irene@phoenix.UUCP (06/18/85)
I recently heard that Pitt Bulls were going to be
outlawed in many states. Does anyone out in netland
know anything about this?
I have a Pitt Bull now and he's the best dog (and friend)
I have ever had. I know that Pitt Bulls have a bad
reputation, but just like people they are all different.
If the dog was raised in a loving and stable environment
this will be reflected in their personality and
behavior (my own opinion). Anyway, I feel that if
Pitt Bulls are outlawed then Ratwhilers(sp?)
German Shepards and Doberman Pinchers should also be
outlawed.
If anyone has heard anything about this please post
on net.pets.
Thanks in advance,
Irene
"I LOVE MY PITT BULL PUP"halle@hou2b.UUCP (J.HALLE) (06/18/85)
If you'd spell "Pitt (sic) Bull" right, you'd understand the cause of the action. The Pit Bull was bred for one and only one thing: fighting. Dog fighting in a pit is exactly the same as cock fighting: outlawed everywhere, and rightly so. The problem with pit bulls is that this personality and temperment is inbred, and it takes a lot of careful training to keep it under control. And if it ever gets out of control the dog is dangerous. As far as Rotweillers and Dobermans are concerned, they have an undeserved bad rep. They are powerful dogs, which make them good candidates for aggressive activities, but those "skills" must be trained into them. They are very easily socialized to be safe dogs. In fact, most dobes I've met (several) have been real sweet, gentle dogs. I cannot say the same about pit bulls. I know of a trainer who specializes in problem dogs who has one that has never given a hint of trouble, but she never turns her back on it, so to speak, in potentially dangerous situations. Note: there are several dogs with similar names that are often confused with the pit bull. Most of them are not fighting dogs. These are the Staffordshire Terrier, the bull terrier, the staffordshire bull, and other combinations of those words. I'm not sure which one is the "pit bull."
chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (06/20/85)
In article <561@hou2b.UUCP> halle@hou2b.UUCP (J.HALLE) writes: >Dog fighting in a pit is exactly the same as cock fighting: >outlawed everywhere, and rightly so. The problem with pit bulls is that >this personality and temperment is inbred, and it takes a lot of careful >training to keep it under control. And if it ever gets out of control >the dog is dangerous. As far as Rotweillers and Dobermans are concerned, >they have an undeserved bad rep. They are powerful dogs, which make them >good candidates for aggressive activities, but those "skills" must be >trained into them. They are very easily socialized to be safe dogs. First, to clear up a misconception. After working in a couple of kennels and acting as handler for a number of vets, I can say with some authority that anyone who thinks that the pit bull requires a lot of humanization and training doesn't know the pit bull. Talk to breeders and trainers, or someone who has actually worked with the beasts for a while. Pit bulls, for the most part, are actually good animals for children. I've seen pit bulls put up (very goddnaturedly) with abuse that would have sent many other dogs completely up the wall. You have to be careful introducing new dogs into the bull domain, because they will protect their territory and pecking order, but once a dog is acclimated (not difficult if you know your animals) there usually isn'y any problem. I consider a pit much safer to be around children than many breeds, especially monsters like chihuahuas and tiny poodles. The Bay Area happens to be an area having a fair amount of trouble with rogue pit bulls, and one of the areas that has had anti-pit-bull legislation considered (and to my knowledge, none has passed). In all cases that I know of, pit bull attacks have either been because the person involved was mistreating the bull or the owner had caused it to go mean. The bull will reflect the treatment of its owner. A bad owner will generate a bad dog, a good owner will generate a good dog. Pit bulls are getting a bad rap because of a string of publicity -- I don't think they are any worse than most other dogs, and better than many. When they DO bite, they tend to create a worse wound, and this is one reason why they are getting the publicity -- the damage to the person involved is more severe. The reason for this is the reason they are used in dog fights -- they are chewers, not biters, and once they latch on they stay latched until they either get physically removed or decide to go for a better grip. I've seen a bull that had to have its jaw broken to get it to let go of another dog, but most aren't that stubborn. >In fact, most dobes I've met (several) have been real sweet, gentle dogs. >I cannot say the same about pit bulls. I know of a trainer who specializes >in problem dogs who has one that has never given a hint of trouble, but >she never turns her back on it, so to speak, in potentially dangerous >situations. I agree with dobes. I like dobes. I like shepards, too. The problem is that many of the problems caused by bad owners are sloughed off into the genetic patterns of the animals. Too bad they don't put the owner to sleep when a mistreated dog can't stand it anymore.... Dog fights, for those have never seen the results, is one of the most inhumane and cruel things that you can imagine. Having tried to put the results of a fight back together once, I have no tolerance for the 'people' who think that this is a sport. The carnage created in one of these spectacles is amazing. Also nauseating. My fondest wish is that the handler finds out what its like by having his animal turn on him... -- :From the misfiring synapses of: Chuq Von Rospach {cbosgd,fortune,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA The offices were very nice, and the clients were only raping the land, and then, of course, there was the money...