Pittbulls and other aggressive dogs/ your reactions.

YellowLioness · 03-21-2005, 02:19 PM

how do you feel about them?

Do you think they should be allowed in cities?

What do you think about people trying to breed extra-large pittbulls?

(check out this site for an example- http://dominionpits.homestead.com/ )

Faye and I have talked about them frequently. I will not speak for her, though I know her opinions, but I am of the mind that they are dangerous animals.

Truthfully, they are not bred to be pets, though breeders would tell you differently. If they wanted pets, they would breed Golden Retrievers. They want dogs to protect and fight.

Has anyone ever been around a pitty? Some I've met have been psychotic. My friend Chris's cat was eaten by two pittbulls that are now dead at a veternarian's hand.

On the other hand, Beanie used to have a dog that was a pitt/lab mix...very cool dog...even good with other animals.

Would you trust your children around them? If a Pittbull was loose in your neighborhood, would you be afraid? Would you call the Humane Society, or would you take it in your home and try to find the owner?

Would your actions be different if the dog was a German Shepard or Rottweiler or Doberman Pincser? How about a Collie, or Labrador Retriever?

Stone · 03-21-2005, 02:41 PM

I will not let my child around ANY pit bulls I think they are nuts and it scares me, I try to stay away from them as well.

My best bud has a Rotty that thinks it's a lap dog. I LOVE him but he is the only one I will put myself around as well. It depends on how you raise them My friends dog is as harmless as a kitten but if I didn't know better he would scare me

Vautrin · 03-21-2005, 02:43 PM

In the Netherlands breeding of 4 "dangerous" dogs has forbidden since a couple of years I believe. Because they, as a breed were considered too dangerous to children.

These breeds face all kinds of restrictions. I don't mind that, as murder and other extreme violence is rare compared to the US, so they cannot be realistically called guard dogs.

I know not all of the dogs of these breeds are dangerous, as dogs take on characteristics of their owners. But a lot of the dogs are dangerous.

If I remember correctly I was once bitten by a German Shepherd when I was around 8 years of age, and ever since I have been afraid of the larger dogs, or when I don't see a dog, but hear barking close to me.

It would not come as a surprise to anyone here, that I prefer cats instead, even though they can be dangerous too, especially when maltreated or when facing a very frightening and unfamiliar situation.

Duke · 03-21-2005, 06:18 PM

Pitbulls scare the crap out of me. Unlike other guard dogs such as dobermans and german shepards, they don't bark and go nuts keeping you out of the area their guarding. A pitbull won't make a peep and simply watch as you enter the area their guarding but they'll do all they can to ensure you don't make it back out. This is why so many people (mostly kids) get mangled by these horrible dogs.

Back in my seedier days, one of my criminal friends had a pit bull because he kept a lot of "stuff" in his house. This dog was the scariest dog I've ever seen. He was about the size of a German Shepard but more muscular around the shoulder and back area (not sure if that's the correct termanology). You weren't allowed to even move off of the couch unless his owner told the dog you were about to move. Should you do something that the dog wasn't ready for, he would jump right at you and pin you down. This dog had me terrified so I rarely went over to this guys house if I could avoid it.

Star · 03-21-2005, 08:56 PM

I don't like pittbulls or rotties. These 2 animals are vicious and I would never allow my children to be around. They (pittbulls) are banned here in ontario. I think that's a great thing because too many kids and people are getting hurt and/or killed by these animals.

These dogs are usually bread to attack and kill. The people who usually own these are people who deal in drugs or some criminal activity. I don't know anyone who isn't a criminal that owns these dogs.

Most owners of pittbulls will say their dog wouldn't hurt a fly and maybe he wasn't bread to attack but there is something about that breed of dog that snaps. It's got a real wild killer instinct and you can't domesticate that. That's like trying to domesticate a lion or a tiger; can't be fully done.

They don't make good pets, they're not good around children or people in general. They're only good for attacking, usually to the point of death. I would never own one and I'm very happy that they are being banned in ontario now. It's about time because everytime I see a child on the news who got mauled by one of these, it infuriates me.

Duke · 03-21-2005, 10:52 PM

I have to agree, these dogs are scary and very strong. A small child has little to no chance of surviving an attack from one of these dogs. I wish they were outlawed here as well.

Star · 03-22-2005, 05:24 AM

they just outlawed them here in ontario not too long ago. I think it's a couple of certain breeds of them. They are not to enter ontario ever again and it's now against the law to breed them. I don't remember the breeds that are banned here though.

Maybe the other provinces will follow in the future. Would be nice if they were banned from all of canada though.

Merika · 03-22-2005, 08:03 AM

The problem with some dogs are that they can be wonderful with their own family...but very agressive with people outside of the family.

On Isis' 6th birthday...I took a little friend of her's home after the party. They had a Chinese Akita. It was a beautiful dog! The girls were playing ball, he mistook one of Isis' actions as being aggressive towards the other little girl, he grabbed Isis by the arm and drug her down the road. Even the owner was having a hard time stopping the whole thing.

Luckily, she remembered to keep her face covered....but that dog ripped up her uppper dight arm she was using to protect her face. She had lots of stitches, which they don't even like to use since dog saliva causes bad infections, was very taumatized and still has raised scars on her arm.

She also has a very healthy college fund!! Homeowners insurance settles these typed of things. I didn't want to put her though a whole court situtation and felt the amount offered from the insurance company was fair enough.

I never blamed the dog or the people. It was a bad accident. They did have to get rid of the dog in order to keep their house insured.

So...if someone choses to have a more aggressive dog....be aware that you can lose your homeowners insurance due to it. AND that dog may very well kill or maul another child when you least expect it.

temi · 04-21-2005, 11:15 AM

In UK pit bull and other dangerous dogs are allowed in the cities but you have to muzzle them so that they cannot bit people. The worst they can do is to frighten you. But this law was only passed after several incidents of dogs biting people in towns and cities

Merika · 04-21-2005, 11:24 AM

The problem we have locally is that even though it's against the law....people let their dogs run around the neighborhood. It's just ANNOYING! They crap in your yard, keep your own dog barking at the window and come up whenever you go to your car. I don't care WHAT kind of dog it is.....people should keep them in their own yard or on a leash.

I agree with the muzzle part temi. It's a good idea...just in case.

Ayla · 10-28-2005, 04:20 PM

Okay, everyone is entitled to their opinions. I respect the fact that you all are scared of these dogs. I once was also.

A friend of mine had a 6 week old Pit puppy that he was going to take to the pound if he couldn't find anyone to take it. It was a gift to him and he just didn't have time for a new puppy. So against my better judgement I took this puppy.

I've never regreted this decision. This puppy, who is 3 now, is the most loving devoted friendly dog you could want. She's not aggressive in any form. She only barks at you when she wants you to pet her. I would trust a small child around her any day of the week, providing you didn't mind the child being soaked with droll from being licked. However, I would never leave a small child in the room with my 6 pound Tibeten Terrier. She'd be like 100x more likely to bite them and cause an injury.

It's absurd to punish the breed because of neglegent owners. You can make ANY dog mean and aggressive. It's because of sensationalized media stories that Pits get the short end of the stick.

Punish the owners not the breed.

Duke · 10-28-2005, 04:51 PM

I agree with punish the owners whole heartedly. I'm very glad that you have a pit bull that's docile and friedly I guess my problem is I've been way to close to one that was bread to be mean so it's left a mental scar upstairs.

Duke · 10-28-2005, 04:52 PM

I'm also wondering and this is a question for Luba, was I not bit right over the eye by a dog when I was young? For some reason I have a memory of this but I'm not sure if it's a real memory or something I dreamed up when I was a kid.

Fayebelle · 10-29-2005, 12:01 AM

animals are like children none are born bad but if cared for improperly any of them can turn some dogs are just built in a manner that can do more damage NO dog should be allowed to leave it's property w/out a leash and if you enter their terf unannounced then u take that risk

Another note w/the punish the master line= if your child is bitten on someone's property where it wasn't invited the parent should be punished It makes me sick the # of dogs destroyed b/c a child "wandered" into the dog's yard Where the hell were the child's parents?! The child should have been suppervised or at the very least told the dangers of wandering onto other people's property If a child "wandered" onto a neighbor's yard and fell in a well would the property owner be "put down" or the well destroyed? Nope but b/c an animal is involved somehow the pet is responsible Disgusting!