No, they are not. At least, as far as anyone can tell.
The CDC has said that no one knows or can know what proportion of the dog population is any given breed, so we do not know scientifically what their representation as pets is. Period. Your dog-hating shysters are lying.
The CDC has further said the reporting of what breed bit is unreliable to the point of being bad science. People misidentify them, willfully or not; people can’t identify them in tests; people will say “if it bit, it must have been a pit;” people under-report bites by other breeds; the press sensationalizes. Therefore, both halves of your ratio – the number of biters, and the representation by breed – are unknowable, scientifically.
That “study” – and all studies like it – are scientific nonsense, according to actual scientists. We’ve been over this and the scientists haven’t changed their positions. You guys are fast moving into the same category as moon-landing-hoaxers and anti-vaxers when you keep promoting this claptrap.
Who cares if it’s a pit bull or not? I thought the concern was over a possibly aggressive dog that may endanger the kidlets.
My question is: What are you going to do with the mace? So what I’m gathering here is there’s the possibility that the little ones are playing in your yard when you’re not watching, and the dog gets out and plays chompy chompy with the children. So you’re going to run after the screams, then start macing the dog while the kid’s arm is in its mouth? I suppose if you were right next to the kids, you could potentially stop the dog in its tracks by macing it once the dog lunged or exhibited some behavior that led you to believe it was going to attack. Otherwise, it would seem to be too late. You’d be spraying mace all over the place with wounded kids around.
Unless you want to arm the kids with mace, so that they can preempt attack. I can’t see any faults in that plan.
Sailboat, thanks, I will talk to my neighbor in that context.
Yeah, I was thinking about collateral damage & figured pepper spray on the kids was better than them getting hit by the bat I was aiming for the dog (never mind a gun, I don’t have/want one of those).
I see **Fessie’s **post as some basic info sharing and not a condmenation of pitbull, rot, etc. owners, not a call to arms to have these animals destroyed, not the incentive for you to start packing heat whilst walking your pooch, and so on.
And obviously it brings out the poo-pooers who refute the study all together because their dog is a mixed x/y/z so how are you going to classify him? Well? Let’s hear it smart guy.
I think it’s at least one more think-about for potential dog owners deciding what breed to get and one more item-for-consideration when your neighbor brings one of them home.
I understand what your thinking. Pepper spray is not an actual seasoning. You may want to try rubbing them with bacon grease. Maybe that will motivate Red to scale the fence and rid you of the vermin while making it look like an accident.
You’re not actually serious, are you? I’ve been around a lot of dogs, and that’s definitely not normal behaviour for a one year old dog.
It seems like you’re a pit bull apologist (and I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing - I also think it’s a maligned breed), but this particular dog sounds potentially dangerous. It’s certainly not unreasonable for fessie to be concerned
Well, yeah, with the caveat that none of us but fessie knows what she’s actually seeing.
She’s probably accurate; she’s a Doper, and I hope she’s accurate; but my experience is that people in the abstract are horrendously bad at dispassionately evaluating animal behavior. I’ve seen, and read of, people screaming and fleeing from a dog wagging his tail. The snapping, snarling monster fessie sees could be real or it could be a product of her nightmares (no offense, fessie, I have largely taken you at your word in this, I am speaking of my general experience with reporting by third parties). People have been happy to pet my dog until they hear the word “pit bull” and then they recoil in fear (and possibly later tell others the dog tried to kill them).
That’s why I’ve asked questions about the dog’s weight and size, and urged her to talk to the family and maybe (under controlled conditions) meet the dog. It’s about all I can offer from this remove to help her determine the actual level of threat with more certainty.
A picture of the dog “in action” would help, but not even that is definitive.
It may be reacting to its owner’s nervousness or apprehension when being walked on a leash. I own a Rottie/pit mix who was abused and rescued. I have found when I walk her on a leash and I get worried/tense about someone coming toward me (worried about how she’s going to react) she tends to be far more aggressive acting. I’ve had to really police my own behavior. That said, off the leash behavior can be totally different. She loves small children, licking and snuggling up to them, and if stepped on, will cry like nobody’s business, but will not take revenge. Red may calm down as he becomes accustomed to his environment. OTOH, I would not take chances with my small kids. I am doubtful that pepper spray would work, as pits tend to be very single-minded when angry, and I have seen ours smash her head into walls and keep moving.
A tip passed on to me by an old biker years ago is to carry a water pistol filled with ammonia; most dogs hate the smell/burning of ammonia, and getting squirted in the face with it will usually send them running for the hills.
Of course, you could just preemptively toss a poisoned ball of hamburger over the fence.
Of course I’m serious. A young dog that’s happy and excited and wants to be petted can look like a snarling raving maniac to someone who’s not familiar with dogs (and if fessie thinks there would be anything left of her precious children after she rides to the rescue from inside her house, she’s very unfamiliar with them).
That’s not what you said. You said that snapping and snarling is normal behaviour for a young dog, not that normal dog behaviour can be mistaken for snapping and snarling. There’s a difference.
Really? A 4’ fence? I’d say it just doesn’t want to come over. I have a tiny Jack Russel that cleared a 4’ fence with ease. One jump to the top and over it went. My bigger Jacks have even less of a problem, which is why I now have a much larger fence.
There is no true scientific basis for distinguishing one breed of dog from another. And
As such, one cannot declare one “breed” more “dangerous” than another and that attempts to do so are scientifically unsound or contain some type of internal bias -intentional or otherwise. Then
By this logic, one should approach a “chihuahua” with the same level of apprehension as a “rottweiler”–assuming one is able to discern one from the other.
I’m not trying to debate this notion along purely theoretical lines. Yes, common sense dictates that you and your young’uns need to be more cautious around big, mean-looking growly dog than you do around yappy, rat-like, fufu dog. But are we really saying that one can’t, in any way, shape or form -in very broad strokes- determine that certain breeds of dog (pit bulls, rotts, German Shepherds and Dobermans) pose a greater level of threat than some other breeds?
And a pre-emptive ‘no offense’ to any Dopers out there and no need to get those hackles up.