Pit-Bull's...friend or foe?

If 2 or 3 humans tried to kill you, you'd write off the entire human race?
I would & do take precautions with humans I don’t know in certain situations. I don’t “write off” pitbulls. I honestly don’t care what risks other ppl choose to take. I just have no desire to have one or be around them out of an abundance of caution...also goes for the other potentially dangerous large breeds mentioned.
 

That is a very biased site:

https://adbadog.com/truth-behind-dogsbite-org/


The simple fact is ALL dogs need to be trained. All need to be socialized. Many big dogs are automatic protecters. And fatal dog attacks can come from any large dog.


And a lot of dogs can be trained and bred to fight. Do away with the dog fighting not the breed.

GSDs actually have a large number of bites each year. Anyone could start a site showing them to be dangerous. But the reason for the large numbers is because they are used so often as police and military dogs. Leave that part out and the statistics would be a bit scary.
 

And this one isn't? I'm not familiar with either of these orgs, but I'm not really confident that the site you posted isn't either.
They mention "The following is a REAL dog bite study, unlike the bogus and inaccurate data promoted by Coleen Lynn at dogsbite.org."
yet there is no study linked.


https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm

Looks like nobody has any real current data, which is a shame. We welcome these animals in to our homes, we trust them with out kids. Seems it should be something that is kept track of, I for one want to know which breed is responsible for the most human deaths.
I said previously I wouldn't own a Pit Bull despite the ones of my family members are sweet dogs. I would never own an animal that could easily over power an adult. I'll stick to cats and ankle biters I can kick away if need be.
 
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We own a rescued lab/pit mix and a rescued chow/german shepherd mix. Thats 4 of the top 5 most likely to attack dogs right there. They are two of the biggest love bugs you could ever meet. Everyone is their immediate best friend. You know how you get a rescue dog to be friendly? Show him kindness and love and endless support. That and training is really all they need. They just want to be loved and are fiercely loyal. They are both so so gentle with our son and loveeeee other pets and kids. Its not about breed or rescue vs non-rescue- its about how YOU raise them. Any dog of any breed can turn out aggressive and of course sometimes all the love and training in the world won’t make a dog a good fit for certain families, but most dogs are primed for companionship. (Also our insurance isn’t any higher based on our dogs’ breeds because we don’t use a discriminatory home insurance company).
 
Not just trained that way. Yes, some will be loving until they die, but the potential is there for them to turn. There has been more than one instance the last few years in our area where the family (loving) pit turned on family and killed one.

They have a jaw strength that won't turn loose and that's what makes them so dangerous when they do attack. I would not knowingly be around one - they aren't to be trusted (they are not alone on the list though, but you do hear about more maulings/deaths from them).

Yes, there are other dogs that attack without provocation, but don't have the jaw strength of the pit.
 
Friend. Any dog can snap at any moment, pits are just who the media is currently focusing on. All pits that I have met have been big babies and I can't wait to own one in the future. We had a terrier/poodle mix that we had to teach my young niece not to go near because she would attack and break skin, even though she started as the sweetest and cuddliest dog for the first few years. My brother also just had to give away their Aussie for attacking my niece completely unprovoked.
So why the conspiracy? Why does the “media” care if there is no truth to it?

Insurance companies aren’t motivated by the “media” but by the level of risk they assume. I can’t have a diving board or a slide by my pool either. You can use both & never have a problem. Many have for years. But, the insurance co has decided the risk is too great for them to insure.
 


You know how you get a rescue dog to be friendly? Show him kindness and love and endless support. That and training is really all they need. They just want to be loved and are fiercely loyal. They are both so so gentle with our son and loveeeee other pets and kids. Its not about breed or rescue vs non-rescue- its about how YOU raise them. Any dog of any breed can turn out aggressive and of course sometimes all the love and training in the world won’t make a dog a good fit for certain families, but most dogs are primed for companionship. (Also our insurance isn’t any higher based on our dogs’ breeds because we don’t use a discriminatory home insurance company).

Can you clarify what you’re meaning? Because you’re stating “all any rescue dog needs to be friendly/non-aggressive is love” which sounds like you believe that any rescue dog with temperament issues is the fault of the owner.

But then later you said “sometimes all the love and training in the world won’t make a dog a good fit”.

As for the insurance, it’s sometimes difficult to find companies that cover “aggressive” breeds. I think most people who own these dogs actually have no idea that they are not covered by their policy. Most policies do not include this information and you have to ask explicitly. Most rescues don’t tell adopters to ask. Then some who claim they “have no breed restrictions” in fact don’t offer the same coverage for homes with these dogs (even though they will argue with you insistently that they have “no breed restrictions”.)
 
@tzolkin yea I’m very aware of our home owners insurance after having to make a 30k claim for hail damage. Local companies > national for things like this in my personal experience.

Of course there are dogs that have temperment issues despite what owners do but MOST dogs will not with proper training and care. Thats why I said sometimes its a family fit- some dogs don’t do well with cats for instance so a family with a cat may not have a great time with that dog. That doesn’t make that dog a bad dog, thats just not the right home for them. Also sometimes people just don’t put in the time/effort or can’t. Our one dog took probably 9 months to be fully trained and I bet some people would have given up on him in that time. Their loss, he is a great dog. He just had a lot to overcome.

Listen idc if you have weird biases or don’t like dogs. As long as you don’t hurt them or contribute to fear mongering then you do you.
 
And this one isn't? I'm not familiar with either of these orgs, but I'm not really confident that the site you posted isn't either.
They mention "The following is a REAL dog bite study, unlike the bogus and inaccurate data promoted by Coleen Lynn at dogsbite.org."
yet there is no study linked.


https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm

Looks like nobody has any real current data, which is a shame. We welcome these animals in to our homes, we trust them with out kids. Seems it should be something that is kept track of, I for one want to know which breed is responsible for the most human deaths.
I said previously I wouldn't own a Pit Bull despite the ones of my family members are sweet dogs. I would never own an animal that could easily over power an adult. I'll stick to cats and ankle biters I can kick away if need be.

The site I linked is American Dog Breeders Assiciation and you can find the same info on the American Veterinary Association site. I would venture to guess they have less of an agenda.

The CDC stopped keeping breed specific data because of the difficulty in defining breeds. Every short haired, wide headed dog isn’t a pit but most people will I’d etify them that way. There are plenty of cases of cities trying to enforce their outlawing of the breed and yet can’t identify them.
 
Not just trained that way. Yes, some will be loving until they die, but the potential is there for them to turn. There has been more than one instance the last few years in our area where the family (loving) pit turned on family and killed one.

They have a jaw strength that won't turn loose and that's what makes them so dangerous when they do attack. I would not knowingly be around one - they aren't to be trusted (they are not alone on the list though, but you do hear about more maulings/deaths from them).

Yes, there are other dogs that attack without provocation, but don't have the jaw strength of the pit.

And they do not have the stongest jaw strength. GSD have a similar strength. Other dogs that are similar to pits have a much stronger bite.
 
The only biting/mauling incidents I have dealt with (in my immediate family/friend circle) are from:

Akita (dude is lucky to be alive)
German Shepherd (individual required major cosmetic surgery to repair damage)
Dalmatian (minor surgery required)
Chihuahua (stitches needed)
German Shepherd (mauled our cairn terrier who required 50+ stitches to close neck wound)

None of these were reported to "the authorities" or news outlets. I tend to think Pit attacks are the ones that are reported. Have also had "aggressive" dogs lunge or snap at me (Great Dane, German Shepherd, Chihuahua).

Pretty sure Drs/hospitals are required by law to report 'all' incidents by law such as you listed.
 
@tzolkin yea I’m very aware of our home owners insurance after having to make a 30k claim for hail damage. Local companies > national for things like this in my personal experience.

Of course there are dogs that have temperment issues despite what owners do but MOST dogs will not with proper training and care. Thats why I said sometimes its a family fit- some dogs don’t do well with cats for instance so a family with a cat may not have a great time with that dog. That doesn’t make that dog a bad dog, thats just not the right home for them. Also sometimes people just don’t put in the time/effort or can’t. Our one dog took probably 9 months to be fully trained and I bet some people would have given up on him in that time. Their loss, he is a great dog. He just had a lot to overcome.

Listen idc if you have weird biases or don’t like dogs. As long as you don’t hurt them or contribute to fear mongering then you do you.
What contributes to this is stories of ppl being viscously attacked or killed by their own dogs. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think there is this conspiracy to only report when pitbulls kill their family members. In fact, I think it would be more sensational news when golden or Labrador retrievers do it.
 
The site I linked is American Dog Breeders Assiciation and you can find the same info on the American Veterinary Association site. I would venture to guess they have less of an agenda.

The CDC stopped keeping breed specific data because of the difficulty in defining breeds. Every short haired, wide headed dog isn’t a pit but most people will I’d etify them that way. There are plenty of cases of cities trying to enforce their outlawing of the breed and yet can’t identify them.

Ok, but I was interested in seeing the study that they claimed was "real", and when a site claims there is one and doesn't provide an actual link or any cited data, but instead just their conclusions of it, I'm not going to pay too much attention to what they are claiming.
I know what they stopped specific breed data however I feel it is important to keep track of that, I mean if a dog kills a person, put down the dog and do a DNA test.
 
Can you clarify what you’re meaning? Because you’re stating “all any rescue dog needs to be friendly/non-aggressive is love” which sounds like you believe that any rescue dog with temperament issues is the fault of the owner.

But then later you said “sometimes all the love and training in the world won’t make a dog a good fit”.

As for the insurance, it’s sometimes difficult to find companies that cover “aggressive” breeds. I think most people who own these dogs actually have no idea that they are not covered by their policy. Most policies do not include this information and you have to ask explicitly. Most rescues don’t tell adopters to ask. Then some who claim they “have no breed restrictions” in fact don’t offer the same coverage for homes with these dogs (even though they will argue with you insistently that they have “no breed restrictions”.)


State Farm homeowners covers any dog. They ask a few questions and of course if the dog does indeed bite, they will most likely ask more questions about the dog and how it’s kept. And it’s the same coverage.
 
Ok, but I was interested in seeing the study that they claimed was "real", and when a site claims there is one and doesn't provide an actual link or any cited data, but instead just their conclusions of it, I'm not going to pay too much attention to what they are claiming.
I know what they stopped specific breed data however I feel it is important to keep track of that, I mean if a dog kills a person, put down the dog and do a DNA test.

I guess that would be one way. Not sure why they don’t. If a dog kills aren’t they usually put down anyway?
 
What contributes to this is stories of ppl being viscously attacked or killed by their own dogs. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think there is this conspiracy to only report when pitbulls kill their family members. In fact, I think it would be more sensational news when golden or Labrador retrievers do it.

It’s not a conspiracy to only report pit bull attacks. But you can’t always be sure that 1 it was in fact a pit and 2 what the training and treatment was of the dog. Do you really think the guy whose dog just killed a child is going to say “yep, we fight him every weekend over in the next town”?
 
I said previously I wouldn't own a Pit Bull despite the ones of my family members are sweet dogs. I would never own an animal that could easily over power an adult. I'll stick to cats and ankle biters I can kick away if need be.
This is my personal policy as well. I won’t own an animal that I couldn’t defend myself or kids against. This leaves certain breeds out of the equation by default. Not because of their reputation(s) but because I wouldn’t be able to best them if something should go afud.

That said I’ve owned quite a few dogs from childhood on and have never had one that I’ve/we’ve owned personally ever bite or get aggressive with me. That includes two GSDs as a kid and a Pit (sweetest baby girl ever) as a young adult. As a groomer many, many moons ago I was only ever bitten once (though snapped at plenty, mostly by little dogs) by an Irish Setter. My personality is not to be afraid of any dog unless they give me reason to be. But I always respect the fact that any animal, including my own could for whatever reason turn and I don’t take their normally good dispositions for granted.

So, friend or foe? Friend unless proven otherwise.
 
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I guess that would be one way. Not sure why they don’t. If a dog kills aren’t they usually put down anyway?

That is my assumption, that is why I figure they could do a DNA test right there. I'm sure at one time cost was a factor, but you can order at home kits for your dog so I don't think it is too cost prohibitive now.
 
It’s not a conspiracy to only report pit bull attacks. But you can’t always be sure that 1 it was in fact a pit and 2 what the training and treatment was of the dog. Do you really think the guy whose dog just killed a child is going to say “yep, we fight him every weekend over in the next town”?
That can be an explanation for why stats seem skewed, but some on this thread are implying it’s b/c of “fear mongering” & the “media”. My question is why would the “media” care?? It would actually be more sensational if it were another less aggressive breed.
 

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