cece1960

I know there's a lot of dog lovers here. I love my own dog but (be gentle) I never considered myself a dog person. In fact, I kind of fear dogs.

I just learned that my daughter (mom of my GD) picked up a new puppy
Its a Pitbull (sp?) I am furious.

She lives in an area with lot of kids, not to mention the precious one under her own roof. WHAT WAS SHE THINKING??

I see this as very selfish and irresponsible.

She says monsters are made not born, and a dog raised with love will love.
I say BULL (no pun intended)
She says she knows where it comes from and knows the mom dog (a family pet)

But why risk it?

Am I being paranoid?
Are they as dangerous as I hear?

Would someone go and just take it when they're not looking?

Latte

Myself, no I would never have a pitbull in my home with small children. I wouldn't take the chance. I do have friends that do. My children are not allowed in those peoples homes and those friends all understand why.

You can't control what other people do. It is a struggle.

BayAreaPhoenix

They do have a bad reputation, and it is by training. But, too much in-breeding of any dog can bring about consequences - and dogs, like humans, have their own personalities.

But, IMO, all dogs need time, attention, consistency, discipline, etc. Much like a small child. They are a lot of work, but for me - well worth it and looking forward to the day I get to have a furry friend again, but for anyone not really ready for the responsibility, it will be a surprise.

Seren

A properly socialized American Staffordshire Terrier (aka pit bull terrier) is a lovely dog. However, it does require proper training and socializing the animal to be around people. This is not a dog I would recommend for someone who will chain it up in the backyard. The Am. Staff. can be vicious because they were bred to be protectors of home and property, and incidents involving this dog seem to stem from situations in which the animal was not handled/raised properly.

I understand your concern, and since I do not know your daughter, I can't tell you how this will turn out. Perhaps learn as much about the breed as possible from the American Kennel Club website and provide that information to your daughter?

Hugs and prayers, HG

Hammerhead

Any breed of dog can be the best dog... it IS the way they are raised and how well they are socialized... having said that.... any dog that has the ability to do a good deal of harm... I would not leave alone with a child EVER.

I have raised and trained Rottweilers for many years and have found them to be extremely loyal and loving.... I would never leave them alone with a child... period.

Get information from your veterinarian and local humane society and perhaps invest in a trainer for peace of mind.

Rella927

CeCe my girlfriend has a pitbull and 2 small children. She raised it from a puppy and I do believe it is in the way animals are trained, socialized and they way they are taken care of i.e. filled with LOVE!

I have another friend that has a son and 2 Rotty's and they are awesome dogs (Bad rep) but awesome because of all the things that were done right by a proper dog owner.

CeCe you have a right to feel the way that you do! I would too if I was not a dog person-and of course you would because of the breed. I do however think that there are a lot of people out there that just train them to kill-which is WRONG! I think pit-bulls and other dogs do get a bad rap but, nothing wrong in being leary.

Lynxster

I currently have 2 dogs, plus 4 new puppies, but I am no dog expert so this is just my opinion. I personally hate the thoughts of pit bulls around children, I just don't think it is worth the risk. I also feel the same way about other breeds, such as chows, doberman's, and german shepherds. I've never read a story about a child being mauled to death by a chihuahua.

BTW, I got curious and decided to google dog bite statistics and I did find the following except from a study that was done on dog bites. This is the website: DOG BITE LAW - Statistics about dog bites in the USA and elsewhere

and below is a quote from this site:

Looks pretty clear to me, children and pit bulls don't mix.
Good luck with this, Lynx

Freedom1990

As the former owner of a 'pitbull' (which is a catch-all term for any bully breed) who I sadly lost to liver failure at the tender age of 5, I will be the first to say that a properly bred and dispositioned dog will be the most people-friendly dog you will ever meet.

Do NOT confuse dog-to-dog aggression (for which they are known once they mature) with people aggression.

However, I do not advocate bully breeds to any inexperienced owner.

cece1960

She says its properly bred.
She says ANY signs of aggression and she will reconsider

But what if....????
I just can't imagine taking that chance, you know?

I can't get through to her
She wants the dog, her BF ALWAYS wanted a pit-bull, and the grandbaby, well it has fur so of course she LOVES it.
I can't shake this very bad feeling

Freedom1990

Properly bred means the breeder has done genetic testing for hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, and a host of other potential genetic problems. Properly bred means there is a long line of dogs on the female's side with a solid disposition and working titles. Properly bred means that the stud dog comes from a line of dogs who hold working titles and are known for their solid disposition. Properly bred means the breeder screens carefully for any potential 'puppy' buyers, who sign a contract before the puppy is purchased.

Well bred is not from a 'backyard breeder' who has a dog who was impregnated by someone else's 'pitbull' and will 'vouch' for the disposition of the female dog, and is giving puppies away, or putting cash in their pockets by selling the pups. Responsible breeders do NOT make a dime off of the puppy fees because it's poured back into genetic testing, health care for the female during future breedings, etc etc etc.

I'll stop there because I could launch into a whole diatribe on this one.

cece1960

Thank you for the information Freedom...I get it.

I have no clue as to the the specifics of the breeding, nor it seems would me knowing make a bit of difference to daughter right now.

Freedom1990

Check your PMs. :ghug :ghug

Impurrfect

(((Cece))) I have several friends who have pits. One couple also have a 2- and a 3-year old. The dogs were crate-trained and the kids/dogs were never left unsupervised. I also met a man at the humane society, when I was with another friend to take her pit to get his shots. This man has 2 pits, and said they are extremely protective OF his kids, but that's they way they were raised.

I understand your fear, but I think you've gotten some good advice from dog owners above.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

greeteachday

Cece, My daughter and the BF who became XBFFH (and got custody of the dog) had a bitbull who was trained and worked with a lot, like described by others here. I have to admit that when they got him I had reservations (and they had no kids) but he won me over. He is incredibly smart, affectionate, loyal just an all around sweetie. But it is all about training and breeding too. Would I get one? No, but that's just my preference (and I think about things like liability) and I don't do barkers. And when my kids were little my biggest concern was how our dog would be around other kids (since she was so protective of my own)

This made me think of when the dog was less than a year old and my daughter asked me to stop by and let him out of his crate and outside since they were going to be home late. I did, but it took me a half hour to talk him out of the crate. He wasn't used to seeing me in the house alone without his mom and dad and he was scared of me.

I understand your concerns around kids, but it sounds like there isn't much you can do but encourage the training. Sounds like the more you protest, the deeper she is sinking her boot heels in. Hugs

Limiya

Any breed has the potential to be a fantastic pet with families if raise correctly and any potential problems are nipped in the bud.

HOWEVER!!!!!
No matter what breed of dog, big or small, i would recomend you NEVER leave a child alone with one, not even for a minute. Even if it's a sweet nature. Never risk it.
Always be present.
And i would only recomend pitbulls to very experienced dog owners.

My two pennys worth.

~Limiya~

mooselips

Mr. Moose and I used to breed Chocolate Labrador Retreivers, a gentle breed.

I have always heard storys related to doberman pinschers, that they could be quite nasty, until a firend of mine owned one. Her doberman, "Shultzie" was one of the most docile, gentle dogs I've ever met.

I think alot of the nastiness goes into how a dog is raised.

Pit bulls do have a terrible reputation, but I think raising one from a pup would be a different situation. JMO

wuzzled

A fish is a fish, A bird is a bird, And a DOG is a . . . . . . person!

Many dog lovers treat their dog as a person, some with their own personal wardrobe! I know my dog thinks she's human!

But . . . .

I agree with Limiya, never leave a child alone with any dog. My dog is great with kids, lick, lick, kisses, here is my toy, please play with me, though she is always supervised around children. You never know what a child may do, and you never know how the dog might react.

Speaking of dog reactions -

Funny now, not funny at the time - - - -

Went to a friends house to use her computer while she was not home. She has two dogs, a chow and a 4 lb. peekapoo. Had been to her house 100's of times and the dogs always greeted me with kisses and waggly tails. Never gave the dogs a thought when I went in.

But the chows greeting was not so kind this time. She appeared at the top of the stairs (the computer was up there) and growled down at me. So I decided that I would just go to the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea and sit at the kitchen table for a while. The kitchen was usually the room my friend and I were always in having tea, so I thought this would seem normal to the dog.

By the time I made it to the kitchen, I realized the dog was hot on my trail, oops, no time for tea! The only place I had to go at this point was the bathroom that was right off the kitchen. I was now stuck in the bathroom, no phone, not even any reading material! What kind of bathroom is this anyway! So there I sat, no way out and my friend wasn't supposed to be home for at least a couple of hours! I tried to escape a couple of times, but each time I opened the door, the dog was right there waiting........ and would start barking.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to check the window out. I opened the window, looked down, thought . . . maybe not too far to jump. When I looked up, there was a person standing outside the window in the neighbors yard. Startled, and sure this person thought I was a burglar, I said "Hi, you must be Marci's neighbor, I am her friend, really, and her dog has me trapped in the bathroom, so I was considering jumping out this window"! Not sure they believed me, but asked them if they could maybe look up someone's phone number in the phone book, and call to see if Marci was there. (my friend had gone to her sister in laws, I knew her name, but no #) This gracious, trusting person did and help was on the way!


Point is, no matter how well you know a dog, they may react in a way not normal for the dog, if an abnormal situation arises! The dog knew me well, but only with the owner present, the dog had never encounter me without her there. I was the intruder, and mommy wasn't home, so she was protecting here home!

justtired

I'm kind of late on this, and I didn't read all the other responses, but wanted to mention that from what I've heard, pits are usually good with people (if trained right), but have a natural aggression towards other animals. I always thought that if any dog was from a good breed and was trained right, that it would be a good dog. And then I heard about pits and animal aggression on some tv show. Can't remember what one, but I remember it being a reliable source for information. I know.. lots of help I am!

Oh, and I was also going to mention that around here, some home insurances won't allow "aggressive breeds" which a pit is included in here. They can drop you from insurance... so your daughter might want to look into that if she has home insurance...

suchAsucker

I adopted a pitbull 5 weeks old puppy and I am so glad I did... prior to the adoption, I consulted a wonderful vet and had a discussion about agressiveness in the breed. I asked whether nuetured/spaying did anything to curb the breed's agresiveness, etc. What Dr. Drake told me was that fixing the breed had little effect on the agressiveness, and that it's all in how YOU raise it.

It is the best dog I've ever had (previously owned a cocker spaniel for 12 years, "GumDrop"). The breed is very "people-pleaser" oriented. It takes A LOT of energy, but you get in return SO MUCH LOVE. I have never known love the way that this breed demonstrates it. What is important is not just human/stranger socialization, but other-dog socialization: you must keep it constantly in touch with people and other dogs (on-leash dog parks). I still take him to his breeders home with other dogs (small, medium, full grown) because the dogs teach it how to act... Ceasar Milan (the Dog Whisperer) has two pits ("Daddy" & Junior") who are the nicest dogs ever. They are really smart, and use their intelligence to please you..

NOTE-WORTHY: Dr Drake (my vet) explained that between ages 3-5 they WILL POSSIBLY seek to dominate whom they percieve is the weakest member of the "pack" (my 16 yr old house cat, in my case)... That is why ages 3-5 (fixed or not) is the most crucial to raising a truly socialized pit.

I had hesitations at first, but I cannot believe what a loving, friendly, wonderful angel God gave to me to call my companion. He is a protector and a best friend. I was always a "cat person" until I met him, and I cannot image my life without him. But they do live for 12-15 years, so it is a commitment.

I am a Star Trek superfan, so I named him *Tiberius", after Capt. James "T" Kirk... LOL... Just my two cents from the peanut gallery..

cece1960

Update:
The dog is being returned.
She called tonight to let me know. She admitted that it was just "too much puppy" for her right now.
I think she may have listened a little last night after all.
I am relieved.
Thank you all so much for your input.
I am grateful and learned so much.
I'm also grateful for my own big ole 90 lb lazy "bag of fur"