Posted on 02/24/2005 3:47:13 AM PST by kanawa
Why did I know, as soon as I saw the headline, that a pit bull was envolved!
Pulleeze.... I was responding to a poster focusing solely on a particular breed.
>While I was swinging really high, he leaped up, bit me on the right side of my torso, and pulled me off the swing. I was fine from the fall, but in shock that my dog had just bit and dragged me to the ground. No idea why he did it.<
He did it because of prey drive, the same impulse that sends a border collie rocketing up into the air after a frisbee.
Actually, your movement in the swing was similar to that of a frisbee, come to think of it.
There used to be a collie mix in the neigborhood, who, when kids were in the pool, would jump in, swim over and grab them with his teeth. He saved nobody's life, and he could sure pinch! Lassie, he was not!
Actually, they mention four dog attacks in this article. They only specify the dog breed in two of them.
Pit bulls are like SUVs to our wonderful mainstream media. If it's a pit bull (or rottie), they'll name the breed. Otherwise, they won't. If it's an SUV in a car accident, they'll mention it. Otherwise, it's just a car accident.
Same thing I thought. Had one of my dogs pull my daughter our af a swing the first time she got in it. Not prey drive on this one, though. He didn't think it was safe. Pulled her out by her coat. She educated him real quick, however.
No argument so far...
, but the entire breed has been damaged by close inter-breeding in many places to meet demand. These dogs, as they exist in urban areas, are essentially weapons
Here though I think your generalization is too broad.
There are many responsible breeders who breed carefully for stable temperament and adherence to the breed standards. They love the breed and would do nothing to harm it and seek to improve it. They are extremely selective on who they sell pups to, no shady or unseemly characters need apply. They are not 'in it for the money'.
There are many owners in urban settings that don't own their dogs for use as a weapon.
You raise valid concerns, I just don't think all owners, breeders or pit bulls should be stigmatized by the actions of criminals.
Oh, good rotties are still findable. I found one on the side of the highway. We couldn't find her owners, so we adopted her. She's the sweetest, gentlest dog we've ever known -- her only behavioral problem is a tendancy to pee when she meets people because she's wiggling her butt so hard. My collie mix, on the other hand, cannot be introduced to strangers -- he's fear-aggressive.
>Same thing I thought. Had one of my dogs pull my daughter our af a swing the first time she got in it. Not prey drive on this one, though. He didn't think it was safe. Pulled her out by her coat. She educated him real quick, however.<
When we brought my daughter home from the hospital, my oldest female dog, who had had a couple of litters, was beside herself. She did her best to "supervise" the baby's care, and would have been happy to clean the baby (and then try to lick me, the twerp). Heck, who needs diaper wipes? If another dog got anywhere close to the baby, she was immediately between the dog and the child. If I carried the kid, she was right beside me, on her hind legs. This was a dog who had a championship and a CDX, was trained in utility, and later was a Therapy dog in a pediatric hospital. And, she could do a pretty good job tracking.
Even with her good intentions, we didn't leave the baby unattended around her.
I am no dog expert. But my understanding is that pit bulls ARE terriers.
Left in a SWING with a DOG in the house while they SLEPT in another ROOM? Pathetic having to call such people "parents".
"He didn't think it was safe."
Dogs, when well socialized, can be very protective in ways that some would not expect. One mountain biker would sometimes bring his dog on some rides, where the dog would run ahead on the trail. If there was a technical section of the trail (such as a drop off), the dog would sit at the beginning of the section. The dog was never trained to do this BTW.
Well, you know, I live in an urban area. And yes, there are responsible breeders and owners. However, pits attract far more of the other kind.
Conversely, if it's a good pit story they won't mention the breed....
Case in point
That's a good reason for pets attacking babies. That includes cats, parrots and ferrets, too. They can all get EXTREMELY jealous and will take their emotions out on the baby if they get the chance. I just don't think of gold fish doing that (unles you are Stan Marsh).
I'm sorry, I'm with the other experts on this. Regardless of training, they don't think like we do. I would apply this "rule" to all dogs, as well as young children, not just babies.
Animals can react unexpectedly at any given time, and may do something that isn't meant to hurt, but will. Heck, it happens with my parent's GSD - he's got a tail that can really hurt if you get hit by a powerful 'wag'.
The boy's now four, and both dogs are about 3 1/2. Xena, the very blonde warrior princess, can be induced to "play rough"; she has precisely calibrated her level of play to what is acceptable, and never goes beyond that no matter how excited she gets. I find it amazing.
Okay, here ya go....
I am working toward my B with my W. German line bitch. She is a wonderful, sweet dog. Has not been socialized to babies or small children, therefore I would watch her like a hawk until I was satisfied she understood the chain of command. She is 24 months and a little frisky right now, not speyed, so one has to keep an eye on any aggression. Have had to work tremendously on dog aggression w/her. Still an issue, but working through it. American shepherds have lost a breed program, and even w. german conformation lines have some problems, but chief among them is workability, as you probably know. Mine has a great work ethic and fantastic ball drive. Cheers!
V's wife.
We have a 1 1/2 year pit-mix from the local SPCA. We adopted him when he was 11 weeks old. Now we foster puppies too young for adoption and our dog acts like a big uncle for the pups. If the pups start playing to rough with each other, he will break it up. Same with our cats. If they start fighting, he will rush in a split them up. He does not like to see conflict, even in play.
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