog that we did a Wisdom panel on and she came back 100%, (a surprise to me, as it was to you about Tiger). The second was my sister’s dog and was purchased at a breeder’s. I can’t say that breeder was to COTH standards, but the dog was a wonderful dog.
What amazed me about both of the APBT girls I had was how tolerant of utter stupidity they were. And like you said about Tiger being grateful, that’s exactly how both of these girls were.
I wonder about the APBT gene pool on these tests - how many of the donor DNA dogs were APBT from known breeders versus labeled as an APBT from a rescue? I don’t know many APBT breeders at all… yet, everyone I know has one.
Kind of like “domestic shorthair” for cat - if it aint got long hair, it’s a DSH, right?