There's a news story today that a 6 year old pit bull killed its 39 year old male owner.  When police arrived at the house, the dog was roaming loose in the house and another pit bull was chained in the yard.

These animals scare the crap out of me.  I've owned dogs my entire life, but why does anyone want one that, over time, has ancestors that have been bred for extremely agressive behavior?  Even if you think one is docile, you don't know when those genes will take over and the dog will go ballistic.

Just last weekend I was in a hotel where a woman in a pickup had one in the seat while she was talking to a couple of guys who looked like gang members outside of the truck.  She had the window on the driver's side of the truck rolled down far enoung that the dog could have jumped out.  I waited until they all left before going out to unload my car.

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 06/15/11 at 07:59:30:

Thats good news to me,I hope my neighbors pit bull kills him and his wife.When I start mowing my lawn they bring the dog out,Its on a chain hooked to the ground,But if it gets loose it will get me,It shows its teeth every time I go around the house.I carry a billy club and hornet spray in my hand to protect my self if I have too.

I have thought about shooting him with a shotgun,What would happen to me shooting in town,Or do I have to wait till he bits me first.I went to the cops 2 years ago they had a long chain were he could come in my yard 20 feet,The cops came and told them he had to shorten the chain,He did but it took him 3 days to do that.

yes there's 3 types of pepper spray, human, dog and bear.
bear spray will blind a man.

Bill, you might have better luck tossing him a big meaty leg-bone when you start mowing.  Maybe it will keep him occupied long enough for you to finish your grass.

My UPS man won't come in my yard when my 3 little dogs are out.  2 are about 10 pounds each, one is about 25 pounds.  They are yappy little dogs, not agressive looking at all, and they are all very sweet dogs.  But they do YAP, YAP, YAP.  Pizza delivery people, mail persons, FedEx guy, trash truck guys, nobody else has a problem with them except the UPS guy.  He leaves my packages at the end of the driveway, just at the end of their invisible fence line.  If he would take a minute to pet them, they would leave him alone in the future.  I would go nuts if he shot one of them.  But I also understand the fear some dogs can invoke.  Pit bulls worry me too.  I guess I believe any dog could turn viscious, maybe even if not provoked, but the clamp of a pit bull's jaw is, I hear, unbelievably strong.  If one of my little dogs got ahold of you, you could sling it off with barely a scratch.  And it would run away with its tail between its legs.  

I believe WV has specific laws applicable to Pit bulls and a couple other breeds.  I have a cousin who's son was attacked by one of their German Shepherds (I think it was) almost 20 years ago, and they had had the dogs for several years, the boy was just a few years old and had played with the dogs since he was born.  He hadn't done anything different than normal, the dog just attacked.  Cousin shot the dog immediately.  Boy has facial scars to this day.      

The danger of cooked chicken bones is they splinter & Can lodge in the throat, but usually, if they cause a problem, its a bowel perforation,

A fence, you need a fence.. or strap a pistol on your hip & mow the yard..

Many breeds of dog were breed for aggression, not just Pits...
Pits were breed for fighting each other in a sporting ring for gambling purposes.
Rottweilers, Dobermans, and many others were bred for guarding property and attacking humans...
Mastiffs were bred for war...
What they were bred for has little to do with their behavior,... it's what they are raised for that makes them dangerous...


If Pits were outlawed,.. these people would get Rots, or Dobermans or some other breed, and raise them the same way...  a much more dangerous proposition...
I'd rather be attacked by a 60lb Pit then a 120lb Rot... with the same disposition...

Serowbot -

You are incorrect, my Friend - breeding has everything to do with the genes a dog possesses.  Remember, all dogs are descendent from wolves, and those who have been bred to be aggressive are far more dangerous.

How a dog is raised has some effect on its propensity to be agressive, but not on the possibility of it.  At one time I raised St. Bernards, known to be the gentle beasts of the dog world, and bred to save people, not harm them.  Yet, one of my college buddies had a Saint on his farm that would attack hogs like a lion attacks game - bringing them down by a hold on the throat.

Any dog can become dangerous at any time - that's the nature of animals.
The orca whale that attacked its trainer at one of the theme parks a few years ago, and that supposedly tame chimp that tore off that lady's face a couple of years ago are only examples that I can immediately recall.

Breeding only lessens, or enhances the possibility of a dog's behavior becoming abberant at any given time.  Breeding for aggression greatly enhances that possibility, and can overcome any sort of training or raising at any time.  Genetics aren't overcome with training, only somewhat subdued, but the effects of genetics can rear up without warning.

My current dog, a Chesador, which is a hybrid of 1/2 Labrador and 1/2 Cheasapeke Bay retriever, is as gentle, smart and obedient as any I've had.  He loves everyone, including the delivery guys from UPS and Fed Ex.  He jumps in the Fed Ex truck because the Fed Ex guy pets him.  But I'd never let a toddler be alone with him without my wife and I present, as I know what could happen, even though the odds of it's happening are miniscule.  At 110 pounds, if it did happen, a toddler wouldn't stand a chance.

Having raised and bred dogs for nearly 40 years, I do know what I'm talking about here.