Richard,

I agree with your post. The underlying theme of the original post was "dog aggression" not people agression. Yes, the dog did bite a person however dog agression is what caused the whole situation. Sometimes it does seem like the knee-jerk reaction on this board is to destroy the dog. If this dog was 5 or 6 months older than I probably wouldn't have much of a case. Its a shame that the breeds poor reputation is such a lightning rod for such quick conclusions.

The first post said that the dog will chase cars, bikes, animals, and your legs.
Even if kept from other dogs, it still has the potental to bring down a kid.
Ask the first owner if the dog bit hard- it hung on his arm!
It has more than enough power to seriously hurt someone.
I am not giving the advice to destroy the dog without considerable thought...nobody loves these dogs more than I do! But based on the info given, that is what I would do if the dog was mine.
I don't want to see a story on CNN about another Pit Bull attack.
Given that the person who started the thread has not replied, he has probably made his decision anyway.

Chuck F-
You say that you have never worked with "Pitts", yet you will advise someone with a dog that has bitten 3 people to keep the dog!
If you think that I am wrong in what I have said, contact ANY reputable APBT breeder and ask them what they would do.

Ted,


I am not advising anyone to do anything. I'm merely playing devil's advocate. If you read my posts carefully you would see that I am not in favor of placing anyone, especially a child in any danger. I am simply posing questions in order to learn more about a subject(APBT)than I know. That is what I gain from this board. I never said outright that I think you are wrong. I actually enjoy your posts very much. So please...Chill brother!

All though I know nothing about pitts I do know something about dog to dog aggresion. I have Akita's. My 8 1/2 year old bitch is about as bad as it gets when it comes to dog fights. Not once in the 8 years that I've had her has she ever even growled at me for stopping her from fighting. I've grabbed her by the collar and once even by the scruff of the neck when she slipped her collar. If she does make it past me to the other dog she will out on command long enough for me to grab her and still in full fight mode she never makes a move on me.
I guess if the person that owns this pitt is bent on giving her a chance then I would refer them to Ed's web site. He has some exellant articals on dog to dog aggression. Personally I would listen to the Experts on the panel. They have been dealing with tuff dogs and training them for a long time. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My knowledge of the APBT is limited only to the reading I have done, but it is my understanding that a Pit that does bite is most likely a result of poor breeding, because up until the 20th century, Pits who showed *any* aggression toward people weren't allowed to live, let alone breed. During the 1980s, Pits became popular among drug dealers and other badasses who wanted fighting dogs, resulting in lots of backyard breeding, and Pits being bred that should never have. Instead of the sweet tempered family pets, the meanest, nastiest dogs were selected for breeding.

I'm not normally one who would jump to the conclusion that a dog cannot be rehabilitated. You have to look at several things. First, this dog has bitten 3 people. This dog is so out of control when in dog-aggression mode, that she will bite anything that stands in her way, or that she *perceives* as standing in her way.

"She chases car, bikes ,animals and literally everything that moves, even if it is your leg.".

This dog sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, and whether the behavior is a result of poor training, or is genetic, or a combination of both, it doesn't matter, as all it takes is *one* incident for this dog to make headlines, and another strike against Pits. Most people are unaware of the history of the breed, and that well bred Pits are actually very trustworthy with people, including small children and babies.

Of course, I'm not a Pit person myself, and it's not the breed that I'm as concerned about as I am if it were MY kid riding her bike to school when the dog gets out? What happens when the dog CATCHES her? Or what if the dog gets out and kills my cat, or attacks my dog while I'm out walking her, on lead, responsibly? I'd be pretty pissed if I found out that the owner KNEW the dog was like this and felt more compassion for the dog than concern or responsibility for the well-being of their neighbors. This is why I carry pepper spray.

If circumstances were different, I could definitely see some value in trying to rehabilitate a misunderstood dog. But not a dog that has bitten repeatedly and shows such severe dog aggression that she will attack a person, and not a dog that is capable of chasing down an innocent person going about their business.

Wow, I really rambled, and I know I sound harsh, but the fact is, that I think people are too often misguided in their compassion toward dogs like this, when there are so many GOOD dogs put down every day simply because they are unwanted.

Teds RIGHT, these great dogs do not need any bad press, they are bred to be dog aggresive, if they were people aggresive they were a handfull in the pit and put down! MASON's Hog!

The theory that the dog is too young to put down is misleading. Much grief can be saved by doing it now, than waiting until the dog is 14 mos to 2 yrs old. By then you've put your heart & soul into rehabilitating the dog, and still end up having to put it down, possibly after a disaster. The handwriting is on the wall with this dog. Why prolong the inevitable? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I have a 1 yr old Pit mix. He is super friendly to anyone who greets him. One night while standing on a corner waiting for the light to change a bicycle rider past behind us. He turned and gave a fierce bark and may have tried to bite ,lucky for me I was holding the leash short. I gave him a good correction with the prong collar, now he does not go for bikes any more.There may be other ways to train ,but the prong works pretty fast without really hurting the dog.

I have a 1 yr old Pit mix. He is super friendly to anyone who greets him. One night while standing on a corner waiting for the light to change a bicycle rider past behind us. He turned and gave a fierce bark and may have tried to bite ,lucky for me I was holding the leash short. I gave him a good correction with the prong collar, now he does not go for bikes any more.There may be other ways to train ,but the prong works pretty fast without really hurting the dog.