5 Things I Didn’t Know About Pitbulls until I Adopted Serena

Growing up my family always had dogs, mainly Labradors and German Shorthairs. When I decided to adopt a dog of my own 2 years ago, I decided to remain open to a variety of breeds of dogs. In California, most rescues have large amounts of Pitbulls in their care. This is for a variety of reasons that boil down to this breeds negative stereotype and being the most abused type of dog out there. (Just a side note, this is PURELY my option). When I found Serena’s picture on Copper’s Dream Dog Rescue, I knew she was it (see my previous post for her full story). Almost 2 years later, she is THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE!!! That being said, I had a lot to learn about being a PitBull mama as opposed to being a regular dog mama. Here are the top 5 Things I learned about Pitbulls after I adopted Serena.

1.) Pitbulls have BIG personalities. They are not boring dogs. They will be an endless source of entertainment with their antics and their silliness. I have now dubbed my Pittie mix a “Pittie Princess.” She loves her clothes, PJS, sleeping on every piece of furniture, and sometimes she “needs” 2 pillows and a fuzzy blanket on top of my bed to fall asleep. Yup, I am a crazy dog mom, and my dog is #pittieprincess.

2.)  They have BIG hearts. Growing up I thought Labradors really loved their humans. That love has no comparison to how much Pitties LOVE their humans. They get soooooo excited to see their humans walk through the door of the home. You could be gone for 2 minutes taking out the trash and when you walk back inside, they will be sooo happy and excited to see you. They are one of the most abused breeds of dogs out there, and yet they will love their humans with everything in them. It amazes me how resilient this breed is after trauma.

3.) Pitties don’t understand personal space. Snuggling is a full contact sport when you own a Pitbull. (There’s a reason my Pittie has a sweater that says “I will cuddle you so hard.”) As soon as you sit down, a Pitbull will be in your lap, with their body sprawled all over you licking your face and waiting for you to hug them back. As soon as you stop snuggling them, they will stare at you with vulnerable eyes to guilt you back into petting them. Pitties excel at making themselves look cute to get attention.

4.) Pitties can be stubborn. As sweet as pitties are, they can also be stubborn. When they don’t want to do something, they will stubbornly refuse to do so. This stubbornness can make training frustrating, but if you’re patient and firm with them, they will respect you forever.

5.) Pitties are the most loyal dogs ever. As soon as they know a human can be trusted, they will do anything to show you their loyalty. They will love you with all their hearts and protect you if you’re in trouble.