I was at PT yesterday and the discussion with the therapist turned to dogs. He was telling me about a pit bull he had. They were eating outside when the dog started barking and trying to get off the leash. He let him off the leash and the dog dived under the table and grabbed a copper head that had been under it. The dog got bit and had to be put down but no one in the family got hurt. Always thought Pit bulls reputation for being vicious was because their owners trained them that way. Looks like they might be getting a bum rap.

This thread is probably going to go the same way the last one did, which was basically. ..shoot on sight.

But......if you Google Popsicle the pit bull you'll find a decorated boarder patrol dog that made record drug finds. Who was originally found as a puppy stuffed in a bag inside a freezer

Or....
Weela, who helped save 32 people, 29 dogs, 3 horses, and 1 cat

Or......
D-Boy, who took three bullets to save his family from an intruder with a gun

Or.....
Lilly, who lost a leg after being struck by a freight train while pulling her unconscious owner from the train tracks

Or.....
Titan, who rescued his owner's wife, who would have died from an aneurysm.

Most other facts about them are either half true or flat out false. For instance the lock jaw. False. No such thing exists. They have strong muscles which are not easy to pry open with human hands but so do other large dogs. Nor do they have the strongest bite. That goes to Rottweilers. A 2013 study of 256 fatalities in the United States from 2000–2009, the AVMA determined that valid breed determination was possible for only 17.6% of cases.

I was a volunteer at a shelter and all the pit bulls I came in contact with were great with people. Some did not get along with other dogs. We had a enclosed yard on each side of the building and two of them would fetch a toy and bring right back to me so I could throw it again. As with any dog it is about how they were trained and treated.

I've only had contact with good ones, and I've heard them called nanny dogs by several people. I googled that to find a good link to share, but I found this instead.

The TRUTH About Pit Bulls: The Nanny Dog Myth Revealed

Hmmm.

During the 1920s pit bulls were one of the most popular family dogs in the United States. They were so well-liked that a pit bull, Pal, was a much beloved character in the popular films about Our Gang, later called The Little Rascals.

It's all how there raised. My rottie was a gentle giant. She nipped my lab puppy when he jumped on her.

Wasn't that petey? That little guy in the front is spanky. This pic is old.

All the pitties I've ever met were big goofballs, in my experience.

They don't get mean by themselves.

I have heard of two family pets that after years of being totally fine with people wound up attacking either unprovoked or due to provocation that was accidental and minor. Basically, the dogs went nuts. I believe that can happen with any animal/dog. Some can just do more damage than others when they snap.

My dad used to have one. It would flop all over visitors, myself included. At the same time, I watched it closely. I was never 100% comfortable around it.

We should never trust any animal completely. I do watch them closely.

First when trailing them never hit them. Raise and lower your voice for repermands and good actions. Your tone of your voice does work.
Hand signals and facial expressions plus eye contact works too. My rottie understood everything I meant.

One thing I miss with her was howling together.

A buddy of mine that moved from Memphis to Maine had the biggest, meanest looking brindle pit I ever saw. Every time I was up there the big brute would jump up in my lap, lick my face, and wind up going to sleep next to me. Maybe it was because I owned his girlfriend, a very sweet lab, pit bull mix. He was trying to make her master feel welcome.

Pits aren't born mean.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

My daughter has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, in the Pit Bull family. It is one mean looking dog and the sweetest, most sensitive dog I have ever met. I can't talk her into giving him to me. A great dog.

I have a North American pit bull terrier that we named Bob. I've probably repeated this story here. Bob was standing at the front door with my brother in law and I let the both of them in. I asked if he was his dog and got back I thought he was yours. Kinda a abbot and costello thing who's on first. Well bob has been with us for about 4 years and has been chipped,dipped and clipped. Has not shown any vicious traits. Will sleep with the wife most times except when she isn't at home,then I get him. For some reason when he sleeps with either of us he always has to have physical contact with whomever he's sleeping with. During thunderstorms he'll climb up in my lap shivering and sometimes goes to sleep. Very friendly with everybody and if your on the couch he'll climb up and go to sleep. Am definitely one who says that if you treat dogs like this and treat them right and love them you'll have no problems. Just a big lovable dog. Frank

Unfortunately for that breed, and Rotts and a couple others, a lot of them are owned by thugs because they can be extremely vicious. In West Seattle a couple years ago, for instance, a thug with a Pit sic'd it on an older gentleman's little dog, while he was walking it! I'm really thankful that wasn't me, I'd be in jail right now! It still makes my blood boil!

The few that I've known have been as gentle and friendly as big puppies.

I never liked those dogs very much after seeing a few attacks on people. One of my construction workers brought his to a jobsite a couple of days ago and had it chained to his trailer. It was a young one and I walked by it and he said it was really friendly so I started petty it. A little bit later I walked by it again and pet it for a minute or so and everything was fine and then I stopped and started to back away. The dog started growling and came right at my crotch and I was backing up fast a fell down on the asphalt right as he came to the end of his chain. His owner came over and started yelling at his dog, and I'm not a young guy so its no fun falling on asphalt anymore and I made it clear to never bring that dog on one of my jobsites again.

This is my vicious bulldog. Her dad is full American Pitbull and her mom is full boxer....and she is full of rottenness. Lord, help us get through the puppy stage.

-Jenn (formerly known as wildfiresrozes..lol)

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I would get grumpy if I was chained to a trailer all day myself. Yelling and screaming at a dog doesn't teach them much either.

Or this one where she could possibly be attacking this innocent kitty, since she is 50% PB.

Actually, she does attack the kitty.....and the kitty attacks her....bc they are bff's and like to play. lol.

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I've been around a large number of dogs. Some I owned, some were neighbors, some friends. I often wrestle with my friend's neighbor's 2 year old Pitt bull. From all these dogs the only one that ever seriously bit me was a chocolate lab. Got me on the back of my hand and the palm.

Only one that ever got me or even showed aggression towards me was a blue heeler..

Physical contact while sleeping with their human is a sign that the dog trusts you implicitly, especially if they sleep stretched out or curled up with their back against you.

I've lived with and studied dogs for twenty-eight years (I have Rottweilers). They have taught me so much, and I'm convinced they have made me a better person.

My son has a Pitbull , Joe he is the biggest baby, loving. When we go for a visit he can't wait for you to put your bags down so you can pet him. He gets me in a chair or sofa and gets beside me and wants to lick my ear. He is so mean that when the post man comes he has to give Joe a treat. If you are a stranger your not getting in the house until you are formally introduced to Joe.

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Carpriver.

What about when they lie over your neck and sometimes face? Is that trust, or is my puppy trying to kill me in my sleep?

Well ....... I bred, trained, and kept Bulldogs (APBT's) for more than 35 years. Back in the late 1930's and early 1940's my maternal grandfather was both a prominent county sheriff as well as a leading New Jersey state politician. I grew up in my grandparents' home; and there was always a police-trained Pitbull, right there, with us.

My grandmother liked to tell me the story about a prominent cat burglar who drove my grandfather near-crazy by successfully pulling off late night and early morning in-home robberies across Newark's affluent Weequahic Park neighborhood.

The police (Who answered to the Sheriff's Department in those days.) had no luck trying to catch this cat burglar, and the Newark Evening News (today's Star-Ledger) seemed to delight in raking my grandfather, 'over the coals' for being unable to stop the guy.

This burglar was so brazen that he even sent the newspaper a letter stating that he intended to keep right on robbing homes in and around where my grandparents lived. Naturally my grandfather increased the nighttime patrols, and even put plainclothes officers out on the street all night long; but, somehow, the cat burglar managed to pull-off two more successful robberies. (To say that my grandfather was professionally embarrassed would be an understatement. He was humiliated!)

Then, one quiet night, 'Buddy', granddad's Pit Bulldog, got up from the foot of the bed, let out a soft growl, and rushed downstairs. My grandparents woke up, heard a loud commotion, a scream, and then a heavy crash with the sound of glass breaking! My grandfather rushed downstairs, 38 Special revolver in-hand, and gasped when he saw that his brand new, talk of the neighborhood, 'plate glass window' was shattered; and Buddy was busy engaging the dark figure of a screaming man in the bushes down below!

(That, 'plate glass window' had just been installed, was the very first one on our block, and had caused quite a stir in a neighborhood of affluent homes. Today, we call them, 'picture windows'; but, back in the 1930's they were brand new and, 'all the rage' among families who could afford them.)

My grandfather said that he rushed outside in his bathrobe, and saw Buddy hanging on tight to a man's buttocks as the fellow spun round and round screaming, 'Get him off me!' 'Get him off me!' They couldn't because Buddy wouldn't let go; and it took the arriving ambulance crew to administer a sedative to my granddad's Bulldog in order to get him to finally release his bite on that cat burglar's butt!

In private conversations around our home my grandfather admitted that he had quickly realized who Buddy had to be hanging onto; and as the guy attempted to run away, yelling and screaming, with granddad's Pit Bulldog hanging onto his butt, my grandfather admitted that he sorely wanted to shoot him, and had even aimed his revolver at the man as he was trying to run away; but, he told my grandmother that he was laughing so hard he was unable to aim, and safely take the shot!

In my grandfather's defense: Back in those days it was a different America, with radically different social values, and law-enforcement standards than exist today. Back then criminals were more difficult to catch; and, any and all means possible were used in order to prevent a lawbreaker from successfully getting away - Which included shooting at fleeing felons! (Like I said, 1930's and 40's America was a different world than the one we're living in, today.)

After having grown up with American Pitbull Terriers I never lost, either, my love for or fascination with the breed - A breed which was then highly regarded and, at the time, used for home protection by many prominent American families. Families like the John D. Rockefellers, themselves!

(I would know, too, because before my grandfather took, 'early retirement' and became active in New Jersey state politics and law-enforcement, he'd spent most of his working life as a Vice President of the Standard Oil Company, and worked closely with John D., himself. The Rockefeller's kept large Pit Bulldogs as protectors for both their families and estates. It might not be in today's history books; but this is an accurate historical fact of which I am, quite possibly, one of the few remaining people still alive with personal knowledge of these facts!)

Fast forward to 1990: By that time our Bulldogs had dropped several litters; and I'd kept and personally trained 7 or 8 Bulldogs in: search, rescue, and guard dog work. America's organized news media discovered, 'Pit Bulls' at sometime during the fall of 1986. How do I know? Well, one night, I got home very late from work and was sitting in my La-Z-Boy recliner, exhausted, and with a large female Bulldog stretched across my lap when, all of a sudden, I heard a TV newscaster blurt out words to the effect, 'Killer Pitbull mauls pregnant woman, and eats her unborn baby!'

Gasp! I looked at my, 'little girl', looked at my wife, and (in a flash of divine inspiration) I remarked, 'Oh, my God, we're really going to be in for it now!' Sure enough with a catch phrase like, 'land shark' or, 'Pitbull' there was no way the organized American news media were going to let this one go! In the ensuing mad dash to come up with more and more, 'media events' the next several years produced one more killer Pitbull story after another!

In fact ANY DOG THAT BIT ANYBODY FOR ANY REASON was instantly morphed by the sensational organized news media into a, 'killer Pitbull'. Rhyme and reason, history, and countless examples of outstanding heroism and social behavior by America's former, 'police dog-of-choice' were almost instantly forgotten overnight!

I learned something about my fellowman, too. People-in-general love to have a boogeyman; they love to have something to hate, and vent their own, 'killer Pitbull instincts' upon! We'd been living quietly in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town for almost a decade before I noticed that some of our neighbors were treating me rather cooly; and, yes, I was pretty sure that I knew, 'Why'.

One day the town mayor's father knocked on our door. He was our neighbor from the other end of the street. He said there was something he wanted to discuss; and he and I sat down on the porch while he told me about some of the, 'hate mail' the town council had been receiving about our Bulldogs, and the fact that we kept a pack of, 'rabid child-eating killers' around the house!

As we were speaking he kept petting the head of my large male Bulldog. (The smartest and best trained Bulldog I've ever owned!) The two of them really seemed to get along well together; and, I had already noticed that whenever the judge (Yes, the mayor's father was also the town judge.) walked by our house and saw the Bulldogs he always stopped and called that particular dog over to him.

We talked for quite awhile; and, as he got up to leave, I just had to ask him, 'Why' he seemed to be so fond of, 'Dancer'? The Judge thought for a moment before replying, 'When I was a boy I had a dog that looked exactly like him; and Dancer brings back a lot of pleasant memories for me.'

A few years after the judge and I had this conversation, bright and early on a quiet Sunday morning, a huge filthy dirty street vagrant suddenly came walking in through the unlock front door of our home. He looked at me, saw that I was on crutches, gave me an evil leering grin, and began walking straight towards me!

As he passed by my wife I thought I was dead, and that she would be soon to follow. I was so scared I completely forgot we owned (Ready?) attack-trained Pit Bulldogs; and, as the guy's right hand slipped into his pocket, I began counting off my last moments by beginning to say the Lord's Prayer. THAT is when I heard the first deep growl come rolling down from the top of the stairs! What a relief!

That guy very quickly lost the sheit-eating grin on his face; and, thinking very fast, he actually ran backwards to the door he'd just entered through, and leaned his body against it as the first of the bulldogs hit the glass trying to get at him! I saw him put his hands together, pleading for me not to hobble over there and let the Bulldogs have him. (It was so close that if he'd taken the time to actually turn around before he started running, the Bulldogs would definitely have had him for breakfast!)

I knew the absolute, 'field day' the local news media would have if I were to release the Bulldogs on him; so, in order to protect our Pitbulls, I waved him off, and let him get away, scot-free! Maybe the police could have caught him; but it took them almost 20 minutes to arrive; and, by that time, the fellow was completely gone.

So, as far as we're concerned: Two, 'killer Pit Bulldogs' saved the lives of, both, myself and my wife; and for this I'll always be grateful to a breed that, because of my own now advanced age, I'm no longer able to keep; and to be perfectly candid about this: Sometimes it makes me very nervous to have to go to sleep inside an empty house without those Bulldogs being there to watch over us throughout the night.

No, the original dog was named "Pal". His offspring was named "Pete" and replaced him in the series around 1930. Note that the circle around the eye shifts from the left side to the right side in the later films, and the ear color is different. Other dogs were also used in a few sequences. They may have the left/right comment reversed.

Pal had a partial circle around one eye. Because the circled eye made Pal so memorable, the makeup experts for the show simply finished off the ring with dye.





See
Pal, the Wonder Dog, and his Offspring Pete - America Comes Alive

They lick you and want the same in return! Start licking!!!

Depending who bob is sleeping with he will actually get up and plop himself so that his back is up against the back of ho he is sleeping with. When laying on the bed or couch he'll just lie back on his back with everything hanging out. He does that also when someone wants to pet him. As almost to say rub me or scratch me all over. The two cats we also have just ignore him most times but I've seen bob nose to nose with Dyna our black and white tuxedo cat. And when my daughter's fiancee brings his snow white shepard they end up on the floor wrestling with each other. Frank