The Gass family said last week that Pepper was adopted.
Problem #1: Unknown or indeterminate upbringing.
Members of the Gass family said they were not sure how Pepper became so aggressive toward the neighbor
Problem #2: The family obviously had no idea of their dog's mental state or behavior around strangers.
he neighbor, in his deposition with the sheriff’s office, stated the bullmastiff came onto his property the day before, about 4:15 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
Problem #3: The dog was off leash, off of its home property, which indicates the owners were negligent in the proper housing of the animal.
I grew up on my aunt's 10 acre ranch, and she had no fewer than 5 dobermans at any given time. You ALWAYS knew where those dogs were on the property, and they never went beyond the fence line without a human. I watched them chase down foxes right to the property line and stop. They were raised properly and never a threat to any of my aunt's livestock or to us.
It seems to me, based on this article, that the Gass family had no idea what they got themselves into with this breed, which is typical of many dog owners. Every breed has its traits, every breed needs discipline, and every breed needs supervision. This story would be no different if the dog in question was a chihuahua or a collie or a great dane. Cesar Milan likes to say that humans are the ones who need training, and I agree with that. Dogs make great pets, but the owners need to be in tune with their dog, because it's no different than owning a gun: without proper knowledge of the functional aspects of your dog, its behavior can become erratic.
“I have to tell you, I’d be intimidated by a huge dog bounding at me, barking. If he attacked, I’d shoot. And I love dogs!”
If he attacked me or my family or my dog, I’d shoot or stab him.
I think we’ve reached a point where anyone who owns a pit bull must be required to go through training with their dog...