My parents once owned a pitbull as first time owners (I was a baby), would you say they took a huge risk?

[SeleneSecret]

Even though nothing happened and they are very active people themselves, assertive, full of energy would you say they took a huge risk? They never owned a dog before and a female pitbull was their very first and last pet.

She was a powerful (grey and white) pitbull named Cindy. They had her since my mother was pregnant with me. She was 7 when he passed away of cancer. I (then 4 years old) was the last one to see her alive as she walked into my arms, laid with me and died. More memories of her are coming back now.

Though my parents themselves are saying they wouldn't take the risk again because it's a powerful breed and there is so much liability. They both feel luck played on their side too.

[Lliam]

At one time, pit bulls were referred to a "nanny dogs". The dog in the Little Rascals and Our Gang films was a pit bull.
The are smart, incredibly sweet, loyal and loving. There is nothing inherently dangerous about the breed.
If they are raised right, they are less temperamental and volatile that some other breeds.

"Pitbulls have become widely known, yet typically not in a favorable light. Despite the negative press they often receive, these loyal and humble dogs are surprisingly easy to train. With their short coat, grooming requirements are minimal – making them ideal for busy pet owners who don’t have time for extensive upkeep.

"Not only do Pitbulls make great family pets that adore children and provide protection; but with proper socialization and obedience training from an early age, they can also make excellent 'nanny dogs'."

The only reason they have a bad name is because they became popular with assholes who train them to fight. But they have to be abused and trained to fight. It doesn't come naturally to them.

They also got a reputation for having a powerful bite. But, in actuality, it is not stronger that the German Shepherd, American Bulldog, Rottweiler, various Mastiffs, Cane Corso, and the Kangal.

[Skinhead-1979]

The American Bully XXL is now banned in the UK...

All because some lunatic with her fucking poodle caused a scene... and the police ended up murdering the dogs with the owner tasered on the ground covered in the remains of his dogs.

There was no need for any of that... I have seen some videos of what went on, and the Bullies didn't do a lot...

[spartan55]

That must be why pitbulls bite humans more than any other breed.

[spartan55]

www.forbes.com/.../

[Skinhead-1979]

@spartan55 In the UK the No 1 dog for biting is... The lovely Labrador; Akitas, Huskies, Jack Russels, Greyhounds and Border Collies are high up on the list too.

[Lliam]

@Skinhead-1979. The reason dogs bite people is because they have terrible owners. A lot of. people buy pit bulls and train then to be guard dogs.

[Lliam]

@Skinhead-1979. And little yappy ankle biters, too.

[Skinhead-1979]

Yes indeed... everything always come down to how owners train their dogs

[SeleneSecret]

@Skinhead-1979
Wouldn't it be 50/50, both the owners and the dog's natural temperament? My parents were obviously great owners that did everything possible (care, love, exercies, training, etc) but Cindy was a mild-tempered, docile girl that was friendly with people of all ages and other dogs. It's likely her parents were similar too.

[Skinhead-1979]

Yes, of course I will have to admit that it is not always the owners fault either.

Behaviour problems can arise in dogs due to inbreeding; which is the main cause why dogs breeds which are labelled as 'Family Dog Breeds' all of a sudden do become more aggressive (e. g the Labrador as I have mentioned).

[AMS700CX4u2]

Depends on whether the Pitt-bull was attained as a puppy. Pitts have to be trained to attack. It is not their nature. If your parents got the pit as an adult dog and he already had some luggage. Yes that was a risk. Bringing a Pitt home from the animal shelter can be risky because you don't know why the dog was surrendered and you don't know what triggers the aggressive activity. Think Gangsta movies. The popularity of pitt-bulls spiked after their release. And everyone appeared to want to train them to be mean. Afterwards they found them hard to handle and sttarted dumping them in animal shelters

[SeleneSecret]

She was 3 years old when I was born. She was said to be a shy, abandoned pitbull that would befriend people of all ages (kids, young adults, elderly, other dogs, etc) and accept food from strangers. Then my parents felt empathy for her, got her vaccinated, tested for rabies and adopted her.

[AMS700CX4u2]

I have known some very loving and playful pitts

[DeeDeeDeVour]

It's very unfortunate for Pitbulls that they are getting a bad rap.

People should pay close attention to the owners of Pitbulls that aren't friendly.

In my experience, I have not yet met or encountered a Pitbull that wasn't friendly or sweet.

That's because their owners are genuinely nice & responsible.

Even though they claim that luck played on their side, I think your parents deserve a lot of credit too.

[Skinhead-1979]

No... with any kind of dog breed it entirely depends on how they are being trained.

I come out of a family of 'Pigs', and my uncle always adopted a dog which had gone through Police training. You'd think they are well trained, right? The first one my uncle brought home bit my cousin on his bum, severely enough for the dog to be put down.

[exitseven]

I just remember a pit bull one of my neighbors owned. I used to run by his house. The dog was chained to tha cornerboard on the house. When I would run by the house the dog would go nuts.
One day the dog ripped the trim right off the side of the house and tried to chase me dragging a ten foot piece of trim behind it. There were some cars driving on the street and I was able to keep the cars between me and the dog until I got away.
I would not trust a baby with one of those dogs

[SeleneSecret]

Then I guess it partially depends on the dog's temperament and its parents too. No one ever complained about Cindy. She was described as a mild-tempered girl, docile, easy to please and getting along with people of all ages and other dogs. So it can be said both my parents were great owner and she was a natural sweetheart. Possibly she came from calm, mild-tempered parents.

[Staximus]

A pitbull who is raised as a puppy around little kids is usually a great dog. Problems usually occur when it's an adult dog of any breed that wasn't raised around kids.

[Staximus]

I've had like 4 pitbulls and they were all great dogs. My dad had a pitbull and one day he took her to work and his co-worker brought his little daughter to work. The girl was like 3 years old and the dog loved her. After the little girl tired herself out running around the warehouse with the dog, she laid down under a desk and took a nap. My dad's dog laid down right next to her. When the little girl's dad went to pick her up and take her home while she was sleeping, the dog growled and jumped up and stood over the little girl, guarding her while she slept. The dog would not let the guy near the kid.

[SeleneSecret]

She was 3 years old when I was born. She was said to be a shy, abandoned pitbull that would befriend people of all ages (kids, young adults, elderly, other dogs, etc) and accept food from strangers. Then my parents felt empathy for her, got her vaccinated, tested for rabies and adopted her.
Given that she was used to people and animals (and she acted like a house pet than a stray), I'm guessing it might have belonged to someone else before but the person was lazy. Then my parents too over and did a great job.

[SeleneSecret]

Wow. That's so sweet.

[MacDaddyRico]

Stop demonizing the breed. It's the owners lack of responsibility to properly train their dog, no matter the breed.
Most of my rescued puppies were pitties and I had ZERO problem with ANY of them.

[SeleneSecret]

I'm not trying to demonize them. I'm just saying it's a strong, powerful breed that has the potential to cause damages if someone doesn't train them properly. Glad to hear you have friendly pitties.

[TheSpaceGnome]

No I don't think it was risky.
Most Pitbulls are very sweet dogs that will protect a baby (and every other family member) with their life.
Sorry to hear she passed away, losing a pet is the worst..

[LiamJHayden]

In my life we had a female Pit, a female Doberman, two male German Shepherds, and a female Cocker Spaniel. The only problem child was the Spaniel.

[BetaBucks]

"huge" risk, no. But it was unnecessary. Pits kill more people than all other breeds combined, and could end a baby in seconds. I got rid of my pitbulls when my first kid was born. Gave them to family.

[SeleneSecret]

Yes I've heard about them on the news and even from owners that never abused them. It's hard to imagine I would've easily been another ''baby/toddler gets mauled by family pitbull'' statistics. According to old pictures my parents recently shared with me (when I started getting back memories of Cindy), for some reason she was very attached to me, very maternal over me. She could never have puppies of her own but I'm wondering if she must've confused me for a pup and treated me as her own pup. Why did she came to me when she was dying?

[BetaBucks]

Because you were her family. Her pack. She loved you. Dogs are the most loyal, loving animals ever. It just sucks that pits are so strong, because that's really where this risk is. Chihuahuas are just as aggressive, but they just can't hurt anyone. Pits are still my favorite breed though. Nothing will change that.

[SeleneSecret]

I'm remembering all by now. The flashbacks are coming back. I'm crying and screaming in my younger version, kept repeating ''Cindy's dead, Cindy's dead, mom, dad, she's dead''. It was such a painful memory for me that I've blocked that memory for years, forgotten about her for years. I didn't remember her until partially last year and now I fully remembered it.
Once in a while, she does showed in my dreams. My mother dreams of her at times too.

[BetaBucks]

I'm sorry. That's a sad memory to have. Maybe a new pup is in your near future.

[Hanssolochibaka]

No there is never a bad dog just bad owners. People forget that they are called Nanny dogs. Think about it.

[noohair]

I don't think they did anything wrong.

[spartan55]

They sure did... wow

[SeleneSecret]

I would like to think personality plays a role. Just like in humans, some people are crazy or energetic and others are laid-back and shy. As much as my parents were great owners, Cindy was a natural sweet girl, mild-tempered and friendly with people of all ages and other dogs. So I guess it's both, the owner has to be good but it has to be a trainable, good dog too.