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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 19, 2008 8:47:12 GMT -5
I literally one day just started researching them. For no apparent reason. LOL And the more I read, the more intrigued I became. I soon discovered they were the perfect breed in every way, shape and form!
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Post by DiamondTiger on Nov 19, 2008 9:57:42 GMT -5
My parents divorced when I was 14 and my dad, my sisters and I packed up and moved back to Texas from Canada. Mom stayed in Calgary. At that time my dad was a seismic engineer for Chevron and traveled out of the country quite a bit. Truth be told, he was gone A LOT more than he was home. My sisters and I were pretty much on our own, but every once in a while he'd have someone (a girl from our church) come in and stay at the house with us if he was gonna be gone for a really long time. His job took him away from us for literally WEEKS at a time. The girl that came to stay with us sometimes was also a vet tech at the clinic we took our pets to, so she knew we had a good home for animals. One day a good Samaritan brought in a pit/boxer mix that he found on the side if I-10 in Katy. The tech called us and I answered the phone. She told me about "Freeway" (the dog) and I begged my dad to "just go down and look at her". We did and the rest is history. They spayed her and she came home with us.
I knew nothing about Pit Bulls except for what I'd heard on the news... but that didn't stop me from loving this sweet girl. I knew a little about boxers and honestly I thought that's where her loving nature and outgoing personality came from. There wasn't a mean bone in her body and she just adored everyone who came through our door. My sister had a baby and she'd lay off to the side of the room and gaze at him adoringly for hours.
Man I loved that dog! I don't have any pictures of her that I can post, but I can tell you she looked a lot like Marthina's Leo.
Anyway, to make a long story short... I started learning about Pit Bulls through Freeway and I've been head over heels in love with them since. I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with several wonderful dogs, both mixed and pure bred. I've loved and I've lost (to stupid BSL) and there's NOTHING in this world that will make me give up on this most amazing breed. :heartsmile:
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Post by coolhandjean on Nov 19, 2008 10:29:28 GMT -5
I have always been into dogs, but never really thought much positively or negatively about the "pit bull". Never really crossed my mind to be truthful.
When I first started talking to Stan, he told me about his Amstaff, Notch, which I then looked up, because I hadn't remembered hearing about the Amstaff before. When I finally meet Notch, I just couldn't help but love him. He was so sweet and such a good-looking dog. I started to look up more information on the Amstaff and join some groups. Then one day, we went over to Stan's friend, Melvin's house, and I met his APBTs, WideBody and Tiger. She was such a sweetheart as well. Tiger was sweet, but Widebody had the most personality.
Originally, Notch and Widebody were supposed to be bred together, but things just didn't pan out. A year later, he bred Tiger and Widebody, and Stan and I decided to take one of the pups. That is how we got Tess. Then I was really hooked, and started to do some real research, and started to attend some of the shows to see what conformation and weight pull were all about.
So, that was the beginning of it all.
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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 19, 2008 11:02:32 GMT -5
The first memory I have of encountering a Pit Bull was in obdience training class. I guess I was around 13. My friend's mom was whispering all sorts of nasty things in my ear regarding the breed, and it freaked me out. It was maybe 3 years later that I started researching them....
The funny thing was that the dogs in the class were AmStaffs, very well-behaved, nothing wrong with them. I later learned about the woman who owned them...Faith Bieser who was very active within the Pit Bull/AmStaff community....
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Post by bamapitbullmom on Nov 19, 2008 11:28:54 GMT -5
Hi! I loved the story about Freeway! I had always owned and preferred power breeds, Rotties, Dobermans, Bullmastiffs, etc and had shown in the past. When I was in my early 20's I was without a dog, working and spent time just hanging out with the boyfriend. We had been together for nearly 2 years and decided we wanted to get a dog. We decided on a pit bull b/c we both like the size, short coat, a "man's" breed, so to speak. Before we really started looking, my boss at work came in crying one day and said that she had to find a new home for her dog b/c her son is moving back home with his two dogs and hers can't be around other dogs. Her dog was a fawn pitty. She had owned her since she was 6 wks old and she was now 4 yrs old. She brought her to work to meet me and she went home with me that same day. DD had NO manners, jumped, "talked" barked for attention, pulled hard on a leash, was reactive to other dogs and had never been around small children. Woo hoo! Would I touch that one with a ten foot pole today?! lol Fast forward, the boyfriend became the husband, the next year we had a son, two years later a daughter, a year after that a mini schnauzer who quickly became DD's best friend. She was ALWAYS wherever the babies/toddlers/kids were, helped them both learn to walk, learned manners quickly (her tail could still clear a coffee table) adored visitors and anyone she ever met (the UPS man used to bring her cookies) and became one of those dogs that you only have one of. Three weeks after hurricane Katrina hit (we're on the Gulf Coast) DD wouldn't get up from her bed. When she finally did, she lost control of her front limbs and fell into the steps and I called me vet. She was 14 years old and deteriorated within 24 hrs. My children were able to cry and spend time with her and she ate a steak and the best yummies before we took her to say goodbye the following day. The vet confirmed multiple cancers. We brought her home a buried her. This pit bull came to us as a project and left us more repaired than she ever needed to be. She was the quintessential pit bull, the nanny dog, adaptable and met life with sickening anticipation. How could we not be hooked? Two months after we lost her, we began looking to rescue another ADULT FEMALE pitty and came home with an 8 week old male and later his sister. LOL And as much as they are different, they are much in the same.
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Post by maryellen on Nov 19, 2008 12:23:22 GMT -5
i was dating a gorgeous guy who had no brains who had a pitbull.. i feel in love with his dog, and that was it i was hooked,but didnt get one until many years later when i had my own house..
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Post by bubsy on Nov 19, 2008 19:04:49 GMT -5
Um, Daisy is how I got into Pit Bulls LOL! Well, I'm into all things dog...I love learning about different breeds, their history, temperament, etc. I lurked on some Pit Bull forums and read all the info on RPB :-) So before I got Daisy to foster I knew a bit about Pit Bulls....but still you never really know until you have one :-) I have to say I think I'm hooked..this girl has so much joy for life it's infectious! Yeah, I'm sunk LOL..but in a good way.
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Post by lpyrbby on Nov 20, 2008 9:46:22 GMT -5
Well, truthfully, my piece of trash ex got me involved with the breed. An admittance here, years ago I was not NEARLY as educated as I am today. So, take it all for what it is. This was like 6 years ago methinks. My old roommate, my ex's best friend decided he wanted a dog. A friend of a friend owed him and a puppy was enough of a payment back for him. The dog was what we call an American Bully, but the name had not taken off as much back then. A few months later, it came to a point that another dog needed a home. This guy was trying to sell her to get money he needed. My ex went back and forth about it and I let him know that I didn't care, but that I wouldn't be the one taking care of her because I didn't want the responsibility. He naturally got her wanting to breed her. So, one day, I come home and here's this cute blue female, probably 6 months old with a NASTY crop job. Her name at the time was Star but she wasn't responsive to it as she was pretty much a yard dog. My ex wound up naming her Roodie, HIS nickname. Does that give you an indication of the kind of person he was?? So, naturally, my piece of trash ex was notorious for neglecting her. Leaving her in the crate all the time, acting harshly if she had an accident, etc. I finally got sick of it and couldn't stand seeing this sweet girl locked up all the time and subjected to my ex's a$$hole ways. So, I started making sure she got out and got fed and actually started training her. She was super receptive and seemed appreciative of the opportunity to learn something. Only then AFTER I had taught her some basic commands did my ex actually start taking more of a serious interest in her. Roodie was a LOT of the reason I wound up leaving him. Roo had me smitten when we would go to bed and she'd come with me and stretch her body along my back and we'd go to sleep. When my ex would finally come to bed, he'd kick her off and make her get on the floor. But, she was a smart cookie and would wait for him to fall asleep and then come back in bed on my side to sleep with me. When we split, my ex made the offer to let me have her because I was better with her, but he made the offer only because he was trying to get me back to him through her. I tried to keep her but she was miserable. There are a lot of things I could have done to make the transition go smoother, but I didn't know back then. I had her for about 2 days and on day three, he wanted her back because she was "all he had." So, I let her go I regret so much about that but can't change it now. I miss her tons.
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Post by pitpupmom on Nov 21, 2008 11:39:51 GMT -5
I got interested in pit bulls when I was 5 or 6. My aunt got her first pit around that age. The first time I saw Butch I just thought wow what a cute dog. Then a little while later they got Boom Boom who was just the biggest sweetheart. As I got older my aunt and uncle got into breeding in Pa. During the summer I would help out cleaning the kennels and taking care of her dogs. They had a cpl of corvino's and some others. They even had 2 dogs from Amsterdam coming over for breeding. I always throughout the years loved to visit with all my aunts dogs and just loved them to death. It took me almost 7 yrs to convince my husband that these dogs were the greatest. Finally I had a big upset come into my life, I was pregnant and I lost it. So my husband finally agreed to let me have a pit, just so I would be happy again. So I told my friend who was a breeder that I wanted a pit and then he told me about Odie.
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apbt4me
New Member
"It's All About the Big Dogs"
Posts: 17
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Post by apbt4me on Nov 24, 2008 9:28:36 GMT -5
Ha! I was the bad first time Pit Bull owner who didn't do her research. I was in the military and unable to buy a house until I was 27. I wanted a dog right away (a weim.); but my then boyfriend (now husband) kept saying no fence no dog (we couldn't afford a fence at the time). About a year after we bought the house a friend of his came over and was talking about how a some friends of his just had a litter of puppies. So I asked what kind and he replied Pit Bulls; by this time I wanted a dog so bad I didn't care what kind if was. I knew my husband adored Pit Bulls so I asked if we could get one (we still didn't have a fence), he said yes. Needless to say 8 weeks later Benson came home to a house with no fence (we finally put one up about a month later) and owners who really didn't have a clue. I believed all the media hype back then and my husband though he had owned a few in the past wasn't really dog savvy. So I got on-line and started learning all I could. I think I joined every Pit Bull list that I could (I was even on REAL Pit Bull back when it was a group). I never posted much but I read everything and learned a lot. Well almost 14 years, much learning and 7 Pit Bulls later; I think I can say I'm officially hooked. I can't see myself owning anything but an APBT. Benson; our first Pit Bull
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Post by valliesong on Nov 25, 2008 18:45:05 GMT -5
I got my first job as a veterinary assistant at age 16, and realized how wonderful these dogs were (even though most of the owners that came in AND the vet were scum). Then I started volunteering at one of the local shelters, and would try to walk EVERY dog in the shelter every time I was there. Many of them were pit bulls and mixes, and I just loved their personalities. Around this time I started researching and also started taking up animal welfare causes and the fight against BSL, all while still in high school. In my freshman year at college, I worked part time at another shelter. A little later, I worked at a boarding/training kennel. And then a third and ultimately a fourth shelter. I was also involved in rescue before I graduated from college and had had several foster dogs. In the meantime, I also adopted Roscoe when I was just 19, and Aiden a few years later. So I have been involved with these guys for over 10 years now and don't see myself stopping any time soon. After you handle a couple hundred of them, they kind of become addicting. ;D
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Post by purplepaws121 on Dec 4, 2008 13:34:27 GMT -5
Great stories everyone!! Before my husband and I ever even started dating (were just friends) his then-girlfriend got him a Pit Bull puppy. Just a few months later she was hit by a vehicle and killed. It was then I started *somewhat* trying to research and learn about the breed. She had intrigued me. Several more months later, (we were dating by this time) he decided he wanted another Pit Bull. (PLEASE remember that I was TOTALLY uneducated at this time of my life). We picked up a buy/sell bulletin and drove to a BYB to pay $100 for a puppy. She was six weeks old (yikes!) and a week later she had Parvo. A week or so and $900 later she was back at home. Jason kept her in his room (still lived at home with his rents then) until she was about a year old and then was made to put her outside. She lived on a runner for the next year or so and then I convinced them to get her a large kennel instead. I wanted to bring her home but couldn't. She got a large kennel, new (huge and heated) dog house and that was the best I could do at that point. I picked her up every weekend to spend Sat. and Sun. at my house and crate trained her. Around her third birthday (I believe) I convinced my parents to let her come live with us. For the next year she lived inside with me like a pampered doggy should. Finally we got our own house, got married, and here we are! She turns 5 this month and is more spoiled than EVER. She hardly stays outside long enough to do her business and she's ready to come back in! She started my *huge* connection to Pit Bulls when she was just a baby. Thankfully I had never bought into their "reputation". I did so much research my head hurt, joined a rescue group, forums, groups, read books, etc. Love those Pibbles!!!
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Post by bamapitbullmom on Dec 5, 2008 0:55:36 GMT -5
Quintessential story of a pit bull owner! Thanks Mel for sharing, we all started somewhere and as you see, in a short time you have become someone I am very proud to know.
More pit bull good deeds...they certainly bring us together.
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snipe
I Love RPBF!
Posts: 421
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Post by snipe on Jan 9, 2009 21:28:44 GMT -5
I literally one day just started researching them. For no apparent reason. LOL And the more I read, the more intrigued I became. I soon discovered they were the perfect breed in every way, shape and form! Same here, one day after seeing one on the streets I wanted to know what kind of dog they were. I just thought, "Now that's a dog." So I hunted and found out that dog was a APBT. Then I read tons on them and thought one would be perfect. My parents, I fear, see it differently. They do not wholeheartedly want one because they are scared about what others might think and if it would attack our other dog. That was even after I wrote them an essay detailing how awesome the breed is.
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mayhemkb
Member
Otter as a pup
Posts: 87
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Post by mayhemkb on Jan 12, 2009 11:03:04 GMT -5
My roomate at the time was really into powerful breeds and had a Rottie (he was such a sweetie) and had turned me on to animal training and behavior books just as we went into college. She and I had long discussions on dog breeds that had a negative stigma and I kept reseaching from there. I got Boon our groenendal when my husband and I moved into our home and while I have worked with several in shelters, training classes, and at the vet clinic I never owned a PB. Then came Otter.
We were sick of having our insurance dictate what breeds of dog we could and could not have. (I found out after we had gotten approval from our insurance company and we approved to get a really awesome Akita pup that the insurance company backed out and dropped us forcing us to decline on the puppy offer) My husband is not a lab or a gun dog type guy and that seemed to be all that our insurance company would allow and we began looking at mislabled dogs at rescues in our area. There was Otter labled by his rescue as a Ibizan Hound because his ears were upright. Knowing fully well he appeared to be a pit mix we snapped him up because he was so smart and since we had no breed hang ups it worked out well.
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Post by RealPitBull on Jan 12, 2009 14:07:57 GMT -5
LOL wow it is so funny to me the lengths some people will go to in order to label a dog the incorrect breed (i.e. to avoid calling it a "Pit Bull"). An Ibizan? Riiiight ;D
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Post by zoe on Jan 12, 2009 15:07:51 GMT -5
Well, waaaaaay back in the day (lol) when I was a teenager, I met my friends brothers pit bull. I never grew up around any dogs, and never heard anything negative about them so all I saw in him was this big, happy, pushy head who had a real thing for me! lol He was a gorgeous red nose boy named Grit and he kind of planted the seed so to speak. Then a while later, my boyfriends friend got a pit bull puppy. They were sort of making jokes about ''the vicious pit bull'' so I got the impression that people had a warped opinion of them, cause all I saw was this cute little brindle puppy! lol I was a real animal lover but with VERY little exposure to dogs but who wouldn't fall for a pit bull puppy? I saw this dog Chassis off and on and eventually her owner and I became roomates. That was it for me. I was hooked. I think especially never having a dog, was I not only hooked on the breed, but just generally in awe of how you can have this best friend in animal form that can actually understand you to some extent, not like the guinea pig, turtle, cat, etc... that I had had. Not dissing them of course! lol I was moving out of the city and I was so broken up over the fact I had to leave Chassis and strangely enough, I get this phone call, as I guess word got around that I might just want a pit bull of my own, asking if I wanted a pit bull puppy. I guess the idiot that owned the mum used to breed her every heat and then by two weeks into the litter, he was pissed off he had to care for them so he'd just ditch them left and right to anyone that would take them. He gave the last two girls of the litter to some aquaintences of mine, but Venus was the shy one and no one wanted her so she came home with me, at three and a half weeks old. My life was forever changed that day.
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eppfaff
Full Fledged Poster
Shelby
Posts: 113
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Post by eppfaff on Jan 12, 2009 18:57:32 GMT -5
I wanted a new dog a few years ago. I had heard that the shelters were overflowing with Pits. So I figured I could get a new dog (my lab was then almost 15) and also do something good, giving a home to a dog that many folks thought "dangerous". My wife was initially not thrilled, but I forged ahead regardless. Ended up with Shelby, a pit cross, adopted out of our local city animal shelter. The wife fell in love with her after a few weeks, the lab put up with her, and i was hooked.
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maryc
Full Fledged Poster
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Post by maryc on Jan 13, 2009 10:39:03 GMT -5
What great stories! I don't know how I've missed this thread for so long! Well I first got involved in pit bulls through our local shelter. My schnauzer of 12 yrs had died and although I was limited to small dogs where I lived I missed being with bigger dogs so I decided to start volunteering at the shelter. At the time there were a lot of pit bulls and pit mixes there and I was admittedly not real comfortable around them, mainly because I had never been exposed to them. One day I was helping the staff with some play groups. As the only volunteer I was the one who had to go and get the dogs. Although I may have been unsure I also trusted the staff, the first dog they had me go and get was Hailey, a beautiful full of life young brindle pit bull. Although she jumped all over the place and was clearly untrained, there was a happiness about her that just excuded from her! I took her back into the dog gym with the other dogs and the staff. I sat down on a chair and immediately she was on my lap covering me with kisses! We all laughed and the staff said, there you go - THAT is a pit bull! I made up my mind then and there to focus on the pit bulls at the shelter. I read and studied everything I could about the breed and became one of their biggest advocates. Fast forward a year or so and while at an offsite event with the shelter. I looked up and walking down the street was this blonde lady and this brindle pit bull. She stopped and said her dog was from this shelter - I said is this Hailey??? Well I no more than got the question out and Hailey was all over me (much to the chagrin of her mom) kissing my face again just like old times! Well, the blonde lady turned out to be Marthina. She told me how Hailey was now a certified therapy dog. We talked and talked that day and shortly after that she came to the shelter to evaluate a dog for possible rescue. We ended up sitting and talking for much longer than we needed to and became fast friends. As time went on we decided the local pit bulls needed more help than they were getting and Our Pack was born. I am still pit less in my everyday life but it seems every waking moment that I am not working at my "real" job involves pit bulls in some way. I have learned so much from Marthina and have been a sponge to all of her knowledge. I have finally convinced my SO that we need to be a short term foster so we can help more dogs and hopefully it will go so well I can at the very least become a longer term foster. Soooo, that's my story, hopefully there will be more chapters and many more pit bulls in my life!
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Post by bamapitbullmom on Jan 13, 2009 13:46:42 GMT -5
Wow Mary C! What a great story! Even better that it tied in to how you met Marthina! I wish everyone, especially the nay sayers, knew *this* kind of stuff...pit bulls bringin people together for the greater good. They aren't "vicious" they're "viscous"...once you get into them, you can't wriggle out!
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