Petula the pit bull adopted by Blaine family

The Crawfords have two other dogs, a 13-year-old pit bull named Chloe and a 3-year-old border collie named Jackson.

"We're big pit bull fans," said Trevor Crawford, whose mother, Shirley, was the one who officially adopted Petula from the shelter.

Trevor Crawford, who calls Petula "Tulie," said she has a good relationship with the other dogs, especially the border collie.

"Tulie loves to play and wrestle with Jackson," Crawford said.

Petula also gets along well with the family's six goats, Crawford said. The goats are usually scared of strange dogs, but they seem real inquisitive about Petula, he said.

Petula has been signed up for obedience training at Tails-A-Wagging Doggie Day Care. It is mandatory that all pit bulls adopted from the Whatcom Humane Society are signed up for obedience training, said Laura Clark, community outreach director for the Whatcom Humane Society.

"If (the Crawfords) follow through with the training, there is no reason that Petula should not continue to be a well socialized, happy, sweet dog for years to come," Clark said.

Crawford, whose family has owned a number of different dog breeds over the years, said he doesn't understand the misconceptions people have about pit bulls.

"Just treat them good. Treat them right. Treat them like you'd want to be treated as an animal," Crawford said. "Pit bulls are the best family dog we've ever had."

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