Nothing to fear from so-called pit bulls

PETER ABELA

Sep 27th 2008, 01:38

WELL I,M SURE THAT STATISTICS ARE RIGHT. THEY DONT BITE THEY BITE OFF , AND KILL. SO LETS STOP KIDDING

I consider DOGS as man's best friend , and love them. But wont trust them

Vanessa Bonnici

Sep 26th 2008, 23:07

Just wanted to add one thing, it's true that small dogs are known to yap and are also known to snap. My Chihuahua is extremely possessive of me and will snap at someone he thinks is going to hurt me. But in all honesty, one can in no way compare a small dogs nip to a Pit Bull bite

vanessa bonnici

Sep 26th 2008, 22:55

on the 15th May 2005, my little dog Sophi was killed in a totally unprovoked attack by a pit bull that was trained to fight. I tried to get a muzzle law started here not because i blame the breed far from it - i blame the owner who trained this dog to be a fighter. Unfortunately these dogs do pack a horrific bite, however not all of them are trained to be fighters - i too have a Pit Bull/German Shepherd cross who is a total softy, he shares our home with a Chihuahua, a Dalmatian, a cat and my three year old daughter, he even shared the house with Sophi when she was alive. However if he did have to bite it would definitely be a bite that would hurt, maime or kill so i believe that muzzling (humanely, as there are muzzles and then there are muzzles) him while out and about is the safest thing, not because i think he's a dangerous dog but because i know that he has the pit bull bite and that can be a very dangerous thing.

Joe Tabone-Adami

Sep 26th 2008, 15:44

The international finance market risks going, or rather being thrown, to the dogs. The local dockyard situation was on the brink of going to the dogs. International politics e.g. the situation in the Caucasus, Iran/Pakistan/Afghanistan, risk going to the dogs. Oil prices hikes, with accompanying sky-high fuel and energy bills for ordinary mortals risk taking us all to the dogs. Yet we are blessed with having time extolling or demeaning the qualities of this or that canine breed. Who says it's 'mondo cane'?

Norman Stivala

Sep 26th 2008, 14:23

I have 2 English Bull terriers one is 12 years old and the other 3, The older one is like a bicca xaham f''karta, ( and the younger one may lash you with her tail, lick you to drowning point and tries to hug you, whoever you are, they simply love people, by the way I also have 3 Cats and the dogs only approach the cats to play, when the cats don't want to play, the dogs get scratched and never complain, they just stop playing.
norman

Jonathan Farrugia

Sep 26th 2008, 13:47

Proud owner of English Bull Terriers for fifteen years and never had a problem. If anything they can be a tad over protective as a result of all the love they have for their owners, but never malicious.

to be fair though they do look hard as nails, which is boss.

M.Gauci

Sep 26th 2008, 13:33

As an off-shoot to this, I would like to state that although dog owners can put up any charade to defend dogs, they remain at the end of the day, unpredictable animals. I do not necessarily label one breed over the next, but all dogs. And yes I have lived in a house with dogs. I do not have any hatred torward dogs, I am just being factful. I have seen cases where a German Shepard, has bit it's owner in the face, while driving the car. This dog was pure breed and it's owner never brought this beast up to be aggressive. Walking on the front in M'Scala, what appears from his description to be a husky on leash just turned on my friend who was walking by and bit him without provocation.
Dogs are unpredictable, nothwithstand what dog owners state, I cringe when I hear somebody walking his dog, telling you not be afraid "Ghax ma jigdimx", who on earth can ever guarantee what the dog will do. Knowing the dog, is not like knowing your son, one is human, the other is an animal. For lack of space I am stoping here, but there are many more-arguments-one-can-put-forward.

Luke Tabone

Sep 26th 2008, 12:49

I have to admit, the worst injury I suffered with these dogs, is when I was scratching his tummy, and a hair got stuck under my nail. VICIOUS

Matthew Bonnici

Sep 26th 2008, 12:45

@J Farrugia

Dear Mr Farrugia, its people like you with no background/experience with the handling of these breeds that leads you to be the typical armchair critic. It is people like you who watch foreign news and hear of "pitbull terriers" killing a child. However do you know that dogs upbringing? Was he taught to be a killing machine ? If yes then in his state of mind he is only being loyal to his teachings and therefor its the owner that is the problem.

The problem is also people like you that instill fear in peoples minds by making random comments. I invite you to meet Mr Tabone and Mr Selvaggi's dogs in order to instantly clear out your very bad impression of these breeds.

Careful of any allergies to dog hair you might have as thats what will hurt you and not the dog......

Derek Fenech

Sep 26th 2008, 12:23

@ Luke Tabone I cannot agree more with the drool thing..that is the only problem I have with my dog and the excessive licking he can give you

Luke Tabone

Sep 26th 2008, 11:42

@ J Farrugia

I'm very sorry to see that you have such a view on these dogs, and wish that next time you see a bull terrier and its' owner walking, you stop them and have a chat, and try to get a better understanding of the breed before making such comments. The only danger with encountering these dogs is if you are allergic to their drool!

dvella

Sep 26th 2008, 11:38

i was brought up with 2 boxers increasing to 6 by the time I was 10. Never one of these dogs bit me even though I tested their patience on end as a kid!
Now having my own family, I have a rottweiler and a napoletean mastiff. Theya re both of big frames and I take them out for their walks but never did they attack anyone even when people start touching them or pointing fingers in their face!

Please do not generalise

Andrea Selvaggi

Sep 26th 2008, 11:17

I agree in full to what Mr. Tabone has written. A Bad Owner makes a Bad Dog, nothing more. No dog is born dangerous. Responsible ownership is what needs to be enforced, and harsher penalties for animaly cruelty. Clearly, Mr. Ellul Sullivan has never owned a bull breed type dog and quite frankly does not have a clue about any of the breeds he is throwing fire too. I know many bully breed owners in Malta, and Overseas. Like any proud dog owner, i can say that my dogs are like my children.

Derek Fenech

Sep 26th 2008, 10:52

@ J Farrugia
The problem with the stigma towards these dogs is the wrong reporting of certain media. As Luke Tabone rightly pointed out most of these attacks happen by crossbreeds not purebreed bull terriers, pitbulls, mastiffs, boxers etc. These attacks happened because the dogs in question were abandoned due to their incapability to fight again during these illegal gatherings. These dogs knew nothing more than hatred and they had negative energy all around. For them to be able to integrate again into society they had to rehabilitated. A lack in doing so results in these attacks. But the breed has nothing to do with this. If a labrador or an irish setter is raised to fight he will be as deadly as any other dog. However if a dog is raised in a loving environment he will be peaceful with his 'pack' ie the family. My friends breed american bulldogs with love and dedication and not one dog has turned out to be a monster as you describe but great family companions. I recommend Mr Farrugia to research a bit on dogs and their behaviour before coming up with this incorrect information.

Robert keneth

Sep 26th 2008, 10:44

I agree with Mr Tabone i his comments, I have encountered a number of these "monster" dogs, and all i have to say is i was almost licked to death. They are very lovable dogs. I have also encountered other dogs like chiwawas and other dogs and found these to be more aggressive and nippy.

@Mr Farruja: do you know of any families that have been attacked by a dog being walked on the front? It is all media hype.

J Farrugia

Sep 26th 2008, 10:35

Oh yeh Mr Tabone? Nothing to fear from such monster dogs? Tell it to those youngsters who were killed by such animals. Tell it to those persons who were bitten by such monsters. Tell it to those owners who cared for such animals and who were mauled by these dogs for their patience in rearing them. Tell it to the marines Luke. Words are easy but being practical is very difficult.

Derek Fenech

Sep 26th 2008, 10:30

I fully agree with Luke Tabone...It is unfortunate that large breeds with physical features that Mr Tabone described get stigmatised. I am a proud owner of a 2 year old boxer who due to his squarish face and muscular built gets mistaken for an aggressive dog and he is definitely not. I have seen straffordshire bull terriers, american bulldogs, bull mastiffs playing lovingly with children and witnessed their loyalty towards protecting the young ones of a family.

My nephew was once warned not to touch a yorkshire terrier because it could bite him...and this happened during a Christmas event for children at ta Qali! I have seen more viscousness in small dogs like poodles and yorkshire terriers than from these "dangerous" dogs that Mr Ellul Sullivan has seen being paraded on the Sliema front. I know one of these owners who takes his dog for a walk there and I can assure him that the animal is a loving and caring one especially with cildren. I would not trust my son with a small dog but I would with a mastiff, boxer or bull terrier.

Matthew Bonnici

Sep 26th 2008, 09:43

@ Luke Tabone:

Dogs are a reflection of their owners' character. If the dog is aggressive and tempermental then you can only blame the dog owner not the dog. Dogs tend to be very loyal to their owner and therefor do as they are instructed to.

In this case i know the dog in question and all i can say is that he is probably the most playful and calm dog i have ever interacted with. I'd definately trust him more than one of those angry teeth baring pocket dogs :)