[nagdu] Service dog helps control anxiety attacks

[Linda Gwizdak]

Hey Rox,
My niece has a pet pit bull - a Staf mix - and he is a WONDERFUL dog!  He'd 
make a great therapy dog and he's good with people and dogs. He and Landon 
enjoy playing with each other when we visit.

I have known several pits and find them good, affectionate dogs.  The bad 
rap comes from those who breed them for fighting. These folks kill the ones 
who refuse to fight!  Like Michael Vick did and served time in prison for. 
Those dogs he killed coould have been good service dogs.

Pits - and all dogs really - need early socialization with all kinds of 
people and animals to learn to get along with others.  Case in point about a 
little Schnauser that lives in our complex. She LOVES people and dogs!  Many 
Schnausers seem to want to eat my dog. But this one was adopted from the 
animal shelter as a young pup and she has been around all kinds of people 
and dogs in her new home - thus she has been well socialized!

I don't know why these people who push breed specific laws to discriminate 
on the breed rather than the deed. Maybe they should be trying to make laws 
that would mandate early socialization of dogs in the first place. If ALL 
dogs were socialized from puppyhood, there'd be very few truely viscious 
dogs around.  Most of the nasty dogs I see are poorly or not at all 
socialized.  A real shame because the dog isn't happy being that way.

Lyn and Landon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "The Pawpower Pack" <pawpower4me at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Service dog helps control anxiety attacks


> Steve,
>
> Staffordshire Bull Terriers would be a wonderful PSD.  They are very 
> stubborn; and you will have to spend lots of time training because  they 
> are not automatic "people pleasers" like a lab or golden.   However they 
> are very intend to their people's emotion and very  focused on safety.  In 
> England, Staffordshire Bull Terriers are called  "nanny dogs" because they 
> are so wonderful with children.  Very  tolerant and watchful but not 
> reactive.
> They are about 13-15 inches tall and weigh around 40 lbs so short,  broad 
> and very well muscled.  I love this breed and if they were  bigger, and if 
> I weren't so concerned about BSL (breed specific  legislation) and whether 
> local BSL trumps ADA; I'd have one as a  service dog.  They are considered 
> a "pit bull" which is not a breed,  but a grouping of breeds mainly 
> consisting of the Staffordshire Bull  Terrier, the American Staffordshire 
> Terrier and the American Pit Bull  Terrier.
>
> The dog does sound like it does "tasks" and would qualify as a PSD and 
> not an ESA but sometimes it is a gray area.
> The breed in general does have the right temperament for this work, 
> though and if I needed a PSD; a Staffy would be very high on my list.
>
> Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds
> Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
> "It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point 
> out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- wit, 
> and the emperor remains an emperor."-- Neil Gaiman
> http://www.pawpowercreations.com/retreat.html
> pawpower4me at gmail.com
> AIM: Brissysgirl
>
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