I know in my last post I stated I was going to talk about world building next and I will. This topic though is personal and dear to my heart. A few weeks ago my family adopted Penny, a Pitbull, from Stray Rescue of St. Louis. She was found emaciated and running the streets in freezing temperatures.
That’s right I have two small children, a small dog and we adopted a Pitbull. Despite the horrible reputation surrounding the breed they are some of the sweetest dogs you’ll ever meet.
I once had the same reservations about the breed until my BFF and roommate at the time adopted a Pitbull in Pharmacy school. Maddox is the most gentle dog and is actually scared of a lot of things. He’s just a big baby really.
So why do Pittbulls have this terrible reputation? Unfortunately, it’s our fault. Not you or I personally, but irresponsible and or reckless owners that either don’t monitor their dogs or purposely teach them to be aggressive or fight. Rottweilers and German Shepards has the same reputation but now they are loving pets once more. Those owners who choose to abuse their dogs and teach them to behave aggressively have moved on to the Pittbull as their breed of choice.
Purposely teaching your dog to be aggressive or fight is only half the battle in this case. Pittbulls have an extremely strong jaw strength so when they bite it does a lot of damage and they don’t let go until they want to. Here’s where being a good owner comes into play. You must monitor your dog. They get happy, sad, grumpy, irritated, playful, etc. and they let you know with body language. Please, please don’t play with/pet or let others do the same when your dog doesn’t want to be touched. That’s when they bite. It seems simple enough but people ignore simple signs all the time.
We monitor Penny with our children because they don’t always interpret her body language correctly. We also watch her with the small dog because she may think she’s playing and get too rough. When you have 40 pounds on another dog that’s not hard to do.
Dogs with good obedience make your life easier. Knowing basic commands like sit, stay, and down help immensely. Good manners while they are in public reduces stress on you and the dog. Greeting other dogs seems like fun but what if the dog you greet isn’t friendly or it’s scared. Ask the other owner first. The same goes when petting a strange dog. Always remember to show your dog you are the alpha. There are tons of books and videos that can help you humanely teach your dog how to behave.
Most importantly please remember dogs are a 8-15 year commitment. They are expensive. They take up time and energy. They aren’t to be dumped on the streets or someone else when it gets too hard. I will say they are worth every bit of money, time, and frustration. They offer unconditional love and compassion. When you adopt a dog you are all they know so please treat them right. There are no bad dogs only bad owners.
I am a mother of two children and two dogs. I love fantasy and Sci-Fi. Currently I’m working a cross-over shifter romance from my book Sweet Surrender. There is no expected release date as of yet. I’m also binge watching Vikings and trying to finish this season of Dr Who. If you would like to learn more about my books click here.
R. Tran Books 