We got Penny back in 2014 when my daughters were still little, and lived in Texas.
She was probably 5 or 6 at the time, and based just on this picture alone, had obviously been a mom.
Penny passed away a little over 2 years go.
She was probably the best dog I ever knew.
… and yes she was a pit bull.
Gentle but powerful
I never worried about Penny around the kids or grandkids. They would literally grab her, pull her, and even ride her. She had way more patience with them than any of the other dogs did. The littler ones for sure snapped at a kid from time to time.
That said, it was pretty awe inspiring to pet her along her jaw line and just feel how much was pure muscle. Like I said, I wasn’t worried, but also wouldn’t have wanted to ever get on her bad side.
About the only time we ever got evidence that “yep she’s capable of behaving like a pit bull” was one rainy night when one of the (inside) cats had gotten out the night before. The kids heard a commotion in the back yard, and Penny came back inside with blood all over her face. At first they thought she had been hurt, when the blood wiped off they went to look outside …
Yep, the cat was in the yard, very much no longer with us.
The kids all immediately decided that it surely had to be a case of “mistaken identity” because it was dark and rainy. Officially, I agreed with their story. But I’m sorry, that cat and Penny had lived in the same house for years, so I’m a little dubious.
That said, it is entirely possible that the cat rain by in the dark rain, and instinct just kicked in, and things got too rough. Penny had literally had though cats (gently) in her mouth when they were kittens with no hint of a desire to do them harm.
I suppose we’ll never know for sure. But in the 10+ years she lived with my girls in Texas, that was the one very isolated incident.
Otherwise she really was a great dog!
Do you have any interesting or unique pet stories?
