I personally have shared my heart and my home with American Pit Bull Terriers off and on for twelve years. I find them to be attractive, brave, noble, commanding, protective and loyal. But they can also be affectionate, obedient, intuitive, gentle, and funny, sensitive and smart. I guess they are the breed I compare most to my own personality. Hard on the outside and soft on the inside, with an incomparable love of family at their core.
When the "American Bully" started coming into existence around 2004 I was very attracted to this shorter, bullier, calmer version of the ABPT. So I purchased a few dogs and I had a few litters over the next 2 and a half years. But when my first daughter was born in 2006 I had a change of heart. A new caution was born in my eyes.. and the dogs I loved and trusted suddenly became potential threats to the newest love in my life.
For countless years I had spent hours defending my beloved breed from their bad reputation. I have changed so many peoples minds, all my closest friends and family were "converted" pit bull lovers. But suddenly I had those same friends and family questioning MY choice all over again.. to mix these potentially "vicious" dogs with my expanding family. Sure, my dogs had great temperaments. But just "what if..?" And so it was, with many regrets, that I sold my 5 beloved four legged family members and retired from breeding.
I spend the next 3 and half years raising my daughter, and while I occasionally thought about my dogs and my past, and even contemplated a future that might contain bullies again, I wasnt sure. Over the years we tried other breeds. My husband suggested a lab, as he had grown up with labs. But his fathers lab was anything but good with children. I wanted another brave, protective breed so I bought a top of the line german shepherd for close to $2000, which turned out to be one of the worst dogs I have ever owned. Hyper AND aggressive and and not worth the price of his kibble.
He was followed later by an Australian Cattle dog who was a seemingly a working part of the family for 18 months. But then he started attacking the lawnmower.. and then our neighbors, and then our friends.. still he was always gentle with us .. but then one day my daughter bumped into him with her tricycle while he was lying down and he bit her in the face and drew blood above and under her eye. I had had enough. I was depressed and tired of buying and selling dogs, and I was feeling like maybe kids and dogs just werent supposed to mix.
By this time I was pregnant again with my second daughter and I was getting ready to move into a new 4 bedroom home with a very large fenced area. I decided it was time to trust bullies again. After all, other breeds I was trying were showing LESS stability and MORE aggression and temperament flaws than ANY of the bullies I had previously. In all my years and experience with pits and am-bullies and I had never even had one look at me wrong, much less attempt to bite anyone. So, I swallowed my nerves.. I did my research and I purchased a male locally. Well needless to say we were pleased and about six months later I purchased a female and I was convinced it was time to start back into breeding!
Above are a few pictures of our two girls with our foundation female, "Baja". Our dogs are truly wonderful, I am so grateful for their presence in my home and in my life and I am proud to offer these incredible animals to others so they can experience what a blessing the American Bully can be. There is no companion, defender, or listener like your dog. Treat him as such and you will be rewarded with nothing less than a true friend for life.
