Sunday, May 17, 2009

Bite Worse Than the Bark

The weather in South Bend this weekend offered us the first taste of summer. So, I did what many of my neighbors did -- puttered around the yard and garden. Late this afternoon my outdoor time came to an abrupt end. As I was sitting in the sun, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye -- a pit bull running loose.

On most issues in life, my opinion falls in the far left quadrant. However, when it comes to pit bulls, I probably have a very conservative perspective: I think pit bulls should be outlawed. Even further, I think all the pit bulls currently alive should be rounded up and euthanized.

My wife tells me this is a bit harsh. There are many pit bulls that are loving pets and companion animals. I will admit that this may well be true, but given the right circumstances, I fear that ANY pit bull can become a monster.

I just did a Google news search on stories related to pit bulls in the past four days. Here's what I found:
Look, I truly feel sorry for these poor canines. It's not their fault that humans have bred them to be aggressive attack animals. But news items about pit bull attacks on people and other animals are becoming far too common.

One recurring aspect of many such stories is when the owner tells anyone who will listen that their dog has never behaved this way before. Some of these folks probably are lying, but I believe many of them are speaking truthfully. This only underscores what kind of danger these dogs represent. They can lead nice and friendly lives, then one day -- poof! -- the dog becomes a mad mauler!

Even more amazing is the number of times the dog's owner has tried to thwart the attack to no avail. In fact, in the first story cited above, the dogs turned on their owners and attacked them!

I also understand that there are other breeds who have been known to attack innocent bystanders (e.g., Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, etc.). But stories of these attacks appear every once in awhile. Hardly a week goes by in this country when a pit bull hasn't attacked someone, somewhere.

6 comments:

  1. hey people kill way more people than pit bulls do. maybe all people should be euthanized?

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  2. woah. you deleted my post? obviously i don't agree with my own question. my point was that just because they sometimes attack people- bulldogs mostly have a bad rep. people are much more dangerous than dogs and you have a much greater chance of being attacked by another human than by a dog.

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  3. What are you talking about? There are two comments above and both of them are from you. Nothing has been deleted by me.

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  4. sorry about that. for some reason my comment disappeared and didn't appear on your website. then when i posted again it reappeared. i guess it was just a glitch

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  5. Ohhh, boy do I disagree with you on this one, you might want to hold on to something, this is going to get messy!

    The reason you hear about “pit bulls” is because of the stupidity and ignorance of humans. It has nothing to do with the dogs. You need to watch the show “The Dog Whisperer” and you’ll learn LOTS about these beautiful dogs. People are very mistaken about Pit bulls and the dogs are being murdered because of this ignorance. Here’s a link to wiki, read it and learn about the proud history of this amazing dog breed. Wiki on Pit bullsWell raised pit bulls do not just one day “snap” that belief is a MYTH. People do not know how to raise and treat these high energy dogs. If you chain a dog to a tree and leave him there day in and day out, he will go insane, just like a human would. You need to walk with your dog EVERYDAY and give him exercise and most importantly discipline and you have to learn what the word “discipline” means in the language of canines.

    Dogs are pack animals and if you are not the pack leader, they will be. Even the smallest dog will rule over you if you don’t do what a pack leader is supposed to do. The mistake people make with dogs is to treat them like humans and not recognize their behavior is telling them something very different to what a human might assume. The instincts of a dog are very different, even the smallest thing, like letting your dog go out the door before you do, is a HUGE thing for a dog. You are literally telling the dog that he is the master, the pack leader. If you walk your dog and he is in front of you, he’s the leader, not you, you are only a follower a subordinate. That might seem fine for a small dog like my Bailey, with a bigger dog the whole perception seems to change, only it doesn’t, it’s the same for the big guys right along with the little ones, we’re just to stupid to notice or to ignorant to care. Trust me, the dog cares.

    Pit Bulls can be great dogs, they can be faithful and totally devoted to you and your family, they can be therapy dogs, farm hands, protectors, and companions, they can be completely safe, but you need to fulfill their needs or you risk the consequences and that is NOT the dogs fault. You have to show it that YOU are the leader and HE is the follower. If he understands that, he won’t make a MOVE without your approval, period!. That is how a dog is supposed to live, it’s not fun to be the pack leader, it puts a LOT of extra stress on the dog, hence the attacks, they are doing what is right, despite how me humans might see it, the dog is right according to it's nature, the owner is very wrong and they are endangering the life of their dog, let alone the humans around them.

    Even the smallest dog can be a danger when not properly trained, disciplined and fulfilled. Sadly MANY humans don’t even know what "disciplined" even means in the language of their dog, they are ignorant. With most dogs out there, the humans think they are the master, but the dogs knows they’re wrong. The dog is not mistaken in any way, he knows he is the master and he will act appropriately in this role. We might think they are acting inappropriately, but we are ignorant in the worst possible way.

    There is a lot of dog language that most owners are completely blind to and we do a GREAT disservice to the wonderful animals that have helped us for centuries, without asking for more then love, food and discipline, while we have asked them for so much more, and at times they have given their lives for us and this is what they get for it. We were the ones that taught them and forced them to fight in the past and sadly in the present, and then we punish the dogs, not the owners who are the ones that are rightfully deserving of our utter contempt. cont...

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  6. cont.. The owners are the ones deserving to be euthanized; they are the ones who have ruined an honorable animal who is only trying to fulfill his role as leader because their owner has failed them by not becoming the leader themselves as they MUST. Dogs can be rehabilitated, and NO dog deserves to die because of HUMAN STUPIDITY!

    I think that before anyone should be allowed the honor of owning one of these beautiful and powerful animals, or any dog for that matter, is if they pass a course in dog psychology and obtain a license. Just like with a car, it can be a weapon, any dog can too if not properly raised and kept and that’s not fair to the dog at all. Don’t blame the dog, the dog is not the monster, it’s doing what its instincts tell it that it HAS to do as leader, what it is SUPPOSED to do as leader, and no human has taught it differently because they are ignorant. So how is that the dogs fault? Their owners, whom they love, has failed them, not the other way around.

    When the dog turns and attacks its owner, it’s because the owner is the subordinate and the attack is the proof of that fact. The owner is too stupid to realize that the dog is the leader and they should act accordingly as their instincts tell them. The dog has become the owner, not the other way around. They deserve to be bitten, the dog is trying to teach them a lesson, “if you’re not in control then I am and you WILL listen to me like you are SUPPOSED to or you will be CORRECTED by me as you should be since I am the leader of the pack". So how is that the dogs fault?

    Don’t blame the dogs; it’s the humans who deserve the blame and I’d rather see them be put to sleep then a poor dog who is only doing what is natural and expected by it’s nature because of the failure of its owner who thinks they are loving them while they are doing them a such great disservice.

    Humans created and modified the dog as we know them today, but the dog never left the wild pack behavior and hierarchy behind, but we only care to notice this when they attack or behave in a way we don't want, we don’t realize that all the other behaviors, no matter how small they are, can be mistaken and even considered cute or harmless. They are not they are the language the dog speaks and understands, we are just ignorant of that language. Humans are the real danger to the pit bull because humans are blind, ignorant and fail them when they deserve SO MUCH BETTER FROM US!Sorry, I know I may sound harsh but I tend to get very upset by this, everyone likes to blame the dog and that is VERY wrong. These glorious animals have helped us build our civilization, they have been by our sides with nothing but love for us and to not see this, is to do what I would consider to be inhuman. They deserve so much more from us, but they rarely get the respect and the attention they need and deserve to live fully and complete lives that their nature demands from us.

    So yes, Pit Bulls are a powerful breed, and they deserve our respect for their power, but they do not deserve to die. This dog will give it's life to protect it's pack. He will hold on no matter how many bones you might break, or how much pain you may inflict, just as he did for the farmer in danger of being mauled by the bull. He will give his life for your protection if you ask it of him. So if you see that dog attacking, it is either trained to do so, or has mistaken you for a threat. He is not doing anything that he deserves blame for and certainly nothing that is deserving of the death so many people call for.

    I hope I may have opened your eyes a little bit on this subject, you don’t have to like pit bulls, but maybe you can feel a little more respect for them and their kind. I don’t want people to continue to be blind in their opinions of this magnificent dog who is such a gift to us, they don’t deserve that, no dog does.

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