Editors Corner:
Special Meet the Pit Bull Lovers Pack Edition
Date: June 16th 2006
From: Jason Mann - Senior Editor
This month we are devoting the entire issue to me and my pack in an effort to introduce myself to you and to share my Pit Bull experience.
After dealing with the breed for going on 6 years now I have learned many things. One of the lessons I learned didn't come from the web, the hundreds of books, the hours of time I've spent with owners, or the mentors in my life.
The most valuable lesson I have learned has come from the dogs I have had the great pleasure of sharing space with over the years.
Watching the dogs and working with them has taught me to enjoy life. Every single day absorb it like it was your last day on this planet. You see Pit Bulls don't see the world like we do. They see it as moment to moment and they live each moment with such drive, such enthusiasm, such passion that we often lack in our lives.
People ask me, "Jason, why in the world would you choose Pit Bulls as your personal dogs and favorite breed?" I try to explain it to them like this, "They have zest for life I will never be capable of having because I am not one of them. I admire the breed, I respect the breed, and honor the breed because of that single reason."
My explanation usually passes right over their heads and I have come to expect it. However, every so often you find someone who is not involved with the breed or even dogs for that matter that gets it. They understand it and when that happens, you can see the smile crack on their face and their eyes light up a bit.
Every Pit Bull I have met, worked with and have in my life lights my eyes up. They awaken that kid in me that wants to go running through the tall grass with no shoes on a warm summer day.
Pit Bulls create a sense of youth in me. A care free youth that wants to run and play and enjoy each moment on this wonderful Earth as if it were the last. A kid who doesn't worry about insurance, car payments, cable bills, business receipts, milage, what other people think, what the government is doing, how the world is in turmoil, or anything that burdens the moments of the day.
Take a moment each day to put your life into perspective. I have found a new perspective of living through the breed. Health, Family and Work. In that order. My advice to you is to live each day as if it were your last and cherish the moments on this earth that we have right now.
Time is something we can not steal, borrow, buy, or put on lay away. You only have the time you have right now in this moment. Live it, use it up for all it's worth, and for pete's sake, smile while you're doing it.
Enjoy the rest of this months issue!
Best Regards,
Jason Mann - Senior Editor and Publisher
Introducing Mr. Patches. The New Arrival to the Pit Bull Lovers Pack
Or I'm not sure if he has Pit Bull in him and I really don't care.
You may have noticed that I sign my emails with my name and my dog's names. You may have also noticed there is a new name added to that list. His name is Patch. He was on my cousins farm and they had tried to shoot him but only nicked his front leg. They were going to shoot him the next day and I happened to show up the night before.
I ended up packing the little dog into my Explorer and taking him home. Of course I was thinking I would clean him up, spread the word and find him a good home. Well, the best laid plans often go awry and thus, the little nameless dog was dubbed "Mr. Patches" or Patch for short and has found himself a place to call home.
Patch is one of those dogs that thinks he doesn't need humans. He is a mixed breed dog, what he is mixed with, I'm not sure but whatever his parentage he developed an independent attitude.
When I say independent, I mean, independent in a way that few dogs learn. He does not think people are important and could care less if you are holding him, petting him, training him, treating him, feeding him, or talking to him. He cares about one thing and only one thing...
Exploring!
All this dog wants to do is go for car rides, bike rides, walks, and adventures. That is it. Nothing else matters in life.
We go for bike rides nearly every day and I want to tell you here and now I have never, in my years with dogs and Pit Bulls, seen a dog that can go, go, go, go, go, go and then want to go, go, go, go some more.
5 miles at a dead run? Nothing to Mr. Patches. More please!
10 miles running and trotting? He needs a 5 minute break and then he looks at you like you are lazy.
My little man is packed with energy. I often wonder how a little 45 lbs dog can move so much without rest. I am amazed at his stamina and will to exercise.
No, make no mistake about it, he has a will to run free and if he doesn't get those runs, those car rides to the park, that super long walk, he changes into Patches the Nightmare Dog.
He's a great dog with a whole lot of spirit and I like that kind of dog. He challenges my training skills and my patience, but when it comes right down to it, I can take him anywhere and know he will follow my instructions and listen without question.
He might not look at me, but he knows the score, he stays by my side, patiently waiting for the opportunity to take off on another adventure.
Honey and the Terrifying Toddlers!
Or Small Human Phobia and One Dog's Quest to Persevere.
Honey is my "issue" dog. My 68 lbs problem solving dilemma. Honey is out of a deaf mother and a crippled father that some young kid bred together. My former roommate had Honey because the first dog he got from the kid died. He wasn't too nice to Honey frequently being mean to her and one time trying to basically drown her was all it took for me to move out and bring Honey with me.
My cousin gave the guy $100 for her and she was going to take her to her farm up north. Well, she ended up giving Honey to my Dad and I ended up with her too.
Honey is a nightmare of a problem dog. She is good with people she knows but she is fearful of an incredible amount of things. I made a list one time and had to stop at around 56 things she was scared of because my hand was hurting. The list would easily be over 80 situations and items.
We add more to the list on a daily basis, why? Because with each new experience comes a new fear that I was unaware of before.
Children top the list. Especially small unruly little kids that try to run up to her and pet her. My job is to body block the kids and instruct them on how to approach her. Honey's job is to sit still and remain calm until I do that. In the beginning, that was not always the case. She would run, hide behind me, flop on the ground and shake, tremble with terror and try to avoid the situation any way she could.
Fortunately she has never growled at or tried to bite anyone. Could she? I wouldn't put it past her.
Working with Honey is a daily challenge that only a handful of people would be able to accept. I use Honey as an example with clients for many reasons. First and foremost to illustrate the amount of time, energy, money and patience you have to have in order to work with an extremely fearful dog.
If you are experiencing this yourself, you know what I'm talking about when I say every day is an on-going saga of training and working past fear issues. Honey's routine is not 100% set in stone because I have two other dogs that need training and attention too.
When I do get her out, I take her everywhere and put her into situations the make her uncomfortable. Recently we attended a group dog training class and Honey did very well. Though terrified of everything she managed to do a sit/wait and down/wait in the middle of the room in-between too untrained dogs.
I was proud of her and she continues to make progress. Each step is a step toward a stress free life and a day she experiences what being a dog is all about.
Honey is getting used to small kids so long as they do not approach her immediately and try to kiss her. A lot of kids think this is how you are supposed to approach dogs. When kids approach dogs in this manner they are bitten. Most often in the face.
Despite her phobia, Honey continues to make progress in the small human department and I'm proud of her progress.
You might have a dog like Honey or know of someone with a dog like Honey. There is hope and it pains me to see dogs living under constant stress and fear. Unhealthy is putting it lightly. Dangerously unhealthy would be more accurate.
Honey is turning grey at 4 years old. She has numerous joint problems and has pulled her leg muscles walking up steps and tore her ACL ligament walking down some steps. That took several months and rehab to get her back to being able to use the leg and put weight on it properly.
Her horrible breeding and upbringing until I took her (7-8 months old, not sure) are the direct causes of her fear and health issues. She is the perfect example of an incorrect American Pit Bull Terrier and why you should never get a dog from a backyard breeder, puppy mill, or a breeder who doesn't have a spotless reputation and well thought out breeding program.
All in all, Honey is a great dog once you get past her issues. Loves to socialize with people and will tolerate well mannered dogs outside of her territory. When she is 100% healthy (rare) she can spring pole with the best of them and play with kids too as long as they are well mannered and give her time to adjust to them being there.
Angel The Matriarch of the Pack
Or How it all started with a 3 1/2 month old dog from California
That's the picture that stole my heart in the winter of 2000. Born, October 18th 2000 PR California Angel out of Showtyme CGC/CTD arrived in Lexington, Ky on a cold night in January.
My brother and I went to the airport to pick her up and as I stood there signing papers I could see two little eyes looking at me from the back of the crate she was shipped in. I didn't talk to her or even look at her at the time. She had traveled over 3,000 miles after three months of waiting to come live with me.
Her journey took several months to complete because the weather didn't permit her to be shipped by air until the forecast was right. Finally, she was here!
As soon as I arrived home I called her breeder and reported she had arrived and that I would report to her the next day. I hung up the phone and when I walked back into the living room my Dad and brother had let her out of her kennel. The first person she went to was my father.
As I rounded the corner all I saw was her little tail going back into the kennel. I sat down and waited for her to come out again and finally she poked her head out and sniffed the air. She made her way over to me and gave me a few sniffs. Then her patented tongue went to work. She started licking me like I was a sugar coated candy apple!
The rest is history. She settled in quiet nicely and well, you have seen her adult pictures and heard stories about her. She is the only dog I have that was bought from a breeder (now out of business) and this was before I knew about rescue's and the plight of the American Pit Bull Terrier. Though I learned almost immediately after having Angel about the problem. While I knew a lot about the breed from research (Waiting three months gave me extra time to learn all I could) the homeless problem literally passed right under my nose.
I asked, "How did I miss these sites and books and all this information when I first started looking into the breed?" Answer, I was looking in the wrong places. I focused on breeders, books, breed standards and history.
I don't disagree with buying a dog from a reputable, responsible, breeder who has the good of the breed in mind and not the amount of money they will make off that coat color. If you research the breeder and do your homework then by all means, get a dog from them. However, I am also an advocate for rescue but once again, you have to research the rescue, carefully choose where and who to get a dog from, and make sure they match up a dog to you instead of jumping for the first dog that gets your interest.
Angel is the bar others owners try to achieve
Angel is her own PR rep. I don't have to educate people when Angel is around. Her tenacity for life spills over onto people like rain falling from the cool spring sky. Her "angelism" as I call it literally springs out and grabs people by the ears and says, I am an American Pit Bull Terrier look at me!
During obedience classes (I take classes to obtain my master instructor certifications) people brag on her behind my back and recently a couple approached me and asked, "Is that your dog?" I said, "Yes, that's Angel." They replied, "Yeah, we've heard about her, everyone says she's the model dog in the class and they all wish they had dogs like her."
Yes! Okay, I might be bragging, but why not? When the Lab owners, German Shepherd owners, Doberman owners, and little foo-foo dogs want their dogs to act like Angel, the American Pit Bull Terrier, you bet your bottom I'm going to brag!
Pride is a sin. But in this case I think my lord will forgive me.
Angel is the Matriarch of my pack. She is the mother to Honey and the mentor to Patch. She is the bar within my pack that I will always try to achieve with any dog that I include in the future.
Angel has earned her Canine Good Citizen certificate. She is a certified Pet therapy dog. And in the fall we are going to be competing for her CD title with the AKC as a limited Privilege entry. I will not call her an American Staffordshire Terrier or a mixed breed dog to satisfy the AKC's ignorance. No Sir. No Way.
Angel will be entered as an American Pit Bull Terrier and we will take great pride in kicking those AKC dogs butts!
If you haven't noticed, I am super proud of Angel and she is my friend, my companion, my inspiration, my teacher, and my American Pit Bull Terrier.
As a trainer I tell clients to treat their dogs as equals. One dog shouldn't get something the other dogs don't. In my own case I find this hard to do because Angel is my dog. She is 100% my companion and I have put hundreds of hours of training on her and we have bonded together in a way that few people will ever bond to their dogs.
Those that do have a special bond with their dogs will know what I'm talking about. Those of us with two, three, four dogs that have to work hard to keep our packs in order and out of trouble will also know that there is one dog within the pack that sets the bar for the others to follow. Including us.
To say I am proud of Angel is not altogether correct. I am humbled by her ability to love life, love people, live in the moment, and still have time to put up with my faults and short comings.
Subscriber Questions
Jason why do you say it's not okay to have more than one Pit Bull but you have three dogs and two of them are Pit Bulls?
A fair and direct question that deserves a fair and direct answer.
Short version - I have experience with the breed and I have all day to devote to my dogs because I make my living training dogs and working from home. My dogs are a huge part of my life and my business too. They are trained, raised with rules, exercised, and socialized no less than 5 out of 7 days a week.
Long Version - Along with my experience, luck played a part in the beginning. When I didn't have a lot of experience Honey and Angel "clicked" like I have not seen two dogs click since. Their ability to feel each other out without so much as a glance astounds me.
Angel and Honey rarely play together. They rarely share the same room together and for the most part leave each other be. On occasion Honey will groom Angel and play with her for a short period of time but in the end, they do not cause trouble.
Adding Patch to the pack was easy because he is super laid back but strong in his personality. He is the beta dog (I am the Alpha) in my pack. Angel and Honey are under him in the order of things. That is how it was the moment he walked into my house.
Patch has a presence about him that most dogs immediately recognize. They do not challenge him and they do not bother him. I have yet to see a dog approach with a dominant attitude. He isn't dog aggressive or dominant aggressive either. He is simply Patch. He carries himself tall and proud and this is a quality I like.
I knew immediately that Patch would get along with the girls because of his presence when I brought him home. I walked him around and got to know him before I let him in the house. Within 10 minutes of meeting the girls he had established his place
in the home and they were cool with it.
Had they not been cool with it that would be another story. However, I know my girls like the back of my hand. I know their temperaments, their personalities, what they do and don't tolerate and this helped me place Patch without worry into my situation.
In the end it boils down to the amount of time I have to spend with my dogs and the role they play in my life.
Folks who work 8-12 hours a day, have 1-4 kids, are young (parties etc...), old (not enough energy etc...), and dozens of other things people deal with in life do not make good homes for 2 or more Pit Bulls or a combination of Pit Bulls and other dogs.
My job is not easy. It is a full time job that requires an immense amount of effort and time. My friends and family sometimes come second because my dogs need to be fed, exercised, or trained. This is a sacrifice I make on a daily basis.
I don't put my family and friends second because the dogs are more important than they are. I made a promise to all three of my dogs when I brought them into my life. A promise that years early I would not have kept because I was not responsible or wise enough to keep. A promise that is not spoken but instantly made when you take responsibility for another life.
You promise to keep them safe, provide food and water, medical care, training, exercise, and companionship. You promise to never abandon them when your life gets hectic or when hard times fall on you. You promise they can count on you anytime, all the time, for the rest of their lives.
I take my promise seriously. Maybe too seriously it would seem to those people in my life. I made a choice several years ago when my life was not pleasant and I was not what you would say, going down the right path that I would always keep my promises and be a man of my word.
