*This is Max the day I brought him home...looks worried doesn't he?I needed another big dog after losing Stan last year so I eventually forced myself to go looking; there were some self imposed rules: No huge dogs, No long haired dogs, No small dogs, No stupid dogs (three out of fours not bad eh?).
So it was that a beautiful bright white puppy came to join our little pack….Meet Max!
He joins two English Fox Terriers, Narla is a Standard and Roxy is a miniature and they rule the house, I needed a slightly submissive dog to avoid bloodshed.
Max is an American Bull Terrier, my Vet insists he's an American Pit Bull which is a problem here in Australia. We have a Dangerous Dogs Register and the American Pit Bull is on that register. That means more cost to register, higher fences and security gates are required and if they get out the fine is just short of the national debt. I'm negotiating to have him listed as a Bull Terrier which is how he was listed by the breeder who sold him to me.
*Pardon me while save Max, he's jammed himself between the long couch and wall.
*A week later and he seems to be settling in quite well dont you think?
None the less the soft white puppy came into the house at just seven weeks of age and started making it his by peeing on and chewing everything in sight. (I hate training puppies and my winging has burned the ears of my family and friends)
At fourteen weeks he had an appointment at the vet to have his manhood trimmed, micro chipping and vaccinations. As we walked out the front door of my house he promptly ran head long into the aluminum screen door striking it right on its edge, he was delivered to the vet split from nose to the top of his head and dripping with blood… what a start!
Now at eighteen weeks of age he's lived up to that start by being the most clumsy dog I've ever known.
*Pardon me while I go and stop Max chewing up my spindle full of Back Up discs wont you….
Up until this time I'd noticed that American Bull Terriers are always covered in scars and assumed the owners must have been terrible people, I smiled at the thought as it dawned on me..
*He was soon doing jobs around the house...like emptying the bin
Regular visits to the Grand kids and the other dogs in the family has helped to keep him friendly and playful. Although he's still only knee high at his shoulders he is already a very heavy dog and has no trouble bowling over the kids and unwary adults as he careers around like an unguided missile.
Although I've owned an English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I've had no experience with the American version and I have to say, the American Bull Terrier is much more ugly than it's English equivalent.
What was going through the minds of breeders?
They've increased the height of the Staffy (from which the American Bull Terrier is derived) and bred for a heavier body but why on earth did they breed them that ugly? *Note to self: Might be best not to actually say this bit.
* Apparently he's never heard that you should not bite the hand that feeds you ..or maybe he's just trying out for a job as a body piercer?
*Pardon me while I drag Max away from the Fox Terriers dog treat or Max will be attacked for about the 500th time…
There will be many …. Oh bother, excuse me while I sort out WW3…
Clearly Max is an ongoing project…stay tuned.
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