The best dog I ever had was a pit. Sweet as pie, just wanted to cuddle and love. We chose him because he was a big meaty guy with the most adorable face you’d ever seen, and because he needed a home ASAP. We’d take him on walks and people would cat call him from passing cars, or literally stop us and ask if they could dog-sit. He spent nearly a decade with us, just loving and farting and cuddling and snoring.
He really didn’t need any help to become a great dog, except that I needed to train him that the cat was a friend and not something to chase and put our mouth on. That took all of a weekend, and that was after he’d been abandoned and abused for half a year before we got him. I know it’s not true for every individual, but many times all a dog really needs a a good home with people that love it.
like with every “complex” living being there is of course a large spectrum. But to be on the safe side though anyone who wants to get a pit should be able to fairly certainly understand when a dog is stressed via physical cues and should be able to tell when a de-escalation is needed. And I am not talking about “I had dogs all my life I know what I am doing” kind of thing. More like if you are getting a pit from a shelter you should be required to get some serious mandatory training from a professional. This will (along with fines) will maybe help deter people who get pits for the sake of owning a ferocious dog.
The best dog I ever had was a pit. Sweet as pie, just wanted to cuddle and love. We chose him because he was a big meaty guy with the most adorable face you’d ever seen, and because he needed a home ASAP. We’d take him on walks and people would cat call him from passing cars, or literally stop us and ask if they could dog-sit. He spent nearly a decade with us, just loving and farting and cuddling and snoring.
He really didn’t need any help to become a great dog, except that I needed to train him that the cat was a friend and not something to chase and put our mouth on. That took all of a weekend, and that was after he’d been abandoned and abused for half a year before we got him. I know it’s not true for every individual, but many times all a dog really needs a a good home with people that love it.
like with every “complex” living being there is of course a large spectrum. But to be on the safe side though anyone who wants to get a pit should be able to fairly certainly understand when a dog is stressed via physical cues and should be able to tell when a de-escalation is needed. And I am not talking about “I had dogs all my life I know what I am doing” kind of thing. More like if you are getting a pit from a shelter you should be required to get some serious mandatory training from a professional. This will (along with fines) will maybe help deter people who get pits for the sake of owning a ferocious dog.