Pit Bulls......

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Does anyone know a lot about Pit bulls? I don't. And I'd LOVE to learn more about them. All I know, is they get blamed for a lot of things, and people think badly about the breed. And I know that's not right! Do you think it's right?

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***Sadie May and LabLover*** *Labs Rule*

[Stenograsaurus]

This sounds like a topic for Kay Ann. I know she loves talking about this. I'll leave this one for her.

[ShepherdLover]

I've had a 3 day experience with "Pit Bulls." Actually, it was a AmStaff/Boxer mix but he looked alot like a AmStaff. We took him to a No-Kill shelter. We didn't adopt him becuase at the time we just got Iris and we weren't ready for a 3rd dog.

He was one of the sweetest dog I knew. There is someone who goes to our dog training club and she has this puppy (well I guess it's probably not a puppy anymore) and a full grown dog and they were so fun to play with.

If they're not in someone's hands that wants to make them aggressive, they are really good dogs! Alot of dogs are getting banned because they're with stupid people that want to make them aggressive.

My conclusion, you can make any breed as aggressive as you can make a "Pit Bull." If they're in the right hands, they're GREAT dogs!

[Corinna]

Kay ann would really love to talk about it, but she's on vacation maybe she'll check back when she gets home.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Oh, yeah! I totally forgot KayAnn was on vacation! Whoops! Thanks!

[yorkster]

Pit Bulls are great dogs! They get a bad rap because certain breeds like P. Bulls, Rotts, etc. will sometimes appeal to people who want a tough, "macho" type of dog, and they do what they can to make them mean. ANY dog can be mean if it is trained to do so. It's true that some breeds have more of a tendancy to aggressive behavior, so it is something to think about. A really good friend of mine used to have a Pitt Bull, which he got as a puppy before they were getting all the bad press. She (Roxy) was the friendliest, most gentle dog I have known. The kids in the area used to climb all over her, and she just loved it. I remember giving her medicine by prying her mouth open and stuffing the pill WAY back there and holding her mouth shut. She did not like it, but would give me a big kiss after she swallowed it. He used to take her to BBQ's & parties with him, and when he walked in people would say "where's Roxy? We want to see Roxy!" She also liked to dive under water. You could throw a rock off the dock, and she would dive down several feet and find that EXACT rock!! It was amazing. She was one of the best dogs by far that I have ever known. I really believe it is all in how you treat them and train them. I should add too that it is very important to go to a good breeder that is careful about bloodlines, etc. Any dog can be ruined if a breeder is only in it for the money. Also the more a dog is socialized with people and other animals, the better it is.

[cockerlover25]

I love pit bulls, even though they have a bad reputation. My bro has one and she is the most gentlest thing in the world, even though she is only 1. When she has to she is quiet and calm. She doesn't even have a choke collar! I am definatly gonna have two or three when I get older. But not from the pound so I know that they were never mistreated.

[*SimButtTwo4U*]

The Pit Bull is an strong and detirmined dog. They were origanally bred to fight but now are calm unless they are provoked. They can become a good pet with proper care, training and socialization. Thay are a cousin to the American Staffordshire Terrier.
I myself think Pit Bulls are great animals because they are cute, dont shed alot and arn't to big. They are great watch dogs and are very dominate. They have a horrible reputation. That is because STUPID people train them to fight and to be mean, and dont take care of them responsivly and they turn out to be mean. And the media likes to make a big case out of it when i Pit Bull attacks someone. But when I heards about a lab that bit a little boy i only heard the story once.. and i found out the dog never got put down but the Pit Bulls allways do! ERRRRRRRR everytime i get into a subject about Pit Bulls i get mad It just makes me so angry that people could treat such a beautiful, muscular, magnificent creature like its doo doo on the bottom of someone's shoe.

And my conclusion is, If you give the Pit Bull the kind love and respect it deserves you will be treated with the same love in return.
It's not the dog, its the cruel people. I wish there were more Pit Bull lovers out there that see it my way and not the media's way. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


now heres sopme stuff i got off of a website about their orgin-

Developed from the Bull and Terrier types of yesteryear, the American Pit Bull
Terrier comes from an indisputable history of pit-fighting. The breed's tenacity and
accompanying strength are unmatched in the canine world. As rich and captivating
as the breed's history is, the Pit Bull's future is more worthy of commentary. Some
proponents of the breed argue that this breed is the original bulldog of the past. Old
prints and woodcarvings show reason to believe this. They show dogs that look
exactly like the breed today, doing things the dog is still capable of doing. For more
information on this theory you can read books by Richard F Stratton. The APBT, as
registered by the UKC, is an individual breed of dog and does not refer to just any
ill-bred, mindless warrior-type mongrel. At one time, the Pit Bull was a much loved,
trustworthy companion. People who chose to train these dogs to fight are chiefly
responsible for the banning and witch-hunting that has been sweeping the U.S. The
media, however, should not go unmentioned, for it is also responsible for escalating
isolated incidences in a relentless and attention-getting way. In a lot of cases when
the media is reporting about a Pit Bull attacking, it is indeed not even a Pit Bull at
all, but a mixed breed of some sort, or another bull breed all together. In fact, one
time there was a report on KYW news in Philadelphia about two Pit Bulls attacking
a person. I called the news station and asked if they knew the dogs were in fact a
pure bred American Pit Bull Terriers, or another bull breed of some sort, or a mutt
for that matter. They told me they did not know, I would have to call the police
station to verify that information. I asked them how they could report something
that they were not sure of. They had no answer for me and they were not sure of the
dog's breed. Even after admitting that to me on the phone, they kept calling it a Pit
Bull. The Pit Bull's future has been perhaps irreparably undone and everyone is to
blame except the dog itself. This very loyal dog is too set on pleasing his owner, and
ironically this is the root of his own undoing. Accompanying this need to please are
remarkable abilities of all kinds. Jack Dempsy, Teddy Roosevelt and Jack Johnson
are just a few people who have owned Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls excel in practically every
canine task including herding, guarding, hunting, policing, cart pulling and ratting. A
Pit Bull, named Banddog Dread, holds more canine working titles than ANY other
breed. The owner's name is Diane Jessup and you can reference her book, "The
Working Pit Bull." It tells you all of Dread's accomplishments. These dogs are truly
capable of many tasks.

I put the sentences in bold i wanted to make sure EVERYONE reads.

I want to have everyone go to http://www.adoptapet.org/pit_bulls.htm
Its a great story and i smiled as i read it. i just want to take a peice from that story to make sure u all see it...

it said:
Two of the worst bite cases reported last year in Stamford, for example, involved golden retrievers, she said.

Please everyone read all of this and maybey even pass it on to people who are afraid of Pit Bulls. Maybey this can change their mind.

[ July 11, 2001: Message edited by: *SimButtTwo4U* ]

[shipugtzus]

Hi and I loved and had a pitbull for 16 years.Her name was Duchess and the best dog,friend and guardian I ever had.She is at the bridge now,but I will never forget her.I do feel strongly that it is all in how they are raised and treated.They require a firm hand,but are very devoted and protective when need be.Duchess would never have thought of biting anyone unless (with good reason)she thought I or my kids might be in danger,then would only do so if given the ok from me.She was very gentle and loving with everyone she met.Pitbulls get a bad wrap and it really makes me mad,cause it is not fair to the breed.The bad wrap should be placed on the mean natured humans who raised them that way.One reason they have a bad name to is if they do attack they will usually go for the throat and won't let go.Their intention is to kill,however they are not in the nature of just attcking for the fun or love of it,that is not true.The ones who do that are raised that way by humans,not by nature...Good Luck Let us know what you decide.....Sandy

[*SimButtTwo4U*]

Sandy Lawson-
Thats very weird! Pit Bulls normally only live to around 12 years!

[TheAntiPam]

My only experience with an actual Pit Bull was very enjoyable and positive. My friend rescued an adult male, and treated the dog, Max, with love and respect. I never worried about visiting them or playing with Max.

The only problem I noticed was when I came home from visiting, I had strange bruises on my legs just below my knees. I tried and tried to figure out what I'd run into. A coffee table perhaps, or the edge of some chair??

Eventually I solved the mystery. Max's tail was not docked, so it was long and thin and very enthusiastic. When I'd visit, he'd be so glad to see me, he'd crowd around my legs, weaving in and out. His tail would whip against my legs enough to bruise me. It never really hurt, but not exactly the way I wanted to be loved!

Max went deaf in his old age, but even then was never a problem. He's waiting at the Rainbow Bridge now, where he'll greet his friends with a wag of that special tail!

[karen israel]

As I've mentioned before, my neighbor 2 doors down as a black male who is fantastic, handsome, well behaved, yet protective. He whines when he sees me, practicaly sits on me for rubs and hugs and kisses and flips on his back for a belly rub. Of course people are petrified when they see him, however small but muscular in body, his head is broad and huge and he is very powerful. All he wants to do is give kisses. Too bad they have a bad rap. They're awesome and wonderful in the proper "hands".