to susan and all the other pitbull haters, you obviously havent read too much about the breed or whatever you read is incorrect the jaw does not lock or have some locking mechanism. this is a myth they do however have extremely strong jaws. also in many of the attacks you here about the dogs get loose how is this not the owners fault? another point if you look back in history many other dogs like the german shepard, rottwielers, great danes as well as other breeds have been considered the most dangerous dogs. alot of people would consider many of these dogs to be great family dogs also. there are also several breeds that people think are pitbulls that are not go to www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit/html see if you can identify the pitbull out of the 25 different breeds. it is awful that everyone seems to judge the breed on a few cases based on short news segmants with almost no information on what the situation was.
Barbie - 13 years ago
It's called love and respect. I thought the same thing about Pitbulls as a lot of other people that they are "people killers". I accidently got a rescue pit bull and gave him " a chance" did my research and he is the most wonderful loving, caring dog any one could ever want. I have had a lot of breeds from lab, husky, mixed and would never own anything but another Pitbull as he is truly amazing and wicked smart. They are people pleasers and love people, kids and other animals as well. I would never own the small ankle biting type dogs, they are the aggressive ones. Where is the picture of the dog that bit? Mine is 80lbs. and considered BiG but this one is 120 lbs? I think it may have been a bull mastif or another breed certainly not a pitbull. Where are the pics to show what it was or they just "automatically" call it a pitbull? It is all how they are raised as in any animal. People are so wrong and stereo type this type of breed. They need to do some research and they are not Killers!!!! I LOVE MY PITBULL!!
He is THE BEST!!!!!
Jenny - 13 years ago
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
Jenny - 13 years ago
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
Jenny - 13 years ago
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
carlos - 13 years ago
thanks dough c, jenn, ....and all the others that support the pit bull and bully breeds...with ANY breed of dog...research and learning is needed!!! right up to the goofy great dane to the little ankle bitter that yipps your ears off!! dogs are like kids...without the proper training and nurturing....they may become deliquent....
Doug C - 13 years ago
I have had Pit Bulls in my my family for over 30 years, I glanced through some of the postings and all pro owners have already posted everything I would have posted myself, they are a loving and loyal breed but as stated ANY dog can be made mean and when something happens it's always the dogs fault, BS. The Pit Bull was the American Dog, here's a site that will fill you in on the history of the breed: www.badrap.org
One last thing, I have had people come over to the house not knowing that we owned Pit Bulls, at first weary of our dogs but at the end of the evening or the stay over they were completely transformed concerning all the hype placed on this breed. case in point a friend of my wife came over for the night, we had planned to go out blue berry picking in the morning well at first light Kim said she wasn't feeling so well, she had been fighting a flu bug so we left her in the guest room and went out picking well to make a long story short when we got home she first said that I can't believe you two left me a lone with 3 pit bulls in the house but when you left Boo Boo came in, climbed into bed with me and laid up against my back, he snuggled real close, his warmth eased the pain in my kidneys and I felt so much better, the other two stayed close to the bed watching over me, they knew I didn't feel good and watched over me.
Check out the site: WWW.badrap.org
Mike - 13 years ago
The fact of the matter is that any dog that isn't treated well and chained up all of the time can be dangerous.
There use to be a dog where I live that was chained up night and day.There were some kids playing by him,got to close and he bit one of them.The child ended up losing a couple of fingers.Can anyone guess what breed it was?................A full blooded black lab.
Also heard of a full blooded collie attacking a mans' daughter. Severe facial lacerations.
Point is..... it isn't always pitbulls and rotweilers that attack people.
If Joe and Denise had seen this then they would have been scared of labs and collies.
Joanne - 13 years ago
The truth is that any given dog at any time is capable of doing harm in certain situations. It is something we all hope will never happen but unfortunately it does. It pays to be very careful around any dog unless you are very well known to the animal and even then be very leery and very very watchful if young children especially are around.
Joe - 13 years ago
The bottom line is that these dogs all are very dangerous. Not that some do have a loving personality but they all have the potential to be very dangerous. If one is hurt, sick or startled by a young child they can and have destroyed lives. Guns are not dangerous unless they are in the wrong hands and so are these dogs. Owners can not be with their dogs 24/7 so non of you can say that they are completely safe. period!
Denise - 13 years ago
I am so petrified of pit bulls, that I refuse to walk my Yorkie! I am so afraid one will get loose & attack her or me. I witnessed a pit bull attack some years ago, and it left memories that will never leave me. I had nightmares for months. They are just so unpredictable, and can turn into guided missiles in an instant. With so many other dog breeds, it is beyond me why someone would choose to have a dog that historically was bred to fight/kill. It just makes no sense to me. Why would you want that liability, and could you live with yourself if your dog killed a child? Defend them all you want, but this is my opinion.
c jewell - 13 years ago
You always hear the bad things about pit bulls or big dogs . It is how they are treated and how they are raised, I have three kids and we had a rottie for 14 years and he never bit anyone.I would never put my kids in danger with a "bad" dog ,my dogs are good and loved. I know of a rottie pit mix and she is 6 years old and has never bit or been mean to anyone. But we never hear about the "little" dogs that bite people.
Derek Morrison - 13 years ago
I'm a PROUD owner of the greatest breed dog there is ,and that's a pitbull.Jackie you ask who would want a pitbull??Well I do along with MANY other proud owners.And you also ask what purpose do they serve?Well they show some of the most love that I have ever seen from ANY breed of dog out there.It's how you raise them,it's that way with anything.I think Jackie need's to do some research on things' before giving her"opinion".If she ever met my pitbull or most others that have been raised properly I think she might change her opinion of the breed.I would not own any other breed out there other than a pitbull!!And to let ya'll know Pitbull's aren't even on the top 10 for most dog bite's.Remember it's how you raise your pet's that make's them mean or not.Pitbull's ARE very loveable family pet's hence the old nickname of pitbull's-NANNY DOG'S!!They were known back in time to be used to watch people's children for them!!
Susan - 13 years ago
I wanted to add some of my other thoughts after reading through these comments supporting pit bulls and claiming it's just the owners fault. The owners of the dogs that attacked me made a lot of the same comments that I am hearing hear. They were not irresponsible owners and were very loving and affectionate towards their dogs. They were devastated at having to give up these dogs. They too had raised them from puppies. These dogs were raised with children. That did not stop them from turning on me. I was not on their property I was across the road just walking by. My Dog did not fight back. When my dog was hurt he did not growl at me or the vet even when the vet stapled his wounds shut he did not become aggressive. I think any dog that attacks should be destroyed period. I would like to add however that I have done some research on dog attacks especially pit bulls and so far the PIT Bull is the only dog that I have read about that jaw is designed to lock when it bites and in several instances the only way to unlock the jaw is to kill the dog. When I say that Maine laws need to be changed I don't just think it should include pit bulls but that any dog that attacks should have to be put down. I also do want to add that even if the pit bull is so mis-understood it's still the only dog that I'm aware of in this country that has been out-lawed in certain parts of the country do you really think this makes them a safe dog. Honestly If two people hadn't stopped and helped beat these dogs off off me I WOULD BE DEAD and this was a completely unprovoked incident there is no one to blame but the dogs. As for the owners they thought their dogs were contained and loved and trusted them.
Susan Maguire - 13 years ago
I was attacked by a pit bull and a Rottweiler at the same time . I was simply walking my dog down the street. These dogs almost killed my dog and I. If not for two total strangers stopping and helping me I would be dead. This happened in March of this year. The owners of these dogs treated them like their babies claiming that the dogs slept with their daughters who are 2 and 8. They also said that these dogs had never done anything like this before. When this attack happened 911 was called and they only sent the animal control officer who told the owner that he had to quarantine his animals in HIS OWN HOME for 10 days he gave him a ticket for having his Dogs at large. That was it . This attack was so violent that both of the drivers who stopped to help me now carry weapons in their cars. The woman who helped me beat the dogs off has a bat in her car the man carries a gun. The man also needed to get anxiety meds from his doctor because he kept having flash backs. I had night mares for months. I was lucky they focused on my dog first I had very minor wounds. My dog require extensive care. My dogs ears were almost completely ripped off. He had several chunks taken out of his legs and neck and developed e-coli infection. As well as having thousands of puncture wounds. I was shocked that the Bucksport animal control officer refused to take the dogs which the owner wanted to surrender that day. Then the animal control officer informed me when the quarantine was up that the law does not require the owner to destroy the dogs in fact that was the end of it the animal control officer had done his job that was the end of it. The owner had told me he would put the dogs down but after the 10 days had changed his mind. I was informed that he surrendered his dogs to the Bangor humane society after I threaten to sue them. I was informed that they were informed of the dogs history. I am not sure if these dogs were destroyed or adopted out. Both of these breeds of dog are dangerous and unpredictable. Maine law needs to be improved. I think that pit bulls should be against the law to own in the state of Maine or at least should have to wear a muzzle at all times due to their unpredictability and the fact that when they do attack the attacks are so viscous and severe.
Brittany - 13 years ago
My husband and I have the most wondefrul dog in the world, and she is a pitbull...and we have her in our home with our three children. We have also owned a bull mastiff. A german shepard came into our yard while we still owned both of the dogs. When he went to attack., my pitbull went to hide while the mastiff was the one to strke back. My husband tried to break them up and he got injured by the shepard, however it never crossed my mind to take a gun to that shepard. You should NEVER try to break up two dogs who are fighting. You are bound to get hurt. I feel for the people who have been hurt by pitbulls, but I know of just as many people who have been hurt by other breeds. Those stories do not get puplished however. Funny how that happens a lot. A pitbull attackes, it gets plastered on the news. Another dog attacks, and it goes unreported by the media. My pitbull was playing with the nieghbors dog one day, some small breed but I could not tell you exactly what he is, the other dog started to get really agressive and my dog turned and started barking. I approached them to get them to continue playing and the other dog started running at me and nipped at me. My pitbull ended up being bit in the back leg, and she ran into the house. She never retaliated against the other dog other than to bark at it. People need to research a breed before they own a dog. Any dog can be mean, but any dog can also be the best you've ever owned. When people walk into my home, they see a pitbull. It's intimidating at first, but when they walk out, it never fails that they comment on what a good dog she is.
mark - 13 years ago
it is terrible that everyone always blames the dogs in these situations. it is never taken in concideration that it could be because of an irresponsible owner. i have been around pitbulls have owned 2 and they are the best dogs the most loyal and loving in the right hands. people need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. if you want to own one of these dogs you need to be a strong responsible owner these dogs are not for everyone.its also funny that most of the people who are voting yes have never owned or had little or no interaction with the breed. they are judging based on what they have heard on the news, which never goes into any detail on these stories they say oh a pitbull attacked someone show the bitemarks and thats it. i think that we could blame some of the negative issues with these dogs on lazy reporters.
Jenn - 13 years ago
@ Jackie, I am sorry that you feel that way, but if I may, I would like to respond to some of your points. This is really directed at everyone who may not understand the Pit Bull breed. The first was a question asked, "What purpose do they serve?" What purpose does any dog serve? They are a compainion, a friend, a playmate. My Pit Bulls love me with a devotion that is almost smothering at times! It was mentioned that they look dangerous; that may be your opinion, but where did that opinion form? Rotties are thought to be dangerous, as are Dobbies. I think society has given their look a stigma that is connected with "aggressive dog." You also mention the "many incidents" that have surrounded the breed and attacks. How many times are dog attacks not publicized or the breed not mentioned? Did you know that the Jack Russel has been labeled the most likely breed to attack? I feel badly for the poor girl that suffered in the attack you wrote about, but this is the exception, not the rule. I would encourage you to do some hard reseach into the breed. Even in the instances when the dog was used for ring fighting, the breed shows a fierce loyalty to his master. When any dog is injured, it is not uncommon for it to nip at you if you touch the sore spot, even if you are trying to help. This is the dogs way of telling you "that hurts." But just think about those Pit Bulls made to fight and suffered severe wounds. Their owners had to be able to go into that ring and collect them. If the breed was truly that aggressive toward humans, do you honestly think they could be used to do this?
The last comment that was made "i say get rid of them does no good to say it's the way their raised-it's in them to be aggressive" - this comment is very concerning. "Get rid of them" is a very genocide way of thinking. "It's in them to be aggressive" is, I am sorry, just not correct. I did a lot of research before adopting my Pit Bulls. Again, I encourage you to do the same. They are a wonderful breed, loyal to a fault, and the most loving dogs I can imagine.
lisa - 13 years ago
It's how they are raised or trained! If I wanted mt toy poodle to be mean I could raise her that way! Any dog can be unpredictable if you raise them to be an attack dog, In the wrong hands any dog is dangerous!
carlos - 13 years ago
my wife and i have 2 pitts and they are awesome. one is a rescue dog and the other we picked right out of a litter. the "dangerous" thing about pitts are the irresponsible owners that miss use the dogs extreme loyalty and devotion. i myself have been a victim of a dog attack when i was 4 years old, and it wasnt by the dreaded "pittbull", but by a little lap dog. its funny that people see the little breeds "nips" and "bites" as "playing" or "cute", but when its a larger breed its news worthy. in our house, people are more afraid of our half pound cat...she rules the roost!
jackie - 13 years ago
That's a given.I can't imagine why anyone would want a pit-bull.What purpose do they serve?
They even look dangerous-let alone be dangerous.But to each his own-someone has to own them-we had an incident here in enfield five or six years ago where the family had a bit-bull-they thought it wasn't dangerous-it it attacked their daughter after the girl started running and done a lot of damage it's a wonder it didn't kill the girl.And as you know there have been many many incidents like this in the past in different places-i say get rid of them does no good to say it's the way their raised-it's in them to be aggressive-
thank you
jme
Laurie - 13 years ago
Very sad that people think this breed is so dangerous. They are a powerful breed and alot of people unfortunately abuse it. We have 2 pitbulls and they are the most loving and loyal dogs we have ever had. They are so misunderstood they are not given a fair chance. They are a dog like any other dog. Be a responsible owner and you will have a great friendly companion.
Tony smith - 13 years ago
My wife and i have a female pitbull, I also have three children. I could not ask for a better pet for them than her! If everyone thinks that the pitbull breed is dangerouse because of a few bad owners, than you are very mistaken. search history and you will find that the pitbull was used for a nanny dog!!
to susan and all the other pitbull haters, you obviously havent read too much about the breed or whatever you read is incorrect the jaw does not lock or have some locking mechanism. this is a myth they do however have extremely strong jaws. also in many of the attacks you here about the dogs get loose how is this not the owners fault? another point if you look back in history many other dogs like the german shepard, rottwielers, great danes as well as other breeds have been considered the most dangerous dogs. alot of people would consider many of these dogs to be great family dogs also. there are also several breeds that people think are pitbulls that are not go to www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit/html see if you can identify the pitbull out of the 25 different breeds. it is awful that everyone seems to judge the breed on a few cases based on short news segmants with almost no information on what the situation was.
It's called love and respect. I thought the same thing about Pitbulls as a lot of other people that they are "people killers". I accidently got a rescue pit bull and gave him " a chance" did my research and he is the most wonderful loving, caring dog any one could ever want. I have had a lot of breeds from lab, husky, mixed and would never own anything but another Pitbull as he is truly amazing and wicked smart. They are people pleasers and love people, kids and other animals as well. I would never own the small ankle biting type dogs, they are the aggressive ones. Where is the picture of the dog that bit? Mine is 80lbs. and considered BiG but this one is 120 lbs? I think it may have been a bull mastif or another breed certainly not a pitbull. Where are the pics to show what it was or they just "automatically" call it a pitbull? It is all how they are raised as in any animal. People are so wrong and stereo type this type of breed. They need to do some research and they are not Killers!!!! I LOVE MY PITBULL!!
He is THE BEST!!!!!
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
When I was younger I was bit by a dog and it almost took out my eye. I was scared of dogs for awhile, then I got this wonderfull rotweiler/ pitbull mix. We raised her from a pup and she is the best dog a person could ask for. She's never attacked anyone! When I walk her alot of people look at her and turn around. I feel bad for that person cause they'll never learn what a great breed they truly are. It's how they are raised and treated. If you raise them right they will be good dependable dogs. I've been around big dogs all my life since I was bit and I have to say personally I like them alot more then those little dogs that people like to put in their purses.
thanks dough c, jenn, ....and all the others that support the pit bull and bully breeds...with ANY breed of dog...research and learning is needed!!! right up to the goofy great dane to the little ankle bitter that yipps your ears off!! dogs are like kids...without the proper training and nurturing....they may become deliquent....
I have had Pit Bulls in my my family for over 30 years, I glanced through some of the postings and all pro owners have already posted everything I would have posted myself, they are a loving and loyal breed but as stated ANY dog can be made mean and when something happens it's always the dogs fault, BS. The Pit Bull was the American Dog, here's a site that will fill you in on the history of the breed: www.badrap.org
One last thing, I have had people come over to the house not knowing that we owned Pit Bulls, at first weary of our dogs but at the end of the evening or the stay over they were completely transformed concerning all the hype placed on this breed. case in point a friend of my wife came over for the night, we had planned to go out blue berry picking in the morning well at first light Kim said she wasn't feeling so well, she had been fighting a flu bug so we left her in the guest room and went out picking well to make a long story short when we got home she first said that I can't believe you two left me a lone with 3 pit bulls in the house but when you left Boo Boo came in, climbed into bed with me and laid up against my back, he snuggled real close, his warmth eased the pain in my kidneys and I felt so much better, the other two stayed close to the bed watching over me, they knew I didn't feel good and watched over me.
Check out the site: WWW.badrap.org
The fact of the matter is that any dog that isn't treated well and chained up all of the time can be dangerous.
There use to be a dog where I live that was chained up night and day.There were some kids playing by him,got to close and he bit one of them.The child ended up losing a couple of fingers.Can anyone guess what breed it was?................A full blooded black lab.
Also heard of a full blooded collie attacking a mans' daughter. Severe facial lacerations.
Point is..... it isn't always pitbulls and rotweilers that attack people.
If Joe and Denise had seen this then they would have been scared of labs and collies.
The truth is that any given dog at any time is capable of doing harm in certain situations. It is something we all hope will never happen but unfortunately it does. It pays to be very careful around any dog unless you are very well known to the animal and even then be very leery and very very watchful if young children especially are around.
The bottom line is that these dogs all are very dangerous. Not that some do have a loving personality but they all have the potential to be very dangerous. If one is hurt, sick or startled by a young child they can and have destroyed lives. Guns are not dangerous unless they are in the wrong hands and so are these dogs. Owners can not be with their dogs 24/7 so non of you can say that they are completely safe. period!
I am so petrified of pit bulls, that I refuse to walk my Yorkie! I am so afraid one will get loose & attack her or me. I witnessed a pit bull attack some years ago, and it left memories that will never leave me. I had nightmares for months. They are just so unpredictable, and can turn into guided missiles in an instant. With so many other dog breeds, it is beyond me why someone would choose to have a dog that historically was bred to fight/kill. It just makes no sense to me. Why would you want that liability, and could you live with yourself if your dog killed a child? Defend them all you want, but this is my opinion.
You always hear the bad things about pit bulls or big dogs . It is how they are treated and how they are raised, I have three kids and we had a rottie for 14 years and he never bit anyone.I would never put my kids in danger with a "bad" dog ,my dogs are good and loved. I know of a rottie pit mix and she is 6 years old and has never bit or been mean to anyone. But we never hear about the "little" dogs that bite people.
I'm a PROUD owner of the greatest breed dog there is ,and that's a pitbull.Jackie you ask who would want a pitbull??Well I do along with MANY other proud owners.And you also ask what purpose do they serve?Well they show some of the most love that I have ever seen from ANY breed of dog out there.It's how you raise them,it's that way with anything.I think Jackie need's to do some research on things' before giving her"opinion".If she ever met my pitbull or most others that have been raised properly I think she might change her opinion of the breed.I would not own any other breed out there other than a pitbull!!And to let ya'll know Pitbull's aren't even on the top 10 for most dog bite's.Remember it's how you raise your pet's that make's them mean or not.Pitbull's ARE very loveable family pet's hence the old nickname of pitbull's-NANNY DOG'S!!They were known back in time to be used to watch people's children for them!!
I wanted to add some of my other thoughts after reading through these comments supporting pit bulls and claiming it's just the owners fault. The owners of the dogs that attacked me made a lot of the same comments that I am hearing hear. They were not irresponsible owners and were very loving and affectionate towards their dogs. They were devastated at having to give up these dogs. They too had raised them from puppies. These dogs were raised with children. That did not stop them from turning on me. I was not on their property I was across the road just walking by. My Dog did not fight back. When my dog was hurt he did not growl at me or the vet even when the vet stapled his wounds shut he did not become aggressive. I think any dog that attacks should be destroyed period. I would like to add however that I have done some research on dog attacks especially pit bulls and so far the PIT Bull is the only dog that I have read about that jaw is designed to lock when it bites and in several instances the only way to unlock the jaw is to kill the dog. When I say that Maine laws need to be changed I don't just think it should include pit bulls but that any dog that attacks should have to be put down. I also do want to add that even if the pit bull is so mis-understood it's still the only dog that I'm aware of in this country that has been out-lawed in certain parts of the country do you really think this makes them a safe dog. Honestly If two people hadn't stopped and helped beat these dogs off off me I WOULD BE DEAD and this was a completely unprovoked incident there is no one to blame but the dogs. As for the owners they thought their dogs were contained and loved and trusted them.
I was attacked by a pit bull and a Rottweiler at the same time . I was simply walking my dog down the street. These dogs almost killed my dog and I. If not for two total strangers stopping and helping me I would be dead. This happened in March of this year. The owners of these dogs treated them like their babies claiming that the dogs slept with their daughters who are 2 and 8. They also said that these dogs had never done anything like this before. When this attack happened 911 was called and they only sent the animal control officer who told the owner that he had to quarantine his animals in HIS OWN HOME for 10 days he gave him a ticket for having his Dogs at large. That was it . This attack was so violent that both of the drivers who stopped to help me now carry weapons in their cars. The woman who helped me beat the dogs off has a bat in her car the man carries a gun. The man also needed to get anxiety meds from his doctor because he kept having flash backs. I had night mares for months. I was lucky they focused on my dog first I had very minor wounds. My dog require extensive care. My dogs ears were almost completely ripped off. He had several chunks taken out of his legs and neck and developed e-coli infection. As well as having thousands of puncture wounds. I was shocked that the Bucksport animal control officer refused to take the dogs which the owner wanted to surrender that day. Then the animal control officer informed me when the quarantine was up that the law does not require the owner to destroy the dogs in fact that was the end of it the animal control officer had done his job that was the end of it. The owner had told me he would put the dogs down but after the 10 days had changed his mind. I was informed that he surrendered his dogs to the Bangor humane society after I threaten to sue them. I was informed that they were informed of the dogs history. I am not sure if these dogs were destroyed or adopted out. Both of these breeds of dog are dangerous and unpredictable. Maine law needs to be improved. I think that pit bulls should be against the law to own in the state of Maine or at least should have to wear a muzzle at all times due to their unpredictability and the fact that when they do attack the attacks are so viscous and severe.
My husband and I have the most wondefrul dog in the world, and she is a pitbull...and we have her in our home with our three children. We have also owned a bull mastiff. A german shepard came into our yard while we still owned both of the dogs. When he went to attack., my pitbull went to hide while the mastiff was the one to strke back. My husband tried to break them up and he got injured by the shepard, however it never crossed my mind to take a gun to that shepard. You should NEVER try to break up two dogs who are fighting. You are bound to get hurt. I feel for the people who have been hurt by pitbulls, but I know of just as many people who have been hurt by other breeds. Those stories do not get puplished however. Funny how that happens a lot. A pitbull attackes, it gets plastered on the news. Another dog attacks, and it goes unreported by the media. My pitbull was playing with the nieghbors dog one day, some small breed but I could not tell you exactly what he is, the other dog started to get really agressive and my dog turned and started barking. I approached them to get them to continue playing and the other dog started running at me and nipped at me. My pitbull ended up being bit in the back leg, and she ran into the house. She never retaliated against the other dog other than to bark at it. People need to research a breed before they own a dog. Any dog can be mean, but any dog can also be the best you've ever owned. When people walk into my home, they see a pitbull. It's intimidating at first, but when they walk out, it never fails that they comment on what a good dog she is.
it is terrible that everyone always blames the dogs in these situations. it is never taken in concideration that it could be because of an irresponsible owner. i have been around pitbulls have owned 2 and they are the best dogs the most loyal and loving in the right hands. people need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. if you want to own one of these dogs you need to be a strong responsible owner these dogs are not for everyone.its also funny that most of the people who are voting yes have never owned or had little or no interaction with the breed. they are judging based on what they have heard on the news, which never goes into any detail on these stories they say oh a pitbull attacked someone show the bitemarks and thats it. i think that we could blame some of the negative issues with these dogs on lazy reporters.
@ Jackie, I am sorry that you feel that way, but if I may, I would like to respond to some of your points. This is really directed at everyone who may not understand the Pit Bull breed. The first was a question asked, "What purpose do they serve?" What purpose does any dog serve? They are a compainion, a friend, a playmate. My Pit Bulls love me with a devotion that is almost smothering at times! It was mentioned that they look dangerous; that may be your opinion, but where did that opinion form? Rotties are thought to be dangerous, as are Dobbies. I think society has given their look a stigma that is connected with "aggressive dog." You also mention the "many incidents" that have surrounded the breed and attacks. How many times are dog attacks not publicized or the breed not mentioned? Did you know that the Jack Russel has been labeled the most likely breed to attack? I feel badly for the poor girl that suffered in the attack you wrote about, but this is the exception, not the rule. I would encourage you to do some hard reseach into the breed. Even in the instances when the dog was used for ring fighting, the breed shows a fierce loyalty to his master. When any dog is injured, it is not uncommon for it to nip at you if you touch the sore spot, even if you are trying to help. This is the dogs way of telling you "that hurts." But just think about those Pit Bulls made to fight and suffered severe wounds. Their owners had to be able to go into that ring and collect them. If the breed was truly that aggressive toward humans, do you honestly think they could be used to do this?
The last comment that was made "i say get rid of them does no good to say it's the way their raised-it's in them to be aggressive" - this comment is very concerning. "Get rid of them" is a very genocide way of thinking. "It's in them to be aggressive" is, I am sorry, just not correct. I did a lot of research before adopting my Pit Bulls. Again, I encourage you to do the same. They are a wonderful breed, loyal to a fault, and the most loving dogs I can imagine.
It's how they are raised or trained! If I wanted mt toy poodle to be mean I could raise her that way! Any dog can be unpredictable if you raise them to be an attack dog, In the wrong hands any dog is dangerous!
my wife and i have 2 pitts and they are awesome. one is a rescue dog and the other we picked right out of a litter. the "dangerous" thing about pitts are the irresponsible owners that miss use the dogs extreme loyalty and devotion. i myself have been a victim of a dog attack when i was 4 years old, and it wasnt by the dreaded "pittbull", but by a little lap dog. its funny that people see the little breeds "nips" and "bites" as "playing" or "cute", but when its a larger breed its news worthy. in our house, people are more afraid of our half pound cat...she rules the roost!
That's a given.I can't imagine why anyone would want a pit-bull.What purpose do they serve?
They even look dangerous-let alone be dangerous.But to each his own-someone has to own them-we had an incident here in enfield five or six years ago where the family had a bit-bull-they thought it wasn't dangerous-it it attacked their daughter after the girl started running and done a lot of damage it's a wonder it didn't kill the girl.And as you know there have been many many incidents like this in the past in different places-i say get rid of them does no good to say it's the way their raised-it's in them to be aggressive-
thank you
jme
Very sad that people think this breed is so dangerous. They are a powerful breed and alot of people unfortunately abuse it. We have 2 pitbulls and they are the most loving and loyal dogs we have ever had. They are so misunderstood they are not given a fair chance. They are a dog like any other dog. Be a responsible owner and you will have a great friendly companion.
My wife and i have a female pitbull, I also have three children. I could not ask for a better pet for them than her! If everyone thinks that the pitbull breed is dangerouse because of a few bad owners, than you are very mistaken. search history and you will find that the pitbull was used for a nanny dog!!