Serial Pit Bull killer in Houston on the loose.

[FirefightnRick]

http://www.google.com/gwt/x?noimg=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fhouston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/24/serial-killer-targeting-pit-bulls-in-houston-area/&wsi=c33079dc2866be75&ei=-J0gT7fIMILSxQK5g_zeCw&

I haven't been to Houston in 8-10 years BTW.

Just sayin.

Rick

[HoustonEagle]

http://www.google.com/gwt/x?noimg=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fhouston.cbslocal.com/2012/01/24/serial-killer-targeting-pit-bulls-in-houston-area/&wsi=c33079dc2866be75&ei=-J0gT7fIMILSxQK5g_zeCw&

I haven't been to Houston in 8-10 years

Just sayin.

Rick

You may find that we have fewer pit bulls on your next visit

Just sayin

Edited January 26, 2012 by HoustonEagle

[FirefightnRick]

You may find that we have fewer pit bulls on your next visit

Just sayin

LOL, sounds like it!

Rick

[Green Mean]

I fear the pit bull.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Green Mean

[Rudy]

I've never had any problems with them. All of the ones I've encountered have been sweethearts. My last sargeant had one who would beat you to death with her tail though. She would also have a tendency to walk up to you while you were sitting on the couch, look at you, and once you look back at her, she would just plop her head down on your stomach. She's a real beast.

I know alot of people don't like them, but I think it is largely the owner.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Rudy

[Rudy]

NFM

Edited January 26, 2012 by Rudy

[NT03]

I know alot of people don't like them, but I think it is largely the owner.

Gagree

[MeanGreenTexan]

Pit Bull owner here!

Our dog would rather lick you to death than ever attack. TRUTH!

We also have a 1-year-old daughter, and not once have I ever feared for her safety. EVER.

People always say: "You never know when... they just attack one day, it's bred into them..."

In actuality, attacking a human is NOT bred into a pitbull. As a matter of fact, back in the days when these dogs were being bred to fight for sport, a human would be in the ring with the dogs. If one of the dogs bit the human referee, that dog automatically lost and was often immediately terminated. So, in actuality, the opposite trait was bred into these dogs: do not bite humans or you will die.

Will a pitbull attack and kill other dogs/cats/random animals? That is more likely. That is what they were bred to do. However, if you're a responsible owner, how would your dog get an opportunity to do that?

Alot of the attacks are from pitbull mixes. Once you take a dog as fierce as a pitbull and mix it with another type of dog that was never bred to not bite humans, then give that dog to an irresponsible owner, you're asking for trouble.

I urge any of you who have this misconception to go do some homework on this awesome breed:

Pitbull411.com

TheREALPitbull.com

Any of you seen Lil' Rascals? Petey? The pitbull used to be an adored breed by all of America. Only fairly recently has that changed.

By the way, the Pit Bull is widely considered an almost worthless guard dog.

My wife tells a story about a time when we were living in an apartment and I was away on business. She heard what she thought was violent knocking on our door. Rather than going into "killer beast mode", our 60-lb pit bull cowered underneath the coffee table, tail between her legs. Turns out, one of the legs on the washing machine got off-kilter!

Serial PitBull killer finds himself in Hickory Creek, he will have a problem. Not with my dog, but with me!

[Green P1]

I strongly dislike the pitbull.

[forevereagle]

Michael Vick moved to Houston?

[FirefightnRick]

Pit Bull owner here!

Our dog would rather lick you to death than ever attack. TRUTH!

We also have a 1-year-old daughter, and not once have I ever feared for her safety. EVER.

Something along this line is usually the final cries we hear from the parents as we are loading their mangled child into the back of an air ambulance.

It is a foolish stance to believe a pit bull or pit bull mix will NEVER turn on it's owner or other family member.

Rick

Edited January 26, 2012 by FirefightnRick

[Green Mean]

Something along this line is usually the final cries we hear from the parents as we are loading their mangled child into the back of an air ambulance.

It is a foolish stance to believe a pit bull or pit bull mix will NEVER turn on it's owner or other family member.

Rick

Agree that is the fear. I know a few friends in a past that had pit bulls and they said the same thing that they haven't had any issues with them and they're so loving etc. Well one day they did turn and attacked the owner and luckily they were able to fend it off but I just think it is too much of a risky thing. Look if owners want to have them then that is fine...but in my experience and observing the owners aren't the most careful when it comes to handling their dogs when they may be outside or around strangers.

[greenminer]

Seems like a Jekyll & Hyde species, pure or mixed.

Out of curiosity, what are their statistics? Given all (pet) dog attacks the last few years, what percentage of them are pit bulls?

[greenminer]

In actuality, attacking a human is NOT bred into a pitbull. As a matter of fact, back in the days when these dogs were being bred to fight for sport, a human would be in the ring with the dogs. If one of the dogs bit the human referee, that dog automatically lost and was often immediately terminated. So, in actuality, the opposite trait was bred into these dogs: do not bite humans or you will die.

There's probably some psychoanalytical response to this. I would believe it if someone told me it was not an environment where they were trained to attack non-humans, but rather trained to fix on a target. Simply killing them if they attack the wrong target (owner/human) does not mean they are learning to be all fluffy-duffy with us.

It could be an issue of what is the "switch" that is inside them, and what flips it?

By the way, the Pit Bull is widely considered an almost worthless guard dog.

My wife tells a story about a time when we were living in an apartment and I was away on business. She heard what she thought was violent knocking on our door. Rather than going into "killer beast mode", our 60-lb pit bull cowered underneath the coffee table, tail between her legs. Turns out, one of the legs on the washing machine got off-kilter!

Serial PitBull killer finds himself in Hickory Creek, he will have a problem. Not with my dog, but with me!

Again, what is the switch and what triggers it? Most owners probably don't know, and wouldn't suspect it as long as the dog is fluffy-duffy with them and wags its tail.

Edited January 26, 2012 by greenminer

[MeanGreenTexan]

Something along this line is usually the final cries we hear from the parents as we are loading their mangled child into the back of an air ambulance.

It is a foolish stance to believe a pit bull or pit bull mix will NEVER turn on it's owner or other family member.

Rick

I'm sure you've seen that, and I'm sure there are circumstances around those attacks that are not refelctive of my family & our relationship with our dog.

I'm still not concerned. Not one iota. I know my dog better than anyone.

I would be much more concerned about a Chihuahua or other yippy dog with "little big-dog syndrome" biting my child or my wife than my dog.

My dog will NEVER "turn on" a person. EVER. I'm more confident in that than one day seeing Tony Mitchell in the NBA. I don't know how else to say it... and I'm no fool!

There are crusades going on all over the nation by ignorant people to "ban" this breed, and in several cities/counties, they have succeeded. So unfair.

Also, we see stories of pitbull attacks on the news all the time... Who wants to hear the story of a loveable dalmatian/golden retreiver attacking their owner? No one. So it never shows up on the news. The fear of pitbulls has been ingrained into our society sometime within the past 40 years. The news is helping flame it.

[MeanGreenTexan]

There's probably some psychoanalytical response to this. I would believe it if someone told me it was not an environment where they were trained to attack non-humans, but rather trained to fix on a target. Simply killing them if they attack the wrong target (owner/human) does not mean they are learning to be all fluffy-duffy with us.

It could be an issue of what is the "switch" that is inside them, and what flips it?

Again, what is the switch and what triggers it? Most owners probably don't know, and wouldn't suspect it as long as the dog is fluffy-duffy with them and wags its tail.

I'm pretty sure a "trigger" would have presented itself within the 6 years we've had our dog?

What if there's no "trigger"?

[yyz28]

Everyone has a right to make this decision, but I can tell you when it comes to my kids, EVEN IF the dog had been awesome for years, once I had kids, I just wouldn't take the risk. NO PET (and I have pets, love pets) is worth the safety of my kids.

We gamble enough in the things we do every day - why add potential risk?

[Green P1]

When I was 16 I was scouring a junkyard in Wise County for a gas tank for my Camaro. I'd been there tons of times before and petted the owners sweet pitbull in the office, seen it playing with his little kids, and never thought twice about it. Next thing I know I'm under the back half of an old Camaro pulling the tank and this thing shows up growling is ass off at me. Tried to run to the nearest junk car with a door to jump in and the thing bites my ankle clean through my boot. Luckily it lets go long enough for me to climb into a rusted out old truck. An hour or so later the owner finds me still hiding in the truck from the still angry dog, "puts it down" with a shovel, and I'll never trust a PitBull again.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Green P1

[Censored by Laurie]

When I was 16 I was scouring a junkyard in Wise County for a gas tank for my Camaro. I'd been there tons of times before and petted the owners sweet pitbull in the office, seen it playing with his little kids, and never thought twice about it. Next thing I know I'm under the back half of an old Camaro pulling the tank and this thing shows up growling is ass off at me. Tried to run to the nearest junk car with a door to jump in and the thing bites my ankle clean through my boot. Luckily it lets go long enough for me to climb into rusted out old truck. An hour or so later the owner finds me still hiding in the truck from the still angry dog, "puts it down" with a shovel, and I'll never trust a PitBull again.

Best GMG anecdote ever.

[BeanCounterGrad'03]

I would be much more concerned about a Chihuahua or other yippy dog with "little big-dog syndrome" biting my child or my wife than my dog.

I hope you're using hyperbole/sarcasm with this statement. I've got two "yippy" dogs, and even with the most violent attack they could muster, the worst damage they could do is a minor flesh wound. And if they did try something like that, I (or my wife or any other human over 5 years old) can quickly pick them up with one (or two) hand and throw them across the room. A pitbull can crush bones with its bite and is much more difficult to bring under control.

Its like comparing apples to giant-state-fair-award-winning pumpkins.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Everyone has a right to make this decision, but I can tell you when it comes to my kids, EVEN IF the dog had been awesome for years, once I had kids, I just wouldn't take the risk. NO PET (and I have pets, love pets) is worth the safety of my kids.

We gamble enough in the things we do every day - why add potential risk?

You say you have pets and love them.

You say you have kids too. Where's your risk? ... Or does the "risk" only pertain to certain breeds?

Maybe you don't have a dog? Do you maybe have a cat? If so, has your cat ever hissed or scratched your kids? My dog's only crime is inadvertently bumping into my daughter and knocking her over.

I guess that's what I'm trying to say: There's no risk. At least for my dog/family. I'm sure I can speak for thousands of pitbull owners as well.

P1,

Sorry for your nightmare encounter. But I think "junkyard dogs" are usually neglected, and of course when they see their masters, they're super happy, but when they see someone they don't trust.... well, you obviously know! To me, that has nothing to do with the pit bull breed though. The owner could have put a yellow lab out there and it probably would have reacted the same way if neglected.

But no, there's a stigma that comes with owning a pitbull. People see a pitbull in a junkyard and think, "Pitbulls are mean so I'm not going in there". If you see a junkyard protected by a pack of labs, they're not so mean right? If they're neglected, they surely are.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I hope you're using hyperbole/sarcasm with this statement. I've got two "yippy" dogs, and even with the most violent attack they could muster, the worst damage they could do is a minor flesh wound. And if they did try something like that, I (or my wife or any other human over 5 years old) can quickly pick them up with one (or two) hand and throw them across the room. A pitbull can crush bones with its bite and is much more difficult to bring under control.

Its like comparing apples to giant-state-fair-award-winning pumpkins.

No hyperbole/sarcasm. I'm fully aware of the size differential.

I'm trying to get the point across that not all pit bulls are killig machines... as a matter of fact, only a small sample is (albeit the media covers the heck out of that small sample size).

To me, if your dog is neglected, his/her ability to inflict a minor flesh wound is more worrisome than my own dog, who I KNOW would never even do that to my child or any other child or person.

Now, if I leave her outside all day and night, maybe don't feed her as often or pet her as much... in a few years/months/weeks (who knows), her demeanor changes and that threat becomes very real. But I love my dog too much for that scenario to ever play out.

[MeanGreenTexan]

To put this all in perspective, I usually keep a goatee because I was attacked by a dog as a child and have scars on my lip. It was a lab mix. I still love labs too!

I'm not naive to dog attacks. I'm not unsympathetic to pitbull attacks, or any other dog attack for that matter. Those dogs should be put down.

I'm just trying (maybe in vain) to enlighten some on pit bulls. They're not all ferocious animals on the prowl looking for fresh meat or something as the media would have us think.

As a matter of fact, my dog is a Mean Green fan!

[TheTastyGreek]

As a matter of fact, my dog is a Mean Green fan!

Lies.

Your dog ate Ray, and stole Nathan Tune's hat.

[BeanCounterGrad'03]

No hyperbole/sarcasm. I'm fully aware of the size differential.

I'm trying to get the point across that not all pit bulls are killig machines... as a matter of fact, only a small sample is (albeit the media covers the heck out of that small sample size).

Now I'm convinced that your fear of small dogs over big dogs is either a bit or some psychological hang up. That's like saying you're more afraid of a paintball gun than a barretta.

I'd be interested to see what the sample size is of killer Yorkies out of the entire population of Yorkies.

And so you know, I agree with you that pit bulls shouldn't be banned. However, I do feel there should be extra measures out there to make sure they are with the right owners. I certainly feel that you have the right to own one (or two or three, etc.), but to think that one can't be dangerous (even the most well behaved, best treated ones) is a bit foolish.

Edited January 26, 2012 by BeanCounterGrad'03