She is very rough with animals. They also have an 18 mo. old. I worry becauseI have been told these dogs are known to have a lethal bite.
2006-12-22 23:57:33 · 10 answers · asked by Debbie K 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
pit bulls are dangerous around anyone even more so around children they can turn on anyone at any time
2006-12-23 00:01:29 · answer #1 · answered by Lance F 2 · 2⤊ 6⤋
Perhaps the real issue is the wisdom of having any "pet" be at the mercy of a child who is rough with animals. You are not wrong to be concerned. Animals are not completely predictable and when children are put into the mix, rough or not the question can become not if the child will be hurt but when and how severely, to borrow the chihuahua illustration. A Chihuahua will hurt when it bites, but the damage is most likely to be minimal, on the other hand as you wrote, a pit bull's bite is known to be lethal. What I would wonder also is how much care has been given in the breed line of said pit bull? Still it is no guarantee that at some point any animal would not get fed up with being maltreated by an out of control human, and defend itself.
2006-12-23 09:23:09 · answer #2 · answered by thankyou "iana" 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Pit Bulls when properly bred & raised are wonderful pets & actually great with kids: Pete the pup on The Little Rascals was a Pit Bull!
Almost any dog can harm or kill, but if the child is too rough a dog will generally give warnings, not flat out attack. Some breeds thrive on rough play & enjoy it, and Pits are one of those breeds. I have read many reports about hyperactive & learning disabled kids that are given their own pet, and the responsiblity helps them learn better in school also, so this may be a great thing for this child.
Don't believe all the negative things the media reports about Pit Bulls - the 'breed du jour' that thugs latch on & make the few bad apples that get all the attention focused on changes every few years. For example, look how many bad things were said about Doberman Pinschers in the 70's, and now you never read of any Doberman attacks.
2006-12-23 08:14:29 · answer #3 · answered by mustanglynnie 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The pit bull is known to be a good babysitter for children, but any dog has it's limits. It is not fair to the dog to let this child abuse it. No matter what the breed, dogs and children should always be supervised when they are together. Children have quick movements and a high pitched shrill scream and other attributes that awaken the prey instinct in a dog.
As far as a lethal bite goes, their bite is no worse than any other dog. That is the reputation they were given by disreputable people who think fighting pits and having a "bad" dog is cool.
2006-12-23 08:20:21 · answer #4 · answered by wbecca52 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
First of all you need to ignore the breed of the dog, it is irrelevant if the dog is normally a well balanced dog.
There is no scientific basis that states that all pitt bulls are untrustworthy or aggressive dogs.
Irresponsible breeding is where you get poor tempermented dogs.
If I breed a poor tempermented Chihuahua with another poor Tempermented Chihuahua, guess what I am going to get....poor tempermented puppies.
This also goes for the Chihuahua's Grandparents and Great Grandparents, if the dog is line bred (bred to members of its' own family) then the recessive genes come into play which if teh Granparent had a bad temperment, this behaviour can be brought into play.
Were you aware that Cocker Spaniels are prone to Rage Syndrome where they will lash out aggresively without any sign? Pitt Bulls don't have this syndrome or any other syndrome.
Where you also aware that Pitt Bulls don't even feature in the top 5 of National bite lists? Did you know Labradors typically come in at Number one of the bite list?
Any dog can bite, you need to re-educate yourself of breed specific bias.
Any child should be educated in how to interact with a dog, a child should never been allowed to interfer with a dog whilst it is eating or sleeping and a child should never ever be allowed to harass a dog.
Children and dogs should always be supervised.
Children especially toddlers are unpredictable in their movement, they are also unsteady on their feet and make high picthed sounds, this can indicate to a dog that they want to play and a dog may initiate a play that is unsutable for a young child.
2006-12-23 08:18:19 · answer #5 · answered by Sas 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Is the dog a puppy? My daughter has two pits and I have two granddaughters in that home. At first I was some what leery and made it clear to my daughter.My granddaughters are five & three years olds and the dogs were a pup when the oldest girl was a baby. They have been fine and there never has been a problem. I think if the dog is a pup and raised with a child it should be fine.The child should be taught NOT to be rough with any animal.I think if the child is not taught that, then that could create a serious problem.
2006-12-23 08:08:38 · answer #6 · answered by ® 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Please be aware of the dogs presence around any child, no matter what the breed they may accidently nip a child because the child may scare it. It is not because its a pitbull. I have 3 of them and my oldest (2yrs) is a child therapy dog at our local childrens hospital, She adores kids but I will never let her be alone with kids in case she gets scared and defends herself as most any breed will. Please read below....
In recent years, pit bulls have gained more than just a foothold in the public awareness. Unscrupulous breeding and negative media attention have resulted in many apartment complexes, neighborhoods and even counties imposing bans on the breed, citing them as "inherently dangerous" to the public.
But did you know that pit bulls, despite the fact that they were originally bred to fight with each other, were also bred to be trustworthy and friendly to people? These dogs actually earned the nickname "nursemaid's dog," because they were so reliable with young children.
Today, however, the breed often attracts the worst kind of dog owners--those who are only interested in them for fighting or protection. It's a shame what has happened to this loyal and affectionate breed-but as the pit bull population has increased so rapidly, shelters are now struggling to deal with an overflow of image-plagued, hard-to-place dogs. And despite its illegality, people are still training and breeding pit bulls to participate in dog fights in cities and towns across the country.
2006-12-23 13:57:24 · answer #7 · answered by Theresa P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the pit is a puppy and raised with your grand daughter it should be fine. If the pit is an older one then i would be leery, but i am leery with any older dog being around children because u do not know the dogs history. I love pits, but i would suggest raising one as a pup with your grand daughter.
2006-12-23 08:21:49 · answer #8 · answered by badgirl41 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Any dog with teeth can bite (some worse than others). Last year the news reported on a Yorkie that killed a newborn baby.
Use your head and don't leave children alone with dogs. Even when supervised, keep the dog on a leash and a muzzle on the kid.
2006-12-23 09:51:55 · answer #9 · answered by heathen 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Different breeds are bred for different traits. Hound dogs for their scent ability. Bird dogs for their sight. Pit bulls were bred over the years for their instinct for having a short temper and strong jaws to fight as were rotts.
I know people love these dogs but you can't change the short-temperedness in them any more than you can teach a hunting dog not to hunt. It took years to get the traits perfected.
Entire cities have ordinances against pit bulls in their towns. They would not be able to do this without statistics to back it up.
So yes, I think this was a very bad decision on your son's part. This dog may seem wonderful. But your daughter falls on him one day and he snaps at her - and that may be all it takes with his jaws. Your sons first responsibility must be to the safety of his daughter. I love dogs and I'd be scared to death.
2006-12-23 08:15:40 · answer #10 · answered by honey 4 · 0⤊ 5⤋