Smokey *Dog of the Month* American Staffordshire Terrier & Pit Bull Terrier Mix Saint Paul, MN

You can fill out an adoption application online on our official website. Here are some helpful tips:
• All dogs listed on Petfinder are still available.
• Please DO NOT use the "Ask About Me" tab on this page. We DO NOT receive these inquiries.
• We CANNOT move forward until we receive an application. Even if you're only interested, please fill out an application at mnpitbull.com. We will respond within 24-48 hours (M-F) after receiving your inquiry.
• Adoption fees are as follows: 2-5 months old: $400, 6-9 months old: $350, 10+ months old: $250. This covers their Spay/Neuter, Vaccinations, Microchip, 4DX, Fecal Tests, and Housing Costs. ********************************************************************************************************
Alright ladies and gents, my name is Smoke, otherwise known as Smokey (at least that’s what my foster parents call me). I am the man of your dreams that you’ve been searching for - so look no further. I am a lean, strong, muscular man full of happiness, sweetness and love looking for someone to be my hero. I’ve got a big ‘ol block head on this trim figure and my locks are a gray/brown brindle with white. I’m estimated to be about 4-6 years old. I love to be by my people and dogs are fine too, although they don’t really interest me too much. I was even great with kids and cats at my temp fosters if those are your thing. I do fine riding in the car but have only traveled with foster parents in a crate to keep me in place and safe due to my special needs noted below.

I must admit I do require some extra help in life. You see I was born with back legs that don’t operate too well which has caused me to develop some pretty major arthritis back there and in my shoulders from compensating for them so I require some daily supplements and a pill for that. The rescue has got me started with some chiropractic and acupuncture services to see if those will help me out. We have had 3 sessions so far with a little success so far, we think. My foster parents are still trying to figure out a good routine and schedule with me as I frequently poop in my crate. I love being in my crate (especially with some soft, fluffy blankets for my chest and legs) and I don’t make a peep in there, but that also means I’m not great about letting my people know in the middle of night that I need to go out and poop. We have been adjusting my eating schedule without much avail so foster parents just switched me to a raw diet to see if the benefits of that will help me have to go less (feel free to ask them about this!).

I also had some surgical clean up done on my chest which has left me with a pretty significant open wound. Luckily my foster parents are doing their best to do a cleaning of it daily and covering it to protect it from getting dirty. When you meet me you’ll see I’m rocking a pretty spiffy mini muscle tank (aka a sports bra but shhhh don’t tell me that!) to keep the wrappings in place. I’m still not too sure about the whole outfit but with my handsomeness I can totally pull it off.

I walk pretty well on a leash for the best I can walk with my legs and I could certainly use some refinement in the training department. However, I’m overall a pretty chill dude that can’t do too much exercise so I enjoy snuggling up on the couch with you or chewing on some toys. So far my foster parents are keeping me on their lower level so I don’t have to use the stairs as those are pretty tricky for me, but maybe one day with some chiropractic help and building up the muscles in my legs I could manage them a bit better.

Anyway, if you’re interested in setting up a little date to meet me, fill out an application and let’s get that whole person-dog connecting and bonding business rolling! Applications can be found at www.mnpitbull.com

Note from foster parents: Smokey is a sweet, goofy, happy boy that doesn’t seem bothered by his limitations in life. He does require a significant amount of time & effort from his people though currently. We have been working on potty training issues and keep adjusting things to find something that will work. Establishing some leadership training and going back to the basics of praising outside for business has helped cut back on peeing in the house, but pooping hasn’t been as successful. He still poops in his crate 1-2 times per day (which requires extra cleaning and laundry) despite being let out frequently. We suspect that he doesn’t know when he needs to poop until it’s happening and so he just goes. He gives no warning that he’s about to poop until he is pooping. We suspect this is due to this back-end issues and are unsure if it will ever get better. Feeding once a day nor switching to a different kibble seemed to help with no pooping overnight so now, we have decided to switch to a raw diet starting Nov 14. Raw diets have several benefits but the main goal we are aiming for is significantly smaller and less frequent poops. Our hope is this will cut down on some of the accidents to make things more manageable, but will provide an update to this once we are a few days into this switch.

Smokey’s chest wound has also been doing well. So far, we haven’t seen much progress forward, but also haven’t gone backwards (woo hoo!!). We know this will take quite bit of a time and effort to heal, but we have a good system down that really only takes about 15 minutes each day to get things cleaned up and rebandaged. Overall, his legs and chest seem to be towards the lower end of our concerns vs. getting his bathroom habits on track. Without knowing what his past entailed, one month of struggling to figure out what works for him isn’t really much in the grand scheme of things. We know with more time and potential adjustments we will get there so don’t be too scared to the idea of helping this guy. We were nervous at first too, but it’s been quite the bonding and learning experience for us as fosters and hopefully will be as well for his future adopters!