Infant critical after attack by pit bull ...

[Kimberlyd125]

But, I've never heard of a fatal Chi attack! Lol
My mom has had them since I can remember. One, Chiquita, was very aggressive while on Moms lap. Nipped me a few times. I'm still alive. The one she has now has never had a mean day in his life.

There have been a lot of children (and adults) killed by Pits. I know it's due to size and a lot of times it's because of the owner not training the dog correctly.

But, some of the fatal attacks have come from well trained dogs that had never acted aggressive before. I think that comes from instincts from decades of breeding/fighting.

As I said before, my nephew was nearly killed by a Chow that had never acted aggressive before. The owners could not understand why he went for my nephews neck. He had been around kids all his life. Never bit. Never growled.

Some breeds are known for turning/snapping. Pits and Chows scare the heck out of me.

 

[lizzybeth]

ALL dogs bite. It's just with a pit or a similar breed the ability to severely damage the victim is greater. My niece as a child was attacked by a terrier that couldn't have weighed more than ten or twelve pounds. He bit her face in several places. If he had been a more powerful dog I'd be afraid she wouldn't even have a face now.

I used to take up for pits but not any more. My neighbors' two pits saw me go out to my mailbox one day and raced across the yard to attack me. I shut my front door just in time and they head butted my door. These had been dogs that I had petted before and thought they were the sweetest dogs.

About a month ago my sister's 125 lb. black lab was attacked by two pits. When these dogs attack they attack to kill. In this instance I do think the dogs were being breed to be aggressive but in the case of my neighbor's dogs I know they were well treated.

Beautiful animals but I'd never own one and don't really care to have them in my neighborhood anymore.

 

[ziggy]

But, some breeds are more likely to attack than others. IMO

No matter how you raise a pit or socialize it, there is a great chance they will turn on you or someone else. It's in their instincts that have been bred it them for years.

I'm an animal lover but I would never let a pit, a pit mix, or a chow around my child. Not worth the risk IMO.

My nephew was attacked by his friends Chow that was a family pet since birth, around kids, never bit or acted mean to anyone. My nephew was laying on the floor watching a movie and the dog was by him. My nephew said he accidently "bumped" the dog while moving his feet. He said he barely touched the dog. The dog went straight for my nephew's neck and tore a slit several inches long. Thank God he missed the dangerous veins. He was rushed to the ER and they were able to care for him and he was ok. But, it could have been much worse if the attack was 1-2 inches over.
Chow's are known for this.

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!! I've told this story ad nauseum - I raised dogs and we had a litter of bull terriers that had to be orphaned because the mother dog turned on them. I was up with them every 3 hours like babies, loved them, stimulated them to potty, socialized them. Those puppies never knew anything but love and sweetness. At 8 weeks old, yes you read that right 8 weeks; they began to turn on each other at the food bowl and ripped each other into bloody pieces - a full on locked jaw dog rage happening to puppies. I was in shock at what I'd witnesses.

I would only sell them to adults without children and warned them. Two were returned to a rescue for aggressive behavior. There's nothing in the raising that will prevent it if it's in the genes and certain breeds have it in the genes. It's just a fact I wish people would grasp.

 

[feddup]

Socialization is an absolute must for any dog, particularly powerful dogs. Small children are the size of "prey" and the diaper smells are enticing to dogs, and you are absolutely correct that no little one should ever be alone with anything that can hurt the baby.





There are actually statistics that show that the majority of pits NEVER attack or turn on humans. Their breeding is to attack other dogs, not humans!

Having said that, I am in complete and total agreement with your statement......I agree so much I've bolded it!

Has anyone else looked at the picture of the dog? That dog looks NOTHING like a pit!

it sure seems to happen ALOT. my husbands friend is a cop and he had to shoot a pit, the dog had CLAMPED down on his leg and wouldnt let go. Even while dead, the jaws were still clamped, they are potential killing machines and why any parent would take a chance when so many other breeds is beyond me.
Why take the chance?

 

[c@rol]

Well.. it's always interesting to read different opinions on this topic.

I've had pits and pit mixes my whole life and will continue to. Not once have I had one so much as growl at me or my children. They are one of the best, loving, loyal, and trustworthy breeds to have.

I believe it's completely in how they are raised and the environment they are raised in.

I also have a jack Russel terrier and he can be very temperamental. I will put him up most the time if my 5yr old has a friend over for a play date. I can't trust him not to bite if provoked. The pit mix, on the other hand, will withstand being climbed upon, poked and used as a bridge while she sleeps on the floor and they build train tracks over her.

It used to bother me that people thought this way but I've found just as many or more that think how I do. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.. if people have a fear or distrust of them.. then they don't need to adopt the breed. The rest of us who have a deep love for them will.

I am very sorry for this baby and hope for a full recovery.

 

[ziggy]

I'm going to add for fairness that some small breeds of dogs ALSO have more of a tendancy to nip and bite...and have anti-social tendancies. Pomeranians come to mind. Some breeds have a tendancy to be more cranky and vicious. There will never be a sure fire way to raise that dog to have a "kinder" personality if it gets a more than usual nasty gene.

I've found that with German Sheps and Dobermans (which I love) it was a time when people were training them more to be mean. There is still the tendancy in some breeds to bite and some more than others. My BFF has had Dalmations and they are a huge liability because while very friendly with adults, they tend to get weird around kids and bite and they are an attractive nuisance to kids because of their markings! All this despite their training, obedience classes, socialization with children. It only takes a second for them to be set off and nip. Luckily they bite and don't tend to out and out maul.

While raising the Bull Terrier pups, the only saving grace was our female Doberman who handled those babies with a gruff mother's growl and teeth. I suspect had we had them beyond the puppy stage they would have killed the doberman

 

[legalmania]

I know this should be about the baby but pitbulls are the most abused dogs in America. I saw a pit on a show the other night that somebody set on fire to make it aggressive. People only see the how not the why. If somebody left you chained to a tree 24/7 and you had to hope for food and water what would you be like? A lot of them never get any love just pain.

http://www.fetchdog.com/learn-conne...-in-the-World/D/300600/P/1:5:56/I/AR000010794

 

[Kat]

Any updates on how baby is recovering? TIA!

 

[aprilshowers]

Prey drive..all dogs have it to a certain extent, some breeds more than others. A small child or baby that emits crying or shrieking stimulates the prey drive...so does a child running away.

The same impetus that drives a dog to get excited over a squeaky toy...I know its awful to read...but animals are animals and I truely think that the farther we get away from an agricultural society, as we had 50 -100 years ago...the more we have a population that has no knowledge of, well how animals function...in a nutshell, too many Lassie programs and not enough real life.

My niece just adopted a 20 month old mix...and I am nervously trying to pass along all I can send her way to keep her and the kids safe. Sweet dog...but all animals have "triggers."

Number ONE rule I passed on was , NEVER ever leave any sized dog alone or unsupervised with a child...

BBM: I can attest to this in cats also. If I step on one of my cat's tail, and she yowls, her sister will be on her in a second. WTH is that? Geesh, it seems pretty cruel ... your sister is HURT, so you attack her? LOL ... yup, I was told by vet, that the sound of the yowl/scream, brings out the prey drive in the other cat. Crazy ...

 

[LaWanda]

I have been looking for updates but have found none. I'll post as soon as I know anything.

 

[mimimama5]

I appreciate everyone contributing here, I do think those who suggest that its a prey driven instinct have it correct. I believe responsible ownership along with good training, of both children and dogs goes a long way. I don't believe pitbulls, chows, shepherds or rottweilers to be killer dogs by nature. It does happen, far more than I would like to think about. These are large powerful dogs, they are capable of doing more damage with a bite then a smaller dog not created to catch and hold the prey. It is a myth that pitbulls or any dog for that matter have a locking jaw, they do not, they just have incredibly strong head and neck muscles which allows them to hold a bite stronger. Here is a linky that dispells a few of the more popular myths about these animals. http://www.austinlostpets.com/kidskorner/2October/pitbull.htm
I do understand and appreciate that we all have very strong opinions about which breed of dog we prefer, its an individual choice. I love rottweilers more than any other dog breed I have ever had the pleasure of owning. they are a great fit for my family and my personal interests. I love their quiet calm temperment, and also their willingness to work for me. They are incredibly intelligent dogs, and I have found them to be great family dogs as well. There are some who would not agree, and I'm okay with that. there are some people who would be frightened to come into my home with my dogs, or to walk on the same side of the road with us. I get it, I dont like it, but I understand it. I work really hard with my dogs to try and overcome the bad rep. We have a certifed therapy dog, and one training with me for SAR. All of my dogs are AKC Good citizen certified. I still absolutley take precautions to make certain that my children, and the neighborhood, feel safe around my dogs.