That Touch of Pit...

A Puppy Needs a Name

That Touch of Pit ... — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:00:44 +0000

Who doesn’t love a puppy? Especially a clumsy, big-footed one? While at the dog park today, we met an old “dog friend” who has opened her home to a brand new pup – a 5 month-old Cane Corso/American Bulldog mix who is so delicious you want to eat her up! Although she is on the shy-side, she quickly warmed up to all the new faces. She loves dogs (she has an awesome, handsome big brother) and tried to make friends with the scruffy terriers.

This little girl needs a name!

When I asked her mom, “What’s her name?” she said she hasn’t figured it out yet…and then said, “Hey! Maybe your blogosphere friends might have some ideas…”

So, below is a slide show to get to know “nameless.” Suggest away!

Click to view slideshow.

My Longest Foster to Date

That Touch of Pit ... — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:00:25 +0000

Two months ago, a whirlwind came into my life. Petite pittie Pinky came bounding into my heart (and home!) with a zest for life, a penchant for human affection, unending energy and playfulness; a Pandora’s Box of joy and challenges, simultaneously.

Pinky’s pre-rescue story is sort of a sad one. She was, quite literally, locked in a crate for a year. I imagine it was because of her intimidating energy level. Most likely, she had to do everything in her crate from eat, to eliminate, to sleep and everything nothing else a dog needs to do, like exercise.

Finally, a family member secretly clipped the lock and called for her rescue. So it’s no wonder she’s such a whirling dervish, but I am always amazed by the resiliency of dogs. After such neglect, you’d think she wouldn’t know how to behave around people or dogs, but it’s quite the opposite. Sure, she’s a bit in your face, but all she wants is for everyone to love her.

And to my surprise, we immediately met someone on the street that day who desperately wanted to adopt her. Her squirmy body and shining face drew him in even more quickly than they drew me in. But unfortunately, the adoption wasn’t going to work out.

So Pinky stuck around, and is now officially my longest foster dog to date. Before her, it was My Boy Bill who held the record at six doggie-bliss-filled weeks, but he wasn’t even officially adoptable for two of them because of his medical condition.

Pinky taught me a valuable lesson in fostering over these two months; one that I wrote about briefly a while back. You see, with my last foster dogs, there wasn’t really anything to work on. They all seemed to come in these nice little packages, with ribbons and bows and a big friendly smile.

But Pinky was not far from perfect: her energy level could have become a deterrent for potential adoptions, we had a few (hopefully now resolved) issues with house-breaking, and she had a lack of basic obedience training. Oh, and one of the most grievous offenses in a New York City apartment: vocalizing.

Pinky took work. A lot of work. But she’s gotten accustomed to home life now and the change in her behavior is noticeable. So noticeable that something very exciting may be happening very soon…

Pinky is still available for adoption through the Picasso Veterinary Fund of The Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals. If you or anyone you know would be interested in adopting her, please email pvfadoption@animalalliancenyc.org.

Wordless Wednesday

That Touch of Pit ... — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:37 +0000

Tales From A Terrier (The Scruffy Kind)

That Touch of Pit ... — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:00:19 +0000

This weekend I got to check out what my mom is always chatting about – the notorious Pittie walk! I already liked this group because they don’t exclude any breeds – as long as you can appreciate those muscle-ly, big headed dogs.

Since this was my first time out, I needed a wing dog so I invited one of my besties: Alice and her mom. As you can see, Alice is like me – not pittie at all! I convinced her we would have a long walk, lots of sunshine and, if we behaved, lots of treats! The gentle leader is my walking tool of choice – okay, not mine but my mom’s. Poor Alice had to put one on because her mom assumed she would pull with all the excitement of the Riverside walk.

All the pitties were super nice and friendly (aren’t most of them?). I even tolerated Pinky, who is a little jumping machine. She seemed to know my mom and that was VERY confusing to me. I got worried I would have to share my mom with Pinky, but thank goodness she was attached to a nice guy named Josh. We became fast acquaintances. See, here is a pic of me being polite and letting her sniff me…

There is so much to say but I am so tired from the big walk – Riverside Drive and 95th Street to 57th Street! Here are some highlights:

Remi LOVES squirrels.
Jackson seemed very sweet!
Havi is a leader, she even wears a backpack. I assume she had lots of kibble in there in case we got lost!
Gertie and her mom picked a sweet route to walk. Why?
- Paths were wide. Great for dogs like me who can occasionally react to those folks on bikes.
- It was beautiful. We walked RIGHT next to the Hudson River most of the walk!
- There was grass most of the time – for pee breaks, sniffing and laying down if you needed it.
And lastly, the cutest puppy was there – Dosa! She has the pretty eyes and she looked a little nervous at first and didn’t want to walk. We were all so proud and she kept walking the entire time! I think she liked being part of a pack of grown-up dogs.

Here’s a gallery to tide you over till next time…Bird

Click to view slideshow.

Adoptable Pittie of the Week: Chip

That Touch of Pit ... — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:00:41 +0000

So, the smallest part of us didn’t really want to post our next adoptable from Rescue-a-Bull because we sort of want to adopt him ourselves. You’ve been warned. Here’s Chip!

From his listing on Adopt a Pet:

“Chip is another cast away from North Carolina who found himself in the wrong hands at a very young age. Luckily someone contacted us and we were happy to scoop him up and whisk him off to a safe foster home.”

“He is currently 8 weeks and he is all puppy at heart – lovable, adorable and oh-so sweet. Chip will be ready for his forever home soon, so get your applications in now!”

You can see many more pictures of Chip on Rescue-a-Bull’s Facebook Page.

If you or anyone you know may be interested in adopting this sweet puppy, please email adopt@rescue-a-bull.org.

Letters from Lucy

That Touch of Pit ... — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:00:46 +0000

Hi everyone! Lucy here.

Can you keep a secret?

Whenever Dad takes out the suitcase, I like to mope around the house and make it look like I’m sad that he’s going away. But I’m not. Because when Dad goes on vacation, Crazy Uncle Matt comes over to play!

I love, love, LOVE my crazy Uncle Matt and we have the best, best, BEST time. Dad even tells other people that I love Uncle Matt more than I love him.

So when Dad went to Disney World (I hear they have really big mice there! I would chase them all over the place!), I got to spend a whole week playing and snuggling with my ~~most favorite~~ second favorite person in the whole wide world.

Sometimes I feel bad that I have such a good time with Uncle Matt, but then I remember that Dad lets him stay with me for that exact reason. Matt makes me happy, I make him happy, and that makes Dad the most happy!

Pinky’s Vacation Time

That Touch of Pit ... — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:00:15 +0000

So, while I was away (in Disney World – what a nerd!), Pinky went off to Instinct Dog Training here in New York City. I tried to line up a short term foster home for her, but wouldn’t you know it? All the foster parents I know here already had a foster dog in their care. Instinct made a very generous offer to board Pinky that I simply could not refuse. I, of course, told them that I was only working with her using positive reinforcement training techniques, so I would appreciate if they did the same, as she was doing so well with it.

They made this short video of her for us, and we LOVE it. It truly shows off Pinky’s playful personality and penchant for affection. And above all that, what a quick learner she is!

Before Pinky left, she only knew “sit,” “stay,” and “touch” commands. Now she’s got a great “down” and has even started a bit of agility! We couldn’t be more proud of the work she accomplished!

Wordless Wednesday

That Touch of Pit ... — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:00:31 +0000

Happy Valentine’s Day

That Touch of Pit ... — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:00:10 +0000

Adoptable Pittie of the Week: Sue Sue

That Touch of Pit ... — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:09 +0000

This week, we’re returning to Dutchess County, New York and featuring pretty pittie Sue Sue from Animal Farm Foundation!

“Energetic and playful, this 1 year old gal greets everyone with enthusiasm, hoping to land herself a new home. Before coming to Animal Farm Foundation, Sue Sue lived with other dogs and small children.”

“While on the farm, Sue Sue has enjoyed people time and playing with her gentle doggie friends. When she’s not running around, Sue Sue loves to nap in her crate.”

“Looking for a dog that is full of life and fancy free? Apply to make Sue Sue part of your family!“