i am trying to decide which of the 2 pups i want to keep, and which i will find a home for.

Sonny is already mostly houstrained, well behaved, sweet, not dog aggressive and just plain good, btu he still has a ton of prey drive, so he isn't a couch potato dog.....

Brooklyn is just about the total opposite of him(she still has the drive).

Here is my dilima.

I would love to keep sonny, for obvious reasons.
But, i am scared i won't be able to find someone who can handle Brooklyn.
I know people that would take her-but they are not people i would even have dog sit my other dogs, let alone take this high needs pup.
They are great people, but avid dog park goers, they won't correct for anything, hard core cookie/haltie people.

I don't want to give her to someone who would just end up either giving her away, taking her to the pound, or even worse, letting her get by with being a dog aggressive little snot.

But i don't want to get sucked into keeping a pup i don't need/want.

Not that i don't want her, but i am not all that attached to her, but i am to sonny.

Now for the shallow part-i am in love with her colorings. I actually don't like brindle at all. That doesnt really matter, but you know-it still crosses your mind.

There are times when i feel that i would have a much easier time rehoming Sonny successfully because he is more easy going-but i don't really want to give him up for her, and raising both is i know not a great idea.

I know what the obvious answer is-but i really am not comfortable with her staying with any one i know-and i don't know how to "put her out there" so that an experienced handler, would take her. She needs a certain kind of home.

If my dogs had to be kept separated(like brooklyn is now), i could do that-but personally, i enjoy "doggy", and love having a pack.

suggestions?
advice?

Now you know why I do NOT foster or breed animals! I'd rather donate resources to the local humane society so THEY can deal with the anxiety (we have a nice no-kill shelter here). I am so reluctant to let go because I worry about what will happen. If they are cute and young (which I know they are) I would advertise and take applicants.

AND make the new owner pay an adoption fee - you can donate it to the shelter if you like. Make it comparable to buying a pup from the pet store or adopting one from the pound. Supposedly that helps weed out impulse adopters and the philosophy is if they can't or won't shell out a few clams to ADOPT the animal, what are the chances they will provide for it's needs later down the road?

I vote Sonny unless you find someone who wants a drivey little lady.

My advice is to pick the dog you want as part of your family which from your post is Sonny.

Find a different home for the other one than the dog park people. It's ok to get some resources through local rescues as well.

My suggestion is to train Brooklyn for a few months, get her to the point where she is more adoptable. She'll then have a lot more options for a good home.

You're not obligated to give her to someone just because they want her. Your responsibility is to her, to find her a suitable home, one where she'll be comfortable, one that you'll be comfortable placing her in as well.

Who knows, after you've trained her behavior you may decide to keep her. Not at all a bad thing.

Mallory - keep the dog you want. This is a 15 year commitment. You can rehome Brooklyn.

Get some decent photos of her from the side and a head shot.

Spread the word at all the vet's offices in town, ask if you can leave a flyer with photo. Same for pet food stores.

Contact your local/state rescues, both all breed and pit rescues. Many will "courtesy post" a dog that is not in their program. Have a detailed description and your pics ready.

Charge a decent adoption fee. I would ask $100.00 at least, to "help cover expenses". If the dog is adopted from a post on a rescues website, you might consider donating part of your adoption fee to that rescue. Applicants should fill out an adoption application. You already know the type of home she needs. Someone with working dog or pit experience. You can even insist that she go to a raw feeding home.

i realize i can rehome brooklyn-but i don't want her going through a chain of owners and then ending up at the pound again, or even worse, ending up with someone who will fight her.

I know of a few people who "love" and "rescue" homeless pits, and i am convinced they fight the dogs. No one can prove it-but no one has that many pits all chained in some yard and seeks out the rowdiest and most dominant pups from litters/the pound.
We are in a HUGE dog fighting area, i mean, the worst in the state.

My brain tells me that i would much rather keep Sonny, but i am just terrified that Brooklyn will not go to a good home-or that if she does, they won't know what they are doing,and get rid of her.

Anyone can say they have pit experience-or that they will work her, and then not do it.


i know, i know......

i have written up adoption contracts before, and have put in there that if they need to give the dog up-she will need to come back to me.
I guess i need to add a section on what work they are involved in-and if their dogs have placed in anything, etc. And ask for proof.

Would it be too much in a contract to require check ins with her-and to require the new owner to show proof of taking her to a trainer, either ob and/or whatever sport or work she does?

i've seen rescues put check-ins in their contracts, and i've actually enforced them, that said, i don't know how enforceable the clauses would actually be if there was a dispute.

can you link into different PB rescues and groups? there are some good forums out there w/a lot of rescuers on, and unfortunately, due to the stupidity of BSL, PB rescues and rescuers are the most efficient i've seen at moving dogs into different jurisdictions - might help if you're in a heavy dog-fighting area so that she can get adopted in a 'safer' area.

my impression as well from the admittedly limited contact i've had w/PB rescues is that they're pretty good at assessing a dog and can assess drives and make good judgement calls about what sort of environment a dog might thrive in. obviously you can and are doing that too, but they might be able to make a good match/do in-home assessments for you. i know of one PB that was scheduled to be euthed here in ON that got pulled by rescuers in the states and is now a detection dog w/a police force i think in the DC area. if you're looking for a working/sport home for brooklyn, or an experienced handler, that kind of network could be useful.

and while this is terrible to say, the story of you rescueing them is one that will pull at a lot of people's hearts, and that can also increase her profile in terms of people's interest, even if they're not nearby.

I agree - contact a reputable rescue. Jennifer is right - they are good at what they do and work with many, many pits. They will also listen and take into account your assessment of the dog. You can either ask for a "courtesy post" or turn her over to them and let them handle rehoming her while you foster.

You certainly can require home visits and put a clause that she be returned to you if they can't keep her.