Dogs that attack people

[haryv]

I did not want to center this on Pitbull's as they are often the center of attention in the media. If a dog has no known evidence of being violent to public, then turns vicious and attacks with no provocation, my question is why? Is it genetic disposition in its breed?

Here is a sad example of a owners Pitbull turing on the pregant wife killing her.


Police 'put that dog down' after it kills pregnant California woman – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

 

[little_joe]

Perpetuating the pit bull myth certainly doesn't help. Pits are obviously capable of causing great damage and death due to their power and drive (and tolerance to pain). But why do they attack?

First off, it is extremely important to understand that pit bulls were bred to fight. Part of that breeding, however, included a drive to only produce dogs that could be handled, that are "good with people". In the midst of a fight, they must not turn on the person. People are simply not aware of this trait, or choose to ignore it. This trait is as important as their fighting abilities.

When the pits were brought to the US in the later 1800's and 1900's, they were acknowledged as "nanny dogs": great dogs with kids. They were house dogs, family dogs due to their temperament and loyalty to their people.

This continued through the development of the American Pit Bull Terrier. This trait is still bred in the Staffordshire Terriers in Europe as well.

So again, why do they attack?

Breeding, pure and simple.

We knuckleheads have bred them for undesireable traits such as big blocky heads, size, and aggression. Backyard (in)breeders produce erratic and dangerous dogs - they do not necessarily look for the desireable breed traits, then these dogs go on to produce more of their kind.

I am not an apologist for the breed. I do love pits, I own one now and had another for 11.5 yrs. Part of being a responsible owner is understanding the breed. It's really painful to see these stories and the ensuing hype - but it is important to understand that people are causing the problem. If these dogs were inherently aggressive toward people, they simply would not exist in captivity. Stories like this should be used to end the bastardized breeding of unreliable dogs so we don't have more stories like this.

This story is a genuine tragedy and in no way should be minimized.

 

[TiFJ]

Well said Joe, I have an AST and it turns my stomach to hear/read stories like this and people's reactions.

I really don't care that people don't like my dog, or don't like me because of my dog. If my decisions were predicated on the ideas of PC whiners (anti-gun, anti-oil, anti-SUV, anti-pitbull etc) then I would be a completely different person... and life would suck.

 

[TiFJ]

Oh, and this is a pointless topic... The OP mentions that he doesn't want to talk about pitbulls and then posts a story about pitbulls... what?

There will be people who have experience with the breeds and love them and you will have the ignorant people that only know of them from the news. Nobody will convince anybody else of anything, people will be called names and the thread will get locked. Seen it before A LOT.

 

[rustybucket]

Another pitbull attack. This time against a 2 year old. She was baby sitting the neighboors pitbull when it came up to her child, looked at it curiosly, then attacked. Rull number one, never have a large dog in the presence of a small child...especially a pit bull. http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/04/24/dnt-tx-mom-bites-pit-bull.khou.html

 

[rustybucket]

Another pitbull attack. This time against a 2 year old. She was baby sitting the neighboors pitbull when it came up to her child, looked at it curiosly, then attacked. Rule number one, never have a large dog in the presence of a small child...especially a pit bull. http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/04/24/dnt-tx-mom-bites-pit-bull.khou.html

 

[snobdds]

Another pitbull attack. This time against a 2 year old. She was baby sitting the neighboors pitbull when it came up to her child, looked at it curiosly, then attacked. Rull number one, never have a large dog in the presence of a small child...especially a pit bull. http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/04/24/dnt-tx-mom-bites-pit-bull.khou.html

"Rull" number two - Rustybucket is a complete idiot...

 

[rustybucket]

Ever see the thread called "When Pitbulls attack?" It is a popular thread. You should read it some time and learn from it.

 

[Spook50]

The people behind our next door neighbors have the biggest a****** goldens I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. They've made it quite obvious that if our daughter got close enough to the fence they would try to attack her. I finally told the owners that if they didn't take care of their dogs, I would. Just like with the dog that was getting into our yard and charged my wife, I don't WANT to kill an animal, but if I deem it necessary to prevent harm from coming to my family, I won't hesitate.

On the flip side of that coin, German shepherds in my experience have always been fiercely loyal to their masters, and territorial (though I haven't seen one get hostile unless provoked). Our neighbor's purebred shep absolutely loves our daughter to death and will bring all sorts of his toys to the fence and deposit them in front of her. He's always trying to share his toys with her and get my wife or me to play fetch with him. But he'll also park himself right between our daughter and someone outside the fence that he doesn't know and watch them like a hawk. Great dog, and he's earned my trust with being in direct contact with our daughter. But he's still playful and doesn't realize how big he really is. Definitely the epitome of the "big dumb happy oaf".

Not sure where I was going with this.

I like dogs

 

[TXLX100]

I'm sure not all pitbulls are bad. I'd be interested to see some information on the percentage of fatal or severe dog attacks that are from pitbulls though. What annoys me is seeing ignorant/thug acting people with pitbulls. I don't trust those types of people in general so I'm definitely not going to trust them if they have a pitbull. It's a shame a few ruin it for the many. Like everything else, the people/dogs that aren't doing the right thing will be talked about.

I'm a dog lover, but I don't have any problem with taking care of a dog or any domestic animal that attacks a human. Let's face it, it's an animal with the mental capacity of maybe a 2 year old.

 

[Desert Nomad]

I'm sure not all pitbulls are bad. I'd be interested to see some information on the percentage of fatal or severe dog attacks that are from pitbulls though. What annoys me is seeing ignorant/thug acting people with pitbulls. I don't trust those types of people in general so I'm definitely not going to trust them if they have a pitbull. It's a shame a few ruin it for the many. Like everything else, the people/dogs that aren't doing the right thing will be talked about.

I'm a dog lover, but I don't have any problem with taking care of a dog or any domestic animal that attacks a human. Let's face it, it's an animal with the mental capacity of maybe a 2 year old.

Pitbulls, rottweilers or gsd are all dangerous due to the size of their head and power of their bite, smaller breeds like chihuahuas actually have a higher aggression and bite rate but no one would report it as their bites barely do damage. The bigger, more powerful the dog is the more dangerous it can be so it's up to the owners to train and make sure nothing happens and the dog doesn't go into defense mode for the wrong reason. Dogs don't know wrong from right all they know is this behavior makes the human happy/unhappy. Consistent training should let the idea stick in their head. I'm not the type to put a dog down if it attacked a person or other animal because that behavior just meant I didn't have control over my dogs that's why I'll never leave them alone with smaller animals or children I'll always be more cautious and snap their attention back to me from time to time until they calm down and lie down.

 

[rustybucket]

I hope she stays in jail for a very long time!!!

New York woman arrested after pit bulls maul man - CNN.com

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

why do we expect mans best friend to be more predictable than his best friend? sheesh.

 

[fhawk5]

I had a friend have the dog problem. It was a pitbull and when it attacked him, he used a 7 million volt stun gun , which stopped the long enough for him to pull a big knife and stick the dog. Face it, dogs should never be in a position to hurt someone.

The Home Security Superstore - Mini Nightstick Stun Baton 7.5M by Streetwise Security Products - SWMB7500RB - Self Defense Products Online

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

you got a link to a stun gun my 9YO can carry?

 

[firestopper]

Land sharks and ignorant, incompetent idiots don't mix. I walk four GSD's at once on a leash ( close to 375 lbs combined) but worked with them prior to exposing them to the public. I have had coyotes cross or path as well as people walking pets and at 160 lbs myself they could easily drag me along for the ride if not trained and disciplined. Strong dogs come with a BIG responsibility for the owner, especially when in a pac. I concur with little_joe, the breeding has been mucked up by humans (much like killer bees) resulting in tragedy.
I once had a dog killed by a ten month old pit that came on to my property taking four adults to pull it off my small dead dog.

 

[little_joe]

I have done extensive research on homicides country by country. The indisputable finding is that in every country in the world, since man could document things, 100% of homicides have been committed by someone's child.

Let me repeat: 100% of homicides globally, in the history of mankind, have been committed by someone's child.

Children should be banned.

 

[wagonteeth]

My bosses golden retriever, unprovoked, bit his grandson in the face while the two were sitting together watching TV. 70 stitches later the child and a new home for the dog.
My 5 yr old male AST (Spartacus winner, GKCA achiever) attacked the same dog twice in a year unprovoked. After being threatened by that dogs owner I did the responsible thing and put him down.

I hear what you're saying, but I have been around dog all my life, and have seen quite a few fights and bitings. I've seen next to none that were purely unprovoked.

Now, what may have been the provocation is a good question. In the case of your AST, it could have been a territorial challenge in that the other dog didn't yield, and that was enough. I had a pit that would "buck" up to 7 Rotts and expect them to back down. She did the same to a pack of wolf mixes. She took down the 2nd alpha of the wolf pack and established herself as second under the momma wolf.

A niece got bit in the face by a neighbors dog. She put her face in the dogs face and he snapped her. She invaded his personal space and he didn't want to yield.

I've seen some dogs that IMO, should be put down because they have issues, usually from raising, and they're not capable of social interaction. A dog has to learn from it's owner what is acceptable behavior for people in the pack, and outside the pack. IF the alpha (owner) doesn't teach the boundaries, the dog (beta) will establish it's own until corrected

 

[gregnash]

Ever see the thread called "When Pitbulls attack?" It is a popular thread. You should read it some time and learn from it.

So is the vein of thought that there should be bans on weapons/firearms because guns kill people not people. If an idiot raises any dog to be questionable in temperament then they may/will attack unprovoked, pure and simple. Breed does not play much into that other than the animals, then, ability to do more excessive damage than another (like lighting off a small popper in your hand vs. a cherry bomb.... guess which is going to do more damage.)

I have had pitbull and pitbull mixes my entire life. I specifically like them because they are incredibly loyal and loving dogs. The difference being that I ensure that I "socialize" them as much as possible specifically because of idiotic statements and threads, media slandering, etc. like that. Think of what would happen if you local neighborhood pissed off Chihuahua was the same weight/build as a pitbull, guess what would be slathered all over the media as the most vicious animal out there. I can personally tell you I have been attacked by a Golden Retriever, Mini Aussie, Grey Heeler, and Chihuahua; yet my evil and nasty pitbulls have done nothing more than lick my 3yr old nieces face and sniff the head of my 1yr old nephew.

Any dog that is strange to me is immediately considered a possible threat simply because I do not know its temperament. Only until I have observed the dogs behavior do I go near it, regardless of breed/size. Time for you to start thinking outside the box and not listening to the media verbal diarrhea and grow up a bit. But if you plan on continuing the path you are on, might as well lump all Mexicans in there as stupid migrant workers that steal jobs from unassuming people or all Blacks as being gang bangers and wanting nothing more than to have gold teeth and take your white woman for you. You have stepped into the realm of "guilty by association" simply because you are believing the hype and not educating yourself.

 

[rustybucket]

I like this article. Aggression - Who's to Blame - the Dog or the Owner?