Guest Anonymous Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Just added tons of pics of the kids in a new thread on the picture board. But then wanted to ask a question as well: When you see a pit bull being walked down the street what kind of notions do you make? DO look at the dog and judge, do you look at the owner and then judge? or do you treat every dog as an idividual and think the best until its proven otherwise? I only ask because i find that often times when i am out people will look at the dogs and clear out to the other side of the street. I wonder if it because they are pit bulls or what? I dont assume its me..cuz dammit im cute! joking. but seriously what do you think when you are out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 A pit is just like any other dog and any dog I notice walking down the street I look and admire just like any pupper! drives my boyfriend mad at times when i go awww look a _____ breed! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aonir Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 If I see any dog walking down the street, I'm like "AWW! Cute!" I love all dogs but I will be hesitant when petting a strange dog. If I see a dog with kids, or with other people giving them attention, I am more likely to not have a second thought about the dog. I love all dogs that people bring to pet stores, I 'assume' that the dog would have to be well-behaved to bring them there. They may be a bit hyper though :o To-hyper dogs scare me, especially if their big! Thats why I'm scared of most Labs.. I've met only hyper ones... I love the calm ones who wag their tails and lay their ears back to get petted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogPaddle Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 If I see a pit or other dog popular with the "I'm making up for my own inadequacies even though I know nothing about this breed" group I generally look at the owner. I freely confess if the owner looks a certain way I watch them and the dog very closely and feel sorry for the dog. You can call it discrimination but I call it learning from experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I like all dogs (even the two chi's next door who just wont shut up ever :D ) but I have to admit I will judge HOW TO REACT to the dog (not the dog itself, per se) by how the owner is handling it (or not handling it in some cases). I see too many dogs like Rotties, and Pits, and Dobie/s and GSD's sporting the studded collars and being led around by guys who think they're tough.....you can usually see the attitude problem in the owners face long before you can detect it in the dog. I will stay out of their way, because I dont trust how the owner may have treated it, or "trained" it..... However, I also see people walking Pits and so on, just regular everyday people who dont appear to have the tough guy attitude and I will stop and talk to them and pet their dogs. Maybe MY attitude is wrong, and I'm being a little prejudical, but I feel better safe than sorry. The guys (*and girls*) with the bad attitude posture tend to have dogs that are less relaxed looking as well....body language can tell the whole story instantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 [quote]To-hyper dogs scare me, especially if their big! Thats why I'm scared of most Labs.. I've met only hyper ones... I love the calm ones who wag their tails and lay their ears back to get petted [/quote] Actually, in the case of Lab's, the hyper ones are less likely to bite than the calm ones, UNLESS THE DOG HAS BEEN COMPLETELY OBEDIENCE TRAINED. A calm Lab who has not been obedience trained is usually either frightened, or cautious. Labs are naturally hyper around people because they like everybody (providing they were properly raised) and want all the attention they can get. If living in a loving household and well treated, they inevitably end up getting spoiled rotten and want everyones attention all the time.... Of course, it is always better to ask the owner first if you can pet their dog, and watch the dogs body language. I dont know that I would trust a calm Lab with it's ears back....that's not a good sign in a Lab....happy labs usually wriggle a lot and have their ears pointed as "up" as they can get them (being floppy) and pushed forward a little in curiosity.... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aonir Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 When I was little, I was 'pounced' by a huge, hyper lab. Knocked my breath out. After that, I guess fear sets in. Then my dad has a lab, hyper thing. Bit him more than once... Now he's quiet, shy... I think it was because he had a tumor or something on his ear that caused him a lot of pain for a long time.. Not sure if they got it removed, or if it went away. But hes not hyper, but a sweet little guy now. Still scares me because he 'has' bitten before. So I'm pretty cautious with labs. If their on a leash, I love them to pieces - because they are under control. Both the two labs ive mentioned was off-leash. Dads lab runs loose in the neighborhood.. I've wanted to call the dog pound but wasn't allowed because he was my dad -.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggrolyn1223 Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 Whenever I see another dog, I go, Hey!!Look at the doggie!!But then I'm afraid to go over and pet them because some people don't like their dogs being petted..I don't like asking them either...I was walking to the mailbox once, and their was this guy with a boxer, she was sooo pretty, and then their was this little baby walking next to it.. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 [quote=ROTT'N'PIT]When you see a pit bull being walked down the street what kind of notions do you make? DO look at the dog and judge, do you look at the owner and then judge? or do you treat every dog as an idividual and think the best until its proven otherwise?[/quote] I had to think about it for a minute, because I never do see pit bulls being walked on the street. A family who used to live down the road from me had pits, but I know they fought their dogs, and I know they were bad people (happened to be my dog, Sasha's, original owners). It had nothing to do with the basic fact that they kept pits. However, I remembered an incident a couple months ago when I was walking down the side walk, looking aty sidewalk sales, when the biggest rott I've ever seen jumps towards me. I'm afraid of rotts, because of three monsters across the street from me, but I laughed as this dog started sniffing my pants. And then I pet him. The girl who was walking him apologized, but she wan't nervous about her dog at all, so I was okay with it, too. So I guess that no, I don't judge based on the breed of the dog. But the owner/walker's attitude has an impact. If someone's walking *any* kind of dog, and is obviously nervous or hesitant, or fighting not to let the dog get near people, I think that's a bad sign. I think if the girls walking the rott had panicked and tried yanking the dog away from me, I would have gotten scared, but she good naturedly allowed herself to be pulled over. However, I will say I sometimes fit into that category. Due to improper socializing, Sasha tends to be dog aggressive, especially with other females. So if another dog is walking down the road at the same time, I will shorten her leash and put myself between her and that dog, just in case. I guess if you want complete honesty here, I would probably be nervous if I saw you walking your dog down the street. I seem to have one pit-related prejudice. Pits with cropped ears make me nervous. Not because I think cropped ears turns a dog mean or anything ;) It just doesn't look natural to me, and the only place I see pits with cropped ears is in rap videos, where the dogs are used as "tough guy/gansta" props. So if I saw someone walking a pit with cropped ears and a huge chain collar like yours is wearing in the pictures, I might be a little wary. Doesn't mean I'd freak out and assume the worst, but I'd be a little hesitant. Do you mind if I (sincerely and nonjudgmentally) ask why you cropped your pit bull's ears? Thanks :) Amber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 :oops: Oops, I didn't realize I wasn't logged in. Someone's been clearing the cookies again :-? Amber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_nea Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 If I saw a pit bull I'd happy to see one, since I have yet to see a real live one. I wouldn't go up to it, because I don't go up to strange dogs unless they act real eager to see me, but if it came to me, then I wouldn't treat it different from any other dog. Actually I'm less at ease with small dogs than big. I think its because the one time I've been "attacked" (it wasn't really an attack, but, well... sort of) was by a pekingese in one of the pet shops here thats really terrible. The people that have the store have these two pekes that are mean tempered. A few years ago I bent down and put my hand out to say hi the dog started barking madly and rushed at me. And then the person behind the counter told me that "you should always ask before you pet a dog!" :x I wasn't petting it, just saying hi! And anyway, if you have two dogs in a pet store, I expect them to be friendly, not agressive! I guess I've kind of gotten off the subject now... :lol: But I do feel more comfortable with big dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 RnP- We discussed this once already I think but here it is again.... If I am by myself (meaning without dogs) I would gladly approach and interact and be excited to see a pit. But if I was with the dogs I would make the appropriate effort to avoid contact between the dogs. Owner appearance does not make any difference to me. Even well intentioned, respectable pit owners may not understand what their dog is capable of. So because I would have to kill someone if anything ever happened to my kids, I make sure to keep plenty of distance. Again it is no indication of what I think of you or pits. Its because I understand the potential and trust no one when it comes to the safety of my dogs. And I think we have talked about the "face". I think most people are guilty of it but few would admit it. I believe it is an involuntary reaction produced by an irrational fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted September 14, 2003 Share Posted September 14, 2003 I understand exactly what you are saying. I am a proud mom of a pit and a pit mix as well as an english setter, but I have seen so many people clear out of our way on our nightly walks. The way I see it their ignorance makes more room for us on the sidewalk. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydogroxy Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 i think initially, it's definitely because the dog is a pit bull. and then that brings on a whole set of assumptions about you (me). when i walk roxy we see the same people over and over again (they're sitting on their porch or what have you). i know these people think i'm bad news with a dangerous dog. it's crazy. i find that there's no inbetween for me. people either are horrified by roxy and the notion of a pit bull, or those who stop me to tell me how beautiful she is and turn around several times to get a second and third look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midori115 Posted September 15, 2003 Share Posted September 15, 2003 my neighborhood is ... well .... interesting? diverse is not the right word -- a bit dangerous? anyway, we aren't far from the pasrts of the city where you do see the poor pups that are fought. and occasionally, i have run into a pit or two on the street and I really thought it would break it's lead and just maul poor oscar. and me! that being said -- two of oscar's best friends are pits and I adore them. The worst experience I've had on the street has been with a boxer being walked by a very respectable - looking man in a suit. so honestly, I am skeptical of all dogs unless I can hang out and watch them - and their owner for a minute or two. cause if I like them maybe I can pet them and I love dogs. really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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