Pit bulls are not naturally mean dogs. If they are mean it’s because some human made them so. “Pete” from “Our Gang” was a pit bull. They are loving dogs until made to be mean.
Sorry Morgana, but there is something in the genetic makeup of pit bulls that makes them prone to vicious behavior. You don’t see Golden Retrievers mauling children and there are a lot more Golden Retrievers around than Pit Bulls.
Almost invariably when you read about a child being mauled by a dog, there is a pit bull involved.
Don’t try to tell us that Pit Bulls are naturally gentle creatures. They are cats in dog clothing. They are natural born killers with no conscience.
Possibly true.
However, it is indisputable that pit bulls were bred for aggressiveness and fighting spirit, just as retrievers were bred to instinctively retrieve and border collies were bred to herd.
Saying that pit bulls are not inherently more dangerous for this reason than other breeds is tantamount to claiming that retrievers and border collies don’t have innate tendencies it is very difficult to train out.
I’m with you. And strong-headed breeds need a lot of attention, exercise and consistent discipline to be part of the family. If the dogs don’t get it, then they take over and do what they want.
So then you are saying that the little girl's grandfather who owns the dogs is the one to blame.
Then why didn't you say so???
Any owner of a dog who does this should be thrown in jail -- starting with this grandfather.
When I dropped in to visit I heard Rob and Magnum playing in the back yard. As I approached the gate the neighbor warned me of a very dangerous Pit Bull. I opened the gate.
50 pounds of Pit Bull came at me at a dead run. The neighbor was frozen with terror. I clasped my hands together about a foot in front of me palms up. Magnum did a flying leap from 10 feet away, landing with rear paws on my hands and front paws on my shoulder.
Magnum proceeded to whine with joy as he slobbered me up one good. The neighbor needed new underwear.
“Pit bulls are not naturally mean dogs. If they are mean it’s because some human made them so. “
Not so! Their genes tell the tale. So do the horrible scars on my friend’s leg, the result of his Staffordshire suddenly attacking him whilst he was on the phone talking to a friend. Daisy had been a very lovable, and well loved, dog, until she suddenly snapped. They are a very dangerous breed because of what they carry in their genes.
Of course! that's why of all the dog breeds pit bulls contribute to 78% of the fatal dog attacks while making up approx 6% of the total us dog population. Everyone knows that pit bulls, crocodiles, lions, and rttlesnakes are just misunderstood.
Fatty Arbuckle had a very intelligent dog that appeared in his movies that was at least part pit pull. Quite a lot of indiscriminate breeding of those dogs have gone on since then. These dogs are frequently owned by white trash/gang bangers/Illegals/meth heads who are likely as poorly bred as their dogs. Some of these pit bull breeds may even be bred with other bully dog breeds so that they become even more aggressive. These dogs are IMO simply more than most owners can control. Cesar Milan may be able to handle them. Most people do a poor job of handling dogs at all. If they do a poor job with a pit bull, it can be fatal.
The problem with pit bulls is not that they have a natural predisposition to attack anything in their way.
No. The problem with pitbulls is that if they do decide to go off the deep end, they have the physical ability to do serious damage to just about anyone or anything.
There should be a special license issued to the humans who own pitbulls that verify that they have the ability to control their dog. Absent that, no dog...
I value the “nurture” part of the behavior equation, but I think you sell the “nature” part unwisely short here. Dogs are natural predators... and as shocking as it to say... same could be said of some human lineages.