sospix wrote:
[
As was mentioned earlier in this thread, and in the originally posted article, the label "Pit Bull" has become a catch all for a wide range of mutts and cross breeds by the media and police agencies  .  .  .  if you'd like to read some contradictory statistics to the above, as to the behaviour of true APBT's, and ST's (as recognized breeds), they're also readily available on the internet  .  .  .  as far as using animals in what are more commonly known as "bloodsports" today, pretty much any animal you can starve into a frenzy will fight, from cocks, to bears, to elephants, to any breed of dog  .  .  .  my two "guys" would rather jest sit on the couch and snore away in front of the TV  .  .  .   

SOS

One of the things I do is obedience training at a local dog club. I've never found Pit Bulls to be any more or less aggressive, either towards people or other dogs, than any other breed.
They were bred for dog fighting, but this breeding involved physical traits, not mental, and Pit Bulls are not more inclined towards dog aggressiveness than any other breed, and are not inclined towards people aggressiveness than any other breed.
There are breeds out there that are bred for aggressive behavior (Brazilian Fila, for example), if anyone is going after breed bans, there are dogs that perhaps have no place in a city, but Pit Bulls are not among them.
In my time as a trainer, the problem dogs i have had have included Cocker and Springer Spaniels, Skiperkes, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, Labradors, German Shepherds, Basenjis, Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Bichons, and cross breeds that are predominantly of those breeds. I had a Golden Retriever Poodle cross (purchased as a thing called a GoldenDoodle) that was, by anyone's standards, a viscous animal. It was sold to my student as a good family pet.
That didn't work out so well.
Dogs I have not had problems with are Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Cane Corsos, Great Pyrenees, Belgian Shepherds, in fact all of the "scary breeds).
The problem with Pit Bulls (and Rottweilers to a certain extent) is that they tend to be acquired by people who want a "man stopper" dog, and when they realize they didn't get one, they go about making the dog vicious, and create an untrustable time bomb.
As a trainer, I would have no issues with owning a Pit Bull Terrier. They can be a very strong willed animal though, and may not be the best choice for a first time dog owner unless proper temperament testing is done to ensure a soft tempered dog is acquired.

WR Photographics wrote:

One of the things I do is obedience training at a local dog club. I've never found Pit Bulls to be any more or less aggressive, either towards people or other dogs, than any other breed.
They were bred for dog fighting, but this breeding involved physical traits, not mental, and Pit Bulls are not more inclined towards dog aggressiveness than any other breed, and are not inclined towards people aggressiveness than any other breed.
There are breeds out there that are bred for aggressive behavior (Brazilian Fila, for example), if anyone is going after breed bans, there are dogs that perhaps have no place in a city, but Pit Bulls are not among them.
In my time as a trainer, the problem dogs i have had have included Cocker and Springer Spaniels, Skiperkes, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas, Labradors, German Shepherds, Basenjis, Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Bichons, and cross breeds that are predominantly of those breeds. I had a Golden Retriever Poodle cross (purchased as a thing called a GoldenDoodle) that was, by anyone's standards, a viscous animal. It was sold to my student as a good family pet.
That didn't work out so well.
Dogs I have not had problems with are Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Cane Corsos, Great Pyrenees, Belgian Shepherds, in fact all of the "scary breeds).
The problem with Pit Bulls (and Rottweilers to a certain extent) is that they tend to be acquired by people who want a "man stopper" dog, and when they realize they didn't get one, they go about making the dog vicious, and create an untrustable time bomb.
As a trainer, I would have no issues with owning a Pit Bull Terrier. They can be a very strong willed animal though, and may not be the best choice for a first time dog owner unless proper temperament testing is done to ensure a soft tempered dog is acquired.

Well said  .  .  .  now, can ya help me with my boy Jake, he snores incessantly  .  .  . 

SOS

sospix wrote:
Well said  .  .  .  now, can ya help me with my boy Jake, he snores incessantly  .  .  . 

SOS

I so enjoy your sense of humor! Thanks for keeping the mood light.

Maybe there is some life left in this thread...

Frank Lewis Photography wrote:

I so enjoy your sense of humor! Thanks for keeping the mood light.

Maybe there is some life left in this thread...

This is a "Jake approved" thread  .  .  .    The big slob will win 'em over yet FL  .  .  . 

SOS

sospix wrote:
Well said  .  .  .  now, can ya help me with my boy Jake, he snores incessantly  .  .  . 

SOS

Is he over weight? Dogs, like people, will snore more when fat.

WR Photographics wrote:

Is he over weight? Dogs, like people, will snore more when fat.

Nah, jest lazy  .  .  .  he sleeps 23.85 hours a day  .  .  . 

SOS

sospix wrote:
Nah, jest lazy  .  .  .  he sleeps 23.85 hours a day  .  .  . 

SOS

Of course, SOS's neighborhood is very quiet so Jake has watch dog duty for less than thirty minutes a day. The rest of his time is spent eating, sleeping, and taking the occasional  dump...

WR Photographics wrote:
I had a Golden Retriever Poodle cross (purchased as a thing called a GoldenDoodle) that was, by anyone's standards, a viscous animal. It was sold to my student as a good family pet.

My sister has a Golden Doodle. It's a family pet they got as a puppy. She's fairly big but generally quiet (unless she sees a person or animal in or near the front yard). She chases all sorts of animals and insects in the backyard while she's out there.  They've turned her into an attention whore (she *needs* to be petted at least 1,000 times a day to keep her sanity).

It's not so bad when they're home because there are 5 of them (well, 4 now, my niece got married and moved out) but when I'm house and dog sitting, it's only me. If she had her way, I'd never stop petting her.  It's not that I mind petting her sometimes but I can't do it all day every day.

She's like every other dog I know, though. Wants to be petted, begs for food (especially people food), has to go outside to take care of business, etc etc. I have met some vicious poodles but this dog isn't one of them.

Zebadiah _MI wrote:
It's all about the owner.  Stupid people have dangerous dogs no matter what the breed.


And I thought this thread was going to be about Pitbull the rapper.

Never heard of him/her, however, if you want music we can listen to The Chairman of the Board -- Sinatra. Then we can watch a movie about Bulldog Drummond.

I had a customer through my checkout the other day. He and his wife were turned down for an apartment/condo because they have a Pit. Breed specific restrictions are senseless and pointless and discriminatory and should be illegal.