Pitbulls and small children

TheSaltyPeanut

I agree completely Squirrly and Amoro.  We definitely would have our concerns about any dog that they decided to bring in with the same circumstances in being abused and left tied on the side of a road  

I do hate to say it, but I honestly don't think they would have the time and energy to work with the dog and train it properly.  The guy works 50 hours or more a week and the GF has a full time job as well.  With two kids that age, you can only imagine the amount of "free time" they have.

jayjoe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:91bd2b36-0ef2-40ed-a06a-0ca4f1296b98">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]i would never own small kids. pit bulls get a bad rap, but i wouldn't suggest any dog that had been abused to someone with small kids.
Posted by daffodil_jill[/QUOTE]

This made me laugh as i was thinking the same thing!

I also want to say i completely agree with Amoro completely agreeing with Squirrly (sp?)

*BeachBride0410*

While I agree that I would not say something, I would keep an eye out for any issues in the future.  I don't know how often you are around their house or the kids.  I think it is everyones business if you feel a child is in a dangerous situation. 

dmiller9274

I would at the minimum talk to your friend about the laws regarding owning a pit bull.  Every area is different, but where I live, owners are required to have an additional insurance policy for $250k.  Also, they have strict requirements about fencing or kenneling the dog. Maybe that would be enough to stop them from adopting without making it seem like you are pointing a finger at their parenting.

sarah0725

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:df12ff36-b45e-4833-9b9f-58f7e7e660f9">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]I agree completely Squirrly and Amoro.  We definitely would have our concerns about any dog that they decided to bring in with the same circumstances in being abused and left tied on the side of a road :(  I do hate to say it, but I honestly don't think they would have the time and energy to work with the dog and train it properly.  The guy works 50 hours or more a week and the GF has a full time job as well.  With two kids that age, you can only imagine the amount of "free time" they have.
Posted by TheSaltyPeanut[/QUOTE]

This is sounding worse and worse. Maybe they should get themselves a nice goldfish. Or a stuffed dog?

AmoroAgain

I was attacked by this:





For God's sake... SERIOUSLY?!?!  We even owned a cocker!  They're sweet as hell, but that one just didn't like me, and he let me know it. 

Breeds don't matter.  A dog is an animal, and you have to respect that no matter what. 

jasmineh7777

Pink- Your friend's situtation sounds terrible. They need to either do some serious training, or rehome those animals. Constant fighting is dangerous to teh family, and extremely stressful to the poor dogs. Are they both spayed?

vallyhoo

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:ef248135-0d0b-4bc1-a6ce-58dc8c71ec02">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]My good friends have 2 pit mixes, both rescue dogs they found on Craig's List.  They have 2 children and she is KU with #3. The dogs are both female and at certain points they have extremely viscous fights.  My friends have talked to us about the fights and I know they are upset the dogs aren't getting along.  Anyhoo I was over there on Saturday and a fight broke out between the 2 dogs.  It was insane.  I was so afraid.  I was standing on her kitchen counter with her daughter shaking because of what was happening.  After the fight was broken up, both dogs were covered in blood with chunks missing from their faces.  FI & I will NEVER go to their house again and I think they are so irresponsible.  I am not an expert on dogs, I have no idea what they should do but my God what a terrible life for those dogs to live and a horrible thing for her children to see.
Posted by pinkpinot[/QUOTE]

your friends are asssholes. plain and simple. that is a very dangerous situation for everyone involved.

jnic0319

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:77a36e6a-13d5-423a-8510-ccfc14b6efc1">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]I was attacked by this: For God's sake... SERIOUSLY?!?!  We even owned a cocker!  They're sweet as hell, but that one just didn't like me, and he let me know it.  Breeds don't matter.  A dog is an animal, and you have to respect that no matter what. 
Posted by AmoroAgain[/QUOTE]


Amoro,

Cockers are actually considered one of THE most dangerous dogs to have around children.  We found this information out after one bit my sister when she was 3.  Then our second dog (a golden rescue) bit her when she was 5.  Poor girl has some nasty scars to show for it.  We gave up on the dog front for a while.

momofayden

I would never bring a rescued severely abused dog around any child, especially a pit bull.  It's a extremely bad parenting move and hopefully their children don't get mauled or killed because of it.

salt78

I got bitten by a cocker spaniel when I was a little kid. 

So there's my thought on kids and dogs. 

salt78

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:77a36e6a-13d5-423a-8510-ccfc14b6efc1">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]I was attacked by this: For God's sake... SERIOUSLY?!?!  We even owned a cocker!  They're sweet as hell, but that one just didn't like me, and he let me know it.  Breeds don't matter.  A dog is an animal, and you have to respect that no matter what. 
Posted by AmoroAgain[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>OMG. I posted before I even saw this. EVIL COCKER SPANIELS. </div><div>
</div><div>:)</div>

squirrly

SP, I judge the heck out of your friends for being crap-tastic parents and wanting to be even worse parents to a pet who needs to be in the best possible environment due to past abuse. 

Just please don't judge the whole breed of dogs too.  Stick with cursing the people.    As for what to do since you're the child's god parents - maybe find some reading materials for them on how to integrate a rescued pet into their home?  I'm sure there are books and pamphlets. 

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:7438bf8f-e535-4309-848f-248c750b7f25">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Pitbulls and small children : Amoro, Cockers are actually considered one of THE most dangerous dogs to have around children.  We found this information out after one bit my sister when she was 3.  Then our second dog (a golden rescue) bit her when she was 5.  Poor girl has some nasty scars to show for it.  We gave up on the dog front for a while.
Posted by jnic0319[/QUOTE]


I was 15 when he attacked me, and we'd had a cocker since I was 5.  Never had any problems with her.  She was food protective, but that was it, and we eventually broke her of it.  It was just totally random.  He was a sweet dog to everyone else in the house, but he just didn't like me (kinda like some people! haha!) It was actually our female cocker who got him to back down.  She didn't attack him, but she stood in front of me and was barking and growling at him, but it was tense.

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:104bf0b6-cf39-4a2e-b356-c2f1c1c5149e">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Pitbulls and small children : OMG. I posted before I even saw this. EVIL COCKER SPANIELS.  :)
Posted by salt78[/QUOTE]
LOL!  I still love them!  :)  They're so cuuuuuute!

kristinanddan

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:c92f3a1a-50ee-414c-9335-5f376e086023">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]I would never bring a rescued severely abused dog around any child, especially a pit bull.  It's a extremely bad parenting move and hopefully their children don't get mauled or killed because of it.
Posted by momofayden[/QUOTE]

Please elaborate on the "especially a pit bull" part. What makes a pit bull different from a rescued, severely abused golden retriever?

sarah0725

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I think that when my mom and my aunts were growing up, their cocker spaniel bit my aunt in the face. This may have been because she crawled up and pretended to eat out of its food dish. But then, this just goes to show that kids and dogs need to be watched very carefully.

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:ba22856e-e5a7-4595-9fdf-1f0441ea7249">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]SP, I judge the heck out of your friends for being crap-tastic parents and wanting to be even worse parents to a pet who needs to be in the best possible environment due to past abuse.  Just please don't judge the whole breed of dogs too.  Stick with cursing the people.  :)  As for what to do since you're the child's god parents - maybe find some reading materials for them on how to integrate a rescued pet into their home?  I'm sure there are books and pamphlets. 
Posted by squirrly[/QUOTE]
You's in my head, stealing my ideaz.

JoyTate1

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:1f984c10-a69e-449e-b8d6-63fd09467f84">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]If they are adopting from a reputable shelter, the dog has probably had aggression testing done.
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]
This.  We got our dog at Second Chance and they will tell you up front whether a dog is good with other dogs, children, etc.  They are overly cautious about it too and will not let you adopt a certain dog if you have children/other dogs have they not passed their testing. 

Our dog was abused.  He is the sweetest thing, although, slightly neurotic.  He loves FI's 2 year old nephew.  We introduced him slowly and didn't just let him loose with a child around.  We also did not leave the 2 of them alone.  I would have no problem having an abused dog with children, as long as I knew how the dog would react.

However, if this is just some random dog a friend found on the street, I would probably pass regardless of the breed.

Edit: We do work very hard with our dog, though.  He even has been certified for good citizenship.

MattsPenguin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:ca785d4d-8ef3-442e-bea9-3d11466b3a20">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]Baystate, I've heard before of dachsunds with aggression issues. Little dogs like that tend to think they own people. That can make them dangerous.
Posted by aragx6[/QUOTE]

My aunt has a rescue miniature dachschund that can be VERY agressive if provoked correctly.  He doesn't like people coming up or down the stairs.  We were trapped on the stairs trying to leave the house for 5-10 minutes, before I figured out to go down the balcony and come in the front door to divert his attention.

I don't think he's bitten anyone yet, but still, rescues can have problems, and can be dangerous around small children who don't know that they might be aggravating the dog.  (Not putting down rescues, we just got ours two weeks ago).

TheSaltyPeanut

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:ba22856e-e5a7-4595-9fdf-1f0441ea7249">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]SP, I judge the heck out of your friends for being crap-tastic parents and wanting to be even worse parents to a pet who needs to be in the best possible environment due to past abuse.  Just please don't judge the whole breed of dogs too.  Stick with cursing the people.  :)  As for what to do since you're the child's god parents - maybe find some reading materials for them on how to integrate a rescued pet into their home?  I'm sure there are books and pamphlets. 
Posted by squirrly[/QUOTE]

Trust me... there is a LOT of judging here by me and by H!

It's just a shitty situation for all involved.  Plus, they are they type of friends who are really impulsive and rush into things.

kaylaclancy

curious...what is the longest reply thread..this seems like reading a novel!

Meg1979

I think any animal, if abused, is going to potentially be trouble.  My question is, was the animal actually evaluated at a shelter for it's potential to be adopted or did someone find the dog and say here's a dog we found at the side of the road?  If the pit has been evaluated by a qualified staff that it can be around people, let alone children, then maybe the dog will be fine.  Any dog can be violent.  When my mother was growing up a weiner dog mauled a toddler in the face.  It's environment so much of the time.  I would encourage them to reconsider.  It's not the breed, but if they don't know the extent of the abuse, they could be in trouble.

Labrnr

I'm glad to see so many of you with the same thoughts, "it's not the breed, it's the owner"

When FI moved in 5 years ago, Shelby came with her.
She's apure bred pitbull, and we love her.

At that time my children were 6 and 8 and then in the summer of 06 we had Jailynn.

Shelby has never so much as barked at any kids.  I'm not even sure if she would protect us if someone tried to harm us, as I'v never ever seen her violent.

That beeing said, I will acknowledge that an animal is an animal and there is not judging what could set them off.


This is our viscious pitbull!! 

jasmineh7777

A lot of kids get bit in the face. Kids should never have their face that close to a dog! I don't hold a dog or its breed responsible for parents not supervising their kids.

mica178

I remember reading recently that Golden Retrievers are the breed that bite the most (likely related to the fact that they're also one of the most popular breeds) and that because of overbreeding Cocker Spaniels today are much more neurotic and aggressive than they were before Lady and the Tramp came out.

Dalmations used to be considered smart dogs too.

I'm all for rescuing dogs, but if you have kids at home, I'd probably adopt from a rescue agency rather than a shelter so that the foster parents know more about the dog's temperament.  My Berkeley is a shelter dog and it worked out for me really well, but I don't have any precious cargo at home presently.

AmoroAgain

Just like people, dogs have personalities.  They can be angered and provoked.  Unlike people, they don't always have the ability to control their reactions to provocation.  It's  not exactly science to be careful.

wadingmoose

I think this whole thread can be summarized like this:

Dogs need training.
A lot of people don't train their dogs.
Behavior problems result.

Breed is irrelevant in this.

jayjoe

Everyone has a hot button with certain topics, religion, politics, healthcare, etc. My hot-button is animals A very good friend of mine fosters puppy mill survivors. They are all sizes (right now she has a pekingese) and breeds. They are terrified and scared of humans. After a few weeks, they come out of their shells and slowly start to realize that people can be trusted. Sometimes, people seem to forget: when we are scared, we can say it, we can scream, etc. When animals are scared they bite, its all they have. Not every animal bites out of aggression. Not every animal who has been abused is "damaged". Sadly, because people think this way, i watch the shelters around me become over-crowded and tons of dogs, scared and beautiful dogs, get put to sleep it makes me cry on a daily basis. It is sooooooo cliche, but in a lot of cases, all an animal truly needs is some love and trust. Thats  their rehab.

pinkpinot

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_pitbulls-small-children?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:ea564c24-c774-4d5e-abbc-3afc6114faffPost:b7900e14-77e3-4033-92ef-811676b95aae">Re: Pitbulls and small children</a>:
[QUOTE]Pink- Your friend's situtation sounds terrible. They need to either do some serious training, or rehome those animals. Constant fighting is dangerous to teh family, and extremely stressful to the poor dogs. Are they both spayed?
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]

They just got the 2nd female spayed 2 months ago, the other girl was spayed before they got her.  I feel so bad for their doggies :-(