Pit bull and toddler

pixiqueen79 · July 2014

I know the pit bull issue is a very big think and in the news all the time. I loove all animals and have always believed there are not bad dogs just bad people. So back in February we acquired a pit bull puppy (nephew got arrested - puppy was seized by animal control - nephew signed her over to us). The best we can figure is that she is about 8 months old right now. She is a great dog not a mean bone in her body. We also have 2 other dog s and our son is 22 months old. Everybody gets along fine and the puppy is great with our son. LO can pull her lips while she is sleeping and she doesn't even flinch. We have gotten many negative comments from reletives about her being a pit and everyone being worried about her with our son. If for a milisecond we thought that she could intentionally hurt her our son she would be gone! I guess what I'm looking for is what everyone thinks about having a pit and a little guy in the house. I would eventually like to find her a new home but it has to be the perfect one because she is a sweetie although our 2 other dogs are getting up the in age... Is the family right on getting rid of her because she is a pit?

Kissimi21 · July 2014

Pitbulls are no worse than any other dog. I used to work in a vet clinic and the absolute worst dog I ever had to deal with was a black lab, the second worst dog was a beagle cross. Pitbulls have a bad reputation, but every dog needs to be evaluated on its own merit. Personally, I would be more concerned about how the older dogs handle being around a toddler. A lot of bites happen when dogs start losing some of their hearing or sight and get startled by kids, or the dog starts to feel sore and becomes less tolerant. I'm not saying get rid of the older dogs, just giving examples of how any dog can be "a risk" regardless of breed.

ashiscute · July 2014

Pit Bulls have a very bad reputation for a simple reason. Most other breeds (even ones associating with bites like rottweilers) bite once and release. Pit Bulls are more likely to bite and hang on and therefore do significant damage to a child or person. Pit Bulls are more likely to be bread and trained to highlight these aggressive behaviors.

I personally think if you are training your pit bull properly then you do not need to be more concerned than you would be with your other dogs. However, I think you need to be realistic in that any dog could intentionally hurt your son. I have a labradoodle which is certainly not considered a dangerous breed but that doesn't mean he couldn't hurt my kids.

Las135 · July 2014

I have a pitbull and a toddler as well. Our pitty is super sweet, but we do not leave him alone with DS at all. I used to think that there is no bad dogs, just bad owners. I have since changed my mind. Sometimes, there are just mean dogs. My friends and I are very into helping shelter dogs, especially those of the bully breed. But, I have seen in a lot of instances, where regardless of how much love, and training, and attention the dog has received, they just snapped and turned aggressive. It is really sad. Trust me, I am not singling out the breed, because any dog can do this. We hear more about the large dog (pit bull) attacks in the media, not because of the dog biting, but because of the damage that breed can inflict with its bite. Smaller dogs bite way more, but the damage is not "media worthy".

I agree though, humans do cause a lot of this aggressive behavior. Whether it be directly, by abusing and fighting the dog, and not socializing it. Or indirectly, by inbreeding. It really is a sad life that some of these pups have to live.

loeroam · July 2014

I have 2 pits, ages 10 and 11. DS is 16 months old. The three of them are like peas in a pod. My male (Razor) has some aniexty problems, especailly during storms, but he love DS and tolerates being smacked, having his nipples pulled, being layed on, etc. When DS gets to be too much or smacks him in the face, Razor just gets up and walks to the other room. We make sure when there is a storm, Razor has his own space away from everyone (usually, behind the couch). Our female, Kita, is like a second mom to DS. He lays on her, sleeps next to her on the floor, feeds her his chicken nuggets (much to my displeasure), "walks" her on a leash, uses her as a couch...you name it, Kita puts up with it. DS poked her in the eye yesterday and all she did was close her eye - she didn't even move her head. And when he falls or cries, she runs over to him and licks him for support.

Granted, we don't leave our son alone with the dogs...one of us is always around monitoring, but we would do that with any dog. I am actually more nervous when DS tries to pet the cat. We work with him on a daily basis with "nice pet" or "gentle pet" so that he doesn't hit the dogs when he pets them. I'm no dummy and I know that any dog can only take so much, so we just watch and make sure that the dogs aren't showing any signs of displeasure or irritation and they both get their own space and some adult attnetion once our LO goes to bed.

The important thing is never leave a child alone with any dog and help teach your child the proper way to pet a dog. Even as toddlers, they understand. My mother was convinced that my dogs were going to "eat her grandchild" as soon as we brought him home from the hospital. And, to be fair, we did have a home lined up for them in the event that they did not react well to the baby. But they have been amazing since we brought him home. As long as the dog and the child get along well and the dog does not show signs of agression or fear around the child, then getting rid of her simply b/c she is a pit is, IMO, unwarrented.

Unknown · July 2014

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redhead610 · July 2014

I have nothing against pit bulls. With the correct training and upbringing, dogs can be nice and sweet no matter what the breed. However, you should never, ever let your baby or child mess with any dog while they are sleeping, especially by pulling at their lips. Even the nicest dog ever could react quite negative out of instinct. Never let your baby alone with any dog, even one you trust, because baby will likely invade the dog's personal space and not recognize any warning signs the dog is giving before attacking.

redhead610 · July 2014

RedheadBaker said:

redhead610 said:

With the correct training and upbringing, dogs can be nice and sweet no matter what the breed.

This is not accurate. The dogs in Michael Vick's dog-fighting kennel were raised in horrific conditions and trained to fight. Once they were rescued, many went to live in homes with children and other dogs, and many earned their Canine Good Citizen certification, or even became therapy dogs.

Yes, my statement was accurate. Never did I say that their personalities couldn't be changed. I was simply stating that aggression is not breed specific, referring to what the op was talking about. The Michael Vick dogs show that correct training works, even after being previously trained in horrific ways. Perhaps I should have said "and/or", instead of just "and", but the owner's care plays a huge role in the personality and actions of a dog.

tig594 · July 2014

I have a old pit mix who I trust with my 16 month old 100%. When I had to put my old rottie mix (whom I didn't trust with the baby, especially when food was around) down last March it took months to find another dog I'd also trust 100% with the baby in the house. DD LOVES animals and always wants to be in their food bowls, petting them, chasing the cats, etc. I think, no matter what the breed, your kids need to be supervised around any animal until they are old enough to know how much respect they deserve.

My cousin's 6 yr old son has grown up around dogs and cats and loves/respects the family pets very much. He was in their Great Dane's face one day a few months ago and disaster happened. He's a very lucky little boy who's facial scars will fade over time. The dog lost her companion of 12 years this spring and was spayed a couple weeks before she bit the child. We can't forget our pets get stressed, too.

tig594 · July 2014

Why would you have an animal around your son that you didn't trust? I mean, yes, it's an animal, but if you don't trust it not to harm your son why put them together? Difference of opinion on the dog bite. I work with dogs almost daily as a volunteer and you cannot discount stress in an animal's life. Should the boy be in the dog's face? Of course not. Being that the dog is 11 years old and had never shown signs of aggression before you have to look at other reasons why she might have done what she did. Not that it matters now as she had to be sent to a rescue where there are no children.

AppleJacks81 · July 2014

We have shih tzu and even though he is highly tolerant of the kids and sweet natured, he can go nuts over food in an instant. We have to watch when the kids have food in their hands and keep them away from the dog bowl. No matter what the breed, it only takes a millisecond for a dog to turn. I've never been comfortable around big dogs though, so even a fat fluffy friendly lab would make me nervous to have my kids around. I guess in my mind if I'm going to have a dog around my kids, I'd rather not have one that can cause "newsworthy" (as a previous poster described) damage to a small child in the blink of an eye.

jaime52005 · July 2014

I think it's ridiculous when people single out pit bulls..a dog is a dog they can all turn at a snap of a finger! Why is this even a question?!

ashiscute · July 2014

jaime52005 said:

I think it's ridiculous when people single out pit bulls..a dog is a dog they can all turn at a snap of a finger! Why is this even a question?!

I answered this above but it's actually incredibly simple. It is not that a pit bull is more likely to bite than another breed but that they are more likely to cause serious damage if they do bite. Most dogs bite once and release whereas pit bulls tend to bite and hang on.

There's a pretty big debate where I live about this right now because at the beginning of the summer a 6 yo girl was attacked (unprovoked) by 3 pit bulls and had her face literally ripped off. I don't think most people are debating that any dog could bite or hurt someone.

littledaisies · July 2014

I think it's absolutely ridiculous to get rid of the dog because it's a pitbull. I have two dogs, a pitbull and american bulldog, and both are amazing with my son (14 months old). Of course we still set boundaries but that has nothing to do with them being bully breeds. Every child should be taught on how to interact with dogs properly. There's no pulling of the ears, tails or anything like that. ANY dog will snap or bite if it's provoked or bothered enough.

I've had dogs my entire life. I'm not just saying this because I have bully breeds, the only dogs that have ever been aggressive or bit me as a child were our yorkshire terriers. I'll admit it was my fault because I was bothering them but of all the breeds we have had growing up ( lab mixes, pitbulls, yorkies, german shepherds) the only dogs to ever cause injury or be aggressive were the small dogs.

No matter what kind of dog you have, you must as a parent and responsible pet owner teach your children how to behave and interact with dogs. Not only your dogs but other dogs they encounter.

jani7 · July 2014

I love dogs and we have an inside small dog but I'm still careful that they aren't cornering her or pulling on her lips or face. I have known some really sweet pit bull mixes but have also known another pit bull that attacked another dog unprovoked so I do feel like they get a bad reputation for a reason. I personally would not have a pit bull around my toddler. I am more on the cautious side in general though. I definitely would never leave them in the same room together without an adult, ever.

HeavenBlessedMom · July 2014

Reputations exist for a reason. If you have a doubt, isn't that enough?. I'm sure you don't want to hear I told you so later.
Please don't risk your child's safety.

Kissimi21 · July 2014

Here is the best way I can describe why I believe every dog needs to be judged on its own merit:

My mother has 5 Jack Russell Terriers (and for those who are anti-pitbull, wait until some idiot breeds an 80lb JRT). Out of the 5, I only allow 2 near my boys. They are very easy going, have a ton of patience with kids, and have never been aggressive with people. There is absolutely no way the other ones are allowed anywhere near my kids. One is neurotic and even though she hasn't bit anyone, I think she'd be a fear biter. Another is aggressive towards strangers and tends to play rough. I don't think she'd attack of aggressively bite a kid, but I wouldn't want rough-housing to get out of hand. The third is senile and very set in his routine. All 5 dogs are related, so it goes beyond their breeding and boils down to the individual dog.

jani7 · July 2014

RedheadBaker said:

I love dogs and we have an inside small dog but I'm still careful that they aren't cornering her or pulling on her lips or face. I have known some really sweet pit bull mixes but have also known another pit bull that attacked another dog unprovoked so I do feel like they get a bad reputation for a reason. I personally would not have a pit bull around my toddler. I am more on the cautious side in general though. I definitely would never leave them in the same room together without an adult, ever.
Animal-on-animal aggression is totally separate from animal-on-person aggression. Can a dog be aggressive to both animals and people? Yes, but just because a dog attacks another dog does not mean they will definitely go after a person.

Right. I don't disagree with that. I also do agree with what others have said to some degree about individual personalities being important. But still, I personally wouldn't have a pit bull around my small children.

nolabelle10 · July 2014

We have a 3-year old doberman who we put through a ton of training, including Canine Good Citizen. He is a big softy with our 13 month old. We do watch them closely and try to teach our daughter how to treat him appropriately (no toy stealing, no ear tugging, nice petting). As pp have said, a lot of it comes down to training and teaching good behavior for both the dog and baby. I read a good book called "Living with Kids and Dogs" by Colleen Pelar. It provided tons of great advice and made me see things from a dog's perspective.

HeavenBlessedMom · July 2014

No bulls hit here.my mom was attacked by 2 pitbulls while running a couple blocks from home. We had them put down that day. It was a second offense for one

Unknown · July 2014

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HeavenBlessedMom · July 2014

Oh, DOES..got it.
No, I wasn't attempting to prove that, just stating a fact that I have encountered the dangers of pits. This was an unprovoked instance as well.
Others dogs can be dangerous as well, that's true. My husband was attacked by a German shepherd when he was 8 and needed a cheek skin graft. My neighbor's shepherd had my foot in her mouth, growling, last summer because I was walking up the driveway. We won't go there without calling anymore. Their last shepherd, at 130#, was awesome...

cozybluebear · August 2014

Honestly, I'm uncomfortable about any dogs around toddlers. My brother and sister in law had a very sweet dog (German Short Hair) that they adopted as a puppy. They had 4 little girls who climbed all over him and played with him all the time. One day he just snapped and attacked their 3 year old. She had her entire bottom jaw ripped off! It was devastating. People will argue and preach that they know their dog but it's still a dog... you just never know.

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