Posted on 04/27/2007 10:12:52 AM PDT by Omega Man II
I ,after reading posts concerning Pit Bulls,naturally had formed an opinion on their behavior in different situations.Presently I have two close friends who own them.After some initial consternations about their conduct which seemingly,from reading prior posts about the breed,they could “go off” at a moments notice like a ticking time bomb, over the smallest of things.Kids getting to close to their feed bowl,a tug on the ear,etc.In short,not much to trigger an attack.It has been two years that I have known both animals and can say,they are the nicest dogs one could want.
I constantly looked for certain warning signals that may set them off.The one that my sister in law has,who I might add,treat their dogs like any member of the family.The only thing one has to worry about in his case,is to protect the family jewels when you go there,because he loves company.To him it is playtime.The family jewels part comes in as his tail wagging will drop a man to his knees by accident of course,but by being a strong animal,it is a mini-whip!He does not get defensive about his food dish as are many dogs.He has no problems sharing as he likes company too!
The other Pit Bull is at another friends house who has three dogs.A wiener,and a blue healer.My favorite of the three is the Pit.She comes over and loves any attention afforded her.In both cases there has always been children around that play with them as kids do.Yes,they pull ears,step on them and whatnot.I was impressed as I had not been prepared for what I saw.Now,I would not walk into their yard if I were a stranger,or became loud with the residents.There is no doubt in my mind,something bad will happen.As it should.On the flip side,I have also met many that I would just as soon shoot as look at them.I am not big on that type of thing,but I also take no chances.I have been to a few places where the owner thinks it is somewhat comical.When I explain I have my right hand on a gun,they make it a point to remove them as they see I am not impressed at all.I have come to believe it is the owners and the dog is a good indicator of what goes on behind closed doors as in the family situation,or how they treat them.It comes back to the breeding aspect.Both of the dog that I mentioned were purchased through many lines of pure bloods with documentation.The ones breed for evil and monetary gain are the ones causing problems.Starved,beaten,chain raised is no way to treat any animal of any type.I am one who can not watch the shows about animal cops Detroit,Houston,or any city for that matter.I has a very negative effect on me,and is not good for my blood pressure.Sorry for the rant.
Thank you. It is high praise indeed coming from someone who is a master in the art of convoluted logic.
“don’t need to ask my vet anything”
I suspect that those who use dogs for fighting feel the same way.
They don’t need no stink vet....
If you asked one, they’d explain in detail how wrong you are about this. do or don’t, no problem for me. I already know better.
It's obvious that people, from time to time, lose control of their dogs. People also lose control of their vehicles, sometimes through their own irresponsible driving habits, and sometimes through unexpected mechanical failure, but in either case, suffice it to say, that some drivers DO lose control of their vehicles. All other things being equal, an out of control SUV is likely to do far more damage than an out of control Dodge Neon.
While I'm not a pit owner, or even that big a fan of the breed, I do have two shepherds. When we start legislating breeds, mine will, before long, show up on the hit list...
FWIW, my dogs are even tempered, gentle and and extremely well socialized and people friendly. That said, I would never think of leaving them unattended with a small child.
Your experiences match mine exactly. Thank you for posting it here on this thread, as you can see there are quite a few that have been completely and totally indoctrinated by the MSM hysteria on this topic.
What I find really odd in this particular forum is those that are ANGRY at my suggestion they ‘ask a vet’.
Whats up with that? I don’t get it.
Its been said that we cling to our point of view more tightly than we do our own spouse.
This thread seems a demonstration of that phenomena.
No need to get ‘snippy’ friend.
Just ask a vet as I’ve suggested. They will tell you the truth about this nonsense perpetrated by the MSM.
You’re both tiresome and boring. Jusk ask my vet.
I’ve grown accustom to that kind of infantile ‘drive by’ posting at other, lesser known websites.
Sad to see it here at FR today.
I assume you are okay with ordinances which ban the private ownership of black mambas. I guess it is a question of where the line is drawn. Capitalism and freedom will always have some limitation.
I'm not sure I'm in favor of a ban on pit bulls, but I am not opposed to the government forcing more responsibility on pit bull owners.
Terriers are fiesty- BUT, I somehow don’t think my 9lb Maltepoo could do as much damage as a pit bull. An enraged Maltese TERRIER attack is not the same as a pit bull TERRIER attack.
Disposition is a factor- but size and sheer power count for a lot more. You can fight off a vicious, be-ribboned poodle. Try that with a snarling pit!
Comparing all terriers to pit bull terriers is like comparing all garden lizards with Godzilla.
Poodles aren’t big enough or strong enough to do as much damage. That said, I’ve been around pits, rotties, dobes, and various mixes of all the above and never once gotten growled at. OTOH, I’ve gotten snapped at by chihuahuas and a neighbor’s pissy poodle.
When I was in high school, my mom had a psychotic chi who’d growl any time he saw me. She brought him home while I was at band practice and he hated me forevermore...saw me as an “invader” I guess.
I think the bigger breeds are generally more confident and secure, and less likely to feel threatened by insignificant things.
Read any book on dog breeds. The largest consideration is temperament. There are warnings about being around certain breeds and whether or not they're "good" with children, cats and other pets.
These books are written by vets and animal breed experts. And they would be negligent if they failed to mention the possibility of aggressive behavior among the aforementioned breeds in this thread.
So there.
Nothing you posted is ‘new’ to me, nor is it in any way relevant to what I said you should ask any vet ‘about’.
FROH.
Oh I wasn’t comparing all terriers with pit bull type terriers as far as the damage capability. What I had been trying to say is that terriers (including pit terriers) are definitely more prone to biting than say retrievers. Think what you will, but canine temperment is quite a bit dependent on heredity.
Terriers have been bred for centuries to have a drive to both chase down vermin and kill it. Whereas retrievers were bred to be soft mouthed and bring back the bird with little damage to its flesh. Just like in the previous post about the cars... A Yugo (anyone remember those? LOL) and a semi truck can both go out of control, but which one will do more damage? Terriers of all sizes are more aggressive than other breeds, by and large... Problem with the pit terriers is they are large, muscular, and have a grip like a vice. Maltipoos on the other hand actually look kind of cute when they have little terrier hissy fit. :)
According to the AKC, a standard Poodle is over 15” at the shoulders, and anything less is a disqualification. An American Staffordshire Terrier should stand 17”-19” at the shoulders. That isn’t a huge difference.
Provided that the guy knows what he is doing. It’s the same with big cats, sharks, scorpion fish or anything else.
Then again, mambas have been steadily killing people for as long as it has existed. Pits haven’t had this problem until recently.
“I’m not sure I’m in favor of a ban on pit bulls, but I am not opposed to the government forcing more responsibility on pit bull owners.”
Good, that makes sense. Of course we don’t want mandated “dog inspector” bureaucrats in every pet owner’s home. It should probably be expanded to dogs in general, not just pits. Leaving young kids alone with dogs and no supervision is a recipe for disaster. One wrong step and...
If there were 10's of thousands of fatalities you would have a point.
As it is with millions of these dogs out there the fact is fatalities are extremely rare.
Unfortunately facts really don't matter to liberal, high on their moral horse,
personal responsibility and accountability negating,
hyperventilating nanny state control freak fanatics, do they?
The result being that instead of examining the particular incident,the particular owner, the particular dog
and drawing lessons relevant to the safe and responsible ownership of any breed of dog,
we are instead faced with knee-jerk 'analysis' and calls for
intrusive laws that target the responsible as well as the guilty
and for the banning of the 'devil dog d'jour'.
By the grace of God I no longer drink alcohol.
How many fatalites involving innocents each year are directly related to alcohol?
Magnitudes more than 'pit bulls'.
Will you and others calling for a ban on 'pit bulls'
join me in calling for the banning of alcohol?
There is no need for anyone to have alcohol,
there are plenty of other safe drinks out there that are just as tasty
and don't lead to the deaths of innocent children.
The least you folks could do is be consistent and join my campaign to ban alcohol.
“Poodles aren’t big enough or strong enough to do as much damage.”
Let me share with you some correspondence I had with a Geologist fellow.
He had published a passionate appeal to folks to keep their dogs on leashes...
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/opinion/8998989387106615289
He touched very briefly on an incident many years ago when his young son was attacked by a dog.
I wrote him...
“I read your column “Put the bite on leash law violators” with interest.
People have the right to own a dog but they must be responsible and ensure
that their enjoyment of their property does not jeopardize the safety of others.
All to often when something tragic does happen
the reaction of politicians is to enact new laws to replace old ones
that were never rigorously enforced in the first place.
If there was a serious effort at enforcement coupled with a program to educate dog owners,
a large majority of these attacks could be prevented.
I say this as the owner of an American Staffordshire Terrier.
I’m curious as to what breed/type of dog injured your son and the circumstance involved.
If you would tell a bit about it I would be appreciative.”
He responded...
“thanks for this.
It was a large standard poodle.
the circumstances was that my son was nervous, we alerted the owner,
who promised to lock the dog in, who forgot,
and the dog chewed and nearly drowned my son for 15 minutes
before being declared the worst mauling in the history of the ER doctor, who was a dog lover.”
Any chance of telling where this happened?
We've been over this a hundred times on FR.
The analogy rest solely and firmly on responsible ownership.
The gun owner, car owner and dog owner must ensure control and responsible use of their property.
The actions one must take in order to ensure control and to be responsible are different for each type of property
but the underlying principle is the same.
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