Pit bulls and children do not mix
Posted
May 31, 2006 at
9:33 am by
Jessica
People own pit bulls to use as a weapon and if you are part of the few that doesn’t own a pit bull for a weapon, then know you’re amongst the majority of trash that does. Nobody thinks, “Gee, a pit bull would be a GREAT family dog.” A pug is a great family dog, a pit bull is not. In fact, why not just go out and get your family a bear or a tiger? And if you’re fortunate enough to live in an area where one of your neighbors owns one of these weapons of mass destruction, then do yourself a favor and move (your property value isn’t going to soar with pit bulls running around anyway) or get your village to sign an ordinance banning these animals. Children deserve better. People deserve better.
From the website dogbitelaw.com, here are some stats on dogs that kill:
As stated above, there are two problems that have been reported as though there is only a single problem, namely there are canine homicides (i.e., dog bite related human fatalities) and the dog bite epidemic. The dogs responsible for the bulk of the homicides are pit bulls and Rottweilers:
“Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996….[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities.” (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
Other breeds were also responsible for homicides, but to a much lesser extent. A 1997 study of dog bite fatalities in the years 1979 through 1996 revealed that the following breeds had killed one or more persons: pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Akitas. (Dog Bite Related Fatalities,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 30, 1997, Vol. 46, No. 21, pp. 463 et. seq.)
Owners of such dogs should be aware that if their dogs attack a person, the attacks may be scrutinized by law enforcement. The reason is that irresponsible behavior with or toward a dog whose breed is known to bite has caused a rising and unacceptable injury and death toll, which authorities are determined to stem.
“Irresponsible behavior” is defined differently from place to place. In California, for example, it can be a felony for a person to possess a dog trained to fight, attack or kill that, because of the owner’s lack of ordinary care, bites two people or seriously injures one person. (See Felony prosecution of attack dog owners.)
In different parts of the United States at the current time, there are a number of parents who are on trial for manslaughter because their dogs have killed their children. In these cases, the prosecutors have taken the position that the parents behaved irresponsibly because they left their children in the company of dogs most likely to bite.
There is an 8 out of 10 chance that a biting dog is male. (Humane Society of the United States.)
And here is the tragic story, brought to us by WTHR-Indianapolis, that tells a true account of just one out of thousands of tragedies that involve a child mamed or killed by a vicious dog each year. As a society, we fight for safer streets, safer schools, safer immunizations, safer foods, environment, homes, cars and so on, we need to keep ban dogs that are most likely to kill a child. People cannot be trusted to keep your children safe from their dogs. If you think the kind of person that chains up a pit bull or a rottweiler in their yard is of a level of sophistication that they keep innocent people in mind, then your are sorely mistaken.
Indianapolis - A toddler’s life is on the line after a pit bull attack. The victim’s family wants the owner held accountable.
It happened Friday afternoon in the 13-hundred block of South Belmont near Lambert Street on the city’s southwest side.
Police say the animal took control of the toddler and wouldn’t let go. His young victim’s blood was still on it’s snout while teams at Riley Hospital worked to save 2-year-old Amaia Hess.“She sustained serious injury to her face and it appears she may have been bitten on other parts of her body too. One of her eyes is missing at this point. The other eye is seriously injured,” said Sgt. Mathew Mount of the Indianapolis Police Department.
The little girl was in the stroller with her mother. A man opened his door and the dog, named Ozzie, ran out straight for the little girl.
“I seen the baby in the dogs mouth and the dog shaking the baby like a rag doll, just shaking, shaking, shaking,” said a witness.
Amay’s great uncle calls her a sweet loving child facing a long struggle.
“One eye was completely tore out but the pupils were good so they can do some reconstruction on that,” said the uncle. “The doctors said that there’s many many surgeries there to do.”
It’s the second pit bull biting at the house in a year.
Tags: dog-attacks, dogs, family-dogs, fighting-dogs, pets, pit-bull-terriers, pit-bulls, Social Issues |
361 Responses to “Pit bulls and children do not mix”
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181. Brittany said:
November 24, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
At least I’m no tthe only one who know’s these dog’s aren’t vicious. I never even owned one and I know that. Like hello peopl eget your fact straight. It’s the government every few years they come out with a new vicious dog. Well thise bans were stop so why no this one as well?
182. Dusty said:
December 5, 2007 @ 9:37 pm
I would have to strongly disagree with this. I own a pit-bull and granted she is a hyper puppy at times she is very family friendly. I live in a home with a ten year old and an infant, my dog is extremely of our home car and family, she is also very catious of her behavior around these things. she NEVER rough houses in the same room as the baby, she doesnt bark near the baby or his room, she has never put her open mouth near ANY child, and never once has she shown any agression towards another living being. it is not fair of you to say that any one or two breeds as a whole are mean, or ‘bad’ that is like saing one culture or race as a whole is bad. Maybe you should open your mind up a bit more before you down talk something you have little to no personal experiance with.
183. Lindsay said:
December 17, 2007 @ 12:05 am
Your response to “pit bulls” was astounding. They are not called pitbulls because they are fought in pits, that came almost 50 years after the creation of the breed. ” Pit bulls, or staffordshire terriers, were bred to keep farmers bulls in herd, alot like shepard breeds, ie, sheepdogss and cattledogs. They were breed to be muscular and with a locking jaw to keep farmers safe will marking their bulls.They werealso used along side american bulldogs and alapaha b.b.b to keep plantation workers ( slaves) from escaping, their instinct to chase and capture with lockjaw without killing their subject. about 2 decades later their owners found that these dogs took an extereme loyalty to the owners especilly children and they became ” nursery dogs”. I have owned three of these wonderful dogs, and yes I have two small children. My pits have been nothing short of family members, and if treated with respect will serve loyaly and faithfully til death. In fact my chihuahua has bit 6 people to date, my pits, 0. Before you have anything ill to say about any subject, I suggest you do some real research, it’s slander ike yours hat gives these wonderful dogs such a bad reputation.
184. Alex said:
December 18, 2007 @ 5:34 pm
I had a pit bull and she was the best family dog I had ever had. She was not very friendly with other animals but with kids and people she was so sweet.
I think any dog is capable of attacking humans if some one does not teach them to respect humans.
185. Fuck Ignorance said:
December 18, 2007 @ 7:18 pm
Fuck You jessica
186. ANNA said:
December 20, 2007 @ 10:33 pm
wtf is your problem? pitbulls are NOT evil, and they make GREAT family pets. I cannot tell you how many times Ive seen a sweet, loving pit curled up with a baby, never EVER doing a anything to harm them. your veiws are sadly distorted, and its unforunate that you are using your blog for bashing breeds that dont need anymore negative publicity.
Its just because morons get the dogs and turn them mean, irresponible owners. pits can have some inherited agression, I wont deny that, but its only to OTHER DOGS. its what they were bred to do. But you have to understand, when they were fighting there were people in the ring with them, and when the dogs got to serious and the other dog had clearly lost, people (and not justthe owners) waded into the mess of snarling dog and pulled them apart. and then treated the horrific wounds, without having to worry about the dog taking a chomp out of them. try doing THAT with a poodle. And, just so you know, any dog that did show the slightest hint of human agression was immediatly killed, and by NO MEANS wuold have been allowed to breed. They were good, strong, noble breeds, but loving to everyhuman. THats why they make sucky gaurd dogs-like labs and goldens, they just want to likc the intruders to death.So get your facts straight before you do lying, lady.
there are, however, many people who are abusing the breeds natural tenacity and courage-the druggies and scum of society, who abuse the dogs and have severe forms of cruelty going on in thier households daily. they tormet the dogs and make them delerious and crazy, and besides, they mate sons to thier mothers and man-aggressive dogs (the WANT that terrible trait), so these “:backyard breeders” are corrupting the bloodlines.
But a dog of this breed should in NO WAY EVER attempt to hurt a human.
so, yeah, SHUT UP IMBECILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and just for the record, im 14 and if I were to meet you in public and you said that out loud…well, we’d have a bit of a disagreement….
187. Sarah said:
December 26, 2007 @ 7:03 pm
Dear Jessica,
I once had some of the same beliefs about Pit Bulls that you did. Then, my boyfriend told me we were inheriting a pit bull puppy. I was greatly opposed until I met her for the first time. I remember going to pick her up. Coming towards me was this little bundle of love. It was love at first sight. What I didn’t know at the time was that this little puppy was actually a miracle in disquise. You see, I have Cystic Fibrosis.
This dog is my saving grace. Before getting her, I spent many,many days in bed dwelling over my condition. I now have a totally different outlook on life. Every morning starts off great- I wake up and she is there greeting me with her “visciously” wagging tail. She means the world to me, without her my life would lack quality. I don’t understand how you can think something so precious is so evil.
If you had read anything at all about Pit Bulls then you would know that they have been bred to have the utmost respect and companionship for humans. In fact, in the 1920s Pit Bulls were called the “nanny dog” because they were so trusted to care for the children when parents were away. A Pit Bull that attacks a person or child is a victim of their environment. The unfortunate part is that when we hear about Pit Bull attacks on the media, we don’t hear the circumstances that might have provoked the attack. Any dog who has been starved, beaten, mistreated, has the tendenacy to be frustrated. Unfortunately the news doesn’t tell us the bad conditions that these “viscious” pit bulls lived in before the attack.
Unfortunately, it’s because of blogs like this and people like you that bad legislation gets written. You may never understand the huge impact that this blog can have on many people’s lives. It stuff like this that inspires legislators to pass bad laws. I ask that next time before you make a blog you think about the impact that your words could have on this world. People like you are the reason for loving dogs getting ripped out of their homes and slaughtered. Thousands of Pit Bulls have been put down in Denver following their Pit Bull ban. Do you want to be responsible for the malicious executions of thousands of other innocent dogs?
188. Lucy said:
December 27, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
I agree 110% on this article. While it’s true that all dog breeds attack, not all dog attacks have such devastating results. Pit bulls should be banned as they are now in Denver. I had a friend who was on the “pit bulls are loving animals” bandwagon too…until their dog started growling at their new son for no reason. So she did the wise thing and had the dog put down even though it was only two years old.
189. Michael said:
December 27, 2007 @ 7:17 pm
Failure to properly train the dog sounds more like the issue in your friends case. The dog has
to know without question where he stands in the household pack. He’s subordinate to everyone in the house. All of my dogs knew that they gave way to the baby. They were never permitted to
have unsupervised contact with my son. If he crawled into the kitchen and the dog was in there
the dog would leave and come find me.
Interaction between dog and child has to
be strictly supervised until the child is mature
enough to know how properly to behave with a dog.
Any dog who stands his ground and growls
at a child or adult whos a member of the household is most likely displaying dominance agression, thats a dog who thinks he’s in charge.
There is no magic to pitbulls, they have no superhuman strength, no locking jaws they are just dogs, and as dogs they need proper training.
Lucy I think your friend made a good decision in getting rid of the dog because she obviously
had an agression problem on her hands she could not deal with. Putting the dog down might be a little extreme in my opinion because the dog was so young, a shelter would have been a better idea.
190. chuck said:
December 29, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
Jess I think your a fucking idiot learn about the breed I and you should worry more about the petifiles that live in and around our kids so SHUT THE FUC UP HOE.
191. nnncol said:
December 31, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
whoever wrote this article is really dumb
192. Sally said:
January 2, 2008 @ 12:58 am
I now live in Florida, Ft. Lauderdale area. Evidently pit bulls are very popular in this area. They have been outlawed in Miami as far as owning one. There have been many local news reports of children being attacked, maimed and I think killed in the last couple of years. I do not think that people are just picking on certain breeds to be afraid of, I think it is whatever breed is the most popular at that particular current time. Pit bulls and Rotters have become more popular in recent years than German shepherds so there are more kids getting attacked by those breeds in the last few years.
I had a lovely chow years ago that I thought was such a sweet affectionate good tempered harmless dog. Well he started getting out through digging out under the fence in the backyard and he would sit on my front doorstep and wait for me to come home from work. He guarded the house and would not permit the post man to deliver my mail to the mailbox by the front door. I fixed the fence and he got out again. Once day I looked out the door and there he was in the yard with a large doll clamped around its body by his jaws, shaking the doll violently. I was so relieved that it was a doll instead of a child, and I am sure that if it had been a child he would probably have attacked it in the same way. I think this was natural behavior to him, nothing personal, as I am sure that he would probably have bitten the mailman if he had persisted in trying to deliver the mail. The next time he got out soon after, I came home from work to find him dead on the front porch of my home. I am sad to say that I was more relieved than sad because I was afraid that he would keep getting out and hurt someone and had already decided that I could not keep him.
193. melissa said:
January 2, 2008 @ 9:48 am
Jessica,
Your article is ignorant and obviously you have been sheltered from many things you speak upon. “People own pit bulls to use as a weapon and if you are part of the few that doesn’t own a pit bull for a weapon, then know you’re amongst the majority of trash that does”, Actually Jessica I own my own apartent that I pay $1400.00 monthly for, I own a blackberry, baught my own dog , pay my own bills, have a job, and go to school full time…TRASH not quite hunny your articles are trash, you look like trash and clearly you don’t know shit. Pit bulls are loving dogs, family dogs, and great around childeren. Actually I have a full blooded American Pit bull that has a wonderful loving personality. I have four friends that have adopted pit bulls and they all play great together and have played with childeren and don’t even bother them. Sorry you would rather choose a pug over a pit bull. Hopefully you’ll be protected someday if anything were to happen…hopefully your little pal will protect you!
194. Sarah said:
January 2, 2008 @ 5:52 pm
Sally- I’m sorry that you had misjudged your dogs actions as violent. Just because a dog shakes a toy does not mean that a dog will do the same to a child. My pit bull loves to shake her rope. However, she realizes that the rope is for play. My dog realizes that children are not toys. The only thing we ever have to yell at my dog about when children are around is attacking them with kisses. For a matter of fact, my friend stayed here on New Years Eve. We had to keep getting on the dog because she wanted to keep giving the baby kisses and the baby wasn’t so fond of all the slobering. lol. I wish people could see that just because a dog is playful with toys or is aggressive with other dogs, that this has no merit as to how they will act with humans.
195. Sally said:
January 4, 2008 @ 4:32 pm
Thanks Sarah, but I had seen the dog play before, and this looked different, maybe it was just the fact that it was a doll and looked like a baby. Besides, the mailman was terrified of China and would not deliver my mail if she was out. My son gave her to me when she was a puppy. She was precious and cuddly, and a lovely pet. I had referred to her as a he, but I remember that I had had to have her spayed, I remember now that she was a female dog and just a beauty. I never found out what caused her death, but as I say if she threatened the postman, she might have hurt one of the many small children on that block and they did love to play on my front porch when I was not at home, often leaving their toys there.
196. SSV said:
January 4, 2008 @ 10:57 pm
Being an animal activist, I love animals and certainly do not believe in bringing harm to any animal. I also used to be of the mindset that it’s in the way that the pitbulls are raised, treated, or trained that causes them to attack, BUT…in my personal circle of friends and family, I have seen several cases where a so-called “family” pitbull, that had not mistreated, or trained to fight, raised with children, etc. etc., attacked a smaller dog out of the blue. With jaws of steal and strong muscle mass it is almost impossible to make them let go once they have something or someone in their grip. It is never worth the risk.
Those of you that own them and have not had any problems, consider yourself very lucky. You are living with a ticking time bomb. No one knows what makes them snap, but when they do, it’s tragic!
Look at the cases on this website of attacks just in September and October 2007 alone! You can’t tell me that all of those cases were because those dogs were abused or trained to fight. I’m just not buying it.
Sure guns kill people, sure cars driven by drunk drivers kill people. No argument there. But you can’t be so blind and close-minded to think that these dogs aren’t capable of maiming or killing.
197. meghan said:
January 5, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
I agree with you that some animals can attack out of nowhere, but I think the point most of us are tring to make here is that Jessica is determined to make out every owner of a pittbull as “trash” (in her words) and that we are basically bad people for even owning a pittbull. That is unfair. Do you consider your friends that owned Pittbulls trash? I think most of the responses on this blog have more to do with Jessica’s narrow minded and mean approch to this subject, and these animals. I relize everyone has a right to their own opinion, but did she have to be so “trashy” in her attitude towards us? No wonder she got some of the responses she did. This could have been a very well debated article, but most people are just plain pissed of at being judged so harshly, just for being the loving owners of what, in my case, has proved to be the friendliest and most loyal pet I have ever owned.
198. Kathleen said:
January 6, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
I am a vet tech, and have treated many “pit bull” breeds that come in the doors for over 7 years now. I have yet to meet a vicious one. That’s not to say they are not out there. Most likely the vicious ones are never brought to the vet, because their owners know we will report them to the police for suspicion in dog fighting.
One day a very sick little puppy was brought in. Her owners could not afford treatment, so Imy husband and I fostered her with the intent of adopting. She had a genetic deformity so severe, we lost her due to complications. But I fought for 2 weeks to get that puppy back to health, because she was fighting to live. I refused to give up on her unless she wanted me to.
After we lost her, we realized how ready we were for another dog. My first thought was to get another pit bull in her honor. Then practicality set in, and I decided it would be much wiser to research the breeds fully before making that decision.
I can say that the more I learned, several happened.
1. I realized just how much I didn’t know.
2. I determined that the characteristics of the breed fit our lifestyle perfectly, just like our plott hound.
3. I figured out beforehand what was needed for training and socialization.
4. I couldn’t believe I never wanted one before.
Did you know that pit bulls in Europe are nick named “the Nanny Dog”? Young couples choose these breeds, because they are so wonderful with children. Come to think of it, what other dog would tolerate being smacked on the head with a rattle and still think the kid was their best friend?
And if you look at original breeding and training, pit bulls were never allowed to show aggression to humans. Farmers who let their dogs fight, would break up the fights often, inspect their dogs for wounds, and made sure it was fair to let the fight continue. To break up a fight between two dogs of this type looks like suicide. Yet, if the dogs turned and bit a human, they were immediately put down, and certainly were not allowed to be part of continued breeding. So what horrific torture must be inflicted upon dogs who will bite a human?
Right now we have the most beautiful lady and supermodel Eowyn! She is the most glamorous, spoiled, and sweet AmStaff you will ever see. Every time we have guests over, she treats them like long lost friends. Prepare for the ambush of 10,000 kisses! And if you don’t say hi to her, she sits in a corner and hangs her head.
I won’t say that owning a pit bull breed is easy if you are going to do it right. But neither is owning any other terrier breed. They’ll be completely loyal no matter what you do. But if you want a dog you can take anywhere, without worrying about being embarrassed, get a trainer who knows the breed and loves the breed. These are not labs. It’s not all about treats when training them. They’d much rather have you tell them how wonderful they are.
I can’t recommend getting your dog the “Canine Good Citizen” certificate. You do that, and you are truly a pit bull advocate, showing the world what these dogs were meant to be.
199. michael said:
January 7, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
SSV you might be an animal activist but you know nothing about Pit Bulls. Kathleen hit it right on the head, owning a Pit is not easy.
All dog breeds have particular traits that
have been bred into them, for good or for bad
pit bulls have a high dog on dog agression trait
that owners have to deal with. This has nothing to do with human agression. There is no ticking time bomb in Pit Bulls waiting to explode.
To say a Pit bull could never kill or harm a human would be a lie, any medium to large size dog can do it. But this is a fact that also can’t be disputed. Pit bulls have some of the lowest agression scores when it comes to temperment testing. Pit bulls have never been used against humans, always the pit bull has been
mans servent and companion. The two main things that keep the pit bull in trouble is it’s overpopulation due to it’s popularity and bad owners.
200. melissa said:
January 8, 2008 @ 11:30 am
[quote comment="1087"]I am the guardian of a pit/rottie mix and he is the most benevolent creature I have ever known. My dog is almost 2 and has NEVER bit anyone. He is great with my toddlers and even will chase them down and hold them by the back of their pants when they try to run away too far. He was with the kids since he was born and he has been very protective and loving around all of the children that he has ever been around. He is non agressive when being fed. He is also non agressive towards other animals. It is all about how any dog is raised. In fact the only dog that has ever attacked me personally was a tiny chihauhua. So much for your theory of “weapons of mass destruction.”[/quote]
That is so true, people are so busy criticizing the pitt bull and no-one points out the fact that small dogs, especially the chiuahuah is very known for being aggressive, infact my kids have been around plenty of pitts and the one we own and never been bit, but my children have been bit by poodles, beagles and chiuahuahs, just for simply walking by them. The only reason you don’t hear about small dogs biting or attacking is because people don’t think they can cause damage, well that doesn’t excuse the fact that they are still AGGRESSIVE. Inform yourself on the pitt bull before passing judgement on a dog you know nothing about Jessica.
201. Jenessa said:
January 9, 2008 @ 1:08 am
Wow. Someone ignorant person up-in-arms against put bulls. You never see that happen.
A pit bull, just like any other “monster-evil-killer” dog, can only behave as it was raised to behave. Raised correctly, and it’s no different from having a golden retriever (raised the same way, of course.) Raised incorrectly, and it’s just as dangerous as having a golden retriever that was raised the same way. But no one gets up in arms over them. Weird.
Frankly, if I had a pit bull I’d raised from a puppy, I’d trust it with my kids more than I’d trust 99.9999% of human beings.
Pit bull attacks are the exception, not the rule. Someone else equated this argument with minorities committing crimes, and you deemed that an exaggeration. Frankly, I agree with that sentiment. I bet you don’t go around screaming “Genocide!” just because some individuals of a race different from your own commit crimes. Because it’s the exception, not the rule. It’s no different.
202. Preesi said:
January 9, 2008 @ 8:49 am
When Rachael Ray gets mauled by her precious ISABOO, that’s when you all will SEE that Pits are NOT good family pets…
Its always the nice sweet “family pet” pit bull that mauls the babies or kids to death…
That should tell you something!
Pit bull owners are the same as owners of rattlesnakes, tarantulas, scorpions etc…
They are the same type of people who forgive abusive husbands…
Theres a reason why drug dealers own pit bulls. Because they are nasty, vicious dogs…
FACE THE FACTS!
203. michael said:
January 9, 2008 @ 6:50 pm
Preesi
Face what facts ? I see a bunch of broad generalizations but where are the facts you want me to face ? How about these facts.
The 1993 Ken-L Ration dog of the year was a pit named Weela. During a flood Weela led 30 people,13 horses and a cat to safety. Leading the way around the deep parts of the flood and
areas of quicksand and bogs. Always in the lead unless it was to check up on the back of the group Weela also packed dog food across a river to 29 stranded dogs over a span of a few days.
The year prior she knocked her 11 year old
playmate (Gary Watkins ) out of the way of a Rattlesnake, saving him but getting bit in the process by the snake. Readers Digest dig a story on Weela but refused to mention Weela was a Pit bull.
Alaskas first dog for the deaf was a Pit Bull named RCA.
Petey the pup who starred in the old black and white tv show ” Our Gang ” was a pit.
The show had about a dozen or so kids on set at all times and no child was ever harmed. Lassie by the way bit her trainer on several occasions.
There wasn’t a kid alive in the 1930s to the 40s who didn’t want a dog just like ” Pete the pup ”
Pit bull owners
Hellen Keller , Fred Astaire, Theodore Roosevelt, General Patton, Michael J fox, Jan Michael Vincent, Jeremy Miller and according to you Rachael Ray. I don’t know if any of these individuals have actually owned Rattlesnakes, Scorpions or Tarantulas but I can check for you.
What I have checked on was the American Temperment Testing statistics on Pits and Amstaffs. Here are the numbers as of 2006.
Out of 542 pit bulls tested 456 passed ( 84.1 %)
521 Amstaffs tested 437 passed ( 83.9 % )
So over 80 percent of a breed passes on a first time basis and this is a bad breed of dog?
I don’t know Preesi your argument doesn’t look too good. Tell you what why don’t you go join the President of PETA, she advocates mass euthanization of Pit Bulls. Nice Right?
People for the ethical treatment of animals but not Pit Bulls. Peta won’t ever get a dime of my money again. Now if you can excuse me I must go throw some Scorpions in my wifes hair.
204. Anna said:
January 10, 2008 @ 8:58 am
[quote comment="136206"]When Rachael Ray gets mauled by her precious ISABOO, that’s when you all will SEE that Pits are NOT good family pets…
Its always the nice sweet “family pet” pit bull that mauls the babies or kids to death…
That should tell you something!
Pit bull owners are the same as owners of rattlesnakes, tarantulas, scorpions etc…
They are the same type of people who forgive abusive husbands…
Theres a reason why drug dealers own pit bulls. Because they are nasty, vicious dogs…
FACE THE FACTS![/quote]
Ummmm… EXCUSE ME!!!…. but I DO NOT appreciate your sterotype of pitbull owners. Yes drug dealers do own these dogs along with many other breeds… I pretty sure that it’s not a given ALL drug dealers ONLY own pits.. does that make all the other breeds owned by these ppl viscous dogs and every other owner of them in the world scum too?? I think not!! MANY LAW-ABIDING citizens own pitbulls!! And I am one of those THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
And another point not all trantulas and scorpions are deadly.. so whats your point there?? Yes my husband had a scorpion years ago… but so what, does that make us scum too??
I guess to you we are horrible ppl to allow our 3 children to be loved by pitbulls. But I am truely sorry for you that you will never allow yourself to be loved by one… I am also sorry that you are such a closed minded person to think all owners of pitbulls are horrible ppl.
Do me a favor and check out this site and then tell me all owners of pitbulls are horrible ppl and they are horrible dogs…
http://www.lawdogsusa.org/home.html
205. All this bullshit said:
January 11, 2008 @ 12:51 am
Ok, let’s just go ahead and ban everything. Ban kids from schools so that way no one can go in and shoot up the place. Lets ban fast food because it causes heart attack and stroke, lets ban airplanes because they can crash and kill people, too. Who cares what this ignorant bitch has to say. We all know what blessings pit bulls are, so lets keep loving them and praying for her. Sometimes ignorant people have a hard time understanding reality. Lets keep raising our pit bulls like they should and in a couple of years their stereotype will deminish and the next one will take place. Any dog can go crazy and bite you in the ass. What about all these people that go crazy and shoot up the places they work at, or go to school at,or reside in. Maybe Jessica can lock herself up in her house so she will never be presented with any chances of being harmed. God forbid a large size dog walk pass her and she pee her pants. Ignorance is bliss, and it makes her feel smart to find websites with statistics to post. Actually cows kill more people than dogs. Jessica please take my advice and never go to a dairy farm!!!!
206. Adam said:
January 21, 2008 @ 7:30 pm
WHAT A LOAD OF PITBULL SHIT
207. Art said:
January 24, 2008 @ 3:55 pm
What an intriguing thread here! Allow me, if you will:
It is absolutely true that any breed of dog can suddenly, without seemingly any provocation whatsoever, suddenly turn agressive and bite. Consider that dogs, just as with any other carvivorous or omnivorous animal, have as their principle weapon of defense, or in their original wild state (which could be thousands of years ago, or as recent as last week), the gathering of food for their survival.
Most all animals (and we as humans are at the top of the animal kingdom) are also territorial by their very nature, and to at least some degree will defend that territory against any and all intruders, should they sense danger to themselves, their offspring, their food.
With domesticated dogs, there is a ton of literature out there, giving the general temperament of the individual breeds, their needs for activity, for space, their tolerance and acceptance of children, in short, the whole nine yards.
For whatever reason, even though I’ve had several beloved dogs as pets in my lifetime, I have an inborn distrust of any strange dog, and I suspect that dogs are little different from humans in that respect. I don’t like the prospect of being even nipped by a chihuahua any less than any much larger dog. As a regular walker, and passionate bicyclist, I am pretty diligent about keeping an eye on my surroundings, no matter the area or location.
It seems to me that when a person acquires a particular breed of dog as an extension of their own personality, or to project the personna they want others to perceive, then that is where danger to others can arise, and often it does, in my observation.
I don’t worry nearly as much about a pit bull, for example, if when I see one, it’s on a leash, under clear control by its owner. I can say the same about any other breed of dog as well. It’s when the owner, for whatever reason, allows a dog to run freely, particularly in the city, that most problems occur. And frankly, regardless of the breed of dog, that comes down to sheer irresponsibility. Not only is that a potential danger to passersby, but also to the animal itself. Not very often is our animal control officer called to pick up the body of a dog killed in a confrontation with a motor vehicle, only to find a collar and leash attached. Relatively few dogs of any breed here even wear a collar with a current rabies or other vaccination tag.
As a bicyclist, I find myself frequently having to keep and eye out, all 360-degrees of my surroundings, for that potential stray dog, in addition to keeping my eyes peeled and ears wide open for stray drivers.
Sadly, certain breeds of dogs, over time, have been owned as much for their “reputations” as defenders, even agressors, whether or not truly earned. In the 1950’s, German Shepherds were pretty popular with a certain type of owner, I really think largely on their then-reputation as “war dogs”, “guard dogs” and such. Shepherds got a bit of a bad rap as a result. In the 1960’s, due largely to their unfortunately sinister appearance, Doberman Pinschers got that reputation, and they were bought, and owned, by a segment of society simply due to that reputation, whether earned or not. Nowadays, it’s the pit bull, again, regardless of what their true temperament might be, they have the reputation they have, simply due to the tendency of a segment of society to have them, based on that supposed reputation
Is a pit bull, by the mere fact of living, automatically a “killing machine”? Of course not. However, it’s pretty reasonable, or so it seems to me, for people who don’t know the specific animal at all, to err on the side of caution with regard to such a breed, having such a reputation–and that has been applied to other breeds as well in the past.
What is needed, and badly so, on both sides of this argument is that just as I should be able to trust that the pit bull I encounter is not necessarily a potential mugger with big teeth and a fierce bite, or a potential murderer of humans, I believe those who would own one, need to respect that other people have this fear, and act accordingly, to reassure their neighbors.
Hysterical speech doesn’t do it, frankly, but truly responsible stewardship of the animal surely does. Hysteria on the part of non-dog owners doesn’t work either, that just fans the flames to the point of determined confrontation.
No, if a dog is “irresponsible”, then usually that is the result of irresponsible dog ownership.
208. Your a dumbass said:
January 25, 2008 @ 11:36 am
I say we ban all dogs… they are dangerous human eaters that are destroying society. If it wasnt for my sweet lovable cats to protect me I would be dead from dogs already.
But hey I got a great idea for these “weapons of mass destruction”, lets pull our troops out of Irag and replace them with heards of Pitt bulls. Since these dogs are so violant they are sure to attack and eat every bad guy over there right???
No but on a serious note, this blog is a joke. I have never once been bitten by my brothers pitt bull yet have 3 giant scares on my hand and arm from my 12 pound tibeten spaniel.
209. Sally said:
January 26, 2008 @ 8:59 am
All this for some reason makes me think of the line from Little Red Riding Hood in which Little Red says “Grandma, what big teeth you have.” The book I read to my children from had a picture of a sly-looking wolf wearing the granny’s lace-trimmed sleeping cap or bonnet, all covered up in bed except for his face. I do not hate these dogs, but they do have fierce looking teeth. I once had a lovely chow that I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles would never harm anyone. Slowly the truth came out. Evidently China would never harm me, indeed would probably defend me and my home to the death. But when she developed some hip problem which turned out to be inbred in that breed from overbreeding, the vet had to put a bite halter (or whatever they call it) on her and I had to hold her in order for him to examine her. I could hardly believe it. Then she got out of the backyard while I was not at home and the postman said that she “charged” at him and he would not deliver the mail if she was out. Her hip problem was treated with aspirin and got okay (surgery was recommended) but before anything further about her hip, she got out again and was lying on my porch dead one day when I got home. I just never saw her being mean to anyone, except maybe the vet, but a lot of dogs do not like the vet. Years later I said something to one of my grandsons about China and he said “She was a mean dog.” Seems like they are like some other things, the owners are always the last ones to know.
210. Sally said:
January 26, 2008 @ 9:06 am
PS: In fact I remember that the vet had me put the bite halter on my dog.