I cannot believe some people (aDork)

I think this quote fits....

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Dr. Martin Luther King, JR

Sometimes people just don't understand, don't want to learn, and want to believe anything they hear- whether it be true or not. People like that I don't waste my breathe (or fingers from typing) on.

aDorkable

Someone on the horse forum, who I assume is not on here, because we would have devoured her by now, posted a video about two pit bulls that attacked a horse. This person then made a statement that really angered me (after several horse forum members attempted to show that pit bulls and the hype behind them was not all that it was cracked up to be).

     There are dozens of guard dog type breeds in my area. Cane Corsos & Neopolitans have become quite popular, and years ago it was Dobies and GSDs, and for a short time, Rotties. As naturally aggressive as these breeds tend to be, and as prolific as they are around here, it is the pit bulls that are the major problem. I can't tell you how many dog parks/activities were taken away from good owners because the pit bull people who were actually well meaning, otherwise responsible pet owners wanted to "socialize" their dogs. They were actually shocked when a breed whose very existance came about to fight other dogs & animals to the death mauled another dog, or worse, a person got in the way :( They really think that just because THEY never trained their dog to fight, that it will be a sweet docile animal, that one day genetics on't click on. That's like someone with a Beagle saying their dog won't kill a rabbit because they never hunted with it ...

      What I have seen of the breed has been nothing but unreliable. IMHO, it is a horrible breed. I've seen pits chase kids up cars, climb fences to get at someone, attack a person when they were a 5 year old dog with no bite history or even an implication they were aggressive. My mother has a dog mixed with pit, and he has been known to get excitable & just turn around and attack me or my mother. He was trained, both by me and by a professional trainer before, during, and after adolescence, and was socialized extensively. He was a sweet, happy go lucky dog until he was approx 5-6 years old. No health probs whatsoever. Now he's unpredicatable - you can take the same circumstance, and one time he will remain calm, another he'll literally go on the warpath. I'm currently trying to convince my mother she needs to get rid of him, but she is too attached. Last month I had two of my intact males get in a scrap, and while I was breaking it up, he turned around and attacked my mother. Not a bite. Attacked. He's also attacked me, gone for my face, where there was no provocation or aggressive situation to get the adrenaline up.

     I don't think banning the breed is the answer though. I honestly do think that there should eb a "one bite" limit law for certain*types* of attacks, based on the severity. We have a three bite policy where I am and it's absolutely ridiculous. The worst bites are the ones that get reported, but I can assure you there are more than just three bites before the dog gets put down. I honestly think pit bull owners need to realize that their dogs can be aggressive in the right circumstances, stop trying to defend the breed but rather accept the aggressive nature. That's JMHO. Flame away ... 

 people like that are the reason why i have the quote that i do in my signature..... i'm going to put it on a t-shirt someday soon.....

I think it's very unfortunate you seem to have had such bad experiences with pit bulls, especially your mothers dog. But, on the flipside, for every out of control, aggressive, ticking time bomb of a pit there is, there are so many that AREN'T you don't hear about. Prime example, half pitbull half collie that stays at the animal shelter thrift store ere. Absolutely nothing unstable about him. Fine with strangers (mostly elderly, and owned by an older woman), kids, other dogs, etc. all coming into what he must consider his turf since he is there all the time. I love to give this dog a hug every time I see him, I've seen people lean down and put their face in his. No aggression at all.I don't know about your area, but where I live there is a MASSIVE amount of APBTs. I mean massive. Almost all of the ads on craigslist are people rehoming pitbulls, the shelters are flooded with them. Labs and pitbulls are by far the most common two breeds I see. The overwhelming majority of these dogs of course did not come from a good kennel. I see so many that are from "oops" litters and from very ignorant people who decided to let their poorly bred pits have puppies. The ones taken in as stray, I assume, probably are from the same or similar breeding. Why else would they have no collar/chip? When you're dealing with an overload of a very powerful breed of dog, unfortunately there is going to be some problems. Also, look at the owners of SOME pits. (Obviously your mother, some members of this forum, etc. are not the people I am talking about) A lot of truly unsavory people are drawn to owning them because of the image they think it gives them. They are going to instill nothing but aggression in the dog, or at the very least, not be firm, positive, and consistent with the dog. Every dog needs discipline, but a dog who is able to possibly kill (physically) needs a lot of devotion, and a lot of time. I don't think this is a breed for the casual owner. I will agree the breed could use some refining, most breeds could. But I do NOT think the breed is horrible overall. I think the majority of dogs are stable, obedient pets when placed in the right environment. Yes, I have been afraid of some of the pit bulls I have met. I have befriended many more. I do understand where you and likeminded people are coming from, and I'm glad you don't support BSL. Personally I have seen too many stable, friendly, tolerant APBTs and APBT mixes, most of which have come from poor "breeders" or found stray or abandon, to think they are a bad breed in general. Yes, there are some that are downright vicious, but again, I think that's pretty much bound to happen to a breed that has so much stacked against them.

It is not the breed, it is the people.  I am not at all in favor of breed ban legislation.  I am however in favor of the one bite rule, even if it would be my dog and break my heart.  There has to be a swift and serious reaction to dog bites or all dog ownership will be in jepody, potentially in my life time (and remember I am one of the old broads).  Its not about the breed, its about the deed.  Lobby your local government to be far more aggressive in funding animal control and pick up of ANY loose dog.  Impound any reported bite.  I dont mind hearings and restrictions based on the current laws of most communities.  They dont need to be changed, just enforced.  Adding another unfunded mandate will do NOTHING to address the problem.  If this type of legislation was effective, dont you think there would be a change in DWI occurances?

mrv

It is not the breed, it is the people.

 

That's what I say...I don't believe any dog should have a 3 bite rule either, especially since after the first bite I'm sure the owners won't do much to help change the dogs issues and the dog will just go out and do it again.

I do not like people that a certain way about pitbulls. One of my favorite breeds, I think they are gorgeous and one day I am going to rescue one. When I have more time, a bigger yard, etc. and can properly care for one. Where I work I come across pits all the time, I cut some of their nails (which makes some people cringe). I love them, none of them are aggressive and are as sweet as can be. I never fear of being bitten by one, actually it never crosses my mind until a co-worker mentions it. Now, you bring those little yappy dogs in, those are the ones that will bite and bite hard! 

Sheba bit once.  Should she be dead?

It was at the time that I was living in a neighbors yard in the RV so that I could finish my degree. Sheba was either in whelp with Shadow or had just had him.  My friend had a drunk hanger on.  This guy was fine when he was sober but meaner than a rattle snake after the first drink.  I had gone out to turn the water on to fill my fresh water tank and Sheba was with me, on lead.  DrunkO was on the porch.  I warned him that Sheba was out.....he kept coming off the porch.  She barked, he kept coming, and when he staggered and fell into me and knocked me down, Sheba bite him.  Didn't draw blood, but by golly she left a nasty bruise.  She didn't like him from the get go.  He didn't like her and was a drunk.

When I had to call the police on him another night I told them about the bite to explain his behavior THAT night, and why he'd been screaming and beating on the RV, and they said that under the circumstances, they wouldn't have even written it up. 

So, she's bitten.  Once.  Under extreme circumstances.  Should she die.

 

jennyx0023

I don't believe any dog should have a 3 bite rule either, especially since after the first bite I'm sure the owners won't do much to help change the dogs issues and the dog will just go out and do it again.

 

 

Really? Emma has a bite record. She bit my coworker, in the face, very seriously. There were several surgeries needed to mend her nose, and I'm sure she still doesn't look the same (I haven't seen her, she was about to be transferred to another store). It was NOT my fault, and I have done a LOT to prevent it from happening, again.  A LOT.

 

It was under crazy circumstances, and the "dog trainer" got in Emma's face. Emma had had a very severe allergic reaction, and was coming off of Prednisone. I was terrified that Animal Control was going to take my dog. It will never happen again. Emma owns a basket muzzle, now, as I know Sheba does. I am more proactive than I've ever been. If she ever has to be on steroids, again, I'll know she's a LOT touchier. I've worked more hours than you can count on socializing her and getting comfortable with strangers touching her, since she bit that woman.

 

You really think my dog should be dead? You think I haven't done anything to keep her from biting? Seriously? 

 

Yes, Sheba does own a basket muzzle and she wears it anytime she's going to be around large numbers of people or anyplace that I know will be stressful for her, such as the vet.  MOST of my crew I can take to really busy places, but Sheba, even with the muzzle isn't going to be put in a situation that makes her so uncomfortable.  Have I worked endless hours desensitizing her to strangers?  Of course I have.  But, bottom line is that she is NOT comfortable in certain situations still and I see no reason to stress her.  She doesn't HAVE to go to the Festivals to have a full and happy life.  None of them do.  I choose to protect her from situations that I know will stress her, and continue to expose her to situations and people that are on a smaller scale.

An at large dog, who bites, is one that falls under the one bite rule in my mind.  I have no problem with there being a hearing to determine under what conditions a person may be allowed to keep a dog.  But a dog at large,  that MAY be a different story (reference Hound Music's posts)

This is why I don't talk online to people and get into discussions, I never am able to get what I want to say straight and leave out words that make what I want to say come out completely wrong. No your dogs shouldn't die...I shouldve said some owners, and not put all dogs that bite into the same category. The people that have these aggressive dogs, the ones that bite, the people that don't care and don't train, the dogs that aren't watched, roam the neighborhood and bite and the owners do nothing about it, those are the ones.  

one-bite-your-dead seems a little over the top; maybe one-severe-mauling-and-your-dead, but not one bite. Any dog will bite people under certain circumstances, and most dogs will happily chase and attack prey animals. It's dogs who bite PEOPLE repeatedly under many circumstances that are the problem.

Well, she sure wasn't at large.  She was leashed, right beside me, and defending ONE of us from the drunken jerk.  I don't think she would have done more than bark if he hadn't touched and knocked me down when he stumbled.  And, I have no clue who she was actually defending, but with Mom down, she might have felt that she needed to protect herself since I clearly couldn't do it from the ground.

The problem with hearings is that they tend to get a bit political.....and people CAN cause issues for folks that really don't deserve to have issues.  Such as the woman who would play her dog barking CD on her outside speakers and then call AC because the dogs in the neighborhood responded by, gee, barking.  She was a business owner and had the ear of the sherriff, who is the ACO's boss, so........she made trouble for any neighbor that had a dog.  She didn't like dogs and didn't want them in HER neighborhood.

So if the ACO has gone to a home repeatedly for nuisance calls, it's possible that those could count against the dog even though someone else caused the dogs to bark repeatedly and then if something does happen, the ACO could be biased against that particular dog or owner because of someone elses manipulations.  Stranger things have happened.....

 i think the rule should apply to the severity of the bite..... is it a nip or a rip/slash? or a puncture? each bite is a symbol of just how pissed off that dog is at the moment.... dont you think? even little dogs can leave this calling card.

 

i am just astounded that people live every day for HOW MANY MILLIONS of years with dogs and the majority STILL think a wagging tail means the dog is happy. WHY havent people learned to read them better? are humans THAT stupid and oblivious??

i probably dont want to know the answer to that...