A suspicious dog owner believes she had been mislead into adopting a Pitbull instead of a Rottweiler Black Lab mix and has now made the tough decision to rehome him. The anonymous woman, who has owned dogs for over 21 years, voiced her concerns about the dog's "extreme" behaviour and admitted she sometimes even "feels scared looking in his eyes sometimes".
The mum shared a picture of the now 10-week-old pup to Reddit saying: "I think I may have been tricked into adopting a Pitbull. I was told he is a Labrottie (Rottweiler Black Lab mix), but one week later I found some of his behaviours odd and his looks are not similar to [any] Labrottie I've seen, nor a Rottweiler. He looks like a black Pitbull puppy."
The woman, who appears to be from the US, listed that the pup was more "stubborn", "bitey" and "clingy" than a usual dog would be while other online users argued these were all "pretty standard puppy stuff". In America, Pitbulls aren't banned outright, as they are in the UK, but it depends on state legislation whether or not they are deemed safe.
The woman added: "He has a very strong will and is so intelligent I feel scared looking in his eyes sometimes. It's like a human soul is in there." She also said the canine is capable of "throwing tantrums" as she explained: "Sometimes he will even grab things like his food bowl and thrash them for several minutes while 'groaning' as if he's angry he's not getting his way."
Many Reddit users advised the pet owner to get a DNA test before she made any rash decisions, however in an update forum post the woman announced she had decided to rehome the puppy. She added: "I haven't done the DNA test, but it's virtually impossible to deny I was lied to. With each passing day he looks more and more undeniably Pit.
"This dog is 10 weeks old and has the face of a grown man (fully grown pit) and looks like he's been bodybuilding since the age of one hour I take him on walks and say absolutely nothing about the breed and complete strangers will take one look at him and ask if he's a Pit or Pit mix. In addition to the behaviours already described, I'd be fooling no one but myself at the point by refusing to believe the obvious."
The woman said she is annoyed that the breeders "took advantage" of her "kindness and ignorance" but has now learned a valuable lesson to "always meet the parents". Admitting she and her son were "devastated", she said: "I'm sure someone will love this puppy and be willing to take the risk that it won't grow up and turn on them. I'm not."
The post had a mixture of responses with most people agreeing that she did the right thing for her family, although some people insisted that the dog's behaviour seemed pretty typical for a young puppy. One person replied: "I think you made the right choice. The adoption agency ought to be ashamed of themselves."
Another user agreed, saying: "I knew that dog was a Pitbull and, again, I'm sorry you were duped. It's good you want to get rid of him, your health and your life come before any shelters and any dogs."
However, somebody else who claims to be a dog trainer, commented: "Puppy biting is one of the most common complaints puppy owners have. It sounds like this pup was taken away from his mom and litter mates too early so he's missed out on learning bite inhibition from them. This could improve with training. The rest sounds very typical."
Another advised: "The only way to be sure is a DNA test, which I'd recommend doing. If he truly is a Labrador and Rottweiler mix, then he'd be safe to keep if you feel he's doing well in your home."
A third said they have "never understood the hate" when it comes to Pitbulls. He added: "Some people want the golden personality, some want something more laid back like a Chihuahua."
The UK Government decided to ban Pitbulls in 1991 in response to several unprovoked attacks involving the breed.
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