Dallas baby dies after pit bull mauling, police say

[ZBTHorton]

I was being sarcastic because it is unreasonable to compare a dog to a cheetah, they have the instinct to hunt and kill, which will always be there. They might be ok for awhile, but it won't last.

Just to be clear, in order to prove your point about how a cheetah and dog can't be compared, you talked about a hippo?

There was a fair bit of hyperbole in my original post, I guess that didn't fully go through. I'm not even sure that I think Pit Bulls should be banned or illegal or whatever we're really talking about, I honestly don't have enough information to make that kind of decision. But I do think there is definitely merit behind an argument that any animal that becomes dangerous to human beings if it isn't trained properly possibly shouldn't be allowed to be a house hold pet. I don't know where that line should be drawn, nor do I know if it's not being drawn correctly right now, but it is worthy of discussion IMO.

 

[Tabascocat]

Just to be clear, in order to prove your point about how a cheetah and dog can't be compared, you talked about a hippo?

There was a fair bit of hyperbole in my original post, I guess that didn't fully go through. I'm not even sure that I think Pit Bulls should be banned or illegal or whatever we're really talking about, I honestly don't have enough information to make that kind of decision. But I do think there is definitely merit behind an argument that any animal that becomes dangerous to human beings if it isn't trained properly possibly shouldn't be allowed to be a house hold pet. I don't know where that line should be drawn, nor do I know if it's not being drawn correctly right now, but it is worthy of discussion IMO.

Sorry, I went overboard with the hippo example, always liked them so I threw it in there.

I agree that any animal that poses a threat should be handled differently. I just think training can only go so far in exotic/wild animals, they have an instinct that will always be there IMO. Those along with pit-bulls, Rots and other known powerful dogs are a bad combination to own if children are around because things can turn in an instant.

As far as canines go, there are good and bad ones in every breed, but the big ones get all the negative attention which is not called for in most cases.

 

[tupperware]

Just wanted to say that I think it's funny you can't use statistics to back up dog attacks but you can use them to back up your Quarterback.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Just wanted to say that I think it's funny you can't use statistics to back up dog attacks but you can use them to back up your Quarterback.

Football and real life things like this are much different.

 

[jobberone]

There is a reason, why Shepards are used as military/police dogs and pit bulls are not. So, I do not think it will just shift to another breed. Part of it is environment, I think a majority is genetics.

Pit bulls and boxer are used in the military and for family, guard, defense, and offense protection. Some of the predilection for use of some breeds is some breeders have used a certain breed for many years and they can rely on the temperament of those dogs for training then sales.

 

[DFWJC]

Problem isn't so much the breed as it is over breeding, irresponsible breeders mating the most aggressive dogs and stupid owners. If people where doing the same thing with German shepherds are they are with Pitbulls that breed would be a problem too.

True.

But they are doing it with Pits and it's been going on for 40+ years now.

Time to lay down heavy penalties or jail time for owners whose dogs maul innocent victims. Plain and simple.

I hear the same stories about how they are so loving--I bet this one was too--but, the gene pool is massively corrupted at this point. I met some really cool Pits before, but the pattern is way too clear and no freakin way I'm leaving my kid around even the most docile one. And if one did attack and kill my kid, I would almost for sure kill the owner.

In this case, it was not someone else's child, so they will live with this forever. But even then, it's almost unforgivable.

Sorry for the rant.
As with all of this stuff...it is just my opinion.

 

[jobberone]

True.

But they are doing it with Pits and it's been going on for 40+ years now.

Time to lay down heavy penalties or jail time for owners whose dogs maul innocent victims. Plain and simple.

I hear the same stories about how they are so loving--I bet this one was too--but, the gene pool is massively corrupted at this point. I met some really cool Pits before, but the pattern is way too clear and no freakin way I'm leaving my kid around even the most docile one. And if one did attack and kill my kid, I would almost for sure kill the owner.

In this case, it was not someone else's child, so they will live with this forever. But even then, it's almost unforgivable.

Sorry for the rant.
As with all of this stuff...it is just my opinion.

It's difficult to tell what you're getting from most of those breeders. If you want to get a good temperament dog who will also guard and defend you must be able to control the animal. Many of these dogs are triggered then once triggered they don't have the training or temperament to be called off. They will even turn on their owner in that state. Most of these dogs have not been breed to have an even and trainable temperament and you're right, many have been bred for aggression. This is a dangerous combination.

You want a dog who is Schutzhund or at least bred from them or the like IMO. Unless you want a military/police dog which still requires a good temperament. I think they should control breeding of dogs like this as they do in Germany and other areas of Europe. There would be much less incidents and tragedy.

 

[Muhast]

I've always had large dog breeds.

I've had a German Shepard, an American Pit Bull Terrier, and a Boxer.

All 3 were great dogs.

The thing about "Pit bull attacks" are that people largely ASSUME a dog is a pit bull and that is what the attack becomes labeled as. On the find the pitbull website that was posted, about 20 of those dogs would be labeled as a Pit Bull attack by the police officers and media. They aren't going to do a DNA testing on the dog to find out what breed exactly it was, they would just say "The owner says it was a pit bull". The fact is that most Pit Bulls you will come in contact with or see in your life are actually mixed breeds. Most "bullies' which refers to the small, extremely large Pits are actually inbred and usually have several other breeds mixed in. One of the largest Blue Pit Bull breeders was known as Razor's Edge Pits, and was caught interbreeding other dogs such as Bull Mastiffs and English Bulldogs to give their "pits" that extremely large head and body but small legs, through several generations of breeding.

The point I'm trying to make are, most pit bulls you will see aren't actually pit bulls. I see people with Staffordshire terriers almost weekly who think they have a pit bull. When I walk my Boxer(pure bred, beautiful dog. Typical Boxer sweet but bouncing all around full of energy) and neighbors ask me about my "pit bull". People are just really ignorant when it comes to dog breeds.

When you click that website you can see how similar dogs like Staffs/Pits/Cane Corsos/Domo Argentino's can all look. To the common person, those are all going to be identified as a Pit Bull. So if ANY of those breeds attack someone, it's a Pit Bull Attack. That really skews the data.

My last thing, of course any dog that is large can do damage, and it's terrible when things like this happen. The thing to remember: Don't punish the breed, punish the owner.

No matter what dog breed you have, it is extremely irresponsible to leave a NEWBORN, unattended with it around. This goes for German Shepards, Chihuahuas, Golden Retrievers or Poodles. It is a terrible idea to leave any newborn or toddler alone with any type of pet. There was a story in the news last year about a parent who came home to find his pet Ferrett had eaten all of the fingers off of his toddler while he was gone. What would possess a parent to think that it is okay to leave him there unattended with it?

 

[Faerluna]

I've always had large dog breeds.

I've had a German Shepard, an American Pit Bull Terrier, and a Boxer.

All 3 were great dogs.

The thing about "Pit bull attacks" are that people largely ASSUME a dog is a pit bull and that is what the attack becomes labeled as. On the find the pitbull website that was posted, about 20 of those dogs would be labeled as a Pit Bull attack by the police officers and media. They aren't going to do a DNA testing on the dog to find out what breed exactly it was, they would just say "The owner says it was a pit bull". The fact is that most Pit Bulls you will come in contact with or see in your life are actually mixed breeds. Most "bullies' which refers to the small, extremely large Pits are actually inbred and usually have several other breeds mixed in. One of the largest Blue Pit Bull breeders was known as Razor's Edge Pits, and was caught interbreeding other dogs such as Bull Mastiffs and English Bulldogs to give their "pits" that extremely large head and body but small legs, through several generations of breeding.

The point I'm trying to make are, most pit bulls you will see aren't actually pit bulls. I see people with Staffordshire terriers almost weekly who think they have a pit bull. When I walk my Boxer(pure bred, beautiful dog. Typical Boxer sweet but bouncing all around full of energy) and neighbors ask me about my "pit bull". People are just really ignorant when it comes to dog breeds.

When you click that website you can see how similar dogs like Staffs/Pits/Cane Corsos/Domo Argentino's can all look. To the common person, those are all going to be identified as a Pit Bull. So if ANY of those breeds attack someone, it's a Pit Bull Attack. That really skews the data.

My last thing, of course any dog that is large can do damage, and it's terrible when things like this happen. The thing to remember: Don't punish the breed, punish the owner.

No matter what dog breed you have, it is extremely irresponsible to leave a NEWBORN, unattended with it around. This goes for German Shepards, Chihuahuas, Golden Retrievers or Poodles. It is a terrible idea to leave any newborn or toddler alone with any type of pet. There was a story in the news last year about a parent who came home to find his pet Ferrett had eaten all of the fingers off of his toddler while he was gone. What would possess a parent to think that it is okay to leave him there unattended with it?

Spot on, 100%.

 

[Muhast]

There is a reason, why Shepards are used as military/police dogs and pit bulls are not. So, I do not think it will just shift to another breed. Part of it is environment, I think a majority is genetics.

You must not know that America's most decorated war dog is a pit bull!

Sergeant Stubby.

His breed is unknown, but many including Cesar Milan(The dog whisperer) speculate he is a Pit or a Pit Mix.

"
After being gassed himself, Stubby learned to warn his unit of poison gas attacks, located wounded soldiers in no man's land, and — since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could — became very adept at letting his unit know when to duck for cover. He was solely responsible for capturing a German spy in the Argonne. Following the retaking of Château-Thierry by the US, the thankful women of the town made Stubby a chamois coat on which were pinned his many medals. There is also a legend that while in Paris with Corporal Conroy, Stubby saved a young girl from being hit by a car. At the end of the war, Conroy smuggled Stubby home.

• 3 Service Stripes
• Yankee Division YD Patch
• French Medal Battle of Verdun
• 1st Annual American Legion Convention Medal
• New Haven World War I Veterans Medal
• Republic of France Grande War Medal
• St Mihiel Campaign Medal
• Wound stripe, replaced with Purple Heart when introduced in 1932
• Chateau Thierry Campaign Medal
• 6th Annual American Legion Convention
• Humane Education Society Gold Medal

Not sure how many others are/have been Pits. But I do know that the most decorated war dog in American History was a pit bull.

 

[jobberone]

I largely agree with you Muhast but there are genetic components and hardwiring to dogs. Those without the proper inherent qualities cannot be bred in some countries to be working dogs and for good reason. Not sure what it will take to get responsible breeding in this country and I'm not even advocating a Germanic system. The other problem with breeders is it'd be difficult to monitor them and their product.

But something really needs to be done about the uncontrolled breeding in this country of many breeds.

 

[Muhast]

I largely agree with you Muhast but there are genetic components and hardwiring to dogs. Those without the proper inherent qualities cannot be bred in some countries to be working dogs and for good reason. Not sure what it will take to get responsible breeding in this country and I'm not even advocating a Germanic system. The other problem with breeders is it'd be difficult to monitor them and their product.

But something really needs to be done about the uncontrolled breeding in this country of many breeds.

I don't have any arguments with that. I said in my post that most Pits you will meet are actually mixed or inbred.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Yesterday, a 1 year old child was killed by a Mastiff.

On the 24th, a 2 day old baby was killed by a Husky.

On the 20th, a 2 month old bably was killed by a Golden Retriever (Rescue Dog).


Where's the outrage folks?


It's not just Pits.

 

[iceberg]

Yesterday, a 1 year old child was killed by a Mastiff.

On the 24th, a 2 day old baby was killed by a Husky.

On the 20th, a 2 month old bably was killed by a Golden Retriever (Rescue Dog).

Where's the outrage folks?

It's not just Pits.

and my akita would have taken out ALL these dogs.

 

[Muhast]

and my akita would have taken out ALL these dogs.

Akita is the breed of the famous Japanese dog thar went to the train station waiting for his owner every day even after the owner died

 

[iceberg]

Akita is the breed of the famous Japanese dog thar went to the train station waiting for his owner every day even after the owner died

akitas are by far one of the more intelligent dogs i've come across. when he was a puppy he was in the back yard and my friend brought over his jack russell terrier. the terrier would run around tory and it was obvious the terrier was "quicker". so tory went and hid under a chair and the terrier ran around him 3-4 times before tory just stuck his paw out and smacked him down to the fence. (2-3 feet).

they were bred to pretty much hunt bear. not get them in a corner, but take 'em out.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Typical response from a pit bull owner. They have personality, they wouldn't hurt a fly. Look at the statistics.

My paralegal has a pit bull (well her husband had it first, package deal kind of thing). She is due to give birth in less than a month. I wouldn't have a pitbull around a child but she claims her dog is passive, not a problem etc (yet of course he doesn't listen to her, just her husband).

 

[jobberone]

I don't have any arguments with that. I said in my post that most Pits you will meet are actually mixed or inbred.

Actually I was referring to the animals temperament. Many breeders just mate dogs. Reputable breeders use excellent bloodlines which have been bred carefully weeding out those with problems including temperament.