But our pit bull is great with our kids

[shropshire 0]

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Moral of the story, don't leave you 3 year old kid alone with a dog, not just a pit bull, but any dog.

Worth repeating a writ' BIG

Hey MORONS : - don't leave your kids alone with a dog, not just a pit bull, but any dog.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[AggieDave 6]

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what is the ratio of your contact with the general public? How many "good" folks vs "bad" do you see out on the street?

You're sort of right. Instead of "good" and "bad" I would change that statement to middle class and poor. Something to temper that with is to know that I also see a much higher percentage of children outside playing in the lower class neighborhoods then elsewhere. In my experience, this also isn't divided racially, as some may suspect.

My gut reaction is that in the more affluent neighborhoods there are less Pits and more "inside" dogs. That and kids are inside more, playing video games, etc, then outside playing with a 2nd hand football.

So the less affluent neighborhood, in my personal experience, has more Pits bread from back-yard breeders, kept because they're a "cool" and "hard" dog. Less training, less care of the dog, more kids outside...well, you can see where this goes!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skyrider 0]

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I was attacked by a dog when I was a similar age, it bit me in the face and i still have the scars.

I pulled its tail! it turned in response and bit my face

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I am betting this dog did not clamp down on your throat and shake you. Big difference in what the average family fido will do verses what a pit bull will do

You obviously know nothing about Pitbulls, They end up with a LARGE number of bad owners, that never train them correctly, but raised right, they are as swweet as any dog, yet more able to protect when needed...

BTW, I don't have a Pitbull, My dog is a Rottwieller...Another dog also painted by fools to be Vicious!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v400/onekick/sleepin.jpg

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[Andy9o8 2]

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Please see the attached picture from New Years of our two viscious dogs (a pit mix and a GSD mix) grabbing the trachea and crushing our friend. I mean, they can't help it, it's their nature.

A picture's worth 1,000 words. That animal's snout is just inches away from its victim's your friend's trachea. You're not fooling anyone.

[skyrider 0]

Part of raising Dogs, is KNOWING how to raise/train them, BIG part of being a parent, is knowing how to Raise/keep them safe...

NIETHER one required by law..."YET"!
knee jerk post/reactions like the OP, will cause such laws!

[billvon 3,076]

>Responsible shelters temperment test their animals, don't
>adopt dangerous dogs, and don't adopt to irresponsible people.

Actually the more responsible shelters take all dogs rather than put them down. In addition, many shelters often don't have much of a history on a given dog, since the person seeking to unload the dog has an incentive to lie about it.

Not to say it's a bad idea to use a shelter (it isn't) but it would be a big mistake to get a dog that is intended for children without doing thorough research into what the dog's environment has been. That's an advantage of getting a dog from a friend whose dog has had a litter; the history is more likely to be accurate.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>Responsible shelters temperment test their animals, don't
>adopt dangerous dogs, and don't adopt to irresponsible people.

Actually the more responsible shelters take all dogs rather than put them down. In addition, many shelters often don't have much of a history on a given dog, since the person seeking to unload the dog has an incentive to lie about it.

Not to say it's a bad idea to use a shelter (it isn't) but it would be a big mistake to get a dog that is intended for children without doing thorough research into what the dog's environment has been. That's an advantage of getting a dog from a friend whose dog has had a litter; the history is more likely to be accurate.

I think some breeds call for using a breeder rather than the local animal shelter.

SF's shelter has a no-kill policy, however it seems written it part to solicit donations rather than to be real. Dogs deemed unable to be rehabilitated for family life are put down. Some trainers believe they jump quickly to do it rather than put in the effort.

Before pits, rotties were the Devil's breed. Before that it was german sheppards or dobermans. Pits can be sweet dogs, but they are definitely high energy and require responsible ownership. They aren't a type you can buy and ignore, and yes, their physical attributes are awesome. (though so are Chows).

The simplistic response is to ban certain breeds (either from existing, or from breeding, or being covered by home insurance.) But those only end up picking on the obvious breeds, when there are dozens of similar breeds with the same concerns. If you're a lousy parent or pet owner, bad things can happen.

[wmw999 2,544]

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If you're a lousy parent or pet owner, bad things can happen.

Yep. And some kids, and some dogs, take different parenting styles.

Some dogs (and, unfortunately, some kids) aren't for beginners. But that's now how they either of them are issued, is it?

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[kelpdiver 2]

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Some dogs (and, unfortunately, some kids) aren't for beginners. But that's now how they either of them are issued, is it?

Wendy P.

Shelters put up a few barriers as a screening - mandating the spay/neuter and shots as an upfront expense.

Breeders will often screen the customers thoroughly.

But pet stores - where the sickest, and most unpredictable stock comes from - not so good.

The other classic method is when owners let their pet get knocked up at they have 5-10 kittens or puppies to pass out.

[Nightingale 0]

I have a papillon due to their size, temperament, and intelligence (I have to worry that he's training me if I'm not careful), but when I get in a position to buy a place with a yard, I'll definitely be looking at pit/staffordshire or rottie mixes from the shelter (probably Best Friends in Utah, since my parents have a place right near there, so it's easy to visit). They're really wonderful dogs!

[jcd11235 0]

At some point, I'd like to rescue a dog. It will likely be either a pit bull or a Jack Russell Terrier. They're my two favorite breeds, and both tend to be readily available for rescue.

I like JRT's because they are genetically highly intelligent, dominant, aggressive dogs with little to no fear. They are often adopted by people who who don't realize that they are high maintenance and require a high level of training and socializing to obtain behavior that matches their cute appearance.

I like pit bulls for pretty much the opposite reasons. The breed's temperament is to be very gentle around humans. They typically have to be trained to be aggressive towards people. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of assholes that train their pit bulls in such a manner.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[PLFXpert 0]

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I like pit bulls for pretty much the opposite reasons. The breed's temperament is to be very gentle around humans.

Pitbulls have a higher prey drive than most breeds. Not a good breed if one has children or small pets.

I like mutts, but for people who are in love with a specific breed, I recommend checking local and regional breed-specific rescues (start with petfinder.com). Unlike a regular animal shelter, they usually have excellent background info on the animals and often have papers.

I have spent a lot of time in my local Animal Care & Control as well as Humane Society and, while it is true a lot about history is not known, one might be surprised how much_is_known despite that with all the volunteer foster programs, etc.



BTW, Kris, Bill and I have been Guardian Angels of Best Friends for eight years now. Great idea! I can't escape the idea of possibly rescuing a couple macaws while I am still young enough to give them a forever home.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[jcd11235 0]

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Pitbulls have a higher prey drive than most breeds. Not a good breed if one has children or small pets.

PB's (with the temperament associated with their breed) are great with kids, though not so great with other animals. As has been previously stated, no dogs should be left unattended with small children.

Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

[Kennedy 0]

Very true. Plus we should remember that 75% of people wouldn't know a Pit Bull if it jumped up and bit them on the ass. (I couldn't resist)

Most people are terrible with breed recognition, even self-proclaimed dog people.

No joke, I dealt with a lady on Sunday who called in a vicious dog attack on her son by a Pit Bull. When I got there, I found the lady and one of her sons who had scrapes on his knee and elbow that looked like he fell down. I asked where the dog was. She pointed to a back yard with a golden retriever in it. I was concerned for the golden's well being, but not seeing any immediate danger, I got her information and then asked her if her son had already been taken to the hospital. She called me non-complimentary descriptors and stated that her son was right in front of me. I asked what happened and she said the dog jujmped the fence bit her son shook him and threw him to tehe ground. I asked the boy what happened and he said he wanted to say hi to the doogy and went up to the fence. the doggy licked him and when his mother screamed at him to get back (she wasn't watching very well, was she) he fell over on the sidewalk.

I was about to leave when the woman started screaming at me again. The dog had his front paws on the fence and was licking the mailman's hand. She wanted me to shoot the dog. I walked over, left him lick my hand, scratced his ears, and left. He was the only dog in the yard. The woman called my supervisor to complain that I let a vicious Pit Bull run loose. He asked me WTF, so I drove him to the house. He pet the dog and met the owner. The woman came out screaming. My supervisor told the woman to shut up and go away or he'd deal with the only problem he saw, disturbing the peace by a possible EDP.

Unfortunately, this is not as rare as you'd hope. I can't remember the last dog bite that wasn't reported as a Pit Bull.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[AndyBoyd 0]

An friend of mine at the DZ a few years ago had a pit-bull mix of some sort -- it was a very nice and friendly dog. It would curl up next to me and sleep when we were on weather holds. Really, it was one of the sweetest dogs I ever met.

On the other hand, incidents like this seem to keep occurring.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/01/man-found-dead-after-apparently-being-attacked-by-dogs.html

I am not by any means an expert on dogs. But it does seem like pits, or pit mixes, are prone to instances of unprovoked aggression. I do not own a dog, but I would probably opt for another choice if I were to get one. There are lots of even-tempered dogs out there. Why take a chance with a ticking time bomb?