I've seen a group of people , each with a pit bull, gathering at the Malecon on several occasions. Last was Monday after dark, 15 or so crossed the road together.
I went to a dog fight once back in the 60s. A lot of money changed hands. It was a bloody gruesome affair. I even owned a pit bull pup for a while. He was notably the dumbest dog I was ever around, but he was friendly. I gave him to a guy who liked him better than I did.
I even owned a pit bull pup for a while. He was notably the dumbest dog I was ever around, but he was friendly. I gave him to a guy who liked him better than I did.
that's just the opposite of my pit as far as smarts are concerned... he is probably the smartest dog I've ever owned, and I'll agree with you on the friendliness aspect... well at least towards humans...
that's just the opposite of my pit as far as smarts are concerned... he is probably the smartest dog I've ever owned, and I'll agree with you on the friendliness aspect... well at least towards humans...
Yea, mine is too. Although we don't know much about her. Not even how old she is. Maybe 7 or 8? She, being a California dog uprooted to Colorado, huddles up with my 2 furry Goldens for warmth, while Vicks used Goldens for bait. All about how they are raised...they are so loyal, they will fight for you, as in Vick, but just want to love and be loved.
I saw a show on the rehabiltation of the Vic dogs, which can be used to argue that it is not the breed, but the owner. I have had 3 pit's in the last 30 years. These dogs were smart, very energetic, and devoted to their human. My current dog, Angel, was a stray that chose our home as her forever home about 8 yeas ago. We already had 3 dogs and she joined the pack with no problem. Those dogs have since died and Angel is alone. When we take her out, she gets along with some dogs and not with others- it is all in how the other dog approaches her. For example, my mom has a four pound Yorkie who decided to bite Angel on the lip. Angel opened her mouth and just held her down. We were all REALLY thankful that Angel had a better temperment than Daisy, the Yorkie.
Pete the Pup was a famous dog character in Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies (later known as The Little Rascals) during the 1920s and 1930s.
Otherwise known as "Pete, the Dog With the Ring Around His Eye", or simply "Petey", he was famous for having a circled eye that was added on by Hollywood make-up artist Max Factor and credited as an oddity in Ripley's Believe It or Not.
The original Pete (sired by Earl Tudor's "Black Jack") named Pal the Wonder Dog had a natural ring almost completely around his eye; dye was used to finish it off.
Pal first started out as "Tige" in the Buster Brown series in the 1920s, It was during this time that he obtained the circled eye, and when he was recruited to appear in the Our Gang comedies later that year, Hal Roach simply left it on, creating one of the most recognized dogs in film history.
Trainer and owner Lt. Harry Lucenay used one of Pal's offspring as Pete in the series after Pal passed away. This dog, named "Lucenay's Peter", was dual-registered as an AKC American Staffordshire Terrier and as a UKC American Pit Bull Terrier. Lucenay's Peter was whelped (born) September 6, 1929, and bred by A. A. Keller.
A few other dogs played Petey, but Lucenay's Peter was the most famous. After being fired from the Our Gang series in 1932, Harry Lucenay retired Peter to Atlantic City.
Pete became as recognizable and popular as the kids in the gang. Pal the Wonder Dog appeared in Our Gang comedies until 1930, and according to Our Gang member Jean Darling died mysteriously. Urban legend has it that Pal died after someone fed him meat laced with glass. This is completely unproven, and the conventional thinking is that Pal died of natural causes/old age.
Lucenay's Peter continued on and died of natural causes in 1946, two years after the Our Gang series ended.
Pit Bull owners all think theirs is the exception to the rule.After it bites the nephew in the face,eats the cat and punctures the mailmans ankle they tell you those incidents were the fault of the other party.The problem is when pits lose it the damage is over the top,when my dog loses it the damage is limited.
I don't think my pit is any exception to any rule... key word jerry is damage... damage is damage... be it over the top or limited... it's like saying "minor heart attack" like a heart attack is a minor problem...
as with any animal... if you're not intending to be a responsible pet owner then maybe you should look into stuffed animals...
If you get your Pit from a reliable breeder you should not have a problem. The real problem comes from prople that get their Pit from a creeps that breeds them to be "game". These same people will kill the "kirs". The crazier, the gamer, the better in the eyes of the Vics. Kir dog and game dog are traits that are concurrently bad and good in the dog fighting world. Pits can be lolyal, gental, and very lovable to both humans and other animals. I own two mutts. One I got as a pup from RP/PP.
Unfortunately, the pit bull has a bad rep...mainly because of the breeding...and also the "type" of persons that buy a pit (I'm generalizing here)...but look at the people you frequently see walking a pit bull around town....the "macho....sh$thead type".
I love dogs...have had several....and we tend to forget that they are animals when they become part of our families. I had a beautiful cocker spaniel....from when he was a pup....but something made it snap when he was 2 yrs. old....bit my 11 yr. old son, and my wife....without any provocation.....my wife was there when he bit my son, and I saw it happen when he bit my wife. He tried biting me too, but stopped himself before he broke skin (I think mainly because I had spent the most time with him).....but from everything we could find, it was a result of inbreeding....cuase the vet couldn't find anything wrong with him (after spending a bunch of $$$ on tests!).
Mark...yes there was damage...but it was minor compared to what it could have been if it was a pit, or a german shepherd, or an akita (I've got the scars from a friend's akita to prove it!!!).
Incidentally, the pit bull pup I bought was bred for fighting. That's how I got the invitation to a highly illegal dog fight. I didn't feel really comfortable around the folks who were there and, as I said, it was totally greusome. I figured the brains had been bred out of my dog so he would be "dead game" (game to the death). I have since seen some well mannered pit bulls, but there will always be a stigma attached for me.
You need to watch kids around any dog. Cockers have the highest bite rate of any other breed. A Golden once attacked one of my sons. A chihuahua bit my brother when he was little...small, nervous dogs are dangerous around little kids....my rescue pit bull, Princess, was tied to a tree and used for breeding her whole life. I have her by default because the city my son lives in bans them. She is a happy little dog that has shown no aggression whatsoever, but I still don't let the kids around her, or the Goldens, unattended.
You need to watch kids around any dog. Cockers have the highest bite rate of any other breed. A Golden once attacked one of my sons. A chihuahua bit my brother when he was little...small, nervous dogs are dangerous around little kids....my rescue pit bull, Princess, was tied to a tree and used for breeding her whole life. I have her by default because the city my son lives in bans them. She is a happy little dog that has shown no aggression whatsoever, but I still don't let the kids around her, or the Goldens, unattended.
How true. A friend here just got ripped by a Pit Bull who was jealous because he was playing with another dog.
You need to watch kids around any dog. Cockers have the highest bite rate of any other breed. A Golden once attacked one of my sons. A chihuahua bit my brother when he was little...small, nervous dogs are dangerous around little kids....my rescue pit bull, Princess, was tied to a tree and used for breeding her whole life. I have her by default because the city my son lives in bans them. She is a happy little dog that has shown no aggression whatsoever, but I still don't let the kids around her, or the Goldens, unattended.
My cocker was a very gentle, loving dog....until something snapped! I may have gone overboard as a result, but I've sworn off pure breds...of any kind....mutts are what I stick to now!
My cocker was a very gentle, loving dog....until something snapped! I may have gone overboard as a result, but I've sworn off pure breds...of any kind....mutts are what I stick to now!
Joe... my wife Barb feels the same way... she's kept me for 22 years coming up on the 7th of this month... (how could she resist... I was already poddy trained)
Joe... my wife Barb feels the same way... she's kept me for 22 years coming up on the 7th of this month... (how could she resist... I was already poddy trained)
So we should start calling you "mutt" instead of Mark??? :-P:wink:
Congrats on the anniversary! Mine didn't make it to 10 ( and I was completely housebroken!).....
You need to watch kids around any dog. Cockers have the highest bite rate of any other breed. A Golden once attacked one of my sons. A chihuahua bit my brother when he was little...small, nervous dogs are dangerous around little kids....my rescue pit bull, Princess, was tied to a tree and used for breeding her whole life. I have her by default because the city my son lives in bans them. She is a happy little dog that has shown no aggression whatsoever, but I still don't let the kids around her, or the Goldens, unattended.
I was lucky enough to have trained dogs for a living, mostly Sheppard's for security, in Washington state. They eventually worked the pipeline up in Alaska . This was the early seventies. Actually mixed breed Terriers have the highest percentage of bites, but most of those hits were from behind or the side. Very few bites are head on, in other words most dogs will not go straight on at a man. It takes a lot of skill, time, and Patience to get a Sheppard, Dobie, you name it, to attack a man full force head on. The overwhelming majority of bite's are actually "fear" related, and not as much about protecting anything as we think. As a breed, I think you'll find the Chow and Chow mixes one of the most unpredictable and aggressive dog's around. I hope they never become popular.
Cocker Spaniels were great hunting dogs, and as stable of a dog as you would want, until they became a popular "pet" in the fifty's and the AKC started breeding them for show. Because of the line breeding for conformation instead of there hunting abilities, you find a lot of Cockers that are nervouse and unsure of themselves, and that brings on the kind of "fear" biting I mentioned before.
I was lucky enough to have trained dogs for a living, mostly Sheppard's for security, in Washington state. They eventually worked the pipeline up in Alaska . This was the early seventies. Actually mixed breed Terriers have the highest percentage of bites, but most of those hits were from behind or the side. Very few bites are head on, in other words most dogs will not go straight on at a man. It takes a lot of skill, time, and Patience to get a Sheppard, Dobie, you name it, to attack a man full force head on. The overwhelming majority of bite's are actually "fear" related, and not as much about protecting anything as we think. As a breed, I think you'll find the Chow and Chow mixes one of the most unpredictable and aggressive dog's around. I hope they never become popular.
Cocker Spaniels were great hunting dogs, and as stable of a dog as you would want, until they became a popular "pet" in the fifty's and the AKC started breeding them for show. Because of the line breeding for conformation instead of there hunting abilities, you find a lot of Cockers that are nervouse and unsure of themselves, and that brings on the kind of "fear" biting I mentioned before.
I watched a police demonstration a year or so ago at the WalMart parking lot. They had the "bad guy" play with the dog, then walk away. Then the handler gave the command to stop him and that dog flew thru the air, grabbed the "bad guy" by the arm (he was in a padded suit) and held him there. I never saw a dog move so fast. He didn't care that this guy was just petting him moments before. Not a German Shepherd, can't recall the name of the breed they use a lot now?? Pretty impressive.
Hey Kenny...is there a job that you haven't held?:wink:
I've heard that about Chows....my one bad experience was with an Akita...big monster....about 150 lbs....took a chunk out of my neck/chin....could have been my throat...if she was actually going for it!!! I just happened to get in the way of her trying to get at some food I was handing to my daughter.
I've had 3 Cockers who were the best. One even got accosted by a 2 year old. He had both of her ears rolled up in his sticky little fists. Her eyes were slits, that how tight he had her ears. She was just sitting quietly. I finally managed to get his grody little hands out of her ears when his "mother" showed up. "Oh," she says, "what kind of dog is that? That's the first time he hasn't been bit when he's playing! I need to get one of those."
:eek3::eek3::eek3::eek3: I couldn't believe my ears! Playing? I took a big breath and started in on her about playing vs abuse and got that blank look. I just picked my sticky eared dog up and left. Poor kid.
My sister had a Cocker that was as sweet as pie one minute and Cujo the next. She would jump up on you begging to be petted and when you put your hand down to pet her, she would bite you that quick. She even went to the doggie psychiatrist. Nothing helped and my sister had to put her down. Luck of the draw, I guess.
I agree with you 100% Kenny. Most dog bites are "fear bites". Some dogs are more prone to it than others. I currently have a 10 month old mongrel Border Collie/Aussie pup and we love each other dearly. I've never owned a "watch dog". Most of my dogs would hold the light for you and show you where the keys were.
I've had 3 Cockers who were the best. One even got accosted by a 2 year old. He had both of her ears rolled up in his sticky little fists. Her eyes were slits, that how tight he had her ears. She was just sitting quietly. I finally managed to get his grody little hands out of her ears when his "mother" showed up. "Oh," she says, "what kind of dog is that? That's the first time he hasn't been bit when he's playing! I need to get one of those."
:eek3::eek3::eek3::eek3: I couldn't believe my ears! Playing? I took a big breath and started in on her about playing vs abuse and got that blank look. I just picked my sticky eared dog up and left. Poor kid.
My sister had a Cocker that was as sweet as pie one minute and Cujo the next. She would jump up on you begging to be petted and when you put your hand down to pet her, she would bite you that quick. She even went to the doggie psychiatrist. Nothing helped and my sister had to put her down. Luck of the draw, I guess.
Sounds like he was temporarily a chinese cocker. I used to tell my boys that if they made the dog bite them, they were the ones that would be in trouble and since we couldn't have a biting dog...well, you know the rest.
So we should start calling you "mutt" instead of Mark??? :-P:wink:
Congrats on the anniversary! Mine didn't make it to 10 ( and I was completely housebroken!).....
Joe... I've been called worse... just don't call me late for lunch... thanks for the congrats... after my first marriage I was bankbroken... she got the boat, corvette and the house... I got my life back...
I agree with you 100% Kenny. Most dog bites are "fear bites". Some dogs are more prone to it than others. I currently have a 10 month old mongrel Border Collie/Aussie pup and we love each other dearly. I've never owned a "watch dog". Most of my dogs would hold the light for you and show you where the keys were.
Mine's a mutt rescued from Penasco(I call her my Mexican purebred...about 70 lbs.)....she's about 10-11 now....had her since she was a pup. She is a complete "scaredy cat"....afraid of her own shadow....but I don't mind...I don't want her biting, just bark her head off if she senses someone who doesn't "belong"....
She was protective of my daughter, though, once when she was walking her on the beach down by Playa Bonita when the condos were going up. My daughter was about 12-13, and was with a friend of hers (the same age), but rather well endowed! A couple of the construction workers who were leaving the site started walking towards the girls making some comments....she went right at them (on one of those 30 ft. reel leads)!!! Did those workers scatter!!!
Mine's a mutt rescued from Penasco(I call her my Mexican purebred...about 70 lbs.)....she's about 10-11 now....had her since she was a pup. She is a complete "scaredy cat"....afraid of her own shadow....but I don't mind...I don't want her biting, just bark her head off if she senses someone who doesn't "belong"....
She was protective of my daughter, though, once when she was walking her on the beach down by Playa Bonita when the condos were going up. My daughter was about 12-13, and was with a friend of hers (the same age), but rather well endowed! A couple of the construction workers who were leaving the site started walking towards the girls making some comments....she went right at them (on one of those 30 ft. reel leads)!!! Did those workers scatter!!!
Quite of few of the beach dogs I have known over the years have hated the local construction guys - mostly because of how they were treated by them before they were rescued.
Quite of few of the beach dogs I have known over the years have hated the local construction guys - mostly because of how they were treated by them before they were rescued.
From my experience, that may be true, but they are still afraid of them, and it's all bark and no bite! I had one (a dog) come running at me barking, but when I stood my ground, and actually went at the dog, it ran off! I've heard that the dogs especially hate the men....men in general.
Max, an Irish Wolfhound mix that looked like the Bundy's dog in All in the family, but bigger, was the dog of my life. For some reason I was blessed with a dog that was born old and wise, and was here to love and protect kids, women, and sometimes me..LOL I did a little basic obedience with him just to see, and that's all. A male Wolfhounds life expectancy is only about 6 years, but Max lived till he was 16, almost 17, with everything working fine till he blew his rear end out. He didn't give up then though, he wasn't ready. So I'd reach under him and walk him from place to place wheel barrow style. He was amazingly strong, and he wanted to stay here, but one day when it was very cold in Albuquerque he whimpered for the first time since he went down. It was Jan 17th 97, I did it myself.
This is the Bundy's dog. Max had the eyebrows, beard, and salt and pepper hair, and they called him BIGFOOT when he was only 6 months old up in Ore, Wash
We did have a scary incident at our home one time. Some friends were visiting and their two year-old son was just torturing the hell out of my old dog Beauregard, pulling at his eyes, lips and ears. The dog tried to avoind him in our living room to no avail. Finally a roar came out of Beau's mouth like we'd never heard and he engulfed the poor kid's whole face in his mouth. Needless to say, I knocked the poor dog flying. When we examined Danny's face and head ther wasn't a mark on it. Poor ol' Beau was just telling the kid he'd had enough. They both avoided each other after that.
The absolute sweetest, most loyal dog on the planet. She does all the right dog things. Only barks when she is supposed to -- a knock on the door, or to a verbal command of "Who's there?" And she sounds even bigger than the 110 lbs. she is! She is also the world's worst beggar, which is our own fault for indulging her with occasional scraps. I think she was trained by Pavlov. If you're eating anything, you practically need a mop and bucket to clean up her drool. She swims with us daily and there's no doubting her retriever heritage. You throw it, she goes and gets it. Over and over and over.
I've owned a few dogs and all have lived to a ripe old age and enjoyed good lives. This is the first AKC purebred dog I've ever owned. She has the best disposition of any dog I've ever had. She's a silver Lab, a new color. Her silver highlights have become more pronounced as she's gotten older (she's 3 now). The hardest part of raising a Lab is getting through the "puppy" phase, which lasts for at least two years and longer than other dogs. Those Lab jaws wanted to chew everything, but she now settles for chewing only her rawhides and toys.
I didn't think much about it when I asked the breeder if she was a loving dog. The breeder told me "She's exactly like her mother -- loving to the point of annoying!" That has proven to be oh-so true!