I agree in the sense that some dog breeds aren't necessary and are actively unhealthy for the animal and the breed should be allowed to die out removing the ability for people to be owners of those breeds, and therefore ownerless
There's a difference between that and policies that discourage breeding, etc.
I don't see many people advocating to outright kill dogs. There are a ton of pits in every shelter and yet people still run backyard breeding operations or tell everyone to get a pit. The breed would be better served if we told people they were more of an advanced breed that need the right kind of owners and environment.
I guess you don't think people should have st. bernards or great danes? I mean, I'm not suggesting people keep wolves or lions as pets, but this bully dog fearmongering is out of control. IMHO, it's not the breed, it's the training and owner.
IMHO, it's not the breed, it's the training and owner.
Your humble opinion notwithstanding, Bully dogs are demonstrably more dangerous than other breeds of dogs. It's not some irrational fear, these dogs make up 66% of all fatal dog attacks. Pick any deceased dog attack victim, and it was a Bully or a Rottweiler that killed them.
Training is important and can make a difference in outcomes, but the data overwhelmingly points to aggression and lethality between different dog breeds being a matter of nature more than nurture, and that Bully dogs are on the far end of both spectrums leading to the worst outcomes.
If your breed requires special training to not maul you or others to death, then that just proves the point of the breed being dangerous and that it should be outlawed. But please, continue to make some more bullshit excuses.
Dishonest statement. That's like saying "Any ceiling fan can decapitate you". Technically true, but so extraordinarily unlikely for most breeds that you should be more worried about car crashes if you fear for your life...
Animals are still animals. It isn't dishonest to say that we should respect them and their space through understanding and recognizing their behavior. Don't allow your love for an animal cloud the basic judgment that every animal may have its moment. Don't be afraid, just be aware.
Any breed can produce a dog that is prone to snap.
Some breeds are much more likely to do so.
Of those, only a few are both prone to snap and large enough to hurt you.
Oh those, pit bills are far and away the most aggressive.
That said, most pitbulls really are fine. For being the most dangerous breed, there are millions of pitbulls, and a few thousand incidents over a few years.
If a tiny dig nips at you most people laugh it off and you get a break in the skin at most. Happens all the time and no one blinks. If that happens and your dog is 90lbs you can die. Definitely not "extraordinarily unlikely"...just inconsequential for most breeds/sizes.
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was amended to ban XL bully dogs in February 2024 unless an exemption certificate is held. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66775985
There is at least an entire sub dedicated to hating on pit bulls. I think multiple subs. During its time a few years ago, one specific sub could make it to the top of r/all with 10,000+ upvotes.
I can absolutely tell you the pitbull hate has arrived. I have 3 wonderful pits who adore our 10yr and 6yr niece and nephew. They cuddle up with them like teddy bears everytime they come over but according to people here, they want to maul the kids faces off...
How people can't understand that it's not the dog, it's the trainer and environment the dog is brought up in.
My Maltese does not have the physical capability of harming me. No temperament test required.
Not scientific but from observing human behavior in my own weird family genetics mixup, I am convinced that creatures behavior is 80% genetics and 20% environment. And bull-breeds were bred to aggressively tear apart other living creatures.
Honest question. Why do you think aggression isn't a trait that can be selectively bred for or against? Surely you agree other traits can be bred -- herding and pointing, to use some common examples.
Because pitbulls can be raised in a loving environment with great humans and you can do everything right and the pitbull can still be set off or triggered by something many years into its peaceful life and suddenly start attacking people. They can have a moment where they simply snap, and given their strength and determination, that's dangerous and horrifying.
To claim that it's entirely environmental is to flaunt longstanding understanding on how genetics works. Nobody looks at border collies, with their high intelligence, and say "oh it's just environment", or chihuahuas being territorial little shits and say "oh it's just environment". These dogs were ENGINEERED to be this way, it's in their bones.
Pitbulls have been specifically bred for their toughness, their aggression, their locking jaw, and because you happened to get a couple good ones doesn't invalidate the fact that they are statistically one of the most dangerous breeds to own.
Yeah, that’s true, but in the UK XL Bullies specifically have been doing all the maulings recently that have generated serious press coverage; also they themselves have just been added as the sixth (?) banned canine breed in the UK.
From 1 February, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate. Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.
So I'm guessing she got them before they were banned and had an exception so she didn't have to have them destroyed.
The lady across the street from us used to own a small dog, I think it passed and she recently got an XL bully. She struggles to walk it, always looks angry with the dog, it's always barking and glaring at me and my family. I have been carrying my gun more recently because I'm waiting for the day that dog decides to try to make a meal out of my two-year-old.
Why are dognuts the way they are? Just get a fucking pom.
The woman, who was in her 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene in Cornwall Close, Hornchurch, and the two registered dogs were safely seized having been contained inside a room, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “Police were called to Cornwall Close around 1.12pm … to reports of a woman attacked by a dog.
“These were registered XL bully dogs and prior to officers’ arrival had been contained inside a room in the house.
From 1 February, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.
Footage of an XL bully dog attacking members of the public in the street in Birmingham, including a 11-year-old girl who sustained shoulder and arm injuries, prompted an outcry in September.
In November 2021, 10-year-old Jack Lis was mauled to death by a seven-stone XL bully dog called Beast.
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Idk if it's the same everywhere but in my experience in America I have came across a huge range of canine breeds owned by a huge range of human breeds (quality of person) and 100% of the time the human was a caring person that loved their dog the breed is unnoticeable. On the other side, when the human is subpar the breed of the dog is more noticeable as an inverse correlation to how shitty the person is.
Breed temperament is a thing, but all dogs can be good dogs. Most are good with only slight work. People get a breed they can’t handle and no one’s happy.
My buddy legit owns a dire wolf (half wolf, half dog) and never had a problem in the last ten years. He owns a large chunk of property so the dog isn't restricted to one room in an apartment in the city, and he knows how to handle a large animal. I will say one thing, that thing commands respect, it's easily 7 foot from back paws to front paws.
There is no evidence that she was being terrible towards the dogs
Some dogs can just snap and decide to not be nice one day, its a good reason you don't let dogs you've seen be calm interact with babies because it only takes a small amount of the dog not being nice to end up harming a baby
Older people have a better chance of surviving dog attacks but the chance isn't 100% and cases like this can happen
And if I recall correctly this breed is more prone to aggressiveness
I doubt it. Not walking them enough, keeping them cooped up, no outlets - especially if they weren’t fixed. Sad all around, but the dogs are not hatching evil plans, they’re just dogs.
people should be required to have really serious animal rescue and psychology training to get one of these dogs (or else astronomical punishment). most people who get these dogs do so on a whim and because of their own unresolved ego issues.
Some are good boys that need a home. We adopted a dog of unknown breed, they had his mom (who looked like a black mouth cur), who came in from a kill shelter pregnant.
I still don't know what breed he is, really don't care to find out. But he has a lot of bully features. Big puffy chest. Blocky head. Strong jaw. Smart. Highly emotional.
And he's a fucking marshmallow. An 80lb slobbery marshmallow.
The best dog I ever had was a pit. Sweet as pie, just wanted to cuddle and love. We chose him because he was a big meaty guy with the most adorable face you'd ever seen, and because he needed a home ASAP. We'd take him on walks and people would cat call him from passing cars, or literally stop us and ask if they could dog-sit. He spent nearly a decade with us, just loving and farting and cuddling and snoring.
He really didn't need any help to become a great dog, except that I needed to train him that the cat was a friend and not something to chase and put our mouth on. That took all of a weekend, and that was after he'd been abandoned and abused for half a year before we got him. I know it's not true for every individual, but many times all a dog really needs a a good home with people that love it.
like with every "complex" living being there is of course a large spectrum. But to be on the safe side though anyone who wants to get a pit should be able to fairly certainly understand when a dog is stressed via physical cues and should be able to tell when a de-escalation is needed. And I am not talking about "I had dogs all my life I know what I am doing" kind of thing. More like if you are getting a pit from a shelter you should be required to get some serious mandatory training from a professional. This will (along with fines) will maybe help deter people who get pits for the sake of owning a ferocious dog.
Large dog breeds need to be trained very carefully. My friends have a 100 lbs husky, just a massive wolf looking dog. When he was a pup, he was food protective, so they made sure to train that behavior completely out of Steel(the dog).
In the present day, Steel is 8 years old, in the prime of his physical size and health, and the sweetest boi. With different owners, he'd have negative habits that lead his behaviour and made him dangerous.
Make it so you need to have proven you can properly take care of one/need a license to own one. But also, neuter/spay all existing ones so no more can be born. They’ve suffered enough from human stupidity, and there are plenty of other dogs out there to choose from that need love.
Here's a proposal: First, all dog breeding is regulated as strictly as bars with liquor licenses. Criminal charges and jail time if found doing it illegally.
Breeders and owners are required to have insurance coverage specific to dogs.
Owners are held liable for all damages their dog causes, no matter what. Your dog attacks somebody, mauls them and they seek settlement? It's on the owners. If the owner cannot be determined, the breeder is held liable.
Or, just make dogs above say, 30 pounds illegal. "But what if your dog is little and just really fat and becomes over 30 pounds?" Then you are fined and told to get your dog healthy within a certain timeframe, say 90 days, or surrender the dog and pay a fine for neglect, or get charged with animal abuse.
"Well then, nobody would want to get/breed dogs that are anywhere close to 30 pounds full grown because of the risk of violating the law." Yes...that's good. The only dogs people would have are small dogs that can't severely maul/kill people even if they do go off the rails.
"But what about hunters or sportspeople that use dogs to hunt or herd?" Plenty of herding/hunting dogs are within that 30 pound weight range, like Corgis or Beagles. Obviously there would be exceptions for government organizations that use large dogs for legitimate purposes like Saint Bernards for search and rescue.
He's a proposal: you don't need new Draconian laws every time something bad happens. That's how politicians pass every bad law. Patriot act ring any bells?
In this thread, a fine demonstration of how hatred stems from fear which stems from ignorance and lack of experience, and a general lack of grasp on probs and stats. Par for the course.
Almost as if a few hundred years of selective breeding for blood sports to an animal that is exceedingly fast at adapting might make it predisposed to... uhm... kicking off.