Adoption Tips

Adoption Tips

Adopting a Pit Bull is an exciting and life changing decision. Bringing a new companion into your home is intended to be for the rest of it’s life. It’s not a decision to rush into and one that you should spend ample amount of time thinking about and researching.

1. Choose a breed that is a good fit for your lifestyle.  People often chose a pet by going with the latest “fad”. That’s not a good way to find a new member of your family.  Choose a breed that compliments your lifestyle.  Pit Bulls are strong, active dogs and require a good amount of exercise.  Do you have the room to properly exercise your pet? If you don’t have a large enough yard to exercise your pit bull in, are you willing to walk them every day? Is your neighborhood a safe place to walk your dog? Are your neighbors receptive to you owning a pit bull?
2. Many homeowner policies will not cover you if you own certain breeds, and this frequently includes Pit Bulls.  Check with your insurance and see what your restrictions are.  If they don’t cover bully breeds, are you willing to find another insurance carrier?
3. None of us can predict the future, but when adopting a pet, it’s very important to look ahead and see if that pet is going to fit into the plans/goals that we have ahead of us. All too often we are contacted by people who no longer want their dogs because they are having a new baby, moving into a smaller home, moving into a city with Breed Specific Legislation, starting a new job that requires extra hours, etc.  The average life expectancy of a bully breed is 14-16 years.  Are you willing to to make this type of commitment to your dog? Being a responsible pet owner means figuring out a way to keep your dog, regardless of what life throws at you.  Doing this with a bully breed can be even more challenging than with other breeds because so many discriminate against them.  Are you willing to do whatever it takes to keep your dog? Are you willing to remember they are also family when/if there is a new baby on the way? Are you willing to find a place to live that accepts your dog?
4. Owning a bully breed can be one of the most rewarding gifts. Most Pit Bull owners will tell you that their lives would not be complete without their dog(s).  That doesn’t meant they don’t require a lot of work.  Pit Bulls are by nature very eager to please and most times great students. They learn quickly and do their best to please their owners.  They DO require a strong leader though. One who will properly socialize and train them.  Pit Bulls owners have to be more dedicated and work harder than the average dog owner because unfortunately the public has wrongly given our dogs a bad rap.  To change this it is imperative that we teach our dogs to be great ambassadors, so that in time the world will see the dogs for what the amazingly friendly dogs that they are. Are you willing to spend the time it takes to have a well mannered and trained dog? Are you willing to make sure that your dog will be an ambassador for Pit Bulls?