They're such sweet dogs

[LaceyNewman]

now a cat has entered the picture
and i'm not sure what to do
except for no dog. =)

It's not The Old Woman Who Swallowed the Fly, you don't need a dog to get rid of a cat. lol You could take it to the animal shelter or maybe call animal control. These animals have no idea they are trespassing in your birds only zone.

[RadicalModerate]

do you seriously think i'm going to attempt to make friends with a stray cat?
dream on. (my grandmother and mother fullfilled that "obligation" =)

however, my opinion of the local tree rats (squirrel's) has improved slightly:
the squirrels only eat the seeds we put out for the birds
the cat would eat the birds
which is unacceptable

kindness--in Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs on the road to Self Actualization--is a tricky deal =)

doesn't authentic Brunswick Stew involve squirrels?
i think it does.

[LaceyNewman]

doesn't authentic Brunswick Stew involve squirrels?
i think it does.

You eat the squirrels, the cat eats the birds, everyone is happy! XD

[soonerguru]

To Pete and Penny's point: animals are not humans, and they have animal instincts. Sure, all dogs may attack but pits are much more vicious and dangerous when they do. How often do you hear of other dogs killing their own owners?

This pat "there are no bad pits just bad pit owners" is simplistic -- and unsupported by fact. The facts are that pits kill and maim frequently, and more so than other dogs per capita. Perhaps more importantly, when they do attack they are more lethal than other dogs.

[stick47]

Chicago passed the law to allow owning handguns in 2010, 2 years after the pit bull owner bought the dog. Had he been allowed to own a handgun, would he have bought the dog?

[JayhawkTransplant]

Statistics regarding pitbull attacks are such crap. Please--identify the pitbull here: http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

My boyfriend and I adopted a "pitbull" (??) from the shelter last year. He was extremely easy to train and is the most loyal dog I've had. He's much better-behaved than my Australian cattle dog/dalmatian mix. I cordially invite any of you to meet me at the dog park this weekend and see the vicious pitbull in action.

Also, I was attacked as a child by a golden retriever. I'd also love to show you the scars I have from that.

The sad reality is that ignorant people are generally drawn to the pitbull breed. They are extremely loyal to their owners, and thus easy to train (this includes training to be destructive). When stupid people get ahold of a physically powerful, loyal breed, bad things happen. Combine that with the fact that most people identify any mid-sized boxy-looking dog as a pitbull, and you get a lot of controversy over a dog breed. It's really sad.

Also, more people than not say my dog is 'such a sweet pitbull'! There is not a drop of pitbull in her.

[BBatesokc]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1138784

I'm leery of pit bulls, but I'm also leery of many other large breeds - except Great Dane's - we bred Dane's for awhile when I was young and those were the best large dogs I've ever known.

I was attacked as a child by a dog - German Shepherd. My best friend growing up lost half of his ear when he tripped over his sleeping Doberman. My wife's mother raised Rotts and they were just great big babies.

My neighbor has a wolf-hybrid. We dog-sit when they go out of town and its a great (big) dog that is very friendly to us - but it would attack and kill a smaller dog without a second thought.

[JayhawkTransplant]

All the stats are wrong?

In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in 2000 a study on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979-1998. The study found reports of 327 people killed by dogs over the 20-year period. Using newspaper articles, the CDC was able to obtain breed "identifications" for 238 of the 327 cases of fatal dog attacks.

Newspaper articles are not statistically valid sources of a dog's breed. As I pointed out, many, many breeds of dogs are misidentified and placed in the 'pitbull' category, especially mixed breeds. Could you identify the pitbull in the link I posted above? So, my point is that these are not really "stats".

I understand your fear, though. Trust me--I truly do. It took me many years to be able to even be in the same room as a dog. I still have occasional bouts of panic when I'm at the dog park and a dog jumps up on me.

[PennyQuilts]

It really is hard for me to say anything bad about pits because, as I said, my personal experience is that they are sweet, very affectionate, etc. I have a good friend in my Samoyed group who took in a pit puppy as a foster puppy, fell in love with her and decided to keep her. We all called her the naked Samoyed. This type of discussion came up and most of us were tactful. We knew that dog and knew she was a sweetheart. We also didn't want to hurt our friend's feelings. Some people felt differently and came down like gangbusters anti pitbull to the point where he got so disgusted he dropped out of the Samoyed group (he'd been an active member for years and had trained dogs when he was in the military). I guess none of that makes any difference but while I just HATE this whole controversy, I can't ignore the stats and, more, I can't ignore that so many of the pitbull victims are babies, some even pre walking. I've seen too many dogs who give babies a special dispensation to be able to ignore a dog that would kill or mutilate a baby. Most dogs I know who are bothered by a toddler might nip to get away (not that this is okay) but no way would they go on the attack, kill and sometimes even eat parts of the child. And so many of those dogs are described as big babies until they snapped.
I think there is a definite market for pits if you have the right setup, but most people going to the pound aren't looking for pits. And it just seems like so many pits are abandoned, more even than Jack Russells and I honestly can't understand that.

[ljbab728]

Still pretty small beans IMO.

Not if you're one of the victims. I was mauled by a dog (our family pet) when I was two years old. There were numerous bites on my head which required stitches. I still have scars from that and it's big beans to me.

[HewenttoJared]

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

[bluedogok]

The only dog that ever bit me was a scrawny collie of some sort. I was a little kid and it bit me on the leg (calf) because I was running across the neighbor's/its backyard, a small patch of ground that was shared by my playmates (their kids), on my way home (in proto-suburbia). I think mom took me to the doctor. It was a nasty bite. I think that was the day that I made up my mind that the next dog that bites me will be the last time that dog bites anyone. My plan has worked for over 50 years. I think dogs can sense it. =)

When I was 4 we were visiting my grandparents in Slaton, Texas, I was running down the hall and my grandmothers Chihuahua chased me down the hall and bit my leg behind the knee. That is the only dog bite that I have had happen to me and I have been around dogs my entire life. I have no doubt that my heeler could've been aggressive if she was protecting something in "her" territory since they are a breed bred to protect livestock.

Part of the problems of trying to use "statistics" is the poor value of those "statistics", most dogs that somewhat resemble a pit are just classified as one even if there is no pit bull lineage in them, just likeit seems like most any gun is described by the media as an "assault weapon" even when it isn't, the public just takes it at face value that someone know what they are talking about.

[ljbab728]

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

What a total non sequitur. Many animals can be dangerous to humans if we aren't careful around them and you don't normally encounter cows in your yard or while walking down the street. I was just attacked by a crazed animal in my yard with no provocation so your analogy doesn't work. My point was that it's not "small beans" which was your comment.

[soonerguru]

In 2011, there were 31 people killed by dogs in the US. Of those, 71% of the fatal attacks were from pit bulls. This despite the fact that pit bulls make up only 5% of the US dog population.

Here's the link:

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-sta...ities-2011.php

Pit bulls are bred to kill. Yes, they can be sweet and stuff, but if their inbred aggressiveness is triggered by internal or external factors, they can snap and kill. The stats above are staggering -- and they don't include the maiming and other serious injuries these dogs cause, or the deaths they cause to other animals. I had a good friend whose dog was killed by a pit bull as she -- and the dog's unthuggish, responsible owners -- watched helplessly, even though they were beating their own dog with a limb.

I'm surprised insurance companies do not inquire as to the presence of these dogs when they write policies. They are a four-legged, snarling liability.

[HewenttoJared]

What a total non sequitur. Many animals can be dangerous to humans if we aren't careful around them and you don't normally encounter cows in your yard or while walking down the street. I was just attacked by a crazed animal in my yard with no provocation so your analogy doesn't work. My point was that it's not "small beans" which was your comment.

Mine was in a yard. Thirty a year is a very small number no matter how much it bother some individuals. If we take action against specific breeds it will be because they seem scarier, not because we've adressed all the other, much larger threats to our safety.

[Pete]

Where has anyone on this thread said they thought the breed should be banned or regulated?

[NoOkie]

All the stats are wrong?

I never said violent breeds are hard to train. That would be a pretty silly position to take.

I guess if we can't accept statistics provided by major medial sources, we don't have much to talk about. I'm not big on conspiracy theory debates.

I think the problem is what defines a Pit Bull? The term can encompass 3-5 different breeds and is often misused, which can sometimes lead to problems. I'm not a huge fan of the breed(s), but I've had good and bad experiences with them. I have a few different friends that have Pits, or very Pit like dogs and they've always been fine. I've dog sat for them without issue and vice versa. But I've had some real bad encounters at the dog park with Pits attacking my dogs(Who the hell brings a dog that's been at least partially bred for dog fighting to an off leash park, anyway?) or generally being over aggressive.

I though I would glance at Wikipedia to see what was there and their stats definitely matched up with yours, but I thought the following was really interesting:

Several studies have determined that pit bull owners and owners of other "vicious" or "high risk" breeds (most commonly identified as Akita, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and Wolf-mix) are more likely to have criminal convictions and are more likely to display antisocial behaviors. A 2006 study comparing owner's of "vicious" dogs to owners of "low risk" dogs determined that the former group had nearly 10 times as many criminal convictions.[50] A 2009[51] and a followup 2012[52] study generally supported these conclusions.

I have a unsubstantiated suspicion that problems with Pit Bulls are much like the vast majority of problems with other dogs: The people that own them.

[Roadhawg]

To Pete and Penny's point: animals are not humans, and they have animal instincts. Sure, all dogs may attack but pits are much more vicious and dangerous when they do. How often do you hear of other dogs killing their own owners?

This pat "there are no bad pits just bad pit owners" is simplistic -- and unsupported by fact. The facts are that pits kill and maim frequently, and more so than other dogs per capita. Perhaps more importantly, when they do attack they are more lethal than other dogs.

From google searches I'm coming up with a rough estimate of around 9-10 million Pit Bulls, with half that number being registered dogs. So with 9-10 million pit's in the US there are 30 deaths. The deaths are tragic and I still believe a vast majority of the blame is on the owner. May dogs are called Pits but really arent, many are cross bred.

Quite often dogs that attack are identified as pit bulls when they are not. There are 20+ breeds that are commonly incorrectly identified as pit bulls. Visit Understand-a-bull for more information.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Don't get me wrong, if you break into my house or attack me all three of my dogs, 1 Pit, will tear your ass up. But if you're a guest they will demand that you scratch them or give them a milk bone. I take my Pit on walks or drives all the time and he has never gone after another dog or person.

[Roadhawg]

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

I was too as a teen growing up on a farm... we ate it

[PennyQuilts]

Don't get me wrong, if you break into my house or attack me all three of my dogs, 1 Pit, will tear your ass up. But if you're a guest they will demand that you scratch them or give them a milk bone.

My goofballs would roll over for the burglars - even home invaders - asking for a belly rub. I have one that once ran from a rabbit.

[RadicalModerate]

In 2011, there were 31 people killed by dogs in the US. Of those, 71% of the fatal attacks were from pit bulls. This despite the fact that pit bulls make up only 5% of the US dog population.

I'm surprised insurance companies do not inquire as to the presence of these dogs when they write policies. They are a four-legged, snarling liability.

If I'm reading the number correctly, it appears that 22.01 people were killed by pit bulls.
I wonder about the .01. Was it a ChihuahuaPit Hybrid? Or is that what was left after the feeding frenzy?

If I owned a Pet Pit I'd have to lock in out in the garage overnight.
It could snap and go all feral and whatnot while you are asleep.
Probably only .01% probability of that occurring but . . .

(don't you love that insurance co. ad featuring the guard dog that was so happy his owner invited all of his buds over for a treat-giving party? i do.)

[JayhawkTransplant]

You are correct. I am selling my house this spring and contemplated moving to an apartment near the dog park for a short period of time before buying another house. I cannot find an apartment complex that would allow our pit-mix to live there. They vary in which breeds they disallow...cocker spaniels were disallowed at one of the places! Dalmatians, too, which rules out my other dog. But, generally, it is fairly easy to find places to accommodate their size of dog (they are both 40 pounds).

My homeowners insurance is about $60/year more expensive to have my dogs. I can't remember if that was for dogs in general or if that was because of breed.

[boscorama]

We took in what we think was a full blood pitbull (whatever that may be) wearing a collar but no tags. He was real sweet and got along with our dogs, except one, who had been abandoned as a puppy and given that history, might have some pit in him. We had to keep them totally separated as they tried to kill each other on the two occasions they met. There was no good dog/bad dog, both were in killer mode. It took about a month but we found our "guest" a new person on Craigslist. Joyously, they rode off into the sunset.

Edit: The guest dog had been neutered, further suggesting he wasn't of total heathen upbringing.

[soonerguru]

Another avoidable tragedy. But, they're just as sweet as can be!

Three Month Old Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull

A 3-month-old baby boy died Monday night after being mauled by the family's pit bull.
Burleson, Texas, police say officers responded to a 911 hang-up call at about 6:45 p.m. When they arrived, they reported a family disturbance.

read more:

Police: Pit bull fatally mauls 3-month-old baby in Texas - U.S. News

I think the parents should be charged with negligent homicide. I will not allow my daughter in the home of anyone who owns one of these killers.

[Dubya61]

I'll go ahead and file this thread away in the "train whistles and indian casinos" dustbin that just keeps collecting posts. It irritated me when I first read it and it continues to do so as you add to it. Apparently you've got a grudge against a specific breed of dog. Perhaps what you should be considering is the owners. There was a family disturbance in progress that very likely should give you the clue as to where the problem was in the first place. Dogs do what they're taught and permitted to do. I've received several dog bites over the span of my years and they all have come from dogs YOU would trust before you would trust a pit bull (a very vague breed collection, by the way that most shelters and city officials lump together with mutts that they cannot identify a specific breed on). I'm sure that the TV would never get the breed wrong or never just assume that it was a pit bull (whatever that is). I would hope that you would look at more than the family pet before you decided where you let your minor family members spend time. Don't let your prejudices run your life, eh?