The problem is not yours, and it is not solvable. Persistent, excessive fear of a specific stimuli (trigger), left unaddressed, can lead to phobias. Experts were brought in and triggers were avoided. In my opinion people are scared of Pit Bulls because they are uneducated and ignorant. Reality: Proper training and socialization can create a harmonious household with multiple pets. There was a post about a month ago and the link inside may be worth a look in the meanwhile. Agreed. The dog's initial behavior towards OP- the cuddling, petting, happy dog stuff- clearly shows that he knew his place in the pecking order. They had a dog (not a pit) that just...wouldn't do. He loves car rides, hikes and cuddling. I am quoting part of the text from the link below but I would add that it is not only about dog aggression, when a situation goes wrong and a pitbull is involved some of the breed genetics traits will make it a very efficient mauling machine against any living being, and that’s why so … Beware of breed-wide stereotypes and focus on individuals, I learned a lot from Pit Bull and also from my interview. In a number of recent essays about dogs (and also one on sharks called "Shark Personalities: A Shark Isn't a SharkIsn't a Shark"), I've stressed how important it is to focus on individual animals because too many general statements are made that border on being myths about these fascinating animals (please see "Why Dogs Belong Off-Leash: It's Win-Win for All" and links therein). Pit Bull is worthy of a wide global audience and I hope it receives the attention it deserves.Â, Note: Anonymous and ad hominem comments will not be accepted.Â, Marc Bekoff's latest books are Jasper's Story: Saving Moon Bears (with Jill Robinson), Ignoring Nature No More: The Case for Compassionate Conservation, Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed: The Fascinating Science of Animal Intelligence, Emotions, Friendship, and Conservation, Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence, and The Jane Effect: Celebrating Jane Goodall (edited with Dale Peterson). The pitbull chased me and kept nashing his teeth at me. How can you compare specialized breeds (like the Labrador retriever, German shorthaired pointer, etc.) It May Be Genes Linked to Its Breed, Traces of Ourselves: The Remarkable Power of Touch. So are a handful of other breeds and mixed breeds. Pit Bull owners have to go above and beyond the call of duty sometimes to help some people get over their fear and prejudice. This was my thought as well. Dreams have been described as dress rehearsals for real life, opportunities to gratify wishes, and a form of nocturnal therapy. That isn't sound statistical methodology.Â. While polished and professional looking, Dogsbite.org relies almost exclusively on media reports for its content, and media reports are often highly inaccurate. It sounds like OP did all the right things: training, having the vet check the dog, socializing the dog. Even basic licensing compliance is shockingly low (sometimes, single-digit percentages) in many major metropolitan areas.Â, Those caveats aside, what we *do* know is that the number of Americans who consider themselves "pit bull owners" is steadily growing. But you're absolutely correct-- OP gave it a damn good effort. Is there anything else you'd like to mention? We lost the dog, thousands in vet bills, and the owner was still refusing to accept any type of responsibility. If the next one, and there will be a next one, is on OP's face, that may be a seriously tragic bite. unclear in post..), there is something amiss which obviously hasn't been identified by training, behaviorists or the vet. I can't even get myself to read it really. Now we call them all 'pit bulls.'" Pit bulls can be very sweet, however, and here are 6 reasons that prove this. What if one day the dog breaks thru the drugs and bites someone else? I remember in the 1980's the "vicious" breeds were Rottwieler's, Doberman's, and German Shepards. The second time, he turned on them. He attacked a kid for no reason. I'm scared of him now and have been avoiding him. But in the end it turned out that the dog had a mass on her brain causing the change in behavior ( shown on MRI). Pete the Pup on the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull. There is not a single shred of proof that the American Pit Bull Terrier is a vicious, dangerous breed. ), Most of all, I hope that readers will come away from the book with a heightened sense of skepticism—even skepticism of me! He is still possessive of his other toys, but not quite as extreme. I am not afraid of pitbull's. He never leaves his hold, when once he has got it, while life lasts.” Can you say something about Dogsbite.org? If you walked by the chain link fence, he would stalk you the entire time. I think that it is not the breed of the dog, but in how they are raised. Finally after multiple calls from all the neighbors surrounding them, the police started giving them fines and threatening them about the dog. Finally, they had to put him down. I kicked him and he ran into the living room. Most of the time, people who say such things about Pit Bull dogs - or any other breed - are really trying to say that your Pit Bull frightens them. American Pit Bulls are a very misunderstood breed. But a human aggressive dog is going to be aggressive towards people in the house that he lives in. Pit Bull lovers righteously defend the “misunderstood” breed, but Charles Leerhsen, whose dog was recently attacked by one, says they are natural-born killers. Intelligence. Pit Bulls are very intelligent. I hope you will read the entire interview as Ms. Dickey put a lot of work into it.Â. As if that weren't bad enough, an increasing number of generic, mixed-breed dogs have been thrown into the "pit bull" category because they have large heads, smooth coats, or brindle coloring. For real. When you know you have a dog aggressive dog, you keep him on a leash, and keep him away from other dogs. Is Your Dog Anxious? It's just so unbelievable that a dog would start to turn against its owner after 3 years. He was miserable, they were miserable, it was no one's fault. Animals in deprived areas can easily be affected by the same cycles of desperation, poverty, and violence that plague their human caretakers.Â, Dog bites are highly contextual, yet stark listings of "bites by breed" do not take this into account. He's an animal genius but nothing was talking that dog off the ledge. Put the dog down. Is it the breed? They can be stubborn and agile, making unseemly people train them for attacking and illegal dog fighting. He just couldn't find a way to help that dog, no matter what he did. how would i go about it? After that, we weren't allowed in the same room together. He got worse and started attacking my aunt. He sent a couple of people to the hospital. Sergeant Stubby was also not nearly the war hero he has been purported to be. It would be like comparing the crash rates of the Ford Explorer, the Toyota Tacoma, and all "sedans." I had to go to the hospital, and it would have been a lot worse if there hadn't been 4 adults in the room, all of whom were in arms reach of me. I bent over to open a drawer and he jumped on me, biting my arm and thrashing his head like he wanted to tear it off. You love them, you want to help, but they are broken beyond your ability. Most of the time, he is a really happy, fun dog. People think that Pit Bulls aren’t capable of control and they can become aggressive any minute. He stood up on the fence and the dog literally ripped his arm off then ate it. 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