Pitbulls - Love 'em or Hate 'em?

[Dingo]

I've got a big place in my heart for Canis Familiaris, as evidenced by a previous post of mine. Man's Best Friend, the label is rightly earned.

I have to ask other dog owners on this forum. Pitbulls, do you guys love 'em, hate 'em, or indifferent to 'em?

Personally I think they're a magnificient breed, with a varied history, both sordid and plesant (like when they were the All American farm dog/best buddy).

Now I'm aware of the stigma and the bad press that they have garnered over the years. It's a dog owner's responsibility to be sure his dog is well trained and socialized. A well trained and socialized pit is a great companion, my friend has one that lives with her, her husband and their infant son and is the biggest sweetheart on the planet. I babysat another pitbull last year when my buddy was a deployed. For six months I spent time with this dog and he was about the friendliest, if semi-overactive, animal I've ever met. He wasn't inclined to fight other dogs, he loved people of all stripes, it's hard to believe people thought he was vicious.

How can anyone think this face is a vicious one?

Now you obviously gotta be the Alpha Male with these dogs, but they are a wrongly maligned breed.

And as for the arguement that Pitbulls are People Aggressive, this line puts that controversy to bed:

"They were also bred to be intelligent and level-headed during fights and remain non-aggressive toward their handlers. Part of the standard for organized dog-fighting required that the match referee who is unacquainted with the dog be able to enter the ring, pick up a dog while it was engaged in a fight, and get the respective owner to carry it out of the ring without being bitten. Dogs that bit the referee were culled." - Encyclopedia Wikipedia entry on Pitbulls.

Well, you know my view on Pitbulls. What are you guys' views?

 

[Miss Chicken]

I think that, unfortunately, pitbulls are the one breed that very often end up with the wrong owners. When they do end up with the wrong owners it is probably a lot worse than when other breeds end up with the wrong owners.

Personally I wouldn't own a pitbull and I would be wary around them unless I knew them well.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I don't "hate" pitbulls, but imo the only place where animals that can tear apart a human should be held in captivity is a zoo.

 

[Dingo]

I don't "hate" pitbulls, but imo the only place where animals that can tear apart a human should be held in captivity is a zoo.

Well, then do you dislike German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Australian cattle dogs? Mastiffs were bred to be guard dogs and they aren't nearly as maligned. It depends on the owner of said dog, not the breed.

If you think Pitbulls are vicious you should read the tale of Stubby (1917-1918), mascot of the US Army's 102nd Infantry Division and most decorated war dog in history. He captured a German sabateour, saved several wounded soldiers by dragging them to the safety of their trenches, and saved a child from being run over by an ambulance. All of these stories are documented to have occured

 

[Roger Wilco]

Well, then do you dislike German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Australian cattle dogs?

Yes. German Sheperds especially in fact.

eta: and I don't know if they are "vicious", but they are physically able to kill a man, and that's enough for me.

 

[Hermiod]

A Dogs' behaviour is almost invariably a product of their owner's treatment of them.

Pitbulls have an unfortunate reputation that attracts the wrong sort of people to them, which leads them to being treated badly. A Pitbull raised properly is no more dangerous than any other Dog.

Oh and Roger, I'm physically capable of killing a man too. So are you.

 

[Miss Chicken]

The only breed of dog I really dislike are huskies but that is because a former neighbour had a husky that time after time to got out of his yard and roamed the street. One day this dog got into my backyard and killed my 5 month old kitten. My neighbour denied that his dog was the guilty one despite the wire on the top of our shared fence being pulled down and his dog was wandering around the neighbourhood. The neighbour refused to get his dog desexed (because he didn't want to spoil the dog's 'fun') even though if he was desexed the dog might be less likely ro roam. The dog was a menace to traffic and was often picked up by the dogcatcher but my neighbour would just go down and pay the fine and pick up the dog. I never saw this neighbour take his dog for a walk or train him to behave.

I know I should hate huskies but just seeing them remind me of this dog.

The neighbour's flatmate had a malamute that never tried to get out. The malamute was walked each night and was very well behaved and liked cats.

 

[JoeZhang]

In the UK, pitbulls are invariably owned by drugdealers, workshy chavs and the like - people who think it's more of a toy than a pet and let their 8 year old child take it for walks on a piece of string.

A friend of mine got attacked by such an animal, we had to cave it's head in before it would let go of his leg.

 

[Dingo]

Yes. German Sheperds especially in fact.

Do you know that Pits and Shepherds are among the most loyal and steadfast of the dog breeds?

German Shepherds may be standoffish with humans they aren't familiar with, but well bred and well kept animals of this nature are nothing if great buddies to their owners. Pitbulls nor any particular dog are not the dangerous party. The dangerous party is irresponsible owners.

This phrase should bear this out:

The Pit Bull is a dog that loves to please its owner and tries to become whatever kind of dog its owner desires.

Sadly Pits frequently wind up with rotten owners, but there are plenty of great Pits out there. So sad that a dog that had such a pivotal role in American and English history is so badly maligned. This was a dog that steadfastly protected livestock and children from maurauding predators (human and animal) in the Old West, who was a cherished buddy to American G.I.'s far from their homes, and a trustworthy companion of the Victorian Gentleman in Great Britain.

 

[Moocey]

It depends on the dog and its owner. And that applies to every breed of dog.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Hate 'em.

Just because I hate hearing about them.

 

[SmoothieX]

There's a guy at the dog park we go to with a couple pitbulls. He has a bumper sticker that says, "Hate the deed not the breed." I think that generally applies to all dogs.

That being said, I'm not too comfortable around pitbulls because of the stigma attached to them. And I like large, powerful dogs.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd much rather be around a Pitbull than a Doberman.

 

[ByrdMan]

My sister used to have a Staffordshire. Gentlest dog I ever knew... I'd get one in a heartbeat if I was looking to get a dog.

 

[cabby]

I've met pit bulls that are docile and sweet.

Yet, I don't care. Pitts, obviously, by looking at attack numbers are vicious dogs (in general) and pose a threat to public safety. The stigma is not just made up---its actually earned.

Yes, good/bad owners affect the nature of their dogs. Not everyone is a good pet owner however. Unless we are going to start doing background checks on people who purchase dogs, then pit bulls need to go the way of the dodo.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

I think the breed should be exterminated

I'd much rather be around a Pitbull than a Doberman.

Dobermans are great,
you see with a smart dog like a Doberman you can almost immediately tell the good ones from the bad ones. They are great communicators and highly intelligent so you can almost instantly see which one was raised by some crackhead rapstar rocker wannabe and which one was raised to be a nice tame dog capable of guarding a big family home

Read up on reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 96% of fatal canine attack come from Pitt Bulls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2SlHmne2Is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEDqzlHvMiE
The breed has a bad rep for a reason
The most dangerous are those "tame and friendly" pitt bulls you think are are "Docile and sweet....the breed is a bit mental from all the years of fighting, they can turn on your child in a second. If one suddenly does go crazy near your kid, be prepared to do anything and everything to put this dog down.

Wheres the EXTERMINATE THEM vote option at?

 

[XwarlokX]

I have own a mix breed pit at this very moment, and have been around several full blood and other mixes. These are the most gentle dogs i have ever been around. Playful and always curious about what is going on around them. If given the choice these are the only dogs I'd ever own.

I hate to see the breed punished just for the sake of some idiotic owners.

 

[Roger Wilco]

It's not just "idiotic" owners, there are plenty of stories where the family dog "suddenly" went nuts and bit a kids face off.

 

[ByrdMan]

^Yep, and they're often Goldens or Labs.

 

[John Picard]

^Yep, and they're often Goldens or Labs.

QFT. Labs have a reputation for being very docile, gentle, and obedient dog; however, I've seen stats that more bites/attacks are attributed to Labs than any other breed.