Originally Posted by Gio
You said;
" By the way pit bulls are typically more difficult to protection train due to the fact that in their creation dogs that bit their handlers or others were culled or never used for breeding."
The implication of "in their creation dogs that bit were culled or never used for breeding" is "ALL". That is simply what I am correcting. Dogmen didn't select against biting. They selected for the best fighters. The best fighters were the ones that focused on the job at hand and didn't redirect to handlers while in the pit. That is very very different then breeders selecting specifically for docility.
Have you titled a dog in French Ring, Mondio Ring, PSA or anything protection relate? Have you worked with dogs in law enforcement?
Yes. I have. IPO. See post #4 of this thread. Working dogs is also part of my livelihood - scent detection in the private sector.
I never said any old bloke should own one. I did however say legislation was ineffective and really a violation of rights.
Which I agree with. I am against BSL. Which I have previously stated.
Your first post on this said you wished you hand't supported the breed, at least that's what I got from it.
Um no. You must have me confused with someone else. My first post on this thread was commiserating because my boyfriend was afraid of getting bit by my 300g ball but has no issues with the idea of getting bit by our shepherds. He's even stated he'd rather work the dogs without a suit then handle my snappy 300g snake. My second post was disagreeing with someone who brought up labs and weight, saying I'd rather deal with an 80 lb constrictor than an 80 lb fila. The rest of my posts were simply an conversation disagreeing with you about pit bull breed history.
I have repeatedly emphasized my love for the breed. I lived with several. Over the last 20 ish years - 4 of my personal dogs were pits or pit mixes. My heart dog was a little brindle boy who's ashes are 2 feet away from me with a picture of his goofy smiling face as we speak. I fostered 19. Of those fosters I put CGCs on 17 of them. To make them more adoptable. Because they were pits. Some of them had baggage. 2 were emaciated by the time they got to me. I cooked for them daily. A few were heartworm positive. I climbed into their crates with them since they needed to be exercise restricted but I didn't want them to be lonely, sat cramped up for a few hours every day reading with a pit on my lap. One was doused in gasoline and set on fire. I changed his bandages daily. Another was kept in such a small crate and was so malnourished while growing, she had had musco-skeletal disorders the dog version of rickets. I carried her in my arms every day until she was strong enough for physical therapy. I have even been a volunteer and helped to organize weight pull contests in inner cities as an alternative to dog fighting. Throwing out my back tossing bags of kibble or cinder blocks around.
The only reason I do not have a pit now is the youngest shepherd (who just received is BH this month and will be going for his IPO I in march) is a jerk with other dogs and I don't have the energy for the rotating crate game or micro managing interactions anymore so I won't be taking on a dog aggressive breed until this guy's senior years or until he's crossed the bridge. Maybe by that time I might switch to mini bull terriers instead of an APBT. Very similar personalities but I'll be an old git by then and might want a smaller dog.
I have never said and never will say "I wish I hadn't supported pit bulls."
I have a wonderful pit rescue that my kids are in love with. I never strayed from responsible ownership.
Pits can be great family dogs - when paired with a dog savvy owner who understands and accepts their genetics. Sadly the vast majority of pit owners do not and that is why the breed that I love ends up topping the statistic charts in terms of fatalities. Too many pit bull advocates try to dismiss the claims of those statistics and that is not helpful to preservation of the breed
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