Stray Pit Bull Saves Woman and Child from Attacker

PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passer by, but one woman will always remember him as her "guardian angel."

The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon.

The Florida woman, who has been identified by authorities simply as "Angela," was leaving a playground with her toddler son in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot with a knife and told her not to make any noise or sudden movements.

Angela didn't have to do either to protect herself and her child -- a dog mysteriously ran to the scene and charged the man, who quickly fled.

"I don't think the dog physically attacked the man, but he went at him and was showing signs of aggression, just baring his teeth and growling and barking. It was clear he was trying to defend this woman," Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse.

"I don't know what this man's intentions were, but it is very possible this dog saved her life."

The exceptional part of the story, Jones said, is that the dog had never met or even seen the people it quickly jumped to defend.

"You hear about family dogs protecting their owners, but this dog had nothing to do with this woman or her kid," Jones said. "He was like her guardian angel."

After the alleged thief ran away, Angela quickly placed her son, Jordan, in the car and tried to drive off. Before she could, though, the dog jumped into her backseat, waiting with her for the police and animal control officers to arrive at the scene.

The dog was transported to a local shelter and if his owners don't step forward within five days, Jones said, Angela and her family plan to adopt the saviour she named "Angel."

Animal control officers and shelter workers believe Angel is lost, and not a stray, because of his good health, sturdy weight and mild temperament.
"It's funny, that someone's irresponsibility could have saved someone's life," Jones said of Angel's possible owners.

For Angela, it doesn't matter where the dog came from; just that he was there when she needed him most.

"I don't know what his [the thief's] intentions were -- I don't know why he did it, but I'm glad that -- we call him Angel -- I'm glad that Angel showed up because I don't know what would have happened," Angela told NBC2 News.

For a small town with a population of 46,452, animal control officers were kept busy Monday afternoon. Jones says the department also responded to a report about a boa constrictor in a church parking lot.

The snake found its way into a car engine and was able to be removed without being harmed. It took three people to move the massive, seemingly random placed snake.

"It's funny, because we aren't a big place," he said of the Gulf Coast town.

"And we can go for four or five months without the media contacting us about a story. It's been a busy week."

Officers from the responding county sheriff's office canvassed the area and were unable to locate the suspect described as being in his 20s, tall and dark haired.

How to Stop Your American Pit Bull From Pulling While on the Lease

By Nathaniel Rhine

More often than not, one’s American Pit Bull will pull like crazy when he is taken for a walk. Usually, this will occur when another dog (or cat) is spotted by your dog. Even when you do not see another dog or cat around, your dog surely can and will inform you of that by their pulling you towards that dog or cat.

Before one set out to teach one’s American Pit Bull leash manners one should first understand why one’s dog pulls in the first place. The majority of dogs that pull do so because one of the following three reasons:

1. One walks the same direction and visit the same place daily. One’s dog knows this and wants to get this monotonous task over with as fast as possible.

2. One’s dog has never been given any boundaries. In other words, the dog walks you and they have been allowed to do this.

3. They are rarely walked so when they are the excitement causes them to pull.

Moreover, the dog owner’s responsibility now is to find out which of the above mentioned reason(s) is the main motivator behind your dog’s pulling and eliminate it.

One method of teaching your American Pit Bull from pulling on the leash is to teach your dog that if they pull, they lose their reward. Their reward in the case of walking is moving forward and progressing. Whenever, one’s dog begins to pull, the owner must simply stop. It’s that simple, yet for most owners, very hard to do. It defeats the purpose of walking the dog. Exactly! That is the whole point of stopping whenever the dog pulls. One want to send the message to the dog that in order to enjoy this walk, you must not pull.

One’s goal is to out last one’s dog. The dog will definitely get frustrated and start to pull. One can not and should not allow then to do so. You are the alpha dog; the one in charge. When they stop you do not move. Wait for a moment. Let the dog know that you mean business and that he will not enjoy his walk if he continues to pull.

Of course, there is no need to have a conversation with your dog for he will not understand. Unfortunately, I hear some dog owners talking to their dogs as though they are humans and can understand what is being said. On the contrary, the dog will understand what you want to convey to him via your repeated and consistent actions. In the case of the dog pulling, one’s action is no action at all; no forward movement.

Furthermore, after the dog has stopped for a short period of time due to pulling, one may start walking again. By doing that, one is saying to the dog, “Yes, you are now ready to start walking again.” As soon as the dog begins to pull again, simply repeat the same procedure; stop, wait, say, “Yes”, and start walking. Throughout this training process, there is no need to talk to one’s dog. You may only confuse him. Simply give the command, “Yes” and begin walking.

Keep in mind that positive results do not come overnight. Therefore, I encourage you to repeat this training method daily. Eventually, with daily practice both you and the dog will enjoy your walks together. I wish you all the very best success.

The First Day After Soldier's Ear Cropping Surgery

By Nathaniel Rhine

I could hardly wait to wake up early in the morning to check on Soldier to see how he’s recuperating after his ear cropping surgery yesterday afternoon. To my amazement, he was and is doing great, thank God.

As usual, upon him hearing me rattling the keys to unlock the gate of my front door and the front door itself, he ran around the yard to greet me with open arms, as it were. I thought he would be a little sore or perhaps feeling a bit of pain. To my surprise there were no physical signs of any pain or soreness. His extremely high level of energy did a great job of disguising any pain, if there were any.

As a morning ritual, I replaced Soldier’s large drinking bowl with fresh and cool water. I had to fill it up to the rim, which would enable Soldier to drink the water for he is now wearing what I call a lampshade. The lampshade is a plastic cone that is wore around the dog’s neck. The purpose of the lampshade is to prevent the dog or any animal for that matter, from scratching the ears with his paws. When the urge comes to scratch the ear, which is a very common and a natural thing to due when the ears are healing and drying, the cone will safeguard the ears from any infections or opening of the wounds due to the scratching.

A few times I noticed Soldier scratching the lampshade luckily instead of the actual ear that needs scratching. To help alleviate or at least minimize the itchiness of the ear is to apply a cream that I must apply at least three times a day. This cream moistens the cut on the ears which enables the cuts to heal gradually and prevent the ear from drying too quickly which causes the irritation.

In addition to applying the cream that I’ve just mentioned, Soldier is given antibiotic tablets twice a day and a pain killer tablet one day until the five day course has been completed. If you are wondering how I get Soldier to take tablets, easy; I just slice an opening in a chuck of raw meat, insert the tablets into the incision and then offer it to Soldier. You name a dog that refuses the offering of fresh raw meat? I can’t think of one, especially not Soldier.

Moreover, the actual surgery, which I will talk about in another post within the next day or two, was relatively easy. The most difficult part of the entire ear cropping exercise is the post-surgery care, which is performed by the dog owner, yours truly. That mean, I must put forth the effort and time to make sure that Soldier is getting the utmost post-surgery care and attention. It is the healing process that requires more time, approximately a week’s time. The surgery took approximately one hour.

Let’s not forget, just because Soldier had his ears cropped and now requires my additional care and attention, does not negative the fact that I must continue my other daily obligations towards Soldier such as his daily walks which are performed twice a day, playing tug-of-war with him, feeding him after a good workout, changing the water of his water bowl at least twice a day, cleaning the yard of his defecation and the list goes on.

All in all, Soldier’s first day after the ear cropping surgery was a delight. I was able to see a happy dog who was overjoyed with giving me his love in return.

To Crop or Not to Crop

By Nathaniel Rhine

I finally have made up my mind to do it. Do what? I’ve decided to crop the ears of Soldier. Actually, the decision was made the moment he was presented to me as a birthday present from my wife, but it was only yesterday that I’ve moved from a thought to an action.

Last week I made several phone calls to local veterinarians who performs ear cropping, the act of operating on dogs ears to make them look more beautiful. There are several breeds of dogs that are easily recognizable due to their ear cropping. For example you have the Doberman Pinchers, the Great Danes, the German Sheppards and the Boxers to name a few of the most common and most recognizable breeds. And of course one can not forget the American Pit Bull Terrier.

Today, I will post a few photographs of Soldier a few hours before the surgery and some photographs of him shortly after the surgery.

Tomorrow, God willing, I intend to write about the actual procedure of ear cropping. Dr Helpful (I will not use his real name for I have yet to seek his permission to use his name in my post) the doctor who performed the ear cropping allowed me to eyewitness the surgery! However, no photographs were allowed to be taken during the surgery. More tomorrow, God willing.

The following day I intend to write about all the noise some people have about ear cropping and tail cropping. For your information, tail cropping is not performed on the American Pit Bull Terriers; ears only.

I thank you very much for the time you have taken out of your busy schedules to read this post. I’d appreciate it if you would so kindly make comments and send them to me. In addition, please “follow” this blog in order to be updated of all interesting future postings.

Another Walk in the Park

By Nathaniel Rhine

Sunday afternoon was another walk in the park with Soldier. I arrived a little earlier than usual, due to the cloudy skies above. Soldier and I had the opportunity to bond while walking and taking in the views of the surrounding. Along our journey we met a few other dogs, however, due to their small size, I dared not allow Soldier to get too close. The good thing is that the other dog owners kept their dogs on their leash. As always, Soldier was on his leash. As a responsible dog owner, especially, an American Pit Bull owner, I must help give the breed a good name. Unfortunately, the American Pit Bull has received very bad reviews due to irresponsible owners.

Moreover, I had the opportunity of meet Mr Ang, his wife Mrs Pauline Puah and their son, Marcus Ang, an up and coming martial artist in the Korean martial art of Taekwondo at the dog park, Central Park. We had an enjoyable and interesting conversation about dogs and the relations of dogs and the general Malaysian population. Perhaps in future postings, I will share with you such conversations.

For now, please enjoy the photographs, taken by Mr Ang which were sent to me via Facebook by Mrs Pauline Puah.

Soldier's First Social Gathering With Other Dogs - Central Park, Selangor - May 30, 2010

By Nathaniel Rhine

Today marked the beginning of a new phase in Soldier’s life. He had the opportunity for the very first time in his life to meet other dogs, close up. I decided that I wanted to see how he would mingle with other dogs, since has never had the opportunity to do so. To my amazement, he was wonderful. I was afraid that he would want to be rough with other dogs, but he wasn’t. He was just taking it all in. Perhaps, he was overwhelmed with some many dogs around him at one time; the very first time.

“What should I do? Should I play with them or should I show them whose boss.” Perhaps that was what was going through his mind if he could speak. However, there was one incident in where a much smaller dog then Soldier wanted to show who was the boss. After getting the feel of each other, the smaller dog took a bite at Soldier! Soldier was cool about it. He just allowed the dog to flex his muscles a bit, but deep down in Soldier’s heart, he knew that he’s the boss of all dogs. Am I being bias? Maybe a bit.

Tips on Walking Your American Pit Bull Terrier

By Nathaniel Rhine

Every dog love to go for a walk, especially an American Pit Bull Terrier. They require a lot of exercise. Before you even think about get a Pit Bull, please make sure you will have or make the time to walk him daily, if not, you will not be a responsible Pit Bull owner.

I walk Soldier at least twice a day, Monday through Friday, and on the weekends I may walk him at least three times a day, since I have more time to spend to be with him. One must make time to walk your dog. There is no if, and or but about it.

When you and I go for a walk 9 times out of 10, we are wearing some kind of foot wear, be it sneakers (tennis shoes), boots or sandals. However, when was the last time you saw a dog wearing shoes? And if you have, I can guarantee you that it was not an American Pit Bull Terrier, either. Having said that, it is advisable to walk your dog either in the early morning and/or late evening/night when the atmosphere is cooler and so are the street’s surface area.

Most of us do not have the luxury of having a large enclosed yard or field to allow our dogs to run in. Like most people, I have to walk Soldier in or on the streets. Therefore, the streets are very hot due to the sun shining down on them all day long. Our dog’s paws are in direct contact with the street’s surface area. Just imagine you walking barefoot down the sidewalk or in the streets at 2:30pm? Crazy! Yet, many dog owners do just that, without giving it a second thought.

As responsible dog owners we want to be considerate of our dog’s needs and wants. Our dogs need to walk and want to walk as much as possible, so why torture them by having them walk on scorching hot concrete/pavement?

One more advice I’d like to share with you and that is, before taking your dog out for a walk, massage his legs and shoulder muscles. It will help stimulate the blood flow and get the dog prepared for a good workout. Like humans, before we engage ourselves in a physical activity, we are encouraged to stretch, to warm up. Our companions deserve the same attention. It only requires 2 or 3 minutes. It is also a great way to bond with your companion.

Last but not least, after the walk, give your dog a cool down as well. Simply, massage the legs, shoulders and thighs for a few minutes. Again, like humans, after a strenuous workout, we cool down so that we may avoid cramps and stiff muscles.

These are some very simple tips that I hope you will find helpful when it comes to walking your dog. Your dog will love you more for the little extra attention that you give him. Happy walking. TIP ON WALKING YOUR AMERICAN PIT BULL

Every dog love to go for a walk, especially an American Pit Bull Terrier. They require a lot of exercise. Before you even think about get a Pit Bull, please make sure you will have or make the time to walk him daily, if not, you will not be a responsible Pit Bull owner.

I walk Soldier at least twice a day, Monday through Friday, and on the weekends I may walk him at least three times a day, since I have more time to spend to be with him. One must make time to walk your dog. There is no if, and or but about it.

When you and I go for a walk 9 times out of 10, we are wearing some kind of foot wear, be it sneakers (tennis shoes), boots or sandals. However, when was the last time you saw a dog wearing shoes? And if you have, I can guarantee you that it was not an American Pit Bull Terrier, either. Having said that, it is advisable to walk your dog either in the early morning and/or late evening/night when the atmosphere is cooler and so are the street’s surface area.

Most of us do not have the luxury of having a large enclosed yard or field to allow our dogs to run in. Like most people, I have to walk Soldier in or on the streets. Therefore, the streets are very hot due to the sun shining down on them all day long. Our dog’s paws are in direct contact with the street’s surface area. Just imagine you walking barefoot down the sidewalk or in the streets at 2:30pm? Crazy! Yet, many dog owners do just that, without giving it a second thought.

As responsible dog owners we want to be considerate of our dog’s needs and wants. Our dogs need to walk and want to walk as much as possible, so why torture them by having them walk on scorching hot concrete/pavement?

One more advice I’d like to share with you and that is, before taking your dog out for a walk, massage his legs and shoulder muscles. It will help stimulate the blood flow and get the dog prepared for a good workout. Like humans, before we engage ourselves in a physical activity, we are encouraged to stretch, to warm up. Our companions deserve the same attention. It only requires 2 or 3 minutes. It is also a great way to bond with your companion.

Last but not least, after the walk, give your dog a cool down as well. Simply, massage the legs, shoulders and thighs for a few minutes. Again, like humans, after a strenuous workout, we cool down so that we may avoid cramps and stiff muscles.

These are some very simple tips that I hope you will find helpful when it comes to walking your dog. Your dog will love you more for the little extra attention that you give him. Happy walking.

Something New, But Not So New

By Nathaniel Rhine

For some of you this may be a new blog, to others it is just an continuation of my old blog with the same subject matter. I have created a new blog due to technical reasons, however, the content is the same but with better quality.

You are more than welcomed to view my older posts at the older blog site, The Almighty American Pit Bull - Soldier. Eventually, I will re-submit older posts to this blog so that you will not miss anything.

Thank you in advance for your support. Please feel free to "follow" this blog and offer comments/suggestions. There is always room for improvement. Have a great day ahead and enjoy your reading.