(Forgot about this post, whoops)
@Bathos Thank you thank you thank you!! It's all about early socialization and training.
And yes, these breeds were all bred to be people pleasers. Doing what makes their owner happy, and doing it to the best of their ability. Which gets the dogs in to trouble.
I've seen so many stories of "vicious dogs" used in rings that have been put in a propper home and become the sweetest, most wonderful pets, who are good with other pets.
BSL Does not work. Ever. It makes the dogs more desirable in some cases to people who would use them for selfish reasons and cruel sport.
And it does not do much for population control, if you really look at it.
It takes the dogs away from the responsible owners and puts them down, usually within 48 hours, with no chance of the dog ever getting out of the shelter. At all. No matter what the dog in case is actually like around people or other animals.
Plus, it creates this stigma for people who rely on the media. When they hear that something has been banned because it's "bad", it gives them the impression that that is the case, 100% of the time. which it is not. And then they bad mouth the owners of said dogs. It drives me up the wall.
My uncle used to be like that, only listening to the news. His brother had a few though, and they changed his mind. He now has the quietest, sweetest little pitty that sleeps with his 10 year old every night.
As a groomer, I can attest to Bathos' example above. The big, "aggressive" breeds, if you will, are always trained so well and behave the best. I never use a muzzle unless I feel that it's necessary. I don't mind the occasional nibble or bite, the dog is scared and uncomfortable, and it's usually my own fault if I ever get bitten bad.
But the ones I have had to muzzle have been yorkies and toy poodles. Frisky little things that have no training because "oh, it's a small dog. It's not going to be a problem, he/she's too tiny to do anything too bad!" Wrong.
Edit: I'd also like to point out that there is a reason (or a few) that pits are reported the most.
Also, that "long-haired pit" thing made me laugh for a good 5 minutes. Newfies are the sweetest breed, they put up with way more than I ever would before I would probably snap on someone.
@Bathos Thank you thank you thank you!! It's all about early socialization and training.
And yes, these breeds were all bred to be people pleasers. Doing what makes their owner happy, and doing it to the best of their ability. Which gets the dogs in to trouble.
I've seen so many stories of "vicious dogs" used in rings that have been put in a propper home and become the sweetest, most wonderful pets, who are good with other pets.
BSL Does not work. Ever. It makes the dogs more desirable in some cases to people who would use them for selfish reasons and cruel sport.
And it does not do much for population control, if you really look at it.
It takes the dogs away from the responsible owners and puts them down, usually within 48 hours, with no chance of the dog ever getting out of the shelter. At all. No matter what the dog in case is actually like around people or other animals.
Plus, it creates this stigma for people who rely on the media. When they hear that something has been banned because it's "bad", it gives them the impression that that is the case, 100% of the time. which it is not. And then they bad mouth the owners of said dogs. It drives me up the wall.
My uncle used to be like that, only listening to the news. His brother had a few though, and they changed his mind. He now has the quietest, sweetest little pitty that sleeps with his 10 year old every night.
As a groomer, I can attest to Bathos' example above. The big, "aggressive" breeds, if you will, are always trained so well and behave the best. I never use a muzzle unless I feel that it's necessary. I don't mind the occasional nibble or bite, the dog is scared and uncomfortable, and it's usually my own fault if I ever get bitten bad.
But the ones I have had to muzzle have been yorkies and toy poodles. Frisky little things that have no training because "oh, it's a small dog. It's not going to be a problem, he/she's too tiny to do anything too bad!" Wrong.
Edit: I'd also like to point out that there is a reason (or a few) that pits are reported the most.
- They are the most popular breed/type in the U.S. currently, which means a higher overall population.
- As Bathos said, many people can't even identify a pit bull, which means that if they can't identify the dog, the will probably peg them as a pit due to media stigmas.
Also, that "long-haired pit" thing made me laugh for a good 5 minutes. Newfies are the sweetest breed, they put up with way more than I ever would before I would probably snap on someone.
