Pit bull coming at me, owner screaming "Vicious NO"

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

he has never so much as growled at the kids or showed any sign of aggresion towards them.

You don't want to wait until he growls...it may be way too late then.

Keep an eye on young kids around Chows. They are aggressive and unpredictable around other dogs...not sure about kids in general. But they can do a lot of damage fast (wanna see the vet bill?). A young kid could get traumatized or hurt very quickly before you had time to point out to the dog that it had never acted aggressive before...

Dogs act the way they are treated.

That's simply not true. You must not have a lot of experience with different kinds of dogs. They can act very differently from breed to breed. Some breeds, such as pit bulls, will exhibit aggressive behavior out of nowhere, despite having been raised in loving homes from the time they are puppies. I've seen it happen.

 

[HarryWhisman]

any of these dogs would snap a pit bull in two in no time flat./QUOTE]

That sounds like about half bull to me.

 

[H2Andy]

heheheh...

no, it's called hyperbole... but those dogs would kill a pit bull if it came to it

they are much larger and stronger. pit bull wouldn't stand a chance

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

if it were "nature" then ALL pitbulls (or at least an overwhelming
majority) would obey their "killer instincts" and "destroy" any dog
they came into contact with.

that simply is not the case

It's not far from the truth in my case. You *always* have to be on your toes when your dog meets a pit bull. I have the least aggressive dogs in the world and they get along with everyone, but chows, pits, rotts...I've had my close calls and ER visits over and over when one of those breeds attacks out of nowhere. Some of those dogs belonged to friends of mine and I and my dogs had known them since puppies. Sometimes pits just snap on other dogs. So, my evidence is enough for me. I've seen it over and over again.

Andy, I see you're watching the thread like a hawk as the token vigorous Devil's Advocate, but where's your dog in this fight (no pun intended)? Do you own a dog? A pit bull? Why are you such a vigorous defender?

I don't hate pit bulls, but I do think it is sad that they are so heavily bred into the population, because they have bad tendencies by nature. See, it's OK to say a dog has tendencies that nature provides. You can't keep labs out of water. Shepherds will herd your kids around the house because of instincts. It's hard as hell to housetrain a beagle. And pit bulls tend to be very aggressive toward other dogs more than most breeds. Even my pit bull owning friends admit that.

So, what's your story? You really believe that pit bulls are BY FAR the most common breed of dog to attack other dogs and people because they tend to be owned by people who raise them badly? Come on...

I think you're just bored...

 

[KidK9]

As of lately, there is no evidence to support some of these claims that you guys are making....either in their defense or not. "any of these dogs would snap a pit bull in two in no time flat" is like the whole "my dad can beat up your dad" crap that went on in grade school.

 

[H2Andy]

Andy, I see you're watching the thread like a hawk as the token vigorous Devil's Advocate,

i see my work has not been in vain, young jedi...

eyebrow

but where's your dog in this fight (no pun intended)? Do you own a dog? A pit bull? Why are you such a vigorous defender?

no sir, don't own a dog. i did own a dog when i was ten. but my cruel
family gave it away. that's a very traumatic story for me, or i'd elaborate.

i am around dogs all the time, including pit bulls (though less of late), and love
dogs in general

i am not a defender, just trying to keep the record straight. next thing
you know, pit bulls pack 9 mm's and hang out with pimps dealing crack
out of stolen police cruisers...

 

[H2Andy]

"any of these dogs would snap a pit bull in two in no time flat"

dude, it's true, generally speaking, minus the hyperbole

check out those dogs... they're all bigger and stronger than pitbulls...

the poor bassird wouldn't stand a chance

 

[mels_2]

i dont know if one breed coud snap another breed in half but in my experience i have seen sweet natured dogs be very mean and have seen the aggressive dogs be nothing but sweet..... and yes good dogs can snap I would imagine that we hear more of the bad dog breeds since they are bigger, stronger and therefore cause more damage.

I believe this is one of the topics that whatever side you are on you will argue your point til you are blue or red in the face and you will never fully agree to what the other side is saying.....

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

i am not a defender, just trying to keep the record straight. next thing
you know, pit bulls pack 9 mm's and hang out with pimps dealing crack
out of stolen police cruisers...

You won't hear that from me. Nor, I imagine from the OP, who had a story like many I have experienced. The point is simple.

Pit bulls tend to be aggressive toward other dogs. They were bred for it. They can attack other dogs unpredictably and with devastating results.

Like I said, even my pit bull friends tell me the same thing. They'd trust it to the ends of the earth with their kid, but not around other dogs. It's the nature of the beast (no pun intended).

A quick Google search revealed, that I'm not the only one who knows this FACT about pit bulls. Take therealpitbull.com, which, if anything, would play down the aggressive tendencies. They said (here - http://www.realpitbull.com/social.html):

DISCLAIMER: No matter how much and how well you do it, socialization cannot erase genetics. Even the most well socialized and trained dogs can be dog-aggressive. They may be under control and polite, but given the unhindered chance, they'd still engage in a fight. The main purpose of socializing your pit bull is to help him become well rounded, used to (unfearful of) many types of people, distractions and other animals, and to teach him to control himself around these distractions. It is NOT about forcing him to be friendly and play with other dogs, and it's not about "socializing away" dog aggression. That simply cannot be done.

Or the pit bull rescue group at http://www.pbrc.net/breedinfo.html who said of the pit bull:

Never trust a Pit Bull not to fight...
It is not necessarily a hate of other dogs that will cause Pit Bulls to fight, but rather an "urge" to do so that has been bred into the breed for many generations. Pit bulls may fight over hierarchic status, but external stimulus or excitement can also trigger a fight. Remember that any canine can fight, but Pit Bulls were bred specifically for their drive, intensity, and determination to win.

Another rescue site (http://www.paw-rescue.org/petbulls.html#s29) had this to say:

Many dogs were bred with a specific purpose; herding breeds tend to display nipping behaviors and scent-hounds follow their noses. Pit Bulls were originally bred for work that included bull-baiting and dog fighting. It is not the "hate" of other dogs that drives some to fight, but an "urge" that has been bred into them.

There are so many more...

It is a fact that pit bulls are aggressive BY NATURE toward other dogs. That is to say nothing of their other qualities, which are no doubt numerous and charming.

Only a (bored) Jedi Master of Devil's Advocacy would try to push an argument that even the pit bull rescue places gave up on

 

[H2Andy]

Only a (bored) Jedi Master of Devil's Advocacy would try to push an argument that even the pit bull rescue places gave up on

well ...

a well thought out, researched, line of reasoning...

or so it would seem:

if that little fat dude sat on the pit bull, it'd be all over, man