I don't know a ton about Pit Bulls, but I know that problems that occur with them always seem to be partly caused by the dog's size, power, and unfortunate breeding history, but mostly caused by ignorant or inhuman ownership.
In other words, I think the breed is complicated, but not at fault. I don't support bans, but I do think I support a program wherein breeders have to have a special Pit Bull Breeding License (having shown that they're breeding responsibly and to reduce aggression), owners have to have a special Pit Bull Owner License (having shown that they understand how to responsibly own a Pit Bull), and no one without a breeding license can own an intact Pit Bull.
I would support it for any "dangerous" breed that was in crisis, i.e. high proportional incidence of attacks, abuse, and irresponsible breeding. I don't know enough about the scope of those issues with Chows to know if they qualify for that level of intervention.
Chow Chows are mean. My aunt's Chows nearly ripped their Pomeranian to shreds and the poor guy had to go live with my grandmother because the chows would have killed him. I'd far more hesitant to own a Chow than a Pit.
I know they can be mean. Actually, one of only two experiences I've ever had with a dog being aggressive or violent toward me was with a Chow (the other was a Chihuahua, a breed that I think is only spared the bad rep of the Pit Bull because of their size).
However, you don't see nearly the number of reported violent attacks from Chow's that you see from Pit Bulls. How that comes out in ratio to their smaller population numbers, or how much of it is due to less backyard breeding or irresponsible ownership, I don't know.
Chihuahuas have bad reputations too. Just not in the same way. People don't expect them to rip someone apart, but generally the reaction to that breed is "oh god those dogs are so stupid and annoying."
Totally, but among the reasons I'm unlikely to own one is not only that they're often stupid and annoying, but that they're often aggressive and violent, and I don't think that's as much a part of their rep as they deserve.
In fact, I wonder if Chihuahua bites were reported as often as Pit Bull bites if they wouldn't be the new number one.
I think that may be part of it. But at that point, I still think that makes them a low-crisis breed if they just don't present a big problem (even if it's primarily due to their low numbers, which we can't be sure of).
I think that may be part of it. But at that point, I still think that makes them a non-crisis breed if they just don't present a big problem (even if it's primarily due to their low numbers, which we can't be sure of).
All we have is information collected from media reports, hospital reports, police reports, etc. Therefore, we don't have any real, conclusive data either way about how often Pits or any other dog actually bite. We only know what gets reported, what's serious enough to cause hospital-worthy injury or death, and what gets reported to the public. We do know, though, that Pits top all of those categories.
Again, I don't blame the breed for that, and I'm perfectly willing to believe that "little yappy dogs," as my mother calls them, actually bite more frequently and we just don't know because the bites aren't as serious or aren't taken as seriously. However, it could be argued, successfully, that that in and of itself makes them less of a problem than dogs whose bites more frequently maim or kill.
I've been bitten by a small yappy dog too. A pekingese, black in colour, in fact. She was very aggressive! If our legs moved at the dinner table (underneath the table) she would jump and bite/grab us. I have never hated a dog before, but I loathed her.
And yes I realize I sound like a cruel bitch with this comment but it was her. She was awful.
In other words, I think the breed is complicated, but not at fault. I don't support bans, but I do think I support a program wherein breeders have to have a special Pit Bull Breeding License (having shown that they're breeding responsibly and to reduce aggression), owners have to have a special Pit Bull Owner License (having shown that they understand how to responsibly own a Pit Bull), and no one without a breeding license can own an intact Pit Bull.
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However, you don't see nearly the number of reported violent attacks from Chow's that you see from Pit Bulls. How that comes out in ratio to their smaller population numbers, or how much of it is due to less backyard breeding or irresponsible ownership, I don't know.
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In fact, I wonder if Chihuahua bites were reported as often as Pit Bull bites if they wouldn't be the new number one.
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Again, I don't blame the breed for that, and I'm perfectly willing to believe that "little yappy dogs," as my mother calls them, actually bite more frequently and we just don't know because the bites aren't as serious or aren't taken as seriously. However, it could be argued, successfully, that that in and of itself makes them less of a problem than dogs whose bites more frequently maim or kill.
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And yes I realize I sound like a cruel bitch with this comment but it was her. She was awful.
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