Posted on 11/14/2010 4:34:17 PM PST by george76
Some degree of manslaughter sounds right to me.
But . . . this comment to KETKNBC.com's 16 April 2009 "Cops and Cuffs" story might show that attack is not the breed's only instinct.
Longview Cops arrest 22-year-old Brittany Thornburgh, after her 20-month-old baby and a dog were found crossing a busy road.
Cops say, the child was crying hysterically and was only wearing a diaper.
Thornburgh allegedly left her child in the yard of the dog's owner.
She is charged with abandoning and endangering a child.
The child is in the care of a family member.
READER'S COMMENT
The report on the baby in the street in Longview fails to mention that the DOG that protected the baby was a pit bull. Here's a story that depicts the good nature of these dogs-yet you play that down. thank-you,
Don’t blame the Golden Retrievers....blame the owners. LMAO. See how your argument just doesn’t hold water. We could go back over the last six months and find thread after thread about someone being killed/maimed by a pitbull....but not one about a similar situation with a Golden Retriever. This proposed law seems a little silly because of the problem with identifying a “pitbull mix”, etc....but to pretend like there is not a problem with the breed is ludicrous.
Hey, don’t laugh. Those little suckers are mean. I’ve only been bitten by a dog twice in my life. Once was when I was 5 and my grandmother’s senile old poodle nipped at me (I probably deserved it). The other time was visiting friends that had two psychotic wiener dogs named Buttons and Bows. They liked to hide under cars in the driveway and snap at ankles as we walked by...and they weren’t playing. There are a lot of smaller breeds that I’m more wary of than the big dogs.
Bull terriers have a little more potential than some to turn into dangerous dogs because of their territorial instincts, but that just means they need owners willing to put the time in to socialize and train the dog. Unfortunately they became the latest urban accessory, like 22” rims or “grills,” and so you’ve ended up with hundreds of thousands of them owned by morons who shouldn’t be allowed to keep a houseplant, much less a dog.
I’ve met bull terriers that were as sweet as Goldens and still capable of being excellent watchdogs. Our across the street neighbor has a 115-pound Rottweiler that’s just a big loveable goof, but God help anybody who tries to climb their fence when he’s around. My in-laws had a succession of Hungarian Kuvasz (a livestock guard dog) that lived with them in the suburbs of Atlanta and they never had a moment’s trouble. It’s all in the training and socialization. You just don’t buy a territorial dog, or any dog really, unless you’re willing to put in the time and effort to train it.
}:-)4
Screw pitbulls, and those who love them, like Michael Vic. Yeah, I know, some of them are "loveable pets" it's simply "all in how you train them". To those who believe this nonsense I say put your money where your mouth is, go walk up to a "well trained" pitbull that isn't yours, that doesn't know you, and offer him your hand. Maybe when he takes it off or tears at your body until the police show up and shoot him you'll finally get the message.
We really do need to ban Boston Terriers! ;)
When I was a little girl my Aunt and Uncle had a really mean siamese. We were all terrified of that cat. I was always afraid whenever I went into their house. She drew blood on more than one occasion, and for no reason. Believe me, I never teased her. I was too afraid to do that.
I bet she could have taken on a pit bull...
But you’re right. It’s unfortunate for the breed that they became the rage with a certain segment of society.
I've always been intrigued by the pitbull. It's the only dog that is known to bite and not stop until you're dead or dying. Golden Retrievers and other species may be agressive, may even bite you if they feel threatened, but they aren't known to rip your face off and keep tearing at you long after you're defeated. Pitbulls are well known for this behavior.
I once read an article by one of the leading dog experts in the world, a Russian dog trainer and breeder. He breeds and trains large guard dogs to protect cattle and farm animals. He said the only reason why pitbulls often defeat bigger, stronger dogs in a fight is that all other dogs have the inborn, natural instinct to relent for a moment when they have dominated and pinned the other dog. It's called the preservation of the species. Most dogs instinctively don't want to kill their opponent in a fight, their instinct is to dominate until the other dog submits. The pitbull takes advantage of this situation by not submitting when it appears defeated, taking other dogs by surprise, placing them at a disadvantage. Who the hell really wants a dog like this for a "pet"?
Why don’t these people do it the right way. Pit Bulls have always been a great breed until bad breeders decided to breed bad. Why don’t they go after them?
Then put the pit bull back where it began.
Just curious. How many pitbulls have you lived with? Or are you just yakkin?
I don’t like pit bulls and I don’t like most owners of pit bulls that I have met. That said, such a law would be bad. It would not take long before it is interpreted to cover all canines Definition of a “pit bull” is a bit hazy and legally defining it would be hazy. It would eventually be stretched to cover any dog that offended someone or whose owner a neighbor has a grudge against.And then some judge would find that someone’s cat comes under the law.
As much as I hate those devil dogs, taking away a dog that’s popular with bad dog owners isn’t the best way to deal with an animal that’s used as a weapon rather than a pet. If they’re concerned about pit bulls so damn much, license ownership and only allow certified breeders to breed them.
So, we can't know the nature and danger of a pitbull until we've "lived with one"? And of course once we've lived with one we'll come to know, understand and love them all. Do you even know how and why the pitbull exists? Do you know why they're never used by the police or the military?
But don't ask me about them anyway, ask the dozens of men, women and children who are severely bitten and torn by these beasts every year. Ask the family members of those who've died from pitbull attacks. Ask those scumbags who fight dogs which breed is the most vicious, fearsome and unstoppable. Ask them why, of all the large breeds of dogs they could abuse and train to fight, they like pitbulls so much.
But still, you know one when you see one, don't you.
And in my personal experience, it's ugly when a shepard is slashing.
Life is dangerous down here on Terra. Get over it.
/johnny
Yes, I know this is an exaggeration to emphasize a point, but the point is valid. That particular breed has been generated to fight. Some pits are wonderful dogs, but that doesn't change the fact that the breed is disproportionately dangerous. So are Rotties. Empirical arguments like your attempt here are a waste of time.
Please don't bother with the "sure they are fighters - with other dogs" argument unless you can adequately explain why my friends' border collie herds his kids.
Likewise with the stats that other dogs attack people more - if you have even studied that matter enough to find the web site that implicates dachshunds - I've seen the many news articles about people with severely shredded ankles.../s
I don't quite know what to think about the idea of a law like the one suggested in the article, I have reservations about it. But those reservations have nothing to do with the dog.
For anyone thinks it is inappropriate to be swayed toward this law by a negative opinion of pits, I wonder why you may think it is acceptable to be against this law because you favor the breed.
In other words, you’re just yakkin.
I simply wanted to know if your ranting came from any sort of experience or if it was simply what you have read and heard. And yes, I know at least as much about the breed as you do.
And do you think I should ask people who are shot by guns every year what their opinion on gun bans are?
I’m pretty sure you don’t get to decide what arguments people can waste your time with here. Get over yourself.
Well, ain't that just a grand piece o' homespun wisdom.
And if another person put that 3 horned bull in your living room, the hot cow in your kitchen, and you in the doorway - quite obviously w/out your consent - how would you feel about it then?
Dang my bad luck? It sucks ta be in the ol' cross hairs? Or just maybe, oh, I don't know... the person who put me in this spot is an a-hole.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to go w/ #3.
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