Pitbulls

[kaspurr]

Clue me in, is the embracing of this animal as "misunderstood" a specifically liberal agenda? Because I seem to bump into it there the most often.

Please and thank you in advance.

Comments

[litlover12]

I don't think so -- I know people all over the ideological spectrum who are into this. But I hate it. When you have a phobia, like I do with pit bulls, it's not pleasant to have people shoving it in your face all over social media, and insisting that it's just "misunderstood."

It's their right to promote whatever they want, of course, but I don't have to like it!

[kaspurr]

Exactly.

Someone on Facebook just did this, the page isn't even about pitbulls and she shoves the ideology down others throats. Meanwhile, so help you if you were actually a victim of this animal -- be you an adult, a child, an owner, an innocent neighbor or even another pet.

I'm not even sure how or when this started.

[moony_blues]

It's not exclusively liberal. But any dog can be dangerous if its mistreated or raised to be vicious. It's not exclusively a pit bull problem. The breed gets a very bad reputation because they can look mean and are used for illegal dog fighting, but the breed that's on record for the most bites is actually the Labrador retriever, from what I remember. And, if memory serves me well, Cocker Spaniels and rat terriers are high on that list, too

[litlover12]

They also have that reputation because they have a tendency not to let go once they bite down. Even many pro-pit bull sites acknowledge this. There aren't many breeds for which experts tell you to buy a special stick designed specifically for breaking up fights and forcing the dog to let go.

http://www.pbrc.net/breakfight.html

[lazypadawan]

Yep. Many pitbulls are gentle but the ones who aren't are lethal. I can't think of the last time a Scottish terrier mauled somebody to death though of course a dog bite is serious regardless of the breed. A cute little dog bit my brother in the nose, giving him a scar for years.

Pitbulls are powerful, fast, and when they bite you, it's not a nip. I think people who suggest things like wiping out the breed are going too far but I don't think it's irrational to be wary around them. I'm wary around Dobermans and other big, powerful dogs too. I have no idea if the dog's vicious or if you have sufficient control over the animal. I'd rather not find out the hard way.

[lawofar18]

moony_blues basically said everything I was thinking (and said it better than I could!). This is definitely not a liberal-specific agenda.

As far as I know, most pit bull defenders are not interested in shoving the dog breed down your throat. I heartily encourage researching ANY breed you would adopt, and avoiding that breed if it doesn't seem right for you. Always know what you're getting into.

My problem lies with breed-specific legislation. Irrational fears breed irrational laws. No, it's not irrational to be afraid of big or vicious-looking dogs. Yes, it IS irrational to think that you will suddenly sleep safely at night because no one can own one specific breed of dog anymore. Yet all too often, I see people advocating an all-out ban. It's that kind of thinking that makes pit bull advocates anxious to educate the public. As stated above, people with specific phobias should never dictate that the rest of us cannot enjoy certain freedoms.

[ladyrogue79]

I think it's mainly pitbull owners trying to show that their pet can be cute and cuddly too. And to be fair, I think with the right owners, pitbulls can act just fine, but generally I believe it's in their nature to be more aggressive (the English created pitbulls by interbreeding terriers and bulldogs to get the best of both worlds for a good hunting dog). The other reason for 'pitbull mania' is that there is a ban on pitbull-like dogs in some areas, especially when renting property. Honestly, I have no problem with the animals, as long as they have responsible owners who don't let them run wild all over the place.

[kharmii]

It's a weird dog people issue, and like everything moony_blues said

[marycatelli]

Breeds aren't half so good a measure of how dangerous dogs as felony records of the owners.

Unfortunately, a lot of bad owners at the moment seem to think that pit dogs establish their reputation as tough guys.

[kaspurr]

this.

i guess the reason i'm associating it with bleeding heart liberals is the sheer lack of logic i see so often on the matter.

[farchivist]

It's a dog, like any other dog. Nowadays everyone is all panicked about pitbulls, but I remember when it was Dobermans, and before that German Shepards...there's always been some type of dog that has been characterized as being more vicious than others and needing to be controlled more. A free book on the subject is The Pit Bull Placebo, which is remarkably well-sourced and discusses the subject much better than I can.

[kaspurr]

yeah, that really reads like propaganda posing as data. that's exactly the shit that scares me and gets thrown around regardless of real life events and scientific studies or simple biology.

i see people going out of their way to adopt this dog, when there are many needy animals with no sort of track record or even proclivity to this level of violence. further, many are docile until the attack and often it is for unprovoked reasons

[brendala]

Exactly! When the pitbull bans force the assholes who hold "dog battles" in their basements to favor other types of dogs, those dogs will become the breed everyone is afraid of.

[kaspurr]

As well they should be, since banning stupidity in the human race rarely works.