Sad day for a breed with a bad rap. Prayers please
 

Well last week a woman (who I later found out was my aunts good friend) was attacked by a pit bull in my home community.

There is a huge meeting tomorrow with the mayor and council to decide how to proceed. There has been talk of new leash and muzzle laws, and lord knows what else.

While I'm deeply sorry for this woman who is in critical condition and I'm praying for her recovery (and ask that you all do too). I find it extremely frustrating that tomorrow council is probably going to blame the dog. I find this saddening, it breaks my heart that this town's dog owners are going to get punished for one ignorant person's foolishness (owner of pit bull).

So please pray that this woman recovers, and also please pray that council understands that it is not a problem with the breed, but a problem with the people owning them.

i hear ya on that. it's so sad to blame the entire breed for bad training and ownership. you don't ban labs everytime a lab attacks but it's because labs aren't bred into fighting rings and forced to be mean. darn evil breeders/owners that breed the anger and out of blood into the pits :(

The problem is that loose dogs are a growing problem. There are more dogs and more people have pets than ever before. We have leash laws, but many people ignore them or they don't adequately secure their dogs (of all breeds). I don't swim in shark-infested waters and I don't want to fear stepping out my front door.

Yesterday a neighbor's large American bull dog and lab were running loose in the neighborhood. Now I am scared again to walk my boys together because an encounter with these dogs would be very bad.

I don't know what the answer is, but something needs to be done to make our streets safe.

It's called effective Animal Control and $$$$$$fines$$$$$$$. Most people don't care until you hit them in their pocket books. Leash laws keep everyone safe; dogs and people.

You are right and I should work to get our county to enforce leash laws and impose fines. The only time I read about fines in our area is after someone has been hurt. Sadly, the dog is euthanized too.

In Miami Pit bulls are not allowed.. You cannot get tags. There have been quite a few attacks by pit bulls and a child died in the past few years. There have been more attacks by pit bulls than gators. I am more afraid of walking down the street with my "pack" if there was a loose pit bull than a gator in the lake behind my house..yet many people would react stronger to the gator. What I mean is.. with the gator if I don't go into his environment I am ok.. Who knows when a neighbor will "accidently" let out their pit, or other large aggressive dog. geezz poor Remy even got attacked by a poodle

I don't have a answer, I do think there are several breeds that are more aggressive. Part is how they are treated I totally agree.. and part is what the dog is. I think most (not all) people who WANT pit bulls tend to want a more aggressive dog. (They are the people who make fun of yorkies )I would not own a pit bull, and I would freak out if one was loose in my neighborhood.

We also have leash laws. I think there is a $500.00 fine if caught. We have a neighbor that has a German Sheppard, nice dog well trained, but a lot of people are afraid of German Sheppard’s, dobbies, and other large dogs and everyone gets upset when she has him off leash. She gets upset because her dog is very well trained.. but when you are walking at night and a large dog runs up to you (even if it is just to say hi) well... scarry if you don’t know the dog!!

I sure hope the lady is ok. I am sad a breed gets such a 'bad rap" but it does seem almost worldwide that pit bulls are aggressive and blamed for attacks.

My neighbor had a very well-trained GSD and often had it off leash in the front yard. One day another neighbor was walking a poodle down the street and the GSD charged off the porch and had the poodle in his mouth in a flash. No one was hurt, thankfully.

Every dog should be leashed in these situations, no matter how well trained. No person can absolutely guarantee that a dog is not going to do exactly what the GSD did.

I am frustrated thinking we live in a country where buckets, plastic bags, and similar items have to have warning labels printed on them, yet we tolerate dogs running loose as a fact of life.

I think the focus needs to be taken off of specific breeds and we need to hold people accountable for securing their pets.

My heart soooo goes out to Pit Bulls. I love the breed. They are beautiful dogs and when they are loved and trained and taken care of they can make wonderful pets. It breaks my heart to hear about what people do to them. :(

Any dog can be a danger. My 15 year old son was walking our big dog (she is a stray we rescued 9 years ago, mixed breed of possibly chow, shepherd, husky??) and a neighbor had their Rottweiler in their front yard with no leash. So the dog runs towards our Sandy aggressively. It upset my son so much. Sandy is not fond of other dogs and snapped/bit the huge Rottweiler (no skin broken, thank God!). My son pulled Sandy away (not an easy thing to do!) and the Rottweiler owner grabbed his dog. The owner was extremely apologetic and said he'd never let that happen again. So scary. My son said he was proud of Sandy for being brave. Not a good situation at all though. Could have been so much worse.

My point is that owners need to be responsible, no matter what breed it is. I don't like all the bullying done to Pit Bulls.

First, I'm so sorry about your aunts friend. What a horrible ordeal to go through. :(

Second, I'm not sure how I feel about leashed dogs/etc. It kind of sucks that, as usual, there are people who ruin things for the responsible ones who actually do train their dogs, etc. Like, I think in any neighborhood, all dogs should always be leashed or confined. It just seems to make logical sense. Kids, other pets, elderly people, etc, who could be in danger simply by a big dog jumping on them, even if they were being nice. It angers me to see people who just let their dogs roam without watching them....

But, it is really nice to be able to have places to go (open fields, parks, beaches) that allow off leash dogs belonging to responsible owners and it's becoming so far and in between to find places like that now because so many stupid people who allow these types of dogs off leash ruin it. It's so nice to see a well trained dog be able to be free and off leash WITH their owner in verbal control of them or however they have them trained. I went to a beach in SC and there were sooo many off leash dogs running along this large beach and they were not bothering anyone (people or other dogs)... they were just enjoying life and having a grand ole' time. All had their owners near by watching them. That kind of stuff is neat to have.

I don't really think it's ever fair to ban a whole breed. It just doesn't make ANY sense to me. First off, many dogs are labeled as 'Pit Bull's' when they could be an entirely different breed. Boxers, for example, are known to be amazing family dogs but many will label them as Pits. It just doesn't seem fair because "Pit Bull" is not actually a breed, so the statistics are a little skewed. I mean, Pugs are banned in certain areas for God's sake! (http://www.dogster.com/forums/Dog_La.../thread/410484) What would you do if your city banned Yorkies, because they are 'terriers' or because they are stereotyped as being 'nippy' so therefore they become a threat? Then it would be a whole new issue, right? I also believe Golden Retrievers are higher up on the bite list than Pits, but I could be wrong about that. I know they are in the top 5. It just goes to show you how HUMANS can ruin a breed. Pits were once known as nanny dogs... people entrusted them with their children! So it's kind of a shame to see where the breed has gone.

In regards to my above post ^^ This link proves my point.

See how many of you can guess which one is the Real American Pit Bull Terrier?
Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull

Probably not many.... so ALL of these dogs of many different breeds, could bite someone and be mistakenly labeled under a Pit Bull Attack statistic.

I admit I do fear pits, as well as any unleashed large dog. I have seen tooo many dog fights (unintentionally), been "pinned" in our house by a pit that was standing guard at our door (we called the cops and the dog actually lunged at the car as it drove by), been chased by a pitbull and was so terrified to own any dog as a result. My apartment is supposed to be free of the most commonly known aggressive dogs, including pit bulls. and you know what? in my building there is a pit bull living, but the dog is good, always contained, etc. and I can't find it in my heart to have that dog taken out of it's home. It just realllly depends on the owner & training. I don't like to discriminate against any one breed just as I wouldn't any one race. But there are scary facts & situations, as well narrow-minded people that want to classify one bad incident with an entire breed of dogs. The "owners" need to be punished. Some places in the U.S. if your kid does something wrong, with the ability to know better, the parents are punished. why in the heck wouldn't the owner of an innocent, neglected dog be punished too?

Wow, that was very interesting. I got about halfway through them before I found the actual one. I can see why so many attacks are labeled that way. Just adds to the injustice of it all.

I agree, and I fully support dogs being off leash in designated areas, where we can expect unleashed dogs.

It's just roaming, and I do dislike in a neighborhood like mine when the owner has their dog off leash in the front yard when they know lots of dogwalkers are going to be passing by. Technically, they are not violating the leash law, not until it is too late and the dog enters the street.

This is interesting. Are there still many pits in your area? I would think if people who really wanted a pit, would just not get them tagged, like people who don't care about following most laws, like thugs or guys who want to fight their dogs. I don't really see that law stopping people from getting pits who really wanted to, and to me it would seem that more disreputable breeders would be around to fill the market. I guess what I'm saying is I don't think banning certain breeds can really solve the problem, more problems will arise from the banning. Humans need to be accountable for their lack of training, but unfortunately I don't see the laws changing anytime soon. a dog bites or attacks they put down the dog. What of the owner? usually nothing right? Sad.

will send prayers for the woman to have a speedy recovery and for the dog. as you said, dogs do as they are trained and the problem lies imo with the owners! hoping for the best outcome for everyone invovled!

If you get a chance to speak, try to bring up whatever exisiting laws are already on the books. There are usually state and county laws that cover owners not controling dogs, not keeping them leashed, restrained, fenced, etc.... There usually is NO REASON to make a new law, merely stronger enforcement of the ones already on the books.

You are so right that it is the owners and not the dogs to be blamed. In the case of some breeds, I feel man has done wrong in creating the potential for so much destruction. Still, no reason to punish the dog itself. I do believe in spay and neutering dangerous dogs though. I wish pit bulls had never been created. They were made for death and they cannot be blamed when that happens. I know if I had a family member killed by a dog, I would probably feel like the dog should be put down. Strangely though, I don't think I would feel the same for myself. If a dog attacks me, I don't necessarily want it put down. If it was a continuing behavior, then maybe so. But only if serious attempts to train the dog had failed. We created them, we owe them the training needed to coexist safely.

But no matter how much training they have, no matter how sweetly they have behaved, I still believe in constant vigilance and serious alert when a child or other pet is involved. There is just too much chance of them reverting to nature and reacting when a child moves too quickly at them or a small dog like our yorkies goes into attack mode. Suddenly the dog that "was always such a sweetheart, never heart a soul, wouldn't hurt anyone" DOES!

Bottom line is that all dogs should be leashed, no matter the size. It does not matter what the size of the dog, no owner can be sure that there dog will not be aggressive at any given time. It happens every day.

Wow! Now that's an eye opener! My father in law has a pit. Named Jake. He is 12 yrs old and would not harm a fly! My kids sit on him, play all over him and not once has he ever even appeared unhappy about it. My dh was raised with pits and that would be his dog of choice. However, I wanted a Yorkie (for my lap :p). I will say being an owner of a Pit is a very different level of responsibility than owning a smaller dog. They are extremely strong and determined! Trust me, I've walked Jake before. Well, he walked me. :cool:
My FIL has made Jake VERY obedient from the time he was a puppy. He gives him simple one word commands and the dog does EXACTLY what he says! It's quite fascinating to watch! Listens better than my kids! :rolleyes: I hate what people have done to this breed. It is a sad shame what people do to animals for self gratification! :mad:

On a different note, several weeks ago when my FIL came over and visited, he brought Jake. I will admit I was a little nervous for Bella at first. After a brief introduction he was fine and they were running buddies all day! She actually was barking at him a few times though. :p

Now I used to think the pit bull was just an agressive breed based on media hype but now after being around a few and watching pitboss and pitt bulls and perroles on animal planet I realize the aggressive pit bulls are that way because of bad breeding and owners that dont train them properly. I think they are a beautiful misunderstood breed

They are a very misunderstood breed. My Father in Law has two (Jade and Boone) both are the sweetest dogs you will ever come across. My Husband's all time favorite pet was a pit named Sable. In fact if it wasn't for our towns ban we would own one now.

The funny thing about the ban is that the two attacks that we have had recently were by a Lab mix and a Mastiff mix...not a pit!! But yet Labs and Mastiffs are not banned.

I feel that pits have a right to exists just like every other dog out there. It's not the dogs fault he was not properly socialized or trained (or trained to be aggressive). It is always the owners fault. :mad:

It's not just big dogs that can cause death and injury
Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl

I think so many people afraid of pits since their attacks result in more deaths once they attack. Knowing they are currently being bred for their fighting/biting aggression and ability to kill their prey, with those same genes coursing through pits that aren't even used for fighting but sold/bartered if they are not the most viscious in the litter, makes many public officials elected to protect the public very nervous. The only pitbull I have ever known personally was a neighbor's and it was very sweet and loving to me but extremely aggressive toward neighborhood children.

I can remember when this same stigma was placed on Doberman's years ago but good breeding practices brought that breed back from the brink. I only wish that we could expect the same from breeders of the pitbull but do not think those that breed them for blood fighting will ever change the kind of dog they prefer. Dogfighting breeders will always breed for the most vile of canine traits, keep only pups with the most deadly abilities and turn the rest of their litters loose on associates and the public, many of whom are ill-prepared to deal with a dog bred for its dangerous skills.

In my city, Animal Control has more bully dogs turned in or found running loose than any other breed.

It's not just big dogs that can cause death and injury
Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl[/QUOTE]


:eek::eek::eek: I would have never thought!....Poor baby :(

:eek::eek::eek: I would have never thought!....Poor baby :([/QUOTE]
I know but since pits kill the most people, they will always be on the hit list until things change.

I know but since pits kill the most people, they will always be on the hit list until things change.[/QUOTE]

BUT, how do we REALLY know it's Pit's killing the most?! As Britster posted that test earlier. How many people falsely claim it was a Pit, or Pit mix not knowing any better? I think that's the Real question at hand.

Hmmm. Now how did my quote end up being your quote? Then the quote I was trying to quote not the quote that appeared? :confused: Now this has become the question at hand! lol

This is my belief also, if you want to be a responsible pet owner to your own dog as well as other dogs in your community, use a leash!

However, I believe this subject goes beyond the leash. It all boils down to people who buy dogs without a true love for the breed but, only for the status symbol.

If you own a dog but, especially those which are known for having the capability of causing bodily harm to it's victim (human or animal), then it's your moral obligation to be proficient in educating yourself in handling your dog...especially while on a leash!

I have witnessed countless times owners walking their dogs and can't even control their dogs even while leashed. Their dogs pull, bark and even drag their owners or worse...manage to slip out of their collars/harnesses.

What breed am I referring to...ALL breeds. Who's fault is this...HUMANS.

Yes I 100% agree. I watch both of these shows and I'm so glad that animal planet is airing shows like these so people will understand the breed more. We don't have a pit bull but my dh wants one and after seeing these shows and dog whisperer I really want one too, they seem like a wonderfull breed. We have an Akita now and they are a breed that is commonly refered to as agressive (they do need a very confident and dog experienced owner because they will definatly take charge if you don't) but we socialized and trained her well and she is sweeter and more friendly than our beagle! She's also better "friends" with my Yorkie than our beagle is. Will I ever put her in a situation where there is a posiblity of her just running up to a stranger or strange dog on her own, no. But I won't with my beagle either, I actually think the beagle would be more likely do cause a problem than the akita. So, even though she's a very sweet, friendly dog I guess you could probably say my beagle is generaly less trustworthy around strangers than my large, supossably "agressive breed" dog. (not saying my beagle is mean or has ever bitten anyone, just making a point) When I worked as a vet tech I was always more leary of the fiestly little Chihuahuas than I was of the pits or rottis or dobis lol.

I think the main reason pits have a bad rap is because they have been the breed of choice for dog fighting and drug involvement which has made them be associated with those negative things and that's why when one of them bites someone, as opposed to a beagle or golden or any other breed, it makes headlines. As someone else pointed out, they are not responsible for more bite incidents than other breeds, it's just that it is pointed out when one ,raised by an irresponsible owner ,does.

Took me 5 tries and I've worked in vets offices and an SPCA!...VERY good point