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Yesterday I took my Maltese to the vet clinic and a pit bull I had NEVER seen in my life started licking my face after I petted him for a couple of seconds.
I asked the people with him if he was friendly and they said "yes", so I just started talking to him and we instantly became friends, as most dogs do. Dogs are what they are taught to be.
Well, here we go. I put my dogs out to potty tonight and I was on the phone with a friend. All of a sudden I heard a huge racket outside and, yep, there were two of the pitbulls barking and charging at my fence and trying to put their ugly snouts through the chain link gate to bite my Yorkie.
I went outside and yelled, "Get out of here" and threw wood chips at them. Luckily, they took off. I HATE these dogs and I WILL be calling animal control tomorrow to see what can be done about it. They are clearly dog aggressive and fixated on coming here on my property the minute they can get free.
do you deny they carry more power, a stronger bite and a better natural frame for a strong attack than a cocker?!
i just also can't argue against the what the breed was bred as and the fact that their attacks tend to be a little more severe than a lot of other breeds - once again doesn't make them aggressive or bad, but something that people should respect
Pits are definitely more muscular than many other breeds, they're quick and flexible and springy. Their jaws are strong, they don't suffer from a lot of the poor jaw design bred into some other breeds.
I think more than anything, it's their focus that can make them formidable. When other dogs might give up on something, a pit bull can keep focused on the prize. This was also bred into them.
I agree they should be respected for the qualities they possess. I think that falls upon the shoulders of everyone. It's not just that pit owners should be sure their dogs are under control (they should), but everyone else should be sure their own dogs are under control. You definitely don't want your cocker spaniel running up to and challenging a pit bull, the cocker will lose, you're right Finger Laker .
I can really identify with your post. I, too, moved into a new neighborhood about 18 months ago and have four dogs. My elderly collie is blind and rather frail. My property is mostly fenced, with a four-foot picket fence around the front yard and a 6-foot privacy fence around the backyard.
My neighbor's 21-year-old son recently moved back in with his mother. His mom has a rat terrier and a pit bull. The son brought in more pit bulls and now there are pit bull puppies, too. I have a feeling the kid is breeding them to make a buck, sigh.
With all of those dogs, some of them invariably get loose. I'm often out gardening and if I'm on the side without the fence, they come to visit me. Very friendly. My dogs are ALWAYS inside of the fence and, lately, the pitbulls have been making a beeline for my property when my dogs are out. I'm not liking the pacing and posturing the pit bulls doing back and forth in front of my fence.
I'm very worried that at some point they're going to jump my 4-foot-high fence and attack my dogs, especially my blind collie and my little Yorkie/Silky. I'm disabled and there's no way I would be able to protect my dogs. We live out in the country and I'm not sure the city ordinances apply.
The little girl next door told me that the neighbor's son beats the puppies and she pointed out a cut on the top of a puppy's head. I don't know if that's true as I've never seen or heard anything. Should I call animal control the next time the dogs get out? Frankly, I am afraid of retaliation against my own dogs but if the son is purposely trying to make the dogs mean, I'm VERY worried about the dogs attacking neighbors' pets and maybe kids.
Quote:
Originally Posted by teatime
Well, here we go. I put my dogs out to potty tonight and I was on the phone with a friend. All of a sudden I heard a huge racket outside and, yep, there were two of the pitbulls barking and charging at my fence and trying to put their ugly snouts through the chain link gate to bite my Yorkie.
I went outside and yelled, "Get out of here" and threw wood chips at them. Luckily, they took off. I HATE these dogs and I WILL be calling animal control tomorrow to see what can be done about it. They are clearly dog aggressive and fixated on coming here on my property the minute they can get free.
A four-foot fence is easy for most dogs to clear, so if you're out with your dogs in your front yard, you don't want to consider the four foot fence to be much more than a mild deterrent. You'll need to have another plan for when you're out front with your dogs.
The neighbor's dogs pacing along their fence line is not unusual, nor is their interest in your dogs, this is very natural. My dogs "patrol" their perimeter each and every time they go out, it's part of their routine to check the perimeter. If you can see the dogs (chainlink, it sounds like?) and if they are showing obvious signs of aggression (hair standing up on back of neck, etc.), then that's something else.
That little neighborhood girl might be right, your neighbor might be beating his dogs, I would absolutely report that to the authorities when you call.
When you have multiple dogs - of any kind - together, it complicates things. At least some of these dogs are not spayed/neutered, and that causes issues as well. So I'd say you have reason to be concerned, whether these were pit bulls or Weimaraners.
I would do 2 things:
*In your 6 foot fence area, be sure the bottom of the fence is secure - dogs can dig under a fence in no time. I line mine with concrete pavers to keep my dogs IN. The same method would keep other dogs OUT.
*Carry some pepper spray or some nerve gas (also comes in a small spray bottle), this way you'll have it in case something happens.
In my city, we can't have more than 6 dogs, and some neighborhoods restrict it further to only 2 or 3 dogs. If you live in the country, you may not have any restrictions, but you should check to see.
It all sounds so sad, I feel bad for those dogs, your neighbor sounds really irresponsible and now he's making puppies .
Hello all. I am new to the forum but old to this breed. I have 3 males and 3 females. I show them in ADBA. I have not bred any pups as yet. My dogs are secure and are not allowed to run loose. I know what I am doing with this breed of dog. My husband and I have 30 yrs exp. with them. They are NOT dangerous to humans IF they are correctly BRED and correctly HANDLED. It is the scatterbred one that has had no socialization an not handled rite as a pup that can be the ticking time bomb. My boys are extremely DOG AGGRESSIVE. NOT HUMAN AGGRESSIVE. I must keep them separated at all times or they will injure each other badly. I keep a male and a female in the house and 4 outside in kennels and nice runlines. They are very socialized with kids and adults of all ages. Judges have to be able to come up to them and touch them all over if they want. No growling or posturing is allowed, I would be thrown from the arena and not allowed back with that dog. My vets loves my dogs and have said on numerous occassions that would would rather handle a strange pit than a strange cocker, dalmation, chow, chiuahua, ****zue, etc.
Yes they are strong yes they have an unbelievable focus and drive, yes they can inflict a great deal of damage to people if they bite. ANY large breed can.
They are NOT NOT NOT supposed to be this huge 90 lb thing that is like 4 ft wide with a head the size of a basketball. This is a terrible thing that MAN has done to this breed. The appropriate size is between 30 and 60 lbs and 60 is pushing it a bit. Look up the CORRECT STANDARDS according to ADBA rules for showing.
This dog is loyal and sweet natured. They want to please their master sooo badly. Mine love my cats to death and snuggle up to them. They also play with them. The cats bat them around the head and its so funny to watch the dogs expression. They respond well to training and all sit and lie down and crate up. They will jump into a kennel in the back of my truck upon command.
Downside? VERY dog aggressive. If mine got loose and another big dog postured at them it would be ON. Since we know this we are VERY careful and the whole family looks out for accidents. Mine are not people aggressive at ALL, but I wouldnt want to break into my house at nite either. They sense vibes from people like ALL dogs do, and if they sensed danger they would likely react. People I have invited into my home are quite safe and accepted.
These great dogs are in such grave danger and it is not their fault. Man has created a problem for them and the whole world is drinking the damn KOOLAID the papers dish out.
pit crew,
Dogs get out from time to time. It happens. How would you feel if your dogs mauled a child's beloved pet or a disabled person's service dog who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?
A Rottweiler attacked my collie several months ago. I was able to break it up and, aside from a few puncture wounds, my collie boy was OK. If that had been a pit bull, I would NOT have been able to break it up and my boy would be dead. This is why other dog owners are dismayed.
teatime, he has identified his dogs as dog agressive. Thats the sign of a good owner, plain and simple. There are plenty of dogs out there that are dog agressive or people agressive and have no problems because sure its only a lab. Its reall a gorgeous dog, wont do any harm. Its them attitudes that people get hurt.
riveree,
Thanks for the tips. The pepper spray is a good one, especially.
I'm afraid that I was a bit puzzled about the onus being on me and my property, though! The 4-foot fence in the front is perfectly fine for my and my dogs' needs. Why should I have to fortify my home, why should everyone in our neighborhood have to alter their homes and lifestyles, because pitbulls have been moved in?
I called Animal Control and they, apparently, would have to catch the dogs loose to do anything. So, yes, I do have to keep my dogs safe in the meantime. But I resent the fact that because pitbulls are living nearby, I now have to go out and look around before letting my dogs out to potty. I resent that my dogs can't play in their own yard without the worry of helldogs trying to storm my gate at some point. And I worry about the children a few homes down the street who are often outside playing with their puppy. Why should EVERYONE ELSE have to adjust?!
Pull up google and enter pit bull or dog bite or dog attack and read the stories all over about the variety of issues large aggressive dogs or dogs in packs create. An elderly woman was just killed, several dogs killed, and several toddlers disfigured within the last few weeks and these were the only ones to be in the newspaper.
Then tell me we should not hold dog owners totally responsible for the their actions of ownership and handling.
I am all for mandatory neutering/spaying unless a waiver is obtained, mandatory registered microchipping, 1 million dollar liability policies, and one bite mandatory euthanization. And I love dogs.
teatime, he has identified his dogs as dog agressive. Thats the sign of a good owner, plain and simple. There are plenty of dogs out there that are dog agressive or people agressive and have no problems because sure its only a lab. Its reall a gorgeous dog, wont do any harm. Its them attitudes that people get hurt.
Brian,
I guess I see it differently. I wouldn't own a dog that would maul other animals at the first opportunity, especially in this age of lawsuits. As I said, dogs DO get out. I'll be the first to admit that before I replaced my wood gate with chain link, my own dogs got out one night, and my Weimaraner went through a period when she loved to rip boards off my fence in the back. I had to watch her constantly until we got that problem stopped.
I was HORRIFIED when she got out and retrieved a neighbor's chihuahua! LOL, in hindsight, she was just doing what she was bred to do and she wasn't trying to hurt the dog. She simply saw it running loose on our property repeatedly and, at the first opportunity, she chased it, picked it up and brought it to me! If it was in her temperament to maul it, that would have been her last day in my home, as much as I love her and as wonderful a dog as she is.
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Dogs are what they are taught to be.
