Surrounded by 8 pit pulls today, I barely escaped with my life

[IrishAyes]

72. Everyone

Please try to understand the legitimate concerns of some anti-pitt posters here today. There are indeed too many ill-bred pitts in the hands of antisocial owners. The statistics should not be ignored. That isn't to say the breed should be eradicated, but maybe those same owners need to face far heavier criminal negligence penalties in the event of attacks than they do now. That might make at least a few be more careful in their own best interests.

Trust me, it's no fun when any powerful dog mounts a serious attack against an innocent person. I read dog signs as well as anyone, and if not for a ready and steady hand with pepper spray, I'd have been road kill myself on more than one occasion.

However, I've also known and owned good pitts. A friend had one named Wimpy because he was. Loved everybody he saw and would grab the right hand and shake it back and forth in welcome. It could be unnerving if you didn't know him. One time when I hadn't visited for months, I sat down in a chair at Wimpy's house and he jumped in my lap and started to lick my face. Partly because I was dressed up and headed downtown, I instinctively pulled my head back, so Wimpy grabbed my neck in his jaws and started to 'shake hands'. Any other dog on earth and I would've freaked out with good reason.

But there's Wimpy, and then there are some other pitts, so... try to have a heart for people too. I socialized my chows to the point I was lucky they bit their food. Not everyone does that or even really knows how. Some have no idea of pack heirarchy or how to fulfill their duties as alpha. It's never wise to allow any animal that's potentially dangerous to engage in alpha behaviors such as preceding you through a door walking ahead of you or being fed first or any of a multitude of actions that too many dog owners don't understand. I'm with Cesar Milan on this. When I made dinner, I ate mine first. While the dogs' food stayed in easy reach of them, yet they wouldn't dream of eating until I finished first and gave them permission.

BTW, if you ever find yourself under serious attack and don't have pepper spray, I'll tell you what most criminals and law enforcement types don't publicize: a dog's most vulnerable point is his chest. Strike a hard enough blow with your fist square in the center and you have a good chance of stopping his heart.

Okay now. Anyone who wants to accuse me of not loving dogs, go ahead and have at it. If you do, I've learned whose opinion is not worth bothering about.