VA - Bethany Stephens, 21, mauled to death by her 2 dogs, Dec 2017

[katydid23]

Dumb general question here:

34 pages of posts in this thread on the subject of pit bulls and attacks, would be interested in knowing exactly why one would want to own a pit bull (excluding the standard reason of owning a dog, for self protection, seems like pit bulls fail in that area, MOO).

Are there any reasons?

I have known some amazing, wonderful, lovely pitbulls. My neighbors, when I was in my 20's, had a white purebred pit bull, named Molly. She was super sweet and very affectionate and playful. I know they can be great pets.

But I never wanted one when I had my kids. I did have German Shepherds, and some people criticized that decision. LOL But I had grown up with a GS so I knew they could be great family dogs.

We lived in kind of a seedy area at that time, in Venice Beach calif. Beautiful area but lots of shady drug addicts breaking into homes there. And my husband traveled a lot. So having our GS was very comforting. She acted like our kids were HER puppies. She herded them like sheep when we were in the yard. She slept under their crib or right outside their bedroom door all night. Like a guard post. Loved that doggie...

 

[jamicat]

I’ve never used pepper spray. Would it really stop a dog...or two...or enrage them if you didn’t hit the eyes (I presumed that’s the target)?

I’ve never used either. Cousin is mailman. Uses all the time. He says it stops them cold. Nose and eyes. I did practice using one so Zi know how it works. I hope I never have to use. None of stuff is 100% That’s why i want fence around yard

 

[Jennifer17]

When I was in the US in 2015, I was surprised by the number of stray animals wandering the streets and uncontained pet dogs living in houses with no front fences who came out and rushed people walking by.

 

[Lilibet]

I think we need a happy dog story. This one about a study using therapy dogs with kids undergoing cancer treatment warms my heart.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/health/cancer-therapy-dog-study/index.html

 

[Stanly]

Im not sure if this has been mentioned already because im still catching up, but here in the UK pitbulls are banned....

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs

I would never own one or never wanted to. I dont understand the 'but my pitbull wouldnt harm a fly, its a big softie etc etc...' type statements i have seen on SM. It is in their blood. There has been sooo many attacks and deaths here in the UK caused by these type of dogs. There probably is a few good ones, dont get me wrong, but it just isnt worth the risk. Why on earth anyone would want one thinking they could change that type of animal and that they have a 'special bond' with it is beyond me. It reminds me of these zoo workers who were perished by their 'big, friendly tiger'.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.mi...nearly-2000-children-savaged-dogs-7635027.amp

"Among the*mangled children rushed to A&E*last year were 39 babies, 611 toddlers aged one to four and 528 children aged between five and nine.

The 1,733 traumatised kids were among 7,332 dog-attack victims needing hospital treatment, *advertiser censored*Sunday People*investigation has discovered."

imo, and yes im going to offend people now [emoji849], the majority of these dangerous dog owners have them as a status thing. 'My dog is bigger/stronger/more terrifying than your dog' type of status.

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[Jennifer17]

I think we need a happy dog story. This one about a study using therapy dogs with kids undergoing cancer treatment warms my heart.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/health/cancer-therapy-dog-study/index.html

I would bet not too many 'tough' dogs get that call.

 

[rsd1200]

Yikes! Who’d have thunk it of a cat! Maybe it jumped on your keyboard when you weren’t looking. Mine were “kittens on the keys.”

O/T Was totally shocked when I went down and found a regular looking cat, but, we likely have a colony back there and that one did their job to protect the rest. I have a couple of spoiled felines who do kitty dances on my keyboard too, I wish that were the case. lol

 

[Deleted member 158085]

I would bet not too many 'tough' dogs get that call.

One of our pits from rescue is a therapy dog, as is the second pit they adopted through another rescue organization. They are both certified. I imagine they are both ready to retire at this point, as they are both getting up in age.

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[rsd1200]

I have known some amazing, wonderful, lovely pitbulls. My neighbors, when I was in my 20's, had a white purebred pit bull, named Molly. She was super sweet and very affectionate and playful. I know they can be great pets.

But I never wanted one when I had my kids. I did have German Shepherds, and some people criticized that decision. LOL But I had grown up with a GS so I knew they could be great family dogs.

We lived in kind of a seedy area at that time, in Venice Beach calif. Beautiful area but lots of shady drug addicts breaking into homes there. And my husband traveled a lot. So having our GS was very comforting. She acted like our kids were HER puppies. She herded them like sheep when we were in the yard. She slept under their crib or right outside their bedroom door all night. Like a guard post. Loved that doggie...

We had a wonderful GSD. Beautiful dog. He lived to be a very old dog. :heartbeat:

 

[Deleted member 158085]

No one I know has a pit for status reasons or protection, and probably half of my close friends from the animal rescue world have a pit or two. I have only ever rescued and fostered many, not owned one, because I already had my own dogs at the time I started, and stayed at a personal ownership level of two. Most of the people I am close to who have pits, as well as those who adopted my fosters, did not set out to get a pit bull. There was a personal connection made with that particular dog and that's how it happened, the same way I always end up getting a dog.

The reasons for me choosing to rescue a pit were the same reasons I chose to rescue any dog. There was a need (often they were on death row), they had good temperaments, had a health issue that needed to be addressed outside of a shelter, or someone I knew saw something special in them that made them beg me to help. The first one was a gorgeous mix, and after I found him a home, I halfway hoped he would be returned for some reason so that I would have an excuse to keep him as my own. There were two that I adopted out that I miss to this day.

There are many, many people in animal welfare who end up with pits for the same reasons any of us end up with any dog. Many of them probably never imagined having a pit bull, but they have a way of working their magic on people. Overall, they are too active for me these days. But even in my current situation, if I could have a couple of those dogs back today, I would take them in a heartbeat.

I'm also going to point out that the people who adopted our pit bulls were more devoted than the average adopter in two ways. First, I can't recall any of the pits being returned because it didn't work out or the dog did something. Second, most of the folks who adopted the pit bulls have stayed in close contact with me. I think they are just so smitten that they love to send updates. These are devoted and responsible owners, most of whom are now so in love with the breed that they will likely always have a pit in their lives.

I haven't handled a pit in a few years because I gave up dog rescue for health reasons and focus on cats and other animal welfare programs now (although I still have my own dog - I just can't handle a bunch of big dogs now). But I absolutely know that there are many good pit owners and that most pit bulls are the iconic nanny dog that pit defenders talk about. There are not a bunch of insane people out there defending killers. There are a lot of responsible and knowledgeable dog owners out there who are simply willing to defend their dog's right to live.

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[rsd1200]

Im not sure if this has been mentioned already because im still catching up, but here in the UK pitbulls are banned....

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/banned-dogs

I would never own one or never wanted to. I dont understand the 'but my pitbull wouldnt harm a fly, its a big softie etc etc...' type statements i have seen on SM. It is in their blood. There has been sooo many attacks and deaths here in the UK caused by these type of dogs. There probably is a few good ones, dont get me wrong, but it just isnt worth the risk. Why on earth anyone would want one thinking they could change that type of animal and that they have a 'special bond' with it is beyond me. It reminds me of these zoo workers who were perished by their 'big, friendly tiger'.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.mi...nearly-2000-children-savaged-dogs-7635027.amp

"Among the*mangled children rushed to A&E*last year were 39 babies, 611 toddlers aged one to four and 528 children aged between five and nine.

The 1,733 traumatised kids were among 7,332 dog-attack victims needing hospital treatment, *advertiser censored*Sunday People*investigation has discovered."

imo, and yes im going to offend people now [emoji849], the majority of these dangerous dog owners have them as a status thing. 'My dog is bigger/stronger/more terrifying than your dog' type of status.

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

For the most part, you'll find that the big, ole giants, are, wonderful dogs and every bit as good, or better, companions, than small dogs. No dog is perfect though they all have their quirks. The thing is that these big, powerful dogs require a different type of owner. It really isn't the dogs fault. Little dogs bite too. A lot. It's just that no one usually dies from a Peekapoo attack. The dogs may have been giving off signals for weeks. There is a language barrier there, and neither of our species have perfected overcoming it.

 

[Moxie Vi]

Dumb general question here:

34 pages of posts in this thread on the subject of pit bulls and attacks, would be interested in knowing exactly why one would want to own a pit bull (excluding the standard reason of owning a dog, for self protection, seems like pit bulls fail in that area, MOO).

Are there any reasons?

Since you ask... I have a lab/pit mix that was originally my husband's and then a 3.5 year old American Staffordshire Terrier ("pitbull") that we brought home when she was 5.5 weeks. I grew up in a household with extreme breed bias and am judged harshly for having my dogs. The decision on the mixed breed was made when I got married. However, I thought long and hard before we brought Staley home (our AmStaff).

With her I considered:
~ No children or elderly living with us and am willing to crate or lock up when we have visitors. I've always understood that not everyone loves or likes my dogs as much as I do, even when I had min pins!

~ My husband and I were both experienced dog owners who believed in positive rewards and building up confidence.

~ At the time we had a fenced in yard. This has changed but we walk them twice a day and let them run in the community dog park at midnight when it is just us to avoid any issues because Staley does have a high prey drive with fluffy white dogs. (So we knew we were committed to giving her the exercise that she needs)

~ My husband had owned several variations of the pit growing up and loved how loyal and playful and easy to train they were. We spoke to several pitbull owners at the dog park and they all had wonderful experiences with their dogs if they went through reputable breeders and trained them correctly. The idiots we talked to who believed in feeding them gun powder to bulk them up and make them mean had me concerned.

~ I got to meet the previous 2 generations of Staley's bloodline.

We went out of our way to socialize the heck out of her. She's smart. She's goofy. She's cuddly and intuitive. I have epilepsy and she alerts me that seizures are coming before I get an aura. If my hubby and I play fight or rough house she protects me and yaps at him although that's annoying.

Honestly though, I wish I could walk her. I refuse to because my hands are weak due to carpal tunnel and that doubt exists. For now her drive is focused on fluffy things but what if that changes? I wonder if I'll see the change. I know that she has the capability to hurt me but I don't see that happening without a trigger. I had a collie mix with fear aggression who did attack but without a trigger he was OK.

So long as we are responsible and don't force her on others then I'm happy to enjoy the wonderful characteristics of my goofy girl.

One of our pits from rescue is a therapy dog, as is the second pit they adopted through another rescue organization. They are both certified. I imagine they are both ready to retire at this point, as they are both getting up in age.

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[*Verdigris]

Here's another:
Christmas Eve
Kentucky woman, 66, is mauled to death by pit bulls: Husband shoots both dogs after they attacked his wife while they were on a walk

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...man-66-killed-two-pit-bulls-husband-hurt.html

http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Woman-killed-following-dog-attack-466291063.html

I made a thread, for those not checking this one:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?360309-KY-Woman-66-mauled-to-death-by-pit-bulls

...

 

[Deleted member 158085]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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[rsd1200]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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I don't know if it's allowed, per TOS, and I don't usually use Wikipedia but, if it's correct, for year 2017, there has been one reported GSD fatality. I know that Pit lovers love their dogs, my Rotts are probably the second most despised breed, but I love them, and am willing to put in the effort, (my own parents were just horrified that I got another Rott pup b/c "there just COULDN'T be two good ones", I lucked out the first time.). I never tell anyone that my dogs won't bite. They have their own minds no matter how well I try to train them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#cite_note-155

 

[Lilibet]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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Because you haven’t started them? Anyone can start threads. I haven’t heard of these cases.

 

[*Verdigris]

￣
http://www.wymt.com/content/news/Woman-killed-following-dog-attack-466291063.html

After further investigation, the Bell County Sheriff's Department said they discovered the dogs belonged to Johnny Dale Lankford, 42, who was already being held in the Bell County Detention Center on charges from Friday, December 22nd for assault 2nd degree, domestic violence, unlawful imprisonment 2nd degree and a bench warrant.

Definitely NOT a model pit bull owner…

...

 

[*Verdigris]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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￣
Oh gosh, I hadn't read anything about them. That's terrible!
You should make threads, then... ?
I just happened to see this newest one about a PB - while Bethany's thread is still active.

I rarely post, but I'll say for now, that I have very much appreciated your posts on this thread. A relative of mine has a pit (pretty sure a mix) that is really very sweet, but I am concerned and wary of the 'sudden snap without warning' that we so often hear about in PB mauling cases.
Hope it never happens.
...

 

[Jennifer17]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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Have there been multiple deaths from GS maulings?

 

[Trident]

Interesting that there are no threads for the multiple incidents on the German Shepherds that mauled children to death this year.

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You can do me a favor if you will, and link some of those attacks since I'm considering rescuing a German Shepherd and have a grandson. I did some research on German Shepherd attacks and didn't find a lot of information.

Thanks