prejudism

[makbike]

Badger you might want to read Oogy - The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin. It is a wonderful story about a pit bull puppy that was used as a "bait dog", its rescue and adoption. It is a wonderful story.

[Trek420]

there are 2 excellent bull-breed rescue groups in the area and they only adopt out dogs that will give their breed a good name. Both of them require adopters to attend obedience classes.

I'm not in any rush, but this girl's fitting the bill pretty well: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18124885

This is a good group and info too. Regardless of breed thanks for adopting.

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/owning.html

[PamNY]

Pitties are the best. I hope you get one. They do take a lot of training and attention because they are high-drive dogs, and aggression toward other animals can be an issue. But you knew that already.

Outside of legal or insurance issues, I wouldn't give a toot what anyone else thinks. Plenty of people are ignorant about dogs anyway.

[ClockworkOrange]

Amber looks so cute.

Must confess to being scared of most dogs, I like them from afar but when they come up to me, I freeze, especially alsations.

However, I do love reading dog related posts on here and especially seeing photos of the dogs people own.

Good luck with whatever dog you get.

[channlluv]

there are 2 excellent bull-breed rescue groups in the area and they only adopt out dogs that will give their breed a good name. Both of them require adopters to attend obedience classes.

I'm not in any rush, but this girl's fitting the bill pretty well: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/18124885

My word, if you don't go get her, someone else will snatch her up quick. What a cute dog!

We had a pit mix rescue dog and she was the best. Very protective of us, but also a very loving dog. My brother had a big Rott named Thor that as an absolute teddy bear. I didn't know Rotts were supposed to be scary. He's the only one I've ever known.

We had a local humane society trying to adopt out puppies at the pet store near our house several months ago. One of them was a little, all-white pit named Comet that was just as cute as could be and terribly snuggly. The ladies there said it was a challenge finding a home for him because rental agreements typically outlaw the breed.

Roxy

[maillotpois]

My brother had a big Rott named Thor that as an absolute teddy bear. I didn't know Rotts were supposed to be scary. He's the only one I've ever known.

That is the best EVER Rottie name! My rottie was named Meg, and she was an absolute doll. She was my first baby and when the human baby came along she was just as good as Good Dog Carl.

Amber looks darling.

[lunacycles]

I have a pitbull. It is the first dog of any breed (my 4th dog) I absolutely don't worry at all about in terms of aggression, either towards people or other animals. You can tug on her ears, get in her face, ride her like a pony...no problem.(I can't even say that for myself!). I have had her for 4 years (I am her 3rd home!), and she's never shown aggression towards any living, breathing thing. She is incredibly playful and sweet. Her name is Sweetpea.

Pitbulls that are not nice are almost always damaged pitbulls. The Humane Society a year or two ago actually said they were in favor of ending the breed, not because they are inherently dangerous, but because they tend to attract the kind of owner who wants to make them dangerous. They are loyal and very trainable, which is why they make good fight dogs. And they do have strong jaws.

Most of my family is in Denver, where a couple of years ago they enacted a "pit bull ban" (that led to the euthanization of over 3000 dogs). People in Denver, as a result of this, are programmed to be fearful of pitbulls. I notice this when I visit there with my dog, who just wiggles with plea-ful joy while the majority locals recoil in fear. In Santa Fe, pitbulls are everywhere and people aren't afraid of them. How our society works with violent behavior, in both the human and animal realm, reflects how fearful we tend to live as a society. I understand the need for "safety," but short-term thinking (banning pitbulls), while convenient, isn't often long-term healing. (For example, why is it the dog who is punished so much more than its owner--who usually gets a slap on the wrist?) Sorry for the social commentary, but I see this with pitbulls.

I have also worked for an animal rescue that has taken many damaged pitbulls and healed most of them so that they may be adopted. Not all of them, because sometimes (like in the case of many of Michael Vick's dogs), they have been just too abused. Remember Oreo, the pitbull in NYC, whose owner threw him off the roof of a 6-story building...and he survived? They tried for over a year but could not emotionally heal this dog (big surprise), and the ASPCA eventually had to euthanize him, to much bad press and sadness. The owner who did this to Oreo got shamed publicly, due to all the press, but no real punishment, iirc. He, too, it was clear, was a "damaged puppy."

I love pitbulls.

[Sheri L]

As far as being animal aggressive, one should be VERY leary of Siberian Huskies and Malamutes (sp?) They will kill a small animal (cats in particular) in a heartbeat. My family used to have a huskey (might I say they are also VERY hard to contain unless you have a completely enclosed kennel (top too!) this boy would climb an 8 ft fence and push through electic cattle wire to get to a cat...and he did he went through my 4 kittens...I never could stop him...I gave him his commands, I tried to get the kittens in the house, or him in the house etc...punched and kicked him as I held the last kitten in my upstreched hands and he still climbed right up me to kill her.
...nothing stops a huskey once they go into kill mode.
He was great with kids though...gave him to a couple with a baby and a completly enclosed kennel and they all lived happily ever after.

[arielmoon]

I love pitties and rotties!! I rescued a pittie I found at the dump and she was a great companion for my newly adopted, un-socialized greyhound. We lost about 3 tv/vcr remotes until we learned to put them out of reach. Later she helped me raise 2 puppies (not at the same time). She was extremely loyal and sweet. I let my ex take her in the divorce and he told me that she did get a little aggressive toward other dogs at the dog park.

A few years ago some neighbors rescued an abused pittie. She is gorgeous and sweet and now completely spoiled. Sadly she is obese and very strong and has caused the husband to break his hip TWICE! They refuse to use the prong collar the correct way and it drives me nuts.

Anyway, correct handling goes a long way because any dog has the potential to harm.

Years ago I had a vet tell me the only dog breed they would not treat was Chow chow. It doesnt mean they are all bad, in fact I had one stay with me for 2 years while his mom finished school and he was the sweetest thing.

[Biciclista]

As far as being animal aggressive, one should be VERY leary of Siberian Huskies and Malamutes (sp?) They will kill a small animal (cats in particular) in a heartbeat. My family used to have a huskey (might I say they are also VERY hard to contain unless you have a completely enclosed kennel (top too!) this boy would climb an 8 ft fence and push through electic cattle wire to get to a cat...and he did he went through my 4 kittens...I never could stop him...I gave him his commands, I tried to get the kittens in the house, or him in the house etc...punched and kicked him as I held the last kitten in my upstreched hands and he still climbed right up me to kill her.
...nothing stops a huskey once they go into kill mode.
He was great with kids though...gave him to a couple with a baby and a completly enclosed kennel and they all lived happily ever after.

That dog should not have lived long enough to kill 4 cats.

[NbyNW]

You can make generalizations about any breed, but there will always be exceptions. Some of it is just the individual dog, but a lot of times it might just be a bad fit between the dog and the people (or other animals) involved. Some dogs are easy, others need a little more work in terms of behavioral training and daily exercise.

I've known some really good rotties, pitt-mixes, huskies and malamutes. I know that their good behavior has everything to do with the environment and training that their people provide for them.

OTOH I have yet to meet a well-behaved golden retriever.

When meeting any new dog, regardless of size or breed, it's always a good idea to ask the owner if and how you may approach their dog.

[OakLeaf]

One thing to remember is that socializing a dog requires not only an effort on the part of the owner, but cooperation on the part of everyone else around them.

When our Chow was a pup, we took him EVERYWHERE with us. If we'd had friends or workplaces that weren't dog-friendly, it would've made it a lot more difficult.

[badger]

I agree that generalizing any breed (or anything for that matter) isn't right. Saying one breed is better than the other is like comparing apples and oragnes. Individuals - animal, people, are all different.

lunacycle: I'm so glad that sweetpea's found you, she sounds wonderful! I just wish most people could become more educated about dogs in general, it's amazing how little people really know about them.

I'm really surprised that supposedly intelligent people who enact (by)laws don't do necessary research and just ban the breed due to a knee jerk reaction. Even my dear Dad who loved animals of all kinds made a poo-poo remark when I told him that I was fostering a pit/mastiff puppy. The general public are just fed the exceptionally bad and none of the good.

Thank you to all the pitt (and other maligned breeds) lovers out there.

[badger]

an update on what's happening: sadly nothing's happened yet. I had my mom's cat last week which meant I had 3 cats in a 800 sq ft condo. He's going to be a fairly regular visitor when my mother goes back to Japan for extended periods now that my father's gone. I'm still determining whether having a dog now is the best thing for all concerned, or if I'm just being selfish and wanting a canine companion.

I suppose there's no harm in meeting her, but then if I fell in love I'll have to bring her home

[Aggie_Ama]

My parents have a rottweiler named Athena, we are not sure she is purebred since we found her at the pound. She is less aggressive towards anything than my 8 pound schnauzer. Every once in a while she will growl for a very short instance at Heidi (my dog) mainly when she feels Heidi is taking too much ownership of my parents house. Usually she just tries to be an oversized lap dog.

My opinion of pits was swayed some when I met the race promoter of the Abilene mountain bike race's pit. She is a certified service dog focusing mostly on elder service at the state hospital. The chaos and crowds weren't bothering her at all, she walked right up and stood next to me. I asked her owner if I could pet her and he said of course she would love it. Bad breeding has really brought a lot of negative traits forward but they are not a hopeless breed.