2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN FROM RED CHOW

[Twila]

Finally a story about pitbulls that shows their TRUE nature when raised right

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...0&u=/ap/20050413/ap_on_fe_st/heroic_pit_bulls

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

2 pit bulls rescue Nebraska woman from red chow

1 hour, 7 minutes ago

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Two dogs whose breed has a reputation for being mean played the roles of rescuers for a woman who was being attacked by another dog.



A red chow was on top of Angie Pecoraro, 22, in her yard on Monday when two pit bulls jumped over a fence and fought off the chow, Nebraska Humane Society spokeswoman Pam Wiese said.

Witnesses said the chow had bitten Pecoraro several times on her hands, arms and stomach, Wiese said.

An ambulance took Pecoraro to a hospital, where she was treated and released, Wiese said.

The Humane Society impounded the chow, and its owner was ticketed for not having the dog restrained and for harbouring a dangerous animal. It will be quarantined to make sure it doesn't have rabies, Wiese said.

 

[galianomama]

i would think this would be true of any breed? or am i just guessing? we are seriously looking at the boxer rescue league. they are a great dog that sometimes takes a bad hit. husband grew up - yes he ran with the pack - boxers. i have seen quite a few recently, and apparently are a wonderful family dog.

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

I've never heard a bad thing about boxers...except that maybe their not the brightest of dogs.....but I believe that the level of intelligence a dog shows is dependant on it's human companion.........

There are no bad dogs....just some really stupid people.

 

[galianomama]

i agree. what kinda dogs do you have twila?

 

[Canucklehead]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

Galiaonmama,

You are correct, that is true of any breed. Pit Bulls got a bad rap because they are often used for protection and have been raised that way. It's the same as the old stereotype of German Shepards, Dobermans and Rotties.

The boxers I have known have all been quite friendly but I haven't had the chance to train or socialise them so can't really offer any advice. I've been told they are fairly smart pooches but need to be trained early or they can be a bit pigheaded. (that goes for any dog, imo)

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

what kinda dogs do you have twila?

Alas, I'm am dogless........We use to share our home with Twister, a pure staffy. and Kayne, a pitbull doberman x.

Twister was the very best ambassador for her breed. Which, really, goes without saying since it's part of their character. To be the best. She was extremely smart. Learned things way too fast. Followed Kayne around like a shadow. Wouldn't hurt a fly. She was put to sleep a couple of years ago

Kayne was extremely smart and sweet and the most graceful dog I've every had the pleasure to know. He currently resides at my daughters Aunt's house in Cowichan lake. He is missing 1 eye. and is almost completely grey. But a better dog there never was.


One day....I'll have a dog again.......

 

[galianomama]

yeah, i would be really interested to see how they can modify behaviour in an adult dog. i know they do it, i just don't know how. i have a friend who belongs to the canine rescue of bc and she takes in foster dogs constantly to 'modify' their behaviour. quite often she says they just suffer from anxiety at being left home alone and basically neglected. stuff they can modify and change.

 

[jamie]

It's not even a proper term for the dog. A 'pit' is any breed of dog that is fought...in the pit.
It has notheing to do w/ that breed of terrior. All the ones we've ever had were sweethearts, and protective- not vicious.

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

A 'pit' is any breed of dog that is fought...in the pit.

that USED to be the case....now however, any breed that has a resemblence to staffy's or american bull terriors is considered pitbull. Even if the dog has never had a history of being aggressive, even if the breed is not well known. The resemblence can simply be a "square" shaped head, or brindle colouring.

We use to have a beautiful red brindle doberman X. Except for the brindle there was nothing physically to link her to 'pitbulls" Except that she had a bad case of the "bark" she barked at anything and everything. Not an aggressive bark, just a friendly "what you doing?" bark.

A jogger ran past her and she barked. The jogger was so terrified of Charlie (who was standing in our yard with us) or actually Charlies colours that she stopped in mid stride. and asked "is that a pitbull?"

This woman didn't seem understand that ANY dog can attack. That brindle does not designate pitbull. That Charlie was not aggressive and was talking too her.

It maybe the animal lover in me, but I feel that humans ought to learn about animals. Especially dogs. So that when they come across them they don't have to be afraid. Fear or the smell of fear is a trigger for ALL living creatures. Be they human, Canine or feline.

 

[AirIntake]

I don't mind responsible owners owning pit-bull like dogs, but how do you determine who's reponsible? The fact is these dogs are large, and are capable of much harm. I doubt anybody would say it's a good idea to have a pet cougar, no matter how well trained it is. I think to solve the problem, people should have to take a pit-bull owners course before they can be licensed to own one. Yes, they can be nice dogs in the right hands, but in the wrong hands, they can be extremely dangerous.

 

[Canucklehead]

AirIntake,

People always forget/ignore that all dogs are animals with their own set of instincts. It's been proven that thousands of years of domestication has changed their demeanor to be more friendly and receptive to human contact but domestication has not negated instinctual reaction. Since all dogs have this instinct, it would be more appropriate to have all dog owners take a course because many people are blind to the signs a dog exhibits when stressed, angered or threatened. It's not that people are stupid, generally, but simply not observant of changes in behaviour.

Add to the instinct issue the fact that there are many dodgy breeders out there who are more than happy to breed for quantity instead of quality of temperment and it's no quantum leap to figure out even the sweetest dog breed can harbour a killer.

Courses should be either mandatory across all breeds or not required at all.

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

Funny but Staffordshire Terriers are no bigger then your average cocker spaniel....

The spuds Mackenzie dog? Pitbull....American bull terrier...again no bigger then cocker spaniel.

It's not the size of the dog. Bull Mastiffs are 150lbs and up. They were bred for gentleness. You simply do not allow a dog of that size to have any aggression.

Standard Poodles have a guard dog disposition. Course you see a standard Poodle with a lion cut and nobody feels fear at having that run at you.......But you should. They can be very nasty.

 

[Twila]

RE: 2 PITBULLS SAVE WOMEN

This article (pdf) has a list of dogs and deaths caused by breeds. What's of immense interest is that during the times when certain breeds are popular the bite stat's go up.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds.pdf
Another interesting thing to note is under purebreds they've listed "pitbull type" dogs. Can't be a purebred if it's a mix. Plus the fact that there are over 20 breeds that 'look" like pit bull's. where does that leave us? With people looking for the next "cool" dog. Which in turn will cause back yard breeders looking to make a buck and potential dog owners owning a dog they know nothing about.

Side note:
The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictibility is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family's Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed. Note, however, that they were bred to be watchdogs! The baby's uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. ("Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog," Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)