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**masterboyz** · 09-06-2012, 01:38 AM

How long do you wait to get a new dog after you have PTS your friend? Also, is it a good idea to foster pitbulls with small children around (under 2)? How do you know when the time is right?

There is no "right" or "wrong" amount of time... Everyone handles loss differently, and heals differently. Some people need to go out and immediately get another dog to have something to focus on; to feel like they're doing something productive while they grieve... Some people can't bear the thought of another dog for years - and every spectrum in between.

I would say if you're going to foster rescue dogs, to make sure they are properly evaluated for soundness. No fearfulness, no human aggression - neither are accepted in this breed. My son was raised with multiple Pit Bulls - both purebred dogs from breeders, and a multitude of foster dogs. I would recommend NEVER leaving children and dogs of any breed unsupervised, just the same as I would recommend NEVER leaving two dogs unsupervised, or a dog and cat. We are talking about living animals with their own ways of doing things... Even accidentally or in play, dogs can inflict serious damage to small children. And don't undermine that children can inflict serious damage to dogs as well!

---------- Post added at 04:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ----------

I absolutely know that HA is not part of the pitbull breed, in fact quite the opposite. What I meant is that in trying to come to terms with having to put our 2 1/2 year old dog down for her HA, we read a lot of stories of dogs who have turned on their people suddenly, which can be a little bit frightening. I know that it's not the norm. It was the most difficult decision of my life to PTS my dog for HA. I loved her like crazy and she was amazing with us, but no way was I going to take the chance that she'd hurt someone else and then have that guilt on top of how I already feel about putting her to sleep.

So the reason I even brought that up is how do you know if a dog is HA? In an older rescue dog you should know immediately right? Tinkerbell didn't start out that way. She gradually got worse to the point of being capable of anything, and when we couldn't fix it we euthanized her. That is my only concern. I never want to have to go through this again with a dog I love. It was so difficult. I hope this makes sense. I would never consider getting another pitbull if I thought HA was the norm, especially around my 22 month old son. I'm not stupid, I've been researching since we realized Tinkerbell had a problem, and I know that the norm is for pitbulls to be super human friendly.

Dogs do not suddenly turn on people. People are just too unaware of dog body language to recognize obvious warning signs that there was an issue.

Yes, in an older rescue dog who has been properly evaluated... any issues would be readily apparent. In puppies, the situation isn't always so. Just like any trait, some don't show up until maturity - so a dog could be fine with people up to 12 months, 18 months, 24 months even.. then slowly start to mature into its genetic predisposition for human aggression, if that dog is unstable.

If you are considering a bully breed and that worried about HA, I would not recommend fostering. I would recommend getting an adult dog who was fostered in an experienced home for several months, so you know EXACTLY what you're getting.

09-06-2012, 01:38 AM	#12
masterboyz Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 586 Senior Member	How long do you wait to get a new dog after you have PTS your friend? Also, is it a good idea to foster pitbulls with small children around (under 2)? How do you know when the time is right? There is no "right" or "wrong" amount of time... Everyone handles loss differently, and heals differently. Some people need to go out and immediately get another dog to have something to focus on; to feel like they're doing something productive while they grieve... Some people can't bear the thought of another dog for years - and every spectrum in between. I would say if you're going to foster rescue dogs, to make sure they are properly evaluated for soundness. No fearfulness, no human aggression - neither are accepted in this breed. My son was raised with multiple Pit Bulls - both purebred dogs from breeders, and a multitude of foster dogs. I would recommend NEVER leaving children and dogs of any breed unsupervised, just the same as I would recommend NEVER leaving two dogs unsupervised, or a dog and cat. We are talking about living animals with their own ways of doing things... Even accidentally or in play, dogs can inflict serious damage to small children. And don't undermine that children can inflict serious damage to dogs as well! ---------- Post added at 04:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 PM ---------- I absolutely know that HA is not part of the pitbull breed, in fact quite the opposite. What I meant is that in trying to come to terms with having to put our 2 1/2 year old dog down for her HA, we read a lot of stories of dogs who have turned on their people suddenly, which can be a little bit frightening. I know that it's not the norm. It was the most difficult decision of my life to PTS my dog for HA. I loved her like crazy and she was amazing with us, but no way was I going to take the chance that she'd hurt someone else and then have that guilt on top of how I already feel about putting her to sleep. So the reason I even brought that up is how do you know if a dog is HA? In an older rescue dog you should know immediately right? Tinkerbell didn't start out that way. She gradually got worse to the point of being capable of anything, and when we couldn't fix it we euthanized her. That is my only concern. I never want to have to go through this again with a dog I love. It was so difficult. I hope this makes sense. I would never consider getting another pitbull if I thought HA was the norm, especially around my 22 month old son. I'm not stupid, I've been researching since we realized Tinkerbell had a problem, and I know that the norm is for pitbulls to be super human friendly. Dogs do not suddenly turn on people. People are just too unaware of dog body language to recognize obvious warning signs that there was an issue. Yes, in an older rescue dog who has been properly evaluated... any issues would be readily apparent. In puppies, the situation isn't always so. Just like any trait, some don't show up until maturity - so a dog could be fine with people up to 12 months, 18 months, 24 months even.. then slowly start to mature into its genetic predisposition for human aggression, if that dog is unstable. If you are considering a bully breed and that worried about HA, I would not recommend fostering. I would recommend getting an adult dog who was fostered in an experienced home for several months, so you know EXACTLY what you're getting.
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