[funnyPasds]

I've been doing a ton of reading all over the web but I still can’t decide which do to go with. I have to wait for a couple more things (which I'll explain in a few) to make my final decision but I would like some advice from you experts out there.

I have a buddy who runs a shop that has four (2 male, 2 female) Gotti line Pitbulls gave me a call 2 weeks ago letting me know that one of the females had a litter of 9. Now from my research I have learned that they are APBB's not APBT's (correct me if I'm wrong) and that they will be big and not necessarily a "working" dog. However, I still like how their parents look because they are not short or fat and I really don’t care that they are not true APBT's. The owner of the Pits does have al 4 adults registered and papered so they are legitimately Gotti line Pits.

Last week I was with my kids at the park when I noticed a Pitbull with his owner so I decided to approach him and ask a couple questions. As we were talking he tells me that the mother of the Pit that he had just had a litter of 10 just two weeks ago (prior to last week) and that he needed to get rid of them. I keep asking questions trying to get into detail about his dogs but he's not really into them like everybody here so he doesn’t know much. He did say that they were full blooded and that the mother did have papers.

Here are a few things I need to weight out:

Gotti Line Pits-Well the owner wants $600 for a Blue nose female (not the kind of money I have but he’s willing to do payments since were friends). There are only two Blue Nose pits and she is the smaller one of the two. For the bigger Blue Nose he wants $1100, not sure why yet. On the other hand, they are papered and what not. Not that having papers are a huge deal to me at this point but maybe in the future they would be. There are scars on both the males so as far as temperament well it’s definitely there. The morning I met the dogs, a few months back, they had been separated because one had the other by the neck and would not let go all over a bone. However, they are very sweet, loving and of course approachable.

Questionable "True blood"- I have yet seen any papers but I am going to talk to the owner and ask to see them. Not sure what line of APBT they are but they did look like APBT aside from the hair on the dog (which has the same mother as the litter) that was with the owner at the park. It wasn’t long like a golden retriever but it wasn’t short like other Pit's. I have read that it’s rare but it’s also possible for the litter to be mutts. The puppies also had long hair but that could have just been the normal puppy hair. These pits are also shop dogs. On the brighter side, the owner is not asking for any money which is a big + considering the $600 price tag for the Gotti Line and I can choose which ever puppy of that litter I want.

In summary, I still have some information I need to try to collect and I know for some of you the obvious decision would be to get the free pup but I don’t know if that would be the best choice. This will be me and my family’s first dog and I want it to be close to the best that I can get. So far these are my two options so one of these will be the winner.

Which would you choose and why?
Thank you all….

[arrismVam]

You know..any choice is a good one though id go with what you know vs what you dont.

[avodeinst]

Screw papers. I would go and meet each litter, and the parents if possible and pick the pup that I liked best.

[Timoxari]

Gotti line is in NO way an apbt. Period. They are Am bullies. Blue nose is actually not common for a true apbt. Its more of an am staff and am bully color. Do some real reasearch on here of what an apbt is. You are thinking more along the lines of am bully.

[funnyPasds]

Gotti line is in NO way an apbt. Period. They are Am bullies. Blue nose is actually not common for a true apbt. Its more of an am staff and am bully color. Do some real reasearch on here of what an apbt is. You are thinking more along the lines of am bully.

Yep thats what I meant.. I knew it was a bully just didnt know what kind. thanks.

---------- Post added at 01:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------

Screw papers. I would go and meet each litter, and the parents if possible and pick the pup that I liked best.

I already know the Gotti parents and will meet the litter tomorrow. For the free puppy, I have met the litter and thier bigger brother but not thier parents yet. I will next week sometime.

[wpFWNoIt]

Well if the ambullies have APBT papers they are worthless anyways and $600 is a lot for a puppy since they don't even know what breed they have, and I'd bet none of the dogs have any health testing or working titles on them so that's a ripoff, there's nothing special, rare or costly about a oversized blue dog, unless of course you mean the vet bills down the line, my blue dog from a byb has bad knees that will cost me about $5000 to fix, that's what crappy breeding gets you. Blue dogs tend to have skin issues as well, allergies, demodex is common in byb dogs, hip displaysia, etc. For the other breeder I'd assume these pups will probably never seen a vet, get shots or be wormed since they are free and they want to get rid of them to whoever so you will likely put hundreds of dollars in right off the bat anyways. You'd be better ahead to head to a shelter and get a pit puppy with shots, fixed, chipped, etc for probably under $100. How are the pups being raised and socialized? A good breeder makes sure their pups are exposed to things they will see during their life, not shutting them up in a backroom or outside, they also won't be letting them go to new homes before 8 weeks, it sounds like both the "breeders" you are looking into are idiots and I wouldn't take a pup from either. JMO

[arrismVam]

im gonna agree with goingpostal..didnt notice the 600$ pricetag.

[funnyPasds]

Well if the ambullies have APBT papers they are worthless anyways and $600 is a lot for a puppy since they don't even know what breed they have, and I'd bet none of the dogs have any health testing or working titles on them so that's a ripoff, there's nothing special, rare or costly about a oversized blue dog, unless of course you mean the vet bills down the line, my blue dog from a byb has bad knees that will cost me about $5000 to fix, that's what crappy breeding gets you. Blue dogs tend to have skin issues as well, allergies, demodex is common in byb dogs, hip displaysia, etc.

I think I might have cause you some confusion with the APBT and APBB. The Gotti Pits are bullies and papered as so. The free "unknown" Pits appear to be APBT but only the mother is papered but again, I have not seen the papers.

For the other breeder I'd assume these pups will probably never seen a vet, get shots or be wormed since they are free and they want to get rid of them to whoever so you will likely put hundreds of dollars in right off the bat anyways.

Nope I dont believe either litter has been to a vet. I have a already called 20+ vets and asked a billion questions. I also have already decided what vet I will using for the vaccicnes, a different vet for the microchip and another for ear cropping. So far I have less than $500 in vet bills for everything. I can go in detail as far as everything but thats not really this topic. Neither of these owners are breeders.

You'd be better ahead to head to a shelter and get a pit puppy with shots, fixed, chipped, etc for probably under $100. How are the pups being raised and socialized? A good breeder makes sure their pups are exposed to things they will see during their life, not shutting them up in a backroom or outside, they also won't be letting them go to new homes before 8 weeks, it sounds like both the "breeders" you are looking into are idiots and I wouldn't take a pup from either. JMO

I never gave the shelter a thought since I wasnt looking for a dog, these opportunities just came to me but I might have to check them out. Not sure on how either litter is being raised, both are from shops, one is a automotive shop the and the other is a metal fence shop so not the best exposure there. I know that the Gotti owner takes pride in his dogs so although they might not have the best grwing experience he does take care of them.

I'm not trying to defend any of these owners just putting some facts out there.

I'm still lost as to which puppy I should lean towards lol..

[GuitarLoverBe]

If it were me, I would keep looking for several reasons.

Sounds like you're focusing mainly on looks since that was heavily mentioned in your post. But you also mentioned some about temperament and I think that is the most important consideration ... especially with young(?) children in the family.

Don't get hung up on papers. Unless you are going to show a dog or participate in registry sanctioned events, why have papers? Bragging rights alone wouldn't be a big consideration for me when there are so many things to consider in a family pet.

The only other reason you might like to have papers is if you intended on breeding a dog and I kinda think you might be considering that since you said, "Not that having papers are a huge deal to me at this point but maybe in the future they would be." Yes, papered dogs MIGHT be easier to find homes for and MIGHT help make pups more valuable. But please don't even think about breeding if you are at some point. There are WAY too many dogs breed for all the wrong reasons by people who really don't know what they're doing and too many dogs are ending up in shelters and rescues.

This will be your first dog and you have children in the home. Were it me in the same circumstance, I would not limit my options to just the two you mentioned. I would be looking for a "bomb proof" rock solid dog that's good with people and proven to be tolerant of children. I wouldn't chose a puppy if this was my first dog either. With a puppy, you really never know what you have until they are older and their temperament has developed. All dogs are individuals and you can't JUST go by what the sire and dam of pups temperament is like to KNOW how the puppies will turn out.

Therefore, I would be looking at dogs in pit bull rescue organizations. Dogs that are young dogs that have been fostered in homes with children and proved themselves to be of good temperament. Often these dogs have already had some training too and are already vetted and up to date on shots. I would rather brag about how wonderful my dog is temperament wise, than about it's color or papers.

Another thing to think about too as a first time dog owner is the importance of behavior. If you've never trained a dog, you may need some help and getting yourself and the dog into some classes would be a very good idea. Dogs aren't born knowing what their human family expects of them and we have to teach them in a humane and compassionate way how to learn and grow to be good family members.

If you would consider the rescue/foster option there are resources available to help you locate one in your area. One resource is Pit Bull Rescue Central Pit Bull Rescue Central ... take a look and see what you think.

Thank you for taking the time to research your decision. These dogs live on average 12-15 years and the decision is not one to be taken lightly.

[creewespock]

What you want is worth what you are willing to pay for it.

Would I pay $600-$1100 for an Am Bully? No. But then there are a ton of Am Bullies in shelters and rescue, so if I wanted an Am Bully and was willing to pay for one, I'd shell out between $100-$300 for one of those shelter/rescue dogs that already had shots, spay/neuter, vet check and had a known temperament. You'd be surprised how many people pay out a few hundred to a thousand and then dump the poor dog off at a shelter Plus, I could skip the peeing in the house, chewing all my shit, puppy stage, lol.


Would I go to a "free puppy" person and take a dog? Maybe. Depends what I was looking for. If I wanted a purebred Pit Bull that came from healthy and temperamentally sound parents, I know it is unlikely I would get that for free. If I just wanted a dog, well, sure I would take a free one.

[Nikkkola]

My opinion? Those two people are BYB's. If you're looking for a working dog, I wouldn't want dogs from either of those. Anybody who says "blue nose pit" raises flags, big time.

If you want a family dog, why not just go to a local shelter? Most of them are overran with "pit bull" type dogs, and many that end up in shelter's make wonderful family pets.

[TriamiCaw]

Agreed, if you want an Am Bully go get an proven stable/healthy adult one from a reputable rescue that has preferably had the dog either living in a home with kids or has been thoroughly tested with them.

Those people are definitely BYB's. I personally do not care for Am Bullies at all and even in the realm of real APBT's its taken me years (about 4-5?) of meeting dogs, seeing people's various dogs here, reading peds, and doing research on the history of the breed, etc. to really know what I'd want if I were lucky enough to be in the position to say yes its time to talk to people about a possible puppy!
Ditto with the other breeds I love who are actually higher up on the want list, just because of training goals, etc.

[sposteTipsKage]

I really don’t care that they are not true APBT's….

Here is a thought. If you don't care if you get a true APBT or not. Why not go and adopt a bully breed or a bully breed mix from your local shelter? I don't know about where you are but our shelters here are full of Pit bulls of all ages pups to seniors. I've seen adoption fees go between $50 and $135 dollars. And that includes spay/neuter and shots.

I'm just saying if it really doesn't matter if you have a true purebred APBT. Why not adopt and save a life? I mean better to give your money to an animal shelter than a backyard breeder.

[seatlyled]

Go to a shelter and get a nice dog that has been checked and has shots. Neither of the dogs you are thinking about sound any good to me. See the photo of my dog. Free from a shelter with a $100 donation. Of course I am comfortable with my own judgement of a dog, and I don't need no stinking papers.

[sposteTipsKage]

Go to a shelter and get a nice dog that has been checked and has shots. Neither of the dogs you are thinking about sound any good to me. See the photo of my dog. Free from a shelter with a $100 donation. Of course I am comfortable with my own judgement of a dog, and I don't need no stinking papers.

[creewespock]

I also don't know where you are, but here in MI you can go to the Humane Society and get an Am Bully or an APBT for about $250 including all vet work and spay/neuter plus temperament test. If you go to the local pound you can walk out with an APBT or Am Bully for between $25 and $80 (depending on the pound and what shots they give)

[funnyPasds]

@JoeBingo, I meant that it is NOT a big deal to me not to have papers. I looked at the site you posted but I didn’t see any that were close by me. The closest was 40 minutes away. I'm going to find a local shelter and look around though. I meant that it is NOT a big deal to me not to have papers.

@bearxfoo, what is BYB?


@SBTlove, what I meant to say is that I really didn’t care that those particular dogs, the Gotti Line Pits at my friends shop, were not APBT. I know they are bullies. I do want true APBT or another well-known blood line. Again, the Gotti Pits were just an option that came to me.

I'm a newbie to all this so I'm just speaking from common sense but it seems to me that adopting a true APBT, which IS what I would like, from a shelter would NOT be a good idea mainly because I would not know what has happened to it. Granted the shelter might say it was found wondering at a park or we found it at a freeway yada yada but truly would I know what really happened? Yes I know there are dogs out there that families can no longer support so they’re the dog is the first to go and other "not at fault" dog situations but raising a puppy I think would be better than adopting a young Pit who I know nothing about other than it being house broken, somewhat disciplined etc. Another thing, okay what if it was found but or a family had to give it up well what it they did that because they did not like something about it? Maybe it was too aggressive, it started biting or it had some type of dysfunction or problem that they did not like or could not handle.

I just would feel a lot more comfortable raising a dog from a puppy so that I know exactly everything about it.

---------- Post added at 03:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

Go to a shelter and get a nice dog that has been checked and has shots. Neither of the dogs you are thinking about sound any good to me. See the photo of my dog. Free from a shelter with a $100 donation. Of course I am comfortable with my own judgement of a dog, and I don't need no stinking papers.

Beautiful dog Atheist. Maybe I can score one like that.

I also don't know where you are, but here in MI you can go to the Humane Society and get an Am Bully or an APBT for about $250 including all vet work and spay/neuter plus temperament test. If you go to the local pound you can walk out with an APBT or Am Bully for between $25 and $80 (depending on the pound and what shots they give)

Yea I will definitely have to give my local shelters a look. Maybe I'll find one to steer me away from these two :P

I really appreciate all of your guys' input. Thank you all.

[mashabox]

I have the feeling you aren't completely comfortable around apbt from your last post but I could be wrong..

now if you go the adotpion route, I wouldn't suggest a shelter dog but a rescue dog. a dog that has proven stable in a family/house enviroment.

[funnyPasds]

I have the feeling you aren't completely comfortable around apbt from your last post but I could be wrong..

now if you go the adotpion route, I wouldn't suggest a shelter dog but a rescue dog. a dog that has proven stable in a family/house enviroment.

Yea I am comfortable and want a APBT. I gave all of my 7 local shelters a call to see if they had any puppy or even young APBT but all they had is adults without children experience, that they know of

[GuitarLoverBe]

Thank you for looking at the site I linked to, Pit Bull Rescue Central. You found the closest to you was only 40 minutes away. That isn't too bad. A lot of preliminary stuff can be done looking at their dogs online and through emails, phone conversations and such. You might find several dogs you're interested in and check them all out in one trip.

I'll mention one more option to check out and it's right here on PBC. Check out the Rescue and Adoption forum Pit Bull Rescue and Adoption ... if nothing else, there are a lot of "sticky" threads with fabulous information that everyone could learn something from and might help in making your decision.