what do you think

through this blog i have tried to show people a different side of a much maligned breed of dog. I will never deny that there is a resposibility of owning a pit bull but if they are handeled properly and treated with love and respect they are as loving and lind an animal there is it never ceases to amaze me how gentle carley can be when she is aware that something can be hurt. They are still dogs and need to be treated as such but for the right people pits are perfect loving pets. There are many online resourses that can help you if you choose to adopt a pit bull into your family cesar milan is a great supporter of pit bulls here is a little video of him talking about the breed


http://youtu.be/WsGp-bOl4Go


I hope i have made an impression. I know that pits are not for everyone but don't you think it would be a tragedy to lose this intelligent noble breed of dog because of our fears and a few irresponsible owners please take notice next time you hear some of the propaganda about these amazing dogs

photo album of carley

these are some pictures of carley through the 3 years i have had her

 as you can see from the pictures she has many sides to her personality

i wouldn't trade my time with her for anything and find the responsibilities of ownership are far out weighed by the rewards of having her as a companion. Other dogs i have had were great companions as well but i believe that pits are just a little more in tune with there "people" than other dogs . In general she tries to be gentle with anything she meets i had taken in a min pin for a while and he quickly became the alpha dog even though he was only about a third of carleys size. Its a funny reminder of how much perception can affect how you react to certain situatiions

life with carley

Daily life with carley is pretty easy really if I give her what she needs exercise good food some structure and love I am rewarded tenfold . I have a fenced back yard and a dog door so she is super low maintenance   House training her want so bad at all as far as going to the bathroom was fairly easy. Dogs in general don't want live were they go so it was almost natural for her to go outside and spend her time inside. Plan on spending some money on bones and chew toys though as these dogs do have extremely strong jaw muscles that will cause a lot of damage in the teething stage.  Carley had a habit of burying the bones i would buy her and chewing on my belongings as well but she grew out of it.  I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything really she is a great loving companion

swimming

Carley loves swimming more then any other dog i have encountered . She can hold her breath and dive and fearlessly jumps off rocks up to five feet above the water. It is pure joy to watch her at the river in the summer s she is so in her element.  I have never seen another dog with as much of a love of water as i have her and have never seen another dog at all learn how to hold her breath like she does. It really doesn't matter how many people are bye the river as it is the one time she isn't interested in making friends with everyone in her presence she is only interested in spending as much time as she can in the water . I'm not sure of all pits are like this but i love it and it sure makes living on the river in the summer fun 

more lessons

Another important lesson i have learned in ownership of a pit bull is that exercise is extremely important. I suppose you could say this about all animals.  In the case of the pit bull it will pay off tenfold if you can get your dog about one half hour of vigorous exercise a day. Carley loves to run and play tug she is not so good at fetch but will try at times her true love though is swimming in the summer i take her as much as possible.  It makes going to the river a fun time as she is like a child in her love of swimming.  her love of swimming is a story in it self but for now i wanna stick to how important exercise in general is for these dogs. They are high energy high intelligence animals and respond to stimulation very well. Because of how they are bred they don't need a lot  of exercise like i said about one half hour is perfect but it must be vigorous as that will get there heart pumping properly and it will be amazing in the dogs ability to concentrate after the fact
Short runs are also great ways to exercise these dogs i have grown to avoid dog parks as I don't like her to be in contact with animals she isnt familiar with because of her breeds reputation . She is very social it is more to protect her from having to defend her self from bully dogs than any mistrust of her. It has happened a few times at the local park that others bullied her into defending herself. In general be aware if you own a pit it doesn't matter whose dog started the fight  yours will be blamed if it is in any way involved.  I have had good luck with less dogs were i can supervise her more closely and remove her from aggressive dogs before trouble has started . Again like all of us these wonderful animals need exercise to be what they can be but also need your loving attention as they will be judged quickly if any trouble comes up.

a heroic pit bull

there are many stories of this breed doing heroic things here is a great story of a pit sacraficing herself and staying calm in the face of danger to save her owner pits have been proven to value the life of their owners over there own life many many times
http://lillytheheropitbull.com/

lessons of ownership

through any responsibility there are lessons to be learned and owning a dog is no different. I do believe that the responsibility level of owning a pit bull is greater than that of owning a poodle or such they are a strong larger animal and you must protect them from themselves as well as protecting others from them.  I crate trained carley from a young age this it turns out was a wise idea. Her kennel is her safe spot she goes there when she is confused or scared or nervous.  From how it was explained to me some dogs are happier being in a kennel when away from there owner as it lessens the decisions they have to make and keeps them from getting overwhelmed . it is also a great way to protect your dog from other people. this is a lesson it took me a while to learn pets need protecting themselves they are innocent creatures that cant tell you what happened to them while you were at school or work

I have learned countless other lessons through ownership of dogs and pit bulls in general.  The power of being positive is one lesson that was made apparent in training. Pits are a stubborn breed but want to please so if you use negative reinforcement it just brings out there stubborn nature were as if you do things in a more positive manner they tend to really flourish.  I think to some degree this is true of all creatures.Consistency is something else any dog absolutely needs i have learned that when something depends on you for there well being it is very important to be consistent it makes for a much happier well adjusted dog