Bad animals and Michael Vick syndrome

[stevereno1]

I live on a large farm in Georgia. All of us own dogs (labs, basset hounds, even a boston terrier). Most of us also own small children. My cousin brought home a bouncing, 1 year old pit bull to live on the farm. I told him that I am not going to give a pit bull the oppourtunity to get the "first bite" on my two year old daughter. I told him that if the dog was to have a bad day, come into my yard, and attack her, that there aren't enough "I'm sorries" in the world that would make it right. I further explained that the very first time that I see said dog on my property, I will make it dissappear. Now, I'm the bad guy. I am 100% serious about shooting this pup. Am I an evil person? What do ya'll think?
P.S. the dog runs free, off any leash, and is not fenced in at all.

 

[Eagle103]

I would eliminate the dog if there was even a 1 in a million chance of it harming one of my kids. With a free roaming pit bull I'd guess the odds are a little better than that. A dog owner has a responsibility to keep the animal on the owners property or under the owners control at all times. I don't know why some don't understand this. I happen to like dogs too.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I love animals but I have no sympathy for losers who think it's their right to "free range" their mutts.

 

[roo_ster]

Cousin needs to keep his dog under control. Letting it roam about unfettered is not good enough.

If he is too dim to understand your position, do what you feel you must.

BTW, I have had good experiences with APBT dogs. But any dog not controlled can be a menace. Some are more menacing than others & the APBT ranks high due to its natural athleticism and tenacious bite.

 

[Harley Quinn]

The whole scenario is one that needs to be remedied soon. The dog does not have the right to run free with out a responsible person around. Now one thought came to mind, are your dogs free roamers?

The breed of the dog has nothing to do with responsible ownership. The dog is more likly to be after your dogs, than your kids.

The term owning children is an interesting one, I have not heard it in some time, but it is one that is worthy of discussion.

 

[dagger dog]

stevereno,

I would have the same worrys as you, the dog needs to be managed.

The reason the pit is getting such a bad rap these days are due to the people that mishandle them , this next statement is not a cut on your cousin but to train an animal you have to be smarter than the animal!

You can talk to any experienced dog handler and they will tell you that the pit is getting the bum rap. It's all in how they are raised the young dog easily influenced just like young children. When the constant influence is SIC 'EM the dog is only responding to his masters wishes.

In the cases you see that spotlight these poor animals, it is a damned shame, the responsibility comes to rest on the owner.

On a lighter side are you old enought to remember or have you see any of the old black and white films with THE LITTLE RASCALS? If you did you certainly had to remember their dog
PETEY , the one with the black ring around one eye, well he was a pit, they were very popular, in the '30's
As time went on these dogs were mishandled, and laws were enacted to owners from owning such dogs. The city of Detriot has a ban on this breed.

In the area where I work, there are a lot of rental propertys, and I'm constantly seeing the Pit with the spiked collar on the end of a leash
the other end being held by some Gangsta type .
There lies the problem in MOS DUM not the dog.

I was raised with animals ,pits included, never saw such loyalty in a dog, I've owned pits and right now have a Boston Terrier, no finer smarter dog than the bulldog breed.

But a man has to protect his choldren at all costs and you are definitly in the right !

 

[redneck2]

Any person who thinks their dog is a higher priority than your child has a very flawed value system.

There was a thread here some time back about a dog attacking a child. Dog had always been kind, gentle. Started licking a (IIRC) 2 year old's face and for no apparent reason suddenly took a hard bite. Ripped part of the kid's face off. Multiple surgeries. Scarred for life.

One of the members here talked about having pit bulls. Kept a special stick so they could pry the jaws apart in case it bit somebody. That makes about as much sense as keeping a snakebite kit for your pet rattle snake.

That said, these threads always seem to degrade into "I've got a right to have this _____ dog" versus "I'm gonna protect my family". I suspect it will go away real soon.

 

[springmom]

Ok, I must be missing something.

Is your cousin refusing to train the dog? Is he refusing to keep the dog fenced? Is this a dog that has a history of aggression? Or did you just hear the words "pit bull" and assume the worst?

He needs to be a responsible dog owner. You need to be a responsible parent. The two do not have to conflict. But when you start the negotiations about how this will all work out with "I'm going to shoot your dog", it does make it sort of hard to work out any understanding from there.

I don't know that you're a 'bad guy' but I think you jumped the gun...unless there's a lot more to this than you've shared so far.

EDIT: Just caught the last line about "not fenced". Sounds like that is the most important thing to get done. Maybe you can offer to help put the fence in....

Springmom

 

[tasco 74]

oh ya there would be some great trouble if any dog of any breed attacked my grandkids... that said my son had pit bull terrier that was one of the sweetest little critters i ever saw.... i always thought you had to train them be vicious... i like dogs and enjoy being with one that is civil but as the rest said there is no excuse for letting your dog run loose....

 

[Byron Quick]

I also live in Georgia. While I don't live on a farm, many of my cousins do. And many of their parents had free ranging pit bulls. I've never seen a pit bull attack or even act aggressive towards a human being. As kids, we were much more worried about the German Shepherds in the area.

It's been mentioned that pit bulls have been mishandled. They have by people who did not understand what they are. They are not guard dogs or attack dogs and it is foolish and dangerous to train them as such. You do not want to train away this breed's natural reluctance to be aggressive towards humans. It's a recipe for disaster.

That being said, pit bulls that have not been fought or trained inappropriately make some of the best pets I have ever seen.

I've been bitten as a child several times by German Shepherds and by Labrador Retrievers. In the same area at the same time, there were more pit bulls than members of these breeds. I was never even growled at by a pit bull.

 

[qwert65]

All dogs (except for a few alpha personalities) actions are a result of their training(or lack thereof) While you should be cautious and teach your children how to react to a strange dog in the yard(don't pet with your hand over their head, don't run, speak and stay calm, etc). The breed should have nothing to do with it.

That being said if the dog is a problem you have to do what you have to do

 

[whistler]

when I was younger and lived in the country we had a saying [shut up,shoot and dig] .

 

[TCB in TN]

I would have the same worrys as you, the dog needs to be managed.

The reason the pit is getting such a bad rap these days are due to the people that mishandle them , this next statement is not a cut on your cousin but to train an animal you have to be smarter than the animal!

You can talk to any experienced dog handler and they will tell you that the pit is getting the bum rap. It's all in how they are raised the young dog easily influenced just like young children. When the constant influence is SIC 'EM the dog is only responding to his masters wishes.

In the cases you see that spotlight these poor animals, it is a damned shame, the responsibility comes to rest on the owner.

On a lighter side are you old enought to remember or have you see any of the old black and white films with THE LITTLE RASCALS? If you did you certainly had to remember their dog
PETEY , the one with the black ring around one eye, well he was a pit, they were very popular, in the '30's
As time went on these dogs were mishandled, and laws were enacted to owners from owning such dogs. The city of Detriot has a ban on this breed.

In the area where I work, there are a lot of rental propertys, and I'm constantly seeing the Pit with the spiked collar on the end of a leash
the other end being held by some Gangsta type .
There lies the problem in MOS DUM not the dog.

I was raised with animals ,pits included, never saw such loyalty in a dog, I've owned pits and right now have a Boston Terrier, no finer smarter dog than the bulldog breed.

But a man has to protect his choldren at all costs and you are definitly in the right !

Very close to my own experience. I have owned several, all were extremely smart, more loyal and caring than any other dogs I have ever owned. I have also see some that were treated poorly or made to be very mean or agressive and they are scary, but I don't just assign that to all.

 

[Ash]

That isn't quite the truth. Dogs, when under stress, can revert to breed. Breeds, by their very nature, have certain characteristics. My grandparents owned a pit bull once. It was a family pet, was treated kindly, and was well-trusted. One day my grandmother leaned down, like a thousand times before, to remove a tick from its ear. Living in the country, dogs get ticks. The dog turned and mauled her, tearing away huge chunks of flesh from her arm (yes, I do mean to use that wording). That was in the 1960's, and her forearm carried the signs the rest of her life where the muscle was literally absent. In parts you could feel the bone beneath the skin, where muscle should have (and once had) been.

When my grandfather returned home, the dog was shot. Ignoring a dog's breed is a very dangerous thing. Though I must admit I completely disagree about the pitbull being the finest, smartest breed. Border Collies and working-breed Shetland Sheepdogs are not only intelligent, but are quick learners and do not have a history, as a breed, of being used for violence (and there have been no reports of border collies or shetlands killing people).

Ash

 

[Art Eatman]

Not a topic for the hunting forum, and not a topic for the legal forum.

Hunting ethics is one thing, but personal morals contend with the laws and there's not much we can offer that's both useful and on-topic.

Art