Little Girl Killed Trying to Free Stuck Pit Bull

[kgeaux]

I STILL WANT TO KNOW:

Here's what I want to know, and I'm serious: why would any responsible dog owner want to own a breed that 99% of the wrong people want to own?

I know there are PB owners out there...

Eve

We own a pit. We are not trash, we are not dog fighters, we are not drug dealers. We are middle/upper income people who live in a very nice neighborhood.

Why do I continue to own my dog? Because he is one of the best animals I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He is extremely intelligent, he is loyal, he is very obedient. He is beautiful. I love his big square head, and I love the way he loves me.

He is large enough to discourage home invasions, and that is important to me since my husband works away from home for three weeks out of every month.

If he is growling, and I tell him to stop, he does. Immediately. If he is biting on something, such as a bone, and I tell him to drop it, he does. Immediately.

I am sure none of this will change your mind even a little about the breed, but knowing this dog has sure changed MY mind.

 

[jubie]

reb


:clap: I sooo agree with your #3. You put my thoughts down perfectly.


I can't for the life of me understand why a person would 'choose' a pit.



Jubie

 

[cynpat2000]

We own a pit. We are not trash, we are not dog fighters, we are not drug dealers. We are middle/upper income people who live in a very nice neighborhood.

Why do I continue to own my dog? Because he is one of the best animals I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He is extremely intelligent, he is loyal, he is very obedient. He is beautiful. I love his big square head, and I love the way he loves me.

He is large enough to discourage home invasions, and that is important to me since my husband works away from home for three weeks out of every month.

If he is growling, and I tell him to stop, he does. Immediately. If he is biting on something, such as a bone, and I tell him to drop it, he does. Immediately.

I am sure none of this will change your mind even a little about the breed, but knowing this dog has sure changed MY mind.

Sounds like he was very well trained and in a wonderful loving home and I think that makes all the difference in the world with this type of dog.

 

[jubie]

Kgeaux


Didn't your pit come to you through your son who saved him from being used as bait (or something like that) for dog fighting? You and your pit are not what upsets me. I can't understand why people 'choose' a pit bull as a pet... it just doesn't make sense to me. You are a very respected member here and I wouldn't think of insulting you by suggesting you're a or anything like that.



Jubie

 

[reb]

that's what i'm saying... there are people who happen to fall in love with a pit (usually a rescue)-- they adopt, or are adopted by!) a dog.. those are the situations where i can understand... if i was one then i guess i would be in your position, kgeaux.. and again, you're not the ones who are the problem. even if all owners were like you, a pit could still get loose or do something bad.... however, it would be much less of a problem that it is now.
i suppose the best solution really (probably a lot more logical-- and humane-- than banning & euthanizing them everywhere) would be to have very strict regulations.
if you have any drug or crime record, you can't have one. and if you do have one, you must have it tested every year, and have a liscence for it. they can be a dangerous weapon much like a loaded gun, so why not have legal requirements in place?? this will let people know that owning one is serious business, and not cheap.
the problem with this is that most cities don't have the funds to put such a program in place.

i also believe there should be a ban on breeding them or keeping an unfixed pit.. since there are already way too many. then again, most people who breed dogs should be banned since they don't know what they're doing, and it only contrinbutes to problems with all breeds!

 

[kgeaux]

Kgeaux


Didn't your pit come to you through your son who saved him from being used as bait (or something like that) for dog fighting? You and your pit are not what upsets me. I can't understand why people 'choose' a pit bull as a pet... it just doesn't make sense to me. You are a very respected member here and I wouldn't think of insulting you by suggesting you're a or anything like that.



Jubie

Thanks, Jubie. Yes, my pit came to me by way of being rescued by my son. I am not sure if I would ever go out and actually look for a pit, but I have defiitely fallen in love with this dog.

 

[eve]

We own a pit. We are not trash, we are not dog fighters, we are not drug dealers. We are middle/upper income people who live in a very nice neighborhood.

Why do I continue to own my dog? Because he is one of the best animals I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He is extremely intelligent, he is loyal, he is very obedient. He is beautiful. I love his big square head, and I love the way he loves me.

He is large enough to discourage home invasions, and that is important to me since my husband works away from home for three weeks out of every month.

If he is growling, and I tell him to stop, he does. Immediately. If he is biting on something, such as a bone, and I tell him to drop it, he does. Immediately.

I am sure none of this will change your mind even a little about the breed, but knowing this dog has sure changed MY mind.

kgeaux,

My question was sincere. I do not think you are trash - not at all, and I'm sure you have a good reason to own the dog. I admire how well-trained your dog is and I truly hope he always stays that way and never fails to release when you tell him to, the way so many PB's have done, even with their own masters. My point, I guess, I that I could not take such a chance with a dog who could do so much damage, potentially.

But then, I admit, it was drilled into my head as a child that 1. certain breeds are more troublesome than others when it comes to biting and 2. Aggression in dogs is a zero-tolerance thing. My dad was a vet. We had many dogs. He had a small animal clinic and also went to large farms. Again and again the same breeds were aggressive.

I, myself, was bitten once by a St. Bernard and oddly enough, my daughter was also bitten by a St. Bernard (20 years later - different dog, different owner, different state). Both of these attacks were unprovoked. In fact, I "knew" the dog and was shocked he did it. My son was attacked by a Beagle protecting her puppies when he was 3, it was a bad attack, but I realize she was a new mom. The same kid (he loved dogs) was bitten in the face by a Dalmation. The pediatrician said the last 3 bites he'd seen in his office were of kids by Dalmations. (After the movie). We are fortunate that the scars healed well and the kid is such a trooper, he still loves dogs.

There are patterns with dog breeds. The thing with PB's is - if they attack, they are deadly.

I also would hate to have a dog others would fear, and one that I would be unsure of, despite its demeanor.

Eve

 

[santos1014]

We own a pit. We are not trash, we are not dog fighters, we are not drug dealers. We are middle/upper income people who live in a very nice neighborhood.

Why do I continue to own my dog? Because he is one of the best animals I've ever had the pleasure to meet. He is extremely intelligent, he is loyal, he is very obedient. He is beautiful. I love his big square head, and I love the way he loves me.

He is large enough to discourage home invasions, and that is important to me since my husband works away from home for three weeks out of every month.

If he is growling, and I tell him to stop, he does. Immediately. If he is biting on something, such as a bone, and I tell him to drop it, he does. Immediately.

I am sure none of this will change your mind even a little about the breed, but knowing this dog has sure changed MY mind.

Thank you for this post. I could have written it about our pit...Bubbles. My husband rescued her from her owners when she was just a small pup. They had thrown all 10 of them out in a pen in the back right after they were born and our Bubbles had tired to climb under the wire fence and had a huge gash across her lower back. When my husband got her, she had started to lose the control in her back legs. He got her to the vet, and after about 2700.00 worth of surgery and care, she was good as new. She is beautiful and loving. She stays inside. If you sit on the couch, she will crawl into your lap like our chihuahua does. She thinks she is that tiny. She has had many times where she could have been violent, but has never once tried anything. She is a wonderful watch dog, and would protect our child at any cost, but has never done anything in a bad way. My husband taught her right from wrong, was very strict with her, but never has taught her to be aggressive. She is a joy in our lives. She loves kids and other animals. I know this is an aggressive breed, but I have to "cop out", I guess and say that I feel that 95% of pits problems stem from the owner.
JMO

 

[jubie]

Thanks, Jubie. Yes, my pit came to me by way of being rescued by my son. I am not sure if I would ever go out and actually look for a pit, but I have defiitely fallen in love with this dog.

No worries kgeaux, I`m glad you said something, I don`t want you to feel bad. A bond with a pet is very special, I wish you only happiness with yours.


Jubie

 

[LionRun]

Their jaws do NOT lock. They really don't. They are powerful, and they can hold on, but they are completely able to release when they want to. You can check with your vet to verify this.

Just trying to correct a common misconception.

This is true. The American Pit Bull Terrier was bred among other things to have a powerful, firm bite, and to not want to let go. Their jaws do not lock, however.

Lion

 

[KatK]

This is true. The American Pit Bull Terrier was bred among other things to have a powerful, firm bite, and to not want to let go. Their jaws do not lock, however.

Lion

Adding, they have closely examined the skulls of pit bull terriers, and found no way for them to "lock". (Like snakes jaws can unhinge, and you can see how on their skulls etc. Well, they didn't see any way for the jaws to "lock", no grooves, nothing like that. They did notice that the muscles that worked the jaws were extra powerful though.) They don't actually lock, they just have a hellacious bite, and ability to hold a grip. That's bad enough though!

 

[Jeana (DP)]

If you've got kids, its like having a loaded gun laying around. Sure, there's a chance it will never go off, but why take the chance with childrens' lives?

 

[IdahoMom]

I cannot bear to hear about any more pitbull attacks- especially on children. This is just sooo sad.

 

[reb]

when i say "lock", i mean their jaws get stuck on someone's neck and stay that way, even if the dog is being kicked and punched, and they have to be forcably pried open (i have heard many people and cops say they have to do this). so if you want to split hairs about the semantics of it, that's fine... but that's enough of a "lock" for me.

 

[concernedperson]

I cannot bear to hear about any more pitbull attacks- especially on children. This is just sooo sad.

I agree however here is another one. While we were reading about ANS at 3 pm this toddler was being killed.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/2007/02/16/0216dogattack.html

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Here's another one: Memphis Tenn today--A 59 year old man got off a bus and was then attacked by 2 pit bulls--The attack was so severe his lower right arm was AMPUTATED--his left arm was barely saved--The owner of the car repair business said the dogs were there to guard the bus ness--The mangled victim stated that he was just glad to be still alive----Pathetic--I hope they prosecute the business owner