American Pit Bull kills baby.

[Steppe Merc]

The vet my family goes to for our animals says that Dalmatians are way worse than pit bulls.

[Goofball]

Bah. Poor pitties get such a bad rap. A few irresponsible owners and next thing they're treated like demons dogs.

While I agree that the problem is the owners, not the dogs, the bigger problem is that it's not just "a few" irresponsible owners. There are thousands of irresponsible owners of aggressive breed dogs.

I think that this happens largely because a lot of men (in particular) who are inclined to be overly aggressive and inconsiderate to start with are attracted to the idea of pit bull ownership because of the reputation for "meanness" that the breed has. These types of individuals are not going to make responsible pet owners no matter what breed of dog they have, but having a dog as potentially deadly as a pitter compounds the situation.

But the really big part of the problem is that owners are rarely held responsible in a meaningful way for the actions of their pets.

In my mind, if a pet kills or maims somebody, the pet owner should be charged as if he/she did the killing/maiming him/herself.

[Steppe Merc]

Well there would be some circumstances that that wouldn't be quite fair. Like if the dog bit the owner, or something. But that I think would certaintly be better than murdering the dog and just letting the owner get scot free. The dog is less at fault then the owner in almost all cases.
Though it would suck for these people, since their kid just died, then get thrown in jail for it... though it is their fault when you come down to it.

[Phatose]

Strangely, Most of the pit bull enthusiasts I've met were women, not men. At any rate, trying to deal with the issue of irresponsible owners by the breed of dog they have won't help. Do something about the pit bulls, and you'll get aggressive dalmations. Do something about the dalmatians, then it's aggressive rotties, then australian sheepdogs, then border collies, then labradoodles, then chihuahuas. You'd have to ban all large breeds and probably most small breeds too.

And in the meantime, the labs will still be biting everybody.

[Steppe Merc]

You really don't like labs, do you?
But I agree, banning dog breeds is not only unfair, it's cruel. What happens to all that dogs of that kind? Kill them all because people are to stupid to treat them properly?

[Goofball]

Strangely, Most of the pit bull enthusiasts I've met were women, not men. At any rate, trying to deal with the issue of irresponsible owners by the breed of dog they have won't help. Do something about the pit bulls, and you'll get aggressive dalmations. Do something about the dalmatians, then it's aggressive rotties, then australian sheepdogs, then border collies, then labradoodles, then chihuahuas. You'd have to ban all large breeds and probably most small breeds too.

And in the meantime, the labs will still be biting everybody.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that only aggressive men own pit bulls. I meant that pit bulls tend to be a breed that attracts an inordinate number of aggressive male owners.

And you're right, discriminating by breed does no good. That's why I think pet owners should be held responsible for their dogs' actions no matter what breed they happen to be.

[InsaneApache]

Gentlemen...this thread was started by moi to highlight the dangers inherent with dogs per se and infants...the fact it was a 'pit' is immaterial...a child ...nay, a baby was killed by a dog....and it has to be said, this was a tragedy that could so easily been avoided, I was just hoping that a knowledge shared would prevent a similar case in the future.

[ichi]

i could see the point of owning a dog if you are a shepard, a herder or some type of hunter gatherer, but in todays modern age, i don't see the point of keeping domestic dogs around us...

I've trained mine to chase away goats

[Xiahou]

I pretty much agree with Goof, as Ive said. If you don't keep your dog under control and it hurts someone you're responsible. There's no excuse for not taking reasonable precautions to keep any breed of dog under control.

Phatose, you know, the only dog Ive ever been bitten by is a lab.

[Goofball]

I can relate to what Steppe Merc said earlier. When I was 16 I was attacked by a Dalmatian. Still have scars on both hands and permanent nerve damage in one finger.

[Phatose]

It the deafness. Make dalmatians jittery.
And yeah, make the owners responsible. But aren't they already? I seem to remember the two lawyers who's dog killed their neighbor both got sentenced for homicide or manslaughter.

[Spetulhu]

If you don't keep your dog under control and it hurts someone you're responsible. There's no excuse for not taking reasonable precautions to keep any breed of dog under control.

That's not only physical control. You should also teach the dog how to behave. There's a lot of people who are too lax with their pets, when some breeds really need to be well schooled. A dog may consider itself leader of the pack if there's no human family member who cares enough to take charge.

[Revelation]

Too many dog owners are in denial about the dangers of their own pets.

Exactly!
How many times have you visited a friends house and been met at the gate by freakin Cujo, the 65kg, fang bearing, slobbering demon spawn from the lower depths of hell, only to be told by the owner..."he's ok, he won't bite, he's just a big sook".
Yeah right. How about whacking a muzzle on the big sook, remove a leg and neuter the big bastard, then i'll come on in mate.
I love dogs, but as was mentioned earlier, certain breeds attract certain people. Pit bulls are a fine looking dog, but a breed I do not trust to be around an adult, let alone a child. But that said, it is unfair to label a breed a killer, when in fact any breed is capable of violence.
Start dealing out huge penalties to the owners of these animals and get the message out, your dog, your responsibility! Jail, big fines or both.
Always sad to see a child killed in any circumstance.

[t1master]

I've trained mine to chase away goats

they're light weights though.. half a bowl of goat brew and they're passed out cold, ripe for pilfiring...

[lars573]

This type of thing is why I am a cat person. That and because the one dog we had when I was a kid saw us 3 children as threats to her position in the pack. Mom never let the bitch be alone with any of us. One bad side effect of this is that to this day my brother doesn't like dogs. He is really rough to any animal but with dogs it goes into meaness.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

I still think pitt bulls are the best.
I want to get one but my cat would eat it if it was a puppy (no joke) or it would eat my cat if it was a full grown. When I move out though and can't keep my kitty (I know I'm pitiful shut up about it already!) I'll be getting one.

[Moros]

actually a dog attacks:
-when he's threatned(spelling?)
-To protect it's puppys
-when you put a pencil in it's ear, don't laugh it actually happened.
-bad owners.
-dogs are social animals and fight to be the dominant dog or more dominant then an other one. this happens a lot whit having children born after the dog. but this shouldn't be problem if you show it's position.
-When you keep hil from it's primary needs, taking gis food away or teasing him while he's eating.
-wrong body language, show you're dominant and don't let him think you're about to attack him and don't behave like a prey.
-Or ofcourse if you hit your dog, I would bite aswell wouldn't you?

and perhaps many more reasons but it's the same with cats but most cats are not big enough to kill a human. well most domestic cats not lions or tigers ofcourse.

[Steppe Merc]

I want to get one but my cat would eat it if it was a puppy (no joke) or it would eat my cat if it was a full grown. When I move out though and can't keep my kitty (I know I'm pitiful shut up about it already!) I'll be getting one.

Heh, I like my cat too, don't feel weird.