Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

each dog has different abilities.

ALL dogs are animals and can be trained to "attack".

a man was just mauled to death up here by two rottweilers and a WHEATON TERRIER.

that's not something you hear every day.

pitt bulls and rotties and other more aggressive dogs can more easily have their "skills" but to misuse.

but this is usually based on how they are raised. it's nurture more than nature. somewhat similar to humans.

I don't fully trust ANY dog. like I don't fully trust ANY human. we are all animals.

all capable of unspeakable savagery. and all equally capable of loving caring protective acts.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

but what is the solution?

so there are always going to be people who don't know how to train dogs...
if you contact the police and report to them that pitbulls are loose, they don't take them away from owners.
they basically tell you to call animal control. who does nothing as well.

my cousin in SI lives in a nightmare. 5 pits next door to her. owners are 2 guys who rent the house from their parents...parties all the time. dogs are wild and always out.
until someone gets bit, nothing is going to happen.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

our friends have a pit bull and she is the sweetest girl ever! She'd sooner lick you to death than hurt you.

I do feel the owner plays a huge part on the temperment of a dog. I mean if you were starved, held in a pen, and tortured would you wanna snuggle?!?

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

pit bulls are banned in Ontario...i dont really think its the breed, but those who tend to own that breed do not raise them properly and want them to be mean which in end they end up hurting people.

Message edited 1/18/2011 10:29:37 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I am crazy...I have a HUGE problem with small people walking these dogs on leashes as well.

I see some tiny women walking big dogs, barking and carrying on. that woman would not be able to hold that dog back.

a punk 15 year old kid walking a pit isn't going to be much help to me either....

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Posted by heathergirl

I firmly believe that while some breeds may have predisposed tendencies towards aggressive behavior, it falls upon the owner to properly train the dog.

I don't think I believe that dogs are aggressive just to be aggressive. I have to believe that the training of the dog plays a major role in whether a dog is aggressive or not. And I believe that the owner should absolutely be held accountable for the actions of their dog.

Dogs can't talk, they lack the understanding and comprehension of actions until they are trained otherwise.

What a tragedy

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I think it's a bit of both. With Pits...they are bred, in some instances, to be aggressive, fighting dogs. They build parts of the breed to be just like this. They also have a particular bite that makes their bite different then other dog breeds. They bite, hold and shake with a refusal to release. Can any dog do this...sure but these dogs have more of a history of being bred to do just that.

But, you know what, at the end of the day...you know if your dog is aggressive. I think that owner should be held responsible.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I think that everyone, dog fan or not, has known a dog that defies the breed's "rep" - a mushy pit bull, an aggressive Golden...
I am a huge fan of pits, HUGE. They are just beautiful animals when they are trained correctly AND - this is the key - when they are born from a breeder and line that respects the breed!!!
Please don't overlook that, many breeds, specifically the pit, have been RUINED due to breeding for aggression.

So that cute little puppy someone adopts or buys at 8 weeks could come from a line that was SPECIFICALLY bred to more aggressive. It took generations to get the breed into this state and it will take longer to restore the breed to its proper heritage as a loyal and loving terrier.

There are many dog breeds that I would not consider having with a young child in my home; dalmations are a particular concern for me, even when we're walking in the neighborhood I guide my son away if we pass one, they are fairly "anxious" as dogs go and as a larger breed, they can do serious damage.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I saw this on the news and was so so saddened.

I think the owner should go to jail.

From what I read, they either left the dog outside on a chain or in the yard and they were not even home.

I'll go a step further, even if they weren't negligent and the dog just snapped. Too bad-you should go to jail. Don't get a dog like this if you don't want to take that chance.

That poor girl and her family

ETA: I trust no dog. I just don't care how often people tell me their dog is nice would never, etc etc etc. You never know and you can never convince me that the dog will not try to tear my kids apart.

Message edited 1/18/2011 10:41:05 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Posted by CrankyPants

I saw this on the news and was so so saddened.

I think the owner should go to jail.

From what I read, they either left the dog outside on a chain or in the yard and they were not even home.

I'll go a step further, even if they weren't negligent and the dog just snapped. Too bad-you should go to jail. Don't get a dog like this if you don't want to take that chance.

That poor girl and her family

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Message edited 1/18/2011 11:06:09 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Lenore-I think the dogs definitely were outside dogs that often escaped.

People keep bringing that up...bag owner. I just hate how many bad owners of pits are out there.
I think police need to step it up and remove dogs immediately if things don't seem kosher. Not wait for something to happen.

Almost like a gun law, not everyone is approved to own one.

ETA:
I don't feel like it is someone's right to have one.
My neighborhood is a pit free community. This happened down the street.
But to think this walk that I have taken a million times could have ended like this is sick.

Message edited 1/18/2011 10:44:11 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

In S. Florida (Dade County -Miami to be specific) it is ILLEGAL to own a pit bull.

WHile I am not sure if this is the correct solution as I feel that the breed is unfairly targeted because there are many vicious owners who harnass their worst traiits - it is however, a solution.

Although people do own them illegaly so it does not get rid of the problem completely.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

my solution.

carry a bat in the stroller basket.

a nice wooden one.

I LOVE dogs. but each time one comes near my kid, I whisper sweetly, "don't make me kill you puppy"

b/c I would. in an instant.

I would hate to have to do it. but I would.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I know I'm in the minority but I Hate pit bulls. I'm terrified of them, and sure I do think sometimes it is the owner, but I do believe they have the tendency to snap. If I see one, I stay in the car, cross the street whatever I have to do to avoid it.

and yes I think the owner should go to prison. I truly think if you are a Pit owner, you have to be extra vigilant to be sure they never ever leave your sight.

Message edited 1/18/2011 11:01:18 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I own a pit mix but that aside I feel that it is 100% the owners responsiblity to train and keep your dog from harming others

the same goes for a child, a parent is responsible for them, a dog IMO isn't any different.

you are a parent to your dog, and you dog will always be a 2 year old child that needs to be watched and trained constantly. and as with any animal, you can never trust them 100%.

Dogs that show aggression should be trained. Alot of times its the owner who needs training in what not to do to a dog. Alot of times, its what you have done to your dog, (or has been done in the past by anyome) that causes an animal to show aggression

It cost us a lot of $ to pay a trainer, but it was worth every single penny. I am so in love with the pit breed, it is unlike any other breed of dogs I have ever owned. I will never own another type of dog and I will always resuce them because the shelters are filled with these.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

what a goddamn tragedy..that poor little girl.

my neighbors have a pitbull mix..it was the husbands dog and his wife hates it. The dog is in the yard or garage most of the day. Im petrified..its gotten out of the gate a few times, and one day a few weeks ago, I almost hit him when he ran in front of my car.

he's jumped on the kids and scratched the little one's belly. My ds loves to go over to the fence when he sees the dog there and i have to keep dragging him away. "Oh he doesnt bite, he's so friendly.." yada yada...yeah, until he bites some kids hand off or worse.

I do believe alot of it is the nature of the dog, and training on the owner. I had neighbors growing up that i've seen train their dogs to be mean vicious dogs

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

What you described is horrifying and the funeral scene is heartreatching. I can't stop shaking thinking about this, and I am certainly not a "sensitive" type.

I know a huge amount of people will disagree with me, including my own sister, who has a boxer and a 6 months old baby living in the same household, but it is my FIRMEST believe that children and dogs should not be living in the same households. Animals are animals, I don't care how cute, loving, harmless and devoted people think their dog is-it's an animal and it potentially CAN attack, be it a chihuahua or a pit bull. Yes, the owners are to blame in each and every case and yes, you need to watch both at all times but I would never be able to live in a kind of environment where I potentially should be fearing for my children's safety in my own home and can't live them alone in the room for 5 minutes.

My children know that they NEVER touch other people's dogs and they NEVER approach a dog, EVEN on a leash. They are allowed to pet and say hi to dogs of our friends and relatives, with the permission of the owners. The ironic thing is, in the horrible case you are describing, none of those rules would have saves the poor child who died this horrible, stupid, senseless death. My G'd, I can't even imagine!!! And why it is even allowed to own those type of dogs in residential neighborhoods I will never understand!

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

dogs and children make me nervous in general. regardless of the breed. I have been bitten by the tiniest of dogs. No matter how much training, they are animals and not humans.

DH and I were just having a conversation yesterday about getting a dog. i said no way.

That being said, I do agree that it has to do with how the dogs are trained. My SIL has a rottie. everyone thought she was crazy when she got her. She happens to be a loveable mush. They have a son and him and the dog always play together and all the rottie does is lick.

ETA: even though their dogs knows me. I am still afraid of her. Shes huge and i never know if she will misconstrue playing with my nephew for something else and go to his defense.

Message edited 1/18/2011 11:30:28 AM.

Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.

I'm sorry that for these incidents, but I too have a Pit that is a mushy mushy girl.

She is precious and beautiful and most importantly, she is TRAINED PROPERLY.

It is not the breed, it is the owners and you will never convince me otherwise.

In fact, cocker spaniels and many other breeds that people somehow feel are "safe" are far more aggressive than these animals.

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Re: "Dangerous Dog Breeds"....owners who say not my dog...no blame on breed, just owners.