New Jersey Pit Bull attack.
 

Pit Bull Viciously Attacks Owners Leaving Serious Injuries

I have met dozens of pit bulls here in the Villages over the past 16 years and most of these are quite gentle but once in a while there is an attack like this one in New Jersey.

Lumping 4 breeds together though with the handle pit bull and then expected them to all be dangerous is a stretch. Types of Pitbulls: Differences, Appearances, Traits & Pictures.

And a lot depends on the dog owner and how much common sense he or she has about their dog. Like not taking it to a dog park unless they have a good idea what it will do there.

There is almost always more to the story than the breed. Any breed can become vicious in the right (wrong?) circumstances.

"Pit Bulls" get a lot of bad press, but in general they are very gentle pets. For years in AZ my wife and I walked dogs at the animal shelter, and I normally got the pit bulls because other volunteers were afraid to walk them. My experience was even the most angry pit bulls were all most always angry at other dogs, and not at people. They really like people. Once I had them away from the other dogs (in cages) they were happy to be out walking and very friendly.

Thanks for that response.

I looked up this which was helpful. How to Train a Pit Bull to Get Along with Other Dogs | Wag!.

In general, pit bulls should be outlawed in the US, since dogfighting is history and was a stone-age throwback set up for an audience of sadistic neanderthals. Today junkyard owners actually feed gun powder to their guard dogs (like pit bulls) to make them crazy and aggressive. Today there are SO, SO many breeds of dogs to chose from - why mess with a potential lawsuit from a breed that has historically been violent and has bitten SO many Americans and their children. Many children need plastic surgery on their faces from pit bull attacks. I practically regurgitate when I see an older man or woman walking a pit bull - often without human control. It's ALL very unnecessary.

There reason the get lot bad press, they kill and mangle. YES, other large breads can, but beings pit are inherently bread for guard dog and strength in the jaws along with they are like snapping turtle when clamped down the won’t let go. Most pit owners are not strong and willful enough to control an aggressive one. Yes, not all are aggressive, but the potential is there.

Between 2010 and 2021 there were 480 fatal dog bites in the US. of those 185 were from pitbulls.

it is not the dogs fault, it is the owners. When a dog mauls a person the OWNER should be punished. The dogs are simply the product of their environment.

We will have to disagree. It is in my experience training not breeding that results in an aggressive dog. In any case, it is not the dogs responsibility, it is the owners. If the dog attacks the owner should be held responsible and punished.

I guess I could agree with the idea that it is NOT the individual dog's fault that he/she was born a pit bull. If you divide 185 by 480 you get 38 %. So, 39% of all human deaths due to being mauled are caused by ONE, (ONE) BREED - that seems significant enough to me to justify my post. Since the pit bulls that you walked were already born and in the US - then I am glad that someone, like yourself, walks them, that's an empathetic thing. I would like them to NEVER be bred in the US in the 1st place, so no pain to them individually. Just 185 more US citizens get to LIVE. My Springer Spaniels could hardly maul a rabbit! I have also had German Shepards. I also had a friend whose Great Dane would hurt humans by hitting them with his wagging tail, but I doubt that he would hurt a human on purpose.

I agree with the responsibility part.

There was a group of people who trained these dogs to attack. They learned every bad habit from humans. Their commands were in Vietnamese. A friend of ours took his Pit to be trained there every weekend for months. We got involved and convinced him how wrong it was to act this way. He loved this dog. It was a beautiful animal to look at. Sort of Grey sort of Blue.

The dog ended up on a farm in western NJ and lived many years without incident until it struck out at another animal and had to be put down. Still brings chills to us when we think about the damage this beautiful animal could have done to one of our family or anyone else. Many lessons were learned here but it was the Dog that paid the ultimate price. It has to be about 20 years ago and still it is tough to talk about and recall. The guy who brought the dog to be trained met a terrible end to his life. Karma? I think so. Totally shameful.

That is really sad.

I have heard of dogs here in the Villages moving to farms and finding happiness there.

I own a small dog, less than 20 lbs. I have lived in 4 different neighborhoods here in TV, now 3 of these neighborhoods, I have seen pit bull dogs living up to 20 houses away from me, which we see 1-2 times per week on our walks. Each and every time I walk my little dog and see the pit bull dogs, they stop and spot my little dog and sit with their heads slightly down and focus on my dog. I stay away from the area where I have seen them walking, and I immediately leave the area, whether by walking or golf cart. It is very scary, and the owners are oblivious to their pit bulls behavior. I noticed their dogs have plain regular collars on their necks and could very easily pull away! The dog shelters are full of pit bull dogs or crossbreds of them.
Edited their sitting stance, this is a known watch stance, preclude to ...

Dogs, any breed are like guns it is the owner who is bad!

Most dogs that lower their heads and front half to another dog are showing play mode.
Alpha stance is upright and full on.
Having said that, still wise to give unknown dogs a wide birth until you are confident with them.
Most of my bad experiences with stroppy dogs, have always been with the small ones punching above their weight.
Than your God Chihuahua's were born small!

Judge Judy hates Pit Bulls and will usually side with the other party involved...
:bigbow::bigbow::doggie:

I will have to say that if you have a dog that is known to snap they should be wearing a muzzle when they go out. And I disagree that it's the humans fault because dogs are animals . But there are a lot more violent humans than there are dogs and I worry about some of my neighbors

We saw two pit bulls attack a pony with a 10-year old child on its back. One latched onto the horse’s juggular and the other its underbelly. The only thing that got those dogs to release was a fireman’s hose spraying them straight on. The horse died, and the child was terribly traumatised. Can you imagine the PTSD she suffered?

Your ignorance of pit bulls overfloweth. I own three. They are as gentle as any other dog. My grand kids play with them and have not been eaten; mostly licked and tickled. You really shouldn't espouse [false] information about a subject you clearly know nothing about. They are gentle animals unless trained otherwise. The fact that some are trained to be aggressive does not reflect on the entire breed.

In a similar vein, we are told not to judge all Muslims by the actions of a few. Yet, we are expected to judge all pit bull (or gun) owners by the actions of a few.

This is not a political statement. This is simply highlighting hypocrisy. If there is hypocrisy in politics, I can't help that. It's everywhere. We are told to get the vaccine not for ourselves but to do it for our family, friends and neighbors. Yet, we are simultaneously told to support de-funding the police in total disregard for the safety of our family, friends and neighbors.

Hypocrisy is what I am discussing. It's disgusting and I'm sick of it.

You are on the money. I volunteered at a shelter near Chicago for 5 years and never had an issue between a Pit and a person. I did see issues between some Pits and and other dogs and when that happens you have to be careful but I never saw an issue with people.
I had a flat coat retriever (one of the nicest breeds) who was a fear biter & required life long management around people. The only dog I ever had show me all their teeth and threatened me (out of fear) was a Jack Russel terrier. Naturally it's the big dogs with the power who have the ability to do bad damage but all dogs bite.
:doggie:

My dog was attacked by a Pit Bull, a vicious attack. My dog got away from it twice, but she wasn't going to stop until she killed him. She attacked from behind. My dog didn't give her the stink eye or anything. It was horrifying. Fortunately the dog's owner was able to get her under control. "It's not the dog, it's the owner" is a load of crap. All breeds have bad owners...... a few breeds kill, one breed way more than the others. Owning one is like playing Russian Roulette..... 5 chambers are empty, one will kill you. They are great dogs until they aren't. Every time one kills a human or a dog, the neighbors say the dog was sweet... or something similar. My dog was okay, the owner was lovely and paid the vet bills.In the 13-year period of January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2017, canines killed at least 433 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second leading canine killer, inflicted 10% of attacks that resulted in human death. Combined, two dog breeds accounted for 76% of the total recorded deaths.

Again, the other factor is that Pitfalls are used more than any other breed for dog fighting. When am fighter is not a winner they are often just abandoned. When most pit bulls were trained to fight and kill, is it surprising that many of them act out when they shouldn't?

It is easy to simply blame the breed, but it is more about the dogs background than breed.

Just a side note, 100% of murders are committed by humans - that says something about that breed too.

Pit bulls, aka “dogs of peace”.

Pit bulls
 

Pit bulls, like the dog in “the little rascals,” are strong, intelligent and courageous. They were known to be faithful and loyal. I have seen both the good and the bad. What happened to pit bulls are violent, mean or negligent people and the dogs suffer for it.

Can't help it I have to say something!!

My comment is NOT about your Pit Bull Comments because I basically agree with you. My comment is regarding your tag or whatever they call it about vaccines and it is simply this: I will not argue with you about your stance because I do not argue with a fool because I never would want to be in the same category as you on this subject.

I can tell you that the vaccine WORKS! I was recently exposed to someone had been vaccinated, got sick while we were deployed on a Disaster Recovery Mission who got sick and later tested positive. He had an adult child tested positive but he had not seen her in over two weeks so he likely got it elsewhere. There were 10 of us exposed all who had been vaccinated about 6 -8 months ago with three of us (all well over 65) two of whom had had both vaccines and one who had one shot who all exhibited COVID symptoms within a couple of days of our exposure. Fortunately, the significant symptoms only lasted less than 24 hours and were primarily chills and aches and maybe fevers. None of the three of us tested positive 3 days later. Don't know about rest of team but I'm sure had anyone else tested positive we would have been notified.

My answer and reason for commenting on your position is that our vaccines worked and took care of the virus. Had we not had it there is every reasonable expectation that our illness would have progressed to full-blown Covid. Am sure my thoughts and experience will not sway you but, if you continue to refuse to be vaccinated or wear a mask at least have the decency to crawl into a hole somewhere and stay away from the rest of us and DO
NOT GO TO THE ER IF AND WHEN YOU GET SICK. Leave the bed open for someone who needs it through no fault of their own. Maybe you can get a group of your disciples to join you and start a new club in the villages so you could at least just infect one another.

My husband was badly bitten by a black lab. Still dislike pit bulls.

I didnt see this part addressed. Most home insurance policies prohibit certain breeds of dogs. Pits, and a list of others, are included. And any mix of the prohibited breeds. In some cases "prohibit" just means you are on your own if anything happens or anyone sues you for anything relating to the dog. But it can also be cause for insurance cancellation if you are found in violation. We have Progressive here, and LLoyds in Ma. Both exclude a list, shown in their Homeowners policy. Don't assume that if you dont see it, in your policy then the exclusions dont exist! We have 2 Residential properties (they are rentals) in the new section. Also have Progressive Ins. Their policies do not specifically exclude certain dogs. But according to their underwriters, they are still prohibited.If you are found to have tenants with one of these - or any mix - the insurance company can cancel your policy for that reason and you may have trouble finding another insurer. And if you say that "well, the tenant has to get their own insurance and that will take care of it", I'm told No. You own the property and fault/liability can pass thru to you. I recently turned down an applicant we really wanted, but had a pit-mix. Supposedly very sweet. They told me they had never heard of this and had never been tuned down for it before. Not surprised. I suspect a lot of people havent. Especially "landlords". We've had tenants for the last 30 yrs and only learned of this recently. But i could have caused myself endless problems if i had rented to them and the insurance company found out.

[U][U]
Treating Aggression in Springer Spaniels

Although “rage syndrome” can be found in any dog breed, it is more common in English Springer Spaniels; it is simply the presentation of aggression and it does not help us figure out what the underlying cause is.

Many dog breeds can be aggressive. Yes, even your Springer Spaniel. I have had a Pit for several years, not my choice of dog but I inherited him from my Iraq veteran son. He was his companion and he’s going nowhere. He adores all humans and they adore him. I admit I’m nervous around other animals but he is leashed at all times so there has never been an incident with other dogs. As for your Springer Spaniel, chihuahuas, Jack Russel, etc. the potential is always there. I have never seen aggression from my pit to another human but I can’t count the times some of the previous breeds have shown aggression around me. Breed specific condemnation or banning is wrong and should never be used. My veterinarian said studies show Cocker Spaniels are one of the most aggressive to humans. Same for Springer Spaniels. See the following quote. Should Springer Spaniels be banned?

You are so right. Chihuahuas and many smaller dogs seem to all have “little man syndrome.”

I have a chihuahua/terrier and he does have a Napoleonic streak. He has no idea about his size.

Do the math
 

Pit Bulls comprise 4% of the dog population, but commit 30% of all maulings. Do the math.......the same can be said for certain types of humans too......do the math.

The thing about pits isn't that they bite more than any other breed. It's when they DO bite, they tend to latch on. Most other breeds don't latch. This is a behavioral trait, and not any physiological trait (they don't "lock their jaws" in other words).

There exists no breed that is "known to not ever bite." Every breed has biters. But some of the bites tend to be more painful, or more risky, than others. That's it. That's the only difference between a pit-bull biting someone and any other breed biting someone. And even that can be trained out of them if the trainer starts immediately while the dog is a young puppy (in the first 6 months) and continues throughout their young life.

Most pits I've ever encountered were tolerant, if not actually friendly, and the two guard dogs whose actual jobs were to BE guard dogs, were absolutely docile and friendly once I was "formally" introduced to them by their owner. That was a former employer, and his dogs were rescues from a dogfighting operation. One was a bait dog, the other was a stud and the bait dog's best friend. You definitely didn't want to be a burglar in that building. But if you were a "friend" (formally, as part of training) of the owner, you could come and go any time of day or night, with or without the owner present, and they'd treat you like their pals.

Chihauhuas on the other hand - totally other story. I've met one, ever, that I could tolerate. The others were a bunch of yapping nippers. Nasty little things, they probably have such sour dispositions because they look like rats.

Pit Bulls were once forbidden in The Villages, Developer got lack, should be banned again. Want a animal like that, then maybe live in the country!

As a non pit bull owner, and with "no dog in the fight" as they say in the south, I am curious as the benefit of owning pit bull when based on their statistical reputation surely there are other dog options, such as labs etc.
Being neutral on this subject, if I were to get a large dog, Pit's would not be on the list. Just trying to understand what myself and others are missing here regarding how the benefits offset the potential downside. Thank you

There's no benefit to owning a pit bull any more than there's a benefit to owning a german shepard, or a great dane, or a full size poodle or collie, in the Villages. I'd ask - what's the benefit to owning a a chihuahua? They're ugly, they're high-strung, they demand constant attention, are not naturally socialized and need to be trained, often suffer from separation anxiety, need a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise (not just walking, actual exercise) every single day, easily get dislocated kneecaps, commonly have gum disease and have to have dental checkups yearly...

I mean if you're going to go through all that trouble for a pet, just go all out and adopt a baby. At least with a baby there's a chance it'll grow up and contribute something useful to the world.


See - I can come up with a whole diatribe on ANY breed, asking the question "why would anyone want to have..."?

I prefer larger dogs. Not great danes though, or dalmations. Never was fond of that shape at all. But give me a german shepard, or a doberman, or husky - and I'm a happy camper. Had a friend with a Great Pyrenees and that gorgeous boy melted me with his love every time I saw him.

But, I can kick the chihuahua away. It may clamp down on my leg and break the skin. On the other hand pit will clamp down and shred my leg. I can beat on his head and it will NOT let go. So you comparison is no where close to what could happen.

I’d say the benefit would be liability owning pit. Heavily insured that is. Yapping nippers’ not going to tear you leg off.

All bull terriers are NOT alike. For 14 years I had a British Staffordshire Bull Terrier. This breed has never been any good at fighting in a pit. He was the sweetest, soppy-est , most loving animal I have ever had.
The name Pit Bull comes from dog fighting which does not happen in Britain, the Brits do not think it is at all cool. Please do not call all Bull Terriers "Pit Bulls" They are not all bred or mistreated to make them mean enough for fighting in the "pit"

You are so right. Violently trained dogs should be euthanized. I guess that should include police dogs and military dogs as well. After all they do attach humans and the majority of them are not Pitt Bulls. Everyone knows it's not their training, it's their nature.
While we're at it destroy all cars. They kill around 50,000 people a year and we know it's not the driver. Of course we can use the same logic for guns, alcohol and drugs. Never, ever blame the person who trains the dog, drives the car, uses the gun, etc. After all people are so perfect and responsibility where it belongs is such a silly thing to consider.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.

Our two girls are Australian Shepherd / Great Pyrenees mixes. One favors her Aussie dad more, the other her Great Pyrenees mother but still look and act very similarly. Beautiful loving dogs for sure!!

The Villages is no place for a Pit Bull IMHO. I see many large dogs that also “seem out of place” in a retirement community like The Villages. Many retirement communities limit dogs to 30 or 35 pounds and that seems reasonable to me. Of course, exceptions are trained certified service dogs. Until we retired and moved to The villages we had dogs and they were part of the family but we also had adequate “space” for them on our properties. We loved our family dogs but if there was any “conflict” always people and neighbors before dogs.