pit bulls...have we mentioned them?

Couldn't agree more.

 

Precisely.

 

That attitude is why we will never see change. The bottom line is you have bad owners...put it this way...Would you turn over the keys to the Enzo to your kid who just learned to drive? Not if you were a responsible parent...
More educated people is the way you prevent this. On the subject of a working dog, more people are bitten by Shepards or herding dogs each year then pits. I don't see anyone crying about them. As a responsible owner, I have no need to own a 50 or 60lb. terrior...I realize that. More people should do their homework before they buy a cute little puppy. But don't bash the breed. They are a wonderful loving companion in the hands of the right owner...much like an Enzo would be in the hands of a mature owner...

 

Dropout rates for high school in some areas are reaching 50%. That is why you have to talk about the breed. Unlike the Enzo.... anyone with $150 can buy a pit bull. And education, and owning a Pit Bull (for many of the breeds new fans) are two opposite worlds apart.

Who is buying at an ever increasing rate? In many cases- high school drop outs, drug dealers, and young punks who want the thrill of having power! (People who can't afford to feed themselves, and don't have the proper space...are taking on the extra burden of owning a big dog)

Who gets hurt? Children. Any kid playing outside is at danger.

The most irresponsible people on the planet have taken to the bit-bull or pit-bull types as a fake power symbol, to make-up for their own crappy lives. (Its a trend that shows no signs of slowing down) These are the most ill equipped people to look after the dog 100% of the time. These Pit Bulls will get-out or away from poorly financed owners.... and every time one escapes, all the children in the surrounding neighborhood are at risk of death or serious injury.

New laws are needed. Fake gangsters, thugs, and rappers, have followed the lifestyles they see on MTV and have fostered a huge new demand for these dogs in the last 10 years.

We have many wildlife laws in Florida. People use to buy cougars as pets. Now you need to meet certain cage requirements to own such dangerous animals. The state of Florida is currently working on some kind of law to deal with the situation of the dumbest people buying the most dangerous animals...and putting the public and children at increasingly higher risk.

Wouldn't be a problem, if stupid people bought gold fish But they don't

 

My thoughts exactly. If a dog is MAULING a child - let alone just playing with a toy - you can always hear it. In fact, I'm up stairs in my house right now and I can hear my pit bull playing with a bone and his rope downstairs. He loves that rope, he swings it all over the place. Dogs often times cannot distinguish the difference between an infant, and a play toy. My Great Grandmother used to have this Poodle that would always bite me - I actually hear of Poodles biting people quite constantly, yet you don't hear about them on the news. Why? Because they're too small to do much damage other than potentially a few stitches.

I was in NYC for Easter visiting my brother actually, in that time I saw about 10-15 pits' - several of which were at the city Dog Parks - and guess what? Not a single one of them acted in a viscous manner; they were all as sweet as can be. Several of them were actually some of the calmest dogs I have EVER encountered.

I've said it multiple times in this thread and I'll say it again ... Don't blame the breed, blame stupid people that either A) Shouldn't own a dog; or B) Shouldn't have acted stupidly and approached a dog they didn't know.

Are there viscous pit bulls? Yeah there are. I've also encountered viscous black labs, and all sorts of other dogs.

If one of my neighbors brought harm onto either of my dogs (as I've mentioned, a rottweiler and a pit bull) merely due to their breed... God help what I'd do to them.

 

So what do we do? The breed's potential to be deadly, attacks these stupid people.

Legitimate owners should agree, we need new laws because stupid people buy pit-bulls because they are powerful and can harm people.

Until new laws are passed... its still children who will continue to be killed, because those with the least experience to own a strong powerful animal are buying them faster than you can say "pants on the ground"

 

I think in general our law enforcement needs to crack down on criminals, our schools need to improve and furthermore stop allowing kids to drop out so easily.

Education, education, education ... It's certainly key to a lot of issues found in this country. No matter what, there are always going to be dogs that are just not right - same as you'd find with humans and indeed these dogs should be put down if they're not with a responsible owner, or if they are simply just a mean dog.

I just find it ridiculous when a person wants to ban an entire breed of a dog (or threatens to kill all those he see's around him ) because of a handful of examples of negligent owners or simply put ... dumb people approaching a dog they know nothing about.

 

they need to go

 

The Pit Bull Terrier has been bred for over 2000 years to attack and kill. Originally it was bred to go after Bulls and hang on their neck to get them angry before a bull fight. They found they killed other dogs better than any other breed, so around 600 AD they started breeding them for that as well.

A guy I knew back in my teens once saw a dog fight down in NC. A 45 pound Pit went up against a huge 120 pound Wolfhound. The dogs went at it. First the Pit went in and snapped one of the Wolfhounds front legs. Then it went back and snapped the other. When it came in the third time it went for its neck, killed it, and proceeded to start tearing chunks out of it.

How many times have we heard how the dog was such a friendly and playful pet before it killed someone. They are resposible for nearly half the fatal dog attacks. They are resposible for nearly half the fatal dog attacks. They are resposible for nearly half the fatal dog attacks. They are resposible for nearly half the fatal dog attacks.

There is no logical way anyone can justify these animals as safe pets. And sadly, Rott's fall into the same category. Ive owned two Rotts, and they were wonderful animals, but I wont own another, they just have too much potential to mess up an innocent life. They should be kept under the same conditions as other dangerous animals such as bears and big cats. They should not be considered a pet as part of the regular dog breeds, anymore than a Lion should be classed with house cats.

Deader than fried chicken. Thats about how I feel about them.

 

It's no longer just a handful; pop culture perpetuates the "Bully Breed" and now that trend has become mainstream. In their eyes Pit bulls and "bad ass" have become synonymous. Bullies for Bullies...

I'd be willing to bet that responsible pit bull owners are now a very small minority.

And this... from the good guys “Pit bulls owners need to know not to over stimulate their dogs,” Hello Bully, goodbye pit bull’s bad image

 

I too agree that they were bred for agressiveness, but I can tell you I know one pit that is an absolute sweetheart. After meeting him, in under 5 minutes, I could take food from his mouth. Now, a lot of why people are attracted to them is the reputation. I can't say that this dog "Monster" is typical though. Statistics are a pretty good indicator.

Truth told, small dogs have higher incidents of attacks. Terriers and especially cocker spaniels love to bite children. In the face.

My brother has never met a dog that did not want to bite him, including three golden retrievers and a basset hound.

 

Hmmm...you may need to get your brother checked out!

 

I think maybe the real problem may be the "legetimate" breeders and owners. When I purchased my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I felt like I was in a interrogation with the breeders ( Who was my vet? How many children did I have? , Children's ages and temperment? , What was my diet and exercise plan for the dog? Plans for the dog when it was old and feeble? Why did I want the dog? etc etc.)

Maybe if these "legetimate" owners and breeders took a more responsible approach to who they sold these dogs to these attacks would slow down a bit. I also think you should need a license to breed and own them same as if you owned a Lion or Tiger.

 

At the Indy event in B'ham I was standing in the concession line behind a guy with his shirt off exposing his lovely collection of pit bull tattoos. Something about "southern breeders" on his shoulder and several pit bull images on his back including at least one image of them mating. Classy stuff.

 

This pit is Monster. He is absolutley hilarious and acts like a goofy small dog. One of the most docile dogs I have ever met. The girl is Monster's owner. He would destroy you if you get her angry. Luckily she never gets angry.
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All the proof anyone needs is right there, in that 4th photo! It's obvious he's gnawing on someone's femur!

 

Right, like how could anyone expect the poor dog to know the difference between one femur or the other?

 

I like to look beyond the cute face. This dog was built (from an engineering point of view) to kill things. The beauty of nature, is you can see why these dogs exist if you look at their anatomy. Makes no difference if people want to put cute little scarfs and dress them up and call them cute names.... they are still built this way for a reason.
2nd photo is a tiger for comparison
3rd photos is a standard dog skull

Bit Bull
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In that same photo set sourced from Google there was this skull photo. Quite less menacing than the one you used.
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Looks like a younger dog. Do it say the age? could be a puppy.

I understand how different photos highlight different aspects. And I'm sure we can find angles that make parts of the skull look bigger or smaller. But the point I was trying to make above, is that these dogs have a purpose... and its interesting to look at their evolution... and how they have been selectively bread for jaws that are stronger than any pet type animal would ever need. Especially if the family ever comes in contact with children (dogs do get away, and that is when other peoples kids are in danger)

The news story always starts the same way... "He was such a nice dog"
I just thought it might be interesting to show potential new owners what lies beneath the surface, from a structural point of view.

 

Beautiful dog, beautiful girl.

 

I have known many and without exception they were fine dogs but they need a strong, dominant owner. They aren't poodles or golden retrievers, they need to be treated differently. I strongly disagree with the notion that they are time bombs but I will agree that the owners of these dogs are (sometimes unwittingly) the source of most of the problems.

 

link: http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2010/04/st_bernard_parish_boy_mauled_b.html

 

awwww gee they are just cuddly balls of fur.

 

A girl I went to high school with had her face ripped apart by a German shepherd. She was so pretty but for that horrific scar down the side of her face. Poor kid.

A kid I was friends with was also mauled by a German shepherd. His scalp was torn off, not sure what happened to him after that.

A lady in town here was viciously attacked by a Rottweiler a few years ago. I'm not sure of her injuries other than that it was "bad."

I was savagely bitten on the leg by a sheepdog, bitten on the face by a Scotty, and bitten on the hand by an English bulldog. I had a run of bad luck as a kid, not sure why.

Note that none of these stories involve pit bulls.

So really, you can find stories about any breed of dog but the press picks up on pit bulls in order to sensationalize the news, get more page views, and make more money. I would bet that in many cases the "pit bulls" aren't pit bulls at all but rather mutts of unknown parentage.