Thinking about a Pit or other "dangerous breed" types

B-Line

Here are some reality's that you will most probably have to live with. If you are not 100% okay with the following list of potential realities, maybe you should consider another breed.

Please feel free to add to this list:

1) You may have a hard time finding DOG CARE.
2) You may have a hard time finding GROOMERS.
3) You may have a hard time renting a house or apt.
4) You may get negative looks from other dog owners when you allow your dog off leash in a park.
5) There may be BREED SPECIFIC LAWS in an area where you live OR in an area you may one day move.
5A) There may be a new BSL introduced in your area, making your pet, illegal.
6) You may have a dog that can seriously injure or kill, another dog or child.
7) Most other dog breed owners are FOR "dangerous breed" laws, not against.
8) You will have criminal and civil liability if your dog injures someone.
9) Strangers will most likely be scarred of your dog.


[This should be an ongoing list to help prepare the potential owners of "Dangerous Breeds", what issues they will most likely have to address, when they bring their cute Pit, Bull, Dob, Rott, etc. home.]

sasafrass97

You may also have a hard time finding homeowners insurance. If you can, expect very high premiums.

lovemygreys

It annoys me when people get certain breeds and then proceed to b*tch and moan about a lot of the stuff on your list. I just don't get it. If you don't want to deal with that stuff, then choose a different breed. Some people embrace the challenge of owning pits and other similarly viewed breeds.

I do take exception to a few things on your list though....

This may be true of ANY breed and something that ALL dog owners need to be aware of. Once BSL is in place for certain breeds, rest assured it will start expanding. BSL reminds me of the old poem:
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

And again...ANY dog can injure another dog or child. MANY dog breeds are capable of killing another dog or child as well. It's the "well, *MY* breed would never...." that is the problem.

I don't see how you can say this. I think a more accurate statement is: most dog breed owners are FOR "dangerous DOG" laws. See poem above as to why ALL dog owners should be vigilant in promoting reponsible dog ownership and appropriate penalties for owning dangerous DOGS regardless of breed.

Mr Pooch

Excelent post LMG,very informative indeed!!

B-Line i must add.....

As you continue to state potential owners of these breeds should do alot of research before getting a "dangerous breed".

What puzzles me i have to say is why you feel the need to post such an issue here on DF as im under the assumption we are a community of doglovers here?not ignorant fools with absolutley no knowledge of what we own or intend to own in the future.

Basically i dont understand who your post will bear any inpact upon.

Fair enough you have posted under the "first time owner" section but IMO anybody joining DF who wants a bully/pit or other "dangerous breed" for the wrong reasons (to create an agressive pet) doesnt belong ammoungst us here.

B-Line

Pooch,

In the hopes that people do research before they acquire a puppy, I thought it might help to have some informative information available, for those that might be interested in adopting a "dangerous breed".

Not everyone knows about the issues of housing, BSL, dog care, grooming, multi dog environments, home owners insurance, etc.

This thread is to help people consider some of the issues they may face if they bring a type breed into their family.

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Dobermaniac

Your list can be applied to any dog breed.

B-Line

Hey Dober,

I would suggest, based on your list of answers, that you are both prepared and aware.

You seem to be a reasonable owner with realistic expectations.

B

I'll also answer your questions:

5) There may be BREED SPECIFIC LAWS in an area where you live OR in an area you may one day move.
- This is a big problem. Only pits are banned in Ontario. Even though no Pitbull has ever killed a person in Ontario.
So it could be argued that the ban is working... LOL

6) You may have a dog that can seriously injure or kill, another dog or child.
-So can any dog, whats your point? Are only certain breeds capable of this?
Certain breeds have a greater occurrence of this happening. And while dogs and children have been seriously bit and or injured by other breeds, when these accidents do happen, some breeds do a lot more damage than others.

7) Most other dog breed owners are FOR "dangerous breed" laws, not against.
-Do you have any statistical proof of this?
none what so ever.. Just based on conversations I have had with other dog owners in parks.

8) You will have criminal and civil liability if your dog injures someone.
-Once again this is applicable for ANY dog breed.
True, but if you harbor a dog in an area with a BSL, and the dog is on the BSL list, and hurts someone, the penalties and liability are much, much greater.

Dobermaniac

Well I do agree with you that buyers of pits, Dobes, GSD, Rotts etc... need to know what there getting themselves into. Most people have no clue about the training and exercise demands of these dogs. An example of this is idiots that take DA pits to dog parks. Than they get upset when people cross the streets to avoid their dogs. Or when people leave Dog parks when they show up with their dog. I just think its unfortunate that these breeds are labelled "dangerous" and have such a bad reputation. I mean the Doberman (at least American showlines) are very sweet dogs. Pretty much golden retrievers in a Doberman suit. Anyhooo I digress....

Chicster

I think it's a good post. Even if the active members of DF don't need the information... I'm sure there are a staggering number of lurkers reading what goes on here that may find that info very helpful. I used to be one of those lurkers for a long time before I decided to join and learned a lot that way!

Dobermaniac

All stats and cases were taken from http://www.theblackpaper.org/

gingersmom

I'm generally skeptical of any new dog's manners until I see evidence that the owner is capable of controlling the dog. I think owners have a responsibility to train their dogs, and not to put others at risk. (Training is not foolproof, of course.)

The thing I've never seen statistics about are the number of attacks made per 100 or 1000 dogs of a given breed. I am not surprised to see Goldens on the list for a high number of attacks, since they are an extremely popular breed. How can the statistics mean anything, if the denominators are not equivalent?

Has anyone ever seen statistics like that?

Pax

I haven't, gingersmom, and that always bugged me, too.

Criosphynx

when the popularity of a breed declines, the number of bites from that breed will decline as well.

petstar

ANY dog can seriously injure or kill another dog or child. Dogs have sharp teeth, powerful jaws, primitive instincts and reactions. To imply that with a specific breed more caution should be practiced is foolish. Caution should be practiced with ANY dog of ANY breed.

I seriously doubt the parents of the baby who was killed by the Jack Russel Terrier thought their dog was a threat...Even a very small dog has the capability of seriously injuring a small child.

No child should be left unsupervised with ANY dog...I don't care what breed, mix or mutt you're considering...

For that matter...YOU have a dog that could seriously injure or kill another dog or child. Dogs are capable of a great deal. They have the ability to inflict serious harm.

DobManiac

Is that true?

It's been a long time since I've used a groomer. It can get pretty expensive taking three dogs in for a simple bath and brush. I don't trust anyone but me to do their nails.

As for the rest of the list, to me it just comes down to researching BEFORE purchasing or adopting a pet. But I think that should apply to all breeds, dangerous or not.

Shalva

just to add that we are seeing more and more temperament issues in golden retrievers.... once a steady dog that could handle most anything and was agreat family companion that could be totally trusted, that is not always the case anymore....

temperaments are becoming more and more of an issue.

thats the thing about popularity..... its terrible for a breed.
s

Inga

I agree gingersmom, The breeds that have been deemed "dangerous breeds" are also the most common breeds. It wouldn't be fair to say that more Pits then Pomeranian have killed people if the Pits are # 1 in population and Pomeranian are # 75 in population. Yes, a Pom is on the fatal bites list.
I assume Labrador Retrievers will be on this list very very soon as well now that they are the height of popularity. Doesn't anyone find it odd that say, Rottweiler's were virtually unheard of 20 some odd years ago and yet they are one of the older breeds? My point being that the dog breed itself is NOT what is dangerous it is the hoards of bad breeders and bad owners that get them. Can a Rottweiler do more damage then a Pom? Yes, I guess it can, and yet again.... A Pom has killed a child. I believe large breeds of dogs can do more damage, I believe some breeds of dogs are more prone to being dog aggressive. I don't know which breed of dog has been bred purposefully to be Human aggressive. The statistics are so flawed for the reasons of amounts of dogs involved and also in many cases misidentification of said breed. I think all of the "good dog" owner's standing around in dog parks discussing which breeds should be banned should be ashamed of themselves. Maybe they should instead be trying to think of ways to cut down the numbers of any breed in the wrong hands.

This may be true of ANY breed and something that ALL dog owners need to be aware of. Once BSL is in place for certain breeds, rest assured it will start expanding. BSL reminds me of the old poem:
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

LMG, I also have loved the significance of this poem with BSL. Thanks for posting it.

I HATE hearing all the stories of Pits, Rottweiler's, Shepherd's biting and hurting people or dogs. It is ridiculous that it keeps happening. I am not saying it is NOT happening either, I know it is. IT just should NOT be happening. I have owned Rottweiler's for over 28 years and have managed to keep mine as well as the hundred or so I have dealt with in rescue over those years from biting anyone or even threatening to bite anyone. Is it the breed then? NO! I don't think so. I am not special, I am NOT the greatest trainer or anything, I am just an animal lover that finds the Rottweiler's personality, charm, energy level, sense of humor, and gentle (yes gentle) nature to be the perfect fit for me. So, should I Just get a different breed? Um, NO! I think I should do what I can to change the perception of the breed and get people to see the problem for what it is. It is NOT a breed problem, It is a HUMAN problem. People need to be responsible, end of story.
I could do less damage to others if I drove a bike instead of a car too but if I am a very responsible driver, that also makes driving thee car safer.
Sorry but I hate hearing people say "Just get a different breed" I LOVE Rottweiler's, I don't want a different breed.

Laurelin

And any other breed. Paps have doubled in popularity lately. Temperaments and just overall quality automatically goes down when this happens.

Pits are one of the most popular (if not THE most popular) breed in the country. It makes sense that they'd be involved with many more attacks. (Even if the media could ID a pit bull...)

Kathilis

I think this post was a good idea. There are a lot of people who may do research before buying a puppy or dog and would be happy to find this post. I do research on lots of things I don't have before I buy them and it's always nice to hear advice from someone who is already part of that world rather than some news article. I just recently got a dog, I don't even know what a BSL is. My dog is an australian cattle dog, but I have no discrimination against "dangerous breeds". I've never owned one, and I'm sure they take a lot of work, but it is my opinion that so called "dangerous breeds" are only dangerous if their owners treat them badly. In fact I think it is completely ridiculous that there are existing laws against certain breeds. There was an attack recently near where I live, I believe it was three rotweilers? Sorry if I spelled that wrong. They attacked and killed two people in the area and now they are trying to pass a law against having more than three dogs to a household. I think that is insane, that attack was entirely the owners fault. The owner caused those dogs to be aggressive and the owner was careless in letting them get loose. It's horrible that incedents like this can cause other dog owners to suffer and create such fear and hatered toward these beautiful creatures.

DogsforMe

There are several breeds of dogs not allowed to be imported into Australia, most of them I had never heard of b4. The only one I have heard of is the American pitbull. We have them here already & my son's dog is 1/4 pit. She is a lovely dog to live with & a real character.
There was a case in Western Australia last August where an husky mauled & killed its owners 3 week old baby. From memory it was treated like their child & b4 the baby was born was sent away to relatives & only came home days b4 the fatal attack. No matter how absolutely terrible this is, I blame the parents for not preparing the dog for the babys arrival.
A couple of years ago a list of possible additions to the bsl list was ridiculous. It included such things as a dog over 12 inches high, over a certain weight. It was too abserd for works. It would wipe out most of the breeds we know & love.

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