I kind of think everyone is in too much denial including pit bull owners. Pit bulls are still a very popular dog in the dog fighting world, and sometimes I wonder if the dogs involved in attacks have had any involvement in that.

Everyone uses the "slippery slope" argument about pitbulls and where you draw the line. I would draw it at the owner doing real time!

Oh gosh; that is such a horrible story. I'm no fan of pitbulls; I recognize that I physically could not handle one and, therefore, would never try.

They are so powerful and owned by all the wrong people. Why was the one dog not neutered? They are not given the training and exercise that a dog like that requires.

I do think something needs to be done; but I don't know what.

Whenever I think they should be banned; I think to Cesar Milan's Daddy and how sweet he was. I'm not sure if he was a pitbull or an American Staffordshire . or what the difference is. I just know too many people are being hurt by a dog that a lot of folks just cannot control.

This poor woman and her unborn child. Horrific.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: I can't agree more!! I do wonder why they didn't spay the 2 year old...?? I don't know if that would have made a difference...

I've read that unneutered dogs are more aggressive than neutered dogs. However, dog fighting enthusiasts are really behind some of the anti-neutering campaigns.

Okay I've read this time and time again on this forum. As an owner/breeder of un-neutered males, I can categorically state that in my experience they are not more aggressive (at least in my breeds). Am I carefull, you bet your sweet patoostie I am. I own a large breed dog, that was bred to guard and protect, and of course a Yorkie.

Just yesterday I and my breeder friend took 3 un-neutered males swimming. There was some jostling for place; and the youngum 18mths old, once he got too "enthusiastic" with Magic, I put Magic away. The point is the "owner" needs to be vigilant all the time. I read the body dynamics of the young male, and decided that was enough Magic got put back into the car. Would something have happened? Maybe yes, maybe no, but believe you me I would never risk it; if I had some forewarning.

Most of "our " bad experiences come from neutered males/females trying to dominate Magic. He won't be dominated. And from clueless owners, and dogs that are not trained.

I don't know what is going on with this "pitbull" mutt/mix, there is no universally accepted breed definition of pitbull. But I do know they get reported upon, time and time again.

Any dog including my dog, if he attacks a family member, quite simply needs to be put down. To kill a family member? What gives there?
That is beyond the pale.

Would a dog attack their owner if they were being abused? I'm not saying that this is the case, but it's just something that I thought about when reading the thread.

We knowthat the hormone testosterone is connected with aggression, and testicles do produce the bulk of testosterone, although the adrenal glands produce some. Also, dog fighting enthusiasts actually say that’s why they don’t want their dogs fixed, they say that a neutered dog is useless in the ring. Testosterone is only one element of the total aggression package. There are other heredity influences besides hormones and of course, training, would be another important element. Just as one can help train a dog to be less aggressive, one can also train a dog to become more aggressive. I hope I didn't imply that all unneutered dogs are aggressive, and I've talked to many excellant breeders who tell me their males are much less aggressive than their females. The dog in question was a female in heat. I'm not blaming the dog.

How sad, tragic and awful these stories are. I love dogs and this breaks my heart. I don't have the answer either. Do we write a new law and enforce it ? Who pays for it ? Do we include all bull dog types ? Pitbull is not a breed, but a description, like the hated tea cup word. And who decides which dogs go on the dangerous list ? Do we let politicians who may know nothing about dogs, draft the laws ? Do we create a dog profile based only on physical appearances ? Do we toss in weight limits, bite size , containment laws like required for wild animals ? We know the debate is endless. Just like guns, the bad guys get them too. People who obey the law will follow the rules, pay a special licence fees or what ever is needed. But the bad guys will still breed, sell and have dangerous dogs.

So sadd :(

I don't know the answers to all of these question, but how many deaths does it take, before we know we should do something? If I were knowledgeable in the breed and had a love for it, I think I would want to become very involved with this problem, and not just deny that there was a problem.

I do think something needs to be done but Im not sure what. I wouid hate to see banning of a breed because it could be any breed next. It just seems a dog as powerful as this should only be with an owner thats going to put them through extensive training. So there should be some requirements for ownership.

Yeah, I would hate to ban a breed too, but if the people who love the breed don't become proactive in coming up with solutions, people who hate the breed will make the laws.

This is my experience so far. Un neutered or for that matter neutered females in the BRT's are more often likely to get more aggressive to dogs as they age. And females once fighting will likely try to fight to the death, versus the male studs.

But I still don't like the automatic assumption that all the behavioural woes of dogs be they female or male is put at the foot of un-neutered animals.

Like most complex problems, there's never any one cure all answer, and I have no idea if most of the attacks are done by unneuted/unspayed dogs, I just believe that we need to start studying the problem, and this should start with those breed clubs effected by this. It seems to me, that they seem to be more interested in revamping their image after one of the incidents than tackling the problem.