The 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds Solely Based on Biting and Fatality Statistics
The most dangerous dog breeds is a very subjective thing to say or even put in the title of an article from a website that loves dogs. We love dogs! We consider this to be a fun and educational site so naturally one might question why we’re examining what the most dangerous dogs are.
We are NOT in any way saying that these dog breeds are not safe. It depends on a number of things such as genes, temperament and most obvious, how the dog is raised and trained.
So when we’re talking about dog attacks, it’s not always the dog’s fault but we still felt it would be useful to report on biting statistics of dogs just in case it might affect a person’s choice on buying a certain breed. We’re not posting this article to discourage you from buying these dog breeds. We just want to make you aware of the statistics out there in certain studies. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association conducted a twenty year study on the most dangerous dog breeds, and here are the top 10 most dangerous dog breeds based on the amount of fatalities they have caused.
Again, this is purely statistical and should not discourage you from purchasing any of these breeds.
10. St Bernard
Seven fatalities so it’s not like this breed is terribly dangerous. The real reason for their potential danger is their sheer size. St. Bernards are actually pretty lovable and affectionate dogs. So often times they may end up harming someone or something just by bumping into them and getting a little too playful.
9. Great Dane
Another dog with seven fatalities so again, not dangerous. The Great Dane, like the St. Bernard can be troublesome because of its sheer size. These are some big dogs but if groomed and trained properly will be great pets. Just be careful with Great Danes because they require a ton of care so know what you’re getting into.
8. Chow Chow
According to the study the Chow Chow has been responsible for eight fatalities. The Chow Chow does have an aggressive personality, especially around strangers and other pets. Again however, this has to do with ownership and not always a genetic problem of the dog. So as long as they are treated well you shouldn’t have issues.
7. Doberman Pinscher
Known to be one of the most aggressive breed of dogs ever, the Doberman Pinscher was one of the most recognizable dog breeds as they were used extensively as guard dogs. Dobermans accounted for 9 fatalities in the study but most deaths were caused in defense of their owners. This is a great, loyal dog.
6. Malamute
This breed was responsible for 12 fatalities an is another case of a large dog causing unintended harm. Families with children need to be careful if purchasing a malamute. Just be sure to do your research. We’re not saying not to buy one. You just need o understand all the risks and benefits first
5. Wolf-Dog Hybrid
This one is no surprise as half of this dog is wolf. Even with proper crossbreeding, domestication, and training Wolf-dog hybrids maintain much of the prey drive of their wolf genetics making them quite dangerous to keep as pets. If they’re domesticated clearly there’s less risk but their nature alone can eventually take effect in which case there’s not much an owner can do.
4. Husky
With a total of 15 fatalities linked to Huskies in the study conducted, they are definitely known to be aggressive which is why they’re considered one of the most dangerous dogs, but this has been linked to poor training/obedience issues as Huskies rate as one of the most intelligent canines in the world. We totally recommend getting one as these stats are just unlucky
3. German Shepherd
Also like the Doberman, their high intelligence and aggressiveness makes them sure picks as guard and police dogs. With 17 fatalities attributed to them, they are the third most dangerous dog breeds. This is certainly attributed to their line of work. They’re more likely to get into dangerous situations than other dogs.
2. Rottweiler
Coming in at #2, the Rottweiler was responsible for 39 fatalities in this study. Their temperament is usually passive and attentive, but are known to be prone to aggressive outburst. Rottweilers are more dangerous because of their owners. They’re perceived as guard dogs and are treated in a more aggressive nature than most dogs. Is a rottweiler the world’s most dangerous dog? Almost but not quite.
1. Pit Bull
To anyone who knows dogs, the American Pit Bull Terrier is no surprise at #1 on a list of deadliest dogs. This is considered the most dangerous dog. In this study the Pit Bull stood far ahead of all the other breeds with 66 fatalities attributed to it.
However, remember, this is purely a statistic and doesn’t necessarily tell the whole picture. Most people who have owned a PitBull for pure intentions (not to fight or intimidate) love this breed.
While these dogs need to be trained due to their strength and ability to injure merely by circumstance, that is part of being a responsible dog owner. Unfortunately the Pit Bull has been looped into a number of negative situations over the years, dog fighting being at the top of the list.
Don’t get us wrong, this dog can be an extremely dangerous animal but do not forget that this breed is in general, mistreated more often than other breeds and gets a very bad rap. While fatality statistics are the reason the Pit Bull is on this list, we at Puppytoob love this breed.
You can also read:
- 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Shih Tzu
- 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the American Bully
- The 20 Stinkiest Dog Breeds
- 20 Dog Breeds Commonly Mistaken for Pit Bulls
- The 20 Worst Dog Breeds for Children
I am incredibly disappointed that someone would waste their time still posting things like this. Each dog is its own individual with their very own personality. Maybe you should do some background investigating as to why these fatalities happened and what the situation was surrounding the attack. Was the dog protecting its owner or itself?
We’d be willing to bet many of these instances involved good intention from the dogs
Could you please post the “study” details? Who performed the study?
The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association conducted a twenty year study. As we said, these were only biting statistics. We didn’t say these were necessarily bad dogs. It was simply based on bits and fatalities.
Of course pit bulls are #1 on the list. The reason there have been so many deaths by these dogs is because they fall into the hands of idiot owners who abuse them and use them as fighting dogs. Therefore making them scared and angry which
results in aggression. I have 2 pitbulls both of which are very well trained and love meeting new people. They’re extremely intelligent friendly dogs. Don’t let the media make you think otherwise. hell, I’ve seen way more aggression in yippy little lap dogs.
I own a pit bull, but unlike the naive dog owners who insist ”my breed is not dangerousl”, I know my pit is much more dangerous than the average dog. I use good training to keep the risk low and ensure she has quality socialization with every human she should to keep her friendly, but most people just blindly ignore that some very lovable breeds do have slightly higher tendencies to be aggressive. If you ignore your dogs aggressive side blindly insistent that ” my” dog is safe, you put people around you at risk. You should not own an aggressive dog if you can’t set your ego aside and at least admit done dogs are higher risk than others, and done breeds are more dangerous than others.
It is so easy to blame the dogs for their actions however I submit it is the irresponsible owners who are truly to blame for the behavior. People think you just go and pick up a dog and that’s it. Home Training is essential to have a truly happy healthy relationship with pets just like kids. You can always easily spot the ones that didn’t any home training……kids and dogs
Was each dog in this study DNA tested to prove it’s breed? I doubt it.
I’d bet money that most of the “pitbull” bites were mixed breed dogs that people incorrectly identified as pitbulls.
I love my pit terrier! But I know he needs lots of exercise that keeps him happy and not hyper. Sweet dog. ..and I was the first to be leery when my husband mentioned getting a “pit “..I read up on their personalities, and he’s been so mascot dog ever since !
as far as pit bulls being the #1 dangerous dog, well most of the cases its due to poor training among abuse by the owners, i have one and she is the sweetest dog i have i actually trust her more then i do my little dogs,the dog breed shouldn’t be blamed as much as humans should cause they are the ones training the dogs.i hate hearing how pits are so dangerous, when most of the time when a pit attacks if you look into the life of the pit it was mistreated, neglected or abused…. like it or not any dog can be dangerous..
Good work; thank you. No-one SANE can state otherwise – 28 of the 33 dead in the States 2013 down to Fighting Breed dogs, 16 of those were innocent children. Time for people to wake up and realise that dogs are PURPOSE BRED, and that fighting breed dogs are not born ‘evil’, they are born with highly aggressive maul and kill propensities, put there deliberately over hundreds of years by US. Thank you again.
Let’s ban SUVs then. These vehicles cause many thousands of deaths each year, many of them innocent children. SUV’s are built and designed with the idea that they can smash and crash their way through anything in their way. Is anyone surprised when they maul smaller cars and their occupants?
love it!
If you had a choice between a make of SUV with a defect that killed 25 people last year and an SUV with no defect, which would you choose? Pitbulls killed 25 people last year; Labradors didn’t kill any. I would choose the Labrador.
A lab attacked The Dog Whisperer Ceaser Milan. It was the only dog who actually attacked him. A yellow Lab. What do u say about that??????????
He is still alive. Lucky for him it wasn’t a pit.
How odd; since there were only 16 dog-related fatalities that year it’s a bit difficult to understand how “pit bulls” could have killed 25 people? Curious as to the source of that number – the CDC is the nation’s OFFICIAL organization that tracks ALL animal-related fatalities, and they clearly emphasize that they do not and have not since the early 70s tracked dog bites by breed, as it is NOT POSSIBLE to determine that. It is on their website, I daresay the US government’s agency that is responsible for tracking ALL health statistics for our country is a far more credible source for any information regarding dog bites, and/or fatalities than some spurious agenda-driven, sensationalized site that obtains it’s “statistics” from a web-crawler service set to gather all news stories with search terms including “dog,” “bite,” “attack,” “maul,” “death,” “pit,””bull,” and the like, then compiles the results of ALL the stories (which of course we all know are 100% true and accurately reported – NOT) and voila! Huge number of dog “fatalities,” all attributed by the website’s owner to “pit bulls” without any fact checkin, checks for duplicate dyories, accuracy, veracity . . . That’s how you end up with more deaths caused by pit bulls than actual victims of fog attacks in total. It’s astonishing how people can be either so gullible or else lazy that they can’t be bothered to even ask themselves where the information they’re reading is coming from and whether it’s even possible.
Exactly the numbers and breakout of the numbers has a bad odor to it. You need something like a least 5-10 years of study to get a good reading as well as good information gathering. Focusing on just fatalities is not the whole story.
Do to regulatory action by the government and personal injury and class action litigation motor vehicles have become steadily safer. The US death toll in motor vehicle accidents is now under 35,000 per year, about 2/3 of its level just 15 years ago and still declining. Its on course to decline below gun deaths in the next few years.
So, by your reasoning, government regulation and lawsuits are the way to deal with dog attack fatalities.
They run in packs too. And if they are left on the streets, they turn feral.
Again, a terrific post. IF we were talking about cars. The post is about dogs so your comments are inconsequential and not on subject.
Not totally untrue but don’t forget as long as 18 wheelers and cars share roads, cars of any size lose when you talk about head-one or broadside impacts. I know of a new Mini Cooper Driver who died when his car was hit head-on by an 18 wheeler even though his car slid backwards into the path of the truck. The drivers area was virtually intact but the sheer force of that 18 wheelers mass hitting that car snapped his neck.
SUVs sales increase ARE an overreaction to the perceived and real threat of crashes but even an SUV driver and passengers die when an 18 wheeler rolls over or into them at highway speeds.
Here’s the thing: if you were to look at stories of dog maulings from 20 – 30 years ago, the dogs involved were mainly Rottweilers. Twenty to thirty years before that, it was Dobermans. Twenty to thirty years before that, it was German Shepherds. Twenty years from now, it will be some other breed.
There are always people in society who will want to have a big, bad (in their eyes) dog. Some for nefarious purposes, some are image related. People with those mindsets choose particular breeds, to start, and then through “training” and usually bad management, end up with a dog that they really can’t control. I use to live across the street from some folks that had a Rottweiler, a very sweet dog. (I always suspected he was smarter than his owner.)
Anyway, one day I saw the man I think was his owner trying to get the dog to attack a buddy of his. And the dog was having none of it. He kept backing away from the proposed victim, and looking at his owner like, “are you nuts?”
Another point: the third most dangerous dog on this list is the German Shepherd. That’s the same breed that’s used quite frequently as a Guide Dog for the blind.
The interesting thing about fighting dogs is that they were bred to fight other dogs. In fact, a human referee was supposed to be able to separate a fighting pair bare-handed, without being bitten. If any of the dogs in a fight bit a human, that dog was put down immediately. That certainly seems to offer proof that something has gone seriously awry with breeding these dogs.
If you could snap your fingers and have every “fighting” dog disappear, it wouldn’t take long for the collective bad-asses of the world to settle on another breed. Because there are bigger, stronger dogs out there.
I think the German Shepherd, like the Doberman, are on the list because they attacked protecting their humans. Big difference than a dog running loose attacking innocent people in the neighborhood. German Shepherds and Dobermans can be the most loving family dog there is.
Really? Because when I was 6 I was attacked by our family German Shepard. My face was unrecognizable and I was in the hospital for two and a half weeks. This dog NEVER showed any signs of aggression and we never rough housed it. I was playing fetch with him. I threw the ball and ran with him to get it and that’s when he bite my face and shoot me like a rag doll. So he was not defending his owner. Even though this happened I am not scared of German Shepards. ALL dogs have the ability to do this. I have grown up with pitbulls and they are the only ones that never made me feel uncomfortable. My chow lab mix charged at me through a fence when I was going to pet him. My shitzu bit my brother and put and hole in his lip when he went to kiss him.
Prayers to you. My daughter also had her faced ripped off but it was when a neighbor allowed kids to touch new puppies with mom there. It was a mutt of no specific type. Don’t take this wrong but a word of wisdom…when you chased the ball at the same time the dog did at that point he saw you as competition for his item of possession. Sad I know, you didn’t know but this is what is wrong with people owning dogs of any kind. They are animals…period. Read my article to understand it can be done but you must know the nuances of each dogs personalities. This makes all the difference in the world. God bless.
Read what I just posted.
dogs who are trained for fighting are trained to fight other animals, not attack and maul humans. Any breed of dog can be trained to attack a human. ANY breed. My pittie has an absolute wonderful purpose !! To prove to people like you that it is all the the raising of your dog. Pits are supposedly high prey breeds. My girl lives with 3 cats who run the house. They sleep together and eat together !! Blame the deed not the breed !
Danes are just big. Put a chihuahua brain in one now there’s a dangerous dog.
The Great Dane and the Apollo of the dog world. Big gentle giants that like to relax on your sofa and try to sit on your lap. Protective, loyal, and have a sense of humor.
I absolutely agree. When I met my wife, she had 3 Danes, and they were all sweet and gentle as can be, and yes, they do try to get on your lap, lol. They can be very entertaining and funny, you said it right when you said “Big gentle giants”. The only downside to Danes is their lifespan is very short, 8,9, and if you’re lucky, 10 years. They have all since passed, but now we have Jack, our 5 year old American Staffordshire Terrier, (Pit Bull). I described him above.
They’re great leaners, too.
A great dane randomly decided to attack and almost kill my daughter! No gentle giant!
any dog can attack, its all according to how they are trained, how they were abused or not, how they are treated. I find smaller dogs to be much more aggressive than the large breads. If there is any bread that should be labeled as dangerous it is the human breed. The human breed has been known to kill out of pleasure, greed, revenge, discrimination, etc. The breeds that attack usually can be found that they were trained to attack or were abused.
This dog was owned by a family member, trained right, and never abused. The dog just snapped. Any dog can snap and decide to kill. It’s in their nature.
dogs dont just snap….. there is a reason behind it, animal behavior…..
No it is not
That sort of thing has been caused by over-breeding of popular breeds; a while back there were several cases of Saint Bernards suddenly snapping and attacking people.
And the Saint Bernard is quite probably the least-aggressive dig in the world – the story goes that the most famous of the original Hospice of St Bernard rescue dogs in the Alps found a wounded soldier in the snow (during the Franco-Prussian War), and was digging to him when the soldier (hallucinating from his wounds and the cold) thought the dog was attacking and stabbed him with a bayonet.
The dying dog curled up with the soldier and his remaining body heat helped keep him alive until the monks found them.
My mother had a Saint, and i think that the only time i ever heard hims speak genuinely threateningly to anyone (as in “Touch me and draw back a stump”) was when the vet wanted to check him for worms. (He’d just heard my mom’s Springer Spaniel complaining loudly about the process…)
I had a St. Bernard who was gentle and loving with me and my wife, but dangerous to strangers. From the time she was a puppy she was a “fear biter,” which is particularly problematic, requiring vigilance on our part. She was well trained, and never seriously injured anyone, but was prone to “nip,” often sneakily.
My Saints are dangerous to strangers too and they will let you know that, but my house is the only one in the area that never got robbed
That’s the same scenario with Rottweilers (and a few other big breeds). Rotties have a naturally passive and gentle temperament, but when a huge craze for big aggressive guard dogs became popular in the 80s, they were one of the most overbred breeds in the country, bred by breeders who pay no attention to the breed standards, thus diminishing the integrity of the breed. That has since largely been corrected, of course, and Rotties again are some of the best, most loyal, friendly dogs one could ever hope for.
Cocker spaniels have been through the over-breeding/rescue cycle something like three or four times…
…and don’t get me started on show collies, with skulls so narrow their brain has to be about the size of a large legume, or shelties so overbred for “delicate proportions” that they snap their leg bones jumping down off the couch…
Yes and yes. A coworker was trimming his shelties toe nails and the thing started bleeding so bad they had to take it to the vet! Apparently they have a very thin membrane that runs much closer to the surface than normal.
Chow’s with their blue tongues are also crazy.
No matter what breed of dog you have, you have to be careful when trimming their nails. This is also true of birds.
The Shetland Sheepdog i.e. shelies came from Sheltland Island, by natural selection their bred grow smaller because of the terrain or habitat in which it lived.
Well, yeah. I KNOW that. What i was referring to is selective breeding to make them even smaller and more “delicate”.
My comment about snapping bones by jumping off the couch was because some years ago some friends had one who did it twice.
I like Rotties, I don’t know if they’re good for kids or not. They were Germanys first bank couriers. German merchants would put a sack of coins in the Rottie’s mouth and he would drop them at the bank or so the story goes.
The only two Rotties I knew personally were both delightfully goofy, slobbering softies who lived for chasing tennis balls.
I grew up with a rottie. My rottie was great with me as a kid and with our family. Our rottie did not like strangers at all. She was very protective. But, I think my parents were cool with that because they knew if I was walking her there was no chance of anybody harming, kidnapping me etc. I remember reading some story about a little girl getting kidnapped while walking her dog (it was one of those small yippy dogs) and I’m willing to bet if she’d been walking a rottie her family would still have her.
This is what has happened to the Staffordshire Terrier. The pit Bull, The genetic line has been tampered with, but the dog itself still remains loyal and docile to humans, they however, do not get along with other dogs.
And The Amish are some of the biggest offenders here…..
that’s why dogs like cocker spaniel should be on that list they bite more people every year then all dogs breeds combined, I know I see the statistics on dog bites for every year and for the last 5 years the dog you would never suspect Is the number one biter that lovely little spaniel with the sweet face who goes nuts when the owner isn’t standing there
This about fatalities, not “bites”.
IF YOU LOOKED AT THE BEGINNING O FTHE STORY I TLISTED BOTH CATAGORIES BITTERS AND KILLERS so sorry I knock your precious little cocker spaniel but the truth is the truth
“Dangerous” Based on biting and fatalitys. Cocker spaniels are not dangerous. More like annoying.
Say that after one bites your child because he reached for the dog’s possession.
IS said child alive? Yes.
Had it been a fighting breed dog, the attack would have been fatal.
That’s the difference that the Bully crowd just doesn’t get.
A Chihuahua is never really going to be able to kill you no matter how seriously he threatens you. It does not matter one iota whether every little lap dog in the world is aggressive.
They cannot kill us.
The lap dog also can’t protect you and usually they are pretty dumb.
My little dog is there for rodents. And she is not a lap dog. Big difference.
I also have a DDR line GSD that will rip anyone into shreds who trespasses.
I have all bases covered and no need for an untrainable animal that craps in my house.
So again pretty cool that your little dog actually has a job but I fail to see how your having a little dog for rodent hunting and big dog for protection is at all different from me having a cat for rodent hunting and a big dog for protection. Each has one job only in all cases. Seems like we are on even ground here. But again perhaps I am just a lucky pet owner and I would say you are as well. 😉
Go back and re-read. My whole point is that the cat should never have been elevated to the status of a dog, i,e, “cats and dogs”.
My little dog ALSO sounds the alarm when there is an intruder on my property. Does your cat do that as well?
The cat is a disposable pet like a goldfish. Don’t believe it?
Count the number of dead, unclaimed cats on the roads as compared to dogs.
A goldfish has one job- entertaining the owner.
The cat can do one job more than the goldfish…… kill some mice.
The dog can do a dozen jobs in addition to the one job a goldfish can or the 2 jobs a cat can.
As has been noted, many cats won’t even do their one additional task of killing rodents.
Cats are more in line with gerbils and pet birds in the grand scheme of things.
They are NOWHERE near the status of Man’s best friend.
Period.
again you are an idiot who idolizes one creature and downs the rest, it is little different than racism.
wow! just wow! I don’t think I have ever seen such an ignorant respnonse.
You have definately drunk the kool-aid from the litter box.
The only idiot is someone who compares animal breeds to human races.
You sound like a vegan PETA moron.
Actually my cat does do that. Anytime someone approaches the house he runs to the door growling (just like a dog) and puffs up as big as he can get. That said he is the only cat I have ever had that does this and I doubt any intruder would be intimidated by him but my dog has the intimidation and actual protection covered. And I do have to say that I will be just as heart broken to lose my cat as to lose my dog which to be clear is a lot. I am quite attached to them.
That’s not the issue.
The issue is the overinflation of the cat’s status since the 20th century.
Hmm well if that is the issue you have with it you may want to push that timeline back a smidge because I’m pretty sure they had an even more elevated status back in ancient Egypt. At least we don’t worship them as gods anymore… well most of us anyhow. 😉
Even in ancient Egypt they knew which animal to take hunting….the one that will work. The Dog.
Nice reach, but no cigar.
Dogs have been with us for perhaps 50 thousand years.
Cats, 10 thousand.
There is always going to be some idiot worshipping something at any given time. This has no bearing on the solid fact that dogs enrich our lives in a myriad of ways and cats are mainly a pest animal unless confined 24/7.
all animals can be trained, it just takes different tactic’s.
Try training your cat or gerbil to lead a blind person down a busy city street………yeah that’s what I thought. Now go stick your head back in the sand.
no, if the dog had been trained right it would not have been fatal, but it would have still been serious because of the animals size
I guess your smarter than the people that wrote this article. It took you 2 days to reply. Next time I will use shorter words so it won’t take you so long to comprehend. Say hi to your dad Uncle Bob for me.
oh wow now that’s original for a girl named woody. sorry I took 2 days for me respond I was like doing something like living my life off the computer. not everyone sits in front of these thing 24/7 making such highly intelligent comment like you little woody
annoying E.I. see dictionary noun person named woody
Thank you! That is my choice for the most aggressive breed I’ve ever dealt with. I’ve worked with Rotties, Dobies, and Shepherds with never a problem, but a silkie terrier pup and a male cocker were the only unmanageable dogs.
Your comment, “That is my choice for the most aggressive breed I’ve ever dealt with. I’ve worked with Rotties, Dobies, and Shepherds with never a problem, but a silkie terrier pup and a male cocker were the only unmanageable dogs.”
Your comment is absurd!
December 2014
Portage, IN Edward L. Cahill, 40, Fatal pit bull attack (Christmas Day)
Corpus Christi, TX Rita Woodard, 64 Fatal pit bull attack
November 2014
Robeson County, NC Alemeaner Dial, 83 Fatal pit bull attack
October 2014
Stanislaus County, CA Juan Fernandez, 54 Fatal pit bull attack
September 2014
Sharp County, AR Alice Payne, 75 Fatal pit bull attack
Benton County, MS David Glass Sr., 51 Fatal pit bull attack
August 2014
Miami-Dade County, FL Javon Dade Jr., 4 Fatal pit bull attack
St. Charles County, MO Deriah Solem, < 2 Fatal pit bull attack
Levy County, FL Joel Chirieleison, 6 Fatal pit bull attack
Butler County, OH Cindy Whisman, 59 Fatal pit bull attack
July 2014
Montgomery County, OH Johnathan Quarles, Jr., < 1 Fatal pit bull attack
Hillsborough County, FL Logan Sheppard, 4 Fatal pit bull attack
May 2014
New Haven County, CT Rita Pepe, 93 Fatal pit bull attack
Kent County, DE Kasii Haith, 4 Fatal pit bull attack
Lee County, AL Katie Morrison, 20 Fatal pit bull attack
April 2014
Highlands County, FL Jessica Norman, 33 Fatal pit bull attack
Bexar County, TX Petra Aguirre, 83 Fatal pit bull attack
St. Clair County, AL John Harvard, 5 Fatal pit bull attack
March 2014
Kaufman County, TX Dorothy Hamilton, 85 Fatal pit bull attack
Holmes County, MS Christopher Malone, 3 Fatal pit bull attack
Terrebonne Parish, LA Mia DeRouen, 4 Fatal pit bull attack
Maricopa County, AZ Nancy Newberry, 77 Fatal pit bull attack
February 2014
Guilford County, NC Braelynn Coulter, 3 Fatal pit bull attack
Bell County, TX Je'vaeh Mayes, 2 Fatal pit bull attack
January 2014
McLean County, IL Kara Hartrich, 4 Fatal pit bull attack
Comal County, TX Betty Clark, 75 Fatal pit bull attack
Harris County, TX Christina Bell, 43 Fatal pit bull attack
You missed the words, “I’ve ever dealt with.” I have been around a few Pits, they were gentle and affectionate, but I NEVER trust a pit. The breed was developed specifically for its aggressiveness, not for its social temperament. To me, a pit bull is like a loaded gun left lying around it is harmless, until it goes off.
I am on my third bully/bully mix in my 56 years, and guns all my life too, never had a problem with either. Discipline, love, attention and training go a long way, my current knucklehead may put welts on your leg from wagging his tail.
<3 :p lol..i am 21, and have 2 pit mixes (one is pit/lab; one is boxer/beagle/pit) the boxer/beagle/pit is a handful, yes, but is a snuggler and enjoys running with me on our walks.
Oh and guns don’t just “go off”.
But fighting dogs do.
ANY dog can and will fight if need be OR trained to do so. Maybe people should look up the history of a breed before posting hate et al.
Any dog CAN fight, true. Some breeds, probably like the one you own, were bred TO fight. Fight and kill. You cannot erase hundreds of years of genetics.
Oh and before you say your pit bull never hurt a fly, let me add that my uncle had a pet cougar that never hurt a fly either.
That does not mean cougars make good pets or that all pit bulls are trustworthy.
Not worth replying to, again sorry for your stereotyping of dogs in general. I feel a vendetta that will go nowhere.
i agree with you! i have two pit mixes that are amazing, and will protect my family if the need arises: including barking at people who may or may not be friendly at the door. we usually don’t have that many people who call on our house, but usually it is someone the dogs know (the barks are usually friendly, like ‘we are so happy to see you! let me bark at you to show my excitement’ we have them sit and wait, or sit and stay, but it is definitely a work-in-progress. lol
While true that not all pit bulls are trust worthy, that does not mean that all are bad. For all to be lumped together because of dog fighting and attacks is not right, while most have never been in the situation. Not all dogs of a certain breed are bad. There are a few out there that are though, just like humans. Some good, some bad. Environmental exposure and upbringing has a lot to do with it.
True. But ONE type of dog accounts for over 80% of all incidents in this country. How do you spin that fact?
Probably because most of those dogs that attacked were either horrible abused or emaciated due to neglect. Also, a number of times a person was attacked because they tried to break up a dog fight. A dog that is well-fed and in a loving home won’t generally attack.
I am sorry you are so misinformed. Please do some real research and get back to us.
he’s not, you are.
Nope, you are.
There’s actually a lot that goes into that calculation that makes its accuracy a bit questionable. For ones lot of attacks go unreported and also a lot of non pits and mix dogs that resemble pits get labeled as pits just because some idiot thinks that is what they are. Happens to mastiff owners all the time (ppl assuming their dog is a pit when it isn’t) and it is pretty darn annoying.
Anyhow any breed can be dangerous. I take these sorts of articles with a grain of salt and count them as pure entertainment only. The numbers quoted aren’t exactly based on scientific unbiased studies.
Case in point my dog and I were attacked by a standard poodle while out on a walk last week. My mastiff mix dog did not retaliate even though I’m sure a study like this would consider him the more dangerous breed. Difference is my dog is well trained, was on a leash and has a great temperament and the poodle was being walked off leash and was clearly untrained.
Now add up all the poodle attacks in the country.
Yours might be the only one.
Now add up all the pit bull attacks.
End of discussion.
My point wasn’t to compare the stats. My point was simply that if you give an idiot a dog then that dog can easily become dangerous regardless of breed. I think the difference is typically the type of people that are drawn to certain types of dogs. Most people don’t consider the poodle a tough dog so if they are looking for “tough” they aren’t going to go for a poodle also since it’s considered a showy dog you get a lot of the dog show crowd getting them which means the dog will be trained. Now a lot of people looking for just “tough” aren’t the dog show crowd they are the crowd that thinks its okay to throw your dog in the yard and ignore it and then expect it to behave magically. In other words, idiots. Lazy idiots. So ya I think there is a lot of truth behind blaming the owner and the breed gets a bad wrap because they attract the wrong sorts of people (beyond even the abusive types I mean).
The meanest guy in the world is not going to be able to turn a Chinese Crested into a killer attack dog by abusing it. It ain’t going to happen.
The nicest guy in the world can own an extremely dominant/aggressive Rottie and no amount of love or hope will change that dog’s genetics.
A dog designed to herd livestock will nip and heel.
A dog designed to kill large mammals will do just that….people included.
It ain’t rocket science.
And btw, most American dog owners are, and have always been, idiots.
Unfortunately, many of them these days have dangerous breeds.
The idiot with a friendly Golden Retriever is not a threat to society.
The idiot with a aggressive Pit Bull is a menace.
No amount of “environmental exposure” is going to turn a Corgi into a deerslayer.
A pit bull was designed to do things others dogs wont do.
Period.
Good point!
i’ve seen a corgi take down a deer, funniest thing ever.
its training not genetics. the human changes how the dog acts, treat it cruel and it will be cruel.
Wrong again. If you know nothing about a topic, it’s wise to keep your mouth shut.
Wrong. It’s both. Genetics lays the foundation of what the dog will be able to do. Please stop spreading your lies and misinformation.
No ammount of training can change hundreds of years of selective breeding. I could beat and starve my schweenie, but it would be impossible to make him a killer. Also, name another breed where it is recommended that the owner carry a break stick.
Your uncle owned a cougar?????
You must be a city clicker.
lol Well you are partially right anyhow. I am not completely citified as I spent my summers and vacations in childhood on a farm with my grandparents. But for most of my life I have definitely been a suburbanite… I wouldn’t care for living in the big city (I need my space) but I like having stuff close enough to visit. Still I would think even among country folk that owning a cougar would be fairly unusual. None of my less urban family have ever owned that sort of wildlife… cows, chickens, goats, sheep, horses, dogs, cats… but no wild cats.
i have two pit mixes. they are well-behaved, and will protect our family-including my niece (2) (whom they love getting fed and walked by). the oldest is 5 and is a ret. therapy dog through TDI. she is just a dog with a sad beginning (stray in Downey, CA) who now enjoys life for almost 4 1/2 yrs with us.
I checked your information and 90% is made up. You need professional help you are a mentally flawed human being.
The fatality stats are spot on and easy to corroborate. Reading comprehension is highly underrated.
It’s a list based on fatalities. I’m not a fan of cockers, but they’re not killing anybody.
I had them all my life and never looked back.For me its a Saint Bernard or no dog
My mother’s Saint was the most lovable big lug of a dog i ever knew.
Thanks for sharing…..feel better now? You’re an idiot.
But the Brandy Keg was a myth…that depressed me…
so can a human
A dog, does NOT decide to kill only a human decides to kill
Dogs that “snap” without being provoked (teasing, etc) usually have some sort of physiological reason for doing so such as a brain injury, disease, or tumor. It’s not “just in their nature”.
actually many years ago my Fathers brother (before I was born) was killed by his dog – a St Bernard ironically. He was shaving one morning and it kept watching him intently. What they theorized happened was he had gotten drunk and was never drunk before, this was a one off and the Dog didnt know what to make of this and the dog leaped up knocked him down, hit his head on the tub or sink while still inebriated and that combination killed him. The dog went nuts and its barking led to help being called but it was too late. From what I heard the dog didn’t attack anyone else, Landlord, EMT’S etc…
My father disdains dogs to this day and my Mother was always afraid of Cats so growing up I was really screwed in the pet dept. actually co-owned a cat for a time with another kid but we had to keep her at his house. A few times I snuck her in for visitation and for as big as that house was/is she found MY room to hide in.
my little rescue wheaten poodle mix snap and kill?….wouldn’t THAT be an Internet sensation….
The dog was originally a wild animal that hunted, chased down it prey and killed and ate it. Even though domesticated for thousands of years, they still have the capacity to revert at any time. Sometimes tumors in the brain, or swelling in it. Sometimes a cruel passerby taunting it when you aren’t home, maybe a wasp stung it. Many reasons why a super gentle dog snaps and attacks a person. If you listen to nearly every person who ends up in court for their dogs actions, it’s the same story ” He’s never done this before”. I feel sorry for those who have to put down their dog because it turned vicious, but denial is a more sad state.
“If you listen to nearly every person who ends up in court for their dogs actions, it’s the same story ” He’s never done this before”.”
And nearly every one of them is lying. There are usually signs and they are often ignored.
I had a co-workers Malamute that attacked one of my dogs. While I knew he was assertive, he hadn’t told me of the aggressive incidents the dog had had prior (bit a caregiver, vet warned him of aggressiveness) plus the breeder neglected to inform him that the dog had wolf back a couple generations in his lineage.
thats what I msaying
The human was originally a wild animal that hunted, chased down it prey and killed and ate it. Even though domesticated for thousands of years, they still have the capacity to revert at any time. Sometimes tumors in the brain, or swelling in it. Sometimes a cruel passerby taunting it when you aren’t home, maybe a wasp stung it. Many reasons why a super gentle human snaps and attacks a person. If you listen to nearly every person who ends up in court for their humans actions, it’s the same story ” He’s never done this before”. I feel sorry for those who have to put down their human because it turned vicious, but denial is a more sad state.
FTFY
just wanted to prove that you can could replace dog with any other animal on the planet it what you said would still apply. I just picked the most vicious animal I could think of.
Excellent response!
Humans are the most vicious animals on earth.
And the fact that is conceivable to mate a human with a primate…would make that Primate the most dangerous animal on Earth..but I see and agree with you.
I feel sorrier for the people your dog eats when he is angry.
Dogs, like people, do occasionally suffer from mental illness. The only really mentally ill dog I’ve known was a German Shepard that had washed out of police dog training. It would wag it’s tail and act friendly as a pretext, luring you in until you got close enough for it to bite you! Also, dogs are pack animals. Whenever introduced to a new member of the “pack”, there is a chance they will act aggressive in order to establish their place in the hierarchy above the new member. Best way to deal with this is to muzzle the dog and have the new person bite the dogs ear (gently) or in some other way assert dominance. A friend gave me his only Black Lab because it had become a liability (it bit a lawyer that was visiting). The next morning, when I walked into the dogs room, it growled at me. I grabbed it’s muzzle, got up in it’s face, and stared straight into it’s eyes — and after that, she never had a problem with me, even when I punished her for getting into the garbage. Once you understand that almost all dog behavior derives from their pack instincts, their behavior is quite predictable (this also works for human beings, much of their behavior, including altruism, derives from tribal instinct).
Animals do not just “snap” anymore than people do. There was something wrong to begin with.
Tail wagging is not always a sign of friendliness. It often means you’re stressing them out, and they’re trying to warn you. To imagine that dogs can make plans to dupe humans is just ridiculous.
There’s exceptions to every rule. Great Danes are in fact gentle. And they’re giants. I’ve seen dachshunds attack people. Had one bite my heel and hang on as a matter of fact. Don’t judge the whole lot by one.
Dachshund is #1 on many aggressive dogs lists. I adopted one. He’s good now, but what a challenge he was!
I’d be more worried about being bitten by a neurotic little Chihuahua or terrier than any of the giant breeds, having owned both a Great Dane and a Jack Russell Terrier.
They may be lovable but the idea of shoveling a heaping pile of crap everyday is a deal breaker.
stupid cat lover huh?????????
what is stupid about being a cat lover?
sorry not all cats are stupid
True. I think I read where a cat is capable of understanding upwards of …. I want to say like 28 or 29 words on average! Now…. that doesn’t mean it’s going to act like it understands 29 words, words like NO, STOP, COME HERE, DONT DO THAT, PUT THAT BACK…. Now I think I know why divorced men tend not to be cat owners! 🙂
Since when is it right to be ONLY a dog or cat lover? Animal lovers do not discriminate.
You may love Hippos, but would you want to live with one?
Cats are a species more in line with Goldfish, Guinea Pigs, and Hedgehogs as pets. The Domestic Dog is an animal that has been genetically engineered for thousands of years to become a member of a Human family, totally eschewing his way of life so that he may serve his new leaders.
My objection is to this latter day trend of trying to make all of our pets equal in stature.
Is a cat or a gerbil really going to save your life in the manner that a Protection dog will?
My terrier is a better ratter than any cat who has ever lived.
Companionship is the only thing the cat brings to the table.
Dogs have companionship in spades plus many other assets that enrich our lives.
Cats are a luxury that we can live without.
Without dogs, humanity might have gone extinct.
Wow are you off-base! First of all, it’s stupid to say that without dogs we might be extinct! Just idiotic. But cats specifically were domesticated to deal with very harmful pests like rats and mice. You pick ONE thing SOME dogs do, protect houses or families, and pretend that is all that matters? And if you really think a cat is like a fish or a guinea pig, you must be a very unfriendly person, because cats treat me wonderfully! I find that when people dislike animals, it is because of some deficiency in them, not the animals.
Are you really that clueless? Or just a fanatical cat lover? Most likely both.
Go bird hunting with your cat and see how it takes before you starve to death.
I never said I dislike ANY animals. Your reading comprehension needs LOTS of work. What I said is that dogs are in a different category than any other animal on Earth. They are MORE than just a PET, which is what cats, gerbils, snakes, and goldfish are. Do I REALLY need to go through the entire list of how dogs have brought us to the point where we are today? Are you that idiotic that you would compare a working animal that has enriched human existence for possibly 50,000 years to a house pet that has been with us for a quarter of that time? Maybe it’s time for you to read some books and educate yourself.
And by the way, I will repeat myself because you mention the ONE job cats can do ….my terrier is a better ratter than any cat in the world.
Some people need everything spelled out for them….
You have some serious issues. Too bad that I don’t get a woody over dogs like you do. What a moron. Go fume about some other meaningless issue, you wingnut.
I have serious issues? Pot meet kettle.
YOU are the one who has a problem with “man’s best friend”(a moniker that will NEVER be applied to your house-crapping, disease ridden, bird killing pet of choice).
Anyone who hates dogs as much as you do is a serious douche bag.
I honestly don’t have time to explain the world to uneducated, dog-hating morons. Go lick your cat’s butt and have a wonderful day.
Now I have that optic to lull me to sleep tonight…
now you’re throwing insult that have no force behind them, build a bridge and get over it!
Doc, you do have a serious issue. Most of the Dog breeds that I know of are breed for a certain treat. There a a few breeds to you can go hunting with, but most are not hunters while most cats are hunters, and yes the cat if you are part of their pack do lieve you special treats.
How many breed of dog are classified as companion dogs? Which by the way most cat are great companion to their “owners’.
Before you yout get you panties in a knot I have own Rotts , Doberman, Poms, and all around mutts. Yes I even own several cats also, both makes fine pets and companion. Companion is what most want from their pets.
I hope you meant to say “bred for a certain trait”.
Cats are not pack animals. You have displayed your uneducated opinion on this topic, however this is not the topic.
The topic is the mistaken PC ideal that cats are equal to dogs. They are not. Not even close.
Gerbils and parakeets also offer companionship just like a cat does.
While YOUR dog may ONLY offer companionship, many of us out here in the world own dogs who perform tasks.
Tasks that a cat will NEVER be able to accomplish.
That is why the dog is man’s best friend and the cat is a disposable pet like a goldfish.
whenever anyone gets dogs …… have it get well trained and you be fine if not then good luck having them as pets !!
Doc Savage – btw cool that your terrier kills rats. I typically feel that small dogs are worthless. I’m a big dog person myself. Most small dogs I come across are little more than accessories for their owners.
I do think my cat would beat your dog in a rat killing competition though. My cat is a vicious killing machine. 😉
Life is all about balance in my opinion. I have my big dogs and they are great guard dogs and we do athletic competitions together. And I have my cats who take care of the rodent and bug population.
Also I do feel a little qualified to comment on your cattitude since I am a fan of both cats and dogs. Cats can be best friends to people just like dogs. Not all of them obviously but also not all dogs can be either. 😉
I have had cats that will try to protect me (as in literally attack people they see as threats). Not their fault that their size makes them less effective at it. Although I can tell you that the can leave some impressive scratches behind on that would be threat (just ask my ex lol).
I would say its partially the personality of each individual animal and partially how it is raised. Never had an animal that didn’t adore me and work hard for me.
Maybe I am just lucky. *shrugs*
Big Dog guy here too,,,,but just rescued 3 street strays..all on the same day!!…trying not to trip over them and they’re way more work than the Dobermanns..but as I age I worry that I won’t be able to care for a large sick dog…lifting them cleaning them..wife said “go smaller”…I’ll probably appreciate thjat if I make 80…but damn do I miss those Dobes…LUCI I LUCI II and Gypsy..hope you’re all;; having fun on the Rainbow Bridge…
G-Man – I hear you my s.o. has told me that I must be able to lift and carry any dog we get. That was in response to my suggestion that the next dog be either an English Mastiff or Great Dane. I pointed out that there are stairs and ramps and not much reason for me to be lifting the dog when full grown. But, illness and old age was brought to my attention… so there is that. I always thought Dobes were lovely dogs who get a bad wrap. How are you adjusting to the small dogs?
tripping over them..almost caught their frail little bodies closing a door…they are MUCH more work than larger dogs at least at this stage..if I want to lie on the couch the three immediately jump on me….. face,chest, private areas etc…I’m hoping to teach the heavier one (26lbs) how to do CPR…and I think we’ve taught the little “Woodle” one how to scratch our backs :^)…Maybe start doing foster care for the larger dogs Nik…then all you have to do is “let em go”…not hard at all right ?:^(…..Mastiffs and Danes are just soooooo beautiful I feel I’m blessed by the GODS whenever I run into one on the street…
I truly appreciate your preference for larger breed dogs. I’m easily bothered by a little yapping heel bitter that pays no mind to their owners constant yapping back at them! For most of my life I have preferred the nature of larger breeds – that is until I was introduced, by a friend, to the Miniature Pinscher. I found a great local breeder and chose my first Min Pin. What an ambassador for the breed she was! Highly intelligent, easily trained and obedient. They are loyal – almost to a fault. Even if they are in a family setting they tend to select their one human and will find a way to perch on that one’s lap if they are cold or just wanting comfort. They will choose their human’s side in any altercation, and will admonish other dogs who do not show the proper respect to their human. They have the confidence to be the alpha among other canines. They were specifically breed to catch rats and mice so they are fearless, tenacious hunters. Mine successfully tackles anything from lizards and geckos to squirrels, snakes and opossums much larger than she. I was amazed the first time I saw her jump about four feet up a tree and catch a squirrel that was too slow, and even more when she caught a four foot snake, shake it to a quick demise and then eviscerate it before consuming the poor creatures. Although I have already lost my first two Min Pins, my third continues to prove the consistency of the breed’s attributes. Although they are not miniaturized Doberman Pinscher, as so many people believe, they are still in the Pinscher family and may be the choice you are looking for if you are an ardent fan of “Dobs” and need to scale down. This may be the breed for you.
So kind of you to take the time to write this to me and thank you for acknowledging that Min Pins are not miniature Dobermanns…actually the Min Pin is a much older breed…I had a Min. Manchester terrier and thought seriously of getting a standard size one. in a picture you can’t tell size a lot of the times and these actually are identical looking to Dobermanns..but when you decide to rescue you pretty much take pot luck….of course you could search out rescue sites for the particular breed you want..but my rescues more or less came to me online…read their stories and you’re hooked…I might add that I always use a double “n” when spelling Dobermann because that’s correct..don’t know why it was shortened..but it’s a man’s name and Louis Dobermann created the breed…also if I may puff a little..there’s NO SUCH THING as a Warlock Dobermann…..there was an unusually large Dobermann named WARLOCK..and that’s about as far as it goes…For LUCI BRUTUS DESTINY, LUCI RONNIE DALE, and GYPSY BRENDON St. ROMAINE..I miss you all so much and I’ll go bnefore my tears short oput this damn keyboard..
Thank you for the interesting information on the variation of the spelling of Dobermann. I’ve seen it both ways, and my spell check corrects the spelling to a single “n” so I have always used that spelling. However, now that I am aware of the origin of the name I shall continue to give credit to their namesake. I have seen the Manchester Terrier, and they are practically identical to the Min Pin, but they are about half again the height of the Min Pin. Having only seen the one, it would be unfair to make comparisons between the breeds. I have decided that should I choose to get another large breed, I would definitely look into the Dobermann. I also have two large dogs now, Buddy and Scruffie. Both of them found me when they were puppies, both of whom I feel had been “dropped off” in my area. All I can say is that they are such great dogs that those who abandoned them really lost out! My vet said Buddy appears to have Cur in him due to his blue with brown irises and gold coat, and that Scruffie is a true mutt. Both are around fifty pounds each and worth their weight in gold. Of course Sasha, my Min Pin, keeps them in line!
I’ve had Toy Fox Terriers for the last 10 years and they’re much like your Min Pin in personality and tenacity. They’re breed from Min Pins, Fox Terriers, Italian Greyhounds and some people say the chihuahua. My parents own one that regularly catches birds in the yard. Smartest and easiest dog I’ve ever owned or trained. I love my little dogs. I love big dogs too but I don’t think I want to own or handle one.
I think Dobies are great dogs and protectors of their family. People may have been afraid of them in the 70’s, but they have never killed people like pit bulls have. Please be careful with those rescue dogs. A man in Detroit lost his hands and feet to pit bulls. Not sure if that is the breed you took in but they have killed nearly 500 humans in the past 30 yrs. Many old folks and kids have been their victims because they prey on the weak.
I think Cats have been around for a long time too and while I’m a Dog guy..I like the fact that I can go away for a week or so and not have to worry about a Cat…Dog?..well not so much…
Get a snake. You will love it. They only have to eat once a month.
GET….?…Man I live in the woods…. I Hot Tub with them……
I live in the woods too and have not seen a snake in 10 years.
liar.
Got a hot tub?
Yup. Still no snakes.
Then your eco system wherever you live is messed up..
Hmmm….I will tell that to the 4 million people that visit my eco-system each year. Nobody seems to mind.
You’ve checked with them all?…you have rats……
I would consider an eco-system where you are constantly on the lookout for dangerous animals to be more of a downer than where I live.
Presuming you live around humans I’d rethink your last post…
lol idiot.
lol again stupid, ever see a cat run down a bird?? bet it will catch it before a dog does.
Of course they will. Cats are built extraordinarily different bio-mechanically speaking. They were made for stealth and ambush. It’s their natural instinct to kill things. 90% of the things cats kill didn’t even know the cat was there until it was on them. Dogs taken bird hunting don’t actually hunt the bird themselves either. They flush the birds out of cover that way we can shoot them. Then they bring the bird back. Unless the dog is hunting birds that cant fly like pheasants or turkeys.
actually my dog hunts birds he’s very good at it, along with squirrels and gets them almost every time. He hunts ones that can fly he has even jumped in the air to get some of them.
Pheasants and turkeys fly.
Why would you think that pheasants and turkeys can’t fly? We have wild flocks of both here and let me assure you, they CAN fly. Nothing is more fun than a 20lb turkey flying into your windshield while you’re driving (except maybe having a red tail hawk do the same thing and leave his bloody rabbit on your hood).
to most people a dog IS nothing more than a pet
to be fair. a dogs ability to protect a family, not just the man, but the woman and children. the ability of a dog’s ability to get a member of the family out of danger is a much more important function than catching rodents.
i’m not anti-cat or anything, but cats don’t nearly bring as much to the table as a dog does objectively speaking.
There is a reason that one is put on the front lines of conflicts and is in law enforcement, and the other isn’t.
If you are a cat person, that’s great, more power to you. But they are not equal to dogs in stature or ability to contribute to a family at all. outside of companionship, of course
Dogs hunt all sorts of animals with humans Doc is right
Oh really?..JD?..I happen to know of a recent Navy Seals Mission where cats were used to amazing effectiveness..
That sounds like a pretty interesting story. I hadn’t seen it. You don’t happen to have a link do you? If not no worries I can use the all knowing google.
Not for this..I was just joking and taking a jab at the cat haters Sorry for any inconvenience
I love cats as well as dogs. I have raised pitbulls with kittens, and pitbulls love kittens, they are very gentle with them.
my 2 pits love our cat, and they are very loving dogs, so yes I agree with you…
Beautiful..You can YOU TUBE lots of videos that illustrate your well made point….
I’ve only ever had Belgian Malinois as the only breed of dog for a pet. Can’t really stand any other breed, maybe it’s because of so many years of nothing but Malinois (every one I’ve had is well-trained and hardly ever caused me any reason to be angry with them, cept when they were sick and that I forgive).
As for cats, I had two cats when I was very young till I moved away (mine died my last year of HS). They were affectionate to me and my dad (so so with my mother), followed me and my dad everywhere (the male slept on my bed, female was my dad’s cat). They were great guards too, they did not tolerate strangers.
They were also bobcats (we got them as kittens, brother and sister from same litter).
I will have to disagree, As someone who studies and presents aspects of history as a career. The canine has a lot to do with our safety and survival. look at the beginning of our relationship with canines thousands of years ago and you will see a hunting partner, protector, herding support. These are a lot of things humans couldn’t do in history without the dog. Dogs today have little working aspect today but over history, have been crucial to our society.
Your comment, “Dogs today have little working aspect today but over history, have been crucial to our society.”
Working breed dogs, herding, retrieving, pointing, and even dog fighting breeds retain much of their original instincts. Confirmation to insure the dog’s working instincts are still in tact is typical of working breed dogs and their titles. That also goes for fighting breed dogs such as the every so unpopular pit bull fighting dog.
That doesn’t mean that without dogs, we would be extinct. That’s just an idiotic view of history.
I’ve heard that many animal behaviorists think that the cat will be the next animal to be domesticated.
Actually, there have been historic studies that suggest that without dogs humans would be extinct, and without humans dogs would be extinct. It was a very interesting documentary.
You’re totally right. We never needed dogs to help us hunt, keep us safe, or to help herd our animals. We could have EASILY developed without their help and companionship WHATSOEVER. We never needed them around to pet or hug or play fetch with, let them run around with the kids and play, or even let them cheer us up when nobody else will on a bad day. Those animals have nothing to do with helping us survive. You’re totally right. SMGDH. Tell me what matters more than protecting your home and your family? Because it really appears as if you’re trying to say that protection of family and home comes second or third……. to what?
Actually, we would still be hunter gatherers without herding dogs…not extinct, but still having rabbit and berries for dinner.
My Siamese is a very intelligent, sensitive and loyal cat. He plays fetch with me better than any dog ever has. He doesn’t need a leash & loves to hike with me side by side. I like remote areas & I remember one time, this cat sensed something not good, stood in front of me with hair raised & tried to lead me in the opposite direction. I’d say that is pretty protective. Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs too & have had both. They all have different personalities & individual qualities. Have you ever had a cat as a part of your family too, sir? You may change your mind.
Your cat sounds wonderful. I’ll bet he never even kills birds when you let him roam the neighborhood either.
I am sure he uses the toilet (AND flushes when he is finished) as opposed to 99.9 percent of all other cats who defecate and urinate in your house like a wild animal.
If cats are so great, why can they not be house trained?
You may need to get out more often and play with a dog who loves to retrieve. I guarantee you will find a dozen dogs who are better at that game than any cat in the world in the first ten minutes.
I am NOT saying cats are not a viable pet that offer companionship and comfort to lots of people.
I am saying they are nowhere near the stature of “man’s best friend” and should not be put on a pedestal with dogs.
Cats are born house trained. Cats are only capable of catching injured birds. Cats know they are part of the family. Many cats are not friendly with strangers because cats are more discriminating. Those who dislike cats usually have a problem with the cat’s independence. It takes time to get to know a cat. Cats are as intelligent and affectionate as dogs.
Cats are very capable of hunting down healthy birds. I know this because I was lucky enough to actually witness it. Was drinking my morning coffee by the window and spotted kitty all crouched and ready to pounce.. I couldn’t see what she was seeing from my view, but I kept my eye on her.
She pretty much sniper skull dragged herself close enough to an area on the ground where the Blue Jays like to land and eat the fruit seeds and fallen plums. When that Blue Jay flew onto the deck and started pecking at the seeds on the floor.. kitty launched her ambush and completed caught that bird by surprise. Then she killed it, ate it, and then slept for like 7 hours
My cat poops outside. I love it!
I bet your last one didn’t and your next one won’t…..if you are even being truthful.
Karen – Siamese cats rock. Mine is part siamese. I would say they are one of the more “dog like” cats. Mine walks on a leash, plays fetch, and is just as “needy” and human oriented as my dogs.
doc savage – Seriously? Cats have a job. How about killing rats?
I have cats and dogs. Every animal in my house has a job. My dogs guard our family and our house. My cats kill rats and bugs. And actually one of our cats thinks he is a dog so he kills rats and bugs and also growls at the door just like the dogs.
My dogs have never attempted to kill a rat btw. You mention one of your’s does but not every dog does. I once caught my dog sharing his food and water with a rat…. The cat later came and killed the rat. I watched as my dog sat companionably right by the rat as he drank from the bowl. I swear it was like they were having a friggin tea party. The moment the cat spotted the rat it was dead. My dog is useless as a ratter but God help the person who breaks into our home or tries to hurt one of us.
Everyone pulls their own weight in my home.
Now gerbils and fish (and I would also add reptiles)… I am with you on their lack of purpose as a pet.
There are LOTS of cats who will not kill rodents.
Well I suppose I am lucky to not have ever had the misfortune of having any of those cats.
Really not sure why you are so adamantly anti-cat. But in case you missed the memo it is totally okay to love both cats and dogs. The two are not mutually exclusive. 🙂
It’s also OK to love horses and hippos. One animal helped us build our country, the other kills more people in Africa every year than all other animals combined.
They are not equals.
And neither are cats and dogs.
Similar to every comment you post.
So in other words…..cats have ONE job. One job that they are RARELY called upon to do. One job that a dog can do as well or better.
This is the same old broken record that cat lovers have been playing for years to justify these pests, oops I mean pets.
Gerbils and fish are not worthless pets. They provide something to their owner whether it be companionship or relaxation.
My argument is that cats also fall into this category and should not be mentioned in the same breath as dogs.
Well now I would agree with you if this was true. As I mentioned earlier my dogs don’t kill rats. They would rather have tea parties with them. My cats do kill rats, they also kill bugs and given the area we live in they are called on frequently to do their job and they do it well. I read somewhere that 1 in 3 cats are killers and they kill multiple times a week. I’ve never had a non-killer cat.
I don’t classify myself as a “cat person” or a “dog person”. I am bi-petual. lol
Gerbils and fish absolutely have no job whatsoever. We don’t believe in free-loaders in my house. Rodents and fish are food in my opinion not pets (rodents being food for the cats not for us… yuck). I really don’t agree that cats are on the same footing as gerbils and fish.
MEOW!!…
you are stupid, proof cats can defend as good as any dog my cat can take on all four of our big dogs, funniest moment i ever seen was when the dogs were barking at him and he just jumped up and swatted all four dogs at once.
Did you know that the Siamese Cat was breed to guard the royal jewel
Did you know that almost any dog could take those jewels away from almost any cat.
Not really, there are many cat will destroy dog one on one.
Cougars don’t count.
Doc I have had rotts, 3 of them, All of them where obedient trained and yes they were smart and I also had cats, I love both of them and to me they a equal as pets. I also had patriots, and they are smart and yes they know wht they says. Each are unique in their own right. Personally I love all of my pets that I have had.
The lion will hunt in a group i.e. in their pride, while many of the other hunts alone. So, if most of the cat breeds hunts alone then the cat is a better hunters than a dog.
Here the thing it is apparent that you don’t like cats, and is your right.
However I have owned Rotts. Dobermans. German Shepherd, Poodle, Poms, Shelties,a Chihuahua, Min Pin, and other mutts. Along the way I have also own cats.
It’s not that I don’t like cats. I am indifferent to them.
They should not be mentioned in the same breath as dogs, as has become habit over the last century.
Cats, like gerbils and goldfish, are disposable pets for the most part.
Disposable pets are not in the same league as a dog.
Oh, and btw you cannot compare large cats like lions to domestic cats .
Totally different species…unlike dogs and wolves.
I went back and read the lot of comment and it seemed to me that you had this fixation about the unworthiness of cats. It wasn’t until later that I made any comments on cats, point out to you the the Siamese Cat was bred to watch and guard the royal treasures in Siam. Don’t sell the cat short because of their size. Now, if provoked they can cause alot of hurt on someone.
Another thing I never mention anything about the larger breed of cats. Just because you say that your are indifferent to cat, although by your comment I would beg to differ with that. Personally, I enjoy having both as pets, The domestic cat is a companion animal the has help with PTSD, so don’t sell them short just because of your “INDIFFERENCE”
AGAIN, I will repeat……..cats are not unworthy.
They are simply nowhere near the value of a dog.
that is your opinion bye bye yes your are a cat hater
Yes it is an opinion. A opinion that carries far more weight than yours.
Yes, with the size of your ego you would think that, how ever because of you ego you opinion only matter to you, everyone else it about the size of a grain of sand, and I am being nice and giving you the benefit of it being worth something.
Value and worth. Hmm. Important distinction. You, sir, are a complete dog snob.
No, just a realist. Too bad if you don’t like the fact that all animals are not created equal. It’s still true.
Actually if the church and people had not believed that cats were a witch’s familiar then the black plaque would not have killed so many people. The church and people killed tons of cats. Cats were the ones who could have kept the rat,mice population done in numbers which means the disease would not have spread as bad therefore not as many people would have died.
Interesting take. Terriers and other small dog breeds are just as effective as killing rodents as cats in an indoor setting, if not more so because they don’t play with their kill-they move on the the next one. I don’t know if either would have been able to prevent the spread of the plague due to the filthy conditions people lived in at that time…. not to mention the abundance of animals that the fleas could still travel on and keep spreading the disease.
Still, the bottom line is that a cat is nowhere near the status of a dog and to put cats on that pedestal is a disservice to “Man’s best friend”.
There has been a partnership between humans and cats since we began to keep crops. The ordinary house cat is the most successful predator, they rarely miss. In Asia the original Siamese cats were used to hunt and guard some of the temples.
That is true…they rarely miss the birds at my bird feeder.
And I rarely miss with my sling shot.
BTW no cat of any type in the modern , no- scratch that, entire history of the world actually has the ability to guard an object on instruction from a human.
You do know that, right?
Speak for yourself, and get off your high-horse. Your post is divisive and wrong-headed on many levels.
I never speak for anyone but myself.
And btw the horse is a more valuable animal to man than the cat is, or will ever be….. as well.
Well, you definitely are stating some opinions & speculations as if they’re facts, and as for a horse being more “valuable” than a cat, it all depends on what you want/need something for. I have no need for a horse.
As for your 2nd response to me elsewhere on this thread, obviously no one is tryng to say all animals are created equal, and it’s fairly dim-witted (and I’d say disingenuous) of you to attribute that to what I said. Nor do I believe for one minute that youre “sorry” for me. Value & worth are subjective terms, and you are a snob for stating that a cat is less worthwhile than a dog. Plus, it’s rude to cat lovers (I’m 100% in with both) – and THAT was my main point. You have a rather tactless & offensive way of expressing yourself with an ego that appears a bit inflated. You remind me of the school yard kid telling everybody that your Dad is “more important” than or “superior” to the other kids’ Dads bcz he’s the town sheriff. You might want to remedy this if you want to be more persuasive. I think you should get over yourself and stop looking at animals in terms of their relative status of “worth”. Your measure of worth & value isn’t everyone’s.
When your stupid cat saves someone’s life, get back to us m’kay.
Otherwise you are simply blowing a lot of hot air that no one but you is paying any attention to.
There is no constitution for animals.
They are not equal.
Get over it.
The political correctness kool aid has gone to your head.
Your cat has helped man progress through history about as much as the guinea pig.
The canine has earned the moniker “man’s best friend” by proving himself for tens of thousands of years.
Case closed.
Honestly what else is there to discuss except for the insane egos of butthurt cat lovers who REALLY believe their poor choice of pet is comparable to the majestic dog. Oh, the humanity.
LOL – you are truly hilarious!! (read again – I was agreeing with you that animals are not equal.) And uh, I didn’t get a cat to save my life, but that’s a good one! The point is that the VALUE of my cats to me are EQUAL to that of my dogs. I have them for different reasons, but of EQUAL WORTH – to me. I think you’re just misusing terms. Overall, dogs are probably more useful & versatile than cats in a purly utilitarian sense, but not all dogs, and certainly many cats are far more “useful” than dogs – but so what? Whsts your point? To highlught how idiotic it is to love a cat? How insulting. Are you really THAT big s Neanderthal that your can’t tell when you’re being insulting or coming off haughty to people? Your assessment of what make an animal worthwhile has nothing to do with how someone else may value their pet, or why. It’s just your criteria. Maybe though, you’re just too arrogant to see this.
And I don’t care who sees my post – it was YOU I was responding to. Obviously I hit a nerve! I’d say sorry but you don’t deserve it.
Btw, cats are ANYTHING BUT stupid! You’ve obviously not spent a lot of time around cats…
The topic was NEVER the value of an animal to the individual, but to the history of human society.
Throughout history, there are animals that have helped man climb out of the trees and leave the caves.
The dog is primary among those.
I (mostly) agree with that. It was your other unfortunate rhetoric with the pompous tone, choice of words and some insulting statements regarding cats and their owners I was objecting to (and yes, you DID make it about that, so don’t pretend otherwise. It’s in writing!). I could go back and quote examples from many of your posts, but frankly I don’t care all that much. I run across ppl like you on threads like this all the time, and 99.98% of the time I just roll my eyes and ignore them. Practically by definition, people who enjoy expressing themselves in the manner in which you do (like that stuck-up school-yard kid) really don’t care to hear any personal feedback nor learn to communicate better anyway, and will virtually never cop to anything when called out, except to get even more strident, defensive and insulting. You fit the pattern perfectly. So I salute you for your great & important knowledge about dogs, but as a human being relating information/opinions/responses to other human beings, you suck. Good luck with that, and goodbye.
Pot meet kettle.
LOL! Except for one minor detail… you were the one who started out being rude; I just called you on it! (firmly, but I thought appropriately..) I’ll grant that in the absence of blogging anonymity you’re probably ok in conversation and can manage it without insulting people in person, who you can see. You’re certainly no dummy. I think we can all benefit from remembering to consider other peoples’ feelings in the anonymous world of cyberspace. Best wishes to you, and happy blogging. 🙂
LOL! Except for one minor detail… you were the one who started out being rude; I just called you on it! (firmly, but I thought appropriately..) I’ll grant that in the absence of blogging anonymity you’re probably ok in conversation and can manage it without insulting people in person; ppl who you can see. You’re certainly no dummy. I think we can all benefit from remembering to consider other peoples’ feelings in the anonymous world of cyberspace. Best wishes to you, and happy blogging. 🙂
PS – Btw.. It’s totally off the subject, but in defense of cats and in the interest of broadening the picture about domesticated dogs about whose superiority and greater “worth” to mankind you are so convinced, I must point out that I’ve never heard of a single person who was ever mauled or killed by a housecat. But we don’t need to get into that again.. ;0)
One word…..Toxoplasmosis.
You cannot get it from a dog.
‘Nuff said.
My best friends are a German Shepherd and a tiny 2 year old cat.
GOD bless…
My dog had been attacked by 3 German Shepherd one bit him, he wasn’t doing anything just minding his own business. We tend to stay away from them now, by the way I don’t blame the dog I blame the owner, they are aggressive and owners need to know how to train and take care of them correctly.
No they didn’t just run up they both went after my dog fighting with him, I was able to pull away twice but the once not quick enough and he was bit! Like I said it was the owners fault but the dogs are aggressive. My dog has played with pit bulls with no issues and they have never fought with him they were loving and playful. They also can be aggressive but they need good owners too.
Amen! Need more intelligent people like you in this world!
Ha! Good point!
Actually they only crap about the same amount as a large Labrador retriever.
Are you SURE you want to start a Boarding Kennel webmarketstrat?
it’s much better than those tiny little poops that you can’t see and end up stepping on and getting between your toes.
I don’t have that problem since I wear shoes (slippers).
Your back can’t handle it eh?
That dog may not have been a gentle giant but that doesn’t mean the breed isn’t that way.
I’m quite familiar with that breed and a breeder of them and they’re protective dogs but as your own pet they’re great pets.
Was personally attacked by one. Whom I’d brought home for my best friend and was very well acquainted with. Eventually he was so aggressive he had to be put down.
Just say no…. To trolling.
Sorry to hear that. My Great Dane was a gentle, humorous dog whom I still miss. He was very protective of us as well but never harmed anyone.
Canine Behavioral Genetics: Pointing Out the Phenotypes and Herding up the Genes
An astonishing amount of behavioral variation is captured within the more than 350 breeds of dog recognized worldwide.
Inherent in observations of dog behavior is the notion that much of what is observed is BREED SPECIFIC AND WILL PERSIST, EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF TRAINING OR MOTIVATION. Thus, herding, pointing, tracking, hunting, and so forth are likely to be controlled, at least in part, at the genetic level. Recent studies in canine genetics suggest that small numbers of genes control major morphologic phenotypes. By extension, we hypothesize that at least some canine behaviors will also be controlled by small numbers of genes that can be readily mapped.
A dog dies with the same temperament it was born with, no exceptions. Not even the pit bull fighting dog.
Elements of Temperament – Drives, Thresholds and Nerves
By Joy Tiz MS, JD
Yes, it’s true. Temperament is a function of genetics. It is inherited, not developed. A dog’s core temperament never changes. Some behaviors can be modified through training, but the temperament itself never changes. For example, a high energy dervish of a dog isn’t going to learn to be a laid back, low energy dog. But, the dog can be taught to control his energy, to an extent.
A long time ago, where I was living, the owners had a great dane, it was the nicest, lovable dog you could meet, very friendly. I never had a problem with him, I would pet him, talk with him, sit with him, he was just fine, never had any reason to be scared, he was always good with me.
I have had 5 Great Danes. Every single one was the sweetest most gentle animal. When I walk the neighborhood and the leaves rustle he puts his tail between his legs and looks at me like he wants me to pick him up. They might hurt you with their tail while playing with you by accident. Sounds like the dog you met had been mentally or physically abused. My daughter was bit in the face at the age of 8 by the neighbors lab. Luckily he bit, pulled and let go otherwise he would have ripped her cheek off. Even after all of that and drains hanging out of her face she is a dog rescuer and animal activist–actually on her way to pick up an abandoned shepherd right now as I type this. Thank god she is not one of those people that lived the rest of her life in fear condeming animals. Things happen and you move on and don’t blame every animal for what one has done.
Can I ask where you got the Dane? How old was he or she when you brought it home?
Some place down south and he was a baby.
Oh..well then that explains it…C’mon
G-man is regionally predjudiced !!
HEY! I’M FROM DOWN SOUTH!!!! DONT BE HATIN ON THE SOUTH!!
I’m in the process of trying to rescue a dog after having put to sleep my beautiful gentle and sweet Rottweiler. I have found that the South has a lot to learn about taking care of their dogs. A lot of people in the South are quick to euthanize and seem to be dismissive of a dog’s needs in terms of training and care. Perhaps I’m wrong but, a great number of abused animals come up from the South and hoarding situations are prevalent there.
Like I posted…need a lot more “honey” from Candiebees…..
you either buy them at the pet store or from get from a friend who had puppies … have them well trained and you be fine …i had german shepard and had her well trained .she was a lovable dog for the family, and a guard dog ,too…. sure missed her a lot
We just put down our 11 year old Great Dane on Easter. Loved him to pieces, one of the dumbest dogs I ever had but had a heart of gold. He was grandpa dog to our 2 younger/smaller dogs. A gentle giant to our granddaughter. I miss him every day.
Going to need more specifics here…your post is vague…”well acquainted” then you were attacked.?..then “eventually” he was so aggressive?….
Ive never met an agressive dane. Scared and friendly but never agressive. Wonder if he had some kind of brain tumor or something that made him that way. (been in customer service 30+ years and still havent seen anythign more agressive than a chiuaua, ever) Sucks that it happened for sure.
Got a female Corgi that was very sweet and once she got spayed her demeanor changed. Maybe the anesthesia could have affected her. She got the chihuahua by the neck and would not release, she was swinging it from side to side. Screaming help break up fights, after that water and once that failed I found a cattle stick, that has a wood handle and two long pieces of plastic. Once she hears that plastic slapping she backs off. To make her behave when I see her starting to act up, all I say is “the stick” and she stops. Another thing that probably is messing up her brain, is that she started to have seizures, whenever she left the property….going to the vet. Inside her domain, no problem, but seeing the vet building, she starts seizing and it’s getting worst each visit, even though we thought meds would help. Now vet will be coming to the house.
That happened to my lab 🙁
You’re an idiot, and should not be getting dogs as pets.
Please do the world a favor, and do NOT get another dog.
Aren’t Corgies a hunting dog, they are cute and a little goofy looking, but junkyard dogs at heart.
Member of the Herding Group.
When you see the first sign of aggression give her the command to sit. It is very hard for a dog to maintain an aggressive stance when they are in a submissive position.
Canine rage syndrome might be a possible cause for the aggression. It can affect any breed and onset is usually before age 2. Most common in Springer Spaniels for some reason, but also occurs in Cocker Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Dobermans, St. Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, German Shepherds and Lhasa Apsos more often than in other breeds. It’s caused by partial seizures and IS genetic.
For over a century, pit bulls were bred to kill another dog in “the pit” in the most inhumane way possible. You can’t compare them to Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, or even GSDs.
Two things: Danes are not aggressive. Your friend failed to train the dog. If the dog isn’t trained, the owner is the weaker of the pack and so the dog becomes overly protective and aggressive. And because they are big, even as a puppy, one nip can do more damage. I have been bitten several times by a Chihuahua and also by a Maltipoo. Small dogs are much more aggressive and very difficult to train. And owners of small dogs make the mistake of grabbing their dog and picking it up in fear when a large dog walks by so that sends a message to the small dog to fear the large dog.
Actually he was trained. Both by her and a professional. She was a veterinary technician im the army and professional sectors and raised Akitas And that greats Dane was Still nasty. Still aggressive. Next time, try not to assume.
Just like people, some dogs are just bad. Whether from bad breeding or just a personality anomaly, it happens. Generally the Danes are a gentle loving, protective breed. Very much like a saint, and I have a few friends with them, so I definitely have some experience with them. Sweet as can be. Sorry you had a bad experience..
It’s a shame. I know a couple of his brothers & sisters had to be put down for the same reasons. Eventually my friend found it it was something neurological… and personally I think it was the breeder. I think they were breading for $$, not for the breed. But it turned me off to the breed. They’re too big to be as viscous as he was.
You are probably correct about the breeders. Actually, that is one of the problems with purebred animals. There are breeders who do not provide the necessary genetic diversity by breeding animals with mates that are too closely related – like siblings or cousins – that results in various problems. This is extremely common with the dogs, like pitbulls, bred for fighting. It’s just like the stereotype of “in-bred” humans. But again it is the fault of the humans involved, not the breed.
You just have to watch out for those “viscous” dogs. They will ooze right over you. {;-)
They aren’t bad there are a lot of factors, its all about the signs and education on dogs.
If he “became more aggressive” then he was not trained. No one had control over this dog.
“nanny dog” aka “nursemaid dog” is a MYTH created by dog fighters to trick people into allowing fighting breed dogs into their communities. It started after dog fighting became a felony.
Craven Desires – MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013
BADRAP surrenders to facts
“A lie can run around the world six times while the truth is still trying to put on its pants.” ~Mark Twain
on May 20 @ 9:00am PST, BADRAP made the following proclamation:
It’s Dog Bite Prevention Week. Did you know that there was never such thing as a ‘Nanny’s Dog’? This term was a recent invention created to describe the myriad of vintage photos of children enjoying their family pit bulls. While the intention behind the term was innocent, using it may mislead parents into being careless with their children around their family dog – A recipe for dog bites!
INNOCENT? the phrase ‘Nanny Dog’ was never used innocently. it was a very deliberate, very deceptive campaign to manipulate people into accepting a FIGHTING bred dog into the community.
I agree with some of what you said but I don’t think smaller breeds are harder to train.
How many fatalities have you heard of from a chihuahua or a maltipoo/ Apples and oranges, my friend. Asmall dog might bite but a pitbull will remove your entire face in one friendly gesture. Thats like saying I’ve been shot many times by a cap gun so they are more dangerous than an AK47. GIMME A FREAKING BREAK.
I said they are more “aggressive”. Dogs who bite like that chihuahua are more “aggressive”. That is exactly what I said. Obviously a chihuahua is not going to kill you. A large breed puppy bite can do more damage.
Pit bull isn’t a dog breed, maybe you should do real research instead of believing what people make up. It’s has nothing to do with the dog breed it’s the people, and this is a proven fact. I just want you to know all the facts before you judge them and make them out to be bad.
do your research pit bulls are a breed
No they are not there is no such breed as pit bull. These animals are a mixture of various breeds of dogs and mixed breeds thus they are not consistent in their behavior.
It is a breed called American pit bull terrier. look it up!
Yes, but the American Pit Bull terrier is not the only dog in the “pit bull” family.
A “pit bull,” is defined as any dog that is an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one (1) or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds. Dias v. City & County of Denver, 567 F.3d 1169, 1173 (10th Cir. Colo. 2009)
THE STATE OF OHIO, APPELLANT,t v. ANDERSON, APPELLEE.
Pit bull dogs possess unique and readily identifiable physical and behavioral traits which are capable of recognition both by dog owners of ordinary intelligence and by enforcement personnel. Consistent and detailed descriptions of the pit bull dog may be found in canine guidebooks, general reference books, state statutes and local ordinances, and state and federal case law dealing with pit bull legislation. By reference to these sources, a dog owner of ordinary intelligence can determine if he does in fact own a dog commonly known as a pit bull dog within the meaning of R.C. 955.11 (A)(4)(a)(iii).
American Pit Bull Terrier is a bunch of mixed breeds. Look up photos and you’ll see that there is no distinct body type. It’s a term that the backyard breeders came up with so they could charge more for their mutts.
Actually it is not, and the dog has a type. Please educate yourself…..
I work with dogs for a living and am pretty educated on dog breeds and types, including all those designer breeds that disgusting puppy mills keep cranking out. ‘Pit Bull’ is NOT a breed. Educate yourself please…..maybe start with the AKC website in the section for recognized breeds. What everyone refers to as Pit Bulls are generally Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canarios and mixes with those breeds. Go to pickthepit dog com and see for yourself how many breeds fit the general type.
Only the UKC considers American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed. The real kennel club, AKC, does not!
An argument made by an dummy. If you took that in to a court of law it would not hold up…
No there is no such breed as pit bull. These animals are a mixture of various breeds of dogs and mixed breeds thus they are not consistent in their behavior.
You are right on 1 point, pit bull is not a breed. The bull terriers origins are a mixture from the bull dog and the terrier. Those two only. Anything added after is a mutt and you get what you mixed
No, pit bull is not a breed. You need to do your research. No pit bull has ever competed in dog shows… they are Stafordshire Bull Terriers or American Bull Terriers. Period.
I completely agree as an owner of 2 American pit bull terriers both are the most loving caring and affectionate dogs I have ever owned.ALL dogs are animals it has always been the owners that create a VICIOUS PET.SO PEOPLE STOP PINPOINTING BREEDS ITS NOT THERE FAULT…….
Currently, many of these dogs are bred to “guard” or fight. Nature always plays a part, whether with humans or dogs. Of course upbringing often also plays a part. I personally like most pit bulls, but if I were to own one, I would damn well buy from a reputable breeder and want to meet the parents.
The American pit bull is a breed of which there are tons in AZ. I have individually liked them, but as a breed they kill children (have here in AZ) and kill more than any other breed by far. The dog bite site, says 3x the amount. It is more than the owner.
The picture is an American Staffordshire Terrier. They are one of the most malleable k9’s in the world. They require training and attention. It’s the OWNERS fault for their conduct. Not the dog.
American Staffordshire Terrier is the polite name for Pit Bulls. They are not a bad breed, theres no such thing as a bad breed. But they require an owner who knows and understands the breed, proper training, and socialization. I have had German Shepherds and Golden Retrievers. I understand both breeds and treat them accordingly. I never place my animals, including the cats, in a position where they might fail.
Some dogs have known nothing but love and kindness all of their lives, but they are just plain aggressive! On the other hand, for many years I have volunteered with a rescue group where we have seen the horrible, sick side of “humans” and what they have done to dogs, and the dogs recover and are nothing but loving.
It’s ignorant to automatically blame the owner for a dog’s aggression, and it’s plain stupid to attribute human traits to an animal.
Yeah, we used to groom 3 Malamutes that just kept getting more and more aggressive over time. One of them broke the fence gate in his yard and attacked someone who was walking by and almost killed her. He was euthanized. Don’t know what happened with the other two–one was only a year old and the other was 6 months, and they were so aggressive already that I refused to do them anymore.
Much as I hate the idea of job loss, I really have a problem with people who don’t/won’t/can’t groom their own dogs. With the exclusion of human medical infirmities requiring help grooming, it seems if someone won’t/can’t groom their own dog, they probably shouldn’t HAVE the dog. Grooming is an important part of the bonding and to pass that off to a stranger, no matter how skilled, is a disservice to dog and groomer. Our dogs should know they can count on us, and grooming is a great illustration to the dog that they can. Just MHO.
The outdated debate, “It’s the owner, not the breed,” has caused the pit bull problem to grow into a 30-year old problem.1 Designed to protect pit bull breeders and owners, the slogan ignores the genetic history of the breed and blames these horrific maulings — inflicted by the pit bull’s genetic “hold and shake” bite style — on environmental factors. While environment plays a role in a pit bull’s behavior, it is genetics that leaves pit bull victims with permanent and disfiguring injuries.
Actually, the ApbT was a nanny dog long before any other dog. Pit bull is not a dog breed. It is a broad spectrum of dogs with like builds. Mastiffs, bull dogs, even rhodesian ridgebacks and rotties are put into this category.
they were bred to be extremely affectionate, attentive, and; above all else, versatile. They have been farm dogs, herd guardians, family protection, family dogs, beloved movie stars, hunting dogs, baiters, even war heros, and drug dogs. They were not originally bred to fight eachother. The term “pit bull terrier” comes from their bully and terrier background. The “pit” comes from an old form of entertainment where people would throw two of these dogs into a pit of rats and whomever killed the most rats first was the winner.
Uh, no. No. This myth of it being a nanny dog were debunked a long time ago. They were never “nanny” dogs. They get the pit moniker from fighting each other in dog pits, as in pit fighting. They were never bred to be ratters.
Right on! That was in fact debunked by the N.Y. Times.
Look in a book sometime about the breed not just on the internet and you will find that indeed they were known as a “Nanny Dog”! In fact there were a lot of breeds that Parodoxia mentions above that were known as a “Nanny Dog” because of their love of family!! It’s a wonder what you find by opening a book and not just relying on what morons say on the internet!!!
In 30 months, 33 kids were mauled to death by the so called nanny dog.
So very true
Great post with no arguments. Hard to argue with facts. Thank you for the truth.
Their genetic history? Do you know what that is? If not, here’s a history lesson for you. The breed, Stafordshire Bull Terrier (not pit bull) was originally a cross breed (mix) between the bull dog (for its strength) and the terrier (for its athleticism). This was done, in all places, England (which has a ban on the breed). The genetic nature for this dog breed to hold and shake is due to the terrier side. Improper breeding has definitely fouled the bloodlines, this I will agree on the genetics can and will cause behavioral problems no matter how good the owner (trainer) is.
In the 1800’s, during the “Western Days”, pit bulls were the breed of choice. Their tolerant disposition made them perfect family dogs. And got the nick name “nanny dogs”. It was also during this time that dog fighting in actual pits was born. Again, man had to go an mess things up. He got bored or couldn’t fight his own battles, so lets have the dogs solve it for us! The bull terrier got the “pit bull” name as the dogs looked like bulls from their stance and the fighting in pits.
The bad rap comes from several angles: dog fighting, gangs, and the ever present, one-sided press that reports the negative in EVERYTHING. When a dog attack takes place and is reported, the dog in question is a mix breed and happens to be 1/2, 1/4 or whatever pit bull, it is automatically the pit side that has tainted the temperament of the dog. To this I call BS!
As for your statement on the debate of “its the owner, not the breed”, I will argue until I turn blue. Other than bad breeding techniques that can cause bad temperments, the owner is the one that has to take responsibility for the treatment and training of the animal. Do we need hold parents responsible for their childrens actions and behaviors? Environment and what the dog is exposed to is a huge factor. Do people not realize that dogs experience anxiety or fear? They too can develop behaviors based on traumatic situations and react negatively when faced with the same situation or something very close.
I grew up an only child and my best friend was a 90 lb, female pittie. She never once snarled, snapped at or bit me. And we all know how rough children can get with pets. My Dad is on his 3rd pit. I have one in my house and I have 2 daughters. The dog is 2 1/2 yrs old. Another cliché about pits is that they don’t get along with other animals. I have a daushound. There have not been any issues.
You can challenge me on my facts. I took speech in college and one particular style is informative. This is where you state facts from research and siting those sources (which any good Professor will check). My topic was on pit bulls, with specifics on breed origin, the bad rap and my personal experiences…. I got an A on it. I have done my research and I know what I’m talking about. I did not use Wikipedia or dog bite site as both are unreliable.
You still cannot get around the fact that Pit Bulls outside of England were bread for fighting. And the fact that they can and do go off unpredictably. The breeds in this country are fighting breeds. You have been lucky.
John Smythe, and yet, so were Boston Terriers, one of the first “PIT” fighting dogs! They seemed to turn out ok. Back to your argument, yes, SOME not ALL of Pits in the USA were bred for fighting. Research has also shown MANY of these fighting pits have been able to be rehabilitated as well. Another fact media and fearist refuse to acknowledge.
When we can trust the difference between a “rehabilitated” pit bull and those who are not, your assessment may be worth something.
Until then people are wise not to turn their backs on them.
A trainer I respect greatly (works training K-9s for police and military) said, in regards to a Pitt Bull you do not know: Decide which arm you can live without and turn that side to the dog.
And remember, YOUR posture toward a dog can be a big part of how that dog reacts to you. Face to face with an aggressive breed is often considered as a challenge by the dog. Side to dog is less likely to evoke a bad response
Wow.. this reminds me of the difference between violent Muslims and peaceful Muslims!
There is a world of difference between a Boston Terrier and a pit bull.
Aside from the Boston Terrier being a bit smaller there’s actually not that much difference between the two. They both have similar body styles and similar jaws.
Where are all the Boston Terrier attacks then, if these two types of dogs are so similar?
Also, the breed was often favored by drug trafficers, same as Rotties and other big breeds. Bred for aggressiveness to make them valuable to bad people doing bad things. That might be why there are so many bad ones in AZ; traffickers made lots of bad puppies and they got out in the general dog population.
Sadly, so many Pitties end up in rescues when people think they want one then find out they really don’t have the chops to be the pack leader for a Pit Bull or cross.
This is very true, and if you are going to be a pack leader for one of these pups then you need to be a very strong pack leader or they will see you as weak and won’t listen to you.
Not all the breeds in this country are fighting breeds as his and my own experience should attest to, so that’s where your theory is incorrect!!
It’s not a theory. You are pretty despirate to claim your experience is correct to the point of ignoring what I said above.
You can put as many exclamation points in as you want, it’s not going to change anything as long as Pit Bulls still earn their rep…
Despirate? First of all learn to spell it’s desperate, and the only reason I put exclamation points is to get my point across, plus it makes more of an impact than just a little dot. I didn’t ignore anything you said it’s just that what you said has very little merit because of the fact that there are proven pure bred American Staffordshire Terriers in this country and there are breeders that can prove it as well and that is why there are even therapy dogs that are what most people call Pit Bulls that are very well behaved and very loving dogs because they are pure breeds so yes all you have is a theory and it’s been disproved!!
Always nice to have the typo police around. You must be fun too. Too bad you are so emotionally invovled you can’t look up from your research and prattling to look at the larger problem.
When pit bull of any mix drop out of the top ten most dangerous, get back to me. Maybe your prattle might have some weight then.
Your “Nanny Dog” information is urban legend marketing magic. That nickname and your information are BS. Go back and do some research. You have been hoodwinked by the propaganda of breeders and should Google “Nanny Dogs”. I have lived with two Pits and I loved them but they are certainly a dangerous breed compared to other breeds.
Actually it’s historical fact and if you bothered to actually do some research you will find that out. They were nicknamed the “Nanny Dog” at one time, and were originally bred as work dogs so it’s not BS as you say you just want to cause drama!!
August Lankford…Did you know, Boston Terriers were one of the first “Pit” fighting bred dogs? Overtime, the Boston breed gradually downsized from 45lbs to 18-25. Like nearly ALL dogs, especially, Pits, German Sheppards, Rotties, Dobbers, Bostons will also get a lock on an item, then hold and shake. A fact you seem to ignore! Like Pitties, Bostons are generally eager to please their owner. They can also be very protective of their owners, which MAY result in aggressive and territorial behavior toward other pets and strangers. The point is, dogs are animals, unless given proper direction (training) they will act on their animal instincts! Two things causes an animal to attack..#1 cause, FEAR. Provoking a animal causes a fear response. Abused animals. Why do they attack? FEAR. #2, trained to attack. This ranges from your businesses guard dog to irresponsible owners who train their dogs to protect their, example drug houses. Simple research will show you this. So yes, the saying still holds true, it IS the owner, not the breed!
I know, right? All those owners of BOSTON TERRIERS, killing people! Seriously, its an epidemic.
I like your response to many of the arguments. I checked your research and.it is spot on, but takes a little common sense sleuthing. I have worked with many different breeds throughout the years and the only dog that makes me somewhat nervous is the Chow. I have worked with vets that refused to treat them unless muzzled. I do think that common sense should be used when people purchase their pet. If they don’t have the knowledge to train a dominant dog personality, they should pick a different breed. Properly socialized throughout their life, trained and loved, any dog can be a good dog. Some breeds, such as pits and rotties et al, need an owner that can be their alpha and understand the importance of immediate response to any dominance challenge. Long story short…. I agree, it is the owner. Yes, there are some exceptions to this when it comes to IDIOTS breeding animals that have bad traits mental or physical.
It is the owner’s and not the breed!! You know what my old pit bull is doing right now? She’s a handicapped therapy dog!! I’m disabled myself and in a wheelchair and she only wanted to lick me and everyone else all the time, and sleep with me in my bed!! She was the best, most laid back dog I have ever had and that includes the rat terrier that I had too!! Sadie was a rescue actually she came walking down the driveway of the assisted living facility I lived in looking for food because some jerk just let her out of his car up on the road. The facility owner told me that I could keep her as long as I got her shots and she had already been spayed, but when the new grass was planted she wanted to dig because that’s what dogs like to do, and that’s when I had to give her away. However until that time no one in the facility ever had a thing to worry about and they all loved her so that’s proof that it’s NOT the breed it is the owner!!!
3 times amount of any other breed including rottweilers, German Shepards, wolf hybrids, Doberman Pinschers, and any other is genetic, not just training.
I agree to an extent that Pitbull aggression isn’t entirely from environment in every case. Overbreeding and breeding for negative traits, like aggression for dog fighting, has led to aggression in some lines of Pitbulls. However, for the most part Pitbulls that attack people normally come from abusive/neglectful/isolated environments 9/10. In general, according to the ATTS, Pitbulls actually test in the 90th percentile for temperament. I don’t think avid Pitbull lovers should promote the breed for everyone, it is definitely not right for many people, but it is unfair to condemn the breed as a whole.
Nope, actually the past 10 yrs. it has been mostly family pit bulls that were raise right yet turning and snapping. Those test are a joke. One of the biggest shelters in the U.S. got rid of the guy who gave real test to these dogs. They replaced him with a woman who made sure not to push the pit bulls too far. The breed is condemned by their own actions. Most of them are killers and earned their own bad reputation.
On point here Chelsea. I will add that most people do not research dog breeds before getting one. The dog has to fit the family or household they are being brought in to. The dog and family has to match.
Yep, but too many people get dogs based on current trends/styles. Have to have the ‘in’ dog but never think about the fact that it’s a living, very bright mammal, not a handbag or couch.
Golden doodles are beginning to be a rescue issue of late. Too many wanted the ‘latest designer dog’ or one that supposedly doesn’t shed, cause allergies, etc. Some people just don’t really want a dog and should get a battery operated facsimile instead. When some find out that dogs in the family actually have needs and their own minds, some dogs are fired, through no fault of their own.
3 times the amount of any other breed is because the police have a tendency to call everything a Pit Bull. I’ve seen Boxers, Great Danes, AmStaffs, Dobermans, Labs, English Mastiffs, American Bulldogs, and numerous other dogs labeled as ‘Pit Bulls’ when they very obviously weren’t. Had someone from our local animal control try to say that my Border Collie/Lab mix was a Pit Bull (he looks like an all black Border Collie except for his Lab ears and webbed toes) when he was filling out a report after the neighbor’s Boxer jumped the fence and attacked my dog. The Boxer was written into the report as a Pit Bull too. My mom’s next door neighbor’s Great Dane and Husky mix both got called Pit Bulls by local police and news stations after they bit the kid who had been harassing them and throwing rocks at them for months. Pit Bull isn’t a breed–it’s a general body type used to describe about a dozen breeds, most of them erroneously.
That’s not the police calling them that. THAT is the supposed journalists trying to sensationalize a story.
American pit bull terrier is a breed. There are tons in Arizona….I don’t know where you live, but here we know what they are..
I work with dogs for a living near Chicago IL. American Pit Bull Terrier is a UKC ‘breed’, which is the exact same thing as the AKC American Staffordshire Terrier according to the breed standards.
This is from Daxton’s Friends Website: Why do we call them pit bull type dogs?
Why not just call them pit bulls?
“We, dogfighters, and the law used to. Even the fur-mommy pit bull fans did. When the first laws were introduced to restrict or ban the ‘pit bull’, its fur-mommy fans were alarmed. They suddenly appeared everywhere to explain to us: “You can’t ban pit bulls, because it’s not a breed but a type of dog.” As deaths by this type of dog continued to mount, wise lawmakers listened to the fur-mommies’ wisdom – laws began to specify that restrictions applied to various ‘breeds’ that were of the pit bull type. The laws included all dogs (regardless of breed labels or mixed background) that displayed the main characteristics of this type of dog, and they include any mixes thereof. The American courts have also repeatedly taken this same position.
Most of the public understands nowadays that the distinction between the various fighting bulldog ‘breeds’ are a fiction, and that they are all included when we say ‘pit bull’. There is still some confusion about the pit bull – mastiff mixes. This is likely partly because they are so much larger than what people generally think of as a pit bull, and partly because of the invented ‘breed’ names that suggest these mixes are some local invention, unmixed with anything outside their area of origin. This is a fiction – the common thread that runs through all of these ‘mastiff’ types is the mixing of already inherently aggressive local mastiffs with fighting bulldog types.
All of these dogs come from juggling with the same narrow gene pool. In the end, they are all descended from dog types that were used either to maul bears, cattle and humans to death for entertainment, as well as to eradicate native populations in various colonies, and/or from pit fighting bulldogs that were mostly only pitted against each other and wild boar. They are a result of centuries of human selection for abnormally disinhibited behavior, a specific tenacious and deadly bite, grip and shear attack pattern, and the physical characteristics to make defense against an attack almost impossible.
They are all of them genetically and behaviorally closely related, all of them pit bull type dogs.”
And they look like pit bulls too. Yes, the public can identify them. Anyone wishing can look up the rest of the article on Daxton’s Friends Website.
I’ve read it is 6 times all breeds combined.
Nope not always. What about the loving bit bull advocate Darla Napora who had her neck tore open in her sleep by her own dog. Genetics have an effect on a dogs disposition.
Too bad her unborn baby had to die from her stupidity.
Pitbulls for Dummies is a book that will help you realize how wrong you are in your assumption. It’s available at Amazon. Many of the beliefs people have about dogs in general are from reading what the media puts out (take with a grain of salt) and hearing people repeat what they’ve read or been told. Your best source is a reliable one. Most people just parrot what they hear. I hope you take the time to check out the book. You’ll be amazed.
Oh, Pit Bulls for Dummies? Maybe you’ll be interested to hear what the author of Pit Bulls for Dummies, Dr. Caroline Coile, wrote on Facebook:
“I am the author of Pit Bulls for Dummies. I will not have another after they, without warning, attacked and almost killed my other dog who they had been best buddies with for their entire lives. One of them choked my saluki unconscious and ran around the house with her like a panther with a dead gazelle while we tried to get her to let go. When they were good, they were delightful; when they were bad, they were deadly.”
So, uh, you were saying?
Really? And where is this at I have been all over facebook and I haven’t read that anywhere so most likely it wasn’t her at all but someone else writing it in her name!! Check out the source before you actually use a quote!!
Told look up the statistics…dog bite dot org. It has nothing to do with what I have been told.
Valiere, the author has apparently retracted her statements in her book. She says she will no longer own a pit bull. Seems it killed another of her dogs. I’m glad it didn’t kill a child, as pit bulls seem to do on a regular basis.
Pit bulls are making it harder and harder to be a pit bull advocate. They keep on killing and mauling animals and pets.
Anyone reading, check out DogsBite dot org. Its a site about catastrophic dog bites. Since pit bulls are six times more likely to kill and maim a person than all other breeds of dogs combined, most of the information happens to be about pit bulls.
DogsBite.org most likely doesn’t have any of the statistics about the packs of wild dogs in this country that attack people and animals either does it? Do you think those dogs are pits, no, they are all either mutts or shepherds, or even retrievers with very few being pits!
Hi Rick,
I’m not sure there is any proof of that, one way or another. Packs of wild dogs do exist, and they do attack, mostly animals. You’d have to give specific instances on that. Its more prevalent in other places of the world.
Other dog breeds do attack, but in comparison to pit bull, they seldom kill people. They also kill far less animals than pit bulls do.
Bad Pit breeding = dangerous dogs. Bad breeding + bad owners nearly assures VERY dangerous dogs. In Az myself, and yeah, there are too many uncut pitt bull terriers running amok breeding with too many other dogs, lots of bad genes being spread around this state. It’s a bit frightening, and I am generally very dog competent and loving.
Have you ever thought that those pit bulls just might be the ones who have been trained to attack people? Probably not because it’s obvious that you are the kind of person who blames the breed and not the owner!! Pit bulls are one of the best dogs when it comes to kids, they have excellent temperaments and love being around people when they are not trained to fight or be mean!! They are naturally a very social dog and like to work this is what they were originally bred for to be work dogs look up their history sometime it might amaze you!!!
DNA also comes in to play. You have all these backyard breeders who don’t bother with temperament in their breeding pairs and they inbred a lot. FYI, I have 2 American Pit Bull Terriers. Both are very loving and well trained. No problems from them.
No its not ‘The people’ that make all dogs vicious. I bought a Rottweiler puppy at 10 weeks old,still with his mother an well taken care of until I bought him. He fit n a shoe box when I bought him. He was raised with love an well taken care of an trained n many ways,but from the very beginning of socializing him with other animals,it was a no go he only got along with the family cat I had before I got him. Socializing him with ppl instantly wouldn’t have no part n it an eventually I had to start muzzling him when taking him out. He disliked everyone except me an my children even though he was raised with nothing but love an that love continued til he passed.So no I don’t feel its the people that create vicious dogs,its either n their bloodline or mentally.
Perhaps it was the “nothing but love” and lack of discipline and leadership. You let him win.
He was disciplined sir or mam,as so was i on how to show him i was n control,but not by beatings. He was trained,nuetered (not sure if i spelled that correctly) also but he still had the mean streak in him.
Did you get your Rottie from a reputable breeder or a backyard breeder/pet store? Not trying to be mean but that’s highly unusual in the breed to be aggressive at a young age if you were apparently socializing and training correctly. Rottweilers aren’t aggressive dogs genetically, their temperament is calm and they are aloof with strangers, but never aggressive. Your puppy must have come from a line of overbreeding and that was why he was born with a level of aggression. Unfortunately, overbreeding in any breed leads to neurotic and negative behaviors, even at young ages. My four month old Rottie is the best tempered, most intelligent dog I’ve ever owned. No problems with strangers or others animals whatsoever.
Spot on, Chelsea! I’ve owned many & am awaiting another pup in December.
Chelsea is spot on. Too often, a breed becomes popular and anybody with a female of that breed might see $ signs. Not every dog should be bred, but people can be greedy and very stupid.
I have always known huskies to be really good, calm, reliable dogs, until the past 15-20 years or so. Have seen way too many ‘psycho huskies’ in recent years, and they generally show other deficiencies from breed standard. IOW, people who don’t know what they are doing are breeding bad stock and making dangerous dogs just for the $. Same true with many other popular breeds. That’s why it matters if it’s a backyard breeder, puppy mill, or well documented good breeder.
Otherwise, go to the shelter and get a good mutt. Sometimes that ‘hybrid vigor’ works to create a better all around dog.
Not true, Rottweilers are aggressive as is indicated by their position on the list. Your rottie may be very gentle but the breed has been subjected to selective mating of aggressive dogs. It is not uncommon for owners to recommend a breed based on their
dog’s temperament. It takes a study of a population of dogs to determine the true temperament of a breed.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve had pure bred Rotties for the last 20years and they’ve always been gentle giants.
With rotties I have to agree with Peg that they have behavioral tendencies that have nothing to do with how they are raised. I have seen MANY rotties who were raised in normal households who would only be social with their families. Even well known, frequent visitors to the home were merely tolerated, they were not friendly towards them. Rotties are frequently one family dogs.
With pits on the other hand, it is ALL about environment. I have never once seen an aggressive pit that was not trained and encouraged to be aggressive, Even the pits that are trained to fight other pits are almost invariably friendly towards humans. Pits have the most undeserved reputation possible. They may have the worst record, but that is mostly down to owners who want and train up a vicious animal.
That may be true. I spent $5000 on training for my 7months old Rottie. However, I believe that his behavior and his eventual blossoming into a gentle giant was as a result of the relationship I had with him. I spent a lot of time with him and I always spoke gently to him from morning till he went to sleep at the foot of my bed at night. He knew from the tone of my voice what I wanted from him and he responded. He wanted to please me and would bury his head in my lap when he knew I was displeased.
Golden Retrievers are safer dogs and you could have saved yourself $5000 and bought something nice.
You could have gotten 2 world class Rottweiler pups for $5000 and very little chance of having temperament and training issues.
Guess there’s a sucker born every minute.
I think people can learn to understand the relationship needed to have a confident dog and some people are born with a natural intuition of their needs. Glad you made a great loyal friend.
Five thousand bucks to train a dog? Heck, I’ll train your next dog for only six thousand. I can tell you know a deal when you see one Rachel, I’ll even show him how to bury his head in your lap at no extra charge.
I have met some Rotty’s that are vicious no matter what, but most large dogs are vicious because of their owners. Especially with Pit Bulls. They get a bad rap because of their owners who don’t know how to raise them the right way.
Poor breeding/temperament/bloodlines, period.
U failed to discipline him correctly. If u would have showed dominance over him and disciplined him for jumping up or growling at a guest the correct way he would have eventually learned. Just like people learn a new language. The language is new and it takes hard work and self discipline to achieve your goal of learning a new language. Just like it takes hard work and discipline to train a dog. U have to constantly remind him that u r not going to be harmed and needed to train him when and when not to protect u.
Rotties are more temperamental because they’re a protective/guarding breed. They were literally bred for defense and intimidation. Rotts are more defensive over children and keepers of the opposite gender and they’re also very much one family dogs. Any other animal that may pose a threat to their family or their place within the family is deemed an enemy by a number of breeds, rotts included.
Not true! Our Rotty Sampson was my sisters dog until I came to live with them, then he protected me more than her and wanted to be around me more than anyone in the home, and I’m disabled!! Also when we brought my half chow half timber wolf into the home they got along great so what’s your theory now?
My theory is someone is a moron for breeding a dog with a fricking wolf!
How do you think we got dogs to begin with William? By breeding other kinds of K-9’s with wolves that’s how we got so many different types of dogs in the first place.
Actually Rick, over thousands and thousands of years, we domesticated wolves into dogs. Breeding a domesticated animal back with a wild animal is just stupid!
Exactly @ Kelly. The disallusion is so sickening.
I have a pitbull and he is one of the most precious animals I’ve ever owned in my life. He was a rescue dog have been beaten obviously numerous numerous times and left unattended and unfair he now is well trained he listens and waits for a command before he does anything he is the most attentive being in the home. Yes his bark sounds agressive and I am glad of that, and yes he will bite you if you come upon his owners property..he loves us and he respects us . We are alpha to him. The training or lack of is key. Train a child to be an idiot and idiots are what ya get.
Sooner or later He will lunge for your throat and wont stop until your dead,and not fighting back,then its not fun for him anymore
There are THOUSANDS of Pit Bull type dogs in my area and we’ve never had a ‘pit bull’ related death here. So how do you explain that?
Gotta laugh at the stereotype of using a pitbull as your example of having your entire face removed in one “friendly” gesture. “Pitbulls for Dummies” is a book you can obtain on Amazon and you will be surprised to find out how little you really know about pitbulls and how all have been painted with the same broad brush. The bottom line is that every puppy is born a blank slate and people who are ignorant and should never own a dog are the ones responsible for ruining them. Very sad.
Your comment, “The bottom line is that every puppy is born a blank slate and people who are ignorant and should never own a dog are the ones responsible for ruining them.”
Pit bull aggression, the pit bull’s grip n’ rip behavior, and other dog fighting behaviors are not “trained”, it is not learned, it is behavior selectively bred into pit bull dogs by dog fighters for over a century.
Canine Behavioral Genetics: Pointing Out the Phenotypes and Herding up the Genes
An astonishing amount of behavioral variation is captured within the more than 350 breeds of dog recognized worldwide.
Inherent in observations of dog behavior is the notion that much of what is observed is BREED SPECIFIC AND WILL PERSIST, EVEN IN THE ABSENCE OF TRAINING OR MOTIVATION. Thus, herding, pointing, tracking, hunting, and so forth are likely to be controlled, at least in part, at the genetic level. Recent studies in canine genetics suggest that small numbers of genes control major morphologic phenotypes. By extension, we hypothesize that at least some canine behaviors will also be controlled by small numbers of genes that can be readily mapped.
Caroline Coile
Yesterday at 10:10am ·
I am the author of Pit Bulls for Dummies. I will not have another after they, without warning, attacked and almost killed my other dog who they had been best buddies with for their entire lives. One of them choked my saluki unconscious and ran around the house with her like a panther with a dead gazelle while we tried to get her to let go. When they were good, they were delightful; when they were bad, they were deadly.
Excuse me? pits are the nicest, biggest hearted breed on earth. I know because I used to have a pure pit; and the most he would do is lick your face off…
A pit bull is not a dangerous dog. The only time they r dangerous is when the owner fails to train the dog. Just like any other big breed of dog. Pit bulls r very intelligent and loving. I know this because i have 2 and my 6 year old cousin loves chance and lucky. My cats even love chance and lucky. They r the best breed with proper training. Because just like a pit bull. A great dane can be trained to be a fighting dog. All of the deaths by dog from any breed is because of abuse and the lack of knowledge of the owner.
The reason small breeds are called “ankle biters” is because they go for the ankles to trip larger prey so they can tear out their throats. Literally. Don’t underestimate small dogs.
Pit Bulls are a very good dog as long as they are trained well it’s the owner that makes the dog not the dog breed itself! My brindle Pit Bull Sadie all you had to worry about from her was getting licked to death!! She just wanted to be loved and cuddle with you at night!! The most gentle dog I’ve ever owned, and believe me if a Chihuahua or a Maltipoo were big enough they would bite your face off trained or not!!
Only way “pitbulls” going to remove your face if you’re not supposed to be there or the owner train them that wayI actually rescue all types of dogs mostly pitbulls because no one gives them a chance but I’ve been bitten more by golden retrievers and Labradors and Chihuahuas and other smaller dogs I have never been bitten or attacked by a “pitbull” And the correct term is American STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER The name pitbull was given to them by ignorant unintelligent people like yourself I’ve handled hundreds of these dogs and never had a problem
Why do people have these blinders on just becz they want ppl to beliEve how they feel about a breed. This research and information is not accidentally put together but based on facts and real figures. It’s so annoying!!
a$$
Most great danes are not aggressive. Every breed has the occasional dog that becomes aggressive, sometimes it is nature vs nuture.
When I got my 7months old Rottweiler, he was aggressive and I was a bit afraid. But, I decided that if I didn’t change his behavior he would be put down. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I spent two straight weeks never leaving his side. I whispered to him and showed him pure kindness and gentleness. At first, I’m pretty sure he was confused by all the love, gentleness, and kindness. He was exercised and spoiled to high heaven with love, treats, and a quiet home. By the end of two weeks, I had a big marshmallow who seemed to thrive on love, kindness and…treats. As his vet kept telling me, Buddy doesn’t have a mean bone in his body…he didn’t.
thats because he was treated incorrectly and its your own fault
You know nothing of how he was treated. It had nothing to do with his treatment, but the breeder. Eventually most of his siblings had to be put down for the same reasons.
You seem to be intent on blaming the breeder and just because a recessive appears late in a litter it does not mean that the breeder is a bad breeder. Just like people animals can get brain tumors and it has nothing to do with the parents or the breeder. A good breeder tries to make sure that both parents are free of disease and bad genetic traits but recessives genes that don’t show until the puppy is grown make that impossible especially recessives that require both parents to have the gene and they just get unlucky because this recessive doesn’t show up until you breed two together. Animals like human beings are not perfect and many people carry recessives for schizophrenia and many other syndromes.
Do you go around blaming their parents? I hope not and its time to stop thinking a perfect dog is easy to breed. There are no tests for all of the possible diseases and mixed breeds can have more than 229 genetic problems whereas most purpose bred dogs will be subject to less than 5 – 10 genetic problems. So you are less likely to get genetic problems with purpose bred dogs than mixed breeds. But remember no one can really see recessive genes until they appear. And that can be much later in the life of the dog. Hidden recessives are natures way of changing a species.
Actually it was the breeder. His siblings had the same issues and many had been put down because of it.
Get a clue and stop being stupid.
That’s probably because the dog wasn’t trained properly.
Some people just don’t understand that dogs need to be trained.
I would’ve put YOU down, instead of the dog.
My uncle used to raise and breed Danes. He rescued a female named Satin (not Satan, though some swore otherwise). She was severely mistreated, malnourished, and she’d been used for breeding starting when she was six months old. She was five when he’d gotten her, newly separated from her last litter. There were signs of evident abuse all over her, but she was still the sweetest, gentlest dog you’d ever know, and she understood things like kindness and showed compassion. He was concerned for her health and mental well being and had her spayed, and she got better. She was fiercely loyal and protective.
My uncle was working on his motorcycle in the garage and there was a gas leak, he was unaware of it and one of his tools sparked and there was a very large combustion. He got out of the garage with a broken arm and severe burns, and ended up falling and getting stuck in a recently dug hole on his property for where they were planning to put in a pool. His two sons were in bed in the house which was attached to the garage, now on fire. Satin broke her dog run, jumped in through their bedroom window and roused them and got them both out of the house. She ended up injured, suffered burns, cuts from the window and smoke inhalation, but she saved those boys, despite being abused and mistreated before they rescued her.
Or a Dachshund brain!
My dachshund is very sweet to anyone she meets. I constantly get comments about how nice or friendly my dog is for a dachshund. And I even have been told on multiple occasions from other dachshund owners how lucky I am to have gotten a friendly dachshund. Luck had little to nothing to do with it. From the day one I exposed her to new people (young and old), new places and new animals. I handled her food and toys to prevent possessive behavior. I think the biggest problem little dogs have going against them are the owners who allow or even encourage negative behavior because they believe their small dog can’t do any real damage. Though I grew up with dogs my dachshund was the first one I played a major role in the raising of. You don’t need to be an expert to raise a nice dog; you just need to put in the time into training and research.
I couldn’t agree more Rachelle! I put the same time and effort into my chihuahua and she is one of the friendliest dogs in my neighborhood. She doesn’t even bark (unless the doorbell goes off). She even plays with a 150 lb shepherd/mastiff mix up the street!
But I bet she is the “boss” in a group of other dogs 🙂
Same here with my Dachshund. There isn’t an unfriendly bone in his body. Well, unless you’re a lizard or flying insect. :o)
I agree with you to a point. Ask anyone that knows my doxie, she’s playful and there is not one person who she knows that she doesn’t get excited to see. I put her in puppy training class when she was 3 months old, went up 2 more levels and take her with me everywhere that I am allowed to have a dog with me. I can take her to a dog run and she will be fine although she won’t play with the other dogs. I also handled her food and toys from the beginning to prevent possessive behavior. But when we are walking in the street she is very aggressive to strange dogs. And when a stranger wants to pet her I tell them to take it slow and see how she reacts. She has never snapped or showed her teeth, but I can tell by her body language, she’s not happy. I won’t allow strange children to pet her, which I fell bad about because they get excited “a weiner dog” although the children that she does know, there is never a problem. I have done the things that I’m supposed to do. When I’m able to I will go back to a professional trainer to work on what needs to be worked on, although I do read and try, but sometimes it’s something that’s in the dog and not the owners’ lack of knowledge or lack of commitment to training .
Too bad not all people that decide to get a puppy put all the time and effort that it takes to raise a well rounded mentally stable dog. I personally have raised numerous APBT’s that were happy, healthy and mentally stable dogs. I always felt it was MY responsibility to put the time and effort into making sure my dogs were not dangerous. I always felt there were already too many dangerous dogs out there. I have never had one APBT that was dangerous for strangers to be around.and I’ve had the breed for 32 years.
I have owned APBTs for almost 30 years and have enjoyed there sweet personalities. I give them loads of love and kisses. 😉 They are very friendly towards people and most dogs however to some dogs they can tend to object to but I still consider them to be a wonderful breed very loyal dogs. That being said I couldn’t imagine not having this breed in my life they have made this ride that much more beautiful….
Dogs, like other intelligent creatures, have differing personalities and that requires different training and handling depending on the dog. Some dogs need reinforcement of the pecking order, others are docile, it’s nature and nurture.
me too..Im on #6..wouldnt have any other dog.
Pitties are the Best <3
Love my pitties….best dog I ever had!
I don’t care what anyone says, and just like Judge Judy says.. She’s heard people say I’ve owned Pit Bulls my whole life, I put my baby down by my dog, and it licks my babies face, they’re so sweet of an animal.
The problem is Pit Bulls are more prone to aggressive outbursts than any or most breeds. My buddy lived in an apartment and someone with a little 4 year old girl had the dog all 4 years with no problems, and that particular day the little girl was crying and causing a fuss, and the Pit Bull tore half her face off.
I’ve never had any dog snap at me except Pit Bulls. I’ve had every one of my dogs CGC certified regardless of size so I am used to obedient dogs. A neighbor brought one home and I was out walking my mini mutt, when the Pit lunged at my dog. I got between and yelled at the dog to back off with my pepper spray at the ready. The guy said, “Wow, I was told that he was sweet natured”. I told him that if the dog ever lunged at my dog again I would pepper spray him and report him to the management office. I don’t like the breed mostly because of back yard breeders that bred ill mannered dogs that should have been neutered as puppies.
One, I doubt the dog was even a Pit Bull… Did it look anything like the picture??? Yeah… because Pit Bulls ARE NOT LARGE DOGS! They are thin like terriers! If it was blue, it wasn’t a Pit Bull. Second, you just straight up lied. You said you have never been snapped at by a dog other than a Pit Bull. Yet, you said the dog lunged at your dog?!?!?! So which is it? You’ve just been caught in a lie. ALL BULL BREEDS ARE KNOWN FOR ANIMAL AGGRESSION! THIS IS NOTHING NEW! YOU CAN’T GET MAD A DOG FOR SNAPPING AT YOUR DOG WHEN IT WAS WHAT THEY WERE BRED FOR.
You are a total jerk. You doubt that the dog was even a pit bull? How in the heck would you know? Were you there? So, exactly what makes you think it wasn’t a pit bull? And how was she caught in a lie? She said that she had been snapped at by a pit bull; she never said it was the same pit bull that attacked her dog nor that it happened at the same time. You show yourself to be total moron with your idiotic assumption. You are a pathetic troll, going around threads just looking for people to be a jackwad to. And, yes, you CAN get mad at a dog for snapping at your dog. If it had lunged at my dog, I would have pepper-sprayed it and then proceeded to kick the living crud out of it. Anyhow, just go away pathetic little troll.
It’s a blue tip pit bull
The original name for a Pit Bull is Staffordshire Bull Terrier an
old English breed but breeding standards are different and there are large dogs under the name of American Pit Bull Terriers who are broad and muscular not thin if well fed and cared for. I probably have a better education of dog breeds and their character traits than you do but won’t ague that fact. I do not lie by the way, life is too short to lie about something so mundane. However, all BULL breeds aren’t known for aggression, as there are many BULL breeds that are small like the Boston Bull Dog. However the ones that are aggressive are trained to be that way by people who aren’t intelligent enough to train a dog to obey. I can train any puppy to be non aggressive and to obey upon command, be it by word or signal. However, I can and will be offended if any dog comes at me or my dog when out walking and will pepper spray the dog and hit it with my Bubba Stick if necessary. My dog is trained to behave in public and so should everyone else’s.
Wrong! The American Pit Bull Terrier is the same dog as the American Staffordshire Terrier. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a different breed. They are known as Staffies, shorter more stocky build then Am Staffs or Pit bulls. Consider your self schooled. If you don’t believe me look it up.
These people comment and don’t know what they’re talking about. What is wrong with people? So Onward, what’s the first step in training your puppy?
Wow. No. You are HIGHLY uneducated. There are not different types of Pit Bulls. The dogs registered as American Pit Bull Terriers are American Bullies. Staffordshire Bull Terrier? Pit Bulls came from Bull dogs and terriers. They were known as the American PIT BULL Terrier because they were made from Bull dogs and Terriers and were used to fight in a pit. I mean, come on now. You CANNOT say you know about a dog breed if you can’t even get the basic facts straight. And YES! All Bull breeds ARE prone to dog and animal aggression. Boston Bull dog? LMAO! You are so dense it isn’t even funny. Boston Terrier maybe? Notice the TERRIER at the end of Boston. You can’t love and train aggression out of a dog. It is genetic. You don’t train a Pit Bull to fight… they just DO IT! It was the sole purpose of breeding them. That is the reason they created the breed. TO FIGHT! No different than retrievers retrieving. It is GENETIC! Your dog is trained to behave in public? You just said your neighbor had just brought the mutt home. So he’s supposed to have it trained within 24 hours? You are the kind of ignorance that shames 20 different breeds into one and really think you know what you’re talking about.
Next time, try reading a book. Google isn’t the place to go when you’re trying to look smart.
so my nieces neighbor has 3 pits in a rural area. my niece is out riding her quad and the pits cross her property line and attack her as she is dismounting the quad. she receives 25 stitches in her face and arm. years ago i had a golden retriever. i fenced in my back yard so the dogs wouldn’t get out and get run over on the highway in front of my house. neighbor moved in next door with pit. one afternoon the pit digs under the fence and attacks my golden cornering her in a stairwell. the pit did enough damage to effectually kill the golden before someone could get it off. I’ll never own a pitt bull and if i would have had a gun on those two occasions there would have been two less of them to worry about. the dog warden did get the one that killed the golden and put it down. this is the experience I’ve had with pit bulls so don’t tell me their cute and cuddly. .some might seems that but is it worth the chance. now go ahead and call me a liar but don’t say i didn’t warn you.
..
Pit bulls tend to go for the face.
I agree with you in the fact that it’s the backyard breeders that have created this problem… And it’s sad to know that you dislike a breed solely on something that’s not their fault. I hope one day you’ll get to meet a fun loving pitbull that’ll change your mind… They are actually excellent dogs unfortunately there are some unfortunate ones that haven’t been able to receive the love and care that they desperately love to show their best side.
Understandable, OnWard, but then you should not like the owners and breeders and not take it out on the breed. I’ve owned and trained dogs for the majority of my life and I’ve found all dogs to have the same capability for aggression if not properly trained and socialized (of course there are exceptions – like dogs that are badly inbred, etc.). Pits are no different. The problem with that breed is, 99% of the time, always the person not the dog. People have such bad misconceptions about these dogs that lead to the wrong people getting their hands on them, not properly training/socializing them, the dog bites someone and the entire breed is blamed. And it’s not always “bad” people that are the problem. Many good and well meaning people get Pits without fully understanding that they are a breed that needs training, exercise, and a strong leader. The same with Dobermans, Rotties, and Chihuahuas! 🙂 Peace.
And German Shepherds & Belgian Malinois
I have never had any dog snap at me at all and I’ve met all types of dog breeds, mostly Pitbulls. Pits were the sweetest by far of all the dogs I have ever met. Dogs know whom are good natured humans and those that aren’t.
baloney
No, it’s not baloney! Why do you think they call them Nanny dogs? I’ve also never had a pit act aggressively towards me in any way. Blame the a holes who make them fight. Did you know that nearly all of Michael Vick’s dogs were retrained and eventually all were successfully adopted out as family dogs? Don’t believe me, check it out for yourself.
Oh, and you should watch Pit Bulls and Parolees on Animal Planet, you just might learn something about the breed.
My Pit is a lover. He does tend to get a little rambunctious when playing though but we are workin on that! Plus he is only 3 months old….so terrible 2’s in human terms.
I have avoided pits until recently, I have always been partial to German shepherds and Dobermans, yes the top three on the list, but my daughters had been bugging me for years to get a Pitt. I finally caved in and searched until I found one that I was able to see the parents of. The father was so gentle and non aggressive which was impressive having never seen me before. He was large and intimidating though had the nature of a big puppy which convinced me to give her a try. They were was raised with Chihuahua’s and treated them gently, we have Chihuahua’s so this was a plus. She is by far the smartest dog I have owned in a long time, she learns extremely fast and as she does not fear dicipline, she trains very well. My Chihuahua’s pee or cower if you raise your voice and forget what you are training them. I am still cautious with her around other dogs as well as kids, partly because of their reputation but also because of how others react to her. She is large and intimidating, though beautiful and loving. I do find that she and most Pitts are big chickens, which through experience can bring out aggressiveness through fear. They also seem to have an unexplainable immediate anger toward other pitts it does not know, though if the owner is aware and in control, this should not be an issue. Like someone said before, with proper training, most any dog can be under control. You do have to know your dogs temperament and what sets it off anyway, no matter what the breed, this is being a good owner for his and others safety. MY Pitt is one of the most loving dogs I have ever owned, I noticed that while at dog parks, she does not quite understand how others play, if another dog growls or barks at her she becomes aggressive in a defensive way. If another dog, mostly males try to dominate her, she also becomes aggressive. As she is my first, I am still very cautious and make sure when she hears my voice command, she does not hesitate to respond. It gives me assurance as well as others that she does not have to be feared. She does not feel pain like others, playing rough excites her, both are like myself so we can appreciate each other. I have always insisted she does not use her teeth to play and try to keep her from jumping on others,” still work in progress”. One thing I have always done when it comes to deciding whether to keep a pup or not of any breed is to test their temperament. This can be assessed and a quite early age. Animals are like people, no two are the same, no matter their breed, breeding, size, or history. I will play with the pup fairly rough in order to test it’s stamina and it’s limits. I keep going until the dog either wants to quit or becomes aggressive, I do not stop though, I keep pushing to see if the dog will snap, they will do one or the other. If they want to give up I continue until they eventually will show their belly in submission. This is what I preferr and will immediately demonstrate that the dog id not in trouble by cuddling it. If the pup shows aggression, I will play rougher without break until again, the pup will submit by showing it’s belly. A few times like this and the pup will not likely ever show aggression again unless it has good reason such as a command, to protect another or itself from serious harm. A few will become aggressive and never submit, even an alpha will submit when there is no choice left. One that does not, especially a pup will always be unpredictable and need training and a very strong and alert owner to give it confidence and insures the dog always knows who is in charge.Like most animals, dogs can sense what you feel, fear anger,or other things out of self preservation and some will react, some will not. Most will either feel comfortable around you or not, they may back off, growl, snap, wag their tail, have no interest or many dominant alphas will give no sign, a poker face, which can make another dog or human uncomfortable and even submit. There are animal people and people who are not good with animals. Animals know this, I have two alphas in my time, one female and one male. Best dogs I have ever had, American Eskimo, and a Long haired German Bred German Shepard. Both extremely smart and stubborn, both with just a glance caused other animals to respect them, their space, their place, and distance but not necessarily with fear. My chickens would allow their chicks to crawl all over them, my duck would groom them, they felt secure in their presence that no they were safe as long as they were near. My American Eskimo though would attack any animal that was not ours within her territory, not to harm them but to demonstrate her superiority. She would tackle and hold them until I dragged her off. My German Shepard was even more confident and would not even acknowledge another animals existence unless provoked. Then it would respond in a single massive physical move of domination and control. A Rott annoyed him for too long nipping at him, barking and pushing until he turned and hit him with his chest, taking him off his feet and sliding under a car. It took a bit for him to get back out, but without harm, he knew now to respect his space. This German Shepard did not wag his tail except for me, he showed absolutely sign of his intentions. It was hard to tell whether to fear him or not by others and he was a jumper, he preferred to be above everyone in vantage points. Dogs are like people or kids, they are not as stupid as we think and all different which makes things interesting.
Never ! You are full of baloney
my pit plays with the cat all day
You made several mistakes while dealing in the moment, yet you blame it on the other dog. Nice…..
OnWard get your panties out of a bind and have your boy friend make you a julep or something. Dogs do have their turf and do not like intruders coming there. The dog was just protecting what was in it’s mind theirs, when they let you know they are coming no worries the one you need to worry about is the one that is walking away with your purse puppy in it’s mouth dead! Without a bark!
Probably because the dog knew you didn’t like the breed and the fact that you were a tool.
Then it would be safe to say it is not the breed. It is the irresponsible owner and or the irresponsible breeder.
I’ve had dogs all my life too, ad the only time I’ve ever been bitten was by a mama toy poodle. I didn’t even see her until she had me by the top of my foot. She didn’t hold on long, and she never did that again. Nor did either of the toy poodles I had. As for sweeties I loved and recommend, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Papillon, and a Saluki were all wonderful characters without human aggression whatsoever. I think most dogs are just as in love with us as we are with them.
I was with friends, walking our 4 small dogs, and an off leash Pitbull came after the smallest, an 8 lb puppy. The PB got ahold of his ear (fortunately the pup turned his head in time so the PB missed his neck). It took more than 10 minutes to get that dog to release that poor puppy. Two guys that were with us, plus the owner. I’m hard pressed to think I would ever want a dog that was that strong.
BTW- Patty J. the article statistics are dog bite deaths. Chiuauas might bite, but they won’t bite your face off.
There is a difference between snapping at you and snapping at another dog…a big difference…my pitbull you could let loose in a room full of newborn babies, however on a leash I would not let her go up to another dog…she has a tendency to posture and bark. Offleash, she is very sweet with other dogs..in fact she is the first dog I always introduce my foster dogs too. The person who owns the pitbull that snapped at your dog needs to be educated about his dog’s behavior…sweet with humans and sweet in all situations are not one in the same.
Only dogs that have ever tried to bite me were one sheepdog and some precocious small dogs like chihuahuas.
Just like any other breed excellent training needs to be put in place… This dog was originally bred for hunting and guarding and unfortunately has turned into fighting so that evil people can profit… The blood lines have been completely damaged… So just like a German Shepard, Rottweiler, and pincher this breed was bred for a specific reason and there for needs to have specific training and cautions… But to make it out like this is the worst breed there is and should be banned is absurred. This breed in my opinion is the most loyal there is…. You can’t judge the breed because of all the things you hear and see in the news or personally. you need to look at the owners behined that breed… They are animals and any type of animal has the ability to attack or act aggressively.
I have to disagree with your post. The pitbull was NEVER used for hunting or protection. They were used for bull baiting and fighting other dogs. Hence the name PitBull. They used a bulldog until it was crossed with a larger terrier breed (because of their loyalty) to produce a fighting dog that would not turn on their master. They were brought to the US on the Mayflower from England when they became the American Pitbull Terrier and The American Staffordshire Terrier (both the same dog but changed the names). Once they came to the US, the Pitbulls were still used for fighting, while the Am Staffs were used as companion dogs with a more strict breeding regimen. This is why the Am Staff is recognized by the AKC and the Pitbull is not. FYI.
I think your wrong about the staff and the pit being the same dog. The staff appears to me to much less muscular than a pit. Significant difference in the build of these two dogs. Also, I don’t believe there are bad dogs, I believe there are bad dog trainers and bad dogs owners, sure way to get a bad dog.
Finally someone who knows the history of Pits. I had one who lived to 14 yrs. He was a beautiful, sweet, smart, dog. However, some are more game than others and can cause harm. Just sayin…
Pits were called “Nanny dogs” because they were great family dogs. Still are and still love kids!
And still capable of killing them in just seconds. I don’t want to take that chance with my daughter. We have a Lab that does occasionally try to lick her to death. No more kisses Daisy!
Labs are just as capable though. I’ve seen a small terrier that nearly got murdered by a lab… It could have just as easily been a child.
Yea labs are just as capable. Go ahead and link me to the data showing that labs are responisble for just as many children deaths as pitbulls
Between my kids who are all dog lovers we have labs, pit bulls, white boxer, mutt, American bulldog, husky/shepherd mix and labradoodle. Around the Thanksgiving table they are seated next to someone waiting for their dinner. Had 9 dogs and 10 people at Thanksgiving last year. Only dog that has ever shown aggression was some lady’s malamute on the trail that attacked and tore the ear off my diabetic/blind lab. I am noticing more and more people who are adopting pit bulls or pit mixes on the trails when I am hiking. Seems to be an abundance of them..pit bulls and labs that is pretty much what I see in this ski town.
Over all they are still the most aggressive!
Got to disagree Jeff, look for my post.
Yep!
Except when one day that kid starts crying and throwing a tantrum and the dog decides it has had enough and bites the kid’s face off.
You can’t judge a breed by all the things you hear and see in the news or personally? How else do you judge a breed?
your 100% incorrect.Do research before spreading such lies.
Agreed!!!
I agree – my little girl was 65 LB of pure diva; scared of cats, loved kids, anyone who’d scratch her behind and she was easy to train. that’s part of the prob – pits are easy because they’re people pleasers and this is why they’re so easy to teach to fight. Look at Vick’s dogs! they were brought back to 3 different rescue groups, 2 of which are in CA. Ceaser kept the worst (her teeth were pulled so she could teach biting w/out hurting the target dog). Next, Bad Rapp out of Dublin area (ca.) took a bunch; all of them found forever homes and they’re thriving as pets, not fighters. Those of you who have never nurtured and been adopted by a pit, it’s a shame, because they’re only taught what they’re taught. My rescue was used as a punching bag by the prev owner and she adoped our family when she was 9 mo. old. awesome girl; they smile, they love to play and they snore when they sleep on their backs. She was the best Am Staff and companion there ever was.
I have two and they’re the same way. We walk a mile and a half every day and the only problem we have is with the little dogs. Mine are fine with little dogs and most other dogs, but just as with people, there are some they just don’t like. I keep a close watch and if I see any sign at all of them being nervous or anxious when they see a particular dog, we walk on the other side of the street. They are both total love bugs with people.
you are so right our Lucy is just a big lover, she is only aggressive if she feels we are threated, if we tell her it is OK, then a stranger can come in and all is fine, she loves our cats who do not fear her, they are all friends, she is the gentlest dog I have ever known. We are her pack and I am the Alpha male, she is perfect.
I found the article completely slanted against large breed dogs! I am a social worker with 30 years in the field- it was a flippin’ Chihuahua that bit me. I’ve been around majority of the large breed dogs mentioned and own or have owned 4 of them. It is not bad dogs or bad breeds….it is lousy owners who think beating a dog will make it aggressive. Instead, the dog becomes a fear biter and THAT is where the problem is because they are unpredictable. I live with (an am very protected by!) a retired police K9- he is my ‘baby’ and would die protecting me. The pit, rot, shepard, wolf hybrid, malamute, and dobie are all territorial dogs and take protecting their turf and their humans very seriously. The dane and St. Bernard…. aggressive is not in their personality unless a lousy owner made them that way! I find the article to be pure BS. Now look at the bites of small breeds and find out how many have been bitten by dogs less than 30 lbs.
I will disagree–a little. We had 2 chows, litter mates, one the female was mean to little children, strangers, other animals. The male was a sweetheart, loved to cuddle, liked people in general and loved children (we had a 3 year old). We had to re-home the female to a couple without children and she did very well there. The dogs were given the same training, attention and love.
There in itself lies the real truth. To say all chows are aggressive, by your own experience, is not necessarily true. The same with Pits. How they are trained is how they will act. I work with dogs for a living and the most aggressive dogs I’ve come across has always been 10 pounds and under.
I have seen a full grown male Chow, grab a bull by the nose and pull it down. They had to shoot the dog to get him off.
My cousin had a Chow and her neighbor’s Doberman was scared to death of it!
It’s about dogs that kill, most little dogs can’t kill!
The article said attacks and killings not just killing
You are wrong about malamutes. They have no sense whatsoever about protecting territory or their humans. They are about the worst watchdog you could have. I have had several, including a current one, and they would gladly show a burglar the silverware.
Total idiot who ever wrote this garbage.
couldn’t agree more this is the second time I’ve read this one and they still leave out the worst one the BITTERS must be a slow news day!!!!!!
why people spent more time and money on the animals when human been are suffering with hunger , sickness , and more ? they need help and God will rewarding everyone who takes care the images of God , not the animals . where did you get that command ? even the bible didn’t say that ? please change your mind and start love God and their image (human )not animal.
just because you hate animals does not mean they do not deserve love too.. read your Bible a little better there is a St. that is for animals specifically besides you miss understood what I said I give 20 % of my annual income to my church how much do you???? but I still give time to help mistreated animals by ROTTEN HUMANS WHO claim to be GREAT CHRISTIANS WHAT DO YOU DO BESIDES CRITIZE OTHER PEOPLE?????
Wow, Kelly. Did you have a serious head injury this past weekend?
Uh…. Yaaaa. Alrighty then. I might suggest you go see a doctor about that. You clearly need some help. Best of luck to you.
Because its about fatalities, not number of bites. Can’t you read? Even a little bit?
How many “flippin” Chihuahuas have caused a death due to their biting someone? I’d like to see the stats on that one. The fact is that Chihuahuas are one of the most misunderstood dog breed. If they act out, it’s the lack of training on the owners’ part. They aren’t real live toys that ride in a purse. They’re just as much of a dog as a great dane and need training, not babying.
Our pit is the same way. Spike is so sweet and loves life. Not all people are qualified to own a pit. Only those who, like yourself, get the breed and have educated yourself on them.
They do snore and they also try to talk. My pibble tries to talk to us all the time. Most loyal and easy to train dog I’ve ever had and I’ve had border collies which are as smart as they come.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. A lot of Vick’s dogs are service dogs. Speaking of Vicks, still waiting for some big, bad pittie lover to break every bone in Vick’s body, one break for every dog he killed.
So true, the best dog ever!
Very true…the person who wrote this article is so off the mark when it comes to pit bulls, and the use of the term here doesn’t make any distinction as to whether the writer is referring to APBTs, Staffordshires, etc. Very misinformed.
Yes, the person who wrote the article fabricated the number of fatal dog attacks by pit bulls. Surely there is another explanation.
Well maybe there have been more fatalities by pitbulls, because more idiotic people (and I use that term loosely) have taken a normally loving and sweet breed and turned them into killers by using them to fight and then turning them loose into the streets to wreak havoc…if those said people took a 1000 golden retrievers and trained them to be killers and then them loose on society the number of fatalities by golden retrievers would rise I am sure.
I agree, but even properly raised by responsible owners pits are more dangerous that most other breeds. When they do bite they cause more physical damage because they were bred to bite with powerful jaws and to hold the bite and to shake to tear flesh. I spent a career as an emergency room nurse, and the most severe dog bite injuries (including one fatality) i’ve seen over the years have all been by pit bulls.
I agree partly. Idiots choose the breed to train to fight because of their ability to inflict alot of damage. I have two pitbulls and they would never bite unless someone threatened me, which is what they are supposed to do. So, I will have to disagree that a properly raised pitbull is anymore dangerous than any other breed of large dog. Their sweet and good natured temparment with humans mean they are less likely to bite. I had a foster dog nearly kill another one of my dogs during a fight and she was a border collie…she was able to rip and tear the flesh from his neck easily. Luckily, someone was able to get to them in time, to break up the fight and he was saved, but it was a very vicious attack. All dogs are capable of inflicting damage given the right circumstances. So, as humans we need to be the ones responsible.
I am 56 years old and on my third bully/bully mix, they become like children and tear your heart out when it is their time, yeah it takes awhile to get another one. Goofy, smart, easy to train, full of energy, big lovebugs that are misunderstood. My present Joey is 74 pounds of knucklehead with a neck like a coffee can and a skull like cement, but that boy would stop a train for my wife or myself. We volunteer at our local bully rescue as in walking the dogs, donating food, bedding, etc. We also will bring home for the weekend a compatible bully and are they tired and happy when we take them back! I have been slammed before by other posters calling them “ghetto hounds”, owning them puts you at risk to commit felonies, I’m as unstable as the breed, etc. sorry idiot haters, all I can say is….BEST DOGS EVER.
Your anecdotes are nice and fuzzy but the plural of anecdote is not data. Statistics show that these dogs are more likely to attack other dogs, other humans, and inflict massive damage than other breeds of dogs. Just because you’ve had a good experience with the breed doesn’t negate the statistics surrounding the dog, which are cumulative of the experiences of the population.
Sorry for your negative image, it is how our dogs were raised, have four other bully/bully mixes in my related family and all have been professionally trained. A dog is only as smart as it’s owner.
Hey John, some how my e-mail address got sent to you.
Maybe you might look at some other posts from a few months back from some other bully owners.
Yes, everyone has a sweet pit bull that would never harm a fly and would NEVER attack anyone ever ever ever…except that’s exactly what the owners of all the dogs involved in vicious attacks say after the fact too. “OMG he’s never hurt anyone before, he’s so sweet!” They only need to attack once to kill someone.
Why do you think golden retrievers aren’t typically used for fighting? Do you think it’s by magical coincidence that pitbulls are almost exclusively used for fighting? This is because the characteristics that make pitbulls dangerous house dogs are the same that make them effective fighting dogs. They are aggressive, do not release their prey once latched on, annd are incredibly powerful
Literally the first sentence of the article clearly states “American Pitt Bull Terrier”. Yes, they can be trained to be obedient and safe, but the fact is that these dogs are disproportionately responsible for the vast majority of dog-related fatalities. They were bred for fighting specifically for their temperament. The are bred to bite and never let go. This means that unless the owner is a superb trainer (which is not going to be the case for most owners of this ss of dog), then these dogs pose a high risk to the community. Statistics don’t lie.
yes but that’s also because in reality the term pit bull is used EXTREMELY loosely. if it were all broke down to pit mixes, am staffs, APBT, and other dogs that are considered pitbulls the numbers would be much lower. also, just because someone says they raised there dog right doesn’t mean they really did, as well as the fact that they don’t always know how the dog was really treated before the adopted it. my German Shepherd was more aggressive than both my APBT’s before we had to put her down.
a neighbors Pittie took a special dislike to my yorkie-poo and tried to eat her alive. she sipped her leash and charged at us while we were on our evening walk. my dog lied but was seriously wounded.
See the article. Study shows most lethal dog.
Maybe you should read my post before you spew that “read the article”, I have had 3 bullys/bully mix in my 56 years and are heart broken when they die of old age. All 3 of my former dogs and my current 5 year old are the most personable, friendly, loving goofy knuckleheads not only to my wife and I but he has actually been called a “gentleman” by others who have met him that have “chicken little” yellow journalism fear of bullys, at 74 pounds, yes he can be intimidating until he nuzzles your hand or leans on you. He is the polar opposite of what you or the uninformed public view as a “Pit Bull”. We also volunteer at a local bully rescue as in donations, walking them and so on. Also some posters quote them as “ghetto hounds”, sorry to shoot someone’s balloon down in flames, but no, we are far from ghetto. As the saying goes….a dog is only as smart as its owner.
On this site, dog bites are compiled and fatalities recorded. See for yourself which dog dominates the list. And it’s sad to hear all the victims’ loved ones saying the same thing that people who defend pit bulls say…”But he was so sweet and gentle…he never hurt a fly…he loved kids…”
I have two long haired dachshunds and both are gentle. One is especially wonderful around children and has never snapped at anyone. She loves meeting new people and is b always happy. The other was a rescue and is more nervous, but she just barks or hides at strangers. It’s all on the breeder and training.
Quote from grandmother of 11 week old mauled to death by a pit. ” The child’s grandmother, Willetta Tate, said the family had owned the pit bull for 8-years and it had grown up with two other children in the household, 8 and 11-years old. “It’s just unexplainable,” Tate said. “You just don’t get it when you’ve had the dog so long, I don’t know what could have happened. I don’t know,”
Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it
The common and frightening theme with pit bull attacks is that for everyone involved, it is surprising because typically the dog has never shown aggression before. This is why it is particularly dangerous
My dachshund is a rescue and he was extremely aggressive… mostly out of fear. He was brought into the shelter as a stray and it turned out he had been abused. He guarded everything and would bite with no warning, except his stiff body language. It took a lot of love and patience and consistency, but he is a really good dog now. Very loving. He just needed to learn to trust. A friend of mine has a mini that is the friendliest, easiest going little dog I have ever met!
Dachshunds are precious. Been bit by one but he was also formerly abused… Sadly they learn to hurt by being hurt by owers. Love them all anyway
I have to agree with you my wife and I own two dachshunds one that is 10 years old and one that is almost two and they are very loving and friendly. They are very vocal but they would rather lick you to death than bite you. We have a 2 month old baby and they are very good with him and have not gotten jealous of him. The youngest one come in his room and checks on him all the time and wants to be close to him at all times.
You are correct. Everyone hates yappy little dogs but, as a rescue person, I ask people who get frustrated with their small yappy dogs “would you allow a pit to get away with what you allow your Chihuahua to get away with?”
You hit the nail on the head! My Yorkie, Too-Too, thinks he’s as big as a Great Dane. Dogs have no concept of “size”. That is why you find large breeds thinking they are lap dogs and the little ones challenging the big guys. With dogs, size just doesn’t matter. Watch out for those little ones aka “ankle biters” and remember, a pet is a reflection of its owner. Training is important, so take time with your furry friends and be patient.
So true….I have had Danes, dobermans, and pitbulls. None of them had an
aggressive bone in their body! It is all about how the owner trains the
dog. My dog now is a 10yr old pit and she made milk to nurse abandoned kittens! Grrr
Amen!
I was a Rural Mailman for 26 years and had to deal with all breeds. I went into yards with Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, etc. Only time I got bit was by a little Dachshund and it was my fault. He was raising a fuss and I put my hand next to the gate for him to smell. Got his nose through and nipped me. Only dog that I was scared of was a little Yorkie. Her owner told me she would bite and from the dogs actions I knew she was telling the truth.
I was a city Carrier, I got tore up by a Sky Shepard, came out from under a car and bit me three times before I could kick it. Never extend your hand to a strange dog, as you learned they bite. I kicked one dog , as it ran through a screen door, it went up and completely upside down and landed on it’s feet again, it just stood there and stared at me. Another time I had to pepper spray a
German Shepard, the wind shifted and we were both on the ground. A fellow carrier kicked a poodle as it lunged at him from off a porch and it landed on top the house, The lady owner cried “how am I supposed to get her down?” the carrier said ” I don’t know, I got her up there you’ll have to get her down”, this was a long time ago, today people get fired if they protect themselves.
people that are distrustful and scared of dogs probably shouldn’t work at a job where they are required to visit people’s homes. If I witness someone kicking or beating a dog I’m likely to return the favor
really Mike? clearly he kicked the dogs as self-protection.. not simply because they dog was THERE but because the dog was attacking…
A dog that charges me growling with teeth showing gets shot. I’ve had to do it three times and will not hesitate to do it again.
so a person who’s job requires them to deliver to a home with a dog should quit his job because you can’t control your dog. if I saw your dog acting out I would pepper spray it, and if you touch me you would get the same thing only more
you sound like you enjoyed it with the detail you gave.
I think most pedestrian mail carries now carry pepper spray or a squirt gun filled with ammonia solution, especially if they know of aggressive dogs on their route. I’d avoid actually kicking dogs, though; that is going to piss off owners that may be incapable of sympathizing with your right to defend yourself.
Dogs understand the concept of size very well. Some dogs are just dumber than others and some dogs are just too full of themselves to know what a good azz whipping is all about until they finally meet up with one.
My mailman throws dog treats in the yard if he sees a dog! They LOVE him!
my mail lady brings all kinds of treats for my Daisy, a rescue, she likes women and greets her at the gate.
My dogs forget I even exist when they see Mel, my mailman. He’s their daddy with his treats.
I have owned Shepherds for 40 plus years and never have they bit anyone. The time I got bitten was by a Sheltie who came up to me while I was sitting having tea at the kitchen table with their owner. Dog was sitting there, and just all of a sudden charged and bit me. BIT ME! Broke skin, grabbed, and blood. Little dogs are far more of an issue than these big dogs – why? Because people coddle the little dogs, and they are all ill mannered, because when the dog acts up, the stupid owner picks them up and kiss faces them – so the dog continues to get nastier. No one lets a big dog get away with that. So, big dogs are ALWAYS much better mannered.
I grow up with a beautiful German shepherd in Germany in the early 50’s. Always playful. These kids would take a stick to the wooden fence and drive the dog crazy. One day, when a kid was just walking by, he jumped over the fence and severely bite the boy. The kid’s parents demanded that the dog be put down or they would sue. Reluctantly, my Grandfather took him to be put down and dropped him off at a slaughter house. It was very sad. He was heart broken over it. He was actually my father’s dog but since he was in the American Army, my Grandfather took care of him. We traveled a lot back and forth to Germany because my father made a career of the Army but he always stayed with my grandfather. No matter how long we were gone, the dog was always happy to see us, particularly my father. It was believed he was never put down because a farmer saved him. But no one knows for sure. I was only 3 and still remember playing with Rex.
That is a sad story. GSDs are very loyal dogs.
All of the herding breed dogs should have a tendency to bite. It’s almost always a nip. This includes GSDs.
What people don’t understand is the difference between nip, a bite, a full on mauling, and the reasons some breeds more easily express/prefer some of these behaviors over others.
I agree with your “no concept of size” statement. I’ve watched a pair of Chihuahuas harass a husky and chase it around; the mismatch in size made it quite comical! Generally, younger dogs are quite deferential, regardless of their size. I’ve also watched my female Setter mount a male Black Lab/St Bernard mix, asserting dominance over the larger dog because she was young and spry while he was old and tired. Yes, apparently size counts for nothing in establishing social position for canines.
Dogs understand size just fine. They also understand that territory trumps size. I’ll bet that the Chihuahuas chasing the husky were on their own turf at the time, and the husky respected that.
My Chihuahuas are fearless and I’m afraid someday that will get them in trouble!
correct my good friend.
Chihuahuas, like small people, have to speak up for themselves. We have one that we took the time to discipline, train, and socialize just like any of our other dogs. She has fit beautifully into our family/pack. She is an amazing lap dog and stays by my side when I’m sick.
I watched one lunge at my 3 year old brother, who was playing on the other side of the room. The dog was just watching him, snarled and lunged with his jaws wide open. The owner was close enough to grab him before he got to my brother. The owner put the dog down.
Danes are more then just big.
Yeah, he would bark bark bark the whole neighborhood to death!
LOL. The most aggressive dog I have ever had was a Chi. I took her off death row where she was placed because she got picked up as an aggressive stray. Darned little thing ( not so little for a chi, 12 lbs of sly street Chihuahua) was so smart that training, including her learning English took a matter of 2 weeks. But I always did take the precaution of putting her up when there were any new kids around, not an issue at all with the Grandkiddos though.
Darned thing was sneaky smart, at treat time she started running to the door to bark, when the other dogs including 2 ret GSD K-9’s would run to the door she’d sneak back and take their treats too. They fell for it every time.
My GSD would do the same thing to our rescued terrier! Treats would be handed out, she’d bolt for the door, barking like the Mongol horde was coming in, Max would race after her and she’d double back and snag his treat! Way too funny.
I’ve owned chihuahua mixes and never had a problem at all. But a few days ago, I was walking my current mix and a BEAGLE of all things raced out of his yard like he was going to play and immediately clamped down on her and wouldn’t let go. This basically proves that almost any dog breed can be mean. After we got the beagle off our dog, what did its owner do? He screamed at the dog and smacked him hard in the face.
I have two Chihuahuas and they are sweet and lovable…They aren’t yippee or ankle biters..Its how you raise them is how they are gonna turn out
Danes are also used to guard by some, mostly for the intimidation factor of their size, but back at some point they were guard/war/draft dogs. Modern ones are mostly bred for a calm demeanor.
I agree Chihuahuas can be mean little dogs. If they were large animals, they would be dangerous. As it is they can really tear up a hand or a finger.
Even scarier: imagine a pit bull w/ chiuahua’s brain.
Some chihuahuas are afraid of others.
only if you trained that big dog well enough ,you be fine !!, if not ! well ,that’s one dangerous dude!
You are correct … chihuahua are very smart but ate tiny and loveable
Yes, my two AKC Canine Good Behavior Certified Lab Staffie and Staffie Dalmatian were ambushed by a long hair Chihuahua. He kept coming at them and finally they started to defend themselves under so much barking, biting by that ChiChi demon.
All dogs bite BUT bad owners create bad dogs(including breeders).
You aren’t kidding, but even chihuahuas are gentle if they’re given consistent structure and their owner takes the time to ensure they know how to respond properly to given commands.
Chihuaha’s are land pirhanas…
Hahaha, I have chihuahuas, you are absolutely right
LOL! As someone who works rescue for chihuahuas and has some. You’re right on! I much rather transporting the larger breed dogs, have never had an issue with one. Give me a small chihuahua or yorkie? I am on alert for getting possibly bit. Haven;t yet, but one came close.
Every breed of dog is breed for a purpose, either for hunting or working. Man created many of these breeds so they could help us out moving forward into modern times.Sadly many of the jobs these dogs were bred to do are no longer needed, but that is not the dogs fault, they are still creating new breeds today, I just read an article about a Russian scientist cross breeding 4 different dogs trying to get the right size, loyalty and smelling ability he was looking for. Yes the dog breed may have killed but as stated many were protecting their owners doing what they were trained to do, others sadly are due to lack of training and obedience. Owning any big dog is a huge responsibility, they are deadly weapons, if you own one you should be held responsible for their actions. I trained military dogs, police dogs and obedience classes for petsmart, I always tell people if they get a big dog be prepared to be held accountable if they attack anyone, training is the key to any dog but especially big dogs that can mame and kill humans.
And that’s the reason insurance co’s charge pit bull owners more on their homeowners policies.
They ask now, what type of dog you have.
I had a wolf hybrid, and he was sweet as pie, I treated him like a baby, but, I always worried about what would happen if someone strange came around and I wasn’t there.
I also had a black german shepherd, she came from an aggressive mother, she was gentle with us, and we didn’t raise her to be aggressive, quite the opposite, but it was in her DNA, and I had to watch her every minute, and one time she attacked a Doberman, fortunately, there was no damage anywhere.
I now have a chow/golden retriever mix, she doesn’t let strangers in the house, but outside, she’s afraid of her own shadow.
I had a wold hybrid as a teen and my parents and I knew exactly what she would do if a stranger entered the house. They would probably be leaving the property in a hurry because either A they saw her charging all the while barking growling and snarling or B she already bit them and they weren’t going to hang around to tempt her a second time. But as she aged we did worry about her going after somebody unprovoked. The meter reader guy made the mistake of ignoring the warning signs and just entered the back yard to read the meter while she was back there. Needless to say the second she growled he stepped back through the gate latched it and booked it up the drive with her barking growling and snarling at the gate. He went back to the neighbors used a set of binoculars and read it from their yard. I heard the gate latch seconds before the growling then heard it again and saw the poor guy running for the safety of his truck.
Sounds like she was a great watchdog, doing her job.
Our homeowner insurance asked us one question. Has you dog ever bit anyone? Of course we said “no” because she hadn’t …we have great home insurance and that has been a few APBT’s ago. I liked the fact that they take each dog as an individual and not clump everyone together.
Some carriers are going by the breed, if you have a pit or any breed thought to be aggressive, you’ll be charged extra if they accept you at all.
My neighbor was turned down, she has one pit who has no teeth,a mutt and a puppy of dubious breed.. She used to have another pit, but it attacked the other dogs twice, badly enough to run up a hefty vet bill. She bit hard enough to have a mouthful of blood.
The one that attacked, I never trusted, there was just something about her, the one with no teeth is a lovebug, he was a rescue bait dog. He is very grateful to have a good home.
Yes I am aware of that…that is why I said what I said. Thanksfully not ALL insurance companies are that way.
If you look at the fatality numbers here (leaving out Wolf hybrids for which none were given), there’s relatively steady incremental increase from #10 (St. Bernards) to #8 (German Shepards), from 7 to 17 fatalities. Then the number of fatalities drastically jumps. It more than doubles to 39 (#2 Rottweilers) and than jumps again to 66 (#1 Pit Bulls). The pattern is striking. In the top 10 breeds, #’s10-3 are together responsible for 65 fatalities. Pitt Bulls b themselves are responsible for more than this 66 fatalities) and Pitt Bulls and Rottweilers together are responsible for more than 1-1/2 times the number of fatalities of the other 8 dreeds. And keep in mind that these numbers include when the dogs were acting in defense of their humans (mentioned for Dobermans). Also, the numbers for Malamutes and Huskies are this high because they include semi-feral working sled dogs in the north who pretty much run wild over the summer.
Finally, if you adjust these figures based on the proportion of these breeds in the overall dog population, the Pit Bull fatality rate is much much higher than for any other breed.
Pittbulls are wonderful,kind,loving animals. The problems do not exist within the breed. The problems exist within humanity. The only animal in any breed that has ever hurt any one, are the poor,unfortunate animals that had the horrible luck of getting a poor excuse for a Human Being as a owner. People in general suck. (men)… These people want to fight these animals to the death for money. Beat this animals to teach them to be mean and hateful.Keep these animals as long as they are winning $ for the sick person. Then when said animal looses,the so called human leaves the half dead animal there to suffer more and die. So,as usual man created a monster and then wants to ban it….. GO FIGURE…..BTW, not really an animal lover, just tired of reading about it….
All the population figures I’ve seen give figures of (about) 4-10% of the US dog population being made up of Pit Bulls. Yet, this breed accounts by itself for over about 2/3 of the fatal dog attacks on humans reported in this article. That proportion increases still further if dogs defending their humans and feral dogs are omitted.
When a breed comprising less than 1/10 of all dogs is responsible for 2/3 or more of all human dog attack fatalities there is clearly a problem with that breed that goes beyond individual owners.
The Pit bull lawyers responding to these facts, don’t want to read the good sense you just wrote.
They just can’t believe their dog is capable of doing what the stats prove it is. I’m not saying they are all bad, they aren’t. They are just bred to do a job, and that job was KILL.
They may only be 10% of dogs overall, but smaller dogs aren’t able to kill someone unless something really bizarre happens. So take out every dog under, say, 50 pounds. Then the percentages are much closer. Also, the collective breeds called “pit bulls” are mostly dogs bred to be good guard dogs. How many of those attacked had provoked it by being somewhere they weren’t allowed or threatening the dog’s family? How many were in abusive homes or dog fighting rings? Things like this article make the dogs out as the bad guy when most are sweet and innocent. The few who do attack may have mental problems or were even the victim of attack. Because people think these dogs are mean, they do awful things to them like pour acid on them or set them on fire. Every dog I’ve seen things like that done to were “pit bulls” of various breeds or mutts mistaken for them.
My rat terrier is more dangerous than any pitbull or other big dog ive ever owned…its all about how you train and socialize your dog…I would trust a bully breed around my kids before I would trust a small dog to be around them…
One of the reasons “pit bulls” have such a high fatality rate is because of the number of breeds that get categorized as “pit bull”: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier. Sometimes other breeds get categorized as “pit bulls”. Included are: Bull Terrier, Bulldog, French Bull dog, American Bulldog, Bull Mastiff, Mastiff, Dogue De Bordeaux, Neapolitan Mastiff. I think if they chose one particular “pit bull” type, we would see vastly different numbers.
So instead of killing dogs based on appearance, how about we educate people. Don’t buy breeds you cannot handle. SPAY AND NEUTER! Follow the leash laws. Train your dog. Don’t allow your kids to harass dogs (which happens). Be careful around unknown dogs. Don’t leave your dogs on chains (promotes aggression). Don’t fight your dogs. Report animal abuse.
Pit Bulls do not have an “extremely agressive nature” unless you mean of course extremely agressive with their love and licks. I have one and she’s about as agressive as a mouse. I call bullshit on this entire article.
The owner and training, and the individual temperament of the dog are more of a factor than the breed. Anyone who knows anything at all about dogs knows that. These dogs are dangerous because of their size and strength…but a badly trained Chihuahua will bite you just as fast, and a scared dog will bite much faster than a mad one will. At least, it’s that way here on planet Earth.
My 8 siblings and I had 2 favorite dogs, a Pit Bull we named Pete because he looked like the Little Rascals dog Petey and a Doberman Pinscher name Van Wycks Saracen the Torch, we just called him Torch. Both great dogs with all 9 of us kids.
69 fatalities says otherwise, yes, it is how they’re raised, but far too many are raised to be aggressive. I would not take a chance on a pit.
Geez,,so get a pit puppy and raise it yourself! DUH!! I’ve been around too many where the “danger” is being worn out from them wanting to play constantly!
I see you have a pit bull mentality. Did you see where I said I wouldn’t take a chance on a pit? Why would you tell me to go get one?
The majority of pits are raised for fighting, my neighbor has two, one was a rescue dog that was used as a bait dog.
That dog is so grateful to be in a loving home, he just lays around like a big pillow, the other one came from a breeder, she’s gentle and loving, but I don’t fully trust her.
Did you say “The majority of pits are raised for fighting”? Interesting. My family has rescued 2 pits over the years and they quite possibly may be the worst guard dogs we’ve ever had. The reason is not their ‘Extremely Aggressive Nature’ but their extreme strength. You know, it’s kind of like pissing off a a big dude. (Like you are right now) The chances for severe injury increase when messing with.
Pit bulls are not a breed, American Pit Bull Terriers are but those 66 fatalities are I am sure attributed to American Staffordshire Terriers, Bull Terriers, American Bulldog, Bull
Mastiff, Boxer, Dogo Argentino, and Olde English Bulldog as well as American Pit Bull Terriers. Break it down by actual breed, rather than grouping 8 different breeds together, and each breed probably has around 8-9 fatalities. But then the news doesn’t get to demonize “pit bulls” so they will keep labeling them all together.
Edit: Just realized your post was over a year old. Guess they were recycling articles and this one popped up.
Fatalities is an extreme criteria. I never saw how long a period it was tracked over–assuming it’s a year. Also, I’m surprised the Akita didn’t make the list. I owned one once great dog and super loyal but as far as small animals went, she was a killing machine. Also great with people but poor with other dogs. At 1.5 years old she started greeting other dogs by chomping their nose–have no idea where this came from other than her desire to be the top dog. We had to control her every move after that. All the insurance companies flagged them.
Sounds just like my husky! Great with people but animal aggressive
huskies are usually aggressive towards small animals is the first place they have a high prey drive. From working with husky rescue mixing a husky or a malamute with a wolf is darn right dangerous. What you get is a powerful and highly unpredictable animal very few of them survive to a ripe old age because they have to be put down for one reason or another.
for over 25 years I had wolfdogs from very low content to high…the ones I knew but didn’t own were very high to actual pure wolves. They are not watchdogs…they don’t give a rip if the burlgars come in and take away your whole house…if someone says their wolfdog was a great watchdog, it was probably a very low content mixed with something like a shepherd…all of mine were malamute mixed or husky….I now have a malamute. wolfdogs present a whole different issue…
I agree about the Akita. The reason the Akita, husky and malamute are dangerous is they are very close to the wolf on the evolutionary scale. Common sense a must.
It says information was compiled over a 20 year period…not 1 year…
I think it said 20 years tracking.
Malamute??? No way, my daughter has both a husky AND a malamute and they are THE best dogs EVER!
Hmmmm, of the above breeds I have owned/own a doberman, rottweiler, wolf hybrid, german shepherd…all great dogs, no problems unless evading the wolf’s territory, but now my ‘chihauhua’ one fesity 4 # stinker.
In this moment as I sit her with my 11 yr old pittie licking my feet, my 10 yr old boxer laying next to me, my 9 yr old sharpie/pittie, my 7 yr old rotweiller/wolf hybrid and finally my almost 2 yr old pit-a-dor. I’ve had them all since rescued as pups. Let me add the wolf hybrid had his throat slit and was hung on a fence to die..a pup. Let me add to that mixture that I have been raising my 5 yr old grandson since birth who is severely adhd. these dogs are our family and we there’s. I made sure Aidan understood the wolf was grumpy, not mean, just grumpy. He gets it. His personal buddie is the pit-a-dor Bear-Bear who is 90 lbs of baby Huey. Total clown and loves his boy. Pitties are the most awesome dogs I have ever owned simply because they love you heart and soul. These are big dogs who have tiffs every once in awhile..never drawing blood. This is normal behavior in a balanced pack. The wolf is indeed very dominate (he thinks…) but I, me, I AM ALPHA! PERIOD! All dogs live at a visceral level you need to be a responsible intelligent and dominate leader. The food bowls are always out so food dominance doesn’t exists. They always get the last bite of my food in order of pack order which is by age. So tell me all the tales you want…it is in ownership. And before you say disaster will happen at some point…reread their ages!
You are a fool.
Beautifully said Chuck!
It is possible no one BRED them that way on purpose. Mating does happen without the interference of humans once in a while.
And, if you read carefully, she says “I’ve had them all since rescued as pups.”. That means she was not the breeder, but the rescuer. Do pay attention if you’re going to seek out opportunities to be snarky or downright insulting.
Extremely well said.
I love all breeds of dogs and have lived with German Shepherds for decades, with never an incident. I hope you know that with that many innately protective dogs, you have a pack. I would NEVER allow them to be unsupervised with your grandson, because should the dynamic change for any reason, your grandson could be in danger…as kind as the dogs are and as comfortable as he is with them.
I got a lab/wolf as a teen and she bit me on purpose as a puppy as I was training her food aggression out of her but that was the last time she ever bit me on purpose. I immediately showed her that I rank above her in the pack she learned right away biting is a big nono. I did it by immediately forcing her into a submissive posture and snarling in her face as another wolf would do if she were in an actual wolf pack. She bit me one other time because i was going for her collar when she got into a scuffle with my lab and the second I yelped she hit the floor knowing full well she was in big trouble. Then when she got into it with my husky over food all I had to do was yell at her and she stopped she learned the first time that she was not to be fighting with my dogs and If i said stop I meant it. She was a very good dog protective of the property and her pack members but always the lady out of her territory. It hurt to lose her last year.
I never had to yell at any of the wolfdogs I had, I growled, and I lifted the side of my lip…down on their back and if I narrowed my eyes they peed…it wasn’t necessary to do that very often at all because they were raised and handled with care not carelessness…double fencing, double gates, paying attention when moving them and to personalities…some didn’t like doggie dogs and some liked everything…
Many wolf hybrids are not trained properly also because most people only know dog behavior and not wolf behavior and they can have conflicting messages. A wagging tail is not always friendly, as an example, as you would assume with most dogs. But again, this is on the owner to know their animal and conduct their training around their animals personality.
Chances of being killed by a dog are 1 in ~18,000,000… The chance of dying from falling out of bed/off furniture is 1 in ~4,000. We’d better get rid of all our couches and cots before we worry about dogs.
If you fall off a couch and kill yourself, you take the consequences for your mistake. If you own a Pit Bull and it attacks and severely injures someone, they are taking the consequences for your “mistake.” That’s the difference.
Why you make it a pit bull thing? If you own a dog, any dog, and it attacks unprovoked somebody, you should be responsible. I don’t give a crap your mutt is a jack russell terrier or a pom. If your crazy, untrained off leash chihuahua get killed because it attacks a GSD, you are responsible. If you trespass on a private property well fenced and with a clear signs “beware of dog” and you get attacked, its your darn fault. If your prized poodle you bring at your nice summer cottage harasses the livestock and get shot, its your darn fault. If your dogs escape your yard and injured a child, your fault…When did common sense about dogs flew off the window and got replaced by the god darn anti-pitbulls hystericals?
I’d trust a pit bull over a congressman or most elected officials. Wait I think I hear a drone.. Ahhhhh
I’ll never look at my couch or bed them same 🙂
There are dogs with good behavior DNA and dogs that weren’t born with such good traits…Dog owners have to learn where their dogs fit in terms of behavior…Always watch your dog when children are around…You will know if and when you have a good dog and if and when they need watching when other people are around…I was mauled by the neighbors farm dog when I was 5 years old…I was walking across the yard to where my dad was talking to the neighbor when he nailed me…Luckily someone was there or he could have killed me…The neighbor said their dog had never shown any signs of agressiveness towards anyone before this incident…After I was attacked they had to put him down as he had turned agressive towards everyone and the owners had no clue what had happened or why their dog went from being a good dog to being a bad dog…Just saying…Watch your dogs around children as children are defenseless and they need be taught that not all dogs are people friendly!
Anyone with a Great Dane should be laughing at their inclusion on this list. The only way a Dane would kill someone is if they crushed them while attempting a giant hug. Even if they had the mind to kill, they’re much too lazy to undergo the task anyway. “Ehhh, i’ll do it later… this bed is calling my name”
And how many people require hospital treatment or are killed by Scottish terrier attacks every year? What percentage of the dog population is this breed?
You’ve clearly missed the point, which is that dogs that are socialized and raised by responsible, loving dog owners are typically not the perpetrators of violent actions. It just so happens that animals like Pit Bulls attract the type of owner that are the contrary to responsible, loving dog owners. I cannot tell you how many great dog owners I’ve known that own or have adopted pit bulls that have amazingly loving and friendly dogs. The idea that these dogs are just inherently prone to injuring and/or killing people is just absolutely asinine and misguided.
Agree
A big Amen.
Well said. It’s the “type” of person, not the “type” of animal.
If you really want to know if abused pits can be rehabilitated, read “The Lost Dogs” by (first name?)l Gorant – a book that tracks the lives of Michael Vick’s dogs, or see http://aldf.org/resources/laws-cases/animal-fighting-case-study-michael-vick/
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they usually can be!
I couldn’t agree more. I have adopted a 2 year old pit that was seized from a home due to abuse. He, and the three other dogs had/have numerous small scars and scuffmarks everywhere. Mine has 10-20 on the shins of his front legs. At one point, he had a very large, deep scratch that extended across his face from the bottom right of his chin up to the upper left of his nose. The scarring usually isn’t too noticeable, but if you know its there, it seems very prominent.
Even those that would be expected to have a more aggressive nature due to a unfit owner can be the biggest and sweetest babies in the world.
Despite every hurdle this guy has figuratively leaped over, it has not by any means dampened his spirits. If this guy can be such a great dog, all the others can be, too. I cannot imagine not having him with me, and non-pitbull owners don’t know what they’re missing out on!
People need to wake up and stop discriminating against a breed, or the way crappy owners have abused them.
Larger dog attacks are more likely to result in death because they can inflict more damage over a larger area. Just like SUV’s do more damage than a mini-cooper. It would be an oddity if small dogs killed more people. It’s a fact that can’t be avoided…ever.
Scotties bite very often as do most small dogs. Due to the smaller sizes and less damage during bites less get reported or go to a hospital for treatmeant. I have raised many dogs trained many breeds the small dogs are the ones you watch as they bite alot. The bigger ones bite less often but you watch yourself as if they do they tend to do more damage.
When I was growing up my Aunt and Uncle had a Great Dane, Max. He was a small horse to me, but as gentle as they come. It’s unfortunate that those larger dogs have a short life span.
When I was pregnant almost 40 years ago, a friend of mine had a Great Dane who would sit at my feet (which were propped up on his back), and growl at anyone who approached me. When my daughter was born, he would sit at the foot of her bassinet, and growl at anyone not my husband or I, or my friend, who would approach. Because of his size, few tried.
That’s when I fell in love with Danes.
Dogs really are the best at protecting their families. And it’s not about training them; it’s all about love and support. You give a little, you get so much in return.
I agree with you completely. My mom and I had to put down two Danes (litter mates) in the last 4 months because of cancer. The only aggression I have ever seen a Dane have to people was one bite in the defense of his owner
They are great dogs!!
My sister has had Great Danes as pets for over 20 years. They aren’t all gentle giants. The one she has now is agressive, protective, hostile.
A friend’s parents have an adult Great Dane who is untrained and aggressive, and was recently banned from their long-time vet office because of this. He is terribly dangerous and should really be put down. Proof that any dog can be dangerous if not raised and trained properly.
Have had the privilege of being owned by three Great Danes. They are loveable, sweet and docile.
Rule number one with dogs is YOU must be the alpha or leader. If you dont establish this early..it is you who are to be disciplined by them and you wont like it. You know the library has books on this stuff, internet too. I agree, Great Danes are nice dogs but you may have noticed that they are large and also dogs. All dogs are pack oriented. You have nothing to do with that but you must treat them accordingly. They will continue to be nice to you when you are alpha.
I’ve never met a Great Dane who wasn’t lovable and sweet. My Rottie had clumsy moments of excitement when he hurt me just by being a klutz; and I wondered if really big breeds, like Great Danes, Newfoundlands, Saint Bernards, Great Pyrenees had those clumsy moments!
Any dog will bite when it wants to bite. Love my pittie girl and wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world !! I have had the pleasure of being in the presence of all 10 of these breeds at one time or another and I have never seen them act aggressive. It’s all in how you raise them.
i have had ever breed they listed except the pit bull some are breed to protect so if you have small kids it is not good to get this breed. unless you raise it with the kids from a pup most of all it is the human who ownes them they will pick up your habits 90% of all dogs will protect owners or kids
Great observation, Bob. There’s a really interesting book out called “Your Dog is Your Mirror” in which the author, a dog behaviorist, describes how dogs learn by watching us. Even when you’re not consciously training your dog you actually ARE training him. They learned to watch humans all the way back when wolves first began approaching humans as a matter of survival. It’s how they became domesticated. They learn what behaviors will get them what they need (food, shelter, attention, etc) and what behaviors are likely to get their owners riled up. They are also very tuned in to our emotions, and can tell when we’re upset, etc by our body language, tone of voice, changes in facial expressions, things we may not even be aware of, and respond accordingly. Fascinating book; I highly recommend it to any dog owner or indeed anyone interested in dogs at all. The author is Kevin Behan, in case you’re interested in looking for it, Bob. Have a great day!
Pit bulls have kill 66 people, wow, just wow, that sure is a heck of a lot people, NOT! These are just animals, there are single humans who have killed more than that. There are leaders of nations who have killed MILLIONS of innocent people. There are groups of people in America that if the same criteria was put upon them, by the same laws passed for some of these dogs, they would no longer be allowed to breed.
We’re talking dogs here.
I wonder how many pit injuries have not been reported?
I think part of the problem with the pit bulls is that they simply have such incredible bite pressure that when they latch onto something – whatever it is – they hang on and cause so much damage. There was a case here in central Ohio where a neighborhood pit bull latched onto a child, around age 11, and wouldn’t let go, finally another neighbor (not the owner), after trying to pull or pry the dog off, finally had to take a butcher knife and stab it. The kid barely made but survived.
German Shepherds, Rottweilers, St Bernards, and several other dogs have been measured by scientific testing as having far greater bite force (PSI) than the pit bull grouped dogs. It’s been studied and reported on extensively.
If one cannot look at the numbers and see that Pit Bulls should not exist as a breed then they are incapable of 4th grade math. All current Pit Bulls should be humanely put to sleep and a fine of at least $10,000 on anyone trying to import or otherwise get the breed started again in the US.
And if you really can’t do the math just Google “Pit Bull Attacks” and read of the slaughter of innocent children who sadly walked in the way of a Pit Bull. I am willing to agree that it was stupid humans who took a decent breed of dog and tortured it until a type of self-protective insanity took over (which was what the owners wanted) and now the breed is unredeemable. Unlike any other dog a Pit Bull has a brain that will “click” into some sort of aggressive “overdrive” and once the agression is initiated the fight isn’t over until it’s enemy is dead.
You drive through some of the worst parts of town and there are some young punks with muscle t-shirts and a Pit Bull on a leash. All for show and all to say they are bad a**es and got the Pit Bulls and pistols in the waist band to prove it. If I could I would put these types to sleep with their dogs.
It also isn’t right for groups to extoll the virtues of a known “killing machine”. To me someone like Caesar the Dog Whisper is almost committing a crime with his unrealistic endorsement of Pit Bulls. I am also almost willing to say that if humans would behave the Pit Bull breed could be saved. But you can’t control bad humans….you know, the ones that created the problem?
And now, sadly, the breed must die.
Obviously since I think Pit Bulls are a dangerous breed I have chosen not to take the chance that one might tear up one of my neighbors kids and, along with feeling guilty that the child was injured or killed, watch all of my assets taken in the resulting lawsuit. So I have owned none. Which still does not keep me from reading papers, looking at news stories and, yes, Googling the Internet to see the latest horror story about Pit Bulls.
Your singular instances of playing around with Pit Bulls and not being mauled in you job as a certified veterinary technician (read certified dog pooper scooper technician) are not impressive as I was not talking about individual dogs but the breed as a whole. If the person who was reading this to you had read you the whole post you would have heard that I did indeed blame humans for inducing the psychotic rage into the breed that is not in any other breed.
But thank you for calling me a moron. It indicates how pathetic and inadequate you feel to express your thoughts when you stoop to name calling rather than putting your argument out to be judged on its merits. Have a wonderful certified veterinary technician career. I’m sure it’s most rewarding keeping the cages clean.
Vet techs are not dog cage cleaners–it requires a special college degree with lots of biology and chemistry. Probably something you couldn’t handle. My thought is, if you don’t understand dogs (which clearly you don’t), you shouldn’t have one.
If you have dogs, it is your responsibility to keep them safe from themselves and their instincts. And you have a responsibility to teach your children how to behave in a safe fashion around ANY animal. I wouldn’t trust you to be able to do that.
To those who say Pit Bulls are not aggressive I offer this. I dare this to be published.
not me
It says at the beginning of the article that just because it lists fatalities–doesn’t mean they are discouraging you. There are a LOT of factors. I for one, have two pitbulls. Are they generally dangerous? No. Can they be? of course. If someone attacks me–I have no doubt those two behemoths would attack quite viciously. Even if I’m not attacked out right and they percieve a danger towards me–they do respond aggressively.
I think the article is very informative. Good Job!
I had a wolf hybrid, biggest baby in the world.
A chicken that would walk into a dog kennel has a serious death wish.
The statistics are quite clear .Pit Bulls are estimated by various sources to comprise slightly less than 5% of the US dog population, with a few outlier estimates up to nearly 10%. This article reports 2/3 of all dog attack fatalities being caused by Pit Bulls. In other words, Pit Bulls are responsible for fatal attacks on humans at 13-14 times the rate of their proportion in the dog population. Actually, the rate is higher if fatalities resulting from dogs defending people and predatory attacks by feral and semi-feral dogs are not included.
False. Pitt Bulls bite pressure is no more than other breeds their size. Plus the media drives the hatred towards this animal. If it’s not a pit bull, it’s on page 27B and the breed isn’t even named. If it’s a pit bll, it’s “film at eleven”, sattilite trucks and they make SURE you know it’s a pit bull.
Work on your reading comprehension and do less cut and paste. I said nothing about bite pressure. I only discussed the statistics of the proportion of dog attack fatalities attributed to Pit Bulls relative to their proportion in the entire dog population.
For the statistical over-incidence rate of Pit Bulls in dog attacks resulting in human fatalities to be due to mis-identification of the dog, this would have to occur for about 13 out of every 14 fatalities where Pit Bulls were suspected!
The most noticeable attribute of Pit Bull attacks that do differentiate them from other breeds are that these are not quick snap/nip defensive bites, but prolonged attacks. The damage Pit Bulls do is not from any miraculous bite pressure, but because the attacks frequently come with no obvious warning signals and they are prolonged. Pit Bull tendency to not let go (bite clamp) is one aspect of this behavior.
I’ld like to know what was the criteria and the source material for their study. I’ve seen documentation that the media drives a lot of the anxiety against pit bulls. Whenever there is an incident involving dog bites and attacks, if it’s not a pit bull, the breed is rarely named. If a pit is involved, bet your bottom dollar that’s in the headline. Because the animal has been abused in training for dog fighting, the press has taken up opposition to the animal for the false notion that dogs rouinely kill each other. These aniimals are abused and trained to be aggressive.
Agreed. It used to be Doberman Pinschers. It used to be Rottweilers. Or Akitas, or many others. When will it ever be the humans who do not raise them properly, or who purposely train them to be aggressive?
Well put and I agree with you 100%. Pitbulls have been discriminated against for as long as I can remember by media and the public in general. I bred the dogs for quite some time and have NEVER been bitten or had any of them show signs of aggression towards me or any person for that matter.
No discrimination intended in this article.
Sometimes it’s unintentional, but bias just the same.There are comments at the end of each segment to the effect that genes play a role, but so does socialization, etc. There is no such statement for the pit. Yet most of us have plenty of examples of pits who have been raised well–disciplined, trained, socialized–and who make great family/pack members. There is a different responsibility for people who choose to have large, strong dogs.
All dog owners should be responsible. Unfortunately, pits experience bigotry because of the bad owners out there, but I’ve had many other dogs, and I will have nothing now except for pits. The worst dogs I’ve met have been the ankle biters, why shouldn’t their owners be as responsible. A pit’s natural disposition is sweet loving and loyal. They just happen to be very loyal and the strongest dog pound for pound in the world, and bad owners create bad dogs. Don’t blame the dog, blame the owner.
I’ve always been a BIG dog lover we have some neighbors that have somewhere around 6 or 7 Jack Russell terriers that I can honestly say I HATE these dogs! To start with the owners leave them outside on their front porch that has got a railing around it to keep them in. They never walk these poor little dogs and all they ever do is yell at them for barking and believe me they bark constantly. All the yelling does is make them bark even more.There are a lot of days that we try to keep our windows open because the weather is perfect but we can’t do that most of the time because these dogs bark constantly. The way their front porch sits and the roof on it makes it a direct line for all of their braking to be funneled right into our front windows.
Couldn’t agree with you more. These little dogs need someone that will take them out and spend time with them. And they need exercise and someone who knows and cares about them. I know it’s not these little dogs fault. I feel sorry for them. Most people don’t even know I have a dog. She’s an inside dog and gets all the exercise she needs. She has the run of our 45 acre farm. Plus she has manners. I would LOVE to see someone take the neighbors little dogs and give them a loving home. And everything else that they need.
People really need to understand how little it means when they say “Well I have a Pit Bull and they never etc etc etc”. This is the very definition of anecdotal evidence, and this type of evidence is the very definition of useless. Statistical evidence trumps everything, so long as it isn’t a sample size. You’re one person and your dogs are a few of hundreds of thousands. These statistics aren’t.
Now, one may point out that the stats are flawed because it doesn’t appear that they’re weighted against amount of breeds for that particular breed. In other words, a rarer breed may have a higher percentage of attacks but don’t get the ink because there are far more Pits. While true, that point is only applicable for a scientific study. This article seems to basically tell you what your odds are of getting injured by the breeds. A Presa Canario may be more dangerous, but many of us wouldn’t know because we’ve never encountered one running around in a park unleashed.
Article is very forthcoming in how and why these attacks occur, and gimme a break with the media thing. There’s no money in targeting specific dogs. The Presa Canario got national press for killing a woman and the owner received a murder conviction (later tossed out for inept defense). This wasn’t a murder spree, it was a single person. This is anecdotal evidence of my own. See how useless it is? What isn’t useless is the fact that singling out Pits does nothing for the media. “If it bleeds, it leads” they say. Any fatal dog attack can provide the press that portion of their story. That’s just simple logic. I’ll take that and statistics over anecdotal evidence any day. If you don’t know the owner or do know the owner to be a complete a-hole, avoid their dog. Anybody with a hint of morality understands training and abuse is what causes the violence, and it just so happens these immoral people target certain breeds. So while it may not be the breed’s fault, it’s nonetheless the breed that you should avoid encounters with at all costs if you’re short on information.
Let them loose
Indeed. America’s young stuff doesn’t know their history of the Pit… “America’s Dog”. The most decorated military dog in U.S. history, Sgt Stubby. Personally honored at the White House by President Woodrow Wilson, his remains are in the Smithsonian. Petey, the Little Rascals dog. The RCA record label dog listening to a grammafone. Helen Keller’s 2 dogs. The “Little House on the Prarrie” dog from the original books. President Teddy Roosevelt had, among others, pits. Pits are America’s “nanny dog”. In our house, our 3 rescue pit-mixes ALL live under the tyranny of our two 12 lb black cats. And at the same time, back on our ranch, the smallest of the 3 fought one of our 700 lb yaks to a stand still.
To continue… the other half of the problem is people in general. A great many people are ignorant, arrogant, and lack respect. NO animal is a toy. People get that when they stand in front of a bear. But for some reason, they don’t when they see a dog. Some warped sense of entitlement kicks in, and people resent an animal that stands its ground demanding a degree of respect… and has the physical power to enforce it. That’s not a dog problem. That’s a people problem. Never fear a dog. RESPECT the dog, and claim your own space and respect.
I agree but ankle biters can’t kill or seriously injure a person.
Also incorrect. Three children were critically injured in Baltimore by Chihuahuas…one had her nose pretty much bitten off..that’s pretty serious…my mother was bitten by a Jack Russell Terrier and needed 22 stiches in her leg…get real..
Yeah poor pit-bulls being singled out….http://www.wafb.com/story/25077600/4-year-old-dies-after-mauling-by-familys-130-lb-pit-bull#.UzRetJd6j2A.facebook
People say only pit-bull attacks make the papers which is BS it is just most attacks are made BY pit-bulls.I have seen stories where dogs other than a pit were involved.
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/25101433/american-bull-dog-attacked-small-dog-and-woman
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Three-dogs-savage-pet-in-horror-attack-in-Cambridge-park-then-turn-on-terrified-owner-Liz-McKintyre-20140328055027.htm
You were saying? Yeah poor pit-bulls.
Firs of all, I think certain large dog breeds, not just pits, should not be kept around small children to begin with. Secondly, I did more research on that first article and now they are trying to say the owners possibly abused the dog. They also changed the “classification” to a “dog attack” rather than a pit bull attack because tests and observance of the dog are indicating it may not have been from a traditional pit bloodline.
I am nervous around pits. I just don’t like being around them because they LOOK scary. But I feel like a lot of cases for any dog attack, regardless of breed, are due to either abuse, poor training or neglect of the animal. Not all of them, but a lot. People let these large dogs run around neighborhoods, or show them zero compassion and then are surprised when they attack someone. Some people just shouldn’t have pets, or be smart about what kind of pet they have when they have kids. Not just pits. The blame can’t only be put on the animals that attack, who usually end up dead one way or another. So yes, I think less blame should be put on the breed and more on the people who 1. Create environments that could make these dogs unstable and 2. Expose young children to dogs that, targeted by media or not, have been reported for these kind of attacks. Same if you had a german shepherd or a doberman around a baby.Owners should do their research first and take the necessary precautions. If you want a dog, care for that dog. I have seen people who have three or four dogs who stay in small cage in the yard ALL THE TIME. What is the point. They don’t use them for hunting, they don’t play with them and they aren’t really guard dogs aside from just being able to bark at something.
none of our dogs ever even snapped at us our my children we have had a German Shepard mix , a pom , and a Pitt our Pitt is the only one left sadly and we’ve had him for 10 years.
I get really upset by people who generalize about pits. I am on my 4th pit, and my 3 young children have always been raised around my kids from the time they were born. We have also had other dogs such as shelties, an English Pointer, and a Golden Mountain dog (Bernese Mt. Dog/Golden Retriever mix). The pits have easily been the best family dogs, they are absolutlely wonderful around kids. The shelties easily the worst; terrible dogs for kids. Every sheltie I’ve ever met has bitten a child, my parents have had those awful dogs for years as well as my sister. The owners (parents and sister) write it off as something the child did wrong, oh isn’t he so cute though. My niece hated dogs and was deathly afraid of them, until we brought home my current pit, Aiko. After 1 minute they were best friends, and my niece named her pet dog after my dog.
Pits are the sweetest, most gentle, loving dogs there are, they only have one drawback that makes headlines. They are fiercely loyal and the strongest dog pound for pound in the world. If you train them to be a fighting dog or attack dog, they will be the best damn attack dog there is to please their owners. That is why you see every drug dealer owning a pit. Unfortunately, many of the dogs you see in the shelter are ruined and I wouldn’t trust them either, but my family is done with all other dogs, we want nothing but pits.
Just about every Michael Vick dog was rehabilitated and that’s been several years ago. I’ve had this breed for 31 plus years and I firmly believe they can be rehabilitated in the right hands. Of course like any other breed there are without a doubt a few cases that might not. But for the most part I really do believe they most can. We feel the same way you do we’ve had just about every breed out there once you’ve had a APBT other breeds just don’t compare do they?
I 100% agree. I’ve had just about every breed known to man and the last breed we ever bought was an APBT and that was in 1983.
Actually, one third of the Michael Vick dogs were too dangerous to be adopted out. One of the dogs escaped from his enclosure and killed two other dogs.
Really? Two of the seized dogs had been euthanized – one for aggression, as mentioned previously, and one due to health problems. Of the 47 remaining dogs, 22 were sent to an animal sanctuary at the Best Friends Animal Society in Utah because of aggression toward other dogs, and 25 were placed in foster care. Several of the latter have been adopted.
Shelties are herding dogs — with nothing else to herd, they’ll try to herd children…. nipping at heels and lower legs to do so. Having ANY herding dog with small children is a very bad idea.
Dogs are a lot like people. All are born pretty much good, but are taught, based on their environment from which they are raised, good and bad traits (love, compassion, aggression, racism). This doesn’t mean that bad dogs or people cannot come from good environments, obviously they do, it just happens a lot less. Big people or dogs can do a lot more damage than small people or dogs (also stating the obvious I understand) thus creating more “headlines”. It is common sense that a pit bull can do more damage than a yorkie! THIS IS WHY THE PIT BULL IS NO 1 DANGEROUS DOG BREED. Simply it can do more damage than any other dog. This also attracts the breed to dangerous owners, who enable and encourage the breed to do dangerous things. Then these dangerous people breed the dangerous dogs with similar dangerous dogs. But lets all get one thing straight, these people are not PET owners, they are just scum doing disgusting things to innocent animals. I have a pit that I saved from a poor environment as a pup. It is the most loving creature I have ever seen, but I still know it could rip somebody’s face off. If you own a pit as a PET you need to understand and respect what it can do and always be on guard. BECAUSE IT IS A DOG, AND DOGS DO OCCASIONALLY BITE! a pit just bites the hardest and most violent.
Get informed at Dogsbite.org. Many kids that were raised with their pits and the dog was sweet until it snapped. These kids lost their faces, tongues, limbs and were scalped to death. In one instant your pits could snap and there is no way to stop the damage once it is done. After a few minutes of research and viewing gory pics, how can any parent risk their precious childs life with this demon dog?. How can any dog be worth that?. How do you not sleep with one eye open at night?.
That’s not scary. That’s “I’m in trouble and I know it”
What a sweet looking bully face.
Yes, we see many of these faces on FB with babies, then when the baby losses it’s face or is scalped to death, the owners deny it was ever a pit bull.
They only focus on the fact that the dog attacked. I got a pit bull, best dog ever. Better than any dog I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot of dogs. But hey, if someone breaks into my house and starts attacking me, dang freaking straight my dog is gonna attack them. They had it coming. They say they had tons of fatalities, but they don’t address the specifics. I’d trust my pit bull over any other dog any day. What about all the or her dogs that are deemed viscous? They are even explained as having only killed because the were protecting their owner, but on the pit bull, they just said they had 66 fatalities. No further explanation. Pit bulls have a bad rep because of STUPID ABUSIVE OWNERS 🙁 makes me sad.
Totally unfair! My sister has a Pit that is a certified service animal. He is an angel and would only hurt somebody to protect his loved ones.
Well hey then that makes up for all the kids scalped to death and those who lost limbs and faces. Sorry but those fake service dogs are also snapping. I read two different stories of this happening.
Pits are attacking grannie in her garden, taking in her groceries, joggers, bike riders, kids eating ice-cream etc…most attacks are unprovoked by these lands shark demon dogs. Most are now owned by families who raised them right, yet they still snapped due to their breeding. We can no longer blame the dog fighter or the owners.
Chuck Dougherty, NOT TRUE!! I live in Aurora Co, just outside Denver where Pit Bulls are banned. In one year there were 55 reported dog bites to the authorities. 5 of these dog bites were by Pit Bulls and every single one of them made the news. That left 50 dog bites that failed to identify the breed or even make the news. Pit Bulls are news. The classification of “Pit Bull” encompasses 5 other dog breeds and a variety of mixes, not just one breed. Also, in a study it was proven that 80% of dogs identified as Pit Bulls were in fact not Pit Bulls. If a dog is attacked or in a fight people are quick to say the dog was a Pit Bull. Also, you do know that there is no “BREED” Pit Bull right? They are a mix, a Heinz 57, a mongrel. Pit Bulls and American Staffordshire Terriers are great loving dogs, but like all dogs in this article the owner should recognize there is a higher level of responsibility with them.
Nice try, but on Monday it’s a Pit bull on Facebook with the baby, then on tuesday after it kills the baby, it’s not a pit bull, but a lab mix, boxer mix etc….lies lies lies!
Careful Chuck, facts are not welcome here and for many they don’t faze them. Normal people have a hard time looking at innocent kids ripped apart by pit bulls. That is enough for normal people to NEVER take a chance with their kids. But there are many who turn their eyes to this culture of death that should be denounced. Every life should matter but this dog gets a pass.
Relax! These are merely number of bite, fatalities, for a certain period and do not differentiate the circumstances or actual percentages for any particular breed .
Pitt bulls are also pretty common (at least where I live). Listing number of fatalities is almost meaningless if you don’t adjust for base rate.
To make this more concrete, imagine 10 documented attacks by breed X, and 1 documented attack by breed Y. Makes breed X seem much more dangerous. But if there were 10 times as many of breed X out there as breed Y, the interpretation would be entirely different.
Thank you for pointing out this mathematical problem with “statistical analysis”. Very well put – and I bet many people (myself included) would not have thought of this without you pointing it out.
The problem with “dangerous dog breeds” is the OWNERS.
You are right, 100%. Dachshunds are well documented to be higher on the aggression scale than pits, yet simply due to level of damage a pit can inflict when pushed there makes it a more headline-grabbing event.
My husband actually had a dachshund and a pitbull when I first moved in. The dachshund (Bud) was the aggresor , nipped at me and even bit me once ( I bit him back on his ear and that was the end of that!) But Shy (the pitty) quickly became my love! She was the sweetest thing! Even let Bud boss her around lol! She was always there when I was sad, she knew when I needed her! I honestly don’t know if I would have gotten through my PPD when I did if it wasn’t for her! They are very intuitive and emotional dogs. Very loyal and loving! Pitty love for life!
Scuse my ignorance. What is PPD?
Post Partum Depression
As opposed to PMS, where a woman behaves like an enraged pit bull.
What did the dachshund taste like? Was it similar to chicken? Mmmmm, dachshund.
My daughter has a pit bull and he is her companion dog. He knows exactly what to do when she is feeling down or in any type of pain. It is amazing to watch them. He is an indoor dog only and when it is raining outside he won’t go out because he doesn’t like the wet grass. My daughter has to put out pee pads when it rains so he doen’t have bladder problems. The dog loves people and is afraid of other dogs. When another dog comes near him, off of their lease, he sits down and expects one of us to protect him and make sure the dog doesn’t get near him. Most of the time its a chihuahua that comes around. Those things try to nip at him but he won’t react. Most of the time they go away because he doesn’t engage with them. He is a big softy and the most loving dog I have ever seen. I’m so glad that she has him. He is her nanny. I definitely believe it’s all in how you raise them. I had Akitas and those dogs were so loyal and I never had an agression problem. Treat them like your family member and they are family for life.
Hmmm aggression vs deaths…. Pits still lead the way
why were there no Cocker Spaniels on the list due to inbreeding for the AKC they were the number biter for almost 20 year straight
My first vivid memory was of the family cocker biting my back end as I toddled past her. Duchess was rehomed within days, that much I know.
Yes, it was sent to Uncle Stanley’s home for wayward and reticent spaniels for rehabilitation. Or so your folks told you.
Paul, if they explained anything about the disappearing Duchess, I don’t remember it. I was maybe three. What I do remember is ten years (at least) of Boston Terriers, the first of whom was Buster. Then Ginger, and her pups Butch, Bitsy and Tuffy. As you can tell, the Bostons were a perfect match for us and I still love the breed. On the rare sighting of one in public now, I can’t help but approach the person with a smile and ask permission to pet the dog!
I recall that about Cocker Spaniels. For the longest time they top the charts for biting, sending more people to the hospital than any other Breed.
I don’t recall reading of a Cocker Spaniel Scalping or dismembering anyone like the Pit bull has so many times. Get informed at Dogsbite.org
Because BOB the article was bout deaths. Show me one example of a Cocker ever killing anyone. Yes the are the top of list for biting, they simply dont have the power or the aggressiveness to kill.
Yea, but those ankle wounds are nasty and they go septic quickly.
The Disney people paid to cover it up.