Pitbulls - It's All in How Their Raised

I have read stories, horrible stories of how pitbulls hurt, mame and even kill people for no reason. So when a friend of ours told us a friend of theirs had a pitbull puppy to give away, I was a bit cautious. For 2 days, I researched and read as much as I could about the breed, and came to this conclusion. As a pitbull owner myself, I can tell you, nothing is further from the truth. Pitbulls are only as good, or bad as the owners let them be. Yes, there are people who will raise pitts to hurt people, but most folks I've talked to raise them as very nice, gentle dogs. Here is a story of a very special pitbull in our lives.

I first saw Hannah at the neighbors of a friend's house, with her father. She was a tiny puppy then, they said she was the smallest in the littler of 8, thought not the youngest of them. As my friend and the neighbor lady talked, Hannah was outside walking the porch, afraid to jump down, even though it was just a couple feet. We picked her up, put her on the ground, and off she ran. It was fun watching that little puppy run in the yard, and up to me, try to climb all over me too. A few day's later... we took Hannah home.

To see Hannah now, you'd never know she was once a little adventurous puppy, exploring inside of the house and out. We already had an older dog when we got her, but he didn't bother her for the first few months. Cherrio was a different breed of dog...half lab, half boxer. I think Cherrio knew she was just a little thing. As she grew, the more she would play, and the more he would play with her. She was the baby of the house, and early on, she knew she was becoming spoilt.

It was fun watching them play, Hannah would start the play more often than not, and getting into trouble with Cherrio. When he had had a bit too much of the little one, he would let her know with a gentle nip, and off she'd run....into our bedroom, and under the bed!. She had found a hiding place. Cherrio knew where she'd go, but the thing was... he couldn't get under the bed to her, he was already pretty much grown, and too big to get under it, which was a delight to Hannah.

I remember watching her grow up, watching the 2 dogs play, and watching her as she hid under the bed, and turn around to face him as if to say neener, neener, neener. I think she actually enjoyed teasing him. But then as she grew, she was also discovering her hiding place was getting smaller. It wasn't that the bed was shrinking; it was because she was becoming too big herself to get under the bed anymore! After a few times of coming to her rescue of lifting up a corner of the bed, so she could get out from under the bed, did she realize it was time for a new hiding place.

She grew up spoilt at nighttime too. We had a pink blanket in the Front room, next to Cherrio for her bed. It wasn't long after the lights go out, we would hear a tiny whimper on the side of the bed. We tried to get her to go back out onto her blanket to sleep... really we did!. But after a few sad, lonely whimpers, my husband would pick her up and put her in the bed with us. Now, I had 2 sets of puppy-dog eye's looking right at me!. Hannah would start out in-between the pillows, but by morning, she'd be at the foot of the bed, under the covers all cozy sleeping away. We get up the next morning, and see a little bump at the foot of the bed, and knew just where Hannah was.

Hannah has grown into quiet a lady, in doggie terms that is. She still has her pink blanket, and another one to cover with, but she knows now she's too big for our bed to sleep in, but she's not too far from the bed, when she sleeps. During the nice spring, summer night's she can sleep with no blanket over her, but does want one to sleep on. When the nights head into Autum, and winter, she will go to the corner by the couch and pull with her teeth, one of the blankets and drag it into the bedroom before laying down. We cover her up all nice and cozy before climbing into our own bed. A couple times a week, she'll even come to us and lick us before she turns in, as her way of saying "Good-Night".

But if your new in the house... Hannah's bark IS worse then her bite!. But don't be afraid, just stand still...don't try to pet her at first, let her smell you over, give her time to size you up, and you'd be just fine the next time you come to the house! Then she'll love you forever!