[Alty]

I agree with Alty. I'm sure you know I own one American Staff, and one Staffy mix. All part of the American Pit bull family.

I have a small child, and although I would never leave them alone together (I wouldn't with any dog), they have the most laid back temperament I have ever had with any breed of dog. Hyper and rambunctious as pup and young dogs, but as they age become great couch potatoes. I know mine love lazing around all day on their couches and bed. Of course neither one would pass up the opportunity for a long walk, a good rum (ha, ha I had to leave that in. I meant run) or a good swim.

Ok there's my rant. I love the breed, and would only tell you great things about them!

Congrats again! :)

Virtual greenie for you Bella.

I've never owned a Pitbull, the price to have one here is just too high, not to mention the obligatory yearly visits from the RCMP. I don't think I could handle that.

Because of the cost to own this breed many of them are put to sleep. There aren't many people that are willing to take on the additional cost, especially with the economy as bad as it is. It's hard enough paying for day to day keep without the $800/year licensing fee.

I see many pitbulls and pitbull mixes in the pound, I always wonder if they find their forever homes.

I don't know a lot about the breed. One of the mothers at my kids school brings her pitbull mix to the school all the time. He's a beautiful dog, still young so he loves to jump, to lick your face off, all the puppy things, but a very gentle dog and you can see in his eyes that he's a good soul. I talked to the mother once, because it's very clear that he has pitbull in him. She was initially worried about bringing the dog to the school. Not because she thought he'd attack, but because so many people judge the breed unfairly, automatically assume that he's a vicious dog.

I had noticed that I was one of the only people who would go and greet Max. Other people bring their dogs along to the school all the time. The other parents have no problem letting their kids pet the little sheltie or the shihtzu, but Max is kept at a distance. :(

Too many people are afraid without reason. Any dog has the potential to be vicious. One of the most vicious dogs I've ever known was my Aunts teacup poodle "Rocky". He was an aggressive terror. My cousin almost lost his finger because of that dog. He was 1 pound soaking wet. Had he been bigger he probably would have killed someone.

Bigger dogs are always feared more then the small breeds because when they do bite, they can do a lot of damage. Smaller dogs usually only break the skin, if that.

In my experience the smaller dogs are usually more prone to strike. I have two large dogs and one medium. The beagle (medium) is definitely more aggressive then the lab and the border collie. Not that the beagle bites or attacks, but he's more prone to growl or get upset, usually with the two bigger dogs.

We're working on it. ;)

Bottom line, it's not the breed, it's the owner. That's my opinion. :)

[Aurora_Bell]

Agreed Alty. You know I got Lady from Ontario right? She was slated to be euthanized due to her breed.

She's happy and safe here in NS. The only problem is , is some insurance companies require a higher insurance policy. Nothing outrageous mind you. Not mine luckily. I know it the next county over they support and enforce the BSL. Not as strict as Ontario though. All the breeds specified that are currently living there are grandfathered in. No new ones allowed. Still stupid In my opinion.

[Just Dahlia]

Too many people are afraid without reason.

They have a reason, at least where I am from... The news only accounts for the Pit Bull attacks, and they always describe them as vicious, they never mention the a$$hole owners that made them this way.

They are very intelligent animals that really only want to please their owners and they are smart enough to do it. They need to get the right owners!

I have known a couple Pit Bulls and a couple Rotties from owners who were normal and these dogs were the best non threatening dogs I have ever known.

I'm not trained enough to adopt an older Pit Bull, but I applaud anyone who can, they always get the short end of the stick and they are sooo lovable:D

EDIT: Stand up, don't think anyone just wants to see the picture to see if it's a Pit! We love all Dogs, it's the stupid owners we don't want to see.

[Catsmine]

As a long time owner and trainer of an EEEEVIL breed, I have to sympathize. All I can say is that as long as there are Michael Vick types in this world, there will be people willing to blame the dogs. After all, look at all the injuries guns cause (not shooters, guns).

[Aurora_Bell]

You know the stats and news accounts on dog bites is terribly biased and usually are incorrect. How many people do you think report a minor dog bite from a poodle or other toy breeds? Not many.

Also "pit bull" attacks are the most commonly exaggerated and manipulated.

There was a recent incident here where a woman reported being attacked "viciously" by a pit bull. She said she was walking down the street and dog came out of no-where and attacked her. The whole town went mad. Trying to enforce BSL, trying to hunt down any and all "pit bulls". Ironically enough they found the dog, it happened to attack a man in the same yard, it was a Dalmatian.

It was a typical case of a forgotten dog. Left chained in the yard most of it's life, no socializing with humans or dogs. Neighbors reported that the dog was lucky to have fresh food and water each day.

The dog was put down, but it just goes to show you that not all dog bites and attacks are reported correctly.

Wow I am off on a tangent today :) Sorry for hijacking Tick! :o

[Catsmine]

The Guinness Book says the Chow is the dog breed that bites most, followed by the good old German Shepherd (I don't use that silly GSD).

[Aurora_Bell]

Yes, that is so true. The most reported dog bite. But people don't seem to care about those facts.

[Alty]

Someone posted this once before but I'll post it again.

Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull

Can you spot the pitbull?

Do you know that a large percent of pitbull attacks aren't even attacks by pitbulls but another breed that looks similar.

[Just Dahlia]

The Guiness Book says the Chow is the dog breed that bites most, followed by the good old German Shepherd (I don't use that silly GSD).

My neighbors had 2 chows... long story short, I had to put a diaper on one and didn't get it right the first time, she let me know I was not going to get a second chance:D Did NOT hurt me, just let me know not to try again.:rolleyes:

Of course, I was just the babysitter.
She was a great dog:)

[JudyKayTee]

I investigate dog bites - I investigate more Lab bites than any other breed, possibly because there are more of them out there.

I also - in response to the "people don't report poodle bites" comment - have never seen a minor pitbull bite.

As far as GSD - it stands for German Shepherd Dog. It's easier than spelling it out. I've seen the same posted concerning pits and other breeds.

Why is that silly?

[Catsmine]

As far as GSD - it stands for German Shepherd Dog. It's easier than spelling it out. I've seen the same posted concerning pits and other breeds.

Why is that silly?

It strikes me as text talk is all, and I've never heard of a German Shepherd anything else. It's like saying Border Collie Dog. That only makes sense if the animal in question is a male.

[shazamataz]

I use GSD, they are called Germans Shepherd Dogs after all.
Same as my breed is a CCD - Chinese Crested Dog.
Some breeds don't have the "dog" at the end of their name, others do.

[JudyKayTee]

Every rescue group I've ever worked with uses abreviations - I learned the hard way by using "GS" to describe my dogs and was corrected (not very kindly) and told that if I am to work with all breeds I should know what to call them. Apparently GS is Giant Schnauzer.

So I learned that lesson, and, no, it's not text speak.

Why would it make sense if the dog is a male but not a female?

[shazamataz]

Someone posted this once before but I'll post it again.

Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull

Can you spot the pitbull?

Do you know that a large percent of pitbull attacks aren't even attacks by pitbulls but another breed that looks similar.

I clicked on the Alpaha Bulldog first and the Pitbull second.

Problem with those statistics is that these days a lot of people are registering their dogs as other breeds to avoid the bans... I do see what you are saying though.

[albear]

I use GSD, they are called Germans Shepherd Dogs after all.
Same as my breed is a CCD - Chinese Crested Dog.
Some breeds don't have the "dog" at the end of their name, others do.

Is the 'dog' part of the name of the breed necessary?

Usually just call them german shepards :D

[Aurora_Bell]

I also - in response to the "people don't report poodle bites" comment - have never seen a minor pitbull bite.

I was only trying to point out the fact that people don't always report when they get bitten. Regardless of the breed.


I almost lost my thumb to a cocker spaniel. It did not get reported.

[Alty]

I was only trying to point out the fact that people don't always report when they get bitten. Regardless of the breed.


I almost lost my thumb to a cocker spaniel. It did not get reported.

Same thing with the bite from my Aunts teacup poodle and my cousin almost lost his finger because of that bite. It wasn't reported, probably because it's family and you don't want to cause any rifts in family, but still, that dog was vicious, it wasn't his first bite nor was it his last. Some bites were attributed to strangers, yet no one every reported it.

He got so bad that no one but my Aunt could even go near him without him attempting to bite. Not even a warning growl, just lunge and strike.

He was a nasty little thing.

I also don't use GSD, I just call them German Shepherds, find that the dog part is fairly obvious. ;)

[Aurora_Bell]

I only started using GSD when I came here. Honestly I thought the dog part was obvious, and I was waiting for someone to call me on it. :D In the breeding world, they are actually referred to as GSD same with in the rescue world. At least out here. I find it easier to type.

But I see how some view it as silly. I find it funny (and I've been guilty of doing it) when people call them German Shepards. He he.

[Aurora_Bell]

We used to have Shih Tzu's and my God some of them were nasty. I remember one in particular... Cuddles... well I was brushing her hair, and next thing I knew she turned around and bit my nose, broke the skin made me bleen, left a nasty scar. Holy Hannah that hurt like H - E double hockey sticks!

Never went reported and we kept her for another 10 years.

[Alty]

Our poodle was testy too. He didn't like small children, they moved too quickly for him. He never broke skin, but he did nip a few times.

Every dog has it in him/her to bite, it's just that the larger breeds do more damage when they bite. Smaller breeds aren't feared as much, but in my personal experience, they're more likely to snap then larger breeds.

My lab cross Indy puts up with a lot. When he was younger the kids in the neighborhood would climb all over him, take food away from him, try to ride him. He never even growled, he just put up with it. He's a very do de do dog. Not much upsets him. Jasper, the border collie cross is the same way, only Chewy (the beagle) really gets him going, and it's always short lived. It's more a domination thing then an overt aggression.

Can't wait for Ticks pics tomorrow. I love it when someone brings a new four legged bundle of love into their home. :)