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You won't get any crap from me - but I will tell you that about 8 years ago I had the same fear, only of Rottweilers...my lord - huge, slobbery, scary...and my son brought one home he found on the side of the highway - YIKES! Well, son wasn't living with me, so whatever...and we paid dearly to have the dog vetted and then my husband and I inherited him when my son went away to college.
I now have 6 Rotties...and I would not hesitate to have a Pit Bull. Unfortunately, the media has hyped up the negative and forgotten the positive - these poor breeds, as many others, have been a victim of their own popularity and weak genes are changing the temperament and breed standard.
It's all about exposure to a good example of any breed - and I know your fear, but if you take a little time to meet a dog of the breed you fear the most and it is a real ambassador you will find your state of mind changing.
Some of my friends and I participate in parades across the south for the bully breeds, or any breed for that matter - we take a couple of Rottweilers or pits or whatever and go - and people who are the most frightened are always very impressed by the good behavior they see. It's amazing to realize you really no perception of a breed other than what you were spoon fed by the media - kind of makes you wonder if you're being fed a bunch of ____ on other stuff! I hope you will take the time and make the effort to at least interact one time with a APBT that is a therapy dog or one that has his Canine Good Citizen title - I think you would fall in love in a heartbeat! They really are great, great dogs, very playful and very funny.
Not every breed is for every person, and one certainly shouldn't pick a breed they are uncomfortable with...and if the eyes make you uncomfortable, and the size and the power...well, different strokes! But I do hope you will get to meet a well bred and well trained APBT. It may at least give you some respect that will outweigh your fear...they are great dogs!
I know I will get crap for this post, but, I am deathly afraid of pitbulls--all types. I admit, I am not as knowledgable about the breed(s) as many of your are, but that does not change my fear of these dogs. The pics are great and the dogs look cute when they are puppies, then IMO they get too scary looking once full grown. Their eyes are creepy!!
The one picture shows the dog w/this huge collar and EVEN BIGGER chain connected to the collar....you need that kind of chain to hold your dog? That is scary... I am not bashing pitbulls or their owners (except for the negligent ones), but this is a breed that I will never be fond of. I do not want to see a pitbull being harmed in any way, and I give ALL of you pitpull owners props for taking them in, loving them, and being repsonsible pitbull owners. I have read many posts from pitbullmommie####, ABPT_Samara, etc, and you sound like great, loving parents. I am just afraid of the breed and all that they are.
SORRY!!
I'm not going to give you crap, you're not someone who came on here bashing which is a big difference then not liking a breed or thinking it looks scary.
If you meet real Pit Bulls it might change your mind. They are not anymore mean or unpredictable then any other breed. It lies with the breeding and raising of that dog. I'm sure you have heard me or PBM say that before. One of our females was 6yrs old before she had ever seen a goat in her life, yet she learned how to herd them. She was also great with the 2 calves my husband got. She mothered them and was super gentle. I think if people go off experience instead of what someone tells them it might change them. I do know people have negative experience too, but they shouldn't live their life off one experience either. I know someone who's son was attacked by a stray Pit Bull mix. That made them uneasy and worried about Pit Bulls. Since their kid had been attacked they just wrote the breed off as dangerous. Then they met Vipette's great great grandsire and couldn't believe how extremely friendly and loving he was to a total stranger. He climbed right up in her lap and she realized not all Pit Bulls are dangerous. Of course not all are friendly and owners who think that way are in denial. They are like any other breed there are good dogs of the breed and their are bad dogs of the breed.
There are breeds I'm not fond of or ones I think look scary like German Shepherds. However I have no irrational fear of dogs period, no matter the breed. Just some months ago I was charged by a loose GSD. Normally the dog when outside is tied by a cable near the porch area I guess they broke it. Usually he/she isn't out there but when they are they bark at the end of the cable and can't reach me. So you can bet I was surprised when the dog came running at me snarling. My heart was pumping so fast! I didn't freak out, run or scream. When people do things like that they usually end up getting bit. I stood still, looked down while the dog continued to bark. They came within feet of me and I just kept standing still, once the barking ceased I began to slowly walk backwards while the dog was still watching me. Then the dog lost interested and ran back to lay on their porch. I turned around slowly and walked calmly away. That wasn't an unstable dog or even a dangerous dog IMO. In some situation it could have been dangerous yes with a kid that freaked out or even an adult that doesn't know any better they probably would have been bit. When people have dog sense though they can avoid an attack. My common sense did a big over ride on my fears and just took over. The dog was only protecting their territory and when I wasn't a threat they stopped and went back. If they were vicious they would have still attacked without provocation.
Someone should not fault you for having a fear. How can one help a fear? Its something that is natural to being a human. If someone thinks this dog below looks scary then there isn't much I can about it. She is a full grown APBT and most people think she looks cute, but if one is scared nothing will change their mind.
If someone thinks she has a huge collar, again thats opinion (that I don't agree with) and what can I say that will change their mind? My dogs wear 1/2" and 1" collars. That is what the dogs in the pics above are wearing. How are these considered huge? What size collar does your dog(s) wear (I'm assuming you're a dog owner). What do you consider not huge? Sometimes it seems people are looking for something "scary" when it comes to APBTs. Anything smaller then 1/2 I would probably be putting on a cat and not any dog. My Boxers also wore the same size collars.
My Lab/Springer Spaniel mix did too, she had a 1" collar. She also ended up on a bigger chain. At the time before the chain link was put up the wooden fence ended up getting holes that she could escape from so for a short time she needed to be tied out. She broke a couple regular chains and had to have a bigger one. I know a male Lab that is also on the same size chain as my Pit for the same reason. He is also a well behaved house pet but still can't help to break a small chain. Some people have said that Pit Bulls owners should train and socialize their dogs, they shouldn't have dogs which are that aggressive that they need a bigger chain. Again they are just making assumptions and looking for something to be wrong. I know dogs with CGC and obedience titled that break chains. They are not breaking them because they are lunging at the end trying to kill something. It just happens, they wear out. Those regular chains can be bad, some of them have the clips at the end where they can be easily pulled to the opposite side and are then useless. I had my female on one, she can go out without a chain, even without a fence and won't go anywhere. This day I decided to put her out on one (she's the same one in the picture) I used a regular chain which is small but had a different better snap on the end that I added. When I went to let her in she was loose from the chain but laying in front of the steps. She had broke the D ring on her collar but hadn't gone anywhere. It just wore out. If you look at the picture of the dog in the middle, the one that is chained you can see the snap is getting close to wearing out. Swivels are often the first to break because they wear against each other until the hole is big enough for the other side to pull through and the dog will be free. He only goes out there to potty, eat breakfast and sometime on and off throughout the day for short periods. Yet it is still wearing. Not because he is a big scary dog (I estimate he is around 30lbs) and not because he is mean- he is pretty docile, loving and just wants to play with his "sisters" or with one of us. I haven't seen any sort of aggression out of him yet.
I do think that you could possibly overcome your fear in time. My friend used to be deathly afraid of dogs. Almost any dog, if it was bigger then the size of a cat she was scared. She is from another country and didn't know what a Pit Bull was. We talked about dogs and I told her I had Pit Bulls. She asked Are they fluffy? lol. Needless to say when she met my male she was terrified (she never told me she was scared of dogs though so it wasn't really my fault). Then we went to see a friend who lived not too far from her who's female was bigger then my male. We were outside and she said I'll just wait across the street. Then she told me dogs scare the crap out of her every since she was little. Well now she loves my dogs after playing with them. She has even walked them on some occasions. I almost always have a dog accompany me wherever I go so she is cool with them. Now again she wasn't exposed to the media hype that most people here have been about Pit Bulls. She is really at a loss to understand how come people are so scared of them. She said someone at work said Pit Bulls are mean and scary and she laughed at them. She also said what do you mean, they are not really that scary. They are just dogs, you are scared of dogs. Well she used to be scared of dogs period and ironically it was Pit Bulls that changed her fears.
That's why I love this group of posters. No attacks necessary only education and experience.
I wouldn't blame you for being scared either, I was once afraid myself. But, when I met our Sadie and learned more about the breed, I never realized how wonderful pets they really are. Now, Pitties are my main choice (unless it's a german shepard). I have heard a story of one lady who was deathly afraid of them because of their media attention and at an adoption event, she saw a pitbull puppy that she kept walking past. The REscuer asked if she'd like to meet the puppy once and the lady I think said no, but then she came back to risk meeting the puppy and she fell inlove. I think I actually heard in the website somewhere.
Thank you for not getting upset at me, for being empathetic w/my fear, and for the education.
APBT_Samara, it wasn't so much the collar as it was the chain. After I posted my rant, I realized that I couldn't even see the actual collar...and yes I am dog owner and she also wears a 1 inch collar. The chaing tho, man, makes me wonder why it's so big and that was what was scary to me. Like, she needs the chain to not attack. From your posts, you seem to be a great owner and have nonagressive dogs, and that is great.
I think my fear of this breed stems from me feeling like if I were attacked by a pitbull, I could not stop it. I'll be the first to admit that I am not educated on the breed and have only been around like one or two pitbulls and the entire time, I did not want the dogs near me. I do not know anyone who owns a pitbull as a family pet. I think the pure sight of their bulging leg and neck muscles also puts me off.
I know that I cannot base an opinion on what the media reports, dog info or otherwise, but also cannot get over the stories of hearing about deaths due to pitbull attacks. I know all dogs are capable of biting or attacking, and it probably happens frequently, but with a pitbull I feel like I could not stop it. I don't hear about pitbull attacks, unless it caused death or major injury.
I am in Omaha, NE and a gal on the news was attacked by a non pitbull breed, but she was able to get loose from the grip of the jaw. She did suffer leg wounds, but nothing serious, nonlifethreatening.
I would be very scared if any dog charged me, okay maybe not a yorkie, but any med-large breed--so CONGRATULATIONS on not freaking out when charged by the GS APBT_SAMARA!!!!
About the eyes, my dog freaks people out too bcs one is 1/2 blue on top & 1/2 brown on the bottom; the other eye is 1/2 brown on top & 1/2 blue on the bottom. People always ask if she's blind. She's not, she's a mix and was abandoned in the country. My husband and I think due to the eye color that she might have some Australian Shepherd & Husky in her. We honestly have no clue tho, she looks like several different breeds. I am not computer savy enough to post pictures, I don't know how??
I really do appreciate all the info on this forum and love sharing stories.
Follow this thread - it is very specific on how to post pictures - and if you have a problem, scirocco won't mind if you DM him and ask...he's great at stuff like that! https://www.city-data.com/forum/faq/8...res-posts.html
Thank you for not getting upset at me, for being empathetic w/my fear, and for the education.
APBT_Samara, it wasn't so much the collar as it was the chain. After I posted my rant, I realized that I couldn't even see the actual collar...and yes I am dog owner and she also wears a 1 inch collar. The chaing tho, man, makes me wonder why it's so big and that was what was scary to me. Like, she needs the chain to not attack. From your posts, you seem to be a great owner and have nonagressive dogs, and that is great.
I think my fear of this breed stems from me feeling like if I were attacked by a pitbull, I could not stop it. I'll be the first to admit that I am not educated on the breed and have only been around like one or two pitbulls and the entire time, I did not want the dogs near me. I do not know anyone who owns a pitbull as a family pet. I think the pure sight of their bulging leg and neck muscles also puts me off.
I know that I cannot base an opinion on what the media reports, dog info or otherwise, but also cannot get over the stories of hearing about deaths due to pitbull attacks. I know all dogs are capable of biting or attacking, and it probably happens frequently, but with a pitbull I feel like I could not stop it. I don't hear about pitbull attacks, unless it caused death or major injury.
I am in Omaha, NE and a gal on the news was attacked by a non pitbull breed, but she was able to get loose from the grip of the jaw. She did suffer leg wounds, but nothing serious, nonlifethreatening.
I would be very scared if any dog charged me, okay maybe not a yorkie, but any med-large breed--so CONGRATULATIONS on not freaking out when charged by the GS APBT_SAMARA!!!!
About the eyes, my dog freaks people out too bcs one is 1/2 blue on top & 1/2 brown on the bottom; the other eye is 1/2 brown on top & 1/2 blue on the bottom. People always ask if she's blind. She's not, she's a mix and was abandoned in the country. My husband and I think due to the eye color that she might have some Australian Shepherd & Husky in her. We honestly have no clue tho, she looks like several different breeds. I am not computer savy enough to post pictures, I don't know how??
I really do appreciate all the info on this forum and love sharing stories.
Oh those eyes....I had a Pit like that and people also asked if he was blind. But no he was not.
This one has one blue eye and one brown eye and people also ask if she is blind.
Our dog who's eyes freak people out is black with light brown almost orange eyes. People are always scared of him just because of his eyes. They go off what he looks like instead of who he really is. I guess they are unnerving to some.
Didn't they have a dog fighting bust over there recently? Someone told me about it just a few days ago. Asked if I had heard but I had not.
I feel similar if I were attacked. It would be hard to defend myself. I'm only around 5 3" and 105lbs so I don't think I could fend off a dog attack. I've been attacked by a Yorkie and came out fine. One of my Pits was attacked by a Yorkie and just had a small bite on the chest.
There are breeds which I'm personally more worried of defending myself other then most Pit Bulls. I saw the question posed on yahoo answers of a Pit Bull vs a Rottweiler - Which would you rather be bit by. Almost every poster I read said Rottweiler. But they based the reasons off myths. Pit Bulls have 1500 PSI. Pit Bulls have locking jaws. Things like that. The average PSI for dogs is 320, I think on that bite pressure test the Pit was around 235 PSI and the Rottweiler was almost 100 more. Doesn't mean its true all the time but it is way out there to think any dog no matter the breed bites with 1500 PSI maybe 400 PSI and thats pushing it probably. I'm think I'm the only one who said I'd rather be bitten by a Pit Bull.
The size of a Rottweiler would be harder to content with, the strength, and the jaw power and the type of bite. Generally a more full mouth bite vs a Pits natural bite is with the front teeth. Rottweilers will hang on just as much as Pit Bulls but neither have locking jaws. That doesn't mean I fear Rottweilers I just know some breeds would be much harder to stop if they are pretty large. I have confidence if a 45lbs Pit Bull attacked me and I could get my bearings I might be able to choke them or kick them in the wind pipe. No guarantee but I see it much easier then a larger dog. If a really large Pit Bull (mix) or other dog which is 100lbs+ attacked me I'm not sure what I'd do with a dog that out weights me. It would be hard because they could quickly take me down and I'd have a much harder time getting a handle on them. There is a reason a Rottweiler makes such a good man stopper and I'm a lot less willing to take a bite from them with the bigger mouth and fuller bite.
I know sometimes they publicize other bites, but usually they don't. Even the recent bullmastiff attack said Pit Bull attack on the scrolling headlines. That lady was mauled terribly, but the attacking dog wasn't a Pit Bull. A boy was mauled by a large black lab and the news showed a chocolate Pit Bull in the pound as if that was the dog who attacked him. They did do a small correction that probably went unnoticed as the APBTC made a big deal about it being wrong to do such a thing. I think other breeds can do just as bad as Pit Bulls and still think the media attention plays a part. People seem to act as if they are invincible but any dog with enough drive and adrenalin can be hard to stop if its big enough and doesn't want to. A girl who's baby sitter I know which owned the dog that mauled her was attacked by a lab/golden mix. She tried to beat the dog off the girl but he didn't stop until he was done. Most people don't believe such things happen with those breeds. She almost died and had to have a lot of re-constructive surgery and a metal plate in her face. To me any medium-large breed can probably do the same amount of damage. Pit Bulls and several other large breeds have a higher pain tolerance but it really seems any dog which has lost it doesn't stop just from being hit if it doesn't want to and if it does it will no matter the breed. Its all dependent on the individual dog. I watched an episode of when good pets go bad. This crazy lady trained Pit Bull to attack. She had already made the dog attack her landlord. Then AC came there to take the dog and she made him attack the animal control lady. The dog grabbed her arm and shook it. A guy came and hit him with what looked like a pipe, he let go, attacked again and was hit a 2nd time and finally stopped all together. He didn't have to be beat off, just one hit and he let go. So it varies from dog to dog and I don't think any one breed is going to be some super mythical like beast like Pit Bulls are made out to be.
for understanding and sharing your stories and thoughts. I do agree with much of what you said and that all dogs are capable of attacking, biting, etc.
Samara 3 to the left before and others are current. The before is around when we first got her. I think the one where she is sleeping is the day we picked up her. I had some other tiny baby pics when she was I think 5wks and about 7wks old but couldn't find them.
Too adorable, every one of them!
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Nice job on them too, nothing more annoying than a bad crop!
Again they are just making assumptions and looking for something to be wrong. I know dogs with CGC and obedience titled that break chains. They are not breaking them because they are lunging at the end trying to kill something. It just happens, they wear out. Those regular chains can be bad, some of them have the clips at the end where they can be easily pulled to the opposite side and are then useless. I had my female on one, she can go out without a chain, even without a fence and won't go anywhere. This day I decided to put her out on one (she's the same one in the picture) I used a regular chain which is small but had a different better snap on the end that I added. When I went to let her in she was loose from the chain but laying in front of the steps. She had broke the D ring on her collar but hadn't gone anywhere. It just wore out. If you look at the picture of the dog in the middle, the one that is chained you can see the snap is getting close to wearing out. Swivels are often the first to break because they wear against each other until the hole is big enough for the other side to pull through and the dog will be free. He only goes out there to potty, eat breakfast and sometime on and off throughout the day for short periods. Yet it is still wearing. Not because he is a big scary dog (I estimate he is around 30lbs) and not because he is mean- he is pretty docile, loving and just wants to play with his "sisters" or with one of us. I haven't seen any sort of aggression out of him yet. 
Scared
