Pit Bulls

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Originally Posted by darkangel

Pit bulls do not have a low pain threshold. That is a myth.
http://www.realpitbull.com/myths.html

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Sorry, I meant to say "high pain threshold"... and that's not a myth. They were bred to tolerate pain in order to complete their tasks.


Here's a quote from your link...

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Historically, those dogs that would tolerate or ignore discomfort and pain and finish the task they were required to perform were the dogs that were bred and the sort of dogs breeders strove to produce.

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Jess, A rat terrier or a toy breed can't rip a grown man or his pet retriever to shreds.

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

I've worked with dogs professionally for years in situations that are very stressful and can bring out the worst in them. I can count on one hand the number of agressive pits I've met. They are almost entirely sweet, goofy, loving dogs.

I cannot say the same for most German Shepherds, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and the vast majority of toy breeds.
To date, I have been bitten by an Australian Cattle Dog, a Rat Terrier, a Cocker Spaniel, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Dachshund, and two Boston Terriers.

The problem is that the people who want to own a vicious dog reach for pitbulls 99% of the time. You can make any dog vicious if you try hard enough.

There are a couple of problems with statistics surrounding pitbull attacks.

1. Misidentification. People who are more familiar with the myth than with the breed will ID a dog as a pit bull based on agression, not physical characteristics. Lab mixes, Shepherd mixes, Boxer mixes, and Chow mixes are all frequently listed as pitbulls subsequent to an attack.

2. Reporting trends. Very few people submit a police report when Granny Bluehair's Chihuahua bites your ankle. I have however seen big friendly dogs taken away and euthanized for knocking a child over with an overenthusastic greeting. I strongly believe that if all dog bites were reported, pit bull rankings would plummit. Pit bulls when agressive can and do cause some horrific wounds, but that does not make all pit bulls killers.

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:rockon:

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Jess, A rat terrier or a toy breed can't rip a grown man or his pet retriever to shreds.

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Then don't own them. Instances of people getting attacked by a neighbor's dog is the neighbor's negligance, is it not?

And to the high pain threshold thing... There is a marked difference between having a high pain threshold and tolerating pain to complete a task, which is called gameness. To suggest a high pain threshold sounds like the dog is a science experiment with no nerve endings.

People can make all the same arguments about anacondas compared to, let's say ball python. Yes there are some docile ones out there, they aren't all bad or mean, but they will still both attack more often and do way more damage than a ball python period.

I would personally believe a snake is driven more by instinct than a dog. Instinct may play a role in both's decision-making, but a snake will never love you, have memory of you, and bond with you. It's apples and oranges.

I think responsible ownership is the key. There are many pit bull owners that purchase them because of their reputation and promote these kind of behaviors.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Jess, A rat terrier or a toy breed can't rip a grown man or his pet retriever to shreds.

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That doesn't mean they don't try...little dogs are more likely to attack. I see soooo many owners who have agressive small dogs not under control, and the dog is straining at the end of it's leash and lunging at a much larger dog. Many more fights are started by small dogs than their owners realized or will admit to themselves. Last week we sewed up a 3lb elderly orkie with no teeth and a bad heart who went into a pit's yard and attacked it! The funny thing is the yorkie was minimally injured...a few light punctures. I am convinced the pit was just warning it off, since the dog was so frail that a real bite would have crushed it.

The argument that pits are more agressive is 100% full of poo. It's just not based on fact, and anybody with experience will tell you the same.

Originally Posted by PythonWallace
Jess, A rat terrier or a toy breed can't rip a grown man or his pet retriever to shreds.

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Originally Posted by darkangel

Then don't own them. Instances of people getting attacked by a neighbor's dog is the neighbor's negligance, is it not?

I'm not sure what you're getting at. :confused:

And to the high pain threshold thing... There is a marked difference between having a high pain threshold and tolerating pain to complete a task, which is called gameness. To suggest a high pain threshold sounds like the dog is a science experiment with no nerve endings.

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Not an experiment. Are you denying that pitbulls were bred to be killers, and that is why they even exist today?

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Originally Posted by darkangel

There is a marked difference between having a high pain threshold and tolerating pain to complete a task, which is called gameness. To suggest a high pain threshold sounds like the dog is a science experiment with no nerve endings.

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I've always used and heard that expression to descrbe a tolerance to pain.

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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Pit bulls when agressive can and do cause some horrific wounds, but that does not make all pit bulls killers.

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I used to have a Bassett Hound that slept a lot when he got older. I would sometimes walk around the backyard without him waking up, and after I left he would sometimes get up and track my exact path around the yard. That's what he was bred to do, and he was following his instincts.

Pits were bred to fight and to have a high tolerance for pain. Sure, you can work with them and make them great and loyal pets, but they will always have those instincts and that should always be taken into account.

I am done here. I like pitbulls, and was playing devils advocate for a while, but you guys aren't being reasonable. I'll trust Lawrence to speak for me now.