conuly

You're viewing

conuly's journal
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

Current Mood: sad

Pit bulls, by all accounts are gentle dogs. Certainly more gentle than chihuahuas, which are often vicious, or dalmations, which tend to be nervous. They don't deserve this.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

theshiversbaby.livejournal.com

While as a lifelong dog-lover and a volunteer at a no-kill shelter, I completely disagree with this law, I think that it is just as dangerous or naive to say that "pit bulls are gentle dogs" as it is to say "pit bulls are vicious dogs." I have met many pit bulls (or American Staffordshire Terriers or St. Francis Terriers, as I would rather call them) who were gentle and sweet. Unfortunately, AmStaffs are often the top choice of people who want dogs that they can train to be vicious and mean. If I randomly met an AmStaff on the street, I certainly wouldn't assume that it's gentle. But I think I understand what you're saying - that they're not by nature predisposed to being vicious. Is that right?

I'm not sure how I feel about the nature vs. nurture debate when it comes to dogs. Some dogs are genuinely born with aggressive tendencies, especially male dogs. By "agressive" I don't mean "vicious" or "mean" or "dangerous" but, well...agressive! With no insinuations. Some breeds have a tendency towards aggressiveness, and I believe AmStaffs are one of these breeds. That's hard to disagree with, though - this breed was originally bred for fighting or hunting or purposes which required aggressive and at times violent behavior. Those traits got passed down through generations as breeders selected the dogs which were best at these activities. Some of that has dissipated, as AmStaffs are becoming more and more frequently companion or otherwise nonsporting dogs. Still, their history remains. This aggression, which is natural to some, is thwarted by bad owners and breeders who want to create malicious dogs.

And on a side note...I've only met sweet chihuahuas, but maybe my friends are just better owners then the people who've raised those "vicious" ones!

Regarding dalmations - totally agreed. I don't think people realized this after 101 Dalmations came out and so a lot of those Christmas present puppies ended up at shelters.

From:

conuly

But I think I understand what you're saying - that they're not by nature predisposed to being vicious. Is that right?

That would be it :)

And on a side note...I've only met sweet chihuahuas, but maybe my friends are just better owners then the people who've raised those "vicious" ones!

Probably. I think some of the reason those dogs tend to be nasty is because people don't train them at all, thinking them cute dogs. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Regarding dalmations - totally agreed. I don't think people realized this after 101 Dalmations came out and so a lot of those Christmas present puppies ended up at shelters.

Especially as a lot of them came from puppy mills, which we all know suck.

From:

leora.livejournal.com

I wish people were required to show that they know how to handle and care for the pet of their choice before they'd be allowed to get a pet of any kind. Better for them, better for those who get exposed to the pet, and better for the pet.

And yes, making an overarching statement about the whole breed ... especially in such a way is horrible. Sure, it's fine to say FOOs tend to be more BAR, so a FOO might suit you better. But to make people get rid of all pitbulls... that's horrible.

Most vicious animal I ever encountered was a rabbit. We don't know why. Eventually it had to be euthanized because it couldn't even be fed without risk of it attacking.. Since it clearly couldn't be kept safely, an attempt was made to release it into the wild as the person lived in a mostly wilderness area anyway. It stayed around and then tried to attack a child.

The second most vicious animal I've ever encountered was a purebred cat. It was hypothesized that she was just perpetually angry and ill-tempered because she was removed from her mother too young. She was my family's cat until one night I (about 4 or 5 years old at the time) woke up screaming as she had clawed me and drawn blood. She was given to a breeder, where she was kept and bred, but she wasn't suitable as a pet for anyone. She also destroyed a bunch of my sister's clothes, but my family had put up with that, it was attacking a person in her sleep that crossed the line.

But I don't blame cats or rabbits for these examples. Most cats I've met are wonderful, and I love them.