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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 29, 2011 10:44:02 GMT -5
I saw a FB post a few days ago from Stubby Dog. They are looking for pix of Pit Bulls with animals for some feature they are doing. That's nice and all but it worries me because I highly doubt this feature will come with any management/supervision advice.  |
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Post by Dave on Nov 29, 2011 11:07:02 GMT -5
It's all about pinking. Why so many very visible, responsible and well-liked organizations feel the need to brighten the Pit Bull picture like this is beyond me. It goes hand-in-hand with turbocharging, I guess. Education just gets thrown to the side in a headlong rush to "prove" they are just like any other dog. *shaking head*
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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 29, 2011 11:11:34 GMT -5
People are highly infuenced by this fluffy stuff too, and will get a Pit Bull based on nothing but cute pictures and a few paragraphs on some website talking about how it's all a myth that Pit Bulls are more dog-aggressive/not good with other animals.
It's heart breaking to receive emails from people who are baffled when their dog ends up harming/killing another animal.
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Post by catstina on Nov 29, 2011 11:23:22 GMT -5
Maybe I'll send in a picture of Benny and Bowie with the caption, "Here is a picture of my foster Pit Bull Benny with my cat Bowie. They were the best of friends and got along great, but I always supervised their interactions and never left them alone together just to be safe!"
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Post by Dave on Nov 29, 2011 11:23:58 GMT -5
No kidding. People want to believe this stuff, and take it for gospel way too often. It kills me to see shelter or rescue posts of pit bulls and mixes that tout "good with other dogs/cats/kids whern they've only been in their possession a short time. It may take months before that info can be disproven. And OMG what a surprise when the new home tries to return the animal because of it. Then they're the bad guy because they were unprepared for the aggression.  Geeze, Mary... you sure know how to get me going.  |
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Post by johnr on Nov 29, 2011 11:24:00 GMT -5
People are highly infuenced by this fluffy stuff too, and will get a Pit Bull based on nothing but cute pictures and a few paragraphs on some website talking about how it's all a myth that Pit Bulls are more dog-aggressive/not good with other animals. It's heart breaking to receive emails from people who are baffled when their dog ends up harming/killing another animal. We get Pit Bulls surrendered after incidents quite frequently. And one of the volunteers has said of Pit Bulls with animal issues "why can't we just say come in and do a dog meet like with any other dog?" and I said, succinctly, "because they aren't like any other dog once they do decide to fight". I then asked her how many Pit Bulls she's had to pull off another animal. A big fat zero, of course. People never forget their first experience of a Pit Bull going after another animal with an intensity that would make a Honey Badger wince. But until they HAVE that experience, they're in La La Land. |
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Post by Dave on Nov 29, 2011 11:31:50 GMT -5
John, my first experience with dog/dog aggression happened just two days after adopting my first real APBT. I already had a lab/pit mix at home, and the shelter was glad I took another male. No instructions, no precautions, no warnings were given to me by any of the shelter staff. I brought Ivan home Saturday, and brought him back Monday. They hated me.
I did take him home again a week later and better prepared, but being thrown into the deep end of the pool fully clothed with hands tied like that sure ain't no fun. I learned quickly, and I now share my knowledge with anyone who will listen
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Post by johnr on Nov 29, 2011 11:39:48 GMT -5
John, my first experience with dog/dog aggression happened just two days after adopting my first real APBT. I already had a lab/pit mix at home, and the shelter was glad I took another male. No instructions, no precautions, no warnings were given to me by any of the shelter staff. I brought Ivan home Saturday, and brought him back Monday. They hated me. I did take him home again a week later and better prepared, but being thrown into the deep end of the pool fully clothed with hands tied like that sure ain't no fun. I learned quickly, and I now share my knowledge with anyone who will listen And I'm so glad that people like you DO share your experiences! Most people are neither physically nor psychologically prepared for dealing with the sort of animal aggression Pit Bulls can exhibit and it is a TOTAL disservice to people to set them up for a genuinely traumatic experience. And it's a disservice to the animals as well, of course. |
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Post by zaeva06 on Nov 29, 2011 12:02:28 GMT -5
Yup, had the same thing happen when we brought Maxine home.
To give the MHS a little credit, they do have a special consultation for anyone adopting a ABPT or Pit mix, but it's mostly fluff about presenting your dog in a good light to other people.
We were told that she was good with other dogs and cats, and yes, she did seem friendly towards other canines at least while she was in the shelter. But once we got her home and she started to get settled in, that was when her reactivity kicked in. Luckily we've had experience with other DA dog's, so we started off slow from the start.
Also a bit pissed at how shelters mislable their dogs to try and get them home. Just took a look at the Westland HS website and they have a very odd looking 'Bull Terrier' up for adoption.
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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 29, 2011 13:45:55 GMT -5
We were told that she was good with other dogs and cats, and yes, she did seem friendly towards other canines at least while she was in the shelter. But once we got her home and she started to get settled in, that was when her reactivity kicked in. Luckily we've had experience with other DA dog's, so we started off slow from the start. Oh this is soooo common. Thankfully you knew what you were doing and handled the situation properly. Too many people would have no idea.  The mislabeling thing annoys me as well. My breed mislabel pet peeve: I hate seeing Pit Bulls or Pit Mixes labeled "Terrier mix". |
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Post by catstina on Nov 29, 2011 14:07:37 GMT -5
I always see them listed as Terrier Mixes or Lab Mixes. Just say it like it is! That's the best way to ensure you will get a good home for the dog!
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Post by melonie on Nov 29, 2011 18:59:48 GMT -5
Hmm.
I could have sent them a photo of Winnie and Rhett all snuggly, then a photo of their recent injuries.
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Post by adoptapitbull on Nov 29, 2011 20:13:12 GMT -5
Hmm. I could have sent them a photo of Winnie and Rhett all snuggly, then a photo of their recent injuries. Exactly!! I could compile a scrapbook of all the snuggly photos of my 3 boys. Everyone was in love at first. Zoomies were in abundance! But a few stink eyes later, and it's a different story. Even now, Mav and Cappy are great 99% of the time. If they have a squabble, it's mild and easily broken up. But still, I am always on guard for "the big one", the one that determines that they will be separated. You'd never know they had it in them when you see them all cozy and warm on mommy's lap! |
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Post by johnr on Nov 30, 2011 7:24:23 GMT -5
Hmm. I could have sent them a photo of Winnie and Rhett all snuggly, then a photo of their recent injuries. You should. |
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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 30, 2011 10:31:30 GMT -5
^ Same with Luca and Krash. Best snuggle buddies ever. Except for that one time Luca tried to kill Krash. This is the reality of the breed.
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Post by catstina on Nov 30, 2011 10:38:39 GMT -5
I contacted them with pictures of Benny and Bowie and said that I hoped they will accompany all these pictures with a write up about how important it is to always supervise play and here was their response:
I hope they talk to behaviorists who know something about Pit Bulls!
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Post by johnr on Nov 30, 2011 10:46:29 GMT -5
I contacted them with pictures of Benny and Bowie and said that I hoped they will accompany all these pictures with a write up about how important it is to always supervise play and here was their response: I hope they talk to behaviorists who know something about Pit Bulls! Yeah, really. |
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Post by RealPitBull on Nov 30, 2011 10:49:13 GMT -5
^ Doubtful. Most behaviorists (if they actually got a behaviorist with a MS or PhD) will be unlikely to talk about behavioral propensities related to breed.
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Post by johnr on Nov 30, 2011 10:56:10 GMT -5
^ Doubtful. Most behaviorists (if they actually got a behaviorist with a MS or PhD) will be unlikely to talk about behavioral propensities related to breed. Which is probably at least to some extent a hangover from the behaviorist (in the scientific theory sense) propensity to severely downplay or deny innate behaviors, a position thoroughly discredited by evolutionary ethology going back to the work of Konrad Lorenz and in human psychology by the Chomskyan cognitive science revolution, which goes back at least as far as Noam Chomsky's 1957 review of BF Skinner's absolutely insipid book Verbal Behavior. The inadequacy of behaviorism as a scientific theory is really, really old news and it's depressing to see it used as THE foundation of so much applied stuff. |
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Post by emilys on Nov 30, 2011 11:10:48 GMT -5
^ Doubtful. Most behaviorists (if they actually got a behaviorist with a MS or PhD) will be unlikely to talk about behavioral propensities related to breed. Which is probably at least to some extent a hangover from the behaviorist (in the scientific theory sense) propensity to severely downplay or deny innate behaviors, a position thoroughly discredited by evolutionary ethology going back to the work of Konrad Lorenz and in human psychology by the Chomskyan cognitive science revolution, which goes back at least as far as Noam Chomsky's 1957 review of BF Skinner's absolutely insipid book Verbal Behavior. The inadequacy of behaviorism as a scientific theory is really, really old news and it's depressing to see it used as THE foundation of so much applied stuff. well, admittedly it is a challenge to separate the innate (genetic) behavioral characteristics from those that are environmental.. and there is certainly overlap. But as I keep saying to these people: if "breed" means anything, it's about appearance AND behavior. Every behavior exists on a bell curve in any particular dog. If you track a particular behavior through dogs of a particular breed, the curve WILL be skewed. |
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