Young family from the central valley California moving to Portland Oregon (to rent, home)

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by becomingsoil

3. I've pretty much get the vibe any bully breed scares people ****less up there and I understand they have a bad wrap sheet. It's all on how you the owner raises/trains them.

I like Pit Bulls. But I don't trust them around my dog. It is NOT all about how the owner trains and raises them. Genetics are powerful. I trained my border collie not to chase cyclists but she would always glance at them out of the corner of her eye and want to. I could never say she wouldn't, I needed to always keep her on leash around cyclists, skateboarders,etc. And although I broke her from herding dogs at the park and biting them in the butt there were a few times where she did it anyway when I wasn't paying attention because the desire to herd/control was too strong.

PART of it is how your raise/train, but genetics will always be there and pits have been bred irresponsibly for years--you do NOT always know what you're getting. My roommate had an absolutely wonderful pit bull we lived with and one day, after two years, she turned on the other dog in the house and almost ripped her throat out. I could not break up the attack. Two neighbors had to come help. This dog was great for two years but when she lost it it was BAD. It was completely unexpected.

Many attacks are because people truly believe it's how your raise them. It's not and you need to be on guard at all times because you have a powerful dog that can do major damage. I think the breed are great with people but they were bred to be aggressive to animals. You can't breed it out of them in a few generations.

[Yankeemama]

[quote=oldtintype;37030545]I like Pit Bulls. But I don't trust them around my dog. It is NOT all about how the owner trains and raises them. Genetics are powerful. I trained my border collie not to chase cyclists but she would always glance at them out of the corner of her eye and want to. I could never say she wouldn't, I needed to always keep her on leash around cyclists, skateboarders,etc. And although I broke her from herding dogs at the park and biting them in the butt there were a few times where she did it anyway when I wasn't paying attention because the desire to herd/control was too strong.

PART of it is how your raise/train, but genetics will always be there and pits have been bred irresponsibly for years--you do NOT always know what you're getting. My roommate had an absolutely wonderful pit bull we lived with and one day, after two years, she turned on the other dog in the house and almost ripped her throat out. I could not break up the attack. Two neighbors had to come help. This dog was great for two years but when she lost it it was BAD. It was completely unexpected.

Many attacks are because people truly believe it's how your raise them. It's not and you need to be on guard at all times because you have a powerful dog that can do major damage. I think the breed are great with people but they were bred to be aggressive to animals. You can't breed it out of them in a few generations.[/QUOTE

This is well written and I am glad you wrote this since I have a fear of pit bulls and it's not paranoia but I just think they are too unpredictable. Thanks for writing this. I hope the other dog did ok.

[becomingsoil]

All animals have possible aggression issues. No matter the breed or size. I came here with just a few questions about Portland, none as focused on as much as my dog being a danger and unlikely to find a rental accepting of him.
Lucky me, there is a community in Portland in support of my favorite breed and making sure they dont become separated from their families and automatically coined as a predator.

Though I don't agree with most of the views people have on this post, thanks for the info.

[oldtintype]

Originally Posted by becomingsoil

All animals have possible aggression issues. No matter the breed or size. I came here with just a few questions about Portland, none as focused on as much as my dog being a danger and unlikely to find a rental accepting of him.
Lucky me, there is a community in Portland in support of my favorite breed and making sure they dont become separated from their families and automatically coined as a predator.

Though I don't agree with most of the views people have on this post, thanks for the info.

Yes, they do but you have a special responsibility when you own a powerful breed, including not taking a "it's all about how your raise them" attitude. As I said, I like pit bulls and would never want to see someone separated from their pet. The SF SPCA had a program when I lived there where they decided to start calling them St Francis Terriers, do heavy screening and temp testing of all dogs (only the best of the best passed) and even more thorough investigation on anyone who wanted to adopt them. They wanted to prove it was all about the owner and training. The program ended after multiple dog attacks (cats, police horse, other dogs at parks) because people became complacent since they were temp tested and thoroughly vetted by the SPCA, owned by great people, etc. You will likely never hear anyone from there saying "it's all about how you raise them" again. I'm sure your dog is nice but he's young and saying it's all about how you raise them leads to a false sense of security. Many people believing that let their guard down and act shocked when something happens. My point was to just never get complacent in believing that. Because things can change in a heartbeat, as in our situation. It's not that all dogs can't bite or attack, there's just a difference with a power breed. Additional responsibility around other animals at all times. You can't breed the prey drive out of a prey driven breed. Even the police departments have trouble with their dogs killing cats at times when they're searching for suspects off leash and encounter one because prey drive is strong, even in very well trained dogs.

Terrierman's Daily Dose: What the Hell is the Saint Francis Terrier?

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by gray horse

Looks like a racket to me
Online Emotional Support Animal Approval & Prescriptions


I remember someone on this board was going to this so they could fly their dog for free when they relocated...interesting concept. According to the website, since I sometimes have stress in my job and insomnia, my dog would qualify...sweet!

My niece does this - she's healthy as a horse. Infuriates the hell out of me.

[meme1972]

Just a FYI under FHA laws a landlord can deny a service animal If it would cause the landlord to lose or have his insurance rates raised

[Metlakatla]

I would be much more likely to rent to a pit bull owner who acknowledges that genetics play a part in the behavior of this breed than someone who signs the "it's all about how your raise them" song. It really isn't the case. Accept the added responsibility if you want to have one of these dogs.

[AndyAMG]

Since it's a "service animal" you can do whatever you want in tenant friendly oregon. Just make sure you don't tell the landlord about the pit bull ahead of time, they may "accidentally" delete your information. Just make sure you get far enough into the process before you strong arm the landlord into accepting your bully breed "service animal."

//www.city-data.com/forum/orego...nant-laws.html

[patches403]

Portland likely has a lot more dog friendly rental options than many places in the USA as Oregon seems to be more dog friendly. What will likely give you a lot more trouble than the dog is finding a property with a yard in your budget (as you mention you're a young family I'm assuming you don't have a big housing budget). Since you used to live in Oregon, you likely already know this, but Oregon is an expensive state and Portland especially is an expensive metro area for housing.

[Ms_Christina]

Anyway!, For child activities. You have the zoo, children's museum, OMSI. A good resource is PDX Kids Calendar, the most comprehensive list of Things To Do in Portland with Kids. | Metro Parent Magazine and PDXkids.org. They list day to day activities for the kiddos. Also look into your local MOMS Club (momsclub.org) and if you are Christian, MOPS.org.