FI and I adopted a doggie!! :)

[omieluv]

She comes home Wednesday evening and we are super excited! The animal shelter we worked with uses a trainer for all of their new dogs that come in and then sends them back to the trainer a few days prior to going home. Part of our adoption fee includes a 1-hr training session, so that the trainer can show us what he has taught her. My only concern is how my cat is going to react. She really HATES cats, but she is curious about dogs. We have been introducing her to my brother's dog and we are at a point where she is fine, as long as the dog shows no interest in her. I plan to introduce the two very slowly and never leave both of them out alone. We will also be using a crate to train Violet, until we all get into a routine that works.

Violet is what they call a pit bull mix. She is 8 months old and has been with the shelter since she was 16 weeks old. Though she was popular among vounteers, she was hard to get adopted out because people were afraid of her breed.

This is the only good picture I have of her...

 

[Burberrygirl]

Congrats, she is soooo cute!! I can''t wait to see more pics!

 

[omieluv]

Oh, how could I forget the puppy picture they had of her! I was so happy they had this, as I would love to have seen a picture of my cat as a kitten. This is a picture of her near 16 weeks. She was so small then! She was 48 lbs at the end of July and I wonder how much she is now.

 

[princesss]

What a sweetie! Well socialized pit mixes are great, you won''t be sorry.

 

[tigian]

Awwwww! She is way too cute. I think it is so great that you and your FI are going to give a home to this 8 month old. Pitbull mixes are usually super sweet. I always think it is unfair that they tend to have a horrible reputation. We have a 2 year old and she looks like she could be Violet''s twin. Her name is Lily. Funny how both their names are flowers. I''ll be looking for updates on your cutie pie.

 

[Puppmom]

What a gorgeous dog! You''re going to have a blast. In my experience, Pits and Pit mixes, are always up for fun. I hope you find rescuing a positive experience. It sounds like this place really has their stuff together.

Good luck!

 

[MagsyMay]

Aww Violet is adorable! I have such a soft spot for pit mixes. I hate the negative reputation they have and applaud people like you for adopting and giving homes to these lovable pups! It sounds like the shelter does a great job at socializing the animals and hopefully she''ll fit right into your lifestyle. Good luck!

 

[ckrickett]

My BF had a pitbull and we stand by that they are really good dogs.
You just have to be careful and have them well trained and yes they can be aggressive but they are really super loyal and withthe proper training are excellent family dogs. Plus you can feel safe home alone at night.

 

[lulu]

She is so gorgeous. I don''t believe all the hype about pit bulls. It''s all in how a dog is raised.

 

[CJ2008]

Cute, cute, cute!

ETA: Violet's a lucky girl! So glad you adopted her!

ETA2: Hope your kitty does well with her...just take your time with introducing them, and be careful...(sorry I'm just such a chicken it would probably take me a year, I'd be so afraid they'd fight or something and one of them would end up really hurt)

 

[Haven]

What a face! Congrats, Omie, and thank you for rescuing Violet. She looks like a sweetheart, and how great that they have a puppy picture of her!

We adopted our pup Bailee from a shelter and they told us that she was a Pit Bull mix, as well. Our vet did a blood test on her and we learned that she is an Am Staff and Bulldog mix, so close enough, right?

We have three cats at home, so when we brought Bailee home we were sure to train her to leave the cats alone and that certain parts of the house were their territory only. We actually put up baby gates closing off the kitchen and bedroom area of our home, so it was easy to train Bailee that she has to have permission to enter certain parts of the house. It also gave the kitties a nice, large dog-free zone.

Now that we''ve all been together for a year everyone gets along really well! The kitties snuggle up against Bailee when it''s cold outside, and during the winter months they would all sleep around her because she gave off so much body heat. It was really cute.

In my experience Pit Bulls are incredibly sweet, affectionate, and loyal. I think you guys are going to fall in love with your new baby girl!

 

[AdiS]

She''s beautiful, omie! I agree, if a dog is raised and trained properly, regardless of its breed, it''ll be just fine. And Violet has such a heart-warming face!

 

[Deelight]

I had an AM staff which are fairly similar in temp to pit bulls regardless of what rep they have they are the most loving and gentle and loyal dogs I have ever had the pleasure of owning - great with kids and all round awesome .

They can be aggressive towards other dogs if not socialised but if you do socialise them they are gentle giants

Congrats on your pup what a cutie

 

[Lorelei]

She is a darling! A friend of mine has two pit mixes and they are wonderful dogs, ditto you won't be sorry you gave this little lady a home!

 

[Nomsdeplume]

She''s beautiful! Congrats on the new addition to your family.

 

[bee*]

aww she''s gorgeous! Congratulations on adopting her!

 

[princessplease]

Yay!!!!!!!!!!! How cute!!!!!!!

 

[lucyandroger]

Congrats!

 

[geckodani]

Yay! Congrats on your new furbaby! I think it''s fantastic that they take the dogs to a trainer. I know I''d be more inclinded to adopt if I knew the dog either didn''t have behavioral issues, or at least what they were from the get go!

 

[Lekde]

She is beautiful!! Thank you for adopting her and giving the ever so badly spoken about pit mix breed a home. We also rescued pit bull/boxer mix, Stella, and she is nothing short of amazing!

Touching on the HATING cats subject, Stella hated cat's too. It took us about 7 months, but she now doesn't mind cat's and actually licks my father's cat all over his face. Just an FYI though, pit mixes tend to have a high prey drive and will chase small animals. Other than that, they are REALLY super smart and quick learners. They are the sweetest (can you tell we're smitten?). I'm at work or I would attach a picture of her.

If you have any other questions, please ask away!! The best of luck with her.

 

[D&T]

adorable! kudos to you! for adopting this cute one!

 

[dragonfly411]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[omieluv]

Thank you everyone for your support and will definitely update this thread with pictures in the next couple of days! If anyone would like to post pictures of their "pit bull" doggies, go ahead!

I have been looking into the breed even more and I am sad to see this breed has been so controversial. It's so sad that adults and children have been injured by these animals and also sad that these animals have been the subject of abuse

On the flip side, I have read these dogs can be great companions and family members if socialized & trained correctly, which makes their cause so emotional. Honestly, when we visited the shelter I was looking for temperament, not a specific breed. Out of all of the dogs meeting our criteria/lifestyle, Violet was the most gentle and calm out of the bunch. This and the fact that she had been with the shelter & fostered since she was 16 weeks were reasons why we adopted her (her professional training helps too). Knowing that she is a pit bull, I am aware of her genetic predisposition toward aggression, so it helped that I know for a fact she was never abused or subject to the pit bull fighting world.

With this being said though, we had visited another shelter the day prior. We met a bunch of their pit bulls and while they were not aggressive, they were quite wild on the leash and very strong pullers! These dogs were not even full grown (around 50-60 lbs) and I did not have the strength to control them. Since I would be a new dog owner, I did not feel confident that I would be a good match for those dogs, so we passed. However Violet is a good example of what a pit bull can be with professional training. Like I said, those other dogs would have been great for an experienced dog owner, not me.

FI and I want to continue with Violet's training so that she can become an AKC Good Citizen and if she passes the test, I would like to train her to become a therapy dog, if possible. Even if she can never become a therapy dog due to her breed, at least she would have recieved tons of training, for which will help her to maintain her great disposition. Like I said before, she has been socialized with dogs, cats and of course people, so I am very hopeful that she will continue to progress and become a wonderful adult.

Date: 9/1/2009 7:36:25 PM
Author:omieluv
My only concern is how my cat is going to react. She really HATES cats, but she is curious about dog.

I meant to say that my CAT hates other cats and is curious about other dogs! From what I have been told, Violet has been fostered with cats and has interacted with cats at the shelter for a while. They told me she likes cats and likes to play with them, so I think the hardest part will be for my cat to adjust to Violet. We have introduced my cat to my brother's dog. At first, she hissed like crazy, but over time she has gotten to the point that she can be in the same room with the dog. She has not cuddled up to the dog, but keeps a comfortable distance. As long as the dog shows no interest in her, my cat will purr, groom and engage in normal cat like behaviors, which I think is a good sign!

 

[Tuckins1]

What a cutie!! I have many friends with pit bulls, and they are sweet, loving doggies!! (For the most part

)

It''s nice that you could give her a good home!

 

[sunnyd]

Awww look at those floppy ears!!

Too cute.

My ex and I had 2 pit mixes, and they were both big loves. Good luck with the kitty introduction!

 

[loriken214]

What a sweet face....thank you for giving her a forever home!

Lori

 

[gwendolyn]

Aww, she looks so sweet! Congrats on adopting her, and can't wait to hear how she gets along with your cat after they get used to each other!

 

[natalina]

That''s wonderful of you to have given her a good home, thank you. It breaks my heart she was in the shelter for 4 months. I''m so happy she has a loving home now.

 

[elrohwen]

She''s adorable! Congrats on adopting her

Are you planning to keep the name? I think it fits her perfectly.

 

[omieluv]

Sorry no pictures yet...

Violet is a great dog so far and I am surprised with the amount of training she has had. I thought she would have been trained to sit and walk on the leash, which she has, however, she can sit-stay and lay down-stay. I can drop the leash and back up several feet in with her in the stay position too!! I do not have any plans to let her off the leash in public, but it is good to know that she can do it! Her trainer is awesome and he suggests we take her into advanced obedience because she is ready for it...we are seriously considering it.

My cat was a diva about the whole introduction. Violet wanted to meet her, but Omie was not interested and quite cranky. However, we got to a point where we could all be in the same room together calmly. Violet was on one sofa and Omie on the other and both getting loads of love. Right now they are both sleeping, so all is well.

As a whole, Violet looks like she is relaxing on her new bed we bought for her. She is sleeping very soundly after our walk. I hope to see more of her personality soon, but I am sure that will come in time.