Free Republic

Aw, that was cute...

That hawk in the first 10 seconds or so really got the attention of all of my dogs! LOL!

What an excellent story ~ Thanks for sharing that with us, Chet! :-)

It’s so incredibly amazing what kind of work Service Dogs are able to do now ~ they used to be just for blind people, but it is now being found that they can be trained to help a larger variety of people who have difficulties. Such as people who are deaf, diabetic, epileptic, have psychological problems, etc. I believe I read somewhere that soldiers with PTSD are now receiving Service Dogs, kind of like a built in best friend to assist them in their recovery.

Aw, that’s not right! :-(

If she wanted her estate to go to benefit dogs, then that is exactly what should have happened. To only give 1% or less of her money left behind to dog related charities is insulting to her wishes.

As far as those grandkids that were left out of the will, it is possible they were left out for a reason...

Requesting a ping of people from both sides...

<< I Posted The Friggin’ Links With (SNIPS)!!!

That Means Click On The Link And Read It For YOURSELF!!!

Now Go Back And Read My Posts On This!!!

I Couldn’t Give A Rat’S Ass About Your Fake “concerns”... >>

Oh my gosh, relax! All I was doing it exactly what I said ~ posting the 2nd paragraph of the one that didn’t have the dog identified. I even acknowledged that you posted the non pittie/rottie one with the cocker spaniel. I just noticed that was the only one without the dog breed identified, so I posted the 2nd paragraph.

And those concerns that I told you about were not “fake” ~ they were very genuine. I seriously do care about people, and was trying to express my real feelings to you about your situation.

I, in now way whatsoever, attempted to attack or humiliate you in that post ~ if it looked like I was, I’m sorry. I was simply posting the 2nd paragraph of the only story that didn’t have the breed identified, since you had all the other one identified. I’m sorry that you felt the need to turn around & attack me with such anger.

<< The volunteer program was established in 2005 when the shelter’s euthanasia rate was 70 percent one of the highest in the nation. Now Hake is happy to say that the euthanasia rate is down to 2 percent. >>

Wow, that is one awesome drop in euthanasia rates! I hope more shelters can continue in this direction...

<< fairly amazed by this entire thread. I know there was previously some legitimate gripes when pit bull threads were in the news section of the forum, but I’ve posted everything in pets/animals/chat section. If you don’t want to see stories about your beloved breed chomping on the umpteenth child, don’t read them. >>

Maybe the fact that you're "fairly amazed" has to do with the fact that you're finally seeing that people are showing how fed up they are. People don't have to read your threads to get annoyed with your constant (& I do mean constant) headlines about the pit bulls...

I actually am really concerned about you because you seem so unbelievably obsessed with this subject, while ignoring posts & threads directed to you about positive stories about pit bulls, or dangerous attacks by other breeds (not pit bulls).

An honest question to you, Chet ~ have you read the positive threads about pit bulls that people have pinged you to? Especially the Michael Vick pit bulls that Best Friends Animal Society took in & are rehabilitating (the dogs are making amazing progress). Have you watched the video of Halle that I posted several times (the Vick pit bull who is close to being adopted)?

It's absolutely tragic when a person gets hurt or killed by ANY breed, but dogs need to be judged on their own individual behavior, not just because they are of a certain breed. I mean, even you would have to admit that your threads are incredibly biased, since you only focus on attacks by pit bulls. There's a lot of good pit bulls out there too...for a good start, go read the stories on Best Friends website to find several of them: http://www.bestfriends.org/

If you'd like, I'd be happy to show you others ~ looking forward to your response!

Thanks!!

<< http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481426,00.html

“Former French President Jacques Chirac was rushed to a hospital after being mauled by his pet dog who is being treated for depression, in a dramatic incident that rattled the ex-president’s wife.” >>

You accidentally forgot the 2nd paragraph, which identifies the breed of the dog (not a pit or rottie):

The couple's white Maltese poodle, called Sumo, has a history of frenzied fits and became increasingly prone to making "vicious, unprovoked attacks" despite receiving treatment with anti-depressants, Chirac's wife Bernadette said.

I see in your last link, you identified the dog that was not a pit or rottie (the cocker spaniel one), so I figured you just forgot to post the 2nd paragraph of that other poodle one. / :-)

Also, I seriously am sorry that you are still having trouble with your neighbors ~ that's no way to live. I haven't seen all the posts you've wrote about this...does your city/town have an animal control or humane society? That's sad that they don't investigate this jerk.

Doggie & RDO ping request

Victory for pit bulls ping...

Doggie ping request / RDO request

To those on here who believe this pit bull is showing signs of dominance ~

This dog came from the Best Friends Animal Society, whose dog trainers are incredibly experienced with working with dogs that have all kinds of issues, from serious aggression against people, to severe shyness, to PTSD due to coming out of a war zone in Lebanon (just an example of a few types of cases they work with). They were also responsible for bringing 22 of Michael Vick's pit bulls back to DogTown to rehabilitate them. The dogs are making amazing progress, this coming from one of the trainers I spoke with. Work with them is continuing, and one of them is close to adoption!! (story below)

Their dog trainers are very aware of signs of dominance & potential aggression, and watch the dogs they are training very carefully for those signs. I work with an animal rescue group not all that far from Best Friends, and see their adoption/dog training staff on a semi-regular basis. I also have been out to DogTown, their actual facility in Kanab, Utah. Does this make me personally an expert in dog behavior? No, and I'm not claiming to be. I can simply say the first sentence confidently because I have personally talked with their trainers, and have seen some of their techniques while I was at their facility.

Best Friends trainers are especially aware of signs of dominance/aggression of their own dogs. These pictures were sent to, and posted by, Best Friends on their own website. I feel very certain that if the trainers saw these pictures & had even a bit of concern over what they saw, that they would not post them. I'm sure they would instead contact the adoptive family that the dog is with & talk with them about it.

If Best Friends is not concerned about Scarlet showing dominant behavior based on those pictures, especially how well they know the signs & they know that particular dog, there's really no reason for anyone else to have that concern. Since they are not, I know I am not / :-)

As far as the dog laying on the couch, Best Friends clearly is not a bit concerned about that either, or they would not have posted the picture, as it would show a bad example for others.

There's another pit bull named Halle that was rehabilitated at Best Friends...Halle was actually one of the Michael Vick dogs (now known as the Vicktory dogs at Best Friends). Halle went to a home where after a 6-month waiting period, she can be adopted! I know I've told Halle's story before, but it's worth repeating, because the picture that accompanied Halle's story on the Best Friends website shows Halle laying on the couch with her friend (and likely soon to be brother, Tacoma, also a pit bull). Again, if Best Friends was concerned that that could be a sign of dominance, they would have contacted the family instead of posting the picture of what would be a "bad example".

Here's that picture of Halle & Tacoma:

Also, check out this video taken of Halle while she was at Best Friends.

I can understand where some of you would have those concerns after watching "Dog Whisperer", or elsewhere, but I hope you can see another side of it now by other (numerous) dog trainers who are experts in behavior (especially coming from their own pit bulls & other dogs).

Actually, they have their own show on National Geographic, the same channel that airs the "Dog Whisperer". It is called "DogTown", and is really worth watching. It follows the trainers around as they work with various dogs. You should check it out!! It airs on Friday evenings, but I'm almost positive they have reruns of it during the following week.

DogTown on National Geographic

Getting back to what this thread was originally about ~ thanks so much for posting this, meandog! I love reading about success stories like this!!

:-)

Aw, good boy Jake!! I think it’s great that these therapy dogs visit the elderly ~ it gives them something to look forward to. Especially the ones who never have any visitors otherwise.

Thanks for sharing this cool story with us, Kanawa...

:-)

<< Any large dog that will bite/attack is a menace and should be done away with BASED ON (INDIVIDUAL) BEHAVIOR. >>

If the above inserted word is not what you are trying to say, lmk...

I feel rather confident that it is however, and I could not agree more!! Judge a dog (ANY dog) based on it's own specific & individual behavior. If ANY dog (even pit bulls, but again ANY breed) hurts or kills a child (or anyone), then I agree, they should be euthanized.

People see these stories, and appear to think "I see bad stories about pit bulls in the news, so therefore, all pit bulls must be bad"...

OK, by the same token, if you google "pit bull hero", "pit bull heroes", or similar, you will see a great number of examples of those stories. So will these same people then think "I now see good, positive stories about pit bulls, so therefore, all pit bulls must be good".

It's the individual behavior of a specific dog, not the whole entire breed!

Thanks for the ping to the actual & very accurate information by an animal services officer who was actually AT the scene.

I’d be curious to see if we hear from Chet99 about this update from the scene, especially about the one being a retriever mix, since he specifically joked in one thread that retrievers can’t be dangerous (not exact quote)...

Also, thank you so much for calling to get the correct information to refute any misunderstanding or rumors about the dogs. It is horrendous that a baby was killed by these dogs, and I truly do pray for the family...but it’s also important to get the CORRECT information out there instead of all this hype about the incorrect breed of at least one of the dogs.

I can see you also are very much skirting away from the fact that there are pit bull HEROES out there also...

Regardless, I have made every single attempt to answer your questions satisfactorily, but you are still not satisfied, and likely never will be.

I DO appreciate that in your first 12 words of your 2nd paragraph, you essentially commented on my pictures, which is what I was asking you to do, so thank you.

Thank you again for your response, I hope you appreciate my many responses back to you.

Have a good day, ColdWater...

:-)

Yes, I do absolutely agree that anyone who is KILLED by a dog (ANY dog), that is also an extreme tragedy as well...not only for that person, but for the family as well. Prayers are very much offered up for them as well.

So now that I have amended it to include all aspects of how much of a tragedy that can be, NOW will you post how you honestly feel about my pictures?

You posted that as I was typing out my response to that question...it is directly above this one.

Now will you comment about your honest feelings about the pictures & stories I have posted?