So, my neighbor has three pitbulls

And these guys totally change my opinion of the breed! Totally great dogs, well behaved, we trained by their owner.

Untill they killed another neighbors cat who did get into their yard. I don't like living two doors down from such aggression.

I really liked these dogs, and was really beginning to look on the breed much more favorably, as these are really great dogs, up to this incident. Now I'm back to not being sure again...

Joey

most dogs would do that. We had one of the sweetest siberians you ever met.. a total cupcake.. and the ONLY one of our dogs to get and kill a cat.. and we had dozens of dogs over the years

My dachshunds have killed animals before. It happens, and it's part of nature.

If this were the case of an intruder and an armed homeowner, you wouldn't be so afraid of the homeowner now, would you? I'm guessing you don't want intruders on your property, either. I see this as the same exact situation.

I don't own pitbulls for the same reason I don't own a Porsche, Corvette or Harley Davidson.

My folks adopted two pits while my brother and I were kids. Both were excellent dogs, never showed any signs of aggressive behavior.

The wrong owner can make any breed of dog mean.

You should be worried about the neighborhood cats. They are more aggressive than anything, they will leave their yard to go out and kill birds. They won't even have the common decency for them to wander into their yard.

The Mrs cat even beats up on the little bejion mix we have, the pit/ mastiff will usually not even bother to turn his head for the commotion. All three huddle up to sleep together.

Trans_Maro wrote: I don't own pitbulls for the same reason I don't own a Porsche, Corvette or Harley Davidson.

^^^^ What he said

My cousin has two pitbulls. Totally changed my mind about the breed. One is just a spaz because all she wants to do is love on you and the other one is an intimidating looking male that's the biggest pansy I've ever seen. He's scared of their pet rabbit Lucy. When they let her out, he goes and hides.

As for the dogs killing a cat, that's their nature. I wouldn't have been surprised if they brought it to their owner as a gift.

I own a Pit.

She is the sweetest thing. She runs from our cats and crawls into my lap in a thunderstorm.

Pitbulls are the new Rotweillers... which were the new Dobermans.... which were the new German Shepherds....

IT IS NOT THE BREED. Period. I've heard a million people (estimated) who talk about how they saw a _____ breed dog kill a thousand people. Jeez people, any dog can do that. My Chihuahua will berkeley you up if you look at her funny, but my Pit will just lick the Chihuahua wounds until you recover.

All breeds have been genetically selected for a certain trait. It is documented that Pitbulls were bred as Nanny dogs to protect children. They were chosen for loyalty and discernment. This trait is what made them perfect for fighting dogs. The fact that a selection of douchebags chose to capitalize on their loyalty and make them fighting dogs is what permeates the news.

Leave my berkeleying Pit alone.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: As for the dogs killing a cat, that's their nature. I wouldn't have been surprised if they brought it to their owner as a gift.

Agreed. I had a cat who would go out to the barn, catch a mouse, and bring it back to my bed and scream "Merrrowww" until I woke up to acknowledge her hunting skills. When there weren't any mice, she would "kill" a toy and bring it to me.

Since it was a cute kitty killing mice, its perfectly acceptable. If its a dog killing a cat, its a Pitbull and it needs to be killed.

My dogs have gotten squirrels and possums. Just about any breed of dog bigger than a cat will go after a cat, except maybe my Border Collie who would just herd them like a bunch of small sheep.

There are coyotes in my neighborhood who have killed cats and small dogs. There has been an outcry about the coyotes but there are also lots of stray dogs running loose and there are even reports of feral dog packs made up of dogs abandoned by their owners. If I had a cat or a dog smaller than a coyote (all my dogs are bigger) I would keep it the berkeley indoors. There are a lot of things out there that kill cats and most of them aren't pit bulls. Cars kill cats too. What is your opinion of cars?

I think that there's a ton of rationalizing that goes on around pit bulls. To be sure, I have run into any number of adorable, apparently mild-manered pits, but there are a few things that are hard to explain away:

-Inherited behavior is a big factor in dogs. I have a herding dog, and much of his temperment is ingrained. He didn't have parents around to teach him to herd, to run at your heels, to value family hugely and always be on a lookout for them, yet he has all these traits. I've also had terriers that were phenominal ratters. Now it stands to reason that dogs that are bred to fight will have triggers that will bring about the fighting behavior as well. I once saw an Iketa (obviously not a pit, but a similarly formidable breed) tear into a labrador and send it to the hospital. It's owner was a pretty young woman from a rich family who claimed that the 3-year-old Iketa had never been in an altercation before. What set that dog off? I don't know. Another pit killed a tiny dog that was the close companion of an 85 year old woman. What made that pit go off?

-Not everyone knows or understands the rules. A scenario that one hears of is of pit bulls interpreting horseplay as aggresive behavior and going after a kids playmate or such. I had a pit that was used as a demonstration dog by a well known dog trainer snap at my face. He didn't get me, but the hot breath of the dog, and the jaws snapping within an inch of my nose was a jarring reminder that being around this animal was like being around a gun or a knife. Behave properly and everything's cool. but....

-Size and power are very real factors in any "problem". Cocker Spaniels are a good example of a dog that statistics show are far more likely to bite than pits. But which one would you rather have hanging on your leg?

I'd never have a pit for three reasons: first, I don't want a pet that can kill me - period. At least not one that lives in the house. Second, I wouldn't want to deal with people's fear as I walked the dog. And third, E36 M3 happens. With a dog like that, it happens in a big way.

People need to understand- I love these dogs. Within minutes of meeting them I was wrestling with them on the ground. But, none of the other neighboors dogs have killed a cat, especially not while the cats owner watched, unable to help.

People get so fired up if you even mention pitbulls. I'm not advocating destroying the breed, and I know, "blame the deed not the breed" and all that, I just think the discussion isn't so cut and dry. Jeez.

Joey

kreb wrote: -Size and power are very real factors in any "problem". Cocker Spaniels are a good example of a dog that statistics show are far more likely to bite than pits. But which one would you rather have hanging on your leg?

This

kreb wrote: I'd never have a pit for three reasons: first, I don't want a pet that can kill me - period. At least not one that lives in the house. Second, I wouldn't want to deal with people's fear as I walked the dog. And third, E36 M3 happens. With a dog like that, it happens in a big way.

I am not a fan of pits, either, but I would be even more annoyed if a neighbor had a presa canario.

I have a friend who's Shepard just killed their house cat. They two animals had lived together for years and when my friend came home that cat was completely mutilated with blood everywhere. Now she's freaking out because they have a new born baby in the house and they are afraid to have it around the dog. Plus they want to get another cat too. Oh, the dog has been part of the family for many years and has always been gentle.

JohnInKansas wrote: The wrong owner can make any breed of dog mean.

I have 2 rat terriers. If you were keeping rodents as pets - they would still decimate them for fun despite your attachment to them. It is just what they do. They would never think to bite you though, it's not their nature.

It was a cat. Some dogs kill 'em for sport. It doesn't make them "mean". It just means you have to keep an eye on them when there is Bob Costas about.

If a cat came near my house, I would hope my dog would kill it. berkeley cats.

Depends on how bad or good the owners are, the dogs themselves are fine.

There are a LOT of dogs that would have killed that cat; they're just usually unable to catch them. The cat owner should have kept the cat in his or her own area.

kreb wrote: -Size and power are very real factors in any "problem". Cocker Spaniels are a good example of a dog that statistics show are far more likely to bite than pits. But which one would you rather have hanging on your leg? I'd never have a pit for three reasons: first, I don't want a pet that can kill me - period. At least not one that lives in the house. Second, I wouldn't want to deal with people's fear as I walked the dog. And third, E36 M3 happens. With a dog like that, it happens in a big way.

By this logic none should own GSDs, Rottweilers, Husky's, etc. Size is what it is, you should hopefully still be bigger than your dog and be able to manage it.

Unless you are doing something very wrong you can still overpower a pit bull, I've had to do it on multiple occasions while helping rehab fighting dogs, its not as hard as one would have you believe. And that old myth about their jaws locking in place so they can't be removed is just that, a myth.

As another poster mentioned these dogs were not bred to fight and it is not part of their natural makeup to do so, we have made them fighters. They are some of the sweetest dogs I have ever known. Any dog, in the right situation can and will get violent. I have a Shar Pei who is the sweetest, most docile animal in the world but I've seen her go after another dog when it wouldn't give her her space. It's a living creature with emotions and moods, as the caretaker of the animal you must be aware of this, and be prepared to manage your animal. No, you can't just let them all run loose and expect they will never hurt anyone, its not in ANY dogs nature to not defend itself when a threat is perceived. A strong owner will reduce the perception of threat and by establishing themselves as the lead in their "pack" the dog will look to you for cues as to when it is time to defend.

FWIW I've been working with dogs most of my life, multiple breeds and temperaments. I currently have 5. The only dog to ever draw blood on me was a chihuahua, so there goes your size argument ;)

Last week an idiot with a Ramcharger ran over a cat.

I say we ban all Ramchargers.

Then someone robbed a bank with a gun.

Quick blame the gun.

Trans_Maro wrote: I don't own pitbulls for the same reason I don't own a Porsche, Corvette or Harley Davidson.

Because they are awesome, fast and powerful, and a lot of fun?

I'm a pit owner and my sister works with a rescue group and has 5 of her own. I have heard all of the stories, and yes, pitbulls get a bad rap. 100 cats will be killed by other breeds this week, and 100 kids will be bitten by other breeds this week, but you will only hear about the one that involved a Pit. (Even if it is some mixed breed that vaguely looks like a pit, the media will call it a pit.) I wish the media hype would move onto something else already, but the people that illegally fight and breed these dogs are not going away, so the stories won't either. As with most things, it's the idiot owners and not the breed.

In this situation, if you let your cat roam freely, then you must accept that something could happen to it. All dog breeds, especially in a pack, chase and attack things. You can't fight Mother Nature. You can also get a great cat, completely free, pretty much any day of the week.

There are packs of wild dogs running around North St Louis. They are afraid of anything they can't kill. They are made of German/Aussie mixes, pit bulls, labs, and more.

I've seen them kill shutting from rats to cats. Its what they do to survive. Its natural. I don't like seeing cats killed, but I'm not doing anything about it unless its my cat.

The only dog that attempted to attack me was a street pit who's female was in heat.

Here are my deviants. They have grown up. Best dogs I have ever owned and I have had alot. They are great with kids and I fully trust them around people.

A cat got into the backyard and they pinned it up against the fence and barked at it for a while before I got there. That being said they are very dog aggressive and are never allowed to run loose in the front yard. We know them and don't take any risk.

joey48442 wrote: And these guys totally change my opinion of the breed! Totally great dogs, well behaved, we trained by their owner. Untill they killed another neighbors cat who did get into their yard. I don't like living two doors down from such aggression. I really liked these dogs, and was really beginning to look on the breed much more favorably, as these are really great dogs, up to this incident. Now I'm back to not being sure again... Joey

I blame the neighbor for letting their cat outside. Letting your cat roam comes with the understanding that something may kill it, be it a dog, raccoon, possum, coyote, another cat, or a car.

I worked in animal rescue, any dog can be vicious. Pits get a bad rap because of the type of owners who associate with them. I live in the ghetto and you will never see a golden retriever or lab here, but you will sure see lots of boxers, pits, and rots. Nobody hears about when a German Shepherd bites their owner, but if a pit bull nips someone it is on the national news. Until the public perception changes they will always be seen as bad animals.