Living next to a Pit Bull

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  • danithegirl89
    danithegirl89 Posts: 203 Member
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    As the owner of the most loving sweet pitbull in the world, I might be a little biased on this topic. Any dog can be mean. They are ANIMALS. I have met hundreds of dogs. The only one that has ever bit me was my grandma's dog that knew me well. He was an Austrailian Shepard/Lab mix. Not saying these breeds are more aggressive than pits or vice versa, just sharing personal experience. Pitbulls are extremely loyal to their family. I have read so many stories about pits sacrificing their lives to save their families. When someone knocks on the door my dog barks like he is going to kill someone. But when he actually meets them he just wants to lick them to death. I mean the dog sleeps on his back with his head sharing my pillow. Haha. He has a heart of gold. He is really good with kids except tiny ones he once in awhile knocks over accidently. I would definitely talk to them and see how well he has been socialized. I totally understand you being concerned about your son. Does he have a high fenced yard? Does he live with kids? Make your decision based on things like this. If he is mean and the people are sketchy then I would be concerned. It just makes me sad how many people have given pits a bad name. :( No one ever gives them a chance. I do like people being scared of my dog when I walk around my slightly ghetto neighborhood though. :) hehe. Good luck!
  • sarahmaryfearnley
    sarahmaryfearnley Posts: 366 Member
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    Video showing the true nature of pit bulls in a vicious attack.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYReh06SpgA&noredirect=1

    I thought I was being funny but I guess this thread has become too serious. The pit in this video is attacking with love. The news anchor gets a face bath from a pit up for adoption near Vancouver, Canada.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    when considering breed statistics... pedigree and the purpose these dogs were bred for... plus the news stories about supposedly good dogs attacking... minus anecdotal evidence - i would avoid the sitiation.


    im a dog lover and emotion aside.... its bad math to ignore statistics for anecdotal evidence. sorry.
  • DarkAngel525
    DarkAngel525 Posts: 135
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    I'm actually fostering a Pit right now. She was a wandering stray so I don't know anything about her owners, but she has been wonderful. Very affectionate, great with my godchildren, and super with my other dogs. When I just moved, I went and introduced myself to the neighbors anyways, to get a feel for the people I'd be living around. Maybe take your son over there and see how the dog reacts to him. I don't think there is anything wrong with checking that out before you move.

    PS...THANK YOU to the OP for not slamming Pits. So many breeds can be dangeous because of careless owners. These dogs are so loyal and affectionate :flowerforyou:
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,788 Member
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    You're going to get a ton of different responses, based on the poster's personal experience with Pitbulls.

    Everything from "they are the best dogs around small children" to "one ate my chihuahua".

    Fact is, it has nothing to do with the type of dog as much as how the owner raised it. Unfortunately, the pit bull is one of the status quo among thugs and other "wannabe" tough guys.

    Get to know the neighbor and you will get an understanding of the dog.

    Personally, if I had an 18 month old, I would investigate. I never let my children out of my sight when I was raising them, so it was never an issue.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    I keep hearing that argument, but Pit Bulls were bred for aggression (historically.) To believe otherwise is to throw fantasy in the face of what dog trainers have known as fact for centuries. When you want traits in a dog - you breed the dog with those traits. Same as, oh, herding dogs. A herding dog will often still exhibit bad behavior around children that's simply built into the breed. For example - heel nipping and chasing. Greyhounds have incredible prey drive and are often not save to have around cats/rabbits/etc. Simply put: Pit Bulls would not exist as a breed if aggression and kill drive couldn't be bred into them. - for bull baiting, for fighting.

    That's not to say a herding dog will always chase children into traffic, or a greyhound will snatch every cat that runs by - or that a Pitbull can't be a fantastic family pet. - It's just that ignoring breed traits can lead to warm fuzzies clouding our judgment of actual, real problems. Pit Bulls are often owned by people that mistreat dogs - but so are many other breeds. You don't hear of vicious maulings and killings from the most common breeds in America and you know that they aren't all raised properly.
    -Its true, Pit Bulls are not, statistically, the most prone dog to nip or bite. However, they carry a very large majority of high-injury or fatal attacks.

    You don't know if that dog was raised properly and you can't take the owner's word for it. A mishandled pit bull is inherently more dangerous than a mishandled Labrador.

    FWIW, most of the Pits I have met have been very good dogs. One used to hop the fence and play with my dogs pretty frequently.
  • CrzyAte
    CrzyAte Posts: 55
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    I have 2 Rots, a Pit and and a chihuahua. The only one I have to worry about biting someone is my chihuahua. One of my Rots can jump as high as our 6ft fence to see over when someone walks by. We have had complaints but as soon as that person meets him they fall in love. It is natural for a dog to protect their home. Its their job. Talk to the owner your childs saftey comes first but don't judge a dog by it's breed.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Definitely talk to the neighbors. Our last neighbors had a jack russell mix that displayed aggressive behavior when we first visited-- barking.snarling, lunging at the fence and at our pug, etc. Luckily my pugs are both submissive and playful and in no time the terrier was used to them being in the yard. *With the owners permission/supervision* I gave him little bites of chicken to get him used to us. Also the owners explained that they were a foster home for rescue dogs and were currently working with this dog on his issues. He was actually quite friendly when we moved out. But I think before you move in that's got to be part of your consideration, whether it's a jack russell or a pit bull. I agree that you shouldn't take your baby when you talk to them and you should ask about the neighborhood in general before you ask outright about their dog. Also I agree with asking a few other neighbors as well.
  • DarkAngel525
    DarkAngel525 Posts: 135
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    ANYONE who says these dogs are not dangerous is delusional or a liar. I give them a wide berth - of all the animals in the world, I wouldn't mind at all if Pit Bulls went extinct

    Not a very respectful way to come into a topic at all. People out here have Pits, are responsible owners, and love them dearly. You are entitled to your opinion, you don't like or trust Pits, but to call people who love them liars and say they should be extinct is completely disgusting. No class at all...
  • mleoni092708
    mleoni092708 Posts: 629 Member
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    Video showing the true nature of pit bulls in a vicious attack.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYReh06SpgA&noredirect=1

    I thought I was being funny but I guess this thread has become too serious. The pit in this video is attacking with love. The news anchor gets a face bath from a pit up for adoption near Vancouver, Canada.

    This video is so funny. He's such a happy guy! His tail's wagging the whole time and he is just in love with that lady. Absolutely vicious, haha.
  • KimmieBrie
    KimmieBrie Posts: 825 Member
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    ANY dog can be aggressive. Our dog was a rescue - black lab. Harmless right? No. He's not a friendly dog. He's in a fenced in yard and never tries to get out. He's protective. He's good with other dogs and fine with people unless you are a stranger and you touch him. If you touch him he will growl and nip if he doesn't know you. I've had kids and adults come up and pet him without asking. This is not smart. Please teach your kids not to run up and touch animals they don't know. That's being responsible too.
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    I adopted a sweet handsome pit/bulldog mix. The only thing he will do is kiss you to death, never been agressive ONCE! AND he was a rescue dog. It is all about the training. Yes, Pits by nature are more dominant, protective dogs, but if you show/train your dog with love, he will be a loving dog.
  • BondBomb
    BondBomb Posts: 1,781 Member
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    ANY dog can be aggressive. Our dog was a rescue - black lab. Harmless right? No. He's not a friendly dog. He's in a fenced in yard and never tries to get out. He's protective. He's good with other dogs and fine with people unless you are a stranger and you touch him. If you touch him he will growl and nip if he doesn't know you. I've had kids and adults come up and pet him without asking. This is not smart. Please teach your kids not to run up and touch animals they don't know. That's being responsible too.
    I never said that the dog was aggressive because he was a pit bull. I said the dog could do more damage because he was a pit bull. The fact that he was displaying aggresive behavior is what caught my attention. If the dog was just sitting there quietly or even doing a little barking I wouldnt have needed to post this. My kid is 16 months old. He doesn't understand that all dogs are not the same as ours.
    As I stated before (some seem to have missed this) - I had a Minpin that was 6 lbs and horribly aggressive and mean. Im a responsible owner. He was trained, loved and so spolied! But his name was Cujo for a reason. If he were still alive I would not be able to have him around my son. The biggest difference is that if my minpin bit him we are looking at a few stitches. If my doberman decided to bite him he could kill him. I understand people want to defend pit bulls in gerenal. But its still a large powerful dog. So I hereby change the title of my post to Living Next to Large Mean Dog. Which by the way I decided not to do after talking to the neighbors. They said the dog is outside ALL day regardless of weather and has gotten out of the yard. I don't care if it was a giant bunny rabbit these are not the kind of pet owners I want to live next to

    Large + Gentle = Good
    Small + Gentle = Good
    Small + Mean = Bad
    Large + Mean = VERY BAD
  • BRISAjustAltered
    BRISAjustAltered Posts: 260 Member
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    ANYONE who says these dogs are not dangerous is delusional or a liar. I give them a wide berth - of all the animals in the world, I wouldn't mind at all if Pit Bulls went extinct

    This is the most ignorant statement I have ever seen on MFP. I wouldn't mind if ignorant people would go extinct either.
    and Hello from MY American Pit Bull Terrior, the sweetest dog alive.

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