Why Every Dog Bite Attack On The News Is A Pitbull

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by mishigas73

Oh, for pete's sake. From one extreme to the other...

A little while back, I was showing a new co-worker a picture of my dog, and the first thing she said was "yeah, I see pit in him". LMAO. She's a former "pit owner", and apparently sees pit in dogs that have none in them.

Heck, I'm glad that there are pit owners out there who are responsible. I certainly do not see that in my area. From ostensibly homeless teenagers with pitties on chains in the city, to those who leave their pits outside in my area to protect their property, I don't trust people with this breed around here as far as I can throw them. Perhaps those who have an affinity for these dogs should come to areas like mine and start teaching these owners about these dogs. Frankly, I'm getting sick and tired of becoming the villian when I state that I do not trust these dogs.

And, yes, I know that these are pits.

(Bolding mine.) You make my point in post #17 - that unfortunately, pit bulls and other "bad boy" breeds are disproportionately owned by people who should not own any sort of dog.
I'm not of the opinion that people who don't trust pit bulls are "villians." The only point I try to make on threads like these is that there is nothing inherently wrong with pit bulls. Just that they are not dogs (along with quite a few other breeds) who should only be owned by responsible owners. Unfortunately, that isn't the case - and pit bulls are the ghetto dog of choice these days.

BTW, I am not a pit bull afficiando (have had Rottweilers since 1986 though) - have never owned one although I know many and have fostered some. And I've lived just outside of of Flint, Michigan, for ten years which is one of the most blighted and ghetto-ised cities in the nation and am involved in rescue, so whatever you see or experience in your city, I can probably top it. Hasn't changed my mind about the general nature of pit bulls either, although it's sure skewed my view of human nature.

Originally Posted by Everest209

I think a lot of time would be saved if the anti pit bull people would understand the pit bull lovers won't change their mind, and visa versa.

This is mostly true. Usually I stay away from discussions like these for this very reason.

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

for same reason every dog in the pound is a pit bull.

Not in Genesee county, Michigan and in many other counties here. The pound kills them on intake. Old, puppies, friendly, not friendly - they don't even waste a meal on them. They are killed and never given a chance. You'll never see a pit bull or anything vaguely resembling a bully-type dog in the county pound here.

[subject2change]

Originally Posted by chiroptera

(Bolding mine.)
Not in Genesee county, Michigan and in many other counties here. The pound kills them on intake. Old, puppies, friendly, not friendly - they don't even waste a meal on them. They are killed and never given a chance. You'll never see a pit bull or anything vaguely resembling a bully-type dog in the county pound here.

[chiroptera]

Originally Posted by subject2change

I know. It's awful.
There are quite a few rescues that will save and adopt out bully-dogs (and all the good ones temperament-test and make sure the dog is friendly, plus are stringent about who they adopt them to) but the county won't.

[mrs1885]

There are a lot of shelters like that. Others won't adopt out pittie types, will only allow them to be pulled by approved rescues. Sadly, there's just no breed rescue as full as the pitties are, so chances of them having room are pretty slim.

[Dennis P]

Here's a nice story from Cesar Millan's (Dog Whisperer) website about a woman who used to have a fear of pit bulls until she adopted one:

A Rescued Puppy Challenges Pit Bull Stereotypes | CesarsWay.com

[PacificFlights]

Originally Posted by latetotheparty

i have known a boxer with a screw loose that made it unprovoked vicious.... i have refused to enter a house because of a golden retriever that wanted to do serious injury to me..... springer spaniels and some few other breeds have been known to suffer from rage syndrome.... in the hundreds of dogs i have worked with in rescue, the only bite i have ever sustained was from a poodle mix... but cavalier king charles spaniels, mini-schnauzers and chihuahuas (all puppy mill survivors).... have all come close..... so yeah.... there can be problem dogs with any breed.... mix in how pit bulls in the wrong hands are raised and treated and there is your recipe for disaster....

BUT a pit bull that is raised and trained and socialized in an appropriate manner is a probably one of the best companion animals you could ask for....

i do not disagree that pitbuls have gotten the short stick and are blamed for things when its not the breed but the owner or their enviroment, but we should not become the wife who's husband raoped the neighbor by traying to put blame on everything but the person. thats the fault i find with pitbull owners. It seems that no matter what happened, its never the breed but everything else.

Fact is all breeds have individual dogs that are in loving caring and responsible owner homes who go postal. A Pitbul or a Pomaranian could both go cojo on us. But we have to accept that the pamoranian most likely will not be able to kill a person or seriously injure them like a pitbull. This is not due to the upbrining or loving home, its due to the size and tenacity of the pitbull. When this happens, trying to point fingers at how other breeds may be meaner, or make up some owner irresposnsibility is crazy. It was the dog and the breed combined that was the primary cause of the horror.

I know someone who raises Rotties and although they will defend rotties as family pets, they don;t try and hide the fact that these dogs have the ability when they do do crazy to inflcit severe damage on people or other aniimals. If it was due to the dogs care or home, they say it, but if it was a dog in a responsible home that went crazy, they say that as well. They dont see rotties as any more vicious than a jack russel but they will be the first to admit that if they do postal, a jack is nowhere as dangerious as a rottie. Thats why when they palce them they go though a detailed explaination that because of the size, strenght and power of the dog, you have to be much more careful to ensure they don;t get lose because they can infclict so much more damage than smaller dogs.

My vet is a firm beliver that pitbulls (and other powerful breeds) need more control because for many breeds, its the very human contact and love that keeps their nasty parts in check. So even a loving breed can get weirder faster once that contact is severed. thats why lost pitballs (and a list of others he has) raises concerns when they are lost because without that contact to keep their calmness in check, they can turn rather quickly as a defensive or scared reaction. he said thats just the way the breed is. many others are like that but because they may not be as big, powerful or focus, attacks seldom result in deaths or injuries, but a pitbull attack (for whatever reasons) is severe and thats what makes them of a concern.