Ask Annie (March 11, 2013)

Dear Annie,

I am thinking of adopting a pit bull and wondered if you had any advice for me? I definitely want to adopt from a shelter, but many people are telling me to stay away from adopting an adult pit bull because they have probably not been raised right, and they could have issues that cannot be fixed. If I get a puppy, then I can raise it right. What do you think I should do?

Signed,

Confused

Dear Confused,

This is a question near and dear to my heart because I am a pit bull, I was adopted from a shelter and I did not have such a great start in life. Thank goodness I landed in a shelter where they evaluate dogs as individuals, and that I was able to charm the socks off of be adopted by my mom and dad, who think I am adore-a-bull! But enough about me.

My mom says she hears it over and over again -- "It's all about how they are raised." Or, "we want to adopt a puppy because we want to raise it right." This plays out daily across our country -- puppies come in to a shelter or rescue and they are adopted within days, but adult dogs, especially pit bull types, are forced to wait for months and sometimes 1-2 years awaiting their forever homes.

How you raise a puppy is very important, but it does not mean that adult dogs with an unknown or abusive past won't or don't have ideal temperaments. Many adult pit bulls dogs (regardless of their breed) have such great personalities that it doesn't matter where they have been or what they have experienced, they look at the world with nothing but love in their hearts.

"When you meet an adult dog, what you see is what you get as far as personality and temperament," says Marthina McClay, who is a certified professional dog trainer and director of Our Pack, Inc. (a San Francisco based pit bull rescue). She is an Animal Behavior College Mentor Trainer and a certified trainer/observer for therapy dogs, and an AKC certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator. My mom says this lady knows what she is talking about.

She also says, "If you see a dog right now at an adult age, and he is a good dog, it doesn't matter what his history was. It's a moot point."

Marthina adopted one of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's fighting ring and within 5 weeks he became a certified therapy dog. It is what he was made of, what he was meant to do. His past did not matter after he was removed from that situation, as horrible as it was.

And what about that old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Hog wash Completely false! Sometimes dogs that are even 6-7 years old learn faster because they are not so easily distracted.

So, I hope I have helped answer your question. When you are looking to adopt a dog, look less for age and more for energy level and how well they will respond to children or other pets in your home. Bring your children and even your existing family dog(s) to the shelter for a meet and greet.

And thank you for wanting to adopt a shelter dog. You are awesome!

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