I guess maybe I have a different opinion on raising a large breed or strong dog. You have to be firm from the beginning. If you wait until they're older, often times you can't control them at all. And then you have people complain that the dog intimidates them, etc. Puppies can be stubborn. If you let that mentality continue, you could find yourself find trouble later on.
Case and point: My brother never challenge my dad in his teen years because my dad was firm with him when he was younger.
I'm not trying to argue with you or justify what the owner did. I don't own a pit bull for the very reason I listed. I don't want a large dog that controls me until I'm able to over power him.
You asked "what should you have done?" and the answer remains; there's nothing you CAN do about it.
Beyond that, my puppy yelps when she wants attention, when she can't get through the bathroom door to be with me, when I'm outside and don't let her go with. That yelp sounds the same as the cry I heard when Gabby was playing and got a little too rough. You didn't see the owners hit the dog when it yelped, so you don't know for sure that it was crying because of that. It could have been crying for any number of reasons. Puppies don't have the broad spectrum of vocals as an adult dog does, so it's harder to differentiate between a cry for help and a cry of frustration.
What I do know is we've had more than too many sensitive topics in this are over the past few days. I fear, this is another controversial subject that's bound to generate some bad feelings if it's allowed to continue. |