For the Love of Pits

07/04/2025

Happy 4th. Stay safe and keep your animals safe. We've posted a few tips in the comment below.

07/03/2025

With Independence Day celebrations fast approaching, it’s important to take precautions to keep your pets safe both during and after Fourth of July festivities. Here are 7️⃣ pet safety tips to keep in mind. You can find more important information here: https://bit.ly/44f7FSj

07/03/2025

07/03/2025

Ready for weekend?

While there's a lot of fun in store for this holiday, it is crucial to be aware of the safety of the pets in your community. Check out these tips from our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and help us by sharing them. For more information on July 4th pet toxins, go here. 🐶🐱 https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/top-4-july-4th-pet-toxins

04/28/2025

We generally do not feed out of dog bowls whether one of our rescues has behavior problems or not. This guidance has worked so well for For the Love of Pits for over 15 years.

If your dog has a behavior problem, now's the time to fix it so you can get back to enjoying life together.

For the next few days we're offering 75% off our Behavior Problems Compendium, with detailed guidance on how to resolve all the most common dog behavior problems: https://dunbar.info/apr25bpc

No matter what behavior problem it is, the first step is usually the same: Stop feeding your dog from a bowl. You could feed your dog pretty much any other way and it would be more beneficial.

- If your dog has a fearfulness, reactivity, or aggression problem, you can use food to build confidence and help your dog feel better and more relaxed in specific situations, or in the presence of specific stimuli.

- If your dog gets into trouble when you're not around you can use food to give your dog a suitable way to pass their time, chewing on hollow, food-filled chewtoys, rooting around in a snuffle mat, or eating from a mentally stimulating puzzle feeder, and you can use food to teach your dog to enjoy settling down on their bed, in their playpen, in their crate, or anywhere.

- If your dog doesn't listen to you or do what you ask, you can use food to teach your dog to perform useful skills on cue, reliably and promptly. Food is so useful for starting the process of Lure Reward Training. It may not be the answer to long-term motivation for your dog, but it's such a valuable tool for teaching and communicating with your dog as you start to incorporate more meaningful life rewards in training.

So, if you want to change something about your dog's behavior or temperament, use their food. It's so powerful and when you use food in training, we believe it becomes more meaningful, appreciated, and enjoyable to your dog.

Of course, if your dog doesn't have any behavior problems then you can ignore this advice. Feed your dog however you like. Or however they like!

Learn more at: https://dunbar.info/BetterThanABowl

04/17/2025

🐾 Don't Bet on "My Dog Would Never Bite" 🐾

🪙 If I had a nickel…

Let's talk about a common myth: "My dog would never bite." Here's the truth: any dog, regardless of breed or temperament, is capable of biting. Why? Because if it has teeth, it can bite.

We often forget that dogs, like humans, can feel stressed, anxious, or aggravated. Placing them in demanding situations and expecting them to remain calm is unrealistic. Think about it: can you handle every stressful moment without losing your cool?

Believing that only "bad" dogs bite sets our furry friends up for failure. It's like playing Russian roulette with their emotions. Instead, let's acknowledge that good, loving dogs may bite when they're overwhelmed.

So, what can we do? Respect our dogs' limits, recognize signs of distress, and provide them with safe spaces to decompress. Don't gamble with your dog's feelings—let's foster understanding and empathy for our four-legged companions. 🐶❤️

03/19/2025

02/14/2025

Taking turns chasing, biting and being chased is a sign of healthy play....but NOT if its 80/20.

Loose and Wiggly. This is often a great sign of healthy play.

Dogs that play well often have bodies that are loose and wiggly. They can have open loose mouths, and the play is even .

Stiffness in either dog should be looked at closely, a dog that goes in again and again to nip when the other is down, or a dog that wants to play over and over with a dog that is clearly not interested....is not play.

Often dogs are forced to react when other dogs pester them for play, and that reaction is misinterpreted (by us) as play.

Loose and wiggly, 50/50, and always separate dogs if there is stiffness or it is obviously unequal.

The more positive experiences your dog has, the more it will continue to play well with others. The more negative experiences your dog has will form habits of playing with others that are inappropriate, and those habits can be hard to break.

Take the time to watch your dogs play, even if you have seen it hundreds of times.

Is it Loose ?
Is it Wiggly ?
Is it even ?
Is there chasing and being chased ?
Is it close to 50/50 ?
Are mouths and faces loose or tight?

Play is often misinterpreted and sometimes fresh eyes and a new perspective can often show us what we need to see...not what we WANT to see.

From ABC Dogs NZ

12/14/2024

This scared guy was found on Dodgeville Rd and Rt 193 in Cherry Valley. Any information please call 440-224-1222.

10/24/2024

Very helpful information.

If your pet is ever injured and unable to walk, transporting them to an emergency hospital can be a challenge. Here are some tips if you need to urgently and carefully move your pet to get them medical attention:

🚑 Towels, blankets, bedsheets, or pet beds can double as a pet stretcher to carry and lift your pet into the car carefully.
🚑 If you live alone and have a large dog breed, you could invest in a wheeled pet stretcher or wagon to have on hand just in case.
🚑 Injured animals are more likely to bite or claw out of fear or pain so be careful when moving your pet. For dogs, you may need to use a temporary muzzle to prevent a bite injury. For cats, it is best to approach them from behind and wrap them in a thick towel or blanket to protect yourself from biting or scratching.
🚑 Handle the injured animal as little as possible to prevent further injury to the pet or yourself.
🚑 If you are able to, call the emergency hospital to alert them you are on the way so they can prepare for your arrival.

If you experience an emergency with your pet contact Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital at:
📞 Cleveland East Location: (440) 673-3483
📞 Akron Location: (330) 666-2976

Save our contact information to easily and quickly call us in the case of an emergency.

09/18/2024

Can anyone help? Poor boy. He’s in terrible shape.

This boy was found by our kennel staff this morning in one of our front kennels. If anyone has any information please call the shelter at 440-224-1222