[JenTN]

I've had Chihuahua's, Boxers, Boston Terriers, and others "rush me" in my yard- and was lucky enough to be bitten by a Boxer. Pit's aren't the only one's roaming neighborhoods with teeth.

[Mycathinks hesadog]

Originally Posted by Curbside Prophet

The real issue is that these dogs have a stigma, and that stigma keeps these businesses from being profitable. Doggie Daycare owners, as much as they love dogs, are in it to make a profit. So if that means excluding service to you or other pit owners to do that, this is their privilege.

DING DING, you win all the money in my wallet with that one!

Oh wait.... I don't have any money in my wallet.

On a serious note, some thorough searching may find a pit friendly daycare for you (the OP). Probably a good place to start is by asking a pit/bully rescue in your area.

[melgrj7]

The pitbull terrier used to be "America's Dog". Once upon a time they were considered the best family dog to have.

Originally Posted by Twinney

The lab is like.. 'America's dog.'

[Spicy1_VV]

Originally Posted by KDesirea

First it was the groomer not wanting to groom a pit. Now I had a friend recommend a doggie daycare that she takes her Weimerener to. She said he has so much fun and lots of play time so I decided to look them up on the internet. As I was checking out their site I noticed that they will not accept pit bull terriers. I thought, "Well, then...you aren't the only daycare in town.... I'll find one that will." Wrong. The others don't accept pits either.

Here is the ironic thing. She is such a sweetheart that everyone loves her and yet she is not welcome to play. My friend's dog has actually nipped a few people and he is more than welcome.

I know I shouldn't take it personally but it really does bother me. They think they know her before meeting her. Some of them have temperment tests that they do but they won't do that with certain breeds. It says "For safety reasons we will not accept pit bull terriers and dobermans (I think)" How do they know that she is a threat to the safety of the other dogs or clients?

Smart people.

They know that Pit Bulls are a threat to the other dogs because they should never be trusted not to fight and won't usually stop once they are into a full blown fight. So they rather not take the risk. I'm sure there people are not trained in pit bull fight separation and don't carry around breaking sticks.

Accepting the facts of the breed is obviously hard on newbie owners. That is one reason why people recommend them not to get a Pit. Its not just the extra responsibility of making sure they are breed ambassadors or the hardships of renting or insurances. People really need to have a heart to heart before getting a specific breed. If they can't handle that dogs negative traits (in this case fighting ability) then chose another breed with other similar positive traits.

I can understand feeling defensive, people love their fur kids and they want everyone else so see them shine too. But you can't shun the facts away either, you have to learn to accept it and live with it. Or you might never be happy with your dog.

Originally Posted by dusty&lulusmom

Isn't it true that if a pit goes to attack or bite a dog it usually goes for the kill and I have heard the jaw locks. I don't think I have heard this to be true of other breeds. I am not familiar with pits but living in the NY/NJ area they have a really bad reputation around here. I don't doubt that most of them are owned by irresponsible owners but I know I have a fear of them just because of the stories and hearing about all the problems with them on the news. Maybe one day I will have the experience of meeting a wonderful pit and my view of them will change. But honestly based on what I hear about the breed I don't think I would ever own one or recommend anyone to get one.

You could start with some research. That won't give you a "mind change" but education can be the beginning. It isn't true of any breed. A dogs jaws can't lock. If they did how would they unlock? How would the dog stop an attack? How would they ever be able to go on with life. Dogs with tetanus or rabies jaws lock, that is the only cases I've ever heard of with dogs jaws locking. Typically they don't go for any kill, some do, I'd say those are rare. The ones which disembowel other dogs. What they go for depends on the dogs style, some like the chest/legs, other head, others are more opportunist, maybe like to get into the stifle, some go for face, head and neck, maybe shoulders and legs. All depends on the individual dog.

[InverseLogic]

Originally Posted by melgrj7

The pitbull terrier used to be "America's Dog". Once upon a time they were considered the best family dog to have.

Whoa, really? Around what time was this?
That blows my mind. Talk about a fall from grace.

[Spicy1_VV]

Originally Posted by InverseLogic

Whoa, really? Around what time was this?
That blows my mind. Talk about a fall from grace.

Yes that is a prefect way to describe it, fall from grace. I'd think about it they were features on a WWI poster. Doesn't that say something? Used again in WWI. The Our Gang Little Rascals comedy featuring Petey was from the 1920s+.



Anytime prior to 1980s they were not demonized. You had people owning them who knew how to properly keep them. Sad but true many were dog fighters but the dogs were not running around causing issues and were not man biters. Then the people who did have them as pet kept them properly and didn't have them to boost their ego or to use as intimidation. Lots of respected people owned pit bulls as just another family pet. Now days they are synonymous as the thugs choice when back then lower to upper class people cherished their pits and didn't have them for all the wrong reasons. The whole state of dog owners has changed completely. That is why we are seeing so very many dog issues these dogs, yes "pit bull problems" but many other problems with dog and owner not breed specific. People no longer know the dog or how to keep one properly. People no longer care. People have totally have no clue.

Where I used to live it was pits, pits, pits they were everywhere, luckily few problems. Lots of bybs and everyone wanted one. Very little issues I'm glad but the popularity was unbelievable. Now it is back to Rotts (what it was prior to pits). You can't even give away a Pit there and not many want to buy the cute, awesome pit pups people want to peddle. The Bybs are getting out of them and back into Rotts as the "next new" bad ass breed. Its amazing and scary all at once. It is like dogs are clothing. Always changing the trend to a "new" style even if its a style from 20 or 30 years ago. Then back again. At least in that area. Give it a few years and maybe they will go back to Pits again, then to Rotts, maybe even Dobies who were semi popular last time the Rotts were popular and the Dobie/Rott cross pups also would sell.

[InverseLogic]

Thanks for the info Spicy1_VV.

I've never met a mean Rottweiler or a mean Doberman.
There are two people who live in my neighborhood who own both breeds, and they're all well trained.
Also, there was a Rottweiler who lived next door to my uncle, and he was an awesome dog, even though the owners didn't seem to care about him much. He was also HUGE, bigger than most of the Rottweilers I've seen. Gigantic head. He loved it when I would pet him or play fetch.

[Spicy1_VV]

That is good. Its always nice to hear. Hopefully you will never come across one.

There was one in that town (Rott) which jumped the 6ft kennel and attacked a man. The dog always went psycho when I would walk my dogs by and never jumped out before. That day it did for whatever reason. They had several Pits and a Jack Russel plus the Rott. The Rott was of course PTS then when they got evicted they abandoned there other dogs. Stupid people.

[Xeph]

I love pits to death...love love love love em.

I do not allow my dogs to be off lead with them unless they are puppies.

I have nothing against the breed as a whole, but being knowledgeable about their breeding past, I won't allow a Pit to be put in that position. Absolutely not! It is an unfair situation to put a Pittie in.

That particular dog may not be dog aggressive, but it could happen that some day another dog pushes it too hard and BAM, it goes to "that place". The place it was intially created to go to...to win at all costs, even if that means death.

And you know, it wouldn't matter WHO started it, the Pit would be blamed. I don't think there's anything wrong with a pit playing with ONE other dog, but I would never in my wildest dreams throw one into a pack setting and let my guard down.

It's horrible trying to explain myself without sounding like a breedist, but owning a breed that was bred for dog aggression and is thus prone to dog aggression and then throwing it into a pack of other dogs (some of which may have absolutely NO manners) is asking for trouble. It's unfair. And ONE dog will end up paying for it.

[Spicy1_VV]

Good post Xeph. Being honest about a breed I don't think it makes someone sound like a breedist. Maybe knowledgeable is the word! I don't understand taking the risk. You can't worry about being called a breedist when it comes to protecting a breed/dogs thats all that matters. Sticking up for the dogs! Bravo

[Pai]

Originally Posted by Xeph

I have nothing against th breed as a whole, but being knowledgeable about their breeding past, I won't allow a Pit to be put in that position. Absolutely not! It is an unfair situation to put a Pittie in.

That particular dog may not be dog aggressive, but it could happen that some day another dog pushes it to hard and BAM, it goes to "that place". The place it was intially created to go to...to win at all costs, even if that means death.

And you know, it wouldn't matter WHO started it, the Pit would be blamed. I don't think there's anything wrong with a pit playing with ONE other dog, but I would never in my wildest dreams throw one into a pack setting and let my guard down.

It's horrible trying to explain myself without sounding like a breedist, but owning a breed that was bred for dog aggression and is thus prone to dog aggression and then throwing it into a pack of other dogs (some of which may have absolutely NO manners) is asking for trouble. It's unfair. And ONE dog will end up paying for it.

You summed it all up nicely; I totally agree.

[Kaida]

If I owned a doggie daycare I certainly wouldn't accept pits or similar dogs bred for fighting. I meet a few pits around here (despite them being banned in this country). They're all okay with people, as the breed is supposed to be, but I would never ever ever trust them with my dog. The breed was bred for fighting, it is dog-aggressive by nature. And a pup may not show that yet, but it may well one day kick in, and I'd hate my dog to be the one it kicked in around. There may be the odd pit who isn't dog-aggressive, but they're rare tbh, and no reason to accept pits as a whole into that setting.

[OreosMom1]

I live on a military base and they just started a new rule that states if you have a pit bull before you move in, you either have to get rid of it or live off base because they are no longer allowed. (Unless you had a pit before the rule then you are grandfathered in). It sucks for the ones with the good pits but I can see the reasoning behind it. Unfortunately, there are more bad pit bull owners than good and those particular people, ruin it for the good owners

[Ella'sMom]

I am fearful of pits BUT if I were to put Ella in daycare and there was a pit in there, I still would let her go there. I would assume the owners wouldn't put a viscious dog in a daycare situation.

I had a yellow lab - I loved him dearly. But we had to rehome him due to 3 different bite incidents with children. I got him under the premise that labs were a great "family dog". I didn't investigate enough I suppose.

[MuttHunter]

Originally Posted by Ella'sMom

I am fearful of pits BUT if I were to put Ella in daycare and there was a pit in there, I still would let her go there. I would assume the owners wouldn't put a viscious dog in a daycare situation.

I am not sure this is such a safe assumption. Not every pit owner is as thoughtful as the ones on this thread. Many dog owners (not just pit owners) are simply idiots. Just check out all the stories on this forum about people whose dogs have been attacked by those of thoughtless owners who put their aggressive pets in situations where they were able to attack and hurt other dogs. It might be better to check with the daycare operators and assess whether they have thought out in advance how to avoid fights or break up any fights that might occur with minimum damage.

[Roscosmom]

Originally Posted by Darkmoon

Candy317, the stats you have are flawed. By pit bulls what do they mean? How are they sure that the dogs that did the bitting were actually pit bulls? Many Lab mixes or dogs that just look a little "bully" are labeld as Pit bulls, even SBT, Mastiffs, CC and many more are labled as Pits even though they aren't.


And I know the feeling KDesirea. I actually frown when people cross the road to avoid Nubs and myself on walks. Nubby doesn't understand why people don't wnat to pet him. It's really sad.

C'mon now..let's be real. Your dog doesn't give a flying flip if someone doesn't 'want' to pet him, imo. I doubt he ponders on it, takes offense to it and let's it get to him. And as far as crossing the street away from him- I do that with every dog walker. It's just common courtesy. And if we go back to my 'walking your dog the wrong way' thread, technically, if you're approaching an oncoming dog walker/walker, you should be on opposite sides of the street anyway.

[blackrose]

Originally Posted by Roscosmom

C'mon now..let's be real. Your dog doesn't give a flying flip if someone doesn't 'want' to pet him, imo.

Oh, I don't know. lol It breaks my heart to see Chloe sitting on her best behavior trying to intice someone to pet her when they wont give her the time of day. Granted, I don't think it breaks her heart but I'm sure something is going through her mind along the lines of, "Okay, I'm sitting.....why isn't the person petting me!"

I just wish that if a day care, groomer, or whatever wants to exclude a certain breed for whatever reason, they would be fair about it. I can understand their reasoning for doing so, but Pitties aren't the only breed out there that have dog aggressive tendancies. What about Akitas, Malamutes, Sharpeis, Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Rotties, Dobes, Jack Russels, any breed that is labeled "does best in opposite sex or single dog home". And then what about the dogs of a "dog friendly" breed that dislike other dogs (my Lab, for instance)?
It seems that some people get so caught up in the hype they fail to realize that there are plenty of other dog aggressive breeds out there and so they let their guard down around another breed and a fight breaks out.
I never trust any dog around my three dogs, no matter what breed. Breeds that are prone to having same sex or dog aggression I trust even less.

[SpudFan]

Originally Posted by blackrose

Oh, I don't know. lol It breaks my heart to see Chloe sitting on her best behavior trying to intice someone to pet her when they wont give her the time of day. Granted, I don't think it breaks her heart but I'm sure something is going through her mind along the lines of, "Okay, I'm sitting.....why isn't the person petting me!"

I just wish that if a day care, groomer, or whatever wants to exclude a certain breed for whatever reason, they would be fair about it. I can understand their reasoning for doing so, but Pitties aren't the only breed out there that have dog aggressive tendancies. What about Akitas, Malamutes, Sharpeis, Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs, Rotties, Dobes, Jack Russels, any breed that is labeled "does best in opposite sex or single dog home". And then what about the dogs of a "dog friendly" breed that dislike other dogs (my Lab, for instance)?
It seems that some people get so caught up in the hype they fail to realize that there are plenty of other dog aggressive breeds out there and so they let their guard down around another breed and a fight breaks out.
I never trust any dog around my three dogs, no matter what breed. Breeds that are prone to having same sex or dog aggression I trust even less.

I have no problem with a business choosing not to serve certain breeds. I do however think that they need to be open about their policies. I know I would not be comfortable taking by dogs to a class or group with pits and would probably either cancel or reschedule. I am however very upfront about this.

Now if I look at some of the other events I have attended I know of multiple people that have had the same possition. I think businesses reacting to this by being upfront that they will not work with certaun breeds is reasonable.

I am interested to see what happens with the Seattle Humane society in this regard if they start adopting out Pits (they generaly don't at the moment) and they start showing up in more classes and events.

Originally Posted by Ella'sMom

I am fearful of pits BUT if I were to put Ella in daycare and there was a pit in there, I still would let her go there. I would assume the owners wouldn't put a viscious dog in a daycare situation.

You know the saying about assumption right? Unfortunatly a lit of dogs are very dig aggresive and not human aggresive at all so it can be difficult to spot before hand. Add to thus people having no experience with the breed and not knowing what may trigger them I'd how to control them.

Here us a question how many places do you think will be able to break the dogs apart if they do get into an altercation?

[Inga]

Originally Posted by Spicy1_VV

Anytime prior to 1980s they were not demonized. You had people owning them who knew how to properly keep them. Sad but true many were dog fighters but the dogs were not running around causing issues and were not man biters. Then the people who did have them as pet kept them properly and didn't have them to boost their ego or to use as intimidation. Lots of respected people owned pit bulls as just another family pet. Now days they are synonymous as the thugs choice when back then lower to upper class people cherished their pits and didn't have them for all the wrong reasons. The whole state of dog owners has changed completely. That is why we are seeing so very many dog issues these dogs, yes "pit bull problems" but many other problems with dog and owner not breed specific. People no longer know the dog or how to keep one properly. People no longer care. People have totally have no clue.

Where I used to live it was pits, pits, pits they were everywhere, luckily few problems. Lots of bybs and everyone wanted one. Very little issues I'm glad but the popularity was unbelievable. Now it is back to Rotts (what it was prior to pits). You can't even give away a Pit there and not many want to buy the cute, awesome pit pups people want to peddle. The Bybs are getting out of them and back into Rotts as the "next new" bad ass breed. Its amazing and scary all at once. It is like dogs are clothing. Always changing the trend to a "new" style even if its a style from 20 or 30 years ago. Then back again. At least in that area. Give it a few years and maybe they will go back to Pits again, then to Rotts, maybe even Dobies who were semi popular last time the Rotts were popular and the Dobie/Rott cross pups also would sell.

Yup, That is about the time Rottweilers started being seen as the next evil dog to guard drug houses and make their "bad" owners feel tough. Having owned Rotties well before then I can tell you nobody even knew what they were. Nobody feared them. The were loved much like a Lab. Enter "tough dog status" Many people run in fear of the breed. As much as it makes me crazy that any breed suffers from the bad rap breed stereotyping, I hope another breed will make it to the forefront to take the weight off of my beloved breed of choice. I am seeing so many more Boerboels and Cane Corsos cropping up around here. Seems they might end up seeing more negative press as well. Makes me sad again as both breeds in the right homes are great.

[Spicy1_VV]

Originally Posted by Ella'sMom

I am fearful of pits BUT if I were to put Ella in daycare and there was a pit in there, I still would let her go there. I would assume the owners wouldn't put a viscious dog in a daycare situation.

Well assumptions can come back to haunt you. Risking her well being on an assumptions as that I wouldn't recommend. She is also a smaller dogs which means she is at more risk for greater injury.

Besides since Pits don't have to be vicious to be a threat to another dog its really irrelevant. No one can predict when/if they will start a fight. What happens if that dog decides to attack another dog one day and it is your dog?

Everyone owner has their own choices to make with their pet. I just hate to think some might be making it under false assumptions.

You (typically) don't have to be fearful of Pits. Most love people, extremely affectionate even to strangers, just excited to meet them. Ella does have to be since she is a dog. Well she can't really worry about it but she is at much greater risk of a Pit bite or attacking her.

Then the point Spudfan made. What would happen when/if the dog did decide to fight. What would happen even if the pit were defending itself against another dog that was the instigator? I highly doubt doggie daycare workers are trained in how to stop a pit. It'd result in serious issues for them.

Then it all goes back on the breed. They are to blame. Not the owner who put their Pit in a position to fail. Not the daycare working who doesn't know any better. Only the vicious Pit Bull with locking jaws who killed a dog without warning.