By Jennifer Lamontagne
Just saying the word Pitbull can send a shiver down one’s spine, never mind saying it along with kids in the mix. The reaction of most people is that pitbulls would never make a good pet for anyone, especially a family.
One family has proven this wrong; the Currier family, from Barre, MA, with kids, ages 2, 11, and 13, found a new member of the family in Deacon. A pitbull adopted just over a year ago from Second Chance Shelter in East Brookfield. They fell in love with Deacon the moment they got to play with him and started the adoption process right away, despite not knowing Deacon’s past or the abuse he went through. They fell in love with him as he fell in love with them.
Second Chance Shelter wants to ensure the dogs they adopt out go to their forever homes, so their adoption process works to make certain dogs and families are a good fit.
Sarah Parrot, Adoption Manager at Second Chance Shelter stated, “We receive most of our dogs from the South coming from over-crowded kill shelters, and the rest of the dogs are owner surrenders.” At the shelter, potential adopters fill out a survey, all family members must meet the dog, and other pets in the house must meet the dog as well.
Parrot states that dogs that come from the south have gone through temperament tests and that dogs that come in from owner surrender will be temperament tested onsite. First, they are quarantined, examined by a Veterinarian, and spayed or neutered. Once all the medical procedures are handled, they are moved and go through temperament testing. That includes food aggression, and tug-and-pull tests where they have their ears, tail, and feet tugged and pulled.
Mrs. Currier said, “He’s such a big love bug. Deacon is an amazing dog and wonderful new member of the family.”
The Curriers have a Rottweiler mix, Bella, and when the two met, they became friends immediately. They frolic and play together, share snuggles with the family, and Bella even lets Deacon win in play fights, sometimes. Mrs. Currier is not concerned about dog aggression with Deacon, and in fact states, “Bella is the dominant one, and Deacon is the submissive one. Deacon is even afraid of the cat!”
The Currier family adopted Deacon with loving hearts, welcomed him into their family despite being a pitbull, not knowing his past, and Deacon repays his gratitude of being saved by always snuggling, being loving, and always having a smile on his face. An article in The Huffington Post said it best, “There’s one stereotype about pitbulls that we can get behind. It is indisputably true that when they’re happy and loved, these dogs have the very best smiles.” The Currier family agrees that when Deacon smiles it melts their hearts.
Facts about Pit Bulls
- Every breed of dog has its own personality just like people. Not every dog is right for every person.
- Pit Bulls, as well as all breeds of dogs, thrive in loving, nurturing environments.
- A common misconception about Pit Bulls is that their jaws lock when they bite. This is not true; their jaws do not lock when they bite. They do have powerful jaws, just not ones with special powers.
- Pit Bulls get is a bad rap as being aggressive. Any dog can be aggressive but Pit Bull Terriers get the brunt of the heat
- Out of all the breeds of dogs, Pit Bulls have the highest number of dog bites according to Dogbite.org; however, in an article from Huffington Post, there is a big debate on the stats of those numbers as so many dogs resemble Pit Bulls but are not actually Pit Bulls.
- The American Veterinarian Medical Association states “that animal shelter staff-and even some vets-consistently misidentify dogs classified as Pit Bull types”.
- There are several dogs that are misidentified as Pit Bulls, such as Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, and Pogo Argentino. The only sure way to be sure it is a Pit Bull is genetic testing.
Can you identify the Pit Bull? Don’t feel bad, most people can’t.
Guess what! None of these dogs is a Pit Bull. They are Alpha Blue Blood Bull dog, Dogo Argentino, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and American Bull Dog.
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