Off the leash Pit Bulls

[Honeypaute]

Originally Posted by yorkie mad

I don't why but I go in panic mode when I see them. We have one round the corner that the guy just lets out his door and wander around the green where we live.Ive vowed next time I see it Im reporting him. Kids play out there and I just don't trust those locking jaws they have.Im sure there are lots of nice ones out there, but not off leash.

Not to get off topic, but I do want to clarify one thing... Pit Bulls do not have locking jaws. They have a very strong bite force (PSI) but they are not locking it's just a common misconception. I have raised Pit Bulls and know even the sweetest can harbor animal aggression, though usually naturally occuring people aggression is uncommon with them. An attack is of course what I would fear most from any loose dog particularly big dog, regardless of breed, and believe all dogs should be leashed or fenced at all times. Not just for the safety of others, but for theirs as well so they aren't hit by a car, run away/get lost, etc.

[ytluvher]

I live in Philadelphia as well and I will soon be getting a yorkie puppy. I am terrified to let my son play outside we constantly have people walking their dogs without leashes. I took him to the playground last Friday and we had to leave immediately because their were two kids walking around the playground with three huge pitbulls and one was unleashed. It scares me to think of what can happen to people with these dogs walking unleashed.

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by LilMissy

That would freak me out. I am of the agreement that ALL dogs should be on leash, no matter what their size.

I agree. for their own safety and others

I've seen dogs off leash at my apartment and was charged by one that looked like he had alot of pitt in him/her.....the only good thing was I stood perfectly still with my girls under my chin and slowely turned in circles while the dog jumped on my back trying to knock me down.....all I could do was keep muttering to the woman trying to get her dog off me was to say "lady...get the dog....lady get the dog....." and kept thinking this is REALLY going to hurt (thinking the dog was going to take a bite outta my butt or back)

She finally got ahold of him and I just stood still till he dragged her out of site. I was pretty upset once I realized how close I came to losing a body part ...but no way was that dog getting my girls

[MaddiesMommie]

I just had ot post this. A friend and I recenlty took her 5 yo twins and my 5 yo neice to a local swinning acces at a state park. There was a couple with two bull dog/boxer looking dogs and NO leash. They were all over the place and even tried to get into our cooler! There is a sign clearly posted All Pets Must Be on Leash. I have taken Maddie in the past and all 8 lbs of her is ALWAYS harnessed up and leashed. We kept commenting to them until they finally left, I didn't like having to be rude to pet owners just to feel safe. Sorry about the rant!

[Yogi and mamma]

i have a pit bull as well as my yorkie and i do have her outside with me at times we walk to the mail box together us 3. (without leash) Pit Bulls are not bad dogs mine is a loving baby scared of fireworks and getting in trouble. Her bestfriend Yogi my yorkie walks all over her, lickes her, and steals her food and she could careless. She also love the dog park i take her and people get scared of her around there dogs but soon find out she is a sweet heart. She Yogis best friend i think its not the breed you should be scared about its the owners raising the dog no matter what breed!


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[Yogi and mamma]

i have a pitbull and i do truthfully take her and my yorkie outside without leashes to the end of the street to check the mail. ( i live in apartments ) and people do get scared of her because she is a pit bull. i take her to the dog park to run around and people get scared but after they relize that she might look scarey she is a loving dog. shes scared of fireworks and getting in trouble. she is also Yogis bestfriend (my yorkie) he will jump on her, lick her, and steal her food from her. I think you should not be afraid of the dog be afraid of the owner raising the dog. it hurts for me to read this about my poor baby Twinkle and people always putting her down.

[FlDebra]

I know there are many pit bulls that have been well trained and never have hurt anyone or anything. My good friend has one that is the sweetest, shy baby ever. It is much better behaved than any of my little dogs. But.... they have so MUCH potential to hurt and destroy, it would be foolish not to have a healthy concern about them. I think it is irresponsible for any owner of a dog that has that kind of capability to let them out in public without a leash. Too many times fear and confusion can cause a dog to lash out at whatever is near, out of charcter and not in their personal history maybe -- still, it CAN happen. A dog afraid of things like fireworks, might hear a car backfire and lash out. A dog afraid of strangers might take a child running as aggression and try to protect itself with its mighty jaws. I even read of one smelling the scent of a menstruating woman for the first time, then going into a rampage and killing the woman. They are like a loaded gun. I would not twirl a loaded gun in public. I don't blame the gun, but don't think anyone needs to have it loose in public either.

So many pit owners say their dogs never hurt anyone and was the sweetest dog ever, right up to the moment it attacked a child, neighbor, or pet. Even the responsible pit owners get surprised. The irresponsible pit owners are most of the problem, but any of them can wind up trying to make excuses after their dog has done horrid damage to other living beings. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Presa Canarios are responsible for 65% of all dog bite human deaths, most of which are children. And it is not just the loose ones that are doing the damage, over 60% of the dog-related deaths happen at the dog's home or a familiar place.

I really believe they all should be spayed/neutered. Man bred specifically to make them killing machines. That was man's mistake. The mistake should be corrected. It is not their fault, we did this. But there is only one answer and that is to stop the reproduction. JMO and I know it is not shared by all. I respect the opinions counter to mine, but stand firm in my own. A less attractive alternative might be to purposefully breed the strong jaws OUT of the breed. That would take some doing over long periods of time. Unfortunately, I don't see pit breeders taking this project on.

I don't think any dog should be allowed to run loose. Most of the large dog owners around here think nothing of letting their dogs run around without a leash. (and we do have a leash law) Mine are always in a fenced yard. I had to go to a 6 foot privacy fence because there was a dog that could vault my 4 foot chain length! As it is I have to shovel mountainous loads of crap left by the neighbor dogs out of my front yard. How can anyone think this is okay? This is one of the reasons I don't have a large dog, yet I still have to shovel this stuff because other owners cannot be bothered to walk their dog on a leash and pick up after it. Has anyone accidently mowed over a huge pile of dog crap? Peeyew! The other day, I had to remove the putrid remains of a rabbit that one of their big dogs had drug into my front yard, before that it was half of a deer. Grrrr..... one of my huge pet peeves. Since they are all neighbors, I don't want to report them. Too many involved and I can imagine how that would go in a small neighborhood. So, I never let mine out without supervision, even in their own yard, and continue to shovel whatever their dogs leave in my front yard.

If everyone would just keep their own dogs in their own yards or at least on a strong leash in public places and then pick up after them, life would be a lot nicer for all.

[mjharpst]

Originally Posted by Yogi and mamma

i have a pitbull and i do truthfully take her and my yorkie outside without leashes to the end of the street to check the mail. ( i live in apartments ) and people do get scared of her because she is a pit bull. i take her to the dog park to run around and people get scared but after they relize that she might look scarey she is a loving dog. shes scared of fireworks and getting in trouble. she is also Yogis bestfriend (my yorkie) he will jump on her, lick her, and steal her food from her. I think you should not be afraid of the dog be afraid of the owner raising the dog. it hurts for me to read this about my poor baby Twinkle and people always putting her down.

I just wanted to clarify, I am not trying to offend anyone who ones a Pit Bull, but I do agree with most posts that leashes should be used always on any size dog, for everyone's safety. I also live in an apartment complex and Pit Bulls, Chows, Rots, and Shepherds or even mixes with these are not allowed because of the liability.

[Yogi and mamma]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

they have so MUCH potential to hurt and destroy, it would be foolish not to have a healthy concern about them..

ANY DOG ANY size has a potential to hurt anyone a pit may be bigger but smaller dogs can hurt people as well if i did not trust my dog i would keep her on leash all the time and not take her to the dog park. but i know my dog she is a scardy cat that runs and hides i have never seen her or some other pits i have seen be aggressive in any way. i have been to a pit bull show and i do agree some people breed all the wrong things in the pitbulls i seen some owners that cant even hold there dog still anf the owner is a big guy thats wrong i seen some that smashed there head into a cage bleeding all over the place to get to another dog yes thats wrong but there not all bad dogs!

[LilMissy]

I don't mind Pitbulls but...just because YOU know that your dog is safe and would never hurt anyone, why should total strangers have to trust you in that? There are alot of people who have been bitten by dogs in the past and are terrified of them because of it. Why should anyone have to feel uncomfortable in a public place because you refuse to leash your dog? There's a reason for a leash law. It's for the safety of pets and people. My friends husband has been bitten by dogs several times. They sense his fear. For him, it's almost a phobia now. He's even afraid of Missy! All 3.5 sweet little pounds of her.

Anyways, point being you should consider the feelings of others if you aren't using a leash for your dog. I know that when I walk into a park with my three young children, and my tiny Yorkie...I do not appreciate ANY size dog running around off leash.

[FlDebra]

Originally Posted by Yogi and mamma

ANY DOG ANY size has a potential to hurt anyone a pit may be bigger but smaller dogs can hurt people as well if i did not trust my dog i would keep her on leash all the time and not take her to the dog park. but i know my dog she is a scardy cat that runs and hides i have never seen her or some other pits i have seen be aggressive in any way. i have been to a pit bull show and i do agree some people breed all the wrong things in the pitbulls i seen some owners that cant even hold there dog still anf the owner is a big guy thats wrong i seen some that smashed there head into a cage bleeding all over the place to get to another dog yes thats wrong but there not all bad dogs!

I never said any of them were bad dogs. I don't blame the dogs. You even quoted from my post, saying, "they have so MUCH potential to hurt and destroy, it would be foolish not to have a healthy concern about them.." Whether you have seen them be aggressive or not, they DO have the potential to hurt and destroy. That is why I say it would be foolish not to have a healthy concern. A healthy concern means taking extra precautions, and it definately means keeping them on a leash in public. The friend I mentioned before that owns a gentle giant of a pit is a responsible pet owner. She keeps her dog in a fenced yard, walks it on a heavy duty leash, and has trained it to be very obedient. I still give it a healthy dose of respect and concern.

Of course all dogs have some potential to hurt, but let's face it, a pit or other large dog has much more potential to do serious harm than a small dog. That is why they are responsible for most of the deaths. I am not talking about the little scratches made by toy dog teeth, I am talking about kids dying from a mauling. There are leash laws for a reason. I don't know why you think they should not apply to your pit. I assume it is because in your judgement your dog is not dangerous. But when left to subjective judgements, you know most people are going to think their dogs are not dangerous. Most of the people whose dogs have attacked and killed a human being say they did not think their dog was dangerous.

It is not a question of the dog being bad at all. It is a question of being a responsible dog OWNER. It is a question of using good judgement to protect against the remote possibility that something MIGHT happen. I can't tell you what to do with your dog, and would not want to. I have enough making responsible decisions about my own. I just feel strongly that taking a pit out and about without a leash is not only illegal in most places, it is also irresponsible and potentially dangerous.

[loveshay]

Originally Posted by red98vett

I agree. for their own safety and others

I've seen dogs off leash at my apartment and was charged by one that looked like he had alot of pitt in him/her.....the only good thing was I stood perfectly still with my girls under my chin and slowely turned in circles while the dog jumped on my back trying to knock me down.....all I could do was keep muttering to the woman trying to get her dog off me was to say "lady...get the dog....lady get the dog....." and kept thinking this is REALLY going to hurt (thinking the dog was going to take a bite outta my butt or back)

She finally got ahold of him and I just stood still till he dragged her out of site. I was pretty upset once I realized how close I came to losing a body part ...but no way was that dog getting my girls

I read your post and was terrified for you, that must of been awful! Thank goodness you are okay.

With all the press, and sadly so,the bad press, on pits, it makes alot of us leary. I am sure there are pits whom are sweethearts, that wouldn't hurt a fly ..but in all I have heard, that is usually what the owners say, after something terrible has happened. I agree that even if you think your dog is the calmest and sweetest dog in the world, be responsible, use a leash. So when I am out trying to enjoying my day,with my lil guy or my grandchildren, I don't have to leave for fear something may happen.

[yorkie_mama22]

That was probably very scary. I get scared of any large sized dogs running around without a leash OR owner. You just never know. Luckily I live in a pretty respectful neighborhood and don't find too many loose dogs out. Let alone pitbulls, they are banned here and need to be muzzled and leashed at ALL times IF they are legally owned.

I have a "Bull Terrier" and She is always on a leash. We do have a highschool nearby that has a fenced in soccer field, that is closed in good, no holes to get under and has a gate you can lock behind you. If nobody else is around athe field, we do let her run free in there. But we always have our eyes looking around incase anybody comes around we put her on her leash right away. I've seen lots of others do the same and it's actually a popular place to bring your dog and let them off the leash the way the soccer field is done. But of course if theres a dog in there already we avoid it!

[yorkie_mama22]

Originally Posted by Yogi and mamma

i have a pitbull and i do truthfully take her and my yorkie outside without leashes to the end of the street to check the mail. ( i live in apartments ) and people do get scared of her because she is a pit bull. i take her to the dog park to run around and people get scared but after they relize that she might look scarey she is a loving dog. shes scared of fireworks and getting in trouble. she is also Yogis bestfriend (my yorkie) he will jump on her, lick her, and steal her food from her. I think you should not be afraid of the dog be afraid of the owner raising the dog. it hurts for me to read this about my poor baby Twinkle and people always putting her down.

I just want to add that your picture is very sweet, it is nice to see "BIG and SMALL" together getting along nicely

[myyorkilexi]

Originally Posted by Jadasmommie

Why do people with pit bulls let their dogs off leash? Today The girls were riding their bikes and Jada and I were sitting out front when all of a sudden I see this pit bull running loose Ok jada was in my arms already but I had to get my girls asapWe live in the city with row homes, I really hate this my kids cant even play outside let alone my dog. Just because your dog never bit or attacked anyone doesnt mean you take that chance and let them off leash. Thankfully everyone was ok This dog must be new to the block because I never saw him before. Hello there is a leash law in Philadelphia for a reason.

yes pittbulls are known to attack cuz these types of dogs are used to fite verses any others.and its sad cuz that dog coulda been a realy nice loved dog that got loose and cuz everyone is scarred of pitts we just run in the house.did you call animal control to let them no that dog was loose in the area so it woud not be hit by a car or hurt someone walking or did you just go in the house and do nothing just curious.any dog thats loose i will attemt to catch it myself or call animal control we have to help animals they dont have a voice