why would you want to have a pitbull? (shepherd, poodle, chihuahuas)

[Mom2Five]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

why? considering all the stats about potential harm they could do to other dogs and humans, why would you want one. arent you afraid of lawsuits or harm coming to a loved one? just curious as to why you'd want to take such a risk.

Keep in mind the "stats" are not 100% accurate. What's not taken into account are all the various factors as to WHY a dog - any dog - will bite or attack as well as incorrect breed identification of the attacking dog (my big pet peeve).

I trust my dogs implicitly. They have been trained and socialized properly. They are cared for with much love. ANY dog can cause harm. The fault does not lie with the dog, it lies with the owner of the dog.They are the ones that should bear the responsibility for not properly raising their dog, for not knowing their dog well enough to recognize any "warning signs", for not knowing the breed well enough to know what are proper socialization activities for an adult pit.

You can't lump all pit bull dogs or all pit bull dog owners into one category any more than you can lump all of any race/ethnicity/religion/etc. into one category. Bias is bias whether it's towards a dog or a human, IMO.

I have several dogs, which includes 2 pit mixes and small dogs. My two pit mixes are hands down the friendliest of my dogs. They are ones that will greet a perfect stranger will wags and kisses whereas the small ones will do nothing but bark at you and take a loooong time to warm up to you no matter how many times you've been at my house. So, I am not risking any harm towards my family or friends by owning pit bulls. As far as lawsuits, my dogs are never, ever outside unsupervised. So the chances of something happening that I would legitimately face a lawsuit over are slim to none.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

why? considering all the stats about potential harm they could do to other dogs and humans, why would you want one. arent you afraid of lawsuits or harm coming to a loved one? just curious as to why you'd want to take such a risk.

somebody with nothin to lose would want one.
or somebody so kind hearted they take em in
so that wont be gased.

[adrenaline2]

while the "pits" i have been around have been wonderful, friendly animals. I would not have one, simply because of their ability to do massive harm and I dont trust them around my children. Many people love them and thats great for them. just not for me.

[nicolepsy]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

I have to laugh at this as it was a Chihuahua that took off my friend's father thumb! My friend's father was a veterinarian at the time so not like he didn't know his way about animals

Getting back to your original question--- any dog can bite at any time; Poodles, Chihuahuas, Labs, GSDs, Border Collies.... any! Not that I haven't had fun with the Chis that board at work, but if it were down to a choice between a Chi pup or a pit breed, I'd go pit.

If you're happy with having your Chihuahua, then we're happy for you and that your dog has a forever home

BUT BECAUSE OF THE POWER OF THE PITBULL BITE (VS THE CHI) ARENT YOU MORE LIKELY TO LOSE YOUR HEAD INSTEAD OF A MEASLEY THUMB? this is my question: why have a dog that is so powerful and so hard to control when needed? why?

[nicolepsy]

Originally Posted by BrianH

If a Chihuahua is a big enough dog in stature and responsibility for you and fits your lifestyle thats good for you. I personally dont like the breed.

Youre obviously scared of 'pitbulls' as you said. You really you cannot clear your mind and make a clear good judgement on the breed.

I can trust my dog 100%. Does that mean I am going to leave him alone with my kids for hours. No. I am responsible owner who loves his family and pets enough to keep an eye on both to make sure they play nice. This should be done with ANY breed.

Pitbulls are not much more likely to "freak out in a deadly way" Read previous posts here about temprement and history on the breed. Either taht or wait for Pitbullmommie to post the links

Dogs as I said, of any breed dont generally snap. People fail to realise that if you do have a good family dog, and treat it right, it can still wake up in a bad mood from time to time. Its up to you to recognise that and deal with it.

what about genetics? what about the dog's lineage? even if you have trained and raised your dog properly don't you worry that there could be some deep down hidden trait in your pitbulls that you just havent witnessed yet? a trait that he/she received from his relatives? of course this could be said about any breed but because of the power of the pittbull it seems more frightening to me.

[AnyDayNow]

Nicolepsy, stop yelling and go back to read previous threads. Do a search on dog bite and you will see an analysis of dog jaw power.

A "measley" thumb? Obviously that wasn't your thumb that someone lost!

I don't know why you keep referring to yellow eyes. My girl and boy both have beautiful brown eyes, deep, soulful brown eyes that show me their souls. They are sweethearts who have never done anything to deserve people's disdain, fear, or anything else. In fact, everyone who has ever met them has loved them.

These dogs have taught me a great deal about prejudice being ignorance. Am I afraid of them? No! If I were afraid of them, they would not be in my house! They love children and have tolerated more pokes and pulls than I would tolerate myself. They love me unconditionally and want nothing more than to be by my side or on me.

I have had a chihuahua. I loved that dog, but she was a neurotic PITA. Yap yap yap yap. My ex thought he was getting a prize when he got her in the divorce--ha! She bit more people in 2 years than my two "scary" dogs ever have in their combined 10 years of living. (They have not bitten anyone.)

No one is going to convince you of how great our dogs are, but you asked the question. Do a search of the forum and read some of our posts about our dogs (who happen to be a certain breed) and why we love them.

Profiling in any form is prejudice. Just pray you are never on the wrong end of it.

[AnyDayNow]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

what about genetics? what about the dog's lineage? even if you have trained and raised your dog properly don't you worry that there could be some deep down hidden trait in your pitbulls that you just havent witnessed yet? a trait that he/she received from his relatives? of course this could be said about any breed but because of the power of the pittbull it seems more frightening to me.

Sheesh, read some of the posts on this very subject recently on this forum and you will read our responses. Pit bulls actually used to be the most popular dog breed around the early 1900s. They were known for their loving loyalty. It is thugs who have abused the breed for their ability to tolerate pain and their tenacity who have turned their reputation into one for fighting, and of course that makes for more exciting (depending on your definition) news reports.

What about children? If a dog could inherit some evil lineage or "deep down hidden trait", then so could a child. Ted Bundy's family--should they be exterminated because of his bad acts? Jeffrey Dahmer's family--should they be exterminated, too? How far out should the extermination go?

What is sad to me is that you equate physical domination with safety. Because a dog is little, that means it is a safe pet? An untrained or out-of-control pet is not any better just because it's little. In fact, I have found that quite a few little dogs tend to overcompensate for their lack of size by their quickness to bark and/or bite. Of course, my pittie is a whopping 40 lbs, so I'm not sure where you would draw the line at "small." She's definitely bigger than a chi.

To each their own. Just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it is wrong. It just means it isn't for you.

[soozin]

My first introduction to a pit bull was a neighbors dog that would not allow me to collect my mail. This same dog killed pet rabbits and other pets in the neighborhood and little was done about it until it killed a tiny poodle.

The dog ran loose and had no supervision much less companionship. Others I met after that were trained to be mean, in fact the owners were mean.

Then one day I adopted a Boston Terrier, or at least that is what I was told. But as it grew it began to look suspicously like a pit. I could not give her up at that point, so it was train her or worry about her interaction with others.

I was once ignorant about chihuahua's, I thought they all yapped and bite. Until one day I was handed one the size of a rat and fell in love. Now I have two rescued tiny chihuahuas because they aren't what I assumed at all. I think it's just that people spoil them when they are so tiny, and they get possesive and obnoxious.

Here is a picture of two of my fourlegged kids. One a blue eyed pit mix and a small chihuahua. You would have more to fear from the malfunctioning lazy boy they are sitting on then either of these precious animals.

[citybythebay]

Awwww, soozin, your dogs are beautiful!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I have to laugh at the "yellow eyes" comment from above..haha...

Anyone see "yellow eyes" on my baby??? No? I didn't think so...LOL

Oh, and in case any alarmists are wondering what's on her face?
She likes Mom's Chilli....
I get a kick out of threads like this!

[AnyDayNow]

Originally Posted by soozin

You would have more to fear from the malfunctioning lazy boy they are sitting on then either of these precious animals.

ROFLMAO! Great pic, too!

And cbtb, I am soo glad you mentioned the chili. I could just imagine some tard thinking, "OMG, it's got blood on its face!" Vicious baby, there--yeah, vicious gas after that chili! Beautiful girl!

P.S.--I really like your tile floor, too.