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They are prized fighters because of their musculature and skeletal frame. The two make them fighting machines. They become aggressive because of their training and treatment. You could take a German Shepherd and make them aggressive and blood thirsty too, but they aren't selected for this because their bodies aren't optimized for fighting.
You can put plenty of pictures up of other breeds attacking children, so the fact that you have some of pitbulls means very little.
I don't own a Pit Bull and I don't think that I ever will. This is my choice just like other dog owners who choose the kind of dog that they want. I own a German Shepard/Chow mix. This is the second dog with this kind of mix. Both dogs were very gentle, because of the care and attention that we gave them. Both dogs would not bite or hurt any one. Our first one even took care of a litter of kittens when the mother cat was out. The owners are the real problem with how a dog acts. I have had to put down dogs as a police officer because they were agressive. One attacked me, I was lucky to get my hand on the bottom jaw of the dog so that I could get it onto the ground where I had to shot it. I had several bite marks on the back of my hand after this. Oh yea forgot to tell you that it was a large male German Shepard that had just attacked a six year old before I got there. Luckly the family was around when the attack took place and they got the dog off. We had a neighbor who lived down the street. He was not a white American and I am not going to tell you his race. I think that he had a attitude as he opened up his door and let out his two large dogs when my youngest son was going to a playground across the street. My wife was out with our first dog and saw what happened she screamed at our son to stop. She said that she did not know where our dog, Bud, came from, but Bud met both dogs in the middle of the street and stopped them both from getting to our son. My wife was very thankful that Bud was out at the time. This was the second time that his dogs made a move at our three year old son and both times our Bud stopped them. The second time was the last time. Both dogs were removed by the police. He moved out a few weeks later. He had kids of his own, but Bud never showed any kind of agression toward his two kids. In fact they would come down to play with Bud. I wonder why that was? So don't blame the dogs when it is how the dogs are handled that really makes the difference. Yes Pit Bulls have seemed to be the ones that get press time, but is it the dogs fault or is it something else.
Pit bull Mommie I know that you love you dogs, but animals can turn quick & at times you just can not tell why. I pray that you never go thru this. I have gone thru this with Malumute, Rottie, Collie & Cocker...
The United Kennel Club Does reg them as Pitbulls [ukcdogs.com]
They are reg & shown as pitbulls.
I understand that other breeds of dogs can bite too! The only difference is that pitbulls do have that muscle and skeletal structure that Matt mentioned combined with razor sharp teeth and they don't stop biting once they "go into that mode" -- they are bred to "shake em up!" -- unfortunately when a child is at the other end of a "pitbull attack frenzy" -- the result is a BLOODBATH!!!! Remember that story about the crack addict whose kid's diaper was attacked by the family "pet"? His privates were mutilated beyond repair!!! He lived but he has to take shots for testosterone for life because he has no testes. This happened in Omaha about 5 years ago - and it just happened in a very similar fashion in upstate N.Y. about a couple of weeks ago.
The dog breed that bites most frequently is the Golden Retriever. But it's always just that.......A bite. Not mauling. And the bites are less severe because that breed has "soft-mouth" -- bred with rounded teeth so as not to damage game in the field.
Everytime I read about a Pitbull turning on it's family -- the family seems so shocked. DUH!!!! You can't outlove the disposition!!! Perhaps in some cases the dog can die of old age before it snaps! But in far too many other cases (as we see frequently in the news with pitbulls) the dog snaps and turns on it's family-- or breaks loose and kills the neighbors dog -- or breaks loose and attacks a child - or a jogger .... etc... etcc... etc....
And rather than posting picture over facts, why don't you elaborate on exactly how each became a victim?
Careless kids without adult supervision allowed to wander into the neighbors yard? An elderly man who perhaps came knocking on a door to sell vacuums? Let's get the details. Pictures are more moving than facts I guess.
As for the lady above, yes it's sad that the woman suffered the attack. Sad too that the dogs were not better cared for in an obvious situation they did not like. Many dogs are scared of fireworks. There are meds you can give them when needed on such holidays to calm them. Regardless, not knowing what set them off and simply saying attacked her is bunk. What "set them off"? Perhaps she made loud noises with pots and pans? Maybe slammed a door at an angry spouse? I have no doubt she was NOT sitting watching the 10pm news and suddenly had them on her. But I suspect we'll never really know what truly "set them off".
As for Porcupines, I can agree; they are small animal aggressive. They however as a BREED (so often thought to be) are NOT human aggressive.
I understand that other breeds of dogs can bite too! The only difference is that pitbulls do have that muscle and skeletal structure that Matt mentioned combined with razor sharp teeth and they don't stop biting once they "go into that mode" -- they are bred to "shake em up!" -- unfortunately when a child is at the other end of a "pitbull attack frenzy" -- the result is a BLOODBATH!!!! Remember that story about the crack addict whose kid's diaper was attacked by the family "pet"? His privates were mutilated beyond repair!!! He lived but he has to take shots for testosterone for life because he has no testes. This happened in Omaha about 5 years ago - and it just happened in a very similar fashion in upstate N.Y. about a couple of weeks ago.
The dog breed that bites most frequently is the Golden Retriever. But it's always just that.......A bite. Not mauling. And the bites are less severe because that breed has "soft-mouth" -- bred with rounded teeth so as not to damage game in the field.
Everytime I read about a Pitbull turning on it's family -- the family seems so shocked. DUH!!!! You can't outlove the disposition!!! Perhaps in some cases the dog can die of old age before it snaps! But in far too many other cases (as we see frequently in the news with pitbulls) the dog snaps and turns on it's family-- or breaks loose and kills the neighbors dog -- or breaks loose and attacks a child - or a jogger .... etc... etcc... etc....
I am done waisting my time on close minded, ill informed, easily influenced people, but I do have to say that "pit bulls" attacking is a rare thing! If you did some research instead of just reading crap and believing it to be exactly the way the media says it is, you would know that. Yes, all three "pit bull" breeds were bred to fight animals, but at the same time, these breeds were bred to be amazingly human friendly, smart, stable and trustworthy! American Pit Bull Terriers are one of the only breeds that have been specifically bred, for hundreds of years, to be a human friendly breed! American Pit Bull Terriers always score very high on temperament testing, they always test better than many popular family breeds such as Goldens and Beagles. American Pit Bull Terriers are one of the most stable, people friendly breeds in existence and that's a fact.. not one of the countless unbelievable myths that quite a few people choose to believe. The American Pit Bull Terrier is additionally one of the most intelligent and easy to train breed of dogs. The trainer of the show dog Lassie has even remarked on how the APBT is his choice of breed for training. All three "pit bull" breeds, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are currently used and suitable for all types of service work including drug detection, emergency rescue, service and therapy work, military service, and much more. If these dogs are really so crazy, aggressive, unstable and not trustworthy then please explain to me how they are used for such service work?? Also, if my choice breed (APBTs) are really how you try to make them sound, tell me why it has been proven that they are one of the very best family breeds?? Yes, "pit bulls" are very strong breeds.. in fact, the three "pit bull" breeds are pound for pound three of the strongest breeds around. But, a properly bred, raised, trained and socialized "pit bull" will remain stable, loving and friendly until their dying day! The problem is not the breeds, because as I have said, these are truly three of the most amazing breeds in the world today, the problem is the morons that own these wonderful dogs! MOST "pit bull" owners are great people that own "pit bulls" because they know what amazing dogs they are, but there are quite a few people that get them for all of the wrong reasons and because of those ignorant people, these awesome dogs have a horrible name! You know what?... I would LOVE to see you present some facts.. not these twisted media stories, pictures of what the media claims are "pit bull" attacks and crazy myths. Obviously you are a "pit bull" expert right?? So, why don't you give some facts?? I am the proud owner of three amazing American Pit Bull Terriers, I have grown up around "pit bulls" and almost everyone that I know, friends and family, has had or currently has at least one of the "pit bull" breeds. Oh and just to let you know, not one of the "pit bulls" that I have ever been around is aggressive in anyway and not one has ever attacked or bitten anyone! I don't know one person that has been bit or attacked by a "pit bull", in fact, I don't know one person that ever even came close to being bitten or attacked by a "pit bull" and as I said, almost everyone in my family and almost everyone of our friends owns or has owned a "pit bull" breed. I have been attacked by a lab and a chow, my younger brother was attacked by a lab and my neighbors lab attacked 5 children under the age of 12 before he was put to sleep. Just to let you know, each of those was a different dog so, I have had 3 very aggressive labs in my life and again, not one aggressive "pit bull". I also know people that have been attacked by a cocker spaniel, a great dane, a yorkie, a weimaraner, a german shepherd, and that's just what I can think of off of the top of my head. A lab/ shepherd mix ran onto our property and attacked our leashed APBT not too long ago.. our dog didn't even really fight back, the dog that attacked our baby didn't have one mark on him and the second that dogs owner came over and got him our dog acted like nothing even happened! What an aggressive "pit bull" huh?! lmao! My husband and I both love learning all we can about these wonderful breeds and we have been doing research on them for years and years! So, sinse you obviously know more than I do about these breeds, why don't you educate me??
Oh.. I almost forgot.. "You can't outlove the disposition!!!" What are you talking about?? lmao!! For hundreds of years "pit bulls" were bred to fight dogs, never humans! Human "aggressive" dogs were undesirable as these dogs required extensive handling prior to and during their fights AND most of these dogs were also family pets so no human aggression was ever tolerated. Dogs that exhibited human aggression were typically killed, meaning that only human friendly lines were perpetuated and desired. It has been said that a "pit bull" never met a stranger. They love and adore humans. They want so much to be apart of your family and spend time with you watching tv, walking, driving, etc. I have seen severely abused and neglected "pit bulls" who see you coming and they can't wait to be petted and loved. Even after the abuse, they want nothing more than to be with a family of their own! As with any breed there are exceptions to the normal temperament and behavior. We see this in humans as well, there are good ones and bad ones.
As for them just "snapping" or "just turning" that's is so stupid it is comical! lmao! "Pit bulls" do not just turn on people! In fact, no breed of dog does. 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.
This tells you just how vicious these dogs are with children! Click this link, read what the numbers mean and scroll down to American Pit Bull Terrier... Dogs and their Reliability With Children (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/children.htm - broken link)
Now, same thing, but this shows you just how mean these dogs are to strangers! lmao! Again, click the link, read what the numbers mean and scroll down to APBT... Dogs and Reliability With Strangers, Rating Dog Breeds with Strangers (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/strangers.htm - broken link)
And this shows just how horrible they are with other dogs.. lol! As I said, they were bred to fight dogs and to be amazingly human friendly! Dogs and thier Combativeness with other Dogs (http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/combativeness.htm - broken link) But, a properly bred, raised, trained and socialized APBT that has responsible owners that know how to handle their dogs shouldn't have a problem with other dogs.. look at us! We have 3 APBTs and they love each other!
Sinse you are so amazingly educated on these breeds, I am sure you know that thanks to their amazing love of humans, APBTs actually do not make good guard dogs unless they are specifically trained to guard.
I just took this picture five minutes ago.. and let me tell you, I have some aggressive monster dogs! You can just tell how much they hate dogs.. huh!
Last edited by PitBullMommie1206; 07-20-2007 at 11:56 PM..
Pit bull Mommie I know that you love you dogs, but animals can turn quick & at times you just can not tell why. I pray that you never go thru this. I have gone thru this with Malumute, Rottie, Collie & Cocker...
The United Kennel Club Does reg them as Pitbulls [ukcdogs.com]
They are reg & shown as pitbulls.
I am very sorry that you went through that, I can't even imagine how horrible that has to be! Thanks for your concern, but that is the last thing that I am worried about happening. All of our dogs have great parents.. as in they don't come from aggressive parents, their parents are amazingly sweet, have wonderful temperaments and no history of any real health problems. All of our dogs are well trained, well socialized, they know their place in the "pack" and they are all in wonderful health. Our dogs, at least at this point in their lives, won't turn on us. I really don't care what other people say about dogs or "pit bulls" just turning on people because that is simply not true. No dog, no matter what breed, just turns on people. As I have said sooo many times.. 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. No dog is just going to turn on someone for no reason unless they are seriously sick.
"The United Kennel Club Does reg them as Pitbulls [ukcdogs.com]
They are reg & shown as pitbulls.".. I don't know if that was to me or not. I'm not quite sure where I said anything about that.. If I did, I'm sorry I don't remember. I know that the UKC recognizes American Pit Bull Terriers (APBT). APBTs are not recognized by the AKC, but they are recognized by the UKC, NKC, ADBA, CKC, APBR, APRI and the ACR. Though, many APBTs are duel registered as American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaff) with the AKC and as APBTs with the UKC. With the UKC they are registered and shown as American Pit Bull Terriers, not "pit bulls" because APBT is the breed.. "pit bull" is a term used to group three breeds. As for the other two "pit bull" breeds.. American Staffordshire Terriers (AmStaff) are recognized by the FCI, AKC, CKC, NKC, NZKC, CKC, APBR, ANKC, APRI and the ACR, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers (Staffie) are recognized by the CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI and the ACR.
Your favorite song must be "Walk Like and Egyptian" because you are living in DENIAL PitBullMommy.
From what your are saying, I guess that whenever a pitbull mauls someone -(and note that I said MAUL and not just bite) it's because the owner was stupid. (the fact that you have to walk on eggshells with this breed to avoid an attack frenzy is telling enough)
Let's do some logical deductions based on that assertion.
1. Whenever pitbulls go off on humans it's because the owners acted stupidly.
2. People who act stupid are stupid.
3. The vast majority of pitbulls will attack with less provocation than other breeds.
4. That means that the vast majority of pitbull owners are stupid.
Oh wait I meant for that to be like a game show bell! Not a dog fighting bell! I hope you weren't reading that outloud to your pitbull!! If so you are probobly getting mauled right now!
Okay man the point has been made by both sides in this. Let's just let individuals decide on the kind of dog they want if they want one. Jesse-James you and I both most likely will never own a Pit Bull breed, at least I know that I will not. PitBullMommie loves her Pit Bulls which is her right to own them. Guess we all can just wait to see if she becomes a victim as well. For now let's just be friends here and have a civil discussion about this without calling a certain group of people stupid, okay. Let us not become Pit Bulls ourselves.
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Thanks for your concern, but that is the last thing that I am worried about happening. All of our dogs have great parents.. as in they don't come from aggressive parents, their parents are amazingly sweet, have wonderful temperaments and no history of any real health problems. All of our dogs are well trained, well socialized, they know their place in the "pack" and they are all in wonderful health. Our dogs, at least at this point in their lives, won't turn on us. I really don't care what other people say about dogs or "pit bulls" just turning on people because that is simply not true. No dog, no matter what breed, just turns on people. As I have said sooo many times.. 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. No dog is just going to turn on someone for no reason unless they are seriously sick. 
