Pit bulls, or our favorite family dog
When I rescued a black and white mass of wriggling puppy 6 years ago, I never imagined that I would be propelled into the firestorm of a political fight to maintain the right to own my dog. Reef is an American Pit Bull Terrier, and she personifies what the breed should be. She is a stable and predictable dog; friendly to humans, and other dogs (unless they have no manners, and then she reminds them with her voice, not her teeth, how she expects them to behave). I couldn’t ever ask for more in a dog, and I know that many other APBT owners feel the same way, yet there is a growing movement looking to ban the dogs we love (as well as numerous others).
Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is defined as any law, ordinance or policy that affects a specific dog breed or breeds, but does not affect any others. Common targets for BSL are pit bulls, other bull breeds with similar physical characteristics, and Rottweilers. Under this legislation, breeds deemed as dangerous to the public may be required to be muzzled in public, neutered, or banned completely. While supporters of such laws feel the need to protect the public from breeds that are stereotypically believed to be aggressive, most of these beliefs are based on unscientific theories about genetics (as in, pit bulls have the “crazy” gene) or negative associations with people who have used such dogs for fighting, etc.
There is no difference in the DNA of a pit bull and that of a Chihuahua (beyond that which makes the first weigh about 10 times as much as the second, of course). There is often no way to prove that a dog is or is not one of the breeds that falls under the guidelines of the ban. The term ”pit bull type dog” has been used in some of these laws- that description could apply to anything from a boxer to a mastiff. While I could go on and on about this subject, the fact is, we need to judge every dog by their individual behavior, not by their assumed traits. For each “vicious” dog of a certain breed, I could direct you to 10 wonderful, loving family pets.
As my favorite sweatshirt says: “judge the deed, not the breed.”
We recommend: clearance items at SitStay.comRelated Articles
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
Just like everything else there’s a bell curve that represents the entire population. While a few of those individuals may fall the more docile end of the curve, the fact is that as a group pitbulls and other dangerous breeds are involved in more violent attacks. Statistics show this and that is why insurance companies are cancelling homeowners policies for those owning these and other breeds deemed as more dangerous.
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
Generally, a pitbull is a ticking timebomb, so why would anyone want to own one of these dogs, have these kinds of dogs around children, or for any other reason?
If we wait to judge every dog on it’s individual behavior as you suggest then we wait until someone is seriously injured or killed. That should not be an option. I’m fundamentally against government becoming more involved in our lives but this is a good example of people not being able to police themselves with sound, logical judgement.
February 23rd, 2007 at 11:51 am
The information at http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html is meaningless at best.
“According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question.”
When you lump together “pit bulls” and “pit bull mixes” - essentially redundant designations that encompass a large population of mutts, along with another popular breed, Rottweilers you get just over 50% of serious dog attacks. This is a surprise? A pit bull is in the eye of the beholder, and when that eye is a news reporter or a policemen, it’s usually the dog that just bit someone.
The statistics regarding children are also misleading. Most serious dog attacks are on children. Period.
And as for “the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question” in whose judgement was that? The same people whom you do not trust to police themselves? If you take away their pit bulls do you think they will go get a goldfish or another dog to chain out in the yard all day? Will we be arguing over banning their German Shepherds in a few years, just like our parents did in the 1970’s?
I agree 100% about people lacking sound judgement. That’s why it’s so easy to get them to support banning dangerous dogs instead of coming up with a real solution to dog attacks.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Eric makes some good points about such statistics.
Judging the relative aggression of any dog should happen long before that dog attacks some other animal or person. Aggressive and violent tendencies are overt and easily noticed, not latent qualities that unexpectedly manifest one day.
Dogs, just like children, reflect and are shaped by the adults that raise them. If someone wants a guard dog who will attack, they will probably, regardless of breed, get such a dog (or a terrified dog who might bite out of fear). People looking for dogs for that purpose, or worse for fighting, tend to choose bull breeds because of their physiology and strength, not because of some imagined ingrained violent quality.
I will say that there are some dogs, just like some people, who are idiopathically aggressive- they are violent and dangerous without reason, and it cannot be traced to learned behavior or upbringing. In those cases, I’m not opposed to any of the various degrees that can be taken to deal with such animals (including euthanasia). However, the VAST majority of animals grouped in with bull/rottweiler types do not have that quality, and when raised as good dogs, will be good dogs.
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:06 pm
I agree that we (and our dogs) are certainly influenced by our own environment. That does not change the fact that pitbulls have historically been bred to fight. To suggest that as a group pit bulls are just as safe as other breeds and to suggest there is no difference between breeds genetically is a false statement.
Very soon there will be a DNA test to distinquish breed make-up and yes, German Shepherd Dogs along with several others will also be on the list of more scrutinized.
Specifically with Pitbulls, as a group they are inheritantly dangerous and predisposed to inflicting a lot of damage when they do attack.
The basic question is as simple as “are better off with or without a seatbelt in our cars?” I suppose you will be able to find a situation or two where a person may have suffered less injury had they been thrown from a vehicle.
We need to ask the question, “Are we are better off with more or less pitbulls in the world?”
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
“We need to ask the question, “Are we are better off with more or less pitbulls in the world?” ”
I tripped over this today:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6387361.stm
“A five-year-old girl from Merseyside was killed by a pit bull terrier-type dog recently, and hospital admissions for dog bites have doubled in 10 years.
NHS figures show that 4,133 people were admitted to hospital last year suffering dog bites, almost double the number in 1996. More than a fifth were children under nine.”
The United Kingdom effectively outlawed Pit Bulls in 1991.
The ban is not working there. Partially because it is very difficult to ban something you can’t define, which makes it an unproductive distraction (see my blog for some ruminations on that), and partly because banning breeds does not address irresponsible owners.
So to answer your question, it seems to be either a wash, or maybe the UK was better off without the false sense of security that a breed ban gave them?
February 23rd, 2007 at 3:48 pm
P.S. As far as the genetic test goes, if the gov’t was willing to spend $25 - $50 a dog in order to help prevent dog attacks, then they wouldn’t be so eager to go for a quick fix “feel good” solution like a breed ban.
February 23rd, 2007 at 5:02 pm
“We need to ask the question, “Are we are better off with more or less pitbulls in the world?”
The answer is “less”.
The issue of irresponsible dog owners is actually compounded by allowing them to propagate dangerous dogs instead of having them spayed or neutered.
In this specific case the dog has been documented by its owner as an AMERICAN PITBULL TERRIER along with a picture of what appears to be a litter of more pitbulls. This would actually be a very easy case for a prosecuter to solve which could result in heavy fines and possibly jail time.
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:11 pm
On the issue of breeding and “propagating” dangerous dogs:
I’m firmly in support of required spaying and neutering for all dogs purchased or adopted as companion animals, with the option for ethical breeders to get licensed to breed and type of dog, including pitbulls. Breeding dogs at home without thorough knowledge of the breed, or worse, with the intention of raising them to be overly protective and aggressive, is a big problem. Not just for pit bulls, or rottweilers, or other “aggressive” dogs, and not just because of the potential for training such dogs to be violent. This method of creating dogs often results in dogs with unnecessary health problems, which are dogs that will be abandoned because they aren’t useful to the people who bred them.
The issue of genetics vs. environment is certainly up for debate, and there are not clear answers right now. However, I don’t think it’s coincidence that people who have studied dogs and know more about them than the average dog lover are also people who defend the “pit bull types” as dogs, and condemn the negative environments they may be raised in.
February 23rd, 2007 at 6:27 pm
“That does not change the fact that pitbulls have historically been bred to fight.”
Yes, “Pit Bulls” (which are not even a recognized breed as far as the AKC is concerned, so once again we have to distinguish exactly WHAT registry we’re talking about when catagorizing a dog as a “Pit Bull) were bred to fight- dogs and bulls. Not humans. Human aggression in these dogs is and always was considered and unforgivable fault. The dogmen who bred these animals for fighting had to be hands on and step in to break apart fights - this left no room for human aggression. Behind each of the dog attacks you see on the news was an irresponsible individual- dig a little further into their backgrounds and often you will find criminal records, child abuse and other cases of animal abuse. Should INNOCENT animals (the ones who have shown stable and sound temperaments for the entirety of their lives) suffer because of their actions?
To pass a law that proposes the banning/destruction of a type of dog because of their appearance is the same argument that those who support racial profiling use to justify their actions. “Well, he looked like a group who we believe statistically has more of a chance to commit a crime, so we decided to pull him over, off this plane (etc) because there is a POSSIBILITY he might be dangerous (even though he never did anything to make us think that, except exist.”
BSL is discriminatory; it targets huge numbers of “law abiding” dogs in order to weed out a handful of offenders.
March 29th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
The problem is not the pit bull, it’s the pit bull owners who raise the dog to be mean and fight or they just simply neglect the dog and then find trouble down the road. Outlawing the breed is like saying we should outlaw black men. It’s a proven fact that a majority of crime is committed by black men. Not just minor crimes, but major crimes. We all know this is true, but did you ever ask your self why? The answer is simple, look how most black children are raised and look at the enviroment that they are brought up in. Inter-city projects are a training ground for violent criminals (oh by the way guess what the most popular pet is in the inter-city projects) who have no real supervision. Put any dog in that kind of situation and see what you get.
Like I said the problem is not the pet, it’s the owner who is in charge of the pet. We should start cracking down even harder on the pit bull owners and for that matter anyone who owns a dog who can’t seem to find common sence and raise a dog with the proper care.
So I say to Angela Davison, we need more pit bulls and less dumb ass pit bull owners. Don’t blame the innocent dog on the guilty owner.
April 21st, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Hmmm…so the possibility that a dog ‘might’ attack and cause serious harm is enough to justify banning them? That’s going to be tough, since there are a lot of breeds that have the capacity to do serious damage.
Let’s take the (Very flawed) CDC statistics for an example, even as flawed as they are.
“Pit Bulls” are responsible for 76 deaths in 20 years according to the study. That averages out to 3.8 deaths -per year-.
Okay.
In 2004, there were approximately 1,117 children that died by neglect and/or abuse at the hands of their own parents, according to the Admistration for Children and Families. That averages out to 3 -per day-.
Shall we ban parents too?
April 25th, 2007 at 12:20 am
“Very soon there will be a DNA test to distinquish breed make-up and yes, German Shepherd Dogs along with several others will also be on the list of more scrutinized.”
I just wanted to reiterate that as of this point, NO DNA test can determine the breed of a dog.
July 30th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
For anyone who has something negative to say about pitbulls,shephards,mastiffs, etc..Have you ever owned a Pit bull? Have you ever owned a German Shephard? A Rottweiler, or an American Bulldog?
How can you speak about what you dont know? Based on statistics you read from another individual that has no idea what they are talking about? I have met more aggressive Pomeranians and Poodles than I have these breeds. How anyone can say that they are a “dangerous” dog disgusts me.
“a pitbull is a ticking timebomb, so why would anyone want to own one of these dogs, have these kinds of dogs around children, or for any other reason?” …. To Angela I say - what are you talking about????
Too many people talking based purely on prejudice.
August 24th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Icompletely agree with you about the comment of “Judge the deed not the breed.” My grandfather raised dogs and he knows alot, but one thing I don’t agree with him about is he believes in the evil or crazy gene too.
I say that it’s not the dog…it’s the trainer. If someone doesn’t know how to raise a dog to be respectful and mind all the time then they shouldn’t raise a dog at all. Because of all the other people who are into the dog fighting and raising ferocious guard dogs, we the ones who love and care for them are being punished and our dogs being ridiculed just for their breed.
If you think about it’s the same as saying African-Americans were inferior to whites or anyother race. It just isn’t right for a dog to be judged that way. Just like us, they don’t ask to be a certain kind of breed or color or so forth.
Pitbulls, Rottweillers, Huskies, and other dogs that are known for bad reputations are among my very favorite breeds of dogs. I have an extremely strong opinion about how people can think that the breed is what makes the dog mean. It’s not as I’ve said it is the trainer, the owner, not the dog!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s all I’ve got to say about that.
August 24th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
ive always been told by people that pitbulls were all very mean. so when my brother brought one home. at first i wasnt very fond of it. then it grown into being my best friend. she was everything i ever asked for in a dog. she was smart. listened. and behaved. she was the nicest dog i ever had. and it kills me to hear people say there harmful. when really your dog becomes what you are. if you are mean. your dog will be mean. if you are lazy your dog will be lazy it doesnt matter what breed it is. its just the people only read the bad stories. theses dogs have the greatest power. there just never given the opportunity to show it.
September 8th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
I agree with the last 6 responses. People that think that pit bulls are mean need to do some research and learn about them.
September 24th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I used to look at pit bull’s as a “ticking time bomb”, but that’s before I rescued a pit bull puppy from the dog pound. I’ve had him for two years and he’s never displayed any aggressions toward me nor anyone else of that matter. He share’s his food with my three years old sister, she can’t go two feet close to my lab’s or my golden retriever’s food bowl. Don’t judge the dog for what their owners trust them..The only thing my Pit has ever done is completely steal my heart. Don’t judge this breed if you’ve never owned one for your self.
October 8th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I can honestly say that before my brother brought home a pit bull puppy I was somewhat iffy about the bread. As I have watcher her grow (which she is still in the process of doing)I have grown to love and have alot of respect for pit bull breeds. Her mother and father are both very kind dogs and never attacked anyone.I know that people think they are dangerous, and maybe some of them are but I believe it is mostly stereotypical. I compare pitbull attacks to things such as a celebrity going to jail, if it was any unfamous person not many people would care, but because they are famous it draws alot of attention to them. Pit bull attacks are the same way, if any other dog were to attack a person no one would really care but on the other hand when a pit bull attacks someone it draws alot of attention and contraversy just because of the breed. I also believe that the environment of pit bulls has alot to do with the way they turn out, bring them up in a good home around alot of people and dogs and I’m sure they will be just fine. People above me saying negative comments about pit bulls, get one, and I promise you will fall in love with them.
[IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e114/ams5291/dogs092.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e114/ams5291/dogs018.jpg[/IMG]
October 16th, 2007 at 12:52 am
Stereotypically and statistically, ex cons are far more dangerous than pit bulls. Maybe we should focus on “putting them to sleep” first.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I think what bothers me the most is the fact that if they were to ban a dog in the united states, what would then happen to that breed? Would they actually allow them to simply fall off the face of the earth? My point is…they are always talking about endangered species, and that we should help them to survive. Simply put, they might as well ask or simply declare that they want to make this species endangered. No, it’s not a whale or a bald eagle or some other mammal that’s about to fall off the face of the earth…but damnit it’s just as important!
Statistics show that pitbulls have more dog attacks and deaths. Why? Simply because of the breed and what they’ve been made into. 80% is the actual figure of the breed of dog that is the most aggresive with children and child/adult attacks. And do you know what breed that is? Not pitbull! It happends to be German Shephard. Which is why there was a huge thing about banning them as well. You simply don’t get as much of the media on these attacks as you do pitbulls. Because of the breeds. I’m a huge doglover. I’ve owned pretty much mostly large dogs my entire life. Pitbulls, Rottweilers, German Shephards, Mastiffs…ect ect. And out of all of those dogs, which one do you think attacked me as a child? None. It was my neighbors Collie that bit me and took a chunk out of my leg. I never pulled it’s tail or ears, or poked it or anything. It simply just snapped. Possibly out of fear. I don’t know. All I know is, it is most certainly how you raise your dog. If your cruel enough to leave your dog chained up all day outside absolutely famished with no food and no water. Yeah, it probably will attack someone. What’s worse is…it would then be your fault, but the dog would suffer the fate of death. And in cases like that, I wish it was the owner getting the same fate. People who fight any breed. Doesn’t matter what it is…it will 90% of the time attack or kill another animal or human being. It could be a pitbull or a chihuahua.
In my own personal opinion, I believe pitbulls to be the biggest babies of all breeds. With the sweetest dispositions. Very hardy dogs. And are absolutely awesome if trained properly.
October 19th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
This issue is very dear to my heart, of the dozens of pit bulls I have met, I have yet to encounter one that is violent or aggressive. I was at my friends house with my Pit, Billy last week when I realized it was a little too quiet. My friend’s 4 year old daughter took Billy up to her room and dressed him as a princess! When I found them in her room, he was completely calm and complacent about being dressed in a purple tutu and tiara.
I believe that distinguishing a particular breed as violent and evil is no different than doing the same with human ethnicities. If statistically more African Americans are involved in violent crimes, are they innately bad? Banning a breed seems reminiscent of the holocaust when “evil and subversive” Jews were banned from eastern European society and subsequently murdered.
If trained and socialized accordingly Labradors can be deadly, and Pit Bulls can be trained as service dogs.
Neglectful and abusive owners are the only demographic that should be punished for their existence!
-Carina and Billy
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
I thank you so much for putting this up. Really, I appreciate it. My family has always owned a pit. My mom had a pit when I was a baby, when I was a young kid, and all the way through my teenage years. Now I have a pitbull, and I really hate how lately they’ve been getting this horrible label of being a nasty dog. It’s all in how you raise them, nothing more.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
PITS ARE THE PROBLEM ITS THE OWNERS FAULT. I HAVE A PIT AND SHE IS NOT AGGRESIVE AT ALL YOU CAN PULL ON HER LAY ON HER. ANY DOGS JUST AS AGGREAIVE AS THE NEXT.WHEN YOU PLAY WITH HER SHELL ACT LIKE SHES GOING TO BITE YOU BUT SHE LICKS YOU IN STEAD.
October 26th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
IT ASSHOLE LIKE VICK THAT GIVE PITS A BAD NAME
LIKE THEY SAY:
PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED!!!!
October 27th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
The points noted below show that APBT’s, Rotts, and Presas are at the top of the list for DBRF and maulings. It also points out that most bites occur to the face and that it is primarily to small boys. Please take a look at those three things before writing these breeds off as “ticking time bombs.” Every single dog needs structure and a calming environment, as noted by the case of the pomeranian killing an infant. However, the child needs as much if not more structure and guidance. The reason bites to the face of small boys happen more often than any other is because they get in the face of the dog and antagonize it. If the child is not told what not to do around a dog the child runs a high risk of injury from any breed. These three breeds mentioned stand out simply because of their raw power and speed, certainly not their tempermant. People own dogs for companions, a properly handled and trained dog of any breed can become a great companion. Please see http://www.atts.org and look for yourself at the nature of the animal before you judge them.
November 10th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
it is true that pit bulls arent mean, they are nice, but when their owns train them bad thats why everybody says bad thngs about them. its not fair to them that they get killed, because their owners treat them badly and train then badly. so dont think all pits are bad…they arent, if u think they are its not their fault blame their owners. my neighbors have a pit. her name is tabby, she is the nicest dog u will ever meet. i go over their everyday almost and when i go over there i always have to play with that dog. they have another dog, and its a cocker spaniel, those dogs play all the time, and tabby never gets aggressive, she is always calm, i have never seen that dog be mean. she is always nice…and thats because they trained her good….they didnt try to make her bad….the sad thing is this: the owners have heard so many bad things about pits that they were thinkin about putting her down. but they havent and im glad…..
November 28th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
i really like pitbulls they are really nice jogs its just that people train them to be mean.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I grew up with 2 Rotweilers that were extremely well behaved. I would imagine someone could have broken into our house and Cindy (female Rotty) would have licked the person to death. I never imagine owning a Pit-bull and my wife who grew up with Shelties refused to own a dog larger than 30 pounds. Well, we rescued a pit-bull puppy a few months ago and WOW how our views have changed. She is only 6 months, but is extremely well behaved. We take her to the local dog park a few times a week and she plays very well with all breeds and sizes of dogs. We also have her around many people and children. The most viscious thing she does is lick them and roll over to get her belly scratched. I do believe if you own a larger dog you really need to dedicated the time and effort to adequately train and socialize them. I have seen too many pit-bulls and other “dangerous” breeds that are chained up in someones front lawn, and are obviously not trained or socialized. What do you think is going to happen when a dog like that gets loose and someone starts to run from them? Not going to be good. But that same thing could happen with a lab or golden retreiver under the same circumstances. I have many many pit-bulls since we adopted Lily and the majority of them have been very nice, but as stereotyped I have met a few that were more of a power symbol for their owner who puts spiked collars on them and wants them to be tough and mean. I would recommend getting a pit-bull, rotweiler,German sheppard, etc to anyone ONLY if they can commit to the time and effort it takes to properly train, excercise, and socialize them.
December 9th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
train your dog. socalize your dog! attacks would be less common if people would actually care about their dogs. there are pits that have gone their whole lives never biting a person. it’ all about knowing what to do with a dog! ANY dog can bite! ANY dog can be mean! BAN them all if your going to ban a few. If you ban certain ones then your going to notice a rise in other dog bites, then those dogs will be banned and so on.
December 14th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
I love pit bulls, and I’m so glad you did this. I’ve never had one, it’s illegal to have them here but I do not believe all of them are as bloodthirsty as people make them sound. German shepherds are responsible for more attacks than pit bulls and they haven’t brought up as much controversy…
December 31st, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Pitbulls are wonderful family dogs if properly trained.
Maybe instead of banning the dogs, cities could come up with a licensing system. If you’re not willing to get the training, you don’t get to have the dog. End of story.
That’s a quick way to distinguish the “evil, aggressive” OWNERS from perfectly good dogs.
January 8th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I’ve had large dogs all my life pitts, rotts, german shepherds, chows, dobermans, all the dogs people say will turn on you. No dog of mine has ever bit me or harmed me or my family in any way. It is how you raise and treat the animal that makes the animal. If you take a child and leave it unattended it will be wild and uncontrollable. People that cannot raise children to be productive, caring, members of a community do not need an animal to raise. If you don’t want dogs attacking people or other animals you should have to take a test to decide if you will be a responsible owner, and for that matter maybe you should have to take a test before you become a parent.
January 14th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Hi. I stumbled across your blog while doing a search on Google. The week of Christmas I was visiting family in Arkansas. A good friend of the family is the vet for the local humane society and does lots of rescues. She had been called by a deputy that had seen 5 puppies on the side of the road shoved in a bird cage with no food or water. She went to get them and was able to save them all. They were all severly malnourished and dehydrated as you can imagine. My sister from AZ was wanting to adopt a “smallish” dog for her 13 y/o daughter and I was wanting to find a companion for our Pembroke Welsh Corgi. We went to the rescue farm to see them and fell in love with those sweet faces. We were told that they were most likely rat terrier mix (I think they were going by the mask that 3 of them had) and their general appearance, but the more I look at our girl Sparkle, I think she may be a APBT mix. Here’s a link to a picture of her on imageshack. Could anyone advise as to if they think she could be an APBT mix? Thanks
Sparkle is the red/white and my sister’s girl is the black/white.
http://img179.imageshack.us/my.php?image=arkansasdec07177wf7.jpg
January 15th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO LOVES PIT BULLS!!
January 16th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Also, to respond to Jill…Yes! It could be that your little girl is a Pit Bull mix. This is exactly what my baby looked like when he was that age! Have fun with her!!
January 31st, 2008 at 3:02 pm
The recognition of this breed as great companions if trained properly and raised in a family home setting is excellent. It’s terrible the way negative attention is brought to certain animals through media attention. Also in response to Angela Davison - your comments are very uneducated and judgemental, and FYI those are way too small to be APB pups, and are clearly Chihuahua as is mentioned in the article.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:05 am
[...] unofficial mascot of Georgetown University was a mixed breed dog named “Stubby”. An American Pit Bull Terrier/ Boston Terrier mix, Stubby was quite a famous hero during WWI. A great deal of time passed after [...]
February 9th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Wow, I got my dog from the animal rescue league here in iowa about two years ago. and She looks identical to this dog here… even the pink noes is the same. And the discription of how she behaves fits her to a T.
They are a wonderful and amazing dog. Athena is very much so a lap dog and loves little kids. I had a 5 year old stay with me for 7 months and they played every day, never even a growl from the puppy when playing.
February 13th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
[...] I had a dog in Mexico. It was a pitbull. Pitbulls are a great dog to have actually. And they quickly moved into being one of my all time favorite breeds because of [...]
February 18th, 2008 at 9:34 am
i dont own a pitty, but handled plenty to know the fact that they are NOT dangerous dogs.
Hang your head in shame to those who don’t know how to look after their dog properly. you have caused a bad name for the poor Pitty.
Excellent blog. Beautiful pictures.
February 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
[...] dog, a Pit Bull Terrier named Booger, passed away 18 months ago. The owner said that she wants to attempt the cloning [...]
February 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am
[...] is a two year-old American Pitbull Terrier. She was adopted last year from a shelter. Georgia lives the good life now–she’s got [...]
February 21st, 2008 at 7:01 am
[...] Adorable. Not much else to be said. Note that the dog in the video is a Pit Bull [...]
February 24th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I own a Pit Bull and a Pit Bull Black Lab Mix. It’s funny how everytime I encounter another Pit Bull owner all we do is talk about how unfounded the the stereotype against pit bulls is and how wonderfull the dogs are.
When I was a kid we had to get rid of our beagle because it was a nasty dog who bit. This beagle would seriously have torn apart a Pit Bull or Rotweiller. I’ve also seen very nasty, very powerfull Golden retreivers before.
It has to do with upbringing and genetic pre-disposition(in other words was some iresponsible puppy mill breader in-breeding dogs of the same breed to make money).
February 28th, 2008 at 11:05 am
[...] Wheaton Terrier. You get to feel powerful as people cower away from you and the Rottweiler or Pit Bull you’re walking (though you know in truth they are big babies). And you get to hear the [...]
March 1st, 2008 at 1:38 am
[...] Justice, an adorable black and white Pit Bull, was the star of the Rachel Ray show this past Friday. Johnny served as the spokesdog for BADRAP [...]
March 1st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
[...] by Miguel Andrade You Wanna Know A Secret? - This kitty has something very top-secret to tell his Pit Bull friend. Photo by April [...]
March 13th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
[...] whole Pit Bull idea,but to settle my own fears,(and my boyfriend got one). I now own a 11 week old Pit Bull Terrier. I love him to death. I have been reading for the last week on how to train them on being NICE and [...]
March 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
[...] of my favorite Pit Bulls, a rescue dog named Georgia, got herself into quite a bit of trouble a few weeks ago. She decided [...]
March 17th, 2008 at 3:05 am
To Angela and Eric: The reason Pit Bulls are supposedly attacking more often is because of bad owners who abuse them and train them to kill. Also the media is far more likely to report a Pit Attack than a Golden Lab or anything else. I have only heard of two attacks by other dogs in the last 5 years do you really think that means Only Pit bulls have been attacking? Of course not in fact the only times I was ever bitten or attacked by dogs they were German Shepard mixes. I am not so dumb as to say that all shepards are bad, Our neighbors dog broke my nose standing up to take a treat from me. He was a huge German Shepard who weighted well over 100lbs and was around 5′8″ on his hind legs. I never blamed him for that although I know some people would’ve sued. But I have insurance and never needed to go to the hospital anyway. Any dog can go nuts and they are way more likely to do so when they are Beaten, fed Gun Powder and deprived of any real food. You should know what fighting pit bulls go through to make them that way before you start smarting off about how awful they are. Pit Bulls are great dogs and I have never ever met a mean one, Not even once, Not a snarl or growl Ever. I have probably known over 200 Pit bulls in my life and if there’s one thing I know it’s that I would choose a Bull as a pet over any other breed any day.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
If there is such a percentage indeed as i read a lot of you say then why is it that you blame the dogs?Why not look at how they we’re raised?But all i know is that most Pittbulls that i got into contact with including my baby which died 3months ago we’re the best breed that i have ever seen,I live in Aruba so they are not banned yet…But there is some that want a law against the also so i hope for all the pittbull lover’s that you won’t give up!
March 20th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
[...] of misinformation in the above statement. So much that I shared it with a friend of mine and fellow Pit Bull advocate. What follows is her [...]
March 24th, 2008 at 7:02 am
[...] Pit Bull is quite the [...]
March 26th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I’ve encountered dozens and dozens of breeds as a dog fosterer. My favorite foster dog is still my Lab-Pitt boy because he was the loyalest, goofiest, warm-hearted sissybear I ever encountered. He had been about a year and a half when they found him on the side of the highway. Judging by his first couple weeks with us, he never had proper training - no housetraining, no obedience training, probably very little human interaction and even less dog socializing. He can’t speak for the entire breed but I’m not exaggerating when I say Sammy did not have an evil bone in his body. Unsure what kind of family would adopt him, I made sure to expose him to all sorts of environments and people and he never approached a situation with aggressive behavior. He was eager to learn and what he didn’t understand right away, he made up for with enthusiastic goofiness that melted my heart. Why would anyone want less of him around? Certainly not the man who adopted him. We did the two month check up after Sammy’s adoption and the man and his 10 year old daughter love him to pieces. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having more dogs like Sammy in the world.
I specialized in large-breed fostering and surprisingly, the only dog that bit me was my smallest foster - a 35 lb female bloodhound. Doesn’t fit the assumed stereotype that bloodhounds just sleep and lay around all the time, does it? I’m not trying to point the finger on another breed. This particular dog had a history of food aggression and was passed on to me as a last resort to keep her in the foster system since others tried to work with her and failed. Sure there are some dogs with a distrust so innate that they can attack but the chances of that being a spontaneous act is slim to none. It is more likely that attacking is a learned behavior they picked up from a bad trainer.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:04 am
[...] Pit Bull is having a great time looking for her squeaky rubber chicken! She looks so happy when she discovers [...]
April 19th, 2008 at 8:00 am
[...] Pit Bull looks like she had a great time playing and is expressing her appreciation of all the [...]
April 28th, 2008 at 7:03 am
[...] Schnauzer has an ice cube stuck to his beard. His Pit Bull and Boston Terrier pals want to help him out, but they seem a bit confused by his [...]
May 1st, 2008 at 8:00 am
[...] adorable Pit Bull Pup is going to inflict some chewing revenge on this Michael Vick chew [...]
May 7th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
[...] of his vehicle. Walter Witthoeft went to top off some fluids when he was greeted by a very cranky Pit Bull. The dog had somehow gotten stuck inside the engine of the Pickup and had gnawed through wires, [...]
May 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am
[...] media has done Pit Bulls and other Bully breeds a huge disservice. Almost every decade a new breed is vilified by the media- [...]
May 26th, 2008 at 7:03 am
[...] Pit Bull beats 4 kids at Simon [...]
May 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am
[...] Stubby was the Pit Bull hero of World War I. He enlisted in the most unlikely of circumstances, wandering onto Yale [...]
June 21st, 2008 at 7:01 am
[...] Pit Bull and a crew of chicks cool off in the pool on a hot [...]
August 12th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
[...] of the Pit Bulls rescued from the now infamous fighting ring run by former NFL star, Michael Vick, will be featured [...]
August 18th, 2008 at 3:15 am
[...] have you considered a Pit Bull? While some breeders are producing gargantuan dogs of over 100 pounds and calling them “Pit [...]
August 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
[...] been using backpacks with Reef, my Pit Bull, for years. She’s used to wearing them and gets very excited when she sees a pack coming out. [...]
September 10th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
[...] a 6 year old Pit Bull seized from Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring in Virginia has a whole new battle on his plate. [...]
September 18th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
My Grandmother was given a lab (rescue) that her youngest son decided he didn’t want anymore, and that dog was honestly the most vicious dog I have ever encountered! She would growl at first to warn you then if you ignored her warning she would charge you! The mail lady (who was in a car) reported the dog many times because of the dog trying to get her threw her car! So do I think all LABS should be banned UH NO, I think that poor dog was just old and pissed at the world for the fact she hadn’t had the best life and finally found someone to love her and was protecting her home! I was raised with a PIT BULL who was the biggest baby to everyone, he wasn’t even a good watch dog he didn’t bark at people when they came to our house he just shook his whole back half and tried to lick them! My dad had heard enough of our neighbor complaining about “Butch” getting out of our yard, when you couldn’t drag him out of our yard (we had an electric fence all the way around our yard and he was shocked by it one time when we first got him and never crossed it again!) in fact it was a stray Pit who’s tail hadn’t been docked! Who he said was chasing his cats and pooping in his yard so my Dad found Butch a new home and within 6 months he had grieved himself to death! They had an autopsy done and there was no other reason medically why he passed!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
A few years back a neighbor had a vicious German Shepherd who could not be trusted. They had had the dog since a puppy and told me the dog had never been abused. My own observation’s of the family’s loving interactions with and care of the animal convinced me this was true.
The dog bit my hand, one day, without provocation. She snapped at my hand and released it immediately, leaving only a small puncture wound. Therein lies the difference between a German Shepherd bite and a Pit Bull bite. A Pit Bull has been bred to have extremely powerful jaws and is predisposed to hang on when attacking. I would be lucky to have a hand left to use had I been bitten by a pit bull rather than the german shepherd. This is what makes a Pit Bull inherently more dangerous.
I heard an owener of a Pit Bull talk about how gentle her dog was. All the neighbor children played with it. Then, one day, her best friend’s five year old son backed the dog into a corner, ‘barking’ at the dog. This supposedly gentle dog grabbed the child by the throat and killed him.
You never know when any animal might feel they have to defend themselves. Do I believe that German Shepherds and Pit Bulls, as a whole, are more vicious than some other breeds? Actually, I think very small breeds are more likely to bite you, waiting until your back is turned and running up and nipping at your heels from behind. But those bites rarely get reported. The problem is that some breeds are just far more dangerous when they do attack. And you never know when that might be.