Pit bulls not safe?

[/dev/urandon]

Pitbulls are only violent if you raise them to be. Even the ones used in dog fighting aren't trained to be aggressive towards humans. If the dog was a killing machine that lunged at whatever got near it it would be impossible for the handler to work with the dog.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Pitbulls are only violent if you raise them to be. Even the ones used in dog fighting aren't trained to be aggressive towards humans. If the dog was a killing machine that lunged at whatever got near it it would be impossible for the handler to work with the dog.

That's not what the experts in Ontario concluded.

Guns don't kill people, people kill people.
Pitbulls don't kill people, bad owners kill people.

I probably wouldn't have banned Pitbulls, if it was up to me.
But I guess the large number of children mauled or killed by pitbulls SPECIFICALLY is what prompted the ban.

I think alot of the pitbull owners have gotten other dogs in the last 9 years.
As far as I know, there have been no bichon frise related deaths from previous bad pitbull owners.
Don't quote me on it.

 

[/dev/urandon]

Any dog can be vicious, especially ankle biters that are allowed on the couch all of the time. People keep those small dogs and treat them like kids instead of animals then wonder why they bark and nip at everyone that enters the house. The owner just yells "no" and the dog doesn't listen, then they'll say "Oh well he's just like that". You sit and have this little dog nip at your ankle for a few minutes until you get tired of it and suddenly you're the bad guy when you introduce it to your boot.

I've raised dogs all my life so I'm a pretty good judge of what is and isn't a "bad breed". I haven't found a "bad breed" in all of these years, just bad owners. I've even taken in puppies that were from dog fighting rings and raised them up into fine pets. There is one running around my friends house that sleeps in the bed with his four year old daughter every night. He's just a big teddy bear.

I won't deny that rarely you'll get a dog that is violent but it has little to do with the breed. Sometimes they're beyond help because the environment they were raised in was so ****ty. You give those dogs a chance, maybe even look past the first time they bite you, but when it happens the second time you do what has to be done. You take them out back and put them down.

 

[PoetJC]

Dogs take their cues from their owners. If you treat people like assholes - Your dog will likely do the same.
I've been around pitbulls since I was a kid. I've owned pitbulls too. Two of the sweetest furbabies I've ever had:


He was so black when I first saw him as a puppy - the light reflected and made his shiny black coat look blue.
His name is Blu. I call him little boy for short. So little boy Blu.



She came to me as Diamond. She was pregnant and was getting ready to be sent to the animal care to be euthanized. I decided to adopt her.

I'm not really a diamonds sort a girl - so I renamed her Dymyn. One of the hardheadedest dogs I've ever known - but she's a good dog. Sweet as can be when she and my other dogs aren't playing and rough-housing...

So - IMO - that article you linked to Estevan is ridiculous. I have 2 60 pound beasts to prove it.

Killing is not exclusive to one breed of dog. ANY dog -- given the proper circumstances -- can be a killer.

Stop the BIGOTRY against pit bulls

J.

 

[PoetJC]

Yes, gorgeous dogs. It's not the dogs that are the problem it's the owners. Raise a dog right and it'll be great, raise a dog wrong and it won't. Any dog has the potential to be dangerous, they're animals, after all but treated well you have nothing to worry about.

I have a rottweiler and a staffordshire bull terrier - both claimed to be vicious dogs. Want to see how vicious they are?

View attachment 30459 View attachment 30460
View attachment 30461 View attachment 30462
The staffie is an ex-bait dog, who we rescued. He was skin and bones when we got him and we worried that he wouldn't be able to assimilate into the family, but.. as you can see... he's so chilled out

AW!!!!!!!!!!
The cutest pics! I love the little Spidey laying on the Rottweiler lol. And the pic with the santa hat ==> Super cute.

J.

 

[Lisa]

AW!!!!!!!!!!
The cutest pics! I love the little Spidey laying on the Rottweiler lol. And the pic with the santa hat ==> Super cute.

J.

Myka actually wormed her way underneath Cody (little Spidey). She's a bugger for it. Find them curled up watching TV together (usually spiderman) all the time.

 

[PoetJC]

Myka actually wormed her way underneath Cody (little Spidey). She's a bugger for it. Find them curled up watching TV together (usually spiderman) all the time.

Dymyn does the same thing. No matter who's laying on the couch watching TV, you'll find her big butt laying on top.
Makes for warm winters anyway. She's like a big ol' blanket LOL

J.

 

[BrandonSheley]

Pitbulls can be great dogs and very loving, stupid owners aren't safe.

 

[Alex.]

Anyone who says a certain breed is violent is an idiot. There, I said it. I'm not going to be PC about it. Any dog can be violent. Any dog can be friendly and loving. I'm personally not a huge fan of certain pets such as dogs, but have no problem playing with one or taking care of one for a short period for someone. I personally adore Belgian shepherds and dobermans. German shepherds are alright too, but they're not as smart and fast as the Belgian breed

 

[Danielx64]

I always felt that pitbull were dangerous regardless of how the owners treat then. Often I will hear about those dogs being put down because they bitten someone after they got out of their yard.

Oh and Alex please dont call me an idiot for my comment above.

 

[dieKetzer]

i think its kind of silly to pretend that the pitbull is no different to any other dog. their excitability, size, and capacity for 'bad bites' coupled with its high level of 'game' results in a dog will not only bite, but wont stop once its in its 'frenzy'.
i had a girlfriend with a pb named 'harley' that was pretty much the standard for the breed. he could be a sweet pooch sitting on the sofa with you one minute, and the next minute an innocent game of 'tap the nose' would have him getting more and more excited... and aggressive, until you were bailed up in the corner fearing for your life.
people will say 'oh its the owner', but the breed definitely plays a role.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

i think its kind of silly to pretend that the pitbull is no different to any other dog. their excitability, size, and capacity for 'bad bites' coupled with its high level of 'game' results in a dog will not only bite, but wont stop once its in its 'frenzy'.
i had a girlfriend with a pb named 'harley' that was pretty much the standard for the breed. he could be a sweet pooch sitting on the sofa with you one minute, and the next minute an innocent game of 'tap the nose' would have him getting more and more excited... and aggressive, until you were bailed up in the corner fearing for your life.
people will say 'oh its the owner', but the breed definitely plays a role.

See I've never once seen that with the PB dogs that I and my friends have owned. Not one bit of aggression. So I don't think your theory holds up that well. In fact the only dog that ever intentionally wanted to eat me was a chauwawa (sp?), the little bugger almost took my finger off and I'd of easily been able to kick that little rat looking thing 20 feet into the air.

 

[dieKetzer]

See I've never once seen that with the PB dogs that I and my friends have owned. Not one bit of aggression. So I don't think your theory holds up that well. In fact the only dog that ever intentionally wanted to eat me was a chauwawa (sp?), the little bugger almost took my finger off and I'd of easily been able to kick that little rat looking thing 20 feet into the air.

there is a reason the dog-fight people choose pit-bulls over chihuahuas
while a poodle has an obvious penchant for aggressive behaviour, they arent well equipped to kill dogs or people. they also dont have a lot of game, which is probably the most defining characteristic of the pb breed.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

there is a reason the dog-fight people choose pit-bulls over chihuahuas
while a poodle has an obvious penchant for aggressive behaviour, they arent well equipped to kill dogs or people. they also dont have a lot of game, which is probably the most defining characteristic of the pb breed.

And you don't think there isn't behavior modification to get PBs to fight? They torment those dogs and sometimes feed them gun powder to make them slightly crazy. I've seen it first hand, not in a since where I was assisting with the cruel modifications but on the law enforcement side of things. Anyone can make any breed mean. My folks used to breed Rots and everyone called them terror dogs for the longest time. I remember at one time when we had 4 adult Rots for breeding, they were my protectors - anytime that I got in big trouble by my folks, they wouldn't allow them to get near me to punish me lol so they might had bitten then but only to protect their best buddy Those pooches sure did love to play, I'd sleep good every night after a couple hours of playing outside with them lol

 

[dieKetzer]

And you don't think there isn't behavior modification to get PBs to fight? They torment those dogs and sometimes feed them gun powder to make them slightly crazy. I've seen it first hand, not in a since where I was assisting with the cruel modifications but on the law enforcement side of things. Anyone can make any breed mean. My folks used to breed Rots and everyone called them terror dogs for the longest time. I remember at one time when we had 4 adult Rots for breeding, they were my protectors - anytime that I got in big trouble by my folks, they wouldn't allow them to get near me to punish me lol so they might had bitten then but only to protect their best buddy Those pooches sure did love to play, I'd sleep good every night after a couple hours of playing outside with them lol

obviously those people resort to that sort of thing. but one has to wonder... if they are that hell bent on results why are they not choosing a more aggressive breed, or a breed with more game? probably because there isnt one.

 

[Lisa]

obviously those people resort to that sort of thing. but one has to wonder... if they are that hell bent on results why are they not choosing a more aggressive breed, or a breed with more game? probably because there isnt one.

All bull terriers are bred for their muscle and endurance - they're hunting dogs, after all. People use them because of that, it doesn't mean they're any less or more aggressive than any other dog - it does mean that when they do attack, they'll do far more damage than a yappy little jack russell can do. You're far less likely to be able to kick a Pit Bull across the room if it's aggressive than you are a jack russell.

Two of my aunts both had Yorkshire Terriers - nasty little bastards. Both would attack you the minute you walked into the house. One tried to take my hand off a few months ago. Since I have two big dogs who like to play, it got far more than it bargained for when it sank its teeth into my hand. I laughed it off, but had it been a pit bull or a rottie, the damage would have been far more severe and yet neither of my dogs would behave in that way. I can put my hand in my rottie's mouth and the most she'll do is slobber on me.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I can put my hand in my rottie's mouth and the most she'll do is slobber on me.

That is how my lab-pit was. He would always come gnaw on my hand, nothing vicious though - never biting down, more along the lines of getting the most ickiest slobber on my hand...honestly, I think he knew it was annoying and did it on purpose. He'd rake his paws in mud and then wipe them down my leg, I think just to get me dirty LOL but the only time I saw that dog turn aggressive was when a possum tried to lunge at me - he grabbed a hold of it by the neck, jumping in air to do so, snapping its neck, killing it instantly... He was protecting his buddy When I moved into town, a neighbor told me that he hated my dog because of the pit and that he wanted it dead... I reminded the neighbor that I am heavily armed and consider my dog my kid, kill my kid, hell will follow... that neighbor moved.

Here is Grunt:

He died a bit over a year ago. It was devastating for me. I still grieve as if I lost a child. I got his photo on my phone as a background image to always see him each day I miss that dog more than any other dog or human that has left my life. There is a void in my heart after he passed.

 

[PoetJC]

i had a girlfriend with a pb named 'harley' that was pretty much the standard for the breed. he could be a sweet pooch sitting on the sofa with you one minute, and the next minute an innocent game of 'tap the nose' would have him getting more and more excited... and aggressive, until you were bailed up in the corner fearing for your life.

Your ex is probably an example of those owners who don't necessarily know how to handle/treat the pitbull. If you, as owner of the pit, cannot serve as pack leader for your animals that show a penchant for getting easily excited - then you probably should not own the breed. If you the timid pack leader & pit owner are 'bailed up in the corner fearing for your life' because you cannot check your dog out of 'aggressive mode' - then you should not own the breed. You're giving the breed a terrible reputation.

At the end of the day though - You can breed any dog to be aggressive, which makes me say any dog's over-aggression towards people is not the fault of the dog. The fault lies with the dog owner.

See I've never once seen that with the PB dogs that I and my friends have owned. Not one bit of aggression. So I don't think your theory holds up that well. In fact the only dog that ever intentionally wanted to eat me was a chauwawa (sp?), the little bugger almost took my finger off and I'd of easily been able to kick that little rat looking thing 20 feet into the air.

It's chihuahua. And I have one of those too. A little white chihuahua we named Daisy. She's my own little Daisy Dukes.

And it's interesting - because she's the oldest. She doesn't really have a tendency towards aggression like a LOT of chihuahuas I've seen. Little ankle-biting rats LOL.. She's on the other end of the spectrum and is a bit timid....as far as people are concerned. I'm fond of saying she's schizophrenic LOL... But one things clear. In her interactions with the pits and other animals - she's generally in charge. She's like the alpha female who doesn't take any **** from anyone - including my 60 pound pits Dymyn and Blu.

If pits were as dominating a creator as they've gotten the bad rap for being - she'd have been eaten months ago.

there is a reason the dog-fight people choose pit-bulls over chihuahuas
while a poodle has an obvious penchant for aggressive behaviour, they arent well equipped to kill dogs or people. they also dont have a lot of game, which is probably the most defining characteristic of the pb breed.

Pitbulls were bred to be aggressive towards other animals - not people. History tells us that pits were originally bred in England and used by butchers as 'bull biters or bull baiters' that would hold & subdue bulls, bears and other large animals around their face, throat and head. These were working dogs, bred to perform a service for the people. That blossomed into 1500th century English dog fighting where we see people misusing pits as amusement, not only because of the pits' muscular build, but also because of their inane gaming ability and sticktuitiveness, all qualities you want in a dog bred for the fighting rink.

I think it's cowardice that we are blaming this courageous dog breed for what WE the people have done to it.
On the other end of the argument though - Pits are incredibly smart animals. If you can instill aggression - you can teach the opposite as well, which leads me back to my point: This is not a breed problem. This is a people problem.

J.

 

[PoetJC]

I was looking for specific history dates and came across a few articles that made for interesting reads:

• http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior/basics/How-Did-Pit-Bulls-Get-a-Bad-Rap -- Gotta appreciate the dog whisperer.
• http://www.bulldoginformation.com/fighting-dog-breeds.html -- This article is interesting and a little contrary to what I posted above. A great read though.
• https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls -- From the ASPCA. They say not to excerpt - but read the article in its entirety - I do want to excerpt a portion though:

The reality is that dogs of many breeds can be selectively bred or trained to develop aggressive traits. Therefore the responsible ownership of any dog requires a commitment to proper socialization, humane training and conscientious supervision. Despite our best efforts, there will always be dogs of various breeds that are simply too dangerous to live safely in society. We can effectively address the danger posed by these dogs by supporting the passage and vigorous enforcement of laws that focus, not on breed, but on people’s responsibility for their dogs’ behavior, including measures that hold owners of all breeds accountable for properly housing, supervising and controlling their dogs. Breed neutral “dangerous dog” laws, “leash laws” that prohibit dogs from running loose off their owners’ property, and “anti chaining” laws can control the behavior of individual dogs and individual owners and thereby help reduce the risk of harm to people and other animals.

Laws that ban particular breeds of dogs do not achieve these aims and instead create the illusion, but not the reality, of enhanced public safety. Notably, there are no statewide laws that discriminate based on dog breed, and 18 states have taken the proactive step of expressly banning laws that single out particular breeds for disparate legal treatment. Even the White House has weighed in against laws that target specific breeds. In a a statement issued in 2013, President Obama said “[w]e don’t support breed-specific legislation—research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources. And the simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they’re intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive.”

All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals. Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training and supervision they require, and judging them by their actions and not by their DNA or their physical appearance is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safe and happy lives together.

 

[punchbowl]

Apparently labradors are the most likely dog to bite you. The issue is their bite is nothing compared to a pitbull.

Pit bulls are lovely dogs but unfortunately a lot of people who shouldn't ever have pets choose them as status symbols.