<p>“but I do think it’s a little unfair to assume all pitbulls”</p>
<p>Personally, given all the pitbull attacks in So Cal, I am going to err on the side of unfairness. Six months back my sister was attacked by two pitbulls on her morning run. If it had not been for a passing motorist who got her to get into the car, she would be dead.
The owner just swore up and down that her dogs were “usually” sweet as pie.
And yes, I know, it was my sisters fault for running past the yard.</p>
<p>Busdriver, I am so sorry you and your dogs had to go thru this ! I am fiercely protective of my dogs ( even from our resident cat who has a mutual hatred towards my male corgi ) I keep them seperated by a baby gate and a floor since short legs and a swat of a clawed cat paw could result in a serious eye injury.
My dogs are not the best breed to be reliable off leash since they are bred for herding and their chase impulse is sometimes stronger then their training allows. I know this, I accept this, I prepare for this in their home setting.</p>
<p>I also do not trust breeds that are primarily bred for fighting ( and I do not want this to turn into a " it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the owners fault when an attack occurs )</p>
<p>My veterinarian’s office is in a rural area with a home across the street that has a vicious and often times unrestrained Great Pyranese. He has charged many people when they walk their dogs into the practice …one would think that the local animal control would have a handle on this, especially since the vet is a volunteer at the local shelter, but it is an ongoing issue. I had the dog charge me when I took one of my dogs their in the spring. No fence in the yard and the staff tells me the dog break thru screens in the home…why own a dog like that ??</p>
<p>We have very close friends who recently adopted a pit bull that had been owned by drug dealers. The dog had been found starving and tied to a tree and had recently given birth to a litter of pups. </p>
<p>I am uncomfortable around the dog because I witnessed it lunging at a pedestrian that walked by their parked car. I think if there is an element of the unknown when it comes to your dog’s temperament then you should never let it off leash when it could possibly attack a human OR pet</p>
<p>I owned a half-Lab, half-Irish Setter cross - a female - when I was in my twenties and thirties. Sweet dog, in just about every way but… best conclusion I ever came to was that she simply didn’t see a small dog as another dog. Puzzled by them but non-agressive, unless they barked at her.</p>
<p>Paid the vet bill for a Pomeranian that didn’t live and bought another. Never outside the house or yard without a leash after that, and she lived to ripe old age. Her behavior never changed, it was just checked.</p>
<p>I’ve no other advice, busdriver, except that I wouldn’t ever trust the dog that attacked yours not to do it again.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of a Pyr being aggressive like that. Yes, they are a livestock guardian breed, but they certainly aren’t bred for fighting or inappropriate aggression… It sounds like the constant parade of strange dogs across the street has made him wildly frustrated, the same way that being chained can ruin a dog’s temperament. Or maybe he was just nuts from the get-go. How unfortunate.</p>
<p>A couple of months ago, a few of my Facebook friends ‘liked’ a link to an article that talked about the most aggressive breeds, with the Dachshund being number one. We had one when I was a kid, and it always nipped at people’s ankles.</p>
<p>Number two is chihuahua (D1 just rescued one less than a month ago and his bringing her home with her on a visit next week), then Jack Russell Terrier.</p>
<p>[Top</a> 10 Most Aggressive Dogs . - The Bully Breeds](<a href=“http://thebullybreeds.com/2013/01/27/top-10-most-aggressive-dogs/]Top”>http://thebullybreeds.com/2013/01/27/top-10-most-aggressive-dogs/)</p>
<p>The top ten tend to be smaller dogs, FYI. </p>
<p>Am keeping my fingers crossed that D2’s dog gets along with our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, because two spaniels are in the top ten of this list! Ours is very calm-natured, though, and is actually quite timid around people and usually more submissive around other dogs. We do socialize him a lot, especially with other dogs.</p>
<p>Consolation , we have a lot of rescued GP’s in our area that seem to come primarily from Tennessee. I have come across a couple in local park , but they are pretty laid back. My bossy female corgi let one know who was the queen one day, and the bigger dog happily submitted</p>
<p>In a steel cage fight to the finish match I’d rather go up against a Chihuahua before a pitbull any day of the week.</p>
<p>My cousins’ little dog that was attacked by big dog a few months ago has a light gray colored coat. Where the dog suffered bites, the returning hair is black at each spot where teeth punctured skin…the dog now looks like a teacup Dalmatian with the new contrasting black dots on coat of hair.</p>
<p>Love how once again this is turning into a pitbull bashing thread (not the first time on this board). I know I shouldn’t even get involved, but I can’t stand by and see these amazing dogs be bashed because of pure ignorance.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The statistics are bogus. The dogs involved in attacks are pretty much never DNA tested, and dogs are labeled as pit bulls just by looks, even if they have 0 pit hull in them - mastiffs, boxers, mixes, and probably a dozen more breeds get labeled as pit bulls because of all the hysteria around the breed. Afterwards, it is even found the dog is not a pitbull, but of course no one prints a retraction. </p></li>
<li><p>No one accounts for what percentage of the population pitbulls or dogs that look like pitbulls constitute. Something like half the dogs in all the shelters are “pit bulls”. </p></li>
<li><p>Ever since they got this reputation, bad people get them on purpose and train them to be vicious. They are also neglected and abused in disproportionate amount. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>4.Pit bulls were bred to be NON human aggressive. In fact, they make pretty poor guard dogs because of that. </p>
<p>5.Every decade or so there is hysteria about a certain dog breed. </p>
<p>6.Just because certain ethnic or racial groups of people have higher incarceration rates doesn’t make us (hopefully) decide they are naturally more violent - same here - it’s not the dog, it’s the environment. </p>
<ol>
<li>They are amazing, wonderful, loyal, extremely sensitive dogs. I don’t know if I am ever interested in having kids, but if I do I would be thrilled to have them grow up with a pit bull (or two). Same goes for Rottweilers - I grew up with a 120-pound one and still think of him as my brother. </li>
</ol>
<p>The ignorance surrounding these breeds is just sad. I am quite disgusted by it. </p>
<p>All in all, for a year only 30 deaths are caused by ALL breeds. Maybe people need to worry about a gazillion other things before dogs. But hysteria is easier and more fun.</p>
<p>teriwitt, those top ten aggressive lists crack me up a bit. Sometimes I wonder if they’re a joke. One year, cavalier king Charles were on the list. They are submissive to every other breed of dog, generally. Yes, they can be very aggressive when doing their job…which is to get you on the couch and comfort you. My dogs will entice me to the couch, snuggle up somewhere on my body, and hold me down with their little paws and look at me accusingly if I try to get up. Aggressive snuggling isn’t usually a danger! I admit it is a danger to my daily chores, though.</p>
<p>So I did call the number that emerald gave me, and started a report. They were very responsive, and gave me a case number to fill in all the information online. I said I didn’t know the name of the owner or what type of dog it was, but they said the address was good enough for them to follow up on. As far as taking pictures of my dog, I didn’t do that, but I do have the vets report that states bruises, red marks, and vomiting. She seems well today. I am going to check into the legality of those little stun guns, as I wonder if that might be better than spray.</p>
<p>It is surprising to me how many people on this thread have had similar things happen to their dogs. And so many just in King County. How awful for those of you who had serious injury to your dear pet. I feel like I’m not going to have nightmares about this, but I would be traumatized if my rather elderly little girl was seriously hurt. Some of these stories makes me think of your dogs like little toddlers, walking down the street holding your hand, and Jack the Ripper comes at them with a machete. Okay, overly dramatic, I know…but with no kids at home, our dogs are our babies.</p>
<p>busdriver, I’m glad you followed through on the reporting. </p>
<p>acollegestudent, I want to acknowledge what you’re saying. I love dogs. Most days I like dogs more than I like people. Most days dogs seem to like me more than most people, to be fair. I think breed specific legislation is wrong. Dogs that have been trained to fight have been successfully rehabilitated and introduced back into family life. Any dog that isn’t properly socialized and trained can be aggressive. I find dog fighting absolutely repulsive. Dogs don’t decide to just randomly attack - they’ve either not been properly trained or to some degree their owner encourages the behavior. Our neighbors have a Golden and a Great Dane - behind invisible fencing. If Sabadog and I walk by their house the dogs will charge to the very edge, barking and snarling. Then the neighbor is posting on facebook about how she wants a dog that will “challenge her on walks”. I’ve only seen the dogs on occasional walks - maybe four a year. Those poor dogs need someone to teach them how to interact with others outside of their immediate circle. I doubt they’ll ever leave their sad little space.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This post has been bothering me all day. Momof3boys, you’re the type of dog owner that gives the rest of us responsible dog owners a bad name. Your dog is not clairvoyant, it does not have some sixth sense unknown to the human mind that these (“unusual”) people and their dog are some kind of mysterious threat. </p>
<p>Your dog is simply not well trained and therefore should never be allowed in an area of the house where it can go flying out the front door and menace poor unsuspecting walkers who, by the way, are walking on public streets (and yes, a ‘lane’ is a street, unless you own the property.)</p>
<p>How far away they live has nothing to to with anything. I walk my dog 4.5 miles every day, I get quite a distance out of my own neighborhood. And to say they “all of a sudden” started walking there? What if they just moved in? What a fine welcome that is to the neighborhood!</p>
<p>To ask them to alter their route is astonishingly boorish and rude.</p>
<p>Your dog is obviously territorial and canine aggressive and if you can’t take the necessary steps to protect people and dogs on the public street in front of your house, it is your problem, not theirs</p>
<p>Learn how to control your own dog, or the next time it might get pepper sprayed…</p>
<p>I basically had the same thing happen a few years back, my Silky Terrier was attacked by a Pit Bull that I saw tearing down the street straight for us, and went straight for her neck. She was punctured and it missed her jugular vein by millimeters–she was just lucky. We walked by this dog daily, who was always behind gates with another pit bull, but of course a worker had left the gate open and the dog got out.</p>
<p>My dog was OK after a $1500 bill and 3 days at the vet, I called our local animal control and because the dog didn’t bit me, they weren’t all to concerned so not much that could be done. I got the owner to pay the bill, when I went over there she was not surprised…that was the worse part, and needless to say, I never walked my dog that way again.</p>
<p>I’m so happy you and your dog are OK, I know by experience how shaken you are, it will take some time and believe me, anythime a large dog approaches, you will get a bit jittery. Take care…</p>
<p>“This post has been bothering me all day. Momof3boys”</p>
<p>Yes, that post struck me as odd, also. I thought perhaps something was left out in the telling of the story, such as feeling concern or remorse that the dog actually went through a screen door to threaten the couple and their dog. It really sounded that the couple was being blamed for walking their dog on a public street, and that they should have known better than to do so. I suspect this couple will avoid the house from now on, who wouldn’t? But what about new people who move into the neighborhood, kids that get a new dog, a dog that is visiting, or anyone else who walks an unknown dog by? Perhaps they can get a sign warning, “Aggressive dog that may charge through screen door to attack your dog, walk by my house at your own risk.”</p>
<p>I’m hoping I misinterpreted the story, and momofthree has made sure the door is always closed, not just a screen door, and that the dog is always on a leash…knowing the threat is there to others. People aren’t entitled to menace others just because they are walking past their house. It might make more sense in a very rough neighborhood, where people feel threatened in their own homes.</p>
<p>Well, the bottom line is that all dogs are capable of biting and attacking, regardless of what their owners think. I say this as a dog owner and dog lover. I read somewhere that Labrador Retrievers, the most popular breed in the US with a reputation for good nature and gentleness, are well represented on bite lists, if only because they are around children who are permitted to bother them. I myself would not get a pit bull or pit bull mix, or a Rottweiler or Doberman, beautiful as they are, because they are bred for fighting and/or guarding. I’m not entirely consistent on this, because I also love mastiffs, and would probably get one if I could cope with the drool and the food/vet bills. However, I do believe that any dog, if pushed far enough, is capable of aggression.</p>
<p>In the OP’s case, I would definitely report the incident to Animal Control. A pattern of incidences indicates a problem, and it’s up to the township to determine what constitutes a pattern, but without the information from you, they cannot do so. It’s possible that the dog may be destroyed, but it’s better than letting a tragedy occur that possibly involves a human child.</p>
<p>“I’m so happy you and your dog are OK, I know by experience how shaken you are, it will take some time and believe me, anythime a large dog approaches, you will get a bit jittery. Take care…”</p>
<p>Thanks, sockhermom. That is terrible about your silky terrier. Thank God it missed her jugular vein!</p>
<p>You know, I am always uncomfortable when a large dog approaches, unleashed, especially without its owner. If it’s wagging its tail, I’m okay. But if I see an unleashed dog a couple of blocks away, whether I’m running or walking my dogs, I turn around and go the other way. This time, though, despite my fear of aggressive dogs, I didn’t feel scared at all. There was no time, and I went into reactive mode, everything seemed to slow down. I had to force myself to yell (I’m not a yeller), just to try to startle the dog and get attention from the owner. I keep wondering what I could have done to make it stop quicker, whether I should have instantly put my body between the dogs before it attacked. Don’t know if it would have just gone around me, or attacked me if I got in the way of its prey. I wish I would have reached down and yanked it away by its collar, but with the growling and snapping going on, I didn’t even think of it. I think both me and the owner were kind of in shock.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well I also think there’s a difference between someone innocently running past a yard and getting attacked and a neighbor’s dog coming on another’s property and attacking that dog. I suppose that the vast majority, if not all dog bites/attacks, have to be taken by situation, not just by breed. There’s probably not a breed in the world that hasn’t at one point or another attacked someone. It’s always good to err on the side of caution just in case, like how they say not to get near a dog’s face while they’re eating, or things like that, even if they’re the sweetest dog in the world.</p>
<p>It’s terrible to hear about an incident in which the victim dies or is terribly injured, and I think it makes all dogs look bad, not even just one breed.</p>
<p>I chuckled when I read about dachshunds on the aggressive list. Years ago, our very friendly mongrel bit a dachshund. The dachshund had a habit of coming into our yard (no leash laws then) and nipping our dog’s feet. One day, our dog couldn’t take it anymore and she turned and bit the dachshund. My parents ended up paying the vet bill but I really felt the owner of the dachshund was more at fault. I remember my dad saying that he would have bit that dog too as it was so annoying.</p>
<p>We walk out dog on leash 
when we’re in town and yes, we no longer lock the screen and leave the wood door open during the summer. It may never ever happen again, but it DID happen. We’ve always owned trained and behaved dogs. There was something about this strange dog that ours did not like one bit. Our dogs also go to doggy daycare occasionally and are temperance tested and fullly vet-ed. I’m not a dog “novice” and yes, the police office did tell the couple to change up their walk. There’s no entitlement here, the dog went through the screen door barking. He did not charge the couple or their dog in the lane but stood at the edge of the lane at the property line barking for the fraction of a second it took to call him back. We were pretty upset about the whole incident. He was a young dog, but not that young. I’m just saying, if you own a dog you need to be vigilant especially if you are out of your neighborhood where the dogs all know each other. Everyone may have a “right” to walk wherever they want, but that doesn’t mean it’s the smartest choice to make if you wander into a residential area or on the beach if you happen to live in an area like that. I can’t believe the number of people that come wandering down the beach from miles away with dogs off leash and they can see you have a dog and if we see them coming we always grab the dog(s) and clip to our beach chaisr and the people nonchalantly stroll by with no leash in site and of course many dogs will come right up to our clipped dog(s) to sniff butts and noses…it’s dog nature but not very smart if you think about it for a second. I don’t like it. Stuff can happen with dogs. Although I have to admit I’ve never seen a Golden go nuts but too much loose dog hair for me and that tail can wipe off a coffee table in a split second. </p>
<p>
It’s not people who are “doing” the menacing…just sayin’ you can be the nicest person in the whole world but who really knows what is going on in the mind of the dog. Dogs get to know one another and they can co-exist quite happily. Just think about a doggy park where people frequently visit. But watch what happens when a “newcomer” arrives…most experienced dog owners will be vigilant for a moment. It’s why a “good” doggy daycare will require temperance testing and will require a trial visit.</p>
<p>Okay momofthree, I feel better! That post makes sense, now that you filled in the details.</p>
<p>We have an occasional doggysitter who has the sweetest purebred pit. He’s well trained and crate trained and one of the best behaved dogs. He’s always welcome to come visit. Most people only “know” about the pitbulls they read about in a negative context.</p>
<p>I’m sorry busdriver that this happened to you and I didn’t intend to hijack the thread but it’s something I’m very sensitive to because I know better now that stuff can happen and I tend to approach things now in a different manner than I did a decade ago. My H was always more cautious with our dogs and other dogs than I but I’m more aware now. I’m more adamant about training and temperance testing and always keeping a leash handy even in the wilderness. I also wouldn’t hesitate to put a dog down that was trained but bit, maybe not the first time cause I’m a soft touch, but absolutely if it happened twice. BTW my dog that crashed the screen is now 14 and snoring in his bed nearby and he’s never bit anyone.</p>