Pitbulls

[denisedeland]

I was just wondering.. Does anyone on here own any pitbulls? My best friend owns three. I think they are very dangerous. In fact I won't even stay at my friends house because of her dogs. But other people talk of how loyal and friendly these dogs are. My best friend owns 2 females and one male.. What I am wondering is.. What would cause these dogs to turn on the owner and they have had them since they were puppies? And they have raised them. My best friend was attacked yesterday by the 2 females. So they had to be put down. Are these dogs known to attack owners? I always thought they attacked strangers. Just wondering if anyone might be able to tell me why they might have attacked..

Denise

[Tiggerwoos]

Overbreeding has caused these dogs to be vicious.

Over here in the UK, they have basically forced all pitbulls to be neutered and spayed till they die out. Then again, I have met some and they are lovely. I'd say if you had one from a pup you'd probably be OK, but later on in life, then it's a bit risky.

[luckitri]

I don't know but generally I have heard that other breeds will also turn on owner because of the in-breeding. Perhaps pits are worse cause of their muscular build and the jaws?

[codajess]

The ignorance when it comes to dogs blows my mind.

Dogs are only what you raise them to be.

[Amberly]

Pit Bulls have historically been raised for fighting, so they have a natural tendency towards aggression.

And also they are animals and are not necessarily "what they are raised to be", people tend to push their human ethics codes on them. A dog doesn't care about human social codes.

I have known many people, children included, who have been attacked by dogs that they have raised from puppies. Just because they are raised by kind humans doesn't mean that they will abandon their instincts.

Being cautious around animals is not ignorant.

[luckitri]

I am willing to admit that I am ignorant. I come here to learn not be insulted. I was just passing along what I have heard. I also always heard never to give your animals raw meat. I came here. I saw much information about it. Now my animals eat raw meat. No-one insulted me. I learned.

[Lay-Lay]

The ignorance when it comes to dogs blows my mind.

Dogs are only what you raise them to be.

My aunt and uncle raised a pitbull along with their 2 children. The dog was sweet and played gently with me and my cousins. One day we were playing the backyard like usual and the pitbull attacked me and continued biting me over and over and over. My cousins ran for help. My mom came and saved me.

This dog was not raised to fight, yet it attacked me. At the time I was 7 years old. I would NEVER trust a pitbull around my children.

[jenna rose]

I was just wondering.. Does anyone on here own any pitbulls? My best friend owns three. I think they are very dangerous. In fact I won't even stay at my friends house because of her dogs. But other people talk of how loyal and friendly these dogs are. My best friend owns 2 females and one male.. What I am wondering is.. What would cause these dogs to turn on the owner and they have had them since they were puppies? And they have raised them. My best friend was attacked yesterday by the 2 females. So they had to be put down. Are these dogs known to attack owners? I always thought they attacked strangers. Just wondering if anyone might be able to tell me why they might have attacked..

Denise

I'm sorry about your friend. I'm sorry about her dogs, too. I'm not an expert on dogs in the least, but I'm not sure how much someone could tell you on the little bit of information you provided.

How badly was she attacked? What was happening before the attacks occured? Were the females in heat? I'm wondering if they really had to be put down, not knowing much about the whole situation.

[denisedeland]

I admit my fear of the dogs comes from being attacked when I was 7. Because of that I have always been afraid of any dog. I won't even own one.. I know lots of dogs are sweet and kind. My brother in law has a dog that is just as sweet as he can be. I have always been a cat lover myself. But the fear of a dog attacking me is always on my mind when a dog comes near me. I'm not usre how bad she was hurt or what happened yet. She just sent me a message telling me she was attacked by the females and they had to put them down. I asked her for all the details when I wrote her back. I'm sure something had to trigger it. They had always been good dogs before this.

Denise

[Sharon in Colorado]

There are many breeds other than pitbulls that people and small children need to be leery of. My nephew was attacked by a dog that snapped while he was petting the dog, I think it was a springer spaniel, who are supposedly wired differently.

I think, too, that the over breeding tends to cause these traits. Which is why mutts are generally more gentle than the pure breds. We had 2 wonderful dogs, a siberian husky and chow which were one of the top dogs for biting children, which we gave away before we had our first baby.

We now have a stray which we adopted from the animal shelter. She is the sweetest dog either of us have ever owned. Very tolerant, gentle and loving, but as a dog, we still need to look at her as unpredictable, anything can happen with animals.

[luckitri]

I love mutts! Especially if they come from the shelter. They know what you mean to them and they show their appreciation. Some people believe that animals have a way of knowing if you have been cruel or if you have saved other animal lives even though they were not there to see it. Mutts are smarter, more loving, better looking.......I love Mutts!

[denisedeland]

I called my friend tonight and she is ok. She will be sore for a few days and infection is a worry.. I asked her what happened and she said she gave the females a bath and shortly after she was done the dogs got into it with each other and when she stepped in to break it up they turned on her. I know it is killing her to have to put the dogs down.. Shes loves them like they were family. I also understand her reason for having to put them down. She has a daughter that will be 2 on March 1st. She said it took everything she had to fight both of them and of course her little girl would have never had a chance to fight off two 40 pound dogs. I also know each dog can be different.. It's not the breed.. My mom is a dog lover and she has owned several different dogs that were all Chihuahuas.. She had this one that was just mean as a snake and would bite everyone except my parents. And he hated kids.. But my mom also owned another Chihuahua that was just the most loving dog I have ever seen.. She just loved everyone.. And even put up with the kids.. Heck.. I even loved that dog.. So I'm not trying to say that all pitbulls are mean. I'm sure there are plenty of them out there that are kind and sweet. So I'm not trying to pick on pitbulls. I know any dog could turn and attack or could be as sweet as honey.. But I have heard that pitbulls can be very dangerous. That was why I asked if anyone knew about pitbulls. And I will be the first one to tell you that I really know nothing about dogs. Growing up I always had a cat.. My mom didn't get a dog till my sister and I became adults.. She got empty nest syndrome.

Denise

[Nix]

I admit my fear of the dogs comes from being attacked when I was 7. Because of that I have always been afraid of any dog. I won't even own one.. I know lots of dogs are sweet and kind. My brother in law has a dog that is just as sweet as he can be. I have always been a cat lover myself. But the fear of a dog attacking me is always on my mind when a dog comes near me. I'm not usre how bad she was hurt or what happened yet. She just sent me a message telling me she was attacked by the females and they had to put them down. I asked her for all the details when I wrote her back. I'm sure something had to trigger it. They had always been good dogs before this.

Denise

I note that some dogs revert to "pack mentality" under certain circumstances. This is not just Pit Bulls, but almost all dog breeds. Most of what I have experienced confirms this fact. In the case of your friend, she probably would do better to only have one to two dogs at a time when dealing with Pit Bulls, or a number of other large breeds because this cuts down on potential pack dynamics and helps keep the Human in the dominant role. Dogs look to their owners and their families a part of their pack and a certain order must exist. Humans do not understand this and end up playing dog "politics" that the have no idea they are living out. It causes violent reactions that humans are often unwittingly at fault for.
Please do not take this to mean your friend deserved it, IN NO WAY am I saying that. I am merely saying that we as humans often, in our enthusiasm and love of animals do things that cause bad reactions.
Nix

[dreamrawalwz]

I think any dog can turn. I don't specifically know about pitbulls, but when I was 5 I was attacked in the face by a Husky. Had to go to the hospital. To this day I'm afraid of big dogs, but ironically...I want a Husky. I don't remember the incident though. I just have the scars still...

[GlimR]

I love dogs and have always had one, have trained and socialized them and understand that they have a social heirarchy that has to be dealt with and recongnized.

However where pitbulls are concerned...yes, some can be wonderful dogs...but each breed of dog has its own inborn tendencies, traits, strengths and weaknesses. (natural ways of being)

Pitbulls have been bred to be aggressive. They do not have to be raised wrong or mistreated for this trait to surface. The very fact that they are unpredictible...that there is a more than ordinary chance (well documented by repeated and viscious attacks) that they DO and CAN suddenly turn on their owners and others is the only reason I personally need never to live with OR put myself or anyone I love in a position to be attacked by one.

It is hard to condemn a breed across the board but I don't hesitate for a second regarding pitbulls.