Brindle Retriever

Effective immediately, I am no longer using the words "Pit Bull" in the same sentence. Since we can't get rid of the negativity associated with Pit Bulls, I'm just going to take the liberty and change their breed name to "Brindle Retriever".

I was reading an article this morning called, "What Are The Best Dogs for New Owners". The Golden Retriever came in at NUMBER 1!

I've met my share of Golden Retrievers and they've all been pretty darn nice. However, Golden Retrievers rarely make headline news when they bite people. I was going to add a bunch of links to Golden Retrievers biting humans, but I figured that is something you can Google on your own and this is really not what my blog post is about anyway.

And it's not just Golden Retrievers or even Pit Bulls that bite and kill. ALL dogs can do this. My Border Collie was as sweet as could be, on Prozac, but she still attacked my Dalmatian several times. You can search my blog for that story if you want. It's not something I like to talk about.

While my Border Collie was attacking my Dalmatian, my gentle black Lab started getting in on the action, too.

My parents would tell you that Jack Russell Terrier/Chihuahua mixes are the most evil dogs ever. My dog, Manny, HATES them with a passion and we've never figured out why. He loves EVERYONE else. EVERYONE!


No dog should ever be trusted alone with a baby/toddler/child, etc. Just supervising your dog and baby is not good enough. You have to know the warning signs that a dog is getting irritated. Read that article I just linked. Read it and memorize it.

Awwww, isn't this the cutest thing ever?? NO! DAMMIT! Don't allow this!!!

However, did you know that Pit Bills used to be "America's Nanny Dog"? 

America used to LOVE Pit Bulls (now Brindle Retrievers thankyouverymuch). What happened?

When I was a kid, we were told to stay away from Dobermans. Oooo...those were the BAD, evil, gonna bite you dogs.

The first time I met a Doberman in person was just a few years ago. My neighbors had a Doberman and it had escaped. It met me in my driveway at my car while both my hands were full of groceries. I didn't know if I should scream or run or kick it or....

before I could even make a decision, she sat down politely in front me, looked at me straight in the eyes while her tongue hung out the side of her mouth. She knew I had groceries and she knew I probably had something in one of those bags for her to eat.

"She won't hurt you!" is what I heard next. I was still frozen from fear because OH MY GOD THERE WAS A LOOSE DOBERMAN BLOCKING ME FROM ESCAPING.

The dog heard her owner's voice and took off towards him. That's when I met Steve, Edina, their kids and their family dog, Monsey, a Doberman. She was the most gentle and docile animal I had ever met. She was nothing like the stereotypical image I had of a Doberman. Unfortunately, a few years later when she was 14, she started having a hard time getting around, she was incontinent, she stopped eating and the family made the decision to put her to sleep.

I never told Steve how scared I was that day Monsey came up to me. After I met the dog, I was really actually embarrassed that I had formed an opinion of the breed before I had even met one.

Do you see where I'm going here with this?

Let me introduce you to Shannon. She's a Pit Bull Brindle Retriever. There are a LOT of dogs at PACC that are marked "Pit Bull" and I'm not even sure if they really are. I'm not an expert but she doesn't really look like the dogs pictured in that article I linked above.

She is almost 2 years old and she has been at Pima Animal Care Center since November 18, 2013. She was brought in as a stray.

Shannon has been marked as "possible aggressive" and "people selective - prefers women".

From conversations I've had with other volunteers and employees at PACC, Shannon is afraid of ADOC workers (who also happen to be men). She is also afraid of the vet tech with the sharp needles. Imagine that.

I've never seen a ADOC worker mistreat an animal. They're usually very, very nice and patient with the animals.

I've seen ADOC workers go into the kennels with the dogs to pet, kiss and calm them down. One time a worker was holding a dog that had horribly matted hair while another volunteer tried to cut the clumps off. He held her gently and whispered very quietly to her about what a good pup she was being.

That being said, ADOC workers can probably be pretty darn scary to some dogs and perhaps Shannon is a little more sensitive. ADOC workers have giant buckets filled with water and cleaning solution that make lots and lots of noise as they rumble up and down the aisles. They have hard, shiny, and pokey things with squeegees on the end, big black boots that stomp around, bright orange uniforms and they use GIANT hoses filled with spraying water.

Because Shannon was marked as "possible aggressive",  PACC WILL NOT spay her as they do other dogs and cats when they're adopted. When I discovered this, I knew her chances of being adopted were slim to none.

Spaying can cost up to $300-$400 from your local vet. You can take her to the Humane Society for about $100, but be prepared to take some time off of work to get it done. Even though you make an appointment, after you arrive you still have to take a number and wait to be called. They take your dog/cat to the back but make you wait another few minutes to make sure the dog/cat is healthy enough for the surgery. When they come back and give you the OK, it's only then you can leave. Sometimes you've already waited a good 30-45 minutes even though you've made an appointment. I'm going to go ahead and assume that if you're at the Humane Society getting your pet fixed, it's because you can't afford the normal vet rates. Try getting time off your low income job just so you can get your dog spayed/neutered. It's not easy.

I had heard through Facebook that a new clinic was opening and they were having 1/2 price specials on all their services. I asked PACC if I could take Shannon to get her spayed and they said, "YES!"

Volunteers contributed to her spaying, which was quoted at no more than $44.00, and this morning Kat and I got up so dang early and took her the Pet Doctors.

Now, I want to spend some more time talking about Shannon. She is really, really sweet. She pulls on a leash but she just needs a little training. When we picked her up this morning, she had nothing but a happy tail and a skip in her step. She was great on the car ride and even better at the vet's office. She'll do anything for a treat which means you can train her to be almost perfect. You should see her sit! It's beautiful!!

I smudged out the address of where she was found and any worker initials.

The notes on her paperwork include praises from other volunteers as well. So, it's not just me that thinks she's awesome. There are two notes about her "trying to bite" and they're both from inmates. 
 

So, take a look at her above. See how she's sitting so pretty and now look at her tongue. It's hanging out of the side of her mouth just like Monsey's was when I met her and I just told you how that turned out.

Can we please give this dog (and all other bully breeds) another chance? She's spayed, she's ready to go home and be your perfect number 1 dog the Brindle Retriever, just like the Golden Retriever.

Please share this post and if you notice any typos, let me know first. Thanks!