Pit-bull dogs: a menace to public safety?

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   frantisek78posted 10 years ago

   Despite the fact that many people claim that pit-bulls are given a bad reputation and that they are in fact loving dogs, the fact remains that they were bred specifically as fighters and to be aggressive. Just as golden retrievers are genetically very calm dogs, pit-bulls are genetically violent and dangerous, shown by the fact that they often attack even their own owners with no warning and seemingly for no reason. Should there be tight restrictions placed on pit-bull breeding and ownership because of their aggressive and unpredictable nature?

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      susansiskposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't agree.  Pit-bulls can be very loving if they are raised right.  Many are now being used as therapy dogs.

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         Paul Wingertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I agree. It all depends on the owner.

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            frantisek78posted 10 years agoin reply to this

            The owner can't do much with a dog that is inherently violent and extremely unpredictable. These dogs have a very short fuse and you never know what will set them off. There are many instances where "well raised" pit bulls have attacked their owners or others at the drop of a hat.

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               psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               These dogs have average starting temperaments: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Backg … ntion.aspx

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               tlmcgaa70posted 10 years agoin reply to this

               if people would do their research, true, deep research, before choosing the breed of dog, then get the one that best suits their needs...instead of getting a breed for status or on a power trip, this would not be the issue it is today. in EVERY case of any dog biting or outright attacking a human...there will be a human to blame. it is not fair to put the blame on any breed of dog. dogs pick up on our mental and emotional state, and respond accordingly. dogs need strong leadership, or they will feel forced to take on that role, and that means dominating their human(s).  dogs know what displeases their humans, but they have NO concept of guilt. the look they give that people claim is a guilty look, that is the dogs attempt to appease an irate human, not because the dog FEELS guilt, but because they feel your anger. if a dog bites or attacks another dog or a human, it is because they felt threatened or fearful. just because the human cannot understand what might make the dog feel fearful does not mean the dog doesnt. if people are going to own a dog, or any animal, they need to learn to understand that animal. i think some people should NEVER be allowed to own a pet...just like some should NEVER be allowed to have children.
               
               that being said, i wish people would take the time to get to know a few pit type dogs before jumping on the bandwagon of "let's hate pit bulls". a few years ago, we took in a pit bull that had wandered in. at the same time i rescued a 2-3 month old pup. that is when i saw just how gentle this pit dog was. he never once made that pup yelp in their playing. dogs have come and go here (i rescue cats and dogs) and he has never threatened or attacked one...not even when two of them ganged up on him. he just tried to keep his shoulder or back end to them until i got there to break it up. he is a wonderful dog who loves to play and be loved. while most pit haters love to see or hear about pit attacks in the news, so they can justify their hatred and/or fear of the breeds, there are, more and more often, just as many stories in the news of how pits have saved someones life, or been a therapy dog for all kinds of people, all ages, with all kinds of problems. they just don't want to hear the good stuff.

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                  frantisek78posted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  I guess there is some international conspiracy against pit-bulls that is purposefully over-blowing attacks made by these dogs and ignoring the out of control maulings by pugs, chihuahuas, golden retreivers and yorkies which have reached epidemic proportions.

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               Jason Mcnuttposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Both my sister and I have pits or mixed breed with pit in them. Neither of us has had an issue.  Pits are a product of their environment just like anything else.  My brother in law used to wrestle with his pit and he got one that wanted to wrestle with his kids.  Luckily nothing ever happened and he did the smart thing and found someone to took the dog to retrain him.

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      JayeWisdomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      This is a news report of today about a 'family' pit bull:
      
      "Authorities say the 8-year-old daughter of a Newark city councilman suffered critical injuries when she was mauled by her family's pit bull in Delaware."
      
      If the child's older sister hadn't beaten the dog off of her, she would be dead. As it is, she will likely lose her arm. I doubt seriously the councilman thought his pit bull would harm his children, but you see the result.
      
      Several years ago I had neighbors who had pit bulls in their back yard. One of them could get out of the fence, even though city authorities warned these residents not to let them wander off leash. The dog that got out watched across the street as my granddaughter got off the school bus, then chased her from across the street. My granddaughter barely made it in the door, and the dog slammed its body against the closed door. I called the police. I was very glad when those people moved.
      
      The statistics tell the truth--that pit bulls are responsible for most of bites, maulings, even death.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   They are just medium-sized dogs sometimes owned by idiots.

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      Paul Wingertposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      True. Instead of euthanizing the dog, how about do the same to the assh*** owner?

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   Theophanesposted 10 years ago

   A LOT of dogs have been bred originally to be fighting dogs. Bulldogs, bull terriers, Boston terriers... no one is claiming they're going on a rampage. Just pit bulls.
   
   Serious dog fight breeders do NOT want to breed a dog that is people aggressive. That would make them unable to be handled - a total waste of time and effort. The LAST thing a criminal like that would want is to be mauled and have to go to the hospital where their nefarious activities might be documented! They do however want dogs that are dog aggressive. Now the problem comes when idiots wander into the equation, don't understand this concept and start breeding mentally unstable dogs thinking that's how you get a good fighting dog. These idiots are usually teenagers or just plain stupid people trying to make a quick buck.
   
   I have taken on two litters of pit bulls that were from fighting lines and yes, they had issues, mostly with other dogs. That being said they most certainly do not just attack out of nowhere. There is ALWAYS a reason. If you want to keep one of these dogs you have to know how to handle them - or better yet get them from a breeder who has been breeding for many generations for PET animals. if you concentrate on temperament in a positive way it does help.
   
   That all being said... you know the breed of dog that has bitten me the most? CHIHUAHUAS! Those little monsters bite ankles like it's a sport but no one cares to correct this bad behavior because they're so tiny. Pit bulls just have far more power behind them. That being said the one dog I would fear isn't a pit bull - it's the wolf-dogs that my neighbors used to have when they were legal. Now those things were unpredictable and dangerous! I am shocked no one got killed (besides some dogs and a bunch of wildlife.)

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      Theophanesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      PS Those two litters were rescued (with mama) and rehabilitated/reintroduced into society through responsible owners who'd had the breed before. I didn't want anyone reading that sentence and thinking I was purposely breeding fighting line dogs - I most certainly wasn't!

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   If you could raised giant chihuahuas with the same attitude you could make a mint selling them as guard and police dogs.

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      ptosisposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Saw a video of a pit that the Dog Whisperer had had him run out until tired, and this little 5 pound ankle biter was barking from behind him.

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   FatFreddysCatposted 10 years ago

   Reminds me of an old comic strip I saw years ago. A cat is walking down the street and he meets a dog with a giant head on a tiny little body:
   
   Cat: "What kind of dog are you?"
   Dog: "My mother was a great dane and my father was a chihuahua. That makes me a Great Wawa."
   (pause)
   Dog: "I know what you're gonna ask next. He stood on a chair."

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   jenniferrpoveyposted 10 years ago

   Ill-trained and poorly socialized dogs are a menace to public safety.
   
   Pit bulls are not inherently violent towards humans. Staffordshire Bull Terriers, generally considered "pit bulls" used to be called "nanny dogs" because of how incredibly and unusually trustworthy they are with small children!
   
   You're buying into the myths. These myths are built up by:
   
   1. Pit bulls being a fighting breed. This is true - and some pit bulls CAN be more aggressive towards other dogs, especially if not properly socialized. They are also terriers and thus tend not to let go if they bite, but other terriers will do the same thing.
   
   2. Pit bulls being the current dog of choice for people who think having a nasty, aggressive dog makes them macho. These dogs are generally unneutered males and are either poorly bred or ill thought out mixes...these people INTENTIONALLY try to mix the tenacity of the pit bull with human aggression because they think it will make a good guard dog. The problem here, of course, is the owners.
   
   3. Any dog that bites a human instantly turns into a "pit bull" in the media. Media pit bulls have turned out to be everything from chows to GOLDEN RETRIEVERS.
   
   Instead of going after breeds, how about a licensing fee that's waived for any dog with a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certificate?

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   Aime Fposted 10 years ago

   I actually don't think it's a terrible idea to put restrictions on who can own pit bulls. Not because I want them banned or don't want to see them around, but because I want to see them get a better reputation. It was only thirty years ago that pit bulls were considered loving, gentle, family dogs. Do our best to keep pit bulls out of the hands of irresponsible owners with bad intentions and maybe we can get them back there in another thirty years.
   
   Yes, they've been bred to fight, but that comes back to humans. We made the problem and we should try to fix it rather than shrug and write off the entire breed as "inherently bad".

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   Karen Rayposted 10 years ago

   We have owned pit bulls in the past and they were great family dogs. Like any other breed, pedigree may have something to do with how they act. Ask how the pups from previous litters of same male/female have turned out. Ask about the parents behavior. Most dogs weren't bred to be "pets". You have watch dogs, heading and heeling cow dogs, bird dogs, etc. Pit bulls are often used as a catch dog for hog hunters. Consider pedigree, lifestyle, treatment by owners, etc. And a word of caution about any large dog, pits, German Shephards, etc. - do not allow them to run loose with other dogs. When they run in packs, any of them will get into mischief and the larger they are the more damage they can do. As for reputation, one bad apple should not spoil the whole bushel. Much depends on treatment of an animal. Any animal.

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   Cat333posted 10 years ago

   I would not have chosen Pit Bulls as my pets, being a cautious person who was somewhat intimidated by them, BUT my husband did (while we were engaged), and our pits are actually extremely sweet, good natured dogs. Other dogs bark at them and they wag their tails. They LOVE people (though they will bark if someone is sneaking around at night). They've had children climb on them and such and have NOT shown any aggression to any person or animal. They were raised with a cat and the Pit Bulls and the cat played together.
   
   I have several loved ones who won't allow their kids near them simply because they're Pit Bulls, and I honor their requests. But I don't believe our dogs would hurt anyone, with the possible exceptions of someone attacking us/them (and many dogs would do as much, and the protection would be a desired thing).

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    clovisjposted 10 years ago

    Its always the training, never the breed.

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       frantisek78posted 10 years agoin reply to this

       That's just not accurate. Why do you suppose pit bulls are used as fighting dogs as opposed to pugs or golden retrievers, for example? It's because they are naturally more aggressive. They were bred as fighting dogs....

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    ChristineVposted 10 years ago

    one of the misunderstood breeds. i know we're all entitled to our own opinion, i'd like to share mine. we own a red nose pitbull. he's been with us for 7 years now and by far, he's socialized, unaggressive, and most of all, an adorable dog. (we treat him as part of the family, by the way) personally, i'd say it's all about how you train, respect, and love your dog. after all, they deserve all these too. just because we've read a lot of horrible stories about pit bull attacks doesn't mean we have to generalize.

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    Maya Delmarposted 8 years ago

    I definitely think that the problem here is not the dog itself but the owners. People who own these dogs need to be experienced dog owners and often this is not the case. There it a certain type of "profile" of people who get these dogs, and really the problem lies in that the dogs are in the wrong hands. Educated right, these can be the most loving, obedient and peaceful dogs around.

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    Live to Learnposted 8 years ago

    I knew a family who had a pit bull. They loved the dog. It lived in the house with them and was considered to be a wonderful pet for the kids. Until the day came that the dog snapped and clamped its jaws onto the face of the two year old.
    
    It is a dangerous breed. However, I don't know that I would advocate any restrictions in breeding.

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