Pitbull Terrier and family members (pitbulls, labs, bite, aggressive)
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.
Was trying to look online for more information about families adopting pitbull terriers since yesterday I got bitten in the upper chest area by my sister's female Pitbull Terrier that she adopted two weeks ago from a caring place somewhat similar to a humane society.
I am really fearing for my sister's life and her kids life also. When my brother in law presented me the dog for the first time(named Star) just 1 year old, she started to bark at me and growl, mind you that I am just 5'7, and i don't have a deep voice. I never even made any weird expressions or anything to have this happen to me and i just remained calm the whole time .. So i just left for a lil bit with sister and family to get lunch and I decided to not put fear and come back to the house and greet the dog again and thats when as I got up to get the charger for my phone, she just jumped up and bit me real hard and left a very bad open cut that i had to immediately go to the Emergency at a Express Clinic so i wouldn't get an infection.. It brought some divided opinions on what to do with the dog since I personally do no trust her at all... I love dogs so much and I have came across many breeds before perhaps not too close to a Pitbull much but I did grow up with 2 labs and 2 mixed breed medium size dogs. I fear for my nephews who are 7 and 5 years old and my little niece who is just 2 years old and so far the dog gets along very well with the children. But after what happened to me since I understand it was my first time meeting her but I still fear for their lives because of an unexpected behavior from the Dog which to my understandings I know there is negative information about this breed and I have always came across that it depends on how you raise the dog.
I just fear that this dog is very unpredictable and even this attack was only against me and nobody else I still am very worried that anything wrong can happen..
My sister and her husband are deciding to take Star to a Special Off Leash Training with specialist but I am still not 100% convinced that this will work. I really wouldn't want to be around the dog even after the training only because I don't want to go thru that min trauma of getting bitten again and i fear anything worse that could've happen.
Do you think she should go work this out with the dog and keeping it home after it attacked me? Whether it was me or anyone else i am very worried about this.
Was the dog attacking you a one off event or does the dog get aggressive whenever some one comes over.? Personally with all the media coverage this dog breed has developed a bad reputation for aggressive behaviour, erring on the side of caution i wouldnt own one especially if young children were a big part of its daily life and if any dog of mine attacked some one for no apparent reason it would be sent to the adoption center immediately..
A lot of things happen before a bite, much of it people do not notice. The subtle signs of staring at the dog too long who doesn't know you or trust you yet can intimidate her. The sudden movements of strangers (again, you are new to her) if she is already a fearful dog may have pushed her to lash out or she was startled. Very rarely do dogs bite people with the intention to harm. I don't know enough of what happened before the bite to determine if she is truly a danger. A certified dog trainer or behaviorist who have worked with aggressive dogs can confirm that. A dog that wants to do harm will harm. You would need more than a few stitches for that.
What it sounds to me based on the info you posted, you are still shaken up from the incident. Fear can alter your perception of things and difficult to differentiate a good dog from a bad one. Talk to your sister about your fears without assuming that her dog may be dangerous. Ask her to have someone evaluate the dog to confirm your fears.
A lot of things happen before a bite, much of it people do not notice. The subtle signs of staring at the dog too long who doesn't know you or trust you yet can intimidate her. The sudden movements of strangers (again, you are new to her) if she is already a fearful dog may have pushed her to lash out or she was startled. Very rarely do dogs bite people with the intention to harm. I don't know enough of what happened before the bite to determine if she is truly a danger. A certified dog trainer or behaviorist who have worked with aggressive dogs can confirm that. A dog that wants to do harm will harm. You would need more than a few stitches for that.
What it sounds to me based on the info you posted, you are still shaken up from the incident. Fear can alter your perception of things and difficult to differentiate a good dog from a bad one. Talk to your sister about your fears without assuming that her dog may be dangerous. Ask her to have someone evaluate the dog to confirm your fears.
^^this.
And the fact that this dog is a pit bull is irrelevant.
It is a dog that has now bitten, and bitten your chest, not your arm or hand (which IMO is very significant). It does not matter what you did really if the dog does not have bite inhibition. Ignoring a stressed dog is the best bet, and you probably tried to greet her, which could have been just enough to set her off (still.... in a home with children NOT acceptable).
There are children in the house, who may have friends over that the dog might not take a liking to. I would not
have wanted my children to visit a house that had a dog with a bite history.
Once a dog has known to have bitten, means it IS likely to bite again. That needs to be addressed by a "Certified dog trainer", not someone from a big box petstore.
What it sounds to me based on the info you posted, you are still shaken up from the incident. Fear can alter your perception of things and difficult to differentiate a good dog from a bad one. Talk to your sister about your fears without assuming that her dog may be dangerous. Ask her to have someone evaluate the dog to confirm your fears.
Sorry, but a dog that growled at and bit a visitor who was welcomed into a home is dangerous. If I had adopted that dog it would be going straight back, no exceptions. A dog that showed any aggression towards any person would never be welcome living in my home with my children.
A lot of things happen before a bite, much of it people do not notice. The subtle signs of staring at the dog too long who doesn't know you or trust you yet can intimidate her. The sudden movements of strangers (again, you are new to her) if she is already a fearful dog may have pushed her to lash out or she was startled. Very rarely do dogs bite people with the intention to harm. I don't know enough of what happened before the bite to determine if she is truly a danger. A certified dog trainer or behaviorist who have worked with aggressive dogs can confirm that. A dog that wants to do harm will harm. You would need more than a few stitches for that.
What it sounds to me based on the info you posted, you are still shaken up from the incident. Fear can alter your perception of things and difficult to differentiate a good dog from a bad one. Talk to your sister about your fears without assuming that her dog may be dangerous. Ask her to have someone evaluate the dog to confirm your fears.
When a dog loses it inhibition to bite it will bite again. No excuses, imo this dog is a hazard and should be returned to the rescuers where they need to evaluate if it should be allowed to be adopted.
There are too many decent dogs that need a loving home to assume this liability.
OP, you should also report this bite and the bills should be covered by your Sister's home owners ins.
I would put the dog down. Not return it if the rescue would attempt to place it in another home. There are some dogs that are just not fit to be out in public. Thousands of good dogs die every year for no sin except that there are not enough homes available. Why take up a good home with this sociopath dog instead of saving one of the very good dogs.
Any dog that bites that hard is dangerous and any dog who can not tolerate normal human behavior (whether or not a guest in the house stares too long). This was an invited guest who had been there before and it sounds like the bite was unprovoked.
A mentally healthy dog does not start out biting that hard and with no warning, even with a provoked bite, and it should take a lot to provoke a dog to bite.
(put me down on the list with the people who say that the dog's breed has nothing to do with it. This dog has something wrong with his mental wiring.)
Your sister has only had the dog two weeks, and it's already bitten somebody badly.
Being that she has children, if I were her, I would return the dog just for that reason.
The children have to come first.
The dog may be great with HER children, but what happens one day when they have friends over that aren't familiar with dogs?
She needs to return the dog, even though the dog will very likely be put down (and should be put down).
I say all this being the owner of a pitt/lab mix myself.
They're not all bad, but some have been bred to fight and prey, and who knows what this dog's life was like prior to now.
Last edited by TheotherMarie; 08-09-2016 at 09:51 AM..
Reason: typo
Just like any other living being a dog can be innately evil. Debating if it was nature, nurture or both is a subject for another day. Rehab / mitigation is possible but as many have noted, there are perfectly normal dogs wanting homes and this flawed individual should not take up space others may benefit from. Harsh I admit, but the greater good takes precedence here.
There has been some good advice given here. I work with large dogs including pitbulls and there are some facts to be aware of:
The "pitbull breed" (a diverse group) is not inherently bad. Most are, in fact, very good and will not bite people.
All dogs have "personalities". They vary widely just like people.
Many abandoned, surrendered, and later adopted dogs suffer anxiety from the trauma of losing their original "pack".
Many dogs have male aversion. They may be sweet with women but a man shows up and the teeth come out.
A trustworthy dog may threaten and bump a person with their mouth, but an actual bite is an important sign. The dog has lost any bite inhibition it may have had and it will bite again given the right conditions.
To give you more specific guidance I would have to see a video of the whole event and watch the body language of both you and the dog, if I could not be there, and I wasn't.
Better than a trainer, many of which are really quite bad frankly, find instead a dog behaviorist who will evaluate the dog.
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.
