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Thank you all for your kind words. I do almost feel guilty for wanting another puppy this soon after Brooklyn, but at the same time, as I said before, I just cannot stand not having a dog around. I am such an animal person! I could go days without talking to a single person (except for DH of course ), and be perfectly fine with that. But, a few hours away from my fur-babies kills me! I don't know what else to say besides I'm just an animal person.
As far as adopting again. As have have mentioned several times already, in a few different threads, we are not against adopting. We actually rescued 2 out of the last 3 of our APBTs. When we first got Destiny, we took her to the vet because she looked very sick. The vet told us that Destiny would have died within the next 24hrs or so if it wasn't for us. Right after we got her, we had to leave the poor thing at the vet for several days so she could get treatment for all of the fleas, ticks and worms she had (which almost killed her! ), get fluids and meds, and have a blood transfusion! When we were finally able to bring her home, I got no sleep at all for a while! I had to basically hand feed her every few hours, make sure she got all of her medication every few hours, make sure she stayed warm enough, etc, etc, etc. It was like having a very sick newborn! ... Then, when we got Jayda, she was in horrible shape. Both mentally and physically. It just killed me to see such a sweet dog in that bad of shape. If it wasn't for DH and I, and another neighbor, she might not be alive today either. We found the poor thing chained up on the back porch of her house with no food or water. She was skin and bones, and it was very obvious that she had been abused because she was scared of everyone! Our neighbor originally found her abandoned, a little while after her owners had just moved out and left her! He couldn't take her in because he already had 3 or 4 dogs, and a baby on the way. So, of course, we took her in. Originally, we were just going to get her healthy and then find her a good home. I didn't want to take her to a rescue or a shelter, because even though they would have fixed her up and re-homed her, I just couldn't stand to put her through any more stress. She was only 7 1/2 months old, and she was already so scared of people! It took us a few hours to get her to come into our home! She was so scared, that is we walked up to her to pet her, even if we stayed low to the ground and moved really slow, she would crouch down, roll on her back, tuck her tail between her legs and pee all over herself. It took a while, but eventually, she gained back all of her weight, and even grew to be bigger than our male APBT, Brooklyn. And she turned out to be the sweetest dog on earth! She loved everyone and everything! After all of that, we ended up falling in love with her and couldn't re-home her!
Anyway, it's not like we are against rescuing or adopting. We have done that before, and not just with our female APBTs. My husband had gotten most of his dogs from shelters before we met, and I did as well. I even adopted a female Fox Hound, that I named Lucky, because she was scheduled to be put to sleep the very next day. I adopted her just so she wouldn't die. And as I have also mentioned a couple times, DH and I will begin volunteering at the same Humane Society that my younger sister volunteers at (Welcome to the Utah Humane Society of Utah. Donate a car, boat or RV to The Humane Society of Utah (http://www.utahhumane.org/Home/tabid/379/Default.aspx - broken link)), as soon as we possibly can. There was an orientation scheduled for I think the 18th of this month, but I guess they have changed that now. So, next time my sister goes in, we are just going to go with her so we can find out when we can start. We wish we could have started already! So yeah, when we start there, if we fall in love with a "pit bull" at the shelter, we will definitely be adopting. But, either way, whether we end up buying from a breeder, or adopting/rescuing, we will still continue to volunteer at that shelter for the foreseeable future, for sure. So, either way, we will at least be doing something to help.
So, with all of that being said, I have sent an e-mail to that breeder asking him several more questions. So as soon as I get a response, I will post it.
Oh, and yes, we will be getting our next pup spayed/neutered, as well as microchipped, as soon as we get them. As most of you know, I am not a breeder, and I never plan on breeding. Nor will I show my dogs. My dogs are family companions, period.
Anyway, thanks again for all of the posts, and again, I will let you know when I get a response from this breeder.
Agreed...everyone handles the death of family pet differently. Some can't not bare the thought of another pet, feeling they are being "unfaithful" to the lost pet...others feel the strong need to have another to love and care for. Everyone works at their own pace...for me, if I didn't have Dylan here and my cats to cry and sob on after Mia's death, I'm not sure how I would have handled the situation.
Do what you feel is right for you and your DH(and your hearts)!
I agree! Plus especially with the rescues and shelters overflowing with more Pitties than any other breed, you will be a Godsend to eachother which will make it twice as rewarding!! Remember those cute little white doggies are always the first to be adopted! The Pit breed needs more people who love and understand them but instead, the pounds overflow with them because people have no clue about them really. So wrong imo.
The hardest part is picking one out and just leaving with one (or two) and leaving. I'd get my husband to go in because I wouldn't be able to good luck
PBM How about an older dog that the breeder wants to retire?
We haven't thought about that, but that is definitely something to think about. IDK? I'd have to see what DH thinks, I don't have a problem with that, I have just never thought of it. However, we do kind of want a puppy. For a couple reasons... 1- Of course, puppies are sooo cute and so much fun! lol! 2- We want to be able to raise, train and socialize the puppy ourselves, starting at a young age. Again though, I will have to see what DH thinks about that. That's actually a cool idea!
Hi PitBullMommie, I've posted this before, but thought you might want to see this. I own several rescues and also have bought my last couple from reputable breeders.
Here's a checklist for you.
____1) Where did you find out about this breeder? Responsible breeders usually have a waiting list of puppy buyers. They usually don't find it necessary to advertise in newspapers or with a sign out in the front yard.
____2) Do both parents (the sire and dam) have a hip clearance from the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), PennHip or Wind-Morgan? Ask to see the certificates. "My vet okayed the x-ray" is not a valid clearance. Prelims can be done before two years, but some dogs can fail to get final OFA clearance at two years, even if they passed before.
____3) Do both parents have current eye clearances from an Opthomologist or CERF certificate (Canine Eye Registry)? This must be re-done every year. Ask to see the certificates.
____4) Do either parent have other clearances, Elbow, Heart, and Thyroid? These are some of the other problems labradors can have and some breeders are checking for.
____5) Are both parents at least 2 years old? Final hip clearances cannot be obtained before that age. Prelims can be done before two years, but some dogs can fail to get final OFA clearance at two years, even if they passed before.
____6) How often is the dam bred? If it is every heat cycle, THIS IS TOO OFTEN, and may indicate that profit is the primary motive for the breeding.
____7)Do all four grandparents, siblings of the parents and any other puppies that they may have produced have these clearances? A responsible breeder will keep track of these statistics and honestly discuss any problems that have occurred in the lines and what has been done to prevent them from reoccurring.
____8) Is the breeder willing to provide you with references and telephone numbers of other people who have purchased puppies from them?
____9) Will the puppy have a limited registration with a mandatory spay/neuter contract? A breeder who cares enough about the breed to insist on these is likely to be a responsible breeder.
____10) On what basis was the sire chosen? If the answer is "because he lives right down the street" or "because he is really sweet", it may be that sufficient thought was not put into the breeding.
____11) WILL THE BREEDER TAKE THE DOG BACK AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON, IF YOU CANNOT KEEP IT?! This is the hallmark of responsible breeding (and the quickest way to make rescue obsolete).
____12) Is there a written guarantee against congenital health or temperament problems, that does not require you to return your puppy or euthanize it?
____13) Will the breeder be available to answer any question you might have for the life of the dog? Is this someone you would feel comfortable asking any type of question?
____14) Is the breeder knowledgeable about the breed? Is he or she involved in competition with their dogs (field, obedience, or confirmation)?
____15) Are there a majority of titled dogs (the initials: CH, OTCH, CD, JH, WC... before or after the names) in the first two generations? The term champion lines means nothing if those titles are back three or more generations or there is only one or two in the whole pedigree.
____16) Are the puppy's sire and dam available for you to meet? If the sire is unavailable can you call his owners or people who have his puppies to ask about temperament or health problems? You should also be provided with pictures or videos.
____17) Have the puppies been raised in the home - not in a kennel, barn or the back yard?
____18) Is the breeder knowledgeable about raising puppies, critical neonatal periods, proper socialization techniques? Puppies that are raised without high exposure to gentle handling, human contact and a wide variety of noises and experiences OR are removed from their dam or litter mates before at least 7 weeks, may exhibit a wide variety of behavioral problems!
____19) Does the breeder provide you with a 3-5 generation pedigree, a contract to sign, copies of all clearances and guarantee, health records and material to help you with feeding, training and housebreaking?
____20) Have the puppies temperaments been evaluated and can the breeder guide you to the puppy that will best suite your lifestyle? A very shy puppy will not do well in a noisy household with small children, just as a very dominant puppy won't flourish in a sedate, senior citizen household. A caring breeder will know the puppies and be able to show you how to test them so that good matches can be made.
____21) Do the puppies seem healthy, with no discharge from eyes or nose, no loose stools, no foul smelling ears? Are their coats soft, full and clean? Do they have plenty of energy when awake yet calm down easily when gently stroked?
____22) Do the puppies have their first shots and have they been wormed & vet checked by the time they go to your home?
____23) Does the breeder have only 1 or at most 2 breeds of dogs and only 1 or 2 litters at a time? If there are many breeds of dogs there, the chances are the breeder cannot devote the time it takes to become really knowledgeable about the breed and if there is more than one litter at a time it is very difficult to give the puppies the attention they need and may indicate that the primary purpose for breeding is profit, rather than a sincere desire to improve the breed.
____24) Does the breeder belong to A Club and/or a local All-Breed Club.
____25) Do you feel comfortable with this person, after all you are entering into a decade long relationship? Are you feeling intimidated or pressured? If so, keep looking!
Hi PitBullMommie, I've posted this before, but thought you might want to see this. I own several rescues and also have bought my last couple from reputable breeders.
Here's a checklist for you.
____1) Where did you find out about this breeder? Responsible breeders usually have a waiting list of puppy buyers. They usually don't find it necessary to advertise in newspapers or with a sign out in the front yard.
____2) Do both parents (the sire and dam) have a hip clearance from the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), PennHip or Wind-Morgan? Ask to see the certificates. "My vet okayed the x-ray" is not a valid clearance. Prelims can be done before two years, but some dogs can fail to get final OFA clearance at two years, even if they passed before.
____3) Do both parents have current eye clearances from an Opthomologist or CERF certificate (Canine Eye Registry)? This must be re-done every year. Ask to see the certificates.
____4) Do either parent have other clearances, Elbow, Heart, and Thyroid? These are some of the other problems labradors can have and some breeders are checking for.
____5) Are both parents at least 2 years old? Final hip clearances cannot be obtained before that age. Prelims can be done before two years, but some dogs can fail to get final OFA clearance at two years, even if they passed before.
____6) How often is the dam bred? If it is every heat cycle, THIS IS TOO OFTEN, and may indicate that profit is the primary motive for the breeding.
____7)Do all four grandparents, siblings of the parents and any other puppies that they may have produced have these clearances? A responsible breeder will keep track of these statistics and honestly discuss any problems that have occurred in the lines and what has been done to prevent them from reoccurring.
____8) Is the breeder willing to provide you with references and telephone numbers of other people who have purchased puppies from them?
____9) Will the puppy have a limited registration with a mandatory spay/neuter contract? A breeder who cares enough about the breed to insist on these is likely to be a responsible breeder.
____10) On what basis was the sire chosen? If the answer is "because he lives right down the street" or "because he is really sweet", it may be that sufficient thought was not put into the breeding.
____11) WILL THE BREEDER TAKE THE DOG BACK AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON, IF YOU CANNOT KEEP IT?! This is the hallmark of responsible breeding (and the quickest way to make rescue obsolete).
____12) Is there a written guarantee against congenital health or temperament problems, that does not require you to return your puppy or euthanize it?
____13) Will the breeder be available to answer any question you might have for the life of the dog? Is this someone you would feel comfortable asking any type of question?
____14) Is the breeder knowledgeable about the breed? Is he or she involved in competition with their dogs (field, obedience, or confirmation)?
____15) Are there a majority of titled dogs (the initials: CH, OTCH, CD, JH, WC... before or after the names) in the first two generations? The term champion lines means nothing if those titles are back three or more generations or there is only one or two in the whole pedigree.
____16) Are the puppy's sire and dam available for you to meet? If the sire is unavailable can you call his owners or people who have his puppies to ask about temperament or health problems? You should also be provided with pictures or videos.
____17) Have the puppies been raised in the home - not in a kennel, barn or the back yard?
____18) Is the breeder knowledgeable about raising puppies, critical neonatal periods, proper socialization techniques? Puppies that are raised without high exposure to gentle handling, human contact and a wide variety of noises and experiences OR are removed from their dam or litter mates before at least 7 weeks, may exhibit a wide variety of behavioral problems!
____19) Does the breeder provide you with a 3-5 generation pedigree, a contract to sign, copies of all clearances and guarantee, health records and material to help you with feeding, training and housebreaking?
____20) Have the puppies temperaments been evaluated and can the breeder guide you to the puppy that will best suite your lifestyle? A very shy puppy will not do well in a noisy household with small children, just as a very dominant puppy won't flourish in a sedate, senior citizen household. A caring breeder will know the puppies and be able to show you how to test them so that good matches can be made.
____21) Do the puppies seem healthy, with no discharge from eyes or nose, no loose stools, no foul smelling ears? Are their coats soft, full and clean? Do they have plenty of energy when awake yet calm down easily when gently stroked?
____22) Do the puppies have their first shots and have they been wormed & vet checked by the time they go to your home?
____23) Does the breeder have only 1 or at most 2 breeds of dogs and only 1 or 2 litters at a time? If there are many breeds of dogs there, the chances are the breeder cannot devote the time it takes to become really knowledgeable about the breed and if there is more than one litter at a time it is very difficult to give the puppies the attention they need and may indicate that the primary purpose for breeding is profit, rather than a sincere desire to improve the breed.
____24) Does the breeder belong to A Club and/or a local All-Breed Club.
____25) Do you feel comfortable with this person, after all you are entering into a decade long relationship? Are you feeling intimidated or pressured? If so, keep looking!
Thanks for posting these again....I use to agree with them ALL...but these days, with the recession, #1 is alittle outdated. I know lots of breeders who had the next 3 litters sold even before they were conceived.... cat/dog...all reputable top notch breeders..these days it's getting a little harder to find responsible and "worthy" owners for the litters. Notice I didn't say buyers...there are always buyers...but they don't always make good owners.
I have to say that I hope you get your next pit bulls only from a shelter or rescue. So many need to be saved. And NO ONE should be breeding more pit bulls until the crisis of excess pit bulls AND poorly owned pit bulls is under control. And you buying a pit bull puppy from a breeder is just encouraging that breeder to breed more puppies.
You may consider your living situation stable, however it seems to me that up until just recently your living situation wasn't stable at all. And a reputable dog breeder should refuse to sell you a pit bull puppy unless you either own your own house/apartment with a fenced in yard OR are renting a house/apartment with a fenced in yard and have your landlord's written permission to own a pit bull. It's not fair to your dogs to keep giving them away anytime you are in a situation where you can't have a dog.
Did you ever answer Woof's question as to why you have had so many dogs in the past, yet are so young? Most dogs easily live up to 12 to 15 years of age these days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PitBullMommie1206
Well, I have owned a Chocolate Lab, a Fox Hound, a Cocker Spaniel, a Black Lab, a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Rottweiler mix, 2 Mini Schnauzers and 3 APBTs. And my husband has owned many dogs as well (some before we were together, and then the 3 APBTs we have owned together).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!
What happened to all your lovely dogs? You are both very young and yet dogs can live to be 14 and 15 years old. You have no dogs now.
Are you really ready for another dog this soon? Will your living situation be stable enough to have a dog and not run into the same situation as you did with the others (giving two of them away and then having your MIL take care of Brooklyn)?
And why not get a pit bull from a rescue or a shelter? If you get a pit bull from a breeder, are you planning to breed pits? If not... what's the point in playing so much for a purebred pit bull if you aren't going to breed it?
Where your previous pit bulls pure bred and bought from a breeder?
I agree Miu, there are thousands and thousands of sweet, healthy, adoptable pitbulls on waitlists for euthenization everyday in shelters all over the country. With no homes for them to go to...how sad! No one should be breeding these dogs! I think since poor Brooklyn ended up in a shelter this is where he would want you to find another!
I find this a very upsetting and sad thread! I come from many years of rescue, this is why. I have seen the faces of the ones on those waitlists with no homes to go to! Please do not buy while shelter pets die! Rescue a shelter dog! They will thank you for the rest of their life!
Bye the way, that is a long list of dogs you have had. Where did they all go?
Last edited by Blondie621; 04-03-2009 at 05:19 PM..
Well, here goes. First of all, I for one am sick and tired of what " humans " WANT...I want a puppy, I want a pure breed, I want a black dog, I want I want I want...that is the American way...get what YOU want regardless of anything else....YOU come first. I cannot beleive that ANYONE can have a clear conscience breeding this particular breed. Do these people not read the papers or watch the news. Of course not they are too busy getting and doing what THEY want. Never mind the thousands of pit bulls that are sad and lonely and neglected sitting in hundreds of shelters everywhere just WAITING for someone to come to their rescue and give them the life that they deserve. How do these people sleep at night. Oh let's see, yesterday 670 pit bulls lost their lives due to LACK OF HOMES but this summer I am gonna breed MY dog and hope she has 11 puppies so I can make lots of MONEY. Or let's see yesterday 670 pit bulls lost their lives due to LACK OF HOMES but hey I just LOVE this breed so I'm gonna let MY dog have another litter or two or three or four because I LOVE this breed and I am a responsible breeder. Have these people lost their minds or what. I cannot beleive these people SLEEP AT NIGHT knowing while they are responsible for producing more and more of this breed while thousands die. It makes me SICK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I do almost feel guilty for wanting another puppy this soon after Brooklyn, but at the same time, as I said before, I just cannot stand not having a dog around. I am such an animal person! I could go days without talking to a single person (except for DH of course 
), and be perfectly fine with that. But, a few hours away from my fur-babies kills me! 
I don't know what else to say besides I'm just an animal person. 
Nor will I show my dogs. My dogs are family companions, period. 
Rescue a shelter dog! They will thank you for the rest of their life!