How do you feel about Pitbulls?
TheSadTitan
Posts: 8
This includes all bully breeds the media groups in with the American Pitbull Terrier, so besides the APBT this thread includes American staffordshire Terrier's, Staffordshire Bull Terrier's and American Bulldogs.
I feel that pitbulls are highly misunderstood due to the media and how they are branded aggressive and "unpredictable". All dogs require training an Pitbulls do not receive this in a lot of situations which leads to bad behavior. On top of this they are a highly abused breed which leads to fear and fear leads to aggression out of that fear. Dog bites and attacks happen all of the time and they are not pitbulls yet the news tends to put large amounts of focus on pitbull looking dogs when "attacks" happen.
Pitbull's were once known as america's dog and even as nanny dogs because they were so great with young children. Now pitbulls are still this same dog being great family dogs and popular therapy dogs.
Pitbulls do more good then they do bad yet the stories of them doing bad get more exposure even tho they are far from the norm. Here is a page full of pitbulls saving lives and helping fend off intruders to save their owners:
http://bslnews.org/pit-bull-heroes-hall-of-fame/
Pitbull breeds are great family pets yet like any breed need training. The media want you to believe that they attack on a whim in a family situation when this is not the case, The only time pitbulls have "attacked" is when they are not properly trained and or they have been abused.
How do you feel about america's dog?
(Put this on comic vine also, it is very quickly done because I wrote a very long polished one but my computer shut down. Hope this thread will do to start a decent conversation)
I feel that pitbulls are highly misunderstood due to the media and how they are branded aggressive and "unpredictable". All dogs require training an Pitbulls do not receive this in a lot of situations which leads to bad behavior. On top of this they are a highly abused breed which leads to fear and fear leads to aggression out of that fear. Dog bites and attacks happen all of the time and they are not pitbulls yet the news tends to put large amounts of focus on pitbull looking dogs when "attacks" happen.
Pitbull's were once known as america's dog and even as nanny dogs because they were so great with young children. Now pitbulls are still this same dog being great family dogs and popular therapy dogs.
Pitbulls do more good then they do bad yet the stories of them doing bad get more exposure even tho they are far from the norm. Here is a page full of pitbulls saving lives and helping fend off intruders to save their owners:
http://bslnews.org/pit-bull-heroes-hall-of-fame/
Pitbull breeds are great family pets yet like any breed need training. The media want you to believe that they attack on a whim in a family situation when this is not the case, The only time pitbulls have "attacked" is when they are not properly trained and or they have been abused.
How do you feel about america's dog?
(Put this on comic vine also, it is very quickly done because I wrote a very long polished one but my computer shut down. Hope this thread will do to start a decent conversation)
Comments
In my opinion it's never the dog or breed itself. A dogs attitude and behavior is largely brought about by the owners. Bad owners, bad dogs. These breeds need a massive amount of exsersise and should be ran off a lead for at least an hour and a half a day. When continuously not they get a little crazy being shut in all day.
I say they're attitudes are largely brought on by their owners because in some cases I believe a dogs personality it set in stone regardless of the owner. Here's why... My dog, Alfie, was found roaming the streets of London at 1 year old. Battersea dog home took him in and me and my wife gave him a home a few months later. When we got him they told us about a 'thing' he has. He is obsessed with sticks and cannot go for walk without one in his mouth. We were told that Battersea thought as a pup his previous owners we're trying to teach him to be a fighting dog. These scumbags make the dog latch on to trees to strengthen their jaws etc. he obviously wasn't up to the task and was abandoned. This is all due to his soft nature. He couldn't harm a fly and is so soft he's been attacked by other dogs with no retaliation.
People who don't love and care for their dogs create these poor animals that lash out and it's a massive shame for the dog and the victim. I'd like to see dog licenses come in. If you want a dog you should no what your getting into and should treat them as the require and deserve.
I'll step off my soapbox now...
My new dog is going through a phase where she is testing me. Seeing how hard she can bite when we are play fighting. She knows the limits now and was amazingly good with my now 101 year old grandfather on X-mas day.
This is not the dogs' fault.
As individuals, I know and love several of the blockheaded sweeties.
I get that pitbulls are not "evil." I do. But, I am also fully cognizant of the fact that the breed has qualities that make them an inherently more dangerous animal.
Many will stop reading right there, and begin the defense of the animal. For those that kept reading, please, allow me to elaborate.
Pitbulls are a very strong breed, a muscular animal. Their jaw strength is ranked in the top five of all breeds. That paired with the tendency of the breed to hold and shake when it attacks is devastating.
This is why the Pitbull gets the bad press. Other breeds may bite more, other breeds may attack more, but the devastation of a pitbull attack is something that you see less in other breed attacks.
I also know that you cannot judge the temperament of an entire breed and that there are always deviations, but I think that there are certain breeds that do lend themselves better to roles as watchdogs, and that, quite often, those aspects are what can be termed as "aggressive" tendencies.
After all, when you want a dog to keep you safe, you want some of those tendencies.
I have nothing against pitbulls. I have no problems with responsible owners having pitbulls. I won't own one, though. Owning a pet - any pet - requires a measuring of the risks involved, and I am unwilling to take those risks when it comes to pitbulls.
My opinion, of course, and your mileage may vary.
As I said above, I know and love several "pitbulls," but I really don't think we need to keep breeding so many of them.
I'd never trust a strangers dog, pit or no, to be around my child though.