The words Dog Breed Info with the letter D inside of a black paw print

Raising a Puppy: Mia the Blue-Nose American Bully Pit—19 weeks old

A day in the life with Mia the American Bully (Bully Pit) puppy. Mia's thirteenth week—19 weeks old, 37 pounds, 16 inches from the ground to the highest point of the shoulders (the withers).

Close up - A wide chested, blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is wearing a hot pink collar sitting in grass and she is looking forward. Her coat is gray with white on her chest, down her snout and on the ends of her paws.

19 weeks old (4 1/2 months)

Carrying Things Around

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing on a rubber mat outside on a stone porch looking in an open doorway to a house and she has a leaf in her mouth.

Every time Mia is headed inside the house she casually grabs something to bring with her, usually a stick or leaf. Just when you think she didn't snatch something up to bring with her this time you realize there is some small piece of something in her mouth that she did indeed scoop up. Mia, I don't want the great outdoors inside my house! Drop that leaf before you come in.

When Mia is on her way outside she will often grab a toy to take with her. If she is headed out to do her business she will drop the toy as soon as she steps out onto the porch, but she feels the need to bring it with her.

A green toy snake is laying on a hardwood floor.

Mia decided the big green snake toy must go with her on her way out to do her business, so naturally she dropped it on the porch after she walked out the door. Later the same day Bruno was walking inside after doing his business but when the door opened for him to come in he paused, turned and looked at the big green snake toy, and picked it up. He carried it inside the house and dropped it onto the floor right inside the door and proceeded to the dog bed for his late morning nap. He was not in a playful toy mood, so he was not getting the toy to play. He had looked at it the way a person might look at a sink full of dishes before they wash them. He simply decided it belonged in the house. Good boy Bruno! I didn't know you had it in you to do something like that!

The Hole

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy and a blue nose Pit Bull Terrier are digging in grass in front of a gray shed barn.

Hey, what are you two clowns doing? I spy double trouble over here!

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is digging in front of a gray shed.

Apparently there's something down there. It's not a very big tunnel. Maybe it’s a snake or a rat?

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing in front of a hole and she is looking to the right. She has dirt on her nose.

Mia, your nose is all brown.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is nosing around in a hole.

I don't think whatever is down there is going to come out to see you.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing in a freshly dug hole.

Oh I see, you are going to try and dig your way to it. Hmmmm, that hole could get very big.

Feeding Time

A brown with black and white Boxer is looking down a staircase. A blue nose American Bully Pit is looking forward and her head is tilted to the right. There are three bowls filled with dog food on the top of a step next to them.

Mia likes to watch as I scoop the kibble into the dishes. She is very curious about everything. I am not sure what Bruno was looking at. He is staring down into the basement.

Sugar the Cat

A black Cat is standing on a concrete and stone wall. In front of the Cat is a blue nose American Bully Pit puppy.

Mia, leave it. Don't even think about pouncing on Sugar.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is sitting on a concrete stone wall and walking off of the wall is a black cat.

Good girl, Mia

The Goats

Mia asks the goats if they want to play. When she is told to "Leave it" she decides to try and eat a rock instead.

Out and About

The right side of a blue nose American Bully Pit puppy watching an automatic door open.

As we walk by a storefront Mia is curious about the automatic doors that keep opening and closing. We pause to let her take it all in. There are so many new things to see and Mia learns to explore her world with good manners. Our walks while she is a puppy are more about learning good behavior and socializing than exercise. Stopping when I stop. Going when I go. Heeling on the leash. Getting used to cars driving by, people, noises, other dogs, cats, squirrels etc. There's so much to see, yet just like a child on a class trip, she must respect her surroundings and follow the rules.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing over a wooden fence and digging at a plastic bottle.

We are also working on not being a trash picker.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is sitting in grass and in between a persons leg watching the cars on the road drive by.

I sit on the ground and Mia backs up against my leg to sit and watch where she feels safest. No one talks. We just sit and watch the cars and loud trucks go by. When Mia's focus goes from watching the cars to licking my face and playing with Bruno and Spencer I decide it's time to move on in our walk.

The left side of a blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing on a blacktop surface. There is a Texas Roadhouse steak restaurant in the background.

When we pass the front of a steakhouse Mia stops and starts to sniff the air. There's steak out there somewhere!

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing on a storm grate in the street.

Mia, you are more daring than your brothers ever were. Get off that grate before your paw slips through the hole. I picked her up and place her down on the pavement.

Eating Everything

Close up - A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is sitting in grass with her head up in the air as a human pulls a long blade of grass out of her mouth.

Grass too? Now you're a grass eater? Have you been watching the horses? Stop that! You're going to make yourself throw up!

Close up - A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is standing in a parking lot and chewing on trash. There is a person's hand trying to get the trash out of her mouth.

Mia! Spit that out!

Top down view of a blue nose American Bully Pit puppy standing in grass looking down at goose droppings.

A minute ago I had to make you spit out one of those goose droppings. Don't even think about eating that one!

Puppy No-No's

A person is holding a green lego in their hand and a blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is sitting on a green orthopedic dog bed pillow and she is looking at the lego brick.

Mia, what do you have now? I Reached my hand into her wet mouth. A Lego. Where did you get that? Hmmmmm, I think you snuck into the off limits family room. No you cannot have it back. Stop giving me those puppy eyes.

A blue nose American Bully Pit puppy is sitting on a Penn State University door mat next to a line of boots.

A few minutes later Mia walked right into the room in front of me sniffing around as if she was looking for another Lego piece. "Hey! Get out of there!" Mia ran out and sat down looking at me right outside the door with a curious look on her face. “You little stinker.” Did you just forget the rule or were you just testing? There's your reminder.