GUILTY TX - Tanner Monk, 7, mauled to death by pit bulls, Breckenridge, 18 May 2008

[SeriouslySearching]

The problem is...you cannot make people who live outside the law anyway follow rules pertaining to these animals. How do you convince a drug lord not to keep a pit in an unsafe manner?! You can't.

I can't believe I let myself get sucked into this discussion yet again. GRRRRR! I am mad at myself now!! (Banging my head on the desk)

 

[IdahoMom]

I agree with those who have said on this and other threads similar that owners of this breed of dog should have a special license.

I've personally dealt with an irresponsible pitbull owner in my own neighborhood. It practically took an Act of Congress to have our Animal Control Shelter stand up and take notice. This was a very aggressive dog that would accost neighbors in their own yards and garages, etc. Numerous calls were made and several complaints were filed over an extended period of time. One Animal Control officer told me that this breed "takes over" a territory. While many dogs would be content to call their yard their home, this breed will roam, and that area where it roams becomes "his"- that's why one of my neighbors was growled at in her own backyard while pushing her young son a swing, and why another was growled at while getting out of her car in her garage while her door was still up. The same thing happened to my own daughter while she was in our driveway and in our backyard.

I have my own experiences with a horrid pitbull owner and her dog to operate off of.

 

[IdahoMom]

Its a bad-*advertiser censored* status symbol to have the animal and carry him around in the truck for awhile
(in my part of the country the animal will be named "Bear" 9 times out of 10)
but taking an animal with you everywhere gets to be a pain and the novelty wears off.
Then the dog finds himself on a five foot chain behind the trailer sporadicly fed and watered and possibly abused when ever he's a handy target for the morons that own him.
In my happy world anyone with a criminal record should be prohibited from having a pitbull or rotweiler the same way they are prohibited from owning a firearm and subject to arrest if found with one in thier possesion.

I live in a very nice master planned community and we had an issue here with a vicious dog. The dog supposedly belonged to my neighbor's son, who couldn't have the dog where he lived (in retrospect, that probably meant that the dog was an "issue" elsewhere).

The hilarious thing about my neighborhood is that the HOA wants any house cats that are outside to be on leashes (lol ) because they kill birds and that upsets some homeowners. In the meantime, we had this dog on the prowl...I think some rules have changed since. :crazy:

 

[IdahoMom]

me too!

Our lovely meth/crackhead neighbors have a pitbull that gets off its chain every once and a while. If it crosses our fence, it is dead. It is the meanest animal I have ever seen.

Pixie, please document your problems with this dog, and any calls you make to animal control, etc. It may help you down the road.

 

[C.Whalen]

This also is to ALL pit bull owners: I am so tired of reading of senseless killings of innocent children and others who do nothing more than go outside of their homes! People keep touting how safe and wonderful these dogs are...please feel free to write a letter to the parents of that poor child and let them know they are woefully uninformed about these animals.

I couldn't agree more

 

[Brefie]

Shana, I didn't personally insult you and I am sorry you feel that way. It wasn't aimed at you. It was aimed at ALL pit bull owners.

This also is to ALL pit bull owners: I am so tired of reading of senseless killings of innocent children and others who do nothing more than go outside of their homes! People keep touting how safe and wonderful these dogs are...please feel free to write a letter to the parents of that poor child and let them know they are woefully uninformed about these animals.

Who are you talking about?

 

[MeoW333]

I dont know if its the breed that inherantly dangerous or the breed's popularity with the metheads,ex-cons and Bubba's.
Its a bad-*advertiser censored* status symbol to have the animal and carry him around in the truck for awhile
(in my part of the country the animal will be named "Bear" 9 times out of 10)
but taking an animal with you everywhere gets to be a pain and the novelty wears off.
Then the dog finds himself on a five foot chain behind the trailer sporadicly fed and watered and possibly abused when ever he's a handy target for the morons that own him.
In my happy world anyone with a criminal record should be prohibited from having a pitbull or rotweiler the same way they are prohibited from owning a firearm and subject to arrest if found with one in thier possesion.
If they were a heat magnet for LE I think these attacks and the dogs popularity with the wrong people would dissappear.

Kline, that is the best idea i have heard concerning pitbull owners!! They should really try to make it illegal for anyone with a criminal record to own a pitbull! They are certainly much harder to conceal than a gun (guns can't bark and that would certainly deter people from owning them just to raise them to fight!!

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Who are you talking about?

I give up. I have got to learn to stay OFF the pitbull threads.

 

[curious1]

For the life of me I cannot understand why people would rather take the life of an animal (or WHOLE breeds) before they give adults a few rules to live by.

I'm with you Brefie, but I'll take it a step further....you own a 'dangerous' breed of dog and it attacks someone due to your neglect it is just the same as a weapon so the dog gets put down and so does the damn owner. Honestly would it hurt to get rid of these people.

 

[Brefie]

I give up. I have got to learn to stay OFF the pitbull threads.

Point is, nobody 'touted' on here that these dogs were safe and wonderful....at least, not I.

I fail to see the point of punishing a dog for what a human has done to it. Go ahead and take away Pit Bulls, you don't think people will just move on to a different breed?

In the end we'll just systematically eliminate all large and potentially powerful dogs, instead of eliminating people who want to do much harm to dogs and humans alike.

I do not trust Pits. There, I said it. But I'll also say that I hate to feel that way since I know it's NOT their fault.

 

[Brefie]

I'm with you Brefie, but I'll take it a step further....you own a 'dangerous' breed of dog and it attacks someone due to your neglect it is just the same as a weapon so the dog gets put down and so does the damn owner. Honestly would it hurt to get rid of these people.

I'm not for killing the dog, really, because they don't know any better.

Now, about the jack@*advertiser censored* who mistreated it?? Yup, hand me the needle!

I don't know why people who abuse dogs are not dealt with much more harshly...anyone who has so little compassion should not get the chance to do it again, or worse to a child

 

[golfmom]

I'm not for killing the dog, really, because they don't know any better.

Now, about the jack@*advertiser censored* who mistreated it?? Yup, hand me the needle!

I don't know why people who abuse dogs are not dealt with much more harshly...anyone who has so little compassion should not get the chance to do it again, or worse to a child

Part of the problem is people who mis-breed the dogs as well. Idiots who reinforce aggressive tendencies rather than AKC standards are on my $hit list.

 

[Oblio]

Growing up, my mother's friend had pitbulls, the real ones, not just dogs that kind of looked like one. Pappy, he was a real pit bull. He fit every breed standard in appearance and he had all the typical breed personality traits. You know, like Petey. Friendly, playful, loving, loyal, and determined. He also had arthritis. In all his pain and misery he took all the kid lovin' he could get, and would still dive in the river to pull up the *exact* rock you threw in. He wouldn't come up to breathe until he had it. His owner never had to worry about him, he was a good dog in every sense of the term. Then Pappy died and he got Sarah. She was another dog all together. Stealth and petite, absolutely gorgeous, and dangerous. He didn't kid himself, he knew it, it started showing early. When he worked or had company she was locked in a large kennel with signs. He made all the kids, neighbors, and company aware of her. She spent her time alone with him in the house, on leash, or in his truck when he went somewhere. She was the possessive and territorial dog Pappy never was. Still good and loyal for her master, but so loyal she was a danger. He never messed around with her capabilities and she was never, ever given an opportunity to bite. That's what a good owner does, and it makes a difference.

All those owners who say the dog just snapped without warning, they lie. There's always something, some hint either in personality or in the current atmosphere to give warning. Be it an annoying child(pulling ears, etc), forming a pack with other dogs, food, noise, or pain, it's there, and it should be the flag for an owner to remove the dog from the situation even if the dog has never reacted in the situation prior.

Dogs being allowed to run free and form packs is one of the most dangerous things anybody can allow a dog to do, period.

 

[curious1]

Part of the problem is people who mis-breed the dogs as well. Idiots who reinforce aggressive tendencies rather than AKC standards are on my $hit list.

Hey GM, I'd be for rounding those idiots as well and putting them to sleep. Until we get rid of the 'breed' of idiots who put themselves and making a buck or their image above the welfare of the animal we will continue to have this problem. The problem starts with people. When I become supreme ruler there will be quite a few people jettisoned into space. :crazy:

 

[Brefie]

Part of the problem is people who mis-breed the dogs as well. Idiots who reinforce aggressive tendencies rather than AKC standards are on my $hit list.

That's why I say I don't trust them. Not completely, anyway. If I see one in the dog park that seems friendly, I will pet it, but since my policy is rescue dogs only, I could never take a pit since their breeding is so messed up and papers on parents are not good enough assurance for me.

Enforced licensing is what is needed. Regular check up on health and tempers. Start with me, I have a Rottie mix, I'll do and pay whatever so we don't have to lose darling dogs.

 

[Brefie]

All those owners who say the dog just snapped without warning, they lie.

<Snipped>

I don't know about this. I am leaning toward truly believing that years of inbreeding can cause this kind of unpredictability. JMO.

 

[Oblio]

But there are years of inbreeding with any breed, that's how breeds are developed.

 

[Brefie]

But there are years of inbreeding with any breed, that's how breeds are developed.

I didn't know it was that common.

 

[Malapoo]

I've always said one of the worst things that could happen to any breed is to get popular. Ruins them.

 

[wildTrose]

To own a weapon you have to have a background check.....
I think to own a pitbull a person should have to pay dearly for it (thousands of dollars)but only after a background check has taken place, home has been inspected, then the person has to go thru some kind of pitbull learning class.
Then they can own a pitbull!