Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone. For those of you who don't know, the province of Ontario is planning to implement a ban pitbulls(including amstaffs, staffybulls, and apbts) Dog lovers are very saddened by this and doing everything that can be done to fight this. However, if the fight is not successful then current owners will be able to keep their dogs under strict regulations. Dogs must be muzzled in public and there will be a 10,000 dollar fine for an attack. However, this will not be the case for pitbulls in shelters. They will all be put down regardless of temperment. This saddens me to no end. I owned a pitbull as a child and he was my best friend, and the sweetest and most gentle dog i have ever owned. I work as a volunteer at a humane society here and just like most other shelters, it is filled with pitbulls looking for homes. These dogs will surely die if they are not adopted before the legislation is passed. I have been planning on getting a second dog for some time now and have a great love for breed but have been hesitant to adopt a pitbull because of my other dog. He is a rescue sheperd/collie mix of 2.5 years old. I would ofcourse seperate them when not home and be very observant of their body language and be ready to intervene if somethin was to ever break out between the two. I have done a great deal of research and understand that it's a pitbulls natural born drive to fight, this is what they were created for, to be the ultimate canine gladiator. Even dogs that have got along all their lives with another can have that instinct come to the forefront. However, I'd like advice on how to have a situation where my dog and the spayed female pitbull(when i say pitbull, could be amstaff, or staffybull) would live. Having been around dogs all my life and having owned a pitbull i consider myself learned on the breed and dogs in general, however i've never had the experience of having a pitbull with another dog before so any advice and expertice would be greatly appreciated, even if you think this is a bad idea! Any of you who have a pitbull in your home living with another dog, if you could kindly offer me some advice and how you go about living with your dogs, your input would be greatly appreciated. Thankyou for your time.

I should have mentioned that my dog does enjoy other dogs and does like MOST other dogs. He visits the local offleash park and only has problems with dogs that are overly pushy in their play invitations and he does sometimes enjoy dominating/putting in their place younger dogs. However, any dog that stands up to him, he's just fine with. It's almost as if he requires them to prove that they are worthy of his respect. He's best with older, mature dogs though. Which is what i plan on adopting because it would be a better measure of their level of dog aggression as it would have already hit maturity and this level would be clearer. Also because older dogs are usually passed over by potential adopters because most people are looking for young dogs and puppys. Once again, thankyou for your input and remember to always fight against bsl, we in ontario never even thought about it, it was something that happened in other places, until out of nowhere the attorney general(the ignoral fool that he is) decided to come up with this legislation.

It sounds as if anyone could do it, you could. You have looked at all angles & now it just comes down to the individual dog's reactions. Am sure you've considered having them meet on neutral ground. (you're saying hah! thats the one thing i forgot to say). the only other factor is you've had ? your dog for the 2.5yrs or for quite a while he's been the only dog? Will you perhaps have an opportunity to take the adoptee out & about to gage her general socialization? or reaction to other dogs? I've no experience with that breed type, but I do always err on the side of caution when intro a new dog to my home,yard, routines, sounds, & current dog(s). Have even let the new dog watch crated from sep.fensed area outside, while I interract with mine. I do everything to adjust the new one's responses to every facet of daily routines, then when that one is confident/ bonding (while I've been giving all current dogs their same amount of attention,etc) do I allow physical contact.Bet you know/have planned for all this already, as you said by READING the signals. (Since you do work for the shelter, any way to find out anything about her past?) Best wishes.

Hi, yes i forgot to mention the neutral ground idea! hahah Anyways, there is not a specific dog at this point. There were a number of pitbulls at my shelter but all have been adopted. Unless one comes in within the next week or so I'll be lookin at another shelter for my new friend. The toronto human society is about 80% pitbulls and related breeds and mixes at this point. Even if it doesn't work out, i'll find another loving home for this dog(no i'm not setting myself up for failure, just want to be responsible and have all angles covered) Because as i said they will all be put down, so just the fact that i saved atleast one from death will be gratifying to me. Pray for our friends in the province of Ontario everyone, they will need all our help.

I'm in Georgia & pits (mixes) seem to be about a third of whats in these shelters. The rest are shep (german/aussie etc),chow or lab combos. So much always about puppy millers, but these breeds aren't in pet stores that much, are they? So must be lots of un-altered, running at large, or back yard breeding. There is no limit to uneducated people, sad the innocent have to bear the burden. Some shelters do not find really good homes due to lack of commitment/funds/time. Is anyone able to follow up on the dogs that did get adopted?

The problem here isn't so much based on stray dogs running at large but more based on backyard breeding. There is an abundance of people who breed there dogs who aren't breeders and have no idea as to what they are doing. These dogs are advertised in the paper for 50-150 dollars and then these puppys are again bred by their new owners. This flow of puppys leads them to be dumped off at shelters or worse yet, an unsound result of this attacks a human. People simply aren't educated about responsible breeding and the importance of buying a puppy from a responsible breeder, regardless of the breed but this especialy true of the apbt. Can you believe the staffordshire bull terrier is also included in the new legislation dispite the fact that there has never been a person killed by one and they rank near the bottom of dog bite incidences?!?!?

and no they aren't really sold in pet stores at all here

I have been around pitbulls for the last five years, and I don't think I would ever go without owning one. Currently I have a most unique mix, a rednose pitbull and wolf mix. You're probably thinking is this woman nuts, but that dog is the smartest and sweetest dog I have ever known. I also have a german shephard wolf mix that is about seven years old too. They get along fine. The key is to slowly introduce the dogs. Start out with a little time here and a little time there and don't show any favoritism between the two. Also, what I have thought about doing is getting my pitbull in some obedience classes just so that he can be around other dogs more. Socialization is the key to stomp out aggression.