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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
Pitbulls
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Pitbulls
This. One of C's coworkers has a pit and she is the sweetest thing and so gentle around the babies.
This, this, this! I have met more evil chihuahuas than I can count, but I don't remember the last mean pittie I've come across.
My DH got attacked by a friends ferret and he agrees!
I would never let Claire go in a house with a chimp.
Now THAT'S a scary animal. Cannibalism isn't a joke, people.
Our dog is a pit/basenji mix. He has the sweet, protective personality of a pit mixed with the independent/stubborn streak of a basenji. If he gets a chance to roam free he is GONE running around like a wild thing. We have to be careful to keep him from getting out of the fence or out the front door because of this.
We've been able to train him and he listens well but it was WORK, let me tell you!! Basenjis are notoriously difficult to train.
According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question.
I am weary of all dogs around my LO- even our own yellow lab. I have no idea if the above info is accurate or not, but found it interesting.
I disagree from my experience...I said there were exceptions. There are several breeds which I feel uneasy around a child.
Pits
Akitas
Dalmatians
Chihuahuas
Doberman Pinschers
Chow Chow
Rotties
I am always cautious with all dogs though especially toy breeds and I plan to teach my DD the same. You never know what kind of history that dog has kwim?
All animals have the potential for violence.
Moral of the story: Never let your child around any animal ever.
my read shelf:
Or cake.
DAMNIT PEOPLE, DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE DANGERS OF CAKE.
And animals on cake.
Sorry, I'm a little worked up tonight.
You need some mayo to come down off your high. Here:
And just because you have owned a few pits doesn't mean you know all about the breed either....I have seen some crazy Shar Peis and chow chows and pits and there is nothing, ...nothing that you can give me that says they are great family dogs when I have seen them come in completely red from their other house pets blood.
And what do you want me to do with your quiz? post my results? are you going take my vet tech license away if I don't pass?
Did you know Rottweilers are actually know for being a GREAT family dog? Of course if trained as a family dog and that brings us back to how the family trains their animal.
We've had dobermin's my whole life. Well, we started off with labs, but found that the dobbies actually make better family dogs. So...I guess I think someone making a list of breed's that are bad is just plain silly.
I've never seen a dog better with children then my Irish. Even now, at 15 and in the process of dying, he's the most gentle..sweet...loving..amazing dog ever.
here's our LO with our rottie... would i take my son to a house with a pitbull? i don't breed-hate. if the dog is well behaved, of course i would.
i'm sorry, but a dog that has been raised correctly doesn't just snap for no reason.
From your post...I kinda hope so.
.
i think that something obviously set the dog off... i'm not saying that you can just leave babies or kids alone with dogs and everything will be fine if the dog doesn't have a bad history. you still have to be careful. i think that's carelessness on the parents part.
Generally if your family pet snaps out of nowhere for no reason and never has before the first thing you go and do is take them to see if something is physically wrong. That's because yes it can happen that a animal will freak out of nowhere (that goes for any animal even cats) but generally no animals will show signs of aggression in some way, shape or form. That is why no matter WHAT animal it is you should exercise safety. The thing is ANY animal can snap just because someone has a "bully breed" doesn't mean necessarily they will any more or less.
So here's the thing....most of the aggressive breed lists made by cities are made for a reason. I have been turned down for an apt because I owned a boxer. I am not upset with the apt. my dog is hyper which is completely fits in with the breed.
I don't breed discriminate. I like all dogs....enough to go to school and save their lives. There are just some dogs that I would not leave my child alone with. If I was with them then that is a different story.
And yes I am very aware of what MOST if not all breeds are known for and what they are breed for...It was taught in school and I have seen a lot of people own the wrong dog because they had no idea about the breed. I have seen all types of breeds up close and personal on a daily basis...there are lots of breeds of dogs that I would never own for various reasons but are so cute and friendly etc.
Also...with any dog it's all about TRAINING. Any of my dogs...you can take food right out of their mouth, take their favorite chew toy, pull their tail, put your hand in their mouth, anything.
We did extensive training with them as pups and continued on. They are used to being touched, bumped into, children, anything. They don't startle and know that humans are alpha.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Ask me about a golden retriever. Only maybe.
The aggressive list is usually due to insurance reasons because people believe that they are all aggressive not that they actually are. Lab mixes have super high bite rates but people think labs and think great family dogs. It's about reputation. Plus no one was talking about leaving their kid alone with a dog. It doesn't matter what animal it is that's a given that it's a no no.
This. The city's aggresive dog list really isn't a valid arguing point for what truely makes an aggresive dog.
Ooooh! and some people should be IQ tested before having children because it would be asanine to think that blanket statements like pits and rotties are great family dogs to have around children because your dog is a great dog! I agree with Ana exercise caution around ALL dogs....(which I have said previously)
Sorry IV but you realize that was pretty much what you were saying when you said you have seen dogs at work that are bad that are bully breeds. So obviously they are dangerous.
Thank you for pointing out the obvious Anabell.
IV...if you read my other comments, you'd see I say it's all about how a dog is trained and raised. You have to read EVERYTHING though, not just the title, kay?
I see your point. I guess we will have to agree to disagree..based on each others experiences.
So most perception/reputation is based on some reality or facts. You don't think there has been any data taken on this matter? Colorado is one of the most dog friendly places you'll ever go to and the city of Denver has an aggressive breed list even. I understand an apt maybe having an aggressive breed list because of Insurance, but a city?
When I moved to Colorado Springs, DH and I could not find a place to rent to us because of our cat! of all animals...not my boxer that gets mistaken as a pit and is hyper as all hell and not my pug that has an annoying bark but my CAT! The renters were saying it was because they have had too many cats spray and mark in the house. That is the fact. It was frustrating because of so little they knew about cats. It's usually male cats that spray and mark and I had a female that was fixed. Anyways, I am sure their rules had some hard facts to back them up even though they were discriminating against ALL cats.
Though the OP asked the question
Would you bring your child to a house that you know has a pitbull? Even if the pitbull has never had any violent outbursts? TIA
I took it to mean would you leave your kid alone or just leave your kid with other people (as in take your child to a birthday party and leave them there alone even though there are other adults and kids) that had a pit. I said no.
Random pitbull piece of trivia: They used to be known as the "Nanny Dog", and were considered the ideal dog for families with children.
I wouldn't have a problem with X being around any dog that was properly trained and behaved appropriately around children.
We have an aussie mix and she's impeccably trained thanks to H. I could put a piece of steak on X's head and she wouldn't so much as inch towards it, she'd sit immediately and wait for someone to hand it to her. X can hand her food and she takes it gently from his hand without touching him. She responds to signed commands and verbal ones, we can walk her off the leash and she knows to keep pace with us and sit when we stop (of course, if we are in an area with a leash law we abide by that). She comes into the front yard with us, which is not fenced and knows not to leave the perimeter, and upon command will go to the front porch and stay within a smaller perimeter.
I trust her 100% around any child (given that the child isn't aggressive towards animals; she won't react aggressively from a pulled ear, tugged fur, or overly aggressive bear hug, but all animals have their limits).
Did I mention she's a rescue animal? It's all about the training.
Absolutely. In fact, I have a pit bull AND 19 month old twin boys. I also have another 19 month old who comes over four days a week.
I don't buy into the whole "it's not the dog, it's the owner"...at least not 100%. Just like with every other species on this planet, some dogs are just born with wires crossed. But the vast majority of "bad dogs" are created.
Don't be wary of the breed...be wary of dogs in general. Most dog bites of any breed are from dogs who are kept on a chain or kenneled most of their lives. Many are also unaltered. These two dynamics raise the risk of bites considerably because the dogs are bored, frustrated and unfamilier with humans, especially not small, noisy, erratic humans (also known as young children). And to the person who questioned a Chi doing damage to a baby...while small dogs don't have the jaw power that pit bulls have, they can and have killed infants and toddlers.
I have friends with well trained, socialized pit bulls and I would let them watch my kids over any time. A person with a Yellow Lab, Golden Retriever or any other breed chained in the backyard? No way in hell.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this...while dog aggression is sadly common in pit bulls (due to breeding), human aggression is not. There are many reasons you hear about pit bull attacks everyone, all of which lead back to the media and logic.
1.The term "pit bull" isn't a breed. It is a label given to a huge variety of breeds and mixes including American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Boxer, Dogo Argentino, Bull Mastiffs, Labs (yes, labs have been killed in areas with breed bans because they 'met all the criteria') and so many more. And yet when reading bite stats, pit bulls are included as one breed. As the most popular "group" of dogs out there, it stands to reason that they will have the most bites. In fact, in my home town, pit bulls and Labs are virtually neck and neck for the most bites reported.
2. Pit bulls are the current "demon breed". Depending on the century you look at, the "bad" breed of the time changes. Bloodhounds, Dobermans, Rotts all had their day. With this stigmatizing comes a media sensation every time there is a bite. Many reporters don't even hesitate to print a huge headline crying out "Pit Bull Attack! Victim Maimed" for a minor bite caused by an obvious mutt. After all they can print a tiny retraction at the back of the paper and they will get tons of readers.
For examples, go look at the National Canine Research Council. There are tons of examples of the difference in reporting by comparing similar attacks from different breeds of dogs. It's pretty eye opening.
It's not accurate but thanks for pointing out that you weren't sure :-)
You don't have to take my word for it because I'm to lazy to look up the report released on the Merritt-Clifton report but the researchers knowingly left out 200+ dog bites.
Good question!! More often than not, yes. Many dog owners not only don't do research about the breed of dog they get but they often don't bother to learn a THING about dog behavior. Example: many people think that any tail wag means the dog is happy. WRONG. A low, loose tail wag is relaxed, a high, stiff tail wag is stress, discomfort and potentially confrontational. That's not to say that there will be a dog fight, but it's not a dog you want to approach and pet or let your dog do a nose to nose greeting with.
Most of these attacks and maulings may not have been preceeded by an actual bite but more often than not, there are warning signs. Growls, air snaps, etc. Many people just choose to ignore them. The vast majority of dog bites are also caused by dogs who are on chains or kenneled most of their lives because they are bored, frustrated, have no outlet for their energy, not socialized and usually highly protective over that tiny bit of territory they can cover. That is a disaster waiting to happen.