Pit Bulls: harmless family pets or vicious menace?

[Hagbard Celine]

I'll start by saying I don't trust Pit Bulls. I grew up with another so-called "vicious" breed, German Shepherds, and I trust them immensely but I don't trust Pit Bulls. From what I've witnessed myself, these dogs are more aggressive than other dogs in their "play" mode and they tend to start fights without warning. Not to mention all the horror stories and statistics that seem to prove my point of view. From what I can tell, these dogs are responsible for nearly three quarters of all deadly and/or maiming dog bite attacks in the US every year. They are also the only dogs to be legally banned in some US cities as well as Canadian provinces and elsewhere in the world.
That being said, I was at an employee party with my girlfriend last night and they had all their dogs dressed in cutesy Halloween costumes and running around amongst the people at the party. It's a doggie day-care sort of business. Of course the dogs were playing. But there was this pitbull I've seen before being aggressive so I had my eye on it. Naturally, it went from dog to dog, dominating them, going to put its jowels around their necks and being generally aggressive. A couple of fights broke out. I didn't care much until it went after my girlfriend's dog, which is a Boston Terrier. The pitbull could've eaten it alive so I separated them but they were both trying to get back at each other so I pushed the pitbull away with my foot and then pinned it while its owner could come over and take control. I called it a "little sh*t."
But instead of being lauded for saving the tiny dog from the vicious pitbull, everyone got mad at me for calling the dog a "little sh*t" and taking "anger" out on the dog. Gimme a break!
Where do other people stand on this? Am I taking crazy pills?

I think it's pathetic to project your emotions/sensitivities onto your pets. They aren't children. They're dogs. Plus they can't understand English. Pathetic.

[Abbey Marie]

IMO, you were handed the animal lover's version of political correctness.

And you definitely did the right thing.

[Mr. P]

I'll start by saying I don't trust Pit Bulls. I grew up with another so-called "vicious" breed, German Shepherds, and I trust them immensely but I don't trust Pit Bulls. From what I've witnessed myself, these dogs are more aggressive than other dogs in their "play" mode and they tend to start fights without warning. Not to mention all the horror stories and statistics that seem to prove my point of view. From what I can tell, these dogs are responsible for nearly three quarters of all deadly and/or maiming dog bite attacks in the US every year. They are also the only dogs to be legally banned in some US cities as well as Canadian provinces and elsewhere in the world.
That being said, I was at an employee party with my girlfriend last night and they had all their dogs dressed in cutesy Halloween costumes and running around amongst the people at the party. It's a doggie day-care sort of business. Of course the dogs were playing. But there was this pitbull I've seen before being aggressive so I had my eye on it. Naturally, it went from dog to dog, dominating them, going to put its jowels around their necks and being generally aggressive. A couple of fights broke out. I didn't care much until it went after my girlfriend's dog, which is a Boston Terrier. The pitbull could've eaten it alive so I separated them but they were both trying to get back at each other so I pushed the pitbull away with my foot and then pinned it while its owner could come over and take control. I called it a "little sh*t."
But instead of being lauded for saving the tiny dog from the vicious pitbull, everyone got mad at me for calling the dog a "little sh*t" and taking "anger" out on the dog. Gimme a break!
Where do other people stand on this? Am I taking crazy pills?

I think it's pathetic to project your emotions/sensitivities onto your pets. They aren't children. They're dogs. Plus they can't understand English. Pathetic.

I pretty much feel the same about the breed as you do.

[shattered]

Pitbulls are actually great in very docile households, and quiet settings.. They don't do so well in crowded settings with a lot of excitement, and they are very protective of what's "theirs"..

Just poor ownership, IMO. People should fully check out the types of animals they want to consider as pets, rather than just going for what's "cute", or "cool".

[dan]

You were in the right, definitely. People are so overprotective of their pets, it's disgusting. First of all, if a kid was acting like that, I'd have no problem with myself or someone else calling them a little shit. But, a dog? This goes along with the whole "I NEVER hit my dog!" argument that's just ridiculous. A dog doesn't understand English. It understands pop on the butt ='s you did something wrong. But, I also think there's a world of difference between popping a dog so he'll behave and abusing a dog.

As for pit bulls, I don't trust them, either, but that being said, I've only known one pit bull in my entire life, and it's one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known. Still, when he's playing and he comes running from across the room and dives into my lap, there's no doubt that this is an animal that could seriously tear me up without a moment's notice. So, as nice as my friend's pit bull is, I don't trust them at all.

German shepherds, on the other hand, I find to be one of the most trustworthy dogs around. I'd love to have a short-haired german shepherd someday, although my mom was attacked by a G.S. when she was a little girl, so I guess I should be more cautious with them.

[KarlMarx]

I agree, I don't trust pit bulls, either.

Which reminds me of something, when was the last time you saw someone mauled or killed by their cat? My money is on "no".

[dan]

Which reminds me of something, when was the last time you saw someone mauled or killed by their cat? My money is on "no".

Siegfried & Roy's money is on "yes"!

[glockmail]

@ Hag. The only personal experience I had with the breed was very different than you describe. I knew a guy in upstate NY who bred them. I went to visit him (he lived on a lake), parked the car, and walked over to his fence gate. I was about to open it but saw the dogs come over. Although they didn't act aggressive I figured best not to invade their area without knowledge of the owner. The guy soon came over and opened the gate for me, and introduced me to his dogs, and they were cool.

I was very impressed with their intelligence. When we were on the dock, one was about to walk by and I started to give him a knee-shove off the dock. He quickly dodged my action and went around the other side.

About a year later I called the guy and asked him if he had a pup for me to purchase. At that time he did not, but he did have a one-year old that he wanted someone to adopt. I said I was interested and we talked for about 20 minutes about my sitation; he was basically interviewing me for the adoption. He was interested in how old my kids were. They were 1 and 3 at that time and he said that work work out well because his dogs are very gentle around kids and would end up being their protector.

A few days later he drove over my house without the dog to check me out. We talked some more and when I told him I had a cat he said the deal was off. He said the dog would kill the cat right off as it was their instinct and there was nothing that could be done about that. Maybe if the dog grew up with the cat it would be fine but not a one-year-old.

[hjmick]

Helen Keller had a pitbull, though she may have thought it was a collie. LOL

When I was in high school my family lived on a ranch. We had dogs, cats and horses. Frequently we would bring home strays and sometimes those strays became a part of the family. One such animal was a female pitbull. She had appeared to have recently had a litter of puppies, but they were not to be found.

At the time, we had 4 other dogs, two German shephards, an Irish setter, and a mutt. We also had a cat. This pitbull was a wonderful addition to the mix. She was sweet and gentle and posessed a disposition that could best be described as amiable. There was never any problems with the other dogs. The cat, on the other hand, did attack the pit. The was very little reaction from the pit and the cat came out the winner in the confrontation

On the other hand...

When the neighbors two German shorthairs wandered onto our property, there was an issue. The vet bills weren't cheap.

All that being said, my opinion is that, for the most part, a dog is more a product of it's environment than it's instinct. That's not to say that instict doesn't play a part, it does, but much of that can be overcome with the proper training.

In the end, as a parent I would have never had a pitbull around my children, but then again, I wouldn't have a wolf hybrid around my kids either and I love those animals as well.

In the end, I would own a pitbull again.

[Hagbard Celine]

We talked some more and when I told him I had a cat he said the deal was off. He said the dog would kill the cat right off as it was their instinct and there was nothing that could be done about that. Maybe if the dog grew up with the cat it would be fine but not a one-year-old.

Therein lies the rub. This breed in particular has a more active kill instinct that makes it simply dangerous to have cats, smaller dogs, and children around them. They may have their uses, but I don't think they're cute or cuddly. All I see is sharp teeth and beady, black eyes and you can bet the next time one of them starts a fight in front of me or attacks a human--as they're prone to do--I'll do exactly as I did before regardless of whether or not I appear to be using "anger" against the dog.
Every story about a pitbull ends with "and the vet bills were high." You may get lucky and incorporate one of them into your family without incident, but chances are your neighbors dogs and children won't be so lucky. That's because they're vicious. They've had all of the dog's aggressive instincts and traits bred into them for the sole purpose of killing.

[glockmail]

Therein lies the rub. This breed in particular has a more active kill instinct that makes it simply dangerous to have cats, smaller dogs, and children around them. They may have their uses, but I don't think they're cute or cuddly. All I see is sharp teeth and beady, black eyes and you can bet the next time one of them starts a fight in front of me or attacks a human--as they're prone to do--I'll do exactly as I did before regardless of whether or not I appear to be using "anger" against the dog.
Every story about a pitbull ends with "and the vet bills were high." You may get lucky and incorporate one of them into your family without incident, but chances are your neighbors dogs and children won't be so lucky. That's because they're vicious. They've had all of the dog's aggressive instincts and traits bred into them for the sole purpose of killing.

These dogs were gentle around kids so that would not have been an issue.

To me the situation is simailar to my current dog, a rat terrier mix, 21#. She instictively kills furry rodents. There is nothing that I can do to change that. We've had her for 4 years and she still wants a piece of my older cat, 12#, but is scared of it. She's gentle as a lamb around my kids. The cat, however, will bite the kids, my wife and I just for the heck of it. As I've said before I'm convince the cat is hanging around waiting for me to stroke out.

[KarlMarx]

Siegfried & Roy's money is on "yes"!

har har hardee har har

I was thinking in terms of the "felis domestica" variety... as in "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"

[dan]

har har hardee har har

I was thinking in terms of the "felis domestica" variety... as in "I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"

I know, just bustin' chops.

[dan]

Helen Keller had a pitbull, though she may have thought it was a collie. LOL

Did you hear about the time the dog bit her hand? She couldn't talk for a week!I'm terrific!

[jackass]

I will start by saying I dont fully trust the breed either. There are of course, different genes in these dogs. My friend has an English pitbull (??) that is very well behave. He is twice the size of the standard pit you see in America. At first when I became friends with him I was very anxious with the kids being around the dog, but after getting to know the dog, I am very comftorable around him.
If you get the dog from a good trainer, you shouldnt have any issues. The dogs that attack humans, have been trained for generations to be nasty an ferocious dogs.