Poll: What do you think of the breed pitbulls?

[Shavon513]

I tend to think of pit bulls as playing pet roulette. It's either hit or miss: you will get a wonderful, loyal, protective best friend, or a troublesome potentially dangerous animal. This doesn't amount to just training and environment; genetics and breeding also factor in to it. i have heard some wonderful stories about pit bulls. Just recently on the news, a pit bull was very aware of the health condition of the owner's wife, and saved her life (see: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/pitbull-honored-hero-163051715.html
) I have even read about pit bulls as capable of being therapy dogs! http://network.bestfriends.org/9261/news.aspx

On the other hand, I have heard personal stories of friends whose pit bulls have turned nasty, triggered by some event, or none at all. In addition to this, I had a relative who trained the dogs to fight, and have seen their ugly side. Since I like to err on the side of caution, I avoid pit bulls as much as possible. You never know when the one you encounter will be a crazy one :/

 

[Tallim]

The key part of this is that you live in the US. Seriously, any time it's a dog attack in the UK all you hear is "VIOLENT PITBULL!" over and over again. I'm not acting like pitbulls are being singled out, they are being singled out. I mean, christ, talk about a Labrador eating a kid for once...

This article from the Independent mentions three attacks by rottweilers. [footnote]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/latest-in-line-of-dog-attacks-1831538.html[/footnote] An attack by a Jack Russel (along with a pit bull) is also mentioned.

So yeah, I think you're probably overestimating the degree to which pit bulls are being singled out.

These are the four dog types banned under the dangerous dogs act in the UK. But they aren't actually banned by breed, they are banned by characteristics. So whether a specific dog is illegal is determined by a percentage of physical characteristics it shares with the below breeds.

Pit Bull Terrier
Japanese tosa
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro

The term Pitbull is often used in media etc to refer to a dog that just shares enough characteristics to be declared a dangerous dog under the act and given that out of those four types of dog the pitbull is by far the most common explains why it is often demonised.

The temperament of the dogs is in no way taken into account, it is all based on physical look.

 

[soren7550]

All dogs can be nice, mean, or anywhere in-between. It generally depends on their upbringing, much like people. Typically, if a dog attacks a person, the fault lies on a person (weather through the owner's training or through a person thoroughly provoking the dog).

So I think nothing of pit bulls, or of any other type of dog really.

 

[teqrevisited]

Mostly depends on the owner. I'm fairly sure that my dear old nan who's in her mid 70s doesn't secretly participate in underground dog fighting tournaments with hers.

The dog itself is fine if a bit excitable. It's just out for attention and once you make a fuss of it it wanders off again but it can jump at least 3 feet off the ground. The potential to do harm is there but it's not in that particular dog's nature.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Excellent, muscular breed that would do anything to please the owner.

I'm a Rottweiler person myself, but the "Pit" or "Bullterrier" or "Staff" type of dogs I've met so far were perfect companions, safe for those raised and kept by junkies and macho ignorants or other people with reduced intellect or capability.


Watch this:

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etc.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Well they are a naturally more aggressive breed and as a result much more likely than other breeds to attack anything they perceive as a threat to themselves, their territory, or their pack (ie owner). However I believe it is how the dog is treated from the time it is a pup to adulthood that ultimately determines the dog's personality and how willing it is to give into those aggressive instincts.

 

[Blade_125]

Anytime a dog, any breed of dog, is aggressive without cause it is the fault of the owner. Every time. I have seen pitbulls that are the gentlest creatures you have ever scene, and poodles that will chew your ankles off given the chance.

Banning any breed of dog is ignorant. Better instead to mandate manditory training as a requirement for owning a dog (if that were possible).

 

[Hawgh]

Pit bulls aren't particularly clever dogs, but they're not inherently violent. They are loyal, energetic and eager to please their owner. I personally also find a lot of them hella ugly and slobbery.
They also have an unfortunate appeal to shitheads who have no business training or teaching anything, much less something that could crush an arm if it really wanted.

 

[Jaeke]

They're fine if I know who the owner is.
If it's a friend or family-member I'm fine because I know how they treat their pets.

If it's a stranger, I'm far from cautious but still, I'm not going to go out of my way and sprint to pet the thing.
Unless it's a laborador... or a husky... or just any big dog I guess.

 

[Karelwolfpup]

Really, it depends on the dog's individual temperament and their owner's control over it.
When I was about... pfff... 6? maybe 7 years old I was bitten in the knee by a German shepherd who just didn't like being touched by people. It didn't make me afraid of dogs, I understood then and now that I got in his space and he didn't like that. He even tried to apologise by licking my knee when he saw he'd hurt me. It was just a foible of that particular dog. I've met many other sheppies since then and most were friendly, inquisitive and slobbery XDD

I used to know a guy who trained guard dogs, the way the dogs could suddenly switch from obedient and docile to snarling and potentially violent was quite something to watch. But just as easily as they could be commanded to "switch on" they could be "switched off" again.

Really, it comes down to breed, the dog's own temperament and its owners control of it. Just like people, you can get grouchy dogs, fun loving overgrown kids, calm and cool alphas and scaredy cat omegas. The breed can factor in when it comes to any inherent aggression or size etc but I don't think of the breed when I look at dogs, I look for its temperament and how the owner keeps it in line. Those two are far more important to watch for.

Also, let the dog be a dog, FFS! You wonder why dogs get weird? because they don;t get to do what their instincts and personality are telling them they should do. Give it a healthy outlet, calm and authoritative guidance and some love and it'll be as happy and well adjusted as its owner.
Which proly explains why my dog was as daft as me XDD

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Pitbulls are no more inherently violent than great Danes or Lhasa apsos. If raised to be violent, they are. If not, they aren't. To me, it's as simple as that.

 

[Snake Plissken]

Love 'em. If I lived in a place that would allow to to have one, I would.

One of my best friends has bred them along with English Bulldogs for over two decades, and the ones they have are the sweetest dogs I've ever known.

I have two Corgis, a male and a female, and my male Corgi has gotten into fights with my neighbor's Pitbull and caused plenty of bloodshed. Every time, the Pitbull flees in terror. People talk a lot about how Pitbulls are vicious and violent, but I've never seen it.

Also, I don't really think that the hysteria surrounding the breed has anything to do with the fact that they were bred for violence. I don't really think violence is the issue; the power is. Sure, they were bred for violence, but that trait can be dealt with and even lost. Their body type, however, cannot. All breeds of dogs fight. All dogs are pack animals, and if a particular dog feels like an alpha, they will turn on another dog or a person invading their space. Most of the time, nothing serious is involved. When a Pitbull attacks, injury or death is almost always the outcome because they were bred not only for violence, but for POWER. Their strength is what should be blamed for any wrongdoing, not their personality.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Here in the DC area I've seen some reports on the news about Pitbull owners having to do...something extra if they want to rent a home or, own a home or something...I don't know alright?! I just noticed that specific breed name dropped by the news. I know each breed was bred for a specific purpose and like another poster said, on a genetic levels some of the breeds are more disposed to be violent or, friendly or, smelly or whatever else. Other than that +5 to aggression by right of birth though, each puppy born is more or less a blank slate and could be the biggest ***** of the batch of the biggest puss depending on upbringing and exposure to other people. All dogs are capable of doing damage to a person of course but a big factor is that dogs upbringing. It isn't right to demonize a certain breed just because they're a popular breed among assholes who like to train fighting animals illegally.

 

[Raven's Nest]

Pitbulls are no more inherently violent than great Danes or Lhasa apsos. If raised to be violent, they are. If not, they aren't. To me, it's as simple as that.

Unfortunately that just isn't true. Check my earlier posts and the 1st reply in this thread.

In short, pitbulls and other associated breeds have genetic predispositions to aggression and domination in a fight. The typical temperament of a pitbull is too unpredictable to be considered safe in the UK at least. You either end up with a perfectly safe dog or a horrific accident waiting to happen, irregardless of training and prior behaviour.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

We have a Siberian Husky and people also cross the street to avoid her (because she looks so much like a wolf),
but anyone who has a Husky will tell you they're completely useless as guard dogs. They're all looks and no bite.

Hey! I... err... actually, I can't disagree with that statement, my two would be utterly useless. One would scamper off because he has no interest in you, and my other would jump at your face because she loves giving kisses. But god yes, they get way too much attention when we go out.



OT; Pitbulls are a product of media hype, much like most other breeds that are reported as being aggressive. My roommate had a Pitbull puppy follow him home and we took care of it for a few days. It was a very sweet dog and just wanted to play (my dogs decided they didn't care for him too much). Most Pitbulls are of the high energy, rough play variety; just like my Siberian Huskies, just like Rottwielers, just like some German Shepards.

Since I frequent the dog park, and have helped others raise and train their dogs, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that 90% of the dogs disposition comes from their owner. The remaining 10% is genealogy related (some breeds are dumber than others). And while I have seen others immediately leave the park when pitbulls enter (racist assholes as far as I am concerned), I know I have another dog that wants to play wrestle.

A good, responsible owner will almost always produce a well mannered, healthy and happy dog. A poor owner will produce dogs who developed poor habits, fear of others and the lack of any relevant social skills to interact with the world around them. This doesn't make a dog bad, it simply means they haven't been taught correctly. It frustrates me to no end that our society would rather put these dogs down then re-educate them.

Pitbulls are a strong willed, high energy, working class dog. They need discipline, plenty of exercise and a firm pack leader. Since their naturally strong build and powerful jaw give them an advantage in a fight, they are one of the few dogs sought out by the less than scrupulous for various nefarious purposes. But they are also one of the smaller breeds, so easier to control when the owner demands it, and easier to maintain, unlike, say... the Great Pyrenees.

Love the dog, hate the owners. The breed is fine.

 

[BishopofAges]

I have love for all animals except for chatty birds, judgemental cats (you know who you are), and people who treat their animals like crap or make them fight (yes I refer to these people as animals, because humanity doesn't have need for their senseless bullcrap).

As for the pitbull breed, I like em, they have the ability to look happy or sad (not an ability aforded to all breeds) and they are muscular, however, they are hardly build to be pissed off all the time, who is really?!

Saying that they can be bred to be more angry or aggressive is like saying you can breed a dog to be depressed and piss on your flowers or breed a dog to seriously shy away from people. No, these are 'learned' behaviors from careless owners, dogs have it in them to have a full range of emotion, happy, sad, angry, shy, it is up to their upbringing to teach them that it is not okay to attack random people or fight other dogs.

If this turns into another 'nature vs nurture' thread/arguement, I will say that this has nothing to do with serial killers or sexual predators, this is about dogs and how owners are reckless and callous enough to teach them violence. As another point, I fear no dog, personally, because we as humans are like 4-5 times bigger than they are and can easily spot their weaknesses, that is why they were made into our pets/service dogs.

Remember, to a blind guy, a dog is a dog, trained well to help him through his day and to be his friend/companion, he knows not which breed it is, only that it is his best friend.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I dont mind them. depends on the temperment of the dog and the training. Ive seen pitbulls that cant be trained because of attitude and seen good dogs go bad because of training. But tahts like any dog breed. you be around enough dogs and you tend to see its a case by case basis.

 

[Detective Prince]

Normally its the owner's irresponsibility that I hate. The breed, as long as it's handled properly, can be just as nice as other dogs. However they are prone to attract the wrong sort of owner.

I own a Border Collie and when I told a friend of mine I was getting a Border Collie she told me I couldn't handle it as he would destroy the house and herd everything and need hours of exercise a day.

My BC is actually quite laid back. As soon as he gets in the house he drops straight on the sofa and falls asleep.

 

[Lunar Templar]

snip

we had a staffy to, she didn't know she was supposed to be a mean dog, she also lived to be 18.

but yes, as with ANY animal, blame can be placed on the owner, yes, some breeds are more prone to being aggressive due to how that breed is, but it is the job of the owner to be aware of this, and make sure that the animal is safe to be around

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Nothing wrong with the breed itself, more so the kind of people who raise poorly or to vicious attack dogs then they become a problem. I know many Pitbull owners who's dogs as friendly as any other dog. Hell I mate from work was telling us his Pitbull got scared during the night a run from the bedroom and has since been too scared to go back in there, hardly the blood thirsty beast the media portray. But then I have seen many of the other Pitbull owners, who's dogs are just a being left a alone with a small child for a minute away from being on the news. In short blame owners not the dog.