Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I had a pit bull-Black Lab mix and this breed can turn murderous in an instant.
He was a gift to my ex-wife from a neighbor @ six weeks old.
Which ones are aggressive and which individuals are not ?
I found the City of New Braunfels Dog Pound would not adopt
American Staffordshire Terriers out, for legal reasons.
And do damage- the pressure of the bite in pounds per square inch of these animals is extremely high. I don't remember the number but it has very strong jaws and is a muscular and powerful animal. I did some research on these dogs
because my boys were small at the time and knowing the reputation for
savagery of the breed, I kept a watch on the thing for a while.
I will say this about "Duke" he was the opposite of what I feared
he might be. He was in fact very protective of the boys.
Bred to inflict damage the Pit Bull is a cross between a rat terrier and a bull
dog. One breed subdues bulls and the other kills rats. It is fast and strong,
lookout. I would not want another just because of the possible liability.
He would scrap with another dog if provoked, very handily.
Quote:
Originally Posted by prim8
I'm not challenging your feelings at all. You're perfectly welcome to them. I'm guessing something happened to you or someone you know?
I know over a dozen different pit bulls and never heard of them attacking anyone or even another dog.
I'm sensitive to this kind of thing because I have an Akita and everyone always tells me how aggressive and dangerous they are too.
I've known dozens of Akita's and never heard of one harming anyone.
Sure, they bark and growl at strangers but that's what they're supposed to do. They're protecting their pack.
I would avoid carrying a stick or golf club that can cause a dog to come after you.
I would recommend what other posters mentioned the muzzle in a can or dog mace.
You're right about the stick or golf club. A nice size baseball bat will do just fine. With that in my hands I would almost beg the dog to come after me. Most will also back off when they see you pick up a rock too. Rocks is another option but the baseball bat is better cause it is effective against any dog. Speaking from experience. Baseball bat vs pit bull...Baseball bat wins.
mrsb075 -- I'm sorry your post is so misleading, I'm sure it's not intentional, but pit bull attacks do not need any, any, any provocation. Three months ago, I took my spaniel 10 feet outside my front door to relieve herself--on a leash to keep her close to me for protection due to seeing 2-3 pit bulls on the edge of my property 130 feet away. A 6-8 month old pit bull (the size of my dog) that and a pregnant female pit bull. They were charging towards us, and before I could turn and run with my dog, they were upon us. I lost consciousness momentarily and came to to find my face in the ground. I used my right arm to push myself upward and realized my left arm was flapping around loosely --it was dislocated and I was bitten. They killed my companion and I still don't have use of my arm. They were digging out from bottom of their pen. There's no logic, we did NOTHING to provoke this attack. During this 3 months, I've heard about 30 similar stories. Let's get the facts, please. I only wish I'd been armed.
That's terrible and I'm sorry for your loss and pain.
However, that could have happened with any dog breed. There are any number of reasons things like this happen and to just say it's such and such breed, they're just born that way I think is very disingenuous. I've heard of Golden Retrievers (a breed renowned for it's gentle nature) attacking "unprovoked".
It could really happen with any pet, not just ones that people consider, rightly or wrongly, inherently dangerous.
We can't even keep humans from acting like animals and killing each other, to expect animals to behave at all times, especially against their nature is unfair.
On Wed. (4/12) morning (still dark), I was walking my dogs (on leashes) in my sub-division. I saw an owner with their dog at the end of the street, and made sure I stayed on the opposite side of the street. I have a 20 lb cocker spaniel and a 18 pound miniature Schnauzer. The other collie-type dog started barking and yanking on the leash. The dog escaped its leash and came running across the street with owner following, and attacked my two little dogs. It especially went after the Schnauzer as it squealed during the encounter. The owner did manage to get the dog away and ran the dog into her house across the street.
My dogs each had puncture wounds. The Schnauzer has two staples in her wound to keep it close and they both are on anti-biotics for a week. Luckily I did not get hurt being in the middle of it and the dogs only got minor injuries. The owner has already written a check for the vet bill. The dog was current on shots and had a rabie shot.
Does this attack need to be reported? I read on the San Antonio Animal Control Services page that aggressive dogs must be reported if they attack a person. What about other dogs? This owner lives on a corner, and the dog is always trying to dig under the fence when I walk by with my dogs if this dog is out.
My little dogs must be magnets for other dogs as I have had several encounters with other dogs. This is the first time there were injuries. Do I need to carry a bat or golf club to keep other dogs away?
report it to your hoa and the city, NOW.
since the dog's owner wrote you a check, they have accepted responsibility as well, so make sure your pooch is good to go before you drop the matter.
I wouldn't trust mace to stop an aggressive dog, especially a large one. There's another solution but it is extreme; however, it can be a matter of self-defense against lethal force (32 people were killed by dogs in 2010, and 30 the year before that. Source: List of fatal dog attacks in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Cheers! M2
recently, a neighbor called 911 to report a domestic violence issue but gave the wrong address to the dispatch op. dispatch believes it is acting on good info, sends a cop to the address.
cop arrives with gun drawn based on info from neighbor and dispatch. turns out neighbor gave wrong info. cop confronts home owner, orders him to put his hands up. at this time, home owners dog charges cop while barking. cop issues order to home owner telling him to control his dog. home owner does not comply, cop shoots dog.
for some odd reason, people are up in arms about this. happened in austin this past week if im not mistaking.
Chief Acevedo Apologizes to Dog's Owner (http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/Chief-Acevedo-Apologizes-to-Dog%27s-Owner-20120417-ktbcw - broken link)
yes, its sad that the pooch had to be shot, but this could have all been prevented if the dog owner would have properly trained his dog, since word is the home owner said STOP really loud but the dog ignored him and continued to charge.
the defense is 'thats how the dog greets everyone'. im not sure what dog greets people by charging (i can understand this) and barking (i cant understand this), but i do know that had i been in the same boat and armed like the cop, the dog would have been shot as well.
Here's a similar situation but only with the roles reversed. I once walked my dog on a leash (Doberman) when a yapping middle sized dog came charging at him. My dog is basic obedience trained and I had to make a split decision on whether I let him be attacked or let him defend himself so I dropped the leash and let him defend himself. When the other dog was partially mangled I called my dog off when here come the owners of the other dog. They tried to tell me I would be responsible for the vet bill of their dog but in so many words I told them where to go. Who was right in this situation? Nothing ever came of it and they made sure their dog was restrained or in a fenced yard after that.
if their mutt instigated it, i would assume you are not at fault then, as i dont see how you could be expected to put yourself between the dogs safely.
recently, a neighbor called 911 to report a domestic violence issue but gave the wrong address to the dispatch op. dispatch believes it is acting on good info, sends a cop to the address.
cop arrives with gun drawn based on info from neighbor and dispatch. turns out neighbor gave wrong info. cop confronts home owner, orders him to put his hands up. at this time, home owners dog charges cop while barking. cop issues order to home owner telling him to control his dog. home owner does not comply, cop shoots dog.
for some odd reason, people are up in arms about this. happened in austin this past week if im not mistaking.
Chief Acevedo Apologizes to Dog's Owner (http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/news/Chief-Acevedo-Apologizes-to-Dog%27s-Owner-20120417-ktbcw - broken link)
yes, its sad that the pooch had to be shot, but this could have all been prevented if the dog owner would have properly trained his dog, since word is the home owner said STOP really loud but the dog ignored him and continued to charge.
the defense is 'thats how the dog greets everyone'. im not sure what dog greets people by charging (i can understand this) and barking (i cant understand this), but i do know that had i been in the same boat and armed like the cop, the dog would have been shot as well.
sorry for the threadjack, OP :\
How about before the nosy neighbor calls the cops, they make sure they get the address right? Also how do you expect an owner to control his dog when he has a gun in his face and has his hands up? Dogs are protectors. If a stranger is in his house, threatening his family what do you expect the dog to do? just lay there? Its a terrible situation, but its one that could have been avoided. Thats how my dog greats me every day I come home, she comes running towards me.
Response to couple of things since my arm still doesn't work right after 3 months...
prim8-- It COULD have happened? You may feel quite different when you or your loved ones get attacked. I'm wonder if you'd feel the same if you had been me and had been in your front yard with your child? Might wanna check out the bite pressure of their jaws and read all the mauling/ stories and statistics on all dog breeds and how many were from each breed. And if you rescue one of the increasing numbers of rehab'ed pbs, think about WHY they 'rehabs'.
Other comments-- I have always owned dogs, and I get that they have their own agenda...these dogs lived 300 feet away from me, so where's the line btwn 'passing a dog I don't like' and 'murderous rampage'??? And $10K is a lot of money to never recup for wages/bills due to irresponsible owners, so why don't ALL dog owners have to have insurance? And why aren't landlords responsible for renting to dog owners?
Owner of pbs that attacked us told animal control "they don't get out that much" and "am I in trouble" as my ambulance passed his house. Who is protecting me from HIM? can they put down ignorant owners?
I thought I was the unlucky victim of a random attack until I started checking out this issue. And none of the attack stories I've heard during my convalescence have even become statistics.
Be cautious of your neighbors pets, because obviously from these stories people cannot control their pets. Everyone be safe.
It could have happened with any breed. Dogs by nature are territorial animals, and they don't necessarily consider our property lines the end of their territory.
I hope me or my loved ones never do get attacked, but I guarantee you that I'm weary of every dog that comes anywhere near me or my family, not just pit bulls or whatever breed the media has decided to demonize lately.
For every pit bull attack story you read, I guarantee you there are thousands of them out there that are perfect family dogs.
Again, they are animals, with their own instincts and desires. You can't control them, you can only train them, socialize them and watch them.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lousville Slugger
