Why I'll never own a Pit Bull

[-CodyC]

Originally posted by GtoRA2
The next time it happend they shot  both pits in his backyard, and the cops wanted to arrest him.

He did the right thing by shooting them.

Originally posted by GtoRA2
One pit lived.  The owner keeps it chained now.

Too bad it took this much to learn what was required of them to own the dogs.

I

Originally posted by GtoRA2
don't have a problem with the Dogs per say, but most pit owners are *******s.  Most should be put down with their worthless dogs.
 

Originally posted by Halo
Dogs like people come in a lot of varieties and much of their behavior depends how they were raised.  I had a terrific Parsons Jack Russell terrier for 15 years but fortunately never had him in any kind of fight, although there was never any doubt he would give his all for his family.

Our neighbor has a female pit bull which she has raised and trained very carefully to be friendly.  Have never had a problem with the pit bull (she's about seven years old now).  But ... you never want to get any formidable dog excited, particularly if it's with another dog

I have 3 dogs, all females, a pit, a heeler, and a miniature dachshund.  My pit Mia is the most gentle dog you'll ever meet.  She does stay constantly energetic and she does climb fences.  The difference between these dogs and mine is how she is raised.  She is raised with the proper amount of attention and affection.  Unfortunately we can't control what idiots buy dogs, especially dogs that have it in them to be vicious.  The owners should be held more accountable for the actions of their dogs due to disregard of their responsibility to their dogs.  But what's worse are idiots who blame the dogs and not the owners.  I blame people for being stupid because every person has the opportunity to try harder than everyone else to be something, unfortunately animals don't have that choice when they are dependent on a human.  I do agree with you on the fact that dogs have the natural instinct to attack or survive, there is no doubt in my mind that is true.  That's why it is our responsibility to raise them correctly.
I wish you could all meet our pit, she has nothing but love in her because we love her.  The worst thing about owning her and loving her is that if she does get out(we always keep her on a leash when she goes to the bathroom even with a fenced in backyard) we are always afraid that people will automatically assume the worst and might do something stupid, plus in oklahoma pits are put down no matter what if they are caught as strays.  That's why we keep a close watch on her and always keep her on a leash.  To own this dog, comes responsibility and she's worth it, they all are.

[-CodyC]

Originally posted by FiLtH
It wouldnt bother me to see that breed die out.

What's worse is that no matter how many people argue that their pits are the best pet anyone could own, there will always be a negative story out there in which some pit got out and attacked someone.  I think this is true with all big dogs, dogs that have the ability to overpower people, but unfortunately pittbulls are getting most of the attention.

I don't breed dogs, nor will i ever.  It's unfortunate that there is profit in breeding dogs, because this just creates more to end up in the pound to get euthanized.  Mia is due to get spayed in a couple months and if we were to ever lose her, i would be in the market for another pitt.  And it's not because i am attached to pittbulls in general(in reality i am attached to miniature schnauzers, had one all through my childhood) but i would do it because pitts deserve a good home too and there are those who will always say that pitts are naturally too ill-tempered to be domesticated and should be eradicated.  Adrienne(my girlfriend) and I will continue to prove everyone wrong by raising our pitt right.

[rpm]

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
I can name a 1/2 dozen breeds that have been screwed up by poor breeding. So, your "pee pee" fixation aside, how many of the other breeds to we make extinct? Before you start advocating the eradication of an entire breed of animals over the actions of a few, you might consider what direction that takes you in. Once things get headed in that direction, it might just get real hard to stop, or change directions.

Yeah, your right. Maybe we should pull a Jurassic Park and resurrect the Velociraptor. That breed was very misunderstood.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Excellent reply. A thread about modern domesticated dogs, and your example is a long extinct predatory dinosaur. Go figure.

[Elfie]

I've seen good and bad pit bulls. It really is the owner and not the dog.

Years ago I rented a room from this woman that owned a female pit bull. That dog was the biggest baby you've ever seen. Just raise your voice to it and it would roll over on its back whining and crying. My dog (a German Shorthaired Pointer, male) picked a fight with it one day over food....(both had their own dishes but always tried to each others food. ) That pit bull never even tried to fight back. The next day it had a black eye from my dog biting it over it's left eye.

Another time while moon lighting up in Alaska delivering pizzas, I walked around the corner of this apartment building to see a young male pit bull standing there urinating. Just as soon as it saw me it started to growl and bare his teeth. I backed away slowly and as soon as it finished urinating, it started running for me. I tossed the pizza to the dog and fortunately it decided it wanted the pizza more than it wanted me. Meanwhile it's owners were sitting on the porch laughing. Anchorage has a leash law, so I told the owners they could either pay for the pizza, or I could call the police. They chose to pay for the pizza.

[wrag]

I've owned several different breeds.

Any breed, if not properly trained, can be dangerous in some fashion.  (even one of those little ankle biter can cause you some harm).

Owned several Pitbulls.

Properly trained they're pretty much harmless unless someone does something that would set of pretty much any dog.

The breeding of pits has, for maybe the last 30 years, been toward size and attitude.  Sadly the aim has been for a BAD attitude.

Originaly breeders PUT DOWN any pit that even offered to bite a human.  Now they seem to encourage that behaviour.  Yet I've read stories of Pits that were trained in the dog pits to fight and kill other Pits, that were saved by someone and trained to be mellow and NOT fight with other dogs.  And now are family dogs for someone.

I must agree with the statement that too many people purchase or obtain a Pitbull for the "I got a big pee pee" type reasons.

Pits are very loving affectionate dogs!  Give em plenty of attention and TRAIN em while your doing it and they're very docile and mellow and happy.  Further if they start to act too protective you can often control em with just words and quickly get em under control physically and restrain em, or move them somewhere away from the situation.

Chain em outside all the time and only go out to feed em or water em and they will get MEAN!

Pretty sure this holds true for about any dog though!

IMHO Destroying any breed of dog for the behavoiur of only a few SEEMS very much like telling everyone that because a criminal or a mentally unstable person got a weapon and did something terrible ALL people must NEVER again have a weapon.  BAN THE BUTTER KNIFE!

[culero]

Originally posted by Vudak
Do you guys make sure they don't at least have a collar?  Doesn't seem very neighborly

Actually, yes. A dog that's wearing a collar gets a close look. If it has a vaccination tag on the collar, or seems obviously well-groomed/cared for, then its judged "not a stray" and gets a pass. Take into context I'm not talking a neighborhood, but an isolated house outside of town.

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by rpm
.

I also shoot any stray I find on my property regardless of the breed.

Why?
Just cause somones dog might have gotten loose doesnt mean it needs to die.

totally classless act IMO

[culero]

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
Why?
Just cause somones dog might have gotten loose doesnt mean it needs to die.

totally classless act IMO

Tell that to the people in my area who have died from rabies because they were bitten by infected stray dogs. Its a serious problem in south Texas. You may wish to have your family exposed, but I do not.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

Originally posted by culero
Tell that to the people in my area who have died from rabies because they were bitten by infected stray dogs. Its a serious problem in south Texas. You may wish to have your family exposed, but I do not.

Interesting. The local health agencies must not be reporting those human rabies deaths. Seriously, and I'm saying you aren't telling the truth, but rather that data on human rabies death actually isn't being turned in. According to the CDC, deaths from rabies are VERY rare. According to most available data, the only time rabies is fatal these days is when the victim who has been bitten refuses the shots, at least until actual rabies symptoms become evident.

In all recently (10-20 years) reported rabies deaths I've read about, maybe five or so, either the victim refused the shots, or they didn't even know they'd been in contact with an infected animal.

Very odd that there are rabies deaths, apparently numerous, in your area, that don't make at least the medical news, or the news as it goes through wildlife agencies and such. Most of the rabies we have around here is carried by skunks, or the odd bat that comes in contact with humans. And we do have a serious problem with skunks being rabid.

Having grown up in a rural area, I'm no fan of wandering dogs either, as they present several hazards, to humans and livestock.

[CHECKERS]

Pit Bull is a dangerous, worthless POS ......

[DREDIOCK]

Originally posted by Elfie
I've seen good and bad pit bulls. It really is the owner and not the dog.

Years ago I rented a room from this woman that owned a female pit bull. That dog was the biggest baby you've ever seen. Just raise your voice to it and it would roll over on its back whining and crying. My dog (a German Shorthaired Pointer, male) picked a fight with it one day over food....(both had their own dishes but always tried to each others food. ) That pit bull never even tried to fight back. The next day it had a black eye from my dog biting it over it's left eye.

Another time while moon lighting up in Alaska delivering pizzas, I walked around the corner of this apartment building to see a young male pit bull standing there urinating. Just as soon as it saw me it started to growl and bare his teeth. I backed away slowly and as soon as it finished urinating, it started running for me. I tossed the pizza to the dog and fortunately it decided it wanted the pizza more than it wanted me. Meanwhile it's owners were sitting on the porch laughing. Anchorage has a leash law, so I told the owners they could either pay for the pizza, or I could call the police. They chose to pay for the pizza.

Agree. I know and have been longtime friends a family that has pits.
Beleive it or not, The lady that used to babysit my son almost every day for the first few years of his life had a pit.
I knew the dog well and wouldnt even give it a second thought.
The dog loves kids and there was always some kind of wild action going on between family memebers screwing around, fighting etc.
But you could literally do anything to this dog and not get a reaction more then a licked face.
His most dangerous trait was his tail.
More then once I've been caught in the back of the legs by his wagging tail.
Sucker stings like a whip.

ON THE OTHER HAND.
Another member of the family,one of the son and brother of the rest and almost sorry to say a good friend of mine also has two pits. He raised them for protection (from what I have no idea as neither of us any longer live in an area where crime and violent crime in particular is much of a problem)

Any time I went to his house I went with folding knife open and in hand untill I was sure he had the dogs caged. Those dogs I didnt trust.
Funny thing it they didnt seem to like anyone but the pizza delivery man. whom they absolutely loved.

Pits arent the only worrysome dogs. Boxers can be quite bad as well as well as German Shepards.
I had a dog that was attacked by a boxer and I have a regular customer who has made it quite clear that if he ever gets near enough to me. he is going to eat me.

[lazs2]

The pit bull that just attacked a little girl here recently was "the gentlest dog you would ever want to see"

according to the owners who were probly good owners at that... the dog was never beaten and had the run of the house and played with their children.

A little girl came onto their property to look at it while it was playing with the owners daughter in the front yard and it attacked her.

There is something wrong with that breed.  It is not only that but it is the fact that they have the potential (strength) to cause great damage.   Same for rotts (strength wise).

Face it.. if some new breed was meaner and more aggressive and was in some tough guy movies...  most pit and rott owners would switch to the new one... it is image.

I don't say you can't have em but you should be charged for attempted murder if they attack someone.

I have shot about a dozen dogs over the years with everything from a 22 rifle to a 44 mag handgun.   In the country if you see 3 dogs running together with no collars... you know they are up to no good.  even if one has a collar.. they are pack animals and they will all be up to no good..  They want to kill something and that is all there is to it.

Big, aggressive dogs are just another reason to be armed.   A 4" folder is last ditch..  a good concealed carry is better.

lazs

[culero]

Originally posted by Captain Virgil Hilts
Interesting. The local health agencies must not be reporting those human rabies deaths.
snip

Here's one of the cases I recall, 40 miles or so from my house:

Patient 1. During August 7-9, a woman from Starr County, Texas, had increasing nervousness, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. On August 9, she was admitted to a local hospital with a diagnosis of panic disorder. During the first 3 hospital days, her temperature fluctuated from 97 F (36 C) to 106 F (41 C). On August 12, rabies was first considered in the differential diagnosis because of aerophobia, hydrophobia, agitation, and incoherence alternating with periods of coherence; a skin biopsy and saliva, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were obtained from the patient. An ascending paresis developed, and on August 16 she was transferred to another hospital for a computerized axial tomographic scan of the head; only an old infarct in the left cerebellum was found. After the scan, she had a respiratory arrest that progressed to cardiac arrest; she was resuscitated but did not regain consciousness and died on August 20.

snip

The woman had no known exposure to rabies. She was a native of Texas and had resided all her life in Starr County, where rabies is endemic in dogs and coyotes. She occasionally visited relatives in northern Mexico but had last been there more than 1 year before onset of illness. She had a history of a dog bite at 9 years of age but had no other known animal bites.

Take into context that this is brush country, along the Mexican border, and that all the most common rabies carriers live here (bats, skunks, coyotes, coons, etc). Add to that the fact that not only are stray dogs extremely common, but often pack up and go feral.

Take into account that when I complained about the problem of stray/wild dogs in my area, the county health department asked if I had a gun, and when I said yes recommended that I use it whenever I saw a stray in my area. This isn't Rambo-ism, its just life in south Texas.

[indy007]

Originally posted by Cougar68
 My dogs are herders.  They may go their entire life without having a chance to round something up.  But I won't be suprised one bit if they try to bunch together a flock of geese or something.  Instinct is instinct.  They give no warning, it just happens.  I've seen too many "perfectly friendly and innocent" pit bulls try to tear someone's head off to believe otherwise.

I've got a Pembrooke Welsh Corgi, the smallest herding breed. Goes nuts when company comes over, settles down after a few minutes... but if anybody (except me) tries to leave the group, he'll nip ankles & calves. It's particularly bad around little, hyper kids.

He also herds my parents pugs, which is damn funny to me.