My Clingy Pit Bull

Pit Bulls are a very special breed of dog. They get a very bad rap, which in many cases they do not deserve. This post is not meant to change your opinion on the breed, but to point out a personality quirk of my own dog Syrus.

When my wife and I adopted Syrus, we began doing a lot of research on the breed. One of the many things we learned was that Pit Bulls are very loyal to their owners. In fact, I read one opinion piece that I found rather striking. It went on to say that the Pit Bull breed isn’t the type that will pull you from a burning building, instead it will curl up on your lap and stay with you until the bitter end.

It is this personality trait in my dog that is both awesome and annoying at times. You see, Syrus can be extremely clingy. Have you ever had a child climb up in your lap, wrap their arms around your neck and hold on? Its nice right, getting that loving hug from a child. Now have you ever had that same child not know when enough is enough and not let go. The embrace has gone on too long and you just want space, which the child isn’t willing to give.

Syrus can be very much the same way. My wife and I set boundaries for our dog. He is only allowed to freely climb up on one piece of furniture within the living room, and that is an old chair that neither of us use. He may come up on the sofa, but only if invited. Any other time he tries to come on up, we tell him “off” and we do not back down just because he looks cute.

On those occasions where we let him up onto the sofa with us, or sit on the floor, Syrus likes to climb into your lap. At roughly fifty-pounds, he isn’t what I would consider a lap dog. Sitting next to you is not good enough for him and he feels the need to be sitting on you. Next thing he will do, if you allow it, is he will place his head on your shoulder or place it against your face.

Sounds kind of sweet right? It is at first, but it doesn’t take long to get old. Because he is primarily American Pit Bull Terrier, he has a relatively small body size with a lot of muscle structure. The muscles are what make him so heavy and solid. While fifty-pounds may not seem like much, when it drops into your lap in the form of a relatively small frame, it isn’t very comfortable.

The amazing thing is that if you don’t move Syrus from your lap, he will just stay there. It is pure unconditional love from an animal that seems as though he wants nothing more than to just cuddle up with his owners.

The photo at the head of this post was taken on November 7th, 2009. I came home from a long day at work and was checking my blackberry while sitting on the sofa. Syrus was sitting at my feet staring at me, as if waiting for me to tell him to come on up. I told him it was okay and in no time he was on my lap. I reached out and snapped the photo with my phone, which is a pretty good example of how he likes to sit with my wife and I.