Sorry for the extremely long post, but I am just now seeing this, so I am throwing everything into one...
Let me start off by saying that Sonsie was very wrong to have named the title of this thread such that it would insinuate that a Pit bull had killed 5 humans. I am well aware of the fact that young goats are also called "kids" but it is plainly obvious that you wanted to stir up a beehive by insinuating otherwise (I know that you said you don't have anything against them, but your posts lead me to believe otherwise). To me, this shows a lack of integrity and honor.
Hear, Hear Cowgirl! "When it comes to livestock attacks, ANY dog breed can do lots of damage." - Any dog breed can & will take down livestock.
Rarebreed - "a dog that killed another animal in cold blood" - Stop being an anthropomorphist. Dogs don't kill animals in "cold blood" which is acting without consideration, compunction, or clemency. Dogs don't do things 'just becuase'. They don't think in the logical format that humans think. If you are trying do say that the dog killing the goats for sport is "cold blood" then you would have to attribute it to humans killing wild game so they can hang them on their wall as killing in "cold blood". As for the opossums, they are not nasty. This hiss and spit at you because that is their natural defense to protect themselves from harm. I actaully know a lady who rehabs them locally and got to meet several adults when I was dropping off a litter. They were all nice and just went about doing their business.
Tommyjones - "when pits bite its not a nip...." Not true. Pits, just like any other breed of dog, have varying levels of correction. Their breed does not make them aggressive... their breeding does. Aggression towards humans has been deliberately bred out of the Pit bull breeds. His entire purpose in life was to combat another animal, not a human being. Using the fighting dogs as an example, it would be impractical to handle a dog during the heat of battle if his attention was drawn away from his adversary to the human that was attempting to pick him up. The dog that bit a handler would be immediately killed for his transgression and would definitely not be given the opportunity to breed this trait back into the breed.
Jetmonkey - "I thought it was a very clever title" Unfortunately, this was a very poor choice on Sonsie's part. It is obvious that she mislead people in order to attract attention. The really sad part is that anyone who sees the title but doesn't read the thread will leave the forum thinking "Pit bulls are aggressive. Another one killed 5 people."
Tommyjones - "i dont know how you can even say the two have the same ability to inflict damage." Obviously you haven't seen my other posts on other threads. Please allow me reiterate...
"Regarding bites, don't believe everything you hear (or read)...
Many studies show that a Pits skeletal/musculature is no different then any other dog. Nor is their bite pressure disproportunate to their relative size.
Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic (Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force, 8pm est 8/18/2005) – Dr. Barr measured bite forces of many different creatures. Domestic dogs were included in the test.
Here are the results of the dogs tested:
Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.
“Statements concerning pit bulls ‘chewing’ with their molars while holding with their canine teeth and other statements which have pit bulls biting differently or more powerfully than other breeds have been made by people very unfamiliar with how a dog’s jaw structure works. After 30 years as a canine aggression expert, schutzhund trial decoy, expert witness on dog bites for the Seattle and Tacoma police departments, I concur with the conclusions reached by Dr. Brady Barr working with the National Geographic Society’s bite study which showed the pit bull’s bite to be unremarkable when compared to other breeds.” Diane Jessup, international speaker on canine aggression"
Tommyjones - "come on, a lab or a greyhound might take down a chicken or a rabbit, but they aren't going to kill 5 goats." - Many working breeds have antipathy towards other animals - coonhounds go mad at the sight of a raccoon, foxhounds will not hesitate to tear a dog-like fox to shreds, greyhounds and other sight hounds live to chase and maul rabbits and will eagerly kill cats. They are still used today to chase down and slaughter coyotes. Even the ever-friendly beagle will "murder" a rabbit, given the chance. And yet the greyhound, coon and foxhound and beagle are among the friendliest of breeds towards humans. And it is the same with the well bred Pit bull.
Vraiblonde - "Pitbulls suck and are the worst kind of dogs. Anyone who owns one is either an ignorant hillbilly or some ghetto banger. They should all be put down for the good of mankind." - I have seen some harsh things come across these forums but none of them have been as nasty, inconsiderate, and naive as what you just said. I take personal offense to your comment as I own 3 Pit bulls. I run a community service organization based out of Philadelphia, I am a respected professional dog trainer, and am the co-founder of a local K-9 Search & Rescue team. I am most certainly not the "ignorant hillbilly" or "ghetto banger" that you claim me to be.
All of my dogs are Therapy dogs and visit the local nursing homes and hospitals. One of my Pits is a certified Service Dog and another one is training to be a Search & Rescue (SAR) dog. Do to their training, they have all been temperament tested and deemed non-aggressive to both people and dogs.
Regarding temperament testing, in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 according to the American Temperament Test Society breed statistics, the "pit bull" (American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire and Staffordshire Bull) out performed the golden retriever, a breed noted for its gentle temperament.
Regarding Prey Drive
The Pit bull is a "game breed" which is a catagory that clasifies dogs bred to hunt game. Your Bull and Terrier breeds fall into this category.
All dogs have some form of prey drive, an instinctive reaction to chase something that moves. Its original purpose was for capturing prey as wolves, foxes, and wild dogs still do now. One of the benefits of the domestication of the dog was his instinct to chase, and thus aid in our capture of animals. What a dog does when it catches the object depends upon the training, breed of dog, and the object being chased by the dog.
The game dog's prey drive is usually equal to or greater than that of most hunting or herding breeds. They tend to enjoy the chase and are very attentive to anything that is running away. Their behaviour upon the capture, however, has been modified less than that of other groups, in that, they still want to kill the prey rather than just locating, moving, or fetching it. Not to say that individuals in other breeds do not also carry this characteristic, it is just more commonly seen in game dogs.
Prey drive is simply the manifestation of the dog's instinct to hunt for its food and has been retained or attenuated to some extent in particular breeds to meet our purposes.
My catchy wittle title got your big ol' pink panties in a wad. BFD dumb@ss. Who is talking about dogs getting hit? Have you been drinking already? Why do stupid tw@ts like you post around here so often lately? I swear half the noobs here are both aggressive and retarded. It's a disturbing combination of the pathetic and humorous, like angry bumbling Special Olympians.
I guess the "Literal" Police come out at night. Maybe my choice of words was wrong but get over it. And... I am glad that you are a possum hugger. I will send the next one over to your house before letting my dog out.
