Pit Bulls and Dog Parks

[Eric]

Pit Bulls and Dog Parks

I'll be honest and blunt here but the Truth must be heard!

Those who take Pit Bulls to "play" with the other dogs at the Dog Parks are doing the American Pit Bull Terrier (Pit Bulls) a disservice as well as a disservice to all Pit Bull Owners!

Why you ask?

Well, if you know the history of American Pit Bull Terriers (as you should know) then you will understand quite simply that being and wanting to fight other dogs is clearly in their history and should be respected if your a Responsible Dog (Pit Bull) Owner. You will know, understand, and respect the fact that it is built into their genetics and absolutely NO amount of training, loving, or socializing you do will trump their genetics of hundreds and hundreds of years worth of breeding programs.

You say, your Pit Bull is dog friendly? Granted, so are mine, for the most part. However, we still have to understand that just because your Pit Bull isn't showing any type of dog aggression doesn't mean you have a cold Pit Bull. ALL Pit Bulls will ALWAYS have the Potential to be Dog Aggressive at one point in their lifetime. As Responsible Owners, it's our place to ensure that our Pit Bulls are NOT set up for Failure as this Failure affects all APBTs and their Owners!

Just to add, you never know what types of parasites are living inside the Dog Parks either, so if your Pit Bull is Dog Friendly and you still choose to go to the Dog Park, I only hope you'll at least consider the health of your Pit Bull to be supreme over your personal desire to go hang out with other dog owners at the dog park.

I'll ride along with you on your thinking of "Not my dog" You have a proven dog friendly Pit Bull... You go to the Dog Park to socialize your Pit Bull with the other dogs... There is several dogs at the Dog Park, all running around "playing" together while their owners are chit chatting amongst themselves... This Black Lab starts pushing your Pit Bull around... Well, you try to get in between and stop the Lab from harassing your dog... The black lab owner notices and tells you, "just let them play. All the other dogs are playing" You catch the lab biting your Pit Bull out of the corner of your eye and then your Pit Bull has had enough and finally defends himself... oops... I forgot, in the eyes of the general public, the mainstream media, our lawmakers, and law enforcement... our Pit Bulls are NOT permitted to defend themselves... The media is now there to cover the story (yet another black eye for the "Pit Bulls" and their Responsible Owners) oh wait, you say it's not a Pit Bull? Too Bad! The media has already determined and published the incident as a "Pit Bull Viciously Kills Black Lab at the Dog Park!"

You see, the moral of the story is simple, I only wish more people would comprehend that the Risk of something goes wrong is NOT worth the trip to the Dog Park. Anything on any given day can and WILL go wrong. By setting your Pit Bull up for Failure will affect us all. We as the Pit Bull Community must hold ourselves to the higher standard by abiding by the Laws of the Land (including the Animal/Dog Laws) We must avoid places like the dog park as to Guarantee our pit bulls do NOT fail whether it's self defense or not is irrelevant as the Pit Bulls are Dogs are Property which means NO Rights, period.

One thing the Dog Park, in general, can guarantee is... is more fuel for BSL.

Please, for the love of American Pit Bull Terriers and "Pit Bull" type dogs, do NOT go the Dog Park and Risk further damage to the APBTs image and to prevent myself as well as other Responsible Pit Bull Owners from owning the Breed of our Choice due to your lack of Respect for Pit Bulls and the Responsible Owners there of.

[tarantino08]

This is not true and you yourself are one of te people makeing it hard for these dogs to do anything with your ignorance. I have a chocolte la who has biten 4 ppl and a pitbull who has never even growled at somebody so what does that say. O0o wait yourgun she shes not purbred right? sorry shes full bred purple ribbon so that wrong to. She goes to the dog park alot and loves it. Dog will be dogs just like boys will be boys and if we keep pretending that no dogs bite or that pitbulls bite more often then you are holding the beed back also. So why dont yu be a real advicate and break the mold instead of conforming to everything you claim you hate.

[PitBullHappenings]

tarantino08, do you pay attention to the media? the headlines? I own several dogs, it's not my dogs that I worry about. It's the other persons dogs that concern me. Fact is, our dogs (in the eyes of the general public, media, and law enforcement) are NOT allowed to defend themselves. If another person's dog attacks your alleged pure APBT, do you think the media is going to care who started the fight? I think not. They make their money off of the "Pit Bull kills..." Once the media gets the word of a dog fight and that a "Pit Bull" was involved, they'll do what they always do and spin the story to villianize the "Vicious Pit Bull" and once they publish their story on the front page the damage is done and hurts all the Responsible "Pit Bull" Owners. As APBT owners, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard and we must NOT set our dogs up for failure. Do you know any history of APBTs? If you do, which after your post is very questionable, you should be well aware that Dog Aggression is in their genetic makeup over hundreds and hundreds of years of breeding program. It's who they are, even the dog friendly APBTs which ALL APBTs no matter how dog friendly they are have a great potential to be dog aggressive at some point in their lives. Fact is we can't afford to keeping making the same mistakes and failing our dogs. Irresponsible APBT owners are costing individuals the right to own their breed of choice. The carelessness continues to add fuel to BSL. Our "Pit Bulls" image, the APBT breed, and the Responsible owners are under attack and by setting your dog up for failure not only continues to hurt the breed as whole but it hurts the Responsible owners as well.

Becareful on who you accuse of being ignorant as well... Especially, after posting a post like yours... talk about calling the kettle black...

APBTs don't need doggy friends. What they need and want are their humans. That's what APBTs want. Do some research and stop assuming.

oh... and you are right about "dogs will be dogs" so, when a golden retriever or a lab or whatever other breed decides they don't like your APBT and decides to lung at her and she defends herself and seriously injures or even kills the other dogs, don't bother coming back here whining and crying about your town/county/state passing the "Pit Bull" ban... Thanks a lot for your intelligence and common sense on the matter... 8-)

[PitBullHappenings]

to add...

Your post just proves how responible you are if you have a dog that has bitten 4 people...

[Poohdogz]

RULE #1

NEVER trust a pit bull NOT to fight. This rule must be adhered to or there will be trouble.............trust me. It is that one person who says, oh my dog would never do that, who is partially to blame for the destruction of this wonderful, loyal, loving breed. So instead of getting on your soapbox to preach how "cold" your dog is and that your dog wouldn't fight, you should be practicing Rule #1 and there might not be as much BSL out there.

Sue & Abby

[Michele]

(04-27-2010 11:20 AM)tarantino08 Wrote:  This is not true and you yourself are one of te people makeing it hard for these dogs to do anything with your ignorance. I have a chocolte la who has biten 4 ppl and a pitbull who has never even growled at somebody so what does that say. O0o wait yourgun she shes not purbred right? sorry shes full bred purple ribbon so that wrong to. She goes to the dog park alot and loves it. Dog will be dogs just like boys will be boys and if we keep pretending that no dogs bite or that pitbulls bite more often then you are holding the beed back also. So why dont yu be a real advicate and break the mold instead of conforming to everything you claim you hate.

Dogs will be dogs just like boys will be boys? You are comparing humans to animals.

The american pit bull terrier is dog aggressive, a genetic trait. Not all breeds have this trait, but the pit bull does. I would never set my dog up to fail by bringing them to a dog park.

A real advocate is going to educate, and part of that education is letting the public know that dog parks can be a negative element that could be avoided.

[Marty]

More often than they should, pit bull owners wonder about the dog park issue, finding themselves explaining to others that their dog is not a "killing machine," it is not "one of those pit bulls" and there is no reason that their dog can’t enjoy off leash time with unknown dogs. Some will even insist that "you only add to the misconception toward this breed when you don't allow your friendly pit bull to go to the dog park.” After all, these people argue that it is all about "how we raise them" and providing socialization is the key to no problem dogs. Unfortunately, that’s not true.

Dog aggression in our own dogs should not be a problem. Good management and knowledge prevent trouble. Responsible and caring pit bull owners have done their homework and know what to expect from the breed. This breed's genetic traits involve dog aggression, to varying degrees. Even the most well socialized pit bull can one day decide that other dogs are not play buddies. It happens most often when the dog reaches maturity between two and three years of age, and it can happen without apparent reason.

Here are some good articles for basic breed information:

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


Because of the breed's background, it is unfair to expect dogs to behave the way we want them to when it comes to dog aggression and dog to dog relationships. We set our dogs up for failure when we decide to let them off leash in a public place and allow them to romp with other dogs. Dog parks are a place where people like to chit chat with each other, paying very little attention to what happens around their dogs. Posturing, body language, subtle looks and even vocalization are often misunderstood or overlooked by dog owners. Even when dogs let us know what is about to happen we might not see what is happening until it is too late. Most dog owners have no idea of what body language means, and don’t know how to intervene if things go wrong. They panic, scream, yell, and hit the attacking dog; all of which often just makes things worse. A fight between two dogs can be hard enough to stop; now imagine a fight among 4 or 5 of them. In fights like these, pets and even people can be seriously injured.

Dog parks are also a place where unknown dogs are present. We don't know if they’re fully vaccinated or in good health. They can be sick and our dogs can get ill as well.

We don't know if they are truly friendly dogs or if they may be aggressive. Everybody's dog is friendly, according to their owners. When the "friendly" dog decides to snap at ours, a fight starts.

Who is going to be blamed for that fight? Will it be the pit bull or the cute little fluffy dog? The answer is obvious.

Here is the story of one accident at a dog park, involving a pit bull.:

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/dogpark.cfm

Below is an article about a pit bull named Nettie that attacked a police horse, in San Francisco, in 2003. Nettie was let off leash at a public park by her irresponsible owner. The dog did nothing wrong, but she was set up for failure by the person who should have protected her. Nettie belonged to an SPCA volunteer and she was often taken to senior centers to comfort the elderly. Nettie was a good dog. This pretty pit bull female paid the price for her owner’s ignorance and irresponsibility with her life. Many dogs have lost their lives the same way, due to the same kind of irresponsibility. It took her life for her owner to "get it.” Like most situations of this sort, the events that ultimately resulted in Nettie’s unfair death were totally preventable.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...orse23.DTL


Each time a pit bull is allowed to harm another pet all pit bull owners and their dogs suffer. One common defensive reaction of dog park lovers is "the dog is mine and it is nobody's business where I take it.” This is not true. It is every pit bull owner's business as well. We are surrounded by BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) all over the Country. The news media report dog to dog attacks or dog to cat/cow/horse/sheep attacks almost every day, and with the same attention as if Osama Bin Laden had been captured. Reporters often compare human aggression to animal aggression. How many times do we hear "it was a dog but it could have been a child"?

It is ridiculous but it happens every day. “There goes another vicious pit bull attacking an innocent dog or cat!” What happens after a pit bull attacks another dog in the neighborhood or at the local dog park? It is like we suddenly own wild animals that have no right to exist. Our friendly neighbor suddenly stops talking to us and no longer lets her children come around our dog. The person we used to walk our dog with is no longer available because she fears for her pet. The two men down the street no longer come and pet our dog when we walk by their homes or rush into the house if they have their dogs with them. People ask for a ban. We did not change and our dog is the same as always but this is the result of one mistake, caused by someone who obviously did not care about the rest of us. It is a sad situation to be in.

This breed doesn't need any more accidents, we can't afford them. We are in this situation thank to those who failed their own dogs. When a whole breed suffers because of someone's action it is our business as well. No doubt on that.

Vet bills aren't cheap, emotions can be overwhelming, the guilt stays, so why to risk it? It isn't fair that only one breed is targeted when dogs of other breeds have killed or attacked other dogs. Today, a dog behaving like a dog has become a sin. Fair or not that is how the situation is and every pit bull owner needs to understand it.

The point of socialization is for a dog to have positive experiences with other dogs. When people take their dogs, perhaps puppies, to a park and something happens, they are responsible for the consequences. A young dog that is attacked for no reason won't be so willing to be friendly the next time it meets an unknown dog. An experience like that is a bad start and can often lead to problems in the future. There are no guarantees on what can happen at a dog park because dog parks are often full of different dogs with different personalities and tolerance levels. Even an easy going adult dog can change its approach after an attack. It is hard enough for a dog of this breed to tolerate other dogs and it is a big mistake to contribute to bad experiences. Dogs should always rely on us to defend them--the trust factor is important. We are responsible for protecting our dogs from harm. A dog that has no choice but to defend itself loses its trust in the owner and knows that in the future it needs to take care of itself. It then becomes fearful of other dogs and not so willing to behave like a well-balanced dog that was socialized in the appropriate way.

How can we socialize around other dogs then? Good question. Socialization is a must but it has to be done with common sense and in a controlled environment. Perhaps a friend has a mellow dog of the opposite sex and he/she is willing to let the dogs play together. Both owners should know that there is the possibility of a scrap and will intervene immediately and with the appropriate tools/techniques. Both owners will watch their dogs closely and never leave them unsupervised.

Every pit bull owner should have a breaking stick available, even when on a walk, hidden somewhere. It is a quick and effective way to break a hold.

What is a breaking stick and why it is an important tool to have:
http://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html

Some information on how to break up a fight:
http://www.pbrc.net/breakfight.html

Obedience classes are an option too. In obedience classes, the dogs are leashed and can learn to control themselves in the presence of other dogs. It is not necessary for a pit bull to be dog friendly, but it is necessary for us to help them learn to control natural behaviors. Dogs that are exposed to this kind of environment can learn to behave with some time and work.

The local feedstore/petstore is another way to socialize our dogs, because they are another place where dogs are leashed. It’s important to remember that it doesn’t mean we don't need to pay attention to the surroundings. Respect the comfort level of your dog and move away from other dogs if necessary. Face to face interactions can quickly end badly, even when both dogs are leashed.

Those who are still convinced that a pit bull belongs to a dog park would benefit from reading these links. Their dogs and all of us will benefit as well.Please, don't set your dog up for failure.

http://www.pbrc.net/dogpark.html
http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/DOGPARK.html

[Lucy Loo]

Take it from someone who almost learned the hard way......my male Bubba, at age 5 years old, would not have harmed a fly. So in my ignorance I took him to a dog park along the beach and he had an absolute BALL running with the dogs along the water. All was good until someone's Yellow Labrador decided he didn't like Bubba and ran up and bit Bubba in the face. My husband interceded and told the owner of the Lab to get his dog away from Bubba, as the Lab kept snipping at him, all the while while Bubba just stood there, standing his ground, but not reacting to the other dog. Seems this guy was looking for an incident to happen so he could prove that Pit Bulls are dangerous, and he was willing to throw his own dog in there to prove his point. So even if your dog isn't dog-aggressive, there will always be people out there who do not like your dog and will try to set it up for failure.
I would definitely NEVER take my adult Pit Bull to a dog park. Needless to say, Bubba's temperment is alot more growly as he has gotten older.

[bigkahunabo2]

I somewhat agree with your view about taking a pit bull to dog parks, however in my case I have stopped taking mine not because of fighting but because he has lost interest in playing with the other dogs. All he wants to do is smell. Heck he can do that at home. He is a Amstaff so I am not sure that makes a difference. He has been going to dog parks since he was 6 months old and will be 4 this August. He is well socialized and will only pick certain dogs he likes to pal around with. I must say he did have a incident where another dog a mixed pit bit him on the ear and he cowarded away and did nothing. The people that were at the park were amazed at how composed he was and all agreed the other dog should leave not Sherman. So it can work both ways. Like I said he has lost interest, however we still take him to the pet stores and on vacation with us to keep him socialized.

[Stryder]

(04-27-2010 11:20 AM)tarantino08 Wrote:  This is not true and you yourself are one of te people makeing it hard for these dogs to do anything with your ignorance. I have a chocolte la who has biten 4 ppl and a pitbull who has never even growled at somebody so what does that say. O0o wait yourgun she shes not purbred right? sorry shes full bred purple ribbon so that wrong to. She goes to the dog park alot and loves it. Dog will be dogs just like boys will be boys and if we keep pretending that no dogs bite or that pitbulls bite more often then you are holding the beed back also. So why dont yu be a real advicate and break the mold instead of conforming to everything you claim you hate.

The point of keeping your pit bulls out of dog parks has NOTHING to do with how they interact with people. It's all about how they interact with other dogs, so I'm not sure where your biting lab comes into play. What does your pit bull not growling at someone say? That it's temperamentally correct since they shouldn't be human aggressive. Dog aggression can turn on as late as 3 or 4 years though, so good luck with that dog park thing. Everyone says it won't happen to them...until it does.