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As someone who spent several years working in kennels and fostering dogs, you have no idea what you are talking about. We fostered a golden retriever who had been abused, and he was quite possibly the meanest dog I've ever met. If you so much as looked at him wrong, he would lunge for you. It took more than 3 months of serious training to calm him down, and he still was a borderline basket case. When he finally did get rehomed, it was stipulated that there be no children in the home and that the new owners would have to continue with training classes for him. IMO, he should have never been rehomed at all, but the decision wasn't up to me.
I've fostered everything from yorkies to rhodesian ridgebacks, and that golden was the only one of them that I never actually trusted. Also the only dog that I seriously thought should have been euthanized for behavior issues.
Only if you were wearing open toed shoes. I did have one tear the cuff of a pair of jeans once, though. Wasn't a foster dog, it was my boss's wife's pet.
I'm just trying to understand the psychology behind wanting a pitbull so bad. Why not any other type of dog? Pitbulls only make up 6% of the dog population and yet they are responsible for over 50% of dog attacks and over 60% of dog related deaths. Studies have also shown that hospital bills are a lot higher when a pitbull is involved in the attack due to the severity of the injuries.
I know, other dogs bite, too. But statistically, you are more likely to get maimed or killed by a pitbull than all the other dog breeds combined.
I know a quite a few people that insist on having pitbulls. Got 2 next door. Why? Why don't these people want any other type of dog? Why only pitbull?
Pit Bulls to some, are just trophies. Status symbols.
Just like me, I am an athletic girl who wanted a bigger dog, (just so that I could pretend to be tough or different from everybody else) I had a NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF, and I couldn't handle her, so we didn't really bond like we were suppose to. I realized how selfish I really was, I went three years without a pet until I was 18 years old. I got a dalmatian, two mixed dogs I got from the street. They were smaller to medium size dogs.
A lot of dog owners are not suppose to be dog owners, in my opinion.
Not at all. I can't lock a gun in a safe and leave it there knowing it can do no harm. The animal, no matter how well trained has ingrained genetic factors that will show in certain behaviors. My Blue Heeler, with no direction from me, 'herds' everything from kids to chipmunks. It's what she is, it's what she does. The gun can do nothing without me.
So your logic is that because your Blue Heeler herds everything from kids to chipmuncks becuse that is a trait that has been breed into Blue Heelers over centuries then every APBT or Staffordshire terrier is inherently aggressive and going to attack a human.
That is very weak logic and based on fallacies.
1. What most of you are describing are not APBTs. They are mixed and badly bred with other bully and terrier breeds.
2. APBT's genetic factors are physical strength and agility and tenacity. They were breed specifically to be non aggressive because it was essential for human handlers to be able to handle and control their dog.
Now truthfully not all Blue Heelers herd, not all are true to their genetic factors. If your Heeler were trained properly/socialized properly it would not be herding/nipping kids and chipmunks, it would only herd what and when it is supposed to. Same holds true for APBT. A properly breed, socialized and trained APBT will only fight what and when it is supposed to. Some wouldn't attack and couldn’t even be trained to but yes if they do, its bad.
Genetics are funny and application or misapplication of those traits often require human interference.
Now I understand "statistics" will show a great majority of dog attacks are by "Pit bulls".
Shall we review facts? Not true APBTs. Misidentifications. Media hype. So really these are Pit bull type, looking dogs not APBTs.
There are roughly 4.6 million dog bites/year, ~2% of the pop. There are roughly 30 fatalities/year , 0.000009% of the pop.
I don’t deny a disproportionate number of fatalities are by bully type breeds and mixes commonly referred to as Pit Bulls. That’s <0.000006% of the population or ~18 people/year.
Now if you take your Blue Heeler with its herding instinct (which includes nipping/biting) and dominance temperament and cross breed it with a bigger more aggressive breed, again and again. Do you have a Blue Heeler? Do you have a dog that will herd or a dog that will attack? Neither, both?
What are the following dogs?
All Blue Heeler/Pit mixes.
Suppose a few of these are involved in fatal attacks and everyone says Blue Heelers are inherently aggressive dogs because some of them attack people (0.000006%). Why would anyone want a Blue Heeler when there are perfectly good breeds out there that wont kill you.
Yes I take umbrage to this mess being put on APBTs, it could happen to any breed. Lets focus on irresponsible breeding and owners. Make the people responsible for the mess they made and not obsess over the maybe 18, maybe Pit Bull type dogs that fatally attack/year. Quit what if-ing and do something about the real problem.
As far as guns, there are plenty of fatalities from "locked up" "unloaded guns". That gun may not be able to do anything with out you but it can definitely, probably, might do something in the wrong hands.
I'm just trying to understand the psychology behind wanting a pitbull so bad. Why not any other type of dog? Pitbulls only make up 6% of the dog population and yet they are responsible for over 50% of dog attacks and over 60% of dog related deaths. Studies have also shown that hospital bills are a lot higher when a pitbull is involved in the attack due to the severity of the injuries.
I know, other dogs bite, too. But statistically, you are more likely to get maimed or killed by a pitbull than all the other dog breeds combined.
I know a quite a few people that insist on having pitbulls. Got 2 next door. Why? Why don't these people want any other type of dog? Why only pitbull?
Well, the term 'pit bull' can mean different things. Many folks mis-label a 'pit-bull-looking dog' as being a pit-bull, when often times, the dog in question could very well be a boxer mix or some other combination of breeds that has a so-called pit bull look. But the only real so-called pit-bull is the American Pitbull Terrier. Too often the term 'pit bull' is used as a catch-all term used to describe any dog that looks even remotely like what most people think a pit bull looks like. Sorry for the tangent here.
Anyways, I think American Pitbull Terriers as well as Staffordshires and various ''pit bull' mixes are the best dogs going. The dogs themselves are generally healthy, sturdy, even tempered, and beautiful. Unfortunately, 'pit-Bulls' are popular with a certain low-life segment of the population, a population that cares little about providing a loving, caring, stable home environment. Many of these dogs are neglected and abused, and many are intentionally raised to be aggressive and vicious. And of course, these types of dogs routinely make headlines when they attack and injure or kill another dog or human. The bad minority gets held up as being representative of the breed as a whole, which is unfair and unrealistic. If the low-lifers traded in their pit bulls and instead started raising Rottweilers and German Shepherds and Akitas, then I bet you anything that you would see a large surge in Rottweiller and German Shepherd and Akita attacks, both on other dogs and on people. Sure, Pits can do a lot of damage if they attack; they are powerful dogs with a lot of tenacity and a high pain threshold. But that applies to many other dog breeds as well, many of which who have stronger jaws and more bite force than any pit bull. Rottweilers and Mastiffs can bite much harder.
I work with quite a few 'pit bulls' and pit mixes, and they are my favorite dogs. I recently lost my 13 1/2-year-old Labrabull (Lab/Pit mix), and she was the best dog I have ever owned.
Because most people who own pitbulls are of that gang type of personality. They want to look mean and when they train a pit to be mean, it can get very mean. Many pits are not mean. But the majority who want to train a dog to get vicious, get pitbulls.
Most people who own pit bulls? How can you accurately say that 'most' pit bull owners are gangsters? I know the point you are making, and I agree with that point -- that many pits are not mean -- but to say that 'most' pit owners are a certain type is a massive generalization.
Sgt. Tu Nguyen said the parents were in bed watching TV with their newborn son and pit bull-mix Thursday night when the mother coughed, startling the dog. Nguyen said the dog reacted by biting the baby, resulting in a traumatic injury.
Lol. This particular incident represents the entire breed, of course. And all pits are dangerous and retarder because of this incident? Wow!
Plus, none of us were at this location, so all we can do is go by the media reports, which may or may not be accurate.
An interesting breed taken over by uninteresting owners. Sorry to the good owners of pit bulls out there, but your breed was hijacked by loser white trash and gang banging wannabe's who have no business owning dogs.
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