With small children around, it's like a disaster waiting to happen.
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It's beyond me how people think owning a pitbull as a family pet is a good idea...
- Thread starter tzhu07
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I think the way the dog is raised makes a big difference. Some individual dogs are inclined to bite more than others regardless of breed. I've been attacked by a Pit Bull, and have seen Pit Bulls that wouldn't hurt a fly. Regardless of breed, children and dogs should always be supervised.
Here's the key point though.
When dogs of other breeds bite, they are far less likely to cause a death than a pitbull. I mean, there's only so much damage a Chihuahua can do.
When dogs of other breeds bite, they are far less likely to cause a death than a pitbull. I mean, there's only so much damage a Chihuahua can do.
Yeah I know what you mean but there art pit bull owners out there that will swear up and down that their dog is the sweetest thing around.
According to one source, there have been around 1355 incidents involving pit bulls and children between 1965 and 2014. If that number is true, Pit Bulls are a mere 2x as likely to even attack a child as a child is to die by choking on a hot dog (which make up an estimated 13 per year). That's also less than the estimated 38 deaths per year through being left in a hot car.
Pit Bulls are not dangerous.
Pit Bulls are not dangerous.
A buddy of mine has 4 pits with 2 small girls 2 and 5, I think its a disaster waiting to happen.
He sees it and has it all planned out how he is going to execute the dogs when/if they tear into the girls, hard to define that logic. They are in pairs and caged much of the time, one pair hates the other and fight if they ever come in contact, which they sometimes do, and the girls are usually somewhere around in close proximity. He actually hates them and constantly wishes they were dead, his old lady is a rescue fanatic and she is the one bringing the dogs into the house. They had 6 at one time.
Pits and kids do not mix, their temperament and biting pressure make them highly unsuited for being around children.
He sees it and has it all planned out how he is going to execute the dogs when/if they tear into the girls, hard to define that logic. They are in pairs and caged much of the time, one pair hates the other and fight if they ever come in contact, which they sometimes do, and the girls are usually somewhere around in close proximity. He actually hates them and constantly wishes they were dead, his old lady is a rescue fanatic and she is the one bringing the dogs into the house. They had 6 at one time.
Pits and kids do not mix, their temperament and biting pressure make them highly unsuited for being around children.
Sounds like your friend is a horrible pet owner. Also, it sounds like you know nothing about Pit Bulls.
I would never bring PIT around my kids. My friend does have a sweet gentle pit bull that doesnt even but but the thing is pit bulls can flip at any moment and when they do flip they cause damage vs other small dogs or other size dogs that will barely break your skin when they get upset
In many cases of pitbull attacks, you always hear the same story over and over from the owners:
"Oh I was shocked, he was never aggressive before."
"Oh but he's always been the sweetest thing. We don't know how it could've happened."
Also, the whole blaming the owner and not the breed saying is completely played out. Pitbulls were bred to be fighter dogs and catch dogs, so that characteristic absolutely plays a part.
"Oh I was shocked, he was never aggressive before."
"Oh but he's always been the sweetest thing. We don't know how it could've happened."
Also, the whole blaming the owner and not the breed saying is completely played out. Pitbulls were bred to be fighter dogs and catch dogs, so that characteristic absolutely plays a part.
I don't think pitbulls are monsters.
Numerous breeds can attack small children, however pitbulls are much more likely to do OVER 9000 damage than other breeds.
In RPG terms, it's the Damage-Per-Second figure that has me worried about pitbulls around children.
With a Chihuahua, its DPS is so low that someone could probably get to the child in time before something catastrophic occurs. With a pitbull, 3 seconds could be too late.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2014
Check out the fatal dog attacks in 2014. Overwhelmingly, they are pitbulls. And as you can see in the column titled "Victim's Age", many of them are in fact small children.
I'm counting 19 people. That makes it around the same number of children estimated to die to choking on hotdogs. That makes it half of the number of children estimated to die in hit cars. That's way less than the estimated 500 every year that are estimated to die by drowning.
Do you get the picture, or should I continue with how 19 deaths in a year is not a large number?
Do you get the picture, or should I continue with how 19 deaths in a year is not a large number?
I'm not discounting the fact that dog-related deaths are very few in comparison to other causes of death like car accidents. This is settled. Let's move on.
My question is that out of all the various breeds out there, why would you want a pitbull living with a child, knowing that they were originally bred to be aggressive fighters and catch dogs with extremely high damage output? In the unlikely chance that your dog attacks your child, we're talking massive permanent injuries and scars, or death.
I just don't get why some people are so set on getting a pitbull when there are plenty of other options out there. It's taking an unnecessary risk.
Because Pit Bulls aren't naturally aggressive. My source for this is the ASPCA, which gives them the same rating as Golden Retrievers. Also, I take it you have a source to back up the 'bred to be aggressive fighters' thing, right?
http://news.discovery.com/animals/zoo-animals/pit-bulls-dangerous-120515.htm
http://www.petwatchman.com/the-top-three-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-youll-be-surprised/
Interesting fact. There is no breed 'pit bull'. What most refer to as a Pit Bull is actually usually one of four breeds.
Factoring in the information given... I don't see how it can be said they're bred to fight. If they were bred to fight, they'd definitely be in the top 3 aggressive dogs.
Do not underestimate a chihuahua. They are like Monty Python's rabbit, vicious creatures that'll swallow you whole and spit your bones.
Well, the argument can be made to 'focus' on the owners, but this is a breed of dog that has been specifically bred to favour some characteristics, such as an awesomely destructive bite and a potentially aggressive nature - these have been bred to be fighting dogs.
Preference for certain pronounced characteristics which have been bred for have given us sheep dogs, mountain dogs, or guard dogs, (which have been bred to be protective), hunting dogs, (which, obviously have been bred to hunt), retrievers and terriers or water fowlers, which have been bred for specific retrieving purposes. And, I could mention - obviously - greyhounds, - which have been bred to race.
Needless to say, all of these animals can - in the right circumstance with the right training - go on to make excellent pets. However, that does not detract from the fact that they had been bred so that some features would be more pronounced than others. And with pit bulls, it is disingenuous to ignore the fact that this breed was bred to fight, and bred to have the means to do so. That means, in an untrained state, this is a more potentially dangerous animal than quite a number of other dog breeds, whose breeding has given them somewhat different dominant instincts.
There is a further problem with pit bulls: This is the fact that they have been bred to fight means that they tend to attract (as owners) a disproportionately number of young men for whom this characteristic - that of a fighting dog with aggressive tendencies, tendencies which may be rewarded by the owner - is a large part of the attraction of owning this dog. Some of the young men who walk (swagger?) with their pet pit bulls may well be trying to convey the image of macho menace, or masculine strength, - and, while it may be optics - (I once saw a his and her couple, leather jackets, tattoos, with matching pit bulls on leads; it seemed prudent to give them a wide berth), sometimes, when analysing what is in front of your eyes, optics are all you have to go on.
Personally, I would be very wary of letting a small child remain in the vicinity of a pit bull. The pit bull may indeed be a well socialised and well treated animal, and, while '19 children' seems a small number, it is, to my mind, 19 too many. Ultimately, it is the dog owner's complete responsibility to control and train that dog so that it presents no threat whatsoever to a child.
And I write that as someone who actually likes dogs a lot.
Preference for certain pronounced characteristics which have been bred for have given us sheep dogs, mountain dogs, or guard dogs, (which have been bred to be protective), hunting dogs, (which, obviously have been bred to hunt), retrievers and terriers or water fowlers, which have been bred for specific retrieving purposes. And, I could mention - obviously - greyhounds, - which have been bred to race.
Needless to say, all of these animals can - in the right circumstance with the right training - go on to make excellent pets. However, that does not detract from the fact that they had been bred so that some features would be more pronounced than others. And with pit bulls, it is disingenuous to ignore the fact that this breed was bred to fight, and bred to have the means to do so. That means, in an untrained state, this is a more potentially dangerous animal than quite a number of other dog breeds, whose breeding has given them somewhat different dominant instincts.
There is a further problem with pit bulls: This is the fact that they have been bred to fight means that they tend to attract (as owners) a disproportionately number of young men for whom this characteristic - that of a fighting dog with aggressive tendencies, tendencies which may be rewarded by the owner - is a large part of the attraction of owning this dog. Some of the young men who walk (swagger?) with their pet pit bulls may well be trying to convey the image of macho menace, or masculine strength, - and, while it may be optics - (I once saw a his and her couple, leather jackets, tattoos, with matching pit bulls on leads; it seemed prudent to give them a wide berth), sometimes, when analysing what is in front of your eyes, optics are all you have to go on.
Personally, I would be very wary of letting a small child remain in the vicinity of a pit bull. The pit bull may indeed be a well socialised and well treated animal, and, while '19 children' seems a small number, it is, to my mind, 19 too many. Ultimately, it is the dog owner's complete responsibility to control and train that dog so that it presents no threat whatsoever to a child.
And I write that as someone who actually likes dogs a lot.
Its beyond me how people think that it is the animal's fault that it ends up turning into a monster.
Some people shouldn't own pets of any kind due to the way they fail to raise them properly. Whether it's a pitbull or a hamster. Pitbulls are just a more lethal when raised by idiots, that's all.