You know, I don't know if there are any "key words" to avoid. I think training is a great idea though . . . you can never go wrong with training.
I'm still waiting on pictures of your Emma . . . I'm sure everyone would love to see your baby!
oooooh, i have an american pit bull terrier
just a pit! her name is keiko and she is a beautiful 40 pound 6mo baby.. i have had her since she was 5 weeks (my friend got her early from her mom and then couldnt keep her.. shame... she is VERY energetic and she still snaps and the kids.. I can tella lready when she is playing and she is serious though. my kids do not play with her unsupervised (she can knock my 4yo over)
we had to take her to the vet (she cut her leg) and the vet seemed to think that she was mixed with lab becasue of her disposition, but she will always be classified as a pit.. and of course almost all of my family is ondering if we have lost our marbles. i even had one "trainer" tell me that she wouldn't train her (at like 4 months) and that she needed to be put down becasue I didn't know her parents, I was like excuse me, did u hear me sayShe will be trained and I will continue to supervise her with the kids. she has learned to sit and stay just from my hubby
but we absolutely ADORE her.. good luck with emma and thank you for following your heart!
I'm glad things are working out with your new dog. There are so many things that come into play when you take in an adult dog of any breed. I will say this though, and I know I'm going to offend, but I cannot stand those little yappy dogs. My mother has a pomeranian and I want to velcro that little snot to the wall every time I visit (or she visits, bringing the sweet little precious with her).
About two weeks after I got my pup from rescue (Lab/Greyhound mix), my son was walking her and she was attacked by two ENGLISH bulls. The pup was protecting my son and was trying her best, but she was quite outmatched. Fortunately, a lady from a different rescue group saw the whole thing and was able to get it under control. The owner kept trying to tell me how his dogs weren't vicious, they were sweet, they slept in his bed, they're pure bred, yappa yappa yappa. He THEN told me in front of animal control that the dogs had done the same thing to a german shepard pup the previous month. $2k in vet bills, a restraining order and a conversation with his insurance company later ...
You know your story really hits home for me. We were always very biased against the Pit Bull breed. We raised English Bulldogs for many years and always felt "above" those who owned Pits. Who would want to own a breed such as that - a "fighting dog" - horrible reputations.....yada yada yada. Well, we lost Addie in April '06 and in May of '06 we found out Victoria was very sick and her time with us was limited. We had her for 6 more weeks before the cancer robbed her from us. She was put down June 23 of last year. We had decided we were not going to have dogs again for a while.
Fast forward several weeks. My DH called home and said there was a dog that he was going to bring home. She was very thin and starving - dragging a chain. If he called the dog warden, he knew she would be destroyed because she looked like a Pit. So - reluctantly I said ok. She was so thin and covered with fleas, no hair on her hind quarters or tail at all, raw skin, 3rd stage heartworms. Barely alive....but she had tried to follow some kids home in the town he works in. We brought her into our home - and slowly treated all of her ills. The heartworm was scary, but she survived the treatments. Her name is Hope. I cannot tell you the joy this old lovable Pit bull has brought to our lives. She is without a doubt the most gentle and sweet dispostitioned dog we have ever owned, bar none. She is not dog or people aggressive at all, it is as though she is so thankful for us saving her. But you know, she saved us. She has also shown us how wrong we were in being so prejudiced all these years against her breed.
Bless you for taking Emma in. You know in your heart you have done the right thing. I know there are bad dogs (and more bad people) that this breed is associated with, but on the other hand, there are a lot of wonderful pets that get a terribly bad rep that is not deserved too. Here are some pics of our bullie angels and our Hope. 
You know your story really hits home for me. We were always very biased against the Pit Bull breed. We raised English Bulldogs for many years and always felt "above" those who owned Pits. Who would want to own a breed such as that - a "fighting dog" - horrible reputations.....yada yada yada. Well, we lost Addie in April '06 and in May of '06 we found out Victoria was very sick and her time with us was limited. We had her for 6 more weeks before the cancer robbed her from us. She was put down June 23 of last year. We had decided we were not going to have dogs again for a while.
Fast forward several weeks. My DH called home and said there was a dog that he was going to bring home. She was very thin and starving - dragging a chain. If he called the dog warden, he knew she would be destroyed because she looked like a Pit. So - reluctantly I said ok. She was so thin and covered with fleas, no hair on her hind quarters or tail at all, raw skin, 3rd stage heartworms. Barely alive....but she had tried to follow some kids home in the town he works in. We brought her into our home - and slowly treated all of her ills. The heartworm was scary, but she survived the treatments. Her name is Hope. I cannot tell you the joy this old lovable Pit bull has brought to our lives. She is without a doubt the most gentle and sweet dispostitioned dog we have ever owned, bar none. She is not dog or people aggressive at all, it is as though she is so thankful for us saving her. But you know, she saved us. She has also shown us how wrong we were in being so prejudiced all these years against her breed.
Bless you for taking Emma in. You know in your heart you have done the right thing. I know there are bad dogs (and more bad people) that this breed is associated with, but on the other hand, there are a lot of wonderful pets that get a terribly bad rep that is not deserved too. Here are some pics of our bullie angels and our Hope.
http://www.shrinkpictures.com/processed/phpsHLQ7u_c2PM.jpg
quadcrew, thanks for sharing your story!
I had a pitbull. We adopted her from a shelter when I was 8. We kept her tail and ears long because I think it is mean to chop dogs for show. That is just silly.
Anyway, her name was Tinerbell(I named her. Hey I was 8!LOL) and she was the best dog in the world. You have to teach your children that this breed is very very VERY protective of their family and can be very agressive toward someone if they think someone is going to harm you. Our dog got out, ok I slipped and opened the door when I wasn't supposed to, and attacked the mailman. He used 2 cans of mace and it didn't work. Well, my mom got the dog. Then she got a hold of me. 
. Well, I sure was in trouble. Nothing came of it because she didn't actually bite the mailman, just ripped his pants. I just wanted to tell you my experience. I did love that dog. She was the best dog that I have ever had. She listened well and the breed is very smart.
Love you dog. Just be knowledgeable about the breed. They really are great dogs.
Ohhh, shes blue!!!
I love it! What a great ending to her story . . . she really got her happily ever after.
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Glad to hear you kept the dog...and believe me I understand where you are coming from. My husband is crazy in love with his 3 pitbulls. When we were dating, I was so afraid of those dogs because of all the negative media they get. After spending time with them, I fell in love! They are AWESOME with the kids in our family! My hubby is a dog trainer, so they have each been trained.
I believe that pitbulls get a lot of bad press because of abusive/ignorant owners. For example....My husband installs cable, and one day he worked at a house that had a pitbull puppy. The pup and the homeowners child were in the backyard, alone while my hubby was working. He watched the child and the puppy play tug of war with a towel..but the puppy was growling and even snapped at the child a few times. My husband went to the mother and told her what was going on, and she actually got offended and said "it's just a puppy!" Ok...it is a puppy now, but it won't be forever!
Anyway...I had to put that story in there. But just make sure you watch the temperment of the dog. Make sure she's not posessive over toys and that you can put your hand in her food while she eats it.
Here's a pic of my babies....I love them so much!!!
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