Pit Bull Terriers and other dangerous breeds - are they really dangerous or is it the owner?

[8v deathsquad]

Here's my pit/boxer mix (as far I know, he's a rescue). I've had him for 5 years since he was 6 weeks old. He's the sweetest dog ever. The only time he gets "aggressive" is when homeless junkies stumble up to us speaking mostly jibberish. And by aggressive I mean he just growls a bit. Mind you he has a bit of a handicap, and probably couldn't hurt anyone even if he tried. His motor skills are all out of whack.



Don't mind the hundreds of cigarette butts. I took that video the morning after a double keg.

[STOICH]

That's one happy pup

[1Point8TDan]

Dogs are like kids, if you teach them well they will do well.

There are some extreme cases were good dogs turn bad.

Here was my old dog:



Looks friendly and everything but hated people stopping and wanting to pet him. He would usually just continue to walk if off lease but on a lease would bark (was a big time barker anyways). Not a growl though but I knew I would have to be careful with him because of his size. His personality was on the shy side. As soon I got him, I socialized him with people but he had no interest in strangers. Was very family oriented. Could not change that.

[GTiTOM]

That's one happy pup

x2. That vid made me smile.

[8v deathsquad]

That's one happy pup

He really is. He gets stoked on just about anything and LOVES when friends come over to visit. A happy pup makes a happy owner.

I wish I could say the same for that dog you hear barking in the background. He's my former neighbor's. He barked himself hoarse. It's some kind of pit mix. He pretty much spent his days tied up in the backyard without much human interaction. That's the kind of treatment that makes an aggressive dog, no matter what the breed. It's illegal now in Utah to keep a dog tied up for more than a few hours.

EDIT: Also, animal abuse is now a felony in Utah. I believe the law about keeping a dog tied up for too long falls under that category.

[Adolfsatan]

stay out off my lawn. My dogs a killer.
And to the dickless pos that wants to shoot all pits. I bet you've never even held a gun

[Hurt]

It's _ALWAYS_ the owner.

..But they are dangerous dogs. Their jaw has that locking thing.. They can cause a loooot of damage.

[eurotekms]

I blame the owners, not the breed.

Often correct, however, certain breeds are more aggressive and Pit's do fall on that side of the line.
I believe Pits get a really bad rap, sure, however they were built for a reason.

[Basscase]

I WILL SAY THIS RIGHT NOW.

The second this thread turns into a pissing match...I will lock it immediately. No name calling, no slandering, no bitching, no whining.

I shouldn't even let this go. But I'm feeling generous today.

[StayGold11]

pits are so vicious! eek

[JMillerUA6]

..But they are dangerous dogs. Their jaw has that locking thing.. They can cause a loooot of damage.

Their jaw does NOT lock, it's an urban legend. Their bite pressure per square inch is high, but IIRC German Shepards are higher.

[Hurt]

Their jaw does NOT lock, it's an urban legend. Their bite pressure per square inch is high, but IIRC German Shepards are higher.

Ahh.. Well, thanks for correcting me either way. I had a pitbull mix when I was a kid. She was a sweet dog.. but she could be a beast! She got hit by a van, knocked the license plate off.. my friend carried her home thinking she was going to die.. bleeding out of her mouth, acting like she was dieing.. We bring her to the vet and she stands right up, starts acting normal..
She only had cuts and bruises and a broken jaw. Crazy strong animal! Only problems we had with her was territory issues on HER property.. She was only okay with family entering her house. Other than that.. she was angry but she could be very nice.. (fine with other dogs and people on walks), She ate just about EVERYTHING when she was growing up (tv remotes, boxes,wood, attacked a giant bird, anything and everything..)

Thanks for correcting me.

[Mr Miyagi]

I WILL SAY THIS RIGHT NOW.

The second this thread turns into a pissing match...I will lock it immediately. No name calling, no slandering, no bitching, no whining.

I shouldn't even let this go. But I'm feeling generous today.

I don't know how to tell you this, but you're about a year late. The pissing has already occurred.

[swapped6]

My amstaff and my shepherd. my pit can play rough but even I try to hide when my shepherd gets going.

There's a beagle in there also

[Mr. Roloff]

Mine killed two kids, an elderly woman, and mauled a black man. He's the greatest.

[Basscase]

I don't know how to tell you this, but you're about a year late. The pissing has already occurred.

Oh...really? Daaaang...good looking out.

You know what I mean...so does everyone else.

[Vision33r]

I often see a pitbull with a muzzle and you can tell the owner is some kind of shady person. I do believe if a pitbull with a muzzle is out in public.

It's like a loaded handgun, I should be able to carry conceal pistol and be able to shoot and protect my family when necessary.

[boner]

our former neighbours used to have two of them. they were great friends of ours. the old one (14 when he died) was nothing but a sweetheart by the time we knew him. that said, he was the wife's while she was single and living alone. you bet your ass we heard stories of him protecting her.

the younger pit was was another sweetheart but dumb as a post and limitless energy. all she wanted to do was jump in the pool and sit on your lap. in the end though, she had to be given up as they got a puppy to replace the older pit. the puppy played too rough for the younger pit and she fought back. the wife got bit pretty badly on the arm by the pit trying to break it up.

both of these dogs were strong as hell and i think that's really the issue. it's not that they are really more prone to violence but that when they do, they are capable of ALOT of damage.

i firmly believe that's why the dregs of society are prone to own the ones that make the news. they take the ability to cause damage and instill the idea that inflicting harm is a good thing. that combination will surely cause problems.

there are no absolutes in life so i can't believe it is solely the owners or the dogs. whatever the case is, banning a breed of dog (like we have in ontario) is not the answer and just leads down a slippery slope.

BTW, our pug is by far the most violence prone dog i have ever met. a f*ckin PUG!

[Chips Ahoy!]

BTW, our pug is by far the most violence prone dog i have ever met. a f*ckin PUG!

the blurry one is my boy elvis. hes a sweetheart. but the female with the pink harness is a borderline insane psycho nut.

[GTiTOM]

I often see a pitbull with a muzzle and you can tell the owner is some kind of shady person. I do believe if a pitbull with a muzzle is out in public.

Isn't a muzzled dog a sign of a responsible owner? Someone who realizes that their dog might be reactive and takes precautionary measures when in public? I wish more dogs were muzzled.

Also, it might not be his choice. Several towns and cities have breed specific laws that require pits and "pit bull type dogs" to be muzzled in public. City of boston used to have this, and the law was enforced at the discretion of the city dog officer who could decide on the spot that your dog was a "pit bull type" and give you a $100 fine. Guy might have gotten a few of those and decided not to keep pushing his luck.

There was also a bulldog mix in my last neighborhood who bit another dog (no big deal, not a 'mauling'). The owners of the bit said that if they kept it muzzled in the neighborhood, they wouldn't sue or push for it to be euthanized. So the dog was always muzzled but wasn't a threat.

[chris@revotechnik]

Was it even definitely a muzzle? I've got a gentle leader for my lab that all the kids in the neighborhood are convinced is a muzzle. They always ask why she has the muzzle on and not the pitbull... Which pitbulls are not allowed so I very loudly correct them she is a boxer mix. Several other pits just in my row of buildings so I dont think anyone cares.

[StormChaser]

That's what I was thinking. Was it a Halti?



They are harnesses that attach the leash to the snout of the dog. Keeps them from pulling on the leash. Works great!

When Biscuit was attacked by the ex's neighbor, the sentence for the dog/owner was they had to put up a 10' privacy fence around their property and the dog had to be on a leash AND muzzled at all times when out of the house.

[GTiTOM]

whatever the case is, banning a breed of dog (like we have in ontario) is not the answer and just leads down a slippery slope.

The people that want to ban the breed just need to know which groups support and oppose BSL, and then decide which group more closely aligns to their point of view.

Groups that oppose breed specific legislation: ASPCA, Humane Society (HSUS), American Veterinary Medical Association, and the CDC

Groups that support breed specific legislation and want to ban the breed: PETA

I mean, you want to be associated with the experienced, objective, research driven, policy organizations. Or the crazies who think owning a dog is a form of slavery?

[boner]

That's what I was thinking. Was it a Halti?



They are harnesses that attach the leash to the snout of the dog. Keeps them from pulling on the leash. Works great!

When Biscuit was attacked by the ex's neighbor, the sentence for the dog/owner was they had to put up a 10' privacy fence around their property and the dog had to be on a leash AND muzzled at all times when out of the house.

this is the only way we're able to walk our Lab without her pulling arms out of sockets.... and she's 4!!! calm down already!!!! recently noticed that she had bent the ring on her collar she pulls so hard...

as far as i'm concerned, the greatest invention ever, even tho she absolutly hates it. ironically tho, whenever i'm walking around the house or yard, she's right by my knee dogs, gotta love them

[MK2*GTI*GUY]

(Hmmm.. Dont think I've posted in here yet. )

The Owner.

My Pit/mix rescue my GF and I got just over 10 years ago. Passed away after cancer came back a year and a half ago ( Did Chemo, which took care of it for a while prior to that) . Best dog ever.


We want in now.



Thanks.

[JMillerUA6]

Thanks for correcting me.

No problem man, thanks for not taking it as me being a dick..lol

[ZEBLOR]

Man no one has a Rottweiler?

Samson is our Rottie, he's about a year and a half old and over 100lbs. He's the biggest sweetheart you've ever met. Like most Rotties, he's very protective of us and our home. Once he sniffs you, you're in he'll love you forever. If you break in during the night, he'll rip your head off! We've had him almost a year now and he was on the dog euthanasia list. The story we got when we rescued him was his previous owner couldn't keep him and somehow he was put in a shelter. The were going to put him down just because he's a Rottie!

I also have a Pit/Rottie/lab/whatever mix named Stella, and she is very sweet too. Both very loyal and protective dogs. Both our dogs were rescues.

Now to the pics of the dangerous monsters!







My little baby Stella.

[GTiTOM]

Both our dogs were rescues.

Great story, but extra for them being rescues!

[Rockerchick]

Great story, but extra for them being rescues!

Definitely All 5 of my parents pups are rescues. Wouldn't have it any other way. No clue what they are either...all mutts. One though, she doesn't have the build but her face just looks pit-ish. She is the biggest love though and she cuddles with you at the drop of a hat. Tiny thing, but she does have some power to her, for sure. She's a trooper...she broke her toe while running through the yard a year ago. Not a yipe or anything. My parents only noticed because she was limping, then realized her toe wasn't quite pointing in the right direction Then a few months ago she was playing hard with another one of their dogs and ran head first into a tree at full speed. Flopped over and they thought she had seriously injured or killed herself. She got up a minute or so later and was perfectly fine 20 minutes later

[boner]

Then a few months ago she was playing hard with another one of their dogs and ran head first into a tree at full speed. Flopped over and they thought she had seriously injured or killed herself. She got up a minute or so later and was perfectly fine 20 minutes later

black lab head, solid wood coffee table. guess which one broke? didn't even pause and continued running after the pug.

they sure can block out pain when they want can't they?!

[VR6 GLX Man]

Reading this thread kinda makes me sad since I'm trying to find a home for a 1.5 yr old lab/pit mix that I can't take with me since any military housing doesen't allow them here, so if anyone in the san diego area is looking for a chocolate lab/pit pm me. I'll post in the regionals, I really don't want my dog to be put down. I hate when owners don't control the more aggressive breeds and that ruins it for others, like military housing not accepting these kind of breeds because of past ocurrences.

[GTiTOM]

I told a coworker today that I own a pit. He said "I'll never understand why people do that. It's like living with a sex offender". Errrrr, riiiiight.

[GtIVR6-RJ]

I told a coworker today that I own a pit. He said "I'll never understand why people do that. It's like living with a sex offender". Errrrr, riiiiight.

thats a new one

[GTiTOM]

thats a new one

It got weird after that

[20vtVdubb]