Drew on a puppy.

[The Annoyed Man]

My dog is a 1/2 pitbull, 1/2 lab mix. She does not know how to make nice with other dogs, so we do not give her the opportunity not to. She is very protective of us, and almost always initially suspicious of strangers and raises a ruckus, but she has never actually attacked anyone. That said, once she gets to know you, she'll be happy to let you pet her, and if you give her a treat (we often give guests the chance to give her a treat), she's your friend for life. We've found that if we isolate her in one of the bedrooms when guests are arriving and then let her out after everyone is already settled and sitting, she'll come around and say hi to everyone without any fuss, and then she'll toddle off to sleep in a corner.

We rescued her from the humane society 14 years ago. She was 1 year old at the time, and had been previously adopted and then returned. She had obviously been abused and was mistrustful and would cower and pee if you raised your voice at her. She was also very, very, sweet and loving if you gave her a chance. Now she's old and lumpy, and she's an affectionate old goggy.

We are very careful to make sure that she never gets out of the back yard or the house; but if she got out and she saw another dog, she would definitely try to kill it — although at 15 years old, the other dog would probably kill her. And if she saw you walking by our house, she would definitely raise Cain and give you the business. I hope if she did that, you would not shoot her.

Even if the dog is raised right by the right people, Pit Bulls are terriers, and they have a terrier's heart. They tend to be "independent minded" animals, and they require an owner with the presence to be the dominant partner in the relationship.

[karder]

Pits definitely get a bad rap. Every breed has its own quirks and some can be much more difficult than others, but overall, I find Pitbulls to be very affectionate. Pits are probably the most abused of all the breeds. The problem is that there are a lot a people out there who want mean dogs for "protection" and are drawn to these dogs because of their reputation. They teach the dogs to be mean by abusing them and rewarding them for aggressiveness. In my experience, there are a lot more bad owners than bad dogs. It's fortunate that the dog in this story did not get shot, and I hope the cops dressed down the owner, who let an aggressive dog get loose.

[Embalmo]

Poor Pits, they get a bad rap, and you hear about "They are bred to be mean" hog wash, they are just dogs, you just have to train them alittle harder in some areas than other dogs, they are VERY smart and learn fast. Regardless, peppery spray and or flashlight

Yep-Maybe so, but I ain't taking any chances with those smart, sweet, little poodles.

If one approaches you growling and theres no owner around, yeah you should be afraid, but if you see one not on a leash just minding its business you should be good.

[Embalmo]

Guys,

I totally agree with you guys that it's the people that are making the dogs deadly, but of course I'm gonna' draw on whatever's threatening my life, be it dog, or people. And yes it would break my heart if I had to shoot a Pit when it was the teardrop tattooed, wife beater wearing, 21 year old thug that made the dog vicious and let it walk around without a lead. In Travis county I would probably get a lighter sentence for shooting the owner instead of the dog.

Embalmo

[chabouk]

Every thread involving dogs has turned into a debate about the bully breeds. I don't own any bully breed, have never owned any bully breed, but I've met a lot of them and have never had a negative encounter. I've had negative encounters with Rottweilers, chihuahuas, yorkies, and mutts, but never a "pit". Unlike some other breeds that are bred for protection, pit bulls bred for fighting are specifically bred to be aggressive to other dogs, but not be aggressive to humans. The non-human-aggressive goes double for those bred for pets.

Most "pit bull attacks" aren't even pit bulls. I've seen everything from boxers to golden retrievers called a "pit bull" in the news. Any short-haired stocky mutt is called a "pit bull" by the same people who call any gun an "assault weapon". And just for purposes of clarification, there is only one breed with "pit bull" in the name, and the American Pit Bull Terrier is much smaller than most people envision (typically from 15 to 45 pounds).

I'm a "dog person". We have six, five of them rescues, ranging from 10 pounds, to 120 pounds, and we've fostered at least a couple of dozen miscellaneous mutts. I've been bitten by various "rat dogs". I've been threatened by a few junkyard dogs, although we always came to a level of mutual understanding. I've never encountered any "bully breed" who, in the absence of other dogs, was anything other than a big lolling tongue and a belly begging to be scratched. In the presence of other dogs, they have ranged from mildly curious to moderately aggressive, but nothing that couldn't be corrected with a quick "Cchhssss!"

[Dragonfighter]

Pits definitely get a bad rap. Every breed has its own quirks and some can be much more difficult than others, but overall, I find Pitbulls to be very affectionate. Pits are probably the most abused of all the breeds.

Let's keep in mind what Pit Bulls are, the breed was developed purely for fighting with emphasis on jaw/shoulder strength and aggression thus the name Pit Bull. They typically are the most inbred of any dog population and simply are hardwired for instinctual stimulus/response. They are just not the brightest bulb in the closet. An intelligent dog can suppress an instinctual response, a retarded dog may have more difficulty. Also keep in mind all predatory animals, cats, dogs, leopards, wolves...whatever, view anything small as food. That's why the vast number of Pit maulings involve small children. So you mix that instinct with great strength, programmed aggression and lower intelligence and you have a time bomb with a tamper switch.

The owner vs. breed argument is well taken in most cases, my neighbor keeps Dobermans and it is a perfect example of well trained animals.

I have personally known Pit owners who were gentle people with a "gentle" animal that just "went off" and attacked the family. There was no accounting for the tamper switch, what it was or what tripped it, but a family friend for nearly ten years turned into a monster as they were watching TV.

In my career I have seen too many repeats of this same story and it always seems to have the same things said, "he was gentle, he loved us". Now in TAM's case you have a watered down version, yet he takes no chances. In too many cases I think there is a naive trust in the animal that turns tragic. Tam obviously has the mindset of eliminating the chance for "accidents" even though he knows and loves the animal.

My wife drew on a Pit once and was just fixing to drop him when the owner came out and "saved" the dog, I have been charged by several pits in my district and most either hit the end of there chain or caught a trauma kit in the chops. I have had other run-ins with loose dogs aggressive and not so my outlook is such that faced with the same scenario of a Pit at my yard as the OP, at my mailbox doing anything other than wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out is going to get a 9-1-1 call, but to come scrape him up.

[marksiwel]

Let's keep in mind what Pit Bulls are, the breed was developed purely for fighting with emphasis on jaw/shoulder strength and aggression thus the name Pit Bull. .

You mean like these killer dogs *CLICK ON ATTACHMENT*

WE SHOULD BAN PIT BULLS! BECAUSE THEY ARE USED TO KILL!
Why does that sounds familiar?

[03Lightningrocks]

Let's keep in mind what Pit Bulls are, the breed was developed purely for fighting with emphasis on jaw/shoulder strength and aggression thus the name Pit Bull. .

You mean like these killer dogs *CLICK ON ATTACHMENT*

WE SHOULD BAN PIT BULLS! BECAUSE THEY ARE USED TO KILL!
Why does that sounds familiar?

Not really a valid analogy. A gun cannot kill or Mame without a person to pull the trigger. A dog on the other hand needs absolutely no help from a human to kill or Mame. Guns are inanimate objects... dogs are living breathing creatures.

[03Lightningrocks]

Found this interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

During the nineteenth century, dog fanciers in England, Ireland, and Scotland began to experiment with crosses between bulldogs and terriers, looking for a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.[1]

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, two clubs were formed for the specific purpose of registering APBTs: the United Kennel Club and the American Dog Breeders Association. The United Kennel Club was founded in 1898, and was the first registry to recognize the breed, with the owner assigning the first number to his own APBT.[2]

The dog was bred first to bait bulls and bears.[3] When baiting bulls was deemed inhumane, ratting, a sport where a number of rats were placed in a pit for a specified time with the dog, and dog fighting became more popular. The APBT was used in both sports, and its prevalence in being put in pits with rats led to 'pit' being added to its name.[4] With time, the dogs became more commonly used as house pets due to their friendliness towards people.[5] In America, farmers and ranchers used their APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, and to drive livestock.[6] The dog was used during World War I and World War II as a way of delivering messages on the battlefield.[5]

The name "Staffordshire Terrier" was adopted by some owners as a way of distancing the breed from a name with a stigma, and was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1936. Later, the word "American" was added to reduce confusion with its smaller British cousin, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Once an extremely popular family dog in the United States (for example, the dog in The Little Rascals movies and in Buster Brown was an APBT), the American Pit Bull Terrier's popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II in favor of other breeds.[citation needed]

[03Lightningrocks]

I think Pit Bulls are cool dogs and have considered getting one. I also love Rottweilers, which have a bad reputation as well. I fell for them when I saw them on the movie Omen....remember, they were protectors of Damian... they were devil dogs.

Regardless of the dog, I am an equal opportunity blaster. Any large dog that looks capable of eating my leg off, will be shot if he advances on me or my loved ones acting as if violence is the motive. Meaning... growling, snarling... or barking in a vicious manner. I repeat, the dog is not required to be any particular breed, just big enough that I can't kick his butt.

[Embalmo]

I just don't see how gun control is analogous to dog control, as I've never seen a stray gun trotting along in my neighborhood threatening to kill people. I've never worried about my gun getting out of my yard to shoot someone. And above all, neglecting to clean or care for my gun has never made it more dangerous, or more apt to kill an innocent.

Oh, and, my gun doesn't start shooting in the air, waking up the whole neighborhood when someone walks behind the fence.

Embalmo

[marksiwel]

I just don't see how gun control is analogous to dog control, as I've never seen a stray gun trotting along in my neighborhood threatening to kill people. I've never worried about my gun getting out of my yard to shoot someone. And above all, neglecting to clean or care for my gun has never made it more dangerous, or more apt to kill an innocent.

Oh, and, my gun doesn't start shooting in the air, waking up the whole neighborhood when someone walks behind the fence.

Embalmo

Okay how about this

Those "Assault Weapons"/Pit Bulls are only designed to kill, they serve no purpose other than to kill.

Blah, I've had a long day, guns are guns, dogs are dogs, and I forgot what this thread is about