Pit bull terriers

[Freckle]

Can anyone explain to me the attraction of owning a pit bull terrier? Why would you choose that breed over any other? Especially when there are children around and the breed has a reputation for unpredictable behaviour - and don't forget that the breed was developed to take on bulls, so it's not going to be a pussycat in any circumstances.

Another child has been killed by one, apparently owned by her grandmother - here . I don't like flagging up bad news on here, but I'm struggling to understand the mentality of people who choose to own such dogs.

I totally respect that Petunia

And you're right about avoiding the breeds that are known to be more aggressive than others. These breeds were banned for a reason.

What a horrific way for a child to die. However, whilst it would be nice to see the law re: illegal pit bull ownership upheld, you can't legislate for stupidity. There will always be horrid and pointless deaths. I was filling my car with petrol yesterday and watched a jeep drive by with a woman sitting in the back with a sleeping baby on her lap. Speechless...

Fortyplus - Cropping Great Dane ears is widely practised in US & Europe, they tape them to lolly sticks so they point upwards. It is barbaric. Fortunately it's outlawed in UK, as is cosmetic tail docking. Our Dane has very fabulous big floppy ears and a very long tail

I have never understood why people want to cut bits of dogs off them.

(With the exception of neutering. That I understand. But ears? Tails? WTF?)

I have never understood why people want to cut bits of dogs off them.

(With the exception of neutering. That I understand. But ears? Tails? WTF?)

Oh, I didn't realise you had to click on the dog pictures, I just thought you had to guess!! Der!! So, my money's on number 7. Does that make me exceptionally good at identifying dog breeds? (I'll go back in a minute and check.)

2Labs, just out of interest, when you said both sides of the argument are covered in Bulls**t, were you referring to the posts on here, or the argument in the media relating to the recent incident?
I think Petunia's comments are quite harsh, but it's her opinion, not everyone is a dog lover. I think children can learn so much from having a dog around. It teaches them about respect, companionship, loyalty and just how to look after another being. However, they do need to be educated how to behave responsibly around dogs. My own dogs and children are devoted to each other.

Incidentally, DH just told me that the dog in question at the moment has had an autopsy done on it, and was found to be a banned 'pit bull type'. So the police are now considering whether to prosecute the owner.

I was wrong. (In the quiz.) It's harder than you think, as a lot of them are so similar looking. There's breeds there that I've never heard of.

Oh dear - took me ages. My sister used to have an American Pit Bull (years ago, before any of us had DCs) and I still didn't spot it. The lack of a size guide doesn't help, there are Patterdale & Jack Russells in that quiz (both ankle-biters). I think most of the foreign named breeds are probably every bit as dangerous as the American Pit Bull (assuming they are similarly sized), it's just a regional name.

I like owning a dog, but I wouldn't have a large terrier - I probably wouldn't have a small terrier either. Way too free with their teeth.

But no matter what dog you click in that quiz you are clicking over a dangerous dog. Dogos Argentinos are probably more dangerous than a pitbull, Rottwailers alone have killed at 3 children in the city I was born just in the last 10 years (one of them a playful 8m old puppy who decided to shake a 2 year old girl by the neck as he would have done a toy), Ridgebacks are well known for their aggresiveness, bull terriers are the same (actually, my friend's mum had to have her hand reconstructed after stupidly trying to separate her 2 bull terriers during a fight), and so on... the thing is that if you see an animal that walks like a duck, swims like a duck and cuacks like a duck... well that's a duck, same applies for dogs, it doesn't have to be a purebred pitbull terrier to act like a pitbull terrier... If it looks dangerous chances are that given the circumstances it will.

Just want to second what prev incognito vet has said.
I work in an "affluent" area of the SE and still see large numbers of untrained Staffies owned by irresponsible youngish men who use them as penis extensions.
Pitbulls are still around because it is very easy to call a dog something else eg "american bulldog" and get away with it, and lets face it the sort of people driven to own one are not exactly law abiding kennel club members, if you dont care about driving with no car insurance, neutering your pitbull is hardly going to be top of the agenda.
Whatever "dog experts" say on the news etc (and many of them will have had little personal experience of some breeds-just touting standard "its not the dog its the owner, responsible breeders blah blah blah"), its a fact that some breeds of dog are more aggressive than others.
Yes we have a few labs and goldies at work that can be nasty but they are few and far between and we are always suprised, on the other hand, I dont know any Rotties I would actually trust 100%, am wary of border collies and gsds unless proved otherwise, very careful with Ridgebacks, stand well behind the table with Akitas and take care with staffies.
Yes little dogs can be snappy evil monsters but it is only a snap and unlikely to leave you hospitalised, and they are manageable because of their size. Some of the most difficult dogs we have are westies but we manage to do what we need to do and my heart doesnt sink like it does if I know certain rotties are up for treatment. its not just irresponsible owners though, some very caring and outwardly responsible owners are still deluded about their pet, they spend ages telling you how soft and lovely they are and "its only rottie talk"-uh no-its growling actually!
Sorry about the rant, just this no nasty breeds things gets on my nerves!

Why was the dog involved in this attack shot by a police marksman ? Is it usual to send armed police along to incidents of this nature?

SueW-presumably because it was so nasty that no one could or would go near it

They couldn't safely remove the dog, so it had to be shot at the scene. The pictures in the newspapers of the little girl, Ellie, are obviously quite old, she's about 2/12 in them. Your link, SueW, is a more recent picture. She was a beautiful child. She has a little brother too. Your link brought tears to my eyes. The pictures of her family are devastating. Another senseless death.

Thanks for info.

I cried listening to the story update on the news tonight.

you poor incognitovet... funnily enough i always forget about the vets in this eqation. must be frightening.

i didn't understand the point of the quiz... lots of dogs with powerful chests and big jaws (with the possible exception of the jack russell pups)... i wouldn't be hanging around to ask its owner what breed it was.

when i was younger i used to work with disadvantaged children. (there's probably a more pc for that now). we looked after a wee boy who was about the size of a three year old and was really lovely, but when he got upset he bit like mad and when he was sad he asked other people to bite him. actually he was six, he'd been mauled by a rottweiler (a huge case, it was in the papers) when he was two and his body and mind, it would appear, had never got over the shock. the dog was put down, of course, but that poor child was petrified every time he saw a dog and had severe behavioural problems. it was really tragic.

Ridgebacks?
I am amazed - they are hounds and gentle as anything in my experience (but then I have never met any that have been trained to guard etc). I thought that they were not biters but would pin you to the wall and not let you move rather than savaging.

hmm

meant to say that his scars were noticeable but not that bad in a way, as the dog had picked him up from behind and punctured his head and tore his neck. there was some facial scarring that pulled his eye down, and he would need plastic surgery for a long time.

This thing of "it's not the dogs, it's the dog-owners" is beginning to remind me of that stand-by of the NRA, "guns don't kill people, people do".

Well yes, that's true on one level, but in Europe where gun ownership is lower than the USA, fewer people get shot every year. Funny that.

Another picture of Ellie. She looks a lot like my DD1 at that age

Is the dog further down the page a pit bull? I wouldn't have thought so but after doing that quiz I have no idea any more.

So here's to the vets - handling vicious and untrained dogs is akin to NHS staff coping with aggressive drunks every weekend. It shouldn't be part of the job.

CD-yes ridgebacks can be lovely but they are very much one person/family dogs and dont do well in a vets environment. We have one ridgeback who is a delight, we all make a huge fuss of him and and I would trust him absolutely and take him home tomorrow, there are a few more with responsible owners, who are also nice dogs, BUT there are several which are very wary, take no prisoners and they have very big strong lion killing jaws! one was the worst dog in the whole practice, we all breathed a sigh of relief when he died of old age. Very responsible owner but dog had to be muzzled in car park or it would attack any other dog or person in sight! If the owner hadnt been great, could have been even worse.

Anothervet, what you say about 'Rottie talk' is v interesting. Friends in the US have a rottweiler and he makes weird noises which they claim are the dog 'purring'. I wouldn't trust him any further than I can see him, tho afaik, he's never gone for anyone. He's got Cushings Disease now and I'm ashamed to say my heart felt a little lighter at the thought he won't be there on our next visit.

My former SIL is a vet trained at a top school in the US.

She went so far as to say she'd rather have a monitor lizard as a patient than an unneutered pit bull or Rottie.

And those lizards are NOT pets and can be very, very nasty.