Maybe if I had a bad experience with one I'd feel that way, but for now I'll keep playing with the one at work that wouldn't hurt a fly instead of proposing bans.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Pit bulls: Irrational hate
- Thread starter Baphomet
- Start date
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
They're dangerous. Boil it down to owner or breed, they're a strong dog and can do a lot of damage. Their reputation is well earned.
Nothing against the dogs, I've had some interactions with pitbulls that have been fine, but really no one *must* have a Pitbull or Rotweiller. The buying/selling/breeding of Pitbulls/Rotweillers should be banned from a certain date forwards.
Any dog with devastating bite force should be banned. The ones that are around now can stay, but going forwards, personally I think you'd be better off not taking the risk at all.
I think tigers are cool and cute as hell, but that doesn't mean I have the right to take the risk of having one as a pet if it could get out in a public area by accident.
Even easier than a ban is just force all dog owners to get private dog insurance which covers third party injury. Let the private insurance companies sort it out you can bet you'll find out real quick which breeds cost 20 bucks a month to insure and which cost 200. Private companies always figure out the relative risk involved .
I like this idea.
Most dog owners are shitty.
Pittbull looking dogs are common (because it's both multiple breeds and purely looks based classification)
Also probably amplified by terrible breeding practices.
Edit
I've noticed that all the ones I've interacted with (APBT at least) that had papers and were registered were extremely friendly with people
And the ones that were were all generic pitbulls
Private insurance are sharks but what they do know is risk .... took your dog to an obedience class and got certificate? That's a discount on insurance .... despite them also owning the obedience school lol.
OP
OP
Banning dog breeds is not going to solve anything. Yes pits, Rita, etc are more naturally inclined to be aggressive. That's doesn't mean they are these any more killers than other large dog breeds, most of the fault reflects on poor dog raising and training , that's my opinion and no one is going to be able to change it. Now yes, everyone should always exercise caution around unfamiliar dogs (no matter the dog breed) but pit bulls get a very bad rap for the irresponsibility of their owners(for the miso part) , and they don't deserve to be banned or killed. There are cases where dog attacks might be unprovoked but that again falls on the owner for improper training, I've been around pit bulls most of my life and none of them have ever shown even a hint of violence. I was more scared being around Dalmatians and German Shepards(truly scary dogs when raised wrong).
I absolutely love dogs.
I've personally known quite a few pitbull owners, all various degrees of good/bad dog owners.
First one was a friend from highschool who got a put puppy in college and raised it well. The dog was never violent in the least.
One day we were walking together with the dog and she had me hold the leash as she went into a pizza place. This really old couple hobbles by in front of us, with the old man hunched over his cane. When they get 3 feet in front of me, out of no where the pit jumps up and latches itself onto the guy's arm and starts shaking it's head violently. There's blood splattering everywhere, the man is really old and is kinda swatting at the dog. I first start pulling the dog down on the leash and realize I'm just pulling the old man down as well. I then try to pull the jaws apart, but the dog is locked hard. I'm freaking out, the guy's wife is screaming at me to get my dog off.
Finally my friend comes out and grabs the dog's head and like pushes her fingers into it's jaw and the dog finally let's go.
The old man's arm was just gore. It was horrible.
My friend ended up getting sued by the couple, and thank god they didn't hold me accountable for being the one holding the leash. They ended up settling, and the dog was put down.
Next up, a friend's girlfriend had a pit. It was raised well, never violent. However, the owner was EXTREMELY defensive about the dog. She would relish being able to confront people about their misconceptions about the breed. It was pretty off putting.
One day she is on her porch with the dog, and a guy is walking his Yorkie past the porch. Out if nowhere the dog jumps off the porch and attacks the Yorkie. It absolutely destroys the Yorkie, killing it almost instantly.
She gets sued as well, and the pit has to be put down.
The craziest thing is she says the reason the dog was upset was because they were watching George W Bush make a speech which made her upset, which then made the dog upset, so it was George Bush's fault. So yeah, the dog may have been slightly enabled by the owner's delusions.
I have around 3 more stories of other owners that all ended pretty much the same way.
Out of all the pit owners I've known, from bad owners to great owners, only one of them had a dog that never attacked anything out of the blue.
So, either I have just had some crazy bad luck with the ones I've known, or there is something else going on with the breed.
I've personally known quite a few pitbull owners, all various degrees of good/bad dog owners.
First one was a friend from highschool who got a put puppy in college and raised it well. The dog was never violent in the least.
One day we were walking together with the dog and she had me hold the leash as she went into a pizza place. This really old couple hobbles by in front of us, with the old man hunched over his cane. When they get 3 feet in front of me, out of no where the pit jumps up and latches itself onto the guy's arm and starts shaking it's head violently. There's blood splattering everywhere, the man is really old and is kinda swatting at the dog. I first start pulling the dog down on the leash and realize I'm just pulling the old man down as well. I then try to pull the jaws apart, but the dog is locked hard. I'm freaking out, the guy's wife is screaming at me to get my dog off.
Finally my friend comes out and grabs the dog's head and like pushes her fingers into it's jaw and the dog finally let's go.
The old man's arm was just gore. It was horrible.
My friend ended up getting sued by the couple, and thank god they didn't hold me accountable for being the one holding the leash. They ended up settling, and the dog was put down.
Next up, a friend's girlfriend had a pit. It was raised well, never violent. However, the owner was EXTREMELY defensive about the dog. She would relish being able to confront people about their misconceptions about the breed. It was pretty off putting.
One day she is on her porch with the dog, and a guy is walking his Yorkie past the porch. Out if nowhere the dog jumps off the porch and attacks the Yorkie. It absolutely destroys the Yorkie, killing it almost instantly.
She gets sued as well, and the pit has to be put down.
The craziest thing is she says the reason the dog was upset was because they were watching George W Bush make a speech which made her upset, which then made the dog upset, so it was George Bush's fault. So yeah, the dog may have been slightly enabled by the owner's delusions.
I have around 3 more stories of other owners that all ended pretty much the same way.
Out of all the pit owners I've known, from bad owners to great owners, only one of them had a dog that never attacked anything out of the blue.
So, either I have just had some crazy bad luck with the ones I've known, or there is something else going on with the breed.
I find pit bulls very intimidating. It always freaks me out when I pass a pitbull on the street how it will make assertive eye contact and then turn its head and keep looking as I walk past. Never seen another breed do this.
In the UK the Staffordshire bull terrier has the same sorta reputation even though it's such a lovely breed. Shitty people own them and they have done shitty things so they get a bad rep. I tend to look at the owner first to judge if i'll let my little bichons near em. When I lived in London there were a few dog deaths in Crystal Palace park due to knob heads with badly trained (well trained for dog fighting i assume) staffies and I still now years later get worried when I see them while walking my dogs.
It sucks but it's just the way it is I guess
It sucks but it's just the way it is I guess
They are unquestionably dangerous, but my dog is a Pitbull and it's very friendly, never attacked anything and is always happy around new people. I did go out of my way to keep him from seeing other dogs on the street though, walk him at night, as if they attacked him or me he'd probably attack back and he's a big bastard.
I don't believe they're any more aggressive than other breeds but they are one of the strongest breeds (especially bite strength) and unfortunately they tend to attract shitty people/owners. That combination makes for some unfortunate results.
I have mutts but we housed a pit bull temporarily and while it was absolutely a sweet dog and I never felt threatened by it, he was a fucking powerhouse athletically. He would bump into my legs sometimes and almost knock me over, he would jump onto our coffee table easily in one swift motion, etc. So if one IS aggressive due to shitty owners they have the ability to really fuck another dog or person up.
I have mutts but we housed a pit bull temporarily and while it was absolutely a sweet dog and I never felt threatened by it, he was a fucking powerhouse athletically. He would bump into my legs sometimes and almost knock me over, he would jump onto our coffee table easily in one swift motion, etc. So if one IS aggressive due to shitty owners they have the ability to really fuck another dog or person up.
I don't fully trust any dog owners to be honest. Doesn't really matter to me what breed they have.
It's really unfortunate for pitbulls. Bred for strength but they're just way too strong to be an easy pet for most people
Truly the most galaxy brain take I have heard in a long long time
Yep. May be owner or not, but fear from pitbulls are not irrational, it's based on statistics.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
They're dangerous. Boil it down to owner or breed, they're a strong dog and can do a lot of damage. Their reputation is well earned.
I've never been around any aggressive pit bulls personally, but I did have 3 different friends attacked by the breed when I was in elementary school in the early 90s, and one was in the hospital for a while. I don't know if the breed should be banned, but not everyone should be allowed to own one.
Is it? Every dog owner acts like their dog is a precious little gem that wouldn't hurt anyone. I'm not sure why I should trust that.
Just saw another attack on the news on a jogger mauled by a pit bull.
Sure it was a bad owner but why did I know it was going to be a pit bull?
Sure it was a bad owner but why did I know it was going to be a pit bull?
Genuine question (probably for the Pitbull fans): Do people believe that some dog breeds are more aggressive in temperament than others? Or that they are all exactly equal and then it's down to the owner?
Full disclosure I have a cockapoo and she has not once expressed any aggression to people or other dogs.
Full disclosure I have a cockapoo and she has not once expressed any aggression to people or other dogs.
I was attacked by a pit as a kid. Didn't do any lasting damage, thankfully. And almost every pit I've encountered since has been aggressive and ill behaved (with the exception of one).
And I'm not going to pretend I know for sure why. I don't buy the idea that it's purely on the owner's shoulders. Breeds absolutely have temperaments, and in my anecdotal experience, the meanest dogs I've met have been pits. I'm sure the owner's care can mitigate or even sometimes completely subvert that, but I don't believe that pits are born "so sweet" or whatever people describe them as when they're not mauling me.
But I don't KNOW any of that. I feel like there's a lot of agenda driven misinformation surrounding pits. I am not of the "exterminate and ban them all" camp, but I definitely don't believe they're just like every other breed either and I'd like to better understand that.
In the mean time, they can stay away from me. No thanks.
And I'm not going to pretend I know for sure why. I don't buy the idea that it's purely on the owner's shoulders. Breeds absolutely have temperaments, and in my anecdotal experience, the meanest dogs I've met have been pits. I'm sure the owner's care can mitigate or even sometimes completely subvert that, but I don't believe that pits are born "so sweet" or whatever people describe them as when they're not mauling me.
But I don't KNOW any of that. I feel like there's a lot of agenda driven misinformation surrounding pits. I am not of the "exterminate and ban them all" camp, but I definitely don't believe they're just like every other breed either and I'd like to better understand that.
In the mean time, they can stay away from me. No thanks.
It has been proven that attack by other breeds are not news worthy. They have tallied news report vs hospital admission for dog bite and bites and very rarely will the media will report dog bite unless the dog were identified as Pit. They is just no interest in the public for dog bite otherwise....
I actually have an anecdote regarding that.
My cousin neighbour dog's (a boxer) jumped on a delivery man that opened the apartment door without knocking to deliver a package. The dog did not bite him, just jumped on him (like boxer often do when they greet). The man was started and backed up and fell down the balcony (2nd story building) and obviously injured himself. The news report the incident as A delivery man was vicious attacked and hospitalized by a Pit Bull. My cousin was a witness and the new report was totally not accurate, dog was a boxer and the person was not attacked.
Last edited:
You could literally try googling "golden retriever attacks person" and there are plenty of stories of goldens "snapping" out of nowhere and attacking people, including infants and very young children... although not as many of those stories as there are for labs in general.
One of the problems with using these news stories as "evidence" is that the bulk of them come down to being lab breeds, shepherd breeds, or pits... which are also the three most broadly popular dog breeds in the US, and almost every rescue or mutt you get is going to be labelled as a lab mix or shepherd mix or pit mix.
In one of these clusterfuck threads, somebody pointed out that a recurring pattern for dogs "snapping" and attacking people wasn't breed, it was that they were all male dogs that weren't neutered. I desperately wish I remember all of the info they posted or even who it was, maybe they'll pop back up here.
Not one to dismiss people's bad experiences, but this sounds entirely perceived on your part.
I feel like the problem with that is that insurance doesn't kick in until after the fact. I'd rather just never get attacked at all, than know the owner has to have insurance.
Note the source on that chart: DogsBite.org is a notoriously biased source. There are numerous studies that show that dog bite reporting is heavily biased towards whatever the "dangerous breed of the moment" is, and in this case it's pitbulls. Dogs that aren't even remotely pitbulls get reported as pit bull attacks.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
They're dangerous. Boil it down to owner or breed, they're a strong dog and can do a lot of damage. Their reputation is well earned.
We have one, and she's the most adorable caring dog I've been around. Of course her sheer weight and strength can lead to a few accidental scuffs, and while playing with her, an undeniable thought of "you could fuck me up for real at any time" is present in the mind.
In my experience with her and other Pitbulls, they're an extremely malleable breed, so it's not surprising that when paired with a shit owner the dog's going to a menace. On the flipside, with discipline and a lot of love, they can be such an awesome friend.
In my experience with her and other Pitbulls, they're an extremely malleable breed, so it's not surprising that when paired with a shit owner the dog's going to a menace. On the flipside, with discipline and a lot of love, they can be such an awesome friend.
They were bred for blood sport, so they probably aren't the best choice for a family pet in a residential area. That said, any big/strong dog is dangerous with the wrong owner, and there is nothing especially bad about pit bulls. Speaking anecdotally, all the pit bull owners I know either treat them like extensions of their own masculinity, or just the opposite, they treat them like little cute babies. Bad owners with no respect for the animal are going to cause problems.
I get why logic like banning breeds or anything like that is a turn off for dog lovers but, at the end of the day, who is that really a negative for? Dogs are dogs - they don't care what breed they are, they don't care about the diversity of their species, they don't care about legacy. They just care about being dogs and doing dog shit.
Burdening a dog with a huge level of jaw strength and natural aggression is wrong. That's not the dog fault, that's OUR fault. We created a breed that is capable of doing immense harm, and they don't deserve to live with the possibility they'll end up in the hands of a lazy owner, or an actively malicious one.
Breed it out. Breed them into softer mutts. There will always be dogs, and there will never be a shortage of happy, loving dogs. A dog doesn't care if it's a pitbull or not, why do you?
Burdening a dog with a huge level of jaw strength and natural aggression is wrong. That's not the dog fault, that's OUR fault. We created a breed that is capable of doing immense harm, and they don't deserve to live with the possibility they'll end up in the hands of a lazy owner, or an actively malicious one.
Breed it out. Breed them into softer mutts. There will always be dogs, and there will never be a shortage of happy, loving dogs. A dog doesn't care if it's a pitbull or not, why do you?
I think people need to know at the end of the day, dealing with any kind of animal (and hell, it's true for people as well), you're always going to get some level of unpredictability. Admittedly, pits do tend to have significantly more powerful jaws, which is why the damage tends to be more severe, but really, in my experience, it can happen with any breed.
Sometimes it can be that they become very protective of their owners and may assess a threat wrongly (which is also why it's important to introduce dogs to other people and other animals as soon as possible). There's also the fact sometimes a dog can have underlining health issues (which can amplify aggression) or trauma from a previous home, in which case is something that needs to be worked on and closely worked with. Other times, it's... just an issue with the dog itself and there's not much you can do.
My sister's dog attacked my nephew when he was younger. I forget the breed (she resembled a black lab a bit, but I know it wasn't that), but my interactions with her, I'd never thought she would do so. Children services got involved after the incident. Ultimately, my sister gave her up, but didn't put her down, thankfully. We're not sure what exactly the trigger for this was, but I believe the person they gave her to, they just had to not allow her to be unsupervised around children (or even have interactions).
My dog Dallas, as much as I loved him, when he got older, he became a lot more territorial around my mother and very aggressive as a whole. However, we did later find out what was leading to most of the aggression and it turns out he was having some significant paint in his joints and an enlarged liver. He also had Hyperplasia of the gums (which happened a bit later), though unsure if it was an abscess or not. We put him on pain medication, as well as medication to help with his liver issues, and he seemed to calm down and be a bit more comfortable. This heavily reduced the aggression (though he was still more so compared to previous years).
For reference, Dallas was a Bloodhound, German Shepard, Beagle Mix (with possibly some more than that).
Ultimately we did have to put him down, due to health related problems that was now causing him significant problems, but.... The point is, health issues can also trigger aggression in an animal.
There's a lot of factors you need to consider. I would never, ever, blame a Pit Bull breed for issues that often get brought up. It's a combination of shitty owners, people not understanding animals need to have a lot of interactions with people and other animals, and among other factors (Such as health and previous trauma), that tend to lead to these being reported more often.
You know... Something I also wanna bring up. There's actually one breed of dog, I forget the name of it, but it has significant aggression towards anyone outside of it's family/pack. The dog breed is really huge, and even though they can be loving and loyal towards their family, they are significantly more dangerous than Pit Bulls,, though given how expensive and the type of breeders out their for this breed, it's not likely to become a wide problem (at least immediately).
And for people suggesting to just let the breed die: That's... honestly absolutely horrible. And all it's gonna do is lead to people targeting other breeds of animals and continuing the cycle of aggression. It's jumped from other breeds in the past, and likely, regardless if you let the breed die out or not, these people will likely target a new breed of dog and it'll basically become the new Pit Bull.
Sometimes it can be that they become very protective of their owners and may assess a threat wrongly (which is also why it's important to introduce dogs to other people and other animals as soon as possible). There's also the fact sometimes a dog can have underlining health issues (which can amplify aggression) or trauma from a previous home, in which case is something that needs to be worked on and closely worked with. Other times, it's... just an issue with the dog itself and there's not much you can do.
My sister's dog attacked my nephew when he was younger. I forget the breed (she resembled a black lab a bit, but I know it wasn't that), but my interactions with her, I'd never thought she would do so. Children services got involved after the incident. Ultimately, my sister gave her up, but didn't put her down, thankfully. We're not sure what exactly the trigger for this was, but I believe the person they gave her to, they just had to not allow her to be unsupervised around children (or even have interactions).
My dog Dallas, as much as I loved him, when he got older, he became a lot more territorial around my mother and very aggressive as a whole. However, we did later find out what was leading to most of the aggression and it turns out he was having some significant paint in his joints and an enlarged liver. He also had Hyperplasia of the gums (which happened a bit later), though unsure if it was an abscess or not. We put him on pain medication, as well as medication to help with his liver issues, and he seemed to calm down and be a bit more comfortable. This heavily reduced the aggression (though he was still more so compared to previous years).
For reference, Dallas was a Bloodhound, German Shepard, Beagle Mix (with possibly some more than that).
Ultimately we did have to put him down, due to health related problems that was now causing him significant problems, but.... The point is, health issues can also trigger aggression in an animal.
There's a lot of factors you need to consider. I would never, ever, blame a Pit Bull breed for issues that often get brought up. It's a combination of shitty owners, people not understanding animals need to have a lot of interactions with people and other animals, and among other factors (Such as health and previous trauma), that tend to lead to these being reported more often.
You know... Something I also wanna bring up. There's actually one breed of dog, I forget the name of it, but it has significant aggression towards anyone outside of it's family/pack. The dog breed is really huge, and even though they can be loving and loyal towards their family, they are significantly more dangerous than Pit Bulls,, though given how expensive and the type of breeders out their for this breed, it's not likely to become a wide problem (at least immediately).
And for people suggesting to just let the breed die: That's... honestly absolutely horrible. And all it's gonna do is lead to people targeting other breeds of animals and continuing the cycle of aggression. It's jumped from other breeds in the past, and likely, regardless if you let the breed die out or not, these people will likely target a new breed of dog and it'll basically become the new Pit Bull.
Good morning. That was me.
The major problem with these stories is that breed identification based on sight is really difficult even for people who work with animals, much less the layman. It's something like a 30% accuracy rate in visual identification tests on animal control workers, which is abysmal. Dog genetics are as complicated as they are fascinating, and a dog that is a true terrier/lab/feist/spaniel mix can still come out looking like an American Pit Bull Terrier. "Pit bull," at this point in general nomenclature, is the term for a dog with a square head, which could genetically be anything. Could be a Boxer in some cases. You won't know unless you do true DNA testing, and no one is spending that money on dogs destined for euthanasia for extreme behavioral problems.
So, do we know for certain whether or not dog attack reports accurately report the breed? Of course not, and you'd be mistaken to take stock in them (which is one of the reasons why DogsBite.org is a shit source and the "progressive haven" that is ResetEra should really stop sourcing it.) So then, it makes sense to actually focus on the more easily identifiable and consistent factors of reported dog attacks. Actual animal organizations like the ASPCA and even medical organizations like the CDC do not advocate for breed-banning legislation for the reasons above. Instead, they know the overwhelming majority of attacks are from male dogs that are unneutered.
Dogs are man's best friend, and part of that deal includes being specialized for many different jobs. Hunting, game retrieval, and guardianship have been staples of that relationship, and many breeds- not just the ABPT- were bred with the strength and tenacity to go after another wild animal that could in turn kill it if willing and able, or to post up on strangers approaching their pack leader (seriously, Dobermen were bred to attack criminals- you know, humans). Give something with those instincts continuous testosterone and no socialization, and attacks on unsuspecting humans are simply inevitable.
If it were certain beyond a reasonable doubt that pitbulls genetically have a higher than average chance of killing people than the Rottweilers, Shepherds, and Dobermans of the world, they wouldn't have blossomed in the 40s and 50s. Little Rascal's Petey would be a Lassie instead ("how dare those irresponsible filmmakers let a killing machine around children?!"). White people would've stamped that out immediately had the Little Rascals gone down with an incident. Speaking of which, I will tell you what did change in the pit bull's reception after Rotties, Sheps, and Dobies had their time in the spotlight.
The perception of who owns them. Because yes, literally everything in America can trace its roots back to racism.
Everything was fine when the pit bull was a staple in the white American home. Come the late 80s and 90s where these breeds and mutt look-a-likes start becoming of interest to black and Hispanic Americans, being easily accessible for folks in poor environments due to overbreeding and high placement in shelters where pets can be acquired for far more cheaply, and subsequent staples in hip-hop culture, and now you have even liberal white folks turning their back on the breed. "The Nanny Dog" has magically become a terror that has to be banned after only 20 or so years of this distinct reputation, which by the way is not enough time to develop a line of dogs into a distinct, organization-recognized breed with discernible physical and behavioral characteristics. Hmm.
So yeah, that's my spiel. I don't take seriously the claims of people who think these dogs are a social health issue. And I really don't take seriously white people's claims that they're scary looking, since I have an idea of who they're imagining on the end of the leash.
I want dog attacks to diminish just as much as anyone else. No one deserves to go through that experience, and we have a moral responsibility to do better by our dogs. This is why I advocate, among other things, for efforts to just neuter your fucking dogs. Less testosterone, less puppies to be born in a world already full of dogs that are bound to the socialization hellhole that is our shelter system and the street, less chances for people to become victims of these boiling kettle situations.
Last edited:
This idea that dog behavior is entirely down to their owners doesn't count for times when dogs just turn on their owners. They're domesticated, but they're still animals.
Even if pit bulls are no more likely to attack you than another breed, they're far more dangerous than some yapping toy dog.
At some point it's not irrational to be more guarded about pit bulls considering you cannot actually know much about their background at a glance. And considering tons of owners don't have their dogs on leashes here, damn right I'm going to avoid ones that are large enough to cause me harm.
Even if pit bulls are no more likely to attack you than another breed, they're far more dangerous than some yapping toy dog.
At some point it's not irrational to be more guarded about pit bulls considering you cannot actually know much about their background at a glance. And considering tons of owners don't have their dogs on leashes here, damn right I'm going to avoid ones that are large enough to cause me harm.
I don't get the "shitty owners" argument. People won't change, we might as well limit their access to the most dangerous animals (pitts are super strong).
It's like how people do stupid shit with guns. Can't really stop them but I'd rather they not have assault rifles
It's like how people do stupid shit with guns. Can't really stop them but I'd rather they not have assault rifles
Screw that 'reflection of the owner' mumbo jumbo. That's only partially right. You can train a Pit Bull to be calm, but I don't believe for a second that they're not aggressive by nature. It's healthy to have some type of reservation towards them IMO, until you get to know them personally.
I lived next door to a family that had 2 Pit Bulls. They were the most awesome dogs. for 6 years I lived next door to them without a single incident, and the owners took very good care of them. One day we hear commotion coming from our neighbor's yard and look to see one of the Pit Bulls had a visitor's leg in its mouth, while the other was viciously trying to get close to do the same. One of the owners had to fight to hold that one back while the other owner had to fight to get the other one off the visitor. Pit Bull was locked jaw. Nightmare situation. Not a reflection of the owners. The dogs have a natural instinct towards violence when they get sparked up.
I lived next door to a family that had 2 Pit Bulls. They were the most awesome dogs. for 6 years I lived next door to them without a single incident, and the owners took very good care of them. One day we hear commotion coming from our neighbor's yard and look to see one of the Pit Bulls had a visitor's leg in its mouth, while the other was viciously trying to get close to do the same. One of the owners had to fight to hold that one back while the other owner had to fight to get the other one off the visitor. Pit Bull was locked jaw. Nightmare situation. Not a reflection of the owners. The dogs have a natural instinct towards violence when they get sparked up.
So are Rottweilers, Dobermans, Bulldogs, Dogo Argentinos, Jindos, German Shepherds, Presa Canarios, Chow Chows, Shar Peis, and on and on and on and on and on.
So, you only lived next door to these dogs. You didn't actually know them. Also, how are are you that these things were genetically APBTs?
This is not a thing that exists.
Which, if you know they were bred for baiting, makes total sense until you realize people need to get into the ring to regain control of the dog, so then you have to ask why people would breed and train a dog specifically for unchecked human aggression........................
That is the problem. Baning a breed does not fix that. Shitty owners just move on to the next breed like preso canario, dogo argentino, rotweiller, etc (any big dog really). Pit are not super strong, it been debunked, it all a body mass thing.
That exactly what happens in area where bans are done, shitty owners just get the other mean looking dog and trained them to be shitty dog. As such bites and attack and death do not decrease.
The area that instead of breed bans do public education and strict licensing measure are the area that do get decrease in dog bites.
Using your argument with guns, if you have a gang problem in your area and lots of firearm shooting, banning assault riffle won't fix your gang problem.
If you look up Pit bulls on dog breed sites you'll find that they are quite good with people and kids, but not so much with other dogs.
Which based on public perception is very surprising because all we hear about them is when things die so we assume they are just murderous monsters.
Which based on public perception is very surprising because all we hear about them is when things die so we assume they are just murderous monsters.
My 'irrational fear' is not limited to Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls are just the examples used in this thread. Mark me down for having reservations towards all these dogs until I get to know them myself and are comfortable with our relationship.
I interacted with them on a regular basis. I played with them. I was very good friends with the kids next door. I knew these dogs.
My apologies for my ignorance. Whatever happens when a dog bites down and no one can pry their mouth open or do anything for them to let go, that's what occurred.
Is this saying that it was a reflection of the owners? I guess I can't say conclusively since I didn't actually live in the house, but like I said: I had a really good relationship with this family. Nothing from them would suggest that they were aggressive, and therefore influencing the behavior of the dogs.
Last edited:
This is something that rarely gets any attention or investigation in dog attacks or instances of aggression. When even the very breed of a dog is often no correctly identified in attacks, even fatal ones, properly diagnosing medical issues that could have cause/contributed is even less common.
It can be hard to notice when a dog is suffering from a medical issue and degeneration from old age. You hear people say their dog was never aggressive for the 6+ years they had them, well for a large breed that probably only lives to ~8-14 years they an start to develop issues with their hips, eyes, hearing and internal organs that can trigger aggressive responses, not to mention other degenerative diseases or illnesses they can contract. Most dogs don't just "snap" something concrete happens that causes them to react violently. Even well trained dogs that were fully socialized can develop ailments and physical issues that will cause them to become afraid and defensive and "turn" on even their owners. Dogs are living creatures to and as they age they lose their eye sight and hearing and just like people can become extremely afraid and confused about things, which often leads to aggression. This is even worse in cases where people are not properly caring for their dog from the start with check ups, vaccines, healthy diet, etc.
People who have renter's or homeowner's insurance policies (which should be everybody but I digress) should read their policies regarding dogs. Most insurance companies won't insure someone with certain breeds of dogs, pitbulls among them. Either that or they'll make you sign an exclusion acknowledging that they're not covering anything if it does bite someone. The insurance companies have run the numbers and there's just way too much potential for huge payouts under the liability portion of the policy.
Also, most insurance companies have a "one bite rule" for any dog. If your dog bites someone you have to sign an exclusion in order to be offered renewal which states your policy will never again cover a dog of yours biting somebody.
So how do you guys feel about a neighbor out in the county, their house 100 meters away or so... Who have a pit that I've seen roam unattended? These people have a high turnover rate on dogs since they let them roam. We're maybe half a mile off of a fairly busy road. I know they've had 2 get hit. But, being out in the county the leash law doesn't apply, so there's really no recourse concerning how they treat their animals. I would say they're the very definition of folks who don't need dogs. I'm not comfortable letting my dog go outside alone on account of that thing.... Mainly because I once saw a Pit bite a Yorkie's tail off and left all kinds of mangled skin hanging. It survived thank goodness, but after that I'm no fan of letting dogs with a large size / power disparity mix.