- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 1,355
To the op, great post. Good to know how you handled the situation and made it out alright.
My $0.02:
Personally, I don't like being around Pittbulls (or some other breeds including Rottweilers, Dobermanns, Cane Corsos, Akitas, Neapolitan Mastiffs and German Sheperds. These are the first breeds that come to my mind) at all.
Why? I know that they are capable of inflicting severe damage and have done so in the past (no one can deny it, just google it. PS: I was attacked by a German Sheperd, my mother and sister by a Neapolitan Mastiff).
I certainly know that how a dog was raised is a major, major factor in how said dog will interact with a person. However, I still just don't trust these dogs at 100% (even worse the scenario of meeting an unsupervised dog out on the loose: who knows who raised it, how it was raised and what are its intentions...) and therefore I just prefer to err on the side of caution and just avoid them at all cost.
And that's my right as a citizen of this free nation. Now I understand that people who love these type of breeds and are responsible owners won't be pleased by someone like me completely rejecting the breed of their beloved pooch but that's simply my choice. At the end, I respect their choice of breed and they must respect mine (and please keep your dog away from me, thanks!).
A dog of any breed can be made vicious by systematic abuse, a dog of any breed can turn vicious due to injury or disease, but dogs of some breeds are better equipped than others to do damage IF they attack. Daschunds may be responsible for more bites, but anyone who says they'd rather be attacked by a crazed daschund than by a crazed pit bull has the potential to become Darwin award recipient. And anyone who thinks their dog, regardless of breed, could never snap is deluding himself.
Honestly, I really dont know what it is about pit's i've seen both sides my buddy had a great one that would never harm a soul, but I have seen the other side as well, ran a call about 4 months ago where a pit killed a 16 month old girl, that he had been raised with since he was a puppy supposedly this was a wondeful dog that had had no problems beforehand, I'm not really gonna go into graphic detail, but you cant possibly imagine what that dog did to that kid, before we got there the first arriving truck a very seasoned medic got on the radio and said"the patient is beyond help" The cops had to shoot the damn thing because it wouldnt let em near her. Now please dont mistake this post to bash pits, because it's not. I am a huge animal lover, I have 2 dogs and a cat and rescue all I can find, but after that day I will be damned if I ever let one of my babies near one. regardless of reported temperament.
YMMV.
Your comment is an ignorant one. The issue with "pit type dogs" is the crowd they attract due to perpetuated myths about how "mean" they are. Many people who own pit bulls are responsible and keep track of them, and with that type of owner, they become kind, gentle animals. Many people who get pit bulls are attracted to their aggressive look and previously perpetuated myths about how "bad ass" the dogs are. Any dog can be a dick if raised by a dick. The same could be said for rottweilers. Many people operated under the assumption that rotts were "known to kill their own masters". Dogs are individuals that are just as impressionable as humans. There is no genetic trait for "mean".
I also find it interesting that people assume the owners "let these dogs run loose". While they are clearly piss poor dog owners, simply judging based on the actions of the dogs, that doesn't imply that they simply let their dogs meander about the neighborhood.
I am glad to hear you and your dogs are safe, OP. My grandfather carries a collapsable baton when he walks. He was a mail carrier for decades, and prior to the introduction of the collapsable baton, he carried a capped length of PVC pipe loaded with some type of material that made the pipe extremely heavy. Apparently it worked well.
I am surprised to find so many Americans against American Pitbull Terriors, especially on a knife forum filled with people who face the sideways glances of an anti knife and anti gun society.
It is always the owner. Shame on everyone here who has stated otherwise.
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I am surprised to find so many Americans against American Pitbull Terriors, especially on a knife forum filled with people who face the sideways glances of an anti knife and anti gun society.
The breed is never the fault, neither is the gun, or the knife.
No I think someone should be allowed to own ANY dog they want to, and be held accountable for any attacks. I know most pits/shepards/Rots are very nice, its just the trust factor with me. The farm we deer hunt in Missouri had 2 Rots, a younger one that was very nice, and her mother who growled at me coming in from a hunt every night. She developed this behavior at her older age. A one time surprise attack and you could have a dead child or an adult lawsuit on your hands. Just my preference. I don't dislike owners of these dogs. And as far as guns and knives, you can't be surprise attacked by a knife or gun alone, the human hand must be wrapped around it. I am very pro knife/gun. Even the most rabbid dog lover can't argue a dog COULD loose its mind and attack at some point.
I am surprised to find so many Americans against American Pitbull Terriors, especially on a knife forum filled with people who face the sideways glances of an anti knife and anti gun society.
A dog "can't attack anyone" if it's well trained, trained properly and under human supervision.
My pit will quiver with anticipation when he sees a possum, but he won't leave my side w/o a command, even when off-leash. He's been attacked by a variety of dogs, while on leash. I allow him to defend himself and me, but he disengages upon my command. He's a rescue dog too, raised on the street, but trained with care by a loving family.
Legion681, the dog was doing its job, protecting its pack, particularly a female. It could have growled at you because its mistress was not paying attention. It could have not recognized you if you were down wind from the animal(dogs are nearsighted).
Or the dog may have recognized you, but doesn't believe you are trustworthy. You sound like you have an inate fear of powerful dogs (above you called the dog "the thing"), this in itself makes any protective dog believe you may not be trustworthy. Do you know it's name? Do you use it? Did you greet the dog in a positive manner?
When you first met the dog, did you acknowledge it, pet it, did you accept the dog as an entity and not a "thing"? If not, the dog may distrust you for good reason, the owner did not signal to them that you are "cool". A good dog owner always makes sure that people are properly introduced and accepted, so the dog won't see them as intruders.