Posted on 09/02/2007 9:30:42 AM PDT by meandog
No matter...we are allies in opposition to the infantile, aggressive, narcissistic morons who insist on their sacred (and imagined) right to menance the community with vicious dogs.
I'm surprised that they are willing to accept the liability of letting pit bulls go out the door. Some lawyer is going to have a nice payday.
RDO Ping...and one for the DOG HATERS OF PEACE...
Springer rage. I think it’s a form of epilepsy. Generally the dog goes crazy, and then acts like nothing happened, if I recall.
susie
Pitbulls most certainly ARE notorious. You might mean to say that such a reputation is undeserved, but the reputation itself is undeniable.
Well, here's some more for you. This fatal attack happened only two days ago.
Just to answer your question. We had a pit bull (years ago). I don’t recall thinking anything in particular when we got her, other than there was a litter of puppies available, I wanted a dog, and they had short hair and easy care coats. We brought her home and probably did ALL the wrong things (I didn’t know anything about dogs or training at that time). She was one of the easiest dogs I’ve ever housebroken, and was great with my kids (yeah, I had 3 small boys). She had an extremely stable temperment and that high pain threshold meant she never even winced when a small boy grabbed an ear or accidently stepped on her foot. She never growled at anyone, she never raised a lip at anyone, and in fact was not the least bit dog aggressive.
She was a housedog and never ran loose (I would not let any dog I owned run loose, it’s bad for the dog, and frankly, no one should inflict their pets on the rest of the world). She had ONE fault that I could not train out of her. She chewed big time. She chewed up bicycles, rugs, hoses and basically anything she could get her mouth on.
She was a great dog. Of course, that was back before their was panic in the streets about the breed. If I recall, the media did not pick up the hue and cry about deadly terrorist pitbulls until they became popular with the gangster and drug trafficking crowd. Certainly any breed that is powerful can inflict great damage when they bite. A really insane cocker spaniel is unlikely to kill you. But the combination of power, scarey looks (which attracts the wrong type of owner, I think we can all agree on that) and actually breeding for aggression is deadly.
BTW the scariest breed I’ve personally dealt with (working in a vet clinic) has been chows. I’ve also met a fair number of nasty shar pei and cocker spaniels. I don’t think any of those breeds should be banned, but I think that owners should be held responsible for any damage their pets do. And I don’t think aggressive dogs should be given a second chance to harm someone. There are far too many nice dogs out there to tolerate bad ones.
BTW I have golden retrievers now.
susie
Ours was not. She was truely a mush. Loved everyone. So, you have just not met the right dogs. Perhaps you should enlarge your circle of friends!
susie
All general comments about pits and their owners are, obviously, generalizations. I am sure that -- in spite of the efforts of Michael Vick and such types -- every single pit bull is not vicious by virtue of its genes.
And your explanation of how you came to own one is certainly a plausible exception to my generalizations. Others, also, may present the occasional bit of annecdotal evidence that would make me squirm.
Still, I think that my angry anti-pit bull stance is justified. We can not think about pit bulls -- or any other matter of public concern -- with a lot of attention to every exceptional account. Big picture: they are bad dogs who attract bad owners.
Regards, Sergei.
I do agree that they tend to attract bad owners. The biggest problem with banning the breed is, how does one implement it? Who decides what a pit bull is? Unfortunately Am Staffs, American Pit Bull Terriers and other breeds look like what most people think of as a pit bull.
FWIW one reason I ended up with golden retrievers (which I show) is because I wanted a breed that was totally trustworthy with anyone who came into the yard or house since I had kids, AND I wanted a breed that did not attract bad apples. I grew up with a GSD and she was a great dog, but overly protective of us kids, which meant there was a risk that a roughhousing neighborhood kid could get bitten. It never happened, but I didn’t want that liability.
susie
Pit bulls are the Islamists of the canine world. There are some good ones and then there are the bad ones...
I was always VERY cautious around chows. They never warned you before they would bite. Certainly I’ve seen a few sweet ones, but it was always hard to tell for sure if they were or not. Sadly they are beautiful dogs and terribly cute puppies, so people want one.
susie
That's why I dropped my nasty, pit-baiting attitude with you.
As prejudiced as I am against people with pits, I have exactly the opposite "prejudice" in favor of anyone who is deeply attached to a loving breed like golden retrievers. I assume that they must be a really good person. [smile]
Check out their adoption page and choose the Northside (Pittsburgh) selection:
But for some of our "gentle" friends, it seems that this especially vicious breed is just the only dog that will do.
Sergei, I believe that I qualify as a nice and friendly person. Is it so hard to believe that I would want a pit bull?
But for some of our "gentle" friends, it seems that this especially vicious breed is just the only dog that will do.
I wouldn't own a vicious dog, regardless of the breed.
There are so many breeds of dogs to be enjoyed with different coats, different colors, different sizes, different personalities, etc., etc., etc.
Absolutely. And of those breeds, I've decided that an ABPT will be my next dog. I like the way that they look, especially with either a mainly white, or brindle coat. Also, despite the bad reputation that these dogs have (thanks to irresponsible owners), they still have good breed characteristics.
What a little cutie! Looks like a teddy bear.
Bunny, read that again. Neutered dogs aren't mauling anybody. It's the unneutered dogs that are making the attacks.
But that's true of any big dog. The thing is that the person who has a mastiff or doberman is more likely to have the thing fixed, while a wannabe tough guy is more likely to have the fully functional male pit bull.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.