Ban Pit Bulls?

Question

My 7 year old daughter was playing at a friends house, when thier 6 year old son opened the back door and their pit bull wiggled into the house and for no reason attacked my daughter! She has a horrible puncture wound on her leg and some cuts and bruises on her leg, hip and shoulder. That dog could have killed her! The owner had to pull the dog off of her! I am posting this in parenting because in the dog section everyone is against banning pit bulls. I would like to know what parents think. This is a family of mexicans (which I have no problem with) but when this happened, the adults jumped in their cars and left! The next day we heard them gossiping about it and they said that my daughter is a brat anyway....how should I deal with that?

To respond to Dixie at the bottom...Yes, I did say mexicans, they are from Mexico, they are not from Hispanico. If I was racist, my daughter would not be over there in the first place. I stated this fact because THEY LEFT IMMEDIATELY after she was attacked! AND made fun of the fact the next day. It sounds like you are too quick to judge people. This is about my daughter being attacked by a dog, not about me being a racist. If it was a family of white trash I would have said that too. I'm white, I don't go around correcting people if they use a term that isn't politically correct. Get off your high horse lady! My kid got hurt, that is the issue, stick to that or don't answer my question.

Answer 1

It's a battle of ignorance. Pit Bull is not a breed of dog. It's just like saying tabby is a breed of cat.
In my veterinarian assistance class, we were given a poster with dozens of pictures of dogs and we were asked to find the pit bull.
We all had ideas of what a pit bull looks like but nobody guessed the correct picture! The dog next door may not even be a pit bull and its owners misinformed. An out of control dog is an out of control dog, which is a direct result of negligent owners. To propose a ban on pit bulls means outlawing many well-behaved dogs and hurting good owners. I know several dogs of the pit bull type who are as well mannered as a golder retriever.
It's unfortunate that this family you mentioned is reckless and took no responsibility for their dog's actions and gave it no behavior training. I hope you got the police involved. Whether your daughter is a brat or not is beside the point. Their ill-trained dog attacked her on her own turf and they left the crime scene.
If you are to propose a change in your community, I suggest you try and beef up the laws against negligent pet owners. That's where the real problem is.

Answer 2

I am a parent, dog lover and former Pit Bull owner. My Pit (she died two years ago) was a lover, was great around my kids even as babies (of course, I was smart enough to never leave my children unsupervised with her or any other dog) and would never hurt anyone!! True Pit lovers, owners and trainers will tell you the same thing. However, yes, they are powerful dogs who require the right kind of training and the right kind of owner. If you can't be that kind of person, don't get a Pit!! The same goes for any dogs with a naturally aggressive nature - Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc. You can't blame a whole breed of dog because the people who own them are irresponsible. The owners are responsible for their animal and should not have it around any children if it's aggressive. In your case, it sounds like the owners are morons and you should press charges. I can't believe they left the scene then had the nerve to blame what happened on your child. They knew what the dog was like and they probably teased, neglected and abused it for it to turn on your daughter like that. Any dog could have done that, so don't pick on Pit Bulls alone. I'm very sorry for your daughter and I hope she's okay. I hope that dog has been removed from those people before it hurts someone else. But in answer to your question, no... I don't think Pit Bulls should be banned. I don't think it's fair to punish the responsible Pit Bull owners because of what the idiotic ones do.

Answer 3

First of all, the chances of any dog just overtly attacking your daughter is slim to none. Was there any parental supervision? I am in no way blaming your daughter but kids are kids. Did she have food in her hand? Did she intimidate the dog? Was the other child provoking the dog? All questions you will have to answer if you take them to civil court. As an owner of two rescued pits and a step mother to an 8 year old I can see your problem from two directions. Unfortunately it sounds as if the owner of the dog was not being responsible but you as a parent should also know who and what your child will be around at all times. Teach your daughter to respect animals and how to handle them and she should have no lingering effects from this. BTW, the golden retriever has a higher incident of biting humans than pits do. If your neighbors do not own their home they probably won't have homeowner's insurance that covers incidents like this. ( another sign of irresponsible ownership!) So to sue them in civil court may be like trying to get blood from a turnip. Banning breeds of dogs only really affects those of us who are trying help this breed. The idiots who raise these dogs to fight or be aggressive are already doing something illegal so a ban against them wouldn't solve anything. Ban bad owners not dogs!

Answer 4

ANY dog could have bitten your daughter. Its not a breed thing, its an owner issue. This Pit Bull blame has seriously gotten out of control.

Im sorry your daughter got hurt, I hope she is ok and it didnt scare her off from dogs. Take this time to teach her about dogs and not to approach them unless you say its ok, let them sniff her first, dont run away or act frightened of a dog, etc. It must have been terribly scary for her but hopefully you can show her that not all dogs will do this to her.

If my child is playing at a home with a dog, ANY breed, I check it out first and check out the dogs temperment and how the family treats it. If they have to keep the dog outside or away when guests are over, my child doesnt play there. Any dog who is confined is going to be naturally suspicious and protective of the family.

If those people called your daugther a brat and blamed her, I certainly wouldnt let her over there again. It doesnt sound like they are very understanding of the situation and how scary it was for you and your child.

Check out the video in the link below...

Answer 5

First of all, you need to talk to the parents and explain that it was their responsibility to watch the dog and deal with the repercussions of having such a breed. My brother has two pit bulls -- it's all about how they were bred and how they were raised. This dog probably never had any training. It's not the dog's fault; it's the human's fault. You need to stand up for your daughter and tell them that they were wrong. Call Animal Control, they will deal with the situation. File a complaint against the family (although they probably don't have insurance). Do not let your daughter go over there anymore.

Answer 6

You need to report this and the dog should have been put to sleep.ANY dog that attacks a person espically a child should be put to sleep.I have a 2 year old son,and we have a pit bull too.She's very friendly but she's really big so we don't leave her alone with my son.She loves children to death but we always keep an eye on her because she's so big.I am against banning pit bulls.ALL dogs are capable of turning on their owners,not just pit bulls.Its the way you raise the dogs really.If you fight the dog,or treat them badly then they'll be mean towards other people

Answer 7

One of the motives, I think, that they're the "so much widespread" is in view that they're over-bred. Did you realize the vast majority of puppies in kilos have pit bull in them? Now, onto your declare that they're the "identical as different puppies". Well, I cannot suppose of however a further document of a puppy killing any person and it wasn't a pit bull. Most studies of puppies killing a man or woman have continuously been a pit bull. The horrifying factor approximately pit bulls is that I continuously pay attention "they had been so candy however then someday they simply snapped". It turns out there could also be anything within the breed that makes them much more likely to move that line. And once they do move that line, their jaws lock and consequently, they grow to be lethal. I in my view suppose that yea, they'll get a nasty rap, however I additionally suppose there's a few fact to the truth that they're "distinct" than different puppies. Did you realize that during Germany it's unlawful to reproduce them and they must have a muzzle on whenever they're in public. It is not just America that has skilled issues with pit bulls.

Answer 8

I have met some of the nicest caring pit bulls in my life. The dog does have a history of being violent, but you also have to look at the families that raise them and how they are treated.

By the way you described this family as them running off afterwords, it doesn't seem like they give their dog the proper training and attention it deserves. If they dealt with the situation that way and called your daughter a brat, they definately don't deserve to have a dog that requires love and attention if they can't even take care of themselves.

Don't ban pit bulls, ban pit bull ownership by incompetent people.

Answer 9

I don't think Pit Bulls need to be banned, but I do think owners of any dogs deemed "dangerous" should have a license for them. People who own these dogs need to be more responsible and have them trained very well. Too many people view dogs as a status symbol and do little to take care of them. These are the people who shouldn't be allowed dogs in the first place.

Answer 10

I don't think pit bulls are to blamed. I owned a pit bull and she was sweet. It is the owners not the dog's fault. Next time find out if the parents have pets and see if the pets are friendly, introduce your child to the animal and make sure that a child knows how to approach an animal.