In most states, the possession of dogs for the purpose of fighting is also a felony offense. As well as, being a spectator at a dogfight is illegal in all states except Montanan and Hawaii. Unfortunately, many times when an act is made criminal, it draws the attention of criminals. As dogfighting began to re-emerge in the s, animal advocates put an increased focus on the cruel, barbaric and illegal blood sport. The inadvertent and unfortunate side effect of this new movement was that some people began to seek out Pit Bulls for illicit purposes.
The criminal set began trying to squeeze these dogs into a mold they were never designed to fit. The breed who was once bred to treat every stranger like a long-lost friend was now being used as guard and protection dogs and were being fought in underground fighting rings. The demand for pit bulls led to many owners breeding their own dogs without concern for temperament or socialization and for the purpose of making a profit, rather than providing a responsible home.
They were viewed as money-making commodities instead of family members and companions. The Pit Bull, seen by criminals as items to be discarded and now being seen by the public as a danger, began to fill shelters at an alarming rate.
The media portrayal and demonization of the Pit Bull paved a perfect path for the onset of breed-specific legislation. BSL began to crop up in select places as the dogs began to be used as a political platform by opportunistic politicians. Learn more about BSL here. Though media outlets successfully created an air of terror around Pit Bulls, there was a spectacular turn of events, though brought about by one of the most horrible atrocities.
Previously deemed as unable to be rehabilitated, pit bulls that were seized were typically euthanized. However, several groups like Best Friends Animal Society and Bad Rap took a chance on these dogs and found that almost all of them 48 out of 51 were able to be placed in foster care or re-homed. And if these fighting dogs could be rehabilitated, what about all the other ones who just got dealt a bad hand or ended up in shelters….
I don't know how to explain the dog's behavior, at least with the neighbor, except for his breeding. Hello DRockell! I am hearing so many wonderful stories about pit bulls, I wish I could share them all. They really are a wonderful dog breed. I too, hope that someday people again refer to them as the Nanny Dog.
Have a great day and welcome to HubPages! Thank you for this awesome hub! I've known a truly loving pit bull myself and I hate that they have this bad rap about them. It's how they are raised that forms their personalities, not their breed. They aren't vicious dogs at heart and I can't wait for the day where they'll earn back the Nanny Dog title again.
Hello Jmillis! I'm sorry you had to give up your pit bull. Pit bulls can be just as good as any other dog as long as they are treated right. I am hearing more and more stories about what good pets they are.
It's just a shame that some of them have been mistreated and abused to the point that they are no longer good. Thank you for stopping in and the kind comment and vote, it is always appreciated! I had a pit bull named jake before I split up with my ex and he took him, he wasthe best dog ever and great with the kids. Great hub voted up.
Hi sgbrown. I really enjoyed your hub - very interesting. You don't have to post my comment, because I just wanted to point out that your title says 'Once Knows as the Nanny dog" instead of "Once Known as the Nanny Dog" and it seemed a shame for such a well-written hub to have a typo. Hello Grinning Gremlin! Yes, you're correct. I am so happy to hear that you have rescued one of these dogs and given him a good home. His story is so sad. There are so many pit bulls still out there that need help.
I really believe that dogs understand and appreciate the fact that they have been rescued. I'm very glad to hear that your dog, I wish I knew his name , is doing so well.
Pit bulls are wonderful dogs if treated right. Thank you for such a wonderful comment. I appreciate your input and don't consider it "nitpickng". Thank you for your kind words and welcome to HubPages! I'm nitpicking here, but technically the epithet of "Nanny Dog" was applied to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not specifically the pit bull. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, often called the "Staffy" is the breed of dogs from which pit bulls originated.
Having owned both, I can say that there is very little to differentiate the two, outside of the difference in size. Staffies are smaller, pit bulls larger.
Temperament the same, same levels of exuberant affection. As I write this my nine year old pit bull rescue is sleeping in my lap. It's become trite to say it at this point, but its how the dog is raised that has a huge effect on how the dog acts. Any dog can become aggressive or fearful. My dog was a rescue. When we got him, he was emaciated - we could count each individual vertebrae in his spine.
The people before him has neglected and tethered him. He had never been for a walk, so we had to teach him how to walk on a leash.
He didn't know his name and didn't respond to verbal commands for the first three months we had him. Also, because of the way he was tethered with a pinch collar around his throat, if you can believe it when we got him from the pound his neck was infected and covered with sores.
So we had him on antibiotics and painkillers for months, and couldn' teach him how to walk with a collar -- instead we had to use a chest harness. Meaning that he pulled. A lot. He was high, in pain, and had no training at all. He was terrified of bicycles, skateboards, and trailers. Four years, and a lot of time and effort later, he walks by my side, response to commands, and is still by far the most affectionate dog I've ever had.
Which, was never a problem in the first place. Even when he was sick in the pound he was incredibly affectionate. TLDR: Pit bulls are great dogs, get a bad rap because of imbeciles who don't treat them with the love and respect that any animal deserves.
Good job presenting some information here. Hi Nathan! I have to agree somewhat on the boxer being a super great breed. My dad had a box that was just amazingly smart. One of my sons has had 2 boxers now and we loved them dearly. He did have a problem with them wandering off and getting in fights. I appreciate your great comment and I hope that I can dispel some of the bad rep the pit bull has.
It really is undeserved. To me, no breed is greater than a boxer. But I have fond memories of my own concerning a pit bull named Simpson. When I was eleven years old, I would meet him every day when I went to see my friend, Leslie. It seemed that this dogs greatest ambition was to either lay in a batch of sunlight and snooze, or to follow us around hoping for a game of some sort usually tug-of-war or catch. Never once did I or any one of my other friends who spent time around Simpson ever feel unsafe around this dog.
Thank you for trying to dispel the misconceptions and paranoia surrounding pit bulls. They are a wonderful breed. Hello elderadvisor! It saddens me too when an animals gets a bad reputation that it really doesn't deserve. Pit bull dogs can be wonderful, loveable animals as long as they are treated right.
It's really a shame. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a wonderful comment! Pit bulls are a misunderstood and tortured breed. I have owned 3 Pits and they were all such little lovers. It saddens me to see when they or any animal for that matter are abused and are bought because they are a status symbol or popular in media culture.
I appreciate you writing the noble history of this beautiful animal. Hello Valerie! Welcome to HubPages! I'm so sorry your dad got rid of Red. Our dogs will kill our chickens too, they are a husky and a lab. Most dogs will chase and kill chickens, it's just their nature. I think you are smart in waiting until you get a more permanent residence and not so cold, they are short haired dogs. Thanks for stopping in!
I appreciate your visit as well as your vote! I grew up with Pit Bulls, we had 3. Angel, Lady and Red. Red was mine and he was a gentle giant.. I was such a little shrimp back then that I could ride on his back with no problem lol! The only thing was he loved to kill my dads chickens so my dad eventually gave him away to a friend. I still haven't forgave him for that. I have thought about getting a baby pit and continue that tradition of growing up with a pit, my son is now 4 but I think I'll wait til we get back home first.
New England is super cold and I rather raise a pup to know his surrounding and home. This is not our home just a temporary one, can't wait to get back to Texas! Nice Hub Voted Up! Thank you gail! I agree that the pit bull has been a reputation it doesn't deserve. I'm sure there are dangerous pit bulls out there, but only because they have been bred and trained to be that way. The breeders and trainers of these poor dogs should be locked away before they do any more harm.
Thank you for you comment and vote! Have a prosperous ! I really enjoyed reading your hub. Its good to read true things about pit bulls, rather than things that aren't true. They sound like a real interesting breed of dog. There sure have been a lot of stories about them in the news for years. Criminals should be judged--I agree--and not the dog, which is mistreated to begin with. I voted up! Hi Dasha! Any breed of dog is likely to bit when they are scared.
I am assuming it was just a nip. The dog was basically giving the child a warning to leave him alone. My yellow lab snapped at one of my grandchildren one time because he made her nervous. You see that the female pit is more protective. Anytime you have a animal that is not used to children, you should take extra precaution. Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! You are your pits, have a great day! Pitt bulls are sweet as long as you teach the children and dog to be calm because the male dint know her and she was scared.
Hello Tailer! I agree, as long as they are treated right, they are great pets. Thank you for your great comment! I have had pit bulls for most of my early life Hello Chata's owner! I too was worried about our daughter and her husband having a pit bull around our little granddaughter. Lola, the pit bull dog, is just the best dog, so sweet and gentle with children. A person does need to check the background of a dog before they bring it home, but as a rule, the dog will treat their owners as their owners treat them.
We adopted a beautiful 3 month old white spotted pitbull female fdom the shelter a month before we found out I was pregnant with our son. Everyone was very concerned especially my parents. That was 2 and a half years ago. Chata has grown into a sweet and affectionate dog who loves our son. We have taught him to be gentle with her and our cat which is important with all animals.
An important factor with any dog is properly socializing them so they have nothing to fear. I'm so glad to have her in our lives. Hi YogaKat! I sure questioned my daughter when she got Lola, but all turned out well! I really started doing some research about the pitt bull dog and really learned a lot. Our yellow lab, Sadie, she goes every where we go around the "farm". She definitely thinks she is protecting us, she has stopped me from stepping on a rattlesnake before.
She will play with other dogs that come around until hubby or I step out the door, then she has to jump on them and run them off! She is a good protector! Great hub. I took in a large, male pit bull mix stray and have never regretted it. I have a few friends and neighbors who questioned my sanity.
George is gentle with children, babies, cats, puppies and people. Other dogs. Perhaps he thinks he is protecting me. I do an awful lot of crossing the street to avoid other dogs. Hello trish! I'm with you! I would love to see these horrible owners get the same fate as they have imposed on their poor dogs. Actually, I'm not sure I could be that cruel.
I'm glad to had such a wonderful pit bull dog as a pet. Thank you for stopping in and leaving such a wonderful comment. Hello FreezeFrame34! It is so sad that pit bulls are so mis-understood. People need to understand that it is the owners that are what they need to be concerned with. If they have a good owner, they will be a good dog. Thank you for your great comment and opinion.
It is greatly appreciated! My grown daughter talked me into getting a pit. We were at a fleamarket one Saturday and a guy was selling pit puppies. We took his phone , and a week later, became the owner of a male pit, which we named Chaz. He was a funny and very sweet dog! I was quite amazed at his temperament. Any dog, purebred or mixed, can be trained to be aggressive.
It is beyond horrible that there are people out there who own pets just so they can use and abuse them. I would love to see them suffer the same fate they impose on poor, innocent animals. Great, informative hub! I couldn't agree with you more about the sad fact that the breed of Pit Bulls are greatly misunderstood. I used to have a pit bull, and some people would grab their children and run away if they say me walking him down the streets on a leash!
He LOVED playing with children; he was never once aggressive, and it was sad to see people not want to even get near him because of their misconceptions. Hi KCap! I'm sorry to hear that your roommate and your neighbor had a bad experience with their pit bulls. Pit bulls are the second most tolerant of the dog breeds. It makes you wonder if more aggressive traits are being passed down in breeding the aggressive dogs.
I hope not! Thank you for stopping in and commenting. I do love pit bulls but I have seen both sides of it. One of my room mates used to have a pit named Buck. He was a great job in the house. He was very loving too. But he could not be around any other dogs. I saw him attack several dogs. Once he had a job by the neck, his owner picked him up and was punching him to try to get him off but he would not release. It wasn't until they plugged his nostrils that he let the other dog go.
My room mate eventually had to get rid of him. She was fast but she wasn't aggressive. She could jump a 5 foot fence too it was pretty impressive.
She was fine around other dogs unless they were aggressive towards her which is true of most dogs. Unfortunately, he owners had to get rid of her too. After they had a baby, she was a nervous ninny. If the baby cried she would go crazy.
She wouldn't let anyone near the baby. She was very over protective and they were afraid she would accidentally hurt the baby. They are a unique breed and I think really misunderstood. They are Caesar the Dog Trainers favorite breed. I think if they are trained correctly they can be really great dogs. Hello Carrie! Sometimes "rescued" dogs are the best! They seem to really appreciate being rescued. Pit bulls really can be the best dogs!
It is a shame that their breed has been chosed by so many bad people who mis-treat and mis-use them. Thank you for such a wonderful comment! I hope you and Lady and a wonderful day! I too am an owner of an amazing rescue red nose Pitbull and she is hands down the best dog!
At first I was very leery of her because of her breed but oh how I was wrong. We have three children and Lady our Pitbull has never been aggressive or temperamental towards them or anyone. She actually is submissive to our cat! The cat rules the house : Lady just whimpers and whines hoping the cat will play with her!
As Turtlewoman stated, our dog too is not a guard dog but she will bark to let you know someone is there. Thank you for a great and informative hub! Pitbulls definitely have a bad rap but with hubs like this hopefully it can change.
Thank you for writing this piece. I have worked with a variety of dogs for many years. I have met the good, bad and ugly of quite a few breeds and truly believe that most issues dogs have, come from their environment and the people that raise them.
Shetland Sheepdog Lapponian Herder Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever. Any dog has the capability to bite. Yet again, another misinformed person. One of the main reasons dog fighters choose to use pitbulls, is because they can be trained so well and are so loyal to their owners that even after it has been abused, forced to fight and ripped to shreds, it will allow its owner to pick it up and treat its wounds without becoming aggressive towards them.
Pitbulls are strong and loyal dogs, that have been exploited and abused for sport by people. I Hate to disagree with you on that one because my aunt had a chihuahua thanks to the mother fucker now she has big chunk of muscle missing and her health is declining because of it and she loved that chihuahua with all her heart and when we decided to have it put down she begged us to reconsider because of her for that mean mother fucker.
Ja, Sicher dein Gehirn, denn solch Schwachsinn, was du schreibst, ist sicher aus Zeitungen. Well any Dog can be a Killer! Just like people. Did the on him. I had him out down. Once he tasted blood that was it, NO more chances. It was a Dad day.
Like flatearthers all you do is spew ignorance and try to misinform people.. The only dangerous thing here is your ignorance! Let me tell you something, not as a owner of these dogs I do not , not as a fan of these dogs more of a GSD guy myself but as a profesional rescue worker handeling these dogs daily.
Only of these are in the US. From those in the US Pittbulls rank about as high as a Rotweiler. Both are only in the list because they are strong dogs that were not raised correctly. But here is the kicker, in over half the cases of a dog biting a human, it happened on the owners propperty, in other words they were protecting their propperty!! Have you ever had to clear a house of guard dogs for the police? I have. How is it strange that 2 of the most popular GUARD dogs, guarding their property, have the most amount of bites?
Ignoring all other pets and looking only at dogs, you are FAR more likely to be bitten by a lapdog than a Pittbull. Lets also not forget for example hamsters and ferrets. Both bite a lot more than ANY dog. But these 3 groups are rarely reported. But only because they need a mentaly strong owner. People that want these dogs as a status symbol are not able to raise them. Every dog needs the correct owner or they will act out.
They are also easy for us to rehabilitate. A shelter will not. Not only could lying about this cost us our licence, we want to tell people the truth because we want to make sure the dog gets the right home.
Pittbuls… Overall they are on of the most loving breeds you can find. They are loyal cuddlebugs that prefer to be snoring under the blankets after a good meal over anything else.. They are fantastic with kids and if raised with them other animals.
If you do not teach them ie cats are friends at a young age they will attack them as do all terrier breeds. Eager to get a nice ride. But hey you know better right? Maybe you read a little article or you heard a story from the aunt of the stepmother of a cousin of your sisters coworker that kicked one and got bit..
Stop spreading your BS please because your lies piss me off. These loving dogs get murdered because of people like YOU! People that will twist and turn and try everything they can to attack these animals for no other reason than their own ignorance and lack of hearth.
You and your lies make me sick! Go work at a animal shelter and you will see… or maybe not because tbh, someone that is THAT stupid should not be allowed to be anywhere near animals….
How about you stfu? How about you cite some sources? Google search breeds that are misidentified as pitbulls. Look up breeds that are misidentified as Pitbulls. Diverting onto mosquitos when people were specifically talking about dogs also makes you look like a complete and utter dogfucker.
Firsthand experience here. My son wanted a young puppy. Then along came Rosie- a pittbull who needed adopting. She was 10weeks old and adorable. I was hesitant, but trusted my heart and all the love I knew we could give her. She is 2 years old and she and my 10year old are inseparable. She also cuddles constantly with me. If she is behind a fence or a car door, she barks at strangers and if she senses someone who has a shady vibe, she barks.
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