We were at a local park earlier this week enjoying a little stroll when, all of a sudden, we were confronted by two large powerful looking dogs that came charging towards us growling and snarling as if they were going to rip us apart at any moment. Luckily for us the owners caught up to them and hauled them away. But it left us trembling with the adrenaline of feeling we had just dodged a bullet. The owners in turn didn’t even bother to apologize or ask if we were okay. They just scampered off like rats with their mutts in tow.
This raises a number of questions: With all of the modestly sized and pleasant dog breeds available why do all of these twits need dogs that were bred to harm other people? Do you think they are some kind of status symbol? Are you trying to intimidate people? Why would you ever let those beasts off leash when you know the damage they are capable of and that once they get away you may not be able to catch them in time?
Why do you think you are an exception to the rules for a park that requires dogs be on leash? You know you don’t have full control of those mutts.
There are many responsible dog owners and many wonderful gentle dog breeds. It’s a shame that a few selfish jerks can ruin it for everyone else – good dog owners and people who just want to go for a simple walk without being set upon. –Mr Magoo
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2014.
According to a recent newspaper article, 86% of attacks are done by Pit bulls, who only represent slightly more than 4% of the dog population. My statistic shows that 100% of the owners that have this bred have veered into cuntdom.
There is no such thing as a vicious dog breed, it totally comes down to the dog owner and how they are handled. Unfortunately for dog breeds such as pit bulls, ignorant wankers choose them as a status symbol in loser culture. However, blaming the dog for what happened is absurd; it was 100% the fault of the owner, and there is no such thing as this “gentle breed” you speak of. The dachshund, for example, was bred to viciously kill rats. Blame the owner, not the breed!
You mean 86% of reported attacks, right Basil?
I’m not disputing the fact that pitbulls are large, powerful animals but, there is no way that aggression toward humans is not a seed planted by the same. Every time a domesticad animals attacks a human, a human is to blame. That’s a fact!!!
I do agree that there are an upsetting amount of irresponsible dog owners who are too lazy to even bother themselves with teaching and training thier pets, let alone keeping an eye on them when out in public. However, this idea that a dog is naturally agressive because of his breed is so idiotic, and unfortunately it’s how the bulk of society thinks towards certain breeds – Pit Bulls in particular.
It breaks my heart how we are always judging and blaming the dog for its aggressive behaviours, yet we rarely ever mention the human who made the dog this way. Istead, the animal is blamed, and in many cases euthanized for doing nothing but what it was taught to do. It’s very simple: a breed is like a suit of clothes, and doesn’t tell you anything about the dog inside. We as humans are responsible for the bad image that Pit Bulls have today, and in that case, WE are the Pit Bull.
It’s just too bad that any idiot can own a dog and neglect the balance of that dog’s life in whichever they please. The dog will always pay the price for his human’s mistakes, unfortunately.
Where’s Caesar Milan when you need him?
Just like driving a vehicle, owners should require lessons on how to control their pet. Domesticated animals are not humans and do not understand our language! The human needs to understand theirs. Get a grip people! Literally!
Poop/Brad – The “no bad dog only bad owners” mantra is complete drivel. It is only ever used by the owners of ego-feeding trophy dogs such as the ones I was confronted by to justify their irrational acquisitions. For example, the first Doberman I ever saw was owned by a lovely family in my neighborhood. One day, out of the blue the dog decided to chomp down on the owners face for absolutely no apparent reason. I have another friend who still has scars from, coincidentally, a Doberman attack when she was child. The owners usually kept it on leash or in a fenced yard but the first time it had the opportunity to get away it decided it needed to go chase down and chomp on a little girl. If it had mauled her face she could have been disfigured for life. Is it really worth taking that sort fo risk just to try to impress others with your dog?
The real issue is that certain dogs are bred for size and strength and being barely domestciated wild animals are prone to eratic behaviour regardless of the owner. If I had been confronted by barking beagle or dashund I would have been more bemused than frightened. Such was not the case.
Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs. Just not the choices some people make. It’s like buying a really large vehicle for your own ego and safety without considering that if you collide with a smaller vehicle you will do far more damage to the other drivers. These people need to stop being so selfish.
I have a newfoundland/collie mix. true to her breed characteristics she is loyal, loving, maternal with the young and helpless, but highly territorial & stubborn when she believes she is in the right.
I also have a flat coat retriever, and true to his breed characteristics he is a delightful nutcase. he chases everything and absolutely must flush out birds and small animals, then stand over his quivering ‘victim’ with a waving tail. he doesn’t kill, he just finds. but he must have at least 3 hours of hard exercise a day or he drives you crazy with pacing and crying. and he acknowledges no human boundaries.
and I have a terrier something. true to his breed he is fearless and will try to kill anything. it’s all prey. and he nips people, including little kids, who come into the yard or house. because he is a little fluffy guy (he looks like a glenn of imaal) people think its cute. I don’t. ( akc – terriers have little tolerance for other animals – including other dogs)
there are breed characteristics, for centuries we have bred these into dogs. it exists. shepherds to herd, terriers to hunt vermin, heelers to hunt, retrievers to bang into you when they run, and thousands of assholes have bred pit bulls to big heads and to kill other dogs.
I can get my flattie to break off a chase IF I catch him fast enough, but it’s in his blood. his legs tremble and he wants to chase that thing.
it’s not all nurture – nature is doing her thing in there too just waiting to spring out.
I have only met lovely pibbles, so loving and affectionate – but I would never have one. we need the breed to stop being bred and to almost die out. a cleansing.
as usual, its the humans who fucked everything up. all dogs should be a brownish grey, medium sized and scruffy hair and a waggy tail. and once we virus ourselves to extinction, maybe they can just be dogs again.
my fervent opinion
Good post “Good dog Molly”. I agree 100%. I grew up with dogs in the house and there were many dogs running around the neighbourhood loose. Nobody was afraid of them. I also delivered newspapers for 4 or 5 years to many houses with dogs. I only ever had one wee dog that gave me a nip in all that time (a pure-bred terrier) . Other than that, the worst a dog would do is bark a little when you first went in their yard. The common element (with that one exception of the Terrier that bit me) is that they were all the mixed breed medium sized dogs you refer to Molly. They made great pets and there was no fear of them attacking anyone. Problems only started to develop when I was in my late teens and people in our neighbourhood started buying the large so-called pure-bred dogs. Many of them have inherent traits that really aren’t acceptable in household pets. I agree with you that we are wrecking a species by over-breeding and in-breeding to make designer accessory freak dogs. if you want a good pet folks, save some money and go to the SPCA and adopt a nice little mixed breed dog.
hold on harper, hold on. I am not the enemy here. and I have seen these videos and way too many more like them. worse, I have seen it in person. I have been involved in dog shelter/rescue for decades. I have held dogs with their heads almost cut off from wires tied around and dragged behind a car. I have pulled maggots from wounds and sponged buckets of pus.
humans are breeding pit bulls by the millions. you know that, I know that. we are seizing hundreds and bringing them in from quebec to get them away from the assholes who are breeding for aggressive traits, big head traits, hair trigger traits. this is being done deliberately and this is why I say the breeding should be stopped. its not dogs fault that people are doing this, dogs just want to be dogs. it’s always the humans that fuck things up.
yes, we are the monsters. how could you think I felt otherwise? I am consistent on this venue. and honest. everything and anything I say always confirms my belief in this.
we have millions of goldens out there with the iq of a turnip. they have been popular ( I mostly blame dean koontz)
irish setters in the 50’s same result. collies in the 50’s (lassie). cocker spaniels. these trends come and go. then the breed is dropped by the mass breeders and the breed is left to the akc whores. a somewhat better fate but not by much. the thing is, the fad stops and the breed trickles down to almost nothing.
and now we have a fad of ‘Columbian drug lord’ dogs. the cane corso, pit bill, dogue etc etc.
I am sure you have tortured yourself looking at the breeders web sites. pushing the aggression ( they call it heart ) the head size, the muscles. and the humans strutting about in baggy ass pants and wife beaters with gold bars around their necks. and hanging off the end of a straining leash their prize pit. it never ceases to amaze me that they fail to see that the dog pulling at leash indicates a serious lack of ‘alpha’ for the human. but they want you to see these dogs as so powerful, so assertive that you can barely hold them in check.
uh huh. if the human was actually alpha they should be able to hold that dog, loose leash, with a whisper.
but that’s the kind of assholes that are breeding this breed of dog. you know they are deliberately breeding OUT any hesitation, any friendliness to other dogs and breeding FOR aggression. the ‘duds’ get thrown in the pit with their mouths duct taped.
and just like coat colour or tail feathers or ear length or ability to scent, the ‘bad’ traits are allowed to survive, and in turn pass on. all over the continent.
it has to stop. and as I said, to ALMOST die out. to give the poor damn dogs a chance to get back to normal.
I have been noticing more off leash dogs running around non off leash parks and even sidewalks recently with their owners often trailing well behind them, usually with a leash in their hands. Easy to see who the ‘alpha’ is in those groups. Amazing how many owners know enough to have a leash but do not seem to know how to use it. These same people are often the types who ‘forget’ to take bags when walking (or more like being walked by) Fido, as well. Rules / laws etc. are for others not for ‘perfect them’. The dogs are just being dogs, but those folks are indeed moronic and really should not own dogs, at least not in populated areas.
Yes, Molly, I realize that all this happens and, BSL will have little to no effect on that nasty part of breeding. The fighting rings and hoodrats will still have what they want, changing nothing. We can ban pitbulls just like we banned drugs, murder, theft, assault, etc… Banning shit means nothing, it’s just window dressing and after the banning, people can all feel better and ignore the problem cause it’s “illegal”.
Why not actually address the problem through more enforcement, strict penalties, strict breeding regulations and mandatory spaying and neutering unless you are an approved breeder (affordable or provided free for those who cannot afford it)? Why not properly fund the SPCA and other organizations and give them some real, enforcement power? Look at that fucking pig from the South Shore, what do you have to do to actually go to jail for crimes against animals? Small fines and probation is not enough and, until we have a government that makes animal rights/welfare a priority, nothing will change. BSL is a complete waste of time.
I, as you already know, have a pitbull. He’s sleeping right next to me after a long day of swimming, running, and playing with his sissy. He has no idea he is a “pitbull”, he thinks he’s a member of the family. He has taught me, in a very profound way, as much about myself as he has about himself and his breed. I can’t imagine not having him in his past or his future and, unfortunately, BSL only affects people like me, not the people it’s intended to target. It disgusts me to think that because of some breed ban that authorities will be given the right to stormtroop through peoples families and rip their loving pets away from them for the purpose of extermination because of a stupid stereotype. That is wrong on so many levels.
We all know that most of the pitties you see walking about with their owners are family pets and, you rarely see the abused, drug house guard dogs or pit fighting dogs as they are already part of the underground. People who are not personally effected by this just don’t understand that judging me or my dog is wrong. In this post, people quickly judge using a tired stereotype and assume that the ownership of my pitbull is just some vane, extension of my ego and I parade him around to get my jollies by intimidating and/or attacking people.
I’m not trying to be a dick but, I hold dog people to a higher standard of understanding when it comes to bullshit like BSL.
ah shit, now I understand. once you said BSL. no, I do not approve of or endorse or support BSL. I was blue-skying.
Christ, I would have launched at me too given that impression.
We used to have beautiful parks. I used to enjoy laying out in the grass and reading a book or just soaking in some sun.
Now they are bathrooms for dogs.
I am also concerned of some animal invading my space and one of us making an ill advised decision while I am out in a public park.
All parks should be on-leash. Period.
HaliOOP’S: go play in traffic.
@poop … Why should I play in traffic? Is it because you feel that our city’s public spaces should be no more than a toilet for dogs? I suppose you still support dumping raw sewage in the harbour and throwing cigarette butts out of your car window.
Halihoop, I support throwing you in the harbour via my car window.
No. It’s because you’re clearly one of those self centred assholes who thinks that what they want should outrank what is important to everyone else around them. You want to enjoy an on-leash green space? Go ahead and pick one, there are plenty all over HRM.
While you’re busy contemplating really hard on which park you wanna sit your whiny, selfish, entitled ass on, I’ll be over here not giving a shit.
I note we have a bunch of dog “lovers” haunting this thread who Dislike hearing the truth about public dog toilets.
I am amazed at dog “lovers” who cherish their little bundles of joy and leave them locked up in a one bedroom (etal) apartment all day long. Once the conscientious owner returns home from work the poor animal is typically delirious with joy to have any form of interaction and it is time to release the hounds … so to speak.
As if this earth does not have enough methane producers (i.e. human spawn) … we must now continue overpopulating it with abused animals.
As for your comment “poop” about visiting an on leash park … if only subject dog-lovers would obey the law and keep their animals leashed … and most importantly … pick up the shit they leave behind; you might have a valid argument. Whiny, selfish and entitled indeed …
So…like what do you want, HaliOOPS? You appear to just hate dogs, and their owners.
“I am amazed at dog “lovers” who cherish their little bundles of joy and leave them locked up in a one bedroom (etal) apartment all day long. Once the conscientious owner returns home from work the poor animal is typically delirious with joy to have any form of interaction and it is time to release the hounds … so to speak.”
Who is this directed at? Are you accusing people on this thread of doing this? I think you just enjoy the sound of your own voice.
@Tomaso … lol … I enjoy the sound of my own voice just like every other person posting to this forum.
I do not hate animals, this would be ludicrous. They are animals. “Owners” are a completely different matter; but even those I do not “hate”.
I am profoundly saddened at the neediness of most animal slave masters who require the illusion of a doting being in their presence until they discard the animal from boredom … or the animal becomes too needy and inconvenient for their busy, busy lives.
But hey, throw the sticks and stones at me as I do not buy in to the enslaving and abuse of animals.
Thanks for the quote though … I firmly believe that animal owners need to be aware of the decisions they make and how they affect not only the animal … but those citizens around them.
“Cool”. Just “looking” for “clarification”. Your “pontificating”
was “confusing”. The way you threw in “human” “spawn” led me to believe you were a “crazy” person. I did not throw any “sticks” or “stones”.
But you have “told” me all I need to “know” about you, and that is the “fact” you see the pet-owner “relationship” as akin to “slavery”. So the first stick I will throw at you will be…you are a “nut”.
You know who are also “profoundly” saddened by those type of “scum”? Responsible dog owners, “motherfucker”. You have no real “insights” and are casting strange “judgements”.
@Tomaso — If only the majority of animal “owners” were responsible then I wouldn’t have to pontificate … but I’m not a Catholic Bishop so I do not see how this is relevant.
An inconvenient truth indeed.
I like cats.
i want a donkey
Wow, there was almost an argument on here.
LET’S DO THIS
Shit in my mouth?? Just Settle down there, chief.
As someone who seems pretty sure of themselves and the point you keep trying to make, don’t you think that a dog who is locked up during the day might benefit from some off-leash exercise? I dunno, it seems like a no brainer to me. Our animals aren’t “locked up in a one bedroom (etal) apartment all day long” – they are both crated during the day while we are at work, and yes, when we get home they’re both full of all kinds of energy and excitement, so off-leash exercise is a must for thier overall balance / health. (And before you go calling this animal abuse – don’t. You sound ridiculous.)
We’re lucky enough to own a home with a decent sized fenced-in backyard, so we spend a fair amount of time throwing balls and frisbees for them back there, but it still isn’t enough so we also try to get them out to different parks and lakes (swimming is such great exercise for dogs, but i’m sure you have a problem with that too) to burn off thier energy whenever we can.
I’m also not a douchebag, and pick up after my animals. I obviously can’t speak for every dog owner out there, kinda like how YOU obviously can’t speak for every human out there who leaves trash, urine and cigarette butts in the parks and public green spaces of HRM. But that’s not important, because clearly dogs are the real problem here.
@poop — thank you for believing I am “sure of myself”. I don’t feel so most times but enjoy offering an opinion. This conversation is hosted at “Love The Way We Bitch”, and we are currently commenting on a thread called “Irresponsible dog owner morons”. These are not my words.
My comments were, and are being made in the hopes that you may have grown accustomed to the tone and general attitudes in conversation scattered throughout this board. That being said, as you seem to be taking this all rather personally — I’ll refrain from the further use of irony, sarcasm, hyperbole and name calling. Although, you did choose a dandy handle for this topic yourself 😉
My original post to this thread is about parks that are “bathrooms for dogs”, concerned for my “personal space” (re: aggressive animals) and “parks should be on-leash”.
I am not blind to the fact that not all dogs are rabid, drooling attack beasts … nor all owners irresponsible and abusive to their animals. And in no way to any gentle reader of these posts, did I ever mean to denigrate or single out any particular person. Truly.
I take a rather more macro view of the topic. I believe there are better ways to manage our parks, resources, recreation, mass transit, etc. etc. … and only hope that by expressing my opinion, listening and weighing others’ opinions; we can create further dialogue to hopefully achieve societal nirvana one day.
To get there, we need to stop thinking and acting like individuals … but as a group. Discussing, planning then executing a better world in which we can all live … where all are equal.
I know, keep dreaming … but I am a dreamer.
To the point of this topic. I really did enjoy laying in the park on a stretch of grass and reading a book or just people watching. I really do not enjoy hunting out an area where there is not a turd hanging around; and hopefully not a patch of grass where an animal (or human) has peed. And I certainly do not enjoy having to be concerned for my personal safety of my person or those around me to be attached by any beast … be they animal or human.
Because you do speak truth, humans create the most trash and filth than any other species on this earth.
To your points:
1. You sound like a caring and responsible dog owner. Not so sure about the crates, but I will leave that alone.
2. If you are swimming at a small lake with your animal, I would trust that the beast had not just climbed out of a pig pen. Ocean? Have a ball.
This world is over-populated. Primarily with humans. How much life can the earth truly support in a sustainable manner? You will find this is kinda my recurring theme 🙂
I do hope you and all the other readers are well, thank you for listening.
For the record, during my life which has been for many decades … I have had the joy of sharing my life with a few different beasts. But as I watched them pass from this earth I began to question my motives for owning an animal. I do not want to force my choices on any other, but simply offer them for dialogue.
Have a great day!
re: lying on a nice pee/poop free patch of park grass.
I hate to break the news, but birdies pee and poop. so do squirrels. and troops of raccoons. and mice. worms shit dirt. bunnies do it.
if I were a bit fastidious I would tote along a small blanket, perhaps one of those space jobs that becomes as small as a cigarette pack.
park benches have birdie widdle on them too.
and have I got this right? you expressed concern about a dog with muddy feet dirtying up a small lake?
had no idea howard hughes still lurched amongst us.
but I am with you on the cancerous spread of humanity
Is that for me Furious? If so, we must tread carefully. I’m one of the only posters that never got banned for cyber bullying.
Why not? This board is an empire in decline. Have at you, longshanks.
Oh Furious, its not so simple. I do have several theories as to the decline of this board though.
PS- I miss the Captain……
Oh no, I don’t believe you’re sure of yourself at all. Especially not after reading that last post of yours.
Yeah, GDM, small lakes are definitely not ok, because the dirt from a dog could cause enough pollution to permanently damage the water! The ocean is totes OK though because it’s bigger than a lake. Duh!
lol … ya, that’s what that post was about.
Reading this post and the comments above made me realize that the next time I get a pet, it will definitely be a cat.
I agree Fonebone.
Cats are very independent and sleep much of the day so for working people they make good pets. They aren’t pining for their owner as much as a dog does.
Dogs are great pets if someone is home all day with them. They’re great company for seniors and to get them out of the house a few times a day. But if you work all day and have to leave the critters home alone are they the right choice? It probably works better if it’s a small dog that can have the run of the house and not tear it apart.
One last word, pets have been proven to have a very positive influence on physical and mental health so I think they are great for most people but they can also have a huge environmental impact. Maybe we should all limit ourselves to one small dog, one cat or other small pets.
“a medium-sized dog has twice the impact of driving the luxury SUV 10,000 miles. ……. a goldfish is equal to the impact of just two cell phones; two hamsters or four canaries can be compared to a plasma TV; and a cat is only as bad as a Smart Car. Even smaller dogs are better than big dogs.”
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/03/26/dog.h…
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/how-fe…