Animal Learning Is Not Breed-Specific
August 27, 2013
“The truth is that pit bulls are, above anything else, dogs. The truth is that all dogs (and all animals, for that matter) learn the same way. The truth is that we can effectively train dogs, of all breeds, without hurting or scaring them. The truth is that all dogs learn via consequences and associations. And the truth is that (given the right motivation), these consequences and associations needn’t be painful or frightening. And if they needn’t be, they shouldn’t be.“
This is an excerpt from a great article by Kelly Shutt Cottrell that’s over on StubbyDog.org today. It does a fantastic job explaining her (and our) approach to training, and why we choose to train the way we do. Kelly Shutt Cottrell is not the “Kelly” of Puggles & Pitties, we just happen to have similar ideas and opinions about dog training. Check out her article now!
Sadie Needs a Very Special Foster
August 3, 2013
Mid-2009 we rescued a pittie pup from one of the shelters in Los Angeles. She was a tiny little thing, and we paid full adoption fees for her because we were really concerned about a dog her age being in a shelter and who might adopt her. We named her Violet. Here are pics from her original photo shoot back in 2009.
Violet, now named Sadie, was adopted by a very nice woman who lived in PB. She received a lot of basic obedience training as a puppy. She grew up to be a very good girl.
Unfortunately, Sadie’s mom has fallen on some very hard times and some behavioral challenges started to arise. Her mom wasn’t able to work with her, so Sadie has come back to the rescue.
Right now she is in boarding. She NEEDS to be in a foster home because she needs someone to work with her on her behavioral issues. We will pay for her training but the foster must be willing to work with her and meet with the trainer on occasion. She would probably be best suited for a home with no smaller children darting around, definitely no cats, and preferably no other dogs. If there are other dogs in the home, larger dogs would be better than smaller ones, and you must be able to keep them comfortably separated as we believe there are issues with other dogs.
She’s housetrained, up to date on her shots, has not been crated in her former home and we’re told she wasn’t a chewer. She bonds very strongly with her people and loves to snuggle. She’s 50 lbs but very tall, thin, and leggy.
We’ll provide food; a crate if needed; cover all vet costs and all training expenses.
We are begging for a foster home for her in the San Diego area, and we really, really would like to find one by the end of this weekend, 8/4. Please contact us at pugglesnpitties@gmail.com if you can open you heart and your home to Sadie. We know we’re asking for the moon for this girl. but we commit to our dogs for their whole life, and this little girl needs us again.
Meet Maggie!!
July 22, 2013
Maggie is now available for adoption! Check her out, and contact us at pugglesnpitties@gmail.com if you’re interested in meeting her!
Elderbull in LA needs Foster
May 27, 2013
Another day, another overwhelming number of pleas for help in our inbox.
There are a few people whose emails I always open and read, because they are very good at assessing dogs. If they say this dog is gold, I know we’ve got to do whatever we can to help them get out of the shelter alive.
Today is one of those days. Here’s the email:
I have little time to save this 8 year old gentle giant’s life—the shelter vet emailed me and said how gentle and loving, goofy and sweet this boy was—-but she asked me if I thought it was possible to find a good place for him as they cannot keep him long they are so crowded.
I met him today and loved him. He is a loving gentle boy who seemed to be good with every dog he met—another dog kissed him on his nose through the bars. He was patient and non reactive to the little and big dogs he met, even those barking wildly at him.
I am asking to please be the contact for this boy as I would die a thousand deaths to have him sent to a bad place, or some stranger on Facebook to rot in a crate—-
His rear legs are a little weak due to age and I roughly estimate that he only might have a year or two left in him. How I wish that we could give that to him in a loving environment, and so his last moments are filled with memories of being loved and not alone in a shelter. But he does NOT need hospice—he walks fine and will be happy for quite some time. Is there a miracle out there for this gentle, noble giant?
We don’t have any open foster homes at the moment, but we really want to save this boy. Is there anyone out there who can help us help him?
Link to video to see him in action: http://youtu.be/66Lcl40a5xs
Please keep in mind that Elderbulls are slower to place than younger dogs, so this could be a long-term foster. Puggles & Pitties will cover all vet expenses until he is adopted. We also provide a crate and a starter 30-lb bag of food (if needed). If you can open your heart and your home to this sweet boy, please contact us right away at pugglesnpitties@gmail.com.
Many thanks!
Foster Urgently Needed
February 19, 2013
Once again, we have an urgent plea to help a dog in need. THIS dog’s time is EXTREMELY limited due to a broken pelvis that is causing her considerable pain.
She’s thought to be less than a year old, very small in size (maybe 35 lbs), and obviously very sweet.
We’ve had our vet look at the xrays and it’s believed she only needs STRICT crate rest. That means the only time she would be out of her crate at first would be when she is being taken out to potty.
She’s currently not walking but it’s believed this is because of her level of pain and discomfort, not because she CAN’T. So her foster parent(s) will need to be patient with her, and go slow when it’s time to take her out.
She needs a place to hang out and recuperate. She can’t do steps, so if you’re somewhere with steps, you’ll need to be able to lift her if she needs to go up/down them. This is usually only an issue if the steps are on the outside of the home, not the inside (she can stay on one level inside).
Our primary foster home is PACKED to the brim right now, so we can NOT take this girl without a foster’s assistance. Please, anyone in the LA / OC/ San Diego area who may be interested, contact us IMMEDIATELY at pugglesnpitties@gmail.com.
Check out the video of her sweet self:
Thank you!
Puggles & Pitties 