Honestly as far as with people are concerned a Pit Bull is about one of the most temperamentally stable breeds there are assuming that they have not been beaten or anything. Biggest thing with them is dog aggression. And not all of them are dog aggressive. There are even instances of pit dogs who were non aggressive UNLESS the dog was in the pit. It is a huge responsibility to own one because of their reputation and having to deal with uninformed people. Properly treated tho they can fantastic pets. There are several that come into the clinic I work at and they are huge favorites among the staff.

Lisa

Lisa

You are a good person. Some excuse for a human being dumped the dog after it lost a fight, and you did a good thing.

I think the evaluation of his temperment will be the deciding factor on whether he is suitable for a pet. You can't keep a dog that has been trained to kill other dogs. That's a ticking bomb.

Good luck. Thank you for doing the right thing.

You've done all the right things. The temperament test will be the deciding factor.
He could have been a dog used for bait to train other fighters, or he could have been one that wasn't a fighter and the owner didn't care that he got loose.

I hope all works out for you and him...................

Or, he could have been in a regular ol' dog fight with another regular ol' dog. And maybe he started it. Or maybe he was in someone else's territory and so he got beat up - by a much more powerful dog.

I say - try falling in love with him!!

Most pits are not trained to fight - in my experience they are just more inclined to fight (and fight seriously) than other breeds. You did a beautiful thing - you saved his life! We all know how many people would have just walked on by.

And truly - you can test him with your cats AND keep your cats safe. He may be fine with cats as a single dog and if the cats don't get too excited (running).

My cats know which dogs of mine to really fear (only one) and which ones are all show.

vicky

That poor dog-it was so nice of you to get him fixed up and take him in. I've just been reading this book that might be helpful for you "The Dogs Who Found Me" by Ken Foster. It's about his dog rescuing adventures, and a bunch of the dogs he's rescued are at least part pit. There's a lit of links at the back that might be helpful too, www.badrap.org has a section on "what to do if you find a stray pit bull."

We have a mutt that we got from the humane society who's half staffordshire terrier and half some kind of sled dog and we couldn't ask for a sweeter, gentler dog. She's very nice to the cats, they make nice pillows for her.
Good luck,
Jen

Your found pitt was a bait dog. Used to train more powerful dogs and if not dead then dumped injured, just waiting for someone like you to come by. Chances are pretty good that your pup is a loving dog. Not yet other dog or animal agressive. If you are interested in keeping it, NOW is the time to get it to a vet for shots, and introduce it to your cats. If you do not plan on keeping it, please turn it over to animal services. Let them know what happened. If you can not stand that itmight get put down, let them know you would like to be contacted before it gets put down....You are in a hard situation, both you and the pup have been victimized by a bunch of greedy dog fighting jerks (this is as bad as I will get here-I feel for you both.

Carrieb I am so proud of you for helping a fellow-animal in need. LOL.. yes.. sometimes we forget that we are animals too.

Pits have such an unfair bad rep. It's pretty much like this -- people who fight them make money doing it with very little consequence or risk from the law -- and that's why they do it.

Pits are utterly human-compatible. They make horrible watch dogs and would watch someone carry off everything you own -- much to the common low-iq thug's chagrin.

However, they can (mind you I said CAN) be dog-on-dog aggressive. They were bred to be. That does NOT mean that every pit is or will be. If the trait exists -- and many pit breeders (the bad ones) hope that it does -- then the dog will manifest the behavior around 3 yrs old. A pit could be great at age 2 and 7 months... and then "turn". That doesn't mean it will.

If it doesn't? great! If it does? maybe all that means is that you shouldn't have more than one dog and should be careful about taking your dog to dog parks (or just don't). It doesn't mean the dog is a bad dog -- it just means it is following it's instincts. Even if it hated other dogs -- that doesn't mean it would hate a human and shouldn't.

I have 4 dogs now, and would not put one of my current dogs at risk by adopting an unknown under-age-3-pit's temperament. Does that make pits bad pets? not in the least.

Having been a shelter manager and euthanasia tech -- trust me -- there is a reason we won't adopt out pits and it's not what people usually think. We don't hate them -- we love them. We never worry about being bitten by pits (toy poodles yes.. lol). We worry that the people who want to adopt them are known thugs looking for their next bait-dog or fighter. We know it -- and we know their relatives too. They actually send their relatives to adopt them because we already know them.

Folks, now you know the hard truth. We'd rather cry and put one to sleep rather than send one to that fate. Most shelter workers adore the pits that come in and they are extremely rarely people-aggressive. We just are faced with the hard reality of who wants to adopt them most of the time. Due to limited funds, we can't afford to go check out every potential pit home.

There are soooo many misconceptions about pits.

I say love him and have him checked for heartworm -- get his rabies and other shots and revel that you found each other.

Don't people make you sick sometime? Thank you for taking him in.

Another concern may be your homeowners insurance. Having Rottweilers, I have had to make sure they will insure me. I live in fear that they will suddenly change their policy though. Like I'm just going to say ok and get rid of my dog.

Our city pound will not adopt pits. They will give you time to claim them if they get lost. I walked through the pound recently knowing all those dogs would be put down. Of course put down vs. turned into bait, I have to agree. Of all the dogs it was ironic that a Lab seemed to be the most aggressive as I walked by. I realize there could have been a lot of factors in that situation but it shows you no one can breed generalize.

As everyone else has said, that was very big hearted of you! Our humane society is full of pits, and I adopted one. She was the cutest thing. They cautioned me that I would never be able to own another dog. I was very nervous about getting her because I have two cats that I love like my kids. I was like a mother hen watching them the first few weeks. I was horrified when I came home from work and saw she had gotten under the fence and was in the neighbor's yard with their two labs. After a few days though, they were like best friends! She chased the cats a couple of times, and after a few nose swattings from my male, she is now terrified to be in the same room with them. She is the sweetest thing, and I am no longer the least bit worried about leaving her alone with them or other dogs. But, the stigma does suck, especially if you want to walk them. Good luck!

That is amazing that you took the time to encourage the pup and talk to him. More people should be like you and just not walk on by.
I do not have any idea about pit bulls, only what I hear from friends who own them and then other friends who hate them or are scared of them.
Personally I think some dogs are just aggressive no matter the breed they are. For instance I had a border collie that fought with every dog he saw and tried to bite us and everyone that came into contact with him. We had him since he was a puppy and even took him to puppy class/obidience class. He got worse and worse as he grew and eventually he was sent to live on a farm since we could not handle him anymore. (Incidently, he bit the farmer and also tried to kill a pig!)
But his brother is the sweetest dog and so loving. He lives in a house with 3 kids under the age of five and 2 other dogs and he is so gentle with him all. So you never know it seems.
I say please give him a chance if you can, he may turn out to be the best friend you never knew you wanted...:)

My son had two brothers, same litter, one was a doll, the other was aggresive. He had to give that one away.

I am so proud of you...what you did was a wonderful act of kindness. We have a pit bull and I have to say she is the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever know. She loves everyone, including the mailman! She's great friends with the dog that lives behind us, loves to sit in the garden and watch the birds and butterflies and absolutely adores playing with the kids! She has only one bad habit...she's the worst bed hog I've ever met!

Be Safe, Rach

Thanks, Rach. Here's the update to the story, some of which I believe I've posted here in the past.

Hugo (as a friend named the pitbull) had a rough road. His neck got re-infected twice, and had to be re-treated. Treatment involved removing more dead skin and tissue each time. Good thing pit bulls have extra flesh around the neck!

Then, Hugo got parvo virus. The vet had held off vaccinating him while his immune system was so weak, and he was still fighting off infection while his neck was healing. The parvo involved a several day stay at the emergency hospital. But he recovered.

After Hugo's recovery, I had a professional behavioral assesment conducted. Hugo did pretty well, and I decided to keep him. I hired a private dog trainer to work with me and Hugo, since I had never had a dog other than miniature poodles as a kid.

After several months - and about $3,000 dollars later on vet bills and training fees - I came to the conclusion that having a dog, especially a rambunctious dog like Hugo, was more than I could handle. Not only was he more than I could handle, but I realized that someone else could give him a better life than I could.

I knew that I had to be very careful about who I gave Hugo to. Pit bulls are abused so often. Also, even though Hugo is a sweetheart, he is a handful. He now weighs 57 pounds of pure muscle, he's stubborn, and has a very short attention span. He chews absolutely everything. He ate through his metal crate.

I knew that he'd have to go to a home where people had patience and time. Lots of love. I knew it might take me a while to find the perfect home. I sent out emails to all my animal contacts.

After a week or so, I got an email back from the dog trainer who conducted Hugo's initial behavioral assessment. She knew a couple who were interested in meeting Hugo. That weekend, Hugo and I went to meet the couple and their dogs. The trainer was also on hand to facilitate introductions and to assess whether this would indeed be a good match.

It went well. Hugo stayed. He now has a large fenced in yard (the fence was 4', but after Hugo jumped it a couple of times, they raised it to 6') three other dogs in his family, and dog friends nearby. Hugo has people who love him and enjoy working with him.

I've visited several times, and am enjoying the open adoption "birth mother" role I'm playing.

Thank you, everyone, for your support.

CarrieB

Wow, super job Carrie, hugo is one lucky dog!!

Yea! Finally a happy story on the pet forums! Carrie, you are my hero!

Great story!

Great story wonderful ending. You are a special person to have put so much in on an abused pup, and when you found he wasn't right for you you found him his home.

I have not read any of the responses to your posting so if I am repeating something forgive me. You hav a bait dog. This dog was used to train a prized fighting pitt bull and was dumped after the fight. This is an all too often occurance and it is an indicator that there is a gang nearby and they are involved in fighting their dogs. I suggest you contact the local police department to let them know when and where you found it.
Possible problems will be with other dog aggression and it may be something you can work with. You need to ask yourself if you are willing to put some serious work into the dog if you decide to keep it, if you find a home for it, you need to let the people who adopt it know it was possibly a bait dog. Now the good parts, if the dog is young, it is possible that it was used once and was tossed due to its injuries. It needs to be evaluated. If this is the case with some good training you might have a good dog on your hands question is about keeping it or not. Good luck with whatever you decide. Please be certain to call the police to let them know I suspect your dog was a bait dog and they might have a fighting ring somewhere nearby.

Thanks for the update on Hugo! I remember reading about him earlier this year. So glad you were able to find a family for him - sounds like he has a great home and its nice you get to visit him. :)

Sher