DandNHill

On Saturday evening my 17 year old son was viciously attacked by a Rottweiler. I am so proud of him as he managed to remain calm and remove himself from what could have been a very nasty situation for him. We spent the night at the emergency and he had six stitches and a huge dose of antibiotics!!! He's in a lot of pain but smiling.

You get the people who are on the dogs side saying that it's the owners fault and they shouldn't be banned and on the other side those who call for a ban on any of of the breeds who have the reputation of being dangerous.

Until Saturday night my opinion was that if we can't control the people who own them then our only option is to ban them. Since that scary night I would sign any petition that might help ban all dangerous breeds and severely punish anybody who owns one.
I make these comments having worked in animal control so this isn't just a total guessing game.

Quebec I have read is banning them and obviously pit bulls have been banned in Ontario since 2005.

I was wondering what other people think of these dogs and the bans?

BristolUK

My wife had one, fortunately it was some time before I came on the scene, as it were. The whole family loved it.

Whenever she saw one on TV - and this still goes for the others too (stepdaughter especially) - the reaction is "awww...Ryan!" His name.

Until I knew of this this it seemed to me that a very common reason to have these dogs was to help intimidate, because their owners seemed a certain type...albeit something reinforced by media rather than significant personal experience.

Familiar with the argument about owners not caring properly being to blame, when I read of the Quebec ban (or was it Montreal?) I thought why not an extra category of dog licence just as you only get an HGV licence when you've demonstrated the ability to drive an HGV.

And that, in turn, makes me think it's a similar situation for guns.

But then it was always my wife's favourite kind of dog. Personally I don't even know which is a Pit bull and which is a Rottweiler, they just seem ugly brutes to me.

Geordie Lass

I'm sorry to hear your son was attacked... What happened? where was he etc?

I'm a huge dog lover - have had dogs for about 15 years now. I've had a retriever/spaniel mix and a lab.

I am on the fence about these types of dogs. I'm terrified of pit bulls here. I was walking my dog not long after I got here and she was on her lead and a pit bull came running across the field at us. (Wasn't off lease park I'd never actually seen one except in photos and I have to admit I was frozen in fear. The head and the jaw on that thing... unreal) I've never been that scared of a dog and I've never met one so powerful. Owner was like "oh he's friendly" and I just stood there... thinking F Word he'd better be or we've both had it. I had visions of him annihilating my lab who was still a puppy really - daft as a brush. I can remember my blood running cold and just being so grateful at the time that I didn't have my son with me.

I think in the wrong hands pit bulls etc are weapons really. I can't stand half the videos on FB about babies and pitbulls and how they are ok with the baby. Anyone that knows anything about dogs can see it's not.... it's not ok - it's showing signs of distress that owners who don't know a lot about dogs can't read.

I dunno - in pink la la land (the world I'd like to live in) I'd like all dog owners to watch intense videos about outward signs of stress and how to handle powerful breeds.

Like I said I love dogs but you couldn't pay me enough to own a pitbull or a rottie. Its not always the dogs fault as kids torment dogs (unknowingly a lot of the time) but the problem with a dog like that in my eyes is once it goes for a child/adult it doesn't let go!

I do think dogs are a reflection of their owners most of the time. Stressed houses = stressed dogs. Saying that tho my lab didn't find her brain until she was 6.... so some of the behaviour is innate too (IMHO)

I hope your son recovers fast and it doesn't make him terrified of all dogs.

Jerseygirl

I am sorry to hear about your son...thank goodness it could have been much, much worse.

I see many pit bull type dogs and several mastiffs here in Toronto. Often they are dragging along their owner...who appears to weigh about 100lbs soaking wet. IMO most of the owners would not be able to hold onto the lead if the dog was to bolt.

A couple of months ago we were on our way to collect beer from the Amsterdam Restaurant shop. As we approached we noticed a homeless youth with two dogs off leash...one a pit bull type nearby...he was clearly off his head. We quickly entered the shop...a minute later he tried to enter. The cashier rushed to the door and locked the door...too late as the dog had already got in. We found ourselves locked in the tiny store with the pit bull...it's owner ranting outside. A security guy and the chef came out to try to calm the guy down. In the meantime the cashier had opened the door so the dog could get out. Unfortunately it jumped at the chef and bit him.

The guy walked away with the dogs before the cops arrived. Later we saw him kicking his dogs. If the cops caught him the dogs would be put down...unfortunately the same fate wouldn't apply to him.

DandNHill

Sadly the dogs wouldn't be put down. Only a judge can rule for a dog to be put down. I spent enough time working for animal control to have seen some cray stuff.
People who pass their pit bull for a boxer X or who are blind to what their dog is capable of.

Anybody who's interested should google DOLA which is the legislation around dog ownership.

I had some sympathy for these dogs/owners but no more...

DandNHill

We were dog sitting. I was unsure from the start but hubby said they were fine. They were only due to be with us for 48hrs but left early due to the situation.
My son was so brave and calm. Although I do believe when he called for my help that he shouted "they're gonna kill me"!

DandNHill

I always thought they were ugly but that's not their fault. I kept picturing them with red eyes like in the horror movies.
Rottweilers are the larger black ones. They don't get as much bad press as pitties but they're obviously not far behind.

My Newf slept outside my sons room until he got up on Sunday morning. She knew something terribly wrong had happened to him and wanted to protect him.
At the time it happened the Newf and the Saint were in a separate part of the house. I think if they had all been together we probably wouldn't have our dogs anymore.

BristolUK

I was thinking it from the owner's view though. The way my wife reacted to one on TV or whatever and stepdaughter still does, you'd think they were as cute as a kitten.

I dunno, I suppose they developed a strong attachment but why get one in the first place?

Danny B

They are perfectly legal in BC and I have seen many of them. Personally, if I am out walking my dog (French Bulldog) and I see a pitbull with their ears cropped, I walk on the other side of the road as they look mean as fack.

However, I have bumped into lots of friendly dogs with ears intact and am shocked when the owner tells me it is a 'pure pit' they look so different and not as mean.

This is a good example of what can be done with good training.

Jerseygirl

We had a Doberman when we lived in the UK. Someone tried to break into the house whilst I was in bed. It was a new house and non of the houses nearby we near occupation. My husband was working overseas...he travelled overseas often. We had three small dogs that slept in the kitchen...their barking woke me but I was too scared to go downstairs. I will always remember the policeman's words...'looks like you owe your dogs a favour love'.

My husband then insisted we get a guard dog. I went to see my vet for advice and researched the breeds thoroughly before making a decision.

Siouxie

I'm so sorry that your son was injured and hope he recovers quickly.

I've known several rottie's (and their owners) and in the right family, with the right training, they are pussycats. Honestly, the last one I was around was sitting on my lap snuggling! My nephew also had a rottie who was the softest most loving dog you have ever met.

However, with the wrong family - like any dog - they can be nasty pieces of work... but I do think a lot of dogs get a bad rap just because of they way they are brought up.

Dog Breeds That Have Attacked the Most People | PetBreeds

MillieF

I lived in a fairly ghastly bit of Stratford East, in London, and had a Springer Spaniel. "We" the collective dog owners in the neighborhood got up early and walked our dogs before 7 am in East Ham Park, as it was by 10 am or so that the unemployed brought their killing machines to be exercised. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dogs and everything wrong with their owners, who go on to move amongst us and vote! I don't think there are nasty dogs, there are horrible disgusting owners. I have baby pictures of me romping on the floor with a bull mastif and my head is practically between it's jaws! This was a family dog, that nobody had a seconds thought about.

Personally, I would never leave a small child unattended with an animal, even our own family pet, it's asking for trouble.

I rather like Rottweillers, I wouldn't want to own one, but I know three here who are nice animals...I rather prefer animals to their owners.

I am so sorry that this has happened to your son, please don't let it define his relationship to dogs. I was bitten on the face badly by our family Labrador retriever when I was small and it took me a couple of decades to get over it. She was a gentle dog, and I was little, so I probably did something she didn't like....that would never happen with my kid!

Very best regards

dbd33

I'm sorry to hear such a horrible story.

I wonder about people who keep fierce dogs. Our neighbor in Guelph had a mastiff that had been a guard dog for a junkyard in Poland, he would take it to the park and all the other dog owners would sweep up their pets and scurry away. The rest of the time the dog had a miserable life on a chain snarling at everyone. That was a case of someone who had selected a dog to frighten people, and it did frighten people. I imagine most pit bulls are chosen for that purpose so, while I wouldn't ban them, I wouldn't want anything to do with someone who kept one either.

DandNHill

That's why because you can't ban the owners you have to ban the dogs.

My son is fine. Very "positive" about the situation although I don't think he will ever own a Rottweiler! He's 17! All the nurses have been telling him how good it's going to be to tell the girls he wrestled and won against a Rottweiler!!

As far as I'm concerned, I dislike those types of breeds even more. I know any dog can bite but I look at my Newf and my Saint and love them a little bit more!

Piff Poff

I hope your son recovers quickly. I think it's the owners, not the dog. I have 2 supposedly vicious dogs (in the States). I do think for some breeds you should have to go through screening/training before being allowed to have one. My vet once said, not many dogs scare me but I'm wary of weiner dogs.