Pup of the Month: Joe Needs a Home

Are you looking for a new best friend?  Well, I have got the guy for you. He might be a bit slobbery, but he’ll always be excited when you come through the front door. After a bad day, he’ll be there to shower you with love (and perhaps some kisses). And right now, if you’re looking for this kind of a best friend, this pup needs you as much as you need him.

His name is Joe, and if he doesn’t find a home by the end of October, Joe will be euthanized. After about three months at the Guilford Animal Control Shelter, Joe is ready to go home to his new family.

As Joe looks up at us, wagging his tail and panting loudly, Kelly Pinette, a Guilford Animal Control Officer shares Joe’s story. “We found Joe up in the trails by Bluff Point on June 2nd,” says Pinette, Guilford Animal Control Officer. “He had a cut on his hind leg, which we were able to fix when he was brought in.” Animal Control spent several weeks advertising that Joe had been found, but no one came forward to claim him.

Joe is about three years of age and stands somewhere between eighty and ninety pounds. His square jowl and other obvious features dub him a Pit Mix, with black markings on his medium brown coat. Pit mixes tend to get a bad reputation, especially considering news lately. The breed has garnered national interest in the last year, as many people have begun to push for the banning of this breed in their local towns, but very few have been met with success.  

 “I can understand why people hear ‘pit mix,’ and immediately their minds turn to the most negative images,” says Pinette. “But it’s all about how you raise them, train them, and treat them. Almost any breed of dog can be aggressive if that’s what you teach it.”

Joe may look like a typical Pit mix, but he is very people friendly. “I would say he would make a good guard dog, but he likes people too much,” laughed Pinette. “Don’t think he’d do his job very well.” Joe also loves to play ball. “That’s how we get him back in his pen, we just toss the ball in, and he scampers after it. “ He’s even given swimming a try during the hot summer months.

That’s not to say Joe is perfect, because like any creature, human or dog, he has some flaws. “He’s pretty headstrong,” Pinette shares. “So his new owner is going to have to spend some quality time with him.  I’d like to see him go to someone who can make him the priority.” Also, while he is all up to date on his vaccinations, Joe is not yet fixed. “I think that procedure will calm his stubbornness a bit,” says Pinette. Also, Joe does not get along with other dogs, so he would have to be the only one in his new home. He does like to jump as well, so families with children would have to proceed with caution.

“Ideally, Joe would be a great fit for a single person, or a couple with no kids, someone to whom he would be a constant companion, someone who could really bond with him,” says Pinette. Joe would be a wonderful best friend to the right person or family. So if you’re in need of a best friend, and you meet Joe’s needs, give this loving pup a chance to meet yours.