Share your positive pit bull stories!!

[khall]

I am tired of some posters who are maligning all pit bulls and pit bull mixes and bully breeds in general as a whole. I think most people realize that while yes certain dogs of the breed are not adoptable or able to be rehabbed, most are good dogs that just need a chance. After reading about the dogs from Michael Vick, where just a few of the almost 50 dogs were euthanized deemed not able to be rehabbed and now many of those dogs have been adopted and one is a therapy dog, my heart was touched by these dogs. Pit bulls have an amazing ability for forgiveness and resilience despite their back grounds. I have personal experience with a former bait dog, could not ask for a more stable dog than Petunia http://www.pizap.com/image/pizap.com10.59412193344905971387515181058.jpg?fb_action_ids=635929289779117&fb_action_types=pizap_photo_editor%3Acreate&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map={"635929289779117"%3A238388576323051}&action_type_map={"635929289779117"%3A"pizap_photo_editor%3Acreate"}&action_ref_map=[]

So share stories of your own experience or stories in the news that have touched you. If you are a pit bull hater then just move on, nothing here for you.

This Stray Pit Bull Saved This Chihuahua And Now They're Best Friends

Love this one, and am so happy for them to be adopted to a home together.

[CrowneDragon]

khall, with all due respect, this is pointless. The close-minded individuals have no interest in opening their eyes to what these dogs actually are, and this type of promotion comes across to them as over-compensation.

I love pibbles. One is asleep on my couch right now. I have given-up on talking intelligently with the breed haters and they can think whatever they want.

[khall]

Crowne, I am not trying to change anyones mind. I am just wanting some positive pit bull stories if you have them. Like the above pit bull/chi story, I just loved it. There is another that really touched me, Xena Warrior puppy out of ATL if you have read about it. She was found at around 5 months old skeletal, was rescued and rehabbed then chose her new family, she connected with an autistic child who was non verbal. The story shows her running to the little boy out of all the people who were around. Because of Xena, the little boy is now verbal.
https://www.facebook.com/xenaandjonny

The Michael Vick dogs now known as the victory dogs inspire me.

vacation had said to find a breed that has the attributes that the pit bulls have and love them, while killing all of the pit bulls. I cannot do that because it is the pit bulls ability to move past their background and poor breeding that touches me so much. These dogs are more likely to be abused than rescued and rehomed. Pit bulls have much more to fear from humans than humans do pit bulls.

[scierra]

I’ll play. Adopted a pit the end of winter she had raised a litter in rescue and they were adopted, but no one was interested in an old (6-8) saggy momma dog. I live with my 84 year old mom who isn’t in the best of health and she was Leary of a pit. Well adopted the little girl anyway. Now. Mom and her are closer than close. I’ve found that if mom is having a bad day, Cindy does not leave her side. The other day Cindy was laying on the couch touching mom usually she is at the other end, and would not let mom get away from her. After a few minutes mom needed a nitro pill because she was having an issue with her heart. Mom is more comfortable with Cindy here. For an unwanted dog, Cindy is worth her weight in gold to mom and me.

[khall]

Oh scierra that gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes! Bless you for caring and adopting Cindy and bless Cindy for being the good dog she is.

[gottagrey]

Two of my friends have pit bulls/mix both are very nice dogs, live on a farm, a neighbor also had an older pit which was very sweet - those are my positive encounters.

[chancellor2]

It is true that there ARE a LOT of close minded individuals out there. It is ALSO true that many of them have never met a well socialized pit bull. I am trying to feel badly for those people as they will never know the incredible love that pit bulls can give.
Scarlett OHara is my little red pit bull. She is just a big love. She goes to work with me on a regular basis. Each night, she goes to sleep with a Siamese asleep on her…usually on her head. As a well socialized pit bull, she has changed some people’s minds about pit bulls. I am proud that she has helped those people understand.

[Hunter88]

I am a HUGE advocate for pits. My old trainer once rescued a pregnant bait dog. The bait dog AND all of her pups were the GREATEST barn dogs ever. Truly spectacular, loyal and wonderful dogs. Additionally, (and I know this stat is a few years old), in maybe 2010 or 2011, the highest number of dog bites by breed was from Golden Retrievers (nothing against goldens, I was raised with them, but my point is that nurture and care and also having respect for dogs is more important than breed).

BUT here is my AWESOME pit story. I was getting my nails done recently and a woman walked in with a big pit (he had a therapy dog vest on). The dog lay at her feet while she got a manicure and periodically people would ask if they could pet him and he would lend his ears to scratches etc… Then a little 6 year old girl came in and asked if he knew any tricks. The owner had him sing (A very cute duet to ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’, roll over, shake hands and high five the little girl). I asked the woman what is background was and she told me that he was also rescued from a fighting ring as an adolescent. She rehabilitated him and he has become a certified therapy dog. She brings him everywhere to educate people on pit bulls and proper dog socialization and care.

I thought it was uber cool!

[asb2517]

DH & I just gave a pitbull a major upgrade. My asshat renter left him in an apartment for at least 2 days and then got arrested. The police were going to call AC, but DH said no. Long story short, Pete is here to stay.

http://s1369.photobucket.com/user/asb2517/media/Pete/029_zps6796c771.jpg.html#/user/asb2517/media/Pete/029_zps6796c771.jpg.html?&_suid=140716936026806664847239416205

He is one of the sweetest and smartest dogs I have ever been around. He loves other dogs and especially kittens.

When I took him to the vet to get his shots, she said she wished all dogs were as sweet and well behaved as Pete is.

I know not all pitbulls are great dogs, but I think mine is.

[charismaryllis]

BO has a pit; TOTAL cuddlebunny. walks up and shoves her head between your knees to be petted. and i was out for a walk in my neighborhood one day when i came across a guy letting his pit loose; she came barreling towards me and i thought, “well, today is a good day to die…” and crouched down and said “Hiya sweetie!” and she proceeded to slobber all over me. :lol:

[bluebird44]

I fostered a Katrina dog that was a pit bull. She weathered the entire storm still chained to a tree in the backyard where the found her days later, still belly deep in sludge. It breaks my hear to think about… She was great with my other two dogs and a total snugglebug. Wish I could have kept her myself, but she was adopted by a great forever home who loves her to pieces!

[jetsmom]

One of my renters has a PB that they got as a puppy and trained him to be a therapy dog. He would go to elementary schools, and the kids that are in remedial reading classes would read to him as he lay at their feet. He’d also do nursing home visits. Really nice dog.

[khall]

GREAT stories guys!!! I am so happy that since Michael Vicks dogs have shown that fighting dogs can be rehabbed that things have changed in rescue and AC when they bust up a fighting ring. It kills me to see what torture these dogs undergo and yet they are wagging their tails at their rescuers and are so happy to be in a better place. I know Vick’s champion lost his life not to long ago to nasty blood disease many fighting dogs get, from what I understand he was a lovely dog that could have been adopted out except for the fact he was Vick’s champion fighter.

I have had the one bait dog, she came to me with a split ear, scars all over her face and legs and yet she never met a stranger. For the most part she was very easy to deal with in her training, whether it was learning better manners around other dogs (she wanted so bad to play she was obnoxious about it!) to leave the cute furry creatures alone at the pet store and ignore the squeaky toys that are squeaking that are not yours. She just wanted to please so bad that she would leave toys, food whatever for loving. She found her own family last February and they say she is the best dog they have ever owned.

To the pit bull/mastiff X who was the biggest baby ever! He came to me so shut down from the shelter and he had been hit by humans, though bore no external scars. When he first came he would cower on the ground if you made a quick move around him or flatten if you threw a toy for him (he had no idea about toys at first). He ended up being the best dog in so many ways!! He ignored the cat, the horses, played well with all of my dogs, fosters and personal dogs, was trustworthy enough to run loose with my own dogs here on the farm and loved to run after the Kubota as I did chores. He was great to take out in public and was just an all around easy going happy guy that found his joy here at the farm. Booker too found his forever home this summer and is now a cherished member of a family in TN.

The thing that I love so much about pit bulls is that they want to please their people so badly they will do anything for them. That is why they do make good fighting dogs, not because they are dog eating monsters but because their owners trained them to fight, they get approval for fighting. It is their greatest IMO attribute but also a downfall because it is exploited by those who are POS owners.

[independentlyawesome]

A handful of lovely stories aren’t going to change anyone’s mind because no (sensible) person is going to argue that every pit bull is aggressive. Certainly the vast majority of pit bulls make fantastic pets. My dog’s bff is a big pit bull that my friend rescued from “death row” at the local shelter. He’s a huge lug and they just wrestle & jump & run & cuddle together. And he’s got the traditional “pibble smile.”

I’ve met wayyyyy more fantastic pitbulls than I have aggressive ones, but I often chime in with a warning to be aware when adopting one. Because you don’t want to be the person who owns the dog who rips apart a Chihuahua at the park or mangles a kid bicycling past your house. So it’s important to be aware of the tendencies in poorly bred/poorly socialized/poorly trained pit bulls & have a plan in place to prevent that. Both of those situations have happened to people I know who had adopted pit bulls; neither of the owners was stupid - they just didn’t understand how to set the dog up for success.

[khall]

independent, I am not trying to change any ones mind, I have said that. I like reading the stories behind the dogs that are society’s trash ( over 1 million pit bulls are killed in shelters each year, they are the throw aways, the abused and used). I like success stories like Cindy and Petunia and Booker and Pete. I agree that pit bulls are not for everyone and are definitely not dog park dogs ( I hate dog parks anyway, so I live on a farm with my own dog park!). Any adult rescue regardless of breed will come with baggage of some sort, I try as a foster to push their buttons find their weaknesses and work on them. With my pit bulls it is leashed work and socializing with other dogs, lots of positive interaction (Booker was a bit of exception, once he got ok here he was easy to introduce to other dogs, very submissive) with me there to interrupt unwanted behavior and redirect them, learn basic commands and play (I’ve had 2 pit bulls that loved to fetch). With my puppies even the pit bull puppies it was socializing with other dogs/people, learning basic commands some tricks.

This is one of my fosters now, Sage, maybe a year old, pit bull/whippet mix we think. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=739795329392512&set=vb.100000861553573&type=2&theater Has undergone HW treatment and now is ready for a new home. She loves to fetch but she again should only go to someone who is committed to working with her, no cats and certain dogs. She has come so far and is one sharp cookie, but not for everyone. Never meets a stranger, never.

[khall]

This is a positive pit bull story I am excited about! Michael Vick’s dogs paved the way and other cities are learning from them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/04/delaware-pit-bulls_n_5641684.html

[King_Creole]

OP, do you have any pics of your pit/mastiff? I have one that is 3/4 pitt and 1/4 bull mastiff. I’d love to see what yours looks like!

My other one is a pit/lab mix. Both of my boys are cuddlebugs and well socialized. My “little one” (who is 75 lbs) is great at horse shows. Needs to learn a little bit more respect around the horses…b/c he will try to sniff their butts. :no: Other than that, he is very well behaved and quiet. Loves the attention and his “mommy and me” time he gets.

The beast dog is at 100 lbs now. He gained 15 lbs when we moved to a bigger yard. The boys playing put muscle on both of them. He’s not as well behaved around the horses and he really, really, really wants to play with them. He did well at his first horse show though. He sat and watched, and I mean WATCHED, every horse go around the course. He just prefers the beach to the barn

[khall]

Yes I do! Video as well.

Booker with one of his friends Gracie https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=675856522453060&set=vb.100000861553573&type=2&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=671112829594096&set=a.508962252475822.111097.100000861553573&type=1&theater

Booker came to me 58 lbs and thin but not emaciated. We believe he was still quite young because he put on so much mass when he was with me. Ended up being 83 lbs and a big dog who LOVED his food. He had to stay quiet for 2 months because he underwent HW treatment a month after he got here, was neutered first. Booker is the goofiest, happiest softest dog and fit so well here I was so tempted to keep him, but once I decided it was best to not add to my pack of 4 he found a wonderful home within a couple of weeks.

[King_Creole]

He ![](s so adorable!!!

Photobucket and I were not getting along earlier but we seem to have reached a compromise…

Here’s my pit/mastiff, King Kong:
[IMG]http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/007E1A01-71A1-49FC-8AB7-DBC7D7FBDE6F_zpscocox6ex.jpg)
[IMG]http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/C2A91DA9-1EBB-4A36-9D31-209D04E7BF90_zpsctzhgxy8.jpg)
[IMG]http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/94E882BC-1351-454A-B5E4-79291DF7A04F_zpsdnnbtuqf.jpg)

And my lab/pit, Cane:
[IMG]http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/145F6CE3-F9B5-4DE8-A830-AD6A75101502_zpseypupfil.jpg)

This was his first horse show…I think he liked it. Love that smile![IMG]http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/6F0300DA-E961-4FEA-9211-E159EB68EA80-6441-00000386A327D3B7_zps4a252f81.jpg)

[pony_baloney]

Pit bulls will kill you!!!..with their big strong happy wagging tails! Love those silly pitty smiles.