The BS you deal with when owning a Pit Bull!!

[kimmie99]

You reminded me of the dachshunds that neighbors of my grandparents had - they were perfectly fine in the house when their owners were there but they had a tendency to follow you out when you were leaving and snap at your heels if the owners didn't accompany you down to the gate.

We had Schnauzers that were like that. They'd let ANYONE in the house ...just don't leave w/o an escort!

 

[animallover]

Tiger so sorry your going through this with you idiot neighbor. I went through the same situation a few years back with a neighbor for years so I know where you are coming from. I suggest you contact a lawyer and ask them to send him a letter to stop harassing you or legal charges will be brought against him. Also ask the Humane Societ or agency that is visiting your house to please give you some documentation to prove no violations where found and then take him to court. If you can get some friends or fellow neighbors to go with you and for you ask for a peace order or restraining order to keep him away from you and to stop harassing you. Good luck! As a last resort I moved as my problem neighbor finally poisoned one of my dogs. And my dogs were in a yard with a 10 ft wood privacy fence only to go to the bathroom and otherwise they were in the house. I always stayed with them in the yard when they were out. He put poison in my yard at night and when I let them out at dark my little one got into it and it killed him in 2 days with vet unable to save him and almost $2000 later. I moved! Good luck and Judas is adorable he looks like a real baby doll. It isn't bad breeds, its bad owners who make bad dogs!

 

[Bokkapooh]

I wasnt trying to say chihuahua kill children or anyone. But them and other small breeds are most likely to bite. Thats just what the show said.

Sorry if I offended anyone?

 

[kimmie99]

Our Pit was attacked by my brother in laws Shephard. She did NOT like Max and tore a chunk out of him and scratched his lower eye lid! Max is such a lover boy and doesn't even bother our cats (except to sniff their butts on occasion)


Sorry to hear what they did to your dog Ron ..that's beyond cruel!

 

[roxynoodle]

Ron, very sorry to hear that. People like you and I keep our dogs safely constrained to our own properties and supervise them and are not letting our dogs run loose or bother anyone. Yet I have neighbors whose known biting dogs think it's ok to let them run loose and attack neighbors on their own properties.

My aunt had a miniature poodle when I was a kid. Several times her dog got under the fence and into a neighbor's yard and went after their German Shepard. Of course the poodle sustained horrific injuries each time. I remember several members of my family being outraged, but whose fault was it? The GSD was in it's own yard and was not starting the fights. IMO this was my aunt's fault for not supervising her dog

Some breeds do have certain characteristics. You may not be able to train the dog out it's natural born instincts. However as the owner YOU are responsible if you don't insure the safety of others and of your dog. Vana is never going to be loving and affectionate with all people. But, as her owner I will take every precaution to keep her on my property, supervised and to ensure the safety of guests.

 

[blueyez49423]

I totally agree with everything you said about your dog being a reflection of you, the care and training you give. I also believe they are an extremely loyal and loving breed!!! Any breed can be led astray!! I love bully breeds and sadly I love in a province that has ignorantly decided they are dangerous and deserve to die. So I foster them instead of actually owning, the rescue I foster for takes them out of shelters so they will not be euthanized and finds them good home outside Ontario
Please give Judas a big hug for me - he is beautiful and obviously well loved!!

I agree completely. It's like what Brigid said there are no bad dogs, only bad owners!

 

[Debbie]

Beautiful boy...I have no problem with Pits as long as they are not chained up and are trained and loved by their owners, and are not left to run around loose. Years ago when my kids were young we also owned one of the "bad" breeds a Chow Chow. She was a sweet and gentle girl, and was a wonderful dog with the kids. We could not have asked for a better dog. Then we were hearing that some insurance companies would not insure you if you "owned" one of the bad breeds. Lucky for us our insurance company was ok with her. I would have moved before giving her up, she was to much a part of our family. Out of all of the dogs we have had, if we could have kept one dog forever it would have been her.

 

[Hrtofau2]

Yes, I've had 3 Dals and they rank high on the list of biters. And it's true many of the small breeds bite as well. Small dogs have generally not been bred for temperament.

The difference is that Pits lead by far in maulings and deaths. The 30 year study from 1982-2012 had Pits and Pit mixes responsible for 59% of attacks that caused a death. That is significant! Rotts were second at 20% and all other breeds made up the remainder. So while I know not all dogs of a breed should be categorized as "bad" or "dangerous", I do think as the owner of a large dog one must bear in mind that under the right circumstances your dog could hurt someone and be vigilant. Remember children often get attacked because of how they behave around a dog. They run up to it, they may hit or kick it or pull it's ears. So those of us who own certain breeds are obligated to not only protect people from what may be their own stupid actions, but to protect our dogs as well so we aren't forced to euthanize them.

I have repeatedly said that if Small dogs where held to the same temperament standards as large dogs, there would be no small dogs.

The cutesy little 3lb chi snarling and growling over a toy is "Soo cute! Awww look she thinks shes a big dog!" isnt so cute when its 80lbs of snarling fur.....It plain and simple wouldnt be tolerated ~ by owners or society....

Small dog bites are not reported nearly as often as large dog bites. (Often times because its not "bad".) I have many friends who are vets/vet techs and have been doing the work for longer then I have been alive. Every single last one of them will tell you. They dont trust small breeds ~ give them a big dog any day...some of the worst bites they have had have come from small breeds who are ill tempered and just nasty. They have to muzzle small dogs WAY more then they do big ones!!

 

[FreeByrd]

Ron, I'm so so sorry about your dog.... My sister's dogs had that happen. They were on a couple of acres in the country and unfortunately the white german shepard was a barker. They let the dogs out during the day in a fenced in area while they went to work. The neighbor poisoned both dogs and they came home to find them both dead. The non-barker was a gorgeous, loving Australian blue merle shepard that was my favorite dog that ever lived. I was heart broken.... People suck.

I've only ever been bit by a St. Bernard. No one knew why he got me, as I was there with his owners (my friends) and he had met me before and had never shown any aggression. He didn't that day either... but chomped a big piece out of me and had me scared of dogs for awhile after that.

I am still leery of unknown dogs and watch how I approach them, and I have to admit to being scared of Pitts too... And I didn't really even like their looks. Until recently. We live in Memphis and there are LOTS of Pitts (and other dogs) running loose. The Humane Society and shelters are full of Pitts and Pitt mixes. And yet still they keep on breeding them and offering them up for sale on Craigslist over and over again. So many unloved dogs.... I guess fighting them is common here too, as is keeping them on big chains in backyards in big dirt patches with plastic barrels to live in. Makes me mad.

But anyways, two years ago I started carrying dog food in my car as I had noticed so many starving dogs out and about and it was killing me to see them so skinny and helpless.... So I feed them when I can and when I come across them... however I had never had the opportunity to actually touch one. Until a few months ago. A young Pitt came up to me in the yard when I was working in my garden and knocked me over by bumping his big ol' head into my butt. Then proceeded to slobber all over my face and shirt while I laughed and petted him. His fur was SO SOFT!!! That was a huge surprise as I thought Pitts looked rough and wirey kinda coated. But he was soft and his huge head was perfect to pat and he let me play with his huge floppy ears (they weren't chopped like you commonly see....) and I fell in love. I sat there getting doggie love until (unfortunately) we were interrupted by his owner.......... who came looking for him. He was all worried I was upset to be approached by his dog.... but I WAS upset: at HIM for letting that awesome dog run loose with no collar and no tags! He swore he was getting them and would keep track of "Booger." I haven't seen him since..... but I'd like to. (The dog... not the guy)

That is my sole encounter with a Pitt and it helped change my feelings. Especially since the other neighbor's Yorkie is a terror....

 

[shel]

Never owned a pit but know many. All of which are love sponges.

I do think that there is the occasional dog, could be any breed or mix, that can just be off its rocker and therefore dangerous, but I have also met a few cats and rabbits that were crazy as well. And more than a few humans. I'd guess that in any given species there is a small percent that is truly mentally ill and dangerous due to some sort of chemical malfunction in the brain or due to abnormalities in brain structure.

That said, I agree with all of you that BSL's are really dumb and it's in how they are raised and treated. I had a great Dane who loved adults but hated small children and I have no doubt he picked that up from me. My tolerance and patience with anyone under the age of 10 or 12 is almost nonexistent. There is a reason I never had kids! The Irish Wolfhound I had was just the opposite and LOVED kids. Who knows why they were so different when raised by the same person and in the same manner?

Either way, the size of the dogs made people either terrified or fascinated. Very little in between. I was told that the Mastiff mix I have now is good with kids but have no idea if this is true as I try hard to avoid them. Outside he's scared of everything but anyone who comes in takes the chance of being bitten. Part of it is knowing your dog and constantly working on the behavior you want and replacing the indefatigable behavior.

I love pit bulls and believe that it's mostly in how they are raised. If only they were a little bit bigger....say 175 pounds or so....lol.

 

[Love My Zons]

I agree completely. It's like what Brigid said there are no bad dogs, only bad owners!

I am going to counter this reply in the fact that most dogs are very good but there are some of some of the breed who just snap and can maul and kill even seeming to be the greatest pet. Most dogs are good, most breeds are good. It is the tenacity of some of the breeds that People either cannot control and basically have no reason to own them. I have read stories and stories of People who have been killed by their own dogs without reason. I am appauled when I do read that a child or infant is mauled to death and 9 out of ten times it is always a pitbull.

 

[dexterbirdie]

I'm sorry you had to deal with this. I'm sorry anyone has to deal with this. I LOVE dogs. I love pibbles. Nasty people make nasty dogs. Plain and simple. It really pisses me off when people say most dog bites come from pits/amstaffs/bully breeds. I've worked with many many many dogs training, boarding, grooming, fostering, bottle feeding, you name it. I've done it. I have NEVER been bitten by a large dog. NOT ONE TIME. I have, however been bitten by small dogs COUNTLESS TIMES. I have scars from many years of working with small dogs, trying to make them less aggressive to people/groomers/strangers/other dogs/food. "Oh, but its a tiny bite!" "It's too cute to be mad at!" No. Not okay. Who's fault is it that this small dog is the way they are? THE OWNERS. They never taught their dogs boundries because it's CUTE. A large dog can pull your arm off if not taught NOT to pull. They are shown what is good behavior and what is not acceptable. Tiny dogs just pull and pull and you can hold them back with your finger on the end of the leash.

I hate BSL, I hate people who hate bully breeds. Most have never even MET one in person. They just see whats on the news and make assumptions on the ENTIRE BREED or breeds like them. It really is a sore spot for me. They are kind, caring, gentle dogs when they are treated right. And most people do treat them the way they should be treated.

Thank you for loving your dog and making him an exceptional example of what a dog should be.

Now I want to smoosh his big ol' face and give him cookies and hugs and rub his belly.

 

[Tiger]

Megan I must say that your pack looks so cute!! Love the look!!

 

[Tiger]

All are beautiful!! Its sad that in todays world we have to defend these breeds!! But if you love these breeds and know them well enough then you can show that these BSL's laws are crap!!

 

[Tiger]

Audrey you are once again showing what a responsible owner is about!! You know your dog and its behaviors. You take the extra needed precautions that you know is needed. Keep working with your dog and you will slowly begin to see things change. It takes time and love. You got this!! xoxo

 

[Tiger]

Sonja I must say what a handsome man you have there!! He is so cute!! Love the being under the covers!! I dream of the day when I can begin and start a rescue for these bully breeds! Ty for all your work on teaching and saving these breeds!!

 

[Tiger]

There are plenty of other breeds that are listed as top biters from Dalmations to Cockers. I believe the bad bad rap that you often get with the pits are the maulings where kids and babies are killed. I cringe each time I read or hear on the news of a mauling with a child. I am a total dog lover and respect the pits and the People who love them but myself would not own one. I honestly love herders and herder mixes and they are just the challenge breed for me. I am sorry that you are under scrutiny of someone who is just tossing you into a category.

Claire may I ask you if you have ever had any personal experience with a pit bull? Most don't know that most o the dog bite stories you read or hear about on the news 90% are assumed to be a pit bull Most of the time it turns out to be mixed reed dog.

 

[Tiger]

Ty Kim or coming out as a pit owner who understands the bs we deal with every day!! It comes down to who is a responsible owner and who isn't!!

 

[roxynoodle]

BTW, I have also had a Pit mix So I realize that some of my posts may have sounded anti-Pit, and I do think the owners of these dogs need to be aware that they can have a propensity for severe aggression, I do not agree with outlawing a breed. I would not mind seeing legislation that is more stringent requiring people to keep their dogs on their own property and to have them safely restrained in public.

 

[Tiger]

I am appauled when I do read that a child or infant is mauled to death and 9 out of ten times it is always a pitbull.

Claire I am stunned that you believe this!! Once again this is a classic case of misinformation on the breed. I am deeply saddened by this. I will continue to fight and support this breed because I am more then familiar with this breeds behavior and their training needs and exercise and playtime rules.