Pitbulls and kids?

[KalamazooMom]

We had to euthanize our much loved dog on 12/16, and we're now ready to think about adopting another dog. There's a dog we're considering that was also a stray. This dog is most likely a lab and pittbull mix. He looks very sweet and the foster family he's with now says he's very tolerant and easy going. But I've always felt rather skittish about pits. This dog has also had its ears cropped and it makes me think he was bred to fight and/ or grew up in an agressive or abusive environment. I have a pretty rambunctious 6 yo DS so I am concerned about him being with the dog. I also wonder if the kids friends might be afraid of the looks of this dog. When I saw the picture of this dog he really appealed to me. And I imagine if the kids meet him they will want him. But I really want the best dog that's going to fit into our family for a long time.

[Ola_]

The thing with pits and fighting dogs is that they tend towards dog aggression. Being aggressive to people would be a big no-no, especially in the fighting ring where they need to be handled by people without biting them. Not saying he was involved in fighting, many people crop ears just to get the dog to look tough, and if he wasn't tough enough that may be why they let him loose.

IMO it depends totally on his personality. Can you visit his foster home and see how he acts there? If that goes well I'd see what his reaction is to the kids, that's the most important part. I would want him to be wiggly and relaxed, no tension or stiff postures.

[EricaDoula]

The only thing about a stray, no matter what the breed, but more likely in pits is that you don't know their history and you don't know what will make them snap. I have a loving, amazing 50 lb pit, shar pei mix, and he is the sweetest dog I have ever had, and he has snapped once when my Moms dog was barking going crazy when my uncle wrang the doorbell and my Dad yelled at my Moms dog to stop barking, my dog flipped out and bit my uncle. It wasn't bad, no stitches needed, but it was scary. And I've heard of many other dogs doing the same thing. History of a dog is unknown, so with little ones, be sure to spend time with the dog, maybe even a dog trainer just to be sure nothing can set off this dog! Good Luck! I love having a dog!

[Kirsten]

I have tried to be "judge the deed not the breed" - but I just can't. I let my dd1 babysit for a family with a pet pit - even though my gut said NO!!!!! I came back to pick her up, and we were all (me, dd1, mom of the house) standing in the kitchen talking. Mom made a joke and dd1 laughed out loud. The dog lunged for her, baring teeth and growling mean. Mom laughed it off as no big deal. I have never been back to their house again; my dd1 isn't allowed to babysit there; my dd2 and dd3 (who are friends with her kids) aren't allowed to play there.

Mom of that family has had the dog since it was a puppy; it has been raised with her kids. SHE totally trusts it. I do not.

My brother adopted a dog that didn't look pit as a puppy but looks pretty pit as it has grown. I watch carefully when my kids are there, and they don't play outside with the dog. I wouldn't let my dd1 petsit for them, even though she does for many other families.

Wrong and unfair - maybe so. But I learned my lesson when I tried to be "fair". I am not putting my kid at risk to prove I am fair to all dog breeds.

So, yes, I'd be the mom who wouldn't let her kid play at your house with a pet pit bull.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I'm leery of dogs from 'aggressive' breeds that have an unsavory, or unknown, background. I would, personally, have no problem getting a pitbull or pitbull mix as a puppy or young dog and having it as a family pet, because I would be able to control it's treatment and training. But to not know..... I'd worry. Like was said, you don't know what could trigger him to snap.

[greenmagick]

pits are (usually) wonderful with children. Very tolerant and playful. As they tend to be a "hard" breed things like children falling on them etc tend to not bother them as much as some other breeds. Obviously this is all general stuff, each dog is going to be unique.

And as the previous posters with a dog that lunged, etc....ALL dogs have a bite threshold. All dogs have the possibility of biting. Pits are no more likely to snap that any other dog from the same situation. I am not sure why one dog acting out means that the breed itself is unsafe. Do some reading up on pits and the medias hype surrounding them.

[SubliminalDarkness]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

pits are (usually) wonderful with children. Very tolerant and playful. As they tend to be a "hard" breed things like children falling on them etc tend to not bother them as much as some other breeds. Obviously this is all general stuff, each dog is going to be unique.

And as the previous posters with a dog that lunged, etc....ALL dogs have a bite threshold. All dogs have the possibility of biting. Pits are no more likely to snap that any other dog from the same situation. I am not sure why one dog acting out means that the breed itself is unsafe. Do some reading up on pits and the medias hype surrounding them.

Honestly, my concern is anatomical more than anything.

[greenmagick]

Originally Posted by SubliminalDarkness

Honestly, my concern is anatomical more than anything.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this...their jaws are no different than other dogs....they dont lock, and they dont have any more pressure that similar sized dogs.

[Kailey's mom]

I would just take the kids to meet the dog first I do not believe it's the breed. I've had a pit; my friend has 2 pits.. 3 dogs, 3 different personalities.. 2 of them let the kids ride them like horses (poor dogs) and the other one is terrified of kids *wonder why* Look at the dogs eyes, sounds weird, but seriously do it.. if someone has abused the dog like fed them gun powder or other toxins to literally make them crazy... their eyes will be empty. I've seen it. People are so cruel to pits

[SunshineJ]

Another one who doesn't see a problem based on breed alone. We have a "shelter special" that we adopted when he was a year old. No one really knows what he is, but it's pretty sure he's part shepard. There's a good possibility he's also part pitt. He will growl and he will bark when someone comes to the door. If someone is bothering me or the kids (or playing around and he doesn't know them) he will put them on notice. Then as soon as he sees us relaxed, he'll lick the person to death. My step aunt used to raise rotties, another breed with a less than stellar reputation (at least where we lived). Gentlest dogs I've ever seen, would "babysit" the little ones. Ok, not mine, I like to watch my own kids and have a hangup with dog slobber, but my stepbrothers. The personality makes a huge difference. FWIW the most agressive and flat out meanest dogs I've ever seen were my neighbors Pomeranien and Pekinese. (Yeah they were little, but so was I at the time and between them they could've easily knocked me over and done some damage.)

Go look at the dog (without kids) and see what you think and what he's like. As for the cropped ears, eh, that doesn't really mean anything. For all you know he could've had an ear injury or deformity and the original owner thought it would look better to get them cropped or just simply liked the look.

[ktmeyer]

I'm a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Certified Veterinary Technician. I've worked in the Veterinary field for 15 years. And Pits are probably my favorite breed to work with. LOVE them!!!! They CAN be dog aggressive, but are almost never human aggressive. And if they are, they let you know it. They aren't hard to read. As for how they do with kids, they are generally GREAT with kids. Remember Petey from the Little Rascals? He was a Pit! In England they were called "the nursemaid dog" because they are so good with kids. They were good in the ring because they have a high pain tolerance, this means they put up with little pokes and prods from kids (and veterinarians) better than most other breeds. Go meet the dog, if you like him then don't hold his breed against him! Oh, and I have a pit/shepherd mix, and all her issues are very much shephered issues, NOT pit issues. We see WAY more problems with shepherds than pits.

[KalamazooMom]

Originally Posted by SunshineJ

Go look at the dog (without kids) and see what you think and what he's like..

Good idea to go see him first without the kids. I hadn't thought of that.

[womenswisdom]

I have no issue with a pit, have met some wonderful ones. However, I just got a new homeowner's policy and they asked about what breed my dogs are. Apparently a dog on the "list" would cause either your policy to be more expensive or you to be denied coverage. You might want to check into that just to have all your bases covered.

[ErinYay]

Also check out http://www.badrap.org

They're a Bay Area-based bully breed (I hate to be pedantic, but there is no such animal as a "pitbull." There are countless bully-breeds, but usually people are talking about the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, or the Staffordshire Terrier. Also in the bully group are often Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, etc.) advocacy group who wants owners of such dogs and mixes to be as responsible as possible.


(This is a great link, too; it's VERY difficult to properly ID a bully breed for the specific breed it actually is, which is why news outlets and police officers tend to report dog bites and attacks as being from "pit bulls." I'm a longtime dog trainer, and often have trouble with these "spot the pit bull" quizzes. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html )

[Kirsten]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

And as the previous posters with a dog that lunged, etc....ALL dogs have a bite threshold.

I agree with you - they do. And because I was bitten as a child (by a friendly and known dog), I have been very serious about teaching my kids how to respect animals. I would never blame an amimal for scratching/biting if there was a legitimate reason - as either the child should know better or the adult in charge should know better.

Though it doesn't come naturally to me, all three of my kids love all animals. I have never seen them mistreat in even the slightest way any animal. So being right there to see what happened before/during/after the lunge, I feel confident that that dog's apparent lunge threshold (a laugh in the middle of a conversation between three people) is too low for my comfort.

What made it tough for me was having such a strong feeling not to let her babysit with that dog present, getting past that in an attempt to be fair and politically correct, THEN having the laugh/lunge happen.

The OP - and many, many people my brother included - is comfortable with a pit as a pet. The OP asked about negatives. Some friends not coming to your house and higher or refused home owner's insurance have been mentioned as some of them. The OP sounded like she wants a family dog, and isn't too stuck on any certain breed. Other breeds could fill this role without the negative aspects - however fair or not.

[momasana]

We have a pit/lab mix and he is the sweetest, most gentle dog I have ever known. He and DS are great friends (and in cahoots with snack-sharing). I feel more comforable with DS around our pit mix than I do around our greyhound (a breed which is known for being gentle and sweet). He was easy to train and very obedient.

If it is the right dog for your family I would not worry about the breed. Besides, children should be supervised around any breed of dog.

[daisymama12]

I had a lab/pit/boxer for 12.5 years, and he was an amazing dog. Got grumpy with other dogs in his old age, but other than that he was a smart, handsome, loyal, loving, obedient dog.

We are also thinking about adopting, but I am avoiding strays, because of the unknown background. I am looking for home surrenders because owners didn't have time, or giving up the dog bc of allergies, etc.

Personally, I would be more concerned about his unknown past than the fact that he has some pit-bull in him.

[Kailey's mom]

Originally Posted by ErinYay

Also check out http://www.badrap.org

They're a Bay Area-based bully breed (I hate to be pedantic, but there is no such animal as a "pitbull." There are countless bully-breeds, but usually people are talking about the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, or the Staffordshire Terrier. Also in the bully group are often Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, etc.) advocacy group who wants owners of such dogs and mixes to be as responsible as possible.


(This is a great link, too; it's VERY difficult to properly ID a bully breed for the specific breed it actually is, which is why news outlets and police officers tend to report dog bites and attacks as being from "pit bulls." I'm a longtime dog trainer, and often have trouble with these "spot the pit bull" quizzes. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html )

everyone, play this game seriously.. !!!@!!!!

[KalamazooMom]

Originally Posted by Kirsten

The OP asked about negatives. Some friends not coming to your house and higher or refused home owner's insurance have been mentioned as some of them. The OP sounded like she wants a family dog, and isn't too stuck on any certain breed. Other breeds could fill this role without the negative aspects - however fair or not.

Right. I guess that's my basic dilemma.

[ktmeyer]

Originally Posted by Kirsten

So being right there to see what happened before/during/after the lunge, I feel confident that that dog's apparent lunge threshold (a laugh in the middle of a conversation between three people) is too low for my comfort.

I totally agree, that dog is dangerous. I just don't think it has anything to do with the breed.