Pit Bulls

[fluffycow333]

It frustrates me that people assume that they are such evil dogs. It has nothing to do with the breed itself, but the way they are treated by their owner. Any dog can become aggressive given the circumstances. Just wanted to put my thoughts out there.

 

[Art 1]

Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

It frustrates me that people assume that they are such evil dogs. It has nothing to do with the breed itself, but the way they are treated by their owner. Any dog can become aggressive given the circumstances. Just wanted to put my thoughts out there.

I'll admit that I am scared (ok, TERRIFIED) of pit bulls. There are so many news reports of pit bulls mauling people. I am always hearing something about how violent they are.
I should also note that I am a cat lover, so any type of big dog has the ability to frighten me. (Pit bulls... just a bit more than others)

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

It frustrates me that people assume that they are such evil dogs. It has nothing to do with the breed itself, but the way they are treated by their owner. Any dog can become aggressive given the circumstances. Just wanted to put my thoughts out there.

I don't know that I always agree with this. I *think* most aggresssive animals are due to the way they are raised/trained. But I know of two pit bulls that attacked their owners/owner's family member after being raised in a gentle manner. But then again, this can happen with any breed...I've heard of well behaved pets lashing out/biting a family member without provocation. So...yes, it is usually the training...but any animal can attack without provocation in a given situation. You just hear about it more with pit bulls.

 

[waughzee]

I've always been leary of pitbulls, because of all that I hear/read about them. That is, until my nephew got one. Brutus is the biggest baby of a chicken dog that I have ever met! He actually cries if my little 12 lb. lhasa-poo comes near him. I am still careful around him because I'm sure if he wanted to, he could crush any bone in my body with his massive jaws, but he doesn't scare me anymore.

 

[fluffycow333]

I guess I've just been watching too much Animal Planet and The Dog Whisperer.

 

[RF536]

I love pits, I have met so many sweet and gentle ones over the past few years. I respect every dog, as they all have the potential to hurt people, regardless of breed or size.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I guess I've just been watching too much Animal Planet and The Dog Whisperer.

I've never seen either of these shows. Maybe I should start watching!

 

[Luvchefmic]

Oh boy here we go....IMHO...I USED to feel that way about Pitbulls, I have changed my mind due to education, having actually spent some time with pitbulls and yes being a big follower of Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer.

I'll go so far to admit that I USED to be so against them that I believed they should be banned to be owned....I have come full circle in my thinking.....just my opinion

 

[Art 1]

Oh boy here we go....IMHO...I USED to feel that way about Pitbulls, I have changed my mind due to education, having actually spent some time with pitbulls and yes being a big follower of Cesar Millan the Dog Whisperer.

I'll go so far to admit that I USED to be so against them that I believed they should be banned to be owned....I have come full circle in my thinking.....just my opinion

Did you see the news last week of the 2 ladies that were attacked on their front porch? Deland I think. We all know some pit bulls that are nice, but when you here of a serious dog attack it usually seems to involve that breed.

 

[aaarcher86]

Did you see the news last week of the 2 ladies that were attacked on their front porch? Deland I think. We all know some pit bulls that are nice, but when you here of a serious dog attack it usually seems to involve that breed.

There are also several breeds that are commonly mistaken for pitbulls. American bulldogs (popular) being one of them.

In one report of a pitbull attack it was a dalmation after an investigation was done.

A news report here just had a story about a pitbull attack... after watching the story it was a German Shephard that actually attacked but there was a pitbull in the same yard. It's ridiculous.

Pitbulls test higher in temperment then tons of common household breeds.

Unfortunately, their breed has a high tolerance for pain, etc and has been the most common dog chosen for fighting and misuse. Bad rap - that's just the way it goes.

Yes... I have one. And misconceptions are incredibly frustrating.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Even I can't find the pitty on the 1-3 try ^^^

 

[Luvchefmic]

Did you see the news last week of the 2 ladies that were attacked on their front porch? Deland I think. We all know some pit bulls that are nice, but when you here of a serious dog attack it usually seems to involve that breed.

IMHO was put in my post to avoid just this kind of thing but I am polite & friendly so I will answer you with for every story we read or hear about there are dozens more about other breeds...just my take on things, I know you don't like pitbulls I got that I understand

 

[LuvOrlando]

My dear friend's Yorkie's throat was torn out by a Pit Bull Mother's Day when she and her beloved dog were out for a walk.

I don't think demonizing animals is cool but considering how popular the breed is in dog fights it's impossible to ignore that a certain portion of their population isn't selectively bred for violence. As a result those characteristics are bound to find their way into the general population via genetics. All terriers were bread to kill vermin so to say that these behaviors aren't a part of their personalities is just... well, not exactly forthcoming. Just check out Terrier Group on the AKC site, it's sort of who they are, fine if that's what you want in an animal but it's not quite right to say Terriers are bred to be lap dogs and that goes for ALL terriers, not just Pits. It just so happens that Pit Bulls are impressively powerful dogs and can do a lot more damage than, say, a Russell Terrier. I don't dislike the breed because animals are who they are and when things go wrong it's the owners fault not the animals (the dog who killed my friend's dog shouldn't have been out without a leash) but think treating them with less respect than they deserve could be a mistake that doesn't end well.

 

[Sparx]

If it has teeth in its mouth, claws on its feet, and blood in its veins, it can hurt someone. I don't care what IT is, it can be dangerous if put into the situation.

I think its far more dangerous to vilify a breed than to teach awareness about all sorts of animals that could be dangerous.

 

[Luvchefmic]

If it has teeth in its mouth, claws on its feet, and blood in its veins, it can hurt someone. I don't care what IT is, it can be dangerous if put into the situation.

I think its far more dangerous to vilify a breed than to teach awareness about all sorts of animals that could be dangerous.

 

[onelilspark]

If it has teeth in its mouth, claws on its feet, and blood in its veins, it can hurt someone. I don't care what IT is, it can be dangerous if put into the situation.

I think its far more dangerous to vilify a breed than to teach awareness about all sorts of animals that could be dangerous.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I'll admit that I am scared (ok, TERRIFIED) of pit bulls. There are so many news reports of pit bulls mauling people. I am always hearing something about how violent they are.
I should also note that I am a cat lover, so any type of big dog has the ability to frighten me. (Pit bulls... just a bit more than others)

Same here. One bit my friend's 4 year old daughters face, she had to get 50+ stitches at CHOP. My upstairs neighbor has a pitbull and a small dog too. I hear that dog go after the teeny little dog and I'm just waiting for the pitbull to kill it. The same dog also barks at DD through our screen window... I'm not really a fan of this dog. The best part is-- you're only supposed to have *one* dog, and a pitbull is a restricted breed. Ugh. I'm tempted to report it but I don't want bad neighbor karma.

 

[simba928]

There are also several breeds that are commonly mistaken for pitbulls. American bulldogs (popular) being one of them.

In one report of a pitbull attack it was a dalmation after an investigation was done.

A news report here just had a story about a pitbull attack... after watching the story it was a German Shephard that actually attacked but there was a pitbull in the same yard. It's ridiculous.

Pitbulls test higher in temperment then tons of common household breeds.

Unfortunately, their breed has a high tolerance for pain, etc and has been the most common dog chosen for fighting and misuse. Bad rap - that's just the way it goes.

Yes... I have one. And misconceptions are incredibly frustrating.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Even I can't find the pitty on the 1-3 try ^^^

I'll admit that I am scared (ok, TERRIFIED) of pit bulls. There are so many news reports of pit bulls mauling people. I am always hearing something about how violent they are.
I should also note that I am a cat lover, so any type of big dog has the ability to frighten me. (Pit bulls... just a bit more than others)

Breed identification in dog bites is almost always based off of victim or witness identification. If victim says it was a pit bull, then it was a pit bull. However, like the PP said, many breeds can be mistaken for a pit bull type dog. Boxer mixes and even lab mixes frequently are mistaken, along with many other breeds, to be a pit bull type dog. There has been research done that even animal control officers and shelter directors (who deal with thousands of dogs and often have years and years of experience) are frequently wrong at breed identification, so imagine how wrong someone that isn't familiar with dogs can be.

I've always been leary of pitbulls, because of all that I hear/read about them. That is, until my nephew got one. Brutus is the biggest baby of a chicken dog that I have ever met! He actually cries if my little 12 lb. lhasa-poo comes near him. I am still careful around him because I'm sure if he wanted to, he could crush any bone in my body with his massive jaws, but he doesn't scare me anymore.

In my experience (I work at a shelter so I've handled hundreds of dogs from tiny, 5 pound chihuahuas to GIANT mastiffs), the bigger and more intimidating looking the dog, the bigger the baby. I once had a horribly neglected pit bull (he weighed about 30 pounds when he came when he should have weighed about 60) that just wanted to sit on my lap. I also had a little chihuahua/terrier mix that was the biggest diva you will ever meet. The only 2 dogs that have ever tried to bite me was a Boston Terrier and that little diva of a chihuahua/terrier mix. I've had 2 labs that would not let me go anywhere within 5 feet of their cage (Now that I think of it, one of the labs lunged at my face when he first came in so make that 3 dogs that have tried to bite me). I have never had a pit bull type dog that I could not go into the cage with.

 

[minkydog]

I don't think demonizing animals is cool but considering how popular the breed is in dog fights it's impossible to ignore that a certain portion of their population isn't selectively bred for violence. As a result those characteristics are bound to find their way into the general population via genetics.... It just so happens that Pit Bulls are impressively powerful dogs and can do a lot more damage than, say, a Russell Terrier. I don't dislike the breed because animals are who they are and when things go wrong it's the owners fault not the animals (the dog who killed my friend's dog shouldn't have been out without a leash) but think treating them with less respect than they deserve could be a mistake that doesn't end well.

I agree. Just last week there was a pit bull attack right here in metro Atlanta. A woman was just walking in her own neighborhood when THREE pits raced out and attacked her. THankfully, there were neighbors who heard AND came to the rescue. It took three people beat the dogs off her with rocks and bats. She spent a couple days in the hospital and got a couple hundred stitches to the face. In fact, they were unable to fix her face and now she will have to undergo a series of operations to place skin grafts ON HER FACE, for crying out loud. One of the dogs got away and continued to roam the neighborhood for 3 days. And, yes, these were bona fide pit bulls.

No, thank you. I do not trust pit bulls. You might have the greatest pit bull in the world, but I would not cross your door step because I would be in constant fear of attack. You never hear of someone being mauled or killed by a pack of poodles, do you?

 

[aaarcher86]

I agree. Just last week there was a pit bull attack right here in metro Atlanta. A woman was just walking in her own neighborhood when THREE pits raced out and attacked her. THankfully, there were neighbors who heard AND came to the rescue. It took three people beat the dogs off her with rocks and bats. She spent a couple days in the hospital and got a couple hundred stitches to the face. In fact, they were unable to fix her face and now she will have to undergo a series of operations to place skin grafts ON HER FACE, for crying out loud. One of the dogs got away and continued to roam the neighborhood for 3 days. And, yes, these were bona fide pit bulls.

No, thank you. I do not trust pit bulls. You might have the greatest pit bull in the world, but I would not cross your door step because I would be in constant fear of attack. You never hear of someone being mauled or killed by a pack of poodles, do you?

No... you don't hear about it. A headlie of 'poodle attack' wouldn't get half as many viewers as a pitbull attack. But they happen.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_396850.html

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10769319

http://s700.photobucket.com/albums/ww10/crescen77/?action=view&current=dogPoodleAttack2.png