Pitbulls Girls bestfriend or someone's worst nightmare?

United States
May 22, 2009 2:15am CST
When most people see a Pitbull in someone's yard they tend to get scared; thinking that Pitbulls are some dangerous animal that should be ban or put to sleep. I could not believe my ears today... There was a Pitbull that was actually on the news tonight... but not because of someone getting hurt by one, it was actually about a Pitbull that saved a family's life... It took place in Oklahoma City, some time this last December. An intruder came into their home and forced everyone on the ground at gun point... The family was terrified, had no idea what to do... Then D-dog came to the rescue, taking three bullets to protect his family... D-dog made a full recovery and receied the Dog of Valor Award... D-dog is his name and he is a TRUE hero. In the home that I live in there are two Pitbulls, and I just recently moved in... My first impression was that they were going to be aggressive dogs... I was quite worried because my three year old son would be coming back from his dad's visitation in a couple weeks... Man if I have ever been wrong in my life this time was surely one of those times... Both of them love my son, never ever hurt my son!! (Remember he is three) Even through he has pulled their tails, pulled on their ears, sit on them, laid on them, and has used one of them as his personal house & pillow. lol It's just nice to hear that there is FINALLY something good on the news about these misunderstood dogs... Punish the deed and not the BREED. All dogs bite. For every action; there is a reaction. Any dog owner who mistreats their dog is molding them to be mean. Here is my question to you; after reading this does your opinon change a little about Pitbulls, or will you give them a chance? Granted it would not be suggested to just walk up to one and start petting them... Please give me your honest opinion...
3 people like this
10 responses
• United States
23 May 09
So you are arguing that pitbulls aren't dangerous because this one ATTACKED the right person. I'm really not getting your logic on this one. I personally thing that the breed should be done away with. I'm not saying gas em all. I'm saying it should be illegal to sell fighting breeds. It's not the dog's fault. The problem is the trash who want the dogs. A DOG IS NOT A TOY OR A WEAPON. There is no good reason to want a pit bull. If you own one, or you want to own one, you are in fact trash. No exceptions. Kthnxbai.
3 people like this
• United States
25 May 09
Pitbull breed is chosen by the Human Race to be bred for fighting only because of their physical structure, the determination, etc. It wasn't the breed that chose to fight it was the breeders that chose them to be bred and trained that way. So IF YOU DO AWAY WITH THE BREED, DO AWAY WITH THE BREEDERS. Catch 22 there huh??? This breed as well as other breeds, like Dobermans, Rotewielers etc all can be awesome animals for families, and well as a fighting dog for those that look to breed and train them that way. Sad part of all this is when the law enforcement finds these animals what other choices do they have to do with them. You can't retrain them after they have been trained from birth to fight. Sad ..
2 people like this
• United States
26 May 09
Yes that is very sad.. Too bad we couldn't do the same with humans, that sit there and train their dogs to fight... But there is laws that say otherwise... Its still a thought though... I just wish the court system was a lot tougher on these people, granted it will not completely stop, but the numbers may go down... Which would be awesome, save dogs from having to fight, and save their lives... I just wonder what kind of abuse these poor animals have to go through to become fighters.. Horrifying to imagine... Here is another thought... If you found out about someone doing this, and they were someone close to you... Would you stand up for the dogs, or Turn the other cheek because of the fact it is your friend?
2 people like this
• United States
24 May 09
I agree with what you are saying, "A DOG IS NOT A TOY OR A WEAPON". But if they make it illegal for all dogs to live here... just because one breed is outlawed its not going to stop the HUMANS from fighting DOGS!!!! You have to stop them first, its their way of life they would train any dog to do their dirty work... so that takes me back to my orginal question would you give pitbulls a chance
2 people like this
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
23 May 09
I personally never had a bad opinion of them. My cousin and aunt has Pitbulls and they are one of the most gentle, caring and easy going dogs I have seen. They were also raised with kids and has never bitten or gone after anyone or anything. Not even the wild life they have there. I really believe it is how dogs are raised and treated for the most part as to how a dog acts. Any breed can turn out mean if treated badly.
3 people like this
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
24 May 09
I think it comes down to that ANY ANIMAL can attack and be dangerous, depending on the circumstances they are put in. Which in that case falls on the responsibility of the owner to know their pets. WE had the most lovable dog, she was mine actually and as she got older she got snippy with the younger kids. I therefore as much as I loved her had to weigh the safety of our children and grandbabies. Again people need to know that ALL ANIMALS have the potential to turn, not just one breed and if they think that way .. they are the stupid ones.
3 people like this
• United States
25 May 09
All animals are unprodictable, like you said, there must be a greater respect for animals.. If they are eating, and you go up to them and start petting them, you are going to get snapped at... If they just came in from the outdoors, and its winter time they are cold, cover them up with a blanket for a mintue, or if they went outside in the rain, grab a towel dry them off... Treat animals the way that you want to be treated.. but with the understanding that they are animals they lack some of the charactistics of a human being...
2 people like this
• United States
24 May 09
Awesome!! Thank you for the support.. Dogs learn from their owners.. the way that they treat other human beings is the way that the dog was rasied themselves.. At the same time, any dog that was rasied in a good home, can turn bad in a new enviroment...
2 people like this
• United States
23 May 09
Honestly I urge you to be cautious at all times. Of any animal/s. They can and do turn for a moment, they are wild by instinct and therefore should always be treated with respect, caution and keep in mind you don't know if they can have rabies or any other bad disease which would cause them to treat you differently than the norm. We once had a very special dog (dalmation) who actually growled at my 7 year old daughter at the time. I was far more guarded after that, and more on edge. We kept him until his life was done and had adopted him, the incident happened when we had only had him about a half a year. He never did that before, nor did he ever do it again but.... just having seen it. I know and never forget that dogs/cats... and animals in general are not predictable, always. I hear on the news how people have a animal that would never harm anyone but then just turned. I have a chihuahua that growls if you bother her when she is eating. I personally feel that could happen with any dog or cat and you hear of it often they won't tolerate being bothered, even if your just trying to pet them while they are eating. It's a real reminder that they are short of "only human". In other words you never can tell for sure what may set them off. God Blesses! Sandy
• United States
26 May 09
That is a good point that you made about the dog may have rabies.. You never know if they do or not... I was talking with a police officer one time that got bit by a stray dog.. He explained the there was a serials of several painful shots that he had to get.. So he is very cautious around any animal.. He didnt want to have to go back to do to the whole ER thing again...
1 person likes this
• United States
22 May 09
My old neighbors had a pitbull. They claimed it was docile and "wouldn't harm a flea". The dog did seem nice each time I saw it. One day, a friend of theirs was visiting who had a 4 year old child. The little boy was in the yard playing and suddenly the pitbull attacked. The dog chewed up his arm and face badly before the owners could get him off. Even I heard the racket from my yard. The kids parents sued and my neighbors lost their house. The young boy still has scars...and always will. Nobody knows why the dog attacked during the bar-b-que. I will always hate and avoid pitbulls now, as I knew this one and just didn't see it coming.
3 people like this
• United States
23 May 09
exactly how I see them. You can never tell what will make them "turn" so to speak. Be especially careful. These animals are not the exception either. All animals, be wary.... be very very wary..... At all times. Do not be afraid but be careful and mindful of the situation you expose your child/children to especially. Not to mention yourself. God Blesses! Sandy
2 people like this
• United States
24 May 09
True all I am saying is that its not fair to judge a dog by its breed. I can understand about being conserned about dogs in general... I also have an issue with dogs.. but it doesnt matter the breed... I can not remember which breed it was but when I was like 6 years old I was reaching over the fence to pet a dog without asking the owner and the dog bit half of my face...
2 people like this
• United States
25 May 09
Any animal can turn and take control of a situation in a split of a second, I myself has seen this not only with Dogs, cats, rats, also with cows, horses, and other animals. The thing was though something happened that caused them to turn, didn't have to be at that moment could of been something that happened in the past and then seeing some simular just makes them turn. Don't we see this in humans as well. Anyways regardless of what animal, breed, or what have you, if you don't know the history of the animal, do not trust it completely. That would be your mistake, especially with your own children. If you go to someone's house and they have dogs, you don't know them for sure. Sure they can be docile and fun to be with, yet you still don't know what makes them who they are. In all of that, ALWAYS, and I mean, ALWAYS be aware of the animals your around.
• United States
26 May 09
Great Point!
2 people like this
@Seldenta (39)
• United States
21 Jun 09
I personally think its all on how a dog is raised. The whole time i was growing up, my friend bred and raised pitbulls as show dogs and some as huntin dogs. Out of all their dogs they only ever had 1 pitbull that was mean, she was blind and deaf. She was kept inside and only her owners handled her. Well one day two of their huntin pits got loose and they were walkin down the street. Me and their owners were trying to catch them and the cops shot em. Said 'they could have attacked someone' Uh...these were pits that were 6 years old, never bit anyone or were even aggressive. Now my neigbor had a chow x german shepherd that turned on her. She went to pull him off the couch and he mauled her arm, she had to have animal control come and get him. He tried to eat the officer too...resulted in me walking him out to the truck cause i'd trained him all his life and me and him had gone a few rounds, so he knew better...but still. Just goes to show that its not just pitbulls that can 'turn' on you. Its other dog. Its just like my mom says. When someone asks if our dogs bite she says 'well anything with teeth can bite. Have they ever bitten someone? No. Will they? Dunno, probably not' I will NEVER judge a dog just cause of its breed.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Jun 09
What your mother said was right, " Anything with teeth can bite".. Some people just assume a dog will bite, because they are trying to be mean... There are certain dogs that happen to have a negative rap.. when they are harmless... granted a good dog can turn.. but it might be because of something someone else did or didnt do..
• United States
26 Jun 09
Cha, and you have to think too. Pitbulls and staffordshire terriers have been bred through out the years to be non-human aggressive. If a pitbull is aggressive towards humans, chances are its how they were raised/trained. Now im not saying this is always the case, there are some pits that are just aggressive even if raised properly, but most of the time its the owners fault.
@oyenkai (4394)
• Philippines
9 Jul 09
"Punish the deed and not the BREED" I like that a lot! And that was an amazing story that you shared. I never knew that Pitbulls were so brave. This is the first time I heard of a heroic act by a pitbull. I wish I could have read the account of that story or the news on it because I'm interested on learning about how the pitbull got shot and how he spared his family :) Thanks for the response on my discussion :)
1 person likes this
• United States
10 Jul 09
People need to understand that all walks of life will do what they have been taught... Regardless if it is human or an animal... What do you expect? Its just not something a lot of people are willing to look at, they would rather just be narrow minded... and think that is just an animal, or just such and such.. and not looking at the situation at hand for what it really is..
@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
14 Jul 09
Hi Sj. My honest opinion is that studies proove that some breeds are more apt to bite or turn aggressive than others. This includes pitbulls. I do believe that this varies some depending on the particul pit bull and his/her owner. However, I have seen in my own area and on the news that pitbulls sometimes attack, even children, for no reason. It just all depends. So for me, that is truly up in the air. Karen
• United States
19 Dec 09
I guess that is a good way of looking at it.. Its better for people just to use caution around any and all animals... They may seem like they are friendly but never know..
• United States
27 May 09
We have a pitbull and she is a sweetheart, we have trained her to be gentle, especially with children, and while I'm sure some pits have been put down for very good reasons, frankly in an earlier generation it was dobermens and before that it was german shepherds. All dogs bite. NO dog should be left alone with a small child that it's unfamiliar with and using common sense, teaching children to be aware to not go up to ANY dog they are unfamiliar with and how to appear non-threatening would go a long way to ending this stereotype that all Pitbulls are bad.
• United States
27 May 09
Teaching children to be aware of dogs, is very important.. It does not matter the breed or the size of the dog... They can all hurt a child in a moments notice.. This reminds me of a story that my ex husband's dad told me about... my ex was eight months old and the dog just came inside she was really cold... so she was sitting by the heater trying to warm up.. My ex cradle up next to her, and started petty she bit his face... Now he has a scar that will never go away... I believe it was his parents fault for leaving him in the same room with the dog alone..
@s2mmy17 (65)
• Estonia
13 Dec 09
Any dog attack, when you do somnthing wrong, pitbull is not the ounly dog who deffence himself. They dont attack when you dont to somnthing wrong. I had pitbull, he lived 13 years old (Dog years=91) . He attacked one time in this 13 years, and he attacked when one guy tryed to hit me. Ounly Bad thing is this, when he have attacked already, you can get him off for victim anymore. I hope to get soon new pitbull, and when to teach them littlebit, they are very good:) Sry for my bad english:P
• United States
1 Mar 10
Dogs; especially pitbulls are misunderstood.... The loyalty that have for their owners can be taken the wrong way.. People need to understand that a lot of dog owners treat their dogs like one of the members of the family... They are great friends, will protect you, and their has been research that has proven that having a dog in the home can provide many health benefits on top of the friendship... No worries about your English you did pretty well, assuming that English does not seem to be your first language... Great job, keep it up, the more you use it the better you will get.. Have a nice day...