Ohio police say man attacked, killed by own dog

CINCINNATI (AP) - Police say a large dog attacked and killed its owner inside his apartment.

Cincinnati police say they aren't sure yet what breed the dog was, other than it was a big dog.

I have a friend who’s three year old daughters’ scalp was torn off by her best friends chow . They were just sitting in the living room when the dog went nuts.

Chow is the one dog I would never have anything to do with. I have some experience doing breed rescue and the tales I heard about chows were not good. They are unpredictable.

One of the first families that my oldest daughter babysat for had an old chow they had from before they had kids. He was ok with the kids and ok with my daughter sometimes, but then other times he would place himself between her and the little ones and be very scary. They finally had to leave him in the yard when my daughter babysat. She was very good with dogs and had had a lot of experience training Aussies for agility, so it was not because she was unfamiliar with dogs.

Honestly, I would not have a pit bull either, but that is because of their reputation (liability) and because of the potential that they have been poorly bred or trained. If I remember correctly, some of the dogs lumped into the pit bull category used to be called "nanny dogs" because they were supposed to take care of children. It is unfortunate that the breed has been so perverted from its original function.

I realize some people just like having a scary or "bully" breed of dog, but I just don't understand setting yourself up for the the liability....

I think you are safe unless they have been bringing you the dead and dying animals they catch as a “warning” that you will be next, one day.

Oh, they already do that?

I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time. ;-)

“It is unfortunate that the breed has been so perverted from its original function.”

Oh my, what a statement!

The original purpose of PBTs is what their name implies. They were thrown into pits with bulls - nasty bastards those are - to either control them or fight for a wager.

So, what PBTs and the like are now is pretty close to what they were meant for.

“The only time my dog has ever tried to bite me was when I startled him by trying to move him when he was sleeping. He apologized profusely.”

I had a similar experience with one of my Aussies. Late one night, I stumbled in a pitch-black bedroom towards the bathroom and accidentally kicked the sleeping dog. I instantly felt a ring of teeth wrapped around my ankle. Not enough to break skin. As soon as he realized it was me, there were apologies galore by both of us.

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