Many insurers will often not provide homeowner’s insurance coverage for several of the dog breeds listed below.
The following fifteen dogs are among the most dangerous breeds evidenced by statistics that include attacks on the owners.
1. American Pit Bull Terrier
These dogs repeatedly make headlines for attacking people. Their aggressive temperament matched with their strength historically saw them bred as fighting dogs. While dog fights are illegal, many of the dogs still exhibit the traits of fighters. These dogs were also used for baiting both bulls and bears so their genetic makeup is rather fierce.
Pit bulls have been known to attack children, the elderly, their owners – anyone that happens to be in their path. If the dog feels provoked or startled, it has been known to bite. Many owners swear that their pet would never attack them; however, this breed has led to more human fatalities than any other.
The sheer volume of Pit Bull attacks have prompted many insurers to deny coverage associated with homeowners insurance. Many owners have to seek a special policy for coverage liability protection where their pet is concerned. Of course, some don’t bother to tell their insurer about their new pet and this could lead to problems, especially if the dog does bite or injure someone.
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It’s essential for pet owners to understand the nature of the breed they choose to bring into their home. While it may be true, indeed, that many of these canines have become revered members of the family, it also cannot be denied that this particular breed is responsible for more fatalities than any other type of dog.
2. German Shepherd
While they are popular pets, there are many cases where the dogs have turned on their owners or someone in the household.
They are aggressive and self-assured dogs that often exhibit protective behaviors for their human family. Even so, some poorly socialized German Shepherds have been known to attack and even kill.
Just this year a thirty-five-year-old woman was attacked and killed by the family German Shepherd. Statistics show that these dogs are among the top five most likely to bite.
While these dogs are extraordinarily smart and alert, they were originally bred for work. As working dogs, they have been used and trained by the military and police for various occupations in their line of duty. While they may be suited to their jobs in the line of duty, they may not always be suitable for the role of family pet.
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Though they can be fun-loving and loyal, people should not ignore the fact that they have the capability to do harm as some have discovered. In fact, their energetic and fun loving nature can easily make the leap to excitable and aggressive depending on the situation they are faced with.
3. Rottweiler
Their aggression and strength makes them dangerous, however, even for households where they are called pets.
While they can be obedient and lovable canines, they have been responsible for fatalities as recently as this year.
Many experts advise Rottweiler owners to seek professional training for their dogs as their strength is an inherent risk, particularly for children. If you choose to have one of these dogs, be sure it is properly socialized and always remain vigilant regarding its temperament.
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Would-be Rottweiler owners should keep in mind that Dogbite.org stated that from 2005-2013, 74% of all dog bites could be attributed to Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. Frequently employed as guard dogs or police dogs, Rottweilers’ fierce reputation is not built upon thin air. They have proven numerous times that they can be dangerous and even deadly.
Even when purchasing a Rottweiler from a reputable kennel, owners must certainly weigh the pros and cons of bringing this dog breed into their home. Also, it’s a good idea to check with your homeowner’s insurer to see if they’ll even cover it as many will not.
4. Doberman Pinscher
The Doberman Pinscher was bred in Germany and remains one of the most distinctive looking breeds-particularly when its ears are cropped.
These working dogs have been called ‘ferocious’ to the lament of their owners who revere them for their many fine traits.
Though these dogs make great guard dogs, their bite and strength makes them a hazard, nonetheless, as evidenced by the attacks they have been involved in. Studies show that these dogs are more likely to bite another dog than a human, but they have been responsible for human fatalities as the result of attacks.
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Dobermans have been called fearless and exhibit strong traits of loyalty toward their owners which is why so many deem that lifelong friends. Yet what if the dog is mistaken and believes someone with no ill-intent has designs on its owner? While these are noted to be intelligent dogs, is it smart enough to know the difference from friend or foe 100% of the time?
These dogs may be revered by many dog owners, but they were initially bred to be intimidating to would-be trespassers. Owners should also check with their homeowner’s insurance provider before bringing one home.
5. Wolf-Dog Hybrid
The wolf’s notorious reputation has, not surprisingly, also attended the wolf-dog hybrid. These dogs are regarded as having considerable potential to do harm.
While many hybrids that involve dangerous breeds are also responsible for attacks, this is not an indictment against mixed breeds.
The wolf mix, however, is one to avoid and such pets are typically never going to win the insurer’s favor. Wolf-dogs exhibit many wild traits and are not likely to be tame. By the end of the last century, there were roughly 300,000 known wolf-dogs in the United States.
With behavior traits that are difficult to predict, the wolf-dog has proven a danger to owners as well as other humans that come in contact with the breed.
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The fact is that one generation removed from the wild wolf isn’t enough to breed out the aggression and dangerous elements of the animal. The wolf, while majestic, is a survivor and uses all of its power to survive and dominate its foes. Moreover, if the wolf is bred with another especially aggressive breed, the outcome could be a highly volatile and dangerous mix.
6. Bullmastiff
These dogs can be trained and many people find that they make excellent pets, yet it only takes one poorly trained or poorly socialized dog to make an unfortunate headline.
These dogs have been involved in attacks on owners as well as their families. A bullmastiff with an aggressive personality can very well be a significant risk in the home or on one’s property.
The Bullmastiff’s solid build is particularly formidable. It is a powerfully built animal to say the least. Because the Bullmastiff is a born guard dog, it can aggressively if it believes its human family is in danger.
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It can also be confused or agitated if kids or teens are rough-housing or wrestling. The dog could act out and someone could easily be hurt if it does.
Also, such a big dog lumbering about can get in the way or accidently knock a child or elderly adult down without intending to. While this true of any big dog, the Bullmastiff’s power makes it a worthy of concern. All family members should take care around so powerful a pet.
7. Cane Corso
A muscular dog that typically bonds with its owner, this dog can occasionally become unruly as can any dog if poorly socialized or ill-treated.
The Cane Corso has been involved in attacks so it frequently makes lists of dangerous dog breeds.
The breed has been favored as a ‘catch dog’ for hunters of boars and cougars. It is quite athletic and strong so if it does attack, injuries are likely to occur.
Experts suggest that novices or those unfamiliar with this breed avoid it as it is a dog that needs intense socializing–ideally with someone who is familiar with the breed. Puppies require considerable leadership and regular training to be molded into well-socialized pets.
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Cane Corso dogs that react even when unprovoked or in situations that do not call for aggression may pose a considerable risk. Though the dog can pose a loyal bond with its owner, it should be watched with care when visitors come over–especially children as their play or rough-housing could distract and agitate the dog.
Anyone contemplating this dog as a pet should do more substantial research to be sure it’s the right pet for them.
8. Great Dane
While they are often known for their friendliness, they can also be dangerous.
Though known as ‘gentle giants,’ the Great Dane that isn’t properly socialized could pose a hazard especially if it exhibits fearful or skittish traits.
Calling this particular breed dangerous, however, will cause many Great Dane owners to argue as overall these dogs do tend to be gentle and loving; the idea is to remember that the capability is there in the rare instances these animals aren’t properly socialized.
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Also, like other big dogs, the Great Dane may not know its own strength. If young children get caught under foot, the dog could easily trample them or simply knock them over. People should take extra care if they live in homes with stairs if they share their home with a Great Dane.
The dogs also prefer familiar environments. If faced with a new and unfamiliar situation, the dog could become uncomfortable or even disturbed. A disturbed dog can be momentarily unstable which can always pose a risk.
9. Tosa Inu
This dog can weigh as much as 135 pounds and exhibits many aggressive qualities that were traditionally prized in the fighting ring but not so much in the living room.
In some places it is illegal to own this breed of dog; Australians cannot import the dog and UK residents are required to obtain special court permission before they can import this breed.
In fact, it has been banned in major international cities like Hong Kong and Dublin. Don’t let its calm face in photos fool you; this dog is regarded as quite dangerous around the world.
In fact, the dog is still employed as a fighting dog in various parts of the world even where dog fights are illegal. The Tosa Inu has exceptionally powerful jaws and a powerful build which bolster its performance in the ring. In the home, however, powerful jaws can be a detriment for the people who live there.
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Though many attacks have been attributed to a dog’s poor training or lack of socialization, some attacks have involved long-time pets. Many owners will even state that “the dog never did anything like that before” after a bite or attack.
10. American Bandogge
This dog is bred from Neapolitan Mastiffs and American Pit Bull Terriers. Its formidable appearance is dangerously complemented by an aggressive temperament.
Intensely muscular, this dog is nothing to trifle with if it happens to have an attitude problem. Like many other dogs on the list, if it is poorly socialized or suffered abuse, it may pose a danger to new owners who adopt it.
Experts warn that these dogs can become unruly for owners who do not enjoy dominance over the dog. Like many breeds, some dogs like the American Bandogge can become extremely unruly for some owners. Often a problem occurs when the dominant owner leaves the home and the dog is then under the care of a spouse or older children.
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The dog must be trained to obey all family members or it can pose a risk. Dogs that are overly aggressive and remain hard to control may simply not make acceptable pets particularly where children or the elderly live.
11. Dogo Argentino
While it can make a great companion, it has not been bred to play with the family out in the backyard. It is an extremely powerful animal with a fierce bite.
Should it get overly excited or momentarily decide to turn on its owner or someone in the home, the results could be serious, indeed.
Sometimes known as the Argentinean Mastiff, this dog requires an owner that knows how to take command. Yet many families must address this question, “how will the dog behave when the owner with the proven command is absent?”
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Too often one member of the family seems to have the knack for controlling the dog while the rest of the family does not. This can be a genuine problem if the dog is presented with an unfamiliar situation and becomes agitated or unruly. The rest of the family may not be able to control the animal and, too often, this leads to problems.
Because of its fearless temperament and intense stamina, this dog can be a danger if it becomes unruly.
12. Perro de Presa Canario
Noted for its muscular body and strength, this dog from the Canary Islands has a massively broad head and sharp teeth.
Obedience training during its puppy years is a must; otherwise, this breed could be risky to own especially around kids.
Essentially a pack dog, these dogs can be led astray by poor-leadership. For this reason, training is especially important so that dogs will learn early on to respect their human leader.
Of course, many families have members that may not be respected by the dog as a “human leader.” Often an attack occurs when the respected human leader is away. Without its guiding human, the dog may become unstable and unruly for the people left behind to supervise it.
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Attacks can begin simply. For instance, a dog may grab a child’s toy and when the human comes along to retrieve it, the dog reacts. Poorly socialized dogs or dogs that are often aggressive may be dangerous to have around the home. In fact, families that have young children may want to opt for a different breed altogether, one that is known to enjoy children and is not known for aggressive behavior.
13. Chow Chow
These dogs may not be as dangerous as a Pit Bull. They do turn on their owners or anyone else that happens to rub them the wrong way.
Moreover, they have been involved in human fatalities so while they don’t appear as muscular or fierce looking as Dobermans or Rottweilers, they pose a threat that often has them ranked on lists of most dangerous dogs.
The key with this breed is to socialize them early and think twice before introducing it to a home with young children.
The Chow Chow’s teeth meet with a scissors-like bite that many have had the misfortune to endure. A rather ornery dog, it isn’t known for its sweetness. The Chow Chow does not always tolerate strangers well. The dog has a natural dominance and it tends to flaunt this around people it doesn’t know.
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While typically well-mannered, the provoked or disturbed Chow Chow can nip or bite with authority. This isn’t an ideal dog for a passive owner. The ideal Chow Chow owner takes authority and is respected by the dog that may then follow direction well.
14. Gull Dong
Bred in Pakistan, this breed is definitely a fighter and is often adopted because owners believe it will protect them from thieves or criminals.
However, this dog can turn on its owner. The key to training this dog is to start when it is a puppy.
Adopting a Gull Dong as an older specimen could be risky without knowing its background. These dogs need to be intensely trained and socialized; they can be great pets that are loyal and loving, but there simply is no denying their dangerous abilities as fighting animals.
The Gull Dong resembles an American Pit Bull which may be enough to make some people back off when they encounter it. Backing off from an unknown dog is always a good idea, but is especially so when it comes to this particular breed which can be extremely excitable and aggressive.
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Intense training usually occurs as soon as possible with puppies if the dog is to be housed as a pet. Trainers must work to minimize the dog’s natural tendency toward aggressive behaviors. This takes continuous training and, of course, constant vigilance.
15. Siberian Husky
Again, these dogs make some of the best pets, but some examples have been involved in human fatalities.
It’s important to remember that of all the dog breeds, the Siberian Husky is the closest dog relative of the wolf.
In fact, the Husky is often chosen to breed with wolves among people who desire to own the dangerous wolf-dog. Huskies are admirable work dogs that pull sleds like nobody’s business; yet they can be dangerous for some owners and under certain circumstances.
Every potential dog owner should take time to research a breed before choosing to own it. Huskies require plenty of exercise. Without access to exercise, it might become unruly in its quest for freedom to run. Huskies, particularly mature dogs, can also be loners. This means they like their independence.
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Children who pester the dog may not always be welcome or endure with much grace. These majestic dogs also require a firm hand that can inspire obedience. When it comes to puppies, early training is always a good idea as aggressive behaviors can be tampered down in favor of more family-friendly behaviors.
16. Rhodesian Ridgeback
These dogs have also been referred to as African Lion Hounds, which tells people something about their use. This breed has historically been relied upon to keep lions at bay until their hunters can kill them.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback has a reputation as an excellent guard dog. It can behave quite ferociously, which is one reason why many people behave with caution around these dogs.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback takes its name from the ridge of hair that grows down its back. Males typically weigh at maturity around 80 pounds. In order to hold back lions, the dogs must demonstrate their fierce aggression and know-how. These dogs tend to be highly cautious around strangers, which is why they are adept guard dogs.
Many owners find that they make good companions, however, and enjoy this breed. Even so, obedience must be instilled as this breed is intelligent and apt to develop its own brand of dominance if left to its own devices.
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Many examples of this dog also demonstrate a fun-loving side when they are housed in friendly situations that complement their good nature.
17. Boerboel
Agile and strong, these dogs have not simply been employed to guard against human trespassers; they are also posted to guard against big cats such as lions and hyenas.
Early farmers relied upon this breed’s strength and bravery to fend off wild animal attacks.
Known for their incredible loyalty and family-friendly demeanor, it’s a shame to include these dogs on this type of list; however, the capability exists for danger.
It only takes one maltreated example to lead to tragedy. These dogs are capable of inflicting serious damage on anyone or anything they care to attack.
Because of this capability and their great strength, the Boerboel must be raised with care so that its loyal traits are encouraged. It can be quite obedient and friendly in family situations. For this reason, the Boerboel is greatly loved in its homeland and revered for its companionship.
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Owners, however, must encourage socialization from a young age as with other large dogs. Undue aggression must not be tolerated. Dogs must be trained for obedience to avoid any negative tendencies. When content, these dogs will happily lounge around the house and nap.
18. Pharaoh Hound
Legend has it that these dogs are descended from ancient Egyptian breeds; however, DNA has not supported the claim.
Even so, these Maltese hunting dogs appear similar to dogs painted on Egyptian tomb walls. It’s possible that the dogs could have traveled from Egypt to Malta with Phoenicians who were well-known ancient mariners.
Renowned for their sleek athleticism, these dogs are incredibly intelligent; however they are also known for their stubbornness. They are also muscular and must be reigned in to instill obedience or they could become overly aggressive.
While most of these dogs do make fine pets and are popularly owned as hunting companions, they require a good deal of exercise so they do not grow bored and adopt negative behaviors. Early Maltese hunters bred dogs for independence and many examples still exhibit the ability to think for themselves.
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This quality owes to their natural intelligence, but they can also become unruly if they are not adequately socialized while young. The Pharaoh Hound blushes when it is excited; strangers may want to keep this in mind when they approach these dogs.
19. Akita
Akitas are well known for their dominant temperament. Because they have a mind of their own, they can exhibit unruly behaviors which may make them risky in some situations.
For this reason, the Akita requires a skilled owner who takes time to instill this dog with obedience.
Akitas were originally bred to hunt deer and bears in their native Japan. They are bred for strength, endurance, and courage. As one of the world’s oldest native hunting breeds, the Akita still enjoys this pursuit and requires a good deal of exercise and mental stimulation to avoid boredom. A bored Akita is likely to find a negative pastime to occupy itself.
Akitas boast thick double coats and don’t mind cold weather like other Spitz types of dogs such as the Siberian Husky. The breed is extremely territorial when it comes to its property. This is one reason why many people prefer the breed as it helps deter trespassers.
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Akitas can make excellent companions. Although they can be aggressive, with the right owner and family, they can make great pets. The idea is to provide an environment that allows them to thrive.
20. Caucasian Ovcharka
These dogs are known to be problematic around people they don’t know. For this reason, they pose a risk to others; however, they can also turn on their owners if not properly socialized.
Even when well-trained, however, these dogs are known to be incorrigible when it comes to discipline. They often exhibit traits of dominance and aggression simply because they happen to be “in the mood.”
Most Caucasian Ovcharkas are kept as solitary pets because they do not get along with other animals. They are mainly revered as guard dogs. Because of their ferocious temperament, they are feared by would-be trespassers. People rely on them to protect their homes and even large-scale properties like farms.
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When the dog is not on duty, it has a tendency toward laziness and is happy to lie around its home. On patrol, however, it can certainly be relied upon to perform its job well. It’s important to note that some types are more vicious than others. Many people find this dog to be an important member of the household. However, dogs that exhibit ferocity must be supervised at all times around other animals, children, and even the elderly.
21. Boxer
Revered for bravery and stamina, the boxer can make a great family pet; however, owners must be diligent when raising their boxer to be obedient and must also curb aggressive tendencies.
The Boxer tends to be loyal and loving to its family; yet, again, proper socialization must be provided.
Intelligent and generally tractable, the Boxer can make a great family pet, especially when positive reinforcement is employed during training.
By nature, Boxers are not known to be vicious or overly aggressive as some breeds are. However, these negative tendencies may occur in neglected or mistreated dogs. For this reason, it’s important to get to know an adult Boxer well before introducing it to a family situation.
Boxers are quite strong and may inflict serious injury if they choose to attack. Many trainers have insisted that Boxers boast above-average intelligence. They are very trainable and will reward their owners with loyal and even temperaments when induced. When obtaining a Boxer puppy, it’s important to provide adequate socialization.
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Though the breed was developed in Germany as a hunting dog, it is today typically employed as a companion or family dog. Some Boxers are used as guard dogs.
22. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
These stocky dogs are muscular and intelligent. However, they are also fearless and not likely to back down in a fight.
Even though this breed appears to be intimidating, they are also rather enamored of people. It’s not entirely in their nature, therefore, to be aggressive toward humans.
Even so, members of this breed can differ substantially in temperament. Without consistency, it is difficult for people to know which ones are most people friendly. For this reason, care should be used around this breed.
Examples that make best pets and companions tend to be cared for with diligence. Obedience training is important for this breed as is early socialization. These dogs are quite active and enthusiastic about their need for human interaction. Even when trained, they may jump and lick without reservation. Many people confuse this breed with Pit Bulls.
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In fact, experts worry that some attacks dubbed as “Pit Bull attacks” may actually have been committed by Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Families with elderly household members or children should take care when introducing this active breed into their home.
23. Saint Bernard
Sometimes referred to as the Alpine Mastiff, this breed is remarkable for its great size and friendly disposition. Though the dogs are no longer employed in Alpine rescues, they are popular family pets.
Due to their size and fearless temperament, owners must properly socialize these dogs to prevent them from becoming unruly.
They can inflict injury without even trying because of their size. Obedience is important for keeping this big dog in line once it reaches maturity.
Saint Bernards can be aggressive as well as territorial. This is what makes them somewhat of a risky pet to own. On the other hand, when properly socialized, this dog can make a wonderful family pet that brings a tremendous amount of joy to its households. Loyal and affectionate, this dog is not typically prone to attack–especially its owners.
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However, because it has happened and because these are such enormous dogs, it’s important for owners to be vigilant about discouraging untoward behaviors. Many people love to own these dogs because they are so intimidating. Intruders would have to definitely think twice about crossing a full-grown Saint Bernard.
24. Alaskan Malamute
Sometimes referred to as Alaskan sled dogs, these energetic dogs have long been used to haul freight as well as sleds.
Similar to various Arctic breeds like the Samoyed, the Alaskan Malamute may weigh upwards of a hundred pounds.
Although some of these dogs are still used for mushing or sledding, most are employed as family pets where they tend to be beloved by their households.
Of course, these dogs, like other Arctic dogs, have a high prey drive. They must be watched with other small pets in the home. Due to their size, they should also be supervised around young children.
As high-energy dogs, these animals are most likely to thrive and exhibit best traits when they have been properly socialized and have access to the exercise they need. It’s never good for Alaskan Malamutes to be caged or kept from mental stimulation.
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Although strong and intimidating, Alaskan Malamutes do not make very good guard dogs since they tend to like people. These dogs seldom bark so they aren’t likely to alert family members if an intruder slips through. Although attacks are not common, they have occurred making this dog one to keep your eye on in family situations.
25. Czechoslovakian Vlcak
Of course, any breed so closely related to wolves is apt to exhibit aggressive and independent tendencies in some cases.
Breeders hoped to create a breed with the muscular physique of the wolf and the trainability of the German Shepherd.
The result is a breed with a wolf-like appearance and turns heads wherever it goes. Many examples of this dog are actually quite revered in spite of its wolfish background. However, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. These dogs should be properly socialized or they could become a significant danger.
Noted for their speed and strength, Czechoslovakian Vlcaks also boast great endurance. They often exhibit loyalty to their owners, but require strong leadership in their owner. A strong leader is apt to inspire obedience in this unique breed. Because these dogs are relatively new on the dog scene, they are still rare. Given the right situation, these dogs can make good family pets.
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However, care must be taken with small children. Moreover, these dogs may never become completely safe to have around smaller household pets that could become lunch or dinner for this canine.
All I can say is, I am glad my dog is not a purebred dog. He is a walking marshmallow, who, over the last 6 years ( he was a full grown stray) has never even threatened anyone. He loves people and cats, and gets alonf with other dogs. He even puts up with my goofy Akita/Husky cross!Believe me that thakes patience!
I have a purebred Malinois. Well-behaved and protective. He came from the pound. He’s perfect.
Carol, muts are some of the best dogs in the world. They are much healthier and longer lived than purebreds too.
really??? so the fact that mongrels have issues in there genetics and can cause caner issues, join problems and serious health issues….COMPARED to a pure breed that has not been geneticly spliced with some other breed.
Well you obviously don’t know much about “Purebreds” and what that even means. So many “Purebreds” have been crossed with other breeds and inbred so much to obtain certain traits that people want to see in the breed that it’s causing major health issues in the breed. Mutts choose who they mate with and then nature takes over and harvests the best qualities from each of the animals and that’s why people end up with extremely good animals that put “Purebreds” to shame in intelligence, loyalty, endurance, and health. Humans aren’t qualified enough to be mixing breeds as compared to… Read more »
Notice that they did not include any of the small breeds like chihuahuas. I have never been bitten or been afraid of any of these large breed animals, but my brother was mauled by a small breed mutt many years ago. All dogs can be aggressive if not raised and trained properly. I love pitties and if I could have dogs, I would have a Brindle Pit.
I’ve had both small breeds, and pitbulls, and to tell you the truth, its the way you raise these dogs that make them the way they come out. If you socialize them at a young age they aren’t afraid of strangers. And the reason these small dog breeds attack is that we treat them more like babies then what they are. That’s most of the reason these small dog breeds attack all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always careful when it comes to my large breed dogs around small children, but the reason is not cause I was… Read more »
I have Pit and a Chihuahua, and they sound just like yours. Even down to biting the muzzle with the Pit not responding with force.
I totally agree! I have a small mutt (about 6 pounds) who is old and cranky and tends to attack my pit a LOT! My pit usually runs and hides from him until he calms down! People are so ignorant about ‘pit’ breeds! That is why PARMA still exists. ANY dog is going to be whatever you train it to be combined with their individual personality. And actually pits are very much conditioned to do anything to please their owner. So they are really one of the easiest dogs to train and have the most easy going personality with people.… Read more »
Pit is not a breed. American Staffordshire, American Bull Terrier, and others make up that slang “Pit” term.
Its the practiced denial of pit-bull owners that I find so appalling.Your single sample evidence is utterly irrelevent in comparison to the massive scientific studies AND annecdotal evidence to the contrary. The “ignorance” here, K.L.G. I’m afraid is yours and that of your self-deluding ilk – ultimately putting yourselves and other at risk..
Very useful article. Yesterday a cat was killed by 3 pit bull dogs. Cat was trying to save her 3 kittens . 4 weeks old kittens are saved.
I don’t fear chihuahuas but I do fear Dobermans, Shepherds, Mastiffs, Pit Bulls, and other big and potentially aggressive dogs. It is best to have a gentle dog with good ears and do the protecting yourself with a firearm. (This is about the potential to be seriously harmed or killed by a dog and size does matter. You cannot predict animal behavior absolutely.)
You’re sorely mistaken if you think those breeds cannot be gentle. I’ve got a mixed breed (Great Dane and Husky) and he is a gentle, laid back dog. By your thought process all ‘big people’ would be vicious killers, while smaller people would be labeled as demure and gentle. It doesn’t work that way. Every dog has an individual personality, and can be capable of aggression- regardless of what size they are. My mom has a 30lb Shetland Sheepdog that barks at everything and everyone, and will not hesitate to growl, snap, and bite if he feels so inclined— and… Read more »
I have to openly differ here, PyjamaPanda. Unlike with pitt-bulls, I’ve never, ever heard/read about Great Dane, a Shetland Sheepdog, a Husky or a Basset Hound inflicting bites that go for the musculature, and causing death, permanent maiming and dismemberment of their victim(s).
I’ve got a Boxer-Pitt mix who let’s my 3 year old granddaughter stand on his head while he’s laying down so she can smack at her grandma. The dog did nothing but look at my wife with pleading eyes to get the child off of him. He didn’t even so much as twitch an ear. 95% of an animal’s disposition is their upbringing and training. 4% is their own personality and 1% is their genetic background.
Also have a boxer pit and hes an aloof sweet heart who plays like a wussy he would not get rough no matter how much we say is that all you got. When you say enough he stops immediately. People are stupid to believe that this behavior is innate. Because all pit bulls full breed or mix have the SAME personality…. that’s like saying all killers have the same personality characteristics sorry not all have the same mental illnesses. Ignorance is bliss.
So many pit bull attacks (maulings) were done by dogs whose owners claimed had never shown aggression and were good with kids and family, yet turned on them one day.
I have heard of vampires doing the same thing.
“Big dog does not equal ‘potentially aggressive’- “Dog” means potentially aggressive.”
I freaking loved that statement haha — Well said!
if trained properly and not abused, those dogs are gentle dogs as well.
all dogs, like all people, have the capacity to be gentle, unless they are trained otherwise or abused.
In my life, I’ve had MANY dogs. All of them, but two, were so-called “big and potentially aggressive dogs”. My favorite breed is Pitbull. The two that were small were a Chihuahua and a Cockapoo. The only dog I’ve ever had aggression problems with was Hershey, my Chihuahua. Don’t give me the strength/size argument! How a body is built doesn’t affect a personality. Hershey was scared of people, so he bit and jumped. The fact that a dog is small doesn’t change the fact that they could easily bite down hard. Have you ever been bit by a teething baby?… Read more »
” How a body is built doesn’t affect a personality.”
However, it does affect the result when the dog decides to attack someone.
Would you rather be attacked by an angry chihuahua or an angry pit bull?
If push came to shove and I had to absolutely make a choice, I’ll take an attack by an angry chichuahua over the angry pitt-bull, thank you!
I disagree, cove2014. Pitt-bulls do much more horrific damage, and, unlike smaller dogs, are capable of dismembering, mauling, killing and permanently maiming their victims. Nobody says that the bites of smaller dogs can’t inflict a certain amount of damage, but smaller dogs such as the chichuahua don’t have either the physical, genetic or temperament capacity to inflict the kind of horrific damage that pitt-bulls inflict.
Chihuahuas don’t have the muscle strength or jaw strength to cause the damage of a large dog, obviously. Temperament however, isn’t what causes damage. And yes, many Chihuahuas DO have the temperament for biting.
Please check some facts regarding pit bulls temperment! They are genetically conditioned to ‘please the pack leader’ which means their alpha human. Therefore if they are not raised to be aggressive they are just genetically more inclined to be gentle and loving with people. Which is why for hundreds of years they were known as the ‘nanny dog’ until some scumbag humans thought they would fight them for their sick and perverted pleasure. And even those dogs that were fought their whole.lives or used as bait dogs CAN be reformed with proper intense training and a whole lot of love!
Come on now! The strength/size/breed argument has lots of merit to it.
Unlike Pitt-bulls, Chihuahuas don’t inflict bites that penetrate deep into the musculature of their victim(s), kill, maul, permanently maim or dismember them.
Good post, GoneApe. Size and breed really do matter, and some types of dogs are even more likely to kill, maul,maim and dismember their victim(s) more than other.
I have never met a large dog that I was afraid of and we have had large dogs ever since I was a small girl. In fact, my first dog was a large male Doberman and he adored me and took good care of me. However, when my brother was about 7 years old, he was severely bitten by a little dog that was supposed to be “so friendly and loved kids, you can pet him”. My brother attempted to pet the dog with the owner right there and the dog bit him in the face in 2 spots and… Read more »
cant trust gun nuts either
Join the discussion That’s why I own many firearms!
Cant predict animal behavior absolutely, same can be said about humans. So lets ban all humans over 90 pounds. See the idiocy in that.
Yiu most certainly can predict behavior. I have 2 pitbulls. Both rescues. Both sweet as can be. I treat them as dogs. Not allowed on the bed or furniture. They know thier place in our pack. They are obedient nd loyal. Most of all they love children. Did u know pitbulls were bred to be nanny dogs for royalty? Did u know HOW a dog is raised and treated and trained has everything to do with how it acts? Everyone things labs are such great family.dogs. I have seen at least three AGGRESSIVE labs in the city I live in… Read more »
Oh the good old “nanny dog” story again. Pitbulls were NOT bred to be nanny dogs, ever. Nor is there any valid proof of such a comical story. (For royalty? That’s a new twist on it) You Pitbull owners and your denial piss me the hell off! Every damn one of you always claim the same thing almost verbatim. “My pit is the sweetest” “my pit wouldn’t hurt a fly” “my pit lets my kids climb all over him” which just screams stupidity in the first place. Who in the hell let’s their kids stand on a dogs head!? That’s… Read more »
My family sweetish pit bull would never hurt a fly turned into a killing machine she turned on one of our small dogs killing her she never showed aggressive behavior ever after that I wanted to get rid of her the problem she’s not my dog now I have to keep my little dogs locked up an beside me all the time my little ones left are traumatized they seen it happen so here’s to sweetish pit bull story’s pit bulls don’t like small dogs or small children this is a wake up for pit bull owners p.s she wasn’t… Read more »
It is not how you raise them all of the time. You have dogs with different personalities just like people do. I happen to like huskies. My first husky was a gentle spirit. The husky that I own now has a nasty disposition with other people.
Is the husky a rescue?
Agreed. Much like most abused humans don’t report it so the statistics are only based on those that are reported which means statistics don’t count for the hundreds of people that are abused men and women as well as children. So who’s to say that other dog breeds don’t bite hard enough to potentially kill someone solely because its not reported. Education is the downfall of this country.
Because “tiny babies” don’t count as people….that’s a moronic comment. Death is death, even if its a small dog attacking an infant/toddler and as a result they die.
see my reply to the person above. I would trust a large dog over a small dog any day of the week.
Any dog is capable of turning if not raised properly. Unfortunately for a lot of the bully breeds, try have become status symbols of our ghettos. They are over bred. Everyone wants a pittbull puppy, no one wants the unwanted adults that are euthanized daily.
Dear Jane I own a german shephard . He has never turned on me. I have owned two before him as well. However let someone break into my home when I am away . My dog will actually protect my home unlike a lab or poodle that will do nothing but hide or wish to be petted. My dog isn’t a bully. Dogs can sense intent, something we can not with eyes alone. Dog owners should however be required to own their property . Renters fit your description better than ghetto types. I’ve seen what you describe though far to… Read more »
I agree that dogs, esp. in the case of German Shepherds can by and large sense peoples intentions, they still don’t always have perfect perception. I have a German Shepherd I got when he was about 2 years old. He immediately took to me from the moment we met, and he doesn’t really seem to mind most people he meets. It seems like he likes girls more often than not, he loves me and my father, yet some of the other men he sometimes comes into contact with tend to rile him up. His response is incessant barking. He is… Read more »
A man’s home may be his castle — but it is his dog’s jungle, and he defends his jungle as ferociously as any great cat. A dog may be perfectly suited to a single-family house as its territory. Move that dog to a tiny apartment, and it may have an exaggerated idea of what is its territory. Think of animals similarly predatory and similarly built — and figure that getting into a dog’s territory is much like entering a zoo enclosure for one of the Big Cats. Dogs are slightly above us humans in the food chain. Good behavior is… Read more »
How right you are. When I was born over 65 years ago, I came home to 2 GH and the female guarded over me. I cannot ever remember not having a GH in the house always more than one, up to 4. We always got them as puppies and trained them. The first thing my father taught me was to be the pack leader (not boss). I have always lived in a house with yard. They were taught first thing their boundries, not one of them went outside of their yard. When my sons were small, I would take them… Read more »
disagree re renters – i used to be a home owner but due to economic problems (job loss, new job pays less) i had to sell the house and move to an apartment. i would of been heartbroken if i had to give my dog away to do so.
theres too many unwanted dogs already in the world, no need to add to the problem by requiring home ownership to own a dog. thats ridiculous.
Really? All dog owners should own their own property? What a ridiculous thing to say. I rent because I am a 25 year old dental student and do not consider myself “ghetto.” My boxer is perfectly happy in our 2 bedroom apartment.
No offense meant. I refered to renters as the most problemed of pet owners . I know this from experience. Personally however as a non home owner if you lost your 2 bdrm apartment , what then? Be careful not to erode the enamel while getting your on the job training on those who you practice on.
One must bear in mind, however, that German Shepherds are much more intelligent than pitt-bulls, which is why they’re often used as rescue dogs, police dogs, fire-dogs, and seeing-eye dogs. Pitt-bulls aren’t used for any of those things for obvious reasons; they have both the genetic and physical capacity, as well as the temperament to really kill, maul, maim and dismember their victim(s).
An educated and experienced individual. As well as a well deserved upvote . Mplo, I love my shephard for those reasons. Smarter than many and far more loyal. Much respect and honor too You mplo.
Hmmm. My husband was attacked at the age of five by a German Shepherd. He required 135 stitches to his face. Any breed can attack.
I work for a dog trainer that specializes in aggressive dogs and she as 4x as many small dogs as large. The reason small dogs are not on this list is because people hardly report small dog attacks. The dogs that live in my neighborhood are the same, I have been repeatedly chased or growled at from the small dogs but the large ones are fine including the Pitbull, Boxer, and Rottweiler I own. It is the owner not the dog, would you blame a 4 year old child if it has aggression issues or would you look at the… Read more »
If there ordering a persons dog destroyed, there property they might as well. its an infringement on rights. now I’m not saying the owner shouldn’t have to quarantine the dog or keep away from small children/guests but guard dogs are very useful. p.s. pit bulls were once known as the nanny dog because the will protect those it cares about like it would its own pups.
PPS: no they weren’t. Ever.
Its true. no one ever seems to blame the owner, its never the dogs fault, its the owners. Also true what you said about the comment you made of the 4 year old. Its the same, when a child has problems they always look to the parents, cause the parents are the ones guiding this child, its the same way for a dog, just because the dog reaches full grown at a year old, doesn’t mean they are adults already, most vets say a one year old dog is mostly a 7 year old child. I don’t know if others… Read more »
great danes are not dangerous i have one and she is such a sweetheart my husband and i love her. she is loving and caring and also a smart one.
I have owned 2 black labs, 1 rottweiler, and 2 pit bulls. The best family dog was the female pit. She acted like we were all her young to protect and was the most loving towards all, even the children. The worst, however, was my 2nd male black lab! Supposedly one of the best breeds for families/children and he was just plain ornery to the kids. He had to go in a short order!
That would be the mosquito, actually.
Do you think that is because they are the most owned dogs? Just saying.
Top 3 biters in order: Doxie, Chi, JR
It depends on how the dog was raised as a puppy. Not all breeds of those listed are mean.
I have a Dogo Argentino that I rescued when she was about 2 years old. She was 35 pounds under-weight and I thought she was a puppy. My vet had me put her on a high calorie diet ASAP and 16 years later she is still the best dog in the world. She allows my friends children to grab her and tug at her ears and mouth, and trust me I was really hesitant to let them rough house with her at first. She is the most patient dog with all the children she has encountered, including some that just… Read more »
I have owned a pitbull mix for 13 years. Not once had I ever had to worry about him attacking someone. Sorry false statement there, I never had to worry about him aggressively attacking anyone, he just had a tendency to lick people to death. My family’s pug on the other hand, if you pet her when she doesn’t want to be pet she will bite you hard. When someone comes over we always tell them, don’t worry about the pit, worry about the pug, she is more likely to bite you than he is.
The statement made about the American Bandogge says it all, “if it is poorly socialized or has suffered abuse”. There are no bad breeds of dogs, just bad dog owners.
Only Humans are & will continue to be most dangerous not the dogs & till something is done about humans, these dogs will continue to suffer. I will bet my life that ” My Pitbulls” would never do what they say. To all you close minded, heartless, hateful people, I’d be more afraid of people like me, I’m capable of a lot worse than ” My Pitbulls” could ever do!
they were once referred to as the nanny dog because they were good with kids………..the one who use them for fighting are what gives them a bad name, that and bad/stupid owners
Thanks for mentioning that they can be nanny dogs. The author of “Little house on the prairie-” Laura Ingalls Wilder had pit bulls , as nanny dogs. The dog on “Little Rascals” “Petey” was a pit bull. I had a female, that was the sweetest dog I’ve had out of 4, other breeds. Allow her to smell you a minute, and she’ll jump in the car with you, and never look back. She loved riding. My sister had a toddler, and came to visit. She had heard all the bad talk about pit bulls, and was scared to death, for… Read more »
I agree. Sounds like my pit. If they are aggressive most likely they are being used to protect drugs.
That nana dog tale is nothing more than a myth created by neurotic childless women with an urgent insane need to save something, anything including pit bulls.
So all the mentions of pits as “nanny dogs” during that time period, from multiple sourches, are just part of one big conspiracy…?
And Laura Ingalls Wilder, devoted mother, was a “neurotic childless woman”?
You sound like the sort of person that ignores facts in favour of your own bias. Just like people who claim black people are all violent because “look at how many are in prison,” or that cats are dangerous because they “suffocate babies” (both based on misinformation & bias).
…no bad dogs, just bad owners…
You don’t need “scientific evidence” for statistics and facts. Pits are still responsible for more human fatalities than any other breed, especially against children. Sure, much of a dog’s temperament (bit not all) is how they are raised. And with that being said, then why is it that more pit owners abuse or don’t train their dogs than any other breed owners? I do find it amusing that Chihuahuas are mentioned as aggressive. I’ve known MANY of this breed, my best friend raises them, and never once have I encountered any that were more than yippy and excitable, but would… Read more »
Again, the reason why Pits are involved in a significant proportion of fatal bites is because, as you rightly pointed out, they are the most likely to be abused and mistreated, or owned by thugs, as any other breed. Other strong, “bad” breeds like rottweillers and dobies are in the same category. It is almost ALWAYS the owner, through either abuse, bad training, or bad breeding.
Twenty years ago, all the dog bite/mauling stories were about Rottweilers. Twenty years before that, it was Dobermans. Twenty years before that, it was German Shepherds. Twenty years from now, it will be something besides pit bulls.
There will always be idiots who must have a big, bad dog, for whatever reason. Certain breeds get popular, and unscrupulous breeders breed anything that looks like whatever is popular, with no thought to health or temperament.
And in my not-so-humble opinion, there are people who should not own dogs.
A knockdown by a dog — any dog — is as dangerous as any slip-and-fall incident. Dogs are the strongest and most powerful mammals for their size (I would have expected the leopard), and they are extremely agile. Here’s a basic rule: in a fight between a human and a dog, the dog half the size of a human, the dog wins.
That’s before anyone mentions the teeth and claws. These animals are closer to being tigers than to being humans.
Please show some sort of cite for those “facts”
The dog is not even close to the strongest mammal for it’s size, and you will have to show some sort of evidence for the comparison of a knock down to a slip and fall. I have a very hard time believing that the knock down form a shih tzu or even a cocker is all that dangerous
I tripped over Zach, a short, 20lb, gentle cattle/ collie mix I was walking one day (he zigged when I’d expected him to zag), and the fall stunned me for several minutes – I was barely able to limp home (seriously!) I was in agony and might have put a hairline fracture somewhere. I was all alone and no cell phone in those days – So I ended up leaning down to counter-balance gingerly on the cooperative dog’s back. He understood my situation immediately (brilliant dog) and stayed right with me, off lead, under my flat hand, step by slow,… Read more »
Great story
I can show vast amounts of EVIDENCE some thing the article lacks. That ( using your example ) Humans are the most aggressive and dangerous animal.
Chiuahahs are the number one in terms of biting humans. Bully breeds are generally towards the bottom of the list of attacking humans. If any of the ignorant people who wrote this P.O.S. did any research, they would have noticed that Bullys are not usually guard dogs, being as they were bred to be LOYAL to their human owners. Their aggression is geared towards other animals. And if anyone has ever read or seen a documentary on dog-fighting, owners can be in the pit, putting themselves in direct proximitey to the fighting dogs mouths, and still not even so much… Read more »
My Shi Tzu is not as calm as my Chow Chow’s and a lovable sweet disposition I could not have imagined in my 2 Chow Chow’s. The Shi Tzu rules the roost with these Chow’s also. It comes down to breeding and socialization, with out these two components you will have an issue with just about any breed of dog.
I’ve had a few different dogs and I have always found that if you Socialize them and give them plenty of love they will be more likely to listen to you when you train them, and not be aggressive unless they are protecting their family or domaine. I don’t care what type of animal you have, that works with cats too. You just have to gain their trust.
In the case of German Shepherds, if they are poorly trained and socialized they definitely can bite and often do. But its very rare for someone to be mauled to death by one and I’ve only read of a few cases of them turning on their masters. They are the MOST loyal, most trainable, and most respectful of authority.
Robert Butler, there is a mountain of statistical evidence that pitbulls are dangerous dogs who have caused hundreds of deaths and injuries. They are deliberately bred for aggression as they are used to this day as fighting dogs. HOWEVER, not all pitbulls are vicious killers! There are some nice ones and yes, some gentle ones, but with a breed like that you don’t really know what you’re getting. @Leigh: Michael Vick culled most of the pitbulls that weren’t mean enough before he was busted. And futhermore, I have heard of labrador retrievers attacking kids! Black labs are much more aggressive… Read more »
you got that right about their tails. My Amstaff beats her tail against me when her daddy comes home because she is excited
Careful there, that comment about certain Labs being more aggressive will get you labeled racist in this country!
The success of the Vick dogs is probably the greatest proof that Pit Bulls are NOT disproportionately dangerous. It’s all about the way you treat them. These dogs were deliberately bred for agression, fought, definitely abused and still when taken out of that environment make great family pets and some became therapy dogs. So all you “backyard “animal behavior experts, how do you explain that ?
I have to disagree with the notion that pitt-bulls aren’t dangerous. Their overall physique (EXTREMELY strong jaws, noses built back to enable them to breathe while suffocating/damaging their victim(s), being extremely muscular), and the fact that the DNA for fighting has been bred into them through cross-breeding of regular bull dogs (which were bred as work dogs), and terriers, and their combative temperament, all make for an especially dangerous and risky combination. I once watched an episode of “Sixty Minutes” on TV, where a family with a pitt-bull had raised their dog to be “very gentle” and affectionate towards everybody,… Read more »
First off , there is no difference between a pits jaw and another large dogs jaw, their noses are not “built back” any more than any other dogs, less than many dog’s in fact. Yes they are muscular, but that doesn’t make them mean. I have had too many pits and been around way too many pits, well over 100, in my life to buy into this combative crap. Te meanest dogs I have ever encounters, well into the hundreds, have been Labs. People confuse raising a gentle dog with raising a well adjusted dog. I have seen many many… Read more »
Unlike other dogs, including Labs and Retrievers, pitt-bulls are meant to fight and kill–through their DNA, their physique, and their temperament. Moreover, most dogs, including Labs and Retrievers, UNlike pitt-bulls, DON’T have the capacity to dismember or otherwise permanently cripple or kill another animal, or a human being. I also might add that, unlike most dogs, the bites of pitt-bulls go right for the musculature of their victim(s), causing even more extensive and more horrific damage with their bites than other dogs, not only because of their extremely strong jaws, but because pitt-bulls clamp down when they bite, and don’t… Read more »
My male Chow is one of the nicest dogs I have ever owned. He was given to us at age 6 months by a woman in front of a Wal Mart. She was in tears because she said her husband was going to kill the dog if she brought it home. He was independent, more like a cat than a dog, but nothing in his behavior warranted a death sentence. I quickly determined that you don’t train Chows, you reach a mutual understanding. Once this respect was understood, he actually became more cooperative than many other breeds I have ever… Read more »
Glad you understand your dog. Many Chows are “1 man” dogs. I did know one that approached people just to get to know them.. A vey nice male. He never approached with a wagging tail, so if you didn’t know him, you didn’t know what to expect. I always suspected if you started a bad situation with him, you might lose. If you were happy or neutral, you were OK
I have a chow that is 13 years old now and has cancer. He always barks when someone rings the doorbell or knocks on the door. When they come in, he gives them a little growl just to let them know he see’s them. Then he walks back over to my chair and sits down beside me. He did break loose from me one day when I took him outside and I was walking him back to go inside the house, when a guy was running by with his dog and he broke loose from me and ran out and… Read more »
Thanks for sharing Randy, my chow is eleven and getting the same way. He did the run away thing much more frequently when he was younger; the last time was last year and I almost lost him in a rough stretch of woods. Wild hair I guess. Please read my reply to Tia below. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks jgh59….at least some of us are human beings…Some in here, like Tia must not be much of one…At least they don’t act like one anyway,,,,But you know what they say,,,,,,You can’t fix stupid…..So I guess we understand Tia now anyway…
Somebody must be since he got up votes all dogs are cool to me.
🙁 very sorry about your friend.
You probably are unknowingly poisoning your dog, with food and water if it’s tap or plastic bottled water.. check out information about common pet food, and real, organic, food that you could be feeding your dog instead. along with some other gifts from nature you could easily reverse the cancer. cancer is honestly simply just “poisoning”
Believe me, I know a thing or 2 about cancer in humans and dogs. I am a 7 year survivor of type 3 lymphoma. I have studied the affects of different foods and how they affect the body. My Dr. couldn’t find out what was wrong with me for 10 months, so when I went to another Dr. in Omaha, Ne., he knew what it was within a few minutes. And as I said before, I have studied countless hours on the things that cause cancer and even different alternative medicines and the way they affect the body, whether in… Read more »
If you really understood cancer you would be aware it’s really not a big deal, as long as you’re not poisoned and/or malnourished so nah I don’t believe you. I wasn’t accusing you anyway just stating a simple fact to help a person who I thought didn’t know, since you were complaining your dog had cancer n all. I’m glad you were able to realize your previous mistakes with your cancer and hopefully treat your dog with high quality organic food and pure water etc. along with some metaphysical healing to quicken transmutation
Good for you for having intelligence! It gives me more hope in humans; It especially helped after reading Karen’s comments haha
Seriously!! How can people be that uneducated???
Can you please tell me what your feed your dog I would to more
Sugar makes ALL cells grow like wildfire.
Especially fat cells.
So true, unfortunately.
Karen, you seem to believe that “natural” stuff is gentler and safer, but then like a lot of people, you believe stuff that isn’t true. Rattlesnake venom is all natural; so is poison ivy. Being natural has nothing to do with being safer. Nature starts trying to kill us from the moment we are born. After that it’s a constant struggle to stay alive.
Thanks for your points well taken, morph2020! Bravo!
Just because things are natural/organic doesn’t mean that they can’t be harmful.
Um morph, I think she was talking about natural medications for human consumption.
BTW, the only way to get the anti-venon for a rattlesnake bite, If you can, is through the venon itself. So yes, it is natural and could save your life!
They make plenty of medicines out of nature, flowers, roots, plants, some tree barks, you would be amazed to know what some pharmecudicals companies use.
Dangkids, I wouldn’t be surprised a bit. I have a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from an internationally-recognized university. “Natural” substances cannot be readily distinguished from their synthetic counterparts. For identical compounds, the only difference will be in small levels of impurities, with more of them in the “natural” product.
May I add, what works for one animal or person may not work at all for another with the same diagnosis. Each may have an opposite effect , fact.
The difference with Pits & other strong, muscular dogs is their ability to kill, not just injure. A smaller dog may be a biter, but his jaw pressure & tenacity will probably not equal that of the breeds listed here. Yes, owners can determine a dog’s behavior, but some dogs have temperaments that require more vigilance than others. Imbalanced dogs, like imbalanced people, cannot be relied upon for consistent behavior in varying circumstances. Dogs with aggressiveness bred into them need early, constant, multifaceted socialization with people & other animals. I have had many types of dogs in my lifetime, from… Read more »
I disagree that “pits” or American Bull Terriers are inherently more dangerous than any other medium to large breed of dog. Any dog can become unpredictable and therefore dangerous if it’s abused or neglected. ABTs are not any more or less prone to this reality. The fact that many of them wind up with bad owners doesn’t automatically make them bad too; just unlucky.
Nowdays pits end up with deluded liberal wimp owners who think they are “saving” a discriminated against breed. These owners couldn’t train the most docile collie or poodle let alone any aggressive breed. So now pit bulls need crates and jaw breaking sticks to prevent them from killing anyone.
Go easy on ’em, they haven’t even learned how to spell venom yet hah
Rattlesnake anti-venom is made by injecting it into animals such as horses and letting them build an immunity. Very painful for the animal.
I have a razor edge red nose. He had been rehomed twice all in one year! He is one of the best dogs I have had and I have owed or trained.I have had or help train most of the dogs on this list! My experience is that you can’t have discipline with out relationship!! With a dog or kids. Some people get a dog that needs love and they put in a kennel all day. Lets put a human in a bath room all day and see how u act. The founding fathers of the United states had pit… Read more »
I agree with you. Dogs should be respected for what they are, not made into animal babies, no matter what size they are. Dogs are happy when people treat them like dogs, such as people being in charge and teaching them what is expected of them. Also giving them a job of some kind that is appropriate for them. They should be exercised, and should eat an appropriate amount of good for them food. Children should not be allowed to mistreat dogs in any way ever. All living beings want to belong, be useful, respected, and loved, dogs are no… Read more »
Have you ever read the pit bull lover websites? Always have a really strong crate and keep the dog in it when you have people over. If you have more than one dog each needs its own crate in a room with a door basically a bedroom. Keep a strong jaw stick around at all times so if it bites on someone you can stick it in the dogs dog and break the bite. Then there are the extra strong collars and leashes. Why get that dog if it needs to be confined in a crate to keep it from… Read more »
You could eat organic everything, drink the cleanest spring water or rainforest waterwater, you could stay away from every chemical possible buying all natural products for your body, skin, etc but everyone and a lot of animals including dogs have cancer cells in their body already. Whether they decide to grow into cancer itself is something you will never know. Most people die of cancer, that’s the number one cause, then heart disease heart attacks, strokes. You have less of a chance of getting cancer doing all that I mentioned above but it does not mean you can’t get it.… Read more »
Ever heard of Adele Davis? She was one of the first health food propagandist. She made a fortune from her books going on and on about health food and organic food. She died of cancer in her early 50’s.
Wrong, Adele Davis was 70 when she died.
While it is true that contaminated water or poor quality food can be carcinogenic, switching to less-carcinogenic options will not cure cancer. There are also many more variables in our lives – carcinogens in the air, synthetic chemicals we come into contact with, radiation including that from medical and dental imaging, etc. that are potentially cancer-causing. Cancer is not simply poisoning, it is a warping of DNA that causes cells to rapidly multiply, and this cannot be cured by changing habits. You cannot reverse the DNA damage with a healthier diet or purer water. Your post gives the impression that… Read more »
When the human or animal body is in homeostasis it can not be affected by disease or disorder. To get to homeostasis you have to detoxify previous poisoning and not add any in. Then you rejuvenate with a boatload of nature’s star players, and keep putting more positive things in and do extra healing techniques if you want (so many ways to heal, the body, the brain, all the senses heal, nature just even being in it is scientifically proven to lower blood pressure and a number of other health benefits, we’re really spoiled and naturally awesome which is why… Read more »
Almost all bottled water is tap water anyway.
Tia Schmidt, you are a ice cold person, and I fell sorry for you, “who cares?” what happened if were someone close to you? would you say “Who cares? do you have any feelings at all?
talking about human and live animals, and a deadly disease, a slow killer and extremely painful at the end, shame on you!
Maybe she said that because the dog breed stereotype has been debunked. We don”t believe it so why the article?
Don’t listen to people like Karen! It’s not your fault your dog has cancer! I replied back to her and you should read what I said so I don’t have to type it again 🙂 don’t blame yourself. I feel horrible right now myself, my ferret has adrenal disease, insulinoma, and lymphoma and I feel that I contributed to her cancers. Unfortunately they ask die of these diseases no matter what you do. It is just life.
As a trainer, I’ve been *seriously* bitten three times. By seriously, I mean requiring treatment. All three were chows or chow mixes. One chow took off part of a fellow trainer’s ear. My sister’s chow would kill cats like some dogs go after squeak toys. I don’t think all Chows are inherently bad and they do require a skilled hand and an independent owner in a lot of cases. But in my experience, the Chow is the only breed I’d call inherently aggressive. Wildly unpredictable. I’ve been bitten by other breeds, but most of those times I saw it coming… Read more »
Our neighbors had a dog that was half Lab, half Chow….she had SUCH a high pain tolerance than their electric fence, which kept in their much bigger full blooded Lab, didn’t stop her for a minute. She would be out, chasing anyone who was even near her house/ yard….and snapping, growling, head down…she MEANT it…!
I was interested to read that the dog that attacked the four year old for no reason the other day, that was chased off by the boy’s cat, was also half lab and half chow.
my friend up in MT had to put two electronic collars on their 150 lb lab to stop him at the electric fence in their front yard
Why not just have a regular fence with all that effort? Sheesh. Electric fences are not dependable for big dogs.
Electric fences are very recommended against for dogs. They are not safe at all. They don’t always keep dogs in, and they certainly don’t keep strangers out.
Yikes! We had a half golden retriever, half chow for about 8 years until he died. He didn’t like dogs but wasn’t aggressive toward people, including the two kids we had shortly after rescuing him. I think we just got lucky– this time, no chow mixes.
Well if I was kept in an electric fence I might get aggressive… too!
So vicious dogs should be allowed to run through neighborhoods biting and mauling?
That was amazing. I had a cat who guarded my son against dogs, and chased a neighbor’s German Shepard Dog all the way back to his house. She was tiny, the smallest cat i have ever had.
I just don’t like to look at a dog or a cat’s ass — prefer those where the tail covers that up and feeding them probiotics helps with any ‘gas’ from veggies – my friend figured that out — their dog would eat veggies from their little one’s tossing them off his high chair and stink up their bedroom at night lol
Devon – My experience for the past 10 years with my now 14 year old red Chow mix is very different than yours. I found her in a rescue shelter in Florida. Now we are in Wisconsin, she loves the snow!! My Rosie looks very Chowy , some wonder if she is full Chow. She is friendly very to humans of all ages and to most dogs. She won’t play with all dogs, but she does not attack them: she just ignores them. She loves to be petted & gently brushed, and accepts having a bath. She is relaxed and… Read more »
I’ve heard similar things from others in rescue and training. But have also heard that chow mixes don’t have that issue – the unpredictability – wondered if you’d noticed any differences?
I find that they do have clear body language, they just aren’t obvious. You have to be watching. They are not bred to be pack dogs like most others dogs. It’s generally written that they are an expert level dog and not an every day pet. Same as most more primitive mountain type dogs.
I have had two vets and a groomer list chows as the breed (or one of the breeds) they’re most leery of. Unlikely the groomer was working with smooth coated dogs, though.
You are right Chows are very protective of there people they oppose aggresive force and react to it.
When I got my First Chow I got him from my Friend She bit me because we were Horsing around and She didn’t know but after a Year as my Littleman she was a great Pet not just for me but my FRamily as well
My family had a bad experience with a Chow, but I don’t think the dog had been socialized to be a family pet. For instance, my brother (11 or 12, so not a little kid) was sitting still, watching TV, and the dog came into the room and chomped on his arm. Dad took it right back to the guy he’d gotten the dog from and said “Nope.” I try really hard not to hold it against the breed as a whole…but it’s hard. And I admit it’s my own experience and prejudice. And in many ways, it’s completely irrational.… Read more »
When I was a kid, my dad brought home a mixed-breed chow and German shepherd. She was impossible to socialize to humans.
We’re not interested in vicious humans who have the ethics of an aggressive dog.
OMG! The first dog that ever bit me was a dachshund. Crazy dog it was.
Mine is so smart it is scary and he uses his intelligence for evil! He counters all suspicion with his incredible cuteness. Dachshunds are incredibly protective dogs that were originally bred to go into holes and fight badgers. A bad combination for the unsuspecting.
The only dog that ever bit me was a chihuahua! I have a doberman (my second) that is a rescue, an Australian Shepherd-Catahoula mix, and an Italian greyhound-whippet mix. All are rescues and have been around my young granddaughters and other children. All are very good with children! My dobies were awesome with children – even if the babies touched their eyes, mouth, or tail! I would never leave a child alone with any dog, but my experience makes be skeptical about articles that generalize. Any dog (or animal) can bite. Humans are the most dangerous animals in the world!
A Chihuahua is the only dog that I have ever been bitten by and I own Pit Bull. Sweetest dog alive. <3
I also have a pitbull that just turned 5mos old. I’ve had him since he could fit in my hand, about 7wks old. I have 2 children in my home, one that’s 4,and one that’s almost 2. I sometimes worry about my lil guy around him as he can be quite rough, hitting him with toys, etc. I don’t leave them alone, but it’s amazing how much the puppy loves these kids! Even though my son can be mean, and does get corrected as I don’t approve of the behavior, my pup just goes along, wagging his tail and kindly… Read more »
thats what they all say about their pit bulls. I work in an ED and have personally seen the family loving pit bull do very substantial damage to a little child. It is just dangerous keeping a pitbull in your home with kids that young. Say what you want, but that dog has it in its blood to do damage at a moments notice. stay safe
I’m a firm believer that, genetics play a huge part with respect to a dogs temperament. Also, how the pooch is raised by it’s owner. I have had numerous dobermans without incident. Raised with lots of love and corrected with a firm, harsh voice rather than a slap with a hand. In essence, I believe dogs are what we make them and the vibes we gives off to them. If you are unsure, afraid of it or mean, your dog can sense it and like a child, with take advantage of your weaknesses. They are supposed to be “mans best… Read more »
I have owned 2 dobies. Both great dogs and were wonderful with every one. Not an ounce of aggression in either. I am 71 years old.
Nancy: Don’t you understand that your “personal opinion” is meaningless against statistics!
NOT EVERY DOG WILL BITE! (If they did, we would not have attempted to domesticate dogs 10,000 years ago!)
We are looking at AVERAGES which says that your dog is the 4th most likely to bite! And, your age has NOTHING to do with these dog statistics! Geez, take a class!
Until you are very feeble and your dog challenges you and goes for your throat as you bled out wondering how little skippy could do this.IT’S A BEAST,NOT A HUMAN AND IT SEES YOU AS A BEAST.
Chicken little much?
You must be a cat person
I don’t think cats would put up with that. 🙂
I have to disagree The difference in owning a Pit and owning a Chihuahua is when a pit decides to go off there is no stopping it the same with a Rotti. I have owned all 3 breeds The Rotti was pro trained for obedience. She loved people. She got along very well with my other dog a mutt. She would drag you on your belly if she saw a cat and kill it. When she hit 2 She tried to kill our other dog the mutt. The training I paid for did not work. I wont go into details… Read more »
A small child is not able to “read” a dog’s behavior to understand it’s intent. nor do they understand how to properly interact with Any dog. THAT is the responsibility of the OWNER! If a dog has not been properly socialized with small children, then, yes, keep the children away. Dogs don’t grasp “baby” the way humans do and will defend itself if it feels threatened or is hurt by a child.
What’s dangerous is children not being supervised, with ANY breed. If you’re going to try to help, then tell how many parents were not present, and how many other dogs bite. Be fair, JAKE.
Vociferous pitbull haters like Jake are never fair.
Pitbulls should all be euthanized. They ARE instinctly dangerous animals.
You are definitely drifting, I would euthanize you before I would any one of my Pit bulls.
Wait until one of your pit bulls (loving animals) attacks and maims someone. We were close friends with a family whose 8 year old boy was attacked by grandpa’s three loving and adorable pit bulls. At last count, the little boy had experienced over ten surgeries and he looks like a freak due to the fact that these ‘wonderful’ animals tore his face to shreds. All three dogs that attacked him had never shown any sign of aggressiveness. You Pit bull lovers are delusional and ignore the facts about the records of vicious attacks that occur frequently. And don’t bother… Read more »
Hell people do worse to each other everyday, and they do it for fun.
That is a sad story but your brush paints a broad stroke. Just because you know of a handful of pit bull incidents because they are sensationalized does not make the entire species guilty. More often than not, dogs that bite are a direct result of irresponsible ownership. Pitbulls do need an experienced and responsible dog owner but so do many breeds. By your logic the human race should be destroyed because pound for pound the human species is far more vicious and aggressive than any dog that ever lived. How many humans attack and maim children and others every… Read more »
You delude yourself. Check the stats on numbers of fatalities caused by Pit bulls versus other breeds in the past years. They outnumber all other breeds combined. No vicious pit bull attacks aren’t rare.
truth be told, the breeding comes into play, and that’s where the road gets rocky. any dog breed can become vicious, or turn on it’s owner if provoked. there are, i’m sure, also cases where the attacks are unprovoked–stands to reason that the inevitable will happen from time to time. but overbreeding–like why goldens now have such high cancer rates–breeds, or inbreeding them, especially the more naturally aggressive ones, well yeah, what does one expect? same things apply to humans…but fear is always the strongest emotion, so, people buy into the stats that reinforce that negativity. I’ve had a 180lb… Read more »
When I used to have a couple of Rotties all the neighbor kids would come over to play with them. They didn’t like adults unless introduced or other dogs at all, but boy did they love kids. My male was 155 and my female was only 90lbs. I only had one issue and that was my ex handed me my male to help some neighbors when we were almost home and one of the kids rode by on his skates calling my male’s name and he got a scratch as I was not strong enough to hold him back when… Read more »
dude….you ever try to shoot three moving targets, at speeds up to 30mph, moving in different directions at once? I think you would lose….gratifyingly so.
You are a real PIP! Anyone dares to say something you don’t agree with and your response is to KILL THEM!
No wonder you worship “pit bulls;” you think you are tough, but you are a just a deformed pimple on the butt of society.
Pit bull lovers think they are missionaries protecting some natives from the colonizers. Or they are total liberals who defend blacks who kill Whites with the difference that the pit bull lovers defend pit bulls who kill people.
I hope one day you have the privilege of understanding and witnessing how amazing this breed truely is.
well, at least vasectomize….
It’s people like you that are dangerous!
So we gonna say that about humans then?!? And every dog breed! God. Stop being judgmental. They are part of family’s and mean just as much as kids would. Humans kill humans everyday, so are we gonna euthanize everybody?!
Read the statistics about FATAL attacks by Pitbulls versus other breeds. No comparison. They are unstable vicious animals including those that attack people after never having shown aggressive tendencies. You sound like a liberal who ignores the facts.
You don’t really know what goes on in the house hold. Owners say they never were aggressive to get heat off of their backs but not all of them are harmful. A German Shepard and a Lab is just has harmful as a pit bull would be.
You want to talk about facts how about this fact who are you to condem an entire species of dogs when only three of them has hurt a loved one and yes those numbers are very high i know but you should be thankful that boy is still alive to see the light of day if the boy had died i know it would hurt but that does not include all the other pit bulls i have a friend who has ptsd and the only thing that keeps him from going into an attack is his pit bull
amen. hes had his mind made up. and who knows if that dog was being trained to be viscious. ive seen people with kids training their pits to attack. im 100% sure that’s the case here. btw the whole ONE CASE.
I was in an alley, in a bad section of a minority laden neighborhood–everyone had dogs of an aggressive nature in their yard, it was surreal. I was doing my job, when I noticed a female pit, of course on a chain, watching me intently. it was hot out, and I was suffering from the heat. can’t imagine what she felt like because she had no shade. I had water in my truck,so I took it to the fence, reached over and poured it in her bowl, which was adjacent to the fence. and watched as she came and slurped… Read more »
there’s truth to that for sure. I mean, if you aren’t watching your dog interact with others’, or children, how do you know where the behavior will trend? personally, I watched my niece and my lab mix–and she’s a bull @ 95lbs–race around the house together, chasing each other. then, my niece(4yrs old btw) reversed direction to surprise my pup, and they both came from opposite corners, not able to see one another until it was too late….fortunately my lab mix loves my niece, and put her brakes to work, avoiding barreling my niece into the next life…
You may have seen the damage, but do you know the history of the dog? You can’t claim that it is dangerous unless you do more research on how that dog is being brought up.
Not true. A person who has seen a multitude of dog bites from different breeds doesn’t need to know the dogs history to see the damage done. He(unlike many of the commentor’s on here) has personally seen the difference between the bite(s) of a pit bull as opposed to say a retriever. Sure, some kids may get bitten by a retriever (I knew a guy who did) however, there is an obvious difference between the bite of a retriever and say a pit bull (also knew a guy who was bitten/attacked by one of those). The guy bitten by the… Read more »
As I posted earlier, the woman who had the world’s first face transplant had her original face torn off by a lab mix. You know, a retriever? And since you’re big on what a dog was bred to do, I trust that you know that pit bulls were bred to fight other dogs? And that in a staged dog fight, a human handler was supposed to be able to separate the dogs unharmed? And that if one of those dogs attacked the handler, that dog was put down on the spot? Twenty years ago, all the dog mauling stories involved… Read more »
panzer: Do your own research!
Go to the official lists of dogs, and dog bites, and dog mauls, and dog kills. LOOK AT OFFICIAL RECORDS!!!
Then compose an opinionated rant!
Ya, because their” never WRONG.” Stop reading & experience “real life” you are the most stupidly spoken person I’ve ever seen.
If you’re going to mock someone’s intelligence, you really should learn how to spell, proper grammar, and how to properly structure a sentence.
Actually, your whole post isn’t true. In a study showing dog bites by breed from 1982 to 2013, we see that pit bulls are more than 5 TIMES the nearest “competitor” in the dog bite sweepstakes, which is Rottweilers. Some interesting notes from this study: “Even if the pit bull category was “split four ways,” attacks by pit bulls and their closest relatives would still outnumber attacks by any other breed. Pit bulls are noteworthy for attacking adults almost as frequently as children. This is a very rare pattern, only seen elsewhere in the bullmastiff/presa canario line. If a pit… Read more »
Um..my 5presa canario have never attempted to harm anyone, not even the old pit bull I had that used to play with the pups. Btw, the only dog I have been bit by was a chihuahua.. So, I would like to know about this so called “pattern” of presas biting adults and children, because I have owned multiple presa canarios and “DOGO canarios, and that does not count the training and studying of the breed. Please educate yourself before educating others (it helps).
Do your own research if you want to know about it.
I’m sure your dog never attempted to hurt anyone… that’s what ALL pit bull owners claim, when their dog kills someone else’s dog or mangles someone permanently.
You should educate YOUR self before throwing throwing out what is merely your own anecdotal personal experience, rather than looking at studies that cover the gamut of information available.
Educate yourself. There was a woman mauled to death by 2 press canarios in her apt building hallway.
And, really, why do you need 5 such animals?
No offence but every other dog but a pitbull bites multiple times. UNLESS TRAINED OTHERWISE pits bite and push to the ground and hold there. That’s how they were bred. Pits bite and hold. One bite. Your retriever is gonna bite and bite and bite. That is more likely to ‘rip off a face’ than a single bite and hold. Educate yourself before you make yourself look even more… Stupid. Please- for everyone’s sake- move away from you computer before you hurt yourself.
That’s rubbish. Pit attacks are usually characterized by multiple bites that include massive trauma and tearing.
YOU should move away from your computer before your dogs hurt someone.
Typical pit bull nutter. Always resorts to name calling instead of addressing the issues. And you are very wrong. Pits do bite more than once.
Oh really? Tell that to the jogger in NY that had his feet & lower legs so mauled by PBs amputations were needed. The state of PA has a web site that lists all PB bites in the state. It is a busy site. Bites are one thing, but maiming & killing are in another category. An owner can only speak for their own dogs & not the breed.
Idiot. Number one dog for attacks in USA is the golden retriever and yellow lab.
Yeah of course it is. It’s ANY dog but the pitbull. You people are so fing amazing with your denial. Pitbull were BRED to kick ass and they do EXTENSIVE damage when they decide to. A dachshund is not going to kill you. A pitbull will.
Any dog will kill you bro if you’re saying they are doing it based on instinct that means a dog will grab your throat the moment they feel threatened… I will admit you’re right when this pit murder laying beside me turns over and knawls my face off until then educate yourself on what that was originally bred for and how many dog bites are reported but not made public because it wasn’t a pit… I’m saying check hospital records and stuff and you might be surprised to see that pits don’t do it all and all dogs bite. I… Read more »
Until my personal experience matches the statistics I won’t believe them.
You must’ve been a wonder in school.
So you’ve been killed by a pit bull?
you tell them, I’ve had shepherds all my life have also fostered pits,dobies, and rotties and have never been bitten, but have been scratched a few times when playing with them but it was my fault not theirs.
I’m okay with the consenting adult pit owner being maimed and killed, but if a neighbor or passerby, pet/person is mauled severely or killed, that is not acceptable. If a dog walking leashed down a sidewalk or sleeping in the sun in his own back yard is attacked and killed, it’s not an attack by the small dogs, it’s not the setter types, it’s a “good” pit doing exactly what makes pits THE dog fighters choice all across the USA and the UK. Good pits leave home and kill. That’s what they were created to do! The instinct to attack… Read more »
The United Kennel Club very explicitly states that human-directed aggression is not characteristic of American Pitbull Terriers, but dog-directed aggression is.
Don’t you ever worry about your pit licking you to death?
🙂
My son has a 4 inch long by 1/2″ long scar on the top of his head from his cat. He was carrying it around in the yard when a dog started barking next door and scared her. The cat spun and dug it’s claws into my son’s chest then when he got on top of his head, she lost her footing as she jumped. Now has permanent part in his hair and “pox” marks on his chest. Mommy knows she didn’t mean it but she went be be after that because nobody his my baby. What dog do we… Read more »
Hope the boxer genes conquer the pit genes. Most dogs love kids because kids are willing to wrestle with them for hours and play with them. Adults have work and houses to care for and don’t have the time.
All your post indicates is that you’re an idiot. Cats don’t belong outside, especially in the arms of a child & especially if there’s a dog next door. On the other hand, if your pit bull mix has a bad moment like your cat, you’ll be likely to lose your child’s life or have him severely mauled.
American Pit-Bull Terriers score the second highest on Temperament of all breeds of dog tested where the sample size is greater than four hundred dogs.
Also, Pitt-Bulls had nearly all human aggression bred out of them. While they do obviously have very high aggression to other animals, particularly other dogs, human aggression and dog aggression are two very different things. As is Prey Drive & Aggression.
No I don’t have any Pit-Bulls, and yes I do know what I’m talking about.
The ATTS? True that pits pasd with an overall score of ,86%. But READ the test. It was created to weed out dogs not brave enough for police work. The dog that just killed the 59 year old grandmother would pass the ATTS. Read the test! There are no other dogs included in the test, like the sleeping dog lying on a lawn chair in it’s backyard, there are no senior citizens stepping out to pick up a newspaper, there are no children playing in their own front yard several doors away. All these are examples of victims of pitbull… Read more »
Yes and a lot of people get attacked trying to prevent their own pet from being attacked. Pit bulls can be fine breeds but they should be acknowledged as dangerous because they are not a suitable pet for someone who wants to half ass their ownership. A dog is a privilege not a right.
“Pit bulls can be fine breeds but they should be acknowledged as dangerous because they are not a suitable pet for someone who wants to half ass their ownership.”
A lot of dog breeds fit that description, not just pit bulls.
Also, just as a bonus bit of information, not too many dog attacks get reported in the media if they aren’t breeds that can be demonized. Sometimes if you go looking you can find some things though. What about the Jack Russell that ripped a child’s whole bottom lip off?
Dean: IF you had ever actually studied statistics, you would KNOW how to approach a topic. But, let me give you some quick updates and then you can go to work and do your own research. #1) No one “assigned” the title of “most dangerous biter” to the “pit bull” and THEN started reporting pit bull attacks. Yes, that is what you said, but that is not how “statistics” work. #2) Pit bull bites were reported FIRST and THEN the title of “most dangerous biter” was assigned to that dog. #3) Statistics are studied on a constant basis because anyone… Read more »
Pit bulls were bred to kick another dog’s ass.
Dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers, fairly aggressive animals in their own right.
Read up honey. They were bred NOT to harm humans… How about searching pitbull saves person on Google instead of pitbull is evil…you have no idea what is real and what is made up online…
Why? Because there are more of them and they are considered so sweet that no one worries when Little Billy pulls their tails, rides on them, pokes them in the eye. In fact, they are laughing and filming when poor “Buddy” attacks the child after asking repeatedly to be left alone!
So your dog is more important than your child.
Idiot – the issue is the outcome of an attack, more so than the number of attacks!
Truth!
Moron. If there are 1million pit bulls and only 25% are agressive compared to 10 million Labradors and 6% aggressive. Then yes your statement makes since.
Because they are more popular. Statistically a pit bull attack is more likely to be fatal because they are bred not to give up. I’m not okay with demonizing an entire breed but I’m also not okay with people buying animals without knowing what they are getting in to. Pit bulls can be safer than a retriever but they require more work because their natural disposition is not as calm. Humans actually put a lot of effort into breeding dogs to be exactly how they want them to, I find it funny that we downplay that success now when it… Read more »
The problem is that so many dog owners don’t spend the time and do the work to train them.
There is a difference between a nip and being torn apart.
Relatives got a beautiful female golden lab 3 years ago from a rescue. She was about 2 at the time. She is the most evil rotten dog I have eve met in my 70 years. She really needs to be put down. She has bitten about 12 people including a city councilman. The post office refuses to deliver because of her. She bit the wealthy great aunt who promised to pay for college tuition. She has bitten neighbors. When taken on walks she lunges towards the front yards and doors of houses to attack neighbors. She wants to rule the… Read more »
Maybe you shouldn’t keep children in a home with a pit bull (or any other dog for that matter). The truth of the matter is that it is almost always the child that is the “aggressor” – moving in to the dog’s space and “tormenting” it. If you don’t read the dog’s reaction and separate dog and child, trouble can follow, whether the dog is a teacup Yorkie or a pit bull.
With a good dog you shouldn’t have to separate them, they should be smart enough to do that themselves. I grew up with dogs. We had a family of nine and we had mixed dogs all the time. We would take in others unwanted dogs. We had lots and lots of kids and always felt quite safe with them around the dogs. The dogs had a safe zone, an outdoor fenced area where no one but my mom was allowed to follow them. The dogs were smart enough to separate themselves when necessary. All except one, it so happens that… Read more »
WHY are you picking on Jake? JOSH is the one who worships pit-bulls over his children and is putting them in harm’s way.
Why should a parent have to keep an eye on the dog and the child at all times? I mean, we have yard work and housework and cooking and remodeling and home maintainence to do. Then the parents might like to sit down and actually talk to each other.
So if I have to cook a meal or wash the car the kids and dogs might get into it? Train the kid, train the dog.
The difference is the amount of damage. Get hit by a Kid on a Bicycle not that big a deal. Get hit by a Mack Truck, you’re as good as dead. The lead in is “turn on their owners”…. While Dobermans & Chow’s do tend to suffer a type of senility that can make them aggressive in their later years: Dogs like Chihuahuas, Cocker Spaniels, Dalmatians have been so ruined by humans & Disney that aggressiveness is the nature of way to many.
Gee Jake, I’m almost 70 now and I’ve had pitbulls in all my homes since 1990 (that’s 24 years now), but I guess that I just missed all that violence that my pitbulls were initiating against little children, as well as other people. I had the insanely crazy idea that they were loving family members since they were so gentle with anyone with whom they met, especially with little children, exhibiting absolutely no aggression toward anyone whatsoever. But I’m sure that you know better than I, since you “work in an ED” and so you are quite obviously an expert… Read more »
Yes and many drink drivers don’t kill anyone.
You’ve been lucky and your pits aren’t “good” pits. Good pits maim and kill.
Even Ted Bundy had his supporters. Ted Bundy didn’t kill thousands of people he met either, he only killed dozens.
c’mon now, go gentle with ole Teddy…he and Jack Kevorkian were the same people, just used different methodologies, right? people are completely without blame in any of the listed stats, correct?
Eh, your pits probably waited until you weren’t home to commit their violence.
And then cleaned up the mess before you got home. 😉
My “pit bull expert” is my vet (who has owned his own practice for OVER 24 years) and his records do not reflect YOUR biased opinion. His records are the culmination of treating these horrid beasts and the dumbbells who need to own them. Your opinion is meaningless. You wouldn’t know the truth if it bit your butt. (Which it will; we just have to wait because we KNOW it will happen.) Denial is just silly from anyone and particularly silly when it’s from someone who keeps a dangerous dog. I refuse to visit the home of anyone who keeps… Read more »
you are officially not welcome to visit my home…my lab mix may not bite you, but my Golden may just piss on your head…wtf-ever.
YOUR opinion is meaningless. Its all about who raises them, any dog could turn and bite you in the butt thank you. LOOK UP YOUR RESEARCH!. I’ve met pits that we’re the sweetest dogs on earth. Its about what happened to the dog and how they are raised. Dont judge a dog just because of its ancestors, humans have a worse past so stop treating pits this way, that’s exactly why people fight them and mix treat them. Stop judging off of what you’ve read or ‘heard’. Thank You.
Why are you so rude? he was giving facts as he sees them. I have seen a child that was mauled to death by a Pit Bull.
You obviously know better than anyone because you are old and have owned a few pit bulls.
That was truly truly horrible. But I know of that happening with dogs of other breeds too.
An over emphasis on breed can lead to people neglecting safety around “safe” breeds. This is what led to the drastic increase in serious dog attacks in the UK in the years after 5 pitbull type dogs were banned there.
Do you mean an ER? So you never see these pits do you? Before or after? How on earth would you know that the dog was a “family-loving” dog? Most owner’s of dogs that attack DO say “Oh, he was friendly and never bite.” Often that’s not true. They want to shift blame from themselves, and even in rare cases where the dog HASN’T displayed overtly vicious behavior in front of the owner, it’s usually because the dog is left tied to a tree or in the back-yard all day (this is neglect and creates an incredibly anxious and unsure… Read more »
Well said.
It was not “well said.” It was silly! “Pit Bulls” have been bred for hundreds of years. If Sandy thinks 50 years is the full extent of time, she is very young or very uninformed.
She would prefer to have a pit bull’s blood in her veins than human blood? You think that is “well said?”
“ED” is “ER.”
“warps the mind”
Sandy completely misquoted Jake. But, you think that was “well said.” BALONEY!!!!
You very obviously know nothing about APBT’s. They had nearly all human aggression bred out of them. When trained to fight the handlers were in the “pit” with two dogs who wanted to kill each other. The last thing a handler wanted was to have an aggressive dog turn on them in the pit or anywhere else. They also score as the second highest rating for any dog with American Temperament Testing Association. So saying “it’s in their blood” is ridiculous. Can they do damage as you said, yes, but any dog can be like that. It’s breeding, socialization, and… Read more »
Ahahaha! They had all the human aggression bred out of them?!?! Lol! Yeah, that’s why most people buy them for protection huh? I really love that line. I have a huge family and we all like dogs. Out of the 5 dog bites we have experienced, 1 was from a basset hound (barely broke the skin), 1 from a dachshund (left a hole in my shoe) and the rest were from pit bulls. The basset hound and daschund were dogs that were being protective of their homes and weren’t acquainted with the people they bit. That is totally understandable. One… Read more »
If you get inside my house, my loving Pitbull will SMELL you to death, then go lay down. She only barks to let me know someone needs me. Ten years with her…she is much more loving than my two yellow labs were, rest their long-living souls.
Apparently pits always wag their tails when starting an attack. In rural areas they have been known to hang around the school bus stops to attack children when the kids get off the bus.
I’ve personally seen hundreds of bites by small breeds that required stitches (one by a chihuahua required my uncle to have his lip reattached) but none by a Pittie, Rottie, GSD, or Doberman. I have seen an Akita attack a small child, but it wasn’t the dog’s fault. The moron took his 10 month old puppy that was in chronic pain from Hip Dysplasia (too young for hip replacement yet) to a family reunion and then ignored the dog as it whined, tried to hide from all the children swarming it, and growled to try and warn them away. When… Read more »
Yes, that’s exactly the point though. Educate people that their pet might be dangerous and to select a more manageable breed if they are incompetent to train them.
I would say about 60 percent of dog owners don’t train their dogs other than housebreaking them. The dogs that are trained are either collies that herd sheep and cows or hunting dogs. Pet type dogs are seldom trained. I once saw a merle collie herd at least 80 cows across PCH in Marin county home to be milked all by him or herself. That was a trained dog. But most pets are not trained and not under control by their owners. Would you tolerate a 12 year old child jumping all over you and the dishes when you were… Read more »
Most of what the dog did was INHERITED by many generations of breeding only dogs with a high instinct to herd. The training part was to respond to whistles on which way to herd the sheep when they were first learning. Genetics is the final arbiter.
you seem to like the dog better than the child it ravaged. But again, so many dog owners should not have dogs. I loathe people who drag their dogs to parties, camping and other people’s houses. Even the best behaved dogs are a disturbing influence as they need water bowls and are nervous or aggressive when they enter a new place.
Train your dogs and leave them at home.
To say that a pit bull has bites is in the blood, then you’d have to say that all dogs have it in their blood. I work with animals for a living, i cant tell you how many times i have almost been bitten by smalls breeds like the Chi countless times. THE ONLY pits that i have had to euth were behavioral animals that WERE TAUGHT to bite people from the get go. Any animal can bite, its really all about the training. And FYI starticially shown you are more likely to get bite by a chihuahua or cocker… Read more »
I have had pit bulls all my life. My kids were born with them in the house and not one got attacked. My dogs never got aggressive,bit,growled any of that. Not all pit bulls are bad. Any dog in the world can attack a person.
Poor kids.
Poor Supra…
Well thank you for your well informed opinion jake, Btw what Vet school did you attend?
Exactly! It was bred to kill, not snuggle children. People just think THEIR pit bull would NEVER bite. And that will always be their downfall.
When PBs were bred by real breeders, dogs that bit people were shot. There were few, because the breeder would know or find out were the trait came from & remove all his animals that bore that dog or dogs in the pedigree OUT of the breeding program. Do any of you know what a Break Stick is ? If not all you say is opinion & not knowledge. You know what is said about opinions?
they are like bum holes. Everyone has one & they all stink.
Thats just not true jake. If an unprovoked dog bites a child or anyone for that matter someone dropped the ball raising that dog. I kno what you’re saying being a wittness to an attack is good reason to be convinced of their agressive nature but id bet my life somewhere along the line the fault will lie with the owners shortcomings not the dogs natural temperment. I do agree no dog should be left unattended with a child particularly dogs with the strength of a pit. Better safe than sorry.
Not just pits. Any dog could do damage. Just because of its pat does not mean anything. You never know what happened to that dog that day.
My friends pitt bull killed two of his cats and is constantly looking to kill. A dachshund can’t do that. I think that’s the point of the article. The pit is a sweet dog but his ability to kill must be understood.
Dachshunds were bred for killing badgers. Badgers are a heck of a lot more vicious than cats…
I have seen a dachshund kill an armadillo, and he would stalk and hunt them after that. Literally had to be drug away from trying to kill any armadillo he sniffed out.
Any dog has the “Ability” to kill, regardless of breed or size! It Is ALL About Training!
Any dog can kill prey. I work in a shelter with indoor/outdoor kennels…the Chihuahua’s bring down birds and lizards all the time. ALL DOG BREEDS are predators. Cats are prey, birds are prey, lizards and rodents are prey, small dogs are prey to smarter, faster, and bigger dogs. Especially to hunting dogs. Which terriers are, no matter what you call them i.e. pits. Dachshund’s are hunting dogs as well. and yes, they can and will bring down animals bigger and larger than themselves given the chance. Any responsible and knowledgable dog owner knows that and should act accordingly. Meaning, that… Read more »
How many Chihuahua’s have seriously maimed, killed their owners?
Good point! How many people die in car accidents every year, WE NEED TO BAN CARS!
Yes. And we make people get licenses to drive and punish irresponsible idiots who get other people killed.
You sir, are deliberately missing the point or an idiot. I hope it’s the former.
Obviously a large dog can caused more damage than a small dog. That goes for any breed of large dog.
But size doesn’t influence the dog’s predator instinct.
Eh, in my opinion, little dogs would kill a lot more if they were capable of it. I have never been shown aggression by a pit bull, a rottie, or any other large breed. Little dogs bite me all the time. Sure, lots of little dogs are sweet, but plenty of them would kill if they could. And let’s not forget that babies have been killed by Pomeranians and other small breeds. :/ I’m not going to hate on large dogs just because they are CAPABLE of killing me. I’ll judge each on as an individual, as I do with… Read more »
How many of your shelter animals are pit or pit mixes?
Yes, that’s the point so I don’t understand your problem with the article. Some dogs are more likely to be predators than others. For example, I will probably never own another rabbit or guinea pig while I have my Jack Russell X. But that’s because I understand her nature. This article seeks to educate people about the nature of these animals so they can train them properly or select a more suitable companion.
John, You do realize that several breeds have what is called “prey drive”? Look it up.
All dogs have a prey drive.
Dachshunds can easily kill cats, as can jack Russells and many other smaller breeds. Yes big dogs will typically do more damage, but they are Way less likely to bite than most small dogs. And don’t think that one or 2 small dogs couldn’t kill a baby or toddler….
Any breed of dog had the ability to kill is what you must understand. Dogs are animals, every animal has the instinct to kill. Even humans. Dogs are pets that should be treated as so. Too many people treat their pet as a child which it is clearly unhealthy for the animal.
It is not just going to kill out of the blue.
A dachshund certainly can kill! They are the size they are for going down holes and rooting out their prey! Then the grab and shake. That’s why they were bred.
A Dachs can kill a Badger, but not a human except in extraordinary circumstances.
Dachies were bred to have the same fearlessness and aggression as pit bulls. For the same reasons. Its job is to go into underground dens of badgers and drag them to the surface or kill them.
The AKC describes dachies as snippy and short tempered. and not safe around small kids.
Dachsunds were bred to kill badgers they can easily kill as cat if they wanted to.
You have obviously never worked with a dachshund. Although small, these dogs are bred to kill. My aunt kept one at her farm as a guard dog, and it managed to kill a boxer that walked past her property. Needless to say the dog was put down.
Are you aware that dachshunds are bred to pull badgers from their dens? I would sooner tangle with two cats than one badger… you try and tell me what the results are…
Hello fellow dog lover..ye won’t find a guy that luvs all types of dogs for many reasons.. please please my friend..never for any reason leave them unattended for even a sec..I had a wot I described as the most loyal loving amazing pit x staff..1day I was buisy on PC..2 secs later my 2 yr old wee baby boy was mauled..had to hav dog destroyed..small piece of me died that awfull day..my wee boy is now 15..and has the scars of that terrible day..I now work as a volunteer in animal shelter ..every single wk no exception I will see… Read more »
Sounds like you are more upset about having to put the pit down than your baby almost killed. Dog lovers are insane needy people who have to project on the dog that the dog loves them, sort of like a stalker thinking a movie star loves them.
You dog lovers never get it,NEVER.It’s in their genetics,read the damn article.Every thing can be peachy for years and then the beast can rare up and like the new mother who woke up to find her one year old pup eating her newborn,you can never undo this stupidity.Get a clue,even a small one.
You sound so ignorant on this subject with no knowledge on dogs what so ever, just news clippings that you’ve read. You need to get a clue before you post.
You get a clue. It’s not all genetics it’s training. If you knew anything about dogs!
Sounds like you love your puppy more than you love your kids. Many lovingly raised and properly trained pit bulls have killed family members. It’s not the owner, it is the breed. There is also the strength. I was in England about 1990 and it was in the news that a small pit bull managed to drag down to the ground a police horse with its rider on it. I hope your children survive having a pit bull in the house. When it does kill one of your kids will you hire an attorney to defend it from the death… Read more »
amen. enjoy that pup…
lol
Chihuahuas don’t kill Gretchen. Pits do.Ugh, I am so tired of seeing that claim (excuse).
It is hard for a 3 lb dog to kill Any Human simply because it Isn’t BIG Enough. However, Chihuahuas are FAR more Aggressive than most other breeds, regardless of size. If a Chihuahua was Larger, it WOULD Kill!
Pit’s are terriers. Terriers are hunting breeds. Why do people forget that? And yes chihuahuas will kill. They will kill cats and birds, and lizards. They are a dog. Dogs are predators. Predators will hunt and given the chance…they will kill. Why do people forget that?
The reason should be obvious. Most in society consider an attack on a human, with injury and death as an outcome more serious than an attack on a lizards! Jeez, you have to wonder …
Aren’t humans hunters? Don’t they kill? If that’s the argument why are people breeding humans every day. I’m pretty sure more people kill people than pit bulls kill people. I’m pretty sure people kill more animals than pits attack people or other animals but it’s all about how you raise your children just like it is about how you raise your pets.
Chihuahuas DO kill – my chihuahua would have taken on a bear if I hadn’t called her off. Chihuahuas are big dogs in a very small body. They do not understand that they aren’t as big as their attitude.
Lori Mae Lynn, So explain to me then why the thousands of pit bull owners in our community have never been attacked by our dogs? I’ll wait while you come up with your answer
Because you are lucky.
Right. You went and interviewed every one of them. You might believe your BS but no one else does.
Chihuahuas are more than capable of maiming a child. Ditto JRTs, not to mention dachshunds, terriers, retrievers, labs. Any medium to large breed dog can be neglected or abused into becoming a very dangerous animal. Singling out American Bull Terriers (and their similar looking cousins) as uniquely dangerous is misguided and not supported by empirical evidence.
I’m tired of seeing the pitbulls kill claim. I have had more issues with “viscous” little yappy dogs than pitties. My neighbors chihuahua bit my dog for doing absolutely nothing. My sister inlaws chihuahua doesn’t like anyone or anything. My pittie has never been viscous and doesn’t hate anyone. All she wants is love.
I keep my Lab away from yappy little dogs, because she has very little tolerance for them. And she has big teeth. But USUALLY, the small dog has bitten her first – but since their teeth are so small, no damage…
It’s statistics duncelroy, not people’s opinions. Most. Fatalities. Of. All. Breeds.
Besides all the training, socializing, and teaching one has to do, one always has to closely supervise all dogs around children, children under 7 years old in particular. Dogs expect people to read their body language, and they may be indicating eminent attack to a child who has no clue. So the dog attacks. But an adult could have stopped it if they were present. Dogs are not ready made pets. They need teaching and even then one should be sure by being present when children are there. Why risk your child’s health and your dog’s life? By the way,… Read more »
Chihuahua should be #1 on the list. I have known Chihuahuas that attack Humans multiple times a day.
Bloody amazing!
How many victims end up in hospital or worse following a Chihuahua attack?
Same with me!! I have a chihuahua and a bully and my chi is ten times more aggressive than my “Bully”!
I KNOW.I have a pittbull.I love HIM TO DEATH!
When I worked in animal rescue, we had more problems with small breeds (under 20 pounds) biting volunteers and staff than with any of our big dogs. My theory is that a big dog knows it’s big, and has its size and vocalizations going for it. Little dogs, they don’t have much to defend themselves with except for their teeth.
Thank you! My vet has also voiced he worries ‘about the little guys’, and not my bulldog mix.
I Know thats right.
That may be true, but many little dogs suffer from whats colloquially called “small dog syndrome.” When little dogs are treated like the kings and queens of the world, and picked up, and not told off for acting aggressive (because what’s the harm, right?), they begin to think they DO rule, and they may do whatever they please. Problem is, it IS harmful, both to the dog, and all the humans that must be around him/her.
Also, yes, they are probably more intimidated by us large humans.
I do that to my dog! I’ve had him for almost 4 years now. He’s still friendly as always
I think another, rather large part of it, is that people think small dogs are harmless and therefore it’s “cute” when the snarl and grows (just watch AFV) but we don’t (generally) tolerate that from bigger breeds. They also assume a pitbull will bite and a Labrador won’t so that play growling pittie must be vicious and that snarling labrador must be playing. It’s breed prejudice and misinformation that leads to many people being bitten. FWIW, Chihuahuas are the #1 dog responsible for face and hand injuries requiring stitches. Also, IIRC in LA, a Pomeranian killed a 6 week old… Read more »
Do you remember the story about the woman who had the world’s first face transplant?
Her original face was torn up by a lab mix.
panzerakc, the lab mix was a mix, not a pure lab. Most labs are great, but you don’t know what that lab was mixed with…it could have been a pit. Also, you don’t know how the dog was raised either.
my lab is a mix, and she’s fine. she’s either mixed with pit or boxer, and she is completely social; however, she will defend the home. she plays with the local dogs, even “mothering” new puppies in the neighborhood. mostly its how dogs are raised, period. pits have the stigma attached to them because they are the most common dog used for dog fighting–and then bred for it as a result. so, the legend is self perpetuating, when in all actuality one of the biggest pit bulls ive ever come across was on his back, letting me rub his belly,… Read more »
“she`s fine” Wait for it….” however, she will defend the home”.That means the postman,parcel delivery person etc,etc,etc may not be fine!
I had a doxie mix that would defend our home too. If he didn’t like you – you better not mess with him or any of us. But at the same time he could be the sweetest and most loving little dog (16 lbs). He had a loud obnoxious bark that frightened some – but for the most part he was very gentle even with little kids. It’s all in the way dogs are raised – raise them to be gentle with love and kindness and respect and that is what you will get back 100 fold.
and he was too little to maul anyone to death,
I have two pits currently. Have raised 6. Never has one of my dogs bit anyone. I have had parties and up to 10 strangers in the home and dog freely roaming. Once I properly introduce a stranger and show him it is OK. Then you are forever welcome in his home even if I’m not there. You could rob me blind and he would just watch. However if you come in my home as a stranger without introduction (a burglar), I pity you. He will hurt you badly. Also I have a 7 month old baby that he cuddles… Read more »
Very good.but you are a rare example.I have a list as long as my arm of types of dogs that have bitten people I know.Postmen&women I`ve spoken to over the years have had some horrible experiences.An ex copper I used to do a bit of work for had an Alsatian that was ok with me from the start and he treated it well.One day I asked him where was his dog and he said,dead.It went for him and he killed it immediately.Tooth abcess I reckon.I used to have very little fear of dogs.Once gave the chap I worked for a… Read more »
He is not the rarity you would think sir. He is more on the norm than others are willing to admit. Because you have been bitten by a certain breed you are careful around others? That’s natural. Of course you will be careful, you probably should be. There are just some people that bring out the mean in a dog. Just like some people do to other people. We have pit bulls. They are the least thing I worry about.
So the 3 year old I know who was mauled to death by pit bulls just brought the mean out in the dogs that killed him? Victim blaming and denial, and you sound like a lousy owner
Why was a 3 year old left alone with any dog? Thats just stupid.
sounds like bad parenting to me. who leaves a 3 year old alone around dogs ?
and those dogs were in loving homes, not abused or mistreated? Highly doubtful…
If you’ve been attacked or threatened by dogs multiple times then it could be you. Animals pick up vibes from people. At my buddies house if his dog doesn’t like you then you can’t come in.
The Golden Retriever the other day was approaching me from thirty feet away with its female owner in gale force conditions,wind blowing towards me,so no smell of fear(which I didn`t have anyway).Previoulsy dog walked by with its male owner who it obeys and never a problem. It`s not just me who has been bitten/threatened by dogs in my area.Some people have been bitten by several dogs and some of those are dog owners. There`s been a shift in dog behaviour recently,don`t know what the petfood companies are adding to the dog and cat food nowadays,but their 5hit doesn`t degrade like… Read more »
Whats changed is peoples attitudes. They don’t realize what they have to do to train the dogs and many dogs end up improperly trained. Puppy mills also contribute to the problem. Responsible breeders breeds for looks and temperament. Puppy mills only breed for numbers, which means you can end up with some pretty mentally unstable dog. Want to know more or less exactly what kind of a dog youre getting? Buy from a reputable breeder, not the sketchy hoodrat down the street.
Thank you for your eloquent words. I posted more of a mad rant myself, but we are on exactly the same page when it comes to this breed.
My boss has 4 rotties ever since little pups and had 4 young kids at the house.he showed the dogs he was master and to listen to everyone in house.most loyal protective dog ever.the dogs never bit anyone of the kids.I believe it’s the owners that put these dogs in situations to fail
Well said! I have rescued and adopted pits and pit mixes for 30 years and never regretted it. My dogs were in the house as my children and foster children were growing up there, with their friends tromping in and out all day every day. We had a small house, multiple dogs, multiple cats, and whatever injured wild animal my kids brought home for me to doctor and we never had a bad incident. the 3 I have currently adore my grandchildren and herd the chickens and rabbits that free range on my little farm. We have not been bothered… Read more »
Your personal experience accounts for very little. This can be contributed to you being a good dog owner, and have had decent pits. The fact of the matter is that pits worldwide are responsible for 75% of all attacks from fatal to minor. You can google news everyday for a dog attack and you will always have plenty of stories about pits attacking. There is a good reason they are banned in some 17 countries, weather a good pit owner vouched for them or not. What is ignorant are the people that think there average good dog makes up for… Read more »
Actually, the first dog I was bit by was a Golden Retriever. And the dog I currently have is a beagle mix and she is one of the least friendly dogs, especially around strangers. But the Pit I had for years never EVER even growled at another dog much less a person. So just because you had a bad experience doesnt mean ALL dogs of that breed are dangerous. I worked at a boarding kennel for years and the meanest dogs were defintely the small dogs. Ive even known labs to bite, so please do your research and meet certain… Read more »
I was bitten behind my knee by a Beagle and my leg still needs to be fixed….if indeed it can be.
Horrid creatures,bred to tear foxes to shreds.
YOu were bitte because you are evil!
Read the statistics about Pit Bulls causing fatalities. Fatal pit bull attacks exceed the total of other breeds combined. The statistics are easily obtainable. The breed should be euthanized.
Clearly you know nothing about statistics. Correlation does not equal causation. You could euthanize every pit bull on the planet, and the idiots who turn them into killers would find another breed to abuse.
BS…pal. The vast majority of fatalities caused by Pit Bulls occur to their owners. Many of which were raised as puppies in loving homes. Other than fighting or abused pits, the majority of the attacks are not the result of attacks by trained vicious dogs.
how wrong you are is actually hilarious
That is so incorrect! Show me these statistics that you are claiming! 99% of dog attacks are preventable. Please show me these Pit Bull attacks that you say the majority is on their owners. Lol You lost all credibility with that statement.
You keeping throwing around the word “statistics,” yet do not include any which would support your stance on “the breed should be euthanized.” Sounds rather hysterical.
really? Every attack I’ve seen the dog was abused, never seen one attack that came from a loving home. Please provide proof of your claim?
Please research better. The most recent study by the American Veterinary Association, found that in 85% of dog-caused fatalities, the human was a stranger to the dog, and in 76% of such cases, the dog had been kept isolated from interactions or relationships with humans.
None of this removes the fact that Pit Bulls (which should be euthanized) are responsible for 66% of dog bit deaths. They are dangerous animals who often attack innocent people. I know that first hand. You pit bull lovers just ignore the facts.
I don’t trust pitt-bulls either, HIgh Plains Drifter.
But it would take them at least 20 years of selective breeding before they got anything near to a pit in temperament and physical ability. So we’d get that at least.
0/10 dumber than a rock
How do you know a rock is dumb? Has it ever answered any of your questions incorrectly or made any silly points? also….why are you talking to rocks????
Fatal pit attack statistics also lump 4 breeds together, plus mixes, plus breeds that aren’t even pits, so they are extremely skewed.
it’s not wonder they make up the majority of bite claims, considering there is NO PIT BULL BREED and SO many breeds are lumped in. But when you take into account total number of these breeds vs # of bites they are not worse than average, even for labs.
High Plains Drifter, humans bite too, and their bites are lethal, should they be euthanized? Why don’t you drift away?
your claims ignore the total number of pits, there are more so they do show up more in bits. When you take into account the total number of dogs called “pit bulls”…as pit bull isn’t actually a breed…vs their number of bites they tend to come out BELOW the normal. It’s pure ignorance to blame these dogs instead of their owners. In EVERY SINGLE attack there is abuse of the animal…not ONE dog from a loving home has attacked a non-intruder…”pit” haters always leave out those two key facts.
But you do understand that what is labelled a pit bull is not just the APBT, right? It is also staffies, bull terriers and mixes of the lot. I’ve seen lab x mastiffs labelled pit bulls, when they have almost nothing in common with an APBT. Many of the dogs I’ve seen in ‘pit bull’ attacks are nothing but mutts. My pit bull is the sweetest, most loyal, most intelligent dog I have ever met, and you saying she should be euthanized based on her genetics is akin to racism in my opinion. She has done nothing but be a… Read more »
I got bit by a golden retriever too. Now I have a beagle/dachshund mix. He’s incredibly loyal to me but will be a tad aggressive when provoked a lot .(my in laws son loves taunting him to the point where I get really mad. His mom will not do anything to stop her kid. I have to lock my dog up which he wines the entire time) I love him but his teeth are huge. I would not want to unleash them on anyone.
People are the #1 reason for dog bites I think. We treat them like they are one of us, which they aren’t. We expect them to understand our language without us understanding theirs, and then they get in trouble when WE do not listen to their signals. I don’t think I would allow that kid into my house if he taunted my dogs ( I have 2 German Shepherds, best dogs ever). You are asking to get bit if you tease a dog. The average pet owner and population do not know how to read dogs. Do you expect every… Read more »
No, what’s ignorant is bashing/ bannishing an entire breed from a few bad apples. Every country they’ve been banned in, the amount of dog bites have reported to increase annually in almost every spot. Damage and fatalities have not dwindled as expected, that’s why many countries are ridding BSL because it’s not working. Do your research before posting such ignorant non-sense.
Hi Jason, while I don’t necessarily agree with out right bans I have to disagree with your information. Where BSL is enforced the targeted catastrophic attacks and deaths decrease dramatically. Actual bites remain static which is anticipated as BSL does is not designed to decrease bites. Typically the it is the laws attempt at being proactive instead of reactive.
Wrong. The deaths and attacks have decreased by leaps and bounds.
Which countries are ridding BSL? It’s still going strong in the UK, in fact they’re thinking of adding MORE breeds to it (all fighting breeds so don’t worry retriever owners).
Do you have any sources to back these claims ?
Actually yes, a “crappy” owner of a golden retriever could turn it into quite a vicious monster … they are just not a breed that the crappy owners tend to choose.
So are you of the belief only good dog owners have golden retrievers? There are terrible dog owners of every breed, but it’s the pit who has violent stories behind it daily worldwide. A dog that can turn that easily is dangerous.
Don’t you think a lot of the reason pits have such a bad reputation is that, in any conflict with a human, the pit will win unless the human is armed?
A mature pit bull can easily kill most adult humans in an unarmed conflict.
Which is why the breed should be extinct. It’s too dangerous. It’s like keeping pet wolves, except pits aren’t afraid of people.
Bullshit. There are plenty of crappy golden retriever owners. Most goldens don’t end up as monsters because they’ve been bred to be extremely docile. Some end up bad but you’re always going to get SOME puppies in a litter that don’t fit their breed description (hence why SOME pits are ok – these would be culled by dogmen as curs).
I say if you as you put it ” put my dog down” that would be something you lived to regret. My dogs listen and are better behaved than most people’s children.
Ridiculous statement. Pit Bulls, Rotties etc can kill. If some stranger pointed a gun at you, would you wait to see if he was serious before you defended yourself? That is the same as some stranger dog running towards a person, or their child.
Maudelynn, you are so right. The basic problem with large and powerful dogs is that they are easily able to kill a human, especially a small, or weakened one. I don’t want a dog near me that could easily, and on a whim, become deadly. Pits, in my experience, have not been bad dogs, but they are much too powerful to have as pets. I wouldn’t want to keep a lion, either, for the same reason. If I am approached in a hostile way by either a lion or a pit bull, or even a human, I will use whatever… Read more »
And so should you.
First, a lion is an apex predator so, no, one should never have that animal as a pet. A Pit Bull is not a predator. They do no “suddenly” or “on a whim” turn violent. They almost always display warning signs before becoming aggressive. Even those that were previously fight dogs don’t tend to be aggressive towards humans because they were specifically taught to be dog aggressive. Most aggressive pitbulls come from abusive homes and are actually fear aggressive. So yes, if you don’t respect them (as with any dog), you will suffer the consequences. Pitbulls raised from Pups rarely… Read more »
happened to me two days ago,someone in my neighborhood let their pit bull lose,that scared the hell out of me,I was so shaken up.
Okay… so you were scared… why? Did the “pit bull” bite you? Or was it your own biased ignorance that was truly the culprit of your fear?
point is keep those ugly creatures on a leash
That goes for any dog.
Hi Maudelynne I rescued a full grown male Rottweiler that has a wonderful playful disposition and often take him to a off leash dog park . He lives with a male jack russell and often has a visitor male maltese we keep often for a friend. One day at the dog park a little maybe 3 year old strange boy ran toward my rottie and Duke licked him on his cheek and moved on to play with other dogs. I have never owned another dog with a disposition of this Rottie and for that matter I have been around 4… Read more »
Then train your dog not to run up to people – is that so hard?
Actually we have a neighbor who has a golden retriever he lets run around the neighborhood that attacks other dogs (even a “vicious” pit bull who cowered while this dog was attacking it) and tries to bite anyone who comes near it. It came close to biting my husband while he was walking to his car, but he managed to get in the car before the dog caught up to him. I also worked at a vet and a pack of 3 labs attacked this pit bull that eventually died from his wounds. All the dog attacks I saw at… Read more »
That pit was a cur.
Your ignorance is astonishing. Pit Bull Terriers have been around for many years. They were dubbed “the nanny dog” many years ago because of how trustworthy and docile they are around children. Their original purpose was to be farm dogs, herders and protectors. Not fighters. But the Pit has a specific anatomical trait that sets it apart from other breeds. Where most dogs have a jaw muscle similar to a humans’ that starts near the top of the jaw bone, the Pit has a muscle that starts at the top of it’s skull. This trait gives them one of the… Read more »
I admire you and your post.
I am in total agreement with your post. I have owned three pit bulls over the years, the first was a fighting dog that the owner was going to put down because she was too old at the age of 6 to fight, I found out about it and went and got the dog. She was the sweetest dog ever, once she was away from the idiot who was using her for fighting. She was very dog aggressive but people friendly. I had to keep her indoors away from other dogs, and always kept her leashed when taking her out.… Read more »
I didn’t even read your whole post because you started with “the nanny dog” myth.
It’s a myth. There is no such thing as a “nanny dog” except in peter pan (and that was a Newfoundland not a pit).
Pit bulls were bred for dog fighting, and before that, bull baiting (hence the “bull” in their name). There was never any such thing as a nanny dog and there never will be because you shouldn’t leave a child alone with a dog EVER.
Well his personal experience seems to be the same kind of experience most other pit breed owners have. Your 75% statistic is incorrect because it takes any breeds that look like what you think a pitbull looks like and lumps them all together. I know for a fact it includes Pit mixes, staffordshire bull terriers, american staffordshire terriers, american pitbull terriers, and some breeds of bulldogs. Even if you don’t count the mix breeds and bulldogs, thats still 3 breeds that are being lumped together to come up with a number higher than the doberman (which is #2 on your… Read more »
Steve, who gives a sh*t about being fair to pit bulls, or to any particular dog breed? I will defend against them, or any other hostile dog, regardless of breed. In any hostile encounter, nobody need consider fairness when being attacked. And, yes, I am nearly always exercising my right to be armed. Control your dogs, or lose them.
That has absolutely NOTHING to do with what I said. I agree with you, control your dog or you shouldnt have one. I’m merely pointing out that people who say “Pitbulls are dangerous. Heres the statistic” are using a very skewed, biased, and, quite honestly, incorrect statistic. And actually, you should care about being fair to pit bulls. There are people that want to eradicate a great breed of dog all because people either don’t know how to handle a high energy dog or cant tell the difference between a pit bull breed and any other medium sized, athletic breed.
You’re the kind of dumbass that caries a gun in the hopes that you have to use it aren’t you.
AL, you are the kind of dumb ass that makes big ass assumptions. I have once only brandished a gun to avoid a 1:00 AM home invasion. No gunfire was needed, no blood was shed. The guy finally left after making one more exploratory trip around the house on the outside. I was just 13. I am now 72.
Oh, i see. You’re just old. that actually makes more sense. Old people are usually more afraid of things like dogs and loud noises.
You must not read very well. I was 13.
I have no problem reading. You said you are now 72. I was refering to that and the comment “Steve, who gives a sh*t about being fair to pit bulls, or to any
particular dog breed? I will defend against them, or any other hostile
dog, regardless of breed”. How do you know a dog running towards you is being hostile ? I get it, old people are afraid of sudden movements. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.
Although i have to say that people are the stupid ones… You mostly see huge dogs coming at you while having a playful attitude and you start running like a fool ! In the first place if you cant be around big dogs dont go to dog parks etc because your behavior will make a dog think that you are willing to play or that you are a suspicious person that will try to hurt its owner. Also Dobs are reaaaaaaaaly friendly and they have similar character with the Pits, both are being greatly misunderstood as fighters etc but why… Read more »
There are millions of Pit Bulls in the world doing nothing, but showing love.
You are wrong on so many levels. The ONLY reason that Pit Bulls are involved in attacks at ALL is that they are such loyal dogs that they are trained in dog fighting rings. And the reason why there are so many stories about them is that there is a prejudice against an absolutely fantastic breed of dog. A properly socialized pit would NEVER hurt your daughter (or you). However, if you and your daughter are at a park, and you hurt my pit bull, you’ll have a much bigger problem on your hands. My pit bull won’t fight, but… Read more »
just last night a jrt attacked my neighbours dog lovely friendly dog labxdalmation aka the reverse dalmation
that same dog escapes his lead and has tried to bite me
I have a friend who was hospitalized by a golden retriever who tried to kill her. THe dog was a stray that she took care of at the request of the police while the owner was located. She turned her back after feeding him and he attacked and continued to attack while she cowered on the ground. It did not make the news although it would have if the dog had been a pit. I have two rescued pits, one is 15 and one is 8, who I trust absolutely. Dogs are just dogs-not time bombs.
Elzeenor, it better not be my dog you put down if it run towards you daughter, you will see the end result. That lady’s dog mauled you for a reason, you oozed evil and the dog smelled it.
Dee, do you mean to say we should have dog-operated courts that decide which humans have to be put down? Can we put humans down for being stupid? Report to the doggy court for immediate judgment.
Had a beagle attack us for no reason, especially when we were eating. My friend who owns beagles has never seen one like this one. We gave him to the pound.
small breeds take ALL of the top positions in the list of breeds aggressive towards humans.
If you were a dog you would be a labradoodle!
For every ONE pitbull that bites there are over ELEVEN MILLION that don’t. Please tell me what that percentage is. Oh and golden retrievers have attacked and even killed children however those stories don’t get put on the news. I guess if all pitbulls are killers than all blacks are criminals and all Hispanics are in gangs and all middle easterners are terrorists and all whites are serial killers ooh and all ppl like you are ignorant!!!
Pit Bulls are wonderful animals. In addition I have a GSD and he is awesome! Had Akita’s as well NEVER any issues. It is all in how they are treated, taught, and raised.
It’s also in the breeding. Careful breeding can enhance or lessen certain characteristics, that’s why different breeds were developed in the first place.
Exactly. Otherwise we’d be able to herd sheep with beagles and track scents with Pomeranians.
So genetics counts for ABSOLUTELY nothing? NOTHING at all!!! You could raise a wolf as a hamster and it would think it was a hamster??
The primary genetics that a dog has is species genetics, not breed genetics. The most important thing about a dog is that it is a dog, not that it’s a breed.
“Wolf” and “hamster” are species, not breeds.
“The primary genetics that a dog has is species genetics, not breed genetics” So it just an accident that golden retrievers tend to give birth to golden retrievers. That hounds have strong tracking instincts, border collies have herding instincts, etc. Ridiculous. Selecting for particular traits is how breeds are formed. My Cane Corsos are large, powerful, protective dogs that enjoy play fighting and pretending to kill other animals. They were selected for that trait. To suggest that they are somehow similar in behaviour to a Pug is laughable. My dogs have little interest in retrieving, and a lot of interest… Read more »
Exactly!
what are you on about? Wolf and hamster and different animals!
Chimps are a species with different breeds. Different breeds = different genetics. Different genetics = different behavioural patterns.
Pit Bulls are far stronger and more dangerous than a chihuahua. The Chi chi choo choo might me an aggressive little kunt but i would still rather be attacked by 5 chiuhahawoo woos than 1 pitbill!
FOOL! i pity ya!
You need to go and learn what “selective breeding” is.
Dogs bred for herding herd, dog bred for tracking, track, and dogs bred for fighting, fight. It’s no surprise. Well except to the people who have no idea what selective breeding is.
^ this.
well genetics….or breeding does play some part in their natural temperments.
But those temperments can be altered if raised right….but for a wolf….that’s another story…. a dometic animal vs. wild animal…you get totally different outcomes…..
No it’s not. I don’t know how you can completely discount genetics when there is so much evidence that it plays a HUGE role in animal (and human) behavior.
So you completely discount genetics then? Do you even understand what artificial selection / selective breeding is?
Not really, but people, in their mistaken sense of loyalty to a breed, often preach this. Much better to face actual facts, and make informed decisions than to rely solely on emotion, especially when someone could be maimed or killed.
Unfortunately this is not always true. I rescued a six week old rottie and socialized it with people, kids, cats and dogs. She was never comfortable with any one but us. After biting 3 people (luckily friends) at 1and 1/2 years old we had to put her down. One of the worst times in our life . We have owned rotties and labs and never had problems. Sometimes it just doesn’t matter how you raise your pups. I cringe every time I hear someone say it is how you raise them!!!
The general rule is it is how you train and raise them. There will always be the exception to that rule. Just like how sometimes, people are born with a mental illness. Just because some people are born disturbed, does that mean all people are? No, Its the same with dogs. Sometimes, one is born with something wrong inside its head.
I had a sheep with something wrong inside her head. It was her who was that way, not the majority of sheep.
A lot could have happened in the 6 weeks before you rescued the pup. We ‘rescued’ our last Staphie at 8 weeks and she was awesome with other people, kids, cats and female dogs – but VERY aggressive towards male dogs. Most likely this was caused by her being present when her mother was attacked by the father while she was nursing the pups.
And what if a stranger does come to your house? The mailman, a girl scout selling cookies, a neighborhood kid. And your pup you’re so proud of “hurts them badly”. Will you take responsibility? Or will you continue to defend your pet?
You make a false assumption. Any dog, raised with affection, will greet all strangers with loud barking (to say hello), racing toward them to greet them, jump all over them with excitement and enthusiasm and affection. If you are afraid of my dogs, let me introduce you to them and explain their behavior. My first introduction to dogs was when I visited a young couple who had several. When I walked in, their boxer ran up to me, stood on his hind legs and placed his front paws on my chest. I asked, “Is it ok if I pet him?”… Read more »
What a load of nonsense. Many dogs raised with love and affection will not let you in their yard or home. They are called guard dogs.
None of the pits ive ever known would attack anyone. People go into my home all the time when I’m not there (my friends and family have keys) and my pit never bothers anyone. She just sits there on the couch and chews away at her bone. The other day, I got bit by another guys lab mix and my dog didn’t even react. She doesn’t know how to be angry. Even Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, has a pit. That should say something about the misconception behind the pit breeds (of which there are more than one, btw)
in the situations you list, a stranger is invading and I would praise the animal as it is doing it’s job protecting the home but they shouldn’t just attack. They should bark and warn off the INTRUDER, if the intruder comes over the fence (only irresponsible owners don’t fence in their dogs) the dog will actually run away, turn and bark again…if they persist the dog may then run at them but usually they will continue the retreat, turn, bark behavior. But if you jump someones fence and get attacked you shouldn’t have any legal recourse, you are an intruder…but… Read more »
Pits! Bah! There are many other mastiff breeds that are superior!
Or just read all the statistics on how many fatalities they are involved in
I love my pit. Shes a sweety. Crazy buff, but a terrible guard dog. Seriously. I got bit by another guys dog the other day on a walk. My pit just stood there looking at me with this expression on her face that just said “play time?”
True to standard purebred pit bulls aren’t 80 pounds. They are 30-55 pounds and appear more like a mutt. Those large “pit bulls” are mixes. Do a DNA test on your dog and you will be surprised.
“Never has another human been harmed” I notice you specifically mentioned only humans, how many cats and dogs have your pits mauled or killed then? Also why do you crop your dog’s ears? In my country that is considered abusive (mutilation). Is it because he is used for fighting? If not why bother to crop? And if you didn’t know; attributes like aggression are scientifically proven to have a genetic component in humans and dogs (actually all mammals, and probably most vertebrates). So it’s not all “how you raise them” even in humans which are much more able to think… Read more »
My relatives has a Pit and the only thing she attacks is a ball. A stranger can enter the house and if they throw the ball she is your friend for life. Not a very good guard dog. When the UPS man comes to deliver packages ,He throws the ball and gives her treats, she thinks he is the best UPS guy ever, she will lick him and get in the truck with him. He is so great with all dogs.
Means she notices what goes on at the house. Thats what they do. And if someone had ill intentions then she would act on that situation. And as of yet, no one has been maimed, bitten, injured, amazingly enough….but you can come over. Maybe then you can overcome your paranoia and stupidity.
Just now noticed your screen name. As in “limp brain synopsis?” Whatever you meant, it gave me a grin.
synopsis or synapses? …they are very different words.
“synopsis or synapses? …they are very different words.”
Not if you’re 2/3ds tanked. I would be embarrassed, but I have a reason. No excuse, but a reason…
Stupidity and Paranoia? You give Pit Bulls and their owners, a bad name. I found what was left of a child I loved dearly that had been mauled by pit bulls. So I am stupid and paranoid because I am terrified of them now ? Piss Off.
The pain from the loss you have suffered is nothing I wish on anyone, whether that be the loss of a child, or a friend – but you seem okay with wishing that on others saying it is okay to kill their pet (which is often a child and friend to those that love them). That is what BSL does, allows murder to be performed on even the innocent. It does not allow for each case to be judged on an individual basis with the ability to be innocent until proven guilty. If it had been a Hispanic male with… Read more »
The majority of dogs will bark and be ready to protect their home. It don’t mean they are going to attack someone. People need to understand the body language and this includes the Police who are killing dogs for simple barking. Even a dog showing it’s teeth is just a warning.
Well then they can wait at the front gate and push the door bell!! That is why my dogs are there to keep my family safe! But they are great around the kids and the etc,etc is what I want to keep OUT!!!
We took a shelter pit bull. After 2 years – the length of time we give a dog to acclimate to us – he was the most affectionate dog, not just to us, but to everyone. Tough as nails and all muscle, but not a distrustful or aggressive bone in his body.
Statistics are for our safety and security. Would you buy a vehicle that was known, statistically, for poor steering ability or stopping ability? Especially when your family was concerned?
Statistics are stupid. Do you know how easy it is to skew statistics to prove a specific point? All I have to do is keep taking samples until I find the one sample, no matter how miniscule, that proves my point. For example, with pit breeds, do you know how they come up with that statistic? They take statistics from staffordshire bull terriers, american staffordshire terriers, american pit bull terriers, some leaner breeds of bull dogs, any mix that has pit in it, and even some mixes that don’t have any pit at all but are medium sized and muscular,… Read more »
Steve, it is easy to lie with statistics, but a good statistician will catch the lie. Your resampling theory has surely been done here and there, but it is a wrongful use of statistics. I have an impression that no amount of statistical data will be convincing to you.
The original breed purpose of the APBT was for dog fighting. Go further back to the bull dog and it was for baiting bulls (attacking and hanging off the nose of the bull for “entertainment”). They are the “most common dog used for dog fighting” because they were BRED for it. You cannot train a dog to ignore pain and keep attacking. Most breeds still have basic survival instincts built in that makes them run away when they get injured. A pit bull will keep attacking even when fatally wounded, until it dies. This is not because of “loyalty” it… Read more »
You are simply wrong. Statistics prove that pitties and rotties account for most maiming and killing of humans, of all the breeds. And by a very wide margin. Those are just facts, and I love them as much as anybody does. However, I think it is crazy to have these breeds around children. There are many very suitable family pet breeds.
Your opinion means nothing, certainly doesnt mean im wrong. Properly bred and raised, pits are fine, ignorance like yours notwithstanding. Perpetuating fear factors about any breed of dog only incites people without true knowledge of said breeds to fear them instinctively, causing their reactions to be extreme. Statistics are lovely tools, often misused by people such as yourself, to support a belief that is erroneous. You omit the mitigating factors that contribute to the statistics, rendering your opinion shortsighted and foolish. I now have a pit boxer mix in the fold, and the alpha dog is the lab. So take… Read more »
The humane society america says it the majority of large breed attack are by labrador retriever and golden retrievers.
Curious what the majority of all breed attacks are … probably chihuahuas. …and I’m guessing the stats you are looking it is raw number without including populations … given the popularity of retrievers it is not surprising they would have the majority of attack.
They looked at fatal and critical attacks. When is the last time you heard about a chihuahua killing anyone?
You’re more likely to get bitten by a chihuahua than a pit, but you probably won’t have to go to the hospital
My sister and her husband have had a string of five Goldens. They were all sweethearts and male. I don’t know why this attack thing would be a stat, because I’ve known many other Goldens owned by many people, and the people have different personalities. I’ve seen low to higher anger issues in some owners, and I have never witnessed any aggression in their dogs. Every lab, no matter what color I’ve ever encountered has been an annoying bright kid, or so into themselves and their in-the-moment existence, they are as threatening as a curious child. If you want a… Read more »
Excuse me I was raised with mostly pits and personally had an untrained pit and bloodhound mix. She was the sweetest animal as were the ones I was raised around. My grandmother trained them by herself in the backyard without any help or problems. The problems my family has had is with the little dogs. They’re mean and hateful and don’t seem to have as near of much a personality as big dogs. Which leads me to believe that little dogs are just stupid biters.
Read the stats about Pits turning on their owners. Including those raised in loving homes. Pits are a menace.
I don’t particularly care for pits … I think their poker faces are scary good … but I also don’t think an entire breed should be condemned because of ignorance (mine or anyone elses).
If you took time to look at the stats, you would change your mind. Over 60% of all dog bite fatalities are caused by Pit Bulls (more than other breeds combined).
because they take attack numbers from around 5 or 6 breeds and an unknown number of mixes and call them all “pit bulls”, which isn’t a breed, by the way. If you take 60% of dogs and call them all “pit bulls”, of course they are going to have 60% of attacks.
Your ignorance is a menace
Whatever! keep your pants on!
It could have been a Pit? Just gotta three that out there don’t you?
I will be 1st to say and you can ask any Vet over 50 about how americans have bred labs to be large rather than to keep their mellow personalities. English do try to keep the original breed size and personality so you have a very sweet not huge dog…great hunter as well as companion dogs.
I actually have a traditional English Labrador. He’s crazy (as Labs tend to be) but I love him and he loves me. He loves mostly everyone he meets but there’s only been a few people he’s full-on growled at. I like to think that those were bad people that he sensed something was wrong with them.
My doxie mix was the same. He could sense danger in people. He used to growl at a friend of my son’s and it wasn’t long until we found out why. This guy was totally bad news and ended up hurting my son. My Freddy knew it and was only doing his job to try and warn my son and us. That is a good dog.
I totally can believe that tale. It seems as though dogs and small children have a knack for knowing who is good and who is a bad person. Even if the person pretends to be honorable the dog knows he is a faker. I can proudly say I’ve never been bitten by a dog, and this is after I unknowingly made friends with the boss’s pit bull who nobody else except the boss could get near. He was hooked up by the truck one day and I was told to check oil, water etc. I walked over Pit bull was… Read more »
I get what you mean. I had a black tic hound. Cousin to the blue tic hound. And you would’ve thought he was stupid, but it was all an act. He was the kindest guy you’d have ever met, until one day a dog tried to attack me and he went from a sitting position to a standing position in the most ferocious demeanor I’ve ever seen in my life the other dog was shocked, his owner was shocked and so was I. Once I recovered though the even more shocking thing happened, I told him to heal, and he… Read more »
Love that story.
Well done doggie 🙂
my 2yr old rotti loves everyone and cats how ever now an again while out walking someone will be walking up to me to pass by she will turn round off lead come to me stand infront of me an growl at that person an stay by me an keep between me and that person when there gone shes back to playing round dogs have a 5th sense they know how you feel though s ppl are most likely annoyed over some thing an harmless but have a temper in side them the dog picks up on that an reads… Read more »
be careful I had a 12 year rotti I just recently had to put down as I couldn’t trust him around my kids.
he was friendly loved everyone till he was around 2 years old then become very protective and eventually wanted to kill everyone.
That was a training/socialization issue. The dog did not turn for no reason. You killed it because of ignorance.
That could probably be said for all incidents regarding dog attacks. Put the dog down first then rationalize the ignorance later, I am tired of having to grab my dog up (on a leash) to protect it from dogs that escape their yards. All dogs eventually find a way to get free even from a leash. The response is very simple. Your dog attacks another human or another dog that is on a leash and it gets put down. Plain and simple. I have seen plenty of dogs that escape and then just run around all playful, not a problem… Read more »
I don’t think all dogs that “attack” other dogs should be put down. It should depend on the severity of the attack.
It’s natural for dogs to fight other dogs sometimes, two males cross paths and give each other funny looks and they might suddenly fight over it.
Sometimes two dogs who have been “friends” for ages will fight.
If the bites break the skin or the dog goes for the throat or shakes the other dog then yes, put them down. If it’s merely a scuffle that causes no injury then no, I don’t think it’s necessary.
hey i’ve got an idea when kids at school get in a fight if there’s any blood let’s put them down to. you know as well i do that’s not right. if dog’s run loose thing’s will happen why not make owener’s more responsible where are dog catcher’s to get the stray’s and make owener’s keep dog’s in a fenced in area. let’s also thing about how or what the owener is keeping an aggressive dog’s for did they make it that way to protect something
Do not try to equate dogs with children. Dogs are not children. A child doesn’t tear another child open and spill it’s guts on the ground, or pick up and shake another child until it’s neck breaks. Certain dog breeds are capable of this, and even medium sized dogs (i.e. border collies) can do this to small dogs. Lets get this straight – it’s not “normal” dog behaviour to try to kill another dog for no reason other than it happens to be there. That shows that the dog has not been properly socialized or has been bred for dog-specific… Read more »
Agreed.
another know it all im warning this guy so the same thing doesn’t happen with his dog
That’s an incorrect assumption. I had a Rott that was gentle and friendly. He was attacked and injured in a dog park one day by a male Great Dane. From then on he was aggressive toward male dogs. Then one night my son was sitting on the sofa and he attacked my son. The vet said this behavior stemmed from the dog attacking him in the dog park. He was 8 years old when it happened. It destroyed me to put him down but I was afraid he would attack my son or another male again.
Injured at the dog park LMAO
You did the right thing – you should never keep a dog alive that has shown it will attack humans unprovoked – especially children. Euthanasia at the Vet is painless and more humane than allowing the dog to be a risk to humans.
You are also correct, aggression can be caused by bad experiences (attacks, abuse, neglect etc) or lack of socialization AS WELL as genetics.
In short – all behavior is caused by BOTH nature AND nurture.
Well put,thank you.
maybe the dog had bipolar
I killed it because it was very dangerous and the dog had plenty of training and socialization
The dog was essentially a teenager. I understand not wanting the dog around your children when the dog is acting aggressively, but it really didn’t merit putting the dog down. Also, your use of the word “it” makes me think that you really didn’t care much for the dog in the first place.
Maybe you were not the right owner. Several people get the wrong dogs for the family and the dog usually pays the ultimate price. Not everyone should own a dog. Not everyone should have a child either.
Actually it sounds more like a genetic issue. The same thing happens with wolf-hybrids, they’re lovely until they grow up and their instincts kick in. Dog breeds that have been bred for guarding or fighting are naturally more aggressive (on average) than other breeds. It is a latent aggression caused by genetics for breeding for aggression (which guard dogs and fighting dogs need to be good guarders / fighters).
Yes I mentioned that dog aggression can be either poor socialization or genetic (i.e. bred for dog-specific aggression). Aggression can be species specific – American Pit Bull Terriers for example were / are bred specifically for dog aggression, “guarding” breeds for aggression towards strange humans, livestock guardian breeds for aggression towards wild animals (or anything that threatens their flock) etc. Any type of aggression can be redirected onto unintended targets if the preferred target is unreachable – the aggression eventually needs an outlet if it is present in the dog (this is similar to how border collies will occasionally try… Read more »
My rottie is about 5 yo. I got her last year when she was about 4. She was an abandoned stray, very emaciated, and apparently abused as she cowered at the slightest hand movement. She is now the most gentle and loving dog. People said I was crazy to take her in, but she has proven “love conquers all”. She is the most awesome companion to my 5 yo grandson. They adore each other.
she must have been insecure and (no offense a lo of people are) a bad leader. dogs require boundries and limitations and like having set rules and an alpha to follow, not someone who coddles them. Even without knowing it, if your dog walks in front of you around the yard or on walks, he doesn’t respect you.
There is absolutely no scientific evidence that dogs have “alphas” – an “alpha male” and dominance hierarchies are something seen in primate groups (including humans), not dogs or even wolves. By using the term alpha male and thinking of dog relationships as hierarchies, you’re humanising dogs. If a dog walks in front of you it shows absolutely nothing about whether he respects you or not, or how obedient he is. There are plenty of breeds bred to work out in front of their owners, walking ahead of them while they listen for commands or do some prescribed job. Do you… Read more »
Very true. And we also know that hostile insecure people get dogs to intimidate others.
Your not very intelligent are you?
Yes I am. Who wants to know.
Pat likes cats. That makes Pat a first class IDIOT. No good person can stand cats. That is why so many women who have been divorced 100 times become cat people.
*you’re*
I got pit mixes that needed homes. I wanted one of them anyway, he lived across the street and showed real attentiveness and intelligence early on. But he had a fractured rib, was eaten up with worms, and very sick when the owner’s mother ran him over to me while the owner was gone. The other was literally dropped in front of the house with a broken tail from where some stupid person had put a rubber band in hopes of making his tail fall off. So yeah, there was a lot of insecurity involved there. Don’t me stupid.
For Derek —I would have enjoyed and understood more of your comment if you had only used a bit of punctuation. You have left out all the commas (,) and periods (.) one would need to assist in understanding your thoughts. Please read other people’s comments and try to see where they use punctuation. At least give it a try. Thank you.
My border collie is normally very timid and sweet with people, but there was one man he took offense to and turned into a beast from hell – the full works: snarling, growling, showing teeth, LOUD barking, mock charges, hackles along the WHOLE spine raised… he looked like a wild animal. However in that case I think it was totally deserved. I was out in the countryside with only my sister and my mother (3 women) and there was a strange man following us and circling us silently, without saying anything to us. He kept moving around us and watching… Read more »
idiot. As if a dog can sense human traits.
That’s nothing. Another lady had her face ripped off by a chimp.
I also saw a story where they caught a dog mauling on video. It was attributed to a “pit bull”. A dog expert called the reporter and said that it was a lab, not a pit. The reporter replied: “Any dog that vicious is a pit bull in my eyes.” So you know pits are getting blamed for things they had nothing to do with.
Per wikipedia, the woman took an overdose of sleeping pills, and fell onto the floor unconscious. The dog may have mauled her by trying to wake her up – not because labs might belong on this list.
Ah, but what was it mixed with?
I love Pomeranians they are so cute and I like the long haired breeds and would spend the time to brush them every day.
I have a pom, not by choice, he was my sister’s dog and when she passed away…no one wanted him, he’s not housebroken therefore must wear diapers, stubborn, and when i agreed to take him, as he was adored by my sister and i would never let her down, even in death, he bit the crap out of me all the time…he would go in a closet or under the bed and if i tried to get him out he would snarl,bare his teeth growl and constantly just bite and bite me, i refused to give up on Him and… Read more »
That’s full of crap about poms I’ve owned Pomeranian s that are LOVING family dogs n LOVING w children’s the easiest to those break ever mine were my last one died a yr ago at 12 yrs Every one babies their dogs Not sure how your sister trained or treated this dog or it’s back ground but your making big generalization s against poems based on your 1 experience with your sisters dog why didn’t you get a dog trainer Call Cesar just because yours wasn’t properly socialized don’t mean all poms are like that n often if under the… Read more »
I know some humans who are loving too…..
Like with any dog including Pitbulls. it’s not the dog it’s the owner and how the dog is trained.
I could not agree with you more and to those people who say when little dogs are cute and funny when they snarl well you should think it would it be funny to a baby or a child. My niece who is three was playing with her toys in the front yard with her mom right there me as well and a boston terrier was across the street growling and snarling at my niece and she was terrified. Now my sister has a saint bernard bull mastiff mix and that dog maybe big but he is the most loyal dog… Read more »
That’s not true. Pit Bulls have bad and good owners. Even the ones with good owners kill people. It is in their DNA. They are PIT BULLS, don’t you know what the name implies? It means that their purpose in life is to kill.
I have raised them my entire life. You are 100% incorrect. I was taught not to speak on matters i have no experience in. It’s not whether the owner is “good”. Its whether the owner understands how to properly train and raise a dog. I have personally lived everyday in the same home through 76 yrs of apbt lifespan. Never one human bit. That’s while having 5 children grow up in the home, family over for holidays, parties, etc. But thanks for the heads up. Can’t believe I was about to go curl up in bed with my wife and… Read more »
I have experience in this matter, having a child I loved mauled to death. Thanks for the heads up that you know everything about pit bulls
When my daughter was 5 she was out playing in the front yard when my neighbors Std Poodle mix got out, knocked her down and was starting to drag her away. My Staffie saw this, went through the storm door and started wiping the street with a Poodle mop. Police were called, neighbors dog was taken away (and later put down because this was it’s third strike) – my Staffie got a nice big steak for dinner that night.
Pit Bull does not imply their purpose is to kill! That doesn’t even make sense! Do you know what ‘implies’ means? And if so does pit mean kill or bull?
Pit as in fighting pit … Bull as in to bring down and kill a Bull. You are incorrect.
They were bred to keep the bulls from attacking others – they were trained to grab the bull by the nose ring and keep them occupied – not much different than the job herding dogs do.
The stats bear out what you are saying. Fatal bites by pit bulls exceed the numbers of all other breeds combined! Check it out for yourself.
Yep, they’ve been bred for aggression.
People fail to understand the basics of selective breeding.
For fucks sake, these dogs were all ultra aggressive wolves before domestication.
ANY terrier, including the 10lb rat terrier was bred to kill … but any terrier with a responsible owner can be responsibly raised.
Pit bulls were created by using terriers that were crossed with bull dogs. They not only were bred to kill, they have the strength and jaws to do so, even in the case of killing humans. Just because there are several varieties of pit bull does not mean they should keep statistics separately. The main thing to know is that they kill more humans than any other type of dog. Add all the various shepherd breeds together if you like, or all the retrievers and hunting dogs, or all of the sled dog types and none of these other groups… Read more »
Pit bulls were not bred to kill – they were bred to bait bulls so the bulls (and the rest of the herd) could be handled and cared for.
hooligan6a…you are uneducated and ignorant. Bet you have never even interacted with one of those dogs…and btw pit bull does not refer to a single breed. Where the hell did you “learn” that name means to kill?? You are an idiot. Why don’t you do some real research and not form an opinion based on the media or on what you hear from a neighbor’s sister’s best friend who dated a guy who worked with a man that knew someone who knew someone that had a pit bull. If you did some real researcher you would learn these dogs were… Read more »
You are uneducated and ignorant. I have interacted with these dogs and I have also studied their history and read the reports of people killed by dogs in this country for all of the recent years. The only dogs that come close to the number of human fatalities is the Rottweiler.
That’s probably the best post here, ’nuff said!
Most trainers I’ve ever talked to do not approve of Cesar Milan’s methods.
I have two dogs and one is a shephard lab mix along with my other dog who is a boxer mix and the only way they would be harmful is if someone broke into my house or if someone was threatening me or my family no one has any right to judge an animal just because of their reputation
I have trained apbt and rotties for 15 yrs. Lived with them in the home from a child. While entertaining I would never promote his methods. While they make for a good show I can’t believe that they are reliable, safe, or at all possible to teach or pass on.
I can only imagine how many owners have been injured trying to establish “alpha” dominance over an unstable/aggressive dog that is not restrained the way he has demonstrated.
Sounds like you’ve never heard the difference between anectdotes and evidence.
In other news we learned Cynthia’s life experience trumps everyone else’s and can be substituted for fact. Thanks Cynthia!
Everyone? So Everyone who has ever owned a Pom is on this board saying how bad they are? Good to know.
Its amazing to me how dogs who are trained and treated right turn out to be “good” dogs. I get so tired of all the grief that pit bulls get because they are used as a status symbol and not trained or treated right. If you look deeper into the statistics you find that pits are at the top of good temperament studies and that the dogs that do bite, the majority have not been socialized but kept outside on a chain. I have a Boxer/Staffie mix and she goes everywhere with us, even to work with my husband. Everyone… Read more »
Exactly how “the aggressive dog” owners feel… difference? Poms are not reported as monsters by the media…
Yes, I do agree Poms are temperamental.
EXACTLY!!!!
You can google fatalities by breed. Pit bulls, mastiffs, a few others, but mostly pit bulls. The web site gives names and circumstances. Just because your pit bull is good to you don’t be fooled, it’s in their DNA.
You are right there Fred. It’s in the DNA.
Again more ignorance. I have bred apbt, lived with then in the gone from the day I was born and personally lived through and along side 76 years of pit life span. Never one instance of “turning” .lol. You people who read things and think your experts but have probably never spent one min in the presence of these dogs your so scared of crack me up. I am an expert and it’s from yrs of experience. Killing is in no dogs DNA. Yes, they are extremely strong, yes, they are protective, they are aggressive, they will fight to the… Read more »
Brandon you get the Bravo award for your post! Like you I have spent years of training with my Rottie. She has her CGC, BH, and SCH1 title. People need to research the breed they want to bring in their home and be dedicated to give them proper excercise and training.
There are a couple of points to consider here. First, due to the size, large dogs are more likely to kill someone than small dogs. Let’s face it, a pom would have a much harder time killing you than a mastiff. Second, many of the websites information appears to be anecdotal and imprecise. Reading through their reports they lump all sorts of dogs into the “Pit Bull” category. This sort of misinformed reporting leads to bad conclusions. As for the claim that it is in their DNA, that is true, at least in the sense that the instinct to kill… Read more »
True. Species is far more important than breed. When it comes to other types of animals, tigers, pet rats, sheep, whatever, people don’t focus on the breed, they focus on the species. Why don’t we have the sense to do the same in regards to dogs?
Shitty ownership runs rampant with these dogs as status symbols. Pit bulls have been nanny dogs for a great many families before their popularity with idiots rose and are still a preferred breed for families with children. Don’t you remember Petey from the Little Rascals? You probably think German Shepherds are unstable because they’re high on the bite list too, meanwhile every bite on the job counts against them and they loyally serve as police dogs.
👏 Finally someone understands.
You hit the nail on the head. I worked for a veterinarian many years ago while in high school. I was bitten several times, mostly by toy poodles. Never got bit by a larger breed. That was because I always handled the larger breeds as I was taught while I was more careless with the smail breeds. While I am a dog lover, to this day I don’t care for poodles. Sorry Fifi.
Thank you for a factual and smart post! If only more people felt this way!
So true I have a Chihuahua mix with a yorkie n he bite and scratch da heck out of me but my German Shepherd is nice and do not deserve to b #2 on da list
I read also about a Jack Russel Terrier that killed a newborn baby.
Our dog groomer has been bitten. Her worst bite was a Golden. The so called gentlest ? The only reason big dogs make this list. Is because They Are Big. and if they bite it’s a bite. Small dogs bite more often. But by being smaller far less damage and thus they don’t get the press.
And American Pit Bull Terriers are the #1 dog responsible for fatal maulings.
Pitbulls actually make awful guard dogs unless they are trained to be that. In truth they are sweet, playful, loyal dogs. And they’re very intelligent. Most pitbulls are people pleasers. So its very disappointing that so many people have abused that trait to make them fight.
I’ve been around quite a few little dogs, as well as big dogs. I’ve found the pee wees to be the most obnoxious percentage-wise. Some of them seemingly don’t understand their small size will get their butts kicked. It’s kind of funny to see a half pint trying to intimidate a large dog.
My 5 month old shep with 3 ankle biters! They growled and barked at him and he just wanted to play!
I have a little Terrier like that! She love to run down the back drive way and bark at all those big dangerous dogs, get them all excited, people coming out to see what happening! She is a biter too if you try to take something from her, very territorial this dog I love!
I have a Rottweiler/Boxer mix, he tilts his head at the little obnoxious dogs, turns sideways, lifts his leg and pees on them.
You ought to let the police and also the drug dealers know this — they’re choosing the wrong dog for their guard dogs. They should be using chihuahuas and poodles for the police dogs and drug dealers need to switch to them to guard their stash houses.
Your an ignorant fool no one is saying these breeds can’t be aggressive when raised to be, they are saying in a normal family environment Chihuahuas and other breeds can be more aggressive. I have been training dogs since I was 16 and working with trainers since I was 4 and in a normal family environment these are by far some of the best dog breeds for family and disabled people. That being said does it mean they can’t be aggressive like ANY OTHER BREEDS no it doesn’t so why don’t you shut that gaping ignorant mouth go spend some… Read more »
Chihuahuas can’t kill you like a pitbull. That’s the difference
Train any dog to fight and it will to please its owner…especially pits because they are so loyal.
Raise a pit (like any other dog) in a loving environment and they will thrive. I’ve had many pit bulls as pets and worked with hundreds of them in shelters. The media loves attacking them.
THANK YOU!! that’s what I’ve been saying!
I am on my third bully/bully mix in my life time, I am 55 years old, upper middle income, just telling you this because I have been told I own a “ghetto hound” by trolls on other sites . Training, love, patience, socialization have resulted in the sweetest, most gentle and well mannered polar opposite of a typical pit bull, a dog is only as smart as its owner.
The issue isn’t can they kill – it’s what dogs are more aggressive. My chihuahua rescue will bite, my late German Shepherd wouldn’t have considered it. In fact their vet said he’d never once been bitten by a large dog but had been bitten too many times to count by small dogs.
Oh i beg to differ on that a pit bull can do some damage yes but a chihuahua can do just as much i saw a little girl on the news and she got attacked by one and she is dead now cause the dog went right to her throat
I googled that and came up with nothing. Links?
Depends on how many there are. There was a huge pack terrorizing an area in Mexico not long ago and the news said they actually did kill some kids that couldn’t get away fast enough and killed some of their animals.
I would argue that in a “normal” family environment, none of the breeds listed would pose a threat. assuming, of course, that “normal” means trained to be obedient, socialized, well cared for, and given the proper amount of exercise. the only difference between pits and dogs of that ilk being aggressive versus the smaller breeds is that the lil guys can’t kill you. I think humor was the intent.
In your experience as a dog trainer, based on behavior inheritance do you think that there are some breeds that are genetically predisposition towards aggressive behavior?
No any dog can be aggressive no matter the breed I was raised with 2 pits the only time they were ever aggressive is when I golden lab came into our yard and tried to attack me it waswa horrible experience because of that my dogs had to be put down for saving my life and protecting me so to get back to your question do I think any breeds have a genetic predisposition to be aggressive no I do not because those genetic markers have been so breed out of any modern dogs because aggression is not needed. dogs… Read more »
I’ve been working with rescues for 8 years now. In my experience of fostering, providing medical care to injured and abused animals is that the friendliest and most appreciative dogs are the Pit Bulls, they naturally think they are lap dogs and enjoy affection. The dogs that bite the most, well, I concur with many on this thread, is is the Chihuahua by far. Problem is the size. If a Pit Bull bites he causes damage, not always true with the little dogs. Most bites are the fault of the owner/dog handler not paying attention to signs the dog is… Read more »
As an experienced Rotweiller rescuer I see the same thing in Rotties. I have worked with some of the most abused dogs you can imagine. I took in one Rottie for a now defunct rescue agency that had been horribly abused. She had been beaten resulting in her hips being broken, both front legs broken, all her ribs on the right side and most of her ribs on her left side broken. She had then been abandoned in the woods, placed on an 8 ft chain with fresh food and water just out of her reach at 9ft away. By… Read more »
*YOU’RE
As in… No Jacob you’re the one who appears to be ignorant. Oh the irony! You calling the kettle black by telling someone their ignorant but, you can’t spell a 1st grade word.
However I agree with what you said about the dogs.
peacocks…try peacocks…lol
And geese,had a nasty peck from a gander ….and bruise from wing edge.
LOL
LOL!
How many of those bites from a small dog do you think would be as ferocious as these? that’s almost laughable.
Only in america, dogs hold a higher status than people.
As they should – I like dogs way better than people. One is innocent and the other is detrimental to everything we touch, dogs included.
there is a name for your mental disorder: theriophily. if humans are so bad, why don’t you just take yourself out and be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.
Why don’t you choke on your next steak dinner and die and do the world a favor!!
A lot of dog lovers are basically insane and extremely needy for something to love them. So the dog likes them because the owner feeds it and the owner projects on the dog that the dog loves them Ha Ha.
Agreed!
I can sum up your entire character just by reading your above statement. You are the type of person us dog lovers are referring to when we state we love dogs more than most people. Speaks volumes……..you have no heart or compassion for people or animals. A sad existence but it’s your choice.
In my neighborhood in Connecticut a home care nurse or aide was mauled nearly to death by Rotts. She never had a problem with these dogs but there were 2 females in heat in a separate part of the house. This appears to have been the trigger. AMATEUR BREEDERS BE MORE CAREFUL!!!
All 5 of the home’s dogs were ordered destroyed and the poor woman suffered unspeakable injuries.
can’t we just take you out instead? it’s her opinion, and it’s perfectly fine. reacting to her the way you just did only reinforces her belief that people aren’t worthy of her attention. well done.
It`s the dumb humans who`ve bred so many weird examples,including inbred health issues…not nice eh.
Working dogs only I say….excluding gun dogs doing destructive man`s bidding.
And for good reason!! Humans are the most dangerous and aggressive specie on the planet, not to mention the most destructive!!
the most judgmental, the most opinionated, the most empirical…oh the list goes on…but, when one opines, and that opinion sounds like that of the aforementioned, well, I guess we understand why dogs are OUR best friend….
Small dogs are actually more “ferocious” because idiot owners think it’s cute when their small dog growls or goes after a larger dog and coddling them telling them it’s okay etc…in a sense rewarding the dog for it’s behavior.
ALL breeds are great dogs. 99% of dog behavior issues are caused by humans…do some research and you will see. Do away with BSL and make fines stiffer and costlier for owners of dogs that attack people. The fines and penalties are laughable…
LOL, littke dogs seem to think they have alot to prove because they are so little. I pretty much have come to believe that’s why they sometimes are so aggressive!!
Couldn’t agree with you more Kaylee. My “dangerous” pit has been attacked and snapped at by multiple smaller dogs and all she does is cower afterwards!!!
Same here! I love when I take my rottie on walks and he gets nipped at by small dogs. Then the owner says “oh he just doesnt like big dogs” or “well rottweilers are dangerous” yet he’s the one being attacked.
OMG you should see my pit bull with his 4 (all under 5-pound) siblings, they approach his bed and he gets up and lets them have it (the bed that is). He is such a wus!
EXACTLY … and everyone ignores small dogs that bite.
Because they cannot kill ?
The characteristics you refer to are not just based on size. Most larger breeds belong to the Working, Herding, or Sporting groups. These dogs are intelligent, balanced, and capable of working independently. Many of the smaller breeds are Terriers or Toys. Terriers can be highly aggressive, and Toys are usually coddled by their owners, and therefor might not be properly socialized.
It makes sense; they probably tried to pick them up, which they wouldn’t do with a big dog. Any dog only has it’s teeth. Unfortunately people only have their brains and that seems to fail them most of the time
Big dogs are usually trained better. When theyre puppies, if the big dog jumps up on you or nips at you, it hurts, so you correct the behavior and eventually it isn’t a problem. Little dogs, jumping up doesnt bother you as much and neither does the biting so you don’t bother to discipline them. When they become adults, they end up being very unruly dogs.
Would you rather be attacked by 10 goldfish or 1 tiger????
You fool!
Im a vet tech and have been for 5 yrs, but rather grew up on large farms all my life. Let me tell you I’d much rather work with anyone of these breeds then small dogs anyday. I have been bitten more times in a lifetime by numerous small dogs amd only slightly nipped or warned by one dog and that was a previosuly abused pit that was rescued and in foster care. And even then it was a warning nip not aggressivly and certainly did not fear for my life. If you know about animal behavior amd body language… Read more »
I was told by a vet that , that is true. Bigger dogw have self confidence and more stable generally.
Chihuahuas don’t kill Gretchen. Pits do.Ugh, I am so tired of seeing that claim (excuse). And the other tired rant “Humans are the most dangerous animals in the world.” Grade 3 reasoning.
Correct me it I’m wrong, but the article is titled ’25 Dangerous Dog Breeds Most Likely to Turn on Their Owner’. No where in the title does it mention which dogs are capable of ‘killing’. Anyone with a brain knows that Chihuahuas are not capable of killing humans. And making statements like, “Chihuahuas don’t kill Gretchen. Pits do” are examples of the ignorance that make humans the most dangerous. Get a clue. Oh, and for the record, I’m an owner of both pit bulls and chihuahuas – having only ever been bitten by my chihuahua.
You’re probably tired of hearing it because you know it’s true…dogs are like any other object that can cause harm, cars, guns, power tools and other people. We tend to look at this out of perspective….dog attacks are terrible, I’ve broken up a few dog fights that were really bad. However, seen in perspective…with pit bulls killing 20 people in 2010 and accidental falls killing 27,483…we realize that the world is not a ‘safe’ place. I’m not making excuses for the people who did not control their animals and allowed this to happen, while on the other hand I’m not… Read more »
thanks for that post 🙂
I have seen a chihuahua attack and maul a cat, a rabbit, chickens and a miniature poodle before it was eventually out down. Don’t say Chihuahua’s DON’T kill because they do.
And don’t say that every single chihuahua kills. Its called fucking TRAINING. Whoever owned that chihuahua TRAINED him/her to kill, or didn’t train it at all.
But humans ARE the most dangerous animal in the world. They’re responsible for more death and destruction than pretty much any other lifeform on the planet. If we wanted to, we could probably sterilize the entire fucking planet.
I understand that some people don’t like American Bull Terriers, that’s their right. I don’t particularly care for chihuahuas myself– The fact remains that any, out control, neglected, or abused animal may potentially become unpredictable and therefore dangerous. It follows that (all) large breed dogs would pose more of a threat in that condition. Scapegoating ABTs as somehow unique in this regard is not supported by evidence.
So says the uneducated. I like the way you don’t even try to justify your reasoning. Humans ARE the most dangerous creatures on this planet. We destroy a lot of species of animals and plants across the globe. We are constantly using up the earth’s natural, finite resources etc etc…If that isn’t dangerous then I don’t know what is! Chihuahua’s CAN kill people just like ANY dog can if it is not properly trained or socialised. Size doesn’t matter. I have a friend who, from a young age, had a Staffie and she was the most loving dog you could… Read more »
It is not grade 3 reasoning. It is fact. You may want to take a course in logic and reasoning, Lori! Read and research statistics! Not only do humans kill, murder, torture other adults, they abuse and torture children!
yes Chihuahua’s are mean little dogs my neighbor has two when she lets them roam free I have to grab my one year old up and run if we are outside playing…
an old lady torn apart by pitbulls in Perth park 2005
what does that argument mean, do you have any information besides breed, such as how they lived, what they were used as…racial profiling…sick bit
Did you also know that a: Those pitbulls were more than likely abused, not loved for, or, GUESS WHAT, trained by their FUCKING OWNERS to compete in DOG FIGHTS?! So shut the fuck it, because it isn’t the dogs fault they were raised poorly.
Men have torn each other apart and tortured one another for thousands of years. If records were kept, I would think mankind is responsible for more human deaths than dogs are! I trust dogs more than humans!
I sooo agree…I’ve owned 4 GSDs & a pekingese, & now own an American Pit Bull. The only dog I’ve ever been bit by was the Peke!! Those little dogs will nail you!! ANY dog can bite if not properly trained…not beaten…TRAINED!
Humans are the ONLY animals I’m really afraid of!!!
Yep, and my ex girlfriend’s doberman was great. It was great at killing when it lept off the porch and shook her elderly neighbor’s toy poodle to death on the sidewalk in front of her house.
I bet that was fun to watch. She was a child so it didn’t make much of an impression on her. Gramps on the other hand though was a might upset. You know, life companion and all that.
I know! I have a chiweenie and a bully and my chiweenie is WAY more aggressive than my Bully!
Chihuahuas are evil little things. Can’t believe this list didn’t have one small breed on it.
Seventy million? people in the UK,not many of them have bitten anyone….but six million? dogs and a relatively high % have bitten people.I would rather be bitten by a human than any dog.Yes I have been bitten by a dog and have serious problems due to the damage caused.Taking into consideration the high amount of dog bites in my rural local,I`d say this is a problem yet to be properly recognised and legislated against.
At one point in my life, I was living with my two dogs and my sister’s two dogs. My sister has 2 AmStaffs (“pit bulls” if you must) and I had a chihuahua and a greyhound at the time. The only dogs I’ve ever been bit by? Mine. My sister’s can be growling and wrestling with each other and if you stick your hand in the middle to break it up, they stop. They like to use their big bark when people walk past the yard, but so does my chihuahua. Pitbulls were actually originally used as nanny dogs, dogs… Read more »
I’ve owned many many breeds, including 3 german shepherds and a great dane … I’ve been bitten a few times too, by a beagle, a jack russel, and a rat terrier …. NEVER by the larger breeds.
I’ve read where dobes and rotties are loving dogs too but that their dispositions change when they age and they become less tolerant and stable of humans including their owners.
Humans are indeed the most dangerous animals in the world. It’s a pity we can’t cull more of them off.
Ha, same here! Dush bit my thumb good, only time I’ve ever been bitten.
The thing is, when a dachshund bites you, you get a few teeth marks. When a pit bites you, you might end up dead.
Oh stop pitbulls aren’t bad the owners are u defend one dog cuz u have that dog what if u had a pit u would defend it as well all this is bull crap it’s how u raise the dog
That’s true for any medium to large breed dog. The argument is that American Bull Terriers (and their cousins) are particularly aggressive. I contend that they are not, with the qualifying statement that any dog, irrespective of breed, can be made unpredictable and/or dangerous by abuse or neglect. ABTs are not more or less inclined to this reality.
American Bull Terriers are banned from my county due to frequent attacks. They have jaw power of about 1000 pounds. Wouldn’t want that clamped on me!
do your research, rotties have a stronger bite then pitbulls & pits do not lock jaws
Not true…the Rotts jaw is stronger….that’s as false as saying the Pits jaw locks!! NOT!
You are completely clueless and in denial. Pitbulls were originally bred to bait bears and bulls. They were prized for their jaw strength and TENACIOUSNESS. It is BRED into THEM therefore it is in the BREED. When and if they decide to attack they have the capacity to do MORE damage than other dogs. I’ve seen this first hand. Numerous times. If this isn’t the case then why are they chosen as fighting dogs over all other breeds? You people wear me out with your delusions.
actually Jeff, the APBT was a breed developed in the united states from terrier /bull dog TYPES imported for England / Ireland. They were intact breed for their “gameness” and fighting ability (stemming back in the 1800’s). However, until the 70’s, certain care and devotion was taken in the care, training and development of these dogs. Man Biters were not tolerated as in the fighting “pit” there was 2 handlers and a referee whom was up close and watching every move made. The handlers had to be able to pick their dogs up (and each handler washed the other’s dog… Read more »
Thanks for telling the truth that so many pit owners are delusional about the breed and have no knowledge of animal husbandry, dog training, breeding or genetics. They have become the dog of choice for liberal crusaders the same type of people who hold vigils against the death penalty.
Those liberals have no idea of how to train the most docile breeds let alone aggressive breeds.
And YOU are clearly clueless with the knot you tied yourself into. They were bred to bait bears and bulls. Not bred to be abused, starved, tails cut off, and thrown into a pit to fight to the death. And if they are weak? Most people will SHOOT them. Aww, hear that? Does it anger you in the slightest? Did you know more pitbulls are abused every day than almost any other dog? Did you KNOW that not training a dog in the right way can LEAD up to the dog killing someone? But is it the dogs fault? That… Read more »
I agree,jeffy you are ignorant and nice try to make your self sound so educated on pits,maybe if you do your research a bit further you will also find that in the 1900s and early 20th century that they where labeled the nurse breed, FACT! why i wonder,cause even though they where bred to be violent to OTHER ANIMALS,they where bred human loyal you ignorant ass,they where used to protect and care for children,which is exactly what my beautiful girl did un till guess what,she got poisoned,and prob by some ignorant HUMAN,like you for just being a loving animal.
Sorry, that nana thing is just a tall tale made up by the psychos who equate dangerous pit bulls with black criminals who need to be saved by altruistic people. It is a total lie. Pit bulls were never bred or used to protect and care for children. Nor were any other dogs. Collies will herd people. Collies will even herd cars if you have a big party and a long driveway. Collies have been known to herd small children to keep them in the yard. But no dog breed, especially pit bulls were ever used to care for children.… Read more »
The thing is, when a human who was unloved, abused, with depressed thoughts and hatefullness towards whoever did that to them have a gun, and they have no regrets in the world, the human becomes the most dangerous animal out there.
First dog that gave me a fight was a Collie that looked just like Lassie. Thank God, the owner was close by.
Yeah, right? My grandma had a shih-tzu terrier mix that used to bite the shit out of me whenever it thought I wasn’t paying attention. But I I don’t even have any scars, as opposed to you know, being dead. October 2014, Stanislaus County, CA Juan Fernandez, 59 Fatal pit bull attack September 2014, Sharp County, AR Alice Payne, 75 Fatal pit bull attack September 2014, Benton County, MS David Glass Sr., 51 Fatal pit bull attack August 2014, Miami-Dade County, FL Javon Dade Jr., 4 Fatal pit bull attack August 2014, St. Charles County, MO Deriah Solem, < 2… Read more »
Did you know that the pitbulls weren’t raised correctly? It isn’t the dogs fault, smartass. Its the owners.
I have a Pit Bull and a Dachshund and the only time I’ve ever been bit by a dog was by my weenie dog! Lol!
Actually alot of studies list the weenies as the most aggressive/bite the most/etc
From my experience, dachsunds are biters! They can be very aggressive but they are little and get away with it.
Yes, but did you die? People forget that it’s not about whether or not the dog bites but the damage they do when things go wrong.
Maybe he didn’t like how you smelled.
The daschund is the #1 biter. It will not give the worst bite, but it is the dog most likely to bite, according to most dog behavioral experts. Thats because it is a hound (hunter) bred to drag badgers out of holes and kill them.
Manchester Terrier. Hated that dog.
Me too! Dachsunds should be #1 on this list.
I’ve worked with over 200 pits. the only scar i have on my body is from a dachshund
Same here!
small breeds take the top several positions in the rankings done by SCIENTISTS of dog aggression towards humans.
In a journal released by the Applied Animal Behavior Science which studied dog-related attacks and 6000 owners, the 3 most aggressive dogs in the world are Dachshound, Chihuahuas and Jack Russells. The least aggressive breeds included Basset Hounds, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Siberian Huskies, and Greyhounds. Pit Bulls and Rottweilers scored about average to below average in the study.
The first dog to ever “bite” me was a labrador…and only by sheer accident….hand was in the way of where he tried to grab the toy to play ha
Thank you!
friends of mine had a chow. anytime that john would get near sharon, the dog would bite and nip at him. they got rid of it. they ended up getting a Lassa apsa (unsure of spelling) jack russel mix. i have scars to this day from that dumb dog. my point? any dog can be made mean or nasty. john was they only one that held her when she was a puppy. she was kinda islolated. eventually she got used to me being around. their sons boxer ridgeback mix has one person he doesnt like. max has actually gone to… Read more »
They have a strong herding instinct; if you’ve ever been around a border collie, they will nip at you to get you to do what they want. or maybe the dog was just mean. Funny you mention Lhasa Apso’s. I also have a Lhasa mix, he is one of he nicest dogs in the world, almost saintly in his good will towards humans. He and the chow are buddies.
My understanding of the chow is that it was used both for hunting and for fighting. the hunter is a companion dog. The two breeds got crossed for modern dog breeding but they still seem to remain. You either get a lover or a fighter. You will learn which very quickly. Love these humorous dogs.
They also raised them for fur (like sheep) and meat. I had not heard of them being bred to fight, they definitely have a hunting instinct.
I agree as one that has owned this type of Dog and they are able to show much love to those it cares for
Dachshunds like many stubborn and independent dog breeds will mirror the actions of their owners. If yours is savage and you are actually suggesting that your own pet be added to “top 25 dangerous dog breeds” then you should not own him. My dachshund is an angel, yes he will do things in his own time but if anyone dared use the word “savage” when describing my dog I would assume them I mentally unstable. My dachshund has a group of dachshund friends with whom I take him to socialise, and if any the owners heard a dachshund being described… Read more »
How dare you insinuate that I am an unfit dog owner. I was an owner of 8 rescue dogs until this past year when I lost two to old age. We found this Dachshund running down a country road, skin and bones with over 250 ticks on his body. He was approximately four years old by the vet’s best estimate. I love the dog dearly, he is affectionate and sleeps under the covers at my feet on a nightly basis. But when it comes to other dogs outside of his pack, he is highly protective. He will also go after… Read more »
I get the “don’t blame the breed, blame the owner,” but people get close minded about it. When you rescue a dog, there is often damage done that you can never completely heal. Last year, I adopted a 3 year old Dachshund/Chihuahua male who was rescued from CA. The shelter told me he was a stray and he was shy. When I got home, he immediately showed signs of fear aggression and that he had been abused. My dog has finished training classes and his timid self has learned to enjoy life. My neighbors will hate on him, the small… Read more »
Another thing I hate about dogs is that you are just walking down the street and they charge at you barking and snarling and the liberal owner coos “oooh he won’t hurt you”.
“Liberals – how I hate them” – Homer Simpson. Do you even know what “liberal” means or have you just been conditioned by the right wing media to assume that if you don’t agree with it, it has something to do with liberals ? Did you know that one of your radio heroes, Mark Levine, is a flaming dog enthusiast? How about looking at the issue and determining if it is right or wrong rather then relying on your pundits to place it right or left side of the political spectrum before you decide your position.
I agree about the chow–I too had a chow–and did much research about chow–they are they only breed born mean as much as I hate to say that–and maybe I’m using the wrong terms–but they are stubborn and you have to build trust with them and they will be loyal FOREVER! mine saved me twice from very scary situations one in which I probably wouldn’t be alive today. She was very much like a cat and loved my cats too —I spent a LOT of time socializing her- and she was a great family member! she is greatly missed!!!
Kim, what were the scary situations. It would be interesting to know.
I raised Dachshunds for over 34 years and never ever had a savage one. They are as independent as a pig on ice but were totally fun loving and goofy. And they were yappers. If you have never witnessed a Weiner Dog Race, you’ve missed out on a lot of fun. Yeah, I miss my pooches. I hope God has a kennel up there. I want them all back.
Funny you should mention racing, mine is fast, extremely fast and I wish I could race him, but he is just not good around other dogs. My original comment is misleading, my dachshund is a beloved member of my family, but he also has the traits of the badger dog from which he descended.
I have a saint bernard and today I was playing with it with toys when all of a sudden it started getting rather ruff. Kinda intimidated me. Then I would push him away and he would try to get ruff.
He is amazing with my kids. Any suggestions as to what I should do?
My chow passed away this weekend, I am heart broken. You can crank up most any dog to an aggressive state even playing. The problem with big dogs is that aggression can be dangerous. I walked and walked my chow when he was young, I think it helps establish you as leader of the pack and bleeds off built up energy. Unfortunately it is too hot this time of year to take big hairy dogs like St. Bernard’s and chows for long walks. Maybe taking them to a lake is a better idea.
Say off in a loud harsh voice. I am the only one who can control a truly horrible female lab. It is my voice and the fact that she knows I don’t like her. Keep saying off in a harsh voice. Also, maybe ignore her for a few days if it is aggressive towards you. Dogs are either dominate or completely servile. So make it crawl to you. Another thing it may be too late but you could try it. Don’t let in the kitchen when fixing its food. Don’t let it come near the food until you put in… Read more »
I am interested . That’s why I am on this site to find out about people’s experiences with dogs.
“How he didn’t make this list I will never understand” Are you stupid? He didn’t make the list because the thesis is Dangerous dogs. No one cares about a list of the most annoying dogs. If you don’t want to deal with… Excessive suspiciousness or outright aggression in some lines, or when not socialized properly Aggression toward other animals Strong-willed mind of his own and a tendency to retaliate if pushed too far, requiring an experienced, confident owner who can take charge without using force Regular brushing and combing (Rough variety) Heavy shedding Serious health problems Legal liabilities (public perception,… Read more »
Can you read? I made this comment months ago, but if I recall, I said my Chow is a great dog, my dachshund is an aggressive dog. My wife works in vet’s office, they all agree that dachshunds are some of the most difficult dogs to treat because they can be so defensive and aggressive. Since I wrote the original comment, my Chow died from a sudden illness at age 11. It’s been over six weeks since it happened, but I will say this, you may think a I’m not right for a Chow, but I know I’m not right… Read more »
As a Chow owner I’m sure you have gotten a certain amount of “hate”, but like you, my weenie dog is ten times more aggressive than my Bully! It’s all about respect, as you said.. it’s not about the breed, it’s about being responsible, kudos to you!!!
Doxies and chi’s didn’t make the list because he is using the CDC’s DBF (dog bite related fatality) data, which they have asserted is not completely accurate, and absolutely is not enough data to assume any breed is more likely to bite, and using it to say that certain breeds are more likely to bite. Not even to kill, which is what the data would indicate if it was reliable. Just to bite. Dachshunds are estimated to be the number one biters. I actually was bitten by on just yesterday.
But they are incredibly cute, that’s how mine gets away with so much. He bit a guy at the dog part a couple months ago, fortunately the guy was apologetic because he was the one that tried to pet him when he was all jacked up because of the other dogs.
As I say, dog owners are insane. A dog bites him and he apologizes. Who would want to pet a strange dog anyway? What made him think the dog wanted to be petted? Again, dog lovers project their own neurotic feelings on dogs.
If you’re bred to hunt badgers, I guess you have to have a bit of an attitude.
YOUR personal anecdotes have ZERO meaning. If you are trying to sell the notion that dachshunds are more dangerous than Chows you are going to have a long and difficult road.
I have owned neither, but known a number of each and CHOWS (black tongues) are a problem. Dachshunds are noisy, but I can pick them up and carry them off. A Chow could wrestle me to the ground and probably kill me. Sorry, but your “stories” have no meaning and no credibility. Find a vet who agrees! You won’t because they keep records of dog bites.
Actually my wife worked in a vets office for several years. One of the techs refused to work with dachshunds because she had been bitten twice. Mine is really protective but a good companion. My Chow passed away suddenly in August, several months after my initial post, I was given a new chow puppy for my birthday in early November. So far, he’s sweeter than the original, but we’re only at 10 weeks. I think it is a matter of socialization and mutual respect with Chows, but then again, I haven’t been around a mean one. I’ve witnessed several that… Read more »
When dog owners say “protective” they mean the mutt becomes hysterical when anyone walks past the house or when your friends and relatives come over.
Exactly. The walking by the house thing is sport for him. He sits on the porch with his nose in the air and can smell a strange person long before he sees them. He then rushes down to the corner of the yard fence that the person will pass first so he can have the advantage of surprise. It could be predatory rather than defensive.
When I say that my pit bull is ‘protective’, I mean that whenever I’m upset and I go into the backyard alone, she crawls into my lap and nearly crushes me, then looks around to make sure nobody comes near me. She doesn’t bark.
My pit bull x rottie barks, but he’s a drooling idiot and wouldn’t know how to kill you if he tried.
I had 2 Chows, a mom and her son. Mom had been badly abused by the son of the breeder and I rescued her. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Her son loved everyone and would wait in the yard by the gate for anyone to play fetch with him. He’d push his squeaky toy under the gate and wait for someone to throw it back. He loved the neighborhood kids who would come over and play fetch with him on the weekends. For his first birthday, we had a party with a cake. He ran around… Read more »
The chow I originally referred to passed away in August after suddenly getting sick. it was an overnight thing and I was completely devastated. My wife got me a chow puppy in November, he is now 4 months old. He is extremely loving to my wife and I but seems to be very afraid of other people. We’re working hard to socialize him. He loves other dogs and loves to play. We’ll see if he lives up to predecessor. I don’t think he’ll get to 82 lbs – that’s a big chow.
I think that the article is spot on wrt chow chows. We rescued one at an early age and socialized him like crazy. Even though we take him with us everywhere (even Macy’s, Nordstrom), he is still pretty stand offish around strangers, and will dance away if a stranger tries to pet him (unless they have a treat!). Other people who have owned chows are amazed at how nice he is with strangers. They say that they could never take their dog out to Old Town Pasadena (or pick your popular area in Pasadena) due to aggression issues. Chows are… Read more »
Agreed, you need to love their quirks. The chow mentioned in my original post died in August – it was devastating. My wife gave me a Chow puppy for my birthday in November, he is much more afraid of world than his predecessor. Loves other dogs, but not strange humans. The original was apprehensive around strangers, but was tolerant. The script has yet to be written on the puppy.
Thank you for setting the record straight
I totally agree on the Dachshund breed. I have a Pit Bull (#1 on this list) and a Rottweiler (#3 on this list)…both are rescues – the rottie was abandoned down my road and had apparently been abused – and they are the BEST dogs! I trust them TOTALLY with my 3 & 5 yo grandsons. Now, my neighbors dachshund, I don’t trust AT ALL. I do NOT allow my grandsons to go play with their kids because of the dog. (They used to have 2 of them and they were both mean as hell!) I think Dachshunds have Napoleon… Read more »
I have heard they are not good with children, my child was a teenager when we rescued my dachshund. He so much wants to be the alpha dog, title currently held by a aging, overweight, one-eyed female shih-Tzu. I believe the alpha title is acquired by some divine proclamation, as was believed in the case of British royalty. He’s coming in handy lately, he sleeps under the covers and keeps my feet warm. I believe a properly raised pit bull can be one of the best family dogs, particularly the females. My sister has a female and she is a… Read more »
I have an American Pit Bull Terrier and a Pit Bull x Rottie. The pit is a stubborn dog, but very friendly, thinks she’s a lap dog, and she’s incredibly clever. The cross is a dope, drools a lot, has a scary bark but no bite to match. He’s very obedient, has no problems learning. Neither of these dogs have shown me or anyone else in the house aggression. They haven’t shown strangers aggression either, except to maybe bark at people who walk passed the fence. In fact, the only dogs that have tried to bite me before have been… Read more »
We had a little bit of problem with the dachshund we owned. He would go for the ankles on delivery people that came to the door. He didn’t like men in uniform. So we would just keep him away. But we loved him of course. Dogs have different personalities even of the same breed. Some would never hurt anyone and others are more temperamental.
Ours hates anyone that comes to the door and someone in uniform might as well be the devil. Once they’re inside and seated, he will get up their lap. They’re just a really protective breed.
In the case of dachshunds it probably doesn’t matter, they’re so small they can be as savage as they want and it’s more amusing then anything else.
Oh my god that’s horrible that the woman’s husband was going to kill the dog. She should of divorced him and moved out with the dog. Some people just aren’t right in the head are they? I mean really that’s a bit harsh to threaten to kill an innocent puppy.
Currently owning a pitbull boxer mix, and is the sweetest dog. Playful, and will lick your face off before biting it off. When I was younger and went to my friends, their small dog chased me out of the yard growling. Wasn’t the first time I saw the dog and owners were there watching.
Had serious issues with a Chow owned by a girlfriend. It was hostile toward me and all outsiders. Unfortunately, it did attack a non-threatening child passing by the property and causing serious injury. I’m bothered that people own these weaponized breeds when there are so many better alternatives.
Weaponized breeds? Come on, chows are one of the oldest in existence. Not like a pit bull, which is a relatively modern breed and can also be a wonderful family pet if raised properly. If your dog bites someone, it is your fault, not the dog or the breed.
“you don’t train Chows, you reach a mutual understanding.”
I love it!!!
I got bit my a Chow. That dog was nasty. Hated everyone except it’s nuclear family unit. Even the family’s long time friends that visited every week it would go after. Awful.
Mine have both been sweet, but fearful of strangers. They are very pack oriented and loyal to their family.
I’m mad that there first dog up there is the American pitbull terrier. I’ve had pitbulls since I was 18. I’m now 28, and out of all the dog breeds I have had, the ones that turned out to be the most loyal and not dangerous is the pitbull. Man my 7lb Chihuahua mix attacks my pitbulls and they never do anything back to her. It’s the way you raised these dogs. My first dog ever was a golden retriever I was 10yrs old, and my brothers were mean with him, and when it came down to it, I couldn’t… Read more »
I agree. Siberian huskies are quite friendly. My neighbor has one but the thing about them is they’re some of the naughtiest, most mischievous dog breeds that need extensive supervision or they can cause trouble.
However, they DO have a strong hunting instinct and have been know to attack and kill smaller animals when they’re allowed to run loose.
Pits (not huskies 🙂 killed a known 43k pets and domestic animals last year.
I used to have a dog that was part husky and part german shepherd(2 of the dogs listed as dangewrous) She was the kindest, gentle dog i have ever had.
Its all in how you train your dogs. I now have beagles and alot of people think they are noisy and sometimes aggresive. AGAIn its all in how to train them.!! I have never had a problem with any of our dogs!!!
I have a 9-year-old pit bull, got him when he was 7-weeks-old, he has never been aggressive towards anyone and he has lived with 2 of my grand daughters since they were born. He is protective of them and everyone in the immediate family. Any dog will turn on their owner if the owner is abusive and treats them cruel. I worry more about the ankle biters than large breeds. The pit bulls are in the headlines because of ignorant people who want the breed exterminated. You don’t hear about all dog bites. I bet statistically that small breeds bite… Read more »
I have raised and bred many animals in my 50+ years, from Persian and Maine Coon Cats to Dogs from Collies to Chihuahua’s to Poodles to Pits. I can honestly state that it is not the breed, it is the breeder, it is not nature it is nurture that makes a good Pit Bull.Originally they were bred in England to protect babies and young children but here in the US so called ‘Sportsmen’ wanted them for their powerful bodies and dedicated hearts so they have been cross bred and inbred to produce what we today call the American Pit bull… Read more »
If you go to the end, there is a separate article listing Small Breeds most likely to turn on owners. I have a 20 lb Cocker Spaniel that is mean as can be. Cocker Spaniels made #4 on the aggressive small breeds list.
http://www.dognotebook.com/top-10-most-aggressive-small-dog-breeds-in-the-world/
I have a neighbor who has a brindle pit who cries all the time for attention. I also have an American Staffordshire Terrier who has no mean bone in her body. Please get it through your head. ITS HOW THEY ARE TRAINED!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, but if a chihuahua is not properly trained, no one is fearing for his life.
Point is not the size of the dog, its the ignorance in saying all, most, or several pits, rots, and shepherds are dangerous and will “turn against the owner”. Jenn’s point is a lot of small breeds seem to bite anything for any reason, but no one cares. By the way, Dalmatians are known for their aggression, no one mentions them. I bet they can put hurt people…
They aren’t built to kill, they are trained that way. Dogs aren’t bred to be aggressive, the owners teach them that trait.
Wrong, KPR! Pitt-bulls ARE built to fight, maul and kill, and it’s also in their DNA and their temperament. A dangerous combination, to boot.
Not built to kill humans unless trained too. We have three big dogs, lab pit and boxer pit as well as a pure bred red nose pit. None of them attack anyone that comes over unless they would be a threat. They wouldn’t let someone come in the yard that they don’t know that could cause harm. That’s just them doing their job. But never attack friends that come over even ones they haven’t seen in a long time. Lovers. In fact i was just petting our red nose a little bit ago and she was loving it. Don’t bite… Read more »
Dogs who were historically selected for the purposes of aggression (fighting/killing/protecting), have been selected for both physical capability and neurochemical differences. Training, socialization, diet, and exercise, can make literally ANY deadly breed of dog act harmless, sometimes for its whole life, and owners who achieve that should be proud of their dog and of themselves! However, sometimes biology rules over any good stewardship. Too many times, we’ve read about loving families who treated their pet like a family member in every kind of way since birth, only to kill a neighbors dog or worse…their kid. The answer then, knowing that… Read more »
You’re probably right. That dog attacked because of bad PR.
“Professional animal experts” are not unanimous, except for on the fact that good animal stewardship is critical, a point of view I also share. I dare you to find a single article written by any credible “animal expert” who thinks neurochemical differences between the breeds are irrelevant to bite stats. You can’t do it, because it doesn’t exist, because human selection for aggression resulted in neurophysiological differences particular to the breed, which results in increased bite stats.
I’ve been working with and around dogs for almost ten years. I’ve never been bitten by a pit bull, rottweiler, doberman, or any of the supposed bully/ dangerous breeds. What have I been bitten by? A chihuahua, a yorkie mix, and an american eskimo dog.
Not sure what you would consider “scientific or empirical evidence” but here’s a quote from the article: “…from 2005-2013, 74% of all dog bites could be attributed to Pit Bulls and Rottweilers.”
If you wanted to be “scientific” about it, you’d have to get volunteers to provoke dogs in a certain way, to see how they would react… you ready to sign up for that?
Instead, I think it’s safer to rely on statistics.
You would also have to scientifically determine that they were actually pits, not just dogs that resembled pits to barely trained government workers.
I had a champion pure bred Malinois that the geniuses at animal control called a shepherd mix. I also know of a welsh corgi/black lab mix that was identified as a pure bred staffordshire bull terrier by the same set of geniuses at another fcility
OR they used ER records…..more accurate and much more likely…..do you think they don’t realize that going by just media reports (which tend to highlight only the most vicious attacks) is not very scientific?
The characteristics of pit bulls are pretty obvious. Certainly there are are many off shoots & strains that are called something completely different. I had a corgi mix & the corgi part was quite distinctive… didn’t have to worry about her biting anyone, because she wasn’t capable of doing significant damage.
The Corgi part of this dog was also very distinctive, they still called it, not only a pit, but a pure bred staffordshire bull terrier.
And that is not the only example I know of. True characteristics of pits are easily distinguishable to the people familiar with the dogs, but by law, any muscular dog with what the observer considers a large head is a pit. If you mix an English Lab with a Black and Tan, half of them will be pit bulls by the time they get to their third family.
Lab X Boxer = “pit bulls”
Boxer x Rottie =”pit bulls”
Rottie x Lab = “pit bulls”
My pure bred ADBA Grand Champion show American Pit Bull Terrier?
Fox Terrier cross.
Pit bulls do not have “distinctive” characteristics. Many lab mixes, boxer mixes, etc. can be considered “pit bulls” to the public eye. Dogs are not mean because of their breed. It is how you raise them. In reality about 80% of reported dog attacks are from dogs that can’t even be pin pointed to a certain breed. In fact, many owners do not know their own dogs’ dog breed. If your problem with dogs is size, then fine, get a small dog of it makes you ignorant heart happy. But I refuse to sit here and let you tell me… Read more »
If you think pit bulls don’t have distinctive characteristics, then you’re not very discerning. While there are many cross-breeds, their characteristics are pretty obvious. I won’t get a dog at all – I prefer cats. If you’re trying to deny that pit bulls and pit bull cross breeds are more dangerous than other types of dogs, you’re indeed foolish. As for me and my family, I will teach my kids how to be careful around dogs, to avoid pit bulls at all costs, and will watch any and all pit bulls in my vicinity very careful. If I see a… Read more »
You prefer cats. Cats are nothing like a dog. Have you ever even owned a dog? You really should know dogs well before you judge them. I have been lucky to have had many cats, some dogs, and even horses in my life. They are none anything like the others, but I love them all. So very special. Mostly they are all individuals with different traits regardless of breed or even species. They are loving and good friends just like humans, and often way better. The one dog I knew who was vicious and almost killed someone was a mix… Read more »
I have owned MANY dogs, but cats are easier to deal with.
Just because a dog of a different breed than pit bull attacked someone doesn’t change the FACT that pit bulls are by far, the most dangerous dogs.
Pits have distinctive triangle shaped heads and jaws. Any time you see a pit bull running loose call animal control.
Animal control sucks where I live. I’ll deal with it myself, if needed.
Animal control has 3 purposes (1) To protect the citizens from dogs who bite and kill them. (2) To protect dogs that are abused by their owners. (3) to round up hungry strays.
That is all, no need to identify every obscure breed.
What did you and your Malinois do wrong that animal control was involved?
You also have to ask why they bit? Could it be that those breeds are favored for their muscular builds and ferocious looks, by innercity gang members, used for dog fighting and betting, which took off in the 80s? Prior to that, there wasn’t much ever said about pitbulls or mastiffs.. And they have been here in the states since the immigrants brought hem here These dogs were abusing and made mean, trained to attack, and because of their tenacious dispositions and jaw strength, when they do bite, it is bad… And so their reputations grew.. don’t attribute it to… Read more »
Then you need to keep a dog that cannot whip your ass in 10 seconds flat. Get a wimpy dog. If it bites you, stomp it.
But if you go back FURTHER in time, pit bulls were used for fighting in England, dog fights were popular from the Middle Ages on….they also fought bears and bulls. They were BRED to fight…..and yes, I know the “nanny dog” reputation, but that was a short period in the Victorian era and a little afterwards when they were a “fad” dog for families…..they have a much longer, deeper history as fighters….I’m NOT against pit bulls, as said before, I know some nice ones. I’m just saying, you can’t remove hundreds of years of breeding in one or two generations.… Read more »
I have a doxie, (dachshund), and a doxie/terrier mix. Both of these take a strong hand to socialize since we live on a farm and have chickens around. They have taken well to their environment….HOWEVER they are both hunters and will kill small prey and dig them out (they go after rats a lot). They do not attack the chickens however. To address the fighting strains…even some chickens were bred to fight and this hard wiring still shines through with breeds that can be dangerous due to aggression in spite of being raised well for their species. One may laugh… Read more »
You are also not taking into account that dogs were NEVER PETS until fairly recently so the bias in these “reports” is new and based on ignorance!!!
By recent, do you mean in the last 4 thousands years?
The nanny dog pit bulls never existed. That is a total lie made up by the liberals who love pit bulls because they want to rescue a discriminated against breed to show how altruistic and good they are.
In all of the pit bull bite stories I’ve read, I’ve never once seen where it’s owned by a gang banger… it’s always someone’s nice neighbor, whose first words are “he’s never hurt anyone before” or “we even let him play with our children” – that is, except when it’s not their children that were killed…
Most of them were raised from a puppy in a loving home. And then they weren’t puppies any more.
LOL! Yeah, and they are always amazed when their playful “puppy” that ways 80 pounds kills some other animal.
These statistics were garnered from newspaper reports. Pit bulls make the newspaper. Poodle bites don’t.
…nor chihuahua’s, as i read they bite more than any other dog…just not as dangerous so i guess that doesn’t count???…
Chihuahuas ARE high strung and do bite, but can’t kill anyone, for obvious reasons!
I steer clear of those little dogs 🙂 I am more comfortable around doberman pinchers, German Shepherds, etc.
Again – the reason pit bull bites make the news, rather than a chihuahua, poodle, or even a corgi, is because pit bulls maim and kill. These others aren’t likely to even break the skin.
If it didn’t make the news, how do you know about it?
I don’t “eat up” fear mongering – I’m a realist. Reality says that you don’t leave kids near the most dangerous dog commonly found in the US.
Not sure how this turned to leaving kids with dogs. That sounds more like common sense than being a realist….
I know about the lab because it’s my career involves dealing with aggression cases on a daily basis.
Why have a dog if you have to guard your kid all the time? When you can’t even go out to wash the car or to the laundry room without risking the dog might main or even kill the kid?
That temperment test is for police and guard dogs, not family pets.
Absolutely true. Other dogs may also bite, but the jaws of a pit bull or some of the other breeds mentioned in this list, are dangerous because they have massive jaws and mouths, and are inbred to fight or protect. It is absolutely correct that when the dominant human leaves the home it could be dangerous for other family members. I had a doberman that absolutely defied the stereotype of the breed. Sweet as pie and loved everyone. But I had a roommate that had one that attacked anything that moved. I had two pit bulls. One was bad from… Read more »
Michele – yours is the first reasonable response I’ve received on this.
Your post seems to suggest that you think a lot of dogs are “mentally ill”. Are you saying that both your two pit bulls and your friend’s Doberman were all “mentally ill”? It seems highly unlikely from a mathematical or statistical standpoint. Also, you won’t defend a bully breed, but you’ll adopt them? Are you mistreating them because you mistrust them? There’s something more to your story and it doesn’t smell good. I would suggest that you not have anymore dogs. You’re not doing yourself or them any favors if you’re spending your time being afraid of them and denouncing… Read more »
Why have anything in your house that forces you to guard your child at all times? Parents have enough to do without that. Anyway, pitbulls have been known to knock down or chew through doors to kill a child. It happened in San Francisco. A Mother left her 10 year old son alone after school when she took another child to some activity. She was gone for one hour. The pit bull was locked in the garage. To get at the child the dog battered through both the interior garage door leading to the house and the bedroom door in… Read more »
I don’t think any dog should be left with a child alone. :/ My pit bulls are great, and I honestly believe that they would never hurt me or any other person unless they were attacked. However, they don’t get on with other dogs, so I walk them at night. And I do not leave them alone with my cats, even though they SEEM okay with them, because it is too great of a risk. If for some reason they do attack, they could easily kill or seriously injure my kitties. Just not worth it. And if I had kids,… Read more »
Wrong, there was a guy that did a study on dog bite reporting by the media. He tracked a fatal attack by a non pit type dog and found only about a dozen reports. Then he tracked a moderate by by a pit and found thousands of reports
Yeah. I’ve seen a study like that. ‘Pit bull type’
-.-
Of course there’s going to be more attacks by ‘pit bull types’. I’ve seen mastiff x labs labelled ‘pit bull types’. Apparently, all bully breeds and all mutts are ‘pit bull types’.
poodles don’t kill people!
chihuahua’s may not kill people, but can injure people , and are way more aggressive than many of the larger breeds. All dogs can be dangerous, but all dogs are not hated. The only true hated dog around the world is the American Pit Bull. The American Staffordshire Terrier
@Yay; It’s the way the dog is brought up. I had one for 8 years, that I got as a pup. It was the most intelligent, friendly, dog I have owned. If you had no prior conception about Pit Bulls, and came to visit my dog, you would go away with the idea, that Pit Bulls can be like setters, or Labradors. My dog would come up , wag it’s tail , and slightly smell you, as most dogs need to do. If you petted her, and acted normal, you could go to your car, open the door, and she… Read more »
people kill people!!
And dogs kill people too. They don’t carry guns.
You make it sound like a normal, every day thing!
Do you ever THINK before you make silly statements?
I’ll take any bet that there are more people killing dogs, than dogs killing people!
So do Pit Bulls
Do you know that for sure? They could have gotten them from ER reports which would be far more accurate. I know there is a “breed prejudice” against Pit bulls, and I know of some good ones that are good family pets…..but the point is, all of the dogs in this list are LARGE, STRONG dogs with powerful jaws. Several of the breeds were originally bred for guarding, for war, of for fighting. They don’t just “outgrow” this past breeding….its in their genes. We had a Golden Retriever, who was never any where near a hunt or hunters, and yet… Read more »
You miss the point… the reason that so many pit bull bites are reported is because they do so much damage. Who cares if a chihuahua nips someone – it won’t even break the skin. If a pit bull gets annoyed, someone’s going to have some serious damage or die.
There’s no such thing as a 100% proven statistic, yet numbers are representative of the whole.
dolph – you don’t see it in the paper because it so rarely happens. Pit Bulls don’t have a reputation because someone in the media randomly picked them out… Further, you see so many reports in the media about Pit Bulls, not only because of the number of attacks, but because of the ferocity and damage.
I suppose you also believe pitbulls have locking jaws, huh? Pitbulls cannot do any more damage than another dog. ALL DOGS BITE. Bites ARE NOT breed specific
Pit bulls have a longer and stronger reaction to negative occurrences, and take longer to calm down, so do GSDs, Rotties, and other strong breeds. Pit bulls are probably abused often by horrible owners, and are often owned by wrong people for wrong reasons. Even inexperienced dog owners might not be a good match, while those attracted to the dogs’ power and negative reputation are obviously wrong, as those who exploit these dogs for fighting are unspeakable excuses for human beings, and should never be able to get near a dog. Even then, there are many sweet pities with forgiving… Read more »
“Pit bulls are probably abused often by horrible owners…” I’m sorry – “probably” which is based solely on your assumption, means nothing. We see incident after incident after incident where pit bulls attack without warning, without provocation, and with the strong assurance from owners & friends alike that their beloved pit bull has NEVER hurt anyone and NEVER shown any sign of aggression and how this is just unimaginable!
The worst pit bull owners are softy soppy liberals who like pit bulls fro the same reason they like criminals. The poor things are discriminated against and people are prejudiced. So these people ignorant of rudimentary dog training get a pit and spoil it and let it rule the house. I can always tell if a dog owner is a liberal. The dog won’t come when called, it jumps all over the owner when its food is being prepared, it goes hysterical when anyone comes over or walks past the house, it sleeps with the owner and on the couch.… Read more »
I know people who have been bit by small dogs and ended up having to go to the hospital and some have been left with permanent scarring. That’s not damage?
Compared with losing one’s life? Nope. Compared with losing limbs or having lifelong disfigurement? Nope. I have a scar on one finger from a slip with a chisel, but at least I still have the finger & use of it… much less likely to happen with a pit bull bite.
So you’re saying a vicious bite can’t be damaging to a person only death is? Cause that can’t make that person be damaged mentally with animals, scarred physically and mentally? So because Gabby Gifford didn’t die from a gun shot wound straight into her brain, she didn’t endure damage? Okay. Sure live in your bubble of ignorance.
Are you really so dense you can’t even examine this discussion rationally? You can’t tell the difference between a chihuahua nip and a pit bull mauling, causing life long disfigurement or death? Go away… there’s no point discussing this with you.
Poodle bites don’t make the newspaper because poodles don’t kill anyone.
Oh yes they do! I gave beef bones to our four dogs and had no problem taking them away for the night (the dogs chewing on them wake me up). It didn’t phase me to reach dog and get the bone from our German Shepherd, Akida mix, and…well only God knows what breed Cookie is. When it came to the Luv, our miniature poodle…that’s a different story. She bit me once for coming at her too quickly (I polished her nails and she jumped on the couch), and when I lifted her ear to see if she still had her… Read more »
infact they are gathered from emergency department visits, not “newspaper reports.” There is a difference too in total bites and significant bites. Small poodles may actually bite more, but since they are not serious enough to require medical attention, the victims do not report. Pit bull and some of the other dogs listed on here inflict much more serious injury.
That only counts bites that result in a hospital or doctor visit. Bigger dogs get a unfair rep for being dangerous because of how many bites are reported, but nobody goes to the doctor when their chihuahua or dachshund bites them, because it barely does anything. I can promise you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, more people get bitten by small dogs than by pits or rotties or anything else, it’s just nobody goes to the doctor for that.
Not true. ALL bites pose the risk of a deadly infection, so are treated even when it is a cuticle tear by a dog that was unaware it “bit” when taking food. SO these nicks get factored in, and counted among bite statistics, while nearly every pitbull “bite” is a mauling, not too different from what a bob cat or mountain lion can create. There is a reason that insurers want them out.
I gotten bitten by dogs many times and have never gotten an infected bite, many times I let my dog lick my wounds as they heal faster. Little dogs bite all the time, but since the damage is minimal they never get reported. You are just making up statistics. Dogs are all different just like people. You would not say all black people are on welfare or criminals. It’s people like you that don’t know what they are talking about that gives dogs bad reps. By the way I have always had big dogs and currently have 2 Rottweilers and… Read more »
You mean you let your dogs bite you? What is wrong with you?
I have got bitten by my dogs while playing tug of war, but never as an act of aggression. Dog saliva as well as human saliva has antiseptic properties and is natures way of cleaning wounds and healing them.
Not sure what you’re trying to say, I doubt anyone goes to an ER for a bite or bites from a puppy, who is probably teething.
ER statistics would take into account really dangerous, life threatening bites or attacks. As opposed to the media reports which just cherry picks the most “vicious” attacks.
You seem to have been completely sold by the anti-pit bull stories.
Do not EVER buy any dog!
You will be shocked and surprised to find that most dogs are aggressive and you are not smart enough to ever have control!
Insurers want them gone because they DON’T WANT TO PAY OUT ON A POLICY!
Just want to keep collecting YOUR money and ignoring you!
Yes, but thats part of the rationale for listing the breeds they did…cockers are known biters, as are chihuahuas but have never killed anyone…the breeds listed in the article HAVE killed many people, just a fact, not a breed prejudice.
Humm I wonder why I ended up in my physician’s office due to my doxie/terrier mix bites. That dog bit me twice in quick manner. my hand and fingers became infected requiring treatment. I had nerve damage in my thumb due to the bite. Now the lead up to the bite was she was new to us, removed by us from previous owner who was kicking her and taken to our home. She was telling me in no uncertain terms not to corner her, to lean over her while trying to pick her up or when she acted scared. Since… Read more »
It’s more than likely that you ended up in your doctor’s office with an infection because you didn’t clean the would properly.
If you’d had the same bite from a pit bull, you would stand a better than even chance of losing your hand or your life… pit bulls won’t let go & have a bite strength akin to that of an alligator.
Your dog bit you twice and you kept her? What is wrong with you? In humans it is called battered wife syndrome.
Okay – so what if someone’s little dog bites? It’s not likely they’d even break the skin, in most cases, while pit bulls often result in significant maiming or death.
That would be 74% of the dog bites that the newspapers report on!
When was the last time you heard of a Corgi killing someone? How about a Yorkie? Dachshund? Dalmatian? St. Bernard (other than Cujo)?
70% of REPORTED dog bites. i know they do less damage, but what about the small dogs that bite? they dont get a bad rap cuz the bite is less severe, but that shouldnt give any breed a bad name tag.
I disagree – it SHOULD give the breed a bad name. They attack aggressively and don’t relent. Your logic is like saying that grizzly bears shouldn’t be given a bad rap, just because they weigh 1200 pounds, run 30 miles an hour over uneven ground, can climb a tree, and will kill you without provocation, since they’re really just cute bears.
The problem with relying on statistics is that they are to easily biased, and 10 groups using all the same animals and criteria can come up with different results depending on the people, the animals and how the testing is done. If you are going by actual stats of how many bites are reported, they to are often biased. Many folks will report a large dog biting them because they are scared, however a Chihuahua could bite them on the ankle, more than once and they would not report that. In my experience small dogs are just as viscous as… Read more »
Actually, statistics are what AREN’T biased – they’re just numbers.
People report a large dog, such as a pit bull, biting them, because they’re likely at the hospital, or someone’s at the morgue. A chihuahua bite is unlikely to cause any damage at all. Don’t get me wrong about chihuahuas… I hate the ugly little curs, but I wouldn’t trust a pit bull further than I could throw it.
Thats funny because the most bites in the 90s were from white labrador retrievers. For that stat to flip like that is very curious.
And of those white labrador retriever bites, how many ended in fatalities?
How many of those labrador retrievers killed anyone?
I raised cocker spaniels for about 12 years and I can tell you that each and every dog has his own personality. Some are the most loving dogs while other will take a bite out of someone because of almost no reason. Each dog is different and I couldn’t tell which one would turn out to be more likely to bite or not…I believe a lot of the way a dog turns out is the way he was raised as a puppy. If it was shown mostly love, then they usually turn out very mild mannered, but sometimes even that… Read more »
Those ATTS tests are administered by people who voluntarily, and for a fee (!) bring their OWN dogs to be tested for temperament. Self-selecting participants is NOT legit! (How many drug dealers, do you suppose, brought in their watch dogs for testing?)
Certainly ATTS does provide a possibly useful indicator of a particular pet’s temperament, but only relative to those pets of others, not the breed as a whole.
That may be “science,” but it’s not GOOD science!
All these tested breeds have owners that bring them. Bully breeds STILL are ranked at the top. Do you really think that drug dealers would have well trained Chihuahuas as guard dogs ? They want mean a nasty dogs and could turn a poodle into a killer….yes, they have killed too !
I do not doubt there are zealots who have gone out of their way to “cook the numbers” so to speak.
But these numbers have been valid for nigh on 20 years when they were done by legitimate, non biased third party participants.
Michelle, statistically, your alleged reasoning is defective.
This is misleading. Not all dog bites are reported, usually only the serious ones. Our Cocker Spaniel was quick to bite, but seldom did any damage. Therefore, no one was concerned. My Pit, however, never bit, but could do grave damage if he did. The danger of the bulldog is not the frequency of the biting, but the potential seriousness of the biting. As an owner of Pits I can say that they are among the smartest and, in my experience, most manageable dogs. However, I’m always aware of their surroundings and potential for trouble because they can do so… Read more »
Not worth the risk, IMHO.
I’m not sure that comparing the behaviour of your cocker spaniel to your pit bull is doing your pit bull any favors… cocker spaniels all seem to be a bit nuts, to me, and are quite irritable. However, you hit the point on the head, but still miss it entirely. Your pit bull, should he turn on you, your family, your cocker spaniel, the neighbors kid, the neighbor’s dog, etc… would kill or maim.
Back about 1930 to 1950 black cockers called scotties were the most popular breed and they were inbred so much they became a bit crazy.
Very true… my mom was injured by her Westie, which was, I’m sure, the product of some in-breeding and a bit nuts. However, if it had been a pit in the same scenario, it would likely have killed her.
Pit bulls, or their very close relatives, are pretty easy to identify. They’re more than territorial – they’re aggressive, vicious, and so dangerous that anything other than constant and strict control is reckless. There was a dachshund that was killed the other day by a pit bull that was stalked inside a convenience store… didn’t wait for the little one to come out, but ran inside as soon as the door opened & then killed the dachshund. The owner uttered the familiar refrain “it’s never hurt anyone before” and “it must have gotten out.”
The pit bull’s owner, a 28-year-old woman, told officers the dog escaped her yard the night of the incident. She said it is not aggressive toward people — only other dogs.
Sure… for now. The fact that he AGGRESSIVELY PURSUED a small dachshund, which was clearly no threat, speak volumes about the temperament and threat of pit bulls.
There was an incident in Arizona. A pit waited at a school bus stop in the afternoon When the driver opened the door the pit jumped in to attack the kids. The driver quickly closed the door but the pit was so big and strong the doors stayed open and the pit succeeded in getting in and seriously injuring 4 children. It finally got nervous at the screaming and ran off. Pits are notorious for hanging around school bus stops in rural areas to attack the kids. This is dangerous because there is no one around to protect the kids… Read more »
Pit bulls are the worst dogs out there. I’d as soon allow a wolf around my kids as a pit bull. They’re hyper-aggressive, incredibly powerful, and incredibly vicious when they attack. Pit owner always talk about how gentle their dogs are, especially after they’ve attacked another animal or a person.
Wrong they are not easily identifed. We have three dogs. One is a lab pit mix looks like a… LAB. We have a boxer pit mix looks like a… boxer. The only one that looks like a pit is our red nose pit and she is not vicious by any means she also had a litter of pit boxer puppies and we handled the puppies with her present and not once did she attack either of us her puppies are almost 7 weeks and doing great! People give pit bulls a bad name but do many breeds are dangerous. Two… Read more »
Yeah, yeah, yeah… that is what they ALL say. “He has always been a sweet dog…. never hurt anyone…” then, someone is dead or severely mangled.
While there is an occasional attack by German Shepherds, there is nowhere near the number as with pit bulls, nor is there anywhere near the level of ferocity and damage. This is why insurance companies run away from pit bull owners.
And yet, we don’t hear of larger dog breeds, like dalmatians, St Bernards, etc., killing anyone… The point of this issue is, pit bulls are extremely dangerous.
You don’t hear of other larger dog breeds killing anyone because it doesn’t sell newspapers and the media is all about the Benjamins. I recommend you watch the documentary “Beyond the Myth: A Film About Pit Bulls and Breed Discrimination” and educate yourself before you make blanket statements. Yes, aggressive pitbulls exist but so do the people loving pits. Every dog has a the potential to be a great dog and every dog has the ability to be a terrible dog.
No – you don’t hear of other larger dog breeds killing anyone because it rarely happens.
That film was made by wimpy, sappy liberals who think they are saving a maligned and discriminated victim group.
Can you define what a Pit Bull is?
American staffordshire terrier. Unfortunately they have been breed with mastiffs cane corsos and other aggressive breeds
And yet, Pit Bulls are STILL the most likely to kill their owners, neighbors, neighbor’s dogs, etc.
The only lovable furry companion I have is a cat.
You can say “it’s not the breed” all you want… you could say that with ANY dog. The fact remains, that when it comes to dog attacks, Pit Bulls are going to do the most damage and are the most likely to go after someone. You can’t be certain it’s not the breed any more than you can say definitively that the nature vs. nurture argument in humans is settled one way or the other.
Actually the American pit bull terrier scores nearest the top of all breeds in temperament testing, even higher than most “family dog” breeds you can name. Look it up.
So don’t own one. Plain and simple. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion whether they know what they are talking about or not. But I don’t believe that people that don’t have first hand experience have any right to speak for those that do.
That is police and guard dog temperament testing, not family pet testing.
Facts are what counts.
And yet, you felt the need to respond to me.
And statistics are not factual. Do you even understand statistics. Go to college and take a statistics class and learn something cause you’re obviously clouded by what the media says verses actual experience with dogs. And as for cats I’ve had lots of experience with cats owning and being around many and they aren’t always the nicest. Sure they don’t kill but let’s remember cats were domesticated. Most cats such as tigers and leopards are very dangerous so you’re argument about dogs has no validity.
Actually, I’ve taken several statistics classes, so going back would be redundant. I understand statistics very well.
Are you SERIOUSLY going to compare an attack by a house cat to an attack by a pit bull? You’re seriously deluded, if you are…
It’s reality. As I’ve said elsewhere, the reason that media accounts detail so many pit bull attacks is because they attack so often and when they do attack, they do so to horrible damage.
thank you so much for the correction. I hate that…
How about we look at at the statistics of the type of people that give these dogs a poor name. Those who use dogs to do there dirty work pick loyal dogs powerful dogs and in turn these dogs suffer. I think we forget all dogs have teeth and ALL have the potential to bite. Maybe we should start regulating people instead the dogs whose names are tainted bc of this.
Punish the deed not the breed. With proper training injuries wouldn’t occur. I blame humans all day. I’m a dog trainer and it’s the smaller dogs and golden doodles and theses designer breeds giving the most trouble
There is no such thing as a dangerous breed, there are only dangerous individuals and owners. Just like how u can’t blame a gun for a death, u can’t blame a dog either. U have look at who is holding the gun and who is the “owner” of the dog.
Agree! Agree!
Trained for an obedience club for 11 years. Was never bitten by a large dog. Terriers, Chihuahuas and small Poodles are the worst biters and the scars on my hands prove it. I owned and bred German shepherds and Kuvasz for many years. Never had a bite but did find burglars in the yard trees when I got home a couple of times. My current Golden loves people but hates other dogs due to an attack when he was a puppy and at 110 pounds well … No amount of socializing /training has had any effect, Thankfully, we live away… Read more »
Dobermans were bred by a German tax collector (named Doberman) to protect him when he made his rounds to collect taxes (that’s the way it used to be done)
As retired law enforcement i’ve never been bit or attacked by a large dog and have owned several in the top 4, i was bit by more small dogs alls these idiots did was pick big dogs that look tough and label them.
I am a dog lover and have had various breeds throughout my life. I firmly believe that any breed can be capable of biting. As a nurse for over 40 years, mostly with children, I have seen numerous cases of severe dog bites. Out of the last ten, six were inflicted by pit bulls, all family dogs with no prior history of aggression. The worst was to a 4yr old girl who was lying on the floor watching TV. She had no food or toys around her but the family dog attacked her face, removing most of the tissue on… Read more »
I own a Presa Canario, she is well mannered and is great around children. She was well socialized as a puppy and even goes to doggy daycare. We trained her very well as a puppy and she respects our authority. She is a great protector when she needs to be, but would love nothing more then to lay in your lap. I do agree that people need to do their research and train each dog appropriately, but to say thia breed is one of the most dangerous is ridiculous. It all in the training, hell even a golden retriever can… Read more »
Some of these dogs might be big but that does NOT mean anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Exactly! My mini schnauzer is one of the laziest, most laid back dogs in the world. Until a child is around, then he turns into a tasmanian devil. We *never* allow him around children, he is always leashed when walking and has the strappy thing around his muzzle when we go to the dog park. He weighs a whole 18 lbs, about the height of a large house cat, carries a stuffed monkey around in his mouth and snores in my ear all night. He was professionally trained as a young puppy, obeys every command we give, absolute darling of… Read more »
Our German Shepard and Korean Jindo may have licked a few people to death…and they are guilty of stealing a steak or two when our back was turned…..
i had two bullmastiffs that would have let any intruder into the house while they woudl attempt to sit on their laps. these dogs are the most gentle and peaceful creatures i have ever encountered. i rescued both of them from an irreseponsible puppy mill type breeder. these dogs did not have a mean bone in their body. they have made me a big fan of the breed. it is the owners you need to blame not the dogs. unfortunately both of my beautiful girls have since passed away.
I take care of hundreds of dogs a year. I have no opinion about turning on the owners, but the list is good as far as showing which breed are less stable. Whoever is breeding German shepherds these days should be ashamed of themselves. Most of the ones I see are very tightly wound up and are very bad at handling any changes in their environment. The only sensible and relatively calm shepherd I’ve taken care of came from a litter bred by a police officer, bred from his police department’s own dogs. I imagine that law enforcement looks for… Read more »
Your Pittie is adorable. Is he old? I’m guessing by the greying on his muzzle that he is. Mine is 8 1/2 now, and starting to turn grey around the muzzle too, but still has tons of energy. He’s the one on the left in my avatar. A truly sweet boy and loves people in general, especially if food is involved. 🙂
Nancyleecole, keep in mind, you know ONE pit bull. They are not all like that, and I’d take a pit bull over a chihuahua any day. Those little devils are MEAN!!! Take a look at the black dog on the left in my avatar. That is my pit bull several years back. I’ve had him for 7 1/2 of his 8 1/2 years and he has never bitten me, or any other human. He loves people, but is protective of his humans and home. It’s sad that you were exposed to a pit bull that was not properly trained or… Read more »
I had a Doberman . She was small , only 50 lbs. She was scared of her own shadow when I got her. She wasn’t dangerous to people at all, but would kill birds, rats, mice, and grasshoppers. She got a hold of one of my cats and thankfully I was nearby and the cat was unhurt. I yelled at her and she never tried for that cat again. She attacked my other cat at the time in front of me so I stopped it immediately . And I yelled at her and she never tried for that cat again… Read more »
My son has a pit and a German Shepherd. I have a pit and a pit mix. All four are dangerous, the fastest tongues in the west. More than once Ive offered them a treat and found a finger taken along with the treat, licked, and promptly spit out. The biggest danger they pose is their wagging tails, or a** hammers as I call them. Ive been bruised a time or two by a fast moving tail, but thats about it.
Count yourself lucky that they don’t have gas. My pit is an environmental hazard.
I love my purebred mutt. She is afraid of cats, loud noises and most strangers unless they carry food in their pocket or hand. Even then she will probably pee on the floor. Got her from the animal shelter and she was a good pick.