When it's A Lab-Pit mix It's STILL a Pit

Recently an acquantance shared a comment from an article several years back.  The comment is describing a former 'Lab-Pit mix' owners opinion of the breed(s) and the admitted problems with considering them as "pets".

I started to respond directly to this acquaintance with a story of personal experience, but decided instead to share it here and allow my friends, new and old alike to hear it all at once.

I'm feeling nostalgic and saddened by the recount of another "Lab-Pit mix" that once trolled my neighborhood...

My neighbor had a beautiful long-haired grey cat, just lovely to spend time with (this coming from a non-cat person).  We would sit on her patio in the evenings on occasion and Sir Silverspoon would entertain us with his antics.  He loved the backyard, his ‘jungle’, where he would crouch and loom while hunting the grasshoppers or butterflies and we would laugh at his clumsy and comical charge as he’d gallop onward in his attack.  Sir Silverspoon was a tad over-weight, grace and agility were not his partners in crime!

Note:  This picture is not the actual Sir Silverspoon.  This pictures merely represents a likeness to the cat described in this story.  The photo belongs to SteamClan.


One late afternoon a young man came through the neigghborhood with his beautiful black lab ‘mix’.  The dog really was stunning, it’s coat very shiny, but what really made you feel either drawn to the dog or petrified to move (depending on who in the community you talked too) were his icy blue eyes.  They could penetrate your very soul. 

On this particular evening, the young man chose to allow the dog to walk obediently next to him, without a leash.  We were accustomed to the man and his dog passing through nearly every evening and really gave little thought to it when he did.  The dog was friendly, well-mannered and appeared happy to mind his own business.  But my friend was in her front yard pulling dead bloom from flowers planted as borders along her walk.   Sir Silverspoon had joined her, lazing and lounging on the warm cement of the walk just feet from Carolyn.  She would toss a dead bloom onto her little tray and Sir Silverspoon would come to inspect the token as if to give his approval the bloom was infact  ‘dead enough’.  Then he would sashay over to rub along Carolyn’s thigh where she knelt so that she would know he did grace her meager effort to appease him! 

Sir Silverspoon and Carolyn both were in their own little world when the man and his Lab ‘mix’ came walking leashless that evening.  In fact, it wasn’t until they heard the man yelling for his dog that they even noticed he was in front of their home.  Carolyn said it all happened so quickly.  Sir Silverspoon leapt to his feet and attempted to scurry for the safety of the backyard, the dog cornered him on the front porch under a patio chair.  Carolyn clambered to her feet and ran in their direction hoping to scare the dog away, as the owner passed her in a full-run bolt.  Before either could reach the porch, the Lab ‘mix’ had Sir Silverspoon in his mouth, shaking him and thrashing him similar to a scene from the movie JAWS. 

Carolyn screamed, she said it was the only way she could drown out the horrific sounds that Sir Silverspoon was making. 

In an instant it was finished.  The man had grabbed the dog by it’s leashless collar and began pulling him back from the porch, telling him to drop the bloodied and limp mess of fur.  Finally the dog owner PRIED the jaws open after the dog was certain there was no longer any “challenge” left from Sir Silverspoon. 

In her shock, Carolyn ran to the cat and scooped him up, running for the car without any hesitation or conversation.   She drove away leaving the dog owner on her front lawn and a few neighbors gawking from distant driveways. 

When they arrived at the Emergency Vets Office, she learned that Sir Silverspoons back was broken, ribs were crushed, one lung collapsed and he suffered extensive internal injuries.  They recommended she allow them to finish what the dog started. 

She held him in her arms while he received a lethal dose of pentobarbital and nodded off for one last time. 
The staff was amazingly supportive.  They helped clean him up, wrapped him in a blanket and placed him in a small box, similar to that of a ladies boot box. 

Carolyn drove home in hysterics, shock and disbelief.  This is when I first learned of what had happened. 

She phoned me on her way home asking that I come over to help her prepare a final resting place for Sir Silverspoon.  I couldn’t believe he was gone.  I had just seen him that morning laying on the chaise on the front porch as I pulled away for a day of volunteer work.  He flipped his tail as I got in the car, and I had giggled at the thought of coming back as a cat in my next life if I could have the life of Sir. 

Now here I was being told he died a violent and horrific death, MURDERED. 

When Animal Control arrived to take Carolyn’s statement, we learned that the man and his Lab “mix” had actually been a Lab-Pit mix.  We also learned the dog was being quarantined because the owner had received an injury to his hand. 

Carolyn’s story didn’t make a single news broadcast and wasn’t reported in any newspapers.  Her day in court awarded her the cost of the Emergency Vet visit. 

There was nothing more, no apology, no explanation, only an empty place on a chaise lounge on the front porch each morning and a multitude of unchallenged grasshoppers in the backyard each evening.

I don’t care what the Pit is mixed with.  It’s a pit and has no place in our communities if the owners are so nonchalant about their own responsibilities. 

122 comments:

  1. This story makes me VERY sad, but thank you for posting it. Payment for the vet bill is sadly, little justice. You have to wonder how many kills this dog has.

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    1. Nothing was ever proven, but rumor had it there had been other 'cat incidents' in this monsters past. What is as sad is if the rumors were true, either a few cat owners else where didn't care enough to pursue it -- or were too fearful to challenge the Pit Nutters!

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    2. do you guys really believe that pits are the only dogs that will kill a cat??? thats crazy my cat was killed by a beagle!!!! its tragic i know i have been there...but unfair to blame the breed

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    3. Pits are most definitely not the only breed of dogs that will kill a cat or any small animal for that matter. I saw a Chihuahua and another small dog tear a very large beaver in half once. Also knew of a siberian husky that ate a whole litter of kittens once. Point being, it's not just pit bulls, its all dogs that are not properly exposed to smaller animals.

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    4. We saved the Pitbull. You people lost this straw man argument and you know it.

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    5. Geeze ... every dog is different. It would be just as easy to say someone who had bad parents will behave exactly as they did, however, there are a lot of different factors that affect a humans life. The same can be said for dogs. I have a lab/pit mix who plays with other dogs amazingly and gets along with people great as well. He is protective of our home and our family, which he should be - that's one of the main reasons we have a dog! We take him on doggy play dates and he makes friends with every dog he meets. Come on people, just b/c of one or two isolated incidents, does not call for mass-generalization of an entire breed!

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    6. the story breaks my heart and I am in tears at this very moment however, I have a lab pitbull mix and I also have 2 cats never once had she tried to hurt the cats. they did not grow up together the cats came into our house 2 years after i had the pitbull. It is the blame of the owner for not having the dog on a leash, it could have been any dog.Not just pitbulls kill cats! also have a flat coated retriever that will kill any wild animal that comes into the yard should she be band?

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    7. This is a very tragic story for certain. However, I believe all dogs should be kept on a leash when they are being walked around the neighborhood. Even the smallest of breeds exhibit signs of aggression toward smaller/other animals. One can't justly say that pit bulls have no place in our communities without first looking at other breeds and realizing comparably sized dogs are just as capable. Simply put: keep your dog on a leash if your taking it anywhere there are people or other animals.

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    8. I would also like to add that I have a pit/chocolate lab mix and two adult cats. Please explain to me PitPathologist why my pit/lab is afraid of my cats?

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    9. Right, it's like saying because Charles Manson, or Timothy McVeigh were white male homosapien sapiens that all modern day white men are psychopath killers.

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    10. Easy there, don't scream and curse at someone just because they have a different opinion. Personally, I agree with the point of every dog having a different personality due to being raised under different circumstances. I completely disagree with the breed generalization, however, pit bulls are a rather aggressive breed which adds to the other side of the argument of "all pit bulls are murderous and dangerous". Ideally, instead of enforcing breed restrictions all pits and breeds should be trained from birth correctly. Unfortunately, either not everyone has the money to do so or the government is put out from having yet another expenditure that can't be afforded. My main point being, don't disrespect others of different of opinions out of frustration.

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    11. Easy there, don't scream and curse at someone just because they have a different opinion. Personally, I agree with the point of every dog having a different personality due to being raised under different circumstances. I completely disagree with the breed generalization, however, pit bulls are a rather aggressive breed which adds to the other side of the argument of "all pit bulls are murderous and dangerous". Ideally, instead of enforcing breed restrictions all pits and breeds should be trained from birth correctly. Unfortunately, either not everyone has the money to do so or the government is put out from having yet another expenditure that can't be afforded. My main point being, don't disrespect others of different of opinions out of frustration.

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  2. angry, sad, disgusted, frustrated.

    i like this blog, thank you for adding your voice against this growing menace but i have to disagree with you. your profile states that you are not a victim. there are degrees of victimization. your arm doesn't need to be broken or your child's face mangled or your cat killed to be a victim of pit bulls. if you can't walk to your mail box without worrying about the neighbor's pit bull getting loose - you are a victim. if you are stopped at red light and the car next to you has a pit bull berserking in the back seat because your peaceful dog has his head out of the window and is enjoying the nice sunny day but you have to call him in and roll up your window - you are a victim. if you can't walk around the block without a weapon - you are a victim. if you can't get lost in your own little world deadheading spent blooms - you are a victim.

    that's just the way it is.

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    1. Dawn, I respect your disagreement! It's something I had given little thought to as you have laid it out as a feast for thought!
      As usual, you're absolutely right however!
      THANK YOU for reading my blog, I am so humbled to be graced by your company!
      I hope that I can influence and impact only a smidgeon of the folks you've reached through http://cravendesires.blogspot.com/!

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    2. This is a sad story true, however, I am a lab-pit owner, and my lab pit lived in a house full of kittens, actually adopted them after their CAT mother to abandon them, so even cleaned them with her pit-lab mouth and ate with them out of a bowl and never once threatened them. She also is friendly with other dogs in the neighborhood. I will not say she does not chase a specific cat once in a while a balck cat belonging to a neighbor down the street that gets off its leash and wonders down into our next door neighbor's yard to challenge their cat bronco(male) and lilly. By the way Coco, my Pit-lab, is also friendly with my neighbors cats. She chases the black cat off since it will tend to square off with bronco. The point is I am also tired of hearing these horror stories of pitbull attacks, when its factual that alot more attacks take place by other not so notorious breeds( poodles, dalmations, chows) these breeds are actually quite vicious as a breed. Historically Pits were kept as family nanny dogs, infact that was their nomenclature . Get a real factual data backed report on dog attacks and you will see the TRUTH!!!! not popularized hysteria!!

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    3. Ricardo, I agree with you I have a 5 month old lab/pit mix puppy that is growing up with a cat. He is also friendly with cats. And our other 2 dogs we have. Know my mother n laws 2 year old chiwawa is not so nice to the cat. He chases's and bites at the cat. I'm just thankful he's the same size as the cat so the cat's able to defend herself. This chiwawa is meaner then my lab/pit mix. He bites at anybody that walks by him. His mean to my lab/pit pupppy, I'm just thankful we've raised our puppy to be nice. But no body would say anything if the chiwawa whould do anything because it's such a small dog. It's all dogs no matter the size or the breed. Sometimes I think people have nothing else better to do. It's how you raise the dog. Just like raising your kids. If you let your kids get away with everything there's going to be problems later in life. Just like animals.

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    4. I agree with you and the above. My boyfriend and I acquired a lab pit mix in October of 2012 (given away for free because her previous owner couldn't keep her anymore). She is probably the biggest baby ever. Eyes and everything. We have only had a fee incidents where she got nasty but she also felt threatened at the time and just like a kid throwing a tantrum, you either walk away or talk them down. Works every time. She has never gone after any animal to kill. She just stands her ground against younger , more hyper dogs. My mom's dog, who is 10 years old and a black lab/golden retriever had recently attacked the new kitty in the family. Cracked jaw, punctured sinus. Knocked out teeth. Did a number on the poor baby. My dog is only 2. Sits on my lap and has to be carried to bed sometimes. Sounds viscious, right? Although, to be fair, she may lick you to death. I love all of my dogs (including my parents) and firmly believe that raising a dog is makes a world of difference in their behavior. Dogs will be dogs. They bark, get bitchy at each other, and will love you more than anything in the world.

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    5. There are no words to say how sorry for your loss. But please understand this is a HUMAN problem, not the dogs. MANY breeds have a high prey drive. Many have even higher prey drives than a "pit" (note: there is no such breed; just a word to describe many crosses). The problem was he did not have the dog under control (a leash). As a dog trainer, I tell people all the time do NOT think "my dog always comes when called". If they see prey, they looses focus on anything BUT the prey, and forget any training. ALWAYS lease your DOG. Any dog, not just certain breeds!

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    6. I have a lab pit mix and three cats. Its not the breed its the owner.

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  3. I'm glad you used the word murdered, because that's what it is. In my case, we had just let our dogs outside, 2 Irish Setters, a Dogue de Bordeaux and English Mastiff. About 5 minutes later there was barked, screaming, crying, etc from outside. I ran out and could believe my eyes that two pit's had got in our yard(that's fenced with 6 ft chain link) and were attacking our dogs! Now I've have problems with dogs attacking my dogs when I walked them but even a Rotti didn't cause serious injury and it's owner called him back. But this was the most awful thing I have ever witnessed. I ran into the house, grabbed a shovel and yelled for hubby to get his gun. I started using the shovel to try to get them off my dogs, hubby came with his gun and shot each in the head. Of course the owner came afterwards and was only concerned about her dogs. Now I have many breeds I don't have an interest in but the Pitbull is a burning hatred.

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    1. Thank you all for reading. Cinnamon2005, I'm sorry your family experienced such horrific sights. That must be something burned into your minds eye. I know Carolyn still has difficulty speaking of Sir. I hope the owner of the two mutants that 'somehow' got into your yard was held accountable!

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    2. She wasn't for this but I found out later, the dogs had bitten 2 kids, one that needed reconstructive surgery. There was an insurance settlement. Why this dogs were still walking on 4 legs after that boggles the mind.

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    3. I'm sorry for everyone's traumatic experiences. The first time I heard my dog scream was when he was in the jaws of a pit bull. It is something you never forget, and a noise I didn't think was possible from my dog. I'm very thankful he survived, and I wasn't injured in the fight. He hasn't been near a pit bull since, so that was the last time I've heard him scream in that manner.

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    4. Yet you own a Dogue de Bordeaux and English Mastiff correct? You do know that those dogs originate from the same bloody sport of bull and bear baiting that pitbull type dogs originate from? In that case they're probably just as aggressive and dangerous as a pitbull.

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    5. i am utterly disgusted in you people. dogs attack dogs and other animals it's a sad truth. i own an american lab pit mix and a staddfordshire pit and they are giant babies. the lab pit sleeps on my legs and wears a sweater with reindeer on it. hard to believe he's a vicious dog. my other dog is a therapy dog and is registered at the hospital. she goes twice a month to visit and make people smile. i wasnt an advocate for pits until my lab had a pit lab mix and a stray pit wondered into my yard and my options were keep her or have her killed. 3 golden retrievers attacked them one day and they didnt fight back. they're not vicious so how can you look at these dogs and say no one will ever want them or these dogs are guaranteed to kill something? don't let your ignorance and confimity to lies hurt these dogs. what makes there lives less important than the lives of any of your dogs?

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  4. I found Sir Silverspoon's story very touching and parallels my Bleu's story. He was a beautiful silver Weimaraner who loved playing and being petted. For his death to have happened so violently and bloody, then the killers to still be living in barking distance from where they killed him, is almost too hard to take sometimes. We await the day the owners' guard is down and the dogs are left unwatched...for just a minute...

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  5. dava...some things are best left unsaid if you get my drift. Dogs that have attacked and/or killed should be PTS. I just can't understand why that's not automatic and so many get to go back to the owner.

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  6. This is the most ignorant story i have ever read. First of all how are you going to discriminate an entire breed for one dogs actions. To me it's just like racism..there are bad people and good people in all races and the same goes for dogs in all breeds. Second, the dog should have been wearing a leash which makes it more the owners fault than the dogs, however you want to blame it all on the dog. Next, the owner of the cat is at fault just like the dog owner. I personally don't believe domestic cats should be outside but if someone thinks otherwise than they should still have a leash or some type of restraint to avoid them from venturing off where the owner cannot protect them. There are more than just dogs to worry about. My neighbors cat got ran over which never would have happened if it was kept inside or restrained. Last but not least my baby girl, Aayla, is the sweetest dog you will ever meet...oh and did i mention she is a LAB PIT MIX!!! Infact I have an orange tabby cat and they get along wonderfully. I'm sorry but your story is ignorant, biased, and prejudice and I'm sick and tired of the pit breed as a whole getting a bad rep for the owners faults and the ignorance of others.

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    1. It's an account , it's not ignorant. It's the multitudes of accounts like this that have led to the "reputation" that this breed gets. What is ignorant, is to equate it with "racism". Rest assured, pit bulls don't care about their reputation, but if you do, why don't you do what you can to prevent accounts such as this?

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    2. Lisa I agree whole heartedly! It's the ownersof these dogs! I was always leary of pits until I became an owner. I have a Shepard mix, a Black Lab and a Bluenose Pit and cats. They all get along wonderfully and my pit is the sweetest, biggest, "thinks he's a lapdog" baby ever! Any dog can be trained to be mean and vicious...it starts with the owner. Oh and did I mention he was a rescue dog that was saved from abuse because he couldn't be turned into a fighter!

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  7. No more than we are sick of the same old ad nauseum comments to try to excuse the inexcusable.

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  8. I have to agree it isn't because it was part pit bull. It was because it was a large dog capable of killing a cat. The real solution isn't to ban or restrict pit bulls or dogs that are part pit bull, the solution is to ban or restrict ALL dog over a certain size. There is a reason you don't hear about cats or people being killed by Yorkies, they aren't big enough to kill with one bite.

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    1. Yea and if you weigh over 150 lbs, maybe we should ban you too...

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    2. I love Chihuahuas. I finally got one in 2007 and he was my baby. But as loveable as he was he still had his dark side. My neighbor lady came over about a week after she moved in an we were talkin about her concers over my pit bull/lab mix being so close to her children. While Kingston (my pit/lab mix) sat at our feet waiting to be petted by the new comer Tweets (my Chihuahua) comes running around the cornor (we were in my fenced in yard) an bites her ankle and yes I had to pry his mouth open. 4 stitches and 2 cups of coffee later she was no longer concerned with my pit/lab mix. Tweets had never bit anyone before, he would chase cats that came into the yard and I saved one or two in the 3 years he was with us. Whereas with Kingston his most aggressive behavior was to lift his head wag his tail an bark at our mailman until he gave him a bone an said hello to him. Any breed can be aggressive an even the most loveable well behaved animal can act outside of character. You hear about these stories of pit bull attacks more so than others because they "look vicious an scary" to most people. Tweets got ill and passed away in January of 2011. Kingston is still my faithfull friend with the addition of two more pit/lab mixes. I tried another Chihuahua but she showed signs of major aggression. Attacking Kingston when he would walk by or what not. But when she stopped letting him eat I was done trying. He needed another playmate an these two have been great!

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  9. Sorry the trash showed up to graffiti your blog, PitPathologist.

    Your story was very sad and I am sorry that happened to Sir Silverspoon and his family.

    The utter lack of compassion--or even lip service to politeness--is a startling hallmark of the pit nutter. Like, is it really so hard to say, "That is awful. I'm sorry it happened to you?" Really?

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    1. Yea "really" when her ignorance chooses to blame an entire breed instead of an irresponsible owner. I am sorry for her dumb cat, but im more sorry for her dumb self.

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  10. Yeah, and one time MY collie/shepard mix mutilated and ate MY cat...It's called a high prey drive and many breed, many mixes have them...IGNORANCE...

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    1. JB, it's all how you raise 'em. Great stewardship there, to allow your dog to mutilate and eat your own cat.

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  11. Thank god only 50 people or so have read this nonsense. Please spend your time more effectively than spewing hate and ignorance. I am not going to spend my time defending this breed as I can go on for hours. All I would like for everyone who sees this is realize any idiot on the Internet can write whatever they want, without any sort of knowledge. And please realize that ignorance and stupidity like yours has made these dogs victim as they're being killed in record numbers. Any breed can and has done the things you have mentioned in this blog. Do your research before spending your time foolishly. This blog will go unnoticed and will make no difference. And any other ignorant people who justify this persons stupidity, and yours, say what you want about my post, it will go on deaf ears as I am someone who has done they're research on this breed and can shoot down any of this garbage you say about the breed.

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    1. Shannon, I just love it when a pit bull apologist comes out of their cave to give their two cents to say what a waste of time an individual's right to express their experience is. What you are really expressing, is that you are frightened by yet another account of pit bulls being horribly mismanaged. Speaking of those poor misunderstood dogs who are being killed in record numbers...well it seems, people are getting a bit outraged at the numbers of humans and animals being piled up too because of the rampant mismanagement of pit bulls by their owners. If you want to help pit bulls, why don't you spend a little more time convincing people to be more responsible with their aggressive gripping dogs, and a little less time calling victims ignorant and stupid?

      Also, THEY'RE is a contraction of THEY and ARE. I think you may want to brush up on your homophones before you go out and write on a personal blog and call the writer ignorant and stupid.

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    2. Really you will attack someone over grammar please shut down your computer and get a life please leave your parents basement...

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    3. Word used most in 'meals on wheels' post: mismanaged. Correct me if I'm wrong, which I'm sure you will. Mismanaged has to do with the owner. Not the dog.

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  12. The man should not have been walking the dog without a leash, no doubt. However, it is not the dog's fault, nor the breed's. Pit bulls can be as sweet or aggressive as ANY other breed, if socialized and trained by their owner, they can be wonderful and loving pets. Your ignorance, lack of real world perspective, and stupidity is painted all over this pathetic blog. Do some research before you put your angry "trying to prove I'm such a good writer to my readers" fingers to the keyboard, idiot.

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  13. I will acknowledge that I am biased - I was bitten in the face and hospitalized by a neighbor's Pit, no bark, no growl no warning. But it is apparent that most Pit Bull owners do not want non-agressive dogs. They want loaded weapons with no safety. People like Lisa, Burke, and Shannon are being more than disingenuous, they are flat lying. Pit owners could have any breed they wanted, but no, the chose a dog that is not particularly attractive, not good with children (many attacks happen within the host family), and a known deliberately bred-in behavior type. That is not a simple coincidence. The behavior isn't a surpise. They are excusing (and demonstrating here) their own bad judgement and temperment. I am not surprised that any of them are Pit Bull owners.

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    1. Hey, guess what? I was bit on the face by a pit bull when I was 10. It took some stitches, but I was fine. And you know what? I have never considered it a "pit bull bite". I was a DOG bite. Any dog could have bitten me. I was young, my sister was dog sitting, and I got in the dog's face while it was eating. That was MY fault. Many dogs have resource guarding issues. The fact that it was a pit had nothing to do with it's action. Also, I have a beautiful pit lab mix. We adopted her when she was 4 months old and she is my pride and joy. She cuddles with the cat, and will snuggle and kiss anyone that walks in the door. For you to say that I chose a dog that is not particularly attractive is ridiculous. Pit bulls are celebrated for their beauty. My Scout is praised everywhere we go for her good looks and sweet demeanor.

      You are all simply too close-minded. You cannot accept the fact that all dogs have it in them. I have been attacked by OUR CAT 5+ times because she is a tempermental brat. And our "vicious" pit lab mix has never so much as nipped at anyone or shown aggression towards any creature.

      I'm sure most of you are right wing conservatives, christian, white, and well off. Yes, I know that's me being ignorant and biased, but as you say, it's from my personal experiences. (and yes, I am white)

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    2. I have to say I agree! I own a full blooded blue nose Pit Bull. He is one year old and I saved him off the side of the road because an ignorant human tried to kill him and threw him in a garbage bag with severe wounds. I took him to the vet and paid for his surgeries and brought him home to my house at 6 months old. Now with the belief that we purposely choose to buy these monsters as they are call hows this suit you. I am a mother to two children ages 5 and 2 and they spend every day with that monster and he has never in any way harmed wither of them!! He sleeps at my sons feet, plays fetch with my kids at the dog park OFF HIS LEASH SURROUNDED BY OTHER DOGS, and has never attacked anything other then his squeaky toys!! How is it that you can sit there and say the entire breed are monsters? The worst thing that comes from my Pit is his horrible gas!! He is like every other dog. And heres a few animal monster facts did you know CATS are known for smothering infants because of the milk smell left on a babies breath? Murderers! Oh and police train German shepards to attack all the time as defense! Monsters! And as far as punishing a breed no dog breed has a perfect strike record! What would the difference be if the cat was killed by a Doberman? Or a Dodson? Or any other DOG! Shame on that man for not leashing HIS dog but not shame on the dog for following a natural instinct that most dogs have!! The expression fight like cats and dogs wasn't made solely for Pits!! RETHINK YOUR IGNORANCE!

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    3. OH AND ONE MORE THING IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE PICTURES OF MY MONSTER PLEASE FEEL FREE TO LOOK AT MY GOOGLE PAGE! I HAVE PLENTY:)

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    4. I resent this ignorant comment. My pit-lab mix is beautiful. She was rescued when someone was trying to throw her over a bridge into a river. She is excellent with our children, and a vital part of our family.

      I am sure someone out there thinks your particularly attractive to them... maybe.

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  14. Love the anti pitbull propaganda. Its. Like im readi. G. The wall street journal. Bravo

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    1. This article and all these comments are such bs. Thats a bad owner that walks their dog without a leash... Typical....

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  15. Did you know that pits were the most common family dog in the 1800's, known at the time as the "nanny dog"? Even pits trained to fight (by cruel humans) are trained to get along with people so the trainers can pull them off. Read about it. Luxomni- what happened to you is unfortunate, and without a warning, yes that pit was aggressive. However, the same thing happened to my sister with a retriever. Are all retrievers aggressive? No.....
    Some of you people are so angry, it's sad. It is a simple testament to how the media herds our opinions like Sheep.

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  16. I own a lab mix! She is an amazing dog she loves everybody! Cats dogs ppl! I rescued her when she was 3 months old from the shelter! She is wonderful. This man is dumb. And dog needs to be on a leash I don't care what breed it is! Pit bulls are not bad! It's the owner. They need to be trained! I get very up set when ppl say this crap! Put your animals on a damn leash. If you can't restrain them don't walk them! I have my lab pit bull mix and a German Shepard! They both know when mommy snaps her fingers and says no they better do it. They walk calm with me. Now my German Shepard get kinda scarEd when other dogs come around she kinda does this circle thing. BUT GEUSS WHAT SHE'S ON A DAMN LEASH!!!!!!!! My lab mix. She try's to play with everything and everyone that she can even see. I take her to a lake close to us that has other dogs kids ppl. I do not have mine on a leash. She plays in the water and brings her frisbee right back if she even looks at the other dogs I snap my fingers and tell her to get her fuzzy but her. She comes right back! There like kids you have to teach them!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  17. Whats interesting is when you google most aggressive or dangerous the top dogs listed are the six pound Chihuahua and the dachsund. These are small dogs but fiercely aggressive. I owned a dachsund and he could be nippy. I didnr allow him around small children unless I was supervising. He would go after my two larger dogs when he wanted HIS way. The size of the dog is the difference in the damage it can cause. As it has been stated here before THE OWNER IS FIRST AND FOREMOST AT FAULT FOR NOT HAVING HIS DOG ON A LEASH. I also own a pit lab mix that I rescued at three weeks old. He is THE BEST dog I've ever owned. He was never really formally socialized with other dogs yet I have "dog sat" on numerous occasions for friends dogs that my Bailey never met before and there has NEVER been any sign of aggression on his part EVER. I have children walking in and out of my house all the time even as young as two years old and he's NEVER done anything but lick the crap out of them. Our running joke in our house is that if anyone ever broke in Bailey would show them where everything is once he's done happily greeting them! I also own a Rottie that we rescued at 6 months old. He is also non aggressive toward people. I'm not absolutely sure how he would be around all other animals. We got a kitten and the rottie was fine with him, Bailey still plays with the cat. My dachsund passed away and I got a Morkie who is now seven months old and BOTH dogs are fine with him. I have pictures of all four animals sleeping together. OWNERS need to take RESPONSIBILITY for their pets and act RESPONSIBLY.

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  18. Thanks for this blog post. I grew up on a farm, and come from a long established mindset that cats have an important job to do, dealing with rodents. When I became an urban dweller, I still wanted to experience the grace, the luxury of fur, and the loving purr that only a cat can give. My cats have all been strays, so they liked living outside. They enjoyed being inside too, but when they wanted to go out, they would let me know. I of course, understood the perils of cats living outside, there are many dangers for them. Of course, they don't only kill mice and grasshoppers, but they kill lovely birds and butterflies too. It's nature.

    Once upon a time, I never knew anything about pit bulls. Even after my little Loompie was mauled in a similar manner, did I think it was anything out of the realm of being "dog". Then I started having more frightening encounters with the same type of ugly dumptruck dog, and I did some research and found that there are many of us who have too. All of those pit bull advocates who came to tell you what a waste of time you retelling this incident, are really telling you is that they are afraid they may have to endure some additional policy to safegaurd the rest of us from their beasts. We are sharing our experiences, we understand that you pit bull advocates love your dogs. Understand, we love our pets, our mail man, our children, and the joy of deadheading in the front lawn with our little garden buddies, and walking down the street. Can you just build better fences, and tell that Kilmer guy to stop it with promoting the idea that pit bulls can ever be controlled with out a leash? There's plenty of proof that even with a leash, they are not safe. Hence....dogsbite.org.

    However, it is NOT nature to have a purposely bred aggressive beast that goes about the neighborhood and savagely mauls cats. I don't care if it's feral cats or a persons sweet and graceful gardening buddy. I remember that day, to see my sweet loving little fur ball whipped around in the air like an eggbeater. I remember his screams. He escaped and came back five days later. He survived.

    My cats never go outside longer.

    Here is his story.

    http://pitbullpoetlaureate.blogspot.ca/search?q=first+they+came

    I had a much larger, and imposing dog who didn't. He didn't make a sound.

    http://17barks.blogspot.com/2011/10/story-of-rhett.html

    RIP Sir Silverspoon.

    RIP the concept of deadheading spent blooms in your garden without a weapon. I deadhead with a 12" stainless steel kitchen knife. I'm hoping it will be useful should any of those dumptruck dogs come by.

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  19. Please consider the fact that you are judging an entire breed by stories from a small percentage of the entire population. You hear stories about 'brutal dog attacks' in the news because they are a rarity- if they weren't there wouldn't be any news to publish would there? And the old saying that "no news is good news" doesn't really make news publication/broadcasting corporations any money so we wont be hearing any breaking news about a good dog that napped any time soon.

    If you'd care to, read my story and I hope to open any doubters minds up to the fact that NOT all dogs of the same breed are the same. Nor are all of their owners.

    I am a pit bull owner. I am not a drug dealer, I am not in a gang... nor any other cliche associated with owning a pit bull. I am a 25-year-old female with a college education and a government job.

    Why, then would I own a pit? When I went to the shelter to adopt a buddy I had something like a beagle or terrier in mind. Instead the first dog to come up and paw at the kennel gate was Lucy- a 6-year-old pit bull mix. I looked into her big brown almond shaped eyes and instantly felt connected to her.

    I shrugged off being a little nervous about being a pit bull, I requested to do a meet and greet with her in one of their visiting rooms. She burst into the visiting room in a rush of excited energy wiggling the entire time (she is literally incapable of wagging her tail without also shaking her booty back and forth as well). Even though I was nervous she wiggled right up to me and licked my hand.

    After something like 10 min passed (enough time for both of us to shed off the excitement and nerves of the new experience) as I sat on the floor Lucy lied down next to my outstretched legs and put her head on my lap. As I sat there staring at this square-headed and wide-jawed dog face in my lap I knew I found a friend for life.

    Like any responsible dog owner I walk her on a leash and make sure she gets supervised during introductions to new animals. This is what you would do regardless of breed... As example, when introducing Lucy to my boss's 15 lb. miniature pinscher we needed the spray bottle to save my 50 lb pit bull from the min-pin who snapped, barked, and bit my dog in the face for trying to sniff its butt.

    Lucy is a constant companion- she keeps up on long difficult hikes and endures seemingly endless car rides with me. She is a diligent cuddler- snuggling in bed or in front of the TV for hours on end. Welcoming her into my life has changed my life and brought endless amounts of happiness to me- I am forever grateful to her playful, awkward, friendly and gentle soul.

    It breaks my heart that should I be offered any contracts in states or cities with 'breed specific legislation' I would have to choose between the job or my dog. She is very much a part of my life, and it hurts to think that one day I may have to make that choice.

    Personally, I am scared of posts, blogs and websites like this because spreading (what I deem to be) unbalanced and stereotyping opinions which influence BSL which in turn threaten my way of life, my relationship with my dog, and the happiness that she brings me.

    As with any animal- be it dog, cat, horse, cow, goat or bird- my pit bull must be handled and cared for responsibly. When done so, she or any other pit bull is no more a threat to the environment around them than any other dog breed.

    A dog and their responsible owner should not be punished for whatever breed the dog happens to be- we have both earned the right to live and love and be happy together!

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  20. you cant blame the bred as bad as that is. i have had to lab pit mix and i never once had a problem out of them. they played ran with other dogs big and small and ran and played with cats. i had 2 cats at home and they never bothered mine or anyone elses pets. my mom had bought a american pit pup and they had anouther pit out there. never once snapped or anything at any of the other animals we have had. but two days ago the puppy came walking by the food bowl were the adult pit was eating he snapped and crushed her skull, before me or dad could do anything it had been done. the pit was the friendlest dog you would of ever meet. were still trying to figure out why he did it. as far as the lab pit mix nobody knows how he trained that dog if he was abusive or what not.

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  21. my boyfriend and I rescued a lab/pit mix and he isn't evil, as you might proclaim. The problem here is that the dog was not on a leash and the cat was running around WILD. If someone really cared about that cat, it wouldn't have been living outside. To call a dog a murderer for killing a cat is ridiculous. If someone had run over that cat because it was prancing in the streets, would that person be a murderer? Sorry but you can't blame the animal for this. Did you learn a kesson? Keep your fucking cat inside if you care about it and keep your dog on a leash. thats the moral.

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  22. Any mix of a pit, still has the genetics in it to kill. Sorry about that poor cat. People think they can and raise the genetics out of it, when you can't, they do what their instinct is.

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    1. Do any of you realize that police departments are starting to use pits as drug dogs? Pits are also being used now as service and therapy dogs for soldiers! You are quick to blame the breed but I know for a fact that pits are not bad dogs. I am a pit owner and my dogs run from kittens and hide under beds during thunderstorms and cuddle with my children and lick you to death. Yea so viscous.
      My dogs have been trained to redirect my son who is autistic when he is starting to have a meltdown and to calm my husband when his ptsd kicks in. You need to educate yourself before deciding to ban or kill pits. I have been bitten by more "non-aggressive" breeds then I care to ever say, such as Pomeranian, Chihuahuas, Chows, Rat Terriers, poodles etc, those kinds of dogs scare me. I have also been bit (required stitches) by a cat and my brother had his face dang near ripped off by a doberman requiring 57 stitches to close. But never once have I or anyone I know been bit by a pit nor have I ever seen a pit attack anything other then its toys when playing. Grow up, research and educate before making horrible accusations against the breed.

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    2. these links are to back up my claims of them being used for good and how safe they are

      Police training---

      http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?s=8151222

      Service dogs--

      http://pitbullregistry.com/Pit%20Bull%20Service%20Dog%20Certification.php

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  23. Just popping in to see how this nonsense against the pitbull breed is progressing. Anyone who has a fear of pitbulls, go to a dog park. Watch them play, watch them snuggle, watch them give kisses. If you walk out of there without the slightest question that everything you've heard from the media and the idiots on this blog is untrue, then you've simply lost your humanity, traded it to feed your rage over a ridiculous topic, traded it to single out a breed of dog not at all different from any other. Anyone who can devote so much hatred, to an animal or anything else, is simply missing something in their life, or mentally unstable.
    And the notion that pitbull owners don't care and are all drug dealers, give me a break. I'm a CPA, live in Orange County, have two pitbulls and they love each other, my wife, myself, our kids, and all of our neighbors and their kids. My neighbor, who works for Homeland Security, dog sits them when we go on vacation. My dogs have numerous dog friends in our Ladera Ranch community, 6 of which are pitbull or pit mixes. All get along, all play, all ride in a luxury car to the dog park. Not to say any of that matters, its just one circumstance to prove there are good dog owners out there, no matter where they live, what they do, who they are. The bad dog owners, pitbull owner or not, are the ones to blame.

    And who names a cat Sir Silverspoon, I mean, seriously....

    Too bad about the cat, no animal deserves that, but instincts are instincts and that owner should have used a leash. When I see an article about how a Corgi or a Pomeranian killed a neighborhood cat, I'll send it to you so you can post a blog and try to save us from all of the bloodthirsty Pomeranians.

    Get your life back, don't spread hate, go do something productive, whoever you are.

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  24. And to clarify, when I say "instincts are instincts", I mean dogs chase cats, its nature. Not all, but some. Deal with it people. Would you trust your prized parakeet (name it Sir Silverspoon or whatever ridiculous name you like) alone with the real Sir Silverspoon (God rest his soul....of course)? I think not.

    Have a good weekend everyone, last you'll hear from me. I hope everyone on this blog finds peace and focuses their angry efforts to do good in the future. The world has enough unfortunate things going on besides going back and forth over a good breed of dog that has a bad rap.

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  25. You people need to relax! Pit bulls are no more dangerous than your average dog. Yes, they have some extra aggression, but it is all in how you raise and treat them. I have a lab/pit mix and it is the sweetest dog I have ever met and loves people, dogs and CATS. People need to stop viewing Pitbulls as this horendous beast. Nothing annoys me more.

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  26. The fact that the dog had pit bull in it, actually means nothing. I've been around dogs and cats all my life. I have a cat that I raised from a kitten and one night my sister was in town visiting with her golden retrievers--known to be great family dogs--the male got a hold of my cat and shook it to near death. I did the same and rushed my cat to the ER Vet. They doubted she would make it due to severe brain and spinal cord/neck trauma. Keep in mind the goldens were very well trained...yet I was punching this dog in the head and doing everything in my power to free my cat at the time of the attack. After taking care of my cat for 5 days (she was basically in a coma) she finally came around and is now back to her normal self. I have a chocolate lab myself that has been around the cat for years and never had problems. It's just a dogs instinct that can almost randomly kick-in. It's a part of life that believe it or not, we have little control over. Whether a lab or a pit or a mutt, the dog still descended from wolves and retained some of those hunter instincts.

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  27. As a cat lover and just overall animal lover I am very saddened by this story. I've had to put my cat to sleep but because of a health problem and I was in a bad state for some time. I can only imagine how much worse it would be in this situation. But, I have a lab/pit mix and I don't deny she has personality traits from both breeds and although I made sure to socialize her at a early stage I never let her off her leash or go near dogs period while walking. This is definitely the owners fault and the breed shouldn't be blamed. It's the people who are and have been irresponsible.

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  28. It's funny to me that people blame a breed instead of the owner for a dogs actions. Interestingly people forget ALL dogs can be violent most people I've know to include myself have been horribly attacked by labs, retrievers, chows, and chihuahuas. It's just like I don't think every 30 year old white male is a serial killer but the overwhelming majority of serial killers are 30+ year old white males but we don't discrimate against that demographic. I suppose stereotyping the breed goes along with other types of stereotypes as well.

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  29. And the cat hunting and killing other animals while you watch is different how?

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  30. You are making an assumption on all pit mixes based on a bad experience. Just because a black man robs a store, does not mean all black men are robbers. Just because a white man goes on a shooting sprea, does not make all white men mass murders. I have a wonderful lab-pit mix dog. She is the most loyal dog and a joy for my family. Our cat and neighbor cats also love our dog Gretal. Pits are not bad dogs, they are a reflection of their owners. If you take one situation and apply it to all situations then you will have a narrow view of the world. PITS are wonderful animals which my family has owned all my 33 years and not once has one of our dogs attacked anyone or any animal.

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  31. I do not appreciate your choice of words when describing pit bulls and your reckless accusation of the breed. I live in Worcester, Massachusetts where Pits abound and so do horrible owners. I do not deny the fact that Pits have attacked many and they are more dangerous than other breeds. However, from my experience I've come to the conclusion that it is typically the owner that is responsible for the danger. Many owners choose Pits particularly for their strength and energy as a protective or fighting dog. This strength and energy do not alone make them a dangerous breed, but the manner and focus with which they are trained do. I own a pit/lab mix that people have said is one of the sweetest dogs they've ever met. Because of the stigma that surrounds Pits we do not tell people that she is a pit mix, although we do not deny it if they ask. We have raised her with love, trained her very well, and socialized her with people, dogs, and cats. Although we're confident in her we do keep a close eye, because we are careful owners, just as all dog owners should be. I encourage you to realize that this attack was the fault of the dog's current and past owners. Bolstering this stigma against Pit Bulls is ignorant and harmful. I implore you to redirect the focus of your blog from fear-mongering to educating owners, potential owners, and the general public about properly raising and managing Pit Bulls. I hope that your passion for this issue can be used to help people find peace with Pits

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    1. I completely agree. My family owns a pit-lab mix and she is the sweetest most brilliant dog I've ever met. There was only one occasion where I had a problem with her. During a walk, she ened up ripping the leash out of my hand and attacking a smaller dog, however, this dog had attacked and killed anther neighborhood dog and a few neighborhood cats, in addition the dog had gone after children before. I was 10 years old at the time and we are certain she was acting in defense because she had never attacked another dog before and she hasn't since.

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  32. I myself have a twelve year old pit/lab mix. And she has been an absolute baby since day one. She has been my best friend. She sleeps in my bed and cuddles on the couch with my girl and I as well as with our boy. Truly one of the most faithful and friendly dogs ever. My family and friends all love her. She has never once theeatened another animal of any kind or a person. These dogs have received a bad reputation over these past few years. Admittedly they have harmed a few.people but, you can't judge an entire breed by a few examples.

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  33. I have a Full Bred AKC unaltered male Lab and an unaltered male Husky/Wolf hybrid. I rescued the Lab when he was a year and 1/2 old. He's now going on 12. I purchased the Husky/Wolf at 8 weeks old off the back of a pick up truck for $25.00. He is now 9. I have no issues with either dog. The two unaltered male dogs have no issue with each other. They eat out of the same bowl at the same time, they sleep together, play together. Neighbors didn't realize I had two BIG dogs until they came INTO my home asking me to join in a telephone call "alert" system because:

    A neighbor has 3 pit bull mixes. They run loose in the neighborhood, have killed other pets and wild animals (javelina and deer), bark incessantly, are left unattended for days at a time and are a life endangering nuisance.

    There are times when the neighborhood is on "lock down" for days at a time. Animal control advises us to try and catch the dogs and hold them until they get there in 4 hours to one week+. "We're understaffed." Everyday neighbors including myself, arm ourselves with knives, guns, baseball bats, golf clubs and pepper spray just to go out into our yards, walk to our car, ride our bicycle, play with our children.

    Pit bulls and their owners are a menace to society.

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  34. This post is really incredible, one of the most helpful I have ever read,indeed.Las Vegas Dog Sitter

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  35. U people are stupid pitbulls are not bad dogs only bad owners. I have 3 pitbulls and they are the biggest babies in the world never fight with any dogs or bite anyone. They actually play with the neighbors 3 kids everyday and never play to rough with them and they are 10. 6 and 4 Hrs old. Also all you people with cats that just let them roam around and blame other people when they are hit by a car or attacked by a dog what do you expect. Its not like dog owners just let there dogs run free and blame people for there mishaps. Your should be responsible pet owners and leave them in the house or don't get a pet.

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  36. You cant blame a breed because a dog killed a cat. Idk if you ignorant "pitbull haters" (I put pitbull haters in quotations because you people have gone through history much like rasists blaming different breeds at different times) have noticed but there are coutless accounts of dogs killing cats, birds, squirls, etc. But only a fair portion are pitbulls. Most dogs are bred to hunt the beagle and lab are only 2 of many examamples. Animals killing eachother is nature. Just because you have house broken a dog doesn't mean it wont piss on a tree if it had the opportunity. Cats the same, if you have fed your cat canned food all its life doesn't mean it wouldnt chase a mouse that crossed its path. If your cat catches a mouse do you think it would play with it gentley? No it would kill it because it can. Nature is strange to us but even our "pets" are still wild animals with instincts just like you and me.

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  37. To blame a dog breed for attacking a cat is the stupidest thing ive heard in a while the way u people attack this wonderful breed makes me angry and sad!! The fact that all I had to do is Google labrapit and this is the first article there makes me furious because people are gonna belive all the stupid non sence that people with no life post. It is very tragic that the poor car died the way it did but you have no right to blame this beautiful breed for the fact that a dog was just following its nature instinct. Yes the owner should of had a leash on his dog but its like me saying that cats like to attack babies YES BABIES!!!!! If you dont belive me heres a site http://community.babycenter.com/post/a29121737/cat_attacked_my_baby ... and saying that pitbulls earn their reputation for some reason its been know for years that cats have been known to smuther babies to death . Now im not saying that all cats are evil no im just showing u am example of how awful you really sound by attacking a breed . Im a animal lover always have ive had multiple cats and dogs from chihuahuas to chow chows and now the life companion of my best friend toby a labpit all im asking is not to judge the breed all your really doing is causing more damage to this wonderful breed !!

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  38. I love how you started off talking about how you enjoyed watching Sir Silverspoon killing things (as that IS what cats do), yet when a dog kills a cat (as ANY dog may do since that's what DOGS do), it's a horrific murder that should have made headlines. Circle of life, get over it.
    Sincerely, A Proud Lab-Pit Owner

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  39. I own a lab pit mix ... Also I work in fields where I rescue dogs and train them as well . Honestly instead of blaming a breed , blame the owner . PITBULLS ARE NOT BREED FIGHTING DOGS OR KILLERS ! they are actually breed for hunting to protect big game from moving , as well as the loving golden retriever for waterfowl. low life people have tried making money fighting this breed because pitbulls have a high tolerance of pain and are very smart in training. My labpit mix is loyal, and loving to everything and has never hurt a fly , I have personly seen pitbulls that have been beaten by owners . its the saddest thing people blame the breed .. btw i have been attacked by cats before to where i was bloody but ill talk it out to the owners, not bash on an animal . Proud lab pit owner <3

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  40. reading this makes me lose faith in humanity. a dog killed a cat, people are surprised by this?!? if it was on the leash it wouldn't have happened. it's every animal owners responsibility to ensure that their dog is restricted regardless of breed.

    and to the people fantasizing about killing the dogs, you should be put down because you're disgusting trash who I wouldn't let sleep in my dogs crate.

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  41. The only point to take from this article, IMO, is the irresponsibility of the dogs' owner. Obviously, one shouldn't be walking his dog leash-less in a public area - doesn't matter what the breed. Dogs will be dogs, and frankly, cats will be cats. I've included a link to a "comic" site that is based on facts. I love cats and dogs equally, but frankly, cats are cold-blooded psycho killers, well documented to kill anything that they can for the shear pleasure of it. In New Zealand, they are considering a bill to outlaw cats, as they are decimating the island nations' native bird population. And we permit them to roam about leash-less in our cities! My neighborhood is overrun with stray cats, and it's frankly disgusting, and quickly draining my love of the feline species.

    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cats_actually_kill

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  42. The point is that pits have a higher likelyhood to fatally or seriuosly injure someone or something. the thing to take away is that you dog obsessed fools can't rescue an animal that is genetically bred to kill. At its heart it is still an animal that is slave to its instincts...some of you never learn.

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  43. this is the most unintelligent story I have ever read, due to the simple fact that this could have been any breed. It was a cat dogs and cats just do not mix sometimes.I have heard many many other stories with cats getting attacked by all sorts of breeds. Please do not judge the breed! Yes you can have your opinion but this is very judgmental maybe you should try to be more open minded it is people like you that get lives taken from them and yes dogs getting killed because they are a certain breed is just like taking a humans life! Disgusted in your judgmental story!!

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  44. There are good owners and bad owners of every type of animal out there. Responsible and irresponsible pet owners. This goes for cat owners and dog owners.
    It seems in this story both animals paid for their owners serious lack of judgment. It has been proven time and time again that outdoor cats face many a multitude of dangers.
    I hate breed bans of any breed. This line of thinking endangers all breeds. We, as humans, have the ability to reason and understand the hazardous situations we may place our pets in. Yet some still choose to do it. Our pets pay the ultimate price.
    If we allow one breed to be banned we are making it quite easy to do the same with the next breed. Before thinking I am a APBT owner I am not and most likely never will be. But I choose to share my home with another 'dangerous ' breed - the GSD and the Rottweiler.

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  45. I like how a comment above stated that pit owners only get pits because they like the "danger" of it or whatever BS you said, but we have a pit mastiff mix..oh, and guess what we have 4 children ages 9 and under. Our dog loves us and our kids..plays with them and shows no anger or aggression at all..she is also good with other dogs. She has never been around cats so I can't say how she feels, but that's to be expected with any dog. My friend has a Chihuahua that's has snapped or bit kids and even my kids many times. My mother in law had a cocker spaniel that my son was playing with and with out warning and her tail wagging she bit a huge chunk from his face!..I say had because she was put down. I agree that some pits are bad and thats because they have bad owners. You CAN NOT base all knowledge of a pit on the bad ones..because then I can say let's ban labs because one bit my daughter, let's ban German shepherds because my mom was viciously attacked by one when she was little..as was my husband, let's ban cocker spaniels because one bit my son...or I know let's ban any dog that has ever killed a cat! I am sorry about the cat that was killed for I am a cat lover as well, but know your facts about a breed before you damn them all. Also, a little fun fact...our friend has a pure bred pit and she just got certified to be a service dog and is also certified to be with children! So don't call pit owners anything but another pet owner because you can never judge a dog or person by the others!

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  46. Also, Meals on Wheels..maybe you should read up about the breed before you try to teach others about it. Wow, I really hope you don't have a following of misguided people!

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  47. i am utterly disgusted in you people. i own an american lab pit mix and a staddfordshire pit and they are giant babies. one wears a sweater with reindeer on it and is scared of the tv. the other is a therapy dog and is registered at the hospital. i wasn't an advocate for pits until my lab had a pit lab mix and a stray pit wondered into my yard and my options were keep her or have her killed. dogs attack dogs and other animals it's a sad truth. my dogs were attacked by a german shepherd and 2 golden retrievers. im horrified people are so ignorant and unable to see the lies they automatically conform to they say nobody will ever want this dog. this dog won't be anything but a killer. look into the eyes of my River and Rosie and tell them they deserve to die. a life is a life right? then why is the life of your dog worth more than the life of mine?

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  48. I am utterly just as disgusted with all you pit people. Guess what? Everyone has a right to their opinion even if you disagree with it. How many comments have we seen from you guys when an attack on an animal or human happens? Only concern is for the pit. Well guess what? We are just as concerned about our animals and family. ANY dog that attacks and cuases serious harm to another animal or human needs to be PTS.

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  49. Kill Chihuahuas! They're vicious little things and evil! Btw i had dogs of several kinds - german shepards, chow, labs & pits. It's all about training them correctly. My dogs never caused trouble because i TRAINED them CORRECTLY & HUMANELY. Never hit swat with paper or sprayed water. I treated them like fuzzy children & visitors were always shocked at how well behaved my dogs were. You want to blame breeds its your choice. With that logic iim going with Chihuahua because i had nothing but trouble with those beasts. Two in particular i named cujo & napolean are constant thorns in my side. My neighbor never believes me the trouble they cause when they jump the fence & wreak havoc.

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  50. I think we can all agree that the violent death of a pet due to another person's pet is a traumatic and terrible thing. Perhaps we can also agree that the pet owner is fully responsible for the actions of their pet and moreover responsible to monitor their behavior and continuously and whenever possible anticipate potential problems and take steps to prevent them. Beyond that I don't think agreement about blaming breeds or not is even possible. People will choose their own position on that according to their experiences and predilections.

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  52. first time on this blog..adopted an eight month lab/pit mix puppy named
    Mikey and came across this while randomly looking up information on the mix breed. Anyways, my other dog is a frenchie/boston terrier mix named Boomer, most playful, happy, funny dog you can meet and now his "younger but much bigger brother" is the perfect compliment..from the meet and greet, ride home and time outside to play, they are best friends and he even uses uses Boomer as a pillow when they lay next to each other..The reason Mikey was even in a shelter was because his previous owners adopted him then surrendered him due to "behavioral issues" which was chasing their chickens..What dog wouldn't chase chickens! that is on the owner just like a dog attacking the poor cat is on the owner.. it is the pet owners job to know his dog, put his dog in the best possible position to succeed at representing himself and his breed and he did none of this. I'm all for protecting animals and putting down the ones that are a danger to everyone but we wouldnt ban a particular race bc someone else of that same race was a bad seed, so why a breed?

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  53. Not just pit bulls kill cats. As a matter of fact almost all of my grandfather's hounds were very cat and dog aggressive. A stray cat got into our fenced yard once and I had to pull my Boston Terrier off of the cat because the second he saw it he had his mouth around it's neck faster than you can say anything. ANY DOG CAN BE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS CATS. In fact unless a dog is raised with a cat and socialized with them it's probably a safe bet that dog is going to kill a cat if and when he sees one. That is why dogs should be kept on a leash.

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  54. All kinds of dogs kill cats. It's the cat owner's responsibility to keep the cat indoors or in a fenced in area. None of the cats in my area have been killed by the neighborhood pitbulls and pit mixes, but other dogs, yes, especially hunting dogs. Also, my pit mix is snuggling with my cat right now. My cat stays indoors where it is safe from neighborhood dogs, as a responsible cat owner would do.

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  55. Frankly If you cant handle a Cat or a Dog, go get yourself a couple goldfish! I own a Labrador Retriever Pit mix, My little sisters are around him and not once as he ever so much as growled at them. My one little sister, was bit to the face and almost killed while at a babysitters, not by a Pit breed of any kind, but by a Rattier. So do not give me this crap about how dangerous and aggressive Pit's are. Pit's aren't born dangerous and aggressive, Their made that way, trained to be aggressive by their owners. and not to mention ALL DOGS will chase down a cat, specially one that happens to be outdoors. If your going to have a cat, it stays inside or on a leash. By the way Labrador Retrievers are named that for a reason mix or not. Their a hunting breed, Pits are more of a babysitting breed. Pits where known as Nanny Dogs for their gentle, sweet, and loving nature. their a campaign dog, their protective over their pact (YOU THEIR FAMILY). I'm sick of hearing how BAD pits are, your blaming the wrong party, owners are the ones responsible with any dog no matter the breed. Just like with children, teach them right their loyal with love for life, treat them poorly and their turn that love against you.

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    1. I totally agree, I have a pit this is my first, I had a boxer , she died at 4 yrs old but I'm loving my pit so far.

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  56. You sound like a biggot. Just replace the word "Pitt" with "nigger" and you'll have a better grasp of your ignorance. If Sir had killed mice or birds would you call him a "mutant" or a "monster"? It's in the cat's instincts to kill things smaller than it. It's the same for the dog to chase and kill things the size of a cat that run away. Your friend took risks with the life of her cat by allowing him to be outside. That was her choice, no judgments. This is the result of a choice she made with regards to her cat's safety. Also the owner of that dog was grossly negligent by walking the dog off leash. That's why we have laws. He took risks with the life of his dog and unfairly took risks with his safety, Sir's safety and that of everyone else in the neighborhood. This is a terrible incident for which your friend is about 30% responsible and the dog owner 70% responsible. Sir and the dog BOTH did nothing wrong. They were nothing more than a Dog and a Cat interacting in the wild. They don't understand civilization. The sidewalk is the wild for them. BOTH owners neglected to understand this. I hope the dog was rehomed, his owner sucks.

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  57. Oh puuuuhlease!!!! A dog killed a cat?!!? Let's make it a headline news story!!! Are you kidding me?!!? Just ridiculous! There are also other dog breeds that have "murdered" cats and even attacked humans! Where's everyone's hatred towards those breeds?? Oh! That's right! You won't hear about it because why not single out One species just because they LOOK a lil scary and are the ONLY breed that make news. What about all the pitties that have SAVED lives?!!? What about the ones that have PROTECTED people?!!? Or how about the fact that in the 1900's pitties used to be used as trained babysitters that would sit faithfully next to an infant while mom ran to town for groceries?!!? People against dog breeds sicken me! You're no better than a racist! See how far that gets you til one.... MAYBE it could be a pit bull that SAVES YOUR LIFE!

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  58. I have a pit lab mix puppy and he is a big baby of course he loves to chase frogs, rabbits birds and yes even cats he will bark and growl all while wagging his tail. Today we were walking and he barked at a cat and went to chase it when the cat hissed he ran back to me whining. my point is not all pits are the same and you shouldn't assume they are. Also not every dog that kills a smaller animal is mean it has a lot to do with animal instincts it is no different then a cat killing a mouse or bird.

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  59. I could go on forever about this but let me just say this: Your breed discrimination breaks my heart. I deal with people like you occationally at the shelter where I work. One particular woman was appalled that we would adopt out pit bull type dogs. (a "Pit" isn't an actual breed by the way, it's already a mix of Terrier and Bull Dog and there are several breeds described as "Pit". But I will use the term generally here.) This woman said we should just euthanize them. So killing a dog is ok if it's a Pit Bull? Wrong, lady. She asked if we heard about all the horrible things they do. I asked if she heard about all the great things they do, such as saving lives, detecting illnesses and being amazing service dogs. She was quick to dismiss these innocent shelter pups because of something another dog that may look a little like them did. ANY animal, just like any person, deserves to not be judged and afforded the opportunity to break the stereotype that surrounds them. That dogs owner was at fault for breaking the leash law. Not all animals will get along or listen when they are distracted. That's why leads were invented. Duh. I understand that you were upset by this event but blaming that dog, or judging any Pit Bull based on that one dog's actions, is absurd. Morn the cat but don't take it out on every Pit Bull type dog. People like you are what leads to MILLIONS of Pit Bull type dogs being euthanized every year. I look into my Pit Bull/Lab's eyes and I can see the gratitude she has for me for not judging her and literally saving her life by giving her a home and two feline brothers. I work every day of my life fighting for the lives of all the dogs and cats in my shelter regardless of what they look like. And their new families are very grateful that I do. Pitties smile the biggest, love the hardest, and know the most that we love them and fight for them. I'm sorry for your loss. Also people should read up more about Pit Bulls (and dogs in general) to better understand the animals we share our homes with. Ignorance hurts.

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  60. A study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School identified fatal dog bites during the period 1966–1980. They identified 74 incidents from newspapers and the medical literature. They found that the most (23) fatalities occurred in infants under 1 year old, and in most cases the dog was owned by the victim's family. In only 3 of the incidents was the dog reported to have been provoked by kicking, hitting, or having stones thrown at it. However, several incidents involved a child attempting to pet or hug the dog.

    In 6 of the incidents, there was no information available about the breed of dogs involved.

    Of the remaining 68 fatalities, many involved large and powerful molosser breeds: eight Saint Bernards, six Bull terriers, six Great Danes, as well as two attacks by Boxers and one by a Rottweiler.

    In contrast to the time period covered by the CDC study, which found pit bulls and Rottweilers to be the most commonly involved breed in such attacks during that time period, this study found no fatal pit bull attacks at all in the US during its time period, and only one Rottweiler attack(.Pinckney, Lee; Leslie A. Kennedy "Traumatic Deaths from Dog Attacks in the United States". Pediatrics)

    Ancient and spitz breeds also committed a significant minority of the attacks. These were mostly sled dog breeds (nine Husky breeds and five were Malamutes), but there was also one Chow Chow and one Basenji.

    However, by far the most common specific single breed involved in fatal attacks (16) was the German Shepherd Dog, which, like the two Doberman Pinschers also listed, is a product of an intensive documented breeding program involving quite unrelated canine bloodlines to create a superior working dog. There were also two identified only as collies, although the breed was not specified.

    There were multiple retriever attacks, including three Goldens and one Labrador, and there were two fatal attacks by very small breeds: a Dachshund, which is a very small scenthound bred to work as a terrier, and one Yorkshire Terrier, which is among the smallest of all dogs. Finally, in ten of the attacks, the dogs were only described as mixed breed.

    What's shown here is that pit bulls have had less fatal attacks in contrast to other breeds. Furthermore, I'm not sure what part of the United States you're from but I have neighbors that are also pit bull owners that are genuinely nice adults with careers in the university degrees and are nurses, doctors, lawyers and one is a contractor so I find that your posts filled with your disdain for the breed and owners are unjustly generalized and henceforth, unfounded.

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  61. This website is total horseshit. It's not the breed, it's the owner/training/abuse of the dog. Don't you have anything better to do than spread uninformed crap around on the internet?

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  62. Wooowwwwww. Did I really just read that? Really? How ignorant can you be? Pits dont belong in our society? What!? Im so completely at a loss of what to say to this bs. I have been attacked by a dog before, and I still love all dogs. My little chihuahua was attacked by a german shepherd in my own backyard, similarly to this story. The shepherd had my 4 pound chihuahua in his mouth and he shook him like a chew toy. Now, is it hard for me to be around shepherds sometimes? sure. But do I go around telling nonsensical stories about how awful german shepherds are and that they have no place in our society? Absolutely not! Dogs, no matter what the breed, can be the gentlest of animals, or the most vicious. Its dependent upon the owner, upbringing, etc. You can have a pit that is the sweetest lapdog or have a chihuahua that is aggressive and mean. Now, I understand that a vicious pit can do a lot more harm than a chihuahua, but again, this is not because its a bad breed, its just bigger. There is no bad breed, theres just bad people and stereotypes. You should be ashamed of yourself for spreading this ridiculous rumor. Maybe you're the one with no place in out society.

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    1. YOU GO GIRL. I completely agree. It pissed me off.

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  63. Sorry for the loss but this blog screams Dog racist. Youre making judgement on the pretense of your ignorance. Please be knowledgeable of all aspects before you write something distasteful.

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  64. I have a pitbull lab mix and she's an amazing dog. Any dog can attack a cat or a person. It's up to how they're raised my girl was a rescue by 5 months old she was through 4 families and abused. They tried to make her aggressive when she wouldn't be they tossed her out and I took a week getting her to trust me before I took her in. It was one of the best choices I made she's now 12 years old and I've been told by several she could snap on me but I don't believe it for a second. I wouldn't trade her for anything. The dog should've been on a leash because that's being responsible and I feel horrible for the cat and the owner but it didn't happen because the dog was part pitbull.

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  65. This ignorance in what you are trying to portray is astounding! Yes, the pit bull breed does have a bad rap, however, any breed can be aggressive. Honestly it's how the dog is raised, nature vs nurture. Overall pit bulls actually score higher in temperament tests compared to the breeds that you would typically recognize as nice friendly dogs, for example the lab and a golden retriever. It just saddens me that you would say that a pit bull can't be in your community merrily because it is a pit bull. I have owned many breeds and do a lot of work with shelter dogs and out of all breeds I have ever owned or worked with pit bulls are by far the sweetest and most calm breed I have had the pleasure of knowing. Most of the time when people like you say these things it's because they are simply just uneducated about the breed. Maybe you should get to know some pits and get off your damn porch......

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  66. this is seriously the most stupid thing i have ever heard... like i really don't even have words for how stupid this is... i hope your servers crash and this website just goes away never to be seen again... i think some of my brain cells have died just by clicking the link to come here... may you all have a wonderful life and never ever know the love that a pit bull can give because you don't deserve to ever be in the same room or breathe the same air as my pits or any other pits

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  67. You are completely out of your mind if you think this happened because of the breed of dog. This dog is an animal. It acts off instinct. The owner is a moron for having him off the leash despite how well he thinks he knows his dog. Dogs kill cats. Hello? Lab/bull mixes are actually known for their tolerance of smaller animals. This is an unfortunate occurrence that can easily be blamed on a neighbor that acted irresponsibly. The dog is a dog and acted just like ....a dog. I am so very sorry for your loss. I love cats too and have had many. However, let's stop the pitbull blame business. It has nothing to do with that. They are a gentle breed that so so often land in the hands of horrible owners. Not only do they take a ridiculous amount of abuse, they also have to deal with society hating them and stereotyping them. Let's stop this nonsense.

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  68. This article should not be on the Internet. It is very misleading, judgemental, and bias obviously. I could easily tell you a story of a strong willed pit bull that saved a woman's life from wolves when I was stationed in Alaska but it would be wrong to assume they all will/could do this.

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  69. This article should not be on the Internet. It is very misleading, judgemental, and bias obviously. I could easily tell you a story of a strong willed pit bull that saved a woman's life from wolves when I was stationed in Alaska but it would be wrong to assume they all will/could do this.

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  70. Pit Bulls were a European breed designed to be a hunter. Then they came here with the immigrants from Europe and for a while were used the same way.

    Regardless of that history, it is the training of the dog in question and the lack of control of the owner. Both are the fault of the owner, not the dog.

    Americans have taken this hunting dog and turned it into something it never wanted to be.

    But American have also demonized German Shepherds, Rottweillers, Dobermans, and other dogs.

    Reading the statement about them from two different kennel groups in the UK and the US:

    "The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog. The breed’s natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work."

    Just unfortunate that this dog was not trained.

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  71. Just because SOME pitbulls are like this does not mean ALL are. EVERY breed has SOME dogs that would do the same thing. My dad actually was ATTACKED by a lab! I have a pitbull mix and she is the sweetest, most gentle dog I've ever come into contact with. I used to be TERRIFIED of dogs. I would literally jump on top of cars to avoid an encounter with them. She helped me get over my fear and I love dogs now. If I ever get another dog I will 100% be getting another pitbull mix. She actually caught the neighbors cat just the other day and at first I was terrified when I saw the cat in her mouth! But guess what? She didn't hurt the cat at all. She was playing with the cat and actually let go of it before I even told her to. Now I see the cat lures her out and she chases and tries to catch it but would NEVER harm it. Same with a little baby frog the other day. My dog is about 60 pounds and could do major damage to a tiny baby frog. Did she? Nope she pounced all around it, even grabbed it in her mouth gently and didn't injure it at all. The ONLY thing I've ever seen my dog kill is a fly, and that's only because she ate it. I have no joke seen her play with flies! Like grab it by the wing, shake it around and put it on the floor still ALIVE! I am not saying the dog in the original story wasn't horrible, but don't knock every dog in the breed for the actions of ONE. If pitbulls are trained right, they can be the most loving dogs out there.

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  72. we don't know how that happened? Jon smartly points out that two puppies can take care of each other! Dogs

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  73. Stumbled across this poorly written opinion piece fluffed up by adjectives. It seems to me Carolyn and 'Sir Silverspoon' should have been more aware of their surroundings. More so, with outdoor cats being the number one MURDERER of birds and small animals in the United States. So the cat, instead of showing warning signs that say 'leave me alone' or scurried away to a place where the pup couldn't reach, it stayed on the ground in plain view taunting the dog? Maybe if Carolyn had any love for her cat she would have done her best to keep it safe (ie: inside where it isn't murdering anything either). Just because your neighbor was stupid enough not to know how to own and care for a cat correctly doesn't give you any right to demonize a breed or in actuality multiple breeds of dogs conveniently umbrellaed together. it's such a shame Carolyn couldn't properly care for her cat and instead was more concerned with doing as she pleased. Last little note, no dogs deserve to get bad talked or told they don't belong but if you REALLY want to go after some breeds why not start with the ones most highly rated for aggression such as jack russels or chihuahuas; or maybe dachshunds because not only are they aggressive but also have higher bite rates than almost any other dog.
    TL;DR? Your neighbor is an idiot who got her cat killed. Quit demonizing dogs with one of the best temperament ratings and maybe take the time you spend ranting and do some research (actual ;) not just sites that pander to specific opinions but veterinary or peer reviewed).

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