Disadvantage to Owning Dogs - Pit Types

[Longblades]

Something I never thought of. Friend of a relative adopted an older "pitbull" type of dog. She says she'll never do it again. The muzzle in public is a nuisance but apparently her main complaint is the reaction from people they meet. Many change to the other side of the street, which bothers her as the girl dog is sweet, gentle and kind.

Worse is the other sort of person. The sort of dubious character who admire her dog and want to know if they can get puppies off her. These tend to be scruffy, scary looking men. I don't know how often she has these kinds of encounters but as she is a young woman I imagine they loom pretty large in her mind.

I never would have thought of that. Can any of you with pitty types relate?

[Floppy Dog]

I can relate, and I own a Cocker Spaniel!

There's the PB with moronic owners who greeted me by standing his fore-paws on my shoulders (I'm 5'5", 140lbs, female) nose to nose with me. His owner(s) hauled him off of me before I could stare him down. Six months later, same dog went on to bite my CS around the neck, causing permanent vocal cord damage. Since it was at a family picknick, I'm glad it was my dog and not one of the 6 or so children and toddlers running around.

Then there's the PB I met at the Whistler Starbucks during the Olympics. He was calm, well trained and socialized. His owners had a strong grasp of what it takes to handle a PB so that he's not a menace to society. My CS even touched noses and sniffed bums and she's very defensive around large dogs since she was attacked.

And then, for comparasin's sake, there's the 10lb ball of fluff that lives across the street. Whenever she comes out she barks her fool head of and charges whatever moves. But, since the worst she can do is a shallow puncture wound or scratch, no one pays any attention and some people even think it's cute!

I always check out the dog and owner's body language relative to each other before I approach. And I try very hard not to judge by breed, but by behaviour.

I will never understand why people don't put the effort into learning about the breed characteristics, behaviour, training, exercise levels and socialization before they buy or adopt. But then, it took me over a year of research before I chose a CS and then I read voraciously about training, socialization and body language so that my dog isn't one of the bad statistics.

[luckypenny]

I feel awful that your friend has to experience this prejudice .

Although we don't have a Pittie, we have the opposite problem here...Penny can be wearing her muzzle and people still try to maul her ..

[Longblades]

Hmmm. I don't think my post was clear. This girl is afraid of the people who admire her dog. They tend, some of them, to be unsavoury types and I don't think that's something the rest of us face, is it?

[Frenchy]

I don't have a "pit type" dog but .... I can see the difference on how people react , depending on which one of my dogs I'm with.

With my late Goldens , everybody would come over to pet them , adults and kids , never asking first if these goldens were ok with people . Now with Nelly ... we don't get the same treatment. Strangers will compliment on how beautiful she is but never once did one of them came over to pet her. They stay far.

[maneater]

When i am out with my chi's I get people asking all the time if they are going to have puppies and stuff like that. Most don't even ask if they can pet some of the just dive down and pet them which i usually try to catch them before they get to them. Makes me so nervous. My dogs are around children who maul them all day and have never bitten them but it makes me nervous when we are out in public if they will get nervous or something and possibly nip at them... but when I am with my lab the most I get is a head nod from other dog walkers and the occasional you have a beautiful dog. I could understand where the pit owner is coming from. My friend has a pitty and she is the most well tempered dog who is exercised and trained. A lot of men who are not so favorable looking come and approach her all the time. Also alot of nice looking people... I don't like to judge people based on their looks or judge dogs based on their breeds but I don't think I would feel comfortable with whatever dog i was walking and someone who was scary looking approached me.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by Longblades

Hmmm. I don't think my post was clear. This girl is afraid of the people who admire her dog. They tend, some of them, to be unsavoury types and I don't think that's something the rest of us face, is it?

With my last dog, a Dalmatian Black Lab cross, I had some fairly strange people come up to me thinking he was part or all pittie (wide flat head & deep chest both Dal traits, almost all black). Mostly just wanting to ask if he was a pittie or tell me they liked my dog, of course I wasn't always walking in the best neighbourhoods then and given my brisk confidant walking stance & his level of alertness they usually didn't stick around long.

Except for one woman who did actually start to make me nervous as I was waiting outside a store for someone, she came up & starting talking about dogs & tried to pet his head - the whole time he was standing partially infront of me growling low & deep - she never even noticed

[Goldfields]

Originally Posted by maneater

When i am out with my chi's I get people asking all the time if they are going to have puppies and stuff like that. Most don't even ask if they can pet some of the just dive down and pet them which i usually try to catch them before they get to them. Makes me so nervous.

As a former Chihuahua owner I can sympathise. People just don't realise how huge people must look to these little dogs when they lean down to them.

What was that girl/woman thinking when she got the PB type, surely she wasn't expecting people to fall all over it? People mainly hear about the PB attacks, and I'm talking your normal person the the street, not those who come on dog forums, so of course they will be very wary. A little fluffy would get her the sort of attention she'd like. I love my breed, ACDs, enough that I don't give a darn about the detours people make and am not out to convince anyone they should love them too. Of course it's easier for me because if I am approached by any unsavoury character I know the ACD will defend me if need be, they are very one person dogs and protective. I don't know if your PB is like that. If they are soft and friendly, do they still guard? Is it instinctive with them? Growler, you'd know what I mean because your dog would have protected you. There again, often a dog lover is a dog lover no matter how rough they look.

[aslan]

Longblades i understand what you're talking about totally. My nephew owns an alpha blueblood bulldog and he is less than thrilled with some of the people Brooklyn attracts. He says he gets the omg it's a pittie reaction where people avoid him or make comments about why would you own a killer dog,,then he gets the people with a brain who not only realize she isn't a pittie but what a sweetie pie she is,,,then as he says,,(my nephew is half black by the way)..he gets these morons with their pants down to the crack of their butt, looking like a breeze would pass through their ears commenting on his dog. Brooklyn is spayed and Keir carries a copy of her papers with him at all times to prove she isn't a pitt as some of our animal services workers fall under the omg catagory.I have a neighbour with a pittie and he is one of the sweetest, smartest dogs i've ever met due to the woman who owns him, yet what he would have become if some whitetrash moron got ahold of him...well i can just see the newspaper headlines now. As Frenchy said in another thread,,with the pittie ban the " i must have a vicious tough looking dog" group are going to move onto the next flavor of the month breed.

[BenMax]

As most know, I have the cutest little min pin....in appearance. I also have Maddox the bi-color GSD and a shih zsu (foster). I have EVERYONE wanting to touch the min pin who really should be muzzled yet they shy away from the GSD because he is black. When I ask people not to touch or approach the min pin they get all pissy. Little do they know that she is very protective as well as not stranger friendly and will bite.

Last weekend I was walking a beautiful pit, a GSD female and a tiny bichon maltese (all together). This pit has a HUGE head and is quite impressive. He seemed to attract the macho guys and the women would turn up their noses. I cannot tell you how soulful this pit is. He would not hurt a fly if it bit him.

I cannot imagine the pains that pittie and amstaff owners are going through. I have taken so many pits out of Ontario, and the owners are absolutely devasted that this was their only option in order to save their family member. This whole thing disgusts me to no end. As for me, I would never own this type of dog only because I would be limited on where I was allowed to live or go in the future. How tragic and sad.

BTW - I am currently networking for a gorgeous pittie girl of 6 months that needs out of a 'certain' province. If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears as I am failing to find a rescue group.

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by Longblades

Hmmm. I don't think my post was clear. This girl is afraid of the people who admire her dog. They tend, some of them, to be unsavoury types and I don't think that's something the rest of us face, is it?

Oh , I focused on your first paragraph rather than the second.

Working in the part of town I do, I've become accustomed to scary 'looking' people. I know of some normal looking folk that creep me right out though.

Perhaps she can learn ways to avoid having to speak to people she's uncomfortable with. She can pick up her pace and smile with a "sorry, I'm running late for an appointment" excuse. Or, does she speak a second language? She can always pretend to not speak English . Sometimes I take a dog in the car and drive to an area I'm very comfortable with in order to walk them without being disturbed. Is that an option for her? Keeps the sights and smells new and interesting for her dog at the same time.

The worst I've encountered here are people who walk right up our property (the house is set back from the road) to see our dogs at the fence, who clearly let the strangers know they're not welcome. I don't at all like people I don't know near the house . Last time it happened, I managed to get the dogs inside and stayed with them until the guy realized I wasn't coming back out and he went away . I've been asked if we were breeders many a time and, recently, if we had guard dogs for sale .

[mastifflover]

Believe me when Buddy was alive RIP sweet boy he weighed in at 190-200 pounds and people would run across the street his meanest trait he would drool on you. He did not have a mean bone in his body. But I would also meet the unsavory types who would want to know if he is a good fighter and could they breed him with there pit (A$$holes) I think you can get this with any breed that is big or muscular or just intimidating looking. I personally would be more scared of that little dog off leash who runs at you barking and growling. No offence to well trained little ones, who I am sure deal with that stigma of little dogs not trained. i would not let other peoples opinions sway me on adopting what ever breed I like. When Clark is ready there will be another Mastiff in my house.

[MissPuddin]

Yes, I run into all types when walking my American Staffordshire.
I believe the muzzle unfairly identifies the dog wearing it as being dangerous.

My Romeo is as sweet as honey.

Funny enough - children are so innocent..... they come over and ask what's on his face, not making any association to the muzzle. It is grown adults who go the other direction, or turn in the other direction. I understand as a parent it is your responsibility to teach your children to be wary of dogs.... but that goes with ALL dogs. They should talk to the owner first and ask if he's friendly, or if they can pet the dog. My dog loves stopping to say hello.

Most definitely the dog knows there is something negative about wearing the muzzle. The dogs feel the vibe from others and don't understand. Very sad.

I don't consider it to be a pain to put the muzzle on the dog, that's part of the deal of owning a Pitt-bull these days. However, I feel TERRIBLE that the dog finds it SO uncomfortable; especially in the summer. It is VERY hard for him to breathe properly - poor guy.

Looking forward to hearing more about the Pitts

MP

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by MissPuddin

However, I feel TERRIBLE that the dog finds it SO uncomfortable; especially in the summer. It is VERY hard for him to breathe properly - poor guy.

Looking forward to hearing more about the Pitts

MP

Do you use a basket muzzle?....If not your boy would probably find it more liberating.

Welcome to the forum MissPuddin, I see you live in Brampton, their AC is very zealous about carrying out BSL legislation, hopefully you have not been bothered by them.