(FL) Father kills pit bull in savage attack 07-29-03

[taoshooter]

Hate to sound argumentative but......
I know pit bulls and believe me - usually they are the nicest dogs you could have. They are intelligent, loyal and really very sweet. They have a reputation as fighting dogs and many many times they are treated to be just that and trained that way. MOST pit bulls are great pets. They are a breed that's usually is as nice as its owner treats them, so if you see a bad one look around....there's usually a not so nice owner nearby that doesn't treat them all that great. Sorry but they're a dog that needs a lot of affection - if you don't have the time or the character to give it - don't get one - treat one well and caringly and you'll have a great friend and companion that wouldn't hurt anyone.

 

[SunBear]

No dog, regardless of breed, should be left alone with a child! They view the child as lower in the pack than they and MAY snap at the child if startled or hurt by the child. They do not have a conscience. They do not think your child is CUTE and they still live by the wolf in the back of their mind!

 

[Waitone]

Once again we have the wrong focus. Pit bulls are animals devoid of moral agency. No moral content. What does have moral agency is the dog's owner. It is the owner who needs to be held accountable for the animal's actions.

I am of the opinion that the owner needs to be held to the strictist account for the actions of its animal.

--First attack the owner has a choice to destroy the animal or assume the person risk of a second attack.

--Second attack the animal is killed and owner (not his insurance company) spends the remained of his mortal life as an indentured servant of the animal's victim. I personally think the death penalty is the only appropriate penalty for the second offense but our society would not sign on to that provision.

I don't approve of prisons. I do approve of restoration and restitution as a legitimate legal principal. Putting the owner of an attacking animal in prison is assinine. The perp did not wrong society. He wronged the victim and the victim is the one who should receive restoration and restitution.

 

[Aikibiker]

I have a rather poor record with pit bulls.

The same thing that happened to that little girl happened to me when I was about 4 years old. While visiting a family friend their pit bull jumped right at my face and tried to tear it off. Fortunately I have always had fast reflexes and jerked my head back in time to avoid the full force of the bite. I just got raked by the eyeteeth, missing my eye by less then an inch. Half the adults present grabbed me the others tackled the dog. I am lucky to not have scars from that bit of fun.

I would like to point out that these family friends were "good ole boys" who knew how to treat animals and despised people that abused them. Their pit bull was well cared for and treated well.

More recently the mother of one of my best friends was gifted with three of the darned things (pit bulls) when her daughter and boyfriend went on a trip. Now the boyfriend who had gotten the dogs originally was a real piece of work and I don't doubt he mistreated his animals. The dogs tried to mistreat me. For some reason they went after my face too and I was able to deal the with the two young aggressive ones with knee and elbow strikes while I kept my eyes on the older more experienced female that kept trying to circle behind me. If she had attacked along with the other two I would have been totally overwhelmed even with my CCW. Fortunately for me the rest of the family was able to get them away from me and I got out the door with my skin intact.

Didn't bleed that time by the grace of God and the hard work my sensei has put into hammering martial arts into my head.

I later found out that the dogs had attacked my friend several times. His advice to get a pit bull to release it's grip is to hit it in the testicles with a golf club as hard as you possibly can.

After these incidents I don't trust the breed at all and would have no problem killing one that got aggressive with me. I also no longer go to my friends house. (He has formed a truce with the dogs now, mainly due to his impromptu driving practice sessions.)

 

[Rebel Gunman HK]

Pit bulls get a real harsh rap from the media and other naive bone heads. Most dogs are a reflection of their owners. I know you all know that. Now this is what i want to explain... The dog was stuck, or tangled to something in someway. Right. Ever cross your minds that it might be frustrated or in pain? Probably. Add into it the fact that you have a kid pulling on its collar, possibly causeing it more pain or frustration. Dogs aren't psychic. They dont always know are intentions are good. So give the dog a break. I know that my aggression goes up if im frustrated, or in pain. Kids should be supervised with any dog that they are close to eye level with. I say shame on the parents. Also, the father did go get his rifle after his daughter was safely removed from the dog right? Seems kinda stupid if he were to run all the way inside, find the rifle, maybe load it and a min later come out and cap the dog. I think the shooting was probably out of anger, after the bite had occured? Just wondering how to interpret it. I wish the dog could have expressed his side of the story is all. Instead of getting shot and labeled "an agreesive pit bull mean doggy".

 

[Penforhire]

I'm with the crowd that says there's nothing inherently wrong with Pit Bulls as a breed (and equates them with our "black guns"). And you should be aware that "Pit Bull" is a family of breeds. You're probably thinking of the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. There's a closely related breed, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, that came to be nicknamed the "nanny dog" in the UK for its fine temperment along with guard dog abilities. Did you know the "Victrola" dog is a pit bull?

I suppose you could make an intelligent argument that they belong to a relatively small class of animals with proven potential to be lethal to adults. And it may be argued that nobody should own such an animal (along with German Shepards, Dobies, Ridgebacks, ...).

As long as we're in the anecdotal mode, I have much greater personal history of more German Shepards going nuts than any other breed. and I have never known a Pit Bull to go nuts.

 

[TallPine]

I later found out that the dogs had attacked my friend several times. His advice to get a pit bull to release it's grip is to hit it in the testicles with a golf club as hard as you possibly can.

But how would you carry it concealed .....

 

[Shalako]

One of my dogs is a pit mix. Half pit - half....Great Pyrenees. He is a BIG damn dog. But he is also the biggest ball of fluff you ever did see. Every kid that sees him wants to hug him and he'd just love that, but really.....kids scare me. I'm always afraid some kid is going to pull his ears or choke him or some dumb thing. He thinks he is still a lap dog and always just flops over when another dog comes along with that alpha dog posturing BS. It is almost impossible to get him to defend himself, but the one or two times he's snapped out of it (passiveness), holy crap. Complete Jekyl and Hyde transformation. I have the utmost confidence he would defend me or my family if there was some sort of danger. I just wish I knew more people like that.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think it's about 95% how you raise the dog, and another 5% is pure instinct.

 

[St. Gunner]

Real mean and horrible.

Look for a thread here about .357's and one shot stops, all the bases have been covered, if you still hate pitbulls, you either can't read, don't comprehend to well, or just simply are trying to do it, For the Children...

I was just out playing with my heeler with a leather wrap, she was grabbing it and biting and raising hell, Bandit knocked her down and held her, because he thought she was being to rough. If anything messes with my daughter(another dog) he is on it. He was out earlier chasing rabbits out of the yard, cause he doesn't want anything in the yard with his kid. He's not full blooded, but close enough it really doesn't matter.

I know a few years ago the national leader for dog bites was Australian Cattle Dogs(Blue Heelers). Thing with them is they prefer to bite in the face, most dogs grab whatever is closest.

My uncle who is a vet said PB are his favorite dog to work on, never had one try to bite him in 20yrs in practice. The dog he hates worst for biting, dalmation.

Bandit...

 

[St. Gunner]

Oh and just for the record, when you get bit and the bite is reported, you are sitting in the ER getting stitched up they ask, "Do you know where the dog is?" If you answer "NO" the next question is, "Do you know what breed it is?" You can go ahead and toss the Chow/cross, Lab/Cross, and Mixed breed bites in as "Pitbull Attacks" cause the media does. I have watched several news broadcast where they say something about a Pitbull attack and the dog getting carted away is some sort of Lab/Chow cross or Rott/Lab cross(they do look alot like a PB).

I had a lab for many years that would bite anyone who came in the yard if you where not invited in, I had the yard posted. She was fine with kids, but not adults. She is solely responsible for my parents property tax hike, she bit the tax man, idiot couldn't read I guess.

Don't buy into the media frenzy folks.

Another popular cross here to hunt hogs with that is a pure demon dog is a pit/heeler cross. Heeler are descended from Australian Dingos and they are normally aggresive anyway, cross that with a dog with the power of a PB and give it the heeler attitude and you will have severe bites.

 

[jacketch]

As I recall one of the top 'biting' dogs is the Cocker Spaniel.

"Pit bull - the other white meat"

 

[RepublicanMan]

From what I've heard with regards to Pits.....one issue faced by them is inbreeding. Apparently the gene pool in this country is rather small for this breed. Not sure how true it is however.

 

[Byron Quick]

All of the pit bulls I've been around have been nice family pets. But, you need to consider the history of the breed. For a couple of centuries, the only pit bulls that were allowed to breed were the ones who survived the fighting pit. That dog might be a nice, sweet tempered pet but if it does decide to bite it will not be a warning.

I've bred both Rottweiler and Dobermans over a period of about ten years.

Been around a lot of dogs. The breeds I'm most wary of initiating totally unprovoked attacks? Chows, Lab mixes, and German Shepherds...in that order. Don't know what it is about Lab mixes but it seems that many are prone to unprovoked biting no matter what the other half happens to be.
Chows and German Shepherds are perennial leaders in the biting breed order.

I've also met a St. Bernard that put the movie Cujo to shame. That dog was terrifying. Saw it chase a pickup...and catch it. Bent the fender badly at the top of the wheel well.

I don't have a problem with a dog being agressive and protective. But some folks have dogs that are psychotic and do not realize what they have. These dogs should be put down.

 

[Byron Quick]

inbreeding? Not really. Or not more than other breeds. Check out the pedigrees of the majority of registered animals of any species. You'll see the same names in several generations repeatedly. Standard breeding practice with animals. As long as you do not get a popular stud with a genetic disorder, there's not a problem. Inbreeding does not cause problems, it will only perpetuate problems if problems are already present.

 

[BamBam]

I have also heard that German Shepards and Cocker Spaniels are prone to attack (I have first-hand experience with the later).

One thing about the Pit Bull is that it's jaws are so strong that attacks often lead to death of the victim.

Pit Bulls, in my opinion, are like the old VW Beetles: You may have one that is great and love it to death but someone, somewhere has one that burst into flames this morning.

Pontiacs and Labradors may ignite from time to time, but not regularly.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I've heard it all before from the pit bull owners. "Oh, that's crap, it all depends on how it's raised," is the most common. Well, a friend of mine has a grand champion pit, and believe me, he knows how to raise them. So far, his has bitten 2 people. He's worried.

With pits and Rotts, the jaw pressure is simply too strong to take chances. If one ever approaches me without a leash, it's dead.

 

[sig970]

When I was 3 I was attacked by my grandmothers mix of a dog. Almost 100 stitches to my face and top of my head. The last thing the dog saw was the working end of a 20g shotgun.

I'm still a dog lover. The forehead scars have been a conversation piece over the years.

I would not hesitate to drop any dog that came after my kids to save them from what I went through

 

[Camel]

I have to say that in my opinion the argument is dumb. Ive met the nicest pitbulls and some sriously vicious little toys. Ive even know a mean Lab. Dogs are each different and each a product of their environment. Some turn out to be mean or nice regardless of how they are raised. Like people, some dogs are sweet and some are just jerks.

 

[t driver]

In my area we hear more about Rottweiler attacks. What you hear most is probably based on region. With any large breed dog, for sure, the media will make it seem as bad as they can. I guess they (media) think we should all have Schnauzers or Daschounds.

I also believe that how a dog is raised and treated directly transfers to how it acts. There are always exceptions.
I currently have a Doberman and a Chow/Husky mix.

This is my second Dobe and she is not the caliber dog my last one was. She has a very short attention span, and reacts abruptly, not agressively, to many things.There may be a genic flaw or it might be the fact that when I got her, she was 8 months old and had been mistreated, and malnourished and had terrible muscle development. She is a good dog and very needy (characteristic of the breed from what I have read) and responsive to attention and approval. I trust her, but not around kids and strangers. She is overly protective and doesn't have the grace my last one did.

My last Dobe, also needful of attention, was an excellent dog. Listened without hesitation, every time. She not only responded to spoken commands but equally well to hand signals. She never minded kids pulling her collar or ears and was not at all protective of her food. She made her presence known to adults she didn't know and was on alert unless I was welcoming to the person. She could just tell by how I acted.

My Chow/Husky.She was 2 when I inherited her from my sister when she got out of college and couldn't keep her any more. She is now 14 years old and starting to show her age.She is by far the most graceful and coordinated dog I have ever seen. She moves like a dancer. She doesn't play with kids like she used to. When she doesn't want attention she just walks away. Very friendly and loyal dog. She is also low mantenience. Doesn't always crave attention, just wants to see what is going on. With her I just keep jer food dish full, she eats when she wants. She listens, but it is "when she gets around to it". She will let anyone to come up on my porch, she just won't let strangers leave until I tell her to. She responds well to my neighbors. They think of her highly and if there are dogs barking in the neighborhood they listen for her voice to see if there is a legitamate issue.

With all of these dogs, I was told they are dangerous and shouldn't be trusted by various people. They have all turned out well.
Family members have had 2 German Shepherds, a St. Bernard, a Beagle mix, 2 Great Danes, and a Miniture Pincher. That little mini was the meanest of the lot.
A friend had a great Pit. She listened well and was playful. She was a great companion for him. Her only glitch, She loved to chew up 4X4 lumber.

Sorry if I got off the topic, just my little story.

 

[Matt G]

You cannot equate a pit bull or any other breed to a black rifle or another weapon.

An AR-15 or another form of "Assault Rifle" [sic] is a tool that simply cannot act on its own. Load it, chamber it, take it off safe, set it down, and it will rust and fall apart before it goes off on its own. It simply does not have the capacity to do harm of its own accord; it MUST be operated by a malicious or careless person to do harm.

Pit bulls and some other breeds of animals, on the other hand, can simply "go off." Sometimes the reasons are fairly obvious (kid poking at it or surprising it, other animal goes by that it feels threatens its territory, or animal was trained to fight and/or was tortured), but sometimes, no one knows why. I've personally seen pit mixes charge a 6'5", 250 lb man [me] who was carrying a large steel baton, simply for walking across a street. I've no clue why. Similarly, I've still never settled in my mind why they stopped just short of me because I drew my pistol.

I've seen an old man that was attacked by pit mixes while checking his mail at his own mail box. I've seen a woman with her arm partially removed by a pit/shepard mix that had attacked her in her own yard as she tried to take in the groceries. After several surgeries, she has retained some of the use of her arm again.

I've met fellow officers that have come to animal bite calls, very dubious about the victim's claim that the neighbor's pit bull had jumped the fence to attack them, only to have that same dog attempt to attack them.

If you want to keep them, well, so be it. Put up a nice high fence with double gates, and keep them in your yard. But don't be surprised when I or anyone else sees fit to kill any pit bull that we feel is threatening to our families. In my case, I'm feeling my family (including 1 and 4 year old daughters) is threatened by any unleashed pit bull that is outside of a fence in my daughters' proximity.