Pitbulls

[TeniBear]

This was on ninemsn this morning:



Dog owners should be culpable: Vic govt

Actually, the breeder you brought your dog from is already breaking the law (breeding and not desexing their dogs) and since you know he is a pit bull (cross or pure) you should have him registered if you live in Vic, plus all the other things listed in here. From your POV, if you don't and he did bite someone you would be doubly in trouble. He must be desexed at the least and it is possible things could be ramped up.

Personally, I would rather be responsible for my dog now, than live with the knowledge that at any time someone could force you to have him put down with no warning. You can't rehome him either, that doesn't fix the issue at all. And I'd be reporting the breeder.

I agree with PPs, all dogs can bite. It is the damage that is likely to be inflicted that is the problem, not the issue of biting. Cats scratch and bite, dogs bite, our chickens peck, even the fish have a nibble! The possums that climb our trees can scratch and bite too. But most of these animals are likely to inflict serious injury or death. You cannot guarantee your pit bull dog can never escape your yard, or get away from you while being walked, no matter how aware you are. You cannot guarantee your dog will not ever be alone with a child (yours or someone else's) at some point in its life. It may even be only defending itself against someone else's actions.

The decision about keeping a pit bull may very well be taken out of your hands anyway.

Where's the "yeah that" man when we need it?

I don't think it's down to the breed - personally, I'm more afraid of little dogs than big ones - but if it's a legal problem to keep your dog, then you should let it go, sorry to say. I'm on my iPad so can't check, but whoever it was that said to see a dog behaviour person has a point too


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- Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Eenee]

Just my opinion but I guess owning a dangerous dog breed is like owning a tiger they can be gentle and well trained but heck if they turn they're deadly. Sorry in my opinion there is no need to own a dangerous dog breed no matter how well trained they are especially with so many other alternatives. Or maybe we should all be able to have pet tigers?

I have a dog a golden retriever he is gentle but that's in their nature but having said that I wouldn't leave him alone with DD and if he ever showed even a hint of aggression then sorry he won't be sticking around. and we have our yard so half is fenced off so DD can play when she is older without him around all the time.

[*Efjay*]

Tough call. I'm not sure what I would do. I would not Just get rid of it but I would definitely not let your baby and dog be alone, that goes for ANY dog. We have 2 black labs - most docile dogs you could ever know - but I would NEVER EVER take my eyes off them when my kids are around. Any dog cam turn.

Classic example here that any dog can attack. Here one owner describes her Labs as the most docile dogs you could ever know. But for me personally I wouldn't own a lab. I have worked with dogs for many many years & often see uncontrollable Labrador's. People assume they are getting a smart, friendly wonderful breed from a Lab. BUT fail to realise ALL dogs need to learn how to appropriately behave. I know of 3 labs that I wouldn't trust around my kids or other dogs for that matter. They are not an aggressive breed but with out the right training they can be stupid & pushy. 1 of this 3 was good with people BUT had no idea how to obay & walk on a lead properly. Lovely owner but yeah, treated her like a person so in turn she walked all over him. She also was starting to become aggressive with other dogs when she stayed. She thought she was Queen bee.. The other 2 were from another family. I was scared of those two, they were big, strong & would use that to their advantage. Again another example of "good breed gone wrong" due to stupid owners.


As for getting rid of your pitbull..... I guess for the time being just do your best to treat him right, make sure he is desexed (even if he is only a few months old go get him done. There really isn't a need to wait till 6 months, its just recommended but it can be done) & wait & see if the laws change. Do the right thing now to avoid the wrong thing happening later.

[Kazzo]

Really sorry if I am repeating anything, I don't have time to read all replies.

I would not keep him and I would be putting him down.

There are strict laws regarding owning a restricted breed and they should be followed if you choose to keep you dog. It also depends on where you live that you either can not own a Pittbull or if you do and no longing want to keep it is must be put to sleep. It is against the law to sell them on. (As well as breed with them). So yes if your going to keep him, get him desexed ASAP and like Krysalyss wrote. Get some professional training that is designed for his breed.

You have a really tough choice to make.

[ss_storm]

Must say I'm a bit astounded at all of those telling you to kill your young family pet, who sounds like a lovely dog. No, not all pitbulls are bad. Don't believe everything you hear in the media, I can bet that the majority of those dogs reported as 'Pitbulls' are some mish mash of mastiff/pit/staffy etc breeds. Just because it might look somewhat like a pitbull does not mean it is a purebred pitbull, and often journalists just jump on the fact the dog looks a little like a Pit and go on a crazy rampage saying all pitbulls are dangerous... Take a look at Cesar Milan's pitbulls, I bet you couldn't find a nicer, or more easy going dog than his Pitbull 'Daddy' or Daddy's successor, Junior. It's about training, being the right sort of owner for your Pitbull (they need a strong leader and clearly defines rules & boundaries, as well as secure fencing and training).

Hun, it sounds like you are working towards having a beautiful family pet, his breed is irrelevant. how many dog bites are inflicted by Chihuahua's or other little yap yap dogs! Sure, they don't kill, but they can pretty severely injure someone with a bite in the right area. Be a responsible owner, seek training for yourself and your dog and you should be right! The majority of pitbulls are not dangerous, and I think it's wrong to create public panic and fear over these dogs. And if you haven't already, check out Cesar Milan's work

[Butterfly Dawn]

When dog is desexed it gets better. Personally I love pitbulls and Staffies. Tia at the pitbulls and paroles website is fantastic, she has about 200 pitbulls and you could talk it all over with her.
Some dogs are bad and some arent treated right. If you are the boss and dog knows he isnt to play with your kids and dog isnt frustrasted or bored then your chances of attack are low.
The most important thing is that dog sees baby as a boss not a toy to play with, unfortunatly some dogs cant make the difference between a child being a child or a toy.
If you are still worried you could re-home your dog

[Blixie]

Must say I'm a bit astounded at all of those telling you to kill your young family pet, who sounds like a lovely dog. No, not all pitbulls are bad. Don't believe everything you hear in the media, I can bet that the majority of those dogs reported as 'Pitbulls' are some mish mash of mastiff/pit/staffy etc breeds. Just because it might look somewhat like a pitbull does not mean it is a purebred pitbull, and often journalists just jump on the fact the dog looks a little like a Pit and go on a crazy rampage saying all pitbulls are dangerous... Take a look at Cesar Milan's pitbulls, I bet you couldn't find a nicer, or more easy going dog than his Pitbull 'Daddy' or Daddy's successor, Junior. It's about training, being the right sort of owner for your Pitbull (they need a strong leader and clearly defines rules & boundaries, as well as secure fencing and training).

Hun, it sounds like you are working towards having a beautiful family pet, his breed is irrelevant. how many dog bites are inflicted by Chihuahua's or other little yap yap dogs! Sure, they don't kill, but they can pretty severely injure someone with a bite in the right area. Be a responsible owner, seek training for yourself and your dog and you should be right! The majority of pitbulls are not dangerous, and I think it's wrong to create public panic and fear over these dogs. And if you haven't already, check out Cesar Milan's work

Yeah that ^
Ps. YAY for Cesar! I love him and the work he does with pitbull's and rotti's. Was hoping someone would mention him and his work

[Mum2Romone]

We had a beautiful Pitbull puppy... And we raised him as though he was a baby.... We bathed him in our bath , walked him several times a day, took him everywhere with us and cuddled in bed all night long and he was a very lovable,playful, quiet dog until about 1yr old when we moved house.

He wasnt desexed, Something I definately regret as he really became more wild and unsettled.... We couldnt keep him inside our fences even though they were high colourbond fencing with concrete underneath, He removed the concrete and was soon clearing the 6ft fence by running from one side of the yeard to jump high enough. He was only about 30-50cm tall...

Soon he wouldnt let me wash him without carrying on and wouldnt let me cut his nails anymore. he started to get snappy around food and would often steal our food off the bench or out of the fridge and have a go at you if you tried to stop him

After several escape attempts and quite a few scares in regard to him turning on us at times....He eventually went feral after we had to keep him in the house to contain him.
We didnt have DS then. thank ....whatever god you pray to .....

Our beautiful little puppy grew into the vicious animal he was bred to be and after three years of love and tears , because it was hard trying to keep him, with him escaping and no one wanting to mind him when we went away..... and finding rental properties to suit HIM rather than us....

Eventually when I was 8 months pregnant , I was in the laundry and went to pick up hubby clothes off the floor, Barkly our dog had been acting weird with me since becoming pregnant ... preferring DH over me ... so when I went to pick up hubbys clothes Barkly latched onto my hand....and didnt let go for over two minutes.

My hand was crushed sideways in his jaw and all my fingers were broken and I needed 6 stitches. Which i had to drive myself to the gp for and sit there trying not to pass out at 8 mths pregnant whilst my hand was stitched up. I was in such shock I didnt even think about the dog. or what I was going to have to do wit him...

When I came home he seemed to realise he had hurt me but this wasnt the first attack, it was about the fifth on me , I just didnt think it was bad at first because I wasnt scared when he was a puppy but now he was weighing about 50kg and pure muscle... I have scars on my hand from the attack still (was in 2008) and on my thigh from a previous bite... (looks like a 20 cent piece of deformed skin) and two different scars on my back that happenend when he was much younger and learning to jump and went to nip my neck/or shoulder but got the middle of my back.

Long story short.... I loved him, but he did turn on us in the end. And we had to take him to the RSPCA and they put him down.... When he was 3 yrs old just before DS was born ( 2 weeks) I cant imagine what would of happened if DS was inthe middle of what happened to me. my hand took months to heal. And i was lucky. I know my dog didnt want to hurt me but the instinct is there for them to attack always ....

BTW He was a staffy when advertised too. We thought he'd be a american short legged staffy.. the really quite "Nanny" dogs....

He was a handful but we had alot of fun, I wouldnt give away that time with him for the world but I would give him away for my son....

[KimmyF]

Reet, I think you're right to question whether you're dog still has a place in your home and noone can really answer for you as what it comes down to is whether you and your family are comfortable with keeping a breed of dog that is known to be aggressive and from most things I've heard or read can turn at anytime.

It sounds like you have done as much as you can and are really dedicated to socialising and training this dog properly which is great. But the fact that the people you bought the dog from didn't advertise their breeding properly sets alarm bells to me, maybe it was ignorance but maybe it was because they know people are wary of buying these breeds of dogs.

I guess what you have to ask yourself is "is the risk that your dog might turn one day worth it?" Now I know any dog can attack and it doesn't have to be a particular breed etc. but the facts and evidence out there suggests that these breeds are more likely to do so than other breeds.
good luck with your decision xxx

[nickle730]

I think the very fact that you are questioning whether you can keep this dog (whilst very responsible) shows that there is doubt in your mind. Will you ever be comfortable keeping him, or will you always feel doubt and concern due to his breed?

Very few owners of dogs who attack say 'yeah, I thought he might do that'. Far more common is, 'OMG, I can't believe my beloved, docile, gentle family pet attacked someone!!!'. All dogs can attack, but as many others have said, for generations pitbulls have been bred for their strength and fighting instinct. It's in their genes.

Personally, I would not keep the dog.

[Jennifer13]

Hun, I noticed you are in Qld, so I looked up the legislation for your state.

A dog of a breed prohibited from importation into Australia under the Australian Customs Act of 1901 is considered "restricted." Breeds currently prohibited under Commonwealth legislation are the dogo Argentino; fila Brasiliero; Japanese tosa; American pit bull terrier (or pit bull terrier); and Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario).
A person who owns a "restricted" dog must:
- keep the dog within a child-proof enclosure
- display warning signs at the entrance to the property where the dog is located
- muzzle the dog in public and have it under effective control at all times
- ensure the dog is spay/neutered, wearing a collar and a prescribed tag, and is microchipped.

http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/Bi...lMgtB08Exp.pdf
Regulated dogs*-*Department of Local Government and Planning

According to the Qld govt website, you are required to have a permit to keep a restricted breed.

Currently, local governments have the power to prohibit keeping certain dogs (purebred/crossbreeds) in their local government areas. This power will not be impacted by this legislation.

You should check with your local council that you are allowed to keep your dog in your area as it is a restricted breed and pit bulls are one breed that is not allowed in many local council areas in Qld. Also, if you don't have a permit to keep the dog you will be breaching the law in Qld.

This is the legal stuff only, not any emotive point around keeping him or not.

[AnyDream]

I know you're attached to your dog, and that you are undertaking to ensure that he is always supervised. But there were several adults present when that little girl was killed and they were all powerless to intervene. While any dog can "snap", these dogs were originally bred to fight bears, bulls and other large dogs. The by-product is a much higher lethal ability than many other breeds. I think the question here is whether you are prepared to live with that level of risk near your children. Or someone else's. I wouldn't be.

[LimeSlice]

My personal opinion.

I grew up with German Shepherds. My whole life we had at least one of them. Beautiful animals, intelligent, protective and when they are well trained they are amazing. So I am not a blanket "dangerous dog" person. Ours never wore muzzles, and we were left alone with them all the time, we were taught how to handle them and they were taught where they stood in the pecking order of the house.

Honestly, I think I get more worried about all these people claiming that they are hand raising dogs, bathing them in their own baths etc - it is so so so dangerous!! Talk about confusing the dog and his place in your pack.

There is no way on this green earth I would let my children NEAR a Pit Bull. We wouldn't go to the house of people who had Pit Bulls, and if I knew of anyone anywhere near our house that had one, I would report them.

Obviously it is your choice what danger you put your own children in, but if that thing isn't muzzled all the time then I would be seriously concerned for the safety of the rest of the community...what if you dog gets out?
They are bred for a purpose and you don't need them to maul wild bears, so why do you have one? I don't get it at all. Why on earth would you have one in the first place? It isn't like it is a secret how dangerous they are.

I would have him put down and I would do it sooner rather than later. Then I would report the breeder for selling you dog that had not been desexed.
If you do keep it, you better find out that restrictions there are ASAP, before someone reports YOU.

[Enchanted]

Reet, I get we're you're coming from as a dog owner, I really do. I have 2 dogs of my own and I know how they become apart of your family so quickly and how special they are. However, from my experience I just think that dogs like Pitbulls and Bull Terriers are just dogs than cannot be trusted. All dogs are born with some form of killer instinct and dogs such as Pit Bulls and Bull Terriers are known for their brutal attacks. I know this first hand as I was attacked by a Bull Terrier when I was 4. He was a dog that had been brought into my family by my Grandpa (we lived with my grandparents and mums sister and brother at this time). He was a quiet dog who loved to laze around the backyard sunning himself and seemed like a "gentle dog". My grandpa (a builder) had built a "cage" for our dog to live in while I was outside. He was always locked up and kept away from me JIC, even though they had never seen any behaviour to think he would harm me or anyone for that matter.

Early one evening Mum told me to go and get ready for a bath. She was getting up from the lounge to run my bath when her and my Nan heard a blood curdling scream from the backyard. In the whole 2 mins I had been gone (with Mum thinking I was in my bedroom) I had snuck out the back door to give our dog some water (he wasn't locked up as I wasn't meant to be outside). I filled up a metal bowl and dug a little ditch into the ground so the bowl would sit in there for him. I got up to walk back inside when I heard him behind me and as I turned around he leapt at me, bit my face and pretty much sliced it with his paw. When Mum and my Nan got outside the dog was standing over me growling. They managed to lock him up and off he went to doggy heaven the next day. I was so lucky. He struck me right near my left temple and so close to my left eye, I lost a lot of blood and was rushed off to theater immediately. I ended up with about 50 stitches in my tiny little head and a rather large scar to boot. It is something that I never ever want to see happen to another child, it is completely destroying. My Grandpa still doesn't forgive himself. Please put your kids first.

I guess my point is, things can change SO quickly. No matter how careful you are around your kids, no matter how well you treat your dog.... if it's in them, well, it's just in them. I am just thankful I am one of the lucky ones.

[Ginger]

there is no way i would be keeping your dog.
and if you were my friend, there is no way i would ever come to your house.
if you were my neighbour, i would be phoning the authorities.
i think you really need to get some professional help on this one.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Hun i'd hate to be in your shoes i really would.
Personally i think it's great you have trust in your boy and your doing all the right things.

With our girls we introduced them through closed doors, then through the fly screen, then time on the floor together, then playing outside together.
any dog can turn not matter their nature but i don't think it's reason to GET RID OF your dog.
Caution, a watchful eye and TEACHING YOUR CHILD DOG SAFETY is also what counts, it's about 'training them both'.

Our girls have been told you DO NOT grab a dogs tail, you brush gently, you DO NOT go near their food and you DO NOT touch a dogs babies etc etc.
In the same sense we have taught our dogs GENTLE so when the girls hand feed them there is no snatching, they SIT for the girls to pat them etc etc.

I am guilty of leaving my girls alone with our dogs, i don't trust them 100% but i trust them enough to allow my girls outside time with them while i watch from a distance.

Our girl is a border collie x kelpie she LOOKS scray but is an angel, our boy is a little terrier and he's a terro, loves running up and jumping on people, they both consider our kids their kids.

When we have visitors the dogs are great with them but we lock them out of the yard so kids can play without being knocked over etc.

We did have an issue once we went away camping with family & friends, the dogs were great with everyone but DD1 was little and an older uncle was joking with her and yelled GO BOMBERS right next to her while pointing at her, our girl Cassie jumped to DD's defence and barked at his feet... she didn't bite but for the rest of the time we were away she was warning that uncle NOT to hurt he child... we apologised, he understood and kept his distance and they next time they met she was fine... but you just never know.

I've probably not helped.. but it's just what i think.

personally i wouldn't buy a pit bull but that doesn't mean they are not right for others.. overall the choice is what are you comfortable with?

[Ginger]

i've been thinking about this some more, and i don't think using examples of other breeds of dogs in this thread is useful. a pitbull is a pitbull. it is a whole nother kettle of fish. this is not a regular dog we are talking about here.
i think you have a responsibility to your community to sort this issue out. it might not be your dd that is hurt, but it may be someone else's child.
is your dog registered with the council?

[Erin_25]

Sorry if I repeat things here I'm doing this in a hurry, have not read all replie & sorry in advanced if what I say is a bith harsh but I am just going to give my thoughts and opinion.

A few things I have picked up on, you said you went to see another dog & it turned out to be a pitbull..the other name was a "code name", this already tells me that they were hiding the fact it was a pitball. Alarm bells right there, regardless of the dog breed.

Again regardless of what type of dog you have, have you done your research? pitbulls are a restricted breed, for good reason to I guess. Perhaps are yourself with the correct information regarding the breed you have.

You can choose what you want to do, it is your choice no one on here can tell you what to do. No reason we have can make you decide either, we've all had different experiences with dogs etc....it is in the end up to you.....but remember whatever you do choose it is your responsibility.

You are responsible for the dog and what it does. If it does attack, what if it gets out & attacks (different environment), have you trained it properly, treated it right, is the yard secure etc & so on. It is all your responsiblity as the dog owner.

Another point just on some of the responses I've read, there is a "any dog can attack, don't get rid of it" answer often. YES any dog can attack, that includes your dog also it doesn't mean yours will not attack.

No most don't intend to leave their child alone with the dog, but I don't believe most people don't have moments when their attention is not 100% and something could happen - again regardless of the dog. And even if you are with your child in a moment of attack often there's not much you can and dogs can turn on anyone.

We all love our pets with all our heart and it is a hard decision but I think you need to make it with all the right information not the "us against them" in terms of those who don't like the breed & those who love any dog including yours" if that makes sense. Make a sensible decision on what sits right with you.

I don't see it so much as "oh everyone is against pitbulls, they have such a bad reputation....it's not fair" but as "there is obviously a reason for the reputation"..........perhaps look into it some more. Find out why they attack? what happens when they do? What can you do about it? How many attack have there been etc.....