November 15, 2005

• Take him to a vet,first off for a checkup. You could try a rescue service to take him. Pitbull rescue and adoption in your area may be of service.
• First off; you are a fabulous human being. You are right about Kango; if he has any mean streak that will mean he's not adoptable and will be put down. We have a pitty, and here's what I recommend; you need to take him to a vet to find if his occasional craptatic-ness is related to illness, pain or dental problems, and to get an estimation of his age. If none of that seems to be the cause, you need to take him to a behavioural expert; who doesn't neccessarily need to be 'official', just well-experienced with dogs, and specifically pits. Maybe a breeder, or somebody who does intake at a shelter. Also, see how he reacts to the opposite sex; some dogs far prefer one to the other. You need to find out if the dog is straight-up 'gonna eat ya' aggressive, or if he is frightened, and what things do, or are likely to set him off, or if he's reacting to other dogs. Many pitties love people but cannot tolerate other dogs, particularly males. Knowing his age may also indicate what is realistic in training these behaviours out of his bag 'o' tricks. And, of course, read up like crazy online. Good luck with your doggus terrible, and let us know how it goes.
• Some pit bulls get adopted, and I recently saw signs for anti-aggression training especially for pits at an SPCA (I forget which one). So, it is not a sure thing that your dog won't make it if you take it to the pound. But pits do have it harder than most dogs. For instance, I am in the market for a dog, but I skip right over the cages/rooms that say pit bull or doberman on them. Somewhat because I am looking for a smaller dog, but mostly because of their bad reputations.
• I second the vet - they'll be able to scan him for microchips, in case he's just lost, and might have some connections for a local organization that will take him.
• These two sites are great places to start.
• Also, a lot of dogs look like pit bulls, but aren't. A good example of this is found in this quiz where you guess which dog is the pit (I couldn't find the english version). A vet may be able to tell you if you really have a pit bull, or something that looks similar, but has a more adoptable breed name.
• Something most people don't know about pits is that they were very specifically bred to not bite people because they were fighting dogs and owners needed to be able to go into the ring and separate dogs trying to kill each other and not get bitten. A pitbull of responsible breeding has to be essentially tortured by humans to learn to be aggressive towards them, because they are very affectionate and loyal dogs as part of their essential understanding of the world. They are aggressive to other dogs; that's the other aspect of the past breeding they have had to direct their aggressiveness to other dogs.
• I think 'responsible breeding' may be the key phrase there. Since pits had a bout of popularity, a lot of irresponsible breeding went on.
• Think I'd try Googling "pit bull rescue" first to see what was available in my area. A number of us at my local obedience club wprk to show owners how to manage problem dogs, so you could try local obedience clubs in your area, as well as other dog-focused groups. Good luck and good licks with this!
• If you're willing to have him obedience trained and get him neutered, you might have a chance of having a good companion, but my one-off experience with dogs who are bred for aggression would make me leery. Also, they're big, muscular animals who would do best with lots of exercise, so a big yard and daily walks would be a good thing. If you're not up to the upkeep if you put an ad in the paper for a free pit bull, I'm sure you'd get plenty of responses. The trick would be to make sure that the person you'd give him to wouldn't make him a demon.
• Pits need strong experienced owners. They can be the best dog you've ever had but you need to be the top dog in the pack.
• I'd take the dog to the pound. The dog you think is a stray may have an owner who is looking for him. The pound is the place they might go to look for him.
• No, don't leave him there if you don't have to. Most pounds have a place for owners to put lost and found notices. Even if the owner hasn't done so, you can put a notice in the same place for when they come looking.
• Also- some newspapers have free 'found' ads - you should search for the previous owner as best as you can, within reason.
• I've lived in redneck areas where stray dogs were commonplace and a nuisance, if not a danger. I love dogs, but fitting in a stray is really a massive responsibility and not something I would do if I had any doubt about the dog's temperament. With run-ins I've had to just suck it up and just get used to taking the dog to the pound, hoping for the best. As long as pounds/rescues remain underfunded and people continue to let them breed, it will always be one of the less pleasant things about life.
• First off; you are a fabulous human being. Hear, hear.
• Good on ya, Crackpot!
• Thanks for the advice monkeys. I think when I find some spare time/money I'll take kango to the vet and get him scanned. He seems to need a good run (not walk) every day. It's interesting how intelligent these dogs actually are. hair trigger aside.
• You can also try muzzling, especially if you notice that the dog gets aggressive at certain times. My dog is a Sheltie, a breed that supposedly isn't known for being aggressive, but they do tend to timidity and some will snap if surprised. My dog has a particular terror of having her nails clipped or being brushed, and will bite at the implements (but not the people holding them unless they are accidentally in the way). Also, she cannot be out of her crate when we have food. By just watching her and learning through experience, we've figured out how to minimize any problems with her. So at dinner, she gets a treat to go into her crate; we try not to surprise her; we muzzle her when we groom her. In general, if you have a dog with mild aggression problems, it's not really good to have more than one. You want them to be part of a pack of humans where the humans are the alpha pack members, NOT a pack of dogs. Other than that, have the dog assessed by the best trainer you can find (probably one who will come to your house). Watch how they work with the dog. They should work with the dog for a while (an hour? two?) before making any judgments - all trainers are not equal.
• PS check out Woman's Best Friend: Choosing and Training the Dog That's Right for You by Babette Haggerty-Brennan - regardless of whether or not you are a woman. There is a lot of really outstanding advice in that book about selecting a good trainer to assess a dog who may be aggressive, and to work with that dog if you decide to keep it. And to understand a little more about dog physiology and psychology, check out Jean Donaldson's book The Culture Clash.
• Aye Crackpot - ya've got a good heart and the monkeys have good advice. I'd like to throw in there that if the dog really is homeless and depending on your own home situation (i.e. kids, visitors, other dogs etc.) you can have a really nice companion even with a dog that was abused and has aggression issues. Either way, good dog karma for you.
• Here are some photos of our two rescued pit bulls. They sleep in our bed, think our son is their own, and bring tremendous joy to our family. They're good peeps. Kudos to you for doing the right thing.
• Attaboy Crackpot! Thanks for brightening up my day. I'd third (fourth?) the rescue group suggestion, although it sounds like you may have taken a bit of a shine to the ol' guy. Maybe some training? I've thought for a long time that dogs find us anyway.
• beauty pics, hairless!
• To dog or not to dog I would recommend not dogging.
• byuh? I would recommend not dogging.
• And if the dog hasn't been neutered yet (or spayed, or whatever the proper term is), the SPCA is currently offering neutering of pit bulls for free. Or at least the SF Bay Area ones are.
• Just how old are Holmes and Watson exactly? I don´t think it is explicitly mentioned in Doyle´s works. My guess would be late twenties, early thirties in the time "A Study in Scarlet" takes place. Watson has just returned from military service, which would probably put him in that age group. Also - even accounting the renowned English spleen, Baker Street 221b has a distinct student´s dorm feel to me. Holmes is patriot enough to pistol practice a bullet-pocked "VR" [Victoria Regina] into the wall of his flat...
• Ooops. Wrong thread. Sorry.
• I'm so sad right now. Somebody beat me to the adoption center by two minutes and went home with the dog I'd been waiting for since October. I know that 'first come first served' is the best policy for the animals, but it sure can be hard on the humans. Hopefully, petebest is right and theres another great dog out there that will find me.
• Aw yentruoc, that sucks. The only consolation I guess is that your dawg had lots of people who wanted to love him. And I'm sure your real, for-sure absolutely the right dog will indeed find you, and you should consider naming it petebest. :)
• Hey thanks monkeys. Latest update, kango (who is colored like a wild dingo(and has temperment to match)) is doing fair. i got him started on kiblles n'bits n bits n bits. The mutt snapped at my buudy when he tryed putting on the muzzel. so I had to leave him tied to a rubbush bin for a day. He's very obediant now, i must say, and I learned the key to putting on the muzzle. One has to take a horse wisperer aproach. The dogs fed on thoughts or feelings, so when applied the muzzle one has to think happy thoughts as apossed to having the fear that "I must put on the muzzle or he might bight someone". I must say I found myself snapping at people of late. how is it that a dog with no balls can give the master balls, or impart a voice, to one who was trained to be the inverse of rash?
• Good point. Sounds like the guy needs a vacation, so to speak. Good for you, Crackpot. Don't worry yentruoc, that they have good homes is the most important thing. That dog probably knew another one that needs you more. They'll show up soon enough. (You probably weren't tired of shoes and other clothes-on-the-floor items yet ;)
• Woohoo! After visiting 5 other shelters with small dogs listed that weren't available by the time I got there, I stumbled onto a dog who is great. Just happened across a Craigslist post from a woman who was moving, and now we have a kryptonite-cute American Eskimo dog. I mean he is seriously cripplingly, mind-meltingly adorable. Like a smiling canine snowball explosion.
• please post picture of fuzzy dog thanks
• Koko - Here is our dog, who we have tentatively named Stewart Rabies Wolfington III, or Stewie.
• I made a comment about the huskie we had in the meetup thread, where I think your comment migrated in error. But, just let me say that you need to make sure he doesn't get any left out bubblegum. Ours did while a puppy, and slept under my bed that night. I have never smelled gas like that, and hope I never will again. Apart from that, she was perfect.
• Stewie is just a big ol' loverwuss. Com'er boy, let's cuddle, you wuggums-uggums. Ah, say, Yentruoc, can I borrow your dog? He's bootimus! So white and fluffy. I promise I'll give him back when he needs brushed. What a fantastic hairball!
• I love fluffy puppy!
• Wow! I knew your for-sure dog would find you :)