How do you guys handle pit bull mixes in your rescue groups?

[auburngrad82]

We just got in a litter of pit bull/labrador retriever mixes. Both the mom and the dad, who is a registered pit bull terrier, are very sweet. But there's a stigma over pits right now. How can we deal with this stigma and find good loving homes for the puppies? I'm afraid people will be afraid of adopting them when they find out their pit mixes.

http://www.heavenandearthrescue.org



Liberal bumper stickers

[IndyOp]

1. Tell the *complete* truth & provide excellent information about pits...

Do *not* downplay their pit heritage at all. You can list them as lab/pit mixes, but make sure you put it in the first line of the description.

Provide complete breed information - everything you can get about the breed from American Kennel Club and/or Humane Society. Also provide complete information about Dad - I think this is very important if you can get it. Give his name and registration information and get descriptions of his behavior/temperament from his owners. Not just 'very sweet' but specifics about his training, his behavior with kids and dogs and cats and strangers.

One useful bit of information you might provide: Pits are related to Staffordshire Terriers - they look exactly the same, but Pits have been bred as a separate line for decades. AmStaffs have a very high positive rating with kids. I don't think that they get good ratings with cats.

If your pups are females you should have an easier time.

Plan to talk at length with possible adoptive families - they should be experienced with dogs, because pits are smart as hell and if one of them has a dominant streak it will need a firm hand. (The best possible placement would be with someone who has owned a similar breed, such as a German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Akita.) The future owner must understand that these dogs NEED miles and miles of walking daily to keep their behavior on an even keel; they NEED the right kinds of toys (chew); they MUST NOT be allowed to play rough with people or be 'mouthy' or play tug. Advanced dog training is a MUST. Agility training or competition would be lovely. NO TIE-OUTS EVER. Pit bulls are indoor babies, isolating them is bad, bad news.

If you think I sound 'down' on pits -- it is only because I gave 3 years of my life to a pit bull mix (Sam) -- and ultimately had to have him put down because of his aggression toward other dogs and eventually people. Anyone who thinks that pits have to be encouraged to become aggressive is an mf'ing idiot. I got Sam from the local shelter, he was a pit/lab mix, sweet puppy who played rough, and then around 1-2 years of age the aggression emerged despite huge amounts of exercise, training, behavior consultations. He was my first dog and he needed a very experienced ex-Marine for an owner. It broke my heart. I tried to rehome him. Not surprisingly, no one wanted a pit bull mix of unknown heritage with a bite history. These tragedies have to be prevented by recognizing very early signs of problems and knowing exactly what to do. I continue to doubt myself and I have at least six people in my life who knew what I did with Sam, who knew Sam, and who say I did the right thing.

And, by the way, when I adopted Sam the shelter had him listed as a Great Dane/Lab mix -- the vet and several people at the park looked at him and said they saw pit. I took him back to the shelter than they said "No!" -- they lied. They freaking lied. An emoticon can NOT express my anger.

Expect to hold the pups for a while, train them, observe their temperaments, talk at length with potential adopters, and be in touch with them after the adoption.

If the pups and owners are lucky - the dogs will be all of the best traits of pits (smart, loyal as any animal will ever be, playful) and none of the worst.

Sorry to be a bummer. I still like the breed, but would never adopt one again - I would discourage anyone from adopting any pit with an unknown heritage.

Okay - flame away pit lovers... Nothing anyone can say about this can hurt me...

[auburngrad82]

2. Not a bummer at all

This is the kind of information I need. I know pits can be great dogs, but the negative press they have received of late is going to make it harder to find homes for them. I've got five dogs and I'm a little leery of pits myself.

Personally, I'm hoping the lab mellows the pit a little and vise versa. Labs can be very needy and stay puppies for a long time but they're very sweet. We have a lab/chow mix and there's none of the standoffishness that is so often associated with chows, and she's much more mellow than the average lab.

We always try to be honest with the adopters. The last thing we want is to adopt a dog to a person and then get the dog back because it bit someone. We can't in good conscience rehome a dog who has bitten a person and could be a danger to people. That leaves us with two choices- keeping the dog in foster forever or euthanizing the dog. We've not had to do it, but if it came down to it our choice would probably be to euthanize the dog. We do not have the resources to keep an aggressive dog in a foster home when there are so many other dogs who need help.

Again, thanks for the information.

http://www.heavenandearthrescue.org



Liberal bumper stickers

[Patiod]

3. You guys will enjoy this article from last week's "New Yorker"

It's a long article entitled "TROUBLEMAKERS What pit bulls can teach us about profiling".

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060206fa_fact

The New Yorker: by far the best bang for your entertainment and information buck!!

[ernstbass]

4. Interesting and informative article

[IndyOp]

5. Excellent article & a perfect response to someone who argues for

banning the breed. Banning won't work, IMHO, because if they are banned the people who will still have them will be the most irresponsible breeders and owners. Responsible breeding, behavioral testing, training, neutering, exercising, and care -- all critical to getting this breed back to where it deserves to be -- among the very best.

:hi:

[flvegan]

6. The great thing about mixed breeds, is you get the good traits of

each breed, and tend to lose the bad traits. The pups you have are lab/pit mixes in name only. While I'd not downplay the fact that they have pit in them, I'd profile the fact that they have lab in them. They stopped being pits when they mixed. The stigma should be gone.

To be safe, I'd probably not want them to go to homes with other dogs, just in case. Cats? I'd probably steer clear of that unless you can get them around cats now, get them used to them.

More importantly, potential adopters need to understand exactly what they're going to have when the dog is 6-7 months old. A big, rambunctious puppy, and training is almost mandatory. This is the most typical shelter dog. These breeds, this age, for this reason.

Lastly, stop calling them pits. There's really no such thing, it's just an accepted breed. If the dad is "registered" as a pitbull, it's with one of the "other" registering organizations, most of which are completely worthless. If he's a Staffy, then call them lab/stafforshire mixes, as that's the honest thing to say. The pit may be a "spin off" so to speak, but it's not a breed.

Tell folks to educate themselves before adopting. Find several pro bully sites and give them to potential adoptive families.

Good luck.

[MadMaddie]

7. I have a pit mix....Lab,/Pit/ Sharpee...

We were looking for a Chiuahawa...now I don't know why. The ad the featured about him didn't mention the pit in him just lab/Sharpee.

Max is 3 years old and he was hit by a car around 3 months...the vet said when he came in he was wagging his tail and he was a happy fellow. The vet made the owners sign ownership over to him and the vet and staff put $1500.00 worth of work into his back right hip. They also socialized him, they took him home with them on the weekends and he learned to play with cats and other dogs.

He is mister social...when we go for our doggie playtime on Sat and Sun he sits at the entrance where all the dogs and their owners walk in and greets each dog when the come into the field. He has his favorite owners that he goes and gives kisses to. He does have an attention span of about a millisecond.

He is also lazy....if he is laying down my other dog maddie will go put a tennis ball in his mouth sou they can play tug of war.

There are times we have to educate people, when they see him and they see his pit cheeks they freak out and we have to explain that he only wants to play and he is a happy guy.

He could be a pit mix ambassador.