Pit Bull PSA

TTChamp · #1 02-28-2006, 02:34 AM

Inspired by this thread: dog help

Pit Bulls have a terrible reputation. Mostly this is due to their poor treatment by people.

A couple of things about pit bulls (and bully breeds in general): By nature they are very aggressive towards dogs but not toward people. In the linked thread it sounds to me like the dog was terrified. Most people who have pit bulls and care for them/train them properly know that they are very loving toward family and friends and quickly warm up to strangers. In the posted thread the dog was friendly once it was no longer scared.

Pit Bulls have a bad reputation and CAN be extremely dangerous for the following reasons:

1. If they are abused by people, not cared for properly, or trained to attack then their natural aggresion will be projected toward people.

2. Insecure A-holes that need a dog to feel powerful tend to get pit bulls and care for them improperly==>see #1.

3. Because Pit Bulls were originally trained to fight other dogs they are incredibly strong and are completely impervious to pain. My Bully got a 6 inch piece of metal stuck through her leg and didn't even notice until it got stuck in the dog door.

4. Pit Bulls that are improperly socialized will be aggressive toward unfamiliar animals its size (read children). Note: properly socialized and trained pit bulls will not do this.

Tips:
-You should NEVER get a Pit Bull unless you know a lot about dogs and intend to spend a lot of time training and socializing it.

-You CAN'T let a Pit Bull play with unfamiliar dogs alone. If it gets scared it might turn on the other dog and the other dog will have nearly zero chance of surviving. Fights can also start over excitement: for example if they see a rabbit the aggression toward the rabit might me transferred to the other dog if they bump into each other.

-Once a Pit Bull bites once it is more likely to bite again. When your dog is young you have to supervise it very closely. Once your Pit gets older and has been properly socialized it is not nearly as likely to turn on another dog.

The bottom line is that you should not get a Pit Bull unless you have experience with dogs and are going to spend the time to train and care for them properly. You also have to have a strong enough presence with the dog that it wants to listen to you. I would estimate that fewer than 1 in 10000 homes meet this criteria.

Max Weinberg · #2 02-28-2006, 02:42 AM

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Pit Bulls have a terrible reputation. Mostly this is due to their poor treatment by people.

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I'd say it was more due to their genetically enhanced killing machine status.

Of course, Ma and Pa Kettle don't ever have their Pit Bull eat some kid's face off, it's always that meth dealer living in a trailer down the street, whose dog takes a chunk of out a Jehovah's Witness's ass.

cambraceres · #3 02-28-2006, 07:12 AM

I have a pit and he hangs out with my 80 year old mother all day. He is a teddy bear if ever there was one, but he is stupid strong. He's about 75 pounds, I bought him a big chain link cage, about 6 feet tall. He ripped the side right off.

I never allow him to play unsupervised, but he is curiously devoid of the aggressive behaviour toward other dogs. Yesterday three dogs from my neighbor's house came over and were growling and showing teeth and all of that. I called him to me and he calmly walked away from them. They were all about 40 pounds or so. I thought for sure I'd be cleaning up a mess, but he keeps suprising me.

Cambraceres

exist · #4 02-28-2006, 07:43 AM

it sounds like pit bulls aren't worth the effort. why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

Frequency · #5 02-28-2006, 09:22 AM

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it sounds like pit bulls aren't worth the effort. why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

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The same thing can be said about any big breed of dog, especially since pitbulls are not ranked #1 for breeds that bite or kill humans.

katyseagull · #6 02-28-2006, 09:28 AM

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why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

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I'm with you. I just don't see what the appeal is. My ex-boyfriend had a large aggressive dog that was very eye-catching. He thought the dog was great. It made me nervous because it displayed aggressive behavior towards strangers. Why would anyone want this? Isn't aggression an inherent quality in certain breeds. I don't think it is soley the fault of the owner when these breeds act out but I'm willing to concede I might be wrong.

TTChamp · #7 02-28-2006, 09:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
it sounds like pit bulls aren't worth the effort. why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

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This is a good question. The best answer I can offer is that Pit Bulls are extremely loyal to their owner. Also, some people enjoy the challenge of training dogs and Pit Bulls present a good challenge.

I never intended to get a Pit, but my dog was a shelter dog 3 times over at 6 months old so I had a lot of sympathy for her.

Maybe another owner can add to this to give a better response.

TTChamp · #8 02-28-2006, 09:36 AM

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Quote:
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it sounds like pit bulls aren't worth the effort. why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

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The same thing can be said about any big breed of dog, especially since pitbulls are not ranked #1 for breeds that bite or kill humans.

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Do you have a link to this data?

I am 100% confident that Pit Bulls are not the number one biters of humans. In fact I would be surprised if they were in the top 10. However, I would guess that they were number one or two in killing humans.

The reason you here about Pit Bull attacks on humans a lot is that when they do attack the results are extreme.

uncleshady · #9 02-28-2006, 09:40 AM

If not a Pit Bull, what is the most dangerous dog then?

jaymajik · #10 02-28-2006, 09:42 AM

[ QUOTE ]
it sounds like pit bulls aren't worth the effort. why wouldn't someone just get a nice, intelligent dog like a golden retriever? what does a pit bull have that a golden retriever doesn't (except the potential to harm/kill other dogs and children)?

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because a pit bull makes a brainless macho idiot feel tough?