Pit Bulls have a really bad reputation. Some folks swear they're great and loyal pets, while others insist the dogs are nothing but killers waiting for a chance to strike.
I know that after I saw what a few pit bulls did to my sister's car, (they practically ate it trying to get to a cat that had hidden under her hood, seriously) it never crossed my mind to get one, or have one within 500 yards of me, or the grandkids.
However, I found one. A puppy. Lost, and alone up at mom's. By her building.
Since the dogs up there tend to destroy the cars, mom said to take it and get rid of it. So I did. (Took it, didn't get rid of it...yet)
The lil guy was eaten up with mange, he looked half starved, he was terrified to come near us, but looked like he wanted to more than anything. Finally we coaxed him out and put him in the box and brought him home. To my way of thinking, we could clean him up, feed him, get that mange healed and take him to the pet shop so they could find a good home for him. (We don't have an animal shelter here.)
After a week, the mange was gone, he'd gained weight, and the little fella (I call him Doc Holiday) comes running any time he sees us. He's not an aggressive pup, he's very submissive... he's only just now allowing his tail to wag instead of keeping it tucked between his legs, and now he's actually standing when he runs to us, instead of crawling on his tummy. He's a sweety.
He loves Mallory and Mikyla so much.. but he seems to know they're off limits.
When they're in the yard, he goes close to them, those big eyes look like he's just DYING to be hugged, that tail wagging, semi crawling towards them only to high tail it and run if they get close...just to semi craw near them again when they go back to playing on their swing, or trying to climb the dogwood tree.
Doc Holiday just seems so sweet, so friendly, so loving and trusting now, it's going to be hard to get rid of him. But still, he's a pit bull. They just go crazy and attack when they're older, for no good reason, don't they? So I called the pet shop. He couldn't take Doc, he's lost his license to sell dogs for a while.
Ok, fine. Doc's still a pup. I still have time before he turns into a killer, to find him a good home. Meanwhile, he's outside, living happily in the shed, enjoying the yard - keeping the cat in line. (They have a love/hate relationship - Doc loves eats the cat's food and the cat hates that.)
A couple of nights ago, my sister came over with Nick. Doc Holiday growled at them, it was dark, and they were strangers after all, and this is his (new) turf. He growled hard, and you can imagine how much that 6 inch pup scared Lisa and Nick! They both stomped their feet at him and he took off flying- hid beneath the building. But he didn't stop growling. He growled and growled and growled at them!
Lisa came in and told on Doc, and I went to see, and sure enough, he was peeking out from anunder the shed, his eyes locked on her, just growling like he was a starving panther.. It made me uneasy. That puppy won't always be a puppy. When he's bigger, and a stranger stomps his or her foot at Doc, will he chew said foot off to the hub?
Still, when Doc comes running to play, I just can't see the killer in him. He's a darling puppy.
Lisa warns me.. "They have jaws as strong as a hyena when they're mad."
I have to find a home for Doc. I know I do. Fast. So he can grow up there and be used to the family who takes him. But .. then mom called me yesterday.
Lisa tattled to her about Doc's growling.
She was worrying.. "That dog will turn on those babies when he's older." "His mother is horribly vicious, I think she and the pup's father are the dogs that destroyed Lisa's car!" "Get rid of that dog!" "If I had known you were going to keep him, I'd never told you to take him!" "He's cute now, but when he's bigger he's going to hurt one of those kids" "No! You have to put him to sleep! If you give him away to someone, they're not going to realize he's from vicious parents and they'll trust him around their kids and when he attacks and kills their kids, you're going to feel bad, take him to the vet and have him put to sleep!"
My stomach sank. Put him to sleep? He's just a puppy. We just got him to trust us. How sad, I don't want to put him to sleep. :(
Is he truly apt to turn on the babies? Isn't any dog, really? I mean where there are children, shouldn't you always be careful of dogs, no matter what breed they are?
Doc is so sweet. He really is.
I went to the door this evening. Lisa was sitting on my side porch.. playing with Doc. I opened the door, all aghast and yelled.. NOOO! Don't move! I'll get something and get him off of you! I'll save you! Be careful!
She looked at me blandly and said "He just wanted to play."
"He didn't growl at you today?"
"No, he...just came running with his tail waggin' wanting to play."
"Oh.. so.. do you want to help me put him to sleep now?"
(insert scowl from her here)
She played with him for a while, and when she got ready to leave, he followed her to her truck.. I asked her if she wanted to take him with her, drop him off back at mom's so he could maybe find his way back home to his vicious mom and dad pit bull house'.. she mumbled.. "No.. he's so happy here. he's not hurting anything, there, he'd just get mean."
God please don't let Doc Holiday be a killer.
I don't want to get rid of him. He's got a sweeter temprament than even Jazzy had.