Should I get rid of my pit bull for safety reasons?

Question

He only likes me.
He barks at and trys to bite other people.
He fights with my other dogs.
Hes about the same size as my siberian husky.

Answer 1

Sorry to tell you YES.

Pit bulls are dangerous animals. My value is human life before animals. i had already 4 dogs. 1 of them actually bit my GF, 3 days later, i was at the vet and the animal was sleeping in, in my arms. Pit bulls are fighting dogs. you take the worst child, cross with another worst child ... and so on. you get a monster at the end. be carefull.

Answer 2

I am sorry about your situation, i know it is not easy, and it must be breaking your heart. I am a lover of pit bulls. But i do think you should get rid of your dog. I am not a fan of aggressive dogs, of any breed. We had a siberian husky come into the clinic where i work the other day, and it was so agressive that it had to come in with a muzzle on, and it has a history of attacking people, and even kids. The owner even has scars herself from this dog. But she refuses to get rid of him. I think this specific dog should be euthanized because he has great potential to hurt someone due to his size, and i don't see how this dog can have a fulfilling life if it can't come into contact with other dogs and other people because he may harm them.
Your dog doesn't sounds quite as aggressive, And I know it is a hard decision, and it has nothing to do with the fact that he is a pit bull, other than he is a large dog that can do damage. If you didn't have other dogs, and he isn't harming you, then this would be a different story, you could just keep him confined at all times. But you still wouldn't want to take the chance of him getting out at some point.
You could try to find someone else who can take your dog, someone who doesn't have a dog yet, and who has experience with agressive dogs, or you can talk to your veterinarian about what they suggest, or your local animals shelter. Good Luck, i hope you find a good home for your pit bull. A home that can handle him.

Answer 3

As a dog owner, and APBT owner, I have to chime in. ALL of the behaviors you are talking about are the result of YOUR behaviors and lack of socialization. You need to either consult with a dog behavior specialist or find a pit bull rescue. He barks & snaps at other people since he is insecure & trying to claim you as his. You have not stopped this behavior, and most likely fostered it, by your reaction when this happens. Do you pet him, grab him by the collar? Guess what? You rewarded him for this behavior. Pits play rough, are your dogs smaller? Are they playing or fighting? If you cannot afford the specialist, you shouldn't have any of the dogs. Being a pet owner requires expenses, just as owning a car does. In the eyes of the law, animals are considered personal property, chattel, just like your shoes.

The 1# dog resposible for bites in the US..... POODLE! Yup... not the pit bull. But, you won't hear about the lab, or collie, or poodle in the news. WHY? Because it doesn't sell newspapers or make someone turn the news on. Pit Bull does.

Pit bulls were the first 100% American bred dog. They served in the military in both World Wars & saved numerous soldiers lives. In the beginning of the 1900's, the nickname for the dogs was Babysitter, since they were used to watch children. Petey, from the Little Rascals, was a Pit, as was the RCA dog, Nipper.

Pit bulls were NOT bred to be human aggressive, but animal aggressive. In dog fighting, WHICH I DO NOT CONDONE, you would wash the other dog to make sure no poison or bitter tasting item was placed on the dog making an unfair advantage. If they were soooo aggressive, that wouldn't be a possiblity.

Bad breeding and horrible socialization have caused the problems. Yes, pit are very strong dogs & have high pain tolerance. That was bred into them. But so do mastiffs, bulldogs, etc. People that have these "Aggressive" pits, shouldn't have them, let alone any animals.

ANY animal can bite. Working in the medical field, I have seen HORRIBLE dog bites... Mostly from labs, chows, and yes, poodles. Only one was a pit. And I live/work in a very large metro area (CHICAGO). My vet, who sees many pit patients, has never been bit by a pit, but has numerous bites from the "purse" dogs.

Almost 500,000 (YES 1/2 MILLION) Americans die every year from smoking related illnesses. Over 1,000 die from gun violence. 2, yup TWO, die in the US from pit bull attacks. The first two are still legal.. Which would you ban?! Breed specific legislation does not work. Responsible dog ownership is the key.

Answer 4

I highly recomend it. The way the law is most animals get one strike. If they bite someone then they are labled, but you are not liable, and if they bite again, then you are liable for any damages the victim claims. However animals that are prediposed to violent behavior (breeds like pits, rots, dobermans, etc.) do not get the one strike rule. The first time that animal attacks you are completely responsible for his actions. You have to think of the worst case senerio. What happens if you dog gets loose or a kid wanders into your yard to get a ball. If this dog is already showing agression it will see this child as a weaker species and could attack it. A child has little or no defense against a pit bull. So if he is already showing aggression without provocation, it's only a matter of time before he acts on these threats.

Answer 5

A dog with that attitude has both good and bad points. The one good point is his allegiance to you. The bad part is the way he acts around other people and dogs. If he's too big for you to handle, it might save you from lost friendships and lawsuits to get rid of him. Then again, you never know when he might turn on YOU! Being a pit bull doesn't make him mean or aggressive, it's how you treat him and WHAT YOU LET HIM GET AWAY WITH like biting, fighting other dogs,etc. Stop it now or lose him for one not so dangerous.

Answer 6

There are actually articles on the net about pitbull aggression. they say that thay are the only breed of dog that does not feel pain as they are attacking something. Similar to an alligator clamping on, once the pitbul clamps his jaws around you, it is very hard to get him to release, even if you hit him hard.

We've all seen some scary episodes of pitbull attackes, but Chows have attacked too, and other breeds as well. I do have friends that own Pits and they are fine dogs that are wonderful around thier children and would not hurt anyone. So, I believe it is up to the character of the dog as it is hard to classify aggression in belonging to every dog of any breed.

What concerns me is that you are seeing aggression in your dog. He is already trying to bite others. That is a bad sign. Do you potentially want to be responsible for the welfare of someone that your dog attacks? It could cost you quite a bit of money, as well as truly hurt someone else.

Ultimately it is a big decision that only you can make. I personally would not own a pitbull since there is just too much research showing aggression.

Good luck. Hope you cqn find the right thing to do.

Answer 7

Unless he is kept strictly confined, under watched at all times and muzzeled whenever taken out, this dog is a danger to other people and dogs. Unless you are extremely experienced in handling large dogs with severe behavioral problems, this is not an animal that you can handle on your own.

At the very least, you must get this dog into obedience training to see if these behaviors can be changed. A good trainer will be able to determine whether or not an animal is safe. But if these behaviors cannot be changed or controlled, then you have a very hard decision to make.

As the owner, you are responsible for any damage that the dog does to another person or their pets. Depending on the laws in your state, you can face criminal charges if your dog bites or kills another person or animal. Several dog owners have faced manslaughter charges for deaths of humans caused by their dogs. You also will face financial burden as you can be sued for any damage done by your dog.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that your dog likes only you. If he tries to attack other people, there is nothing to prevent him from turning on you. You are not the one in control here.

Do yourself a huge favor and have your dog evaluated by an animal behaviorist who specializes in difficult dogs. They will be able to tell you if there is a possibility that your dog can be made safe. If he can't (and judging by what you told us, that's a very likely possibility), you need to have him euthenized.

Answer 8

I think that before getting rid of him, you should try a few things. First, is he neutered? Getting him neutered can go a long way to reducing aggression.

Also, have you tried training him? And by training, I don't mean yelling or hitting. I mean spending time with him every single day working on his behavior problems. You could benefit greatly by contacting a trainer or behaviorist.

Finally, some kinds of aggression aren't unworkable. Simply managing your household can be fine. If he fights with your other dogs, don't leave them alone together. Separate them with doors or baby gates. If he doesn't like other people, don't give him access to other people. Socialization is important, but if he's aggressive towards other people, he shouldn't be allowed to bite them.

Answer 9

Gosh and do you live in a small apartment in the city? Have you added up what these 2 dogs eat Money wise? But then on the other hand if your only worried about your own safety and not others like the 2 lawyers in SF that there dog killed the lady in there apartment building I think you have to weight all that out for yourself.

Answer 10

If you feel he is a danger, you should have him put to sleep. I've been in the same situation w/ a pit. I could've had lived w/ myself if I would've given him away and he bit (or worse) someone, especially a child.

If he is dangerous, there's nothing else to do. If he had a choice, I'm sure he wouldn't want to be in "jail" for the rest of his life.

It's hard when this happens and you have a tough decision to make. I hope you make the right one.

In my house, our pits are part of our family. Until they give me any reason to fear for safety...then it's just a dog.