Pit Bulls

http://www.wikd.org/pitbull/pitflash.swf

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Originally Posted by Entropy

Actually pit bulls were bred for bull baiting, after bull baiting was banned they switched to ratting, in which the dogs were put in a pit with rats and the greater number they killed in a certain time limit the better the score. It wasn't until the late 1800's that they started fighting the dogs with each other.

So no, they were not originally bred to fight.

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They weren't bred to fight, silly, they were bred to kill things...

Yes, that's right. I'll remind Ty of that next time he's getting his hiney handed to him by a cat 1/4 his weight. You can see the shifty look of the vicious killer right here. :rolleyes: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/IMG_0341.jpg

There is very little comparison between the domestic pitbulls you see today and the animals that were bred 200 years ago for bullbaiting.

The national canine temperment testing association tested 122 breeds. Pitbulls ranked 4th with a 95% passing rate.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Entropy

Yes, that's right. I'll remind Ty of that next time he's getting his hiney handed to him by a cat 1/4 his weight. You can see the shifty look of the vicious killer right here. :rolleyes:

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Hey, you said it, not me. They were bred to bite bulls, but when that was outlawed they used them to kill rats for sport. Then, and only then, were they used to fight other dogs.

Well if we talk about animals bred to kill. Rat Terriers, Scottish Terriers, Doxies were used to force badgers out of their dens (fearless dogs right there, better ban them), Irish Wolfhounds were bred to pull down deer as were Deerhounds. Most sighthounds in general were bred to kill or at least bring down a larger animal and thus are more fearless, determined and some even have a higher pain thresh hold.
But, back to killing.
Better start legislation on those evil Rat terriers.



And if we're doing videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOUwYIzhkdk

Would you please point me to exactly which post in this thread stated that Pits should be banned or legislation should be enacted against Pits or Pit owners?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Entropy

Well if we talk about animals bred to kill. Rat Terriers, Scottish Terriers, Doxies were used to force badgers out of their dens (fearless dogs right there, better ban them), Irish Wolfhounds were bred to pull down deer as were Deerhounds. Most sighthounds in general were bred to kill or at least bring down a larger animal and thus are more fearless, determined and some even have a higher pain thresh hold.
But, back to killing.
Better start legislation on those evil Rat terriers.

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No post, just many areas in general. I should have made it clear that talk of banning or legislation was mainly in reguards to the recent implimentation of BSL. Not towards anyone on the board.

And for whoever said Pit/Boxer mix dogs are awesome, I agree.
This is Rayne, she's at home with my parents but I miss her.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...neSlouch-1.jpg
Her and Spice, Spice is TOP DOG and is not above trying to take a chunk out of Raynie until my big girl holds her down with a paw.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...CF1108edit.jpg
Being abused with ace bandages, what happens when mom is bored.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/DSCF1101.jpg
Wanting to play
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ynePlaying.jpg
Looking lady like
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...21284522lg.jpg

I really don't understand why people have to go on and on and on debating the 'genetic' reasons behind the pits aggressive nature. I have been attacked by two dogs and almost attacked by another. Thier breeds, in order of the most harm done, Rottwieler (abused past), rat terrier (family pet), and german shepard (family pet).

Yes, pitbulls are more likely to cause more harm but this is mostly due to thier strength and will. Therefore, people who are not commited to giving them the attention, correction, and training they need as young puppies and throughout thier lives, should not own one. If we are going to use snake/dog comparisons, then here you go. It is not wise for someone who has no knowledge of a snake's needs to care for a snake. If they aggitate the snake, provide unsuitable living conditions, stick their hand in the cage after handling a mouse, ect, chances are, they are going to get bit. Same goes for ANY dog. If you don't provide proper training for a pit, don't socialize it properly, ect, chances are, you are going to have a 'bad' pit on your hands.

And as for all of those pit attacks you hear so much about. Pits get more press because of thier history in the fighting rings and because they simply look mean. If you tell someone, "Oh my poodle bit me.", not many people are going to want to listen because in our mindset, a poodle is thought of as a prissy lapdog. If thugs were using poodles in fighting rings, that news reporter would be more likely to listen to you. Pits just look mean because of thier square heads and large build. And unless I know the circumstances behind every single one of those attacks, I really can't consider them usefull. How do you know if those attacks were due to owner neglect (not fencing properly or not training thier dog properly) or abuse (fighting dog gets loose.)? I am more terrified of a small little Rat terrier then I am of pits.

Oh and that rottie that bit me. He bit me because he was abused as a puppy. He had been sleeping on the couch and the lights were out, making the room dark. I could tell that he was dreaming, and since I normally told him goodbye before going off to school each morning, I thought it would be ok to pet him. I reached down and touched his stomach. It scared the bejeezes out of him and his first instict was to bite since he could not see me well and thought I was a threat. After the bite, which was not very serious( It was only 1/2 inch deep and took 3 stiches total ), Broc tried to come into the kitchen where I was sitting waiting for the ambulence (my mom was scared he had gotten an artery or vein) with big puppy eyes. The look on his face clearly said "I'm so sorry." He whined and whimpered and tried to come to me. We had had him for 6 years and all he had ever done was lick us to death or sit on us in play. He knew what he had done and he knew it was wrong. I cried and cried for hours after getting to the hospital. And I can truely say it was not because of pain or fear. I cried because my mom said Broc had to be put down. I cried and cried and pleaded with her not to put him down. Thankfully, we found Broc a home with a woman that specializes in animal behavior and she could properly deal with Broc's abusive past. (Oh and not to mention, this dog had not been neutered, due to my mom and stepfather not really caring to do so. He was neutered immediatly after the 'attack'.) Broc now lives a happy life with this woman and has never bitten another person.

This attack has not altered my view of rotties at all. I know that Broc was a select case because he was abused and I had frightened him. Any person's natural instict is to protect yourself. One morning, I had been having a nightmare and when my grandmother woke me up I didn't know it was her, and swung. She had a bruise near her eye for days. Was a vicious killer, no. I had been frightened.

To this day, I wish I could have another rottie. They are such lovable teddybears. I've already told my fiance that I want big dogs when we have a house. My fiance wants a doberman and I want an australian cattle dog and possibly another large dog. No little dogs for me.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

That's all I've neen saying. The same can be said about any mammal that is predisposed to be aggressive or dangerous. People work with Lions, tigers and bears (oh my) all the time and say what amazing animals a well trained animal can be. But they, like pit bulls need extra special care and discipline, and even that doesn't guaranty that their natural instincts will never show. Ask Sigfried and Roy. I personally want a wolf/husky hybrid and maybe even a bobcat/bengal/house cat hybrid when I have a house in a rural area with a huge fenced in yard and a large outdoor cat enclosure. I will probably have a pit bull or two as well. I will give them a ton of attention, training and discipline to reduce their needs to rely on their aggressive instincts. I will assure people that mine are friendly and safe when or if they are. Does this mean that these are to be considered safe and friendly in general? If they never become fully tame or docile enough for me not to trust them around other people, does that mean I abuse or neglect them, or that I teach them to be mean? No, it means they are genetically predisposed to be aggressive hunters. Even if a million people owned these as pets, and all of them did a good job at training them, that doesn't change what they are. Just like the pitbull owners who do a good job raising theirs to be cuddly pets doesn't change the genetically instilled disposition of this aggressive, dominating breed of dog. And whether the statistics are acurate or not, I'm suprised that there are people on this site who deny this aggressive predisposition, when they know what pits were, and are, bred for, as well as the outcome of line breeding for specific traits in animals and humans.

P.S. I don't want to hear how my analogy isn't relavant. I think my retic one was better, but since snakes "aren't sophisticated mammals", this is the best I can do.

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They are just dogs, dude... underneath all that muscle and power, they're just dogs! They're not born killers, they're accomplished killers when made to be either through abuse or neglect...