Pit Bull Attacks – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
December 2nd, 2005
People often ask me, “Jason, why do you love such a breed when they harm innoncent people?” My answer is usually, because they haven’t harmed me or anyone I know and probably never will.
And if by some small chance it did happen, odds are it was because of something I or they did to cause it.
I for one am sick of BSL spouting politicans looking for political favors by gaining ignorant votes by saying Pit Bulls are vicious.
The Ugly of it is this, with every article about how Pit Bulls are vicious it draws in people who want vicious dogs.
The Bad of it is, with every article about how Pit Bulls are not vicious but great family pets it draws in people who shouldn’t have a dog, much less a Pit Bull.
The Good of it is, some great dog owners look at the Pit Bull and help them.
American Pit Bull Terriers are the greatest dogs on the planet, bar none, nothing can change that, however, with all the good news being spread over the bad news, we are hurting the breed in both cases.
I will repeat what I have said many times here so everyone gets a chance to read it…
If you are not responsible, you should not have a dog, if you want to help, use your money to donate to reputable rescues and BSL fighting organizations DO NOT BUY OR ADOPT A PIT BULL.
Yes, they are great dogs. No, they are not great dogs for everyone.
They are great dogs for people with the time, passion, strength and heart to raise, train, and stand up for them and for themselves when the time arises.
Pit Bulls are not vicious, they make crap guard dogs, they are not for people with very little time for pets, they are not great dogs for single moms or Dads, they are NOT play things to be bought and sold at will and finally…
Most of the people who have them right now shouldn’t have them. The fact is, I get plenty of emails with questions that should have been answered months before getting the dog.
Yet, they have no clue.
Alot of this is because of breeders who don’t care and shelters who can’t care because they are stocked to the ceiling with homeless pets.
Another factor in all this is the “I saved a dog because I bought it from a BYB” syndrome.
This is their way of excusing the fact they bought a dog from a scoundral and nothing more.
Time would have been better spent REPORTING the scoundral rather than funding them to “save” a puppy.
What is the point of this article? Really nothing, just another rant from an irrate Pit Bull owner sick and tired of dealing with idiots who have nothing better to do than destroy a breed of canine.
All of this BSL non-sense has me wondering…
…what ever happened to the war on drugs?
Oh that’s right, Pit Bulls are more important…
Until next time,
Jason “Still scratching his head” Mann, Angel CGC and Honey
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
Well Jason –
We stumbled into pitbull ownership so I don’t know if we would automatically qualify as one of the folks that shouldn’t have one.
we adopted a shep/retriever from the pound, had been thinking about getting two dogs, the puppy in the same puppy holding area at the pound came up for adoption as well (we had been 4th on both dogs)…and the pound told us it was mostly pit (we had originally been told lab).
I did a little research and decided we should be okay.
It’s been a year and 1/2 and I think we are okay.
What I have observed….
our little pit (princess) is smart. really, really smart. she will do things like grab her leash off the table and bring it to you wagging her tail.
she constantly wants to be where the family is, and will follow you around.
she loves car rides and insists on coming all the time.
she sleeps in bed every night with my nine year old. Actually, you can just say “Princess go to bed” and she will go jump in his bed.
she is so much smarter than our shepherd/retriever it is really quite amusing when they are learning new commands. She definitely gets it faster then Buffy by a long shot… whether she decides she wants to obey or not is another thing.
I would be curious if there has been any intelligence testing on dog breeds and where pits rate. I have not seen any signs of agression whatsover.
Two weekends ago I had her at the soccer game watching my 9 year old play and I also had my 2 year old niece along. we were sitting in a double chair. Ellen was hand feeding Princess goldfish crackers.
Princess was patiently waiting for each cracker, not jumping, staying as told, and accepting pets on the head and more crackers.
The lady next to me exclaimed – “what kind of dog is that… she is so gentle !” I smiled and told her Princess is a pitbull. she looked a little suprised.
thanks for your site.
Well said Jason,
We only hope the message gets through,
before it becomes too late.
Jason, Sometimes I read your blogs and go “ouch!”. I know Brandon
did research on the APBT. I have done most of my research after
the fact. I know that I have never encountered a dog quite like
Avi, never one this smart or one that interacts with family like
she does. Also I know I have e-mailed with questions that I
should have already known the answers to-ouch! I know that this
dog is going to be o.k.-actually better than o.k. because she is
fortunate to have four people committed to making her o.k.-and it
takes time work and effort and yet with Avi this is so much fun. She
is worth every minute. thanks for the information and the criticism
I agree ,I love my pits and know that they would never hurt me,my family or anyone that I know.However when I go in public with them for example Petsmart people recoil in fear and i’m sick and tired of it.Truth be told my 80 pound male pit is a big baby.He looks very intimidating but that is it,he would hurt the fly biting him in the rear.I posted this on Myspace because i want people to know that pits are not bad it’s the owners that are.
I thought this was an interesting read, just wanted to pass it along. http://www.staffordmall.com/thebullbreedsmanifesto.htm
For Christmas, we recieved Max, a full-blooded blue pitt. He is the most adorable baby ever. He was the runt of the litter and had lots of prolems but we wanted him anyways. He passed away yesterday and we were devestated. What hurt us worse than him dying was the fact that our friends and acquantices said it was a good thing because we did not need Max around our 2 children. (Age 2 and 8) Do these people think we would put our children in harms way! My father-n-law has been breeding blue pits for 3 years now and they all have papers and none of them have ever fought. They are very loving and have been very important to our family. We need more articles like this to show pits are not bad. Thank you and keep spreading the word. One more quick note we are getting a new baby! (7 weeks old) We cannot wait for his arrival on Sunday.
I am a Pit Bull owner and I totally agree with you. Politics and people that have never owned a Pit Bull twist stories about Pit Bulls and it makes every one scared and nervouse, KEEP UP THE FIGHT!!!
Another view point
I stumbled upon your site today and thought you all might be interested in hearing my story.
On New Years eve I was walking my 13 year old, arthritic Westie down the middle of a street when two unleashed pit bulls charged us from behind and immediately began attacking and biting my dog. I tried to protect my dog and during the attack my arm was severely bitten.
I can tell you that it was the scariest 30 seconds of my life. I was hysterical. I screamed so loud that people two blocks away came running down the street. A neighbor even tried to film it. The owner had absolutely no control, and despite his repeated demands, the dogs would not stop attacking. If it were not for the brave soul who jumped in and pulled one of the dogs off, I am sure my dog would’ve been killed.
It’s been nearly two weeks since the attack. My dog has been to the emergency room, and to his normal vet twice for treatment of his wounds. My injury were severe enough that I had to be taken to the emergency room also. My medical bills are now in the thousands.
And I feel incredibly lucky.
I have since heard all kinds of stories about this neighbor and his Pit Bulls. Animal control has been to his house many times for “near misses”. I don’t want to get into a long story, but I can tell you that before the police arrived, this guy left the city and took the dogs to another county and apparently “sold” the dogs that did the attacking. Additionally, I have since learned he has been breeding these dogs for many years.
The neighbors on the street live in constant fear. The school bus stop is only a few feet from this irresponsible moron’s house. And even though he has been repeatedly cited for the being dogs off the leash, he continues to disregard the law.
I believe in rescuing pit bulls, but I don’t believe that people should be allowed to breed them anymore. If you lived on my street, you would start to understand why I feel this way. Every time I step out onto the street, I have to wonder where are the dogs. Are they going to come charging up to me? I even wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, because I have reoccurring dreams that I’m being chased.
I’d like to add also that I’ve never been afraid of any kind of dog – EVER. My Westie’s good friend is a pit bull named Stella that he sees every day at work (for the last 9 years). And I have several friends involved with the local Pit Bull rescue. Intellectually I know it’s the owner’s fault; but it doesn’t stop me from reliving the terror every time I see a Pit Bull I don’t know. Which happened this week when I had my dog at the vet – someone brought in a stray Pit Bull and I started hyper ventilating – I had to run out of the room in a panic. Maybe that sounds crazy to some of you, but that is how afraid I am of these dogs.
So next time you wonder why people “recoil in fear” over your friendly, nice Pit Bull, please think about my story. Because for every attack, there are always witnesses who also have to relive it.
Ray,
I’m glad your dog is okay.
This is a perfect example of current laws not being enforced or
strong enough to make a difference.
If this man was JAILED for his actions do you think he might learn? Instead of saying we should stop breeding APBT’s why not talk to your local government and ask them why this man was allowed to REPEATEDLY break the law.
Here is some food for thought for everyone.
Instead of talking about how these dogs (which by the way were not at fault in this situation) viciously attacked an arthritic dog, focus on asking the local law enforcement why people are allowed to break the law without any consequence.
That is what happened here. A man, kept breaking the law, nothing was done, and eventually his dogs (untrained, bred a lot, unsound probably, and not cared for properly) caused a problem.
Could have been a German Shepherd (wouldn’t be so sensational though) or some other breed. It doesn’t matter, the point was, NOTHING WAS DONE TO STOP HIM.
That is why this happened. Not because Pit Bulls are vicious.
Discontinue breeding? Yeah that will stop it. Nope. It will only make them MORE priceless and cause MORE of them to be bred and MORE greedy money hungry punks will start breeding them.
Jason
You make some good points Jason but I still believe in a ban on the breed. I’m sorry if that sounds like the wrong course of action to you, but I fell very strongly about it.
I’ve been talking to either Animal Control, the Police, the Health Department and/or my attorney on a daily basis. The police and Animal Control have been doing everything possible within the law, but because this guy has threatened many neighbors (both physically as there are some restraining orders neighbors have on him – and verbally) the people who live on the street are afraid to report him. There was even another attack on a French Bulldog puppy several months ago. The young couple – who just moved here – are in their 20′s are too afraid and “don’t want to get involved” because they fear this neighbor aggression.
It is most unfortunate that these kinds of people are attracted to Pit Bulls, and other aggressive breeds. But if there was a ban, the moment a dog is identified as a Pit Bull, the law enforcement could immediately remove the dog, period.
I should add that I believe there are other dogs that should also be banned. But without a doubt, the Pit Bull breed has been proven time and time again, that in the wrong hands, it is a killing machine. My dog and I (and my neighbors and their children) are no longer safe walking down the street.
Jason
Another thought: At the very least, I think the breeding of Pit Bulls needs to be regulated. Maybe this is a better idea. In order to breed any number of “large aggresive dogs”, an indiviudal or company has to be licensed to do so. The repsonsiblily then would lie on the breeders shoulders, as they would need to actively screen the adoption to make sure these dogs don’t get in the wrong hands. It may not stop all the attacks, but it would certainly help.
Once again Ray, this is not logical. It’s unfair and BIASED against a certain person that wants to be involved with a certain breed. Not to mention that if you start regulating breeding then you better start regulating ALL breeders and not just those of Pit Bulls.
And on your first comment. Keep banning them, people will switch. So you ban that breed, they switch, you ban that breed, they switch, ban that breed, they switch, ban that breed, they switch.
It will NEVER solve the problem. The way to solve the problem is to strengthen the laws on the books and enforce them. Not to ban or restrict or otherwise subject innoncent law abiding citizens to laws that unfarily target them based on the actions of a few.
I suppose we should ban baseball bats becase of the two kids (still not caught) who beat a homeless man to death for NO REASON. Makes about as much sense as banning a dog breed because one idiot can’t be controlled by laws or the police. That’s their freaking job. Obviously they aren’t doing it very well.
I think we can agree to disagree because I don’t see how your base ball bat example is relevant. A large majority of reported “biting” incidents (15% ) is the result of Pit Bulls or Pit mixes. An even greater majoirty of maulings and deaths are attributed to Pit Bulls. I’ve checked with Animal Control and law enforcement, and this information is available to any concerned citizen.
One more thing before I go: I just want to state that this is not “about one idiot”. Check with your local law enforcement, and then check the stats on deaths caused by dogs. It might be an eye opener for you as their is apparently a lot of “idiots” who own Pit Bulls.
I have checked the stats. Most people couldn’t tell you a Pit Bull from a Poodle. Other than that, yes, one idiot is usually responsible for the attack. Yes, there are TON of idiots out there that own these dogs. I’m not denying that.
Did you know that 21 fatal maulings are attributed to Siberian Huskies? 17 more are atributed to husky mixes and crosses. I don’t hear of any one trying to ban them do you?
I know my numbers. I have seen THOUSANDS of attack reports and stats. I have also seen my share of “pit bull kills neighbors dog” only to find out that it was a Lab or an American Bulldog or a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These are NOT Pit Bulls.
Jason: Didn’t mean to turn this into a personal attack as I do know some repsonsible owners who have Pit Bulls. But, being defensive and ‘blind” to the facts will not help your cause.
Ray: I’m not being defensive. I’m stating “facts” as you call them. I have done the research. Asked the questions, SEEN the data, studied it again and again and NOTHING says THE AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER (the only dog that is a PIT BULL) is more dangerous than any other breed.
This is not acting blind. It’s stating FACTS based on what I have SEEN with my own two eyes.
Here’s another fact. With bans, comes more bans, because these people move and start to go to other places nearby. So they start to see an influx (wouldn’t have happened if there was no ban” in residents with Pit Bulls so they start freaking out because they THINK they will start to see more attacks.
The fact of the matter is, bans DO NOT work. Miami has a ban in effect, has for over a decade, why do you see them picking up APBT’s DAILY on the show Miami Animal Cops? Yes, a ban sure worked for them.
In Canada, they are taking away SERVICE dogs from the BLIND, DEAF and other people with problems because they
are Pit Bulls. Now I ask you, if you had a GUIDE DOG that helped you for years, would you be happy they were banning them? No.
It’s unfair, bottom line, no defensive actions needed, it’s STUPID and irrational to ban an entire species of animal because of what PEOPLE do with them. Again, this goes back to banning guns, baseball bats, or other items that can be used as weapons because sometimes people kill with them.
You said it doesn’t make sense, in this world it doesn’t have to because banning a breed of animal doesn’t make any sense to me either.
For me, the issue is, you are telling me that I am breaking a law by having dogs that have NEVER hurt anyone or done anything wrong. So I have to move, root up my family, and business so I can not be a law breaker? I won’t do that for anyone regardless. My choice, my right, my FREEDOM. Why not make the non-dog owners move? It’s as fair as asking me to move for no reason.
And that again Ray is not being defensive. It’s being LOGICAL and RATIONAL and trying to come up with a solution that does not subject law abiding, tax paying, compassionate people to unfair laws because of a bunch of idiots who are not held responsible for their irresponsible actions.
Take it up with your local government to deal with THAT PERSON and THEIR actions and leave the rest of us out of it.
Pretty simple when you think about it.
Maybe you should re read my original post. I said that the ban should be on breeding Pit Bulls, or at the very least their breeding should be highly regulated.
I never said that law abiding citizens with dogs of “no bad histroy” should be taken from their owners.
Why do you have a blog about Pit Bulls if you don’t want to hear all sides of the argument? In a sense, you are also contributing to the problem.
Pretty simple when you think about it, huh?
Ray: Banning = Breeding, ownership etc… It ALL fits in the same catagory. Again. It will not do anything. The idea is a “bandaid” hopeful approach to a problem that is larger than a law restricting or banning dogs in ANY fashion.
It’s not the dogs that are causing the attacks/bites/deaths. Its’ the PEOPLE WHO ALLOW their dogs to do this.
That is what I’m talking about. You said, “ban or restrict breeding” at one time, I thought restricting would be a good thing. At least the quality of dog would probably be better. However, after doing something research and thinking on the subject, restricting it wouldn’t be that good of idea. Setting RULES for how to breed and having people follow them, that would be a more logical answer.
I am not angry, attacking, or trying to be closed to the other side of the issue. I’m open to it, more so than most APBT owners in fact. However, it’s the same thing over and over again.
No one offers ideas. Just restrict/ban or otherwise target law abiding citizens with laws that shouldn’t apply to them. There are a lot of responsible breeders out there that a ban or restriction would effect. It would also eventually lead to the downfall of the breed. Banning breeding is worse than banning the breed if you ask me.
My point to all those who think a ban of any kind on a breed of dog would help is, it’s not the dogs fault it’s in the situation its in. It’s not the dogs fault it has been allowed to well, be a dog, it’s not the dogs fault it’s not given direction and discipline. So why punish the breed of dog when it’s not the entire breed, but a few isolated, individual dogs? It’s biased. Dogs are creatures of repetition. If they are allowed to do something again and again that satisifies them or makes their people happy, they will REPEAT IT. Its their nature. It’s why they are easily trained to do so many different tasks. So if you have a PERSON who lets their dog engage in unhealthy actions, it’s not the BREED, it’s that specific dog.
Law makers and enforcers SUCK at doing both enforcing and making of laws in regards to animals. Especially in regards to breed bans and breed specific attacks.
So to restrict or otherwise ban any breed or breeding of any breed is an exercise in laziness.
And that is pretty simple.
You make some good points – I will sleep on it. I may be still too emotional to think rationally since my dog and I were attacked just two weeks ago.
I WILL AGREE 100% WITH JASON BECAUSE HE ACTUALLY KNOWS AND LOVES THE BREED OF PITBULLS..AS I DO. PEOPLE WHO STEREO-TYPE THE BREED HAVE NEVER OWNED ONE AND DO NOT KNOW HOW LOYAL AND LOVING THE PITBULL BREED IS, BECAUSE OF ALL THE HE SAY-SHE SAY CRAP!!! IF YOU LOOK UP THE FACTS MIXED BREEDS ARE FIRST ON THE LIST OF DOG BITES AND PITBULLS ARE LAST WITH ONLY 2% WILL BITE. I DONT THINK IT IS FAIR TO BAND A DOG OF ANY KIND EXSPECIALLY A BREED THAT IS SO FAITHFUL AND SO EAGER TO PLEASE THE MAN THAT FEEDS HIM.
YES THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THERE ANIMALS AND LEAVE THEM CHAINED UP AND DON’T GIVE MUCH ATTENTION TO AND SADLY ALOT OF THEM ARE PITBULLS ,,BUT THAT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY DOG BREED . YOU TRAIN ANY BREED TO BE MEAN BY MISTREATING THEM …YOU CAN LEAVE ANY BREED CHAINED UP AND EVTUALLY IT WILL TURN ON YOU OR ANYONE ELSE BECAUSE IT IS NOT AROUND PEOPLE AND DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BE. SO I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH ANY BAN OF THE PITBULL BREED AND I SERIOSLY HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO STEREO-TYPE THE BREED BY NOT KNOWING THE BREED ARE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE PITBULL BREED. I HAVE OWNED PITBULLS ALL MY LIFE AND MY 2 KIDS ARE BEING RAISED AROUND PITBULLS RIGHT NOW AND NOT ONCE HAVE WE HAD ONE PROBLEM OUT OF ANY OF OUR DOGS ..THEY HAVE NEVER SHOWED ANGER OR AGGRESSION TOWARDS ANY OF US .
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER IS WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD!!!!!!!!!
RAY: If I came off as defensive, I apologize. For that is not what I was trying to convey at all. If I came off as insensitive to your situation, again, I apologize. I know it had to be horrible to witness. I have seen minor scraps and it got to me a little. I’m glad your dog was not killed and I’m sorry you had to go to the hospital. I do sympathize with your situation and if I were in that same situation? Those dogs would not be living.
We have two pit bulls, a female named Brandy, and a male named Puppy ( my husband insisted on the name Puppy), both are unaltered, we also have two young children, we have had dogs in the past, but none like our pits, they are the SMARTEST, EASIEST TO HOUSE TRAIN ,SWEETEST,FUNNIEST,MOST AMUZING,MOST LOYAL DOGS,we have EVER come in contact with, NEVER ONCE HAVE THEY DESTROYED OUR HOUSE, our female tucks the children in at night, checks on them constantly,wakes them up in the morning, our male sits next to my son while he does his homework,plays with the children , (never once has Puppy played ruff with them) Brandy insits on hugs constantly,all they want is to be with the family, they are truley wonderful dogs and they are very human like, there expressions are so close to human expressions, it is amazing(we do not try to humunize our dogs, we just treat them with love and respect). PEOPLE say that pit buls are “vicious”, well, any living creature can be “vicious”. If you treat a child with crulety they will turn to be be “vicious” . You can not treat any living being bad and then condem them for how they were taught to be, ignorannce is the reason these dogs have such a bad reputaion, humans that do not know how to handle this breed, or for that matter any breed in my opinion, there are some mothers that were never meant to be mothers,and fathers that were never meant to be fathers, and dog owners that were never meant to be dog owners, restrictions, licenses, traing classes, for humans as well as K-9′s, should be enforced, not banning, if we ban a breed because of our ignorance than why don’t we start banning ourselfs too, we damage the earth, we are depleating our own resources, we are mean, we are “vicious”. Education is the answer, if you do your research you will find that the pit bull breed is NOT among the top bitters, attackers, or killers. The ignorant media pushes these negative images of pit bulls in your head, stupid people belive everything they see on T.V., and everything they read in the news papers without doing there own educated reasearch ” oh it’s the breed” it’s not the breed , it’s the ignorant people, MOST people don’t even know what a pit bull looks like, but because a dog bit, or attacked someone, that dog automaticly is a pit bull, we take our dogs to the park all time, and people give us compliments on our dogs every time,weather it’s the way they are behaving or there good looks but then when we are asked “what kind of dogs are they” and when we answer “pit bulls” there whole attitude changes. STUPID. What needs to be done is more education on this breed, and ban unresponsible OWNERS, not the breed. If you are a decent person who truely loves animals, you will NEVER have a bad expirence owning a pit bull. We love our Pits.
I can understand where Ray is coming form, for the longest time I was afraid of all cat, I know it sounds dumb but I was attacked by like 4 when I was a kid. But that one interaction changed the way I felt about cats, and I have long since learned to appreciate them once more, but it took a few years… to get past anything that is even the slightest bit traumatizing is a difficult process. As for the bans, I believe BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is the upmost lazy way of handling what I am calling an epidemic of irresponsible owners. The case is not only with Pit bulls, as Rotwielers, Dobermans, and several other breeds have faced bans that are still in effect in some place in the US but are just not enforced, why? Because people have learned the true nature of these dogs… And an interesting fact is that in Austria (the Country close to Germany) German Shepard’s are BANNED!!!! Why? Because they are flesh tearing dogs… we use them as Police/Security dogs… Now do you trust your K9 Cop? I for one have no problem with any dog, but I have also learned a few things about how certain breeds show aggression. Also one quick way to see if a Pit Bull has been breed properly, by that I mean is not inbreed, and has a ideal temperament is if the dog is barking a lot, as Pit Bulls are not that vocal compared to other dogs. A good example of a Pit Bull will not bark when some one is passing by their yard, they may run up to the fence with their tail wagging, and a big tongue sticking out… but then they just want some attention. For instance my pit will only bark if he wants something we have, a toy, a treat or the power to open his pen/front door. We need more people to fight these laws, one person cannot do it, we all must create a united stance against LAZY LAWS, and AROGANT POLITICIANS.
To Ray:( I am the proud owner of Brandy and Puppy, I wrote about them above) I just read your expirence, and I am truly sorry that this happened to you, and I can see why you would be afraid, but your letting your fear get te best of you, you yourself wrote that this man who lives on your street, is Trouble, what you should be doing is trying to get this man out of your nieghborhood, instead of focusing all of your energy on the banning of all pit bulls, or getting the dogs, that he owns to a safer enviorment. What happend to you was not your fault or the fault of the pit bulls , it was the owners fault, he is the unresponisble one , a man like that should not own animals, and who’s to say that if he owned German Shepards that the same thing would not have happend to you, or someone else. Some dogs are dog aggresive by nature, (and pit bulls are not the only breed that are dog aggressive)it sounds as though these dogs that attacked your dog and bit you in the process are dog aggressive dogs, the owner should know this,a responsible owner knows if there dog is dog agressive or not, but let me tell you, dog aggresion has NOTHING to do with human aggresion, so therefore these pit bulls probally did not intentionally mean to bite you, they were after your dog. You need to do more reasearch on this breed so you can fully understand them, and mabey in the future FACE YOUR FEAR,(you have given yourself a phobia) it will be the only way to overcome it. Please consider what you are trying to do with a clear, educated head not one clouded by fear. One question, the person who came to your rescue ane pulled one of the pits away, did he get attacked also?
Ray , I am very sorry to hear of your bad experience regarding your neighbors dog (s). Unfortunately dogs of ANY BREED will run and attack other dogs because owners like him have no regard for others let alone their own dogs !! One of the problems is that this guy cares only for the money he gets from very sale…as a result, he doesn’t produce a good quality dogs, thus doesn’t treat them well etc…Bottom line is. people like him sell to ANYONE that has the MONEY and there is no application, no home visits, no background checks etc…I could go on and on. But think you get my drift. I have rescued AMPBT for over twenty years and I must tell you,,,,people in RESCUE go to the extreme to make certain every dog is suitable for adoption or fostering before ever going into a new home ! This breed is the most ABUSED ! Watch Animal Planet some time….Breed Spec. Laws are STUPID & for those in authority to say, “I’m making a difference in the community’s eye’. YEAH RIGHT ! We have laws against DRUGS, booze, yet people still use and abuse them, kill others while the laws are in effect…The DIFFERENCE, like Jason stated is , NO ONE EITHER WANTS TO GET INVOLVED BECAUSE OF BEING AFRAID OF RETALITATION FROM THE BAD GUY. Warnings from the police, fines , jail time…nothing gets done. You know , instead of BEING AFRAID, WHY don’t you and the other neighbors get together and START STANDING UP TO THIS GUY AS A GROUP !! YOU KNOW
As a younge boy I had my arm become a chew toy of a newspaper boy’s
beagle. I was as scared as Ray for I was small and the dog seemed huge. My sister was also bitten by another dog. She became hysterical of all dogs. She will almost always call the cops if there is a loose dog anywhere around her and she even crosses the street to avoid them on leash. Both her and her husband would make laws against all dog to that of wild beasts.
I got over it and have come to prefer Pit Bulls and Boarder Collies.
This is all self-fullfiling. The Nanny state pushes the breed to the bad boy reaches of the state and then points to their own mess as proof that we need more of their solutions.
Japan has the TOSA fighting dogs that I have never heard of it attacking anyone. It’s nature is the same as the Pit Bull. It tends to want to mix it up with ‘other dogs’ and small animals, unless it is introduced to them early. Which all dogs should be done with kids early and often and made to tolerate any roughness on the part of the child. Where are the countless stories of Tosa attacks? I have lived in Japan for over 10 years!
The effeminate state in the west first says no to dog fighting, even though we line up cows, chickens etc. at the slaughter house. Death like a lamb is OK, but death by fighting is somehow evil. Second, in England fox hunting is now band while in my home country(Canada) guns are just about gone for all law abiding people. The criminals have them still!
I have never owned a gun and my dogs have never been in an fight. I can still see what is happening though. Ray has learned the victimization culture to the ‘T.’ Fear is always OK! Good boy, please let’s give everyone a group hug and say it together, “It’s OK to be afraid, we are all afraid too.’ “It’s OK to rationalize your inablity to deal with fear.” Hug,Hug,kiss,kiss on both cheeks and where is my glass of wine too.
The reality is that if you take every American pit bull terrier off the face of the planet today, you’ll still have the same incidence of dog attacks tomorrow.Irresponsible owners will just shift breeds. Responsible owners aren’t causing the problem.There is no such thing as a dangerous dog breed(though some breeds do need experienced handlers),individual dogs can be dangerous for whatever reason that may be, every person with a rational mind knows this…..BSL does nothing but make life a living hell for us law abiding responsible dog owners,whilst giving the general public a false sence of security..
I just want to share a story of the sterotyping of these dogs. I took my Pit (which was 3 months old) to get his shots. There was a guy there who was playing with him and was having a great time. When asked what kind of dog he was, I just replied an American Terrier. He seemed ok with that. Then another person came over and asked me if he was a full blooded Pit and I said yes. The guy immediately stopped playing with him and said to his wife that if he had known it was a Pitbull, he never would have let him put his hand in his mouth because he could have lost some fingers.
My daughter had given me this puppy as she couldn’t keep one where she was living. I was hesitant to keep him as I have two pomeranians and wasn’t sure how well they would get along. (both are from a shelter and were abused) I fell in love with the little guy, did some research on the breed, got to know his personality and triggers, brought him to puppy classes and am so glad that I kept him.
My smallest Pom and he play all the time, with her keeping him in line. I still have a little work to do to fine tune him, but he is the greatest dog. If I were the person breaking into my home, I would fear the Poms, before I would fear him, as my male Pom keeps people at bay despite his small size, they freeze at the door.
I enjoy the pit bull lovers website, but haven’t checked out the blog often. This has been an interesting debate, for sure!
My husband and I share our lives with 2 rescue “pit bulls” (we don’t know their actual breed, but this is how they were identified to us). Paisley, our female, is far more low-key. Ari, our male, is a little more intense but I survive by this motto: sometimes the most challenging things in life are the most rewarding. Both are fixed, which I think is key. I cannot say I agree with people owning in tact dogs (any breed) unless they plan on breeding, and even then, WE HAVE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF HOMELESS, UNWANTED DOGS in our country, we don’t need more breeders. We need more homes for these animals.
I wanted to ask, is the above person’s statement about barking indicating an unsound dog based on any truth, or just anecdotal evidence? In all my research, I’ve never read anything like this. Our dogs are overall quiet, but Ari can be more vocal–should I really be worrying that he is unsound? For instance, he will bark when someone walks by our home (which is in the country, so this is overall rare) but has never made a peep in the car when we are in public places with people approaching the car constantly, even little kids knocking on the windows and such. Any more info on this would be appreciated!
I wanted to make a quick note of kudos to Ray. No, I don’t agree fully with Ray’s view points, but that this person is willing to think about the issues, engage in this discussion, and show thoughtful reflection on his/her experiences–I think it is very positive.
I admit though too, if I brought one of our dogs or both into a vet and someone panicked and left the room, I would be mortified and utterly offended. Due to Ray’s thoughts, I will try to give some understanding, but I also urge Ray not to let these few incidences overshadow the good experiences with friendly pit bulls that Ray has had. Give a dog the benefit of a doubt, yet remain wary enough to act quickly if that trust is misplaced. That would apply to any dog or animal really.
Thanks all for letting me share my thoughts! =)
Jason, keep up the good work you do as an advocate and ambassador for this wonderful breed!
I live in Ontario and have a Pit Bull, who’s bestfriend is a 8 months old kitten. I rescue my dog from the local shelter and it was the best decison I have ever made. Anyone who meets Tucker ends up saying what a stupid law the ban is here. My dog HATES fighting! ex. Last nite my friend jokingly punched my friend in the shoulder and Tucker got up inbetween them whinning and crying and seperating them. If these dogs are so “aggressive” then why does my Pit Bull stop fighting??? Also I have a friend who sadley lost his leg to cancer. His 2 dogs (Chesapeake Bay reterviers) are so carless around him and knock him over, whereas Tucker is so carefully walking around him making sure not to knock him over. I just thought that this may open a few more eyes.
I have had my ‘pure’ pit since October. I adopted him from a rescue group. While he was in their care he had to stay at a vets office for a while. Some ‘idiot’ didn’t realize that he was already neutered and decided to bring him home to breed him with her female. THIS is the kind of person to be scared of. She wasn’t intelligent enough to see that he was altered (btw, she worked at a vets office as a tech at the time). Now, putting the altered male with an unaltered female isn’t bad, but the girl ALSO had an intact male rottweiler in the yard, too. The rott attacked what is now my dog. The rott had no damage done to him whereas my dog had LOTS of damage. This is not typical of pits. Most pits would have defended themselves, I’m sure. My dog is so docile it’s not even funny. I took him yesterday to meet another neutered male to see if they would get along. The new guy is actually sick. He has one lode in one of his lungs that’s collapsed. If the two of them would/could get along, I was considering keeping him. Funny thing is that this little guy decided to be dominant with my dog (which is almost twice his size). I do not want my dog subjected to any form of dominance or aggression if I can help it. I’ve been working with him since I got him to try to get him over the attack. I completely trust my dog. He sleeps with me at night and sits by me during the day. I have taken him to obedience training and NEVER allow him out of the house without his hardware (pinch collar with choke backup) and leash unless he’s going into the back 6ft tall wood fenced back yard or if I take him to a local dog park that if fairly unknown and there are no dogs in it. The hardware is not because he’s vicious. The hardware is only used when we’re on walks. It was the method that I used to train him. It also helps keep him under control when he gets overly excited. That’s all. He weighs a little over half of my weight and is solid muscle. Everyone laughs and says that I don’t have a dog, I a 65 lb. muscle with four legs. I am being responsible.
I believe that if the law were better able to deal with these ‘monsters’ that do the damage and if the media would discontinue all the hype about these dogs these ‘monsters’ might not want them as much. These ‘vicious and aggressive’ dogs are a product of their raising. My dog is proof of that. I have brought several dogs around my pit. If he’s around an aggressive dog, he might feed off of that. I’ve seen him do it with one dog that I was going to adopt. She was a staffordshire mix. We weren’t sure if she was mixed with shepherd or akita, but she was actually quite aggressive. I know this came from the shepherd or akita that they thought was in her. She ‘looked’ cute and most people were afraid of my dog before they were afraid of her, but she was the one that they should’ve been looking out for. THIS is where I believe a lot of the problem comes in. It’s when you have these mixes that I think can cause problems. She wasn’t vicious, she was overly protective (even growled and snarled at the lady that had fostered her for 2 months before I had her for 3 weeks when I had to take her back) from the inside of my car.
I agree that people do not know what a pit is. I do not claim to be all knowledgeable, but it also doesn’t help when you see people collecting all of the ‘bully’ breeds together and saying that these are ALL pit bulls.
I’m sure none of this has made sense. I’ve been ill for the last week and I tend to run on and jumpr around normally anyway. – haha
i own a pit bull,i have two children ,2 and 6 and i can’t tell you how much this dog loves them.i also have a cat wich he shares his bed with.he loves people and unfortunatly would not bite anyone to save my life…he is just a big lover…he doesn’t even bite when we play cause he knows i don’t like that….those people that fight them are not ban from society ,,,and rarely go to jail for it..pit bulls are just another breed of dog that has ,the capability of doing some real damage due to their strenght but let me tell you that it’s only when the owner wants him to be mean otherwise their are loyal loving dogs.i have done so much research and found that responsible owner love their dogs to death..u should really just get to know a pit bulls and look how incredible they can be.and yes those politiens are idiots,,look at bush ,he killed more people than pits have..so go after him.and while u there start by tracking pit bull fight ring cause they are in all corner,go after those people that fights them and give a bigger senstence ,like years in jail so they can rethink about their cruel intentions…
I’m basically a dog person and I do really like the APBT probably for the same reasons as most other pit bull owners; they are the greatest friends. Here’s some food for thought, someone else may want to comment on. I don’t really find pit bulls that hard of a dog to read. Often when you approach a dog ( a lot of times a mixed breed ) and it apears that it is going to be unfreindly like grouling and circling then you tell it to backoff but it doesen’t, then you have a problem. My expirence with pitt bulls, other than my own, has been unless the dog or dogs are not trained to be aggessive or just plan unkeeped they are pretty easy to approach. I have happen to deliver a commodity to rurl homes, believe me I’ll take meeting up with a couple of fat pitt bulls any day to many Huskys -Husky mixes – Wolf mixes – Rotts – and shepards. When dogs are doing thier jobs by checking out someone new to them I would rather meet an APBT than a lot of other breeds. By the way, the bull dogs I have had for the most part have been terrible watch dogs; they’re to darn friedly. People do need to wise-up; Dogs can be dangerous, and many owners are just plain foolish. Don’t blame the dogs every time. Wakeup, dogs are not turn-key.
I to have a pit (more like a 65pound baby) When we are out and about and i am ever asked what kind of dog is he, mostly i reply “mutt” because you say PIT BULL and people see blood coming from their mouth. I say mutt and they see a cutie and step towards me wainting to pet him. I can see both sides of the pit bull issue and its a hard call to say What should be done. but i can tell you this law or no law police come to my door wainting to take my dog, aint gonna happen. fine me arrest me but you aint getting my dog
Ray~
Your neighbor is an idiot! HE DESERVES TO GO TO JAIL for more reason
then one, it sounds like. The dog in question if proven to be to violent and uncontrolable should be put down but don’t make a blanket statement saying all pits are like that one.
How many millions of people die each year from smoking?? Is the government going to ban cigerettes too? NO
Banning breeds is NOT the anwser!
Maybe it is because the breed is under attack; I don’t know, but APTB owners are so loyal to thier animals. When you think about It, of the most crual aspects of this breed banning spree, is that thousands of responsible families own APBT, as pets, they are the love of thier lives. Family pets are important. When the hurricanes hit the south, many people would’t evacuate unless they could take their family pets. The sad fact of the matter is; if Animal control comes to take your dog they will. If you resist they will call the sheriff, then take you too. This is insanity; Great People-Great dogs. Bad People-Bad Dogs. One more time: “Punish the deed, not the breed”. By the way, If they don’t know you have a dog they can’t take it. There is a way dogs get put in county data bases.
I own a pit and she would not harm anyone unless she felt you were a threat.I have been around alot of pits and the one and only problem is the owner.If you socialized your pit it will be friendly to most humans.It is the opposite if you don’t take it for walks,never show love,or train it to be mean.Every time i go to the park to walk my pit we dont really get much exercise it ends up being a meet and greet.People are a little afraid at first or give you a look like you are a criminal but i always encourage them to stop and pet my dog to show them its not different than a lap dog.They usually ask questions about them or tell me about some kind of attack that happened and the first thing i say bad owner.Out of all attacks it was always the owners fault unless someone hopped your fence where it was posted beware of dog.I say to most people i meet once you own one you will never want to own another breed.I will admit that I do own a doberman but a couple of yrs. ago dobes went through the same media hype where are they now?
Breed Specification Legistration effects us all ! When most Goverments make a ruling and favorably vte in favor of this ruling…it then becomes a LAW ! When these laws are re-worded to inclue or exclude certain criteria-thes is mending the Law . Then when the federal Law is not enough because it is too vague & additional information is needed by the individual muncipalties to specify who and what the Law entails–then we hve BY-LAWS ! Ever time the overnment holds a meeting or convenes to discussand vote on any Laws , By=Laws or Amendments this then is called an Assembly.When the Assembly finalizes their Laws, Amendments or By-Laws by a majority vote & puts this finalization onto paper, WE GET LEGISLATION !!! Unfortunately towards canines,,,good , bad, it still adds to BREED Legistation !!! Then when a breedor goup of breeds are singled out,,,,uess what ? You get “BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION”.. Educate yourself and become a RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER !! I agree , we do not need any more BREEDERS ! Already way too many bully breeds on DEATH ROW or in shelters, rescues waiting for homes. However, I am wondering, ( FORGOT WHO ABOVE STATED THIS ) ‘that they have unaltered ( male & female ) in their home. Why are they not spay/ nutered ? Do you realize that testicular cancer in male unaltered dogs is a high risk, just like that of ovarian cancer in female dogs. Hope this is an oversight that you will soon fix…like we said, too many bullys needing homes as I post this…They make even better companions, less aggressive and calmer in temperment… Although I agree to disagree withsome posts, the main thing for me is at least we are “DISCUSSING” sharing our opinions , life regarding our beloved ‘pit’ and EDUCATING those that have had negative dealings in the past…At least people like Ray and others like him are “open’ to discussion and perhaps one day will see that media hype is just that…”hype’ that makes a boring news cast ‘exciting & gets the blood pumping,,,at least for those few moments…This to me is just as predjuctial as being a racist ! I think there is a t-shirt out there regarding BSL that has a photo of a PITBULL, A BLACK MAN AND I believe a WOMAN on it !!! Referring to the above is BSL in one way or another…. Something to think about. Does this go hand-in-hand in some way..? Has anyone seen the shirt I’m speaking of? Wll try to gt the total story & will share it later with everyone……………. sharron
Reading the posts has opened my eyes more on the topic of banning this breed. I do not understand how doing that will help. I believe people are more harmful than animals, does that mean we should ban breeding? Kids in schools will fight and shoot eachother for stupid things and what is done to set a REAL example? People sent to prison for murder and years later sent free for “good behavior” or that they “learned their lesson”, what bull crap, you killed someone. WHen a dog attacks, 90% are given the verdict to be put down. I work in an animal hospital and just this past friday a lady came in with two pits that attacked eachother and their housemate (which was a beagle) she could not control ANY of them. so of course, the two pits were put down and she went home with the beagle. I stated my point to this lady and she just brushed it off.
I am a proud owner of a 8 month old pitbull mix. she gets along with all FIVE of my cats and my shih tzu and a german shepherd. i also take my three dogs to petsmart but people come to pet the other two and stay away from my pitbull and all i get stares and a couple comments “why would you own one, aren’t you scared?” NO I AM NOT. i am 100 times more scared to walk to my car at night than of my own dog. people are stupid and the lawmakers do nothing to help.
i find jason mann’s website and the posts very helpful and logic. it is unfortunate what happened to Ray and her dog but what if the dog that attacked was a shih tzu or a lab? her neighbor is causing a problem but she should not be blaming the pitbulls, just the owner and the local police FOR NOT DOING THEIR JOB. it is very easy for people to blame these animals but why do they forget that animals are just that: ANIMALS. they are brought down from being in the wild and over generations molded into pets but they do not loose their instincts. OBVIOUSLY. get a clue.
We had owned Pit bulls for twenty plus years, we have never had one attack anyone. They may scare them back to their car, but NEVER attack. That was only because they were not Welcomed.
We do not breed, we are fortune enough to always get a great blood line of pit bulls. It is not about the PIT-BULL, it’s about the owner. Any BREED of dog can be vicious and attack. You raise your pup to be loving and fun to play with around children of any age. They are the smartest dogs I have ever dealt with.
I thank you Jason and all who contine to stand up for them.I feel for those who have had a bad experience with the breed. Again it’s the OWNER not the dog!
We never brag about the breed of our dog, I’m with Jennifer, she’s a mutt. A very smart one at that. Our new pup 4 months old is full of life and spunk, We have a daughter six,and WE make sure they get along!
Hi Jason!! and everyone else also!!
sensitive subject for me and i have alot to say.
First, Pit Bulls ARE NOT for everyone. I am VERY strict when someone comes to my yard wanting a pup. I believe half of the pit bull problem would be solved if the Breeders would try half as hard to place their dogs rather then sell them to the highest bidder. i will give away a dog to a good home before i sell one to an idiot. The First type of person i automatically turn away is anyone who walks into my home and states “WOW That Dog is BADASS” !!!
Second if there should be a ban on pit bulls, then i believe there should also be bans on cocker spaniels, poodles, chiuahuas (sp), fox terriers, huskys, chows, shihtzus and lhasas, because in the past 15 years i have been a groomer several hundred of these other breeds have visciously attacked me FOR NO REASON,but NEVER ONE PITBULL.
Third If the NEW YORK TIMES told you to go jump off the empire state building, WOULD YOU?? that is just as intelligent as believing that all pit bulls are viscious, or even believing even one of their stories about pit bulls attacking 9 times out of 10 it is a mut, or not even recognizable as a pit bull.
what number am i on??? ;) oh well, heres another thing as far as not breeding pits, there are indeed millions of homeless pets in shelters right now, most of which are not pits, but MUTTS (nothing against mutts) if people would just spay and neuter theit PETS we would have millions less MUTTS in shelters. BREEDING dogs of ANY BREED should be left to the professionals who have put in the time, effort blood sweat and tears in the show ring, the weight pull track, the agility arena and the SCHUTZHUND field. even professional HOG HUNTING. not all these people breeding their PETS to make a quick BUCK.
as for dog fighting, yes it is in our breeds history, and it is illegal now, but before you judge a sport by the bad guys, go read some of the real books on the subject….if you cannot accept the past of our breed then you SHOULD NOT OWN ONE do you think even for a second that if our dogs were not the glorious honorbound little warriors they were created to be that we would have the loyal trustworthy,strong,determined eager to please,stubborn brave courageous clownish clingy outrageous dogs we have today??? i do not condone fighting, especially not the way it is done today by street thugs and punks who have no idea about history and the care and treatment the “REAL DOGMAN” gave his dogs, but i ABSOLUTELY respect what the old timers made and that is the TOTALLY AWESOME dogs that own me and my family.
i also wanted to make perfectly clear that i do not fight my dogs, i do not agree with fighting dogs in any way, i think it had its place in our own barbaric history, and the dogmen im talking about are the men such as Colby and the other founding fathers of our breed. the history of our breed is sad and it is also the ultimate rags to riches story, the pit bull was the poor mans hero, and the hero of our countrys heart during a troubling time. i absolutely adore our breeds history and without it i know we would not have our dogs today, its their history that makes them pull with all their heart, and try with all their soul thats why i love this breed, my slogan?….
God is with you little warriors……..God is with you.
THIS IS FOR SHARRON, yes we indeed intend to get both of our pits fixed,( as a matter of fact they are schelduled for next Saturday,the 21st, if you must know),and they have never had any pups( my female when we got her was seriosly injured by another dog her front right leg was fractured,and her paw was split almost in half, she was in alot of pain,had stiches, on antibiotics, and could not ingage in much activity and we did not want to put her through so much at one time,( she has since recovered nicely, with our love and care, and the wonderful vet who was taking care of her) also we wanted to get them both fixed toghether to avoid going back and forth to the vet so much,as we were going constantly for her leg, (our male is younger than our female) the reason why I had brought up unalterd was because many of the aggressive problems with dogs are because they are not alterd, and I was trying to make a point by stating that they were unalterd and we have had no problems with them ( this statement of mine was comming from the Nicky incident, the 12year old boy who was killed because of the carelessness of his mother, stating that her female was in heat, and the male was agressive, protecting her) all I was trying to point out,is that even as bieng unaltered dogs that they show no aggresion. I was not in anyway impling that we intend to breed them, I was just trying to point out that pits are still good dogs whether they are fixed or not . we are not back yard breeders or intend to be, our dogs are VERY WELL taken care of, we have put alot of time,love and money to give our dogs the best life possible, they are strictly inside dogs, and I am well aware that fixing them is the best gift that I can give to this breed I hope that now this clears things up for you and any one else who has read my input. I appologize for not giving total detail the fist time that I wrote about our expirence with our loving pits.
Hi to all
I havent posted in any of the forums before but hopefully someday when i have my own internet connection that will change ….I just want to say Jason I think what youre doing is great and I admire your tennacity with ignorant people as well as your ability to give o out good usefull advice in my opinion you are the Anthony Robbins of the Pit Bull world.Anyway i am a South African and i am one of a handfull of Pitbull owners in a small City called Port Elizabeth but needless to say the breed is not anymore popular here than it is in any other part of the USA but i would like to change that but i am not a man with unlimited cash pool and i have untill recently been unemployed but i love the Breed and wish that my situation was different so that i could make a different and become an ambassador for the Pit bulls in PE (Port Elizabeth) I dont want to appear rude but i hope rumours arent true that Americans tend to lead a sheltered existance and dont seem to care what happens in any other part of the world well im hoping in your case you have a better attitude maybe i have some questions that may seem obvious to you and may also like to get some advice on getting some good Pr going for the breed in South Africa as the only exposure that they are getting at the moment is bad ie Pit Bull fight rings etc what can i do ?????
larry your right there are ways dogs get in the county data bases. several ways, and not all negative i might add. my dog has a regular vet he sees and has tags there for he is in the county data base i am assuming. My dog is never free to roam but if he where to get loose (for the fist time) they could find his owner and see is up on shots and does not have any “priers”. but would i get him back you think? regardless of how he got loose. maybe i wrecked my car and was knocked out he ran off, OR maybe someone broke into my house and left the door opened for him. in any case they might not return him to me. even though i did what i thought i should do as a responsible owner and have him tagged. God forbid he should ever hurt anyone or another animal, they should hold me responsible, but not having him tagged wouldnt that be a red flag? if my pit has not done anything wrong, and they pass a ban on them and show up at my door your damn right they will arrest me first!! My pit is not just a “PET” he is Family = Loyalty.
I will continue to research and document my case against aggressive dogs. I thought a few of you might interested in some stats I have uncovered++++++++++++From 1979 to 1998, at least 25 breeds of dogs have been involved in bite related deaths. Pit Bulls and Rottweilers were involved in more than 50 percent of these incidences as reported by the Center for Disease Control.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From 1979 to 2002, dog attacks resulted in more than 360 human dog bite related deaths in the United States. Most of the victims were children.++++++++++++
The breeds most often involved in fatal attacks are Rottweilers and Pit bulls.++++++++++++++ In the United States, pit bulls make up one to three per cent of the overall dog population and cause more than 50 per cent of serious attacks.+++++++++++++++++++ Maybe banning is not the way to go. My feeling is that aggressive breeds such as Pit Bulls and Rottweilers should be muzzled and leashed at all times when in public, and those laws should be strictly enforced. Everyone here has talked about their rights as tax paying citizens to own pit bulls. Well, as a tax paying citizen, I deserve the right to walk down any street I choose. Especially the street in which I live.________Many of you have talked about how much you love your dogs, well I too have loved my faithful companion of 13 years. He is my best friend. And two weeks ago he was seconds away from being ripped to shreds. Believe me, I will do everything within the law to punish the owner.
So for all of you who have not heard it before, Switzerland is now very much on the way to become a BSL regulated country.
On December 1st. three 9 month old American Pit Bull Terrier attacked and killed a 6 year old Turkish boy on his way to kindergarten.
The dogs belonged to an Italian Criminal who brought 6 dogs to Switzerland in order to sell them here. The dogs where breed and raised in Italy and have been kept, by his 79 year old mother, in the cellar never meeting any other person or animal. They never learned any commands and have not been socialized at all. His mother let them out in the garden only to make their business.
When he moved them to Zurich, Switzerland he moved house 3 times because the police was looking for him for various crimes. In Italy the police is looking for him for pimping and other crimes. Years ago he was punished in Switzerland for mistreating cats he was breeding them here to sell, which apparently he could not. 30 cats had to be killed because they where in such bad shape when they finally got them.
So at his last living place, with a friend in Zurich, 3 of the 6 escaped while they where cleaning the apartment. They went out and practically in front of the house attacked the boy. Nobody has seen the start but the dramatic end. The police caught the dogs and immediately killed them. With the other 3 thy now want to find out what caused their behavior.
In the meantime the news was spread all over Switzerland with an obvious shock to all of us. However, our biggest selling newspaper the “Blick”, a blood and gore tabloid used the incident to “make” news. For weeks it brought 6 extra “Kampfhund” pages citing how dangerous our dogs are. They quoted breeders stating how “game” they dogs are. They showed gory pictures of the incident 5 years ago in Germany. They showed pictures of dogs pulling weight and hanging on spring poles as examples how this breed is trained to be aggressive and to be used as a weapon. They also brought pictures of Stafford’s playing, showing their teeth’s and with red colored muzzles.
To top it all they started a “Bann the Pittbull’s” petition to the Swiss government. After not even 4 weeks they got 175386 signatures which where handed over yesterday. Many of them being signed by owners of other do breeds who are afraid for their dogs because of the “reputation” and “aggressively” of our breeds.
Most people who signed this petition never in their live seen a dog of our breed, there are very few in Switzerland.
In the meantime some Cantons who did not wait for the Governments decision, and to influence it, went out and declared a ban:
Basel:
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Stafford Terrier
Stafford Bull Terrier
Bullterrier.
Zurich:
same as Basel
Vaud:
Wanted to do even better and banned 12 breeds, the:
Mastino Napolietano
Fila Brasileiro
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Pit-bull Terrier
Mastiff
Tosa
Dogo Argentino
Rottweiler
Bullterrier
Dobermann
American Stafford Terrier
Dogs with owner are allowed but have to be always muzzled and on leash. New breeding and import is forbidden. The hope that most those breeds within 10 years are extinct. The law is valid from 1.1.2006.
Our Government is expected to come up with a new law by end of January 2006. And most probably it will not be good. 147 from 250 members of our government have actually signed the petition in the first few days themselves. Their name was published by the Blick, just so that they cannot change their mind anymore. Also a few high politicians where openly stating that they sign a ban, being aware that its not the breeds who are dangerous. However, they say that the ban, which is unjust for most “Pitt” owners, is calming the population makes them feel “more secure”.
In my opinion this is bs… but typically politicians, the loose only a few hundred votes from “Pitt” owners and gain a reputation as “doers” by thousand of Swiss do gooders.
Now we see what the Swiss Government decides for the total country. But I have little hope.
The positive thing is that the government veterinary organization and the Swiss SKG/FCI are against such laws, but they have no political power.
Ray, If a dog owner has no fenced yard for his dog & allows his dog out of the house , by himself, to do his business who is in the wrong,,,the dog or the owner ? i agree, everyone should have the right to walk any street with their beloved pets…Those of us RESPONSIBLE pitbull people should also have the right to walk our dogs WITHOUT ANY MUZZLE ….especially if our dogs are NOT AGGRESSIVE !! We have a leash law where I live and so my dogs are leashed when we go for walks or in the car etc…I have no problem with that… It;’s the irresponsible owner that sets his dogs up for failure…For example. If your neighbor gets a dog for his kids & without consistent training or supervision allows the dog to play with the kids & someone gets nipped, who is to blame,,,the dog , kids or owner ? Again irresponsible OWNER !! You see , any dog can wandr away from home if not supervised , trained and or contained.Dogs can get excited enough to nip at a child or get spooked, hurt by a child enough to make them want to defend themselves. Any dog can be trained to attack tresspassers or intruders no matter what size, age, color or BREED. ‘DOGS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR OWNERS’ !!! To state that a Specific Breed is more loving , more predictable , more dangerous , or more compassioonate than that of other breeds —IS WRONG !! STATISTICALLY , MOTOR VEHICLES HAVE CAUSED MORE INJURIES & DEATHS TO PEOPLE THAN ANY BREED OF DOG Have they banned vehicles that can reach high speeds,,,SPEED KILLS ? No they lay fines to the OWNERS.Do they ban certain makes of cars / trucks, suvs because they are more destructive when on the road? NO They direct their punishment at the vehicle OWNER & revoke licenses or institute jail terms.Are there restrictions on specific cae manufacturers to not produce a vehicle that can withstand a direct hit into a wall simply because hit’nruns have climbed in the last decade. NO ! The OWNER is held “RESPONSIBLE”. As it should be !! All OWNERS should be held responsible for whatever they possess, control, obtain or handle , and YES ths includes DOGS ! As someone stated earlier, Law enforcement should start documation , give “first” warnings , after that, fines all the way down the line ,even jail time to OWNERS ! It’s these BAD OWNERS THAT GIVE US “RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE that lOVE our pitbulls A BAD NAME…Please do STATS on people that own pitbulls verses people that are owned by pitbulls and love them & give proper care ! I doubt very much that neighbor of yours takes his dogs to the vet, gets anual shots, yearly check-ups, trains, takes to obed
ience or treats his dog as a family member…Those people that have these POWERFUL BREEDS that are CHAINED to trees, dog houses, buildings or just fenced in,,,NEVER take the time to walk, play or interact with their dog are the ones that should PAY !!! Those poor dogs , what are they doing out in all types of weather, some with no shelter, no fresh water, or even food,,,what are they PROTECTING being tied up…a tree, garage ?? Dogs are like people…they need “contact” , socialization etc…otherwise they become mean & ugly , bored , lonely and lead horrible lives…Please see if your neighbor falls into this category,,,,bet he does… Sharron
Jason, I admire your knowledge and passion for the APBT. I rely on your advice frequently. However, I don’t agree with the following statement…”they are not great dogs for single moms or Dads”. I feel that is as prejudice as those that are trying to ban APBT’s. As a single mother, I am a responsible pitt owner. My dog eats the best dog food/ tripe mix. He is current on all shots & heartworm/flea meds. Microchipped. He is in advanced obedience class at our dog club, going for his CGC. Come Spring we’ll begin weight pull/agility/personal protection sport training.
He is walked on his leash twice a day (except bad weather days which he’ll just go in the 6ft fenced backyard). He loves the kids as much as they love him. Please explain your point.
Hey Jason
Great post and informative blog! I will be back. My husband and I adopted an 8 month old pit just 2 months ago. I have always loved the breed and always wanted one. We had a lot to learn and did our research before bringing her home, of course we couldn’t learn everything about the breed in 4 wks. But we tried. We are now into our 2nd week of obediance classes and though she is the most boisterous dog in the class, she is also proving to be the most intelligent (I may be biased). She is a sweet, highly intelligent, and sometimes a headstrong little girl and we love her to death. Thanks again for your site, and doing what you can to fight against those people who abuse this wonderful breed of dog!
Sharron – I could not get through your post because when you write and overuse the CAPSs it’s as if YOU ARE YELLING AT SOMEONE. Calm down and maybe you’ll start to make more sense. My feelings are just as valued as yours. Agreed, law enforcement can do so much more and one way to protect people immediately is, in my opinion, a muzzle law.
Thank God for the Pit Bull Lovers Gazette and Blog. I have to agree with those of
you who are pit owners. Pits are, by far, the smartest breed I have ever owned and
I don’t think I will ever own a different breed. There are too many pits waiting to
be rescued to even consider it. I am sorry to hear about what happened to Ray’s dog.
It breaks my heart when an animal is hurt but what Jason has been trying to convey
is correct. It is not the animal’s fault. It would have never happened if those dogs were owned by a responsible owner who made sure his dogs could not get loose. Let me tell you a story that happened to me last week, I was walking my pit around my condo complex and there was a gardner working on the lawn with a dark sweatshirt on and the hood up. My dog did not see him at first and when he did, he jumped in fear. Most animals are aggressive when they are afraid but nothing happened to the gardner and do you know why. Because my dog was on a leash and was being monitored by someone who was paying attention to what was going on around them. I will be the first one to admit that because of their original breeding, pits can be agressive, but if the owner is responsible and paying attention, it will never, ever be an issue. I wish they had jailed the owner of those two dogs, he deserves it but his dogs don’t.
Some food for thought…..when a child isn’t getting enough
attention, they will act out, do something “bad” because they
figure “bad” attention is better than no attention. Pit bulls are
the same way. There is a trade off….kids don’t have the
strength of a pit bull but pit bulls don’t grow up to talk back!
Ray, Sorry ,I am not shouting at anyone. Trying to enphasize my point with passion. If you have a problem with my using CAPS tp emphasize a point, then why is it you had no problem with Mike Steele writing his TOTAL letter in CAPS,,,do you think he was shoouting too ? Others use caps just as much as I, what about them ? I don’t need to CALM down, I am very calm. Because posts are read,and no voice is heard in the writing that perhaps it is the reader that takes what is being said in a light different from what is meant. For that I really have no control over. In fact , my feeling is, if I put in too many smiley faces or “heehee’s” you might object to that as well. I MADE SENSE IN WHAT I SAID. YOU , however couldn’t get through my post because it might have hit home with you finally ! Seems to me you like a good debate, agree to disagree topic. Yet when hit smack in the face with those of us that have this loving breed in our homes, lives and are responsible owners, unlike those you have come across,,,,you really don’t want to ‘see the other side of our coin’…Guess you must be the type of individual that no matter what,,,once you have made up your mind one way or another, you’ll stick to that way of thinking til the cows come home.. Like the muzzle law you feel should be placed..In that case, ALL DOGS should have to be muzzled when out & about and not just the larger breeds. Ray , you most definitely are entitled to your opinion , freedom of speech etc…but please remember everyone else has those rights as well… Hope one day you’ll not be so narrow-minded towards every pit you meet ! Sharron
TINA : Regarding your post about your intact pets. Sorry, I meant no harm , was not putting you down in any way. So many pet owwners do not understand that by not altering their beloved ppets that CANCER is lurking out there in many cases. …Was meant to inform only. Pleased that you got that taken care of. I am also sorry your female had to suffer in pain. Hope she is recovering without any set backs..So difficult when our babies are hurting and sick… Good thoughts & wishes to her…. sharron
Jason, LOL !!!! You told this ‘dog fighter’ individual ( can’t really call him / her human) the total TRUTH !! I love the ‘SNOT EATING part !!! LOL !!! I doubt however, you , me or anyone else that sees the real truth, that individuals like this will ever “GET IT”. Unlike him / her , I love my dogs sooo much that when they even get a scratch on their nose, I worry about infection or what have you…People like us, want our beloved pets NEVER to be harmed, hurt or anything bad to happen to them..yet this sorry individual feeds the best food, gets the best vet care etc…Oh PLEEEEEASE , Why ?? because the dog he supposely loves, gives the BEST OF EVERYTHING to.. needs to be sutured fast & treated immediately for the next fight ! You are right in every name you called him. …GREED is the TOP priority,,nothing else…By the way, when his ‘so-called beloved pet lays bleeding and nothing more can be done for him, what then,,,does he dump him by the trash to let him suffer more because of LOSING the fight , or does he kill him ? Very sad that in these days and times we have ignorant ‘people’ that make excuses for their behavior.. Sharron
Hi, I am hopefull you might have some advice for me, I have a small boston terrier, and my side neighbour has a very large aggressive pit bull, it tries to take down the fence that stands in the way of getting to my dog.I am so scared as my vets receptionist (who owns a pit bull ) says it should be tied up as they can jump 6 foot fence,now I can not let my kids play outside with their dog, and I provide childcare in my home for young children , and I don’t feel comfortable to let them play outside when the dog is out side as well.Oh , its not ever tied up outside,any help would be appreciated, I just don’t want to see our smallest family member who couldn’t hurt a fly be killed infront of me or my children.
Chris: Call your local Animal Control and the local police immediately. They should warn/cite the neighbor as an agressive pit bull should not be left unattended. Don’t wait because you will regret it. I would also advise you to never, never let your guard down and do not let your children or pets play in the back yard. It just is not worth it. My dog was nearly killed in front of me just a few weeks ago by my neighbors unleased pit bulls.
my pitbull just made international news. He took the ear off of our beloved 12 month old step granddaughter. We have had dogs all our lives, always mutts, but large dogs. Never a pittbull. We had him for 5 years, fed him, slept with us, made sure he got his walks on a lease and threw his ball. He never did care for children but the baby had been over many times and we were always careful to put the dog in another room when the baby was over. Sometimes the dog was out with us and the baby and her parents and he was jealous but ok but never comfortable. Well he charged her one day and I threw myself on the baby as I watched my dog tear the flesh off of the babies ear. We loved our dog but I believe once a vicious attack happens the dog needs to be put down, he will do it again. He was neutered, licensed and loved and fiercely jealous of any competition, now I see this clearly. Now for the first time, I see that dogs are made from the wolves and will alwlays have some wild animal in them. I never saw that before until the attack. I know some pitts that are like lap dogs and i do believe years ago, they were very docile and nothing to fear. But nowadays, the dogs are bred specifically for their aggressive behaviors so it is important when purchasing a pitt you know the parents and grandparents of the pitt. I believe 80% of pitts are good but its that 20%, that i got, that I didin’t bargain for, is what almost killed the child. She is good now. No scars and happy as can be, needs a little more work on her but the surgeon said she will be perfect. God is good. We never thought this would happen to us. We may end up living in a cardboard box after all is said and done. But the baby is alive and well. I feel guilt for not seeing what now I see as obvious signs of aggression from the dog but thinking the worst he would do would snap at her. He wanted to kill her. Just be careful when obtaining a pitt. they are great champanions and watch dogs but be aware of their breeding. I knew the grandmother of our dog was a little strange, the grandfather was fine and the parents but just one bad bahavioral dog in the genetic line can cause you big $$$ problems. Be careful when adopting a pitt. Go to pitt rescue centers, reputable breeders. NOt the pound, you don’t know what you will be getting. ONe day your cat will be sleeping with your pitt and the next day your cat will be dead. Be aware.
Here we go again!!! If I hear anybody else say: ( any breed can be aggressive,not just pits ) I am going to scream!!!!!!! Just for the record let it be known that I love all the bully breeds. I own a bull terrier and an American Bulldog. But if a Labrador Retriever gets aggressive or attacks someone we all know the out come isn’t going to be the same as if a bully attacks someone! These dogs were bred to fight till the death against bears,bulls, badgers, lions and other dogs. Labs were bred for retrieveing,hounds were bred to track,german shepards were bred to hold a person at bay until someone arrives to handle the situation. So stop compairing pits and other bull breeds to other non-bull breeds. Their toughness,fearlesness and strength is why we all love them. On top of their loyalty and intelligence. And yes any dog can attack and do damage but stop avoiding the fact that the bull breeds do it totally different. There is a reason why not just anybody should own one! I don’t hear anybody saying that not just anybody should own a cocker spaniel.
JD: We can sit here and debate this issue until we’re dead. The point is a responsible owner will not allow their dog to get into such situations. Thugs, drug dealers, irresponsible owners, are a huge problem. As for the dog aggression yes it is a part of the APBT’s temperament. But that doesn’t mean ALL of them are going to be dog aggressive. As with any breed, it comes in different levels. A truly dog aggressive dog sees another dog as prey and that is where the dog aggression for the APBT is a bit different than other breeds as this has been selectively bred for. However, a CORRECT APBT will NEVER bite a human. Period. Do I deny the fact that when ill bred dogs do bite they do more damage than your average dog? Nope. I’ve never said anything to contridict that. Oh, and the German Shepherd was bred for HERDING. Not protection work.
I stand corrected on the shepard….I had to go check my sources after I made that statement.HAHA However that is how the law enforcement has trained them. I am not argueing with anybody I am just telling these people why bull breeds are more strictly criticized against then the other breeds. It wasn’t but three months ago I was at my brothers house letting my American Bulldog and his Boxer play in the back yard,they have been friends for about 5 years now and raised together. Both dogs are very well trained and very well behaived. But something happened that day and all hell broke lose ,it sounded like 2 lions fighting on the sarenghetti. We were only gone for about 3 minutes while I was helping him carry a huge dresser into his house. Anyways we ran out there and my Bulldog was slinging his 85 lb boxer around like a pom-pom. The boxers whole side of his body was ripped off and you could clearly see his ribs and all his muscles. It was absolutely the worst thing I have ever seen. He ended up with over 200 stiches and 4 drainage tubes and 6 staples my bulldog didn’t have a scratch on him and he was sitting there wagging his tail like it was a friendly wrestling match. Pretty Crazy stuff!!! Thanks it’s been alot of fun I could talk dogs for the rest of my life but I am getting cramps in my wrist.
Love your sight
J.D.
I would like to put in a response to the lady who described the attack upon herself
and her little dog by the two pit bulls. It pains me to hear about incidents like
this. Because of this irresponsible dog owner, this victim and others like her will
probably be traumatized forever. What makes me furious, however, is that the
neighborhood and law enforcement were well aware of the presence of this potentially
lethal pair of animals. I’m not an advocate for animal cruelty, but I’ll be
completely honest–had I been a neighbor to those dogs, they would have found themselves poisoned with an overdose of sleeping pills the first time a “close
encounter” occured. And had those dogs been attacking that women within running distance of my house, a .38 special to the head would have put an end to their attack.
I own an American Pit Bull Terrier–a sweet, gentle, and obedient dog. She doesn’t
try to escape our yard; she doesn’t growl at visitors; and she’s great with little kids. But, just because she’s a great dog, it doesn’t mean all pit bulls are.
There are poor specimens of every breed (AKC registered or not). It comes back down
to the nature vs. nurture question. The answer: it’s a lot of both. Poor temperaments in the parents will likely produce poor temperaments in the pups. Pair that with poor
ownership and you’ve got a dog that will not make a good pet. Now what do we do
with it?
well said. i have 2 pits and love them greatly. i also work at a vet. clinic for 10 years. in that 10 years i have only meet 2 pits that i had to muzzle for anything. i have muzzle several min pins, chihuahuas, cocker spaniels, chows and rotts. these breeds also have bitten many of people but you will never her about them. so before we start banding pits maybe we need to investagate other breeds. its how you raise pets its just like you kids.
Sometimes the anti-pit bull sentiment is so depressing and hard to face (even people I know will say negative things about pit bulls and then say Honey, my pit, is the exception to the rule – no matter what I say about the breed).
I really appreciate the fact that you are battling the misguided image people have. It is encouraging and makes me feel ready to say, yet one more time, yes, she is very sweet and friendly, yes, she is a pure pit bull, no, I’m not afraid of her going crazy at some point and attacking me or anyone else.
Holy crap people. Lets start making people take respsonsiblilty of their screw ups. Research before you buy or obtain a dog and make sure you train and properly teach your dog instead of thinking its cool to have a big bad pit bull. There are so many dogs out there that i would worry about before a pit bull because thoes dogs were breed to attack and kill anything. Pit bulls were breed to attack other dogs. Period, the bite response to humans was breed out of them in 1987, by responsible pit owners. Frankly i don’t agree with dog fighting but if people stopped screwing around with stuff they don’t know about the breed would still be in gooo upstanding. Stop making excuses for people and start banning dumb people rather than dogs that were trained by stupid uneducated individuals.
I OWN AN APBT AND HES MY BEST FRIEND. THIS IS MY THIRD PITBULL AND NONE OF THEM EVER EVEN TRIED TO ATTACK A PERSON OTHER THAN BY LICKS. I THINK THAT ANYBODY THAT FEELS THAT THE BREED SHOULD BE BANNED SHOULD BE PUT THEMSELVES TO SLEEP BECAUSE THAT IS IGNORANCE TALKING. ANY ANIMAL WITH TEETH IS CAPABLE OF ATTACKING AND MAYBE EVEN KILLING. MY COMMENT GOES DIRECTLY AT “RAY” WHO WAS ATTACKED BY THE TWO PITS. STOP BEING SUCH A WUSSY! I WAS ATTACKED BY A HUSKY BUT YOU DONT SEE ME RUNNING AT THE VERY SIGHT OF A HUSKY. BE A MAN AND STOP TALKING ABOUT BANNING THE BREED BECAUSE THOSE DOGS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ATTACK, ONLY THE OWNER AND YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS SHOULD HAVE ALL STOOD UP AND TURNED HIM IN INSTEAD OF BEING SO AFRAID.
Hi,
I live in rural Colorado. I have what I believe to be a boxer mix. She is my partner. When I go in my truck she goes with me. Just 2 days ago the city gov. passed a no pit bull rule. soon to be law. What about my baby, tiggy, she is lab and boxer. She is brindle. How in the world can we tell them apart?? She is a blessing to me. I work nights and my wife is alone except for Tiggy. She doesn’t even chase cats. Cats are a waste of her time.
We have always played down the agressive side and played up the lovey side. she is a big baby. Alas she is brindle. Everyone thinks she is pit bull. I do not care. It is upbringing not breed. She can be agressive. But what dog even an angle bitter isn’t agressive what they feel their parents are in danger? Human kids will do the same…
They want to kill my tiggy. She is a boxer. Even if she were a pit, it is upbringing not breed. Maybe she is a pit. She is still my baby.
Lee Church
Its sad when a whole breed gets accused of stuff that only sertin dogs in its breed does that like saying if a man killed some1 then i guess all males are killers? you shouldent blame the breed let alone the dog its not its falt that its hanaler dosent know how to take care of it or properly take care of it. the dogs that did attack/bite people was probably because thats what it was trained to do and and “Ray” you need to stop being a lil punk and talking about banning pitts if anything you probably desirved it
by the way when i ment you desirved it i ment you not the dog i feal so sorry for the dog it didnt desirve it but you did for being so narrominded and your selfpitty wont change anything so stop trying to make people feal sorry for you. you act like your the only person that has been bitten by a dog or somthing its sadd(childish)how you acting you need to grow up
I have an amazing American pit bull terrier that I love SO much! I’ll admit, after all of the media on how “viscious” Pits are I was a little frightened by them myself. But when a friend brought Joey(my pit bull) to our house claiming the previous owner was basically going to kill him i was uphauled. Joey was such an adorable loving little guy and couldn’t understand what would provoke this. We willingly took him and he is a part of our family now. It amazes me that people are so terrified of these dogs. Joey has NEVER shown any kind of human agression. Even when my boyfriend tried to play with him, there was no agression what-so-ever. Even when we give him treats, he will take them by not using is teeth or not taking them at all in fear of biting us. When strangers come to the door, he rarely barks. Even when they other dogs start to bark, he just looks concerned but never barks. When strangers/vistors come to the house, he has never seemed to be alarmed to a point of attacking. In fact, he will run up to see if he can get some loving attention! We also have a boxer and an italian greyhound. My 12 pound italian greyhound is more viscious then him! He is protective over our little IG but never so protective I would fear him. He is a HUGE cuddle bug and just loves attention. He plays with our 70 pound boxer and they get along great. The only agression he has shown towards another animal is chasing the cat (which again, is MUCH more agressive then Joey!) and playing with our boxer in the backyard. Basically what I am trying to say is my 12 pound IG is nore agressive then my Pit Bull and I don’t think this is rare for the breed. They are not agressive dogs unless they are specifically trained to be. I do believe that with their characteristics such as intelligence, agility, strength and high pain tolerence can be a factor in the number of attacks but I have a hard time believing these dogs were not provoked, abused and/or trained to do so. The number of Pit Bull attacks is not higher than attacks of Rotts, its just more publicized and with their born characteristics such as those I listed above, they are seen as viscious animals. I do not think that breeds should be banned, just bad owners. If a dog atacks or comes close to attacking, I believe it should be punished. Just as a human would if they were to do the same. If this means killing them, so be it. But not the entire breed should be banned. I think this is extremely important for the public to know. they need to understand the breed and see it in its full light, not just the “evil” of the breed. How about we talk about the good the breed has done. Many Pits are used as service dogs such as search and rescue and therepy dogs. Or, at least show that pits are not the only dogs that attack. I’ve seen good raised labs attack (in fact I was attacked by one) and this is just a DOG specific temperment, not the breeds. that/those dogs were euthenized as they should have been and labs are still seen as good family dogs. Basically what I am trying to say is the breed its self (which Pit Bull is not even the breed) is not the culprit. Its either the owner or just that specific dog. Just as anything in the media, you ahve to take it with a grain of salt, you can’t believe 75% of what is said. So, people need to STOP using the media as there source of reference when it comes to pit bulls and research them by being around them and read books and statistics.We as people need to really think about what banning specific breeds means and if its really what needs to be done.
My husband and daughter (who then was age 11) adopted a Red Nose Pit Bull, Max, because no one wanted him. He was diagnosed with a grade 5 heart condition and four vets and a specialist said he would NOT live to be two years old. The vet handling his care just wanted a home that would allow Max to be a normal dog. To run and play and not be locked in a cage. We understood we were on borrowed time and could very well see Max running around one day in the back yard and suddenly drop. We knew it would break our hearts when that day came but this little puppy needed a home. We have always had German Shepherds and had 2 older Shepherds at the time we adopted, Max. We ended up getting a Shepherd puppy as a playmate for Max because the older dogs couldn’t handle his energy. Max will turn FIVE years old on December 28, 2006! We are thrilled that this wonderful little Pit Bull is proving the vets wrong and we pray he will live to a ripe old age. He’s un-neutered because the risk is too great for him in surgery. We were warned he could be more aggressive because of this but Max is just as sweet as he was as a 10 week old pup.
It’s so sad that Pits have fallen into the wrong hands and gotten the bad reputation that they have received. If you recall, first it was German Shepherds, then Dobermans, then Rottweilers. Now the Pit Bull. Cane Corso may be the next one on the list. Just this week there was an attack on two small dogs resulting in the death of one of the them. Attacked by two Akitas. We have many Animal Control Officer friends and the stories that go untold are the attacks by Labradors, Goldens, Mutts….and there are many! Sadly the Pit Bull is the one who hits the news and now everyone wants to ban the breed. I agree they are not a dog for just anyone. Neither are German Shepherds! We were told by a few friends when our daughter was born that we should get rid of our German Shepherd! And I certainly agree that some people just should not have a dog at all! Our Pit is sweet, smart and gentle with the many rescued feral cats we have and sleeps curled up between the 3 German Shepherds. My husband says the most dangerous thing about Max is his tail! It’s constantly going at record speeds and whatever is in it’s way gets slapped. Sadly, we do have family members who listen to all that negative crap about Pits and don’t want to be around Max. Ironically one of them has a Vizsla who has bitten twice!
My husband and daughter (who then was age 11) adopted a Red Nose Pit Bull, Max, because no one wanted him. He was diagnosed with a grade 5 heart condition and four vets and a specialist said he would NOT live to be two years old. The vet handling his care just wanted a home that would allow Max to be a normal dog. To run and play and not be locked in a cage. We understood we were on borrowed time and could very well see Max running around one day in the back yard and suddenly drop. We knew it would break our hearts when that day came but this little puppy needed a home. We have always had German Shepherds and had 2 older Shepherds at the time we adopted, Max. We ended up getting a Shepherd puppy as a playmate for Max because the older dogs couldn’t handle his energy. Max will turn FIVE years old on December 28, 2006! We are thrilled that this wonderful little Pit Bull is proving the vets wrong and we pray he will live to a ripe old age. He’s un-neutered because the risk is too great for him in surgery. We were warned he could be more aggressive because of this but Max is just as sweet as he was as a 10 week old pup.
It’s so sad that Pits have fallen into the wrong hands and gotten the bad reputation that they have received. If you recall, first it was German Shepherds, then Dobermans, then Rottweilers. Now the Pit Bull. Cane Corso may be the next one on the list. Just this week there was an attack on two small dogs resulting in the death of one of the them. Attacked by two Akitas. We have many Animal Control Officer friends and the stories that go untold are the attacks by Labradors, Goldens, Mutts….and there are many! Sadly the Pit Bull is the one who hits the news and now everyone wants to ban the breed. I agree they are not a dog for just anyone. Neither are German Shepherds! We were told by a few friends when our daughter was born that we should get rid of our German Shepherd! And I certainly agree that some people just should not have a dog at all! Our Pit is sweet, smart and gentle with the many rescued feral cats we have and sleeps curled up between the 3 German Shepherds. My husband says the most dangerous thing about Max is his tail! It’s constantly going at record speeds and whatever is in it’s way gets slapped. Sadly we do have family members who listen to all that negative crap about Pits and don’t want to be around Max. Ironically one of them has a Vizsla who has bitten twice!
I needed to add this! One of our vets said he would rather deal with a Pit Bull any day than a German Shepherd! Another vet I know said he would rather deal with a Pit Bull than a Chihuahua! I have been around MANY dogs in my life, stopping for loose dogs, stray dogs and injured dogs. I’m 51 years old and have only been bitten once in my life and it was by a Chihuahua. I don’t believe banning any breed is the answer. Responsible ownership and tougher laws on idiots who have dogs (Pit or other) that are aggressive. Ban the Pit Bull and believe me there will be another dog to take it’s place. The Cane Corso has been referred to as the Man Killer!
In our state it’s illegal to own a wolf. People under the grandfather clause must have them in an enclosed pen and muzzled at all times when it’s outside of the pen. We had one once (120 pound teddy bear) and that’s another animal that gets a bad rap!
Jason,
I highly respect your opinions on pit bulls and envy your knowledge on the breed, however, I do disagree on you saying they aren’t for single moms and dads. I am a single mother of a 21/2 year old boy and my 9 month old pit bull Ebiny is the greatest dog in the world. She starts her CGC training in March and I couldn’t be happier with her success for as old as she is…Very Intelligent. But anyhow, I would just like to concure that I think I am doing the right thing with her as in taking care of her and teaching her the basics of obiendence. She is protective of my little boy (not agressive, just dont like anyone to bother him). She sleeps with him at night but she is also mommy’s lil girl (~smiles~)! Thanks for your time and being a ambassador for the breed, I am glad someone is doing something right for the breed that is so misunderstood…
You know you really dont here good things about pitts anymore, but that is the only breed of dog that i will own, no other dog shows the level of love better than a pitt bull we currently have 2 and we just got some puppies that we have to bottle feed because the mother had gotten ran over and the owner did not know what to do.Im glad though we live in a pitt based community, everyone around us has pitt bulls, the town takes pride in them and doesnt look down, and most of this state has completly banned them! Im just glad that ther are those few people out there that are tring to get people to understand that there not bad or vicous dogs they are smart and loyal and very very loving!!
I totally disagree with banning Pit Bulls !!! They are great dogs and shouldn’t be stereotyped because of their owners. These dogs are not born violent and it is not in their blood. If you raise the dog in an agrressive way then it is going to be aggressive. I have owned 4 Pit Bulls and every one of mine have all been very sweet loving dogs. I have a Pit Bull Mix right now and he is a baby. He is 7 years old and I have had him since he was 5 weeks old. He loves everyone, including children. I’ll admit that he’s not the best guard dog since he goes up to everyone wanting attention but he is one of the best dogs I have ever had. As for the media, you never hear the good things about the dogs only the bad stuff. Well, I am going to stop because I could go on and on forever.