why do people fear when they do now know?

Question

why so much about pits? why are people so happy to jump on the media bandwagon? when i was growing up it was dobermans that were bad. next it was the rottweiler. now it's the pit. when are we going to look to the owners to own up to the responsibility of taking the heat for what their dog does? show me any dog tied to a tree or thrown out in the backyard, or wearing a neiman marcus collar in a purse and i'll show you an aggressive dog. people take the time to research the breed, and train them. stop being lazy and making somone else accountable for human actions. it says a lot about society when we hold a dog fully accountable, and nothing to the human.

ok sorry it's late i'm literate i swear. it should be why do peole fear what they do NOT know. lol sorry.

babs thank you for your honest answer. it is well thought out and educated. but i have to point out that pits were bred to fight to the death with other dogs. they were bred to be kind and loyal to humans. it is the human that has changed them. yes they do posses strenght and power, and is why they should be in experienced hands.

also if i may, in the 50's pit's were considered to be the family dog of choice. the little rascals' dog was a pit. what has changed? we humans have.

ok i own a german shepherd, lol, easy on them. but people all the time ask me if she bites and my answer is she has teeth so yes. is she likely to do so, no. as for the dr's shepherd. well i'll tell you the problem. there was a new baby in the house and the dog was outside alone. the dr did not introduce the dog and baby properly and instead pushed the dog away. and he didn't know enough about the breed to know that a shepherd's place is with the family and by pushing the dog outside, did nothing more than create the problem. you were not that dog's couch, that dog was protecting his family and acted wrong because of the owner. same as with pits.

to gemma. i am a vetrinary nurse. so bring it on. i see and hear of way more dog bites in one day than you see in a month. most dog bites from other dogs are not reported because they are not that bad, but the instint and behvior is there. the reason you see more pit bites is because of thanks to the media more uneducated people are flocking to own these bad a** dogs. look at the area you are in too, are you more likely to see the type of person in your hospital that would own a dog to fight or be neglected? look at all the facts before you tell someone to look it up. you can find info to back up anything you want to believe. it's up to you to figure out what is wrong and what is right.

and also to gemma, sorry can't leave you alone, but what can i say you're the reason why i posted this. as for it being in their dna because they were trained to kill in ww1 seriously??? were you drunk that day in your genetics class? dna has nothing to do with the majority of temperment. if someone has or adopts a baby due to a rape, should they keep that child out of society because they will rape someone? how about the child of a convicted killer>? you better quit your day job and start the roundup. first get off here and stop spreading propoganda with no solid knowledge. because you are going to be busy rounding up people that have "bad" dna. are you serious?

ok to the dr's shepherd person. you chose not to read my answer. i said you were not at fault, never anything like it. i stated that the dog was outdoors alone and it was said it had been pushed aside by the owners. family dog or not, this is not correct and proper ownership. you had nothing to do with it. i didn't chose to ignore anything. i explained why the dog may have acted the way it did. they had the dog outdoors and you stated that they had ignored the dog with the new baby and that was the reason for the attack. i stated that ignoring the dog, and leaving it unattended outside were not right. never stated that the dog shouldn't have been eutanised either. the dog aggressivly attacked a human being, and no matter the reason, this can not be accepted. you need to read better and not be so defensive when you do so.

Answer 1

Amen! I totally agree with you, it's just ignorance...
True ignorance!

More people hurt other people in one day than any dog does in years.... But you don't hear about that!

Abuse, neglect, improper training can cause aggression in ANY animal from the tiny breed to the large breed.

I love my APBT she is a great dog, she is great with my kids.
I also love our sharpei and our shihtzu. They are all great dogs.
You know the funny thing about dogs is, they don't discriminate.
When we brought home our APBT our shih tzu and sharpei didn't care that she was a 'pit'... They weren't frightened of her.

If only people didn't discriminate!

Answer 2

I was attacked by a dog one time, was walking down the street when he came rushing out of the driveway at the home where he lived and jumped right at my throat. It was a German Shepard so he had the weight and the strength to knock me to the ground. Thankfully he never got that grip on my neck. My screams brought people running immediately, including the owner and the ordeal only lasted minutes but for me it has been a lifetime. After I was released from the hospital the owner came to visit me. He was (and likely still is) a doctor, well known and well respected. His dog had been through obedience training and had a very good home. The dog was a member of the family and treated accordingly. So what was the contributing factor to his demise (yes the dog was destroyed)? Well, there had been one big change in that dog's life recently. The Doctor and his wife had a 4 month old baby and it was their first child. People were of the belief that the dog was feeling misplaced in the family unit and finally snapped from the frustration. So, did that owner intentionally do something to trigger this aggression in the dog? No he did not, but when the dog had to find a release it was not chewing up a couch, it was me. And that is why these breeds of dogs have this stigma attached to them.

Answer 3

I have a rottweiller and a three year old and when i walk with them i get looks of disgust from people in the street when i walk with them both(I am constantly reminded that he will turn one day on someone by people who don't even know us.)Yes they are kept as gaurd dogs,just like pitts are for fighting Yes they can be vicious and attack people but so can any dog my neice was badly bitten by a yorkie but that was ok because it was small and cute!!!It is not the dog its the owner most young lads now have pitts and use them to make them selves look big and hard they don't train them properly and thats why the attack.People who train and treat there dogs properly should have no problems.My dog is a big softy but he is also very loyal and protective he is well trained i am sick of people giving them a bad name not all pitts/rotties or any other( "dangerous dog") are vicious and want to attack everyone and are kept as very loyal pets for years with no problem.

Answer 4

I do understand where you r comen from most attacks r dogs whose owners made them that way and the media jumps on them storys like crazy and gets the public all fussy about pits. My friend has had a pit for many years and she is a inside dog and very loven there is also 4 kids in the same house as her 3 of them under the age of 4 she has never attacked them or done anything in that matter. Instead of blameing the dog we really should start lookin more into the owners. Its very sad to see a dog put to sleep because of the owners stupidity

Answer 5

First off let me say that I am opposed to any breed-specific legislation. I think if we could be tougher on the owners of ANY dogs who are cruel, neglectful, and ignorant, we would not have near the problems that we do. As an animal control officer, I will tell you that I would rather try to catch a pit bull than a chihuahua. (Now there's some breed specific legislation I might be in favor of....)

But - when have you ever heard of someone being mauled to death by a pack of chihuahuas?

Answer 6

ok lets get this strait people, there are no bad dogs just bad owners,my wife has worked for the humane society for going on fourteen years ,everytime u see a vicious dog . it is that way because someone has taught it to be that way. if u love your pets and treat them as part of your loving family then they will love and treat u with the same love i have a pittbull that we got from the pound at the age of 1 year and with training and love she has turned out to be the best dog i have ever owned she loves kids, other dogs and is used to show what good training can do at the daycare/training center she goes to 3 times a week, so wake up people . breeding does not have anything to do with temperment, Pitt's are great animal's that just want to be loved.

Answer 7

I'll be honest when I tell you that Pit bulls scare me. It is the method of attack with these dogs that is so frightening. Even the most loving and well behaved dog can attack a stranger without warning.

Did you know that a German shepherd's bite is measured at 750 pounds per cubic inch, whereas a Pit bull's bite is 1200 pounds per cubic inch. A German shepherd can snap an arm bone in two. Can you imagine what about 75 per cent more force can do?

Pit bulls were bred to fight to the death. That's something instilled in their temperament. And too, Dobermans are high strung and Rottweilers marched into battle with the Romans in the days of yore, These dogs were bred with specific traits and you can't erase them. We humans have to be accountable for our dog's actions.

I have dogs and I don't allow others to come near or to touch them. I know my dogs love me, but I can't expect them to be tolerant of strangers. If a stranger came up to me and started petting my head and scratching behind my ear, telling me how cute I was--don't think for a minute that I'd put up with that. I'd punch them in the mouth and call the cops. If I'd do that or worse, I can't expect my dogs to love every person that approached them.

Answer 8

The bite pressure of Pitbull type dogs is largely mythical. Nobody really knows, as it is nearly impossible to test accurately.

And in tests of nearly 26,000 dogs of all breeds, the American Pitbull Terrier's temperament was one of the most stable, far more stable than a good number of typical family pet dog breeds.

The pitbull has lower bite pressure than both the German Shepherd and the Rottweiler according to one study.

Answer 9

The Pitbull's worst enemy is not the anti-pitbull person, for this person will stay away. The Pit's worst enemy is the pitbull exploiter and abuser. Pitbull lovers should turn their attention to stopping those misbreeding and mistreating dogs. Poor pitbulls. They were bred to be so loyal and affectionate with people, but had to keep fighting without feeling pain, with torn flesh and what not. Ugh... poor guys.

Answer 10

sorry but i think there a bad breed of dog.as-well as bull dogs rotties and dobermans these breeds of dog do have a good side and a bad side like every dog but those have hurt and kill more children then any other breed of dog. go look at the facts go ask the doctors at hospitals i know i'm a nurse i see it every month.yes you are right with the fact that it is the owners responsibility to train them.but its in there DNA to be killer dogs.its written in the history of WWI that they used these breeds of dog in battles they were train to kill.