Posted on 09/02/2014 8:23:22 AM PDT by KirbDog
There was a time when I wasn't wary of a pitbull, not anymore. For me it is not that they just have the ability to bite, but once they start the propensity isn't to stop until whatever/whoever it is ...is dead.
Understand that when one reads up on bite stats, it is the humble dachshund that is the most likely to bite you...but he is not likely to kill you. http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2013.php
We aren't disagreeing on the statistics, nor on the breed's history, nor new found street appeal and we are 100% in agreement about over-breeding, especially by uninformed and/or malicious backyard breeders, puppy mills, etc.
The absolutely worst thing that can happen to a breed, any breed, any species, but especially so for dogs, is pop culture popularity.
The movie !01 Dalmatians screwed up dalmatians, the Lady and the Tramp for cocker spaniels, Lassie for collies, Cujo, etc., etc.
Even the Nija Turtle movies have a detrimental effect with kids wanting a turtle for up to 1-3 months after getting at turtle, then needing to get rid of it.
Of all the breeds, pits got the worst of this curse and I admit to having formed an opinion similar to yours, at least until I saw the show that Cesar Millan did.
Now I see the issue somewhat differently and there's something familiar about what I think I see. I couldn't see it from where I had been standing. I think it means something. I'm not explaining it very well and I regret that.
Anywho...forget I said anything. There's something I see/sense, got a glimpse of, whatever. Probably just me and I'm not trying to change your opinion and I can't change your facts. My intent is to be a good observer/data taker/wannbe scientist while regarding what is before me.
Besides, from what I've read, insurance company actuaries know how to figure the odds when they take a bet and I tend to go with the pros if/when available.
I disagree with the optics you are using.
Guns are guns and they don’t go off randomly, somebody has to pull the trigger.
If the dog equates to a gun in your optics, then the owner pulls the trigger...not some random encounter at a pet adoption event that has the pitty pulling out of his collar to go after a westie.
A gun will just lay there...
Sadly, due to breeding a pitty won’t. Romanticizing the breed of yesteryear doesn’t help. And it sounds like that is what you took away from C. Millan. You may be correct in that what you are trying to say isn’t coming across very well.
Peel a few more layers away to get below your "see" level and let me know if you see the similarity I was referring to. If you do, please let me know if you've seen it before. Something here I can't shake off, like it's part of what the nation can't shake it off.
I'm not romancing the breed, nor dismissing your fear. When I'm out walking the dogs, running into one or more that are running loose, especially at night, is one my few concerns. It's the edge of town and you never know what you'll run into. I do my best to be prepared, which is another reason I'm grateful my new neighbor didn't kill my dog.
Had it been different, like with my dog being attacked by one of the many neighborhood pits, I might not have had his restraint. Gave me a lot to think about, as well as be grateful for.
I regret my poor writing and the confusion I caused. I wish I could remember the name of that program. Maybe it's a "can't see the map without the glasses" kind of thing or maybe it's just me with another postcard from the twilight zone.
Fwiw, I agreed with you when I saw this issue from where you're standing. There, we are saying more or less the same things.
Cheers!
I just can't say it enough times: no matter how great your dogs are, you need to be able to control them at ALL times! Because the best dogs can suddenly go off on a tangent for reasons known only to them, and they need to be protected from committing bad behavior, or being run over by a car, or whatever.
I'm referring to pet dogs, not highly trained police/military/therapy dogs, of course.
Didn't read the article! But what conscientious dog owner uses only a collar, easily slipped, to protect their pet?? I see this all the time at the vet...it's like, "please control your dog", SHEESH!! I also see small people with large dogs that they could never control if they had to.
We've always had rescue dogs, medium size (40 - 70 lbs) and they are on leash wearing harnesses when we're out and about. Going to the vet, they have the canvas-type leashes, NOT the retractable-cable ones, which are great for walks but not for keeping them as close as they might need to be when other dogs/animals/kids/people/cars are present.
It's truly a shame that some breeds are so over-bred, and so bred for less desirable qualities. It's also a shame that so many nice people have no clue about which breeds or mixes might be a suitable match for their training abilities and "life style".
Aside from that, there is NO dog who is ever completely predictable, no matter how well trained, loyal and obedient. Sometimes the best dog will have a bad idea, and we always need to be able to prevent them from going ahead with it, LOL!
/ soap box, thanks for reading!
I absolutely OPPOSE breed-banning. I would hate to see any breed banned, even presa canarios and pit bulls, deadly as those breeds have PROVEN themselves to be in the wrong owners' hands, over and over and over and over again.
GBA, I know that you're aware -- as am I, thank you -- that the American pit bull of 50 years ago is a different breed than the one we know today. But are you AWARE that people who say "it's the owner, not the breed!" are playing mind games? I can PROVE IT.
The same owner -- an insecure macho-seeking boy, a silly woman looking for a child-substitute, a drug dealer, a well-meaning animal lover -- the VERY SAME OWNER could have a different breed of dog, say a Chihuahua or a Labrador -- with TOTALLY DIFFERENT OUTCOMES if they lost control of that animal. Any of those people with almost any other breed of dog, be it a basset hound or a spaniel, is a pain in the butt and at worst, painful bites inflicted on an innocent person may be a consequence; the same owner with a bad-breed pit bull or presa canario is a lethal danger and consequences of those breeds out-of-control TYPICALLY include major maiming and injuries or even death.
It's not the owner, it's the breed.
I oppose breed banning -- I think it's a person's right to own a pit bull. I think it's any one else's right to kill that dog (humanely as possible) at the first inkling of its being out of control.
Most of the time, we can see past the want to the reality of it, but sometimes we act on a want and get what we shouldn't have.
Often, the results are tragic.
Life is full of gambles and we do our best to figure and play the odds, sit pat or walk away to a different game.
Figuring the odds accurately requires good information, which usually comes from experience, preferably someone else's.
Thank you, God, for those who help us figure the odds and for those who help clean up our messes along the way.
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