Marion County Deputy Sheriff Killed By "Pit Bull Type" Dog

[DoggyDaddy]

We had an australian shepherd when I was a kid that was that way.

Yep, there are lots of things that can cause a dog to snap. It's not just a breed thing.

 

[COOPADUP]

Like people, I found this very interesting to point out:
The part of the brain that controls emotions in dogs, called the limbic system, is very similar to that of humans. Because of this, scientists generally accept that dogs experience all of the basic emotions that we do, including joy, fear, anger, disgust, love, aggression, anxiety and depression.

 

[DadSmith]

A friend's teenaged daughter was just badly mauled by their family pet, a pit bull. Been in the hospital for two weeks.

Dog was 7, they raised it from a puppy. Never showed aggressive behavior, never mean. Until it was.

All the American Pit Bull Terrier's that have been in my family have never been like that. I guess since a few go crazy we should kill them all right?

I'd say most that maul were taught to do so.
It's a cultural thing for some to have a mean American Pit Bull Terrier.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

All the American Pit Bull Terrier's that have been in my family have never been like that. I guess since a few go crazy we should kill them all right?

I'd say most that maul were taught to do so.
It's a cultural thing for some to have a mean American Pit Bull Terrier.

I'm sitting here watching the next door neighbor kid hauling her two toddler siblings and their pit mix dog around in a trailer behind their riding mower. Amazingly enough, the dog hasn't eaten the children yet!

 

[DadSmith]

I'm sitting here watching the next door neighbor kid hauling her two toddler siblings and their pit mix dog around in a trailer behind their riding mower. Amazingly enough, the dog hasn't eaten the children yet!

Are Pit Bulls Aggressive Dogs?

Pit bulls have a reputation for being aggressive, but these breeds were developed to be friendly with humans.

www.thesprucepets.com

 

[bobzilla]

Like people, I found this very interesting to point out:
The part of the brain that controls emotions in dogs, called the limbic system, is very similar to that of humans. Because of this, scientists generally accept that dogs experience all of the basic emotions that we do, including joy, fear, anger, disgust, love, aggression, anxiety and depression.

There is nothing surprising in that. Both our shepherds show almost all of those emotions, but love and joy are their primary.

 

[thunderchicken]

My daughter and her husband have a pit bull they adopted a year or so ago. Sure he's big and strong enough that he almost drags my daughter at times when they go for a walk. And, his bark can be intimidating too and that drool is just gross. But, he really has been a big baby so far. He thinks he is a lap dog and even gets along and plays with and snuggles up to their 8 month old cat.
Animals are like people in the sense that they are often the product of what they are taught is acceptable behavior.

 

[Shadow01]

All the American Pit Bull Terrier's that have been in my family have never been like that. I guess since a few go crazy we should kill them all right?

I'd say most that maul were taught to do so.
It's a cultural thing for some to have a mean American Pit Bull Terrier.

Now if you were speaking of democrats instead of dogs…

 

[ghuns]

Yep, there are lots of things that can cause a dog to snap. It's not just a breed thing.

Absolutely. But when a pit bull 'snaps', it's just falling back on its genetics.

I will commend anyone who successfully trains a dog to go against hundreds of years selective of breeding.

Try to train an Aussie to NOT herd. Try to train a Jack Russell to NOT kill rats, or the neighbors cat. Try to train a beagle to NOT run rabbits. Try to train a lab NOT to jump in any random body of water.

I have no doubt that a good enough dog trainer can accomplish all of those things. I also know that the average dog owner is not a great dog trainer. As long as we're all willing to accept the consequences of our training failures, keep whatever kind of mutt you like.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Absolutely. But when a pit bull 'snaps', it's just falling back on its genetics.

I will commend anyone who successfully trains a dog to go against hundreds of years selective of breeding.

Try to train an Aussie to NOT herd. Try to train a Jack Russell to NOT kill rats, or the neighbors cat. Try to train a beagle to NOT run rabbits. Try to train a lab NOT to jump in any random body of water.

I have no doubt that a good enough dog trainer can accomplish all of those things. I also know that the average dog owner is not a great dog trainer. As long as we're all willing to accept the consequences of our training failures, keep whatever kind of mutt you like.

Read the article that DadSmith posted (post #85). Much of that aggression has been bred out of them since the late 1880's. That's not to say that there are some unsavory characters that do try to breed the aggression into some dogs, but as a whole, that's no longer the most valuable trait.

 

[armalitesheepdog]

This topic always turns into a **** show. Think it should be banned.

I'm not a fan, but my son has 2 daughters under 2 and 2 P/B terrier mixes that are great with the kids. Dogs are individuals, just like people. How they're socialized and treated probably matters a lot more than the fact of their breed/genetics. Psychotic sociopaths exist in humanity. Why not among dogs.

Like said above. There great untill there not. Then its to late. What happens when that 2 year old gets to close to the food bowl or the squeaky toy.
I've always said there is some truth in stereotypes or they wouldn't happen.
I'm not trying to be a jerk but is it worth the risk? Mabey the fact there pit bull mix may take some of the risk away but I dunno.......

 

[armalitesheepdog]

How about this for a family pet?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02M93XG7BwopBxxF4ki4Do8ugM2PDgsDqcbCgQNUh9eNERR2a44fFjGNJqVrNCoTHul&id=100064504802594&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=RUbZ1f

 

[KG1]

Read the article that DadSmith posted (post #85). Much of that aggression has been bred out of them since the late 1880's. That's not to say that there are some unsavory characters that do try to breed the aggression into some dogs, but as a whole, that's no longer the most valuable trait.

This is the same for Dobermans. When I was young, they were viewed as aggressive killers but nowadays you don't hear much like that about the breed.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

How about this for a poorly trained family pet?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02M93XG7BwopBxxF4ki4Do8ugM2PDgsDqcbCgQNUh9eNERR2a44fFjGNJqVrNCoTHul&id=100064504802594&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=RUbZ1f

FIFY... Seems to me that the dog was vocal. Possibly anxious that the other dog was near its food bowl. Aggression is usually borne out of fear.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

This is the same for Dobermans. When I was young, they were viewed as aggressive killers but nowadays you don't hear much like that about the breed.

When I was a teenager, a buddy of mine had a big red male Doberman named Czar. I knew him from a puppy. My buddy's parents also owned two really mean German Shepherds. If you knocked on their door, those two dogs came for you like they wanted to kill you. When Czar was there (fully grown), he would step between the Shepherds and me and turn sideways and stare them down until they slunk away. I loved that dog!

 

[KLB]

This is the same for Dobermans. When I was young, they were viewed as aggressive killers but nowadays you don't hear much like that about the breed.

Dobermans are easy to identify. "Pit Bulls" are anything people see as vicious that look vaguely like a bulldog.

 

[ghuns]

Read the article that DadSmith posted (post #85). Much of that aggression has been bred out of them since the late 1880's. That's not to say that there are some unsavory characters that do try to breed the aggression into some dogs, but as a whole, that's no longer the most valuable trait.

I totally get that. And while not the most valuable trait, it's still floating around the DNA. And it's impossible to say with certainty just how many generations removed any one dog is from one that was bred purely for aggression.

Compare that to dogs like mastiffs. They were bred for aggression, 2000 years ago. They fought lions in the Coliseum for the Romans entertainment.

It's taken 2000 years, but humans have largely turned mastiffs into gentle giants. I say largely, because even today you don't have to google that hard to find stories of them attacking and killing people.

When you choose to bring a dog into your home you have to weigh the risk vs reward. For me, there are many breeds I don't think are worth the risk, not just pit bulls.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I totally get that. And while not the most valuable trait, it's still floating around the DNA. And it's impossible to say with certainty just how many generations removed any one dog is from one that was bred purely for aggression.

Compare that to dogs like mastiffs. They were bred for aggression, 2000 years ago. They fought lions in the Coliseum for the Romans entertainment.

It's taken 2000 years, but humans have largely turned mastiffs into gentle giants. I say largely, because even today you don't have to google that hard to find stories of them attacking and killing people.

When you choose to bring a dog into your home you have to weigh the risk vs reward. For me, there are many breeds I don't think are worth the risk, not just pit bulls.

Fair enough. Everyone should weigh their risk tolerance and take into consideration the pedigree of the animal they're going to bring into their home as much as is possible. I just don't like when a breed or breeds are condemned out of hand.

 

[KG1]

When I was a teenager, a buddy of mine had a big red male Doberman named Czar. I knew him from a puppy. My buddy's parents also owned two really mean German Shepherds. If you knocked on their door, those two dogs came for you like they wanted to kill you. When Czar was there (fully grown), he would step between the Shepherds and me and turn sideways and stare them down until they slunk away. I loved that dog!

I remember when it was always advised not to make any sudden moves around Dobermans. My high school buddy had one back then too. His name was Dobbie. He was pretty intimidating looking, but he never attacked any of us. (Dobbie was the dog's name not my buddy. My buddy never attacked any of us either)

 

[Cameramonkey]

Even loveable boxers can snap. I had one that was the loviest sweeties on the planet. Then one day my toddler patted her on the back at her hips and and she growled at him. I knew it was time, because she had NEVER growled at anyone in her life.

She had damaged one of her hips years earlier when she was trying to climb a ladder on a playground following us. she fell back and one of her back legs got caught and contorted. she limped for a day but quickly recovered without a need for a vet visit. Fast forward several years and it started to act up and cause pain as she got older. (I know now exactly how she feels) She was starting to feel the pains of old age/injuries.

So after a call to her vet explaining what happened, we made an appointment the next day at her suggestion. She got her favorite human food, and a long car ride. (her favoritest thing in the world... if she ran from you the only way to get her back was to pull up and tell her to jump in the car. LOL)

We put her down that next day before she could do any damage. I miss that goofball.