A lot of people in our county have been on our pet rehoming group lately. A lot of them are looking for Pit Bull puppies. Mommy really has to bite her tongue, because honestly, most of the "Pit Bull" puppies that end up on that site are deliberately bred, do not have papers, are not worked, just ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING BRED. We see a lot of "Purebred Red Nose", "Purebred Blue Nose", etc... even if the puppies do not have that color nose.... ugh. I'm going to address a few things that really irritate me here.
I'm going to let y'all in on a little secret. Red/Blue/Black...those are just colors. They are not lines, separate breeds, or anything special. Red nosed dogs have red noses, blue nosed dogs have blue noses. I have a black nose! So? It doesn't make me a different breed than.... any red nosed Pit Bull. Or blue nosed for that matter.
Also, "UKC PR" doesn't mean anything very special either. UKC registered, Purple Ribbon. The purple ribbon status means that the dogs comes from registered stock that has been registered for a certain amount of generations. But it doesn't necessarily guarantee that you are getting a true Pit Bull either. The UKC dogs are bred as show dogs, and are generally Pitterstaff crosses or American Bullies that have been dual- registered with two registries.
Did you know that the average size for APBT's is 35-60 pounds? We aren't large dogs. APBT's generally do not have a lot of bulky muscle, big heads, or weigh all that much. We're slim, sleekly muscled, average sized dogs. If you see someone bragging about head size, weight, stuff like that... chances are, they either have a mutt or an American Bully and were told it was an APBT. The UKC still registers Am Bully's as APBT's!
APBT's are working dogs. We excel at many sports, including--but not limited to-- agility, dock diving, weight pull, and Frisbee. We also can make wonderful running companions... but we have a lot of energy that NEEDS to be worked out. We need physical stimulation, as well as mental stimulation. While every dog is an individual... most APBT's are NOT couch potatoes, and cannot be happy without plenty of exercise, both for our bodies and minds. Once our needs for stimulation have been met, we will happily collapse on the sofa and cuddle or snooze!
Too many people seem to be pushing this generality that "Pit Bulls" are just like any other dog. To me, this is so silly, I can not even begin to understand the meaning behind it. No breed of dog is the same as another. *I* would not be a good herding dog, while my sister Jezabel would not be a good dock diving dog! Caesar (RIP) would not have been a good match to be a Therapy Dog. Brucie is too soft to be a hunting dog! No breed is the same. It's like comparing apples and oranges... yes, they are both fruit....but they do not have the same flavor or texture. The same goes for dogs. Each breed has it's own specific physical and personality traits, and within that...each dog has it's own unique quirks and personality. To me, generalizing a breed like this would be the same as saying that EVERY breed is a good match for every family.... which I'm sure we can all agree is not true by any stretch of the imagination. :)
Research is necessary before you bring any dog into your home. Spur of the moment decisions happen-- I totally get that, BOL! I was a spur of the moment decision for Mommy and Daddy. But they came home, did a ton of research and have worked hard to make sure I get all of the stimulation and exercise I need to keep me happy. The research really never ends, because Mommy and Daddy have already decided that another Pit Bull is in their future (at some point wayyy into the future!). But it's really something that upsets us... seeing people bring a dog into their home and then want to give it up because of something that is NORMAL for the breed. Like shedding in a German Shepherd. (We called Caesar a "German Shedder") Or dog aggression in a Pit Bull.... or herding behaviors in a Border Collie.
Okay, I think I have ranted enough for now, haha :)
/end rant
You could be talking about Bobby McGee, our Doberman. The key is the research. We prefer purebreds because we know what we're getting into when they come to live with us. We are truckers. Bobby travels with us. But we go out of our way to accommodate Bobby's needs first.
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