[Skipping Squirrel]

My husband, son, and myself are relocating to Alabama from Illinois. He got 2 job offers, one in The Shoals area, one in the Birmingham (Pelham) area. So I did some major searching, and found out about some good places to look at to move to make our final decisions.

So my question revolves around my dog. He's a good dog, in my small town I get a lot of dirty looks for having him. He is a Pit Bull. Is that going to be a problem in any of those areas? Will I just have to be armed with my stock answers to questions? Will I get dirty looks? I just ask because I am a stay at home mom, so when the kid's at school, we go for walks. He goes for rides with me when he can. Let's put it this way, he is usually right next to me. So I just need to know what to expect.

Thanks!

[Southlander]

Lots of pit bulls in Alabama. I doubt you'd get much hassle over him.

[Socal2Bham]

I love pitties. It's a shame they get such a bad rap. I had one as a kid and many friends over the years have had them. Everyone I have ever known was the biggest luvbug. So happy and eager to please.

As long as he's not running loose in the neighborhood I doubt you would experience any problems in Birmingham.

[thebigr]

I was wondering the same about dogs. I have 2 Rottweilers and we will be moving to Huntsville soon. We are planning on renting for a year so we can find where we would like to live. The media does not help our dogs reputation much but then they tend to screw alot of things up. I had a pit years ago and she was a great dog. My Rotts are big babies and they sure help keep the riff raff away from my home here in Southwest Florida. Can't wait to get up there. Lived in Hickory NC 6 years ago and I really miss the true south.

[Bravo35223]

If you are going to live in the City of Pelham, there is a wide variety of housing available there, from homes that are 35 years old to brand new developments such as Ballantrae.

My best guess is that as long as you have your dog within a fence, you will get no flack from your neighbors. To me, the ultimate factor with a dog of any breed is its level of aggressiveness. If your dog is well behaved, you won't get a second glance, but if he's aggressive, I think you will get the same reaction you get anywhere in the country.

[Skipping Squirrel]

Thanks For all the replies and your help. Up here it doesn't matter if the dog is a complete baby, you still will get dirty looks for the breed you have, unless it is a Lab of some sort .

We went to Northwest Alabama in April of this year, and I was so impressed at the flea market of the good Pits that were walking on leashes there (there were 5, I counted) and no one seemed to care. That made me happy my entire trip.

I can find my human son a good school and a nice area to live, that is not a problem, but when it comes to my doggie son, I like to make sure he is taken care of too. After all, he is a member of my family.

Oh BTW, this is how wussy he is, if a car is pulling into my driveway he doesn't know he will do the bark and run, to the back door to find me for protection. That is the only time he barks. He doesn't even bark when someone knocks on the door, or they come in the house (i.e. friends) without knocking. A friend of mine left her cat with us for a few days, the cat kicked his butt, Rufus on the other hand, just wanted to cuddle with the kitty. Yea, he's real aggressive. But that is just the way I like him.

[Bravo35223]

I don't think you'll have any problems with a sweet dog like that...good luck on your move to Pelham.

[dbkeel1]

We've got 3 labs ourselves. No issues but the reputation of the breed is different. I doubt you'll have any issues as long as the dog(s) are fenced, not kept in excessive numbers, don't make too much noise for neighbors (sirens, barking/howling, etc.) or get loose to wander the neighborhood.

Finding a good quality rental, BigR, might be a bit challenging with large-breed dogs. Some Huntsville area owners are reluctant to rent to folks with smaller dogs much less big ones.

[Eeyore]

If you're in the city or the burbs, people generally dont care what kind of dog you have as long as it doesn't bother them in any way (barking, pooping, roaming loose, chasing cats, getting in garbage, etc.) If someone feels that your dog is bothering them most likely they will just talk bad about you and maybe call the authorities.

In rural areas many dogs run loose. People are used to it....or even if not, they know there isnt much they can do about it. There still is an element in some rural areas that will say if they feel a dog is a nusance (sp?) it should be shot. I've heard of people resorting to poisoning dogs they feel are bothersome...in fact it happened to a dog in my neighborhood when I was a kid. But I think that happens everywhere.

eeyore