Pitbulls

[bondservant4him]

do you think a pitbull is a naturally mean and aggressive dog? because i was thinking about getting one i have always loved their looks and muscular figure as well as there loyalness. have any of you ever known someone who owned a pitbull or did you own one? would you ever pet one? lol

[David Taylor]

it's all in how it's raised.
dogs are domesticated not wild.

teach it love and it will be a great and loyal friend.

pitbulls can be mistreated to be savage....but so could poodles...
they're just not as threatening because of there scrawny size.

my family has raised 5 bulldogs, English not pit though, but still very similar inssize and strength and lovingness to those who lovingly care for them.

[Radagast]

According to dogsbite.org, who collect statistics on this sort of thing, in the first 6 months of this year, there were 318 media reports of pit bull attacks, with 388 victims sustaining bite injuries.

Of the injured victims, 64% (248) suffered severe bite injury. Of the severely injured victims, 10 suffered the loss of one or more body parts, and 6 died.

The group that incurred the highest rate of severe injury by pit bulls was 0-4 years old with 84% followed by 5-11 years old with 66%.

Most pit bull bites occurred off owner property -- pit bulls escape owner property and inflict bites at a substantially higher rate than other dog breeds.



Personally, I think it's dangerously irresponsible to keep an animal that inflicts such horrific injuries on children.

[Gregg]

I owned a pitbull named John Henry. He was great. They are a lot of work and you have to take extra care with them as with most big dogs. If a pitbull bites he will do a lot of damage.

While he was a great dog, the best dog I ever owned was a boxer named Max. Unfortunately cancer killed Max when he was just 4 1/2 years old. Max was great with all kids and you never had to worry about him getting the wrong idea with children. I someday to own another boxer.

[bondservant4him]

I owned a pitbull named John Henry. He was great. They are a lot of work and you have to take extra care with them as with most big dogs. If a pitbull bites he will do a lot of damage.

While he was a great dog, the best dog I ever owned was a boxer named Max. Unfortunately cancer killed Max when he was just 4 1/2 years old. Max was great with all kids and you never had to worry about him getting the wrong idea with children. I someday to own another boxer.

wow man just 4 in a half you can get cancer? poor doggy, sorry for your loss i bet he was like a son to you

[dljc]

I agree with David Taylor, it's all in how they are raised.

But my mom has a Pomeranian that when she first got it, it was mostly hair and teeth when it came to me, but he's warmed up to me as long as I don't try to get his biscuits.

I've seen both as far as Pit Bulls go, I've seen the vicious ones and the nice ones. It's all how they were treated and raised.

[Radagast]

As someone one said, for most dogs, if they have a bad moment, there's some minor stitching. If pit bulls have a bad moment, someone is often maimed or killed.

[stillforgiven]

I did not research this to see if it is true first...I once heard that part of the trouble with pit bulls is that their brains don't stop growing, which eventually causes too much pressure and can lead to the erratic behavior they are known so well for. If this is true, it's probably out on the web somewhere.

[canvasjockey]

I have met many pit's over the years, usually in one of the most stressful circumstances a dog faces... a visit to the vet. In my experience most are sweet, easy going dogs. It's a combination of good breeding and raising them right. If I made a list of breeds that I had expectations of aggression before walking into the exam room, pit bulls are very low on the list. That might be because most pit owners are responsible enough to make sure their dog has great behavior in many situations.

I would recommend to anyone that wants to get one and doesn't have a lot of experience with the breed to reconsider, especially if you have young children. There is a small percentage of the breed that just can never be trusted, regardless of how they're handled. If you still want one, volunteer to work with them at a shelter and maybe then foster with a pit rescue first so you know what your dealing with.

The stats of pit's being responsible for so many attacks should be qualified by the fact that there's no criteria to establish breed, whoever makes the report guesses the breed (a lot of the dogs roaming around loose attacking people are mixes) - and I wouldn't be surprised if the default guess is pit bull. Some people have thought my dog Soda Cracker is a pit, and he's a 28 lb Aussie/Jack Russell mix, so I know how far off people's guesses can be.

I did not research this to see if it is true first...I once heard that part of the trouble with pit bulls is that their brains don't stop growing, which eventually causes too much pressure and can lead to the erratic behavior they are known so well for. If this is true, it's probably out on the web somewhere.

This, I guarantee you, is not true.

[Clavicula_Nox]

We're on our first Ænglish Bulldog.

I do not believe the hype about Pitbulls and thing that it comes completely down to their upbringing. Dogs that are improperly trained and socialized will show heightened levels of aggression; that is something that crosses breeds. For example, my wife's Pomeranian is 100x more aggressive than my father in law's 2 Pitbulls, and her tiny 10lb dog terrifies those hulking beasts. Why? The Pom is more aggressive because my wife didn't train her properly and she never received adequate socalization.

[KATMAN]

I got a 30 lb. one in the backyard.Pit Bulls get a bad rap mainly because so many people don't know what a Pit Bull is.In all honesty,most people can't tell a true Pit Bull from a Boxer/Lab mix. True,they have temperment problems if not handled properly,but so do Dobermans,German Shepards,Rottweillers,Boxers and Mastiffs.The one I got will meet you at the back gate,and probably jump on you as a greeting.Not my favorite breed,my favorite dog I had was a female Bull Mastiff.I've never had a more gentle dog in my life.

[fuzzi]

I was friends for some time with a pit bull breeder. He told me that there are two main types, and the smaller ones are actually more aggressive, as they have been bred to be fighters.

However, when his female had a litter of the larger pups there was one I wanted because he was so cute. My friend would not let me have him, nor would he allow him to go to a 'pet' home, because of his aggressiveness and unpredictability. I think it's about 50/50 on environment and breeding.

My mother-in-law was recently attacked while walking in her neighborhood by a pit bull/mastiff mix. The owner had it chained in the yard, but it got loose. She had puncture wounds in her skull, and claw wounds in her legs. She's doing better, but I imagine it was a horrific experience.

One thing no one has mentioned yet is that you will be paying a lot more for insurance if you own a pit bull: when I got homeowner's insurance, they wanted to know if I had a dog, especially if I had a pit bull.

[Gregg]

One of the problems with pitbulls and children is that they are very protective. That means they can mistake a neighbor kid rough housing with your child as an act of aggression to their beloved. They have no problems protecting those that they love.

[Firefighter]

I have always had Rotties. My sister has always had Pits. They are both wonderful animals that are loyal to the death. My Rottie just died after jumping out of my truck (going 5 miles an hour... it was a freak accident) to "protect" me from to dogs that charged the truck.

You have to assert your dominance over these dogs as they are pack animals and will test you to see if you are the "Alpha dog". Once their place is established in the pack, they become a member of the family. You MUST also make sure that they obey your every command without question because they can do sooo much damage if they do attack.

[bondservant4him]

I got a 30 lb. one in the backyard.Pit Bulls get a bad rap mainly because so many people don't know what a Pit Bull is.In all honesty,most people can't tell a true Pit Bull from a Boxer/Lab mix. True,they have temperment problems if not handled properly,but so do Dobermans,German Shepards,Rottweillers,Boxers and Mastiffs.The one I got will meet you at the back gate,and probably jump on you as a greeting.Not my favorite breed,my favorite dog I had was a female Bull Mastiff.I've never had a more gentle dog in my life.

can you upload a picture of him?