Pitbulls: Killers or Companions
by C.Nicholson on Jan 17, 2007 with 9 Comments
My stand on how to raise your pitbulls and taking care of them.
Well since I’ve owned my pit bull for 3 years now I have heard nothing but horror stories about this breed of dog. Stories range from baby attacks; pet attacks and also people attacks. A lot of people believe this dog is to aggressive even to be alive so now there’s all kinds of bans for on pit bulls all over the country.
I’m a very proud owner of a Brindle female pit bull who I love very much and would never give it up for anything. The problem I think isn’t the breed itself so much as these messed up owners that get these dogs and train them to fight, kill or attack. My pit bull came from an abusive home and was never allowed out of the basement and had to fight other dogs to eat.
The guy that I got it from said the owner didn’t want her because she wasn’t vicious enough for him. After getting her I found all this out so I figured I had a big problem on my hands. It took the dog only a few months before she started beefing up and started to get comfortable. I like to play ruff with my dogs sometimes but this one scared me because of the stories I was hearing.
Finally one day the dog and me got playing around kind of ruff but noticed this dog wouldn’t bite me. So I tried a bunch of little experiments on her to see what was her trigger to set her off if she even had one. I tried taking food out of her dish when she was eating and even went as far as take it out of her mouth without a single growl or nip at me. I couldn’t believe it. The big test came when I took the dog down to my moms where my newborn niece was.
I wasn’t watching the dog or the baby and that’s when I noticed she was pulling on her ears and lips and I almost died. I was scared the dog might turn but the look in her face you could tell she wasn’t bothered by it. Its been 3 years now and this dog has never bitten me or harmed me or even scared me in anyways making me believe it’s the way they are brought up that will determine how they will be their whole lives. This dog lives here with me and my girlfriend and 3 kids and never once harmed them either.
Don’t get me wrong these dogs do have aggression bred into them but if you teach them not to bite when they’re a pup and they will grow to be a very obedient. It just takes time and patients with this bred that’s all but the one thing they definitely are is protective of their families and they are one of the smartest breeds of dogs I have ever had. So please if you have heard these stories keep in mind animals are like kids, they aren’t born bad they are taught that in the grown stages of their lives and should not be punished because some people don’t know how to treat or raise them.
So my overall view and opinion is this dog is one of the best breeds for companionship and protection as long as they are raised right.
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Published in: Pets
Jason | Jul 16, 2008 | Reply
I agree with you. The majority of pitbulls that I have encountered have all been tame, calm, and friendly. I have seen more viciousness from other breeds of dogs. I have a lab/pit mix, and she’s the sweetest thing in the world. But she is a great guard dog!
Teresa M Sims | Dec 31, 2008 | Reply
in my younger years i had three pits two of them were very mean because the guy i got them from used them to fight for a living which pisted me off. but the baby they had would not tough a fly its in the any dogs nature to protect but its the owner and how they train the dog i have a lab and his mean to men but any child or adult he lets walk on by.
Aki | Jan 6, 2009 | Reply
I didn’t understand what the person before me was saying at all, but i think i agree. I love pitbulls. They are wonderful dogs and make great companions. My pitbull, Lady Scooch, is wonderful and loves to cuddle. Once you get to know her, you couldnt even imagine her biting someone, though she does play rough. Please give a pitbull in your local neighborhood a chance.
V J Russell | Jan 11, 2009 | Reply
Yeah! Stand up for our precious, silly, loving, gentle, wonderful dogs!
Now, you’ve said that the dogs have aggression bred into them. I disagree. From what I’ve researched, they are bred for tolerance to pain, and being terriers, they’re bred not to let go from a bite. (The common “locking jaws” myth.) Even fighting pit bulls rarely fight humans.
The sad truth is, many of the reported “pit bull attacks” later turn out to be other breeds. Blaming a pitbull apparently sells more newspapers. Often, from what I’ve seen, the true breed responsible is golden retrievers! Many of us have known and loved goldens, which proves once again, the owner is at fault for poor training and socialization.
Just one more thing, if you are one to sign petitions against breed discrimination laws, be sure to be tactful. It does more harm than good to leave angry comments. Makes us lovers of the breed seem like angry people.
Anyways, very nice article! I wish more people would read it!
Anj | Feb 5, 2009 | Reply
I adopted my sweet boy pitbull last year and everyone tried to “warn” me about how aggressive it would be and how careful to be, etc. However, he is more gentle than most other dogs I have ever known! In fact I am adopting my second pitbull this week (Saturday) and cant wait to rescue another from the possiblity of another person tourmenting or abusing her! I hope people read this article and the comments to get opinions from true experiece rather than forming distorted opinions from what the media portrays!
Paul | Feb 17, 2009 | Reply
I need a little help here. I recently lost my 11 yr old pit/lab mix 2 weeks ago..she was the sweetest dog to me..she did have her moments, and didnt like children, cats, and some dogs..
I just adopted a blue nose pitbull on 2-16-09..from a local adoption group called S.A.V.E. .., it was mentioned she is 2 yrs old, abandoned, and was brought to the shelter about 3 weeks ago, in very bad shape..she`s roughly 20 lbs underweight..all skin and bones still…her ears are not silky to the touch,.they are rough to the touch, you can feel the scars all over them..she also has a 1 inch scar on the front hind thigh..and a little scar on her belly..
She`s very timid, has a bad case of `happy tail` also.
She also has gas..I wonder if she really is `healthy` , like the adoption claims she is.. She has been `fixed`, and microchipped.
She looks younger than 2 for sure..she also has food agression issues, and already started barking at my neighbors..
My question is this: Was this Blue nose pitbull a `BAIT` dog possibly ?? she was rescued in Lawrence, NY..thats east of JFK intl. airport…I think she was used as a `BAIT` dog, but not sure if the adoption agenct knew that, or did not want to tell me.
I want to love this dog, and take care of her, and fix her..
any help/suggestions would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Paul
scott | May 7, 2009 | Reply
I have a red nose, brindle she is one of the best dogs I’ve ever had. she get put down by so many people because she is a pit bull and she is more playful then any lab i have seen.
mistyp from boklahoma | Jul 6, 2009 | Reply
I have owned pit bulls for 10 years and i love my dogs and i allways have people till me they are bad and they need to be ban but i have 3 kids and my dogs have never hurt nobody
NORTH CAROLINIAN | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
I HAVE A 10 MONTH OLD BOXER/PIT. SWEETEST BIGGEST BABY! BUT WHENIT COMES TO PROTECTING ME HE BECOMES AGGRESSIVE. ON OUR WALKS IF ANY DOG OR PERSON APPROACHES ME HE IS READY TO TEAR THEM UP AND HE PULLS VERY STRONG! I ALWAYS MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE BUT ON OCCASIONS STUPID PEOPLE KEEP WALKING TOWARDS ME EVEN IF THEY SEE THE DOG SHOWING TEETH! I HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY HIM BECAUSE I PULL HIM AWAY. IN MY BACKYARD THERE IS A CHAINLINK FENCE AND HE WILL WALK RIGHT BY MY SIDE WHEN I AM NEAR IT BECAUSE HE WILL TRY TO BITE THE DOG ON THE OTHERSIDE IF SHE COMES TO SAY HELLO TO ME. HE IS DANGEROUSLY OVERPROTECTIVE…