My dog attacked a puppy

I agree Jones. I see that all the time as well. It is always your resposibility to always protect your dog. Expecting other owners to control the situation is a recipe for disaster.

We have a lady who insists on bringing toys to the park for her dog even though many have requested she not. There is a (just under 1yr) Golden Ret. who has some resource guarding issues who is there everyday. He has already bitten 2 dogs. His owner was also bitten trying to break up a fight over these toys. Her attitude is, 'well my dog is not possessive, so I can bring toys if I want'. If I see any of her toys lying around I just chuck them in the garbage can. She still doesn't get it - but I enjoy watching her have to dig them out of the trash full of poop bags!

Wow I dont now how I missed this thread.
As a pit bull owner I am apalled that in your original post you put "If my dog seriously hurt this dog, I don't want to keep him anyway" Are you kidding me? As a pit bull owner you need to take the responsibity that THIS IS HIS NATURE!
Any responsible pit bull owner does NOT take it to a dog park and its not because they are vicious dogs that are a liability, it is out of respect for what US humans have bred these dogs to do.
I dont intend on sounding rude but your irresponsible action s reflect ALL pit bull owners becuase of the way the media protrays them. Evertyime I hear a pit bull owner say " he's always been so nice, I dont know how this happened" I wanna slap them in the face, do some freakin research and train your dog according to its inherit behavior.
I think you owe your dog a apology for not looking out for him and letting him get into such misheif and I think a obediance class is defintly needed.

Ok, Ok sorry for the explosion there, I truly apologize.
Yes your dog is a pit mix, there is no denying that.
Of course your dog has no human aggression because it was bred for fighting dogs and other animals. Fighting dogs don't have human aggression because they had to work closely with its master and be able to be controlled in the ring so any human aggression was bred out of them, it was not tolerated.
Pit Bulls do not belong in dog parks because......
-They have a natural high prey drive that is extremely hard to control unless they have had exstensive training
-They have animal aggression, no if ands or butts about it. It donst mean your dog is guaranteed to attack but the risk is not worth it
-Regardless of who starts the commotion the pit bull will get blamed, its just reality
 
So if pit bulls can be such a hindrance why do I love them so?
I have a soft spot for them because they are the under dog. They are the victims of hundreds of years of selective breeding by humans and now that they arnt needed for hunting are we supposed to do away with them? No, I take pride in seeing this msucled figure sprinting across a field in all its glory. I take pride from walking my girl down the street, with the manners of a gentlwoman while everyone says "ooh thats a pit bull", stay away, but then they notice she is the sweetest thing EVER and maybe, just maybe they ponder if what they hear on the news is correct.
 
I am very saddened by the fact that you seemed so quick to give up on your dog, I truly hope you take note of his loyalty and honor to you and reciprocate his love. i think you need to investigate the breed and act accordingly. No your social life with your dog is not out the window but you need to start paying more attention to the signs he gives off, take a obediance class, and maybe visit [linkhttp://www.pitbulltalk.com]www.pitbulltalk.com[/link]
and [linkhttp://www.pitbullforum.com]www.pitbullforum.com[/link]

That second pic you posted reminds me of Kayla.

Sheprano,

That outburst is so lame--the OP already said that she was told at the shelter that her dog was not a "terrier mix" and not a pit, and for that matter has also admitted that she should have done some research and didn't. Don't be a bully.

I'm not being a bully. I'm telling her that it is a pit mix, look at it, come on now. Regardless of the breed she needs to be responsible for her dog, just because I didnt pussyfoot around and told it like it is dosnt mean I'm a bully. Whats wrong with speaking the truth? No one is to blame but her and the fact that she wants to get rid of her dog if its a liability is absolute rubbish and a reflection upon the training and time she has put into her dog. I dont care if you agree, its not ideal but its reality

It's already been discussed and she already agrees with you.

Lets keep in mind that this owner WANTS her dog, she's a little uneducated to the breed and we should be giving her tips, helping her train and letting her know what to do better not slamming her...if she leaves what have YOU done to help her and the breed???
 
get on track, go forward

I'll be very honest.  I did NOT know a pitbull when it walked up to me and thankfully did not bite me in the butt.  This was a number of years ago, and I'd heard all the scarey stories about them, but I stopped to visit with a horse and the pittie came running.  I could tell by his body language that he wasn't going to bother me, but was just checking me out.
 
I don't think that we can ASSUME that everyone knows every breed out there and the fact that the shelter mislead the OP, well shame on them for that.

I'm pretty late to this thread and maybe a little confused, but the whole issue seems to be revolving around this being a pit-mix.  I worry because it sounds like the tone is that if a) the shelter hadn't misled her, or b) the rescuer had known what they were getting,or.....something along those lines.  I guess because of my experiences with Sassy, who happens to be a lab, I see what happened at the dog park as something that can happen with any breed of dog, at almost any time, given the right circumstances.  Yeah, I know there are dogs who are 100% reliable, 100% of the time, but I think we've all agreed that they're rare.  I had to go thru some shock therapy when I rescued Sassy and she started fighting with my lab-mix.  To this day, I do not trust her around any other dog or puppy.  I guard/protect her under all circumstances and wouldn't dream of taking her to a dog park.  Nor do I hope to find playmates for her.  Sure, it'd be nice, but not if something goes wrong and I'm not taking any chances.  Anyhoo...just had to chime and I apologize if I misunderstood the theme of the responses []

I agree with Cathy - any dog can do this.  Sure, pits have propensities and an owner should be careful, but ANY dog can do this.  My shepherd mix, Gandolf, does not get to meet other dogs, nor does he get to play with any others except our other dog, and one other dog, Molly, that he has known since we first got him.  That's because he has been aggressive, has started fights, and has inflicted damage.  He does not go to the dog park (even though there is one 2 blocks from my house).  We do not let him off the leash, unless he is in our fenced back yard, or at Molly's house.  That is not because he is completely out of control- on the contrary, he walks very nicely and calmly with me, heeling right next to me, and he appears to be a very amiable dog.  However, his aggression is unpredictable, so in order to avoid damage to other dogs or to him, we just keep him apart.  That might not be what the OP needs to do, or what she wants to do, but it may be her reality.  And that reality, although not necessarily desireable, is what it is and you have to deal.  It's part of being a responsible dog owner. 

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs

Dogs that aren't "puppy hazers" can still get "packy" at a dog park and join in to obsess, or to injure, a dog that has been designated a scapegoat by the pack. 
Also, some dogs just get their prey drive turned on by certain dogs.  We had one dog come to class that only chases small white dogs.  Needless to say, we didn't allow him the privilege during class.
Also, there are some dogs that are soooo submissive, and who keep "apologizing" long after it's appropriate.  Some other dogs seem to get tired of it, and get more grumpy at the fraidy dog, instead of being appeased.
Dog behavior is as complex as human behavior, without the benefit of language! []

I cannot agree with you more, Anne.  As an almost daily dog park attendee, I've seen small packs form and disband, and I've witnessed my dog performing ritualistic submissive behaviors and having submissive behaviors performed to him.  When dogs get "packy" there can be some very surprising developments, especially if there are two or more "packs."

And little white dogs that go squeak are on top of the prey drive list for most sighthounds and other dogs with high prey drive.  Though I know that Xerxes views these smaller dogs as dogs, I have seen other dogs that know them as something only to be chased.

BourbonSt, I read through all the posts but never caught the age of the Boxer puppy.  I'm really curious because at our dog park it is against the rules to bring a puppy under four months old into the park.  If you're still worried about liability issues, aside from everything else, I would think that if your park has similar rules and the puppy owner violated them, you may not be held liable. Have you heard anything else from the owner?

I am not good at gauging the age of a puppy but this was a very young puppy, about the size of a medium sized cat.

I agree the puppy's owner should have removed him. When she called me to tell me the amount of the bill, I was going to tell her that if my dog hadn't bitten her puppy, one of the other dogs would have. But it would have sounded wrong under the circumstances, as though I was dodging responsibility or making an excuse for my dog, and I didn't think she was in a frame of mind to hear it. I wanted her to think about what I saw - a pack of adult dogs harrassing her puppy.

Anyway, I should mention that we did do obedience classes when we first got the dog. He knows a bunch of commands including one noise I make which stops him dead in his tracks - I use it when he is chewing something or eating deer poop, or otherwise doing something with his mouth that should stop. But that day at the dog park I panicked and didn't think to use this sound. It is very effective when he's getting mouthy with the kids or chewing the furniture. I wonder if it would have done any good that day.

And someone mentioned small white fluffy dogs - I won't let him near a dog like that. There were two other times that he did that "laying on top of another dog" thing. One was with a small fluffy dog, the second time was with an older pitbull puppy, and the third time was with the boxer puppy. The first two times I pulled him off and we left the park immediately. He didnt use his mouth either time though. The third time... for some reason I let him go back to the puppy, thinking I was being paranoid.

Now I know, that "laying on top" thing is pre-aggression, and it means it's time to leave.

ORIGINAL: sheprano

I am very saddened by the fact that you seemed so quick to give up on your dog, I truly hope you take note of his loyalty and honor to you and reciprocate his love.

There is something you should understand. Not every dog is right for every family. I have 4 children, and they come first. Before my dog. I do love my dog, he's a sweetheart and I do think I'll keep him and deal with his dog-aggression. But if I had decided to give him up because I didnt think I could handle him, that would have been the right choice for both Bourbon and for my family. It might not be the choice you would make.. but then again, you dont know anything about my life, or why it would be the right choice for me.

Some people *should* give up their dog. And that's ok. You can not judge them. You can, however, judge the people who think they know everything and therefore do not even think about the choices they make. People who get a dog, and then let it run amok, attacking other dogs and causing mayhem, over and over, because they can't admit they made a mistake in taking this particular dog into their family. When I posted about the liability and about possibly giving him up, I was distraught and doubting my own ability to handle this dog. I have had some time to think about it and I have decided I can handle him. But if I had decided I couldn't handle him, you would still have no right to judge me for that decision.