Some thoughts on mans best friend.

[Fremmer]

+1 mike, people can keep them outdoors just fine.

 

[Big_John1961]

Yup TAKtical...The mean bad nasty Pit Bull. When you come to my house to visit, bring a towel. Samantha (an American Red Nose Pit Bull Terrier) will lick you to death. Her tail is the most dangerous part of her. She loves babies, kids or anyone on two legs. BUT don't try to enter my home uninvited. Samantha takes a dim view of that. Then there's my American Eskimo Dog. He sets off the alarm

The most maligned of all dog breeds and for no good reason. Most of the BS floating around out there about pits is just that; BS. Misinformation abounds, largely perpetuated by an ignorant and irresponsible media. They're great dogs, great around people, especially kids, and loyal to a fault. Pit bulls are a joy to be around.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

I have a couple large indoor pooches, both pound rescues as pups. One is a male Saint Bernard mix and one a female German Shepherd. Neither are there to defend me or mine, they are there to raise hell so I can defend myself. They're good at that.. and eating.. and pooping.

 

[JustinJ]

There was one individual in the area that had a German Shepard/Wolf mix turn on them and this was a dog that was supposedly professionally trained.

Professionally to do what? I can't imagine a real professional would train a wolf hybrid in anything beyond basic obedience.

 

[Theohazard]

I can't imagine a real professional would train a wolf hybrid in anything beyond basic obedience.

I agree. Wolves aren't dogs. They lack the ability to socialize with humans the way dogs do. Wolves' brains are more advanced in terms of hunting and complex social pack dynamics, but dogs' brains are far more advanced in terms of social interactions with humans (in fact, studies have shown that dogs are more advanced at dealing with humans than even chimpanzees are). So it seems crazy to me to treat a wolf like it was a dog, even a 50/50 hybrid.

 

[tmr612]

Great thread!

I understand that not every pit bull is a problem. Sure was for this poor boy though in AZ though. He was recently attacked by his neighbors dog, so he wasn't a stranger. I wouldn't take a chance with this breed. No offense intended to pit bull owners. What a tragedy!

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/24791370/2014/02/21/dog-attack-pit-bull-mauls-4-year-old-boy

 

[Theohazard]

I wouldn't take a chance with this breed.

I would find your post amusing if it wasn't so sad. I assume that you don't agree with how people demonize specific guns instead of the people who misuse them. But by maligning pit bulls, you're using the exact same twisted logic that anti-gun folks use.

Pit bulls make wonderful pets. They're sweet, loving dogs who are great with children. My brother has a 75 lb. pit bull who is fantastic with his two-year-old. And I have a 70 lb. pit bull mix who is so sweet to my 3-month-old daughter. The only issue is sometimes he licks her too much.

But, like any other dog, pit bulls can be vicious if abused or neglected. They were originally bred for animal aggression, so with a bad upbringing they can be more dangerous than some other dogs. But the main reason they get such a bad name is because they're so popular with criminal types. Pit bulls are often used as status symbols because of their intimidating appearance. These dogs are basically fashion statements and are intentionally raised to be aggressive, and as a result you end up with dangerous, aggressive pit bulls. But it's because of the owner, not the breed.

The AR-15 is often the weapon of choice for mass shooters. And, in the wrong hands, it can be a little bit more deadly than some other types of firearms. But that's no reason to be against AR-15s.

Along the same lines, the pit bull is the dog of choice for people who abuse dogs into being mean and aggressive. And, if abused or intentionally raised to be aggressive, a pit bull can be a more dangerous than some other dogs. But that's no reason to avoid the breed as a whole; if they're raised properly they make wonderful pets.

Most pit bulls are great with kids. I suspect that when my daughter gets a little older I'll have a lot of pictures just like this one:

 

[utbrowningman]

This is my two-year old Mini-Aussie who came into our house last August, after having to put down my last dog of 13 years. She is a great watch dog and very weary of strangers, especially adults, and very protective of my boys. Most kids she gets along with great. It took her 5 days of my parents staying at my house over Christmas for her to get used to them. However, the day we brought her home (she was at least a year old) she instantly bonded with my entire family. She will even bark at me (her favorite) when she does not recognize me coming into the house. This is her spot to watch for my boys coming home from school and in this picture, she had just been picked up from the vet after being spayed.

 

[Fred Fuller]

When we start sounding like the old Ken L Ration commercial*, we've probably gotten all we're going to get out of a thread on dogs. Thanks for the contributions ...


*OK, since I'm telling my age again for all you young whippersnappers... see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E9H_DvwOVc

Yeah, it's black and white. That's what TV used to look like, in the days before color when we had to rub two sticks together to get electricity to run the set .