This is all Mandy's FAULT! lol
We were talking about dogs earlier, and now I'm like 'I want a doggy too!' :O
...blast it all.....I've wanted one for a while, but I'd finally managed to kind of stop obsessing over it, but dammit..I want my dog!
Anyways, in looking at breeds online I guess I have, over time, considered several breeds. I really want a Great Dane, and one day I'll get one, when I have the space and the money to be able to care for such a big animal...however my second choice has pretty much always been an American Staffordshire Terrier and it still is. I know a lot of people think I'm crazy or weird for wanting one, but the typical complaint about it is that they're either dangerous or that they're 'ugly'...
On the ugly thing, I think they're beautiful dogs, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I guess I can understand that not everyone will see them the way I do and that's fine I suppose.
As for being dangerous....
Yes they are powerful animals and yes, if they did turn on a human they can be dangerous however in cases where an AMSTAFF has harmed a human it's always the breed blamed and not say, the OWNER(S), who should be the ones scrutinized. The fact of the matter is that dogs such as Pit Bulls and Amstaffs were in fact bred for dog fighting. They were made to be powerful, tenacious fighters because those were the animals that tend to WIN, however; if you've ever seen footage of or looked up the typical 'setup' of a dog fight these animals are placed into a small 'ring' or box and made to fight savagely, sometimes to the death. During these fights human beings are not only present to watch, but there are TWO inside the ring with these animals as they are fighting. They will often pull the animals apart as they grapple with each other and these dogs, while attacking one another do NOT turn on the humans who interfere in the fight. Dogs who showed human aggression are undesirable and were not bred and so this trait is mostly bred out. These dogs are typically (of course, there's always an exception, no matter WHAT breed you're talking about) very loyal and loving of their humans and can be incredibly friendly companion animals who usually only show aggression towards other animals or to strangers (if not socialized properly, in most cases). Dogs used for fighting are, more often than not, fearful of humans and cower rather than attack, though this isn't always the case. Besides, fighting dogs don't do these things because they want to, it's people that train them and put them in those rings, and it's the people who should be punished for it and not the poor dogs.
But yes. I'm actually looking for both a companion animals ( I can't stand not having a pet in this place!) AND protection, because I live in fracking RICHMOND and not a whole lot of people are going to decide to randomly screw with an AST/APBT.Also I like it when puppies are all smiley, and AST/APBT are some of smiley-est dogs I've ever seen. lol
Mmm, aside from my, apparently odd, love for the AST I mean, I guess boxers are good. I dunno, there aren't any breeds I like quite as much I guess.
It's probably Buck's fault I love these animals so much. Buck was a sweetheart of an APBT that belonged to a friend of mine growing up. He was one of the most wonderful, loving dogs I've ever known and actually saved both my friend and I from a man attempting to break in on an occasion where we were briefly left alone at her home (we were both about 11 years old at the time). He even leapt to our defense when her father scared the hell out of us while watching scary movies one night, and no one could ever ask for a more loyal friend than him. I remember crying for hours when he passed away at the age of 14.
<3 to Mr. Smoochy-face!
How can you not love someone who's so happy to see you?
...blast it all.....I've wanted one for a while, but I'd finally managed to kind of stop obsessing over it, but dammit..I want my dog!
Anyways, in looking at breeds online I guess I have, over time, considered several breeds. I really want a Great Dane, and one day I'll get one, when I have the space and the money to be able to care for such a big animal...however my second choice has pretty much always been an American Staffordshire Terrier and it still is. I know a lot of people think I'm crazy or weird for wanting one, but the typical complaint about it is that they're either dangerous or that they're 'ugly'...
On the ugly thing, I think they're beautiful dogs, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder so I guess I can understand that not everyone will see them the way I do and that's fine I suppose.
As for being dangerous....
Yes they are powerful animals and yes, if they did turn on a human they can be dangerous however in cases where an AMSTAFF has harmed a human it's always the breed blamed and not say, the OWNER(S), who should be the ones scrutinized. The fact of the matter is that dogs such as Pit Bulls and Amstaffs were in fact bred for dog fighting. They were made to be powerful, tenacious fighters because those were the animals that tend to WIN, however; if you've ever seen footage of or looked up the typical 'setup' of a dog fight these animals are placed into a small 'ring' or box and made to fight savagely, sometimes to the death. During these fights human beings are not only present to watch, but there are TWO inside the ring with these animals as they are fighting. They will often pull the animals apart as they grapple with each other and these dogs, while attacking one another do NOT turn on the humans who interfere in the fight. Dogs who showed human aggression are undesirable and were not bred and so this trait is mostly bred out. These dogs are typically (of course, there's always an exception, no matter WHAT breed you're talking about) very loyal and loving of their humans and can be incredibly friendly companion animals who usually only show aggression towards other animals or to strangers (if not socialized properly, in most cases). Dogs used for fighting are, more often than not, fearful of humans and cower rather than attack, though this isn't always the case. Besides, fighting dogs don't do these things because they want to, it's people that train them and put them in those rings, and it's the people who should be punished for it and not the poor dogs.
But yes. I'm actually looking for both a companion animals ( I can't stand not having a pet in this place!) AND protection, because I live in fracking RICHMOND and not a whole lot of people are going to decide to randomly screw with an AST/APBT.Also I like it when puppies are all smiley, and AST/APBT are some of smiley-est dogs I've ever seen. lol
Mmm, aside from my, apparently odd, love for the AST I mean, I guess boxers are good. I dunno, there aren't any breeds I like quite as much I guess.
It's probably Buck's fault I love these animals so much. Buck was a sweetheart of an APBT that belonged to a friend of mine growing up. He was one of the most wonderful, loving dogs I've ever known and actually saved both my friend and I from a man attempting to break in on an occasion where we were briefly left alone at her home (we were both about 11 years old at the time). He even leapt to our defense when her father scared the hell out of us while watching scary movies one night, and no one could ever ask for a more loyal friend than him. I remember crying for hours when he passed away at the age of 14.
<3 to Mr. Smoochy-face!
How can you not love someone who's so happy to see you?