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We just moved into a new housing development and have yet to get our fence up. Just 2 houses up, there are 2 pit bulls. One day my husband let our blind Beagle stay out in the backyard. We have a leash for him so he doesn't stray and get hurt. Anyway, one of the pit bulls came and started acting aggressively with our dog. The owner didn't seem too perturbed - and the dog did obey her calls to go back to her, but it left us feeling very vulnerable.
A friend of my son's who lives in Colorado owns a pit bull and even my son says that it's the sweetest dog in the world. When he would visit, the dog would wake him up in the morning by licking his face.
Why are they sometimes gentle and sometimes insanely aggressive?
So I'm assuming neighbor has no fence? Is there a fencing or leash law effective in your town?
These dogs are no more aggressive that the other dreaded breeds, including the Rottweiler of which I have 6. People are TERRIFIED of my dogs until they meet them - a clumsier, more lovable bunch you could never meet. The only danger you face is if you are a stranger entering their territory, and they will give you a LOT of warning to back off - after meeting you once, they are your new best friends. The only thing you have to worry about after that is drowning in dog slobber.
Mine is not a popular stance, but I also have a blind dog and have to be very careful when taking him for walks. Some people are considerably less than responsible - they may have very nice dogs, they may not, but they let them run free. Therefore, I carry a 42" cattle prod with me to protect me AND my dog. If something jumped him, he's leashed - he can't really get away or fight back. One zap of the cattle prod will p--- off an aggressive dog - the second zap sends him home. No need to shoot or take the chance of getting pepper spray on me or my dog - there's enough reach that I'm out of danger - and neither dog is permanently injured.
Your problem is not with the breed of your neighbor's dog - it's your idiot neighbor. I suspect this is a person who would have one of those killer chihuahuas if he owned that breed. People are just idiotic and unfortunately are besmirching the name of the "breed" they proclaim to love the most when they allow their pitties to act in the manner you've stated. As pitbull mommy stated, socialization is the key to any dog, and this neighbor's dogs obviously haven't been properly socialized.
We can talk about all of that to the end of time -bottom line? Make that fence a priority so you're little blind guy is safe and you don't have unwanted visits from the dogs up the street.....THEN work on educating the neighbors.
And NO - it is not "time to eliminate this breed" - but it IS time to eliminate some owners from having dogs that are perceived as wicked. These people will be the downfall of the Rottie, the pittie, and some other breeds...and what a shame, that we haven't evolved enough to be responsible and the pets will have to pay the ultimate price.
And NO - it is not "time to eliminate this breed" - but it IS time to eliminate some owners from having dogs that are perceived as wicked. These people will be the downfall of the Rottie, the pittie, and some other breeds...and what a shame, that we haven't evolved enough to be responsible and the pets will have to pay the ultimate price.
Here here.
Anybody who says its time to eliminate the breed is ignorant and most likely afraid of their own shadow if they are afraid of dogs.
I would think if a dog that has been known to kill and hurt people for no reason is in your yard acting aggressively you should have the right to shoot it. These dogs have kill kids and adults that were in ther own yard and did nothing wrong. It is time to aliminate this breed,
I wrote this in my first post for this thread, but seeing as how alot of people don't read all the way through really long posts I wanted to re-post this.
Dog aggression is nearly always preceded by some kind of warning, and there is always a reason behind the attack. However, many inexperienced owners do not recognize the dog's behavior as aggression, or refuse to acknowledge it as a warning sign. The only exception I can think of is Springer Rage, a rare and controversial neurological condition that manifests itself as a spontaneous attack, followed by confusion, and then a return to normal behavior. "Pit bulls" are NOT prone to this condition. There are individual dogs of any breed that may be more aggressive to others. I also have to say that I agree 150% with what BrianH posted... "Anybody who says its time to eliminate the breed is ignorant..." If people really want to fix the problem we need to do things that will work! Banning whole breeds will not fix anything, it will just force the horrible, abusive, neglectful, heartless people to move on to the next breed(s) and make them mean.
Instead of banning breeds we need to...
-Put a stop to leash law violations...Higher penalties for owners who violate the leash law will dissuade more people from slacking on their duties to contain their dog
-Strengthen and enforce penalties for dangerous owners (and their dangerous dogs)
-Crack down on dog fighting
-Strengthen animal abuse laws
-Prevent criminals from owning dogs...The following people should not be allowed to own dogs: drug dealers, human or animal abusers, and anyone convicted of a violent offense (assault, rape, robbery, etc.)
-Regulate breeders
-Fund public spay/neuter initiatives...These programs are important, especially low-cost ones. Unneutered dogs, particularly males, are far more likely to attack a human than either neutered males or spayed females.
-Educate about dog behavior (Stay Dog Bite Free! | The Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/dog_care/stay_dog_bite_free/ - broken link))
-Encourage responsible dog ownership
-Provide low-cost obedience training classes and behavior help hotlines for dog owners
Thanks so much for all the good posts. PitBullMommie, so much good information and I loved the photos. Unfortunately these neighbors are not approachable and so the fence is going up next week. It's unfortunate that such potentially wonderful dogs are allowed to leave their yard and cause distress to other dogs and people. The neighbors between us have 2 small children so I am glad to know that they will be protected by the new fence too.
I totally agree now it's the owners not the dogs and it's a shame that they have gotten such a bad rap in the press.
It's probably a good cause that you all have there - changing the world's opinions of pit bulls one ignorant person at a time!
Thanks so much for all the good posts. PitBullMommie, so much good information and I loved the photos. Unfortunately these neighbors are not approachable and so the fence is going up next week. It's unfortunate that such potentially wonderful dogs are allowed to leave their yard and cause distress to other dogs and people. The neighbors between us have 2 small children so I am glad to know that they will be protected by the new fence too.
I totally agree now it's the owners not the dogs and it's a shame that they have gotten such a bad rap in the press.
It's probably a good cause that you all have there - changing the world's opinions of pit bulls one ignorant person at a time!
That's good that you are putting a fence up! It is such a shame that people like that even own a dog at all.. you know? It makes me sooo mad! Good, responsible, respectful owners get punished because of people like that. It's not even just about being responsible, any dog owner also needs to be respectful of the people and pets around them. Well, that's my opinion anyway! My husband and I try to be as responsible and respectful as possible. When ever someone comes to the door we always put both Brooklyn and Destiny in their crates before we open the door... That way there is no chance of them ever slipping out and that way if whoever is at the door is scared of "pit bulls" or just dogs in general they won't have anything to worry about! When we have guests over we put them in their crates unless our guests really don't mind them being out. If we do let them out (which we normally do because once people meet them they love them) we never leave them unattended with strangers or children. We even try to walk them early in the morning when most people are not up and around yet, during the day when most people are in work or at school and at night before bed when most people are in for the day. They are never ever outside without being on a leash or a run and they are never left outside unattended. We do all of this not because Brooklyn and Destiny are mean, but out of respect for them and the people that are around them. Brooklyn and Destiny are both wonderful, loving, people and pet friendly dogs! They love everyone and everything, they just want to love everyone and be loved back! But we know that alot of people are scared of "pit bulls" (or at least uncomfortable around them) because they believe all of the myths and media hype and they don't know anything truthful about them. We also know that alot of people are scared of or just don't like dogs in general. Everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe in their own neighborhood and it is our job, as pet owners, to be responsible and respectful for us, our dogs and the people and pets around us and our dogs. As I have already said, everyone that has taken the time to get to know Brooklyn and Destiny has fallen in love with them.. they are absolute sweet hearts! But they are still dogs and dogs need to be kept under control at all times.. we are their owners so it is our job to be responsible and respectful! I am sorry that you are living next to a not so nice bully and a not so nice owner. Thank God for fences right? lol! Anyway, thanks for your post and good luck with everything!!
Oh and wonderful thread by the way! It makes me so happy to see that there are people out there that are willing to learn about these breeds and not just believe the myths! 99% of the people that I have come across will not listen to anything positive about "pit bulls", they will not allow themselves to really learn about them. You sound like a wonderful person and a wonderful owner.. thank you so much for being open minded and asking this question! Your are definitly getting rep. points from me! Thank you so much for taking the time to learn the truth about these wonderful breeds.. and again, I am so sorry that you are living next to such a poor representative of the breed.
Last edited by PitBullMommie1206; 07-03-2007 at 07:54 AM..
With all the bad stories about pitbulls, here is one you might enjoy.
Yesterday while on my way to the store...a guy with a beautiful red & white male pit was walking towards me. Not strange, well since I travel by mobility scooters that most dogs shy from this dog was just the reverse. The dog was doing a beautiful heel on loose lead. As the owner got near I could tell he was not sure about passing me. But the dog was acting friendly & real interested in the scooter. So I told the guy to allow him to sniff it. Well the next thing I knew the dog was sitting at my feet like 'hey I am ready to go' It took us a couple of min to convince him he had to get off & walk!!! All the time this guys tail is going a mile a min & looks like he is really happy. Both the owner & I were laughing so hard at the dogs sad look when we parted...wish I had a picture
So I'm assuming neighbor has no fence? Is there a fencing or leash law effective in your town?
These dogs are no more aggressive that the other dreaded breeds, including the Rottweiler of which I have 6. People are TERRIFIED of my dogs until they meet them - a clumsier, more lovable bunch you could never meet. The only danger you face is if you are a stranger entering their territory, and they will give you a LOT of warning to back off - after meeting you once, they are your new best friends. The only thing you have to worry about after that is drowning in dog slobber.
Mine is not a popular stance, but I also have a blind dog and have to be very careful when taking him for walks. Some people are considerably less than responsible - they may have very nice dogs, they may not, but they let them run free. Therefore, I carry a 42" cattle prod with me to protect me AND my dog. If something jumped him, he's leashed - he can't really get away or fight back. One zap of the cattle prod will p--- off an aggressive dog - the second zap sends him home. No need to shoot or take the chance of getting pepper spray on me or my dog - there's enough reach that I'm out of danger - and neither dog is permanently injured.
Your problem is not with the breed of your neighbor's dog - it's your idiot neighbor. I suspect this is a person who would have one of those killer chihuahuas if he owned that breed. People are just idiotic and unfortunately are besmirching the name of the "breed" they proclaim to love the most when they allow their pitties to act in the manner you've stated. As pitbull mommy stated, socialization is the key to any dog, and this neighbor's dogs obviously haven't been properly socialized.
We can talk about all of that to the end of time -bottom line? Make that fence a priority so you're little blind guy is safe and you don't have unwanted visits from the dogs up the street.....THEN work on educating the neighbors.
And NO - it is not "time to eliminate this breed" - but it IS time to eliminate some owners from having dogs that are perceived as wicked. These people will be the downfall of the Rottie, the pittie, and some other breeds...and what a shame, that we haven't evolved enough to be responsible and the pets will have to pay the ultimate price.
Speaking of killer Chihuahua's. We had to visit a job site at a run down house years ago and went in through the front gate to go to the door. We saw this dust cloud coming from behind the house and heard lots of yapping. About two dozen Chihuahua's came barking and snarling at us (all I could see were little teeth). We turned and ran back out the gate. They were scary!
Oh, you can add the Rottweiler to that bad dog list also.
Hey, if you have never owned a Rottie, no need to speak bad about em! I am a proud Rottweiler owner and I dont appreciate people talking bad about them! If you have never owned own, maybe you shouldnt judge. I have seen poodles act more vicious than my Rot! Its ignorant people who buy a Rot and dont know how to raise them! Thats when they may turn "bad" They are by far the best watch dogs ever and wouldnt let anything bad ever happen to me!
Hey, if you have never owned a Rottie, no need to speak bad about em! I am a proud Rottweiler owner and I dont appreciate people talking bad about them! If you have never owned own, maybe you shouldnt judge. I have seen poodles act more vicious than my Rot! Its ignorant people who buy a Rot and dont know how to raise them! Thats when they may turn "bad" They are by far the best watch dogs ever and wouldnt let anything bad ever happen to me!
I'm not too sure, but I think they were just kidding around. I agree with you though! I had a Rottie mix and she was wonderful! Now we own three American Pit Bull Terriers and they are all absolute sweet hearts! They are just big lap dogs! It's so sad how all of these wonderful breeds are getting such a bad name! And trust me, I know how you feel! I hate when people talk badly about APBTs or any so-called "dangerous" breed for that matter!
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Good, responsible, respectful owners get punished because of people like that. 
It's not even just about being responsible, any dog owner also needs to be respectful of the people and pets around them. Well, that's my opinion anyway! 
My husband and I try to be as responsible and respectful as possible. When ever someone comes to the door we always put both Brooklyn and Destiny in their crates before we open the door... That way there is no chance of them ever slipping out and that way if whoever is at the door is scared of "pit bulls" or just dogs in general they won't have anything to worry about! 
But we know that alot of people are scared of "pit bulls" (or at least uncomfortable around them) because they believe all of the myths and media hype and they don't know anything truthful about them. We also know that alot of people are scared of or just don't like dogs in general. Everyone has the right to feel comfortable and safe in their own neighborhood and it is our job, as pet owners, to be responsible and respectful for us, our dogs and the people and pets around us and our dogs. As I have already said, everyone that has taken the time to get to know Brooklyn and Destiny has fallen in love with them.. they are absolute sweet hearts! But they are still dogs and dogs need to be kept under control at all times.. we are their owners so it is our job to be responsible and respectful! I am sorry that you are living next to a not so nice bully and a not so nice owner. 
