pitbull ban (houses, buy, movies)

[miu]

Originally Posted by APBT lover

I just feel bad for you. You will never be able to enjoy the loyalty,intelligence,non stop entertainment, sweetest, and loving dog you could ever hope to own. Your loss!!!!!

I get all of that from my dogs. Pits are NOT the best dog in the world and the only breed with those traits. Treat any dog right and he will be a good loving and devoted companion.

I will NEVER own a pit bull, but I also have no interest in owning a rottie, german shephard, boxer, beagle...

I think that with the larger and potentially more aggressive breeds, the owners should be registered and those dogs made sure to have proper certified training for them. Not only that, but I would want their owners to be financially able to cover any possible damages their dogs might do. Maybe special large dog insurance.

I know that all dogs are capable of being biters. However it's less of a big deal with a small dog or a dog with a soft mouth. I'm less afraid of a pitbull's actual bite, but the main problem is that once those dogs get in the red zone, they are very difficult to break from that mood. They are quite stubborn in staying mad or holding a grudge. On the other hand, if my lab gets mad, it's takes no effort to break his concentration and get him to calm down. One example is that girl from Maynard last spring that got bitten by a visiting pitbull. He bite her arm and just wouldn't let got. The police arrived and the girl was sitting quietly in a chair with the dog clamped onto her arm. The officers pepper sprayed the dog, then shot it in the rump, then had to kill it before they could get the jaws open and the girl's arm released.

And my boyfriend has seen first hand a well raised pitbull snap and attack another dog by its throat. They were all sitting quietly by a campfire talking. No horseplay. And it took three big guys to rescue the other dog by pulling open the pitbull's mouth.

So I would prefer no pitbulls living in my neighborhood unless the dogs were well trained and well fenced in. A smaller snapping dog I can just throw a towel over and pick up. I can't deal with 85+ pounds of pure lunging muscle and big teeth.

[APBT lover]

Originally Posted by miu

I get all of that from my dogs. Pits are NOT the best dog in the world and the only breed with those traits. Treat any dog right and he will be a good loving and devoted companion.

I will NEVER own a pit bull, but I also have no interest in owning a rottie, german shephard, boxer, beagle...

I think that with the larger and potentially more aggressive breeds, the owners should be registered and those dogs made sure to have proper certified training for them. Not only that, but I would want their owners to be financially able to cover any possible damages their dogs might do. Maybe special large dog insurance.

I know that all dogs are capable of being biters. However it's less of a big deal with a small dog or a dog with a soft mouth. I'm less afraid of a pitbull's
actual bite, but the main problem is that once those dogs get in the red zone, they are very difficult to break from that mood. They are quite stubborn in staying mad or holding a grudge. On the other hand, if my lab gets mad, it's takes no effort to break his concentration and get him to calm down. One example is that girl from Maynard last spring that got bitten by a visiting pitbull. He bite her arm and just wouldn't let got. The police arrived and the girl was sitting quietly in a chair with the dog clamped onto her arm. The officers pepper sprayed the dog, then shot it in the rump, then had to kill it before they could get the jaws open and the girl's arm released.

And my boyfriend has seen first hand a well raised pitbull snap and attack another dog by its throat. They were all sitting quietly by a campfire talking. No horseplay. And it took three big guys to rescue the other dog by pulling open the pitbull's mouth.

So I would prefer no pitbulls living in my neighborhood unless the dogs were well trained and well fenced in. A smaller snapping dog I can just throw a towel over and pick up. I can't deal with 85+ pounds of pure lunging muscle and big teeth.

I totally agree that pitbulls are not for everyone. Anybody can own a lab, but it takes a differant kind of dedication and responsibility to own a pitbull. Most lab owners I know are horrible dog owners. They leave their dog in the backyard all day. They will on rare occasion take it for a walk. You can't pull that lazy crap with a pitbull. I take my pitbull on at least 2 walks a day for a minimum of 45 minuets(and he has a dog backpack on to raise the intesity of the walk). It's not enough to just take a dog to the park(like most lab owners do) and let it run, you have to walk your dog to establish dominence. I am sick of people with labs judging pitbulls. You have never owned a pitbull so your opinion is just based on what you have heard and a few bad dogs you have witnessed. I could sit hear and tell you about how many attacks on people I have seen from your beloved labs. actually I will tell one. My cousin's face was ripped off by a yellow lab, and she had to have emergency surgery to save her life, because she lost so much blood. If that was a pitbull it would have been on the front page of the news. I would never tell you that your favorite breed should be banned, just because of a few bad apples.

[miu]

At least we agree that a pitbull is not for everyone.

I just strongly disagree with your earlier post about how us non-pitbull owners are losing out on pitbull wonderfulness. That post was totally uncalled for. Instead, you shouldn't be encouraging anyone to own a pitbull until you know for sure that they would be a responsible dog owner.

It's rather like Sigfried and Roy encouraging people to have pet tigers....

In an ideal world, I'd like to see all the poorly bred and raised pitbulls taken away from their bad owners and culled. And responsible pitbull breeders working together to breed non-aggressive pitbulls plus making sure that all pitbulls are trained and owned properly. There just seems to be a lot less room for errors in bad or sloppy dog ownership with a pitbull. The wrong people should not be allowed to own these dogs.

I feel the same way about rotties and other large breeds. I think part of the pitbull bad press is that it's the ghetto dog du jour for tough guys that need a phallic extension. When I was younger, rotties seem to be more popular in the inner city.

My lab is an indoor dog and hangs out with me in the house all day as I work.

[miu]

Originally Posted by APBT lover

I just feel bad for you. You will never be able to enjoy the loyalty,intelligence,non stop entertainment, sweetest, and loving dog you could ever hope to own. Your loss!!!!!

APBT lover - I think that you do a disservice to your favorite breed of dog every time you say this. You must ALWAYS include the additional disclaimer that the pitbull must be bred well, not of aggressive stock and also properly socialized and trained. The average pitbull is currently not a good dog to recommend as most dog owners are sloppy and not diligent with training their dogs or spending quality time with them.

Heck, I warn most of my friends to stay away from getting a puppy and instead adopt an adult dog from a rescue or a shelter. I can't stand housebreaking dogs and going through the chewing stages. I adopted my lab when he was a year and a half old and he still chewed up all kinds of stuff he wasn't supposed to. And I know that labs and retrievers mellow out around the age of 5 years to become really cool and chill dogs. My Bailey is approaching perfection at 4 years of age.

[APBT lover]

Originally Posted by miu

APBT lover - I think that you do a disservice to your favorite breed of dog every time you say this. You must ALWAYS include the additional disclaimer that the pitbull must be bred well, not of aggressive stock and also properly socialized and trained. The average pitbull is currently not a good dog to recommend as most dog owners are sloppy and not diligent with training their dogs or spending quality time with them.

Heck, I warn most of my friends to stay away from getting a puppy and instead adopt an adult dog from a rescue or a shelter. I can't stand housebreaking dogs and going through the chewing stages. I adopted my lab when he was a year and a half old and he still chewed up all kinds of stuff he wasn't supposed to. And I know that labs and retrievers mellow out around the age of 5 years to become really cool and chill dogs. My Bailey is approaching perfection at 4 years of age.

You didn't completly understand what I was saying. I feel bad for dreamworksSKG, because he will never be that dog owner that accepts the challenge of being a resposible pitbull owner and reap the benefits of what a well behaved good temperment pitbull has to offer. I have also mentioned in other posts on this website that the breeding of pitbulls has everything to do with how they turn out. Before I got my beautiful blue pitbull I did alot of research on what bloodline I wanted him to be from. I got him from 808 Blue Pitbull Kennels and it costs me 2,000 dollars. He comes from a Gotti and Razors Edge bloodline, and that bloodline has proven to produce well tempermented pitbulls. I'm glad you see that the root of the problem is irresponsible backyard breeding.When it comes to a pitbull you pay for what you get. I just hope you walk your lab at least twice a day and don't keep him inside all day.

[miu]

Originally Posted by APBT lover

You didn't completly understand what I was saying. I feel bad for dreamworksSKG, because he will never be that dog owner that accepts the challenge of being a resposible pitbull owner and reap the benefits of what a well behaved good temperment pitbull has to offer. I have also mentioned in other posts on this website that the breeding of pitbulls has everything to do with how they turn out. Before I got my beautiful blue pitbull I did alot of research on what bloodline I wanted him to be from. I got him from 808 Blue Pitbull Kennels and it costs me 2,000 dollars. He comes from a Gotti and Razors Edge bloodline, and that bloodline has proven to produce well tempermented pitbulls. I'm glad you see that the root of the problem is irresponsible backyard breeding.When it comes to a pitbull you pay for what you get. I just hope you walk your lab at least twice a day and don't keep him inside all day.

And I disagree with what I bolded. I don't want that challenge either nor do I want to pay $2000 for a pitbull or any dog. Not only do I not want to own a dog that requires that much work and responsibility... but why buy a dog when thousands languish in shelters or are just put to sleep when no one wants them. What is the point of a $2000 dog that has the potential to be so dangerous if not trained properly?

When I choose a dog, I just want a warm furry ball of love to keep me company. I've had a pug and several older rescue dogs. I make sure to pick a dog that is easy to own. Pitbulls are not an easy dog to own. Belgian Malinois are the same way.

So again, do NOT promote the ownership of pitbulls. You should instead be dissuading people from getting one unless you are absolutely certain that they can own a pitbull responsibly. And reach out to ALL pitbull owners, including the irresponsible ones, to make sure that each is trained properly. If the ALL the pitbull owners can pull together, and you have to include the bad owners, then the non pitbull owners will accept your breed better. DON'T blame the non pit owners for being distrustful of your breed because it's not our fault, it's the bad pit owners' fault. You should be going after them.

And even though I love my Sigfried and Roy pet tiger analogy, I also feel that owning a pitbull is like buying a handgun. Not everyone is skilled or qualified to own one. Owning a handgun is not for me and I would also prefer that none of my neighbors own one. A handgun or pitbull in the wrong hands is BAD news.

[miu]

Basically, my question for all the rabid pitbull fans is what are you going to do about the bad pitbulls on our streets? All I hear is your concern for banning all pitbulls. But as a non pitbull person, what is your solution for solving bad pitbull ownership? If you can't self regulate yourselves, then there should be laws to protect the rest of us until it can be figured out how to only have well trained and well bred pitbulls or other large aggressive dogs in the hands of the public.

As an owner of a two family house, I would never allow a tenant to own a pitbull or other large aggressive breed dog on my property. I don't need that extra liability. If a pitbull or other dog attacks a person, that person or person's family is going to come after me for damages because I have equity tied up in my property. And the chances are, my tenant isn't going to be worth suing.

Which is why pitbull (and other large breeds) owners should have a mandatory separate insurance policy for their dog ownership. Sort of like car insurance, but for a dog. Pitbull ownership needs to be regulated.

[smarty]

I love dogs... as much as chickens, pigs and cows...

[APBT lover]

Originally Posted by miu

Basically, my question for all the rabid pitbull fans is what are you going to do about the bad pitbulls on our streets? All I hear is your concern for banning all pitbulls. But as a non pitbull person, what is your solution for solving bad pitbull ownership? If you can't self regulate yourselves, then there should be laws to protect the rest of us until it can be figured out how to only have well trained and well bred pitbulls or other large aggressive dogs in the hands of the public.

As an owner of a two family house, I would never allow a tenant to own a pitbull or other large aggressive breed dog on my property. I don't need that extra liability. If a pitbull or other dog attacks a person, that person or person's family is going to come after me for damages because I have equity tied up in my property. And the chances are, my tenant isn't going to be worth suing.

Which is why pitbull (and other large breeds) owners should have a mandatory separate insurance policy for their dog ownership. Sort of like car insurance, but for a dog. Pitbull ownership needs to be regulated.

I'm glad you love saving dogs from shelters. I think for certain people that is awesome and they should continue to do it. In my case I don't trust dogs in shelters and I don't want to put my dogs, that I have raised from puppies, in danger. In my opinion it's not worth it. I want to be able to socialize and train a dog from the beginning. To answer your other question I think all aggresive pitbulls should be put to sleep. It's just to much of a liability to have these dogs alive and I know that sounds harsh but it is the only way. I know people are going to respond with their one example of how a pitbull was rescued and changed for the better, but in all reality the statistics show these dogs should be put to sleep. I think to own a pitbull you should be a home owner, so you can be held responsible for anything your dog does. I also agree that pitbulls arn't for everybody, and I just love this breed so much that I forget most people should not own this breed. Your never going to stop bad owners from having these dogs, just like your never going to stop bad people from owning guns as long as there legal.

[miu]

APBT lover - I think that actually we agree more than disagree on the subject of bad pitbull behaviour. Maybe there needs to be formed an association of people devoted to the breeding of non-aggressive pitbull breeds and additionally having them well socialized and trained. Maybe those dogs could wear a special distinctive collar and be id chipped or tattooed also. And ideally, those who want a pitbull would only buy one from a member of this association. Maybe the members could also get discounted liability insurance rates.

I remember friends with dachshunds. They had two from a favorite breeder. They would pick out the puppy they wanted, but not take it home until the breeder had housebroken and obedience trained it. And I thought what they did make great sense.