I thought I adopted a Labrador Rottweiler mix but I’m terrified by what my puppy REALLY is – I have to rehome him
A MUM who adopted an adorable puppy says she now has to rehome him after finding out she was duped about his breed.
The concerned woman explained she suspects she was conned when she picked up her so-called Labrador Rottweiler mix.
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She noticed that her 10-week-old furry friend was acting “odd” after she brought him home.
The mum also realised that her cute pup hardly resembled his alleged breed, prompting her to turn to social media for advice.
She detailed her doggy dilemma in a Reddit post, suggesting that she may have been tricked into taking in a pit bull.
The woman said she has “a lot of thinking to do” regarding what is best for her family – and her beloved dog.
It read: “I think I have may have been tricked into adopting a pit bull.
“I was told he is a Labrottie (Rottweiler Black Lab mix), but one week later, I found some of his behaviors odd and his looks are not similar to Labrottie I’ve seen, nor a Rottweiler.
“He looks like a black pit bull puppy.”
The dog owner included a sweet picture of her pooch in the hopes that internet sleuths could determine if her suspicions were right.
She explained that despite owning dogs for over 21 years, she was alarmed by her new pet’s “extreme” behaviour and “tantrums.”
Describing him as “stubborn”, “bitey” and “clingy”, the Reddit user revealed she did not see his parents or have contact with the dog’s original owners.
She continued: “He has a very strong will and is so intelligent I feel scared looking in his eyes sometimes. It’s like a human soul is in there.
“Sometimes he will even grab things like his food bowl and thrash them for several minutes while ‘groaning’ as if he’s angry he’s not getting his way.”
But the mum said her family had already “fallen in love” with the pooch and “felt horrible” about the prospect of rehoming him.
She added: “I would be ok with him destroying my things.
“I look at him and think of how betrayed I’d feel if he grew up and attacked us and just feel so sad.
“And because his behavior is so different and his looks I keep thinking maybe it is a pit.”
Social media users advised her to get a DNA test to determine the animal’s ancestry before making any rash decisions.
In an update, the woman later announced she had decided to rehome the puppy as she couldn’t risk him being a pit bull.
She wrote: “I haven’t done the DNA test, but it’s virtually impossible to deny I was lied to.
“With each passing day he looks more and more undeniably pit. This dog is 10 weeks old and has the face of a grown man (fully grown pit) and looks like he’s been bodybuilding since the age of one hour.
“I take him on walks and say absolutely nothing about the breed and complete strangers will take one look at him and ask if he’s a pit or pit mix. In addition to the behaviours already described, I’d be fooling no one but myself at this point by refusing to believe the obvious.
‘DEVASTATED’
“I am not willing to gamble with my life or my son’s life.”
She fumed that the breeders “took advantage” of her “kindness and ignorance,” and said she and her son are now “devastated”.
The mum added: “I’m sure someone will love this puppy and be willing to take the risk that it won’t grow up and turn on them. I’m not.”
The posts garnered a mixture of responses, with most people saying she did the right thing for her family.
One person said: “I knew that dog was a pit bull and, again, I’m sorry you were duped.
“It’s good you want to get rid of him, your health and your life come before any shelters and any dogs.”
Another added: “I think you made the right choice. The adoption agency ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
A third added: “Imagine that bitey behavior when he’s 60 pounds heavier. Those breeders should be sanctioned.”
But others pointed out that the behaviour problems she mentioned were “pretty standard puppy stuff”.
One said: “I mean it should be fine to keep him, you are aware of the potential risk so you will know how to prevent it and give your dog a healthy safe life.”
Another chimed in: “It sounds like this pup was taken away from his mom and litter mates too early so he’s missed out on learning bite inhibition from them.
“This could improve with training. The rest sounds very typical.”
Another added: “The only way to be sure is a DNA test, which I’d recommend doing. If he truly is a Labrador and Rottweiler mix, then he’d be safe to keep if you feel he’s doing well in your home.”
The anonymous mum appears to be from the US, where pit bulls aren’t banned outright but laws differ depending on state legislation.
In the UK, the government decided to ban pit bulls in 1991 in response to several unprovoked attacks.
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