Pit Bull is not an especially large dog. In fact, in its working form, the Pit Bull is a rather small dog. This enables owners to keep a Pit Bull in a small home or apartment quite comfortably. While it is an energetic dog when given the chance to exercise, it is a breed that prefers to relax when at home. As such, it will not be in the way at all times and will not make itself more conspicuous than many owners prefer their dogs to be.
The Pit Bull also tends to be a hardy dog. It can play hard and live long without costing its owner a fortune in veterinary bills. The closer a line of Pit Bulls is to its original working stock, the hardier the dogs from that line will be. It is not the least bit unusual to own a Pit Bull for 12, 13 or 14 years, or even more. When such dogs finally succumb to old age, they tend to do it without suffering long, protracted, painful and expensive illnesses.
PERSONALITY
Above all, the Pit Bull is an incredibly devoted dog. The breed becomes highly attached to its human family and will accept no others as long as it feels welcome at home as part of that family. As an extension of this attribute, it can also be a protective dog, and a powerful and protective, yet small and convenient, dog can be very useful in the right hands with responsible ownership. However, unlike many very devoted dogs, the Pit Bull can accept change. Should the unfortunate situation arise when a family must give up its pet Pit Bull, the dog will become dedicated to its new owner with time. Therefore, a “second-hand” Pit Bull may be a sound option for you to consider, particularly if you are familiar with the dog’s previous owners and their living situation.
Most of all, the Pit Bull is a fine companion dog. Those who know the breed will often tell you that, in their opinion, there can be no finer companion dog than the Pit Bull. It is a dog that will bond to its entire human family, but one that will always hold a special place in its heart for the person it decides is its closest friend. It is a dog that will always be there for its owner. It is a forgiving breed, an exceedingly loyal breed, a fun-loving breed and a lifelong friend.
Who says American Pit Bull Terriers aren’t lovable, gentle pets?
DEVELOPING POTENTIAL
The behavior and personality of your Pit Bull will reflect your care and training more than any breed charac-teristics or indications. Remember that these dogs require a purposeful existence and plan your relationship around activities that serve this most basic and important need. All of the good potential of the breed will naturally follow.
VERSATILITY OF THE BREED
We have accepted unabashedly the fact that the Pit Bull as a breed is the most adept “game dog” ever to have been produced. We also know of the Pit Bull’s utilization as a “catch dog.”
Guard work and personal protection work are other areas in which the Pit Bull breed often excels. The Pit Bull generally makes a useful home guardian and personal protection dog, primarily because it is such a devoted and determined breed. It is not a dog that automatically protects whatever space it happens to be occupying or whatever person happens to be holding its leash. Instead, it is a breed that will often defend due to a sense of devotion to its family and its family’s property.
CATCH DOGS
The work of the catch dog is to run down, seize and hold free-range animals, such as free-range hogs, on large farms and ranches. The dog should be agile, powerful, fearless and determined enough to hold the free-range animal until the farmer or rancher can tie it. This kind of work often requires greater physical size than many Pit Bulls possess, but Pit Bulls on the upper end of the size scale, in the 65-pound and over range, serve very well as catch dogs.
THE BEST HOME FOR A PIT BULL
Before getting into the question of where to get your pup, we should consider the question of what types of homes are most appropriate for the Pit Bull breed. It is all too common these days for authors of breed books to present their breed as being ideal for every home. This is not true in any case and neither is it true in the case of the Pit Bull.
The Pit Bull is an ideal dog for an adult family with older (14 years and above) children and with someone at home most of the time. The size of the home is not as important—it can be large, with a fenced yard, or small. It can even be an apartment in the city. The important thing is that someone is often home and someone is willing to take the dogs on regular long walks. This describes the best of all possible situations for the Pit Bull.
The Pit Bull is an ideal pet for families with children over 14 years of age. The whole family should take part in the Pit Bull’s training and care from the very beginning.
A beautiful, alert, intelligent American Pit Bull Terrier in healthy, muscular condition.
Conversely, the worst situation for a Pit Bull is one in which a dog is raised by a young person who, when the dog is older, becomes too busy to spend much time with the dog. Worse still is that this young person has children when the dog is grown and these children end up spending time with a dog that doesn’t relate to them as true “members of the family.” This is how so many of the disasters we read about in the tabloids happen.
Not too long ago, a story erupted in all of the local newspapers in a particular American town. The story told of a Pit Bull that had killed and seriously mutilated the body of the young child it was living with “for no apparent reason.” The dog immediately was euthanized by the local authorities and the community began calling for a total ban on the ownership of Pit Bulls in the city.
The dog was examined to confirm its breed, and, unfortunately, it was without question a Pit Bull. But the authorities were questioned about the circumstances of the killing, and the details are as follows. You decide who or what is to blame for the child’s death.
A young unmarried woman who lived alone in an urban area had a baby. The father of the baby lived in an apartment of his own with his male Pit Bull. The man was a drug dealer. The dog was six years old and had never lived with anyone but this man. The dog had been fully and professionally attack-trained at a young age and occasional refresher lessons had been provided throughout its life.
When the woman’s baby was three months old, the father decided to move in with her and the child. She was so happy that the baby’s father would be moving in that she decided they should go out and celebrate. They had no babysitter for the three-month-old child, but the man assured the mother of the baby that the dog could be trusted to protect the home and its juvenile occupant in their absence. Besides, he said, they would only be out for a few hours.
The man brought the dog to the woman’s home, where the dog met the infant for the first time. It was locked in the apartment with the infant and the couple left the two alone. Neighbors said
