i was reading the paper the other day when it says that a pitbull attacked a little girl i think in a park im tryin to remember this from memory cause my mum threw the paper away shes useless lol
anyway the dog bit her on the face and she needed to have stitches the police were tryin to trace down the dogs owners but they are no where to be found!
i think this is sickening atleast if you have a pitbul keep it muzzled this behaviour is exacxtly the reason why pitbulls have a bad name and it needs to be stopped personally i dont see why people should feel this way about dogs like that sayin they are dangerous and should be destroyed but if one bites a small child or kills another dog thats another story and it should be destroyed.
but people should not have a dog like that until they can control one but your not going to stop someone from obtaining one and its worrying

I thought pitbulls were illegal, I thought there were none around now. I hope there is no underground breeding going on. I could never really understand why people kept these animals as pets when there are so many family friendly dogs available.

i think they are "illegal" but ive heard that if you have a license and take the nessary precautions to keep one then i duno i think they are alright.
you will get pitbulls around for many reasons like they do alot of good for ones image or they want to keep a dog than can extremely vicious if trained like that.
and forgive me for sounding harsh i dont mean it at al but pitbulls are dogs and should be referred to as nothing but dogs yeah you always hear stories about pit bulls attacking people but at the end of the day its mans interferance thats caused the dog to act the way it does and we only have ourselves to blame.
my uncle who lives in america has two pitbulls are they are absoloutly stunning dogs and they are extremely gentle with the his son whos only 2
im sure pitbulls could be gentle family pets if given the chance but because so many people keep them for the wrong reasons you are always goin to feel that these dogs are nothing but deadly vicious monsters and thats just not on

> think they are "illegal" but ive heard that if you have a license and take the nessary precautions to keep one then i duno i think they are alright<

No Kerrie, they're not.  The original law prevented the breeding or importing of the dogs with immediate effect so even a new born puppy already in the UK at that time would be in it's dotage by now, ie. around 14/15 + years.  The law against importing or obtaining them since has not been changed so they are and will remain illegal.

By far and away the majority of dogs classed as Pitbulls - even preceding the DDA, were crossbreeds.

Regards, Teri :)

 

ok terri i see your point but what happens if you were caught with a pitbull puppy or something wouldnt the owners be asked for the license or would the dog be taken off them?

The dog would be seized.  There are no licences for pitbull puppies because, puppy or not, the breed or cross-breed derivitives are judged to be illegal in the UK.   Any licenced pitbulls in the UK now are coming up to 15 years of age, and are neutered.

Margot

As the law stands the dog should be seized - whether it would be of course is a different matter.  Put DDA into Google - I'm sure you'll find all the correct wording there ;)  Remember this Act did not only cover the APBT but also any dog that was of that "type" hence many Staffies (full bred ones too, but perhaps poor examples of the breed) as well as scores of Staff crosses came under scrutiny as well from local Police and "do-gooders".

So, there is no license available now for an APBT as they should all have been registered, neutered, and permanently muzzled in public places 15 or so years ago and most if not ALL of them will be dead!   Any "new" owner would have clearly broken the law by obtaining the dog in the first place and liable for prosecution.   regards, Teri

ps. my dogs used to play regularly with two APBTs when they were still legal - and they were beautiful dogs with fab temperaments ;)

They scare the c***p out of me - I was bitten by one as a child - yeah I know it could have been any dog. Maybe if they looked a little more friendlier. Don't worry about sounding harsh - I see your point, they are dogs too. :-)

What was the main reason they were made illegal? Hopefull it was because they said "right, that ones just bitten Amanda, off you go"

There were a number of 'pitbull' attacks on children and the DDA is the governments knee jerk reaction to that.

It is pretty ridiculous, hasnt done anything to stop children (or anyone) being attacked by dogs, or people owning dangerous dogs.

The people who were capable of bringing up the big powerful breeds on the list are law abiding citizens who now wouldnt own one, the people who CAUSED the law to be brought about dont give a monkeys and still own these dogs or similar dogs.

Any dog can be brought up to be a danger, and since small children are just that, SMALL, pretty much ANY dog that bites a child for whatever reason is a/ VERY likely to get the childs face, and b/ VERY likely to a considerable amount of damage.

I think the only dogs that COULDNT do that to a child would be dogs without teeth!

Sadly the dog attacks taht reach the news are usually the breeds with a 'reputation' ie staffies, dobies, mastiffs etc. In times gone by it was Alsatians (now gsds) but that seems to have gone away :dunno:.

If there are statistics id like to see them because i would pretty much guarantee that staff type dogs are NOT the number one biter in this country, i know (i forget where i read it) that they certainly arent in America either.

I would be putting my money on breeds such as Collies and Terriers, both bred for differing reasons, to be fairly happy to bite/nip.

Em

Actually well bred pitbulls are fantastic family dogs - similar to staffs in that respect, but they tend to have problems with other dogs, given their all-too-recent (and current) fighting history.  It's just that the wrong people have bred them, and now they are often a bit dodgy.  It is a shame.

I'm intrigued by the license issue though - I know a girl with a staff X english bull, who says that there's a guy in the town with a licensed pit cross - i've seen it though, looks like a staff to me!  maybe a cross, but it's quite small - too small to be a pit or pit cross IMO, but i'm certainly no expert. it wasn't neutered.

I was horrified when the girl said she wanted to breed her dog to this "pit X" when she's old enough - fortunately the girl had just drunk two bottles of wine (so yes, she was out walking a not-very-obedient 8 month old dog while very drunk, gr), and she hasn't mentioned it since!!  I hope it was the drink talking, she did come out with some rubbish!

You will find Olive a more family friendly dog you will not find than the APBT.  I think the problem here is you have a lot of people commenting on a breed they know very little about, don't always be so quick to condemn or judge on the basis of hearsay or media inaccuracy take a minute to think how you would feel if the breed you choose and love had so much crap (and I mean crap) written about them if people were constantly telling you inaccurate facts about your breed and constantly telling you how vicious with people they are when you know this not to be the case?  Anybody who knows anything about bull breeds will tell you the APBT is up there with the best family dogs such as Staffords.  A more superior dog you are less likely to find, in all forms from stamina and strength to loyalty and devotion to their humans the ultimate canine in every sense of the word.  Any dog has the potential to be dangerous; in the hands of a dangerous owner.  I would also question just how many "pitbulls" and "staffords" blamed for attacks are actually bull breeds.  I have seen a labrador cross attack a child in my street only for the papers to report it as an APBT!!!  All those stories of these dogs not letting go once they have a grip, having so many thousands of pounds of pressure jaw strength, being trained to fight using puppies and kittens, being fed raw meat to heighten their aggression (lol), being kept on chains because they are too agressive to be kept any other way are absolute rubbish.  I mean lets take another look at this, an Asian lad was responsible for an attack on a girl near where i live does this mean all Asians are rapists?  Does this mean I now know enough about Asians to go telling the world how bad they are and how they should all be sentenced to death?  No of course not but that is what happens with the APBT time & time again.  People reading half truths and whole lies and contributing to the Breeds Specific Legislation in place all over the world (and spreading).

Lets look at the facts, there is a website (no longer have the link) to an American Temperament Testing website, the APBT was tested and surprise surprise it had some of the best results with your so called "family" pets higher up the list for human aggression.  Then look at the bite statistics (not the media hype where any old mongrel is an APBT)  the APBT is in the bottom 5% of most bite statistic records with your Labradors, Retrievers, Spaniels etc up at the top yet no posts about those being "devil dogs".  No, so please give these dogs a break. 

Bear in mind this is a breed where any form of human aggression is not tolerated, as a working dog they had to be 100% reliable around people and often changed hands many times (similar to the Stafford) thus creating a great family dog.  In days gone by and still today in some places any man biter was culled without a thought, how many other breeds do that?  The problem nowadays is the people who breed pitbulls from non-working lines dogs used as guard dogs (going against their natural instinct?) and badly bred APBTs where temperament is of no concern where they think it is okay to breed from a human aggressive dog and generally just ruin the breed.  This is where the real danger lies. 

It saddens me that ANYBODY who calls themselves a dog lover, especially those who have bull breeds and appreciate the struggles we have with these types of dog, could condem any dog and further add to the hysteria that surrounds this already misunderstood breed.  BSL is worldwide now and happening everywhere, we should all look at the positives of these dogs and look to how we can help campaign against this draconic legislation - afterall when they have finished with these breeds yours could be next. 

YAY!!! I LOVE what you said! Hubby and I found a pitt on the internet and we ignorantly went and got it. After I got the pup I remembered all the bad publicity the breed had gotten. So, I researched and researched and STILL research regardless that I've had the pup for a while now. The breed is so interesting. And if my pup is an example of the breed then what incredible dogs they are! He is the most loveable, trainable, devoted pup I have ever come across. And I've had MANY types of dogs. Here's the thing...you have to know what you're getting. You need to train the pup. And you need to have the time to spend with the pup. No matter what kind of puppy you get. We take our pup to classes at a local animal boarding kennel and he is doing fantastic! I have a 2 year old and a 5 yr old and the pup listens to them. He's 4 months old and is pretty much house trained. He gets along great with other animals...and get this...we have a 5 yr old cat and they actually CUDDLE!!!! If anyone wants to argue that pitts are mean and aggressive they need to meet my (baby) puppy!

exactly and if you think about it say if it was in the paper that a labrador bit a small child then it MUST have been the CHILDS fault however if it was a pitbull, staffy or a mastiff as you said then it MUST  be the DOGS fault
these breeds bad reps are a major concern to some people cuz they are thought as dangerous and it makes me sick how people can stereotype dogs like that.
even my mum says that she dont like staffies but she wont give me a reason why to tell the truth she i dont think she has a reason she just says that cause she dont want me to have one lol

There's a website posted on another topic where you look at 8 dogs and try to guess which one is a pitbull, its near impossible and I reacon most get it wrong. My question is how do the police determine if a dog is actually a pit bull and not a cross of other similar looking dogs? Is it done on dna?  If I had a lookalike dog which had no pitbull in but just looked like and the police tried to remove and destroy him/her I would fight them tooth and nail. As it is I have a Yorkie and I dont think theres much chance of confusion.. lol

I have owned staffys in the past and these "types" of dogs are fantastic animals when brought up in the right way, you can get dog agression in any breed and if your dog has this personality you just steer clear of other dogs its common sense!!!

Look at children today and the nasty things they do when not brought up properly I'd go up against a Pitbull anyday.

>My question is how do the police determine if a dog is actually a pit bull and not a cross of other similar looking dogs? Is it done on dna?

No, it's done purely on looks. If it looks like how they imagine one to look, then as far as they're concerned it is one, and could be destroyed.

My god I cant believe that........

Yews it is true and many dogs were seized and incarcerated for years while the owners fought them through the courts.  Many more were just destroyed.

This can still happen today if someone is so inclined.  The CPS only need an expert opinion like a Vet or RSPCA inspector( and we lall know how bad they are at identifying breeds) to say in theri opinion the dog is of Putbull Type and the dog can be seized.  For thsi reasohn I think those deliberately crossbreding Staffs and Mastiff types are obvvipously not interested in theri dogs welfare, putting them at risk like this

A news flash in the usa

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The mother of a  12-year-old boy killed in his own home by one of the family's two pit bulls  says she had been so concerned about one of the dogs that she shut her son in  the basement to protect him.

Maureen Faibish said she ordered  Nicholas to stay in the basement while she did errands on June 3, the day he was attacked by one or both of the dogs.

She said she was worried  about the male dog, Rex, who was acting possessive because the female, Ella,  was in heat.

"I put him down there, with a shovel on the door," Faibish  said in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I told him: 'Stay  down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to  me."

Nicholas apparently found a way to open the basement door.

Despite her concerns about Rex that day, Faibish told the  newspaper: "My kids got along great with (the dogs). We were never seeing any  kind of violent tendencies."

Faibish found her son's body in a bedroom. He was covered in blood from several wounds, including a major head injury.

No charges have been filed.

"It's Nicky's time to go," she said  in the interview. "When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

Ella was shot to death by a police officer the day of the  attack.

Rex was taken to a shelter, but Faibish said she wanted him  put down.

I posted on Sunday, about seeing a 7 month old American Pit Bull terrier in our local park. I've checked out various sites, and there is absolutely no doubt in my or my husbands mind that this was an APBT, especially when I asked the breed.

As I have gone on to say there, I'm sure that lot's are lovely dogs, but the real danger I perceive, as opposed to other dogs being aggressive, is the power of the jaws, and the fact that they just wont let go. If this dog had gone for my pup, he would now be dead. If a setter, or retriever or GSD piled in, then so would I and I would have a chance to prevent serious injury. Not so with a pitbull. Sorry, I gave it a wide berth, and as I said on my other post, I don't want one of my dogs to be the 'deed', it's a bit d*mn late then isn't it?
Kat

You will find Olive a more family friendly dog you will not find than the APBT.  I think the problem here is you have a lot of people commenting on a breed they know very little about, don't always be so quick to condemn or judge on the basis of hearsay or media inaccuracy take a minute to think how you would feel if the breed you choose and love had so much crap (and I mean crap) written about them if people were constantly telling you inaccurate facts about your breed and constantly telling you how vicious with people they are when you know this not to be the case?  Anybody who knows anything about bull breeds will tell you the APBT is up there with the best family dogs such as Staffords.  A more superior dog you are less likely to find, in all forms from stamina and strength to loyalty and devotion to their humans the ultimate canine in every sense of the word.  Any dog has the potential to be dangerous; in the hands of a dangerous owner.  I would also question just how many "pitbulls" and "staffords" blamed for attacks are actually bull breeds.  I have seen a labrador cross attack a child in my street only for the papers to report it as an APBT!!!  All those stories of these dogs not letting go once they have a grip, having so many thousands of pounds of pressure jaw strength, being trained to fight using puppies and kittens, being fed raw meat to heighten their aggression (lol), being kept on chains because they are too agressive to be kept any other way are absolute rubbish.  I mean lets take another look at this, an Asian lad was responsible for an attack on a girl near where i live does this mean all Asians are rapists?  Does this mean I now know enough about Asians to go telling the world how bad they are and how they should all be sentenced to death?  No of course not but that is what happens with the APBT time & time again.  People reading half truths and whole lies and contributing to the Breeds Specific Legislation in place all over the world (and spreading).

Lets look at the facts, there is a website (no longer have the link) to an American Temperament Testing website, the APBT was tested and surprise surprise it had some of the best results with your so called "family" pets higher up the list for human aggression.  Then look at the bite statistics (not the media hype where any old mongrel is an APBT)  the APBT is in the bottom 5% of most bite statistic records with your Labradors, Retrievers, Spaniels etc up at the top yet no posts about those being "devil dogs".  No, so please give these dogs a break. 

Bear in mind this is a breed where any form of human aggression is not tolerated, as a working dog they had to be 100% reliable around people and often changed hands many times (similar to the Stafford) thus creating a great family dog.  In days gone by and still today in some places any man biter was culled without a thought, how many other breeds do that?  The problem nowadays is the people who breed pitbulls from non-working lines dogs used as guard dogs (going against their natural instinct?) and badly bred APBTs where temperament is of no concern where they think it is okay to breed from a human aggressive dog and generally just ruin the breed.  This is where the real danger lies. 

It saddens me that ANYBODY who calls themselves a dog lover, especially those who have bull breeds and appreciate the struggles we have with these types of dog, could condem any dog and further add to the hysteria that surrounds this already misunderstood breed.  BSL is worldwide now and happening everywhere, we should all look at the positives of these dogs and look to how we can help campaign against this draconic legislation - afterall when they have finished with these breeds yours could be next. 

You say alot about how friendly these dogs are with humans, but what about other dogs ?  what would happen if I was out walking my two over friendly Setters and we came accross a pitbull who took a dislike to them (which I believe is common for a pitbull to dislike other dogs) the pitbull could quite possibly kill one of my Setters, I think this is what people are worried about, yes these dogs may love children but what about my little ginger boys who are like my children ??

A collie took a dislike to my dog when she was 6 months old and scarred her so badly that she had to have surgery and months of getting her back to normal.  Every dog has the capability of being dangerous in the hands of the wrong owner, like I said before.  Any dog could kill any other dog if the owner does not know how to properly split up a dog fight.  Let's not forget the fact that MANY bull breeds have aggressive tendencies when it comes to other dogs as they were originally bred for either dogfighting or some kind of bloodsport.  It's down to the owner to keep control of their animal and ensure their dog is as best socialised and raised properly.  I have known APBTs who will happily play with other dogs, I know Staffords who will play with other dogs and on the other hand I know of both types which will not tolerate other dogs that is just life I am afraid and these are not the only breeds limited to this.  As far as I am aware that is not a crime, why should they be bad mouthed because they are not always dog friendly?  I would much rather a dog aggressive APBT that is 100% reliable with humans than a dog friendly breed that has a tendency to snap or bite humans.  In an ideal world you would have a dog that is both animal and human friendly but it is not an ideal world.

All I ask is that as dog lovers we try and understand other breeds, try not to get hysterical about a name and try not to nit pick every last detail about one of the most misunderstood animals in the world.  Like I keep saying every dog is capable of being aggressive or dangerous in the wrong hands.

Dogs are like individuals each one of them are different with their own personalities just like I would not judge one race on an encounter with one single person I would not do the same to any dog.

As a dog lover I will stick up for any breed of dog till the day I die, large or small, fluffy & cute or large & slobbery it makes no difference to me they are ALL dogs and all part of the canine world.  I dont think I could call myself a dog lover if I couldnt/wouldnt.

totaly agree with what you say Illeach

The difference between a collie and a pitbull is that a pitbull with fight to the death, yes im sure that there are individual dogs out there of different breeds who would do this too but as a breed the pitbull are bred for this.  I have nothing against them as a breed as long as they are kept under control and to me this would be on a lead in a public place unless it is 100% friendly (and before I get nailed for saying this it should apply to all breeds who are dog/people aggressive)

I was using that as an example Claire, my point is still the same but like I said a lot of people here are discussing aspects of this breed to which they seem to actually understand very little about, if your going to nit pick by all means do so I think I have made my points clear and hopefully given some food for thought. 

Like my breed I am loyal and will stand tall in the face of adversity.  I will strive to show the true nature of the Bull Breeds for as long as possible, I believe everybody has the right to an opinion but I also believe everybody has the right to make an INFORMED opinion and hopefully by my adding what I know to be true from personal experiences and years in these type of dogs I can help add to this and if I can change even 1 persons mind or just for a second make somebody sit and think and realise not everything they believe they know about this breed is true then I will be happy.

Im not "nit picking" just responding to your post.  As I said, I dont have a problem with your breed, in fact I know someone who used to breed them (although I didnt know him then) I never said they are bad dogs but they do have the potential to cause a lot of damage, more so than your average pet dog.  I know there are other dogs which can cause as much damage but we are not discussing them.  All im saying is as long as they have a responsible owner who keeps them under control then im happy, I certainly wouldnt wish for them to be put to sleep for no reason.

http://www.dogexpert.com/FatalDogAttacks/fataldogattacks.html     the majority of fatal dog attacks in this country are by pitt bulls.[and rotts].in part it was a breed developed for fighting hence they are often inherently aggressive stronger than average and definetly not bred by your more emotionaly evolved type people

This certainly goes against other information I have I notice this paragraph in the front page of that site:

"since there is likely to be significant error in the identification of the breed of dog(s) involved in a fatal attack as reported in newspaper stories, it would be inadvisable to use the information posted on this site to support agendas promoting legislation banning, limiting or curtailing the ownership of certain breeds of dog"

I agree with this statement 9/10 any attack reported ends up being pitbull when the dog in question is no relation I have seen this happen many times with my own eyes.

"definetly not bred by your more emotionaly evolved type people"

That is probably the most ridiculous statement I have heard!!!  If you think this is true Kelly you have a lotof learning to do.  Some of the most intellegent, nicest, most knowledgable and experienced dog people I have ever met have bred Staffords and APBTs.  I am hoping people will realise what a ridiculous statement that is.  A bit like saying everybody who breeds collies are hillbilly farmers!!!

I notice the use of the word REPORTED in the following sentence:

"The majority of the dogs involved were reported to be Rottweilers, Pit bulls and Chows"

All dogs can be dangerous if they are in the wrong hands. Yes larger breeds can cause more damage, but for some of you that are scared about a Pit Bull or a Rottweiler or any other breed just comming up to your dog and killing it....... it wouldn't happen, because ALL dogs should be controlled in public places. Big or small, I think all of them should be on a leash unless you're 100% sure they're not going to put someone in danger.