Responsible pit bull guardians do the following to ensure the safety and health of their family pet:

§    Research and understand the breed before you adopt a pit bull. There are no bad dogs; only bad/irresponsible owners.

§     Vaccinate, microchip, and license/register your dogs.

§    Spay and neuter your dog as early as possible (NOTE: All Measle’s Animal Haven dogs and puppies are spayed/neutered prior to being adopted). Altered pets live longer, happier, and healthier lives. They are also more stable and easier to control when not triggered by their sexual hormones. Females that are in their reproductive cycles, and males who are triggered by their sexual hormones, tend to be far more reactive and aggressive than those who are not. To date, no fatal dog attack by an altered dog (of any breed) has ever been reported.

§    Abide by any federal, state, or local laws pertaining to pet ownership and the pit bull breed. Research the laws of your state/city/township on your own to ensure you are meeting all of the statutory requirements with regard to ownership of your pit bull.

§   Ensure that your apartment, condo, or rental house allows pit bulls before you sign a lease.

§    Don’t put other people’s pets at risk. For the safety of your dog and the general dog population, keep your pit bull behind a secure locked fence!

§    Never allow your pit bull off-leash, except in a secure and safe enclosed area (for example, your securely fenced yard). Pit bulls are “escape artists” and dogs are just like human children. When not supervised, the decisions they make are often not in their best interest. When a Golden Retriever runs up to a person, they say “How sweet!” but when a Pit Bull does the exact same thing, people scream “Vicious dog!” When the public sees a pit bull on the loose, they do not wait before calling animal control or even the police. Due to the bad reputation of pit bulls, these dogs are frequently killed by police officers. This is an unfortunate truth—do not make the reputation of the Pit Bull worse than it already is.

§    Always keep your Pit Bull on leash. Even if you believe you have full control of your dog, pit bulls are very strong and you cannot predict his/her reaction if a cat or a squirrel runs in front of him. Use a Gentle Leader, Martingale-type collar, or no-pull harness when your pit bull is leashed. Do not use choke collars or prong collars!

§   Never take your Pit Bull to a dog park! Even if you think your Pit Bull is wonderful with other dogs, all it takes is once. If a Labrador starts a fight and your Pit Bull finishes it, whom will everyone blame? Let’s face it; the Pit Bull is always at fault in the eyes of the public.

§    Properly house, feed, and care for your dog. A pit bull should be a member of your family!

§    Never try to use your pit bull as a guard dog, for fighting, or keep it chained/tied up/penned or outside unattended at any time (all dogs should be inside pets when not playing/walking/pottying outside under human supervision). Pit bulls are terrible guard dogs because they love people so much. You need to be the “guard dog,” because your pit bull is always at risk of being stolen.

§    Owning a dog is for LIFE (the natural life of the dog) – provide needed veterinary care (from a licensed veterinarian) and do not allow your pit bull to be abused, neglected, or abandoned.

§    Do not sell, give away, or dispose of your pit bull. If you must re-home your pit bull, contact a reputable pit bull rescue. Do not post your dog on Craigslist as “Free to a Good Home.”

§    Enroll your pit bull in a positive reinforcement training class (training which uses reward-based methods and does not involve coercion of any kind, including but not limited to choke chains, prong collars, or shock collars). Ongoing classes for the life of the dog are best.

§    When out with your dog, pay attention to your surroundings and balance the needs of the public with your dog’s needs. This means picking up your dog’s mess, not letting him/her jump on or annoy others, and avoiding off-leash dogs that may run up and instigate a fight.

§    Socialize your pit bull with humans as much as possible before and after they reach maturity, and be sure that you dog’s experiences are ALWAYS positive. Your pit bull should meet all kinds of adults and as many respectful children as possible. Socialization with people should be part of your dog's training for his/her entire life. Relegating a dog to the backyard or keeping it chained 24/7 can lead to disaster. If you are not willing to socialize and train a dog, please do not get one. You want your dog to be able to handle new situations with confidence and pleasure. As with obedience classes, once is not enough—ongoing socialization will ensure your dog’s happiness by showing him that the world is a wonderful place. And please remember, socialization does not mean your dog running around with other dogs off leash! An obedience class in which he may never get to “say hello” to any other dog is good socialization!

§    Understand that pit bulls may be dog-aggressive. Some pit bulls love all other dogs, but this breed was initially created and developed for the sport of dog-fighting. As a result, pit bulls have an important predisposition for dog-aggression, so you must take precautions and use common sense. Do not expect your dog to be friends with unfamiliar dogs. Some pit bulls cannot be around any other dogs at all. If your pit bull is dog aggressive, you cannot “train out” the desire to fight another dog anymore than you can “train out” the desire to chase running rabbits in the a greyhound. You can curb this behavior and often control it, but you cannot stop it completely. So you must always take precautions to keep your dog safe as well as other people’s dogs.

§    Early socialization with other dogs may help, but is not a guarantee that your pit bull will not become dog aggressive at some point. ALWAYS be prepared for it! Remember that even if a non-pit bull dog starts the hostilities, the pit bull has the genetics to finish the fight, and will most likely pay the price in the hands of the authorities.

§    Never leave a pit bull alone and unsupervised with other animals. Even though you think they are the best of friends, it is better to be safe than sorry! All it takes is one time for a fight to break out. This is especially true with multiple pit bulls in one household. Do not take any chances and never trust your pit bull not to fight another dog!

§    Always monitor pit bulls when they play with other dogs, and don’t let things escalate. Roughhousing can trigger a fight if not kept under control. Pit bulls like to play rough and can be pretty vocal. Their games often mimic a real fight and can be overwhelming for the other dog. Don’t let the dogs push it too far. As the “leader” it is your responsibility to keep your dog under control.

§    Give your pit bull daily exercise. Pit Bulls need a job—whether this job is obedience classes, taking a walk with you every day, sitting on the couch with you in the evenings, or something more intense such as search and rescue, a pit bull needs to feel important and needed. Pit bulls are highly intelligent animals with finely tuned problem-solving skills. They need an outlet for this energy.

§    “Don’t breed or buy while shelter animals die!” With thousands of pit bulls dying in shelters, do not be a part of the problem—be part of the solution! Instead of buying a pit bull from a breeder, adopt one from a rescue!!