Can't believe this!

[EmmysMom]

I can't believe this and I couldn't find anyway to reply to refute it!


I was not surprised to learn that many dog attacks in the county are by pit bulls. (‘‘Humane Society combats myths about pit bulls” Oct. 17). I was surprised to hear that Human Society division deputy director Paul Hibler wants us to believe that the problem is that some of these dogs are improperly socialized

Pit bulls, like Rottweilers, are attack dogs that have been bred to kill. Since all dogs are descended from wolves, that wasn’t hard to do. Any socialization sits lightly on the top of millions of years of instinct and there is absolutely no way to know what will set them off.
Over the past few years, I had three encounters with Rottweilers while I was roller blading. In every case, they snapped at me. OK, in my case it was my roller blades, but what else don’t they like? Two of the owners knew that the socialization doesn’t go very far and held them on a 1-foot leash. They had to use their strength to hold them. The third owner let his dog roam on a 40-foot leash. This dog put his jaws around my ankle but never applied any real pressure before the owner coaxed him off.

Unless you are looking for a weapon there are hundreds of breeds that will serve you just as well as these two lovable specimens of the species.

Harold Wefald, Montgomery Village

[lblax]

if you take out the part bred to kill what are you going to refute the man had 3 bad experiances with rott and he is probably telling the truth and is allowed to voice his opinioons

[sledhead35]

three out of three eh? avoid wearing roller blades soaked in raw meat juices.

1)out of all dogs that i have come in contact with, and ive grown up with them, 98% that were aggressive were that of a small breed.

2)nitro, my rottie, has been bitten, snarled at, attacked by other small, defensive dogs. she has never once fought back or even beared her teeth.i guess that "socialization sits lightly on the top of millions of years of instinct and there is absolutely no way to know what will set them off" applies more to those viscous, man eating jack russel terriers than to my 110lb rottweiler eh?

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by lblax

if you take out the part bred to kill what are you going to refute the man had 3 bad experiances with rott and he is probably telling the truth and is allowed to voice his opinioons

He's entitled to his own opinion, but what I don't like is his generalizations. Just because the man's had three bad Rottweiler-related experiences doesn't mean the whole breed deserves a bad rap.

Over the years I've seen bad behavior from a beagle (my own), a giant poodle, a boxer, and a yellow lab. I don't go around saying those four breeds are awful because I understand that every breed has good and bad reps in it.

[AlphaLeader]

Originally Posted by sledhead35

three out of three eh? avoid wearing roller blades soaked in raw meat juices.

1)out of all dogs that i have come in contact with, and ive grown up with them, 98% that were aggressive were that of a small breed.

2)nitro, my rottie, has been bitten, snarled at, attacked by other small, defensive dogs. she has never once fought back or even beared her teeth.i guess that "socialization sits lightly on the top of millions of years of instinct and there is absolutely no way to know what will set them off" applies more to those viscous, man eating jack russel terriers than to my 110lb rottweiler eh?

LOL... I was just bitten by a neighbors chiuahahua (sp?) today when she wanted to show me her new rescue... and thrust the snarling bundle of joy into my arms... so I had to laugh at this.

As to the post... the guy may have had three bad experiences ... but generalizations are bad... I would certainly say the dog that chewed on my hand today was nasty... but not all small dogs are... but some people just make that kind of connection. Bad... but they do.

[Sister Ray]

The most agressive dog I've ever come across was a terrier mix running loose while I walked my golden Willow. I wound up in a nearby tree with 80 pounds of dog in my arms until it ran off. It was only Springer Spaniel size or so too.

[sledhead35]

ok i see your point iblax. i probably wasnt being fair in my previous reply. it was unfortunate about the three bad experiences. i guess the generalization frustrated me beyond comprehension because i am currently being forced to give up my dog because the staff at the apartment that i live in "doesn't want to be held responsible".

[jlaack]

I was not surprised to learn that many dog attacks in the county are by pit bulls. (‘‘Humane Society combats myths about pit bulls” Oct. 17). I was surprised to hear that Human Society division deputy director Paul Hibler wants us to believe that the problem is that some of these dogs are improperly socialized

I'm confused... Who wrote that? The director of the Humane Society?? I didn't get who the author was. Please clarify...

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by jlaack

I'm confused... Who wrote that? The director of the Humane Society?? I didn't get who the author was. Please clarify...

The author was Harold Wefald and it appears he may have written a letter to the editor. Here's a link.

[jlaack]

The author was Harold Wefald and it appears he may have written a letter to the editor. Here's a link.

Thanks Hokisteph... I was a little confused how the Humane Society fit in...

Emmy'smom if you are looking for a retort to this I don't know what to say. The author has his opinion based on his experiences with 3 out of how many Rottweilers in the United States?? I guess I could take some video tape of a friend of the families 3 shelties reaction to: skateboards, rollerblades, cyclists, joggers, etc. for you to send to him... Their reaction isn't much different than the Rotties he described to those stimuli... It kind of blows the mind that he brought up the thread to wolves but didn't include all dogs. Absolutely puzzling. What about the wolf hybreds? I wouldn't get worked about this letter. He is just a clueless member of the population--which we all know many such persons live among us.

[EmmysMom]

No retort needed, it just took me by surprise that someone could be this dense as to make such a mis-guided blanket judgement! I do stand corrected, he is allowed to have an opinion, just like the rest of us! I don't have to like it!

[daaqa]

pit bulls and rotts are "attack dogs" that are "bred to kill?" wow. someone is too angry to do their homework.

bullies were bred for dog fighting and dogs that showed ANY human aggression were culled. human aggression was an entirely banned fault. there is a reason they are considered one of the easiest breeds to steal out of their own homes! they are considered some of the worst guard dogs ever, unless they are abused in which case any breed would have issues.

and obviously [as you guys know] rotts are herding dogs.

the thing is, his description of the "attacks" seem a bit... vague... to base such an opinion on. what does he mean by being snapped at? were the big scary dogs excitedly barking? maybe they were aiming for the wheels and not the human? [my terrrier wants to eat all skateboards and bicycles. viciously.] the one dog that made contact didn't put any real pressure on.

[Obelix]

Originally Posted by EmmysMom

I can't believe this and I couldn't find anyway to reply to refute it!


I was not surprised to learn that many dog attacks in the county are by pit bulls. (‘‘Humane Society combats myths about pit bulls” Oct. 17). I was surprised to hear that Human Society division deputy director Paul Hibler wants us to believe that the problem is that some of these dogs are improperly socialized

Since all dogs are descended from wolves, that wasn’t hard to do. Any socialization sits lightly on the top of millions of years of instinct and there is absolutely no way to know what will set them off.
Over the past few years, I had three encounters with Rottweilers while I was roller blading. In every case, they snapped at me. OK, in my case it was my roller blades, but what else don’t they like? Two of the owners knew that the socialization doesn’t go very far and held them on a 1-foot leash. They had to use their strength to hold them. The third owner let his dog roam on a 40-foot leash. This dog put his jaws around my ankle but never applied any real pressure before the owner coaxed him off.

Unless you are looking for a weapon there are hundreds of breeds that will serve you just as well as these two lovable specimens of the species.

Harold Wefald, Montgomery Village

That's crap.Rottweilers were bred to work.And that's what they are just now;a working breed.

[barelrace]

I wouldn't bother retorting the this guys opinions. He is ignorant and hasn't taken the time to do his homework on the breeds. I worry more about small dogs than I do any large breed of dog. Any dog can turn just depends on their upbringing. My Rotties go to craft festivals and every man, woman and child and come up and pet them. As far as the 1 foot leash held that is just being a responsible owner and letting the guy get past on his rollerblades and not having to worry about tripping over the leash. Things like rollerblades and skateboards are a stimulation to the dog and they want to play with it not harm it. Just ignore the ignorance of some people.

[Obelix]

[QUOTE=EmmysMom;780086]I can't believe this and I couldn't find anyway to reply to refute it!


I was not surprised to learn that many dog attacks in the county are by pit bulls. (‘‘Humane Society combats myths about pit bulls” Oct. 17). I was surprised to hear that Human Society division deputy director Paul Hibler wants us to believe that the problem is that some of these dogs are improperly socialized

Pit bulls, like Rottweilers, are attack dogs that have been bred to kill.

Since all dogs are descended from wolves, that wasn’t hard to do. Any socialization sits lightly on the top of millions of years of instinct and there is absolutely no way to know what will set them off.

Over the years a lot of scientific research on wolf- and dog behaviour has indicated that the dogs now can hardly been called wolf-alike.(in appearance and character)There are very good and understandable books ,written by serious people,that explain clear the difference between wolf and dog.I advice the OP to read some of them,maybe then you'll see the light.(I hope)