Man Killed By Pit Bull While Trying To Help Dog’s Ill Owner

[TommyGunn]

a cross is 2 breeds. most crosses are easy enough to tell at least one parent, especially as the more common breeds are the most likely culprits, based on simple population.

a mix or a mutt is when crosses and mutts get mixed up. Then it gets tricky.

and, then, of course, you have the "pure bred" labradoodles and goldadoodles and idiotdoodles, which are even easier since the owners won't freeking shut up about it.

"Idiotdoodle" made me laugh.     
My mother had a black dog, sorta wiry black hair, purpley blue mottled tongue.  He was a great "watchdog" as he'd bark when people came by but he was NOT an attack dog.  He first showed up with a nasty open wound on his side; my mother took him to a vet who said he thought he'd been tossed out of a moving vehicle.
He was hardly an "idiotdoodle" but he was smart and the vet thought he had a little poodle in him.  She gave him a good home and a good life though, which was more than could be said for the ***** who owned him before she did.
But we never were able to figure out exactly what his heritage was.
Just that he was a great "mutt." 

[MechAg94]

"Idiotdoodle" made me laugh.     
My mother had a black dog, sorta wiry black hair, purpley blue mottled tongue.  He was a great "watchdog" as he'd bark when people came by but he was NOT an attack dog.  He first showed up with a nasty open wound on his side; my mother took him to a vet who said he thought he'd been tossed out of a moving vehicle.
He was hardly an "idiotdoodle" but he was smart and the vet thought he had a little poodle in him.  She gave him a good home and a good life though, which was more than could be said for the ***** who owned him before she did.
But we never were able to figure out exactly what his heritage was.
Just that he was a great "mutt." 

Did he eat any more little poodles after that?     

[BlueStarLizzard]

"Idiotdoodle" made me laugh.     
My mother had a black dog, sorta wiry black hair, purpley blue mottled tongue.  He was a great "watchdog" as he'd bark when people came by but he was NOT an attack dog.  He first showed up with a nasty open wound on his side; my mother took him to a vet who said he thought he'd been tossed out of a moving vehicle.
He was hardly an "idiotdoodle" but he was smart and the vet thought he had a little poodle in him.  She gave him a good home and a good life though, which was more than could be said for the ***** who owned him before she did.
But we never were able to figure out exactly what his heritage was.
Just that he was a great "mutt." 

I love standard poodles. They are really great dogs.
Temperament wise, the doodles are pretty mild and easy going, not as smart, but similar in temperament.

I've never met a sharp one. My real issue is the owners, who generally are the idiots. They spend oodles of money on puppy mill dogs and rave about how their dogs are " healthier" and better than other dogs, never mind that the breeders are using stock from the bottom of the barrel and the dogs are, if anything, less healthy that a purebred from a reputable breeder.
Plus, like I said, 9 times out of ten, nasty coat. It's hard to work with, and few of the owners understand combing out the dogs, which, because of the poodle in them, HAS to be done. Plus, thanks to the non poodle genes, they do shed and are not "hypoallergenic".

If you want a doodle for the supposed hypoallergenic benefits and no shedding, just get a standard poodle. Worried about image? Just remember, the Standard Poodle is a water bird dog originating in Germany. Das Puddlehund. So, not foofoo at all, really.

[MechAg94]

Standard poodles are also decent sized dogs if I remember the few I've seen.  A neighbor in college had a couple poodles.  They looked more like this:

My mother had a couple Keehonds when I was a kid that she took to dog shows for a couple years.  She was constantly brushing and combing them.  The fur will get matted badly if you don't.

[bedlamite]

idiotdoodles

ROFL

Saved for future use.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Standard poodles are also decent sized dogs if I remember the few I've seen.  A neighbor in college had a couple poodles.  They looked more like this:

My mother had a couple Keehonds when I was a kid that she took to dog shows for a couple years.  She was constantly brushing and combing them.  The fur will get matted badly if you don't.

I love it.

There are a few breeders left that still breed poodles for hunting.

Like I said, great dogs. And they are on the tall side. Not heavy dogs, but all legs. They are just really fun dogs. Active and very playful. The only reason I'd shy away from owning them is the grooming. Even with keeping it basic, like the dogs in this picture, it's either expensive or time consuming. Plus, I'd want mine to at least have a nice poodle top knot and ears, and I love a good hand scissored kennel clip, which I think looks snazzy.

eta: correction, apparently it's called a mouton cut, but clean feet, clean face, short body, hand scissored legs and long top knot and ears.

[roo_ster]

1. Yeah, not likely to do CPR on a person if their large dog is uncontained.

2. Especially if the large dog is a bully breed.  I like the bully breeds, even the old-school pits bred for hunting hogs and such, but they were bred to be no-bull (heh) killers and a rather large proportion of them are really good at it.  Seen it up close a few times.  They also enjoy it.

3. Standard poodles can be some terrific dogs.  Would have no qualms about having one and would keep the poodle in ( a very short and low maint) trim.

4. The bitty poodles are generally not worth a darn, not even as a small dog.  And as was stated, I never met a smart *-doodle dog either.  Some were sweet and loyal as a dog can be, but could be outwitted by a box of hammers.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Another question:  Are pitt bulls in the news so much because they are so common or because they cause problems?  

Both.  It's becoming more and more popular to own a big, aggressive dog.  The results are as expected.  

[erictank]

If a dog kills someone, it retroactively becomes a "pitbull".     (it's a news thing)



I don't like Cocker Spaniels and would never have one around children. 

My family had a couple of Cocker Spaniels while I was a kid, as did my Grandma's neighbor. That one - Pepper? - bit me, because I was playing rough (I don't even remember it, I was like 3. Bit me on the chin, I was told). The one we had (Flurry) when I lived in TX as a child and teen was absolutely trouble-free, gentle and loving. She was very old and in poor health when I was about to go to Navy boot camp in 1991, and we put her to sleep that spring, like a month before I left. 

We had a St. Bernard while I was learning to walk, according to Dad she basically taught me how to walk (by letting me pull myself up by grabbing her hair and walking with her), and I vaguely remember Max the German Shepherd that Dad had after the St. Bernard. Grammy (Dad's mom; Mom's mother was Grandma) had a small poodle, lapdog sized.

[41magsnub]

My aunt is dog-sitting this poodle (and its ridiculous haircut) for a week for a friend.  It's a horrible dog, but she doesn't think that is the dog's fault.  It is completely untrained and barks incessantly because its lonely.  

They do spend a lot of money on grooming though.

This aunt has a "goldendoodle" that is turning into a alright dog, if a bit high maintenance in the hair department.  The dog seems like the poodle and golden retriever parts were from field lines.  The dog might actually be a decent bird dog if she was inclined to train it that way.

[Balog]

Both.  It's becoming more and more popular to own a big, aggressive dog.  The results are as expected.  

The classic fighting pits rarely exceeded 50lbs pit weight. Larger than that and either it's mixed with something else or it's been selectively bred away from fighting stock.

[BlueStarLizzard]

My family had a couple of Cocker Spaniels while I was a kid, as did my Grandma's neighbor. That one - Pepper? - bit me, because I was playing rough (I don't even remember it, I was like 3. Bit me on the chin, I was told). The one we had (Flurry) when I lived in TX as a child and teen was absolutely trouble-free, gentle and loving. She was very old and in poor health when I was about to go to Navy boot camp in 1991, and we put her to sleep that spring, like a month before I left. 

We had a St. Bernard while I was learning to walk, according to Dad she basically taught me how to walk (by letting me pull myself up by grabbing her hair and walking with her), and I vaguely remember Max the German Shepherd that Dad had after the St. Bernard. Grammy (Dad's mom; Mom's mother was Grandma) had a small poodle, lapdog sized.

A lot of sporting breeds are prone to Rage Syndrome. Cockers can have it.

I hate American Cocker Spaniels. There is one I adore and a few that I don't mind. The rest are all stupid, gross and obnoxious. I think that breed has probably *expletive deleted*it on me more often than all other breeds combined (they get upset in the tub and, bam, *expletive deleted*it everywhere) Not to mention the ears are almost always so foul it makes you want to throw up.

And then there was Casey. I swear, when I see black and white cockers, I get the shakes. That nasty bastard was flat out lethal.

In all honesty, the dog breeds most likely to bite someone are the smaller terriers and the toys. Plus, the little guys tend to have funky teeth, so infection is a bigger risk with them. It's just that, under most circumstances, it's the big dogs that can do the most damage when they decide to maul someone.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

The classic fighting pits rarely exceeded 50lbs pit weight. Larger than that and either it's mixed with something else or it's been selectively bred away from fighting stock.

I'll keep that in mind the next time one attacks me.

[Balog]

I'll keep that in mind the next time one attacks me.

 

[MechAg94]

I'll keep that in mind the next time one attacks me.

  Yeah, 50 lbs is not small by any stretch.  Not a monster, but not small.

[Balog]

  Yeah, 50 lbs is not small by any stretch.  Not a monster, but not small.

Ya'll are both missing the point.

[zxcvbob]

Ya'll are both missing the point.

Doncha think that's sometimes intentional here? 

[MechAg94]

"Isn't it obvious?"  == Famous last words.

[BlueStarLizzard]

yeah, well, the lab standard calls for short stocky dogs that weigh no more than 80 pounds, yet I've met enough tall, leggy 100 pound monsters to know that a breed standard and what idiots will breed are two very different things.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

never mind

[roo_ster]

What does more damage to a breed?
1. Breeding to AKC standard.
2. Puppy mills.
3. Breeding to some knucklehead standard for size or whatnot (like monster pits, jumbo labs, teacup chihuahuas, etc.)

I would suggest the above order from more to less.  (No hard quantitative data, just experience with the various breed and inquiries into purchase & such.)

For instance, I can more easily find, at a reasonable price, a healthy pit bull dog of moderate size and temperament by heading out into rural parts than I can a German Shepherd dog anywhere.  Same thing with ordinary Chihuahuas(1).  Decent examples of both still abound outside the cities.  A healthy GSD OTOH, seems like a freaking pilgrimage to Lourdes and about as expensive.

FTR, I am not impressed with either the breed-to-AKC-standard sort or the breed-for-galoot-size sort.


(1) A healthy non-mis-bred chihuahua is a decent dog.  Not my cup of tea (heh) doggy-wise, but not ankle-biting freaks.  More like regular dogs, but on a smaller scale.

[Calumus]

Breeding to the Standard isn't a bad thing unless they've changed the Standard recently to account for modern aesthetic tastes. Form follows function. There's a reason that herding dogs from all over the world have similar shapes. When the breeds were being created and standardized 100+ years ago, most of them were being made for specific jobs. The physical attributes that allowed them to do those jobs most effectively were reenforced by only breeding the best worker to the best worker. Since most dogs don't actually have jobs any more, people breed for things they just find visually appealing. Breeding to tastes is what causes issues in the purebred world.
 
 Slope backed GSDs are crippled by 3, Bulldogs can't even hop on a couch any more, let alone swing from an enraged bull's nose. My previous breed, the Cane Corso was used for centuries for guarding; but also hunting. They had to be able to run down a deer, as well as pin a bear. Once they became popular here, they went from a top weight of 115# to 140+. Sure, they look cool; but they can't run worth a damn anymore. My Corso in his prime was only a few paces slower then the Greyhound he used to play with. I'm a firm believer that any of the dogs from the "working" years would live quite a bit longer, healthier lives then modern dogs with modern vetrinary care and nutrition.
   
   https://dogbehaviorscience.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/100-years-of-breed-improvement/
This gives you an idea on just how much breeds have changed because of the show only crowd. This is the reason why there's been a resurgence of working trials for some breeds over the last few years. Friends of mine are big Vizsla people. Every show dog they breed or put out to stud has at least 3 different working titles on them. They're actively trying to improve their breed and it shows. The dogs they produce tend to stay healthy and active to a very old age. If more people would do that instead of just breeding for the ring, things would turn around fairly quickly. It can be a little challenging for breeds who were created for unsavory types of work; but you can substitute. Most fighting breeds were also used as ratters. There's now a sport called Barn Hunting that lets you test their instinct and abilities, as well as having a fun day out with your dog.

   Puppy mills are just a whole different story. They're just factories that produce dogs. They don't do any health testing, and they breed females back to back to back until they literally fall apart. Sometimes they'll buy a Champion dog so they can say their dogs have "Champion lines". All that means is that somewhere in the family tree there was one Champion. Every dog since can be garbage, but they can still make the claim. I have a friend who brags on Facebook all the time about her English Mastiff who comes from Champion lines. She has no idea what that means, it just makes her feel impressive saying it. The dog has a muzzle like a GSD, and a concave back that looks like a really fat person's been riding him for a while. Doesn't matter because he's from Champion lines...

[BlueStarLizzard]

Breeding to standards isn't a bad thing. More of those standards have physical requirements that are signs of health and proper structure than "just for looks".

Breeders who are members of their breeds club are required to commit to a code of ethics. Some clubs are better at enforcing these things than others. Breeders who stress activities beyond confirmation showing usually have the better dogs. Mind you, make sure the activity is one that is appropriate for the breed.
Puppy mills have no code of ethics and no standards beyond make as much money as possible as fast as possible. You get what you get and your on your own after that. Basically, it's a crap shoot in terms of health and temperament. You could get a good dog. You could get a sick monster.
Backyard breeders just generally don't know what the hell they are doing and don't care. Again, it depends on the individual in terms of what you get and what the dog is actually worth.

The people I work for breed working dogs. They take pride in showing these dogs for what they truly are.