Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Pit Bull Paintings

There are tons of paintings featuring American Pit Bulls and other bullies on eBay. I love the watercolors by David J. Rogers. He is able to portray Pit Bulls in so many different colors and personalities that it becomes hard to pick which one I like the best.


Let me know if there's an artist that you like who portrays bullies in their art. I'd be interested to hear how many artist like to paint, sculpt, photograph, or use bullies in their art in some way or another.

Monday, November 15, 2010

BARF Diet for Dogs

The raw food diet is becoming more and more popular these days, as there are more dog food recalls released every time you turn around, so when you opt to feed your dog a raw diet, you know what your dog is eating.

The BARF diet, is a Bones And Raw Food Diet, that essentially brings dogs back to their roots of raw meats. The problem is that domestic dogs are not like wild wolves and wild canines; their dietary needs have changed a little.

If you opt to feed your dog on a raw diet, you want to make sure that you follow the components of a raw food diet carefully, so that you ensure that your dog is getting all of the nutrients that he/she needs.

BARF: Bones And Raw Food Diet
Components of a Raw Food Diet (BARF Diet)

Raw Dog Food: Make It Easy for You and Your DogHow To Try a Raw Food Diet for Dogs: Guide to Switching from Commercial to RawPlanning A Nutritious Dog Food Diet: Dog Food Tips For Buying Premium Dog Food And Choosing Ingredients To Make Homemade Dog Food, Raw Dog Food Or All-Natural ... Nourish Strong And Perfectly Healthy DogsThe Barf Diet (Raw Feeding for Dogs and Cats Using Evolutionary Principles)

I have seen Pit Bull owners use the BARF diet and swear that their dogs are healthier than any other dog on the block. But, those that I've met are in denial, as their dogs are super skinny and malnourished. The raw diet can be very healthy and nutritious, but only if you do it right.

If your dog is losing weight, you need to evaluate the situation.

Don't let your Pit Bull become skin and bones because you're in denial that there's anything wrong. Just because you think you're doing good by getting the bones and leftovers from the butchers, that doesn't mean that is going to be sufficient for your dog's daily needs.

Terrible Article About Bad Dogs

I am slightly perturbed by this article... I will admit that I didn't read the entire thing, but the parts that I got were ridiculous and unresearched.

* "These dogs are notoriously instinctive about not letting go once a bite is in progress. And also very likely to vigorously shake the head while maintaining the bite hold. This causes pronounced ripping and tearing durning a fight, a bite, or an attack. I speculate these traits are due to centuries of selective breeding, seeking these specific traits, and to collective memory within the breed."
The breed was never bred for specific physical traits. They were bred on the basis of temperament, will, strength, and the overall want to fight and please the owner. These traits have no indication of what the dog will look like. In many cases, a terrier was bred to a lab, or a retriever was bred to a mutt. They didn't care what the dog looked like, only how the dog's will and fight was. So, the shape, size, or appearance of the skull has no factor into the dog's temperament.

* "I do not believe these dogs are a safe breed to have around children, other animals, and sometimes even the dog's owner."
These dogs have always been great and loyal with children. Even the fighting dogs were great to have around the family children, and were often retired as house pets. There weren't many who survived to a fighting dog's retirement age, but for those that served their master with a good history, were rewarded with home life. Any dog that showed signs of aggression to people were culled from breeding and fighting, as human aggression was far from the intent of this dog.

* "I do not believe the "bad rap" this breed of dog has is due to anything other than the truth about them, and I encourage all pit bull owners to spay and neuter their animals."
There is no denying that the breed can be dangerous in the wrong hands with the wrong training and with improper socialization, but media plays a huge role in the fear around the breed.  So many articles and news reports assume a pit bull type dog did the attack, but when reports are that the dog that bit or attacked a person wasn't a pit bull dog, there's never a retraction. In some cases, there are articles where the title is 'pit bull' attack and the meat of the article uses the true breed that caused the attack.

Here's the hub that caused my issues this morning: About Bad Dogs

Here are a few articles that declare breed bans are worthless:
Chicago - Where Pit Bulls Are Banned, Dog Bites Rise
Kansas City, MO -  Animal Advocates: Dog Breed Bans Don't Work 
Denver -  Do dog breed bans work? 
Dearborn - Council seeing better law, not breed ban, as answer to pit bull problems
Toledo - Toledo replaces breed specific law with one aimed at responsible pet ownership
Miami - Two decades of BSL has produced no positive results


The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine AggressionLost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories About Pit BullsAmerican Pit Bull Terriers: Truth Behind One of Americas's Most Popular Breeds

Sloppy Pit Bull Kisses

Friday, November 12, 2010

Dogs Help Veterans Copewith PTSD

A coworker sent me this video, and it tore at my heart. I wanted to share with you in case you missed it.

David Sharpe's adopted Pit Bull who saved his life and helped him work through his PTSD and mild depression.

As mentioned in the video, sometimes it's just easier to talk to your pet than it is another human being.

18 veterans a day commit suicide
4 million sheltered animals euthanized a year

Match some of those 4 million euthanized pets with the 6500 veterans who commit suicide a year, and it really is like match.com, except saving lives...

The dogs have physical scars on the outside, and the veterans have mental scars on the inside, which make shelter dogs and veterans the perfect match.



This video, truly tore at my heart.

Where to Adopt a Pit Bull

Believe it or not, Pit Bulls are one of the more popular dogs to have as pets. They are loyal, loving, protective, and willing to please their owners. This breed is very intelligent, yet can be quite stubborn at times. The breed doesn't have any health problems that are specifically prone to the breed, like many dog breeds, but these dogs just aren't for everyone.

No matter how great they sound, they're not for the inexperienced.

People who want to own a pit bull needs to have some sort of knowledge in training and socializing dogs and puppies, as these guys can be very stubborn and dominant, at times.

If you have the knowledge and experience, or maybe you're just looking to add another Pitty to your family, consider adoption, as there are many Pit Bulls and mixes available for adoption in animal shelters around the country.

If you're not sure where to start looking, here are a few suggested places to get you started.

* Pet Finder
* Pit Bull Rescue Central
* Pit Bull Rescue

When adopting a pit bull or mix, you'll want to make sure that you ask the shelter volunteers and workers all the questions that you need to in order to feel comfortable with the process. If you already have a Pit Bull or another dog breed, you should see if the shelter will allow you to bring your current dog(s) to make sure that they will all get along.


The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick's Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption Lost Souls: Found! Inspiring Stories about Pit Bulls Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale: Stories from the Dog Rescue Railroad Dog Adoption: A Guide to Choosing the Perfect "Preowned" Dog from Breeders, Dog Tracks, Purebred Rescue Organizations & Shelters

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Pit Bulls are a Part of the Family

No matter how much you don't want to admit it, your dog is a part of the family. The dog is like a child; you constantly have to keep on him/her for behaving properly and not getting anything that he/she shouldn't.

Cafepress has tons of cute products that are great for a family with a pit bull. I've picked out a few of my favorites, hoping maybe you'll like them too.

My Pit Bull is Family - Framed Panel Print Pit Bull Terrier Mom Women's V-Neck Dark T-Shirt Pit Bull Terrier Mom Women's Light T-Shirt Pit Bull Dad Large Mug

I bought MIA the cutest shirt from CafePress when she was a puppy. She wasn't able to wear it long, as the shirt was too big when I got it, and then a few weeks later, the shirt became too small. I kept the shirt anyway, as with all of her puppy clothes.

You can easily see that there are super cute dog clothes on CafePress that you can buy, you just have to look for them. I've included some of my favorites, though.

PIT BULL Give PITS a Chance! Dog T-Shirtamerican pit bull terrier, amstaff, bully dog tees Not A Home Without Pit Bull Dog T-Shirt

Your home just isn't a home until you've had a pit bull in your house.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pit Bulls and Babies

So many people think that Pit Bulls are baby-killers and they're prone to just attacking anything that moves. Well, check out these Pit Bulls with their human babies.






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