The pit bill used to be called a nanny dog. It's a great protective family dog IF it comes from a proper breeder who did not breed for certain traits. If a naive dog owner takes a dog into the family that was bred with emphasis on working nature and then does not assert dominance or discipline or provide proper exercise or socialization it is a recipe for disaster regardless of breed of dog. when i was a child it was dobermans and rottweilers mauling children. Now it's pits. As a breed I'm much more cautious of Akitas, pressas, dogue bordeaux, and Anatolian shepherds. The pittbull jaw force is extremely strong for a dog it's size, but not nearly as strong as other breeds who could and often do more damage than a pit: mastiffs, rotties, shepherds, dogues etc.

My dad worked with a K-9 most of my childhood. He actually worked with a Belgian Malinois then a giant schnauzer. His giant schnauzer k9 was bred for certain taits from a LONG line of military and police dogs. That schnauzer had a very different nature than our giants. It was well trained and was one of our family dogs when "off duty" and retired. however, he was extremely prey driven, tenacious, needed challenges, and always alert and on guard. if a novice dog owner had adopted one of his litter mates and raises that dog without training etc, i would bet that the dog would have become a sharp-shy dog likely to attack.

I think any dog larger than 40 lbs is capable of causing horrific injuries which is why I don't believe in breed specific bans. I really wish people who buy certain breeds of dogs would do more research to ensure 1. They have the personality and time to handle such a breed and 2. The breeder is responsible and breeding for responsible reasons (or not producing a line of champion fighters). Too many times people get a "guard dog" without understanding what that means. They would be much better off with a large watch dog that isn't as aggressive. I blame the owner not the breed. Especially if it turns out to be rabies which indicates an irresponsible owner that didn't care to take the time to vaccinate her dogs.

Absolutely blame the owner not the breed. Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap because of the type of person who likes PBs and the type of breeder who likes to breed them.

I consider myself an assertive and responsible dog owner (life long Boxer owner) and my dogs know exactly who is pack leader. However, I would never own a Bullmastiff (even though I want one badly) because I just don't think I have what it takes to own a powerful dog.

Dogs are a massive responsibility and it boggles my mind that there are virtually no regulations on the dog breeding/owning industry.

Whenever you hear stories like this it always seems to be the same breeds---pit bulls and rottweilers for the most part. You never hear of people getting mauled by poodles, golden retrievers, labs, beagles, etc...why anyone, especially people with kids, would want these animals in their homes is beyond me...not only for their own safety but the liability of it snapping and attacking a stranger...they seem to be fine one minute and and then all of a sudden can snap and injure/kill their owners or a stranger passing by. I don't understand taking that risk when there are SO many other breeds that don't pose the same threat.

I agree joanie, you never read about maulings by a golden retriever or beagle!
I have a friend whose daughter,(and the daughter and her husband are uber responsible/educated/smart), got a baby pitbull a year ago. She posts pictures of the dog almost daily on facebook and it would appear they are doing all the right things, the best of things really, but they don't have children yet.
I am concerned how they will handle things then and what could latently emerge from the dog.

What a horrible story Annie!
I would love to see strong breeding regulations on certain breeds as well as mandatory training classes. It unusually is the owners fault! However, I actually met a mean aggressive pitbull puppy once. These dogs are unfortunately bred to fight in some areas. If you go to my local animal shelter it’s loaded with pits…very sad. A lot of young men seem to think it cool to have a pit puppy and have zero idea on how to care for or train them, after the puppy cuteness wears off they end in the pound. I adopted a Rottweiler from a reputable rescue group and took the adoption very seriously by immediately enrolling in training classes. We also continue to socialize the dog daily. I’m his boss and he knows it. Our dog is admired and loved in our little sociality and has many doggy friends and loves children. I know the rescue group we got him from would not have let him fall into the wrong hands. Sad that there are so many breeders out there who do not act responsibly toward who these dogs go home with. With pits some breeders breed them to be fighters and then sell the ones that do not seem aggressive enough. But, like said above aggression can go with many dog breeds so to be fair I think there should be mandatory certified training classes for new dog owners whose pet will exceed a certain poundage. Big dogs have bigger bites and can be fatal.

True some dog breeds are friendlier and easier going and therefore more suited for family life. However even those dog breeds if not socialized may not be suitable for young children. Yet I still think it is horrible to blame the breed. To use your example retrievers are bred to be hunting dogs family dogs or show dogs. If a novice owners buys one without researching the breeder then at worst she ends up with a beauty queen or a hyper athlete. However with pits, the breeders run the gamut. From the responsible breeder who breeds for loyalty and companionship to those that breed for guard dogs to the absolute worst end of the spectrum: the one who breeds for champion fighters. Too many people don't research the breeder and therefore they don't fully understand the challenges they will face. Especially with rescued pits. Then to complicate matters, too many owners don't invest in ongoing training and socialization.

If a family researches the breeder, exercises the dog, socializes the dog and continues to discipline and train the dog, then put bulls or any if the larger molosser breeds cn make great family pets. Except maybe pressa or dogues as I think it's very difficult to find dogs that were bred as companion dogs in those breeds...

This post was edited by iheartgiantschnauzer on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 12:31

That is a horrible story annie- I agree joanie and bumblebeez.

There is a scary dog on our street (not a pitbull, it appears to be a german shepard type dog) that I have to walk past in order to give my beagle a walk. It is so threatening that I will no longer walk past it- I have to drive somewhere else to walk my dog. The owners have an electric fence, but the dog goes past it, out into the street. We have called the humane society twice, but nothing happens.

Well I think blaming the breed comes with what the dog is bred for...including jaw strength, body muscle, willingness to fight and tenacity. I've probably been snapped at and nipped more by little yappy dogs than I ever have large dogs, but the amount of damage the little ones can inflict is limited...the damage a large breed can inflict is potentially fatal. I don't care how wild a chihuahua gets...it's not going to take your arm off and consume it.

I suspect there's more to this story, these people had had run ins with the police, calls about their dog roaming, and so on. If she was doing something to the dog or neglecting it, I don't know. We may never know. But clearly this dog has changed her life forever.

Horrible story! I do agree that it is more so the owner and not the breed of dog.

tina

I think the problem is that people don't know what they are getting into. If you adopt from a rescue, you will likely be highly scrutinized before being allowed to adopt. It is far 100% easier for me to give birth to a human baby vs. adopt an animal! If you go to a shelter/animal control, there aren't always the safe guards in place, and animals go into homes where there owners aren't prepared. From what I understand, pit owners do have to have more dog education vs. other breeds (though there are other breeds that are just as demanding, if not more).

If you look at shelter pages (high-kill), what do you usually see? PITS. I was thinking about this . . .first I thought it was because they are more problematic. Then I thought, nope, it's because they are more popular, so more are bred. Both may be true, but I also think it's because rescues (unless they are breed-specific) usually "snap up" the non-pits/easily adoptable dogs, so the pits (and many terriers) are what are left. And then, these go into homes where people aren't prepared . . .

On the other hand, there are only so many homes for dogs. This is a finite number. If pits (and others) aren't adopted out to unsuitable homes, they will just not be adopted. Many will be killed. Many others will be killed, because there won't be enough room for so many dogs.

Anyway, back to the OP-- whatever happened, unless the owner was actually abusive and horrible to the dog, I can't blame her. She lost body parts. In the old days, people just got a dog. They didn't have to go through all this training. Or doggy daycare. And AFAIK, you didn't routinely hear of people getting mauled by them. :(

I agree Anele, having a dog today seems so complicated! It's big business. In the old days, we just went down to the pound and came home with a dog. Got some biscuits and had fun teaching them tricks. Simple commands seemed to work just fine.

When I was growing up, German Shepherds and Dobermans were known as the scarey ones, the more aggressive watch dogs.

My animals have always seemed to know who is boss, when it comes down to it, even though I don't make a point of it or try to dominate them. I think it's just 'cause I feed them, lol. They were also strays or shelter animals, so I think they know when things are good. They seem naturally cooperative when something needs work.

There is probably a lot more to this story no one will ever know. Animals don't just bite people's arms off, just like circus animals don't just go berserk for no reason. It's too bad there are people around who are into this dog fighting culture and doing some bad breeding, mistreating the animals and training them to be aggressive for a horrid money sport like that.

Very tragic for this woman, and dog, whatever the circumstances.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Nov 14, 13 at 21:07

So awful!

I am a runner, and I can tell you that nothing scares me more when I'm out on a run than a loose dog.

Our neighbors bought a Burmese Mountain dog, and it got loose one day and chased me down from behind. It probably weighed around 70 lbs at the time (I'm about 104). It was growling and barking and circling, chomping my arm, and jumping on me. I thought I was going to die for sure. Just then a man was driving by in a truck and gave me a ride home. We called our neighbors, who apologized profusely, blaming it on the dog's young age. They claimed the dog would never hurt anyone, but I KNOW it would have, had that man not been driving through.

Dogs have a natural prey instinct, and I'm sure my running probably triggers it. This has happened many times where people's dogs come running out of their yards barking and growling. I love dogs, but many owners are irresponsible and ignorant about their dog's capability of harming someone.

That's odd to me, Jan, that it would have been truly vicious behavior. I'd have been more worried about getting in a vehicle with a man I didn't know!

It's best not to let them know you are afraid. It's always been said animals will sense when someone is afraid and they can react, thinking there is something to be afraid of.

Snook, most dogs that come running at me are actually friendly and fine. This wasn't the case with the Mountain dog. It leapt onto my back from behind. It was growling and showing its teeth and biting my forearm as it continually jumped on me. This is not okay, and most people would have been scared. I was so scared, I got into a truck with a stranger, which was by far the better option at the time.

Jan, I actually did get bitten by a dog while running in my neighborhood about 15 years ago. At the time, I didn't feel threatened at all and it wasn't a breed that normally would have instilled any fear - it was a medium sized dog but can't remember the breed, about the size of a Brittany spaniel though that's not what it was. Only about 30-40 lbs. it ran out of its yard toward me barking - I didn't think much of it and as I said, was not afraid of it, but it ran behind me and bit me right on the back of my knee. I have scars from the teeth marks he left behind and had to get a tetanus shot. I didn't know the owners and they were plenty upset and apologetic but I reported it to animal control b/c he couldn't produce any paperwork indicating that it had a rabies shot. Fortunately, it had, we later found out. Ever since then, I've always taken precautions when I see a loose dog, no matter the breed. I don't fear them, but I do assess their behavior as I'm approaching o being approached (and I've since rescued loose dogs at least 10-15 times since, even allowing a little guy to stay in the house overnight when we found it late at night). I'm a dog owner myself having owned a lab/German shepherd mutt and now a 95lb black lab. Both have gotten loose Which always freaked me out, not because I think they'd harm anyone but you never know. And the black lab is so big that I know how frightened someone might feel if they saw him barreling down the street (he truly is the friendliest guy but not everyone likes dogs!). We ended up installing an electric fence because he kept escaping the house (four kids not able to contain him when leaving the house=stress!). He's also been through heavy duty training so has been trained not to run out the door.

Years ago, someone in my neighborhood had two rotties that would get out from time to time. I used to run with our shepherd and one day they came running after us as we passed by. I didn't worry as they weren't menacing plus I knew my dog would protect me if necessary, but they ended up running with us for my entire run! It was actually quite funny. At the time I didn't know where they lived so put them in my backyard until I located the owner.

As far as pits, we have tons here in our local SPCA. My dd and I volunteer there and they make up 80% of the dogs there. It never used to be that way but they've passed a law here making landlords liable if a tenant owns one that harms anyone. Because we have a lot of public housing here (pits very popular with tenants there), when the law was passed, so many people had to give up their dogs. And whe people lose their homes or move into a rental, again they are forced to give up their dogs. My BIL has a pit mix out in San Fran that he adopted when it was a puppy. A very loving dog that changed my feelings about pits....but then it bit my 3 y/o niece last month on her nose. He's had that dog for at least 10 years. Now she did touch his food bowl while he was eating but he'd never shown food aggression before. He was heartsick about it at the time and was contemplating getting rid of the dog but he still has it as far as I know. Anyway, I do like pits but would never own one.

So many want to say it's not the breed but the owner and that is true only in the biggest picture.
Unfortunately, humans have indeed ruined the breed and the vast majority of pits out there are adopted by the worst owners in abundance! and so the cycle continues.
I do want to believe there are only "good dogs" a popular phrase implying that the owner is the catalyst for change, but again, unfortunately, genetics go way back and with the popularity of pits these days, you do not know what lies deep in the gene pool.
I am an idealistic and DOG LOVER but I would not take a chance with a pit or other similarly aggressive breed.

I think it's probably a good idea to stop running when you see a loose dog (or even running past a leashed one) and take to walking until he's out of sight. It sounds like running provokes a chase, just as they chase moving cars. They say with wild animals, do not run!

Aggressive Dogs - Tips

Humane Society Info - Bite Prevention

Here is a link that might be useful: What to do in dog attack

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 9:23

Because one of the sweetest dogs I ever knew was a pit bull owned by a former neighbor, I agree with those who say that a good breeder and owner's diligence in training can make a dog very good or not. One can Google any breed and find mauling stories. CAUTION READING - not for the faint of heart -

Danbury volunteer firefighter mauled by dogs (NC. Labrador Retrievers)
Fox8 WGHP ^ : 9/19/13 : Staff

Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 4:24:17 PM by Rebelbase

STOKES COUNTY, N.C. �" An assistant fire chief with the Danbury Volunteer Fire Department is in intensive care at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after being mauled by two Labrador retrievers Wednesday night.

Officials say Bobby Jones was attacked while hunting off Hall Road, where he was bitten more than 40 times.

It’s believed he was wearing a scent to hide human scent while hunting, which may have set the Labradors off.

The dogs were up to date on their shots, their owners said, and have been surrendered to animal control.

Firefighters are planning a fundraiser tonight to help Jones’ family. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Danbury Volunteer Fire Department, 102 Old Church Road in Danbury.
_______________________________________________

Partial face transplant

The world's first partial face transplant on a living human was carried out on 27 November 2005[7][8] by Bernard Devauchelle, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and Jean-Michel Dubernard in Amiens, France. Isabelle Dinoire[7] underwent surgery to replace her original face, which had been mauled by her black Labrador Retriever.

Here is a link that might be useful: golden retriever-Labrador mix named Lucky, mauled and killed a 2-month-old child

Your comments about dogs chasing and attacking reminded me of 2 incidents.

My brother was pre-teen and used to ride his bike delivering newspapers in the neighborhood when the 3 dogs at the neighbor's house got through their fence and attacked him...knocked him off his bike and literally started pulling on his limbs in opposite directions as they might with prey. Fortunately it was winter and he had on a heavy coat which protected him from the worst of it and he was thankfully not maimed. He also surprisingly wasn't traumatized by the event and continued to own dogs until he died.

I was driving down my road and witnessed a sad event. There was a biker coming the other way and a car behind the biker. A dog shot out of the blue across the lawn to chase the bike and the driver behind had no chance to stop it happened so fast. Dog was killed.

Dogs are so close to their instincts, that no matter how wonderful and loving they are with their families, in certain instances or situations, their instincts can outweigh their training and they act as they would in the wild. They are not people who have conscious knowledge of the consequences of their actions and make explicit choices around the actions they take...they live in the moment and act in the moment.

I have had many dogs and without problems relating to strangers on my property. They have never been let running loose and I wouldn't trust an electric fence.

On the other hand, as well as I know my own dog, would never take the chance leaving one alone with my grandchildren. We don't know what would cause an issue and change their gentle nature. Owners need to be wiser, which is not the case in broader animal ownership.

I will not even take my dog to the dog park anymore due to lack of responsibility being shown. And my city has been listed as one of the top 10 dog loving communities. Even well trained dogs have their moment of scaring me. This seems to be getting worse too. Is it part of the overall environment we are seeing even with people to people?

Found a website called dogsbite.org. According to this website, fatal dog bites were from:

pitbulls, 61%; 8% rottweiler; 5% mixed breed; 5% german shepard; 3% others.

Also listed the top myths about pit bulls. The first myth, according to this website, is- it's the people, not the dog.

I agree about the dog parks, technicholor. I took mine to one a few weeks ago and when I opened the gate into the holding pen area, a bunch of dogs came in and went after my dog. Not playfully, but ferociously. And the owners did nothing. It was so strange. I left right away and won't go back but it was so weird how they said nothing. A related issue that I've had lately is that there is a woman who walks in my neighborhood with her little boy, about five years old. When I had my dog out for a walk once the little boy started to pet my dog, which I was okay with, but then he started to hug the dog around the neck. His face was just at the same level as my dog's face and right up in it. I told him not to do that because the dog might not like it. I have just come to realize that when small children come to my house, my dog does not like them. He's never bitten anyone but I don't want to take any chances. Out on the street he seems okay with them but I am still concerned and try to keep him away from kids when we walk. He's an Airedale Terrier and kids seem to love him, so I feel bad that he doesn't seem to like them back. But the other day I was in my front yard doing some yard work and I let my dog out with me. I turned around and there was this same little boy, in my driveway, hugging my dog, with his face right in my dog's face again. I told him not to do that because he could get bitten. I told the mom that my dog doesn't like children and that her son should not do that and she half-heartedly told her son he shouldn't pet dogs without asking, but I don't even think he heard her. For some reason she lets him walk about twenty feet ahead of her. Anyways, every time I think about it I get so angry - that little boy might get his face bitten off some day if he keeps going around doing this and his mom doesn't seem to care. I am definitely going to be alert and watching for them now to make sure we stay away from them.

gail, make sure you keep that child away. We had a "perfect" dog when I was 9+ years old. We could do anything to the dog. We had friends that visited regularly with a 3 year old and we kept them away from each other. One time we had the dog tied up and the child walked up to the dog. She snapped at the child and barely missed his face. I think the dog didn't like the child because every time he visited the dog was removed from her pack (us). Don't take a chance with your dog.

nancybee_2010 said:

Found a website called dogsbite.org. According to this website, fatal dog bites were from:

pitbulls, 61%; 8% rottweiler; 5% mixed breed; 5% german shepard; 3% others.

Also listed the top myths about pit bulls. The first myth, according to this website, is- it's the people, not the dog.

Nancy,
That is a dog bite victims group. They have zero expertise regarding canine behavior.

I worked as a mail carrier and one of the first things they taught us was how to avoid dog bites. We could be fired if we were bitten, that is how seriously the training was instilled.

I had encounters with dozens of dogs-had to use pepper spray twice, and dropped my heavy bag down on more than one dog. I refused to deliver mail to people who left their dog out (I was supported by management). I can't tell you how many people would say 'it's ok, he doesn't bite' and then they'd freak out when that gentle dog would charge me as I walked up.

The only dog that scared me into tears was a loose pit bull. He was always chained up behind a fence and would hit that fence at full speed when I'd approach to deliver the mail, but I was always prepared with my bag out front and spray in hand, even though I knew he was secured. Then one day I was approaching the house and the family was out in the front yard, washing their car. Suddenly that dog came charging out from behind the car-he was out in the front-they DID have his chain on him, but he was able to reach the sidewalk at that point. I literally froze and was so terrified I couldn't breathe. Fortunately the husband was able to grab the chain before the dog could reach me-the wife ended up bursting into tears also and the husband struggled to contain the dog-he managed to get it into the car while I ran away. After that, the postmaster directed us to hold up mail delivery to that house until they arranged for other means that did not endanger our lives. This was back in the early 80's-pits weren't so dominant then-it was still rotty's and dobies that were the scary dogs.

We used to have a neighbor who bred pits-he trained them on treadmills and would walk them with weights on their necks. I shudder to think of what he did with those dogs. We were grateful when he moved away.

It's my experience that those who tend to get pits are either people who have no business owning ANY dog (generally poverty level, and they have it for the 'cred') or those who are insistant that it's not the breed but the owner. However, as has been noted-you have no idea what their backround is if you rescue one, or get one from a non-AKC breeder.

I have 3 dogs-2 labs and an American Eskimo/Border Collie mix. One of the labs would never hurt a fly-I trust him implicitly. The other-well, I don't allow small children around her-she's not aggressive, but she is not comfortable around children. The 3rd dog-she's been with us since a tiny puppy-she's super well socialized, but she's also very high strung. She'd be one to bite if provoked. However, I also am aware that they are ANIMALS. I love them, but I have not antromorophologized them to believe I know what goes on in their brains. Could they harm someone? Yes, I have no doubt. Will they? Probably not-but I won't take that chance.

That said-I DO NOT trust pit bulls-and some of the most aggressive dogs I've known have been boxers and dalmations. And especially ANY non-altered dog. Male or female-the hormones make them utterly unpredictable.

Whether the group knows about k9 behavior or not, these stats would seem to suggest that pit bulls are by far the most frequent cause of human fatalities due to dogs. This data is old. Given the growth in popularity of pits, I suspect the data would only be more definitive if updated.
#1 Pits, 86
#2 Rotties, 39
#3 Shepherds, 17
#4 Huskies, 15

Here is a link that might be useful: CDC report on fatal dog bites

Kelly, respectfully, perhaps those are just the opinions of the dog bite victims. And these posts here are just the opinions of this group of gw's. Unless I missed something and some of you are certified, degreed dog behaviorists.

Wasn't the pit bull originally bred to be aggressive? I don't know that much about them, will have to look it up.

I apologize Nancy. I assumed you were holding up dogsbite.org as experts. I'm curious about where they came up with the myth.

I have no argument with the stats. However, even with those numbers, you still can't separate the dog from the owner. There is a person responsible behind every one of those dog attacks.

No need to apologize Kelly! I wish there was some kind of solution to this problem and I know you do too.

I just adopted a 3 yr, sweet, 40#, girl mutt. No one wanted her. After an hour of spending time with her, I fell in love and she wasn't going anywhere but with me. Am too old to deal with puppy training and having a large dog which was always the case in past. She loves the world and is so happy. We started training yesterday. Right now we speak a different language.

When looking at the dogs available it was amazing how many pit mixes there were. My guess is 8 out of 10. This was an adoption group that heads out to save animals on a kill list at shelters. They bring them in and have adoption fairs every weekend, foster those who do not get adopted.

The pit mixes were being adopted like crazy, they were cute puppies. It surprised me that so many people were there and the amount of pits taken home. My hope is whatever breed is adopted, or bought, the owners are aware of the need for training and understanding the responsibility they have agreed to. Of course we know this will not be the case with every owner, a puppy can change the world, so cute, until they become adults and with bad habits. Many times they are delegated to live outside, possibly chained, with less and less human interaction. All due to not wanting to take full responsibility.

It saddens me to know that the truth with many of these dogs is they will go back to being up for adoption again. I'm not special, nor do I have great training skills. Just a love for animals and wish so much the others will have good homes. I hope my new little gal will have what she needs in spite of me...the human.

Two doors down from my son’s townhome is a typical example of a pit owner around here. He is in his early to mid-twenties, single and borderline if not a full-fledged delinquent. His dog is around two, male and non-nurtured. I recently found out the dog is not updated on rabies or other shots. I would say the owner is clueless except we have all voiced our opinions on training and a vet trip. Someone recently called animal control so it seems he is being forced into shot updates. Last I met him and his dog the dog was friendly but excitable and I had to yell at the owner because the dog kept trying to jump up and nearly shredded my legs in the process. He thinks loving his dog is enough. Typical! The immediate neighbor to his left is disgusted because the dog half ate all the blinds on the road facing windows and it is very unsightly. I will not be the least bit surprised if the dog ends up in a shelter as above all the owner cannot afford the vet bills…again typical. I feel this pit could have been a nice pet with proper training as the owner did at least have the dog socialized around other dogs and people. However, the dog has no socially acceptable manners. So, I’m sure at some point the dog will end up in the pound. Such a sad vicious cycle for many large breeds but especially pits. If only there were a mandatory certified training class attached to the buying of or the adopting of large breeds. I think if one could not afford the mandatory training and certification at the new owner’s expense it would drastically cut down on clueless ownership. If you cannot afford the training you cannot afford the vet bills. Plus people might “get” that they have to put in some time to their pet and just love is not enough.

There is just no excuse for no shots and no spay/neuter. Our local humane society has programs for low-cost or free shots and spay/neuter, but people don't take advantage of them.

In my old townhouse the people next door who were a total piece of work themselves had a cocker spaniel that was really aggressive. The dog nearly bit me multiple times and bit someone visiting in one of the other units.

Owning a pet is an emotional, time, and financial obligation, but too many people don't get this. They just see the cute puppy/kitten.

It's just sad there are soooo many Pits out there who end up in shelters due to irresponsible owners.

As a kid, a fair number of people had German Shepherds, but I never remember any problem with them. A college friend had a Rottweiler who was really a great dog. She would even bring her to visit my parents.

We have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood, but owners seem to be fairly responsible.

If someone can help me understand, there seem to be pit bulls and then pit bulls. Petey from the Little Rascals was a "pit bull" and he looked more like this dog:

But now there seem to be what look like pit bulls on steroids and look like nothing but muscle and teeth like this dog:

Are they the same breed?

That is a familiar dog face these days.

What is it with our society that we need threatening dogs that can kill and guns in our homes? A good barker used to be enough.

What a sad shame for these poor animals.

Annie - that's the difference in an American pitbull bred for companion dog reasons versus a hybrid pitbull raised with a focus on guard dog, or worse yet, fighting dog reasons. The later were at some point in the hereditary line usually crossed with other breeds to get that huge head and fighting build. The other problem is there is the American pitbull and the american staffordshire terrier which most people consider pitbulls. But then some people also consider the bull terrier and staffordshire terrier pitbulls. So there are atleast 4 distinct breeds which get lumped under pitbull. Then as I mentioned some "pits" are actually highly stylize dogs with genetics mixed in from the Presa Canario, the Cane Corso, the Dogo Argentino, the Bullmastiff, the Dogue de Bordeaux, the Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. These dogs are often sold as purebred am staff or am. Pit bull but somewhere in the genetic lineage they were beefed up with cross breeding. It is often those hybrids that are the ones that attack etc as they have the strongest fighting instincts.

Sorry. My husband had pits growing up and he had one while we were dating. I got used to the pointed questions or downright rude lectures about "viscious" animals perfect stranger felt the need to deliver whenever I walked his dog. Yet the dog was a well mannered sweetheart and lived with us until death. We opted not to get another due to homeowners insurance. Yet I still believe if great care is taken in researching a breeder and the puppy is well socialized true pits can be a loyal loving well socialized pet no more likely to attack than a German shepherd.

This post was edited by iheartgiantschnauzer on Sat, Nov 16, 13 at 15:54

It seems young men are drawn to this type of dog, maybe cause it makes them feel bad ass. I'm sure they're not as gentle in their training of the dog, and unfortunately these are the ones that end up in shelters. I know some shelters have a screening process, but not all. Maybe the people working at shelters should 'listen to their gut' and make that judgment call, not allowing anyone to adopt an animal if their radar tells them the person might not be a good candidate.

Thanks for the info iheart...I've never heard of half those breeds. I like dogs, but those pit bulls that are all teeth and muscle just look frightening to me....like a spring loaded mousetrap ready to snap.

I am Facebook friends with a young mom of two precious toddlers.
She is constantly posting pics of her family posing with their two pit bulls.
She also posts and reposts a good bit of commentary that basically says if you think pit bulls are dangerous, you're an idiot.

Every time I see the pics of her two innocent children, I pray that nothing ever happens to change her mind.

Especially since, in a lot of the news stories about these events, the owners say their pit bull was loving and gentle, they did not consider him/her dangerous, and the attack was completely unexpected.

We used to have the most gentle little mutt. He was totally obedient and loved all of us unconditionally. One day he was napping under a table when a friend's kid pounced on him, startling him out of a sound sleep. He whirled around and nipped the kid, just a tiny scratch on his arm.

Just imagine if he had been someone's sweet gentle pit bull and the damaged that could have been done. In my opinion, people are taking too great a risk to bring these "rescues" into their home. They have no idea of the dogs background. even if it is well trained, something could happen like with my dog but the results could be tragic, especially since pit bulls latch on when they bite.

More and more people seem to want these vicious breeds . I thin it is an ego trip. That said, I grew up with three Dobermans who were the best dogs ever, but no stranger could approach our house. Once we gave the dog the signal that this person was okay, they went back to bed or waggled over for a pat on the head. All came from reputable breeders. We met the parents and observed their temperament, and as I said, they were carefully trained.

iheart, my HS friend who now lives in Vegas had a Presa Canario. They had a home burglary, and they got this dog as a result. When one of our other friends from back home visited, he said it was pretty scary since they had to command the dog around anyone who wasn't family. This is a guy who is an avid hunter, so it was surprising he was uncomfortable around the dog.

Gs- presas are one of 4 breeds I just don't trust. I'm not surprised to hear your hunter friend was uneasy around the dog. It's sad to admit my prejudices regarding presas. But it was a breed that while once used in the farm is now primarily used for fighting. They have a tendency to challenge and become anti social after the age of 2. So while people think they have a sweet puppy, once the dog reaches maturity it begins to challenge the owner to reestablish a pack order and/or can become very cautious around strangers or kids. The presa maturation tendency combined with the long line of breeding for fighting concerns me. I just don't trust them. Yet I would trust a traditional am staffordshire or am pitbull terrier around my kid. However i would not trust my son with a "pit on steroids" that looks like it was crossed with a presa or dogo somewhere along the line.

As said before, regardless of how sweet a dog I believe I have, she would never be left alone with anyone. Human visitors are as unknown in personality as a dog is in various situations. It is wise not to take a chance and sad we are at a point of animal ownership to bring about this caution and fear.

Gail, sadly the dog parks have headed downhill. Ours was selected as the Dog Park of the US. Now though, try and find an exact owner to dog. They found that dogs were being left there alone while owners went shopping. How far can ignorance go?

And I am cautious about walking too. We have a leash law, but people are all over walking with 2 and sometimes 3 dogs (depending upon size) off leash. It doesn't matter how well they are trained....anything could cause them to get hit by a car, I have to swerve around them on the street driving home...no sidewalks here. And if not looking could drive into dog and owner. They can run up to anyone, bark at nonsense. I just don't appreciate any breed running up to me and freedom does not mean you can do as you please.

Mail carriers unite. No mail will be delivered here if a carrier is considered unsafe to do so and shouldn't be expected to. This reminds me of a telephone guy on my property. He told me that they had a significant increase in dog bites and found it was the leather belts they wore. A change to cloth reduced this. There are other service people put in jeopardy too.

As a whole, we are exposed to so much irresponsibility... this conversation could go further to texting while driving, walking into me while on the phone and not paying attention to anything else around (I'm too old to fall on the pavement, even children are at risk), etc. "Excuse me, I'm sorry"...oh, they were talking to someone else on the phone, not me. I may also be too old to accept the changes in our world.

Cannot fathom the pain the woman must have and the future she will be dealing with. Let us all hope that what is known is a small percentage compared to the wise on this thread.