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.

All I can say is that I have an American Bulldog(who is all muscle and looks like a cross b/w a pit and a boxer). She is absolutely amazing with my kids. When they learned to walk she would guide them up and down my steps, when they cried in the middle of the night she would be the first one up. Yesterday my son got hurt and she was right by his side licking his face to make sure he was ok She is the best dog my husband has owned(and he's had 2 labs). I've had people see me walk her and cross over to the other side of the street in fear(baby stroller with me and all). I just have such mixed feelings on this topic. I trust my bully breed with my kids a lot. But we were strict in training her. We pulled ears, took food away, pulled her tail etc in preparation for our family. I still put her away when we get strange visitors or any of my kids friends come over to play. I think even the best dog can sometimes get overwhelmed with strangers. We also have a 6ft PVC privacy fence around our whole property. There is a serious responsibility that comes with having any dog. Now she is getting old and having a hard time with steps etc. Her loss will be so great in our home She is the 5th member of our family....

Message edited 1/18/2011 12:54:35 PM.

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 have two chihuahuas.. they weigh 3 1/2-4 pounds each... I never EVER allow strange children to pet my dogs unless I am actually holding the dog and can control its movement.

Dogs are dogs- while we can do the best to train them, we always have to have in the back of our head that they can behave counter to their training or their personalities.. to think otherwise is just plain dumb.

We, as a society, have been putting our human emotions as dogs- we say, "not our dog" because yes, they are members of our families... but they are still animals- and certain breeds were bred for certain activities- like pit bulls, rotties and other bully breeds- this is why they are predisposed to certain aggressive behaviors- it was bred into them ...

we can train them to counter their nature- and we can do our best to control their nature by being the alpha of the pack- but there is always a slim chance the dogs bred nature can come through.

just my 2 cents- I would never have a pit in my house or any other bully breed- b/c I don't have the time/energy to be the "alpha" of the pack all the time...

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

I think this thread is going off on a dog person vs. non dog person tangent.

I think we can all agree that dogs are animals who need care/training/love/respect. Take any of those out of the equation, you have a recipe for disaster.

And dogowners, no matter how smushy/lovable/non agrressive the dog may be today, never say never. Dogs, even with all the proper training, can turn on a dime. Never ever forget that.

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.

I have two dogs both large. One is a lab mix(possibly part pit) the other is a chow/shepard/collie. Chows hve a rep for being aggressive but really they are one or two person dogs. He is the sweetest dog ever. However-my kids are NEVER left unattended with the dogs. NEVER

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

Many of the things I would have said (as a dog-lover and firm believer in nurture over nature when it comes to aggression) have been pointed out already. My one comment to add would be in response to this:

thanks. i just never hear any owner say to please keep kids away from my dog, he is crazy and blood thirsty. I always hear "not my pit"

I have on more than one occasion heard an owner say or had an owner say to me "my dog isn't particularly friendly", or " she gets nervous and may nip" and tell me not to pet. Also, responsible owners will often walk their dogs with muzzles or put a muzzle on the dog outside the house.

My point here is only that while, yes, there absolutely are TERRIBLE owners out there who are irresponsible and lazy, there are also good responsible owners who acknowledge the possibilities and do what they can to protect against a tragedy like this.

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

I think it is a mix of both...by that I mean this:

I think that the owner is primarily responsible for training the dog to act appropriately. However, there are certain breeds that are more predisposed to act more aggressively than others. Therefore, that aggression might come out more quickly or violently in a breed predisposed to that behavior, if the animal is treated correctly.

There is no 100 percent constant though. People can be raised with all of the love in the world and turn into serial killers. It's important to be aware that dogs usually are very loving and loyal pets, but it's also important to be smart about the risks involved with owning an animal.

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

I worry about one of my dogs being around children but not my pitbull, not for a second. That is because he is well trained and obediant. Unfortunately, not all dog owners are that responsible, and don't realize what it takes to raise a powerful breed, and don't take the precautions to make sure they can't get out of the yard.

Animals are animals. Bottom line. My friend has permanent scars and disfigurement on her face from being attacked by a lab. Another friend was bit right through her hand by a lab. Funny how these stories were never reported on....

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

Apparently I've offended someone with my pictures. I apologize.

I feel awful for this little girl...it was a senseless thing that happened. I guess my point was that it isn't always the breed of dog, many times it is how they are raised or trained and it is the fault of the owner.

Message edited 1/18/2011 2:17:20 PM.

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

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures. Two cuties!

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

I have a Cocker Spaniel that we rescued from a shelter. He can be loving BUT he can also be aggressive...mainly towards DH. He loves DD...loves her but I never leave them alone together..ever...he is a dog no matter what...an animal with animal instincts. It's not always the breed..Pits are picked on...but Ive seen aggresive Cockers, chichuahaus heck more than I've ever seen an aggressive Pit.

I agree in that I think a lot of people do not deserve to be pet owners. It's a lot of responsibility. Honestly I'm an animal lover...cry at the ASPCA commercials and if I had all the time, space and $$ in the world I would totally rescue animals BUT my dog is old...after he dies I do not think I will be getting another dog for a loooong time. It's a lot of work. Proper training, attention, walking, feeding etc. Lets be honest and say that about 50% of dog owners do not give their animals any or all of the above.
It's not the animals fault..some of these dogs were bred to be aggressive others are just neglected...they are animals and using their instincts. I really believe there are a lot of people out there that should not be pet owners...period.

Message edited 1/18/2011 12:31:04 PM.

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

I don't trust my dogs completely. I don't trust your dogs completely either, or my neighbors, or some random person on the street. I don't think anyone should.

I love my dogs, and don't think they would react aggressively towards children. I could have them for another 10 years and will still say that. I would never leave them alone with children. A lot of people (me included) humanize them but in the end, they are animals through and through.

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 was once chased down a beach by a fat, disgusting bulldog. He was not biting me, he was humping me and trying to knock me down by bodyslamming himself into my legs. I was freaking out and screaming at the owner- who just sat there.

My MIL owns an American Pit that DH and I got for her when her last dog died. We got her as an 8 week old and she is now 3. She is incredibly sweet and gentle. I trust her with my 17 month old DD completely. DD pulls her tail and chases her around and she gets licked in return. Same goes for our dog- a lab mix. I have never once has a problem with either one of them. I have absolutely nothing against pits, but I loathe bulldogs. The one I mentioned above and my former neighbors bulldog were both agressive.

ETA: I agree that pits are picked on because of their breed. If they're trained to be agressive- they will be agressive. BUT- I whole heartedly agree that the same goes for ANY breed.

Message edited 1/18/2011 12:37:56 PM.

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

u cannot seriously blame the owners or the dogs themselves.
I grew up with dogs my whole life. ive had dobermans. rotties and pits as a kid. they were all wonderful pets

dh and i had a pit who was the sweetest most mild tempered dog u would have ever come across. we trained him and loved him like crazy.
when he was getting older and we knew he was going to go soon we got a rottie - great looking dog who was stubborn from day 1.
we did the same thing.. gave him the same love we gave our pit. trained him the same way..

our vet told us we had a monster in our hands when he was 10 weeks old.

the dog had a seriously chemical imbalance we found out later after he mauled his own owner - my husband when he reached his full adult age. He snapped.
Was there inbreeding - most likely.. it wasnt me or my husband that cuased him to snap -- it wasnt the dogs fault.. it was the idiots who breeded him - and we got him from a reputable breeder who breeds rotties for showdogs...

so please b4 u start blaming the dogs or the owners understand there can be a lot of interbreeding that can cause a dog to snap

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

The dog owners should absolutely be held accountable. The irresponsibility of the dog owners directly caused a horrific tragedy. I remember the story of the Long Island woman who was mauled by the Presa Canarios and both the husband and wife were sent to prison.

My mom wanted to be a vet when she was little, so we grew up with all sorts of pets. That being said I am VERY wary of any strange dog. I don't care how friendly someone's dog is. My defenses are up.

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

Sorry, one more thing...

A responsible owner doesn't let even the smallest aggression slide. They don't allow a dog to nip or snap or whatever word they want to use for it. They train the dog, discipline the dog in a way it will understand, and reward the dog when it gets it right.

Irresponsible owners make excuses, overlook problems, and don't consider the worst case scenario.

The answer, to me, is to go to the source and put a stop to puppy mills, backyard breeders, pet stores and the like. Like a driver's license, people should have to PROVE they can responsibly own a dog because like a car, a dog can kill someone. This is why I laugh at people who say rescuing a dog or adopting from a shelter is a pain in the ***. Because they are only looking at it from their point of view, which is the worst way to enter into dog ownership.

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.

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

It is so terrible what happened.

I have 3 large dogs - 2 German Shepherds (85 and 75 lbs) and a Rottweiler (70 lbs), my other dog that died 2 years ago was part Shepherd and he was 110 lbs. I love big dogs, but I won't lie, Pitts scare me and I would never have one. I was never attacked by a Pitt, but for some reason I am extremely intimidate by them and no other dog.

Unfortunately there is tremendous irresponsibility when it comes to "breeding" dogs and on Long Island Pitts are one of the most popular dogs that are "back yard" bred, with no responsibility. ALong with this is tremendous owner irresponsibility. If you have a dog, and the size shouldn't matter, you should be trained to train, control and be instructed to properly handle your dog.

I have seen 7 lb Maltese extremely aggressive and bite and 150 lb Bull Mastiff as passive as can be.

Would I leave my dogs alone with children in my home, no. It's not responsible. Do I think that my dogs would bite anyone unprovoked? No. What you and I perceive as provocation and what the dog perceives is not always the same thing. Do I ever think any of my dogs would bite me or my DH? Not ever.

It comes down to responsible breeding and ownership.

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