Adorable 11-Year Old Pit Bull is Looking for a Forever Home

Pit Bulls have gotten a bad rap for violent behaviors in the past few decades. Irresponsible breeders are to blame versus the innocent animals that had no say in their training. The breed was targeted by ruthless criminals who raised pit bulls to fight to the death for betting and ill-gotten gain. Instead of being recognized as victims, the press painted these dogs as dangerous and many counties and cities made it illegal to own pit bulls within their jurisdictions. The facts are that Pit Bulls are not the most aggressive or violent breed in the world unless you teach them to behave that way. They’re domesticated dogs with the same needs and tendencies as most other dog breeds. They crave love and affection, and if raised right, they’re happy to give it back to loving owners. We recently learned about a special pit bull named Bonnie. Her story gives us a different perspective on the pit bull breed.

Loving Heart Animal Shelter’s spotlight candidate

WLFI followed up on a story about the Loving heart Animal Shelter’s highlighted pet that is up for adoption. It’s a Pit Bull named Bonnie. She is 11-years old and has been at the shelter since she was a young pup of three years old. She has spent eight years at the Loving Heart Animal Shelter, but she didn’t do anything bad or hurt anyone to get there. Animal rescuers found Bonnie and her litter of puppies after her owners abandoned them. All of Bonnie’s puppies were adopted by qualified pet parents who passed the requirements for adoption, but sadly, Bonnie being an adult Pit Bull was passed over all these years. She has patiently waited for someone to offer her a forever home, but time is slipping away.

Bonnie is a gentle and friendly dog

Staff at the shelter have cared for Bonnie for the past eight years. They report that in the time that has passed since her arrival, she has never offered to bite any person or animal. She’s not a biter, but she is a kind and gentle dog with a beautiful personality. She is loyal and gentle. She loves to cuddle on the couch. She enjoys playing with her toys and loves being indoors and outdoors. Bonnie is fortunate to have a temporary home with the shelter owners, but they hope that someone who has room in their hearts for a loving pet will give her a chance. She deserves to be in a loving home instead of a shelter where attention is spread around to all of the pets under their care. She is not a demanding dog and caring for her is easy, but she doesn’t get the full love and attention she would from a forever home surrounded by a loving family. At the age of 11, she is starting to get a few white hairs, but she is still healthy and vibrant and has a lot to offer the right family or even single pet parent.

The plight of adult pit bulls

WY Daily explains that animal shelters and pet rescues have an abundance of adult pit bulls under their care. When asked why there is a hesitancy for pet owners to adopt the adults the response is the same from most of them. Pit bulls have received a bad rap as violent dogs because of heavily publicized attacks on humans, some of them unprovoked. Some pit bulls are abused or taught to be violent and there have indeed been issues, but not all pit bulls are violent by nature. Some of these dogs have sweet personalities, like any other breed, you must judge each dog on its own merits. They are by nature loyal dogs who seek to please their owners. Most people are not willing to give adults in shelters a chance because they don’t have information on their background and it’s hard to know if they have emotional scars. The size and weight of these animals do pose intimidating risks in some cases. Most shelters assess the animals brought in. If they have violent tendencies or pose a risk to humans or other animals, in most cases they’re euthanized. The bottom line is that they’re dogs like any other breed, and they’re no more likely to pose a threat of violence than most other breeds and less likely than, for example, a Chow breed, but more Chows get adopted than pit bulls. In the case of Bonnie, you have a dog that has been worked with and observed for eight years with zero incidents. She was brought into the shelter as an adult of 3 years old who suffered abandonment from her owners. If she were going to have psychological issues they would have shown up by now. Bark Post confirms that some pet shelters that do not embrace the no-kill ethic do not keep pit bulls in their care for long before the animals are put on the list for euthanization to avoid overcrowding of the shelters. Healthy animals that are candidates for adoption are left in shelters and face certain death at kill shelters if someone doesn’t step forward to give them a chance.

Final thoughts

Bonnie the pit bull is an example of how wonderful and loving dogs in this breed can be. She’s been patiently waiting for the right family to give her the chance to prove that she would make a wonderful companion. She has a clean history in the past 8 years she’s been in the shelter, proving her merit and her value as a pet. She is not atypical as many pit bulls are loyal and loving pets, but public sentiment and fear of the breed prevent them from taking the chance. It’s an unfortunate situation. You can’t blame anyone afraid of a dog breed for putting themselves at what they believe to be a risk. Hopefully, in time, the stigma surrounding pit bulls will subside.

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