ETA: Just got a note from MaryL:
Great news – I’ve found a rescue who will take them! Thanks so much for your help.
Longtime lurker MaryL:
I am desperately trying to get word out about two adorable abandoned dogs that wandered into my yard this morning. They are pit bulls and I live in an area with a pit bull ban, so I really don’t want to call animal control. Also, they are pretty dog aggressive, and I have three dogs of my own, so I can’t keep them with me.
They are great with people though, even kids. They are adorable and so mellow. They will crawl right up into your lap, but are not overly excitable and obnoxious. I really want them to find homes, but I will need to turn them over to the authorities if I can’t find a solution quickly. I live in the DC area, but would be willing to drive a few hours if necessary. I would appreciate it so much if Balloon Juice would help me get the word out…
Anyone has a lead, or a suggestion, leave a comment or email me at annelaurie (dot) verizon (dot) net.
Keith P.
Oh, man, that one on the left looks so much like one I had that ran away a few years ago.He broke through the fence plank (probably heard a skunk) in the late night/early hours, and I never saw him again. I assumed someone picked him up because he was SO friendly (and he was also just a beautiful dog…purple-blue fur)
Teddy's Person
Here’s a pit bull rescue in Fredericksburg called Bully Paws and one in Staunton called Virginia Paws for Pits.
Can’t vouch for either, found them through google.
Teddy's Person
There’s a pit bull rescue in Fredericksburg called Bully Paws and one in Staunton called Virginia Paws for Pits. Can’t vouch for either, found them through google.
I tried posting with links, but it disappeared. I don’t post here very often. Does that mean they are in moderation? I apologize if duplicates appear later.
Betty Cracker
They are lovely dogs. Hope someone can find them a great home!
Betty Cracker
@Teddy’s Person: I rescued it from the spam folder. Not sure why it went there since you did your links properly. Anyhoo…
Woodrowfan
Lost Dog rescue is active in Northern Virginia. They do good work. https://lostdogrescue.org/
jharp
“They are pit bulls and I live in an area with a pit bull ban”
I recently suffered an encounter with a pit bull and would love to see them banned in my neighborhood.
Woodrowfan
I posted a link and got bumped to moderation as well. I suggested contacting Lost Dog Rescue Foundation in northern Virginia.
Teddy's Person
@Betty Cracker: Thanks!!
xjmueller
@Teddy’s Person:
I can vouch for bully paws. I have a comment in moderation about them. They cover the DC area. I know an officer of the org.
Tim F.
@jharp: Hoo boy, here we go.
Teddy's Person
@xjmueller: Excellent!
Pogonip
MaryL, can you take them to the vet and see if they have been microchipped?
Pogonip
I think Cole is being gentlemanly and tolerant to allow adoption solicitations for pit bulls on his site, and we should all give him a round of applause.
Cacti
I wonder if there’s a correlation between the former and the latter?
Nah, couldn’t be.
Patricia Kayden
Since you live in D.C., you can try Lucky Dog Animal Rescue which I believe is a no-kill shelter in Alexandria, VA.
bl
I too live in the DC area where there is a pit bull ban. It doesn’t really work – there are still lots of pit bulls around.
MaryL – don’t call animal control for them. If you live in my county, which bans pit bulls, then you are condemning them. Animal Control will put them down since they wont allow them to be adopted. I had a pit bull wander into my yard years ago and found a rescue in the Baltimore area that quickly found a farm. The rescue also wasn’t able to take pit bulls, but the person I talked to helped find the placement.
MomSense
Shoot, I have a dog who doesn’t like to share anything and that includes my attention. I also don’t have enough space for two more dogs. I hope you can find a safe place for them.
We had a breakthrough yesterday. Pup did not bark when a stranger (male) approached in the woods yesterday. He was lost and we were able to offer directions without any barking drama. We also walked past dogs in their yards who were barking ferociously and she did not respond. I’m cautiously optimistic.
Face
@Tim F.: God forbid all of us who’ve been attacked without provocation by a pit are a bit sensitive to their presence. Oh, I forgot, it’s the owner, not the breed. But since I’m familiar with every owner’s background and dog raising proclivities, I know which pits to trust and which ones not to. It’s so foolish to be wary of aggressive dogs!
MomSense
@Cacti:
My friend’s dad had a small dog who was attacked and almost killed by a golden retriever.
TheronWare
I love me some Pitties with their big beautiful blocky heads!!
MaryL
Thanks all for the suggestions. I’ve been in touch with several rescues here, and Bully Paws did respond to my email, but I’m waiting for further information from them. I’ll look into all of the rest mentioned above.
bl
Here is another pit bull rescue in Frederick MD.
Always Strong
Elmo
@Pogonip: Co-sign.
Mary G
My insurance won’t cover pit bulls and our local shelter is full of them. If they are dog aggressive, they will be a problem.
MaryL
@Pogonip: I am planning to do that as soon as I have an hour free to run to the vet, but they show signs of having been abandoned.
TriassicSands
I’m on the West Coast and can’t do anything to help out in this situation. However, I did want to comment on this:
Those dogs should never be allowed to be anywhere near kids without close supervision, especially since there is no way to guarantee that they will never be alone — accidentally. In short, they should be adopted by a household that either has no children or only older children.
I’ve known a number of pit bulls that were really wonderful dogs — friendly, loyal, and fun to be around, but their owners all had very strict rules about the dogs and children.
Good luck with finding a home for them.
MaryL
@TriassicSands: As a rule I never let any dogs alone with kids, no matter how great they are.
debit
Good luck with either placing them in a rescue or finding a home. They look like really sweet dogs.
Kristine
On our walks, Gaby was attacked on one occasion by a JRT, another time, by a pit bull. A few days ago, a big dog–boxer mix?–tried to scramble over a fence to get to us. Luckily it was too bottom-heavy to get over. Hounds. Aussie sheps. Hell, shih tzus.
IOW, I’ve encountered mean dogs of every breed and mix. I don’t trust any of them anymore.
Cacti
@MomSense:
1 breed, 1 million excuses.
Betty Cracker
@Cacti: So should they all be rounded up and exterminated? Mandatory spaying, but existing pits can go on living? I’m genuinely curious about what the anti-pit people think should happen. I’ve got mixed feelings about them myself; I’ve known sweet pits, and I’ve known scary as hell pits.
Pogonip
@Betty Cracker: I don’t see how you could enforce a neutering law. Eradicating pit bulls would require finding, confiscating, and neutering every one. Not likely to happen in a country that won’t even maintain its power grid.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@Betty Cracker:
That’s the approach that France (the one country with which I have personal experience) has taken since 2000. It hasn’t been 100% successful, of course, but both the numbers of such dogs and the occurrence of dog bites have been reduced. The French law names specific breeds but also describes morphology; dogs that are bred to have or exhibit the physical characteristics of pit bulls must be spayed/neutered and can’t be sold.
MaryL, have you called Animal Control to ask what the likely outcomes are? Do they scan for microchips, so that you don’t have to pay your vet to do it? But I’m afraid it may be too late for these guys. Pits that are already dog-aggressive are heartbreak (or worse) waiting to happen. There’s simply no way anyone can guarantee, forever, that they won’t encounter other dogs or – especially – children.
MomSense
@Cacti:
A pit bull almost killed one of my dogs years ago. I blame the owner.
Cacti
@Betty Cracker:
Pits’ breed traits will always make them a source of potential problems in places with high populations of people and other canines. Mandatory muzzling in public places, no exceptions, and I fully favor breed specific bans in municipalities.
If the pits referenced in this bleg are already canine aggressive, the only suitable home for them is acreage, where there is little chance they’ll encounter other dogs.
Cacti
@MomSense:
An owner always carries final responsibility for controlling their animal’s interactions with others.
However, pits were bred for blood sports and as catch animals for large quarry, like feral hogs and wild cattle. A bad owner is likely to exacerbate problem breed traits that were never far away to begin with.
Bets
My grandson had a really sweet puppy pit, Charlie. He took him to a local dog park and another dog came out of no where (no owner in sight) and grabbed onto the puppies face and would not let go. Others were trying to help, and after forever the dog let him go. His puppy’s face was torn badly, and be almost bled to death. Charlie is now apt to be certain dogs aggressive out of fear.
Amaranthine RBG
Trying to re-home aggressive pit bulls?
Oh, I’m sorry, they’re just “dog aggressive.”
Seth
Yeah, these dogs need to be either somewhere they won’t encounter other dogs or people they don’t know, or they need to be put down. Wherever they end up I hope the people in charge of them are aware of their aggressiveness and are responsible and experienced enough to deal with it successfully. Personally, given that there are so many non-aggressive dogs without homes out there, I would look elsewhere for a canine companion but if someone else wants them and can keep them from being a danger to others good on them.
Miss Bianca
There’s a new book out called “Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon” that traces the history of the pitbull – or Staffordshire Bull Terrier, among other breeds – from America’s sweetheart dog – (anyone remember the Little Rascals’ Petey? he was a pit bull) – considered perfectly suitable to be a children’s guardian, to the “vicious breed” of today. It’s on my to-read list. It might not surprise you to learn that during the Great Depression, a lot of these dogs were turned into fighting dogs by – surprise! – young men with no jobs, no prospects, lots of time on their hands, and no better way to make money.
Waggles
We adopted through Lucky Dog in DC and they are wonderful. They can at least help point you in the right direction. Thank you for being their saviors.
It makes me sad that the all american dog gets such a bad rap because of how their human’s behave. A dog is not born human or dog aggressive. That makes absolutely no sense evolutionarily since as pack animals they depend on both humans and other dogs to survive! Its the people in the dogs life, irresponsible or purposefully mean, that cause the fear and thus agression in the creatures that want nothing but the job of loving their humans.
Nicole
It is estimated that about 50 percent of dogs exhibit some dog-on-dog aggression. It’s not a pit bull thing; it’s a dog thing. My own shelter pit mix has terrible dog fear, largely due to being attacked by an off-leash husky (she was quite polite to other dogs prior to the husky). She has been attacked by three very dog aggressive tiny dogs since then (all off leash, two in my own apartment building lobby because their owner cannot seem to keep two 5 lb Yorkies under control. Sigh.)
Pits and pit mixes are not any more likely to be dog aggressive than any other breed; they’ve just been the media’s choice to demonize for so long that a lot of misinformation makes them, unfortunately, not only maligned by folk who probably would like them, but also very attractive to a type of personality who should not own dogs of any kind.
And dog-on-dog aggression has no relation to dog-on-human aggression. None. I know plenty of dogs that can’t be around other dogs but are perfect with people. I know dogs that are dog social but can’t be trusted around most people.
My dog can’t be in close quarters with other dogs. She also is credited by my brother as being the reason why his youngest child got past his terror of dogs, because she is so kind with children and eager to please people. (Said nephew of mine was attacked by a seven-pound frou frou dog when he was young and terrified of dogs until he spent a week around mine.). My dog is an individual. Like they all are. No matter the breed.
I hope you were able to find rescue places for these two, MaryL.
Pogonip
@Elmo: Well, Elmo, looks like it’s just you and me, we’d better clap loudly!
I want to hear about Cole’s adventures with the water dept. Wade in the water…Cole’s gonna trouble the water…
Cacti
@Nicole:
If I had a nickel for every time I heard some version of the above from every bobbleheaded pit bull owner, etc.
The Other Chuck
@Nicole:
Bullshit. Aggression is aggression (and I’m talking about actual aggressive actions, not barking), and circumstances will arise where they channel one form into another. They might see their owner as an alpha, but I guarantee you they’ll eventually treat a kid like a dog too.
Cacti
@The Other Chuck:
If heritable canine breed traits weren’t a thing, humans wouldn’t have bothered with the husbandry required to create dog breeds.
Beagles don’t like to follow scents and chase rabbits because of a good or a bad owner. It’s what they were bred to do.
Gin & Tonic
@Pogonip: I figure by now he’s set off the flea bombs and blown up the house. The bright side to that would be that if he blew the roof off, he could more easily see what it’s made of and answer the insurance agent’s question.So he may need the water turned on so he can put the fire out.
What? It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
Betty Cracker
@The Other Chuck: One of my dogs (boxer) hates other dogs (except our other dog) but loves people. We’ve had her for eight years now, and I’ve observed her in all kinds of situations. She’s never shown the slightest tendency to be aggressive toward a person, ever.
Pogonip
@Gin & Tonic: Well, you were close!
Pogonip
@Cacti: They also like to do it for the annoyance value.
OWNER: (heading west): Heel.
BEAGLE (heading east): Rabbit! Only 7 hours old! I can FIND that sucker.
Thanks to their being imperturbably stubborn, and cute as all get-out, beagles usually win these arguments. If you give in once, the beagle will take that as coming around to his point of view. Ask me how I know.
MaryL
The Humane Society has agreed to take them in. They will most likely temperament test the dogs and I trust them to figure out the right course of action one way or another.
EPA
For heaven’s sakes people, get a grip!
I’ve seen good Pitbullies and bad Pitbullies. I’ve seen Pitties chased by Chihuahuas, and I’ve seen Pitties that would lick your face off, and Yorkies, that would rip your face off (and vice versa).
I do not own one, but do live with two dog companions . I am a dog lover, and have been one since I learned to walk hanging on to our family dog, 58 years ago.
I’ve had my small Jack Russel/Japanese Chin jumped by a Pitbull. She’s also been jumped by a Border Collie, and outright grabbed in the face by a mixed breed dog, so what shall we do, ban all dogs?
Dogs, are animals, which some people tend to forget. They can be unpredictable at times, just like humans. Personally, I have found most dogs to be more predictable and trustworthy than many people.
I hope those two dogs are snapped up by a good rescue and find good responsible homes.
Best regards to all.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@MaryL: Thank you for your efforts for them, Mary. Here’s hoping they find a suitable home.
Cheers,
Scott.
Betty Cracker
@MaryL: Kudos to you for helping them. I hope they find a loving home.
MoxieM
I do hope they find the right outcome, for their own and everyone’s happiness. There are so many of these critters in the shelters–most rentals around here (Eastern MA) will not take a PB, akita, mastiff, etc. At my dog park, lately the worst issues have been from a BIG malamute with an owner who clearly likes having the meanest dog around.
With my huge but super-gentle elderly Newfie, I would never dare to bring a Pittie home. Newfies tend to provoke other dogs merely by their size (can’t count the number of times other dogs of all persuasions have tried to take a chunk of her…and wound up with a mouthful of hair…). My girl is a rescue, as have been all but one of my Newfs. People buy more dog than they can handle. And then toss them away. Bastards.
So my heart goes out to all the homeless dogs, but I personally would never put my old girl at risk for being mauled. I couldn’t take it. Not worth the risk.
Miss Bianca
@MoxieM: So odd…I’ve heard people talk about having bad encounters with Northern breed dogs, and I’ve only ever met one (a Malamute) who was really aggressive…and even she got the picture pretty quickly that that wasn’t cool, because her person was committed to making it all work out at doggie play time…all the Huskies I’ve known have been lovers (definitely of humans, usually always of other dogs as well). Sigh. Just goes to show that there is no such thing as breed-specific aggression…totally depends on the dog and the person.
Anne Laurie
@Miss Bianca: Twenty years ago, when I was doing AKC obedience with my beloved first dog (a 15lb Papillon), there was a nasty, untrustworthy Malamute in our group. She persistently went after the smallest and the elderly dogs in her class, and her idiot owner (a well-meaning, “dog experienced”, deeply clueless individual, in the Jill Stein mode) did nothing but make excuses. Tasha was ‘playful’, she ‘didn’t know her own strength’, she was ‘accidentally’ nipping & t-boning & rolling over other dogs… noticeably, never dogs in her own weight class unless they were so old or arthritic as to be easy targets.
Tasha’s dog aggression never rose to the level of an outright dog fight (at least during our classes), and the rest of us could not convince her besotted handler that she was an accident waiting to happen — not even the other Malamute owner in the group, who was a lot blunter than the rest of us. She was a ‘valuable’ dog (working on her confirmation championship) but if she’d been my responsibility I’d have had her euthanized for her temperament, frankly. A 90lb bitch who thinks she can get away with abusing other dogs is a clear & present danger.
Amaranthine RBG
@Cacti:
A thousand times this.
Miss Bianca
@Anne Laurie: Reminds me of a cardinal rule of horses: “If they’re absolutely beautiful, but absolutely unmanageable, they’re absolutely worthless – except perhaps for breeding purposes”. And I’d say, not even then – and *certainly* not for dogs!
MoxieM
@Anne Laurie. In fact, Jill Stein *is* a complete moron with her dog! (Just a little follow up fact). She has Gt. Dane(s) … not neutered. Kind of like anti-vaxxing, but dogish. I lived in the neighborhood for years. Her dog routinely harassed other dogs, and she always blamed the other owner.
A friend’s young teen daughter & dog got threatened by the Dane. Friend went to Stein’s house. Stein blamed child; All purpose asshole. The end
Anne Laurie
@MoxieM: Ugh. And I thought I couldn’t despise Dr. Stein any more than I already did…