Pit Bulls

[ChelC]

My neighbor just got a pit bull and I'm less than thrilled. Luckily it is still a puppy, and hopefully they come up with something to contain it soon. Right now we have a short chain link fence between our property. Their property is not completely fenced in. I'm contemplating paying for a dog run to give to them if they don't get one soon.

I have a five year old son and a two year old son, and chickens. I am extremely worried about an aggressive attack. Perhaps I'm a little paranoid or have a clouded perception of reality. As a teenager our next door neighbors had a rottweiler that was mean and nasty. It once chased me before luckily being distracted by a rodent. It bit several people before authorities forced the owners to euthanize it. They always insisted that it was a gentle and sweet dog.

That's why I'm not really trusting all the websites I've come across that say pit bulls are gentle... owners always believe that until their animals attack and statistics say that pit bulls have been responsible for human deaths more than any other breed. Second is the rottweiler.

From your experience, how worried should I be? We cannot afford to put up a higher fence around our property, but I don't want to have to sit in a chair with my handgun either every time my kids go out to play. Am I excessively paranoid?

 

[lizardz]

I think I would be more concerned about what type of people your neighbors are rather than the dog. Are they responsible people? Will they be loving and kind with this dog, do obedience training, make it a part of their family, make sure it is secure by building a fence or large dog run for it? Or will they leave it tied up outside, do no training with it, allow the kids to tease it? I've known many pit bulls in my lifetime, and for the most part, they have been the sweetest, most loving animals. The ones who were not were ones who had bad owners. Good luck - I hope your neighbors are the first kind.
Liz

 

[love-my-wolves]

Well, my opinion is this. A: I never trust any dog with my kids or chicks, even my own! You just never know if a kid steps on or hurts the dog, and it will retaliate (own experience). They are, after all, pets. (and believe me, I love mine dearly, and will explain my reasons below) B: Pit bulls are some of the most feared breeds, and I will be the first to tell you that working for a vet for over 5 years, I have seen the most docile 110 pound pit bull, that would let a 1 year old child climb all over it, stood still for its nail trim, and never even flinched for a blood test, oh, and never even batted a eye as a cat got loose!. I have had some that tried to take my head off while I walked innocently by. It comes down to breeding and raising. Since you have no control over both, I would be cautiosly wary. I would not worry at this stage, unless you see the puppy on your property harrassing your chicks. Then I would worry now. But watch, observe, and see how your neighbors raise it. Do they play with it. Do they let it interact with neighbors. Do they train it properly. If they just dump it on a leash and never let it interact with people, I would get a taller fence, and move the chicks out of sight if possible. That could be disaster. As it would be with any breed, not just pit bull. I, personally, would never own one, however, that is a personal preference, and not related at all to the breed. My neighbors have one of the most well behaved pitts I have come across. So does one of my close friends. I do not think it is the breed alone, as many people love theirs, and they can be fantastic pets and very family oriented. That said, I have seen a pure bred black lab attack a vet tech, and send her to the hospital! I have been or attempted to have been attacked by most every breed of dog imaginable. I have had my family collie attack my sister who was 5 because she leaned on her leg wrong. I have watched 2 pitt bulls attack a man who knocked on his friends door. My point is this. Every animal has it's limits. It is up to the human owner to keep the animal as friendly, trained, and sociable, regardless of breed.

So, after my long rant, here is the short version. I would worry if my neighbor brought home a new dog period. Breed, in reality, matters none. How they treat/raise it, will make the world of difference. JMHO Good luck! Steph

 

[dogzrule5]

Steph is correct - it isn't the breed that matters so much as how it's raised and it's personality.

I just re-homed a friend's purebred Pitt Bull (Staffordshire Terrier) and he is the sweetest dog in the world - not to mention absolutely stunning! Jade is now living with three other dogs and two horses and is a very well adjusted dog. He was evaluated by a professional dog trainer and she had nothing negative to say about him. He's a very loving and gentle dog.

I have four dogs of my own - all rescued mixed breeds. I know their personalities well enough to know what they would or might do. Three of them are bird killers so I take extra precautions with all my feathered friends. As much as I love dogs, they have instincts just like the rest of us animals and will do what comes naturally. They can be trained and learn to live with other critters but I would never leave a dog alone with a prey animal. You're just asking for heartbreak!
Phyllis

 

[Celeste]

The bully breeds are generally pretty easy going and LOVE people. If they run at you it is generally to give you lots of kisses. With younger kids you do have to kind of watch them because while being goofy they forget their size and can knock over a small child but alot of that issue goes away if your kids know how to be with dogs that size. My 3 yr old has never had trouble with any dog that I bring home. If your kids are ever to interact with the dog just make sure they know the proper way. My kids aren't allowed to interact with any new dogs without supervision.

"Pit Bulls" can be trained to be human aggressive and honestly after owning and training lots of "pit bulls" I think those that make their dogs mean really have to work for it.
I have two "pit bulls" who are my forever dogs but I also foster bully breeds that need a home. I have taken in some that have had a rough life but it doesn't take much work to turn them around into great canine companions.

While they may have high fatality attack rates they definitely do NOT have even close to the highest attack rate. Of course larger dogs cause more damage due to their size but that doesn't mean they are the most likely to attack. Don't assume that just because it is a pit bull that you have to be on watch constantly unless your neighbors are bad owners and give you reason to. Any breed can be "bad" due to bad owners. I really hope your owners are the good kind.

 

[ChelC]

I don't know exactly. They are nice people. They have stray cats that they feed, somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty and have said since we moved in that they would fix them one day, but every year a few batches of kittens. We don't mind the cats too much - we love cats, but they poop all over our yard and that's extremely annoying since our children always manage to dig in the dirt and have to come in for a bath when they dig up poop. We used to have two outdoor cats and I realize they poop wherever they darn well want to, but thirty cats pooping in your yard, digging in your trash... well, argh! So my point is, they are nice but I don't know how responsible they are with pets.

So far they take good care of it, and it stays in the house, but it's just tiny right now. The dog actually belongs to their 18 year old son. This kid is nice but really dumb. Always racing down the street in cars or the four wheeler. Gotten into accidents on the four wheeler and keeps acting like a fool on it. I think he chose a pit bull as a show off kind of thing, because they are tough dogs and that makes me extremely nervous. I hope they pen it up soon, or I will purchase them a dog run with a huge bow and a nice note about keeping my kids safe. I hope they will be cautious since this same neighbor hit my child on his bicycle when backing and broke his collar bone. Honest mistake, he wasn't going fast, just never saw him.

I don't know. Maybe I'm being the paranoid mommy. I have some opinions on pit bulls from experience with violent dogs. I know people love their pit bulls and I understand that and I realize that how an animal is raised contributes a lot to its demeanor, but I also believe certain breeds are genetically more aggressive than others, and others are dangerous simply because of the power and size that they have little control over. I don't want to start a fight about which breeds are more dangerous... I just don't want a dead or maimed kid. It doesn't matter if a dog kills because it's playing or mean... it's still a dead kid.

 

[Kanchii]

Pitt bulls are some of the nicest dogs, but it's how they are trained and socialized that determines their outcome. Did you know you're much more likely to be bitten by a golden retriever? If he ends up bad, it's the humans fault.

 

[love-my-wolves]

Quote:
If the puppy is the "kids", I have serious doubts that giving it a run will keep it from your yard. In my experience, kids that are that unreliable with vehicles should be closely watched with animals. If your neighbor is not responsible enough to take care of the cats, they will not make sure their kid keeps the puppy properly. If it is a "show-off" the kid will most likely get tired of it, and just not train it. But will be too proud to take a run, or advise, over the dog, and will probably let it run just to annoy you. I would just try to reinforce your property, as they sound like a lost cause.

Also, (and no debate here, just my experience again) the ONLY dog breed I am scared to death of, for myself or my children's safety, is chihuahuas! I have only met a handful that do not try to eat you! They may not kill, but they definetly maim! Give me the shakes!!! Yikes!! (however, I have nothing against them, if I was that small, I'd try to bite hands too!) I only say that so you realize, it is not unrealistic to take personal experience/word of mouth to judge certain breeds. No one should criticize your fears, no matter how unrealistic they seem to be. Would anyone say anything about a child being afraid of the dark? Although it is unrealistic to be afraid of the dark (and I used to be) everyone should be entitled to have their own views/opinions about everything, even dog breeds. I just want to express that if your neighbor came home with another breed, you would probably have the same issues, you're just more nervous overall as is a pit bull. It is a common fear now-a-days, and it is sad, as pit bulls were at one time a highly respected breed. I hope your neighbor is a good dog owner, and you have nothing to worry about.

Steph

Oh, and one more thing. Can you imagine what my neighbors thought when I told them my new puppy is over 75% wolf? Now they all love him to death, and even bring friends over to meet him!!! Talk about major predjudice in the beginning!!!

 

[ChelC]

We actually had a half wolf half malamute mix once when I was young until we found out my brother was allergic. It was a great dog. Most dogs don't bother me, just the muscle dogs pretty much. I had a friend who had aggressive dobermins and I hated them... I already mentioned the rottweiler, and also had a bad experience as a child and as an adult with german shepherds and some scares with pits. I've just pretty much had it with the dogs that are kept for show off dogs. It's not even a size thing, I've been around some great danes and other huge breeds that don't bother me at all.

 

[kstaven]

The stats may have pitts at the top now but a few years ago it was the rotti, before that the shepherd, before that the Standard bred poodle. Most common biter is listed as the Jack Russell. Dalmations topped the list for a while. What I am saying is that statistics change every few years depending on what is the "in" dog to have and breed.

I take in and work with aggressors from the shelters, so I have a different take on breed specific behavior than most and what breeds tend to be more unpredictable. Biggest problem dog coming through those sources are labs.

By the sounds of your neighbors they have a heart but lack the resolve to train, contain and take full responsibility for their animals. That is bad news no matter what breed they have.