Housing Resources
Having a hard time finding a place to live for you and your pup or thinking of making a move? We have all the housing resources you need on this page. Check them out and allow yourself time to make your transition as smooth as possible.
Renting? It can be hard enough to rent with a dog, but breed discrimination can make it downright stressful! Difficulty in finding housing is one of the main reasons people bring their dogs to the shelter, where they often pay with their lives. But
all hope is not lost! No matter how limited our resources are, our dogs rely on us to take care of them, and a little planning and some imagination can help so much! Use the resources below to help guide you through the process, and consider the following ideas:
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Make a resume for your dog!
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Buy a dog liability insurance policy
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Look for local resources that help support Pit Bull families
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Enroll in CGC training classes & impress potential landlords!
Finding Housing
Less than 1% of a dog's genes determine appearance. Lesson: judging by appearance is inaccurate! Animal Farm Foundation is one of the best sources out there for Pit Bull advocacy and education. They provide not only great scientific facts, but great posters and graphics to share to help communicate them (see HERE). Check out their home page HERE.
Pet Resumes
Each dog is an individual. Want more science and facts? Check out this article for more information: Breed and Behavior by Janis Bradley, and check out the org she works with: National Canine Research Center, which is a non-profit canine behavior science and policy think tank.
Housing Assistance
Our friends at Bad Rap have a ton of great resources, and you can find their recommendations on how you can help advocate for Pit Bulls HERE. Bad Rap took on many of the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's horrifically cruel dog fighting ring, and they helped changed laws and perception. You can read more about the Vick dogs HERE. And a great section of the history of Pit Bulls, along with a Victorian photo gallery HERE! They continue to do good work to help these dogs.
More Housing Resources
Did you know that Pit Bulls are statistically less likely to show aggression than Golden Retrievers? It's true! There are many myths out there about Pit Bulls that are just dead wrong. A particularly persistent untruth promoted by some is that Pit Bulls are inherently vicious. Science and experience proves this wrong time and again. For more proof, check out the American Temperament Test Society or read an article discussing temperament science HERE.
Insuring Your Pit Bull
Officially, Pit Bulls are a group of dogs that include: the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog. BUT when visual identification is involved, whether it be by shelters, officials in cities that have Breed Specific Legislation, law enforcement, or the media, any dog with certain physical characteristics, like a blocky head and muscular body, will be automatically deemed a Pit Bull. This is a problem for many reasons, not least of which is that a dog may lose his life if deemed a Pit Bull when discrimination is at play. And DNA tests have proven that visual identification of a dog's breed is highly unreliable. For more information, click HERE. Try the test to see if you can identify a Pit Bull by clicking HERE.