Pit Bulls

[ChelC]

That's a very cute picture, and thank you for being responsible with your doggie. I had to laugh a little at the unfortunate red eye in the picture though, with pits reputations and all.

 

[Velociraptor]

I didn't fix the red eye just for that effect, the chick whose name is Charlie is the only that will climb on him, turns out he is probably 99% rooster 3 weeks later, Charlie also eats the crumbs off the dogs muzzle.

 

[talos321]

Yeah I agree with these it is the responsibility of the owner not the breed. But, also the temperament of the animal itself.

I had one of the meanest Cocker Spaniel's named Howard once and he was frightfully vicious towards anything but me. My mom at the time couldn't even feed him because he would try to corner her up and bite. Very nasty temperament. I loved him but I also had to keep a close eye on him.

At the same time I had another one named Ann that throughout the years became an adopted mother by kittens, ducks, baby chicks. We once had a baby goat kid that screamed all the time so we did the same ole and that was put Ann in the fence. They slept in a large doghouse together for years. It was the weirdest to see her strolling through the yard with baby chicks/ducks running under her and peering out from under her fur.

Both were raised from puppies the same way go figure.

I've seen too many people with Pit Bulls that try to use them as tough wear. By this I mean that they think of them as a tough/macho status symbol. This is where you usually have a problem because they don't think of the animal as a living creature only as an article of clothing. One must realize at one time they did have pet friendly history during the 1930's as many kids wanted a "Pete The Pup" from the Lil Rascals.

 

[Guitartists]

Yes, they have come a long way since the early 1900's when they were a beloved family dog and popular in TV and advertising. I can't STAND people who think they make them look tough

I am hoping that one day they will find themselves removed from that status/role and returned to that of family dog once again. There are many dedicated people working to restore their good name!

By the way, here is something.....

America's first war dog was a Pit Bull named Stubby who earned several medals and the rank of sergeant for his service in W.W.I. He received a hero's welcome and was even honored at the White House. He inspired the U.S. Military K-9 Corps. He also went on to become Georgetown University's mascot.

Did you know that Helen Keller even had a Pit Bull as her canine companion?

Pit Bulls are widely used as therapy dogs, even today. Because of their high pain threshold and stable temperament, they do not bite or snap when accidentally bumped by a wheelchair or walker.

See MORE here .... http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/articles/petaletter.html

And a great video that I think really sums it up..... http://pitbullsintruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/great-video.html

edited for typos

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

I got attacked by a pit bull when I was 7 and had close to 150 stitches and now I have a scarred face. For a few years I hated the breed but then my brother got one and it was the sweetest thing ever. You shouldnt judge the breed. We had white trash type neighbors that had a pitbull and some other mongrels that killed our ducks, for them it wasnt really the dogs fault, its the owners fault for not keeping them penned up and fed.

 

[yomama]

 

[Woytgirl]

Ok. Dogs were not originally bred to be pets. They were bred to be guard dogs, hunting dogs, to do tricks, or to fight other animals.
Thus, certain breeds were developed, with certain instincts. Their instincts were to do what was in their actual blood.
I have a hunting dog. Even since she was a puppy, she’s tried to hunt and kill other animals, because it’s her instinct. Some breeds, like pit bulls, German shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans are usually more aggressive than other dog breeds. The reason is that these dogs weren’t bred to be friendly, they were bred to guard and fight.

 

[mominoz]

Here is my experience with pit 'attacks'. (live in an area where pits are common for the poorer folks and training is 'neglected'). One neighbor who was a vet tech rescued dogs. (21 at one time). One day she knocked on my door; with her injured aussie and bite marks on her leg from a rescued pit. Her aussie got it's foot pad caught in the bottom of a chain link fence prong. She went to rescue her dog. The pit hearing the other dogs cries, went 'red zone' and attacked her giving her several bites. Her employer vet talked her into putting the pit down. (who had been 'sweet' up to that attack.) When parents came into the vet hospital with a pit puppy and their toddler, they told them this story as a warning. ...2nd story. This relates to a family member. Got a puppy said to be a lab mix. (by another vet!) (grew into a pit or pit mix; I looked at her and said 'that is no lab, I raised 2'...They raised it with their 2 little boys. Dog was great with THEIR family. But began to chase the horses 'in fun' and they thought when the horse kicked at her.."it will teach her a lesson". Dog 'saved them' from a rattlesnake ( well, barked at it). It would chase off stray dogs. All this time they never trained her, just yelled some.."come back""stop that"....a "mean little girl' poked sticks at the dog thru a fence ... dog barked at her... child told to quit by me. Another day 'mean little girl" climbed fence, hit dog with stick, dog bit her , laid down belly up., girl kicked dog, dog bit her again , laid down belly up. ...Police said child was trespassing and it was not dogs fault. Parents of child were in trouble for not supervising child (a 'my child wouldn't do that' kind); parents had been in trouble before for being neglectful. However the grandfather was witness and said 'she deserved it'. Now; was it the dogs fault? did anyone expect her to do this? No. Did her owners (my relatives) train and supervise her well...No... after 17 calls to rescues no one would take the dog. They couldn't keep her ; insurance liability in future and they were not good enough owners for her. And 'little mean girl' was going to do it again (she did ..try and come over). 3rd story) I know of some trail riders (horses0 who had a couple pit bulls come out of 'nowhere' and attack the horses! one rider was dumped and one horse took off and they had to hunt for her too. (seems the worst attacks are in 'packs') 4) a lady with her sheltie was at a county park and a pit was off lease and it came after her sheltie and almost killed her (the pit was being pet sit by the people and they didn't bother to call it off) ...so...breeding is part, (dogs breed to fight or hunt prey are more aggressive genetically ...terriers are supposed to be 4 X more aggressive than wolves...intentional breeding for traits over generations.) Training is important, particularly for certain personalities and breeds... And true a small child or infant should never be left alone with a dog large enough to 'eat them' or cause severe injury. They aren't people; and there are too many tragedies of killed or injured babies or children because the 'parents didn't think the dog would ever harm...'.. Be a crazy protective mom; and Always trust you gut with your kids!(I only regret the few times I didn't and ignored it)....

 

[Woytgirl]

Here is my experience with pit 'attacks'. (live in an area where pits are common for the poorer folks and training is 'neglected'). One neighbor who was a vet tech rescued dogs. (21 at one time). One day she knocked on my door; with her injured aussie and bite marks on her leg from a rescued pit. Her aussie got it's foot pad caught in the bottom of a chain link fence prong. She went to rescue her dog. The pit hearing the other dogs cries, went 'red zone' and attacked her giving her several bites. Her employer vet talked her into putting the pit down. (who had been 'sweet' up to that attack.) When parents came into the vet hospital with a pit puppy and their toddler, they told them this story as a warning. ...2nd story. This relates to a family member. Got a puppy said to be a lab mix. (by another vet!) (grew into a pit or pit mix; I looked at her and said 'that is no lab, I raised 2'...They raised it with their 2 little boys. Dog was great with THEIR family. But began to chase the horses 'in fun' and they thought when the horse kicked at her.."it will teach her a lesson". Dog 'saved them' from a rattlesnake ( well, barked at it). It would chase off stray dogs. All this time they never trained her, just yelled some.."come back""stop that"....a "mean little girl' poked sticks at the dog thru a fence ... dog barked at her... child told to quit by me. Another day 'mean little girl" climbed fence, hit dog with stick, dog bit her , laid down belly up., girl kicked dog, dog bit her again , laid down belly up. ...Police said child was trespassing and it was not dogs fault. Parents of child were in trouble for not supervising child (a 'my child wouldn't do that' kind); parents had been in trouble before for being neglectful. However the grandfather was witness and said 'she deserved it'. Now; was it the dogs fault? did anyone expect her to do this? No. Did her owners (my relatives) train and supervise her well...No... after 17 calls to rescues no one would take the dog. They couldn't keep her ; insurance liability in future and they were not good enough owners for her. And 'little mean girl' was going to do it again (she did ..try and come over). 3rd story) I know of some trail riders (horses0 who had a couple pit bulls come out of 'nowhere' and attack the horses! one rider was dumped and one horse took off and they had to hunt for her too. (seems the worst attacks are in 'packs') 4) a lady with her sheltie was at a county park and a pit was off lease and it came after her sheltie and almost killed her (the pit was being pet sit by the people and they didn't bother to call it off) ...so...breeding is part, (dogs breed to fight or hunt prey are more aggressive genetically ...terriers are supposed to be 4 X more aggressive than wolves...intentional breeding for traits over generations.) Training is important, particularly for certain personalities and breeds... And true a small child or infant should never be left alone with a dog large enough to 'eat them' or cause severe injury. They aren't people; and there are too many tragedies of killed or injured babies or children because the 'parents didn't think the dog would ever harm...'.. Be a crazy protective mom; and Always trust you gut with your kids!(I only regret the few times I didn't and ignored it)....

Yes, that’s why I always say that the more aggressive prone breeds of dog aren’t ideal for families. Of course, the girl shouldn’t have teased the dog, but the dog could have just moved away from her, most dogs can outrun kids. Was the kid hurt bad? Or it just nipped her?