Interesting Essay about Pitt Bulls

[KellyLynn]

Well thanks for the rather snotty replies, I was honest about my dog and my experiences with them.

And yes if you came across an attacking pitbull that information might come in handy thank you very much.

I guess I should have kept quite on this thread. But as a responsible owner of animals one being my Pitbull I thought I would share it.


I had a Lapsa when I was growing up that attacked me 2 times, I have a cat that bite the heck out of my arm. My Pitbull never did.

Are there bad owners out there? Yes I am not one of them .
Can any animal be taught to be agressive ? Yes!

As anti pitbull you all seem, I bet most of you have never really been in contact with a trained, and very much loved Pit.

As with all animals You as the owner take responsiblity for them.

 

[Crankyshank]

Well thanks for the rather snotty replies, I was honest about my dog and my experiences with them.

And yes if you came across an attacking pitbull that information might come in handy thank you very much.

I guess I should have kept quite on this thread. But as a responsible owner of animals one being my Pitbull I thought I would share it.


I had a Lapsa when I was growing up that attacked me 2 times, I have a cat that bite the heck out of my arm. My Pitbull never did.

Are there bad owners out there? Yes I am not one of them .
Can any animal be taught to be agressive ? Yes!

As anti pitbull you all seem, I bet most of you have never really been in contact with a trained, and very much loved Pit.

As with all animals You as the owner take responsiblity for them.

Kindly show me where in my post on this thread where I said I was anti-pit bull. If you actually read my response you would see your conjecture that I have been in contact with a trained and loved pit. I don't understand why you post comments like "As anti pitbull you all seem" when there were just 2 posts responding to your response.

 

[goofy!]

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[KellyLynn]

Kindly show me where in my post on this thread where I said I was anti-pit bull. If you actually read my response you would see your conjecture that I have been in contact with a trained and loved pit. I don't understand why you post comments like "As anti pitbull you all seem" when there were just 2 posts responding to your response.

Please forgive me, I was not adressing everyone on this thread and should have made it a little more clear.

 

[goofy!]

.....

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Are there bad owners out there? Yes I am not one of them .
Can any animal be taught to be agressive ? Yes!

As anti pitbull you all seem, I bet most of you have never really been in contact with a trained, and very much loved Pit.

Well then you would lose your bet.
The fact that somebody disagrees with your opinion on a topic does not make them uniformed, wrong or stupid. It just means that they disagree with your point of view.

My opinions on Pit Bulls are based on my experiences with dogs. I was born into a "dog family," and have owned and been around dogs my entire life. I know several people with Pit Bull type dogs, I know families who own and train Pit Bull type dogs, and I know of an area dog trainer who breeds Pit Bull type dogs. By the way, the only way he will sell a dog is to an Adult only household with a guaranteed sterilization. I absolutely agree that most dogs are trainable, in fact, nearly every animal is trainable.

But also, there is always a danger that any animal kept around humans, no matter how well trained and treated, might attack and bite. Just ask Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy. That goes for Pit Bulls, Beagles, Wiener Dogs, cats, hamsters, and anything other species or breed. In the best interests of the community at whole, sometimes it is necessary to regulate exactly how to balance the benefits of owning the animal against the risk that the particular animal might pose to the entire community.

My response to your "stick in the back of the jaw statement" was just a reaction to what I felt when I read about your stick in the back of the jaw trick. Because I can assure you, that if one of these dogs does decide to attack, it is extremely unlikely that one human adult is going to be able to grab it and wrestle a stick into the back of its mouth. My recommended jaw release method in that case would resemble more of a shotgun to the side of the head approach, or at the very least a very large baseball bat to the side of the skull.

 

[kellyla]

I own a 2 year old American Pit Bull Terrier.We rescued him when Ontario was going about their ban on Pit Bull type dogs as we didnt agree with it.My dog is required to be muzzled,sterilized,licenced and kept on no longer than a 6 foot lead.When I tell my Boston it s time for walkies he gets all excited.When I bring out his Hannibal Lector muzzle the tail goes between his legs and his eyes ask me what did he do wrong to have to wear this.There are 24000 registered Pit Bulls in Ontario and .01% of them have had bites registered against them.The top biting dogs:Labs and Retrievers.Pit Bulls are number 8 on the bite list yet because our Provincial Attorney General had nothing better to do(never mind the guns in our province)he bans Pit Bulls.Hopefully when this case goes to trial in May all of our muzzles can be sent to our full of hot air politicians and the citizens of Ontario will vote them out in 2007.

PUNISH THE DEED,NOT THE BREED!!!

 

[alliecats]

Well then you would lose your bet.
The fact that somebody disagrees with your opinion on a topic does not make them uniformed, wrong or stupid. It just means that they disagree with your point of view.

My recommended jaw release method in that case would resemble more of a shotgun to the side of the head approach, or at the very least a very large baseball bat to the side of the skull.

I have to agree with Toby's Friend. I think most people who recognize my name on here now that I am really a rabid animal lover. That said, I have been witness to repeated bad situations involving pitt bulls. I have seen two dogs with their throats ripped out by pitts, other dead pets, not to mention knowing other animals and people who have been mauled.

I do think it is too bad, and I do think some owners are to blame to some extent. But I also don't think you can limit it to the current owner of a particular dog... As someone said, just as shepherds and collies are born to herd (which no one disputes) these dogs have been bred to attack and kill. Why is it ok to admit some dogs have been bred with certain characteristics, but every time a pitt does its thing, it's the owner, not the breed?

If a pit bull attacked a child or pet in front of me, and I had access, I have to say I would definitely resort to TF's method of release. And, loving animals as I do, I do not say that lightly. Is banning them the answer? I just don't know. I do know that I would not want to live on a street with a pitt bull, esp. if I had kids.

I have heard the argument many times that a cocker spaniel has many more recorded bites each year than a pit bull. But how often do you hear about packs of cocker spaniels mauling people, as we do over and over again about pitts in any given year? Does every single one of these dogs have a bad owner? A cocker spaniel is also going to have a very hard time tearing your throat out, or your face off, or killing your toddler. That's just a fact. Even if pitts have fewer recorded bites than many breeds...they still do awesome damage when they DO bite. I know I would much rather be bitten by a cocker, and I also know so would everyone else on this thread.

 

[Ziva]

I don't know, I think the problem is with people, not with the breed of dogs.

I agree.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

OMG!!! I don't know what I would do if my dog was ever attacked like that!! How did you finally get the pitbull away from your dog?

It all happened incredibly fast. Not only was I in the middle of it, but my (at the time) 11 year old daughter was walking with us too. All I remember about it (other than the blur of dogs fighting), was holding Jasmine up by her harness and my (now ex-DH) telling me to put her down, because I was choking her.

Of course, by the time he told me that, the pitbull was under the control of his owner, but I had taken off trying to run with Jasmine and didn't even realize it was over.

It took 14 stitches to close the wound in her flank and she almost died from several puncture wounds in her belly that became infected.

Sadly, right after that she developed several Hemangiosarcoma tumors, that were misdiagnosed as blood blisters from the attack, and we lost her to the cancer. By the time I took her to another vet, the cancer had spread and it was too late. We had to put her down about six months after the attack.

To this day, I'm too scared to walk my Golden in our neighborhood. The memory is that fresh in my mind.

I honestly don't know how I feel about them being banned, but I can tell you that I'm petrified of them now. Nice, docile, whatever - you don't know for sure if you don't live with them, how they're going to treat you. Obviously that can go for any animal, but my experience is with Pitbulls.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

KellyLynn, I'm glad you posted. Hey, that information could potentially come in handy during any dog attack. Hopefully none of us will ever have to use it. I imagine it is easy to get defensive when you are a PB owner. As a GSD owner, I sometimes feel that way as well.

I have loved dogs my whole life and am an advocate for dogs whenever I can be. I've been lucky enough to have shared my home with 6 German Shepherds Dogs over the years, I love the breed with all my heart as do most of my family members. For the past 14 years I have trained dogs as a hobby and like to think I've developed pretty good instincts when it comes to dog behavior. I believe ANY dog is capable of biting given the right circumstances, but it is the larger breeds that can cause the most damage.

FWIW and it's just my opinion, Pit Bulls do scare me because of the unpredictability of their attacks. There are also other dogs that scare me as well, but that would probably be more on an individual basis rather than a breed. I have known some PBs which I've liked, but I do not feel as if I would trust them, particularly around my children. These are my instincts and I've learned to pay attention to them. Here's why:

About 10 years ago I helped rescue a young dog, estimated to be about 6 months old, who was living under a dumpster in the city near where I work. The city shelter was going to euthanize her because she had parvo and they couldn't afford to pay for her treatment so I paid for it myself, visited her often, and later took her home with me. There was never any sign of aggression while she was there, everyone agreed what a sweet dog she was.

She was great for a few days and seemed to adjust well to our home. Then one day she wouldn't let my husband come into the house even though he'd spent the previous evening patting her on his lap. We figured she'd been through a lot, and she came around after a bit and all seemed ok. Later that day I was doing some basic training in our yard with her when our neighbor brought her two young boys over to meet the dog. What happened next scared the bejeezus out of me. The dog charged the family with a level of ferocity I had never witnessed before, and I had all I could do to hold her back on the leash (not sure I would have even been able to had she been full grown). I have no doubt she would have torn that family apart had she been able to get at them. I will never forget the look of fear on the mother's face, and it is not something I ever want to experience again. I did not know much about Pit Bulls at the time, but realized later that's what she was, at least in part. I do know I've never seen anything like it in either my Shepherds or any other dog I've known.

 

[alliecats]

I have no doubt she would have torn that family apart had she been able to get at them. I will never forget the look of fear on the mother's face, and it is not something I ever want to experience again. I did not know much about Pit Bulls at the time, but realized later that's what she was, at least in part. I do know I've never seen anything like it in either my Shepherds or any other dog I've known.

That is a scary story, but also so nice of you to do that for her (edited to clarify--paying for the dog's care and helping with her rescue). What happened to the dog after she tried to attack the family? Sad for all involved.

 

[Iggipolka]

I own a 3 year old Pit/Lab mix who is the sweetest, most affectionate dog I've ever known. I've never seen her be aggressive, in fact, she's terrified of my 16 year old cat! She won't walk by the cat in the hallway, but will lay down and cry until we come over and help her walk by the cat.
Anyone someone comes over to our house, she brings them one of her toys and is a major wigglebutt attention hog.

I completely agree with people who have stated that it's the people raising the dogs to be aggressive, not the dogs. I do have a PitStick to pry open her jaws, just in case, but I highly doubt I'll ever have to use it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

What happened to the dog after she tried to attack the family?

I called the shelter right away and told them what had happened and that I would not be able to keep her. We live in a family neighborhood and we were trying to start a family ourselves and I knew there was no way I could trust this dog. There was a young man at the shelter who had bonded with her and had taken her for rides in the truck with him. Last I heard he was going to take her. I don't know what happened after that. As my husband was driving away with her in the back I was standing in my yard sobbing.

FWIW, I do believe there are dogs that are inherently aggressive even if they are well treated (though obviously not here since this particular dog was living on the streets). Luckily there aren't too many of them.

 

[C.Ann]

One of the girls I used to work with owned two dogs - one was a pitt bull and the other was some sort of terrier.. She got them both as pups and has always treated them like they were her children.. The only problem she ever had with either of them was when the terrier chewed up the leg of her $2000 dining room table - LOL..

Then - she and her husband had a baby and the pitt bull became so vicious towards everyone they had to get rid of him.. There is NO question in their minds that if he ever managed to get ahold of their baby daughter he would have mauled her to death intentionally..

This dog was raised with nothing but love and affection - yet he still turned out bad..

I don't trust pitt bulls and never will.. They can - and do - turn on people - even their owners..

 

[ShelliB]

df
I totally disagree about your comment on pitt bulls! I own one and have three girls who 8, 7, and 3! He is great with them and my other animals! I would never own any other type of dog! So before you go knocking this breed of dog maybe you should read up on them first! Their not all bad dogs! :furious

 

[Planogirl]

Lots of people say that their particular pit bull is the gentlest and sweetest dog ever. I'm sure that many of the pit bull owners whose dogs suddenly turned vicious felt the same way. Besides, when someone is out walking their dog or whatever and they see a pit bull, how can they tell whether it's one of the sweet ones or not?

People also mentioned controlling who owns such dogs. How? There'd be absolutely no way to enforce that.

 

[beckmrk04]

I'm wondering.... Did everyone actually read the article FreshTressa posted? It seems like a lot of people are just posting their already formed opinions on the breed.

BTW- Thanks FreshTressa- it was incredibly interesting!!

 

[Planogirl]

I read the article and it appears to be someone's opinion too. I don't disagree with it but I'm torn on the issue. I don't like the idea of banning a breed but then I haven't seen any good alternatives either.

 

[ShelliB]

There is no possible way to ban any breed of dog! There are way to many out there! It's not the dogs fault that their mean in anyway it's the owner's fault! It's all in how their raised! I baby mine. He is treated just like one of my kids!