[Dailydrool] Of pit bulls and other dog myths

[Opal-Deitering, Gaylene]

I have to chime in about the "Pit bull" attack.  I am very glad that
Elwood and his mommy are ok.  I am very grateful that she was prepared,
and knew what to do in case of attack.  Good for you! I am also very sad
that it was allowed to happen, and that the prejudice against a breed
has been reinforced because of bad dog owners yet again.  It is
interesting to me how many people mention in their responses that the
dog is a pit bull.  Very few just refer to it as a "dog".  This is not a
flame, it is an observation!
My point is that dogs with bad manners, and owners that allow them to
behave badly, can come in any breed.  The dogs that I have been attacked
by in my life have been 1. German Shepherd Dog, this dog bit me twice
when I was a child, then later attacked both of my mom's small dogs,
almost killing our schnauzer in our own front yard.  Took 40 stitches to
repair her, and she also had two cracked ribs and a punctured lung.
These were all unprovoked attacks.  2. Chocolate lab.  Went after our
family dog when I was walking him.  3. Black lab mix. 4. English
Mastiffs. My brother was almost killed at age 14 by two of them.
(really, he spent at least 10 hours in emergency surgery getting cleaned
up and having his scalp put back together!)  5. My MIL's Yorkie...
The problem isn't that the dog is a pit bull, which I'm sure is
absolutely correct, but that the dog has very bad manners, and his
people encouraged his behavior by not acting to stop him.  

Some of the nicest, smartest, friendliest, most kid-stranger-dog
friendly dogs I have ever known have been pit bulls and pit mixes.
Other great dogs have been Rotties, Doberman Pincers, or other breeds
labeled as aggressive.  Not all Pits are mean, not all Bassets are lazy
and stupid, not every Rottie wants to eat you, not all Goldens are super
friendly, not all GSDs will attack if you look them in the eye.  As my
mother always says, especially to children "All dogs can bite!" EVERY
"normal dog" behavior is based on how much respect they have for their
ALPHA!  Either YOU are the alpha, or they are.  In this specific case,
the attacking dog didn't have a reliable alpha making him feel safe and
setting the tone on his behavior.  Of course, we don't know if the dog
has brain damage either, but I suspect that it is just irresponsibility
on the part of the owners.
If this were your dog and your idiot teenage kid didn't stop him from
chasing after a neighbor, how would YOU feel if they just called the
animal control without talking to you first?  Giving them the benefit of
the doubt and trying to talk to them may be a wonderful first step to
making a new friend.  Or, you might find someone who is an idiot.  If it
were reversed and the incident happened with your dog, how would you
feel?  NO one is perfect, and accidents happen.  Open heart, Open mind,
and Mercy.  Maybe that will win the day faster than legal action.

 

Gaylene Opal-Deitering

 

My passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a
reflection of it!

 

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