Pit Bulls

[fett]

That may be true. But each of those breeds are different. You can train a Rott, Dobie or German Shep to be an attack dog. My contention is that a pit bull can not be trained. There is some curcuit in their brains that trips and puts them on the attack mode. It in their genes. And we think we can control that. Think again.

[Rich#6]

Many more dogs attack and bite people than pits. they are low on the list. the reason you hear about them so much is because the are very strong and do a lot of damage when they do attack. No offense Fett but YOU are apart of the pit/bull/shit. It's is the owners.

[Bengal]

I'm not looking to stir up shit here but all the people who say it's the owners making them like this, how many of you own or have owned pit bulls? Just curious...

I feel sorry for the animals at times. I really do. I'm on the fence with this issue...

[fett]

Here is my perdiction. It may take awhile, but pit bulls will be banned as a breed in the US. There is just too much of a bad rap on them. Deserved or not is not the issue. The public will get sick and tired of hearing about pit bull attacks. And that is all it will take. Vick has just made it a national issue.

[Bengal]

Here is my perdiction. It may take awhile, but pit bulls will be banned as a breed in the US. There is just too much of a bad rap on them. Deserved or not is not the issue. The public will get sick and tired of hearing about pit bull attacks. And that is all it will take. Vick has just made it a national issue.

OK, then what? Round up all of them and kill them? After the fuss of the Vick thing, do you think we'd sit by as a society while a whole breed of dog is exterminated? I don't see that happening. PETA might have something to say about that...

As for the Vick thing. I think it makes us feel sorry for the pit bulls. It does me at least...

[fett]

When was the last time you saw two poodles in the ring? And, I'm talking about boxers.

[fett]

There are millions of dogs killed every year. This was a while back, but I watched how they did it. These were just pound puppies. PETA won't even care if pits were put down.

[Cleveland Metal]

Fett, you obviously haven't a clue... Pitbulls used to be the all American dog (think Petey from "Our Gang"). But, the breed and its good name has been ruined by idiots.. Like everything else in this world.


If you're bored, read on.....
______________________________________________

Failing the American Pitbull Terrier


by Nathan J. Winograd


Nathan J. Winograd is President of the No Kill Advocacy Center, a not-for-profit dedicated to creating a No Kill nation. For more information or to find out how you can help, go to www.nokillsolutions.com

Mindy was born, like others before her, as part of a litter of puppies to a homeless stray. She was light brown in color, with a dark muzzle. She was taken in by a local family who found the mother and puppies near a local park. She was a friendly dog, the most outgoing of them all and quickly became a favorite of the neighborhood. One by one all the puppies were given away except Mindy. While the others looked like their mother, a Labrador Retriever, and therefore had no trouble finding homes, Mindy looked like the supposed father, the "dreaded" American Pit Bull Terrier. No one wanted her because they were afraid of Pit Bulls. In fact, an article in the local paper even quoted a staff member of the SPCA as saying Pit Bulls were a dangerous breed of dog. The family thought of taking Mindy to the shelter, but they knew she would be killed because of a "no adoption" rule for Pit Bulls. They decided to keep her.

But one day, the back door was accidentally left open by the youngest child and Mindy was gone when the family came home. They put up signs but could not find her. The family would later learn that a kindly and elderly neighbor three blocks away fed her. Every day Mindy would come and eat the scraps of food left out for her on the porch. Later when asked why she did not call the local shelter, the neighbor replied that she was afraid to call because Mindy was a Pit Bull and the shelter banned the breed. She thought Mindy would at least have a chance on the street. But one day Mindy did not come back for the scraps of food. She had been taken by some local thugs who used her as bait for dog fighting.

Ultimately, someone did call the shelter, because of a whining that sounded they said "like blood gurgling in a dog's mouth." In fact, that was exactly what it was. When the officers came, they found Mindy tied to a fence, covered in bite wounds. Afraid of Mindy, even though she had never so much as growled at anyone, they put a long pole with a metal noose on the end, the "catch-pole," around her neck and tightened it. When she would not walk, they dragged her. In the process, she defecated on herself out of fear.

There was one witness to her abuse, but the officers did not follow-up. It was one more of over 300 "open" files that begged for attention. The abusers were never sought. After a time, the file was marked "unresolved" and closed.

At the shelter, Mindy was not seen by the staff veterinarian. Her wounds were not dressed and healed. She was not treated kindly. They did not try to find her a loving home. No one searched the lost pet database because of the Pit Bull ban.

Instead, she was taken to a rear compound behind a door marked "staff only" where the glass window was covered in dark paper. To get there, officers took her past the children's drawings of happy families with dogs and cats, through the overhang with large blue letters that read "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," and into a room adjacent to a plaque commemorating the completion of the shelter with the inscription: "All Life is Precious."



Mindy lay there for 72 hours while dogs came and went. All of them were Pit Bulls. Most of them were friendly, but that did not matter. This was the "Dangerous Dog" ward at the local SPCA and there were no beds, blankets, toys or treats. In here, volunteers did not walk the dogs like they did in the adoption kennels. Here no one got Kong toys, or rope tugs, an occasional brushing, a treat, or even a pat on the head. Once a day she was given a bowl of dry kibble and her water dish was refilled, but she did not have the strength to eat and she was in pain.

The end probably came like it did to countless others like her:

After three days, she was "catch-poled" again. As one employee held her down by the neck, another came in with a needle. She felt a pin prick. She tried to free herself, but the pole tightened around her neck. She tried to stand up, but her legs felt wobbly and she fell back down. Out of fear, she once again defecated on herself. Suddenly she felt nauseous and vomited. Then another person came in. She crawled into the corner and cowered, the pole still tight around her neck. They stood over her. She wanted to get away but she was too weak to move. Mindy was given poison from a bottle marked "Fatal-plus." She went limp and let out a last breath. Urine spilled onto the kennel floor. Some time later, her body was thrown in an incinerator.

Blaming the Victims

"Teach Compassion." It is perhaps the most important job we have as animal protectionists. In the mission statement of every animal welfare and animal rights group, every private and public shelter, and within the credo of every activist is a calling to raise awareness of animal suffering and to ultimately encourage more humane treatment. From the earliest days of our movement's founding, we have heeded the call to change the hearts and minds of the public, knowing that doing so is a precursor to changes in laws and practices that result in animal suffering. But we have our blind spots.

There is no breed of dog in America more abused, maligned, and misrepresented than the American Pit Bull Terrier. There is no breed of dog more in need of our compassion; in need of our call to arms on their behalf; and in need of what should be the full force of our enduring sanctuary. But we have determined that they are not worthy of it.

We have determined that they do not deserve to live. The more circumspect among us might not say so publicly. We may couch it in more benign terms, shifting the blame to others, claiming that no one will adopt them, convincing ourselves that only a ban will keep them out of harm's way, but the end result is exactly the same. By our actions, by our words, by our policies, by our failure to speak out on their behalf, we stoke the fire that has at its core only one end for Pit Bulls: their mass killing.

To a breed abused for fighting, victimized by an undeserved reputation, relegated to certain death in shelters, add one more torment: those who should be their most ardent protectors have instead turned against them. We have joined the witch hunt.

The very agencies whose officers seek out dog fighters and abusers in order to "save" the poor creatures relegate Pit Bulls to locked and barren corridors away from public view. Ultimately, all of them—the healthy and friendly ones, side-by-side with the hopelessly sick or vicious—are uniformly put to death.

One of the nation's leading humane newspapers lauds a city not only for outlawing Pit Bulls but for proactively enforcing the ban on them—a ban that leads to their execution. The editors, who have also called for consistency in ethical practices by encouraging shelters to serve only vegetarian food and who applaud other animal rights causes, apparently see no moral ambiguity when officers go door-to-door seizing happy and friendly pets sleeping on beds and couches, taken from their families upon threat of arrest, while animal control shelter workers wait, "euthanasia kits" at the ready.

In an Oregon county, Pit Bulls are killed en masse in a shelter with an avowed No Kill goal by misusing temperament testing as a de facto ban on the breed. In Denver , Colorado , they are simply outlawed and executed. And People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the nation's most outspoken animal rights group, has joined the battle to exterminate these dogs—demanding that all cities ban the breed, and all Pit Bulls who enter shelters seeking sanctuary, should instead be killed.

Ending the tragic plight of the American Pit Bull Terrier should be among our most ardent goals. Our advocacy must remind people that at one time, the Pit Bull was the most popular pet in America because of their reputation as a friendly, family dog. We must educate people that the Pit Bull's misfortune is in finding themselves the favored breed of the dog fighter at this time in history—a distinction shared at one time by the German Shepherd, Doberman, and Rottweiller. And a distinction that will shift to another breed if we ban Pit Bulls but do not bring about an end to the scourge of dog fighting.

We must rally against the injustice of politics which condemn an entire breed of dog—in practical terms, literally hundreds of thousands of dogs a year—to death, because of the unfortunate characteristics of a few of them.

Where there is vilification, we should teach compassion. Where there are scare tactics, we should preach temperance. Where there are lies, we should speak the truth. Otherwise, the animal welfare movement will have failed the Pit Bull completely.

Copyright 2006, Nathan J. Winograd

[fett]

Here is another example. Did you know that racehorses came from the same stud years and years ago? They were bred to run. The line continues. Pits were bred to be vicious. And that line continues. It's that simple. You breed a dog to herd sheep; run fast; kill wolves; hunt rats; spot fowl; be guard dogs; be seeing eye dogs and be attack dogs. The pit bull has an inbred loose wire that was great 100 years ago. But, not now. Cleve, with all due respect , you have to believe the breed is worth saving. I don't. And that is what makes the world go round.

[FusionFarmer]

Its a problem that has gotten out of hand, you have a certain segment of society (aka dumb ass bastards) who wants the baddest ass dog he can get just because its bad ass, and these are not family pets and when they get loose bad things happen, My good friends have a pit who is the sweetest dog you ever saw, great with kids, tends to be a little rough on other non family dogs, and when she roughs up someone elses dog its usually a pretty serious injury, you just have a large potential for disater with these dogs, I recently aquired (abadoned on the hwy by some lame ass SOB) two Lab/Pit/?? cross pups and there they are a couple of the nicest dogs you would want to have, thankfully the Lab personality is dominant, actually most of the abandoned dogs out here are pits or pit crosses, but all in all, the pit bull terrier is a breed that should be phased out IMHO

[Jason1212]

The number of dogs put down each year due to neglect and lack of homes is sickening. Rather than see any breed banned and exterminated I would rather see licensing put into place. Licensing to be an owner and licesening to be a breeder.

[OnlineStageGear]

Too many people have used the "My dog never bit anyone before" when defending Involuntary Manslaughter charges. It is complete ignorance to think your dog won't bite people.

Matt

[fett]

Good doggies. You think one is bad, have two.

[Cleveland Metal]

You are being a clueless dumbass Fett.

Pitbulls have been bred for dog aggression, they have been fought for the last century.

HOWEVER, a pitbull that was a manbiter was executed immediately. They had to be handled and could not be some wild insane animal. That line breeding amazingly turned the breed into one of the ultimate human companion dogs.

I've raised pits for 27 years, around my son as an infant, around many other children. They are an awesome breed. If I had to choose a dog to spend the rest of my life with, it would be a pitbull.

Interdog aggression, and human aggression are absolutely two totally different things. A properly bred and raised is not a threat to a human.

My pitts, when playing rough as can, if they feel my skin in their teeth will shut down playing immediately and look like they did something horrible.

Most of the pits that we see being issues are pits that are raised by people that want them as a status symbol. Then find out they really dont want to hurt people and are very friendly. They then abuse them to the poiont they are nuts. And then those same scumbags and their messed up dogs are living irresponsibly around lots of little ghetto kids, one day, the insane pittie eventually grabs one and we read about it.

I believe so strongly about this that I even run a website that promotes positive pitbull ownership, and attemts to educate people like you Fett. Sadly, I have a feeling it falls on deaf ears when I listen to your uneducated ramblings.

Shame its poeple like you that will actually help the ghetto scum erase this breed.

Thanx...

[Bengal]

Cleve,
That is a sad story you posted. And the exact reason I'm on the fence with this issue...