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lefty's random dog thread.

jhcam8

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Originally Posted by djblisk
So what do you guys think of pitbulls?

I am thinking of adopting one...

talk me out of it or into it.


I'd mull over questions like this:

Why do you want a dog in the first place?

What's your lifestyle?

What breed best fits your lifestyle?

Can you provide hours of rigorous exercise and structure to the breeds who need it, e.g., pits.

etc.
 

dcg

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Originally Posted by djblisk
So what do you guys think of pitbulls?
I am thinking of adopting one...
talk me out of it or into it.


As with all dogs there are good ones and bad ones, though the good far outnumber the bad, and there is no shortage of adoptable pitbulls from which to choose.

In my opinion there are only two downsides to owning a good-tempered pitbull:

1.\t Potential for dog aggression
2.\tPublic perception of the breed

#1 may be a small issue (or not an issue at all) depending on your situation and the particular dog you adopt. #2 I think is becoming less of an issue, but there will always be people with a negative perception of the breed. More importantly, your homeowners insurance may not cover you if you have a pitbull (you should not have any issues with State Farm or Farmers). If you rent, you may have difficulty.

For both reasons, I recommend avoiding the dog park. You can assume that your pitbull will be considered at fault in any fight, regardless of who "started it". Also, you will encounter some dog owners who consider it a positive for their dog to act aggressively toward your pitbull as a means of proving that "Moonpie" can "stand up for herself!", as they will remark with pride.

What made you consider adopting a pitbull, and what are you looking for in a dog?
 

djblisk

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Thanks for the responses gentlemen.

I've already had 5 to 6 dogs in my life, most of them being the smaller breed and all were adoptions... I'm also proud to say all of them lived long happy lives with me and met timely deaths at old age, even had a diabetic who lived to age 16, he was a min pin.

Anyways.... I am going to start a family soon, i.e. getting married and moving on with life. My girlfriend wants a medium size dog or a lap dog. At this point in my life, I am up for the challenge to have a larger dog, I was looking into types of dogs and am at 4 choices bulldogs are great but have health problems, great dane's are great but have health problems, so that leaves me with either a German Shepard or a Pitbull. Both seem to be great dogs to me, and I am particular keen on their innate protection sensibility for their families, also both seem to be loyal and smart, I am currently leaning more towards a pitbull. The whole aggression issue is warranted with any dog.

My apprehension lies in not adopting the correct one by not picking the right pitbull at the shelter. My gf would like to raise a pitbull from puppy to adulthood since she assumes that we would have a hand in teaching to not be aggressive, but I don't think that is the case. Actually I think picking a puppy is more of a crapshoot in regards to aggression.
 

lefty

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Bit of a large gulf between a GSD and a Pit. Both fine dogs.

Dog-on-dog aggression in the pit is not really taught or in this case untaught. It can be controlled much in the same way as one controls a sighthound from running down a squirrel. A lead.

But honestly, the chances of you getting a dog from game lines would be remote, so I wouldn't worry too much about adopting a young adult. This is a case where a shelter may be a good choice as it allows you to see the dog with other dogs and a wide variety of people. Go often and try to find one that has just arrived. Nothing sadder than a pit that has just given up and lays curled in the back of the kennel.

lefty
 

jhcam8

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Originally Posted by djblisk
My apprehension lies in not adopting the correct one by not picking the right pitbull at the shelter. My gf would like to raise a pitbull from puppy to adulthood since she assumes that we would have a hand in teaching to not be aggressive, but I don't think that is the case. Actually I think picking a puppy is more of a crapshoot in regards to aggression.

I agree with you here, dj. I just wonder if the time is right for a dog that'll demand alot of your time when you're thinking of starting a family - but that's your business.

Originally Posted by lefty
Bit of a large gulf between a GSD and a Pit. Both fine dogs.

Dog-on-dog aggression in the pit is not really taught or in this case untaught. It can be controlled much in the same way as one controls a sighthound from running down a squirrel. A lead.

But honestly, the chances of you getting a dog from game lines would be remote, so I wouldn't worry too much about adopting a young adult. This is a case where a shelter may be a good choice as it allows you to see the dog with other dogs and a wide variety of people. Go often and try to find one that has just arrived. Nothing sadder than a pit that has just given up and lays curled in the back of the kennel.

lefty


It is sad to see pits, and others, who've given up. But, they do come back to life in short order given a chance. The bigger problem at our shelter is big, strong dogs who are essentially out of control - driven mad by spending a long time in stir. Some who've had a good temperment turn dog aggressive after a while - although typically not pits or pit mixes. Even those who've been to real prison and foster for training exhibit a deterioration in behavior as time goes on.

Most of the long-term pits aren't selected by potential pit adoptors because of their looks. Black/dark dogs are adopted less frequently than other colors - in all breeds. Some look too thuggish or too beefy or something which has nothing to do with their temperment - although it's good to have a dog whose looks you like.

Sorry for going on - our shelter is overwhelmed with pits and I don't think an adult pit/mix has been adopted for a couple months. (To clarify: there are very few, if any, pure bred AmStaff's or English Staff's around the shelters - usually pit mixes and American Bulldog mixes. Last year a purebred Bull Terrier turned up and some people from out of town adopted it in a day or two - good thing, as I was ready to strike. Most purebreds go to breed rescue or get adopted muy pronto.)
 

JLibourel

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My stepson brought over his pal's pit bull ***** last night and turned her loose with my dog Cyrus. The ***** is supposed to be a "mix," but she sure looks like a 100% pit to me. Anyway, Cyrus had a very fun hour or so chasing her around and trying to **** her.

I don't see how there would be any problem in adopting a gamebred pit except that it might be too high energy to make a good household companion. Also, there is a lot of genetic shyness in highly bred, fighting-line pit bulls. Much ado was made over how "traumatized" a lot of the dogs from Michael Vick's kennel were. I suspect those same dogs would have been equally as shy and submissive had Vick been the kindliest man in the world.
 

jhcam8

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Originally Posted by JLibourel
Much ado was made over how "traumatized" a lot of the dogs from Michael Vick's kennel were. I suspect those same dogs would have been equally as shy and submissive had Vick been the kindliest man in the world.

Good point - but Vick's crew apparently killed some of the dogs by body slamming and other physical methods - that'd make me shy.
 

djblisk

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I don't care how they are just dogs and not people. All of the motherfuckers should have gotten their ******** mangled for such abuse. I don't care how Vick is now a good quarterback for the eagles, I wouldn't care if he ended up dead somewhere, serves him right.
 

mistermidwester

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Just randomly stumbled onto this thread and read about 50 pages of it. I'll try to drop back in, but I thought I would post a picture of our dogs.

4362369143_949d75038e.jpg


They're 7 and 8 years old, but still have the energy of puppies. 20 pound balls of muscle, and good little buddies.
 

dcg

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Nice shooting by the Camden police. 33 shots for an 8 month old pit bull puppy.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=8077437

Aycox says police investigators told her 33 rounds were fired.

"The cop said he felt like he was going to attack him," said Aycox, "and he just shot at him. The one cop hollered 'don't shoot him', but he shot him. When he shot him, the dog fell to the ground, was shaking and crying, but he just stood over top of him and kept shooting repeatedly."

"He just came running out of the house," said neighbor Kelly McCulley. "He plays with the kids all the time. He saw all the kids up there and that's what he thought, that he was coming to play, and they just shot him over and over and over."

The dog was hit and fell in one area, but the bullets sprayed elsewhere, shooting out the window of a van that several women were getting ready to get into. The women say there were children everywhere.

Neighbors say several other vehicles were hit, and the bullets pierced a nearby home, hitting a window and a wall inside.

The family was inside watching television and had no idea what was going on.

"It was just crazy. It was like a war zone out there," said the resident of the home.​
 

NorCal

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Originally Posted by dcg
Nice shooting by the Camden police. 33 shots for an 8 month old pit bull puppy.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?se...cal&id=8077437

Aycox says police investigators told her 33 rounds were fired.

"The cop said he felt like he was going to attack him," said Aycox, "and he just shot at him. The one cop hollered 'don't shoot him', but he shot him. When he shot him, the dog fell to the ground, was shaking and crying, but he just stood over top of him and kept shooting repeatedly."

"He just came running out of the house," said neighbor Kelly McCulley. "He plays with the kids all the time. He saw all the kids up there and that's what he thought, that he was coming to play, and they just shot him over and over and over."

The dog was hit and fell in one area, but the bullets sprayed elsewhere, shooting out the window of a van that several women were getting ready to get into. The women say there were children everywhere.

Neighbors say several other vehicles were hit, and the bullets pierced a nearby home, hitting a window and a wall inside.

The family was inside watching television and had no idea what was going on.

"It was just crazy. It was like a war zone out there," said the resident of the home.​


******* yahoo cops. Scared of a dog and risk killing anyone in the area by spraying 33 shots. He should be fired but likely won't have **** happen to him.
 

dcg

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Originally Posted by NorCal
******* yahoo cops. Scared of a dog and risk killing anyone in the area by spraying 33 shots. He should be fired but likely won't have **** happen to him.
It will be interesting to see the outcome here. Nearly half of Camden's police force was laid off in January due to budgets, so there should be plenty of guys available to take his position. Of course, if this is one of the guys who they kept, it's scary to think of who they let go...(seriously though, layoffs were probably based on seniority rather than competence). edit - another article:
Delia Rodriguez said she pulled her six grandchildren to the floor and tried to cover them with her body after at least two bullets pierced the side of her home, ricocheting off the ceiling and shattering her front window. Her house is four houses down and across the street from where officers were shooting. "It was horrible, there were so many sounds. I was trying to get the children rounded up and I felt like I couldn't cover them all," said Rodriguez, 54.​
 

dave

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Nice pups! i do love me some bostons.

Originally Posted by mistermidwester
Just randomly stumbled onto this thread and read about 50 pages of it. I'll try to drop back in, but I thought I would post a picture of our dogs.

4362369143_949d75038e.jpg


They're 7 and 8 years old, but still have the energy of puppies. 20 pound balls of muscle, and good little buddies.


reposting my dogs from page 3.

Originally Posted by dave
I've posted this picture before but here are my random doggies.

IMG_2895.jpg

 

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