Another Mom Brag, plus a little vent about people in general.. About This Page:

[Teresa]

DD Lauren and some other kids/teens found a stray pit-bull the other day. They called around to local shelters and were told, in a nutshell; "It's a pit. We won't adopt it out, and we won't keep it." (basically, bring it to us and we'll put it down).
It was scrawny and dehydrated, dirty and - well, someone shot it with either one shot of buckshot from a shotgun or took several shots at it with a bb gun or air rifle (bbs/shot was hard to tell from). some of the wounds were abscessed (infected). WE have 2 dogs, we cannot take on another. We're not scared of pits, one of ours is a pit mix and he's wonderful. We just cannot take on another large dog.
DD's boyfriend and family said they'd take it, at least for a few days. Well, they took it to the vet and it was microchipped. But no-one ever registered the microchip, so that will do no good. Plus, how did it get injured in the first place?
So, DD's boyfriend's dad has decided to adopt the dog. The BF is graduating high school this school year and he's an only child. The parents think it might be nice to have a dog to care for.

I'm so proud of my DD for finding a solution to this, for doing what was right (a lot of the people who were around at the time the dog was found wouldn't take it because it was a pit, and they were scared), and for caring. I'm also saddened that she has to be faced with the proof that humanity is not always nice to the creatures it shares the earth with. It's one thing to see the ASPCA ads on TV, it's another to be faced with the very real proof right there in front of your face that people abuse animals. BTW - the dog is very sweet and calm, has shown no aggression, and the vet says is fairly healthy, all things considered.

[Disney Dork]

Aww. Poor dog. It's so great your daughter and the other kids decided to help the injured dog. We used to have a pitbull mix and he was a great dog. Many people would pet him but then some would suddenly become afraid when they asked what type of dog he was. I always was bothered when that would happen. I hope the dog and his new family are happy together!!

[CinderAbby]

There's no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad owner. We had a case here on the news a while ago about what someone did to a pit bull. I won't even go into it because it literally made me sick what was done to the poor thing (it had to be put down it was so bad). I'm so glad your daughter found it and it will now have a good home but you're right it is extremely sad what people do. It often makes me wonder if they treat people that way too and how they can live with themselves with what they do.

[lauriep]

Wonderful that the kids stepped in to help the poor dog. He's one of the lucky ones because of them. I hope he has a long and happy life with his new family.

[Her Dotness]

I live in a part of the country where shooting or roadside dumping of unwanted dogs and cats is unfortunately common. That may be what happened to this poor dog, I suspect.

I wish there were a practical means of requiring anyone who wants a dog, particularly large breeds that may be challenging to control and house appropriately, to undergo an ownership training course and be licensed to own a dog. I see too many small women and older children in our apartment complex being pulled along by leashed dogs too large for them to manage. If something should startle the dog, there would be no predicting what might happen.

Responsible ownership, particularly when circumstances mean you can't keep your dog or cat anymore, demands more from people than they may be aware of or consider when that cute little puppy or kitten catches their eye or their child's.

[Huntermom]

So happy that the dog found a loving home. If he's not neutered, maybe the kids can look into getting help for that. I love dogs, have always had two (usually rescues) but am appalled at the number of people who don't spay and neuter. There are far too many unwanted dogs out there.

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

So happy that the dog found a loving home. If he's not neutered, maybe the kids can look into getting help for that. I love dogs, have always had two (usually rescues) but am appalled at the number of people who don't spay and neuter. There are far too many unwanted dogs out there.

I'll have to ask about that. We have a fairly cheap spay/neuter clinic in Indianapolis that I'll recommend the new family take him to. Or, since DD found the dog, I'll offer to help pay for the "fix".
We've had dogs and cats most of my life, and they have always been 'fixed'. Well, except the one we got and didn't know it was pregnant until it started having pups a few weeks later. It was spade soon after, I think (I was about 8?).

Our current crew consists of the 2 dogs, both rescues and both 'fixed', plus the 3 cats - all of them are neutered. I just don't need that headache in my life. Some people at work are always trying to sell puppies - one lady is trying to get rid of her 3rd litter since I started working there, a year ago! I offered to pay for the spay, and she got offended, saying I shouldn't take that away from her dog!

[Her Dotness]

"Shouldn't take that away from her dog"???? Hooboyee!

I guess that beats "I want my kids to experience the dog having puppies to understand the facts of life" as a "reason" [sarcasm alert!] for not spaying or neutering dogs as soon as they're mature enough to reproduce.

I'd be tempted to mouth off at that woman, "Maybe your dog wanted to be a single careerdog instead of a mother! Did you ask her?"

[Huntermom]

My favorite (which seems more common with pits) is a guy who "can't do that to his male dog."

To me, it is a disservice not to spay or neuter, both to the dog and the unwanted offspring.

And one fact of life is most don't get to indiscriminately reproduce,

[GATechGal]

Pets are just easier after they've been fixed. We have gotten all but 2 of ours from the Humane Society and they won't let them out the door any more without being fixed. Suits me. The 2 we adopted from neighbors got fixed as soon as they were old enough.

[MilyD]

We always got the stray dogs that no one wanted and left at my dad's office (yes, he's a vet - not too far from you...) and one of the sweetest we had was a female pit. We went on vacation and came back to her gone.

Kudos for your daughter for finding a home. DH and I currently do not have a dog, but I have warned him that taking me to the shelter I would not come home empty handed. Being cruel to animals just bothers me to no end. And, yes, my animals have almost always been fixed!

[WillCAD]

Even if the dog was vicious or dangerous, such wonton cruelty is despicable and sickening. But I agree with Darlene - there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners.

The prejudice against pit bulls is somewhat understandable, given that they are often the dog of choice for the blight upon humanity's collective soul known as dogfighting and are hence thought of as "aggressive" or "mean" or "vicious". But those are all sad misconceptions.

People have had those same misconceptions for decades about large breeds like Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Rottweiler's, which make excellent guard, watch, and law enforcement dogs. People thought they were chosen for that work because of some innate meanness or aggressive disposition, when in fact they are chosen for that work because A) they're big and strong, and B) they're very smart breeds who take training extremely well. Truth is, Dobbies, Rotties, and Shepherds are among the sweetest and most loyal breeds.

Pits are lumped in the same boat. They're powerful, high-energy dogs and make good fighters, but they're not inherently mean or aggressive. They're made mean through cruelty and abuse by dogfighters.

Which brings me back to my original thought, which is that I can't abide intentional, useless cruelty to any living creature.