My wife and I are the proud owners of two American Pit Bull Terriers
(APBT).
Despite the negative press and sometimes "vicious" reputation,
this particular breed of dog is one of the most loving, courageous, loyal and enjoyable
breed of dogs in existence.
We got our male, Salo, in Sept. 1996. He is brindle in color, which
is fairly common in this breed. We weren't really looking for a dog at the time,
though my wife and I had both decided we wanted a pit bull because of positive experiences
we had with the breed in the past. Not knowing any better, we saw a pickup truck
with a cardboard sign proclaiming "Pit Bull puppies for sale" and had to have a
look. For those that don't know, the breeding of these dogs is often done by some
pretty shady people who don't care about the dogs and are just trying to make a
buck. The stereotype for these so-called "backyard breeders" usually
involves a pickup truck and a cardboard sign.... (like I said, we didn't know any better
at the time).
As soon as we saw Salo, we had to have him. He was eight weeks old
(DOB 7-15-96) and mostly belly and head with four skinny legs sticking out. He was
actually the runt of the litter and the breeder had cropped his tail because she had
intended to keep him. Lucky for us she changed her mind and decided to sell
him. So we came home with our first APBT. Salo now weighs 85-90 lbs and he is
NOT fat at all, just a big dog. Too big, in fact. Salo's size will most likely
cause him health problems later on. He gets stiff-legged and tender-footed now if he
runs a lot. Unfortunately, it has become popular to breed "bad ass" pit
bulls as big as possible to make them look intimidating. But if you know the breed
at all, 90 pounds is just too big. Males should usually weigh between 50-65 lbs. and
females between 45-55.
After learning more about the breed and doing some research, we realized
we were pretty lucky that we got such a good dog in Salo. Many dogs from backyard
breeders get sick easily and can have bad temperments. Of course, these things can
happen with a so-called "reputable" breeder, but the chances of getting a
healthy dog with a good temperment are much higher if you do some research and get a puppy
from a quality breeder you trust.
Salo is a super friendly dog that loves people and is great around kids.
When Salo was about 6 months old, we started thinking about getting another
dog. We found an APBT breeder in Alabama named Samm Bartee. She was really
great to work with and sent us video tape of the puppies from the litter we were choosing
from. We decided to get a female and name her Billie. Billie was shipped
from Alabama on American Airlines in the crate she sleeps in now. She was 15 weeks
old when we got her (DOB 2/8/97).
Billie is much more a pure American Pit Bull Terrier -- in every sense of
the word. She is dual-registered (ADBA and UKC) and exhibits a more traditional size
and shape for the breed (though, at 50 lbs she is still pretty big). Where Salo is a
couch dog with an awesome sense of loyalty and affection, Billie is a supreme athelete.
She is incredibly strong and well-muscled and VERY fast. Playing fetch with
both dogs, Salo doesn't stand a chance. Billie is a beautiful light tan color -- she
is registered as champaign-colored.
Both dogs are crate trained and it is something I HIGHLY recommend to
anyone owning dogs. It has made our life a lot more simple as well as given the dogs
a place where they can feel safe and quiet down if needed.