American Pit Bull kills baby.

[InsaneApache]

title says it all

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/w...re/4674685.stm

very very sad. Personally I would have killed the dog with my bear hands if that was my baby.

BTW it was the family pet.....just heard on the radio.

[ScionTheWorm]

never totally trust dogs... I wouldn't have let it near, but if it first happened I would kill it right away too.

[Fragony]

That is horrible. A bit stupid as well, pitbulls aren't as agressive as many people think but you shouldn't take one if you have kids.

[The Stranger]

shit!!!!!!this is bad for PB lovers, cuz there were already arguments against the dog. where i come from, dogs are afraid of humans, here its the other way around, you shouldnt treat dogs like humans when you cant give them the same rights as humans, this doesnt mean you must be cruel against them.

[Proletariat]

Always tragic when it involves a baby, but never surprising with a Pit Bull.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Horrible, but with my experience with Pit Bulls most are very nice. it's just the few that you need to watch out for.

[Steppe Merc]

It's the people's fault for not training the dog properly and getting a fricken pit bull when they have a kid.

These kids got along well with theirs

That's not a pit bull, it's an American Bulldog. I have one. They were the original bulldog breed, which the English bulldogs and the pitbulls and bull terriers were all derived from. They are very nice, and though they look like pit bulls (well, actually pit bulls look like them), they are not nearly as, um grumpy.

[Redleg]

, it's an American Bulldog. I have one. They were the original bulldog breed, which the English bulldogs and the pitbulls and bull terriers were all derived from. They are very nice, and though they look like pit bulls (well, actually pit bulls look like them), they are not nearly as, um grumpy.

I saw one the other day that was as big as a small pony - damn thing was huge probably pushed over 100 pounds - but she was a friendly and loving thing with the owners.

[Steppe Merc]

I saw one the other day that was as big as a small pony - damn thing was huge probably pushed over 100 pounds - but she was a friendly and loving thing with the owners.

Yeah, they are huge. Mine is probably gonna be a 100 pounds (her aunt is over 100), but now she's just a puppy. But they are very friendly, as long as they get used to people. They have to meet a whole bunch of different people, otherwise they can devolp bad habits.

OMG and I thought the anti gun crowd was bad. Should we ban everything that could be considered dangerous but not needed for survival in todays age? Dogs even small ones are excellent protection from burglars. In fact some people put up a beware of dog sign and dont even have one.

I'm with you on this one Gawain. Dogs are good, and nice, and are very good protectors. They are loyal and nice, as long as you treat them kindly.

[Steppe Merc]

I was incorrect. Pete is (well, was) a Pit Bull. My Mom had told me he was a American Bull Dog, but then read it was really a Pit Bull. Sorry for any confusion.

[Phatose]

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

When somebody starts doing something about the thrice damned labrador retrievers - that nice sweet 'family' dog who's also the number one biter - then maybe I'll consider the possibility that this is really about safety and not fear mongering.

[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.

[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.