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Just knew the headline of this thread was going to be sarcastic
Pitbulls should not be allowed as domestic pets, PERIOD. Like tigers and alligators, they have it in their genetics to be dangerously aggressive (they were bred to kill and maim, and this genetic predisposition does not simply disappear into thin air), and they have the bodily strength and jaw structures to be able to deliver serious and/or fatal damage when they do attack. Pitbulls have a unique attack style -- when they bite and latch on, they will not let go until either themselves or their victim dies. Other dog breeds have a much less harmful attack style -- they bite and then let go, and are capable of being intimidated into passive submission (unlike Pitbulls that ignore everything like baseball bats and pipes lashed upon them). This is precisely why, although Pitbulls make up a minority of domestic dogs in the USA (~7%), they are responsible for a disproportionate amount of serious maimings and/or fatal attacks on humans and other pet animals (upwards of ~85%). Clearly, this is no accidental coincidence. All *sorts* of people -- from irresponsible, thuggy trash to upstanding, responsible folks -- own a variety of dog breeds, but time and again, it is ONLY Pitbulls which have consistently clocked in a disproportionate share of fatal attacks.
The Pitbull apologists who argue that Pitbull attacks aren't influenced by genetics are clearly, for lack of a better word, stupid. They're willfully ignorant, and likely didn't pass their grade 9 Biology classes.
Seriously -- "prevent the deed; regulate the breed"!
all of my dogs have killed.... raccoons, mice, moles, possums, chipmunks.....
they are:
1. Australian Cattle Dog mix
2.Lab x Boxer x GSD x Rottweiler
3. Jack Russel Terrier x Beagle
4. Min Pin
5. Pomeranian x Chihuahua
Dogs, including pit bulls, kill by grabbing their victim by the neck or whatever else they can grab on to, and shaking their heads violently back and forth .... pit bulls do not "latch" on any more than any other breed....
and fwiw.... that 11 lb pom x chi is probably the meanest, most animal aggressive dog I have ever had, whether my own or a foster......
you wanna see a dog ignore something?? get a hound, like driller's dogs, or even my beagle mix girl on a scent.... the rest of the world DISAPPEARS for them....
I get so tired of people who only barely scratch the surface of knowledge and claim to be experts......
Marlowe's post above is probably the best I have seen on the subject.....
I am not a pit bull fan at all, but I do believe that an animal is a product of their environment. I have seen them a meek as babies and I have see bad ones that have been "trained" to fight or for security purposes. This can be done with almost any dog, I have seen vicious wiener dogs and chihuahuas. I had a couple of aunts that completely had me in fear each time I had to go visit with mom. Hey I was around 4 or 5 years old and refused to get off the couch or leave the room the adults were in. Those dogs made this little "heathen" a meek little boy......
all of my dogs have killed.... raccoons, mice, moles, possums, chipmunks.....
they are:
1. Australian Cattle Dog mix
2.Lab x Boxer x GSD x Rottweiler
3. Jack Russel Terrier x Beagle
4. Min Pin
5. Pomeranian x Chihuahua
Dogs, including pit bulls, kill by grabbing their victim by the neck or whatever else they can grab on to, and shaking their heads violently back and forth .... pit bulls do not "latch" on any more than any other breed....
and fwiw.... that 11 lb pom x chi is probably the meanest, most animal aggressive dog I have ever had, whether my own or a foster......
you wanna see a dog ignore something?? get a hound, like driller's dogs, or even my beagle mix girl on a scent.... the rest of the world DISAPPEARS for them....
I get so tired of people who only barely scratch the surface of knowledge and claim to be experts......
Marlowe's post above is probably the best I have seen on the subject.....
Have you ever seen a Pit Bull actually attack a human? (Or any other animal?) They certainly DO "latch on" -- they have a tendency to not let go even after being repeatedly shot or beaten on the head with baseball bats. When Pit Bulls latch onto their victim, they do not let go until either themselves or their victim dies.
Yes, other dog breeds can also exhibit high levels of tunnel-vision when they're immersed in an activity; and yes, other dog breeds can also exhibit high levels of aggression, but how many of these other dog breeds are capable of killing and/or seriously maiming someone? An aggressive Chihuahua may be an annoying ankle-biter, but it's not going to rip your arm off.
Indeed, why is it ONLY Pit Bulls that are responsible for a disproportionate amount of fatal/serious maulings? Care to explain that?
I think when one is being charged at by 2 of them off lease and I know what they look like and you realize within seconds, these dogs will reach you, your spouse, your child and your two older dogs that are on leashes, you'll get to see just how much you want to compare them to a Pomeranian. We were walking in a new neighborhood when two were rushing toward us. They repeatedly attempted to get to the throats of my dogs. I had a stun gun called a "knuckle blaster" and was able to get close enough to them to distract them each time they reached a throat. I realize how lucky we were that these were younger dogs because if fully mature adults, I feel they would have surely been able to kill our dogs despite my best efforts. The family were in the yard yelling at one another asking who left the pen open. Luckily a young girl actually came to the street and the dogs ran back to the yard. Each time I released the stun gun, I had to wonder if I would be bitten. My dogs were never aggressive for one moment. Am I to be thrilled that they usually only attack other dogs? I knew what they were and I saw the attitude that they had as they approached. They were beautiful dogs. In our city, they are allowed and if you go out and drive around for 15 minutes in our smaller town, I'm betting you'll see 3 or 4 and also note that dog bites listed in the police reports are 5 to 6 per month - a town of about 25,000 people. I had talked with the police department and he had said "Well, some of those are reports of dogs being bitten by other dogs." Should that make me feel any better? It didn't. I would say for every 10 dogs I see, dogs in general, probably 2 to 3 are being properly cared for: fed, exercised and housed properly. Animals have a very low priority and to get something done is almost impossible. ***Houses around the property where we had the "issue" went on the market so I am guessing we were not the only one that had an issue. Either these were pups for market or they had to get rid of them as you can hear only one dog bark in the backyard. Like so many breeds, the dogs have become a "fad" that will hopefully diminish, not become extinct, but lessened. If you have lived in a town where illegal drugs are openly sold, you'll note them tied in the yard to discourage "interlopers". I think this does a good job in clarifying: Types of Pitbulls - Do you know the difference?
It's a little like an airplane crash. Much safer than driving, but who has any second thoughts about driving a car, and yet phobias to flying are fairly comon place.
The point? It is highly unlikely that reason will prevail in such an emotional charged scenario/story.
I feel bad for the kid and the kids family. No one should be torn up by a dog (of any breed), but thank heavens it is an extremely, extremely rare event!
Using your reasoning, you might as well argue that since yearly homicides are rarer than yearly car crash fatalities, the significance of homicide is undermined, and thus we shouldn't worry about homicide. This clearly shouldn't be the case; absolute comparison of unrelated phenomena is quite irrelevant. It's about what we can reasonably *prevent*. If banning Pit Bulls will procure a reduced dog-attack fatality rate, then we should pursue this endeavor, no matter how little or great the number of people we will be able to potentially save.
all of my dogs have killed.... raccoons, mice, moles, possums, chipmunks.....
they are:
1. Australian Cattle Dog mix
2.Lab x Boxer x GSD x Rottweiler
3. Jack Russel Terrier x Beagle
4. Min Pin
5. Pomeranian x Chihuahua
Dogs, including pit bulls, kill by grabbing their victim by the neck or whatever else they can grab on to, and shaking their heads violently back and forth .... pit bulls do not "latch" on any more than any other breed....
and fwiw.... that 11 lb pom x chi is probably the meanest, most animal aggressive dog I have ever had, whether my own or a foster......
you wanna see a dog ignore something?? get a hound, like driller's dogs, or even my beagle mix girl on a scent.... the rest of the world DISAPPEARS for them....
I get so tired of people who only barely scratch the surface of knowledge and claim to be experts......
Marlowe's post above is probably the best I have seen on the subject.....
100% in agreement!!!
Our hounds can not be called off anything.......our 50 pound hounds will jump a bear.
That is why we NEVER can turn them lose unless we mean business.........it is nothing for them to run 20 miles after prey.
BTY.....I have been in the hospital twice from being pull off the back of a pick-up......the hound did not stop on their own....hunters jumped on him.
I wonder when and how pit bulls became the aggressive dog of choice. I am 51 and actually don't remember much about them as a kid. In the 60s and 70s, it seemed like the dangerous dogs of choice were Dobermans and German Shepherds but they were specifically trained for guarding and seemed more controlled and disciplined in their aggression.
Pit Bulls seem to have little of the discipline of those other breeds.
I wonder when and how pit bulls became the aggressive dog of choice. I am 51 and actually don't remember much about them as a kid. In the 60s and 70s, it seemed like the dangerous dogs of choice were Dobermans and German Shepherds but they were specifically trained for guarding and seemed more controlled and disciplined in their aggression.
Pit Bulls seem to have little of the discipline of those other breeds.
That's why there exists the distinction between "normal" aggressive dog breeds (e.g. German Shepherds) whose aggression is controlled and disciplined, versus "abnormal" aggression (e.g. Pit Bulls) whose aggression cannot be controlled to nearly the same extent. That's why German Shepherds are used much more often by police and military forces than Pit Bulls. Pits are just too unpredictable, and as a result they pose a hazard.
"Pitbull" is nowadays a generic name assigned to a certain type of dog with certain physical characteristics, regardless of size. When the media identifies a pitbull, they are usually referring (IMO) to a certain type of dog. IE shorthaired muscular dog, usually with cropped ears, almond shaped eyes.
That being said, in response to the OP, this tragedy of the little girl being mauled and killed by this 130 lb dog, is inexcusable. It's incredibly sad and tragic that a young life was ended due to the parents having these intact animals in an intimate setting with a tiny girl who had no defense whatsoever.
Doesn't matter the breed, people are just stupid.
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