Posted on 04/16/2009 5:47:41 AM PDT by meandog
Any dog who can pretend to snore while keeping one eye open on the sly is a keeper for sure! And as far as her new family is concerned—not to mention the entire neighborhood—Scarlet the pit bull is more than just a keeper. She’s an inspiration. Wes and Melissia McBride of Rolla, Missouri, were on the Best Friends website hoping to find a dog to adopt. At first, they thought perhaps one of the Vicktory dogs, but most of them are still not ready for homes. When they contacted Best Friends, the adoption staffers pointed them toward Scarlet on Adorable Adoptables. Melissia says that one look at Scarlet’s picture was all it took—oh, and it didn’t hurt one bit that Scarlet’s description said she is a snuggler! It was time to come out and meet her.
If they had any doubts whatsoever, they were laid to rest the moment they laid eyes on Scarlet. To set the scene, Scarlet came riding up in a golf cart for that first “meet and greet.” As soon as she saw them, Scarlet ran over and jumped up to pass out some slobbery kisses! It was love at first sight both ways.
And it has been love at first sight ever since. Back home, Scarlet and the four kids in the family (ages seven through fourteen) are inseparable. She knows when their school bus arrives and everything. When the kids get home, Scarlet is there, ready to say hello. All the other school kids love her, too, as does the rest of the neighborhood and every customer who sets foot in the store where Wes and Melissia work.
You see, they bring Scarlet to work, where she feels obligated to greet every single stranger as though the person was a favorite aunt or uncle. You can’t help but love this girl! "She’s a real spokesman for her breed," says Melissia. People who used to have negative feelings about pitties are changing their minds after a few minutes with Scarlet.
Scarlet came to Best Friends years ago as a survivor from Hurricane Katrina. Only a youngster back then, Scarlet has been biding her time, waiting for the perfect home. Looks like she finally found it! Congrats, Scarlet. You deserve to have an entire town fall in love with you.
Thanks for post such a sweet story....
Yep. But predictable.
Okay, you got me on that one "she" looked to me like a neutered male from the photos (just shows you how photos can be deceiving when you don't re-read the article) still, bitches do have a distinct posture in "marking"
BTW, you're absolutely mistaken about the other photos!
> because I’ll write you off as a kook.
You are welcome to do whatever you like, Kanawa. You know that I have a great deal of Respect for you and for your dog Sam. You also know that I have no time for the mixed mungrel bag of breeding that often gets referred to as the “Pit Bull”, for excellent reasons. Far too many New Zealand kids have been mauled by them and there is little or nothing redeeming about them: they are dangerous for anybody to own.
It is unlikely that i will shift from that considered opinion anytime soon: as a responsible dog owner and experienced dog trainer I have earned the right to call it the way I see it. If that makes me a kook in your books, I’d be disappointed but life would go on.
> BTW, you’re absolutely mistaken about the other photos!
Is the Dog of Peace not recumbent upon furniture? That certainly looks like a couch to me...
...if the answer is “yes” then it is you, not I, who are mistaken.
“If you notice your dog leaning gently against another or leaning against you, that’s a sign of caring or deferring to the other animal or yourself. Listen closely to his actions speaking, “I love and trust you. You are my friend.” He’s having a tender hearted moment. Show him you care. This is great bonding time. Don’t miss out on it”
~~
“When a dog is constantly leaning on you, putting his paw on you, using his nose to make you pet him, and always feeling the need to be touching you in some way, this is not your dog loving you, it is your dog displaying dominate behaviors. In the dog world, space is respect. A dog who is constantly nudging you and leaning on you, is not only disrespecting you, they are being the alpha dog.”
~~
” Dogs are very tactile and don’t always respect personal space. It’s common for them to lean against people’s legs. Dogs who merely lean, as opposed to a cat-like rubbing back and forth, may be attempting to expand their personal space by taking over yours. Conversely, some dogs lean to express an affectionate kind of possession, or to prevent you from going somewhere else. If your dog rubs against your legs, he is probably just trying to scratch a hard-to-reach spot.”
~~
“Depending upon the individual dog’s character, temperament, and his owner’s pack leadership skills, it could be interpreted as plain affection, OR, it could be a sign of dominance”
~~
“Over the years I have heard just about every look or movement from a dog described as dominance. A dog walks ahead of you: he is being dominant. He gets up on the couch: he is being dominant. A dog growls: he is being dominant. A dog jumps up on you: he is being dominant. Or a dog’s tail goes up and he too is being dominant. And on and on.
Thinking about dogs as either submissive or dominant is extremely simplistic, is it not? What follows is that dogs have two modes of being, dominant or submissive. This is a very black and white way to view such a wonderful and complex creature as the dog.
A dog leaning against a person might mean that he’d like a chest or belly rub if you’d be so kind, or that he is seeking warmth. Or it could mean that he is afraid and the contact with you gives him comfort or reassurance. It could just be the behavior of a dog who likes physical contact, a friendly sort of behavior. Or a dog might be unsettled or stressed and wants to make sure he knows where you are. Another possibility is that a dog might want to control the movement of the person he is leaning against. “
Great story. Thanks!
Well as a "responsible dog owner and experienced dog trainer" (as I also claim to be) have these attacks in N.Z. always been by so-called "pitbulls"? Over here, just about every dog attack, is blamed on the so-called "pitbull" when there are 25 other dogs (Rotties, Tosas, Canes, Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Labs, and a variety of mixed breeds are often the real culprits) making the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Bull Terrier and the (English) Staffordshire Terrier targets for breed elimination.
I have respect for you as well, that is why I’m disappointed
to see you using lame cliches like “Dog of Peace”.
It’s plain out stupid, meaningless and silly.
My dog has the run of the house and is often on the living room couch as it is softer than a hard wood floor. When I want to recline there I tell her to move, she does...I see no relevance between where a dog chooses to lie and the establishment of dominance as long as the dog is moving when it is commanded to move. I suppose you do so we'll just have to disagree on this point.
> My dog has the run of the house and is often on the living room couch as it is softer than a hard wood floor. When I want to recline there I tell her to move, she does...I see no relevance between where a dog chooses to lie and the establishment of dominance as long as the dog is moving when it is commanded to move. I suppose you do so we’ll just have to disagree on this point.
I am quite happy to agree to disagree: it’s your dog not mine. I suspect, tho’, that if you are experiencing this dominance problem (and it is a problem, whether you see it or not is another matter) you are doubtless experiencing other discipline problems with your dog, too.
Exactly, too many "dog experts" here try to read too much into a few photos without even actually ever knowing the family or the dog. And, while I concur with DieHard the Hunter in part about his trepidation about controlling dog dominance, I really believe it is a stretch to assume every situation in the photos as a dog being dominant.
Dogs hold the lone distinction in the animal kingdom of being the longest domesticated animal by humankind--they are used by police, by the military, as search and rescuers, as service dogs for the deaf and blind, as therapy dogs (even some "Dog of Peace," DieHard) and as family pets.
Nope! There would only be a discipline problem if the command wasn't obeyed which has never happened...I'd hate to be around your dogs if you don't realize this and I am seriously beginning to question your claim as a trainer.
Guess old DieHard didn’t much like the idea of the ANZAC forces honoring a “Dog of Peace”?
Doggie Ping
I’m not posting a pic cuz the ones in the first post tell the whole story :)
> Well as a “responsible dog owner and experienced dog trainer” (as I also claim to be) have these attacks in N.Z. always been by so-called “pitbulls”? Over here, just about every dog attack, is blamed on the so-called “pitbull” when there are 25 other dogs (Rotties, Tosas, Canes, Boxers, Bullmastiffs, Labs, and a variety of mixed breeds are often the real culprits) making the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Bull Terrier and the (English) Staffordshire Terrier targets for breed elimination.
Over here in NZ, as I’ve said a few times in different threads, “Pit Bulls” are almost always mixed breed mungrel mutts of unknown composition, bred more for aggressive tendencies than breed purity. They tend to have similar looks — large square jaw with a powerful bite, wide powerful chest — but that is where the similarities end. You cannot reliably know the composition of what is called a “Pit Bull” here.
As a separate issue, American Pit Bulls are one of four “breeds” unlawful to import into New Zealand. It is unclear what an “American” Pit Bull actually is.
> I have respect for you as well, that is why I’m disappointed
> to see you using lame cliches like “Dog of Peace”.
> It’s plain out stupid, meaningless and silly.
I think this cliche gets used only because the same sorts of apologies get made for Pit Bulls as gets made for muslims: that they are harmless, that they get given a bad name by a vast minority, that they really aren’t dangerous just misunderstood.
However, if it bothers you that much I will cease using the term, out of Respect for you and for your dog Sam. How’s that?
There is no difference here..."pitbulls" are blamed for virtually any attack on people when the dog attack actually resulted from (in some local cases I'm familiar with) a mixed-breed German Shepard/Bullmastiff, a Rotty, an Bull terrier/AmStaff mix (used as a catchdog in feral pig hunting) and, believe it or not, a lab/boxer mix. The American Kennel Club recognizes no dog called "pitbull" the United Kennel Club of America (which would be like comparing one of your NZ teams to Manchester United when thinking of AKC and UKC comparison) does recognize an "American Pitbull Terrier." It actually is an American Staffordshire Terrier with no little breeding history (it usually is an interbred product featuring aggressive dog heritage). But, as I pointed out, the UKC is really low class.
Incidentally, were you familiar with ANZAC story of Caesar? Incidentally, I believe there was another “Dog of Peace” famous at Gallipoli...
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