Hubby and I don't have a dog, but we have visited the dog park with friends.
It's amazing how many people aren't thinking at all - taking babies in strollers and not watching the baby. Taking super-tiny dogs into the large dog area, off-leash. Even a very minor scuffle could result in death or mutilation to the smaller dog.
To me, it's amazing that it usually works out. I've not seen a fatal accident yet, but not because the opportunities haven't been there. One guy loves that his tiny male dog (a min-pin mix) tries to mount the hugest females (the little guy does seem to be attracted to the larger ladies). Our friend has a very well-trained female dog (about 60 lbs) and we leave as soon as the little casonova shows up, because otherwise the female dog is constanty running from her admirer (she tries to sit to show she's not interested, but he doesn't get it, so she'll race-walk all around the park with the min-pin at her heels, and his owner laughing his head off, because he finds it funny).
And it's not like our friend's dog was in heat, because she's spayed (which makes me wonder how he tells the ladies from the boys - maybe he's just been lucky). Even with females though, if one large lady decides she's had enough of his "attention" he's going to have a piece taken out of him.
It also annoys me that some people think that every brindled dog is a pit bull. It's a color, not a breed. We have a friend who has a dog that's mostly labrador mixed with some type of hound, and people think it's a pit-bull because of it's speckled color.
It also annoys me that some people think that every brindled dog is a pit bull. It's a color, not a breed. We have a friend who has a dog that's mostly labrador mixed with some type of hound, and people think it's a pit-bull because of it's speckled color.
It annoys me that people think every vicious dog must either have something wrong with them or have pit bull mixed in. Also that every muscular, stocky or big-headed dog must be pit bull or at least have pit bull lineage. Or that pit bull is even an actual dog breed. LOL
Some of your stories are making me ill. It breaks my heart that some calm breeds like a Lab can be aggressive and most of it seems to be the fault of their owners. It is a shame that people have to leave a "dog park" because of mean dogs and POS owners.
This trial doesn't go back until Dec. We'll see what happens.
Some of your stories are making me ill. It breaks my heart that some calm breeds like a Lab can be aggressive and most of it seems to be the fault of their owners. It is a shame that people have to leave a "dog park" because of mean dogs and POS owners.
This trial doesn't go back until Dec. We'll see what happens.
I've never known a lab, except for labs over 6 years old, to be "calm." They usually need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation or they can have behavioral problems. Just like with any dog.
And I've known a lot of labs who show aggression toward smaller animals. Dogs are still dogs no matter how domesticated they've become.
My family owns 1 pitbull who is the biggest goofball of all, 1 Lab mix that needs tons of exercise because he is so hyper, and 12 chihuahuas and of that whole mix (we have lots of property and they are all fixed, updated vaccs, licensed, a dog house for each, and are all very loved.) one female chihuahua is the only biter. I really dislike pet owners that don't care for their animals or that just mistreat them
My family owns 1 pitbull who is the biggest goofball of all, 1 Lab mix that needs tons of exercise because he is so hyper, and 12 chihuahuas and of that whole mix (we have lots of property and they are all fixed, updated vaccs, licensed, a dog house for each, and are all very loved.) one female chihuahua is the only biter. I really dislike pet owners that don't care for their animals or that just mistreat them
Sounds like your family CARES for animals. A dog house for each? Many kids don't have that luxury of a bedroom each. Congrats to your family for giving those animals all that care.
cbmare yes a house for each I love my babies very much and it gets terribly cold out here during the fall/winter seasons. and ridgecrest is in the middle of nowhere LOL we are just outside a naval base which i find kinda ironic a naval base in the middle of the desert LOL
Last edited by NiteOwlMommy; 11-10-2010 at 09:59 PM.
I grew up on a very large farm/ranch, we had cattle, horses, dogs, horses, dogs, hogs, etc. Animal behavior is nothing new to me.
I have owned one or more dogs all my life. For the last 6 years I have worked for a veterinarian. I can tell you there is NO bad breed of dog, only stupid dog owners.
In the last 6 years, I have been bit more by cats than dogs, and then more by little dogs than by big dogs. In fact, I've only been bitten once by a big dog, and he was in pain. Small breed dogs however are a whole different story. People thing because they are little, they are cute and do not need manners. HELLO, they still have teeth, and if they bite, I bleed.
The worst pet we ever saw was a pot belly pig, whose hooves we had to trim, she was way big for her breed, and kicked our butts on a regular basis.
As far as dogs go, they all need basic manners, "sit, come, stay, down, (lay down) off, (as in off the sofa, door, etc.) heel, and "wait", as in "wait for me to open the door, don't scratch and jump on the door, "wait" for me to fill the bowls, "wait" for me to get out of the car first, "wait" for me to open your kennel door, you get the drift. We always have boarding dogs, and "wait" is the hardest for them to get.
I got tired of getting drug around by bad mannered boarding dogs, now our regulars know, "wait", no gate crashing, I go in the run, shut the gate and make them sit, "wait" I go out first, they "wait" at the door, they "wait" at the outside potty run gate and they "wait" in reverse coming back in.
It's all about being responsible and teaching basic manners.
But, some folks will never get that, and those are the ones who will end up in a bad situation where the only one that loses is the dog.
I absolutely, whole heartedly do NOT trust that breed for a second. Rotties, German Shepherds - love 'em. But no way jose on the pits.
I love pits and have one myself, but I can understand why you would feel that way given what you've been through. The tendency that many people have to stereotype pitbulls is scary, though, because it's those attitudes that can lead to laws that would make it illegal for me to have my dog.
It's funny that you mention Rotts and German Shepherds, though, because I actually have both of those breeds as well, and my Rott is the only one who makes us neverous because she does not like anyone who isn't family because she is so protective. She got out once while going to the bathroom in the backyard by headbutting the fence posts and squeezing through the space she made, and we were scared to death of what she would do and went crazy looking for her (fortunately, it seemed that she just felt like stretching her legs ). Rotts' temperaments are actually more domineering than pits' because they are so naturally protective. (This is why you typically see Rotts being used to protect those used car lots). Pits, on the other hand, are typically very playful and docile (they are actually commonly used as therapy dogs for this reason), which is why the stereotypes that exist about them are so unfair.
As people have said, it's the owners who are the problem, not the breed. Pits are not naturally more likely to attack humans than any other dog. They're not wolves or wild animals - they're domesticated just like any other breed. However, if they have been raised in a bad environment or have owners who train them to intimidate or participate in dog fighting, which is unfortunately the case with pitbulls more than any other breed (this is why they have such a bad reputation - not because pits are vicious), then they are more dangerous than most other dogs who have been made to be vicious simply because of their powerful physique. We should remember, though, that other breeds do kill, so it is important to not trust or distrust any single breed. Like people, dogs have different "personalities" and grow up in different environments; they can either be super nice or super vicious and wanting to kill you, regardless of breed.
I also have to say...it is unfortunate that those vet professionals you talked about are promoting that stereotype of pitbulls, as they should know better than that. No breed of dog, being the domesticated animals that they are, are naturally vicious. As someone said, some breeds (like Rotts) do have traits that you have to be wary of, but that doesn't make them vicious; it just means that they require responsible owners, and unfortunately, pits are the most likely to have irresponsible owners who use them for illegal purposes and raise them improperly. If those vet professionals are afraid of all the pits that come into their clinic simply because they are pits, it is because they are not educated about the breed or dog behavior in general, not because pits are naturally anything to be afraid of. I can understand how anyone would be intimidated by their physical appearance because I'm intimidated by any big dog that isn't mine, but that doesn't excuse a professional in a field that specializes in animal care from being so uneducated about the animals they're caring for. Sorry, but that really irks me!
Last edited by Northern Belle; 11-12-2010 at 09:56 AM.
In the last 6 years, I have been bit more by cats than dogs, and then more by little dogs than by big dogs. In fact, I've only been bitten once by a big dog, and he was in pain. Small breed dogs however are a whole different story. People thing because they are little, they are cute and do not need manners. HELLO, they still have teeth, and if they bite, I bleed.
As far as dogs go, they all need basic manners, "sit, come, stay, down, (lay down) off, (as in off the sofa, door, etc.) heel, and "wait", as in "wait for me to open the door, don't scratch and jump on the door, "wait" for me to fill the bowls, "wait" for me to get out of the car first, "wait" for me to open your kennel door, you get the drift. We always have boarding dogs, and "wait" is the hardest for them to get.
I know what you mean! I've only ever had big dogs. I've had two German Shepherds, a Doberman, two pits, and one Rott; I've never, ever been bitten by a big dog. The only animal that has ever bitten me, in fact, is my small rabbit. He was extremely feisty and used to hate it when I reached into his cage to pick him up because it was "his territory". He'd bite, lunge at my hand, make aggressive noises, etc. It didn't do much damage, of course, but it just goes to show that any animal can be vicious. The same goes with dogs. Dogs, big dogs/pitbulls in particular, are simply capable of doing more damage than, say, a Yorkie or a cat, when they've been made to behave viciously.
And I'm completely with you on dogs needing manners! Teaching dogs manners is part of being a responsible dog owner because they can definitely get out of control if they're left to behave however they want. It's really just like raising a kid, I would think, because they need some kind of structure or else they are at risk for becoming destructive or having behavioral issues. My dogs know "sit", "down", "eat", "stay", "out", "heel" etc. When they've been naughty, we always tell them to "go put your head down" and they do that, too lol.
Last edited by Northern Belle; 11-12-2010 at 08:58 AM.
Dobies used to have a bad rep in the late 60s & 70s.
boobalah's former boss was driving home from their mountain cabin and their Dalmation attacked him while he was driving. That dog bit off part of his ear. His dr. was a personal friend and did not report the dog bite. They had never had a problem with this dog before that. They were afraid of him after that. I can't imagine living in fear of my own dog.
I want to thank all of you for your input about these dogs. I do agree that POS owners are more of the problem but I still feel that many dogs are "unretrainable" after they've been allowed to be vicious for a long time. Not all of Vick's dogs were "retrainable" and had to be put down. The ones that could be "retrained" were and placed in suitable homes.
I just can't respect anyone who laughs in the face of someone who complains about being chased back into their own home because of her dog.
IMO like it's already been said- any dog is capable of doing a lot of damage or killing someone/something.
That being said it all comes down to the owner, do they pay proper attention to the dog, train it, control it, etc.
The only time I get nervous around a dog is when it's owner has no control over it. I've been bitten once by a dog and it was not a pleasant experience (I still got the mark) and was jumped by another dog and LUCKILY my face wasn't torn off cuz the owner grabbed it in time.
Both times it happened cuz the owners didn't have a proper hold on their dog and they just lunged at me. Both times I didn't run cuz I knew it'd make it worse but I still was bit once- thank GOODNESS the bite came from the small dog and not the large one...
Don't get me wrong I STILL love dogs, but I agree that I don't always love their owners!
). Rotts' temperaments are actually more domineering than pits' because they are so naturally protective. (This is why you typically see Rotts being used to protect those used car lots). Pits, on the other hand, are typically very playful and docile (they are actually commonly used as therapy dogs for this reason), which is why the stereotypes that exist about them are so unfair. 
