The ignorance continues...

[EsmeraldaX]

Dog lovers, your breed or mix could be next... I am so furious about this that I can't even think straight...

So a few irresponsible dog owners allow bad things to happen!?!? Any person with half a brain knows that pit bulls can be loving , sweet and great family dogs! My 12 year old neice and her 4 year old sister have two of them. My friends 5 year old daughter has one. The kids who live down the street from me have one.

They (well their parents) are responsible dog owners and their dogs would not hurt a fly, yet the poodle a few houses over is a nasty and vicious little thing.

No dog breed is inherantly evil. The idiots who buy them and train them to attack are , maybe, but most people aren't like that and THEY are the ones being punished by this sort of thing.

I am so mad.

Someone calm me down. and YES , I do feel bad for the woman who lost her dog and for anyone who has been attacked by a dog. I was attacked by a rottweiler once, but I didn't try to ban the breed because I knew it was the owners fault for not controlling the dog.

GRRRRRRRR. I am so angry.

Deadly attack puts pit bulls in doghouse
By Elisabeth J. Beardsley and Sheila Halloran
Thursday, June 24, 2004

A Boston cop's pit bull was euthanized and a small dog is badly hurt after another grisly attack yesterday that prompted city councilors to fast-track a bill cracking down on dangerous dogs.

Six-year-old Rocky, a Shiba Inu, was listed in stable condition last night after being rushed to Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston for surgery to repair a broken leg and several puncture wounds.

``Laws could have prevented this,'' tearful owner Donna Fitzgerald said. ``I just want to walk down the street safely.''

Marking the second deadly pit bull incident in less than a week, yesterday's apparently unprovoked attack in South Boston began as Fitzgerald and Rocky were out for a morning walk and the small Japanese purebred was set upon by an unleashed pit bull.

Horrified observers said an unidentified man grabbed a bat and beat the pit bull.

``He had to almost kill the dog before it would let go,'' said Sean Malone, a city worker assigned to clean K Street yesterday. ``I was amazed by the amount of blood, and all I could envision was that could have been my son.''

The pit bull had been missing since the previous night, when its owner, a cop who was off-duty at the time, let it off the leash during a walk near the beach and it ran away, Boston police spokeswoman Beverly Ford said.

The officer, whose name was not released, decided to euthanize his pet, which was legally licensed, because it had been beaten nearly to death, Ford said. ``He was very upset about it,'' Ford said.

Hours later, city councilors voted 7-4 to pass a new ordinance forcing pit bulls to be muzzled in public and spayed or neutered, while limiting owners to two pit bulls and requiring posted warning signs.

Several councilors called the proposal a ``false sense of security,'' saying it unfairly targets a single breed while ignoring irresponsible owners, insufficient animal control officers and a lack of enforcement of existing laws.

But supporters came armed with statistics showing pit bulls bit Boston residents 144 times over the past three years - nearly three times more than the next worst culprit, German shepherds.

``What we're doing now doesn't work,'' Councilor Rob Consalvo said. ``Ask the people in South Boston today who are cleaning the blood up.''

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will sign the bill, aides said.

Tom Farmer contributed to this report.

Bull-dozed

The Boston City Council responded yesterday to a recent spate of pit bull attacks by cracking down on the dangerous dogs with a new ordinance, which Mayor Thomas M. Menino says he'll sign. The new rules include:


Mandatory muzzles on all pit bulls when they're in public.


Owners must display ``Beware of Dog'' signs on their property.


Maximum of two pit bulls per household.


Spaying/neutering is required to crack down on excessive breeding and creation of dog-fighting rings.


Animal control officer may petition the City Council to add other breeds of dogs to the danger list.

 

[luvwinnie]

I will never understand why people would let their dogs off the leash...it's unsafe for THEM and could be unsafe for others, no matter the breed. Irresponsible pet owners drive me nuts too.

 

[DawnCt1]

Having a DS who was pulled off of his bike by a pit bull with no provocation on his part, you are barking up the wrong tree. A woman who had just bought a broom at the grocery store had to beat the dog off with her new purchase. As Howie Carr said yesterday, "Not all pit bull owners are drug dealers but it seems that all drug dealers own pit bulls". All dogs are not created equal. A staffordshire terrier's jaws are meant to clamp down and lock on. Labs and retrievers have jaws too, but they hold items more gentlly in their mouths. They wouldn't be retrievers if they didn't. The trend among the pit bull officionados is the breed an agressive dog. They have. I wouldn't want one living next door, I have a toy poodle. The fact remains that certain breeds have certain characteristics that make them suitable for a pet, a working dog or a guard dog. Jack Russell Terriers don't always do well with other small animals (cats) in the house and they have been known to leap tall fences. Boarder collies are great dogs but their instinct is to herd so they like to run and try to round up the squirrels in the yard. Retrievers like to carry things. Pit bulls like to bite.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Being a breeder myself I can honestly say that there are lines in some breeds which produces vicious dogs. Irresponsible pet owners are a huge factor in how a dog turns out but some dogs can have a bad "line" in them and yes - they ARE inherently vicious and mean when that happens- I have seen it countless times.

 

[supergoof]

Free country, yes. But,people have to be responsable for their pets. Espically ones that may cause injury or death. A friends rottwiler got me, ONCE! Pit Bulls have been bread like Chows and some other large/medium breeds, to be mean. I agree, someone who has trained their pet is o.k. with me. It's the num-sculls who don't make sure the pets are contained and/or neglect them, who I have a problem with! Not to mention, dog fighting still goes on.
Working as a EMT a few years ago we were called to a pit bull attack. I won't go into gorry details but it was nasty. The owner is in jail for manslaughter. (dog killed a small child) So, I understand your point about the "bad eggs" but I'm not gonna buy anykind of pet with a "shady" reputation. I feel anyone who has pets like this, must be ready to accept the consequences associated with their pets actions.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Originally posted by DawnCt1
Having a DS who was pulled off of his bike by a pit bull with no provocation on his part, you are barking up the wrong tree. A woman who had just bought a broom at the grocery store had to beat the dog off with her new purchase. As Howie Carr said yesterday, "Not all pit bull owners are drug dealers but it seems that all drug dealers own pit bulls". All dogs are not created equal. A staffordshire terrier's jaws are meant to clamp down and lock on. Labs and retrievers have jaws too, but they hold items more gentlly in their mouths. They wouldn't be retrievers if they didn't. The trend among the pit bull officionados is the breed an agressive dog. They have. I wouldn't want one living next door, I have a toy poodle. The fact remains that certain breeds have certain characteristics that make them suitable for a pet, a working dog or a guard dog. Jack Russell Terriers don't always do well with other small animals (cats) in the house and they have been known to leap tall fences. Boarder collies are great dogs but their instinct is to herd so they like to run and try to round up the squirrels in the yard. Retrievers like to carry things. Pit bulls like to bite.

ITA with this entire post

 

[Maleficent13]

I baby-sat for a family who had the absolutely sweetest dog I ever met. It was a huge Dobermann and looked mean as heck, but it would climb up in my lap and try to sit while I read to the kids. Later, at another house I baby-sat for, I was viciously attacked by a beautiful looking golden retriever. It had to be literally pulled off me. So I for one don't buy the generalization of "it's just the breed".

 

[Dan Murphy]

Any pet, dog, cat, whatever, if outside a protected area (fenced in, house, etc) should be leashed. Besides the inherent danger of biting, etc, there would be a lot less raod kill and pets that look like roofing shingles on the highways. People think it is okay to let pets roam freely, never did figure that one out.

 

[goofy4tink]

While I agree that some breeds do have a bad 'rep', there are some that are so capable of horrible damage. Yes, I also know people with Rotties and pit bulls that are nice dogs. The problem is, that the pit bull has been so inbred, for so long, to exhibit certain tendancies that it's often hard to tell what they will do. Those jaws are the strongest in dogdom. Once they grab hold, there is almost no way to get them to 'leave it!'. If people are going to have them, then they must (as all dogs should be) kept on leash and most likely muzzled. I keep hearing of them getting loose. That's a problem. If you think your pit bull could, in any case, get away from you, then muzzle him. Sorry folks but an ounce of prevention here. But, I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir so to speak. Most of us here are responsible and keep our dogs on leashes or in the house/pen.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I'm sorry I can't agree. The grip of a pit bull is like no other. I love animals but pit bulls are one I can live without IMO.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Dog lovers, your breed or mix could be next... I am so furious about this that I can't even think straight...

So a few irresponsible dog owners allow bad things to happen!?!? Any person with half a brain knows that pit bulls can be loving , sweet and great family dogs! My 12 year old neice and her 4 year old sister have two of them. My friends 5 year old daughter has one. The kids who live down the street from me have one.

They (well their parents) are responsible dog owners and their dogs would not hurt a fly, yet the poodle a few houses over is a nasty and vicious little thing.

No dog breed is inherantly evil. The idiots who buy them and train them to attack are , maybe, but most people aren't like that and THEY are the ones being punished by this sort of thing.

I am so mad.

Someone calm me down. and YES , I do feel bad for the woman who lost her dog and for anyone who has been attacked by a dog. I was attacked by a rottweiler once, but I didn't try to ban the breed because I knew it was the owners fault for not controlling the dog.

GRRRRRRRR. I am so angry.

I TOTALLY AGREE!

 

[gallaj0]

As much as I don't like the idea of pick out one breed like that; I just can't argue the numbers. More viscious attacks are by Pit Bulls than other dogs. Those attacks infilict much more damage than those by other dogs. Pit Bulls have been bred to favor certain characteristics, like powerful jaws.
And to anyone who says you can't assume all dogs of a certain breed having similar characteristics is fooling themselves; different breeds of dogs were selected to enhance certian traits; That's why you get very few Beagles at the race track.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by DawnCt1
Having a DS who was pulled off of his bike by a pit bull with no provocation on his part, you are barking up the wrong tree. A woman who had just bought a broom at the grocery store had to beat the dog off with her new purchase. As Howie Carr said yesterday, "Not all pit bull owners are drug dealers but it seems that all drug dealers own pit bulls". All dogs are not created equal. A staffordshire terrier's jaws are meant to clamp down and lock on. Labs and retrievers have jaws too, but they hold items more gentlly in their mouths. They wouldn't be retrievers if they didn't. The trend among the pit bull officionados is the breed an agressive dog. They have. I wouldn't want one living next door, I have a toy poodle. The fact remains that certain breeds have certain characteristics that make them suitable for a pet, a working dog or a guard dog. Jack Russell Terriers don't always do well with other small animals (cats) in the house and they have been known to leap tall fences. Boarder collies are great dogs but their instinct is to herd so they like to run and try to round up the squirrels in the yard. Retrievers like to carry things. Pit bulls like to bite.

Hmmm, I know a small child in my neighborhood who was literally mauled by a toy poodle. Seems the poodle only liked one person and I fear for anyone else who goes near it.

If Pit Bulls like to bite, then explain why so many of them don't, when raised in a loving home?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by Trish Bessette
I'm sorry I can't agree. The grip of a pit bull is like no other. I love animals but pit bulls are one I can live without IMO.

How many "pit bulls" (nefarious name here) have you KNOWN? If you have not lived with one or known many, how can you judge? There are bad and good dogs of all breeds just like there are good and bad people. Just by being a specific breed does not mean all of them are BAD! Besides, WHAT is a pit bull? Is it an American Staffordshire Terrier, a Staffordshire Terrier, a Bull Terrier, a Boston Terrier? etc etc.... So many dogs are mis-identified to be "pit bulls" that aren't.

 

[gallaj0]

The Pit Bull attack last week was from a suppsoed "loving home".
The owner was on the news, showing pictures of her dogs wearing hats and sunglasses, and standing and dancing with her.

It still attacked a person and killed another dog.

 

[DawnCt1]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Hmmm, I know a small child in my neighborhood who was literally mauled by a toy poodle. Seems the poodle only liked one person and I fear for anyone else who goes near it.

If Pit Bulls like to bite, then explain why so many of them don't, when raised in a loving home?

There are exceptions in every situation. I would rather bet on the exception of the poodle's behavior than have to count on the exception of the staffordshire terrier's behavior. The child must have been very small to be mauled by a toy poodle; most don't exceed 7 pounds in weight.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Any pet, dog, cat, whatever, if outside a protected area (fenced in, house, etc) should be leashed. Besides the inherent danger of biting, etc, there would be a lot less raod kill and pets that look like roofing shingles on the highways. People think it is okay to let pets roam freely, never did figure that one out.

ITA Dan,

There is a park I drive by every day on my way to the train station. It is right by a 6 lane highway.... people let their dogs off the leash there all the time and I just can't imagine taking that risk, no matter how trained Monty dog is.

My biggest fear with this is that Jack Russells are on the high risk list. I have already been told that getting home owners insurance should we ever buy a house would be very hard. (My brother works in the insurance industry). Jack Russells when not properly trained can be pretty bad. Monty Dog would likely never bite anyone, but Chris and I don't let anyone pet him without us standing right there in case he gets excited and nips. We don't let children pet him unless they have permission from their parents and we do not let him more than a foot in front of us on his leash in crowded areas.

If Monty Dog has to be muzzled in public, his enjoyment of going out for walks would be severly diminished. He hates being muzzled.

I just think it's awful that so many are being punished because of a few idiots who can't control their dogs.

 

[dianeschlicht]

And that maikes them all bad? You stidll didn't answer my questions. Someone shot and killed another person in the mall last week. Are all people bad because of that?

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by DawnCt1
There are exceptions in every situation. I would rather bet on the exception of the poodle's behavior than have to count on the exception of the staffordshire terrier's behavior. The child must have been very small to be mauled by a toy poodle; most don't exceed 7 pounds in weight.

It was a small child, about 2 years old maybe a little younger.

I would rather let everyone have the freedom, then seek out an punish the ones who are bad. I think people's views of pit bulls are skewed by media reports of what they do. Also, a lot of morons who want dogs are attracted to pit bulls because they think they sound tough. A lot of times the dogs wind up in shelters because the owners are dissapointed by how "not tough" they are.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by gallaj0
The Pit Bull attack last week was from a suppsoed "loving home".
The owner was on the news, showing pictures of her dogs wearing hats and sunglasses, and standing and dancing with her.

It still attacked a person and killed another dog.

You can get a well trained dog to wear hats and glasses and dance. You can also train that same dog that he is to attack and kill anyone who is not immediate family. Wearing hats and glasses is not indicative of a good home. Sorry. My neices pit bull ( American Staffordshire terrier) would never sit still long enough to wear clothing and pose for a photo. A dog needs to be very very trained for specific commands to do that.

You need to train a dog to attack for no reason. Otherwise, a dogs natural instinct is to avoid harm unless it feels threatened.