I HATE pit-bulls!

[bratch]

when considering a potential pet, i have a mental checklist. one of the boxes says "capable of eating my face at will." a check in that box is generally a disqualification for pet duty..

Go ahead and check Malinois off your list.  Mine will roll around on his back with his mouth open.  Occasionally he gets jsut right and my entire head ends up in his mouth.

Very weird feeling.

My grandpa had a Pit back in the 50s that he loved; he talks very highly of the dog now but said he wouldn't own another due to the stigma associated and the breed problems nowadays.

[280plus]

Almost invariably, it's the people not the dog. I don't care what breed you are talking about. I saw a mistreated Basenji once. Psychcotic is a very good word to describe it. Probably the scariest dog I've ever seen was the mistreated St. Bernard. He was in the pound with his teeth continually gnashing on the chain link fence to the point where he had distorted the steel links. It's all about the upbringing of the animal, not it's breed. Oh, and while we're on the subject. Another dog most likely to bite your kids. The Dalmation. Don't let them cute little Disney ones fool you. They were bred as guard dogs for horse drawn coaches. The fire depts adapted them for crowd control because they were adept at running in and out of the wheels and horses without getting run over. They tend to be nippers more than maulers but I can tell you it hurts like hell anyways. I'm a Dobe fan myself. Now there's a sweet breed if raised correctly. IMHO one of the most intelligent dogs there is. Again, inbreeding has taken it's toll. A Dobe is considered "old" at 9 because of it. Very few live beyond that. You haven't lived till a 110 lb Dobe installs itself in your lap for a little cuddle time.

[Sergeant Bob]

Many dogs have certain characteristics bred into them. These chararcteristics are instinctual to them.

Jack Russell terriers for instance (of which I own one). He has never been around other terriers but, he just naturally hunts and kills (or tries to) other animals. Mice, cats, squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons (but he loves kids, which is kind of unusual for a Jack).

Rottweilers (another which I have owned) tend to be very territorial and protectective. If another animal or person comes into to their yard uninvited they could be in for some trouble. Mine crushed a Chihuahua which dug it's way into our yard, scared off a cop who was looking over our wall to see if a prowler had exited through our yard, "Nope! He didn't go that way! But, if we had friends or kids over they could roughhouse with her or sit on her and she was gentle as a lamb.

My mother and stepdad had an Australian Sheppard mix puppy which was about 4 months old which with no training at all just naturally herded their dairy cattle. It was cute seeing that little 15 or 20 lb puppy running around yapping at the heels of those cows.

Pitbulls were bred to fight. It just comes natural to them. Not saying they can't be wonderful pets or that they should be legislated against. Just that they have a tendency to want to fight and people really should take that into account before getting one.

[Jamisjockey]

When assault rifles become free-thinking and self-mobile, we might want to worry.
Pit Bulls are useless vicious animals.  I've encountered very few that were nice.
That said, I was bitten last may by a Rhodesian Ridgeback.  Attacked me off its property.  One bite and then I convinced it to retreat.
Buddy installs cable and was bitten a few weeks ago by a Dobe.  
Never trust any dog you don't know.

[280plus]

Well, I would just like to see blame placed in the proper place. Too many people want to blame the dog or it's breed when in fact the dog is not truly at fault. Incompetent ownership and/or breeding is.

BTW IMHO the Australian Shepard is also among one of the smartest dogs on the planet.

[bermbuster]

Well, I would just like to see blame placed in the proper place. Too many people want to blame the dog or it's breed when in fact the dog is not truly at fault. Incompetent ownership and/or breeding is.

BTW IMHO the Australian Shepard is also among one of the smartest dogs on the planet.

Not just your HO.

http://www.petrix.com/dogint/1-10.html

[50 Shooter]

I'll start off with I'm one of those people that have been attacked by a dog but it wasn't the dogs fault, it was the owners. The dog was an Alaskan Malamute and it was just protecting it's space, the owner opened the gate and the rest is history.

My in-laws had a Golden that was the typical Golden, as stupid, loyal and playful as can be IF he knew you. Seems the kids next door liked to torment him through and over the fence. He wasn't small either, had to weigh around 150+ pounds. One day my father in-law just happened to be looking out the window and saw him just miss the kids arm as it came over the wall. He went next door and talked to the parents and warned them that he knew what they were up to and if they got bit it was thier fault. It was to late for the Golden as he was never the same but I always liked playing with him. Nothing funnier then seeing a dog that big act like pup when you're rubbing his belly.

As far as Pit's go, I'll never own one. I've had friends with them and they were always friendly but they still have that "crazed" look in their eyes.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

bermbuster-- I checked your link, and I would disagree with the Aussie being #42 on the list.  I've had two Australian Shepherds and they were both the smartest dogs I've ever seen.  They rate them based on command obedience, which doesn't seem a perfect representation of intelligence, just of compliance.

Just my 2 cents,
Fig

[bermbuster]

fig,

I couldn't agree with you more.  I have family members who have one and the dog is brilliant.  I thought it was on that top 10 list; Australian Cattle Dog.  Is that not the same thing?  I've never seen a dog that looks like #42.

bb

[280plus]

Neither look like the Australain Shepard I had many years ago. I would say it had more of a border collie look but with different coloring. I have a friend who just got one recently, I'll have to check with him and see what his looks like.

[280plus]

Neither look like the Australain Shepard I had many years ago. I would say it had more of a border collie look but with different coloring. I have a friend who just got one recently, I'll have to check with him and see what his looks like.

Here is a link :

http://www.akc.org/breeds/breeds_a.cfm

Near the end of the first category you will see an Aussie cattle dog followed by an Australian shepard...

Oh, I see, I clicked on Kuvasz thinking it was the shepard. If you click on Australian Shepard at #42 that is the dog I'm talking about. I still say they're pretty darn smart. They're thinkers. So are Dobes. They can figure stuff out. Best example. I, the stupid human, when the AS was just a couple months old, tied it out for the day not realizing the shade was going to go away in the afternoon. The dog instinctually dug itself a hole down to cooler earth and layed in it to survive. I learned very valuable lessons from the dog warden that day in the proper setting up of a dog run.  

I felt like such a schmuck...

Anyhoo, then there's the Dobe. The one I remember best is when told to go get a cookie she would go to the Lazy Susan under the counter, open it, get out the box of dog bones and bring it to you. Noone taught her to do this, she figured it out all by herself.

[mfree]

...and the owners just can't possibly be at fault. Not one bit, nope.

[bratch]

Australian Cattle Dog is what us laymen call a Heeler either blue or red.  TOTALLY different from and Aus Shep.  I don't think anybody who has been around either would say that a heeler is smarter than an Aus Shep.

I noticed they had the Belgian Teveruan(sp) at 11.  I'm just going to assume that applies for all the Belg Shepard breeds.

[Firethorn]

I grew up with Boston Terriers.
I can't count the number of times they were mistaken for pit bulls.  The posted statistics said 'pit bull breed'.  How many breeds of pit bull are there?

Makes me wonder how often the breed gets blamed for any attack where they don't catch the animal for a positive identification.

The only incident we know of about how our dogs reacted to strangers in the house without family being home was when the heater/air conditioner guy came to do some work(It was accidental, my dad intended to be there).  The male, Mugsy brought down his toys and wanted to play.  The female, Cindy, had just had puppies(~week old).  She growled at him when he opened the bedroom door, but didn't leave under the bed where the puppies were.  Said worker saw the puppies, and not being an idiot, closed the door and left her alone.

I think that if she hadn't had the puppies that she'd have wanted to play as well.

On the other hand, we had no doubt that they'd have mauled anybody trying to do harm to us kids.

[bratch]

I think the Denver ban might have included any breed that looked like a pit.

[Antibubba]

Bermbuster's link only shows intelligence based upon work/obedience-learning new commands and following them.  It isn't based on cognitive ability or problem solving; if it were, Basenjis would NOT be at the bottom.  Basenjis simply don't take orders from anyone.

[Sergeant Bob]

My Jack Russell had a hard rubber ball to play with. One day he was one the rear deck of the house and decided to get a drink from a 3 gallon bucket of water I had there for him.
He went to drink and dropped the ball in the water and it sank to the bottom.
He stood there looking at the ball wondering how he was going to get it out (he's not one to stick his head under water).
Then he started drinking....and drinking.....and drinking. He was trying to drink all the water so he could get the ball without getting his head wet!
He worked at it for about 5 minutes and I figured that was enough fun and I retrieved the ball for him.
He spent about 2 hours after that relieving himself.
Smart dog.

[Guest]

Rottweilers (another which I have owned) tend to be very territorial and protectective. If another animal or person comes into to their yard uninvited they could be in for some trouble. Mine crushed a Chihuahua which dug it's way into our yard, scared off a cop who was looking over our wall to see if a prowler had exited through our yard, "Nope! He didn't go that way! But, if we had friends or kids over they could roughhouse with her or sit on her and she was gentle as a lamb.

My family owns a doberman/rottweiler mix. He's an absolutely beautiful dog. My little sister could probably burn him with a hot poker in the butt and all he would do is yelp. He LOVES other dogs, too - we have them in the house all the time. (We watch them for people.)

But, if a stranger comes near? Ohhhhhh boy. Wow. I kind of doubt he'd hurt a kid (based on the way he's reacted to them on walks), but an adult? He's good protection for my sister,  let's leave it at that.

[Guest]

Most "aussie shepards" i have met have borne an uncanny resemblance to an Australian Cattle dog. It is quite an impressive site to see them in action, as they actually do herd cattle. My parents had one, and it developed an uncanny ability to open sliding glass doors, and chain-link gates within hours of its arrival.

I think that people apply to much personification to animals. THey arent people, and they dont have the same kind of decision making ability. If a Lion attacked a person would you blame it's upbringing, or would you just blame it's nature as a lion?

[280plus]

If a Lion attacked a person would you blame it's upbringing, or would you just blame it's nature as a lion?

Both...

[bermbuster]

Most "aussie shepards" i have met have borne an uncanny resemblance to an Australian Cattle dog. It is quite an impressive site to see them in action, as they actually do herd cattle. My parents had one, and it developed an uncanny ability to open sliding glass doors, and chain-link gates within hours of its arrival.....

The one I am familiar with looks like a cattle dog.  The owners call her a "cow dog."  I took their word for it.  Dog is smart as a whip.  Does the door-opening thing you described.  When we go hiking she "herds" us, slowing down whoever is in front then running to the back of the herd nipping at the heels of the slowest.



This is a little out of focus but it's the only photo I could find of the dog.

[Firethorn]

If a Lion attacked a person would you blame it's upbringing, or would you just blame it's nature as a lion?

Both...

I'll note that there's a zoo that takes it's big cats for regular walks, restrained by nothing more than a leash and a milk bribe.  They even weigh them and take blood during the walk.  If they decided to, they could do far more damage than even a pit bull.

Of course, they're handled by professional trainers.

[Chris]

I have always believed that, by nature, there are no evil or bad dogs, only bad owners who mistreat the dogs and make them bad.  I have seen some truly evile looking Rots, Dobermans, Shepherds, that were very lovable because they were raised that way.  ON the other hand, I recall a cocker spaniel taht was pure spawn of Satan becuase the SOB neighbor treated the dog like crap.

[280plus]

yup, that's what I call an Aussie Shepard...

(Post #50)

[crt360]

I try to like all dogs.  Most like me back.  I'm certainly not going to say all "pit bulls" or any other class of dog are evil and "to be hated," but I'm also not such a dog lover that I'm going say that everything bad a "pit bull" has ever done is the result of bad treatment on the part of its owner.  Despite what some people think, dogs do have minds of their own.  They also have bad days.  We don't always know what might set off an otherwise wonderful dog.  When that dog is big and powerful and has years of breeding as a fighting machine, there may be little you can do to stop it from ruining a person's life.

When I was a kid there were very few dangerous dogs around.  Did people get attacked or bit?  Sure.  Everyone I knew got bit by someone's dog, but it was no big deal.  We never heard of anyone getting mauled.  Nobody had a "pit bull" or rottweiler, or mastiff/rottweiler/great dane mix.  In my grandma's old neighborhood you could walk for blocks without seeing a threatening dog.  Now that neighborhood has dogs like these in every other yard, tied up to the piece of junk Camaro on blocks.  Some of these dogs will nearly kill themselves with their chains trying to get at you when you pass.  The number of serious dog attacks has increased signficantly in this part of the country.  Despite their vile nature, it's not weiner dogs and poodles that are tearing people up.

A neighbor of one of our clients was recently attacked and mauled to death by another neighbor's "pit bulls" while riding around her own yard on her lawnmower.