How To Make It Easy to Own a "Bully Breed" Dog

This weekend was Pit Bull Awareness Weekend, and in honor of that, we'd like to offer some advice to owners, and potential owners, of pit bulls, pit bull mixes and "bully breeds." If you own one of these fabulous dogs, you know just how amazing, sweet and loving they truly are. Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not as informed. Here at AHS we love pit bulls and bully breeds and we try to help them overcome these negative stereotypes in any way we can and we salute the efforts of advocacy and pit bull specific rescue groups like Love-a-Bull (who organized this weekends fabulous festivities!). But until we can educate the general public, the media, and legislators, owning one of these dogs can come with it's own set of unique challenges. Here are some great resources to help you overcome those challenges and live happily ever after with your wonderful dog!

1. Housing - Housing can be hard whether you are a renter or a homeowner. Many apartment complexes and landlords won't accept bully breeds (often because of restrictions from their insurance companies) and many homeowners worry about increased in their homeowners insurance if they adopt a bully breed dog. These challenges don't have to end your dreams of owning one of these wonderful dogs, though. Love-a-Bull has put together a list of pit friendly housing in Austin to make your search easier! For homeowners, did you know that not all insurance companies raise their premiums for pit bull owners? Farmers Insurance, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual don't (some individual brokers might have their own restrictions so please ask them). For a comprehensive list, click here!
2. Boarding and Doggy Day Care - From time to time you might need to go out of town or wish to let your dog have a day to play with other dogs! Check out this list of what Austin establishments will happily care for your pooch!
3. Going Out - People in Austin love to bring their pets with them where ever they go, but not all places happily welcome even your best behaved pits. Check out who does!
4. Need A Place to Stay? - Not all hotels are pit friendly, but these are!
5. Misconceptions - No matter how lovely and wonderful your pit is, there will be people who are scared or untrusting of your dog. Or they might think your dog is the exception to the rule. We hope that you will introduce your well-behaved pit bull to as many people as you can and make it clear that they are a pit bull to help show people that these are wonderful dogs! If you want to share more information about the facts about pit bulls with people you know, have them read The Pitbull Placebo (it's available for free online or you can buy it at a book store) or you can send them here to Love-a-Bull's website for some fast, and very informative, facts!