Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Lynne — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 00:11:02 GMT

Why take the chance? So many times we have read stories where the wonderful family pit bull that was well trained and perfectly safe snapped one day and put Junior in the hospital, or worse. Not every dog has the ability to do this, most breeds don't have the reputation even if they are strong enough to. But pits were created to fight with other dogs, and most dogs don't view kids as people but as other dogs. That's why they just are not a safe, rational choice for a dog. I don't care how rare it is, it's still a child's life, and isn't that worth more?

As for the racial profiling comment, please.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

cookieb — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:05:18 GMT

this conversation is idiotic. you either know dogs and train them appropriately or you don't. there are all kinds of "dangerous breeds". breed specific legislation is like racial profiling. it's ignorant and wrong. if everyone wasn't so stupid we wouldn't have this problem.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Colleen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:06:27 GMT

It all comes down to potential. These dogs have the power to kill (kids, adults, animals) and very few other breeds have that power. They should be illegal, period. I'm not saying to kill all of the dogs, but to stop breeding and let the breed die out. There is no reason that pit lovers can't find another breed to love. There is simply no good argument for letting this breed continue. I don't care who the owner is, I would never get anywhere near a pit bull and will do everything I can to ensure that my kid and dog never come into contact with them.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

patty — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:45:01 GMT

i have a pit mix and a 6 month old baby. the two are becoming fast friends and i couldn't be happier. my dog was a rescue and even though he is sweet and gentle, he is still a 60lb dog that has jaws of steel. regardless of what kind of breed you have, it is crucial to be a responsible dog owner. people often forget this and after the initial honeymoon phase of a new puppy wears off, the family pet is often neglected and starts acting out. it is never right for a dog to bite a human. and if you're not prepared to devote a proper time to your pet (any pet) you should not own one. i can't tell you how much it irks me when i go to someone's house and their dog is jumping up on me or licking me like crazy or barking like a maniac...and the owner thinks it's funny or cute. it's neither. it's bad behavior that needs to be corrected so that the pet and owner can have a much more enjoyable relationship.

additionally, whether it's a pit bull or a yorkie, you do not leave your dog and baby unattended. nor do you let them run off leash in a residential area. that is common sense.

my friend has a cocker spaniel who bit off a small chunk of a guest's ear. my ex boyfriend's springer spaniel had to be put to sleep because he kept viciously attacking people for no reason whatsoever. certain breeds have been totally inbred and cause a host of problems but we never hear about that.

the bottom line is, you can't just get a dog because you think it's cute. you have to weigh in their tempermant, activity level and how much time you are willing to invest. pits are not a breed for everyone. would i get another one? absolutely!

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Elendy — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:20:25 GMT

We have a rescued mutt - a wonderful, sweet, very gentle 50-lb dog - who was classified at the pound as part pit (as well as part lab and part border collie). She is very affectionate, obedient, and has a gentle mouth. My husband has a PhD in animal behavior and has had her for 12 years. She is a part of our family.

That said - we would never leave her chained up outside and we would never leave her unsupervised with our small children. Dogs are animals - big, strong, excitable animals- and we should never forget that. It takes a lot of work to train a dog properly; and I wholeheartedly agree with the pp who said dogs like pitbulls should only be given to those who have the knowledge and experience to properly train them. I mean, jeez - how many people do you know who can't get their dogs to stop chewing their shoes or peeing on the carpet -and yet we think they can train them to not attack children?

Add to that the number of a-hole thugs who purposely choose pitbulls for their potential to harm and then train them to attack....well, it's pretty much a recipe for disaster.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Alice — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:03:19 GMT

I would never own such a dog. Even Rat Terriers were bread specifically to kill rats or anything that reminds them of one. You cna project human emotions on them all you want but you cannot fight the nature that has been bred into the breed. Some dogs are bred to kill and you cannot get rid of that. They all have it in them.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

paanta — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:13:20 GMT

"American Pit Bull Terrier passed 84.3% of the time 586 dogs tested, Cocker Spaniel passed w/ 81.7% & had 219 tested, Greyhounds passed 81.0% of the time w/ 63 tested, and the Golden Retriever passed 84.2% of the time w/ 703 tested"

Great. Now tell me, which would you rather have in your neighborhood: A hundred pits, 15 of which (statistically speaking) failed the test, or a hundred spaniels, 20 of which failed? Personally, I'll take a bunch of antisocial weaklings over a few antisocial brutes any day.

I've got a friend with a really nice pit bull. She's got a PhD in canine cognitive psych. I asked her what she thought of the breed and she said they were great dogs, but not for everyone. I asked her who _was_ qualified to handle them, and she said pretty much just dog experts.

I just don't understand why anyone would actively seek out a dog with so many potential issues, frankly. Sure, _you've_ got a nice dog, but there are LOTS of nice dogs that don't have the muscle required to kill an adult man.

Frankly, I don't think people should be able to own any large/dangerous dogs in urban areas, period. A densely populated city is not a place for hundred pound carnivores that instinctively chase anything that moves quickly, bark aggressively at passers by, or need to shit on the sidewalk.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Terese — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:15:20 GMT

I have a rescued pit bull, 3 (soon to be 4) children, and can honestly say she is the best dog we have ever owned. So yes, you could consider me biased, however, when considering this breed please keep a few things in mind: 1) Many breeds are misidentified as pit bulls; the media often report that pits are the attackers because, let's face it, more people will pay attention 2) check out the American Temperament Testing Society's site (www.atts.org). They temperament test dogs and list results by breed - American Pit Bull Terrier passed 84.3% of the time 586 dogs tested, Cocker Spaniel passed w/ 81.7% & had 219 tested, Greyhounds passed 81.0% of the time w/ 63 tested, and the Golden Retriever passed 84.2% of the time w/ 703 tested 3) A good pet and valued family member usually doesn't live chained outside in the backyard most of its life. Yes, pit bulls require a lot of attention and vigilance, but please think twice before painting the breed with a broad brush. Punish the irresponsible owners, not the animals.

re: Pit bulls and kids: Scared or Perfectly Comfortable?

Treespeed — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:53:17 GMT

The car comment has nothing to do with the topic of pit bull safety, you might as well talk about swimming pools or ladders too. That being said, we constantly hear from pit bull apoligists about their experience with "their" kind dog. That's great, but we don't hear about killer Beagles or Cocker Spaniels, we hear about killer Pit Bulls. It may well be true that Pit Bulls need to be trained to be viscious, but it also seems clear that they have predisposition to be trained in that matter, and may even default to viscious if not properly trained otherwise. So it would seem prudent that there should be a combination of training and licensing to own this sort of dog because obviously the current system is not working. And to go back to your car analogy, there are different licenses for operating different vehicles, so why not the same for dangerous dogs?