Pit Bulls?

[DiverDown808]

Re: Pit Bulls????

You mean, like This?

Again, bad owner....bad dog. In this case, the owner is from another planet. Listen to the conversation, it gets pretty odd. LOL

DD

[Karen]

Re: Pit Bulls????

I do my best to stay open-minded about the breeds thanks to a daughter that is helping to educate me, but sure, news report after report of the bad that this certain breed does can keep me from choosing to own one myself, I do have to admit.

I own one dog at the moment, and he is a five year old Australian Shepherd. My second favorite dog ever was an Australian Cattle Dog. Oh what intelligence, obedience and eagerness to please, and just dang fun to have around. I sometimes thought I was looking at an "old soul" when he sat and I stared into his eyes for a moment.

[Kungpao]

Re: Pit Bulls????

... news report after report of the bad that this certain breed does can keep me from choosing to own one myself, I do have to admit....

That's understandable. But tell me this, if you're a news reporter and you have the choice of reporting a bully attack or a poodle mauling, which one are you going to report on? The media is as much to blame for breed descrimination as anything. That goes through phases, dobermans, german shepherds, rotties, pitties.. They all get their turn. I bet if a Saint Bernard sat on an infant and killed it, the same day that a pittie killed another dog, the pittie story would get aired.



Why does owning one of these dogs have to be an issue over how macho I want to be. That's pretty naive to think that's the case for every owner. You can't accept the fact that some people just PREFER these breeds over others? Most people don't go to their pet store and say ooh I want the ugly one over in the corner cause it's supposed to be a really good breed.


People don't do homework in researching the breed they want to purchase. That's irresponsible ownership. Not giving your dog the attention it needs. That's irresponsible ownership. Thinking that leaving ANY dogs alone with children. That's irresponsible ownership. People buying one of these breeds and thinking that they can handle it and it's their first dog. That's irresponsible ownership. No leash. Irresponsible ownership. Trying to beat the dog into submission. Irresponsible ownership. I can keep going but I guess at this point it's moot because the people that are posting in this thread are pretty adamant about their views and nothing anyone will say will change their opinions.

[Kungpao]

Re: Pit Bulls????

Maybe dog owning...especially with 'certain' breeds...should be by licence only? If it's not the dog's fault, but simply a matter of a stupid owner, perhaps the owners should be regulated?

FWIW, at our local no kill shelter, the dog warden has to have a home visit before they adopt out any large breed dog. I'm not quite sure on the facts as I haven't looked them up but I'm pretty sure all states in the US mandate that ALL dogs be licensed.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Pit Bulls????

FWIW, at our local no kill shelter, the dog warden has to have a home visit before they adopt out any large breed dog. I'm not quite sure on the facts as I haven't looked them up but I'm pretty sure all states in the US mandate that ALL dogs be licensed.

What I mean is...what aout MORE than licenced, what about really regulated, with dog handling classes, background checks for the owners, annual reviews, extra high fees, annual veterinary checks, muzzle and leash laws, no indiscriminate breeding practices, an extra high sales tax, containment rules, psychological reviews of the owners....at least then you could be sure that someone who had one of a 'certain breed' of dog really wanted and them and was able to show responsibility.

[sinjin]

Re: Pit Bulls????

http://www.hawaiipitbullalliance.org/index.html

For the record I am not a hater. Please just remember what these animals really are and don't be naive.

DOG FIGHTING: AND THE BULL TERRIER

..."In 1835 the cruel practice of Bull-baiting was prohibited by law and the Bulldog's true occupation disappeared. He would probably have most died out but for the barbarous so called sport of dog fighting. Dog fighting commenced about 1690, in the reign of James II. Burnette in his "History of My Own Times" written about 1700, refers to dog fighting and the gardens at which these scenes were enacted. For fully 100 years the Bulldog was the only dog used in this cruel pastime, but in or about the year 1800 the devotees of the game sought to produce a quicker dog in the pit.

At this time there were many smooth coated Old English Terriers in varied colorings, but all smart, active and alert. Excellent for Killing rats or unearthing the fox. the larger types of these Terriers were crossed with the Bulldog and the product which was a dog that combined all the dash and speed of the terrier with the indomitable courage and fighting instinct of the Bulldog. These dogs were known as Bull Terriers."
http://www.americanbulldog.org/history.htm

[cynsaligia]

Re: Pit Bulls????

People don't do homework in researching the breed they want to purchase. That's irresponsible ownership. Not giving your dog the attention it needs. That's irresponsible ownership. Thinking that leaving ANY dogs alone with children. That's irresponsible ownership. People buying one of these breeds and thinking that they can handle it and it's their first dog. That's irresponsible ownership. No leash. Irresponsible ownership. Trying to beat the dog into submission. Irresponsible ownership. I can keep going but I guess at this point it's moot because the people that are posting in this thread are pretty adamant about their views and nothing anyone will say will change their opinions.

AMEN!!

i don't own a dog right now and haven't since childhood because i can't afford the time and dedication a pet deserves (sheesh, i kill plants, k?). however, eric's house is surrounded by dog owners, including a man who owns a pit bull mix. of all the dogs in the hood, that one is my favorite. why? not because i'm particularly fond of the breed, but because that dog is the most well-behaved of ten-odd dogs, which include a beagle, some sort of collie mix, a lab, and a little yappy dog that i've never seen, but boy! have i heard it. maybe i should say i'm the most fond of the pit and his owner, because clearly, the owner is a great dog parent. some of the other dogs are very lucky if they're ever let out of the yard, and all of those dogs in particular have been, in many instances, a noise nuisance--barking incessantly and inappropriately at all kinds of hours (which is a violation of honolulu ordinance and punishable by fines of up to $1000 and incarceration). it's easy for us to target our resent at the dog, but it's actually the dog owner. certain owner behaviors will guarantee a poorly adjusted dog--leaving the dog in the yard, neglected, all day; not taking a dog for as long a walk as its breed requires versus taking them out only long enough to pee and poop; not consistently disciplining the dog; not building a true master (or as mr. milan would say, pack leader) - dog relationship. what's most incredible to me is that so many of the dog owners who live here have probably never taken their dogs to the dog park which is only five blocks away.

as for people often buying dogs without researching the breed first? that's exceedingly rampant. the aforementioned beagle is a perfect example. the family used to leave the beagle in the yard tied to a tree all day long. they would rarely walk the dog and if the dog was barking, the owners would only intermittently poke their heads out the house to half-heartedly shush the dog. this dog barked every day at 4 in morning, 6 in the morning, 7:30 in the morning, on and on til as late as midnight...for as long as an hour with few breaks in between. no big deal, you say. well, have you heard how loudly a beagle can bark? and let's not forget that beagles howl. it took us fifteen minutes on the net to discover that beagles hate being left alone and tied up in the yard and that beagles, because of what they were bred for, are among the worst kinds of dog you can have in the urban setting. they require a lot of exercise and attentionand they need a lot of land on which to run and roam. i won't go into the details, but basically, with the help of the humane society and hpd, eric and i forced the owners to take better care of their beagle, which had the effect of greatly reducing the barking. and i think the beagle is happier for it.

as for "not forgetting what these animals are" and "not being naive?" i agree with this statement but possibly not in the way that sinjin meant it. there are lots of dogs who have been bred to hunt small game. shiba inu, the most beloved dog of japan, is one example. eric's mom's shibas have been known to follow their instincts and catch and kill a stray cat stupid enough to go into the family yard by grabbing it by the neck and snapping it with a swing of the head. but would we ever condemn the dog? no. should we? definitely not. if the killed cat had an owner, then the owner was stupid to let the cat loose in a neighborhood filled with dogs.

a responsible dog owner researches the breed before bringing it home and adjusts his/her behavior to fit the dog. my belief is that the irresponsible dog owners are much more visible/audible than the responsible ones, and it's the irresponsible owners who allow their dog's bad/destructive behaviors to come to the surface.

[CranBeree]

Re: Pit Bulls????

It's all very nice posting pictures of cute kids with their doggies...but there are also pictures out there that show what the doggies are capable of doing.

susie..... *sigh* just go back to being under the bed....

[CranBeree]

Re: Pit Bulls????

sinjin fron your link provided:

The Hawaiian Pit Bull Alliance was started to create a place for people on the island of Oahu to enjoy their dogs and educate the public about our beloved bulldogs. "Pit Bulls" and all breeds deemed as such, have been prosecuted for years, due to poor breeding, training and irresponsible ownership. All over the U.S., legislatures are creating laws, banning our breeds and having them euthenised for no reason other then being a "pit bull".


like i've been saying it all boils down to irresponsible owners. of course they will have a bad rap due to the problems stated above.

what im trying to say is that don't blame the breed of dog, blame the owners.

regardless of the links you provided, clearly those dogs were owned by someone and maybe that someone wasn't fit to have a dog, be it any dog in the first place.

[sinjin]

Re: Pit Bulls????

sinjin fron your link provided:

The Hawaiian Pit Bull Alliance was started to create a place for people on the island of Oahu to enjoy their dogs and educate the public about our beloved bulldogs. "Pit Bulls" and all breeds deemed as such, have been prosecuted for years, due to poor breeding, training and irresponsible ownership. All over the U.S., legislatures are creating laws, banning our breeds and having them euthenised for no reason other then being a "pit bull".

Just trying to help since my "freindly advice" seems to get misconstrued.

what im trying to say is that don't blame the breed of dog, blame the owners.

That's where I think you're being naive. Don't blame the machine gun....right?

regardless of the links you provided, clearly those dogs were owned by someone and maybe that someone wasn't fit to have a dog, be it any dog in the first place.

Try: pitbullbc.ca or http://www.discovervancouver.com/for...OPIC_ID=126481

[CranBeree]

Re: Pit Bulls????

sinjin,

im not entirely sure of what you are trying to convince me of?
i do know the bad/good of this breed and well aware of the negativity surrounding them. we did not get a pit or a rottie on the intention that it would be a guard dog, rather it would be a family pet. we love our dogs, we even love other peoples dogs even if they have a chinese crested dog :P we just prefer these type of breeds, why you ask? because we are familiar with them, raising them, letting them be a part of our family, and when i see what the media does to spin hate against these dogs, i just shake my head and BLAME THE OWNERS but not the dog.

[sinjin]

Re: Pit Bulls????

sinjin,

im not entirely sure of what you are trying to convince me of?

...all im saying is before you blame the BREED, take a good look at the owners.

I've looked and now I feel justified in questioning the wisdom of letting this breed continue. I'm asking you to stop advocating for this breed. They have become the embodiment of adolescent rage for too many young men all over this country and the world. There is no safe amount of dynamite you can store in your garage.

Peace!

[CranBeree]

Re: Pit Bulls????

Just trying to help since my "freindly advice" seems to get misconstrued.

That's where I think you're being naive. Don't blame the machine gun....right?


Try: pitbullbc.ca or http://www.discovervancouver.com/for...OPIC_ID=126481

no, i would blame the person that pulled the trigger on the gun.

and that last link you provided, where were the owners??

from your provided link : “Typically the fatal attacks include a combination of the wrong dog in the wrong hands in the wrong circumstances,” said Dr. Randall Lockwood, a senior vice president at the A.S.P.C.A.

A 2000 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found that pit bulls accounted for the greatest number of fatal dog attacks from 1979 to 1998 in which the breed was identified. But experts caution against attributing the behavior of individual dogs solely to their breed, rather than care or training.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Pit Bulls????

What I mean is...what aout MORE than licenced, what about really regulated, with dog handling classes, background checks for the owners, annual reviews, extra high fees, annual veterinary checks, muzzle and leash laws, no indiscriminate breeding practices, an extra high sales tax, containment rules, psychological reviews of the owners....at least then you could be sure that someone who had one of a 'certain breed' of dog really wanted and them and was able to show responsibility.

To tweak someone's earlier comment in this thread - we don't even make potential parents go through that kind of training.

[CranBeree]

Re: Pit Bulls????

I've looked and now I feel justified in questioning the wisdom of letting this breed continue. I'm asking you to stop advocating for this breed. They have become the embodiment of adolescent rage for too many young men all over this country and the world. There is no safe amount of dynamite you can store in your garage.

so just because they are the embodiment of adolescent rage we should make the breed extinct? hmm, we should also ban parents that keep on producing kids so that they can get on the welfare system :P
its just damn sad you feel that way.

i am not advocating this breed (i just happen to owm and have owned pits and rotts) , what i am trying to advocate is RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP regardless of what breed you have. that is the key point.