Fighting dogs

[Dennis1234567]

Should the Pitbull and other likewise fighting dogs be wiped off the face of the universe?

[Boddie]

I cant see the logic in owning such a beast. Most of those you see walking them should be put down

[Garden Carpet]

Boddie is right in saying most of the people who own Pit Bull Terriers should be put down. Given the chance, and the proper training, all dogs will be of a reasonable nature. I used to babysit for a living and met many dogs.. some I wouldnt trust and others I would. One of the soppiest dogs I ever met was a PB. She had been brought up to be a lovely lass. Not trained aggressivly which is what some of the stupid yobs you see with them do. There are always going to be dogs who are the exception to the rule. I dont think the breed as such should be exterminated. That would be taking upon ourselves something we havn't the right to do. Once again something that is perceived to be an animal fault is down to human interference.
jaki

[nightshade]

It is not the dogs fault the vicious strains have been bred in by man(again)

[lacie]

All down to man!!

[dbozkurt]

My son has a cross Stafford, mother was Stafford, dad was a Rockie and Alsation Cross.

Its quite a big dog for a terrier (it has the jaw of a staff) and people often have asked us what breed it is. My son has trained it since 12 weeks old to behave. It answers to him, then me and then my mother who has since passed away. It is a very intelligent and loving dog. It showed slight signs of aggression when it was reaching doggy puberty to other dogs and it was not allowed of the lead and was muzzled in a park until it learnt, which it did!

I would never leave any dog what ever breed alone with a small child even the friendliest dogs can turn.

The trouble is the owners train these dogs to kill, and unfortunatly this means that those breeds are discrimanted against I just hope that the law changes to put the irresponsible owners behind bars as they are holding lethal weapons.

Our dog is a lovely intelligent dog but we worked hard to make sure he grew up that way and I think all dog owners have a responsibility to do this.

Deb

[RogerTheCat]

Originally Posted by Dennis1234567

Should the Pitbull and other likewise fighting dogs be wiped off the face of the universe?

There are far more bad owners than bad dogs.

[shyfx]

On the news it said there were four dogs on the prohibited list,of those four i have had personal experience with two of them, the Pitbull and Dogo Argentino.I have never had any trouble with either of them as they were trained properly and have never attacked/or even looked like attacking anyone,yet we had a Dachshund which detested little kids (he was finewith people taller than about 4ft ) so we took the obvious precautions with him.What it comes down to is common sense that you should never leave a child un attended with any type of animal not just dogs.

[Boddie]

I read the latest news about the owner and was not in the least bit surprised. I would say a high percentage of them are. What othewr benefit is there in owning such a vicious dog?

[shyfx]

I'm sure the vast majority of Pitbulls and the such are not vicious i guess its like people.By that i mean if they are brought up in an abusive situation do they not repeat what they see and hear.Likewise if a dog is trained in such a way does it not then mean it will have a greater tendancy to behave in that way?For every Dog that savages someone what about the other 8 for example that don't.Like i say i've been around dogs that are on the prohibited list and i never was savaged or felt in any danger of being savaged what about that French woman who had a face transplant after being attacked by her Labrador.I guess in response to your question i suppose its like why do some people(other than farmers and the like) keep guns.

[matt_xyz]

What's the latest about the owner?

The bottom line is that even the best trained, most disciplined pit-bull (or similar) can be a threat to a child. Any animal can behave erratically. I once had to prize an alsation off my arm (some time ago, I was delivering papers ). The dog's owners rushed to help me whereupon they told me how amazed they were as to how he had reacted. Apparently he was normally docile, etc etc. If that had happened today the owners would have been taken through the courts.

The problem is that the most dangerous types of dogs (e.g. pitbulls) tend to be owned by those least suited to looking after dangerous dogs. They seem to see them as little more than status symbols.

Matt

[leon-b]

i have a staffy and she adores children, but she does have a problem with little dogs
leon

[Gill Catton]

Don't German Shepard Dogs bite more people than any other breed? Or is that just down to numbers of animals GSD being one of the most popular dogs?

[Boddie]

I would suggest that the so called nice natured pit bulls etc are actually crosses and as such are probably not the ones on the banned list.

I know all dogs can bite but this type of dog is vicious and as such is favoured by certain elements of society, (such as narcotic traders Matt).

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I know all dogs can bite but this type of dog is vicious and as such is favoured by certain elements of society, (such as narcotic traders Matt).

that follows.

Matt

[lacie]

[quote=shyfx;822 what about that French woman who had a face transplant after being attacked by her Labrador.[/QUOTE]

The french womans labrador was pawing at her face to wake her, it wasn't it's intention to harm her.

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by lacie

The french womans labrador was pawing at her face to wake her, it wasn't it's intention to harm her.

I'd hate to see what it would have done to her if it were trying to hurt her

Matt

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I'd hate to see what it would have done to her if it were trying to hurt her

Matt

Isabelle Dinoire was bitten Matt. It was far more than paw damage. I have seen footage of her face pre and during op and she was savaged with bite marks.

[saracenandy]

Generally a dog is only as good as it's owner, so owners have the responsibility to ensure that "fighting dogs" don't fight, bite or otherwise hurt humans or animals. I also believe that all dog owners should have a licence (we used to in this country) for their animals and that a register of owners and breed owned be set up by government and be available on the internet.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I'd hate to see what it would have done to her if it were trying to hurt her

Matt

I think it was probably licking her face as dogs do trying to wake her up but got carried away when she failed to wake up the smells probably provoked the dogs instinct.

I was doing some work in Durham a few years ago and saw two dogs, a black one and a white one playing in the snow in garden of a house next to the road and hour later when I drove down the road again, the black dog had appparently been killed presumably on the road judging by the blood in the snow and the white dog was dragging it back into the garden of the house (I admit I burst into tears) but when i drove again down that road later on it was like something out of a horror film the white dog was chewing on the body of the black one an animal it presumably considered to be part of it's pack - assuming they were both from the same house, I guess instinct has just kicked in as result of the smells etc......
Hope I haven't upset anyone not a nice story I know, but it highlights that dogs are highly instinctive and any dog is potentially dangerous when reacting instinctively, particuarly if it is a breed that has been selectively bred for decades if not centuries to have an instinct as an attack or guard dog.

[Boddie]

Isobel was not asleep but passed out when the dog bit her. She was not asleep at the time of the attack. Rumours circulated at the time that she had taken sleeping pills but were later discredited

[honeybee]

I think most people are in agreement here that it's generally the owners/breeders fault if a dog turns nasty rather than the dogs fault although you do get some that are just are pretty mean for some reason. I've known of a couple of dogs that have become viscious due to brain tumours. I think we need to bring back some sort of dog licence. I don't think everyone and anyone should be able to keep animals, particularly potentially dangerous ones. The idiots you see with Rottweilers and Akitas (dogs not even classed as dangerous) that wouldn't be able to control them if they did turn nasty. Most of them have young kids too. Any small dog can kill a baby or small child.With the pit bull and other dangerous types they are bred to have very strong jaws and once they get hold of you you can't get them off. I wouldn't leave my child with my mum's two terriers as she sometimes pulls their tails and (only if she hurts them) they snap.

[Boddie]

I would hope nobody ever has to experience this but do you know what you are supposed to do if you witness such an event. Something almost guaranteed to make the dog let go?

[Garden Carpet]

Originally Posted by Boddie

I would hope nobody ever has to experience this but do you know what you are supposed to do if you witness such an event. Something almost guaranteed to make the dog let go?

When I had my sister's 4 dogs here with mine.. my bitch and one of hers sometimes had terrible fights... the only way I could seperate them was by picking the attacking dog up by its tail. Cruel in a way but it loses all traction and lets go. Not the answer if you are being bitten by a dog. Some people suggest hitting the dog on the head with your fist.. or kicking it in the stomach. I never used those methods, I felt that would antagonise the animal not subdue it. I have stopped a dog biting me by putting my thumb in its mouth under its tongue while holding the lower jaw with the rest of my hand and pressing really hard.

I am eager to hear what method you use boddie.

[leon-b]

somebody told me that staffordshire bull terriers have locking jaws, when they get a good hold they lock and wont let go is this true ?
leon