Pit Bulls

[Tommycat]

Okay, so I get a lot of flak from people when I tell them I have 3 pit bulls. It mostly comes down to people having an irrational fear of pit bulls. Insurance companies even add to it by refusing insurance to people who own pit bulls. It has become a major irritant to me as these are some very wonderful dogs. A lot of it comes from misinformation.

 

Here are some of the things I have heard.

Myth: Pit bulls were bred to fight other dogs.

Fact: Pit bulls were bred to help people on cattle farms and slaughter houses. They would work as a team to hold the bull when it was time to slaughter the bull.

 

Myth: Pit bulls bite people more than other dogs.

Fact: Many times people misidentify the breed as a pit bull. A boxer, or Mastif to an unfamiliar person is just another pit bull(see if you can find the ONE pit bull on this page). It also happens to be one of the most popular breeds. More dogs in the population, more bites. Seems rather elementary.

 

Myth: Pit bulls have locking jaws.

Fact: Pit bulls jaws are functionally no different than other dogs.

 

Myth: Pit bulls don't feel pain.

Fact: This is kinda true. Pit bulls DO feel pain, but they have determination to ignore the pain and finish what they are tasked to do.

 

Myth: Pit bulls have the highest bite pressure per square inch that can reach 2000PSI.

Fact: Both the German Sheppard AND the Rottweiler have a higher bite pressure. Rotties have nearly 100PSI more. Rottweilers have a bite force of 328PSI. But by contrast humans have a bite force up to 280PSI. Bite force of a pit bull is 235PSI... Oops looks like a pit bull has a lower bite force than a human. So where did these high PSI numbers come from? Probably the alligator which actually has a bite force of 2200 lbs.

 

Myth: Pit bull brains swell causing them to go crazy.

Fact: The same rumor went around about Dobermans. There have been no studies that showed that EITHER breed had any type of swelling that made them go crazy.

 

Myth: Pit bulls turn on their owners.

Fact: Pit bulls are actually the most loyal of the breeds. When a dog "turns" on it's owner, it is usually because warning signs were ignored for a long time. Improper handling and training of the dog to encourage aggressive behavior. Pit bulls want to please their master. So when you train it to be mean, it becomes mean. Figure the odds. Some times it's because of disease which warning signs are ignored. But that's true of all dogs.

 

Myth: Pit bulls are aggressive to other animals.

Fact: um... curious, maybe... but the cats and the bird seem to have no problem with my Blue Pit. or the other two pits.

 

Myth: Pit bulls are dangerous to have around a family.

Fact: LOL The American Temperment Testing Society recently did a study of 122 breeds. Pit Bulls scored 86% Pretty high up there. Better than many other "common" breeds including Collies and Miniature Poodles

 

Anyone else have pit bulls that would like to give more information?

[mimartin]

Myth:

Insurance companies even add to it by refusing insurance to people who own pit bulls.

 

Fact: Some insurance companies, not all. In fairness, it is the same insurance companies that made people remove slides and diving board from pools. Talk to your neigbors and you will know what I mean.

[Tommycat]

Myth:

 

Fact: Some insurance companies, not all. In fairness, it is the same insurance companies that made people remove slides and diving board from pools. Talk to your neigbors and you will know what I mean.

 

Haha having pit bulls, I know that it's not all insurance companies that won't insure you. I used insurance companies, like I would people. Not all of them, but quite a few refuse to insure those that have pit bulls, and diving boards(I had both... yay me). But a lot of the cheaper insurance companies refuse to offer insurance. Course, I look at it like this. If they refuse to insure, chances are they are an insurance company I shouldn't use anyway.

[Liverandbacon]

I don't own a pit bull, but a few friends of mine do. Like any dog, temperament varies, and most of the time is due to how the owner raises them. If a dog is vicious, most of the time it's the owner's fault. Same goes for rotties, dobermans, german shepherds, etc.

 

Funnily enough, one of my friends' pit bull is the meekest dog I know. I saw it try to hide from a corgi. Ferocious death machine? Not quite.

[adamqd]

Unfortunately, Pit Bulls are are illegal to breed, therefore not easily available here in the UK... the rules are;

 

They must be neutered.

They must be insured.

They must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.

They must be microchipped.

They must be registered.

 

So, as they are neutered, they are not legally available from a breeder. So you dont see them here.

[Tommycat]

It's funny how I ended up being a pit bull owner. Originally I was like many people. I didn't want them, and felt they were dangerous dogs. I got my first pit through chance. My ex wife wanted to get rid of a pit that ate her expensive shoes. The dog came into my house, and was such a loving and caring dog that I realized that pits had gotten this reputation from mostly bad owners. Interestingly enough the dog ate a few things, but nothing of mine. Things that were mixed in with my stuff, but belonged to my ex wife. The dog just didn't like my ex. She never ate anything from my girlfriend. Actually even protected my girlfriend from people who came at her.

 

My best friend has a pit and a Chihuahua. Guess which one is more dominant....

 

Unfortunately, Pit Bulls are are illegal to breed, therefore not easily available here in the UK... the rules are;

 

They must be neutered.

They must be insured.

They must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.

They must be microchipped.

They must be registered.

 

So, as they are neutered, they are not legally available from a breeder. So you dont see them here.

 

Yeah I had heard that. Interesting thing is that banning pit bulls has not reduced the number of dog attacks. Of course I have mine chipped and neutered. 97% of attacks were from non-sterilized pits. Chipped because pits are pushed to the front of the kill line. 2 weeks for most animals. one week for pits. It's sad that misinformation and bad owners has led to rules like those in the UK.

[Liverandbacon]

Unfortunately, Pit Bulls are are illegal to breed, therefore not easily available here in the UK... the rules are;

 

They must be neutered.

They must be insured.

They must be muzzled and kept on a lead in public.

They must be microchipped.

They must be registered.

 

So, as they are neutered, they are not legally available from a breeder. So you dont see them here.

 

Wow, seriously? Do you know how that law came to pass? I'm guessing a high-profile mauling caused politicians to vote for this to get a few reelection votes? Yet another example of the UK gov going to a stupid degree of over-protectiveness, makes me not regret losing my citizenship.

[adamqd]

I think people were breeding them for Fighting each other, and a lot of such cases were discovered around the time the Government were bringing in new Legislation regarding "Dangerous Breeds"... Pit Bulls became the scape goat

[Ping]

Seeing Pit Bulls on The Dog Whisperer has made me treat them like any other dog.

[Astor]

I think people were breeding them for Fighting each other, and a lot of such cases were discovered around the time the Government were bringing in new Legislation regarding "Dangerous Breeds"... Pit Bulls became the scape goat

 

It is unfortunate, but unfortunately it's the only way of curbing their use as fighting dogs.

 

I know people who deal with them, and they admit it's upsetting to have to destroy those used for fighting - it's not their fault that their 'owners' (those used for fighting could hardly be called 'pets') have used them for those purposes, but it's the best way of preventing further cruelty.

[Totenkopf]

....Interestingly enough the dog ate a few things, but nothing of mine. Things that were mixed in with my stuff, but belonged to my ex wife. The dog just didn't like my ex. She never ate anything from my girlfriend. Actually even protected my girlfriend from people who came at her.

 

Maybe he was trying to tell ya something....

[Tommycat]

Maybe he was trying to tell ya something....

 

LOL I joked that the dog was too smart for my ex. She destroyed anything from my ex wife. When I got a new pit to replace her after my former roommate lost my pit, that pit ate everything from an ex girlfriend. Left the stuff of my current girlfriend alone. It was hilarious to see that she picked up and moved stuff from my current girlfriend to get to the ex girlfriend's stuff and destroy it.

[N-5/Prudii]

My Pit Bull didn't give me much trouble, Well, I did have a female, though...

[Tommycat]

Interestingly, Hellen Keller owned a pit. Not as a guard or guide dog, but just a pet. Pit bulls are also known as "Nanny Dogs" because of their tendency to watch over and protect children.

 

NOTE: While pit bulls are not normally aggressive toward children(or people at all in fact), I would not recommend ANY dog be left unattended with children. Children may not recognize when a dog is becoming annoyed at them hitting the dog. Be a responsible dog owner and watch your children around the dog.

 

Other interesting facts:

Pit Bulls were used in US propaganda during WWI AND WWII to represent the resolve of the American people.

One pit bull, Stubby was awarded a promotion to SGT for his actions in WWI, in which he warned his platoon of a poisoned gas attack. He later became the mascot for Georgetown University.

Pit bulls were specifically bred NOT to be human aggressive.

Pit bulls are used for a variety of purposes. They make great therapy dogs, and have been used as drug dogs, and were used after 9/11 for search and rescue.

 

edit: Oh and adamqd: IF you are really interested in owning a Staffordshire, There are rescues and you can check the pound as well. Save a dog, don't promote overbreeding.

[Astrotoy7]

My main aversion to them is that they are butt ugly

 

I don't mind labradors,but anything else pales to the grace and beauty of pussycat.

 

mtfbwya

[ChAiNz.2da]

Yeah, not seeing all the fuss about pits. ANY dog with an irresponsible owner can become a mess...

 

My Dalmation (miss him ) was a 'bite-ier' dog than any breed that I know.. and he was spoiled rotten

 

But Cats are better by far anyways hehehe

[adamqd]

 

edit: Oh and adamqd: IF you are really interested in owning a Staffordshire, There are rescues and you can check the pound as well. Save a dog, don't promote overbreeding.

 

Staff's are legal bud, My friend has one, and I have 2 gorgeous Boxers, just Pits and a select few others are illegal over here

 

edit: Sorry Tommycat, just realized the US classify several breeds as Pit's. I should of said, the UK only Class the American pit bull terrier as said illegal breeding dog

[deathdisco]

My main aversion to them is that they are butt ugly

 

I don't mind labradors,but anything else pales to the grace and beauty of pussycat.

 

mtfbwya

I beg to differ.

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[Ping]

My main aversion to them is that they are butt ugly

 

I don't mind labradors,but anything else pales to the grace and beauty of pussycat.

 

mtfbwya

 

Meh, I've always liked huskies. They look like wolves!

[Tommycat]

Staff's are legal bud, My friend has one, and I have 2 gorgeous Boxers, just Pits and a select few others are illegal over here

 

edit: Sorry Tommycat, just realized the US classify several breeds as Pit's. I should of said, the UK only Class the American pit bull terrier as said illegal breeding dog

 

Well I guess that's okay... The AKC only recognizes the Staffies. Yes, the US sees 3 breeds as the Pit Bull. American Staffordshires, American Pit Bull Terriers and Staffordshires.

 

I guess they only dislike the APBT. That's a bit of a shame. as there are many other breeds that are more dangerous. Pits are more dangerous to other dogs. But even at the height of their ownership and when they were used for fighting(not like the death fights you know of today, but when it was more controlled than boxing is), the dogs were still family dogs.

 

The real shame is that it's the owner's irresponsibility that got the dogs banned. They use the dog to look tough. Sad that the breed that was once a symbol for America, is now banned in much of America(not just the UK).

[Astrotoy7]

I beg to differ.

 

 

whoa....That looks like a girl I knew from uni!! I would definitely cross the street if I saw that visage

 

From a looks perspective, my two furballs are perhaps a little more approachable, although Kimba is very unlikely to let you go anywhere near him - its that wild Bengal blood of his He lets me pick him up for a strict 10secs a day

 

 

Still, there are scary looking cats out there too...

 

mtfbwya

[adamqd]

Here's my Babies,

 

[LordOfTheFish]

Clearly Miniature Schnauzers are the best breed.

 

It seems though, that every pit bull that my neighbors get is never taken care of properly or treated right. For example, my next door neighbor adopted a pit bull puppy that was only a few months old. They left it chained up outside all day long. The thing would bark it's head off like some hell-hound everytime I came within a few feet of it.

 

People who think they are 'gangsters' tend to adopt pit bulls for the 'tough-looking/scary' image and reputation they have. They also misstreat them leading to a wild and mean dog. The facts are against the breed sadly.

 

With that said, however, the main reason I dislike them if the same reason as Astro, they are hideous!

[Tommycat]

Clearly Miniature Schnauzers are the best breed.

 

It seems though, that every pit bull that my neighbors get is never taken care of properly or treated right. For example, my next door neighbor adopted a pit bull puppy that was only a few months old. They left it chained up outside all day long. The thing would bark it's head off like some hell-hound everytime I came within a few feet of it.

 

People who think they are 'gangsters' tend to adopt pit bulls for the 'tough-looking/scary' image and reputation they have. They also misstreat them leading to a wild and mean dog. The facts are against the breed sadly.

 

With that said, however, the main reason I dislike them if the same reason as Astro, they are hideous!

 

Ugh.. that's the problem with pit bulls. Not the dog, but their owners.

 

"I want a mean dog" so a dog bred to be human friendly, gets made into a human aggressive dog. Then the owner gets bit by their dog and the dog gets put down. Seems to me the wrong one is getting put down.

 

Sorry, I gotta give the edge to pit bulls over other dogs.

Hmmm I always seem to catch them sleeping

[deathdisco]

whoa....That looks like a girl I knew from uni!! I would definitely cross the street if I saw that visage

 

From a looks perspective, my two furballs are perhaps a little more approachable, although Kimba is very unlikely to let you go anywhere near him - its that wild Bengal blood of his He lets me pick him up for a strict 10secs a day

 

 

Still, there are scary looking cats out there too...

 

mtfbwya

Don't worry Astro we've got kittys too!

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