I feel your pain!

You really do have to develop a tough skin, and just be really friendly about your lovely pit. If you conduct yourself like there isn’t anything bad in the media about pitbulls, and treat the breed like it doesn’t have a bad reputation, it really helps..

For example.. I had to take my baby Rocky to the vet. He’s a big dog, strong. We came in early, and there was only one other lady and her small dog in the waiting room. He was a pug mix. Well, Rocky is naturally curious, and was pulling to go smell this dog. The little dog also wanted to meet Rocky. The owner was cautious though, and giving Rocky and I the stink eye, due to his being a pitbull. I gave her the biggest smile I had, and said, “Wanna let them sniff? Once Rocky meets him, he will calm right down!” I was so positive, (and in her mind ignorant I’m sure) she was a little stunned. So stunned in fact that her dog got that last bit of leash to come over and sniff Rocky. Rocky took a couple whiffs of the runt, turned around, and walked to my mother who had sat down on the other side of the waiting room, and acted like a perfect gentleman after that. =)

Oh, I forgot to mention, the lady was very friendly to me the rest of the day! She said Rocky was beautiful, and very friendly. Woo! Won one over for the team! Haha =)

I just joined the site, so yes, I’m a new face..

I too, have a pitbull. Well, he is a mix. But most of him is pit. We got Rocky from a pound, so we aren’t sure what all he has in him. He definitely has pitbull in him, and the wrinkly skin of a shar-pei. We think he might also have some lab in him.

We got him from the pound when he was 9 months. He is 9 years old now. From some of his reactions, we think he was abused in some way as a puppy.

When we first got him, he refused to go in our tiny laundry room, leading us to think he had been locked up in small spaces and left for long periods of time. Now, he is okay with going in small places. When he wants out, he lets out a sharp bark. If he doesn’t get let out within a reasonable amount of time, he will whine, bark, and scratch at the door. This took years for him to not be scared of the small spaces, but we started slow. We always went in with him, and petted him a lot. We also gave him lots of treats and praise. We didn’t want Rocky to be scared in his own house.

Now, I’m only 17, so I still live with my parents. We got Rocky when I was about 8, so I have had him for a lot of my childhood. Sometimes my parents fight, and yell. When this happens, Rocky does what your Layla does, Southern_Pit. He tries to crawl into my lap and he shakes. A LOT. He has gotten a lot better about it, but still, it is something that still happens. I don’t think he even remembers what happened the first 9 months of his life, I think it is just a trigger response, because we have given him an amazing life.