Defending your dog

[jrd541280]

And then there are all the mixed breeds. Here is my take and mine alone. If a dog approaches heightened sense goes up. Dog approaches aggresively hand to gun in holster. Attack happens first clear shot ends the attack. Irreversible damage can happen in seconds to my dog my wife my grandson my dog or a stranger. Just me.

 

[Snogdogger]

I can't say how many times I have offered to cover vet bills and emergency room visits.

Yeah, it's really hard having an aggressive dog. One of mine is too; a border collie mix with a very strong herding instinct. Training, prozac, and the company of a lazy Lab have had only limited effect. So when we want to take a dog out for a pleasant afternoon walk with others around, the Lab gets to go.

 

[wired]

When you buy into the hysteria surrounding pit bulls, it is no different than liberals buying into the hysteria around so-called "assault weapons." Pit bulls are like the AR-15's of the dog world; no more dangerous than any other type of dog (or gun) in the hands of a responsible owner.

Guns dont have a mind of their own and they dont get out of their safes to shoot the neighnors kids on their own. They dont protect you. You protect yourself with the gun. The smartest dog has the cognition of a 2 year old but with the body of an adult . Guns dont get abused by their owners and take it out on the world like dogs sometimes can. Some of the mildest and sweetest dogs Ive ever known were pit bulls and some of the nastiest dogs that were perfect candidates for a bullet through the ear were also pit bulls.

 

[soberups]

I watch a lot of court TV, your response is typical of the owner of a pit bull, that has just bitten another person or animal. Funny how many folks feel that way, until the law suit begins

And your attitude is typical of the politicians who want to pass draconian gun laws every time a lunatic shoots up a building with an "assault weapon."
FYI I dont own a Pit Bull. But I do have 30 years of dealing with other peoples dogs thousands of times per year, and my personal experience has been that pit bulls are way less of a threat to me than German Sheperds and Chows are.

 

[soberups]

Guns dont have a mind of their own and they dont get out of their safes to shoot the neighnors kids on their own. They dont protect you. You protect yourself with the gun. The smartest dog has the cognition of a 2 year old but with the body of an adult . Guns dont get abused by their owners and take it out on the world like dogs sometimes can. Some of the mildest and sweetest dogs Ive ever known were pit bulls and some of the nastiest dogs that were perfect candidates for a bullet through the ear were also pit bulls.

And it is the personal responsibility of the dogs owner to properly socialize their pet, just like it is the personal responsibility of the gun owner to use his gun in a safe and legal manner. Any dog that bites a person without provocation should be put down, but the overwhelming majority of dogs--like gun owners--will never cause a problem for anyone.

 

[Snogdogger]

. . . I do have 30 years of dealing with other peoples dogs thousands of times per year, and my personal experience has been that pit bulls are way less of a threat to me than German Sheperds and Chows are.

That's still consistent with Pit Bulls being the greatest risk to public health:

* They bite less frequently, but when they do, the damage is the most extreme.
* They are top of list of breeds responsible for death, dismemberment, and mutilation in the US.
* Pit Bulls may not have been prevalent in the particular geographic areas you've worked in. Their popularity varies by area of the country and local laws and covenants.

 

[Flopsweat]

I have a sharpei, similar temperment to the chow chow--They most definately need constant supervision, especially around other animals and people. My dog lives to try to eat other pets, I can't say how many times I have offered to cover vet biils and emergency room visits. Last time, she ripped the sweater another dog was wearing right off the dog--That dog was so scared it bit it's owner. I wound up paying a vet bill and her Dr. bill, plus I had to hide my dog from the dog nazi's(humane society)

So your dog has attacked several pets (and people, possibly?) and you still take it out where there are other pets? "'I can't say how many times I have offered to cover vet biils and emergency room visits." Do you not see what's wrong with this picture?

 

[Lazyfaire]

Dogs are considered to be property, not on a level with a human (tho sometimes they are better than some relatives). As such, since he gave ample opportunity and warnings to the owner of the attackers he will get a pass. He also had witnesses that saw and heard his warnings. He will have to live with the fact of having to do such a thing, but her time with the law is not finished by far.

 

[edslhead]

When you buy into the hysteria surrounding pit bulls, it is no different than liberals buying into the hysteria around so-called "assault weapons." Pit bulls are like the AR-15's of the dog world; no more dangerous than any other type of dog (or gun) in the hands of a responsible owner.

Pit-bulls are the new doberman

 

[aikikenjitsu]

Having seen a chow chew a kids face off I'm going to disagree. Meanest dog Ive ever seen.

Uh.

 

[aikikenjitsu]

When you buy into the hysteria surrounding pit bulls, it is no different than liberals buying into the hysteria around so-called "assault weapons." Pit bulls are like the AR-15's of the dog world; no more dangerous than any other type of dog (or gun) in the hands of a responsible owner.

Please do some research.

 

[billdeserthills]

So your dog has attacked several pets (and people, possibly?) and you still take it out where there are other pets? "'I can't say how many times I have offered to cover vet biils and emergency room visits." Do you not see what's wrong with this picture?

It has been several years since the 'last' time and now I live where I can change direction at any time, while walking the dog. I really can't afford any more mistakes and more for the dog, I don't want to see a member of my family put down, so I'm more aware of my surroundings these days

 

[wired]

Uh.

I saw your comment about Chow's being a small and friendly dog. You might want to do a little research on the breed. They are one of the oldest , if not the oldest extant domesticated dog breeds and are basically one step way from being a domesticated wolf. They are an extremely territorial dog and have been bred for at least 3000 years in China as hunting dogs to take down big game and as imperial guard dogs. That thing about my insurance telling me that they would cancel my policy if I bought a Chow wasnt a joke. Theyre big fluffy sweethearts until they arent . We had one down the street when I was a kid that flat destroyed a kids face. 75 lbs of muscle and hair. That dog was really something to behold when another dog entered its territory , which it considered the entire block ( no leash law back then ) before they put it down.

 

[RVTECH]

Pit bulls are like the AR-15's of the dog world; no more dangerous than any other type of dog (or gun) in the hands of a responsible owner.

Except unlike the AR 15 they are capable of independent thought and action - and it seems to be fairly commonplace (read the recent post of mine about the deputy in LaPine) - they are an ugly, ungainly dog with large and hideous heads and seem to be PREDOMINATLY owned by antisocial, hollow eyed drug culture types who need a similar companion, for whatever reasons. A loose pit is a varmint as far as I am concerned and will be dealt with accordingly.

 

[HikerKat]

I have to admit some prejudice on my part. When I watched the KATU news video and saw the coffee shop owner, my mind immediately said "liberal PDX anti-gun coffee-shop hipster" based on his appearance alone. I was pleasantly surprised to hear him supporting the actions of the gun owner. Lesson learned!

Yes, Andrew (coffee shop owner) is a great and fair guy. Most of the people who live in the area are very supportive of the man who had to kill the attacking, off-leash dog. Even people who are anti-gun have publicly posted that they do not blame the CHL carrier.

 

[gimpy51]

Just use pepper spray. It works great.

It should be noted, pepper spray can really piss off some aggressive dogs and may not
effectively repel an attack. Spent 15 years in a wheelchair. 12.5 of those years partnered with my Service Dog. Found that a good T-ball bat in an easy to access location on my wheelchair is about the best defense coupled with a the chair itself. Even with the threat of aggressive LE dogs. Now that I'm 65 and not able to do a lot of the things I used to be able to do, has made me rethink alternatives. Too old to fight off another aggressive dog. That leaves only one choice to protect me and my family.

PS: My wife has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I have to protect all other dogs, motorcycles and bicycle riders from him. No other dog is safe around him. Well, except the 2 large livestock guardian dogs living next door. My dog seems shy around them. Perhaps it's just those oversized cold wet noses on his bum that he fears.

 

[gimpy51]

True. That's why I answered for myself.

Not to mention what these "attacks" do to our dogs, even when they "win." Or what it does to the reputation of the breed in the public. Taste of blood and the thrill of being the victor is not always a good thing.

A Service/Guide Dogs are extremely expensive. One dog attack by an unleashed pet is likely to take the dog out of service for their disabled partner. This is not exclusive to Service Animals.

My dog can fight his fight for his survival after I lose. My wife, the same. But I am both of their first line of defense.

PS: The lady said her dogs were just wanting to play? She must be an exciting date.

 

[Grendel65]

Except unlike the AR 15 they are capable of independent thought and action - and it seems to be fairly commonplace (read the recent post of mine about the deputy in LaPine) - they are an ugly, ungainly dog with large and hideous heads and seem to be PREDOMINATLY owned by antisocial, hollow eyed drug culture types who need a similar companion, for whatever reasons. A loose pit is a varmint as far as I am concerned and will be dealt with accordingly.

Really? My wife and I own 3, I'm a medical professional, she's a professional photographer. We accept that animals do things for their own reasons, and our pits are NEVER off leash in public. As a medical professional, the worst bites I have ever seen were caused by a cocker spaniel who attacked a 5 year old and literally tore off the left side of his face, and by a Saint Bernard who jumped out of a parked pickup and took an adult woman down by her head. He literally had her entire head in his mouth and it took 3 adult men to separate them. NEITHER dog had ever had a similar incident.

Animals are jus that, and the reasons they do things often makes little sense to humans. Heck, the reason humans do things to humans often makes little sense! Charlotte, St Louis, Milwaukee come to mind!

People often forget that the third part of the Pit Bulls name is Terrier, i.e. PIT BULL TERRIER. Terriers have that personality trait that determines they don't give up....Thus Pits get the reputation as vicious, when what they really are is determined. Occasionally, that determination is warped or the dog does something for no decipherable reason, and because pits are big and strong, bad things happen.

As for being ungainly, or ugly, we get comments every time we walk them about how beautiful they are, and we walk ours twice a day!

 

[gimpy51]

Except unlike the AR 15 they are capable of independent thought and action

Are we speaking of wild/feral animals or pets? As they say, guns don't kill people. Neither do Pitbulls or Rottweilers. Unless "we" train them, or allow them (training/breeding) to do so. With 45+ years of family raised, trained, competing and breeding Rotts, I might know something about the subject that some don't.

 

[billdeserthills]

Best fix I've seen for a dog latching onto something is to grab it by the rear legs and raise the dog right off the ground & pull--Watch out, the dog may try to bite--But that's after it let's go-They are usually so surprised that someone grabbed them by their back legs that they let go of whatever they are biting and much safer than getting nearer to the teeth. I pay attention and simply drop the dog's feet if it whips around to bite me, so far after the fall to the ground it has worked out in my favor