Any dog breed where the dog is larger than something I can step on is trouble...

No apologist here. Although that's so sad, and so needless, but the breed has been bred to be aggressive, owners are accepting of that aggression, and the victims suffer.

We train our dogs and take responsibility for their actions. Those dog owners who do any less ought to be fully prosecuted, as should the owners of the dogs referenced above. Either that, or let the owners experience what the victims went through.

A stun gun has been my best defense
 

A stun gun has been my best defense, thinking of a tazer some day. I have been attacked by a pack of dogs while riding my bike (sent me to the emergency room) and considered everything. I run with my stun gun and bike; plus when I bike I may have peeper spray, but the stun gun has worked the best with an additional rock. Don’t get me wrong I have had dogs that come out who are friendly and but I always need to be prepared. Once some vicious dogs came charging out and I pull out my stun gun with a zap they went running back. I have continuous sprayed a vicious barking dog (lathering at the mouth) with pepper spayed and would not leave until the owner came out to get it. I also place notice to dogs owners of a paper I have made about the dog lease laws (I live in the country but still there are laws that protect us humans) plus with warning of calling the animal control, and plus I carry my phone. It is a shame we have to go to all these means to exert our freedom, but you do what you need to do.

How stupid and insolent of the dog's owner to come to your house to confront your dad! It was the owner's fault for being irresponsible with a stupid dog.

You know there are lots of people who would love to have a retriever play with them for hours on end, right? I bet you even have some neighbors that would take the dog off your hands. Sorry to be off topic but this is so mean.

BTW, nothing about what you did is all that mean. Dogs like trying to solve a puzzle. However the intent was just awful. Agree with others about Karma... you have some negative stuff coming your way after admitting this for sure.

In a typical year, I think less than 2 dozen people are killed in dog attacks. Horses, pigs, and a great number of animals and insects cause deaths.

Irresponsible dog owners cause a handful of deaths each year. Irresponsible car and gun owners cause tens of thousands of deaths each year. We do not take these instruments away from people who have caused innocent people to be maimed or killed.

It must be the breed.

You don't have to DIE to get hurt...



A survey by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta ("CDC") concluded that dogs bite nearly 2% of the U.S. population -- more than 4.7 million people annually. (Sacks JJ, Kresnow M, Houston B. Dog bites: how big a problem? Injury Prev 1996;2:52-4.)

Almost 800,000 bites per year -- one out of every 6 -- are serious enough to require medical attention. (Weiss HB, Friedman D, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments. JAMA 1998;279:51-53.)

Dog bites send nearly 368,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (1,008 per day). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nonfatal Dog Bite–Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments — United States, 2001, MMWR 2003;52:605-610. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is published by the CDC.

16,476 dog bites to persons aged 16 years or greater were work related in 2001. (Ibid., Nonfatal Dog Bite–Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments — United States, 2001, MMWR 2003;52:608.

Every year 2,851 letter carriers are bitten. (US Postal Service.)

Getting bitten by a dog is the fifth most frequent cause of visits to emergency rooms caused by activities common among children. (See Weiss HB, Friedman DI, Coben JH. Incidence of dog bite injuries treated in emergency departments, JAMA 1998;279:53; also see US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Injuries associated with selected sports and recreational equipment treated in hospital emergency departments, calendar year 1994. Consumer Product Safety Review, Summer 1996;1:5.) Note that this comparison is limited to activities that children more or less voluntarily engage in, such as playing sports, playing with animals, etc. Dog bite injuries are not specifically set forth in Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, Child Injury and Mortality, pp. 36, 37, 136 and 137, which states that the leading causes of emergency room visits overall are falls, being struck by or against an object, natural or environmental causes, poisening, being cut or pierced, and motor vehicle accident.

An American has a one in 50 chance of being bitten by a dog each year. (CDC.)


DPN

just my .o2. i currently have a pit-bull. most gentle, loyal, playful, smartest dog i have ever had or have been with. since he is extremely loyal he is very protective of my family and the house, but once outside of his territory he wouldn't touch anybody unless someone were to do something to one of my family members. as long as you are introduced to him at the door he becomes a lap dog and will play with you. from this, i do believe it is the owners to blame for their dogs behavior. if you know how to properly train and raise a dog, no dog should become aggressive. i do however remember watching a show one time that did state that the majority of dog attacks were not by pit bulls, but they were in fact by golden retrievers. pit bulls get the bad rap of the attacks because they are many times stronger than a retriever so when they do attack, the outcome is often times worse.

I just got chased by good sized dog today. A young fullgrown german shepard mix came out of plant nursery gate on the opposite of the road. I think he/she/it saw me coming. It never growled, bark or showed teeth.

This was my first encounter with this dog since it was my first ride on that particular stretch of road. I had no idea what its intentions were at the outset which made me a little uneasy.

First, it pulled up on my left and gave me an eye to eye. Then it disappeared and suddenly was on my right running in the grass on the shoulder, again an eye to eye. It vanished. Then I hear the clitter cletter of dog toenails on the pavement behind me to the left. This time it pulls a little farther ahead as if to herd me to the right. I didn't oblige the hint. Still no vocals or teeth from dog. It repeated this left and right maneuver once or twice more before giving up the chase.

Lucky me, the dog wasn't vicious. It proved it could easily keep up with me for what seemed an eternity. Dumb dog had to cross two opposing lanes of high speed traffic to give me chase. It was supposed to be guarding the landscape nursery.

This post had a breakdown of some historical attacks.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...1&postcount=27

Look at the top breed...

I'm sure your dog is gentle, loyal, playful, etc. He wouldn't hurt a fly. This is the script that ALL pit bull owners seem to read from. They all seem to be sincere, too, and to really believe that THEIR dog is the exception to the killer rap. And then it goes off on some little old lady, or some kid, and the owner then starts the "Well, they must have done something, or teased the dog, etc."

Does your dog know that I'm just riding my bike in front of your house and that I'm not threatening your family? Is riding my bike on a public road a threat? What if I don't get a proper introduction at the door?

People can have any kind of dog they want as far as I'm concerned, but be prepared for the aftermath when something happens...

DPN

Dogs are much maligned IMO. In my 56 years I was bitten only once - a friend's dog bit my ankle from behind, but I was wearing jeans and he barely drew blood. A lot of dogs have chased me and barked at me while riding, but none was serious about it (a clumsy one made me fall down, though).

I was riding in the county along a road where dogs wait and run out at you when you ride by. One time I encountered a parked police car just after the dogs, so I stopped and asked him if it was legal to kick a dog that was chasing me down the road. He said he would, and then added that a little squirt gun full of ammonia will usually convince a dog to not chase you again.

Keep telling yourself that. Pitt bulls are bred to kill other dogs. What was Michael Vicks convicted of? Selectively breeding pit bulls by having them fight and the ones that weren't aggressive enough in a fight he would kill, guaranteeing that only the most viscious and successful killers survived. This is the genetic heritage of pit bulls.

While they are mostly aggressive against other dogs, its easy for them to transfer that aggression to humans. Pit bulls are time bombs waiting to go off.

More than 30% of the US female population are sexually assaulted. I'd also love to see the percent of people who have been shot or endangered by a gun. I'd bet it turns out to be more than 2%. I know that I have been twice, for no apparent reason!

Interesting how you said they are bred to kill other DOGS, not people. But you're still wrong. SOME pitbulls are bred AND TRAINED to attack. Others are not.

I won't read from DPN's quoted script, though. My dog would probably sink his teeth into anyone trying to attack me or my wife. I'm ok with that.

I've had dogs chase me. I've had it happen in situations where they had the angle on me and there was no way to escape (open eyes and ears helped on that one, no barking and tails wagging=just make sure they don't jump on you while you are still clipped in). I've had to deal with a large pack (about a dozen) possibly feral dogs. I have one at home that will jump up to kiss me (and does reach my mouth every time).

But I've NEVER ahd any trouble of any kind when the dogs are FU***NG. They seem to be too busy to notice me, and even if they did they can't run very fast.

Another trick I learned was to slow down just as they come out from whatever yard they're hiding in. Then you pick up the pace. Changes in acceleration cause them to get confused and lose the angle they previously took. Obviously this only works if you know they're coming, but still...

I know anyone attacking me of family in front of my pair would pay. I'm also pretty sure that the beta male would take violent exception to anyone trying to hurt his cat.

Few dogs are mean, that has to be taught. Though a significant number are protective of territory or pack.

All pit bulls genetically descend from FIGHTING DOGS, dogs that are selected because they fight and kill other dogs. It doesn't matter that an individual is trained one way or not, they are genetically programmed to kill and will revert to their genetic predisposition given the right circumstances.

Just like a border collie that has never herded sheep will instinctively herd kids, pit bulls will instinctively kill other dogs. Its called selective evolution.

Border Collie is an actual breed. Pitbull is a catch-all phrase for a combination of a number of STRONG (not necessarily aggressive) breeds, so you can't make any statements about "ALL" pitbulls since they have such diversity. If you require that a pit bull by definition is a breed bred to fight, you would exclude most of the dogs quoted in these statistics from actually being pit bulls since they are removed by any such intentional breeding by at least a generation. They will have been mixed with too many non pit bull breeds.

It's funny actually that people commonly call my dog a pitbull when he actually isn't. He's mostly Rhodesian, a dog originally bred to find lions for hunters. They were not bred to attack but were bred to be strong in case the lion attacks them. People just call him a pitbull because he's strong and has a short snout with floppy ears. If you look up pics of pit bulls, you'll find that's about the only characteristics that they truly share.

Dogs are not "instruments" and are therefore responsible for the deaths they cause -- not the owners. The owners may give them the opportunity -- and, I believe, in many cases, the incitement -- but not the volition. Your analogy between guns and dogs is ridiculous (sorry to say that, but it is). A human being must pick up a handgun, load it, aim it, pull the trigger -- and a person is murdered. A pitbull owner need do nothing in an area in which the dog is free to roam unleashed and unmuzzled.

I'd also like to know your source and the exact statistics for deaths caused by "irresponsible" dog owners (we have already established that it is the dogs, and not the owners, killing people -- but just to paraphrase you). There is absolutely no need in human society for people to own pitbulls; they were genetically bred to kill, and their instinct is to kill. Hence, their name.

If a person wishes to own a vicious animal and vicariously live out his/her own violent and murderous fantasies then I think that person should be denied a right to own such an animal. I personally do not see the social need for pitbulls; 'man's best friend' may be found in countless other varieties whose first thought is not to lock its jaw around some innocent's limb.

Stallionforce, there is no social "need" for any pets, or art, or music, or even road bikes (aside from transportation) for that matter.

As for the irresponsible owners vs. dogs, the issue is that people who own such dogs have a responsibility to keep them controlled. Whether vicious or playful, dog owners are responsible for keeping their dogs from causing problems. That's not limited to attacking people, either. That includes running out into traffic, crapping on other people's lawns, digging up gardens, etc.

And finally, you are once again confusing the common definition of pit bull with the original breeding definition. The same dogs called pit bulls on TV are called German Shepherd Mixes in kennels, and are actually none of the related breeds.

Just out of curiosity, have any of the people saying that pit bulls should not exist even looked up what breeds make up pit bulls? I sometimes wonder if they could tell pit bulls from other large dog breeds.

Selective breeding of dogs is designed to pass on certain physical and behavioral charateristics. The fact that they are not direct descendents of fighting dogs does not mean the characteristics are not there and will not exhibit themselves. Just like a mixed breed dog will exhibit, for example, the webbed feet of a water dog, even though the water dog may have been several generations in its past, a pit bull can express fighting characteristics in its past.

It also does not mean they will, so why assume? These "ALL" claims have no logic. If you read my posts, my whole argument is that these people who start by saying "All pit bulls..." are ignorant. I suppose you could say better safe than sorry, but we could say that about offspring of serial killers and *******, too.

My argument has been proven time and time again. My parents had an abused German Shepherd most lilely bred and trained to be a guard dog. It wasn't very aggressive, so it was abandoned to wander the streets. My neighbor had two Rottweilers that simply wagged their nubs of tales when I approached the gate. My best friend in high school had a Border Collie that was dumb as rocks. Just like humans, some offspring maintain characteristics and some do not. It's simply genetics.

I still agree that people should control their dogs, especially the larger ones, but to say that ALL pit bulls carry on the aggresive genes is ignorant. Some, sure. Many, maybe. All, not a chance.

Urbanknight is correct. AKC recognizes many breeds, but "pit bull" is not one of them. Anyone can try to find information to the contrary. It is a catchall used to refer to dogs people are scared of. My dog has been referred to as a pit bull, but never by anyone with the slightest veterinary training or by anyone who knows anything about dogs.

For as long as I can remember, there was always some dog that was fashionable to get whipped into a frenzy over. Right now it is pit bulls. In the 80's and early 90's it was Rots. Before then it was dobies and sheps. All of those are dangerous dogs, but they aren't associated with the hysteria pits are associated with.

It's kind of like the drug wars. In the 70's, everyone was worried about dust. Then it was crack. Now everyone is nuts over meth. The problems are real, but people pretend that it's all about the dog or chemical. It will switch to something else after not too long and everyone will pretend to have discovered the real problem and the easy solution (get rid of the "real problem").

I'll make a prediction. In a few years, the killer dog will be Danes and people won't think about pits much different than they do Rots, sheps, and dobies. Why? Because it has suddenly become very fashionable to own them. Punks and morons will start acquring them on a large scale, and this normally friendly breed will be involved in a growing number of deaths. And then we can go through this same thing with Danes.

No one talks about mastiffs or some of the other very tough fighting breeds. These are also extremely dangerous if handled irresponsibly. However, they are not nearly as popular, so they cause very few deaths. Of the few deaths that result from dogs each year, Labs account for a substantial percentage. That's not because they are killer dogs, but because they're big and there are lots of them. BTW, kids have been killed by toy breeds too.

For anyone that needs sources of statistics, I don't know what you will believe. The Center for Disease Control as well as sites concerned with death statistics, the legal aspects of dog control, and even those dedicated to certain breeds can verify anything you are curious about.