Pit Bull Owners Defend Breed After Dog Fighting Bust

WNCT ^

[Chet 99]

Updated: April 14, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - Tuesday’s dog fighting bust is just the latest incident surrounding the controversial breed.

These pit bulls were trained to fight and now face an uncertain future.

People who own the breed say that’s not their nature.

One group is determined to prove that image isn’t everything. A whiff and a sniff—just like any other dog.

Only these are the much maligned pit bull.

Their owners say they are just like any other dog.

“They’re full of life, full of fun,” said Lee Nolan, founder of The Guardians Pit Bull Owners Club. “They’re hilarious to watch.“ Lee Nolan started The Guardians Pit Bull Owners Club two years ago, in part to change the way people think about the breed.

The problem is dog fighting busts like the one in Duplin County and a few months ago in Greene County involved pit bulls—dogs that were trained to attack.

“It hurts a lot because these dogs are wonderful animals and I hate to see anything happen to them,“ said Samantha Tye, a pit bull owner and trainer. It’s not clear what will happen to the pit bulls recovered in the Duplin County dog fighting bust. These fans of the breed say they deserve a second chance. “They’re naturally born to be a protector,” Nolan said. “So, you’re brainwashing the dog to be a fighter, to fight for its life all the time. So, it’s always on that fight or flight, do or die, kill or be killed mode.“ Dog trainers like Samantha Tye say pit bulls trained to fight can change their behavior.

However, it takes time.

Up to a year and a half and there are no guarantees.

“I’ve had dogs that have been fighting dogs that are terrified of everything, just sit in a corner and cower because they’re just, they were destroyed,“ Tye said.

In the world of pit bulls, there are lovers and there are fighters.

While technically the same species, they can be a breed apart.

[LongElegantLegs]

What I see is the pit bulls pulling their owners down the street and I have to wonder which is more stupid. The dog because it isn't smart enough to do what it needs to do or the owner who actually believes it is them who is in control.

So...the absence of good training and responsible ownership is now a breed flaw?

[LongElegantLegs]

Really? Because it's happened before...

At the end of the Pacific War, the Marine Corps had 510 war dogs. Of this number, 491 were deprogrammed, a process that could take a year, and returned to their owners, given to their handlers, or returned to the Army, which had provided 41 to the Corps. Only four dogs could not be returned to their masters because, even after extensive retraining, they proved "incorrigible" and were considered to be unsafe for civilian life.

War Dogs on Guam

[LongElegantLegs]

Besides the whole ‘same species’ thing...

[muleskinner]

Only the military has the time to retrain a war dog. Do you have a year? Retraining Pit Bulls is a fools errand.

[LongElegantLegs]

Right, because the Marines have nothing better to do. Lots of private rescue organizations and the individuals who fund them are willing to devote their time and resources to rehabilitating these dogs, because they know it can be done, and has been done.

Why deny them that?

[kanawa]

a fools errand

[LongElegantLegs]

Pinch collars, like pit bulls, LOOK scary; therefore everyone who owns one must be a drug-dealing toothless redneck hillbilly trailer-trash no-account backwoods inner city ghetto thug.

Yup.

[LongElegantLegs]

Sweet picture.

[Salamander]

Funniest stream of obvious incongruities posted, *ever*.

[Salamander]

Funny how the “attack dog trainer expert” never came back with stats refuting canine cervical damage caused by “nice, pretty” collars, isn’t it?

[LongElegantLegs]

But I think I’ve been called every one, at various times, on these threads...

[LongElegantLegs]

Maybe he’s busy controlling stock dogs from half a mile away.

[oldenuff2no]

Nope right here. Because of what we do there are times we are out in public with our pups or training around large groups of people. That is exactly what we were doing today.
On the cervical damage I call BS, show me the data. Right now it is my position that I can not refute something that does not exist.
As for your comments about working stock dogs at extended distances. In Scotland, Ireland, and Australia, it is done each and every day. If you want to play with the big boys and get top dollar for your dogs then they have to be able to preform in this league. http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/border-collie-nia-2-working-sheep/63953459a0f3707a51c063953459a0f3707a51c0-1675554521891 Take a look at the first dog. Listen to the whistles. Every move is under the handlers control. This dog will work like this as far away as she can hear the whistle. The problem with many dog owners is they have no idea what a smart dog can do. I've seen many stock dog trials where the first dog would not even be in the top 10. There is a succession of videos and even one where they show someone starting a Kelpie. Take a few minutes to see what these dogs can do. It is done every day.

[Salamander]

Hell, I got called a liberal NYC Yankee city-slicker this past week.

[naa if’n ‘at doan jes beat awl].....;D

[Salamander]

Maybe if they were trained better, he could get a might closer to ‘em....:)

[Salamander]

Duh.

We *know* about herding dog trials.

Personally, I watch them on the animal/nature channels every chance I get.
*Wonderful* displays of animal/human partnership.

My grandparents just used “all purpose” Collies on their live stock.

Just a *few minutes* spent on Google turned up these sites on collars and cervical damage:

http://www.neilsnet.com/archives/collars/collars.shtml

http://www.doganswers.com/collars.htm

http://www.dogbreedz.com/dog_articles/dogarticle/dog_neck_spine.htm

I could post tons more but these should get my point across.

Frankly, being such a “training expert”, I’m surprised that you were not already aware of the severe damage being done to your dogs, depending on the type of collar you may be using.

So....what types *are* you using?

[I use the “horrible medieval torture device” which ~won’t~ harm my dog, myself]

[Fresh Wind]

Remember me?

[JoeProBono]

"What I see is the pit bulls pulling their owners down the street and I have to wonder which is more stupid. The dog because it isn't smart enough to do what it needs to do or the owner who actually believes it is them who is in control."

[LongElegantLegs]

I mentioned it because the specificity of your boasting amused me; I'm aware of what can be achieved with herding dogs. I'm still wondering if you consider bad training to be a uniquely pitbull fault, because of this quote:

I have to wonder which is more stupid. The dog because it isn't smart enough to do what it needs to do

[Salamander]

You just don’t give a senior citizen a Bouvier.

You just don’t.