I don’t know the laws in AZ, but here in SW MO I would have popped that pit bull right off and had little worry about repercussions because there wouldn’t have been any.
Dog Attack
- Thread starter Oldengineer
- Start date
crstrode
Member
Compensating with big dogs?
My wife and I went to the shelter and rescued a little pup of less than 20 pounds. The folks at the shelter said it would likely be 40 pounds or less when full grown. She grew and grew and grew, now about 18 months later, she weighs-in at over 100 lbs. :-0
A doggie DNA test showed us it was 50% Doberman and the rest mostly Belgian Malinois.
Makes a great watchdog that will scare the beejeezus outta trespassers. I doubt that she'd stand a chance against the average cranky house cat.
September 2024
October 2025
Last edited:
I agree that most Pit Bull problems are owner problems, but pits seem to have more of a not too dormant attack and kill response to territorial violations by other mammals lurking just below the surface of their normal, non-threatening behavior.
I personally would never own one just for liability risks. If someone needs or wants a dog there lots of other breeds that will make just as good or better pets than a Pit Bull.
Life’s too short to take unnecessary risks.
Boy that’s a monster!
Good thing it’s a nice dog.
Depends on where you live.
Nearly all my life we have lived in the country where no one confined their dogs at all, with few or no problems. If a dog got to be a problem chasing livestock or killing chickens or pet cats, a warning would be given to the owners. If the problem persisted, dead doggie. Sometimes the owner would be notified, other times it was shoot-shovel-and-shut-up.
I like to see dogs and cats have the opportunity to roam freely outside most of the time if they want to. Makes for a happier, if sometimes shorter, life for them. If I lived where that was not practical, I wouldn’t have a pet. I know people who keep BIG dogs in a small cage in the house all day while they are at work. No way would I ever do that to a dog of any size, especially a big one.
Pisses me off just thinking about it.
Last edited:
That is something to consider.
I am a cat lover, and have in the past thought that it would be neat to have a 25 to 30 pound cat like a flower shop owner around here has.
But after a few weeks consideration I decided against it for the reason you described above.
I carry every day knowing I’m more likely to have to shoot an attacking dog, poisonous snake, or wounded deer hit by a car than a human.
And that’s okay with me.
My experience has been that the ankle-biters are more likely to bite you than bigger ones. Insecurity issues, I guess.What are gun owners compensating for?
I love big dogs. I think all ankle biter dogs should be banned from the US. I hate those things.
At least they are less likely to kill you.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2024
- Messages
- 183
- Reaction score
- 398
i also have this guy he is a little smaller than a dane but had him dna tested and the look doesn't always tell the whole story 
That dog above, post 99, looks exactly like my Dillon I had years ago. He was supposedly half German shepherd/ half Doberman. He was very smart and never backed down from another dog, if one wanted some, but the nicest dog to humans as any pup could be. He helped me out, though, when I needed it once! Damn, that looks a lot like him!
sigp220.45
US Veteran
This thread lives! I’m still walking dogs at the shelter and my pit bull renaissance continues.
If I had room I’d give sweet Luke a home.
If I had room I’d give sweet Luke a home.
Autonomous
Member
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2017
- Messages
- 1,631
- Reaction score
- 2,680
My wife's metric for dog size is she should not have to bend over to pet them. We've had mostly rescue rottweiler and rottweiler crosses.
When we had a close up, ~60', encounter with a cougar, our 2 dogs that ran it off were Great Dane-Aussie crosses. That was also the day my wife told me to go buy that 629 I wanted.
Our current rott was a semi-feral dog that lived on the streets with various drug addicts that came and went account of moving along, jail, death, etc. Understandably he does not like to be left alone.
When we had a close up, ~60', encounter with a cougar, our 2 dogs that ran it off were Great Dane-Aussie crosses. That was also the day my wife told me to go buy that 629 I wanted.
Our current rott was a semi-feral dog that lived on the streets with various drug addicts that came and went account of moving along, jail, death, etc. Understandably he does not like to be left alone.
Last edited:
crstrode
Member
If by "Flexi-Leads" you mean the retractable leashes made by Flexi, and other manufacturers, I think they are great!
I buy Flexi brand retractable leashes for my dogs. The thing is, the human using a retractable lead needs to get the hang of it.
Keep it locked with the thumb button so the dog won't jerk your arm out of the socket when Fido spots a squirrel. I am constantly taking up slack or letting it our depending upon how far the dog wants to go. My dog always thinks I am moving too slow
. If a car drives by, or when approaching other people, it is a simple matter to let the leash retract and keep her close. The spring reel for retracting the leash is there ONLY for winding-in the lead - not to pull the dog back to heel. It is my arm, or my orders, that pulls the dog back close.An adequately trained dog will do what it has been taught (i.e. heel when commanded to do so). I figure letting them roam a bit within the 25 foot or so radius of the leash gives them 3 miles of exercise on my 1-mile walk.
I have had no problems with dogs in the 80 to 120 pound range. Our 5-pound toy poodle even had a light-duty one that worked just as well.
The one I have now is rated for dogs of over 120 lbs.
Well that tells me that Pits were not involved in 72% of fatal attacks.I know many just love Pit Bulls, but everyone needs to read this article from Wikipedia about fatalities due to dog attacks. Pit Bulls are responsible for 28% of human fatalities during the period 1979 to 1998 where there were 66 documented human fatalities. This is out of all the other "vicious" dog breeds, Rotties, Malamutes, German Shepherds, Dobies, etc. Not a big number, but a very high percentage of the total was Pit Bulls.
Read the article!!!
There are many on-line dog attack and fatality articles, Google dog fatalities and you will be amazed/disgusted.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2021
- Messages
- 7,204
- Reaction score
- 13,839
But
Pitts are not worth the liability risk for me.
Plenty of other good breeds out there that have better reputations.
I don't think I have ever seen a good use of one, and based on that, you are a complete outlier. I do applaud you, but stick to my position. Most of the out of control dogs I see are on Flexi-leads, and a few have had the poor judgment to come after my much larger and fortunately better trained dogs.
Might be a bias, but ...
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2024
- Messages
- 183
- Reaction score
- 398
i have a love for dogs especially rescues......unfortunately most rescues are pit or pit mix so there is that. I go for the dogs who need most help or dogs that have been there the longest and with the stigma with pits they are usually the ones
crstrode
Member
Out of control dogs are usually associated with out of control owners . . . imagine that.
I really wish this thread would have stayed dead. Lots of ignorance and opinion here. I don't put a lot of faith in "statistics", because I can't tell you how many "Pitbulls" that are reported roaming and being aggressive actually turn out to be everything from a Great Pyrenees to a Beagle. Some of you folks sound just like the anti "assault weapons" people... "It's scary and should be banned!"
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 9,356
- Reaction score
- 21,371
- City & State/Province
- NM - Land of Enchantment
The one I killed was a pit bull.I really wish this thread would have stayed dead. Lots of ignorance and opinion here. I don't put a lot of faith in "statistics", because I can't tell you how many "Pitbulls" that are reported roaming and being aggressive actually turn out to be everything from a Great Pyrenees to a Beagle. Some of you folks sound just like the anti "assault weapons" people... "It's scary and should be banned!"
I was being a smart ass. I would not own one either. I think most are good dogs. Would not have one around children because it is not worth the chance. I also would not have more than one. Any dog is more dangerous in a group. People are the problem breading dogs with bad traits and letting dogs run loose. I have two rescue dogs that we got as puppies and I am sure they have some pit in them along with many other breeds. Both are great around kids and even small dogs. Neither looks like a pit but both have one or two features that look like they could have come from that breed.
The common denominator with the overwhelming majority of dog attacks is an unleashed dog. Good breed or bad breed, responsible or irresponsible owner a dog behind a fence or on a 6ft leash is a controllable animal.
K Frame Keith
Member
My mom once had a Doberman. The damn thing would turn and bite you while you were petting it then wag it’s stump of a tail. Some dogs are just bred wrong. Stay safe out there.
My surgeon knows I like to hike and walk my country roads. I've told him I carry dog treats and a cane to deal with dogs. When I had my first knee replacement he told me that quite often a dog bite on a leg with an artificial joint results in the limb getting amputated because of infection.
Now I also carry bear spray and a .45
Now I also carry bear spray and a .45
IronSkillet
Member
In the news this morning. Prayers for the family.
https://www.wtvy.com/2026/02/20/dogs-maul-daleville-teen-killing-him-coroner-says/
https://www.wtvy.com/2026/02/20/dogs-maul-daleville-teen-killing-him-coroner-says/
crstrode
Member
I once had a big Doberman named Bruno.
He would growl at visitors, and when they froze, he would slowly approach and pee on their leg - every time.
Bruno was a good boy!
K Frame Keith
Member
This is Daisy. She pounces on her prey from above!
Last edited:
homeuser6
Member
long ago i had a purple ribbon pit bull. he liked to kill things. i realised that was a liability for me.
