Neighbors - Do you have control of your dogs? Time for a posse...

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

You fond of labs, huh?

I'm fond of dog breeds that are *less likely* to kill someone given proper training and care. No dog IMO is 100% safe, especially around children.

Boy, 4, killed by family Labrador in horror attack | News24

Illogical argument anyhow. The fact that a labrador is also (rarely) capable of killing does not make your pit less dangerous. Nor does it change the fact that statistically, your pit is more likely to attack someone than any other dog breed

Your point about the predominance of the breed is valid. According to the American Kennel Club, the most popular dog breeds are #1 Labrador Retrievers, #2 German Shepherd, #3 Golden Retrievers. I've also seen Beagles listed as #3. Pit bulls are #79. However, "mixed breed" dogs are really #1; 53% of pet dogs are mutts.

You learn a lot by reading more detail on the cases. One thing you notice is that the very young and very old are more frequently killed. Are the dogs sensing weakness? or are the young/old simply less able to defend themselves?

The article below only covers fatalities (going all the way back to the beginning of such records being kept). It includes more detail on the breeds/mixes involved, ages of victims, and brief descriptions of each attack. If you don't trust Wikipedia, the article includes over 800 references that you can check:

Fatal dog attacks in the United States - Wikipedia

 

[Sigarms]

No dog IMO is 100% safe, especially around children.]

BINGO.

I felt the same way many do about "pits", but after owning a couple long term and dying of old age, my feelings have changed on the breed.

Personally, most loyal, most obient, most "wanting to please" dog I've come across.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I'm fond of dog breeds that are *less likely* to kill someone given proper training and care. No dog IMO is 100% safe, especially around children.



Illogical argument anyhow. The fact that a labrador is also (rarely) capable of killing does not make your pit less dangerous. Nor does it change the fact that statistically, your pit is more likely to attack someone than any other dog breed

Your point about the predominance of the breed is valid. According to the American Kennel Club, the most popular dog breeds are #1 Labrador Retrievers, #2 German Shepherd, #3 Golden Retrievers. I've also seen Beagles listed as #3. Pit bulls are #79. However, "mixed breed" dogs are really #1; 53% of pet dogs are mutts.

You learn a lot by reading more detail on the cases. One thing you notice is that the very young and very old are more frequently killed. Are the dogs sensing weakness? or are the young/old simply less able to defend themselves?

The article below only covers fatalities (going all the way back to the beginning of such records being kept). It includes more detail on the breeds/mixes involved, ages of victims, and brief descriptions of each attack. If you don't trust Wikipedia, the article includes over 800 references that you can check:

Fatal dog attacks in the United States - Wikipedia

You're wasting your time with him.

He's not at all interested in facts.

He's on a religious crusade.

Facts will just get in his way.

 

[Sigarms]

What? I can only guess that you're a pit "sympathist". Maybe I'm wrong, but you took the time to find a story from South Africa to show what? Yes, all dogs can bite. Pit bulls have a disproportionate number of serious and fatal attacks. Pits are often owned by people who don't do the right things in life. If you were out with your dog, or kids in a park or somewhere, and 2 pits come running towards you from a 1/4 mile away at full speed, what would you do? I'll tell you what I did after I hear your reply...

I'm not a pit sympathist, just after having and dealing with the breed, I'm not anti.

The story from south africa wasn't that any dog can bite, but that ANY dog can kill, added the information that the news put together could actaully be inacurrate.

If two "animals" came running at me 1/4" away full speed and wouldn't stop, a gun would be out.

The difference between you and I is I don't see a "pit" running at me, but an animal that can do me harm (and that also includes the two legged kind).

 

[Sigarms]

You're wasting your time with him.

He's not at all interested in facts.

He's on a religious crusade.

Facts will just get in his way.

Not hardly.

ANY dog can kill.

I've equated dogs to guns a lot lately as I've found a lot of similarities.

Your comment directed towards me about dogs could be the same comment a "anti gunner" could make about me if i tried to defend the use of AR15's in civilians hands.

 

[Sigarms]

My brother kept his outside, chained to a tree, good weather or bad. When his dog was allowed to be free, somebody was going to get hurt. And hurt bad. That dog bit 11 different people, all innocent people who were sometimes inside their own fenced yard. I've seen that dog slam though my brother's storm door, breaking out the glass and screen, to run out in the road to attack innocent passerby's. My brother finally lost his home-owner's insurance coverage due to the viscous dog. .

No matter what the breed, 24/7 teathering does increase the propensity for agression in ANY dog. Make the dog a strong powerful animal, and you will have yourself a loaded weapon no matter what the breed.

 

[95XL883]

I think Sig’s point is pits tend to get blamed whether the biting dog is a pit or not. There is some truth to that. My neighbor has a dog that I swore was part pit. After I calmed down, I realized while it maybe has some put it is more boxer. That situation finally resolved itself when he realized that I was serious that I would put it down if it ever came at me again. (He finally got a big fence.

It doesn’t make pits less dangerous. They seem to be like a switch that mysteriously gets flipped.

Owners have a huge impact on their dog’s behavior but any dog can misbehave at any time. Well trained dogs with good owners fair much better than untrained dogs with crappy owners.

Pretty sad that some owners don’t seem to care at all about their per’s Behavior.

DFT, thanks for the good story on the lab. Those are always good to hear.

 

[Sigarms]

You're right. My niece has a Chihuahua and it's her protective lap dog. You get near her and you will see a snarl. You let it lay on your lap (which it will do on occasion), it might suddenly go ballistic and yap/snap/bite at you but as you say.... it's so darn tiny that it's almost funny watching it since you know it can't cause any damage.

Full of courage & attitude.... glad it only weighs 2 pounds (or whatever they weigh....this is a small one)

Honestly, what you described is not a good thing in the long term. I really don't like small chihuahua's because they are the only breed of dog that has bitten me. When we did a lot of work with the humane society, it was the small chiauahua's that we'd get the most of per "breed" because the elderly person was either committed to a nursing home or died, and there was no one left to take care of the dog (generally single old women had the chihuahua's for whatever reason). That small dog was use to only one master, and when they came into our home, some of them were plane old mean because their master wasn't there.

I treat EVERY dog with respect. The difference is a chiauahua probably won't send you to the emergency room, but man, can they tick you off:laughing:

 

[Sigarms]

Pretty sad that some owners don’t seem to care at all about their per’s Behavior.

I not only equate "dangerous" dogs along with guns, but also dogs in general being a lot like children, in the fact that neither child nor dog gets to pick what kind of home it goes to.

And yes, I've read mutiple reports of pit attacks and when actually seeing a picture of the animal who did the actual damage, no way in heck was it even close to a terrier breed, let along an American Pit Bull.

 

[Dave Pee]

The man in Ft McCoy can leagally kill anything that is threatening his livestock. (OK, maybe not a Bald Eagle) Florida is big on protecting farms and livestock.