Pitbulls - Love 'em or Hate 'em?

[Cutter John]

Like others have said, Ive got no problem with the dogs. But its kind of a vicious circle. A few dogs are raised by bad owers and get a reputation for being bad-ass. So inevitably they start gettign snapped up by the gangsta/ghetto wanna-be's who have no right owning a hamster, much less a large dog crowd who think owning one is a status symbol. IT only ends up making things worse.

Even sadder, I've watched my share of 'Animal Cops' type shows, and it seems like nine out of ten of the mistreated, and neglected dogs on the show are Pitts.

 

[QuasarVM]

Amazing. Were you and Dixie separated by Katrina? I assume by your location being Sisko's hometown you are from New Orleans.

Dixie was after Katrina. I'm not even sure where.

No, they are not. They are simply not raised properly. A properly raised pit bull is actually friendly and loyal.

YES they ARE! All you pitbull lovers say the same thing until you are attacked. And I know people who were not raising them as fighter dogs...as family dogs...and members of their family were attacked.

And it only takes ONCE.

Retarded. Who would want such an animal?

Well, I like the fearsome reputation that my Pit-Bull has with idiots. That makes her job as the guardian of my family & property (a role that all dogs have by their very nature) a lot easier.

Until she turns on YOU (or a member of YOUR family) and chews you up like a prime rib steak! Personally, I'm not afraid of any dog. I have an AK-47 Phaser Rifle (LOL!!!) that will take care of em in record time -- should a stray one attack me or any member of my family. I certainly would not let my kids spend one nanosecond near such a beast.

So, that's not the issue.

I just don't like the breed. They are four legged ticking timebombs.

The breed should be outlawed. They are genetically more unstable than just about any other breed you can name.

Granted, it's not the dog's fault that they come from a long and ill-trained genetic line...but then, it's not a Great White Shark's fault that it is what it is. Still, I wouldn't want one in my swimming pool...nor would I want to frolic in the surf with one.

All these pitbull owners all call theirs "sweethearts" until one fateful day. Then it's "Chomp"...and to the hospital...and possibly *beyond* the hospital depending upon the victim.

If you like Pitbulls, can I also interest you in a pet Chimpanzee?

 

[Rii]

Any large dog is capable of attacking and possibly killing a human.

Now that you mention it...

 

[msbae]

If you like Pitbulls, can I also interest you in a pet Chimpanzee?

No, I deal with enough shit-slinging whenever I talk to close-minded people on the internet. (Real life too, now that I think of it...)

Also, I'll be the first in line to shoot Dixie is she gets out of line. She won't because we trained her to behave herself. Also, just because a dog puts their teeth on you, it doesn't mean it wants to maul you. That's how they play. I had to train Dixie not to do that just because of people not knowing any better and thinking they were being attacked.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Also, just because a dog puts their teeth on you, it doesn't mean it wants to maul you. That's how they play. I had to train Dixie not to do that just because of people not knowing any better and thinking they were being attacked.

Well, why *shouldn't* I assume that I'm being attacked if a dog is chomping on my body parts? "Oh, he just wants to play! Don't worry, those puncture wounds don't bleed for long!" Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

A bite is an attack. There's no reason to assume otherwise - if I do, I risk being injured. Any dog that bites me is gonna get clubbed. I have the absolute right to defend myself.

 

[Dingo]

A bite is an attack. There's no reason to assume otherwise - if I do, I risk being injured. Any dog that bites me is gonna get clubbed. I have the absolute right to defend myself.

Dog's don't have hands. Sometimes they do nip you as puppies during play and that's when I taught my dog (a Belgian Malinois) not to nip people. They have a lot of control with exactly how much force they exert with their mouths too, one trick I taught my dog is, 'walk the human'.

What walk the human entails is gently taking a person's proffered hand into his mouth and gently leading him or her a few steps across the room.

Dogs mouth each other without injury frequently, in some ways it's a method of communication. So a bite is not an attack every single time.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Dogs mouth each other without injury frequently, in some ways it's a method of communication.

If dogs want to chew on each other, then fine. Let them. (Unless the dog they want to chew on is a dog that one of my family members happens to own - I personally don't have any pets - then it's clobberin' time.) They're just animals, that's what animals do. But any animal that deals with me is going to be held to a higher standard. I have no reason to believe that an animal that is trying to bite me is NOT intending to attack - as I said, the risk is unacceptable.

It'd be like a guy walking into my store with a gun but saying he doesn't intend to rob the place. The likelihood that this is true is much too low in proportion to the risk of me getting shot.

It is, pardon the pun, a dog-eat-dog world out there.

 

[John Picard]

Amazing. Were you and Dixie separated by Katrina? I assume by your location being Sisko's hometown you are from New Orleans.

Dixie was after Katrina. I'm not even sure where.

YES they ARE! All you pitbull lovers say the same thing until you are attacked. And I know people who were not raising them as fighter dogs...as family dogs...and members of their family were attacked.

And it only takes ONCE.

Retarded. Who would want such an animal?

Well, I like the fearsome reputation that my Pit-Bull has with idiots. That makes her job as the guardian of my family & property (a role that all dogs have by their very nature) a lot easier.

Until she turns on YOU (or a member of YOUR family) and chews you up like a prime rib steak! Personally, I'm not afraid of any dog. I have an AK-47 Phaser Rifle (LOL!!!) that will take care of em in record time -- should a stray one attack me or any member of my family. I certainly would not let my kids spend one nanosecond near such a beast.

So, that's not the issue.

I just don't like the breed. They are four legged ticking timebombs.

The breed should be outlawed. They are genetically more unstable than just about any other breed you can name.

Granted, it's not the dog's fault that they come from a long and ill-trained genetic line...but then, it's not a Great White Shark's fault that it is what it is. Still, I wouldn't want one in my swimming pool...nor would I want to frolic in the surf with one.

All these pitbull owners all call theirs "sweethearts" until one fateful day. Then it's "Chomp"...and to the hospital...and possibly *beyond* the hospital depending upon the victim.

If you like Pitbulls, can I also interest you in a pet Chimpanzee?

Any dog can be vicious. Terriers were bred for hunting, and they can become uncontrollable and unpredictable if their little brains aren't kept occupied. There's nothing worse than what some little dog will do when it goes nuts. The general rule of thumb is anything with small, sharp teeth will do a great deal of damage.

You're nothing more than an overreactive ninny.

 

[Roger Wilco]

That's true, but given the choice I'd still rather be bitten by a poodle than a bullterrier or something.

 

[Dingo]

Any dog can be vicious. Terriers were bred for hunting, and they can become uncontrollable and unpredictable if their little brains aren't kept occupied. There's nothing worse than what some little dog will do when it goes nuts. The general rule of thumb is anything with small, sharp teeth will do a great deal of damage.

Well put, my friend, and Pit's were crosses combining the gameness of a Terrier with the athletic prowess of a Bulldog/Molosser so they combine in some cases the worst traits of the two.

If you exercise them, that mitigates a lot of the risks of owning them. And no, not exercise by fighting. My buddy's Pit goes running with him, because he'd go on my running trips when I babysat him for six months, he also swims in the lake sometimes and pulls weights. It's quite impressive to watch a Pitbull haul a heavy weight a few meters along the ground. Next to the Alaskan Malamute, Pits are some of the strongest dogs I've encountered.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

That's true, but given the choice I'd still rather be bitten by a poodle than a bullterrier or something.

You never know. Poodles can be vicious too. Especially if they have those ultra lameass fancy cuts that rich people give them. I'd expect a dog like that to be in a state of near-constant rage.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

I've known some really nice pitbulls in my time. I will say, though, that I'd never "own" one. I'd never be able to bring myself to fully trust one.

On a side note, I had some trashy neighbors at one point that had several of them. They used to eat through the fence and run loose around the neighborhood. I heard them making a godawful racket one day, and I looked over the fence and saw two of them ganging up on another one, ripping his chest out. No one was home, so I called animal control. When they finally showed up several hours later, the guy had come home, and I had informed of what was going on. He proceeded to ignore me and kept talking on his cell. Anyway, he's got the dead dog wrapped up in a blanket, stufffing it in his minivan. He talks with the animal control officer for a minute before they shake hands and go their separate ways. I'm glad those assholes moved. Fucking renters.

 

[Praetor]

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.

Based on what I've seen, this is the case.

 

[msbae]

Also, just because a dog puts their teeth on you, it doesn't mean it wants to maul you. That's how they play. I had to train Dixie not to do that just because of people not knowing any better and thinking they were being attacked.

Well, why *shouldn't* I assume that I'm being attacked if a dog is chomping on my body parts? "Oh, he just wants to play! Don't worry, those puncture wounds don't bleed for long!" Riiiiiiiiiiiight.

A bite is an attack. There's no reason to assume otherwise - if I do, I risk being injured. Any dog that bites me is gonna get clubbed. I have the absolute right to defend myself.

^^^Which is why I trained her not to do that...

 

[JuanBolio]

Respond in kind - bite the dog back. A human can deliver a very painful bite, believe it or not. We can cut and rip flesh.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I don't think I could. Due to a road accident I don't have any front teeth and I don't think my dentures are suitable for dog bitting.

 

[Rii]

Which is why I trained her not to do that...

That you've trained your dogs in a responsible manner does not obviate the fact that many owners do not, nor does your training entirely obviate the risks to other persons associated with the animal in question.

Any large dog has the potential to be an autonomous killing machine, unlike humans beings who share the same potential they have no capacity for higher reasoning, no appreciation of the moral character of their actions or the consequences thereof. Assigning responsibility for a dog's actions to its owner is of no comfort at all to the victims of those actions, particularly if they're dead.

A large dog poses a significantly greater intrinsic risk to public safety than a firearm or motor vehicle, yet their ownership in most societies isn't subject to nearly as much scrutiny. If a dog owner intends to take their dog outside private property (for the purposes of exercise, play, etc.) they should be required to obtain and maintain a license that guarantees standards of training (observed responsiveness to commands in the presence of certain stimuli, etc.) for the animals in question. In the absence of such a license the dog should be confined to private property. Depending upon the breed this may constitute cruelty towards or neglect of the animal, in which case it should be put to death and the owner barred from owning such animals in future.

 

[JuanBolio]

I don't think I could. Due to a road accident I don't have any front teeth and I don't think my dentures are suitable for dog bitting.

Ah, yes, that might be problematic. They need to invent battle dentures.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

No dog is sweeter than a pug! Especially mine!

 

[msbae]

A large dog poses a significantly greater intrinsic risk to public safety than a firearm or motor vehicle, yet their ownership in most societies isn't subject to nearly as much scrutiny.

What? My dog is more of a threat to society than a gun in the wrong hands? More of a threat than a car piloted by someone who's not quite lucid or distracted? Somehow, I doubt that claim has any merit.