Im looking for a ( preferably blue) pitbull puppy, preferably a girl but either is ok. I live in Massachusetts, I know its a bit of a long shot but, any leads? I want to do this right, there are some sketchy people breeding these dogs and I thought the hive mind might have some insight.
The dog will be loved and cared for as if it were my child (but not allowed on the furniture). It would receive training and a healthy diet of what we eat (paleo). I have experience with these dogs, this will be the 4th in my lifetime.
Thanks in advance!
I understand there are a lot of pits in the rescue system needing homes. It's possible that you could find what you're looking for there, or even just make an unexpected friend.
Pet adoption sites. If you use a pet store or a random breeder, we can't be friends. Find a listing where the owner has put effort into the listing. Many of them will say "blue pit puppies, vaccinated, pedigree sire, ready on October 10th." Random, cookie cutter buyer-beware BS. I would rather see "6 month old pit from an incredibly loving home, well-trained, vaccinated. We love our little girl, but it turns out our daughter is incredibly allergic and it's affecting her health." or something like that. It has to be something better than "let's make some cash by letting our dogs have sex."
Easily 9 out of 10 Pits come from people who have two Pits, one has a penis, the other one doesn't. You'll end up with one of the bad ones.
My Pit was a rescue. Not all of them are good as rescues, some are pretty traumatized, but be picky. Mine ended up being the sweetest, best behaved, funnest dog I've ever shared space with. Her idea of being tough is barking at a squirrel and then being scared of the bark. Seriously. She barks and then wonders where the bark came from, and slinks away looking all scared.
With Pits, I personally prefer to get young, but not puppy. It is so hard to predict the demeanor of Pits until they have started getting a little older. Chihuahuas, not a big deal. If they end up being dicks, they can't do much damage.
Your pup, your choice. Wait for the right one.
If looking for a Pit at a rescue, the first thing you want to see is a wagging tail and then a belly. Happy to see you, but submissive. If you have tail between the legs and a slither or it pees from fear, skip it. Too submissive, and sometimes they are the empaths of the dog world. They take so much and it is possible (however not likely) that they will have enough one day and go all bipolar on you. If it walks over to you and sniffs or jumps up, pass. You can build confidence, but you can't remove over-confidence.
Tucked tail and peeing from fear: Too submissive, and if it's from trauma, they can snap later. Even if they're just Omega, they might simply make your life miserable with their fearful approach to life
Wagging tail and showing belly: Perfect. They're happy and submissive, but not fearful.
Wagging tail and enthusiastic/jumping: Potential for Alpha. You have no recourse but to establish dominance, but it will always be a challenge. They might consistently challenge your Alpha-ness.
Regardless do you due diligence and research the source. We've only ever gotten rescues (greyhounds, salukis, whippets) but Curtis fairly nailed it in both his posts.
I see no reason not to get a rescue. Millions of rescue dogs out there with established personalities versus milliions of unscrupulous breeders making incestuous copies of un-vetted genetic soup.
But, sometimes you want the thing you want and it isn't in the rescue pool.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I love giant breed dogs. St. Bernards, New Fundlands, Great Danes.
They are gentle Giants. Docile, intelligent, wonderful around toddlers.
Mine were always aware of their tail to ensure it didn't knock that unsteady toddler down. Never minded them grabbing ahold of their thick fur and pulling. Loved to have them curl up and sleep with them. It's like their purpose in life was to be that kids Nanny.
There are both dry mouth and drooling versions. Me I don't mind the mess but my wife did so dry mouth for us. They eat a decent amount but if you buy the good brands their dumps aren't any bigger than any other dog.
buy a mixed breed to avoid hip displaceha and be aware they aren't very long lived. 5-7 years for pure breeds and maybe 10 for mixed breeds.
St Bernards can't swim. But Newfoundland's are practically fish. Powerful swimmers both are rescue dogs. That is they are bred to rescue snow bound people or drowning swimmers.
