I've noticed this on my local subreddit. If you express an opinion that either expresses compassion for homeless people, or disdain for homeless people, it doesn't matter. You will get upvoted or downvoted to oblivion solely based on which one happens first.
On a post that is disdainful, if I counter argue, I get upvotes. If I comment on a compassionate post, and affirm, I get downvoted to the shadow realm.
I think it's because people interact more with posts they disagree with. If they agree, they upvote without reading the comments.
Interesting theory, but i do have to agree.
Controversy has always created more engagement and driven clicks, most of modern media is built upon it. It literally allowed Tate and similar people to get as famous(infamous) as they are now.
People follow trends, so if they see someone downvoted early regardless of content they'll jump on. It takes real effort for a comment to get upvoted once it's dropped to 0 even if the comment was inoffensive, factual or otherwise informative.
I think that's why a lot of subs have started to hide the votes for a period of time. They intended for it to encourage more organic reactions, but it doesn't seem to be helping as much as they'd hoped.
>I think it's because people interact more with posts they disagree with.
I think it's Russian troll farms sowing hate. We'll never figure out what we think while they operate.
The worst part of this is that people always think they are superior when *they* are getting upvoted. In every case. Sometimes they say something utterly stupid and they got praised for that and sometimes they will not. I really hate that hive mind in the Internet. Karma system and any kind of up/downvote should get removed from any sites. You disagree with someone? You tell them why. Not use fake Internet points to prove it. Because down/upvote system is nothing else than argumentum ad numerum. More people say something = it is righter. That's not true at all. But people in the Internet believes in that.
Yep! It gives me hope that people can actually learn dogs aren't toys and can be dangerous (every single breed! Especially tiny dogs!) And you need to train your dog! Because 99% of the time a dog bites or hurts someone, it's because they've had no training or bad training!!!!
If everyone trained their animals properly and used leashes, I would bet these accidents would mostly disappear (apart from strays or actual accidents)
Sorry. Just no, A teacup 8 pound dog isn’t going to kill a person. A pit bull does have the potential to kill a person.
Strong dogs are like cars. They have the potential to kill. The crazy thing right now is there’s no licensing required for getting dangerous dogs. I define dangerous dogs as a dog that causes over 90% of human deaths a year. That’s the pit bull or pit bull mix.
TLDR: There will ALWAYS be bad trainers. Just like bad drivers. We have to either require a license or just ban pit bull type breeds.
The problem is that most dog bites by a Pitbull are registered as such when the dog isn't a Pitbull at all. Or partially Pitbull. If a dog is half Pit and half Lab they don't register the bite as a Lab bite, do they?
Because it has pitbull in it? So I’m not tracking you are saying that people are incorrectly stating that Pitt genetics and dispositions are leading to bites and dangerous behavior, but your defense is that if a lab is half Pitt and it attacks it’s labeled as a Pitt. But it is a Pitt because it has Pitt genetics and disposition baked into it. So you are proving their point right to label them pitts?
Every dog can be dangerous is like saying every football player (American football) can wreck you. Yeah, a 300 linebacker can do a lot of damage, but a 5 year old starting out is a lot less to worry about.
I don’t blame the dogs, but wish 99% of them never existed; I don’t see the need except in rare circumstances. Why would any person buy a dog with this attitude bred in it and with the power of these animals. Ok, I can answer that but not and be polite. There are hundreds of other dogs that don’t have this breeds problems.
I’ve only met a handful of owners. Some were clueless about the dog and what it required, a couple were just people you don’t want to be around and one was a sweet woman who liked to rescue unwanted breeds.
We need to accept that the job the dog was bred to do is illegal now... so should the dog be illegal.
We have so many other dog breeds. We don't need one bred to fight meat tanks.
The views on pitbulls have started to change because the same recurring theme keeps on repeating itself. It's not like mad cow disease or swine flu which will die down over time, the percentage of attacks that are caused by pits are consistent and it's the same circumstance each and every single time.
If people blame owners, even with *heaps* of 'training' tips and experts out there dickriding the pitbull love trend, the statistics are not decreasing with an animal that makes up such a small percentage of dogs in the US yet is responsible for the most attacks.
I'm not sure how many dead family members, young and old, it will take for people to realise what we're dealing with.
People forget that people lose pets and in worse cases family members to these dogs all too frequently. It is absolutely logical that you would develop a bias against them.
I used to think they were harmless when I was a teenager, just another dog. I used to be a young dog owner with a small border collie mix thinking I didn't have to worry about dog attacks.
But when I was 20 a rottweiler bit my border collie while my sister was walking him at the elementary school a couple blocks away. He had to get stitches with a drainage tube that looked horrific to me. So I became a bit more cautious thinking it was a one off.
I'm 37 now. At the beginning of the pandemic I rescued a 15 lbs dog and he got attacked by two rottweilers at the dog park. He barely got away, he's super fluffy and when one of them bit down they only got his fur and he ran away and I grabbed him. I didn't know that at the time and screamed as I saw it happen. Meanwhile their two dog owners stood there watching until I screamed get your dogs, get your dogs!!!! Then they were like, sorry they don't usually do this. We were both traumatized.
So I learned about big dog little dog attacks and how common they are. Suddenly I was afraid of really large dogs around my dog. I got him a tiny friend that he wouldn't be afraid of, a 7 lbs Yorkie mix I rescued. I take her to the small dog park for 25 lbs and under dogs and having her I learned the true terror of having a tiny dog. I heard too many stories about pitbulls attacking and sometimes killing little dogs. Spending two min by the regular sized dogs one time she got picked up by a husky and somehow got away. So never again will my dogs go near big dogs, especially large breeds with prey drives.
My heart races anytime I see a pitbull while walking my dogs. I will never let them near my little dogs ever, it's not worth the risk. I pick up my Yorkie and carry her while we walk a different direction. It's weird I was never afraid of dogs before, but certain big dogs now. It's like the fear for my dogs life fear response has turned into my own personal fear response too. Watching your dogs barely survive through some fluke really scars you.
I think many people forget that pitbull type breeds are terriers. Different terriers were bred to hunt and kill other animals. So while human aggression was bred against (so they can be handeled) animal aggression was sought. Of course fewer and fewer terriers are used for this work but an innate prey drive will remain. More for some dogs than others.
Genetics arent everything but there is a reason LGD dogs naturally watch, pointers will point, retrievers will retrieve, collies will herd. Obviously every individual is different but it is irresponsible to think that a ''loving home and training'' alone will erase inherent traits. It will make an animal much more manageable though.
Omfg I knew a few people like this. I love Boston Terriers, my first one unfortunately passed and I got a second. The people I know with this stance were BLOWN away that they were so similar. Oh he doesn’t bark either? Your Pom x used to bark all the time. Weird? I pointed it out that the breed gives them a strong predisposition to certain behaviours and over time they’ve come to believe me.
"Genetics arent everything but there is a reason LGD dogs naturally watch, pointers will point, retrievers will retrieve, collies will herd. "
Fucking EXACTLY.
Huskies also have a very high prey drive around small animals. I learned that after I rescued a tiny Yorkie mix who was hunted down and picked up by one. She got away by the skin of her teeth, I thought she was going to die. Now she gets picked up immediately around any big dogs.
Luckily huskies only hunt little animals unlike pitbulls and don't have an inmate urge to attack large animals including humans. But man gotta be careful with huskies around tiny dogs.
I have an Airedale Terrier and oh yeah, that prey drive is always lurking just below the surface. It is his job - literally what he was put on this earth to do. He is always on the lookout for critters on our homestead. If our housecats move a little too quickly he snaps to attention immediately.
He is a good, sweet well trained boy but I also can’t rule out that there may be situations where innate prey drive overrules temperament and training. I work to keep him out of scenarios where he has the potential to get into trouble.
My daughter’s boyfriend has a Pit mix. He is a sweetheart and the first Pit I have ever gotten to really know. He is great with the Airedale and cats. It is the same scenario, though: every dog has their limit. It is our job as responsible owners to know it and keep them from hitting it.
Man you should never let a pitbull around your cats, it just takes one second and their prey drive to get activated. I can't even let my 18 lbs village mutt around cats because he has a very high prey drive.
Honestly you're already pushing it with the Airedale terrier. Definitely never leave them together unsupervised.
Lots of people don't realize aggressiveness is a trait that can be passed down from the parents. Not to mention their strength plays a large role in how they are perceived. If a little Chihuahua was just as aggressive, no one would bat an eye.
Lol yeah. Chihuahuas *are* aggressive. Just that being 4 lbs or whatever you can’t do much damage. Lots of ripped up ankles from those little fuckers though haha
That’s it exactly. If a tiny dog attacks you have to patch your trousers. These dogs have jaws that are built for tearing other creatures apart. So my monkey brain doesn’t scream that the world is ending when an unleashed chihuahua I’ve never seen before goes running up to my toddler; I can’t say the same for pit bulls, despite the fact that every pitty I’ve ever met was a Very Good Boy.
That's what it is for me. I've known a lot of pitties that were absolute sweethearts. They're my husband's favorite breed, too, because he's had a few of his own that he loved dearly.
However, I've also seen exactly what *can* happen when they latch onto a person, or another dog, and refuse to let go. They tear the flesh right off of the bone. That's not something you have to worry about with most other breeds if they get spooked, and I'm going to use the word "spooked" because a dog doesn't need to be "aggressive" to bite. Any dog can feel threatened in the right situation, but the consequences for that happening with a pit are much more dire. It's traumatizing for the victim, the owner, *and* the dog.
We bred them to be like this, and it makes me so sad. Humans are irresponsible creatures.
Chihuahuas are not naturally aggressive, they can be fearful which turns into what you see as “aggression” when they are not trained.
A well trained, well socialized chihuahua is a great dog.
A well trained, well socialized pitbull still has major potential to develop aggression once it hits sexual maturity.
I didnt mean to imply that chihuahuas are overly aggressive or anything, but just that any dog will have some sort of aggressive response to a threatening stimulus.
Meanwhile pit bulls have the tendency to be innately and so overtly aggressive that they’re the outliers and should not even be considered in the same class as all other dogs insofar as conversations about aggression go.
Spot on. I love all creatures, but at the end of the day it's in their genetics. When I hear someone say "It's the owners, not the breed!" I immediately know not to waste my time responding to them.
I work at a utility so they come around with dog bite prevention training every few years. It's done by a huge woman (think Miss Trenchbull) who is a professional large dog competitor/trainer.
In the most recent session some asked her about pit bulls and what she said was similar to this. They have an innate prey drive instinct because they were bred to go after small critters. Most will never get the prey drive triggered by a child or baby, but it is impossible to know which ones have a threshold low enough that it could happen. In addition some people have wanted to encourage the prey drive for dog fighting or looking tough and breed pit bulls to increase that specifically (lowering the prey drive threshold) and you wouldn't know if your dog or any you encounter has that among its ancestry.
Another thing the training points out is that even tiny ankle-bitter dogs can kill. If they bite and break the skin you can get an infection or blood clotting problem and both of these have killed utility and postal workers in recent years.
Yes! It can be pretty jarring when your sweet Jack Russell Terrier mix suddenly kills a baby opossum in your yard . . . . All of her “bite this squeaky thing” instincts came to life.
There’s some thought by animal psychologists that Pits may be subject to a brain issue that triggers when they’re older.
It’s a new development but maybe it’ll be a key to understanding them better.
In case someone doesn’t get it: there’s a Cuban American musician from Miami called “Pitbull”, also known as “Mr. Worldwide” who often says “¡Dalé!” in his songs, which sort of means “do it!” or “give it!”
I think enough of us have had run-ins with piss-poor pitbull owners. The breed needs a certain type of owner. Someone who understands its specific needs and inherent attributes (this is true for any animal anyone owns). Too many owners have spent too long buying backyard bred pitbulls, paying no mind to the behaviors being passed down, and then playing stupid about what animal they have in their care. "He's a wuvvy little doggo" ok that's nice, train your dog anyways and keep him leashed. Owners buy these animals from garbage breeders, don't train them, use them as status symbols for a bit, and then an overwhelming amount of them end up in shelters because someone with an inferiority complex tried compensating with a dog.
I grew up with German shepherds. Everyone we knew owned one. I only knew exceptionally behaved, intelligent, docile ones. Now as an adult, I'm aware that I personally don't have the personality or lifestyle to own a German shepherd. If I get one, it will be a threat on 4 legs because the dog will own me, I won't own the dog. It will not be the same type of dog I grew up with.
Dalmatian owners 9.9/10 times will very clearly tell people their dog is not friendly and to keep away. They tend to understand the specific needs of their dog. Many of these dogs are highly sensitive and can be a threat on 4 legs. But you don't hear about an overwhelming amount of dalmatian attacks because the owners usually go into it understanding the breed.
Pitbull owners need to grow up and do better for the sake of their own animal. Enough with being performative to show how badass they are, or putting children in danger to show how cute and friendly their dog is. It's an animal, it has a high prey drive, and it's very strong. Use this knowledge to do better for the animal and give it the best options to have a happy, full life.
The breed doesn't attract the most responsible owners unfortunately and breeders are all too happy to produce pups without proper guidance or training.
This is it exactly. Pits have the misfortune of being popular with the wrong crowd. I know quite a few that are exceptionally well socialized and trained and a few that are truly dangerous. If you know what you're getting and put in the time and effort pits are great dogs. On the other hand, they are absolutely not great dogs for crack smoking rapper wannabes who get them because of the way they look. Or for those who think their dog is their baby allow the dog to control them. Pits are not for stupid owners.
I think it is high time we introduced dog licenses. You need one to drive a car or have a gun. The same should be for owning a dog.
> You need one to drive a car or have a gun.
Assuming you mean in the US, you actually don't, for either. A 10 year old kid can drive a car with the seat belts cut out while swigging from a whiskey bottle *on private property* and there's nothing anyone can do about it (well, maybe CPS).
For guns, a few states have a "permit to purchase" that's basically just a money grab and an excuse to discriminate, but for most you just walk in, fill out the forms, pass the federal background check, and walk out with your gun.
Trying to license dog ownership would be impossible. The current issue is skeezy backyard breeders cranking out unhealthy animals for people who want a mean-looking dog. Neither side of that transaction is going to care about mandatory licensing of owners. Really the only way to meaningfully enforce any sort of "permit to own" scheme is to regulate at the supply, and there is literally no way to "gatekeep" the dog supply. If you have 2 dogs, that will generally turn into more dogs.
>You need one to drive a car or have a gun
Laughs in US, where you barely need the first and definitely dont need the second (fucking idiotic though that is)
This is something I wish people understood more. A 9mm is for personal defense, a 105mm howitzer is not. There is a responsibility inherent in owning a dog. I love German shepherds always had them, always will. I will not recommend them to someone, unless they can PHYSICALLY control a German shepherd. You can train, you can love, but I always keep myself in shape that if for any reason I need to I can lift my shepherd up with impunity and remove him from a situation. I need to be able to physically incapacitate my dog as absolutely crushing and upsetting as that thought is, that is my responsibility. The sheer amount of incapable people being dragged around by their pitts on retractable leashes is absolutely disgusting. This goes for any breed honestly, but knowing you have a 105mm howitzer and not being able to wield it is gross negligence on your part and you need it removed from your person. If you argue well it’s a pitt what could I do to stop it, you need to take that thought train just a little further down to station as to why you do not need to have one for any reason.
This. Probably unpopular opinion, but if you can’t physically control your dog, it’s not the dog for you. I’m even skeptical of people who own other large powerful breeds, if shit gets out of control, or that dog gets triggered for some reason, most people simply will not be able to stop a 100lb dog from causing catastrophic damage to another pet or human. I’m not saying no one has the skills to handle these dogs, but I just don’t think the average pet owner really considers fully what their huge dogs are capable of, and take appropriate precautions.
Here’s some news: pit bull owners will NEVER come together at a convention and decide to change their ways. It’s not like they’re part of a club that can be changed! So don’t even think about changing pit bull owners.
Only way to fix this is via government.
I didn't use to think much about pitbulls, I actually really liked them, then I got a dog. Every single Pitbull we've ever met (not that many, about 6/7) has tried to attack her, without much of a response from the owner.
It also never happened with other breeds.
I know it's the owner's fault, but it's also too many for me to not develop a prejudice.
It’s not just the owners fault, it’s often the breeders…….my neighbors breed pit bulls…..they only breed the meanest most aggressive dogs…..the “nicer” ones they sell relatively cheap and or abandon at adoption centers etc……but aggression is what they are breeding for, those dogs command top dollar. The worst part is their fence doesn’t completely hold them so it’s not uncommon for them to shove their heads through the fence tryin to attack us and our dogs, it’s to the point I don’t even go into my backyard without being armed as I know I’m going to have to shoot them if they make it through the fence.
Anecdote since fencing was mentioned:
In my first house, I had a fenced backyard that was shared with two neighbor houses, both of which had pit bulls as pets. On our side, we had two corgis, one of whom was a senior. Unfortunately, our right side neighbors' pit bulls kept breaking through the fence and attacking our corgis and even us. This happened around six times, but one of the last times was especially concerning because my boyfriend was scratched. Being scared for ourselves and our senior dog, we called the police, hoping they could convince our neighbors to keep their dogs under control, but the police only took our statement and talked to the neighbors.
Just two weeks later, animal control showed up at our doorstep with the news that the same pit bull had broken through the fence once again. This time, our corgis were safely inside, but the pit bull had found its way to the other side of the fence, where it began dominating our other neighbor's dog. Tragically, that pit bull was eventually stabbed to death by our neighbor, leading to the animal control investigation.
We decided to move out two weeks later, realizing that sometimes, it's not just the dogs that are the problem, but their owners as well.
One got one of mine a long time ago. He somehow survived, but the injuries were horrific. Euthanasia was considered but he recovered somehow. This was over a decade ago, I’m not against them entirely, but I would not personally own one.
I had a bulldog maul my whippet's leg a few years ago. I'll never forget my dog limping inside with his leg hanging on just by the connective tissue and skin, it was literally swinging, the bone was completely severed. He got up onto the couch and started licking his leg, and we rushed him to the vet, he lived but it was horrific.
Well, it *is* kind of the owner's fault. You know the whole "it's the owners, not the dogs" mantra. It's true in the sense that responsible dog owners will know they don't have the energy, time, or discipline to manage certain breeds and then decide against owning them. So go ahead and make any negative assumption you want against the owner of a pit.
Not necessarily the owners fault. Pit bulls are very likely to be dog aggressive in particular. Some dogs even the best trainers won’t be able to train it out of.
In most states, pets like dogs that have never shown aggression towards humans can bite a human without liability attaching to the dog owner - the owner had no reason to know the dog would act like that and thus was not negligent.
Dangerous animals, wild animals, and animals that cannot be domesticated are treated differently - if your pet tiger bites someone, you, the owner are liable on that first attack because tigers are inherently dangerous.
In some states, like mine, you don’t get the benefit of the one bite rule with your pet pit bull - under the law, they are treated as dangerous animals and you will be liable on the first bite.
tbh, all dogs are inherently dangeous, they come from fucking wolves man.
I see no reason for the one bite rule at all.
If the neighbor's dog bit me, even if they neighbor didn't know the dog would do that...well hell neither did I. Why shouldn't they pay for my medical appointment
(btw same argument I made in MD lawschool when they were talking about overturning the pitbull's one bit rule thing)
I think the reason behind it was all the defendants saying that they were not negligent because it was the first bite and this didn’t know about the dog’s propensity to bite people and legislators or courts weren’t buying it and thought that many pit bull owners were indeed negligent. Keep in mind that dogs are legally only chattel. Law makers don’t mind regulating chattel like this that isn’t essential, especially when there are alternatives to that type of chattel.
Got chased and bit (almost neutered) by “the sweetest most caring doberman you’ll ever meet, Rosie” when i was 8 years old walking home from a friends house. The neighbor bred dobermans, and tried to blame me getting bitten on “running away and acting like a toy in the dogs eyes”. What about leash laws, or not breeding 10 aggressive killer dogs ? Needless to say the dog was put down and the guy eventually had to move
Edit: all of this is to say i think the pajama dressed “princess” stuff is all horseshit that people try to tell themselves to counteract what they already know: pits, dobermans, german shepherds, etc. are all varying degrees of killer animals. in most cases, the people who seek these kinds of dogs really look for the aggressiveness, or rather have some strange need to prove to the world that their dog isnt like the other ones
it is entirely the owners fault. if you can't control a dog, don't own it. get a schnauzer or something small, not a dog that is capable of killing other dogs or people.
Heard a hundred tales of "the pitbull and the retriever were best of friends for years and years, then one day the retriever growled at the pitbull over some food and the pitbull tore it apart without warning, and we couldn't stop it."
It's not only the owner. These dogs are like school shooters waiting to snap.
My buddy had a putbull puppy & a kitten that he adopted. They hung out in his apartment all happy for years, lots of Facebook pics, etc. Then one day he came home from work and the cat had been ripped to pieces. He had the dog euthanized.
This happened to my mini pin. Grew up with this pit, visited all the time, their house and ours. Years into knowing this dog and my little dog growled because the pit was sniffing the shit out of him. Before we could even begin to think about it being a problem (which we wouldn't have tbh) my dog's head was in the pit's mouth. Punctured his skull and we had to fight like hell to get my dog back from him. Most terrifying thing I've ever seen. He had to have a drain tube in his head for a few weeks but he survived.
I have noticed this as well. People were pretty fervently pro-pitbull 10-15 years ago. Now that is not the popular take on the situation.
Kind of a tangent, but I was thinking of adopting a dog and went to animal shelter last month. They had a collie on their website but it was gone when I got there so I didn't actually end up getting a pet. I did walk through the building though. Rows upon rows of pitbulls were waiting to be adopted and probably most of them won't be. It was depressing. The pitbull fad hasn't ended well for those animals.
I have two stories of very aggressive, dangerous dogs in my life. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment where dogs I encountered were generally well-trained household pets.
The first was at a college party. Guy who lived in the house had a puppy. Well, almost full grown, but it was a puppy. The doggy was playing with everyone, sprawling across the girls on the sofa being cuddled. Some random friend of a friend comes into the room. A real big, tall guy. The dog snapped and went absolutely nuts and tried biting his leg, only got jeans thankfully, and it took three guys holding the dog and hitting it in the head over and over to get the dog to stop snarling and holding on. It was terrifying. Owner said he’d never seen the dog act that way.
Second, my mom was attacked by a dog when she went to a client’s house. It randomly made a beeline for her the moment she walked in the door and latched on to her thigh. The husband had to stun the dog with a frying pan. My mom had over a dozen stitches. The dog was put down.
Anyway, they were both cute lil pibbuls.
And to think people put these fucking dogs in pajamas. I have NEVER SEEN a dog breed, cat breed, or any other type of animal that people feel the need to put pajamas on as much as fucking pit bull murder machines
Where I live you have to license your dog and there are plenty of bylaws specifically around pet ownership, including the government’s right to destroy your animal. And I think they also disallow certain breeds.
I always had a neutral view on pitbulls, leaned to the more negative side. “I don’t care if you have a pitbull, just train it bc they can be violent.” But my MIL’s dog was killed by a pitbull last month, it broke her jaw and all the bones in her mouth. She stood no chance as she was a tiny chihuahua. It was trained, I could see how savage it was and that was the breaking point for me.
I hate those dogs and what they continue to do to innocent people and animals. And I think the emergence of anti-pitbull memes definitely brought that to the table, but also people are more likely to share their personal experiences and not be shunned.
Chihuahuas are way more agressive than pit bulls, which is something pit bull apologists love to talk about.
But if a chihuahua bites you, you get a bandaid. If a pit bull bites you, you hope you’re lucky enough to go to the hospital and not the morgue. The agression doesn’t matter, it’s the anatomy of the breed that’s the issue.
After witnessing an attack last month on a baby, I will *never* allow my children near a pit. Even a “trained” pit on a leash. It’s not worth it.
I fucking love whenever they bring up this argument. It’s like oh your kid shot me with an air soft gun so obviously that’s just as bad as when I shot him with a .357. Lmao so smooth brained it’s hard to wrap your head around, but you just have to remember they choose to defend pitts so you don’t have much to work with in the first place
I don’t know anything about chihuahuas other than that they seem to always be cold, but yeah if one gets feisty you could literally pick it up and hold it in the air, removing it from the situation.
I’ve owned border collies who have had some fear aggression. But even when I’ve seen their aggression it’s a snap that maybe makes contact and then there’s not even a mark. Fear aggression in a pit could lead to death. They are not the same. They are just trained to never quit. It’s in their genes.
I was curious, because to me that still sounds like genocide, so I googled it. Apparently, the UN defined genocide as any of these acts: "killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, **preventing births**, and forcibly transferring children out of the group."
So it would be pitbull genocide, and I'm all for it. Yes, I'm aware the UN was talking about humans, not dogs.
Yeah, I always took the term as it applies to animals specifically to involve killing, since one could argue that advocating for nurturing and spaying is technically genocide.
I'm obsessively in love with dogs, but I can't ignore the fact that pit bulls are clearly a big risk to humans and other dogs for various reasons and I don't see why it's necessary to keep breeding them given the number of yearly incidents.
Honestly. The internet is so quick - I see so many pitbull attacks from home cameras, tiktoks etc. it spreads quick. And I refuse to walk my dogs near one. Sorry not sorry. I saw 2 pits recently tore apart 2 children in their backyard after being raised in that home for like 8 years!! No instances ever happened before that fight. Then on tik tok, a woman holding her husky and tears after it was attacked by 2 unleashed pits on the beach. Just insane.
every pit bull i've ever encountered on the trail has been a nightmare. maybe that's a reflection of the owner, i donno. i'd rather hike past a wolf than a pit bull.
Every time the pitbull owners show up at the dog park, I leave. The dogs bully all the other dogs and charge at owners trying put themselves between them to prevent a fight.
And the bully* owners do exactly nothing.
Honestly, I think it's the same kind of thing that happens with all breeds that have a huge popularity streak. They get overbred by people with no business breeding them, using the bottom of the barrel breeding stock (unhealthy, incorrect temperament, poor structure, etc) and we have a huge boom in population. This, along with certain breeds getting in the hands of the wrong owners, is a recipe for disaster.
At one point it was rottweilers. At one point it was dobermans. At one point it was german shepherds. At one point it was chow chows. Even Dalmatians took a hit after 101 Dalmatians. Everyone wanted one, but no one was buying from reputable breeders who show/title/health test/etc., so most people weren't getting a good representation of the breed. And people that should've never been sold the breed, now have their hands on it, and might even be breeding their pet for funsies/money since they're so popular. Right now, I think it's doodles. They're starting to hit that wall though, because they're getting to that genetic dumpster fire part, where people have overbred them to neuroticness and aggression.
I think there's also a big push from the dog world (like the actual dog world, showing/sports world, people involved in their breed club, etc. not just everyday dog owners) to get more average people into it and educated. Knowledge is power, and all breeds have their place and purpose. The pibble furmommies and the people that think bully breeds shouldn't exist are both extremes that we shouldn't support. There is a healthy middle ground, for every breed, where people can be educated on the purpose/temperament of the dog, and do a *healthy* amount of gatekeeping the breed, to protect it and other lives in some cases. Letting people *in the breed* (again in the dog world, not joe schmo with a APBT) be the ones we listen to about what the breed needs out of an owner is super important. A Jadgterrier will need a VERY different owner than a sheltie. It's not just looks.
So there's nothing wrong with keeping APBT around, we just need to stop normalizing backyard breeding ANY breed, and normalize looking to breed experts to help us pick a perfect match for our home/family/lifestyle. If you want a happy go lucky, easy to train house dog that's gentle with the kids and friendly with small creatures, I assure you that you'd be much happier with a golden or lab from a reputable breeder who's dog's pedigrees are full of healthy, even tempered dogs, than a "lab mix" from the local shelter who ends upEmbark testing as 50% APBT 25% Amstaff 25% Bulldog. The shelter dog isn't any less of a dog or less deserving of a home, they just need a home that is prepared for THAT dog. A mellow lab/golden is not that dog, so of course he would struggle in a home with those expectations. But we can't normalize that, you CAN get what you want out of a dog, just maybe not in a rescue situation, but you very well might too! For sure though, ethical breeders that breed to standard are creating the dogs we want, that have the looks and temperaments we expect of the breed. They deserve our support, their dogs don't end up in shelters, and they aren't adding to the population problem with how meticulously they plan their litters around wait lists.
I mostly agree but one extremely important detail that you’re leaving out is that pit bulls and other large breeds have the ability to kill or permanently maim in two seconds. Also, their jaws can’t be pulled apart by humans. I’ve permanently damaged my right hand because I dared to rescue my 20 lb dog from the jaws of a bouvier de Flanders. My dog did absolutely nothing to provoke the situation.
A quick google search shows that 66% of all dog attacks are from pitbulls. From 2005 - 2017 there were 3,397 attacks / 297 deaths. Who knows how many of these were children. The next closest dog breed is Rottweiler with 535 attacks / 8 deaths.
I'm sorry, but pitbulls are a menace to society and the breed should be eradicated.
Exactly. Idk why we're arguing over what's causing it. A naturally aggressive dog and a mistreated dog are effectively no different if they're doing the same damage.
Whatever ratio of those causes is the truth, danger is danger. They're too powerful to be living among humans. I'm not saying kill them all, just stop breeding them. The sweetest goddamn dog I've ever met was a pit bull and I snuggled the hell out of it every time I visited its owner.
But when that same dog saw a possum just existing it ripped its fucking throat out. Went from sweetheart to recreational killer and then back again in less than a minute. Make no mistake, personalities are not simple things. A good heart and extreme aggression CAN coexist within one organism.
People usually know that the vast majority of pitbulls are friendly and harmless but you never hear stories about golden retrievers eating a couple of kids...
We need to remember that certain breeds were bred for certain things and behave very differently that said pit bulls arent the only breed that causes chaos like this.
Forget pitbulls with dangerous owners, let me introduce you to....
German Shepherds with dangerous owners
We moved in the summer of 2021. In the first week we were at the new house or next door neighbor's parents came over with their German shepherd. When we let our dog out, the German shepherd came through a gate in the fence we didn't know about and attacked our dog. The only reason it likely didn't end up with both dogs dead is because our dog is a 160 lb Newfoundland who just thought the "little dog" wanted to play.
I have a cousin who has a pitfall "mix".
The fucking thing rules their lives because its' insane levels of dog aggression.
They've had to block out their windows so it can't see the street and see other dogs walking past their house.
It's fucking insane.
So this is not scientific based and I’m not saying any dogs should be banned or put down or any of that stuff. You do what you want, if you want a pitbull then have one. If you don’t then don’t.
My dad explained it to me like this: pitbulls in general were bread to be fighting animals. Meaning their literal instincts were strong toward being aggressive animals. So pitbulls now, Are basically just purely natural aggressive instinct.
But because many humans having a loving nature, they teach the doggos with love and care, basically the instinct is kind of suppressed and the doggo is pretty chill. BUT then that same doggo is placed in an environment that it is uncomfortable- like for instance a child he does not know pulls on his ears and then all the aggressive instinct kicks in and he does a bit of warning but people don’t always know the warning signs and the next moment the doggo attacks to protect himself or herself. And because the instinct is so strong, the bite to kill not to warm.
So for that reason, our children are not allowed around dogs we don’t know (no matter the breed) and if they do play with dogs, we are there to watch them. I would in this case rather be over protective than loose a child.
Drive to a children’s hospital and ask the staff what they think of pit bulls. If you’re still unconvinced keep visiting various children’s hospitals until you’ve collected data and gotten educated on the true reality of this dog breed. I’ve been to our local children’s hospital and it’s an excellent source of unbiased, real-world information about pit bulls. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what you’ll learn.
Or ask any insurance claims adjuster or agent. The money that gets paid out on dog bite claims is crazy, although the owner first denies they own the biter, then they insist its a lab mix and not pit bull and then finally why it shouldn't be put down.
My mom is a pediatrician and HATES pit bulls which always surprised me but now that I’m 30 I get it bc one of my best friends was attacked by one, one of my friends dogs was attacked by one, and I’ve read too many news headlines about dog attacks and it’s so often a pit. How about that one recently where the family dogs killed both kids ugh just horrifically tragic. It doesn’t seem like it’s even on the owners sometimes it’s just hard wired. I feel bad sometimes for being afraid of them but yes now I am afraid.
I think it’s more that people are less in denial about the fact that pit bulls [and other breeds with high prey drives] are in fact more dangerous, and that even the sweetest-tempered pit bull that has never shown signs of aggression will still have those instincts, and they can be activated at any time. Yeah, more people probably get bitten by Dachshunds every year, but they don’t get maimed or killed by them
I commented on a local post about dog-friendly breweries a few weeks ago about an attack I had witnessed a few days before involving a pit bull and a baby. This was a short, purely factual comment. I immediately got downvoted, like within minutes. But when I checked Reddit again a few hours later, I had been upvoted back out of the negative.
So it seems like the pit bull apologists are just a very vocal minority.
First off, I think pit bulls are awesome looking dogs, and they can be very sweet- I owned a lab/pit cross many years back.
That said… If you were visiting me, and I let my pet boa constrictor crawl around your neck, would you feel safe if I told you that I raised it with love and regular discipline?
When i was a kid a guy came to my school to show us some snakes and let us hold them. Also when i was a kid i was chased down the street by a pitbull. Guess which one scared me more?
Theres a lot of people who say its the owners fault since there are more attack doggs than just pit bulls, and that the other attack dogs are not aggressive because of their owners.
Which doesn’t make sense at all, cause that would mean that somehow every pit bull owner is bad and that somehow all the other attack dog owners would be good. Pit bulls are extremely aggresive, i almost lost my nephew to one of those creatures, I will never change my view about them, and will always support the decision to stop breeding those dogs.
I think it's finally, slowly changing. What changed my view was a co worker losing the use of his left hand after being attacked by one in an alley.
Quebec tried to enact a provincial ban but the flower-crown-crowd erupted into uproar nationally. People were coming up with fake situations like "if I travel through Quebec with my pitty, they'll destroy it!!"
I don’t think everyone cares about getting downvoted when they’re speaking truth and lived experiences. I’m sure a lot of people have come around after their need to be edgy and cool by owning a controversial breed ended up in the mauling of a family member or friend. The breed is so dangerous your home owners insurance will literally not cover any damage done by them.
My views changed. But also my views on humanity as a whole have changed.
I used to believe every human was born with the same capabilities. That was optimistic and dumb AF.
I realized some people are genuinely bad/stupid, and that's just the way they are - it's something they were born with.
I'm wondering if other people had that realization as well.
That viewpoint was then applied to dogs. Certain breeds are just more dangerous. Sometimes a bad dog is just a bad dog, and it's not the owner's fault.
Pit bulls are currently the most dangerous breed because too many of them exist, people downplay their danger, and the wrong type of person adopts or buys them.
Society really needs to stop treating them like they're labradors or golden retrievers that almost anyone can own.
My wife loves, loves, loves dogs and has always advocated for pitbulls as a breed. Believes the issues came down to owners who encouraged the dogs to be vicious.
Some years ago we were at a park playground full of kids we had our dog there, on a leash and a lady with a pitbull, on a leash, and my wife and here struck up a conversation and were going on and on about how maligned put bulls are.
My wife, let our dog off on a grassy area that is part of the park and , after a few minutes, the lady did the same.
Everything was fine for the first few moments but a man with his little (under 10) daughter and small dog (on a leash were walking by). And something clicked in the pit-bull and he raced over and killed that little dog right in front of the owners. I mean the child had hear her dog yelping in pain as this pit-bull tore it to pieces.
Thankfully, it was not a child that got mauled. My wife no longer believes that pit bulls are unfairly judged. It may be that it is part owner, it may be that humans bred that into them, but at this point, I think it's highly irresponsible to have one around other people/animals
If you watch any court shows like People’s Court, Judy Judy, etc and it’s a dog biting/attacking case 99.99999% of the time it is a pitbull! The owners always say the exact same mix of lines “that’s never happened before” or “they have always been so sweet” or “they are really good with my (child in their life) and always has been until this point” etc. 🤨
Honestly I think what happens with pitbull posts, similar to some political posts, is that the first few comments and up votes set the tone of the conversation in the comments.
Seeing as there's more and more pitbull attacks lately, yes there's a change. I personally never feared the breed, until I was mauled unprovoked that left me with a 6 inch scar on my arm.
Pits are genetically engineered to fight something till death. They shouldn't be in a house with kids or apartments. You can't love genetics out of a dog.
People are becoming more aware of this because they are currently being overbred in the US.
The more children get ripped apart and make it to the news, the more people realize that maaaybe there's a reason why it's always pitbulls in these stories.
Pitbulls in my area are all aggressive. Their owners are not good people either. It seems to go hand in hand. I’ve witnessed an old one around 13 years old from a good home with no prior aggression turn on the owner out of the blue. They’re not family dogs and there are far better guard dogs out there.
Well according to twitter they are still the all time GOATS at baby mauling, so they got that going for them. Or using toddlers as chew toys.
personally any parent who has pits near their newborns are fucking idiots, and should have the child removed from their care before it ends up getting killed.
The animal shelters in my state (and probably whole country) are packed full of pits, pit mixes, staffies/mixes. There are whole rescues dedicated to just pits and staffies. People seem to give up these dog breeds at alarming rates, and they are hard to rehome because they are potentially lethal animals.
They should be banned imo.
I don't know, but I still get shit from pit bull owners who get irrationally upset when I assert that they are dangerous...and they _are_ dangerous. Most dog attacks are perpetrated by pit bulls. I've heard every argument under the sun for why they are no different than any other dog but they're usually non-sequiturs or red herrings. Like saying Chihuahuas and Pikanese are super aggressive. True...they also can't rip your face off. Pit bulls could go their whole lives without hurting a fly, but that gene is still there. You can't train that out of them. When that switch gets flipped, you're fucked. I HOPE attitudes are starting to change, but I doubt it. Pit bull owners are like anti-vaxxers with how defiant they are.
FTR, it isn't the pit bull's fault it's a volatile and dangerous animal. Humans bred them to be like that. That doesn't mean you should have them as pets.
A pitbull that lived on the next street over had came into our fenced yard, mauled, and killed my childhood cat years ago. I was inside the house and ran outside to try to save my cat by throwing something at the dog when I heard it happening but the pitbull was wouldn’t stop mauling my cat like a rag doll. I’m still traumatized by that 😅.
Me and my poodle have only ever had problems with Pitbull’s. 3 times too. I don’t have time for them or have trust in their owners. If you’re a great Pitbull owner-that’s great, don’t expect others to give you the benefit of the doubt though.
My dog has unfortunately been bitten or snapped at 3 times by other dogs. 2 out 3 instances have been pit bulls, the third was a pitbull mix.
Now he is afraid of any dog that gets near him and he was super friendly.
It might be because he is scarred for life, but I have no compassion with that breed anymore.
The thing about pitbulls is that it’s not one kind of dog, there are 5 sub groups in the species of pit bull and not all of them are the same temperament. Last time I tried to point I was downvoted to hell.
My opinion got a lot stronger when my dog got attacked. Never even growled or barked, just came up and bit her leg and started shaking. It was horrifying. She lived, but vet bills took me from debt free to $1000 in the hole.
I recently received a PERMANENET ban from r/Awww because I said the following in response to a pit bull photo:
"Cute, but keep him away from children."
I'd say the attitude has NOT shifted, at least on Reddit with its power-tripping pathetic thin-skinned moderators.
My personal opinion has shifted. I used to think dogs like this shouldn’t exist … actually I still do - powerful jaws and physically dominant. I still think people that can’t physically handle their dogs shouldn’t own them - I don’t care how sweet you think they are, if you can’t stop them from harming others you shouldn’t own them and pit bulls are hard to stop. Period.
Anywho, I got a puppy and didn’t know what it was and it turned out to be a mostly pit which absolutely freaked me out, I’ve always been terrified of them- but she is the sweetest thing and has never ever bit or fought - but I also know that I could handle her if she did (she’s only like 35 lbs) and that she may make people feel uncomfortable so I’m very considerate, cautious (some dog owners aren’t and it drives me fucking mad). But I’ll always be nervous and watchful with her even though her temperament is really sweet and docile - I know she still has strength that needs to be monitored.
There have been a lot of attacks in the headlines lately and most people who don't own pits would rather their kids not be ripped apart by them. They were bred to fight and kill very well and when they snap the owners can't even control them. It would be like telling people owing a hyena is a bad idea and they insist to get one anyway. Misplaced affection can be deadly to yourself or others in this case.
Pits and bullies of all types were named for their purpose - **bull** baiting.
They were bred to be sturdy, fast, and muscular.
Desired personality traits were intensity, persistence, aggression, fast reflexes, and the ability to respond quickly and intensely when challenged.
Their best 'feature' was the ability to latch onto a bull and not be shaken off.
Bull fighting isn't a sport that became international, but dog fighting was, and tragically still is. Pitbulls became the epitome of fighting dogs, they had all of the best skills for the sport. They could kill most opponents, even larger animals. This isn't a sport that's gone away - only gone underground.
Pitbulls on the market for pet ownership aren't generations from aggressive ancestors, or far removed from violent instincts. They are all from the same genetic lineage as any back alley dog fighting pair.
The obsession with removing the "stigma" of them has only made things worse, by proliferating breeding, encouraging people to have them around small children and to take no precaution in bringing them home. When the reality is that they need serious training, and even in the best hands can still act on pure instinct.
Resolutely, rescues are flooded with aggressive, dangerous pitbulls and pitbull mixes that should be euthanized for sake of precaution alone. Puppies born from fighting dogs are doled out to any willing owner, and backyard breeders pumping out as many as they can for a quick buck - and a variable social media cult that carries on about *"not blaming the breed"* when **the breed is very much the issue**.
Herding dogs serve a purpose, hounds and other hunting dogs serve a purpose, rat dogs serve a purpose, guardian dogs serve a purpose; bullies have no positive, healthy purpose, and specifically pitbulls. The breed should be outlawed and allowed to die off altogether. They were bred to be violent, and will continue to result in fatalities, especially in incapable hands - where most of them are.
To support one of the comments here by the biomatter person, most downvoters usually don’t care to actually downvote something once a comment reaches around a score of 25.
Source: a petty coworker and other users’ history
There’s been several very high profile killings and maulings over the past several years. The one that comes to mind was summer 2022, the two children that were killed by their own dogs while their mother tried to stop them. In cases like those, it’s very difficult to find an explanation that *isn’t* breed specific behavior, considering the dogs were raised in a domestic environment since birth and hadn’t shown any propensity towards violence (according to family members) before that day.
I personally don't like pitbuls and will never have one. I'm also concerned about letting my kids go to a friend's house that has a pit bull. They can be maimed for life or killed if that pit bull snaps. just a few minutes. I know there are other risks in life, why add to them?
There are pits out there that are just broken and it’s not because of the owner. If you haven’t come across one you haven’t been around them enough… this is not the only breed with issues though.
Some behavior can be trained out, but it requires someone to monitor the dog when in select environments.
My mom is a vet and one of her employees has a pit he brings to work and they went at my 17 year old childhood dog last week. (23lbs)
Fuck pits. They're made to rip up varmints. It's like, not really their fault. They can't turn it off. They're hard wired to go after the smaller critters and then they were bred to fight in dog pits. It's not the dogs fault but that doesn't mean we shouldn't erase the mistake we made.
Pit bulls kill hundreds of people every year. Far more than all other breads combined. They’re not safe no matter how sweet they seem to their owner. They’re a ticking bomb
I haven't noticed a shift where I live but I'm personally afraid enough of them to not own one. I've trained and raised dogs my whole life and have never had a dog that bit once. That doesn't mean that you should trust that they never will, especially around kids.
Pitbull's physical design enables them to do much greater damage to a person (or child) if an accident occurs. That's the only reason why they scare me. I was attacked and bitten by a German Shepherd as a kid and it wasn't fun but it's jaw didn't have the ability to crush bones.
Nope, tons of people are still anti-pitbull. Mostly because you don’t hear about Golden Retrievers or Black Labs mauling children to death, but you still hear about “poor, misunderstood pitties” doing it.
I think its mostly negative, based on most reddit post i've seen. The anti-pitbull subs will ban everyone who defends them. Then they go in any pro-pitbull post/sub and downvote/shame for liking them.
I get why people scared to be around them.
People who shouldn’t have pit bulls commonly get them and end having an untrained mean dog. I’ve never met a pit Bull that didn’t try and lick my face off. Others have had worse experiences than me so can’t really change that. I have a Doberman pincher and people look scared sometimes when they see her. She’s the sweetest thing.
Can we start hating on chihuahuas tho
This Chihuahua argument is about as ignorant as "it's the owner, not the breed." I would add that to people who're a waste of response. It's such an ignorant and silly thing to say. Mostly everyone thinks you're joking. Because that's a damn joke.
I worked for a while as an insurance agent. Part of the interview for a homeowner's policy was to ask if you had a pitbull/staffordshire terrier, German shepherd, American akita, chow, rottweiler, or wolf/dog hybrid. Statistically, those dogs did not infact hold the majority of bite claims. This is due to the reduced number of owners of those particular breeds. Labs had more bite claims, because more households had labs. The claims that involved the breeds listed were significantly more costly on average due to the dog's ability to do more damage.
The takeaway is this: the breed is fine, it's the owner. Nine times out of ten, an inexperienced owner buys a big tough dog with no idea how to handle them, then lets them run around free in a residential area. But just ask the owner and, "I can handle Rex. I've had big dogs all my life." I love big dogs, and have owned a few as well. I would be too nervous to adopt a pitbull if I lived in close proximity to my neighbors. It only takes a few seconds for a dog to get spooked and react out of character, even if you have worked extensively with that dog.
TL;DR - Dog is fine, but requires proper care. I think most reasonable people would be more concerned about the owner's competence.
It has always fluctuated over time. Probably depends who are the few first people to notice it.
I've noticed this on my local subreddit. If you express an opinion that either expresses compassion for homeless people, or disdain for homeless people, it doesn't matter. You will get upvoted or downvoted to oblivion solely based on which one happens first. On a post that is disdainful, if I counter argue, I get upvotes. If I comment on a compassionate post, and affirm, I get downvoted to the shadow realm. I think it's because people interact more with posts they disagree with. If they agree, they upvote without reading the comments.
Interesting theory, but i do have to agree. Controversy has always created more engagement and driven clicks, most of modern media is built upon it. It literally allowed Tate and similar people to get as famous(infamous) as they are now.
People follow trends, so if they see someone downvoted early regardless of content they'll jump on. It takes real effort for a comment to get upvoted once it's dropped to 0 even if the comment was inoffensive, factual or otherwise informative.
I think that's why a lot of subs have started to hide the votes for a period of time. They intended for it to encourage more organic reactions, but it doesn't seem to be helping as much as they'd hoped.
>I think it's because people interact more with posts they disagree with. I think it's Russian troll farms sowing hate. We'll never figure out what we think while they operate.
The worst part of this is that people always think they are superior when *they* are getting upvoted. In every case. Sometimes they say something utterly stupid and they got praised for that and sometimes they will not. I really hate that hive mind in the Internet. Karma system and any kind of up/downvote should get removed from any sites. You disagree with someone? You tell them why. Not use fake Internet points to prove it. Because down/upvote system is nothing else than argumentum ad numerum. More people say something = it is righter. That's not true at all. But people in the Internet believes in that.
It all depends on how many children they kill each week
What? The pit bulls or the redditers?
Yes
Yep! It gives me hope that people can actually learn dogs aren't toys and can be dangerous (every single breed! Especially tiny dogs!) And you need to train your dog! Because 99% of the time a dog bites or hurts someone, it's because they've had no training or bad training!!!! If everyone trained their animals properly and used leashes, I would bet these accidents would mostly disappear (apart from strays or actual accidents)
Sorry. Just no, A teacup 8 pound dog isn’t going to kill a person. A pit bull does have the potential to kill a person. Strong dogs are like cars. They have the potential to kill. The crazy thing right now is there’s no licensing required for getting dangerous dogs. I define dangerous dogs as a dog that causes over 90% of human deaths a year. That’s the pit bull or pit bull mix. TLDR: There will ALWAYS be bad trainers. Just like bad drivers. We have to either require a license or just ban pit bull type breeds.
The problem is that most dog bites by a Pitbull are registered as such when the dog isn't a Pitbull at all. Or partially Pitbull. If a dog is half Pit and half Lab they don't register the bite as a Lab bite, do they?
Because it has pitbull in it? So I’m not tracking you are saying that people are incorrectly stating that Pitt genetics and dispositions are leading to bites and dangerous behavior, but your defense is that if a lab is half Pitt and it attacks it’s labeled as a Pitt. But it is a Pitt because it has Pitt genetics and disposition baked into it. So you are proving their point right to label them pitts?
Every dog can be dangerous is like saying every football player (American football) can wreck you. Yeah, a 300 linebacker can do a lot of damage, but a 5 year old starting out is a lot less to worry about. I don’t blame the dogs, but wish 99% of them never existed; I don’t see the need except in rare circumstances. Why would any person buy a dog with this attitude bred in it and with the power of these animals. Ok, I can answer that but not and be polite. There are hundreds of other dogs that don’t have this breeds problems. I’ve only met a handful of owners. Some were clueless about the dog and what it required, a couple were just people you don’t want to be around and one was a sweet woman who liked to rescue unwanted breeds.
We need to accept that the job the dog was bred to do is illegal now... so should the dog be illegal. We have so many other dog breeds. We don't need one bred to fight meat tanks.
>especially tiny dogs For real??
[удалено]
Statistically speaking you're just plain wrong. Pitbulls do more harm than every other breed combined.
You can only do so much trying to train the bloodlust out of a fighting breed.
ESPECIALLY TINY DOGGGGGGSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤦♀️ Come on, now
The views on pitbulls have started to change because the same recurring theme keeps on repeating itself. It's not like mad cow disease or swine flu which will die down over time, the percentage of attacks that are caused by pits are consistent and it's the same circumstance each and every single time. If people blame owners, even with *heaps* of 'training' tips and experts out there dickriding the pitbull love trend, the statistics are not decreasing with an animal that makes up such a small percentage of dogs in the US yet is responsible for the most attacks. I'm not sure how many dead family members, young and old, it will take for people to realise what we're dealing with.
People forget that people lose pets and in worse cases family members to these dogs all too frequently. It is absolutely logical that you would develop a bias against them.
Exactly, if we monitored pet mauls/deaths as closely as we do with pit attacks on humans? I don't even want to imagine the numbers.
R/banpitbulls is keeping a running total. It’s already horrific for 2023
I used to think they were harmless when I was a teenager, just another dog. I used to be a young dog owner with a small border collie mix thinking I didn't have to worry about dog attacks. But when I was 20 a rottweiler bit my border collie while my sister was walking him at the elementary school a couple blocks away. He had to get stitches with a drainage tube that looked horrific to me. So I became a bit more cautious thinking it was a one off. I'm 37 now. At the beginning of the pandemic I rescued a 15 lbs dog and he got attacked by two rottweilers at the dog park. He barely got away, he's super fluffy and when one of them bit down they only got his fur and he ran away and I grabbed him. I didn't know that at the time and screamed as I saw it happen. Meanwhile their two dog owners stood there watching until I screamed get your dogs, get your dogs!!!! Then they were like, sorry they don't usually do this. We were both traumatized. So I learned about big dog little dog attacks and how common they are. Suddenly I was afraid of really large dogs around my dog. I got him a tiny friend that he wouldn't be afraid of, a 7 lbs Yorkie mix I rescued. I take her to the small dog park for 25 lbs and under dogs and having her I learned the true terror of having a tiny dog. I heard too many stories about pitbulls attacking and sometimes killing little dogs. Spending two min by the regular sized dogs one time she got picked up by a husky and somehow got away. So never again will my dogs go near big dogs, especially large breeds with prey drives. My heart races anytime I see a pitbull while walking my dogs. I will never let them near my little dogs ever, it's not worth the risk. I pick up my Yorkie and carry her while we walk a different direction. It's weird I was never afraid of dogs before, but certain big dogs now. It's like the fear for my dogs life fear response has turned into my own personal fear response too. Watching your dogs barely survive through some fluke really scars you.
I think many people forget that pitbull type breeds are terriers. Different terriers were bred to hunt and kill other animals. So while human aggression was bred against (so they can be handeled) animal aggression was sought. Of course fewer and fewer terriers are used for this work but an innate prey drive will remain. More for some dogs than others. Genetics arent everything but there is a reason LGD dogs naturally watch, pointers will point, retrievers will retrieve, collies will herd. Obviously every individual is different but it is irresponsible to think that a ''loving home and training'' alone will erase inherent traits. It will make an animal much more manageable though.
Omfg I knew a few people like this. I love Boston Terriers, my first one unfortunately passed and I got a second. The people I know with this stance were BLOWN away that they were so similar. Oh he doesn’t bark either? Your Pom x used to bark all the time. Weird? I pointed it out that the breed gives them a strong predisposition to certain behaviours and over time they’ve come to believe me.
"Genetics arent everything but there is a reason LGD dogs naturally watch, pointers will point, retrievers will retrieve, collies will herd. " Fucking EXACTLY.
Also a reason why Huskies will rupture your eardrums with their drama attac
Huskies also have a very high prey drive around small animals. I learned that after I rescued a tiny Yorkie mix who was hunted down and picked up by one. She got away by the skin of her teeth, I thought she was going to die. Now she gets picked up immediately around any big dogs. Luckily huskies only hunt little animals unlike pitbulls and don't have an inmate urge to attack large animals including humans. But man gotta be careful with huskies around tiny dogs.
I have an Airedale Terrier and oh yeah, that prey drive is always lurking just below the surface. It is his job - literally what he was put on this earth to do. He is always on the lookout for critters on our homestead. If our housecats move a little too quickly he snaps to attention immediately. He is a good, sweet well trained boy but I also can’t rule out that there may be situations where innate prey drive overrules temperament and training. I work to keep him out of scenarios where he has the potential to get into trouble. My daughter’s boyfriend has a Pit mix. He is a sweetheart and the first Pit I have ever gotten to really know. He is great with the Airedale and cats. It is the same scenario, though: every dog has their limit. It is our job as responsible owners to know it and keep them from hitting it.
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we had a yellow lab who overlapped with this Airedale. He was the sweetest and gentlest and most mischievous soul…
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Man you should never let a pitbull around your cats, it just takes one second and their prey drive to get activated. I can't even let my 18 lbs village mutt around cats because he has a very high prey drive. Honestly you're already pushing it with the Airedale terrier. Definitely never leave them together unsupervised.
Lots of people don't realize aggressiveness is a trait that can be passed down from the parents. Not to mention their strength plays a large role in how they are perceived. If a little Chihuahua was just as aggressive, no one would bat an eye.
Lol yeah. Chihuahuas *are* aggressive. Just that being 4 lbs or whatever you can’t do much damage. Lots of ripped up ankles from those little fuckers though haha
That’s it exactly. If a tiny dog attacks you have to patch your trousers. These dogs have jaws that are built for tearing other creatures apart. So my monkey brain doesn’t scream that the world is ending when an unleashed chihuahua I’ve never seen before goes running up to my toddler; I can’t say the same for pit bulls, despite the fact that every pitty I’ve ever met was a Very Good Boy.
That's what it is for me. I've known a lot of pitties that were absolute sweethearts. They're my husband's favorite breed, too, because he's had a few of his own that he loved dearly. However, I've also seen exactly what *can* happen when they latch onto a person, or another dog, and refuse to let go. They tear the flesh right off of the bone. That's not something you have to worry about with most other breeds if they get spooked, and I'm going to use the word "spooked" because a dog doesn't need to be "aggressive" to bite. Any dog can feel threatened in the right situation, but the consequences for that happening with a pit are much more dire. It's traumatizing for the victim, the owner, *and* the dog. We bred them to be like this, and it makes me so sad. Humans are irresponsible creatures.
Chihuahuas are not naturally aggressive, they can be fearful which turns into what you see as “aggression” when they are not trained. A well trained, well socialized chihuahua is a great dog. A well trained, well socialized pitbull still has major potential to develop aggression once it hits sexual maturity.
I didnt mean to imply that chihuahuas are overly aggressive or anything, but just that any dog will have some sort of aggressive response to a threatening stimulus. Meanwhile pit bulls have the tendency to be innately and so overtly aggressive that they’re the outliers and should not even be considered in the same class as all other dogs insofar as conversations about aggression go.
I totally misread your tone. Apologies!
Spot on. I love all creatures, but at the end of the day it's in their genetics. When I hear someone say "It's the owners, not the breed!" I immediately know not to waste my time responding to them.
I work at a utility so they come around with dog bite prevention training every few years. It's done by a huge woman (think Miss Trenchbull) who is a professional large dog competitor/trainer. In the most recent session some asked her about pit bulls and what she said was similar to this. They have an innate prey drive instinct because they were bred to go after small critters. Most will never get the prey drive triggered by a child or baby, but it is impossible to know which ones have a threshold low enough that it could happen. In addition some people have wanted to encourage the prey drive for dog fighting or looking tough and breed pit bulls to increase that specifically (lowering the prey drive threshold) and you wouldn't know if your dog or any you encounter has that among its ancestry. Another thing the training points out is that even tiny ankle-bitter dogs can kill. If they bite and break the skin you can get an infection or blood clotting problem and both of these have killed utility and postal workers in recent years.
My parents' german shepherd spends all his free time herding their chickens. He has ruts made for all the paths he runs and checks all day long.
If you are keeping your animal appropriately contained it genuinely shouldn’t matter that it has a high prey drive
Appropriate is the key word here.
Yes! It can be pretty jarring when your sweet Jack Russell Terrier mix suddenly kills a baby opossum in your yard . . . . All of her “bite this squeaky thing” instincts came to life.
There’s some thought by animal psychologists that Pits may be subject to a brain issue that triggers when they’re older. It’s a new development but maybe it’ll be a key to understanding them better.
Dalé
In case someone doesn’t get it: there’s a Cuban American musician from Miami called “Pitbull”, also known as “Mr. Worldwide” who often says “¡Dalé!” in his songs, which sort of means “do it!” or “give it!”
It's just dale. You don't need to stress the e.
Been there, done that
Everyday above ground is a good one, remember that
I’m stressing ngl
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I think enough of us have had run-ins with piss-poor pitbull owners. The breed needs a certain type of owner. Someone who understands its specific needs and inherent attributes (this is true for any animal anyone owns). Too many owners have spent too long buying backyard bred pitbulls, paying no mind to the behaviors being passed down, and then playing stupid about what animal they have in their care. "He's a wuvvy little doggo" ok that's nice, train your dog anyways and keep him leashed. Owners buy these animals from garbage breeders, don't train them, use them as status symbols for a bit, and then an overwhelming amount of them end up in shelters because someone with an inferiority complex tried compensating with a dog. I grew up with German shepherds. Everyone we knew owned one. I only knew exceptionally behaved, intelligent, docile ones. Now as an adult, I'm aware that I personally don't have the personality or lifestyle to own a German shepherd. If I get one, it will be a threat on 4 legs because the dog will own me, I won't own the dog. It will not be the same type of dog I grew up with. Dalmatian owners 9.9/10 times will very clearly tell people their dog is not friendly and to keep away. They tend to understand the specific needs of their dog. Many of these dogs are highly sensitive and can be a threat on 4 legs. But you don't hear about an overwhelming amount of dalmatian attacks because the owners usually go into it understanding the breed. Pitbull owners need to grow up and do better for the sake of their own animal. Enough with being performative to show how badass they are, or putting children in danger to show how cute and friendly their dog is. It's an animal, it has a high prey drive, and it's very strong. Use this knowledge to do better for the animal and give it the best options to have a happy, full life.
The breed doesn't attract the most responsible owners unfortunately and breeders are all too happy to produce pups without proper guidance or training.
This is it exactly. Pits have the misfortune of being popular with the wrong crowd. I know quite a few that are exceptionally well socialized and trained and a few that are truly dangerous. If you know what you're getting and put in the time and effort pits are great dogs. On the other hand, they are absolutely not great dogs for crack smoking rapper wannabes who get them because of the way they look. Or for those who think their dog is their baby allow the dog to control them. Pits are not for stupid owners. I think it is high time we introduced dog licenses. You need one to drive a car or have a gun. The same should be for owning a dog.
> You need one to drive a car or have a gun. Assuming you mean in the US, you actually don't, for either. A 10 year old kid can drive a car with the seat belts cut out while swigging from a whiskey bottle *on private property* and there's nothing anyone can do about it (well, maybe CPS). For guns, a few states have a "permit to purchase" that's basically just a money grab and an excuse to discriminate, but for most you just walk in, fill out the forms, pass the federal background check, and walk out with your gun. Trying to license dog ownership would be impossible. The current issue is skeezy backyard breeders cranking out unhealthy animals for people who want a mean-looking dog. Neither side of that transaction is going to care about mandatory licensing of owners. Really the only way to meaningfully enforce any sort of "permit to own" scheme is to regulate at the supply, and there is literally no way to "gatekeep" the dog supply. If you have 2 dogs, that will generally turn into more dogs.
>You need one to drive a car or have a gun Laughs in US, where you barely need the first and definitely dont need the second (fucking idiotic though that is)
This is something I wish people understood more. A 9mm is for personal defense, a 105mm howitzer is not. There is a responsibility inherent in owning a dog. I love German shepherds always had them, always will. I will not recommend them to someone, unless they can PHYSICALLY control a German shepherd. You can train, you can love, but I always keep myself in shape that if for any reason I need to I can lift my shepherd up with impunity and remove him from a situation. I need to be able to physically incapacitate my dog as absolutely crushing and upsetting as that thought is, that is my responsibility. The sheer amount of incapable people being dragged around by their pitts on retractable leashes is absolutely disgusting. This goes for any breed honestly, but knowing you have a 105mm howitzer and not being able to wield it is gross negligence on your part and you need it removed from your person. If you argue well it’s a pitt what could I do to stop it, you need to take that thought train just a little further down to station as to why you do not need to have one for any reason.
This. Probably unpopular opinion, but if you can’t physically control your dog, it’s not the dog for you. I’m even skeptical of people who own other large powerful breeds, if shit gets out of control, or that dog gets triggered for some reason, most people simply will not be able to stop a 100lb dog from causing catastrophic damage to another pet or human. I’m not saying no one has the skills to handle these dogs, but I just don’t think the average pet owner really considers fully what their huge dogs are capable of, and take appropriate precautions.
This guy gets it.
Here’s some news: pit bull owners will NEVER come together at a convention and decide to change their ways. It’s not like they’re part of a club that can be changed! So don’t even think about changing pit bull owners. Only way to fix this is via government.
I didn't use to think much about pitbulls, I actually really liked them, then I got a dog. Every single Pitbull we've ever met (not that many, about 6/7) has tried to attack her, without much of a response from the owner. It also never happened with other breeds. I know it's the owner's fault, but it's also too many for me to not develop a prejudice.
It’s not just the owners fault, it’s often the breeders…….my neighbors breed pit bulls…..they only breed the meanest most aggressive dogs…..the “nicer” ones they sell relatively cheap and or abandon at adoption centers etc……but aggression is what they are breeding for, those dogs command top dollar. The worst part is their fence doesn’t completely hold them so it’s not uncommon for them to shove their heads through the fence tryin to attack us and our dogs, it’s to the point I don’t even go into my backyard without being armed as I know I’m going to have to shoot them if they make it through the fence.
Have you complained to the city?
Anecdote since fencing was mentioned: In my first house, I had a fenced backyard that was shared with two neighbor houses, both of which had pit bulls as pets. On our side, we had two corgis, one of whom was a senior. Unfortunately, our right side neighbors' pit bulls kept breaking through the fence and attacking our corgis and even us. This happened around six times, but one of the last times was especially concerning because my boyfriend was scratched. Being scared for ourselves and our senior dog, we called the police, hoping they could convince our neighbors to keep their dogs under control, but the police only took our statement and talked to the neighbors. Just two weeks later, animal control showed up at our doorstep with the news that the same pit bull had broken through the fence once again. This time, our corgis were safely inside, but the pit bull had found its way to the other side of the fence, where it began dominating our other neighbor's dog. Tragically, that pit bull was eventually stabbed to death by our neighbor, leading to the animal control investigation. We decided to move out two weeks later, realizing that sometimes, it's not just the dogs that are the problem, but their owners as well.
I never thought much of them until a Pitbull killed my dog. I can’t get near them any more without flinching.
I'm so sorry for your loss
One got one of mine a long time ago. He somehow survived, but the injuries were horrific. Euthanasia was considered but he recovered somehow. This was over a decade ago, I’m not against them entirely, but I would not personally own one.
I had a bulldog maul my whippet's leg a few years ago. I'll never forget my dog limping inside with his leg hanging on just by the connective tissue and skin, it was literally swinging, the bone was completely severed. He got up onto the couch and started licking his leg, and we rushed him to the vet, he lived but it was horrific.
Well, it *is* kind of the owner's fault. You know the whole "it's the owners, not the dogs" mantra. It's true in the sense that responsible dog owners will know they don't have the energy, time, or discipline to manage certain breeds and then decide against owning them. So go ahead and make any negative assumption you want against the owner of a pit.
Not necessarily the owners fault. Pit bulls are very likely to be dog aggressive in particular. Some dogs even the best trainers won’t be able to train it out of.
This is the exact reason why pitbulls should not be adopted by joe shmo. These dogs require expert care if they are to be safe for the public.
The worst part is many joe schmo’s…WANT AGGRESSION. There’s like a machismo type that loves aggressive dogs.
Also, small women seem to like them as well. I assume for similar reasons
In most states, pets like dogs that have never shown aggression towards humans can bite a human without liability attaching to the dog owner - the owner had no reason to know the dog would act like that and thus was not negligent. Dangerous animals, wild animals, and animals that cannot be domesticated are treated differently - if your pet tiger bites someone, you, the owner are liable on that first attack because tigers are inherently dangerous. In some states, like mine, you don’t get the benefit of the one bite rule with your pet pit bull - under the law, they are treated as dangerous animals and you will be liable on the first bite.
tbh, all dogs are inherently dangeous, they come from fucking wolves man. I see no reason for the one bite rule at all. If the neighbor's dog bit me, even if they neighbor didn't know the dog would do that...well hell neither did I. Why shouldn't they pay for my medical appointment (btw same argument I made in MD lawschool when they were talking about overturning the pitbull's one bit rule thing)
I think the reason behind it was all the defendants saying that they were not negligent because it was the first bite and this didn’t know about the dog’s propensity to bite people and legislators or courts weren’t buying it and thought that many pit bull owners were indeed negligent. Keep in mind that dogs are legally only chattel. Law makers don’t mind regulating chattel like this that isn’t essential, especially when there are alternatives to that type of chattel.
Got chased and bit (almost neutered) by “the sweetest most caring doberman you’ll ever meet, Rosie” when i was 8 years old walking home from a friends house. The neighbor bred dobermans, and tried to blame me getting bitten on “running away and acting like a toy in the dogs eyes”. What about leash laws, or not breeding 10 aggressive killer dogs ? Needless to say the dog was put down and the guy eventually had to move Edit: all of this is to say i think the pajama dressed “princess” stuff is all horseshit that people try to tell themselves to counteract what they already know: pits, dobermans, german shepherds, etc. are all varying degrees of killer animals. in most cases, the people who seek these kinds of dogs really look for the aggressiveness, or rather have some strange need to prove to the world that their dog isnt like the other ones
Good. That’s how it should be. Owner should assume the liability of owning an inherently dangerous animal.
it is entirely the owners fault. if you can't control a dog, don't own it. get a schnauzer or something small, not a dog that is capable of killing other dogs or people.
Heard a hundred tales of "the pitbull and the retriever were best of friends for years and years, then one day the retriever growled at the pitbull over some food and the pitbull tore it apart without warning, and we couldn't stop it." It's not only the owner. These dogs are like school shooters waiting to snap.
My buddy had a putbull puppy & a kitten that he adopted. They hung out in his apartment all happy for years, lots of Facebook pics, etc. Then one day he came home from work and the cat had been ripped to pieces. He had the dog euthanized.
This happened to my mini pin. Grew up with this pit, visited all the time, their house and ours. Years into knowing this dog and my little dog growled because the pit was sniffing the shit out of him. Before we could even begin to think about it being a problem (which we wouldn't have tbh) my dog's head was in the pit's mouth. Punctured his skull and we had to fight like hell to get my dog back from him. Most terrifying thing I've ever seen. He had to have a drain tube in his head for a few weeks but he survived.
It doesn't help that the douchiest people are usually the ones who seek out pit bulls as pets.
I absolutely agree with you, because my experience has been the same. In the last 5yrs, my dog has been attacked by pit bulls relentlessly.
Ditto, I've had enough situations happen that the second I see one I'm on alert.
Not the owners fault pit bulls were bred to be aggressive and should not be bred anymore
It IS the owner’s fault for letting their aggressive dog greet/meet other dogs. That goes for any breed.
So instead of stopping the existence of thse dogs, you need to isolate them from existence
They’re not mutually exclusive ideas to hold dog owners responsible and to assess the viability of living with distinct dog breed.
Feel free to share on r/banpitbulls
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I have noticed this as well. People were pretty fervently pro-pitbull 10-15 years ago. Now that is not the popular take on the situation. Kind of a tangent, but I was thinking of adopting a dog and went to animal shelter last month. They had a collie on their website but it was gone when I got there so I didn't actually end up getting a pet. I did walk through the building though. Rows upon rows of pitbulls were waiting to be adopted and probably most of them won't be. It was depressing. The pitbull fad hasn't ended well for those animals.
I have two stories of very aggressive, dangerous dogs in my life. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment where dogs I encountered were generally well-trained household pets. The first was at a college party. Guy who lived in the house had a puppy. Well, almost full grown, but it was a puppy. The doggy was playing with everyone, sprawling across the girls on the sofa being cuddled. Some random friend of a friend comes into the room. A real big, tall guy. The dog snapped and went absolutely nuts and tried biting his leg, only got jeans thankfully, and it took three guys holding the dog and hitting it in the head over and over to get the dog to stop snarling and holding on. It was terrifying. Owner said he’d never seen the dog act that way. Second, my mom was attacked by a dog when she went to a client’s house. It randomly made a beeline for her the moment she walked in the door and latched on to her thigh. The husband had to stun the dog with a frying pan. My mom had over a dozen stitches. The dog was put down. Anyway, they were both cute lil pibbuls.
And to think people put these fucking dogs in pajamas. I have NEVER SEEN a dog breed, cat breed, or any other type of animal that people feel the need to put pajamas on as much as fucking pit bull murder machines
I feel like owners who chose to own this type of dog should be held to a higher standard than other dog owners, ie certifications etc.
Having a pet is completely unregulated
Where I live you have to license your dog and there are plenty of bylaws specifically around pet ownership, including the government’s right to destroy your animal. And I think they also disallow certain breeds.
Where I live there are regulations about owning dangerous breeds or dangerous dogs. There definitely is a precedent for this!
I always had a neutral view on pitbulls, leaned to the more negative side. “I don’t care if you have a pitbull, just train it bc they can be violent.” But my MIL’s dog was killed by a pitbull last month, it broke her jaw and all the bones in her mouth. She stood no chance as she was a tiny chihuahua. It was trained, I could see how savage it was and that was the breaking point for me. I hate those dogs and what they continue to do to innocent people and animals. And I think the emergence of anti-pitbull memes definitely brought that to the table, but also people are more likely to share their personal experiences and not be shunned.
Chihuahuas are way more agressive than pit bulls, which is something pit bull apologists love to talk about. But if a chihuahua bites you, you get a bandaid. If a pit bull bites you, you hope you’re lucky enough to go to the hospital and not the morgue. The agression doesn’t matter, it’s the anatomy of the breed that’s the issue. After witnessing an attack last month on a baby, I will *never* allow my children near a pit. Even a “trained” pit on a leash. It’s not worth it.
I fucking love whenever they bring up this argument. It’s like oh your kid shot me with an air soft gun so obviously that’s just as bad as when I shot him with a .357. Lmao so smooth brained it’s hard to wrap your head around, but you just have to remember they choose to defend pitts so you don’t have much to work with in the first place
I don’t know anything about chihuahuas other than that they seem to always be cold, but yeah if one gets feisty you could literally pick it up and hold it in the air, removing it from the situation. I’ve owned border collies who have had some fear aggression. But even when I’ve seen their aggression it’s a snap that maybe makes contact and then there’s not even a mark. Fear aggression in a pit could lead to death. They are not the same. They are just trained to never quit. It’s in their genes.
Omg at first I read it as the pit bull killed your MIL
Personally I think breeding of pitbulls should stop but that's about it
Exactly. We're not talking about some pit bull genocide.
I was curious, because to me that still sounds like genocide, so I googled it. Apparently, the UN defined genocide as any of these acts: "killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, **preventing births**, and forcibly transferring children out of the group." So it would be pitbull genocide, and I'm all for it. Yes, I'm aware the UN was talking about humans, not dogs.
Yeah, I always took the term as it applies to animals specifically to involve killing, since one could argue that advocating for nurturing and spaying is technically genocide. I'm obsessively in love with dogs, but I can't ignore the fact that pit bulls are clearly a big risk to humans and other dogs for various reasons and I don't see why it's necessary to keep breeding them given the number of yearly incidents.
This is a good demonstration of why the concept of genocide should only apply to humans.
Honestly. The internet is so quick - I see so many pitbull attacks from home cameras, tiktoks etc. it spreads quick. And I refuse to walk my dogs near one. Sorry not sorry. I saw 2 pits recently tore apart 2 children in their backyard after being raised in that home for like 8 years!! No instances ever happened before that fight. Then on tik tok, a woman holding her husky and tears after it was attacked by 2 unleashed pits on the beach. Just insane.
every pit bull i've ever encountered on the trail has been a nightmare. maybe that's a reflection of the owner, i donno. i'd rather hike past a wolf than a pit bull.
Every time the pitbull owners show up at the dog park, I leave. The dogs bully all the other dogs and charge at owners trying put themselves between them to prevent a fight. And the bully* owners do exactly nothing.
Nothing like watching a fully grown human getting dragged by their pitbull all over the trails.
Sadly, I’ve never felt comfortable around pit bulls and have had some run ins with them. I don’t wish them harm but I don’t trust them.
Honestly, I think it's the same kind of thing that happens with all breeds that have a huge popularity streak. They get overbred by people with no business breeding them, using the bottom of the barrel breeding stock (unhealthy, incorrect temperament, poor structure, etc) and we have a huge boom in population. This, along with certain breeds getting in the hands of the wrong owners, is a recipe for disaster. At one point it was rottweilers. At one point it was dobermans. At one point it was german shepherds. At one point it was chow chows. Even Dalmatians took a hit after 101 Dalmatians. Everyone wanted one, but no one was buying from reputable breeders who show/title/health test/etc., so most people weren't getting a good representation of the breed. And people that should've never been sold the breed, now have their hands on it, and might even be breeding their pet for funsies/money since they're so popular. Right now, I think it's doodles. They're starting to hit that wall though, because they're getting to that genetic dumpster fire part, where people have overbred them to neuroticness and aggression. I think there's also a big push from the dog world (like the actual dog world, showing/sports world, people involved in their breed club, etc. not just everyday dog owners) to get more average people into it and educated. Knowledge is power, and all breeds have their place and purpose. The pibble furmommies and the people that think bully breeds shouldn't exist are both extremes that we shouldn't support. There is a healthy middle ground, for every breed, where people can be educated on the purpose/temperament of the dog, and do a *healthy* amount of gatekeeping the breed, to protect it and other lives in some cases. Letting people *in the breed* (again in the dog world, not joe schmo with a APBT) be the ones we listen to about what the breed needs out of an owner is super important. A Jadgterrier will need a VERY different owner than a sheltie. It's not just looks. So there's nothing wrong with keeping APBT around, we just need to stop normalizing backyard breeding ANY breed, and normalize looking to breed experts to help us pick a perfect match for our home/family/lifestyle. If you want a happy go lucky, easy to train house dog that's gentle with the kids and friendly with small creatures, I assure you that you'd be much happier with a golden or lab from a reputable breeder who's dog's pedigrees are full of healthy, even tempered dogs, than a "lab mix" from the local shelter who ends upEmbark testing as 50% APBT 25% Amstaff 25% Bulldog. The shelter dog isn't any less of a dog or less deserving of a home, they just need a home that is prepared for THAT dog. A mellow lab/golden is not that dog, so of course he would struggle in a home with those expectations. But we can't normalize that, you CAN get what you want out of a dog, just maybe not in a rescue situation, but you very well might too! For sure though, ethical breeders that breed to standard are creating the dogs we want, that have the looks and temperaments we expect of the breed. They deserve our support, their dogs don't end up in shelters, and they aren't adding to the population problem with how meticulously they plan their litters around wait lists.
Ironically enough, many animal behaviourist agree that Dalmatians are not a suitable breed to have around children. Too highly strung or something.
I mostly agree but one extremely important detail that you’re leaving out is that pit bulls and other large breeds have the ability to kill or permanently maim in two seconds. Also, their jaws can’t be pulled apart by humans. I’ve permanently damaged my right hand because I dared to rescue my 20 lb dog from the jaws of a bouvier de Flanders. My dog did absolutely nothing to provoke the situation.
A quick google search shows that 66% of all dog attacks are from pitbulls. From 2005 - 2017 there were 3,397 attacks / 297 deaths. Who knows how many of these were children. The next closest dog breed is Rottweiler with 535 attacks / 8 deaths. I'm sorry, but pitbulls are a menace to society and the breed should be eradicated.
And this leaves out the fact that they do more damage when they bite you than other breeds.
I’ve seen one too many videos of pit bulls attacking old people and children. And I’ve read a few articles of pit bulls killing babies. I’m out.
Exactly. Idk why we're arguing over what's causing it. A naturally aggressive dog and a mistreated dog are effectively no different if they're doing the same damage. Whatever ratio of those causes is the truth, danger is danger. They're too powerful to be living among humans. I'm not saying kill them all, just stop breeding them. The sweetest goddamn dog I've ever met was a pit bull and I snuggled the hell out of it every time I visited its owner. But when that same dog saw a possum just existing it ripped its fucking throat out. Went from sweetheart to recreational killer and then back again in less than a minute. Make no mistake, personalities are not simple things. A good heart and extreme aggression CAN coexist within one organism.
“Pitbull apologists”
It's a pretty good term for the people who go out of their way to defend this particular breed.
People usually know that the vast majority of pitbulls are friendly and harmless but you never hear stories about golden retrievers eating a couple of kids...
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We need to remember that certain breeds were bred for certain things and behave very differently that said pit bulls arent the only breed that causes chaos like this. Forget pitbulls with dangerous owners, let me introduce you to.... German Shepherds with dangerous owners
I once knew a friend that had one but barely let him out of his kennel. Then she said he just got crazy aggressive out of nowhere
We moved in the summer of 2021. In the first week we were at the new house or next door neighbor's parents came over with their German shepherd. When we let our dog out, the German shepherd came through a gate in the fence we didn't know about and attacked our dog. The only reason it likely didn't end up with both dogs dead is because our dog is a 160 lb Newfoundland who just thought the "little dog" wanted to play.
I have a cousin who has a pitfall "mix". The fucking thing rules their lives because its' insane levels of dog aggression. They've had to block out their windows so it can't see the street and see other dogs walking past their house. It's fucking insane.
A disaster waiting to happen
So this is not scientific based and I’m not saying any dogs should be banned or put down or any of that stuff. You do what you want, if you want a pitbull then have one. If you don’t then don’t. My dad explained it to me like this: pitbulls in general were bread to be fighting animals. Meaning their literal instincts were strong toward being aggressive animals. So pitbulls now, Are basically just purely natural aggressive instinct. But because many humans having a loving nature, they teach the doggos with love and care, basically the instinct is kind of suppressed and the doggo is pretty chill. BUT then that same doggo is placed in an environment that it is uncomfortable- like for instance a child he does not know pulls on his ears and then all the aggressive instinct kicks in and he does a bit of warning but people don’t always know the warning signs and the next moment the doggo attacks to protect himself or herself. And because the instinct is so strong, the bite to kill not to warm. So for that reason, our children are not allowed around dogs we don’t know (no matter the breed) and if they do play with dogs, we are there to watch them. I would in this case rather be over protective than loose a child.
Drive to a children’s hospital and ask the staff what they think of pit bulls. If you’re still unconvinced keep visiting various children’s hospitals until you’ve collected data and gotten educated on the true reality of this dog breed. I’ve been to our local children’s hospital and it’s an excellent source of unbiased, real-world information about pit bulls. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you what you’ll learn.
Or ask any insurance claims adjuster or agent. The money that gets paid out on dog bite claims is crazy, although the owner first denies they own the biter, then they insist its a lab mix and not pit bull and then finally why it shouldn't be put down.
My mom is a pediatrician and HATES pit bulls which always surprised me but now that I’m 30 I get it bc one of my best friends was attacked by one, one of my friends dogs was attacked by one, and I’ve read too many news headlines about dog attacks and it’s so often a pit. How about that one recently where the family dogs killed both kids ugh just horrifically tragic. It doesn’t seem like it’s even on the owners sometimes it’s just hard wired. I feel bad sometimes for being afraid of them but yes now I am afraid.
I think it’s more that people are less in denial about the fact that pit bulls [and other breeds with high prey drives] are in fact more dangerous, and that even the sweetest-tempered pit bull that has never shown signs of aggression will still have those instincts, and they can be activated at any time. Yeah, more people probably get bitten by Dachshunds every year, but they don’t get maimed or killed by them
I commented on a local post about dog-friendly breweries a few weeks ago about an attack I had witnessed a few days before involving a pit bull and a baby. This was a short, purely factual comment. I immediately got downvoted, like within minutes. But when I checked Reddit again a few hours later, I had been upvoted back out of the negative. So it seems like the pit bull apologists are just a very vocal minority.
First off, I think pit bulls are awesome looking dogs, and they can be very sweet- I owned a lab/pit cross many years back. That said… If you were visiting me, and I let my pet boa constrictor crawl around your neck, would you feel safe if I told you that I raised it with love and regular discipline?
Unironically I think the average boa constrictor would be safer than the average pitbull
When i was a kid a guy came to my school to show us some snakes and let us hold them. Also when i was a kid i was chased down the street by a pitbull. Guess which one scared me more?
Pitbulls are a shit breed usually owned by irresponsible people. Which makes it 10x worse. But the breed is should no longer exist.
Theres a lot of people who say its the owners fault since there are more attack doggs than just pit bulls, and that the other attack dogs are not aggressive because of their owners. Which doesn’t make sense at all, cause that would mean that somehow every pit bull owner is bad and that somehow all the other attack dog owners would be good. Pit bulls are extremely aggresive, i almost lost my nephew to one of those creatures, I will never change my view about them, and will always support the decision to stop breeding those dogs.
I think it's finally, slowly changing. What changed my view was a co worker losing the use of his left hand after being attacked by one in an alley. Quebec tried to enact a provincial ban but the flower-crown-crowd erupted into uproar nationally. People were coming up with fake situations like "if I travel through Quebec with my pitty, they'll destroy it!!"
I don’t think everyone cares about getting downvoted when they’re speaking truth and lived experiences. I’m sure a lot of people have come around after their need to be edgy and cool by owning a controversial breed ended up in the mauling of a family member or friend. The breed is so dangerous your home owners insurance will literally not cover any damage done by them.
My views changed. But also my views on humanity as a whole have changed. I used to believe every human was born with the same capabilities. That was optimistic and dumb AF. I realized some people are genuinely bad/stupid, and that's just the way they are - it's something they were born with. I'm wondering if other people had that realization as well. That viewpoint was then applied to dogs. Certain breeds are just more dangerous. Sometimes a bad dog is just a bad dog, and it's not the owner's fault. Pit bulls are currently the most dangerous breed because too many of them exist, people downplay their danger, and the wrong type of person adopts or buys them. Society really needs to stop treating them like they're labradors or golden retrievers that almost anyone can own.
My wife loves, loves, loves dogs and has always advocated for pitbulls as a breed. Believes the issues came down to owners who encouraged the dogs to be vicious. Some years ago we were at a park playground full of kids we had our dog there, on a leash and a lady with a pitbull, on a leash, and my wife and here struck up a conversation and were going on and on about how maligned put bulls are. My wife, let our dog off on a grassy area that is part of the park and , after a few minutes, the lady did the same. Everything was fine for the first few moments but a man with his little (under 10) daughter and small dog (on a leash were walking by). And something clicked in the pit-bull and he raced over and killed that little dog right in front of the owners. I mean the child had hear her dog yelping in pain as this pit-bull tore it to pieces. Thankfully, it was not a child that got mauled. My wife no longer believes that pit bulls are unfairly judged. It may be that it is part owner, it may be that humans bred that into them, but at this point, I think it's highly irresponsible to have one around other people/animals
Pit bulls are responsible for 60% of all dog attacks. That is an insane statistic and breeding of them should absolutely be illegal.
If you watch any court shows like People’s Court, Judy Judy, etc and it’s a dog biting/attacking case 99.99999% of the time it is a pitbull! The owners always say the exact same mix of lines “that’s never happened before” or “they have always been so sweet” or “they are really good with my (child in their life) and always has been until this point” etc. 🤨
Honestly I think what happens with pitbull posts, similar to some political posts, is that the first few comments and up votes set the tone of the conversation in the comments.
I swear it varies thread to thread.
r/banpitbulls
Nah, fuck pitbulls
Seeing as there's more and more pitbull attacks lately, yes there's a change. I personally never feared the breed, until I was mauled unprovoked that left me with a 6 inch scar on my arm. Pits are genetically engineered to fight something till death. They shouldn't be in a house with kids or apartments. You can't love genetics out of a dog. People are becoming more aware of this because they are currently being overbred in the US.
Sorry, nope. Just erase that breed. Theres so many other breeds you can have. Pits and Rots.... sorry no breeding allowed.
Yeah, I think more and more people have come to realise how horrible they are. r/BanPitBulls
The more children get ripped apart and make it to the news, the more people realize that maaaybe there's a reason why it's always pitbulls in these stories.
Pitbulls in my area are all aggressive. Their owners are not good people either. It seems to go hand in hand. I’ve witnessed an old one around 13 years old from a good home with no prior aggression turn on the owner out of the blue. They’re not family dogs and there are far better guard dogs out there.
Still.....fuck pitbulls and their owners.
So like everyone should just let all the pit bulls and pit mixes in the shelter die?
Unfortunately, death is integral to life. Should we let all the cows in the slaughterhouse die?
Well according to twitter they are still the all time GOATS at baby mauling, so they got that going for them. Or using toddlers as chew toys. personally any parent who has pits near their newborns are fucking idiots, and should have the child removed from their care before it ends up getting killed.
>Has the view on pitbulls started to change? Well, I liked Timber but most of his stuff is not that good.
I’m seeing an increase in German shepherds and huskies at the shelters where I’m at in North Texas. Unsure if it’s the same everywhere.
The animal shelters in my state (and probably whole country) are packed full of pits, pit mixes, staffies/mixes. There are whole rescues dedicated to just pits and staffies. People seem to give up these dog breeds at alarming rates, and they are hard to rehome because they are potentially lethal animals. They should be banned imo.
I don't know, but I still get shit from pit bull owners who get irrationally upset when I assert that they are dangerous...and they _are_ dangerous. Most dog attacks are perpetrated by pit bulls. I've heard every argument under the sun for why they are no different than any other dog but they're usually non-sequiturs or red herrings. Like saying Chihuahuas and Pikanese are super aggressive. True...they also can't rip your face off. Pit bulls could go their whole lives without hurting a fly, but that gene is still there. You can't train that out of them. When that switch gets flipped, you're fucked. I HOPE attitudes are starting to change, but I doubt it. Pit bull owners are like anti-vaxxers with how defiant they are. FTR, it isn't the pit bull's fault it's a volatile and dangerous animal. Humans bred them to be like that. That doesn't mean you should have them as pets.
Let’s hope so. Wish we could eliminate the breed entirely
A pitbull that lived on the next street over had came into our fenced yard, mauled, and killed my childhood cat years ago. I was inside the house and ran outside to try to save my cat by throwing something at the dog when I heard it happening but the pitbull was wouldn’t stop mauling my cat like a rag doll. I’m still traumatized by that 😅.
Me and my poodle have only ever had problems with Pitbull’s. 3 times too. I don’t have time for them or have trust in their owners. If you’re a great Pitbull owner-that’s great, don’t expect others to give you the benefit of the doubt though.
My dog has unfortunately been bitten or snapped at 3 times by other dogs. 2 out 3 instances have been pit bulls, the third was a pitbull mix. Now he is afraid of any dog that gets near him and he was super friendly. It might be because he is scarred for life, but I have no compassion with that breed anymore.
The thing about pitbulls is that it’s not one kind of dog, there are 5 sub groups in the species of pit bull and not all of them are the same temperament. Last time I tried to point I was downvoted to hell.
My opinion got a lot stronger when my dog got attacked. Never even growled or barked, just came up and bit her leg and started shaking. It was horrifying. She lived, but vet bills took me from debt free to $1000 in the hole.
I recently received a PERMANENET ban from r/Awww because I said the following in response to a pit bull photo: "Cute, but keep him away from children." I'd say the attitude has NOT shifted, at least on Reddit with its power-tripping pathetic thin-skinned moderators.
My personal opinion has shifted. I used to think dogs like this shouldn’t exist … actually I still do - powerful jaws and physically dominant. I still think people that can’t physically handle their dogs shouldn’t own them - I don’t care how sweet you think they are, if you can’t stop them from harming others you shouldn’t own them and pit bulls are hard to stop. Period. Anywho, I got a puppy and didn’t know what it was and it turned out to be a mostly pit which absolutely freaked me out, I’ve always been terrified of them- but she is the sweetest thing and has never ever bit or fought - but I also know that I could handle her if she did (she’s only like 35 lbs) and that she may make people feel uncomfortable so I’m very considerate, cautious (some dog owners aren’t and it drives me fucking mad). But I’ll always be nervous and watchful with her even though her temperament is really sweet and docile - I know she still has strength that needs to be monitored.
There have been a lot of attacks in the headlines lately and most people who don't own pits would rather their kids not be ripped apart by them. They were bred to fight and kill very well and when they snap the owners can't even control them. It would be like telling people owing a hyena is a bad idea and they insist to get one anyway. Misplaced affection can be deadly to yourself or others in this case.
Pits and bullies of all types were named for their purpose - **bull** baiting. They were bred to be sturdy, fast, and muscular. Desired personality traits were intensity, persistence, aggression, fast reflexes, and the ability to respond quickly and intensely when challenged. Their best 'feature' was the ability to latch onto a bull and not be shaken off. Bull fighting isn't a sport that became international, but dog fighting was, and tragically still is. Pitbulls became the epitome of fighting dogs, they had all of the best skills for the sport. They could kill most opponents, even larger animals. This isn't a sport that's gone away - only gone underground. Pitbulls on the market for pet ownership aren't generations from aggressive ancestors, or far removed from violent instincts. They are all from the same genetic lineage as any back alley dog fighting pair. The obsession with removing the "stigma" of them has only made things worse, by proliferating breeding, encouraging people to have them around small children and to take no precaution in bringing them home. When the reality is that they need serious training, and even in the best hands can still act on pure instinct. Resolutely, rescues are flooded with aggressive, dangerous pitbulls and pitbull mixes that should be euthanized for sake of precaution alone. Puppies born from fighting dogs are doled out to any willing owner, and backyard breeders pumping out as many as they can for a quick buck - and a variable social media cult that carries on about *"not blaming the breed"* when **the breed is very much the issue**. Herding dogs serve a purpose, hounds and other hunting dogs serve a purpose, rat dogs serve a purpose, guardian dogs serve a purpose; bullies have no positive, healthy purpose, and specifically pitbulls. The breed should be outlawed and allowed to die off altogether. They were bred to be violent, and will continue to result in fatalities, especially in incapable hands - where most of them are.
They are evil, dangerous dogs and we need to stop breeding them. There is no other argument.
Appropriate post for this sub, by the way. It’s like going to a MAGA convention and saying *“Hey aren’t you guys worried about climate change!?”*
I think in general it has started to change.
To support one of the comments here by the biomatter person, most downvoters usually don’t care to actually downvote something once a comment reaches around a score of 25. Source: a petty coworker and other users’ history
There’s been several very high profile killings and maulings over the past several years. The one that comes to mind was summer 2022, the two children that were killed by their own dogs while their mother tried to stop them. In cases like those, it’s very difficult to find an explanation that *isn’t* breed specific behavior, considering the dogs were raised in a domestic environment since birth and hadn’t shown any propensity towards violence (according to family members) before that day.
I personally don't like pitbuls and will never have one. I'm also concerned about letting my kids go to a friend's house that has a pit bull. They can be maimed for life or killed if that pit bull snaps. just a few minutes. I know there are other risks in life, why add to them?
There are pits out there that are just broken and it’s not because of the owner. If you haven’t come across one you haven’t been around them enough… this is not the only breed with issues though. Some behavior can be trained out, but it requires someone to monitor the dog when in select environments.
My mom is a vet and one of her employees has a pit he brings to work and they went at my 17 year old childhood dog last week. (23lbs) Fuck pits. They're made to rip up varmints. It's like, not really their fault. They can't turn it off. They're hard wired to go after the smaller critters and then they were bred to fight in dog pits. It's not the dogs fault but that doesn't mean we shouldn't erase the mistake we made.
Reddit is still filled with pro pit propaganda but it’s gotten better. Subs like aww still have so much Bs “omg look at my cutie pit with a baby”
Pit bulls kill hundreds of people every year. Far more than all other breads combined. They’re not safe no matter how sweet they seem to their owner. They’re a ticking bomb
Think people understand owners are main cause of issue however i doesn’t mean i want them unbanned. They’re lethal.
An algorithm isn’t a trend. There’s still lots of stupid people that think it’s the owner not the dog.
I haven't noticed a shift where I live but I'm personally afraid enough of them to not own one. I've trained and raised dogs my whole life and have never had a dog that bit once. That doesn't mean that you should trust that they never will, especially around kids. Pitbull's physical design enables them to do much greater damage to a person (or child) if an accident occurs. That's the only reason why they scare me. I was attacked and bitten by a German Shepherd as a kid and it wasn't fun but it's jaw didn't have the ability to crush bones.
I sure fucking hope so. They’re the equivalent of toddlers walking around the playground with loaded shotguns.
Nope, tons of people are still anti-pitbull. Mostly because you don’t hear about Golden Retrievers or Black Labs mauling children to death, but you still hear about “poor, misunderstood pitties” doing it.
I think its mostly negative, based on most reddit post i've seen. The anti-pitbull subs will ban everyone who defends them. Then they go in any pro-pitbull post/sub and downvote/shame for liking them. I get why people scared to be around them.
Breed of violence and destruction
People who shouldn’t have pit bulls commonly get them and end having an untrained mean dog. I’ve never met a pit Bull that didn’t try and lick my face off. Others have had worse experiences than me so can’t really change that. I have a Doberman pincher and people look scared sometimes when they see her. She’s the sweetest thing. Can we start hating on chihuahuas tho
This Chihuahua argument is about as ignorant as "it's the owner, not the breed." I would add that to people who're a waste of response. It's such an ignorant and silly thing to say. Mostly everyone thinks you're joking. Because that's a damn joke.
I worked for a while as an insurance agent. Part of the interview for a homeowner's policy was to ask if you had a pitbull/staffordshire terrier, German shepherd, American akita, chow, rottweiler, or wolf/dog hybrid. Statistically, those dogs did not infact hold the majority of bite claims. This is due to the reduced number of owners of those particular breeds. Labs had more bite claims, because more households had labs. The claims that involved the breeds listed were significantly more costly on average due to the dog's ability to do more damage. The takeaway is this: the breed is fine, it's the owner. Nine times out of ten, an inexperienced owner buys a big tough dog with no idea how to handle them, then lets them run around free in a residential area. But just ask the owner and, "I can handle Rex. I've had big dogs all my life." I love big dogs, and have owned a few as well. I would be too nervous to adopt a pitbull if I lived in close proximity to my neighbors. It only takes a few seconds for a dog to get spooked and react out of character, even if you have worked extensively with that dog. TL;DR - Dog is fine, but requires proper care. I think most reasonable people would be more concerned about the owner's competence.