Pitbulls are a mainly a reflection of the owner, stop blaming the pups.
I will effort post pitbulls if people want. There’s a ton of veterinary literature that contradicts the stereotypes and adds context to bite statistics, etc.
As a veterinarian if I were to cast shade on a dog breed it would be brachycephalic - pugs or Bostons or bulldogs. Not because of their behavior, but because they’re essentially being waterboarded by their own anatomy every time they breathe and it’s cruel to breed them without taking steps to reduce the airway abnormalities that are incompatible with life.
I actually wrote a whole effort post specifically about this (linked below), and also 100% agree about pugs bostons and bulldogs.
Also I am not a veterinarian so I would appreciate any critique you have of what I wrote on the topic.
Yes please, I stiffen anytime I see a pitbullsized dog being walked next to our playground. Doesn’t matter the breed since I can’t tell them apart.
And anytime I tried to look into it I just found forum posts of angry owners vs concerned parents going at each other throats or chatgpt blogspam peddling basic misinformation.
I am not a vet but I wrote essentially a mini article with lots of sources on the subject a couple years ago and I linked it below.
Man I love this site, thank you for the effort.
I would appreciate links to that effort posts citations if nothing else. My rejection of the narrative is just based off knowing how dogs work in general + vibes
Funny you should ask https://hexbear.net/post/166819
A few seconds in, the title is a banger
Thanks I was pretty proud of myself for that one.
Haha, good timing I just finished reading it.
I’m going to read that book you cited. I need to learn more now that I’ve added a “pitbull” to the family. Much like your post points out, she is less than half “pitbull” DNA even if adding up the 4 breeds that are used in that classification. She’s mostly “Dogo Argentino” which is a super cute name tbh.
Class A post
Thanks comrade I put a fair bit of effort into it after we had a pitbull struggle session a couple years ago. I need to write more effort posts.
I agree 100%. I had to call 2 vet offices to convince them to change the breed on her paperwork from “pitbull mix” to “brown lab mix” just to be able to move into an apartment, because I guess insurance companies in the area like to ban certain breeds from properties they insure. She’s the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet, though.
It’s also used as a form of redlining.
That’s fucked up. Glad you find a way around at least.
I adore pitties, they are some of the most sweet pups and I’ve never met one I didn’t like. That said, I have a healthy respect for what they are capable of.
Eh, all dogs are capable of biting. It would make more sense to say that about larger type of dog, imo.
It’s valid to be aware of the fact any dog has the potential to bite, though. So that’s something I can agree on respecting.
I always try to remain respectful of the power of animals. But when it comes to dogs, I’ve never heard of a Golden Retriever or a chocolate lab mauling someone. Startle response bites, sure.
I could just be another dolt who’s been taken in by fear mongering towards pitties, I don’t know the statistics. But I try to keep in mind the potential for what they could do, same for Dobermans, Germans, Akitas etc. Also, the aggressive little ankle biters, but I’ll usually just pick them up and they don’t know what to do.
ok but what about these FBI crime statistics
I didn’t know the law applied to dogs, air bud rules and all that.
The right will never let go of this. Maintaining the normalised idea of genetic behavioural traits in animals is a fundamental requirement for eugenics and racism. If they concede it’s untrue they will also have to concede that the asiatic hordes are not predisposed to barbarian acts of pillaging and looting everywhere they go.
Do you think herding dogs are taught to herd? Genetics absolutely influence behavior lol
They can all herd, just some that are a better size and speed for it. If the sheep were guinea pig sized we’d be using miniature dogs for it and calling them “herding breeds”.
I tend to agree with you, but working breeds really do have it in them. My hunting dogs have always had a strong response to retrieval play. My dogs that were shepherd breeds have always done a good job at keeping my indoor cats inside. I didn’t teach them that, somehow over the years they learned the cat can’t go out the door when I open. They treated it like a game. The retriever types didn’t.
The shepherd types had to learn to fetch, the retrievers kinda “got it” from the start.
All dogs can learn anything any other dog can learn, but I am hesitant to say breed does not matter based off my experiences.
Okay good luck training your herding pug. Maybe next you can raise a wolf pup as your family dog.
Okay but I’m arguing that herding dogs will do that instinctively, while those pugs were definitely taught. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/why-does-my-dog-herd-my-kids/
if it’s just a reflection on the owners, then should pitbull owners (or any dangerous breed of dogs) be required to have their background checked before? Like firearms. I would be scared everyday if my neighbours had a breed of dog that was high on the list of dog attacks. Too many instances of people getting mauled to death or with left with horrible deformities because of bad owners.
All dog owners should be licensed, all dogs are a reflection of the owner. The difference is a bad dog owner with a chihuahua only hurts the dog and not other people.
also, if somebody is scared of dogs it’s not hard to learn how defend against one (edit: assuming able and of average strength).They should look into that before being racist against certain types of dogs.
it’s not hard to learn how defend against one
Good luck to elder people or children trying to defend themselves from a pitbull.
Or a German Shepherd, or a Rottweiler, or a Mastiff, or a Husky, or an Akita, you see where this goes?
You are right. I should correct my statement to say: an able bodied individual of average size is more than capable of defending against a large dog if they have put any effort into learning how.
It is, of course, still the duty of the dogs owner to make sure that does not come into play as a factor.
Just as PSA: if in a situation where you need to survive a dog attack, pull apart the front legs. It’s gross and brutal, but it quickly and easily ends their ability to harm anyone. The amount of force it takes is within the average human upper body strength. DeEscalation is preferable of course, but if it’s a bad situation that shit works.
Pits are more dangerous than other dog breeds, but not uniquely dangerous. People buy pits because they want a violent dangerous dog, and then train the dog to be just that. It becomes a vicious cycle.
No they are not. The jaw strength thng ignores what actually matters. The “lockjaw myth” is just that.
It’s entirely about “what breed is abused the most”. If size mattered Labradors and German shepherds would be maligned. The thing is the people who abuse dogs and then them into weapons (privately, the state does do this to GS/malamute/Belgian shepherds) choose pitbulls (a loose term to begin with). You are correct the oart of your comment that points this out.
Unironically it’s a red flag to me when someone says they don’t like pitbulls.
If I get hit by a car, I don’t get mad at the car, I get mad at the asshole who made it into a murder machine.
All dogs are good dogs
I think we should rename them pitcows, that would soften their image alot
Different breeds of dogs do have differences in behavior, see hunting & working dogs, but that doesn’t mean pit bulls are walking murder machines. The reputation surrounding pit bulls is 99.9% mainly racially motivated fearmongering.
