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I agree with that. When you "read" your dog, you have a rapport with it, and mutual understanding "who is the boss." ( I am talking particularly about big, *serious* breeds - like German Shepherds, Dobermans and the likes.) And in all honesty, when it comes to these kind of dogs, I would never ever considered having couple of them, because this breaks "one on one" relations, and brings different dynamics into relations, where there is a bond and a "pack mentality" that appears between these dogs. I wouldn't be ready for that; it would be too much for me to handle. ( But then, again, it may be just me, and I am not a man.)
When it comes to pit bulls however -... I'd have a problem adopting ANY big dog from rescue shelter ( just because I don't know what it has been put through, what other people did to it/how it has been raised - with other words yet again that very "predictability factor.")
For example the friends that I spent this Christmas with, adopted recently a rescue dog, after their old one died. I could already see how much that dog has been damaged, ( which brings yet again this "unpredictability factor," - the way he reacts to people,) and how much *guessing* it takes, to figure out what calms him down or brings aggression in him. The fact that it was a pit bull mix most likely, didn't help a bit, but purebred pit bull from shelter?
No way, as far as I am concerned. I would avoid staying in the same room with such dog, while I was still willing to work with that friend's one, when they were not sure how to introduce him to the room full of strangers.
Take note - such *serious* breeds as Dobbies, Rottweilers and ditto- German shepherds are well.. German.
Yet obviously Germans see the difference between these breeds AND Pitbulls. The reason I bet is this very "predictability" factor, that makes pitbulls the loose cannons, defying the "established patterns," known to dog owners and breeders alike.
Good points. I am even leery of pit mixes. As far as your friend's dog goes, if it's fearful it can have issues that are hard if not impossible to break. Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer has stated many times that it is easier to train a "red zone" aggressive dog than a fearful one. Btw, I am a female myself and just wanted to note with multiple dogs, which you are correct, will adopt pack mentality, if you can train the Alpha the rest will fall in line as a rule.
Your statement I bolded; I think you nailed it with that. The most shocking thing about the statistics and comments in this thread is the fact that Pit Bulls can attack their owners. Even aggressive dogs don't do this. I owned one that I couldn't let out of my sight for this reason but he would NEVER bite me.
I have been around abused dogs, even starved dogs and they just don't turn on their owners and maul them. This is a Pit Bull thing. There is a reason phrases like "Man's Best Friend" and "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" are so well known. Turning on the owner that raised it is beyond disturbing and can't be excused. As other posters have said, it's almost like they have to be treated as a non domesticated animal.
All I can say is, I was involved in dog rescue for years but draw the line with Pit Bulls. People can say whatever, but as I just posted I can't trust a dog that can turn on it's owner. That should be every sane person's line in the sand, so to speak.
There have been I think 6 pit bull related deaths in Dec. 2017 so far. Those are only the ones I have stumbled across on the news. Not sure if this is the right place to post such a thread but it bears awareness.
Can someone please link me to an article with how many people are killed annually by Golden Retrievers or other breeds? I'm curious about the comparison.
Logan Bratz, 6, was killed and his friend Syrai Sanders, 5, was seriously injured by two pit bulls on January 18, 2017 as they walked to school with their mothers in Atlanta, Georgia. (Beth Clifton collage)
Valentin Herrera, 76, of Los Angeles, California, was killed by two pit bulls on February 2, 2017 while trying unsuccessfully to protect his own small dog, who was also killed.
James E. Bennett, 79, of Palm Coast, Florida, died of a heart attack on February 22, 2017, three days after he and his wife Sandra were both hospitalized after unsuccessfully trying to protect Gidget, their seven-year-old Yorkie, from an unprovoked attack by a pit bull who broke his leash to kill the much smaller dog.
Christian Dallett, 53, of Brooklyn, New York, suffered fatal head injuries when apparently pulled down a flight of stairs while walking a pit bull and a Queensland heeler.
Jamie Owsley, 21, of Quincy, Illinois, was on February 26, 2017 killed by one of three pit bulls belonging to his roommate and cousin Kerry Talburt II.
Jase Fohs, 8 months,was fatally mauled by a pit bull on March 23, 2017 at his home in Lusby, Maryland.
Cecille Short & the dogs who killed her. (Beth Clifton)
Cecile Short, 82, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was killed by two pit bulls owned by neighbor Antwon Demetris Burks, 31, who was charged with manslaughter.
Maurice Brown, 60, of Dayton, Ohio, was on April 25, 2017 killed by a pit bull outside his home.
Lisa Green, 32, was killed by her own adopted pit bull on April 27, 2017 in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania.
Maurice Brown
James Derle Patterson, 63, of Dadeville, Alabama, died on May 7, 2017 from a heart attack after apparently being knocked off a small gasoline-powered scooter and being mauled by two or more pit bulls.
Kamiko Dao Tsuda-Saelee, 6 months old, was killed in her home on May 8, 2017 by her family’s pit bull.
Susannah Jean Murray, 3 weeks old,was killed by her mother’s pit bull in her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on May 28, 2017.
Margaret M. Colvin, 90, was killed on June 1, 2017 at her home in Virginia Beach, Virginia, by a pit bull named Blue with undisclosed previous attack history in both New York City and locally. Margaret M. Colvin’s daughter Linda Patterson had adopted Blue from Forever Home Rescue & Rehabilitation just six hours earlier.
Richard L. Colvin, Margaret M. Colvin, daughter Linda Colvin Patterson, & some of the many dogs they had over the years.
Shirley Wright, 89, of Toledo, Ohio, died on June 8, 2017 from injuries inflicted by a pit bull on May 6, 2017.
Vinson Tucker, 79, was killed on July 11, 2017 by four dogs, including at least one pit bull, while visiting a scrap yard in Whitely, Kentucky.
Melissa Barnes, 65, was on June 24, 2017 killed in her yard in Bozeman, Montana, by a pit bull kept by her tenant Wayne Bartlett.
Michael Parks, 60, of Fostoria, Ohio, was killed on July 20, 2017 while trying to break up a fight between his own pit bull, whom he had allowed to run loose, and another pit bull who was being walked on a leash by the owner.
Jacob Charles Brooks, 4 years old, was killed by his parents’ pit bulls on July 27, 2017 at his home in Lower Valley, Texas.
Paris Adams, 20 months old, was killed by his grandmother’s pit bull on August 1, 2017 in Hartwell, Georgia.
William Gamble, 66, died at Florida Hospital Flagler on August 3, 2017, three days and five heart attacks after he was mauled by a pit bull.
Alicia Malagon, 76, was killed by her daughter & son-in-law’s pit bull on August 26, 2017 at their home in Calhoun County, Florida.
Connie Storey
Grace Walks, 41, was on August 27, 2017 killed by two pit bulls in her home in Lake Worth, Florida.
Barrett Hagans, 1 month old, was killed in his bassinet by his parents’ pit bull on September 20, 2017 at his home in Knox County, Ohio.
Connie Storey, 61, of Neshoba County, Mississippi, died on September 20, 2017 from injuries inflicted by her son’s pit bull on September 8.
Unidentified male victim apparently suffered a pit bull bite and died from a semi-simultaneous heart attack on September 21, 2017 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Kathy Sue Nichelson, 61, of Cherry Log, Georgia, was killed on September 28, 2017 by a pit bull belonging to a man named Dante Holloway, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
58 Clare Street, Lowell, Massachusetts, where Javian Candolario was killed. A pit bull appears to be behind the curtains.
Javian Candolario, 7, was on October 21, 2017 torn apart alive in a yard attached to his own home in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Sharon Lindemann, 75, was on October 30, 2017 killed by two pit bulls in her driveway in Hartman, Arkansas.
David Baber, 65, of Hamlet, North Carolina, was on November 4, 2017 killed in his own yard by two of his own dogs, at least one of which was a pit bull.
Haze Groin, 2 months old, was found dead in Hamilton County, Ohio on November 7, 2017 of respiratory failure with blood coming from his nose, after his mother said she saw the family pit bull sitting on him. “Authorities are zeroing in on sudden infant death syndrome,” Fox News reported. The weight of a dog sitting on an infant could induce or accelerate a SIDS death. (A parallel case was the January 20, 2000 death of six-month-old Jonathon Chandler, of Lancaster, Ohio, who was suffocated in his bed by a Rottweiler.)
Tracy Patterson Cornelius, 46, was killed by four pit bulls on November 29, 2017 in Guntersville, Alabama, after rushing to the aid of her friend Valeria Hinojosa, whose own pit bull the other four had attacked.
Korbin Michael Williams, 8, of Gaffney, S.C., was killed on December 2, 2017 by two pit bulls and a German shepherd.
Inset: Eric & Emily Mae Colvin.
Emily Mae Colvin, 24, was killed on December 7, 2017 in front of her home in Section, Alabama, by a neighbor’s five pit bulls.
Bill Deneke, 70, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died on December 8, 2017 of head injuries suffered when a pit bull knocked him down.
Dorothy Ford, 76, was killed in her yard by her own six-year-old pit bull in Alsip, Illinois on December 11, 2017.
Bethany Lynn Stephens, 22, a pit bull advocate, was on December 14, 2017 killed by her own two pit bulls while walking them in a wooded area near her home in Goochland, Virginia.
I find it hard to have any sympathy for attacks on owners.
I think you need to either stop lying, or add a little references to your claims, because...I did a search for one, and it was the only one, "Sharon Lindemann, 75, was on October 30, 2017 killed by two pit bulls in her driveway in Hartman, Arkansas." and in no article did I find where they stated it was two pitbulls as you claim.
With 320 million people in the US, the odds of being mauled by a pit bull aren't ridiculous, they're minute.
No kidding. I wonder what the level of outrage would be if someone started a thread about deaths caused by people who text while driving. It's a lot more of a danger to most people.
we currently have three rescue dogs, have had nine rescue dogs during our life, and fostered dozens of animals. both of us currently volunteer and have volunteered in animal shelters for decades. we've known some wonderful 'pit bulls' at the shelter; however, breeding for aggression, dog fighting, and animal abuse by unscrupulous owners are overrepresented for these 'pit bull' breeds. for these reasons, I would never trust one of these dogs in my home no matter how nice and sweet the dog appears. Just my opinion.
This whole thread seems like a debate/issue in search of a problem. The stats are so out there, I cannot believe it is a topic.
But then again, there is another thread with someone wanting to ban cords for window blinds, because like 13 kids have been killed since 1987 or some ridiculous number like that; it is not even worth discussing and making an issue out of it the numbers are so small.
But you know what is one crazy thing about a lot (not all, a lot) of dog attacks? They are by unneutered males, and the owners have a history of animal abuse.
Many pit bulls that are poorly bred end up in shelters because they refuse to fight.
Bull, the vast majority come from backyard breeders looking to make a quick buck. Fighting rings are rare and they're practically nonexistent in the western half of the U.S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome
My vet told me that the worst biters he's encountered are far and away not pit bulls.
Your vet is full of it, (misinformation). Several breeds may be more likely to bite, chihuahuas being one, but the only breeds that are more dangerous and deadly are the larger pit bull-like mastiff-type breeds. Most doge bite, then release. Pit bulls do much worse. They hang on, shake their heads, then change their grip and do the same. They're known for degloving their victims.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OrganicSmallHome
I've known chihuahuas who could take off somebody's face.
Yeah, in your dreams. Chihuahuas are big bluffers. They aren't physically capable of taking anybody's face off and they're fear biters. Pit bulls can be fear biters too, which means they will bite then release, but when they decide to go after someone or something they can be deadly.
This whole thread seems like a debate/issue in search of a problem. The stats are so out there, I cannot believe it is a topic.
But then again, there is another thread with someone wanting to ban cords for window blinds, because like 13 kids have been killed since 1987 or some ridiculous number like that; it is not even worth discussing and making an issue out of it the numbers are so small.
But you know what is one crazy thing about a lot (not all, a lot) of dog attacks? They are by unneutered males, and the owners have a history of animal abuse.
According to these people 1 in 72 get bit every year.
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I would avoid staying in the same room with such dog, while I was still willing to work with that friend's one, when they were not sure how to introduce him to the room full of strangers. 
