Boy, 4, mauled to death by dog in his NYC home

[branch37]

A friend of mine has a dog that has the head and face of a pittbull, but it stands about 3 feet tall.  Its taller than a small child, and almost as long as I am tall.  Although it is probably the biggest dog i have ever seen, it is a giant teddy bear.  It does nothing but lay around all day.  It's probably the nicest dog ive ever been around, but then again ive seen chihuahuas that are more violent than some ex convicts,  as stated before it all depends on the owner and how the dog is treated.  

[grizz441]

It is a very small number.  Until one of the 50 is your kid.  Then it is a huge number.

From a statistical side of things, 50 is incredibly low if that is indeed the number.  The "until it is your kid" argument is just catering to emotions and has no value in deciding if something is safe.  If the number was 1 death every ten years you could make the same comment. 

And again, that number may have no correlation at all to the breed, which goes back to the "tough guy owner" argument.

I mean, how many people in the world die from a lion attack in a year?  Probably less than 50.  Wait a minute, that means that lions are safer to own than a dog.  Why can;t I have one?

Epic strawman.  If the number of dog owners in the united states all had lions instead, you think the number of deaths would only be 50?  The two are not comparable.  One is a wild feline, the other is a domesticated canine.

[dedalos]

That all sounds fine to me Dedalos. I imagine you'd make a fine neighbor. I've lived near "awful horribly dangerous pitbulls" all my life, so I'm not too worried. If you want an RPG, just make one. Its not that hard. Another reason why restrictive legislation will never work. Many of my neighbors have weapons I consider more effective and useful than RPGs anyway. Maybe that is why we're not afraid of the neighbor's dog.

More effective than an RPG?  Where are you at?  Down town Baghdad?

The REAL risk to your kid is traffic on the way to school in the morning. The REAL risk to most people's health is what they eat.

I do believe there are rules on how you should behave on the road and you do have to be licensed to drive.  How about in your neighborhood?  I also think there is this thing called the FDA having some rules on food? 

Actually, I would make a great neighbor.  I don't bother anyone and can take a lot of abuse before I even say anything.  If you go back a few posts you will see that my original question was "why would you have an animal that can take you down at home".  If your dog was well behaved he/she would be over playing with mine everyday.  If my kid came home crying because your dog bit her you would have to move your trailer to a different park 

[BnZs]

More effective than an RPG?  Where are you at?  Down town Baghdad?

Rifles accurate to 500 yards. And like I told you, RPGs and many other nasty things aren't that hard to improvise anyway.

I do believe there are rules on how you should behave on the road and you do have to be licensed to drive.

And STILL letting your neighbors have cars is orders of magnitude more dangerous than letting them have pitbulls. And there is no need for it. Through bicycles, public transportation, and issuance of hardship licenses for those who REALLY need cars, we could cut these deaths dramatically.

Don't even get me started on the consequences of unregulated REPRODUCTION...

The difference is that people who want to go from point A to point B whenever they want in their own personal contraption or have children exist in numbers much greater than those who own pitbulls. Its cowardice, really.

 I also think there is this thing called the FDA having some rules on food?  

Yet still they fail to prevent us from eating ourselves into diabetes and massive heart attacks...so obviously the rules need to be tightened up. Of course, then you'll have people running hot cheesecake in from Canada...

Actually, I would make a great neighbor.  I don't bother anyone and can take a lot of abuse before I even say anything.  If you go back a few posts you will see that my original question was "why would you have an animal that can take you down at home".  If your dog was well behaved he/she would be over playing with mine everyday.  If my kid came home crying because your dog bit her you would have to move your trailer to a different park  

Well, any dog large enough to not resemble a large rodent to me CAN take you down. Maybe owning cattle, I have a different perspective...I'd guess the damage an 1800 pound animal can do is orders of magnitude greater than that of any dog. (I once had to shoot 4 dogs that had begun running together and killing calves btw. Funny...none of them were Pit mixes. It also illustrates why I think dogs are not a huge threat to life, liberty, and property.) I also realize that when I'm in the pen with those cattle, only my own sense, experience, and agility can keep me from injury, not written rules from on high. ("Hello, 911, I'm being gored by an angry hiefer"...somehow I think the response time would be too long to do me any good.)

What if my dog comes home missing an eye because your kid threw a rock at it? I've known kids, I've known dogs, I KNOW which is more vicious.   Seriously, this isn't about whether or not I have responsibility to you if my dog does something to you and yours. Clearly I do...whether that dog be black lab or pittbull.  

Oh, and I've never lived in one of those tin cans at any point in my entire life. 

[dedalos]

Rifles accurate to 500 yards. And like I told you, RPGs and many other nasty things aren't that hard to improvise anyway.

And STILL letting your neighbors have cars is orders of magnitude more dangerous than letting them have pitbulls. And there is no need for it. Through bicycles, public transportation, and issuance of hardship licenses for those who REALLY need cars, we could cut these deaths dramatically.

Don't even get me started on the consequences of unregulated REPRODUCTION...

The difference is that people who want to go from point A to point B whenever they want in their own personal contraption or have children exist in numbers much greater than those who own pitbulls. Its cowardice, really.
Yet still they fail to prevent us from eating ourselves into diabetes and massive heart attacks...so obviously the rules need to be tightened up. Of course, then you'll have people running hot cheesecake in from Canada...

Well, any dog large enough to not resemble a large rodent to me CAN take you down. Maybe owning cattle, I have a different perspective...I'd guess the damage an 1800 pound animal can do is orders of magnitude greater than that of any dog. (I once had to shoot 4 dogs that had begun running together and killing calves btw. Funny...none of them were Pit mixes. It also illustrates why I think dogs are not a huge threat to life, liberty, and property.) I also realize that when I'm in the pen with those cattle, only my own sense, experience, and agility can keep me from injury, not written rules from on high. ("Hello, 911, I'm being gored by an angry hiefer"...somehow I think the response time would be too long to do me any good.)

What if my dog comes home missing an eye because your kid threw a rock at it? I've known kids, I've known dogs, I KNOW which is more vicious.   Seriously, this isn't about whether or not I have responsibility to you if my dog does something to you and yours. Clearly I do...whether that dog be black lab or pittbull.  

Oh, and I've never lived in one of those tin cans at any point in my entire life. 

  I can't reply to all of this.  I have been beaten 

 

[YGSM]

ok for all you who think "pittbulls" are Human aggressive and should be put down, just because of their breed, who have listened to the Media bull crap...if you really want to get some education, so you don't look like a fool next time you say "pitts" are "mean" "aggressive to humans" and should all be killed.....

well I give you some reading material to enlighten you on the greatest dog ever made by man

http://molosserdogs.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.1151


wow this dog looks exactly like the female I owned, except she was more ripped and chocolate brown.

(Image removed from quote.)

Would look better with a hole between the eyes....IMHO

[YGSM]

ok I obviously came off wrong and I apologize for that.

now just because they are registered as APBT does not mean that's what they are, the dogs the Drug pushers and what not, have and use are NOT American Pit Bull terriers.

I am not saying you did not see two dogs break their chains..I am saying you did not see two American Pit Bull Terriers break there chains....they are not PittBulls.

A true Pitt Bull would not attack a human, for no good cause, even then they don't want to. They were NEVER intended for Guard duty, against humans, it goes against every thing they are.

this is my whole point the Dogs they call "Pitts" "pitbulls" are not true American Pit Bull terriers.

I would bet my Life on the fact that 100% of attacks that are attributed to PitBulls are in fact not Pit Bulls at all, but a breed of dog that came from PittBulls being crossed with other dogs so many times that they are very far from the original breed.

I truly hate what has been done to this dog breed.

I will conceed one point.  It is about the owner and how they treat them.  I dont trust a Pit Bull at all.  My hand goes to my gun as soon as I see one even on a leash.  Yes I carry concealed.

[ink]

I will conceed one point.  It is about the owner and how they treat them.  I dont trust a Pit Bull at all.  My hand goes to my gun as soon as I see one even on a leash.  Yes I carry concealed.

did you read the site I posted?

"your hand goes to your gun even when on a leash"....WoW

that speaks Volumes as to what kind of person you are, thanx for the info

a heart that pumps koolaid.

[BnZs]

Hmmm...honestly Ink, while I think YG's fear might be a tad excessive, I am much more comfortable with him being prepared to defend himself, if necessary,  than I would be if his "solution" were another bit of intrusive nanny-statism.

YG, you realize that there are people who are hysterically afraid of you having a firearm in your possession? Often enough they are the same people who would ban some dogs. Something to think about. This "there oughtta be a law!" knee-jerkism is a very bad trend, IMO.

[morfiend]

 You know BnZ I agree with your point completely,my idea to liscense owners was an alternitive to a breed ban!

  I'm all in favour for a dangerous dog law that doesnt look at the breed but the dog. One of my Staffies could be a therapy dog,she'd love all the attention and would brighten an otherwise bland day for some unfortunate soul thats couped up in a hospital but I'd have to muzzel her and that would just make people afraid!

  I spent many hours training her to do this and was about to take the test to get certified when some politions decieded to make a name for himself and ban pitbulls.  Strangly enough they didnt ban "bullterriers",I think because the well known Canadian Don Cherry owned 1 and they'd never have heard the end of that 1. Their reason was you can tell a bullterrier from a pitbull but because you cant tell a Staffordshire Bull Terrier from a pitbull they were included.

  In parlament the opposition even argued that the Staffie Bulls are known as nannydogs as they were often used to look after kids!


       

[ink]

Hmmm...honestly Ink, while I think YG's fear might be a tad excessive, I am much more comfortable with him being prepared to defend himself, if necessary,  than I would be if his "solution" were another bit of intrusive nanny-statism.

YG, you realize that there are people who are hysterically afraid of you having a firearm in your possession? Often enough they are the same people who would ban some dogs. Something to think about. This "there oughtta be a law!" knee-jerkism is a very bad trend, IMO.

tad excessive is putting it mildly, it's straight up gutless, I don't carry a gun, never have never will, not that I don't like guns, but I am more of a sword kinda guy
   I don't understand fear like that at all, its very unhealthy.

I have always been one to face my fears head on....I have stood before certain death and never wavered in my resolve, so to hear him say that just makes me

I just don't understand it, especially from a man....a woman ya, that I could understand.

I don't know.... I am flabbergasted by what he said.
 

[Bronk]

tad excessive is putting it mildly, it's straight up gutless, I don't carry a gun, never have never will, not that I don't like guns, but I am more of a sword kinda guy
 
 

God made big men...god made little men... Smith and Wesson made all men equal.

I carry and again if a loose pit came at me it would be a dead pit.

I also understand the breed has been bastardized. The things bred today are not pits. They are too big, too aggressive but that is how the "wannabe thugs" want them.

  IMO I'm guessing the "wannabe thugs" need a slug more than the dogs they breed.

[ink]

God made big men...god made little men... Smith and Wesson made all men equal.

I carry and again if a loose pit came at me it would be a dead pit.

I also understand the breed has been bastardized. The things bred today are not pits. They are too big, too aggressive but that is how the "wannabe thugs" want them.

  IMO I'm guessing the "wannabe thugs" need a slug more than the dogs they breed.

I agree..... especially with the last sentence.

heck I have no problem with someone protecting himself, if any dog attacks a human THAT dog should be put down.(and the owner held responsible)
the whole breed specific laws are bullcrap.
that's like racial profiling, absolutely retarded.

[BnZs]

that's like racial profiling, absolutely retarded.

Or, like racial profiling, backed up by a certain amount of statistical evidence, but still ethically unconscionable to people who value freedom and individuality.

If drop a principle at the first hint of a pragmatic reason to do so, you never had a principle to begin with.

[ink]

Or, like racial profiling, backed up by a certain amount of statistical evidence, but still ethically unconscionable to people who value freedom and individuality.

 

stop it now.....I can argue all day long about being forced to live a certain way..which leads to the "statistical evidence"......but that would be a huge NO NO here in a political free forum.