[Wymdqcvb]

so if helen keller can handle a pit bull. why do many people say its not for everyone. im just trying to understand were pit bulls different back then?

[DailyRingtone]

They're not. Helen Keller was not 'everyone'. This woman faced more obsticals every day than a lot of people face in their life. She never gave up and faced everything head on, just like an APBT. She also had Akita's, not the easiest dogs around either, IMO she was an experienced dog person.

[VoriEremiagem]

This sums it up pretty well as you refering to the history of the breed. Helen Keller was not the only one who owned one back in the day.
Breed Info (Bad Rap)

As to why they aren't for everyone.. it has been said many times why but to put it in a nut shell not everyone respects the history of the breed.

Not everyone can manage dog aggression indefinately, not everyone can contain them properly and not everyone is willing to make them an ambassador of the breed.

They are an AMAZING and loyal loving breed no doubt about that but they are not for the faint of heart.

You have to know about their history and respect it and not deny it, how to exercise them more than mental and physically, give them proper nutrition since they are prone to allergies, and make the dog an ambassador for the breed.

You should always be responsible by not taking them to the dog park and setting them up to fail in any way. That is why not everyone should own them.

The people who should own them are the responsible ones and it is a priviledge to own them not a right. I think more people should research before getting these dogs and see if they are for them.

Another thing that you must have is thick skin and learn to deal with negative comments in a controlled manner and not make the breed look bad by going off on them. If you can't educate, just walk away. Sorry for the long post.

[fluoxet]

People have changed since then, not the breed. We have become pussified to the point where we have people getting their butts kicked by Yorkies, for Pete's sake!

Helen keller had quite a few dogs and she was a tough woman. Just living in her time would seem harsh and tough to us now, but she did it both blind and deaf while holding unpopular opinions regarding womens rights and Socialism. Of course she had a Pit Bull. And I bet the dog knew she was the boss or else!

[HomePageOEMfreeSOFTWARE]

They're not. Helen Keller was not 'everyone'. This woman faced more obsticals every day than a lot of people face in their life. She never gave up and faced everything head on, just like an APBT. She also had Akita's, not the easiest dogs around either, IMO she was an experienced dog person.

Athena'smom,I really like how you put this.

Its not that the dogs had changed,its that they had an extrordinary owner.Not to be rude to the OP,but just because you are physically/mentally challenged,does NOT mean you cannot be a an experianced dog person,and are not as 'capable' as everyone else.Someone with a preceived 'shortcoming' such as this are often actually ''more'' capable than most average persons.The body tends to compensate for what it lacks,and the physically challenged tend to have to work harder to get what we can take for granted.(like sight or mobility)That tenascity can make for a wonderful pit bull owner.

I will use my self as an example.I used to be legally blind(had an operation on my eyes-can see well now).I was only able to see very faint details at the time,in sunlight-nothing but white.I did acrylic paintings,I graduated a 4.0 grade point average(98% average grade) from college with a medical type certification,and did everything you do,and some things the average person can't do.(like make hot tea in pitch dark,with specific flavors of tea WITHOUT being able to read the tea containers,or walking into a dark room and just ''knowing'' where everything was.I knew everyone by there footsteps,or body scent)

Hellen Keller was an amazing person, its fitting she would own such an amazing dog breed,such as the pit bull.

[carlsberg21]

Also it was probably a "pit bull" in the same regards that Sgt Stubby was a "pit bull" some sort of a mixed breed dog that might have had some APBT in its lineage...

I think alot of pit bull owners cling to stories like Stubby and Helen Keller because they are positive press for a breed that is in the shitter simply because this breed isn't for everyone.

Not everyone can handle this breed... not everyone is built to be able to handle a bad accident breaking out between dogs. I know when we had a bad yard accident here my wife froze up and couldn't do anything but scream for me..... Since then I've taught her how to use a breakstick... but I don't know if she could actually manage it or not.

[bubborn]

she probably brought some serious blind/deaf smackdown on that pit bull's ass when he started actin' a fool lol

[Guaranano]

I'm really happy to see a topic on helen keller. She is someone I look up to as I am Deaf myself.

I agree with the other posters that pit bulls are not for everyone BUT for a disabled person like me, cupcake has become my guardian and I feel very safe having her around. She alerts me to sounds I do not hear.
My basset hounds do not.

I think pit bulls make excellent dogs for the disabled. I had my thoughts about cupcake because she was a pit when we found her on the side of the road but she's since then proven to me that the media hype is a bunch of BS.

The DA isn't something that is fabricated, sadly I've learned. Cupcake has shown me her DA side and I've had to pull her away from one of my basset hounds that started the fight-cupcake didn't. It was not an all out brawl but it could have gotten serious if I had not yanked the two apart. For the majority they play and like each other but since cupcake is now older her DA is becoming more obvious. She's not HA though.

I do think that due to the DA this breed has-it's not for everyone. It was scary the first time it happened and if you cannot handle it, don't own one. The basset will have to find a new home eventually because she's an alpha and cupcake is an alpha. Cannot have two alpha dogs-especially one that is historically a fighting dog. Cupcake will finish it and don't want to take the chance

it may seem comical to see a basset hound attack another dog-it wasn't!
got a few laughs from people at work about it and from my family only because of the damn basset hound. They can be aggressive!

have a great weekend everyone! I'm beat so I'm heading back to bed.

Sheri

[fluoxet]

You shouldn't have to rehome your Basset, Sheri. A lot of people who have two or more dogs who don't get along just crate and rotate them.

[Abnorttrano]

she probably brought some serious blind/deaf smackdown on that pit bull's ass when he started actin' a fool lol

And I'm sure he had a nice chain spot out in the yard too

[Guaranano]

You shouldn't have to rehome your Basset, Sheri. A lot of people who have two or more dogs who don't get along just crate and rotate them.

True. It's been difficult to make that choice. We have not found her a home yet and it's been three months looking for a new home for her.
We're not even sure that we're going to adopt her out anyways as the spats do not happen often. Right now the both of them are running around the house playing .

I have two bassets-the older one isn't too much of a playful dog she's very calm and relaxed. The other one Lulu is an alpha who is very pushy and demanding. She's a great dog but she doesn't need to start a spat with the pit because she's jealous over a bone cupcake may have or attention cupcake is getting from us when we give all three dogs the same amount of attention. Cupcake gets a long great with lulu until lulu tries to dominate her and she'll snap or growl. None of the bites have been hard bites, more or less just a scuffle mouthing each other. The good news is that the moment I yell at them, the basset stops what she's doing and so does cupcake. They know it's wrong and both of them lay down and roll on their backs when I do tell them no and seperate them. Afterwards it's as if nothing happened and they are back to being best buddies.

the only reason why my husband and I have considered rehoming lulu is because of cupcake. We thought it'd be the most responsible thing to do. cupcake does not do well in her crate-she gets out and chews the tie's we have on them. She's a smark cookie. We have crated lulu while gone and she does just fine.

The other basset and cupcake get along great-no scuffles there as the other basset is a submissive one and cupcake does not play with her like she does the other basset. She seems smart enough to know who to play with and who not to .

My husband is against crating but he'll have to deal with it. Lulu came straight from the pound when we got her and has always had issues with food and toys/attention. She was 35 lbs when we got her-bones sticking out and now she's 66 lbs. Even though she's much better she still acts like she'll never get a toy or food again. We think she may have been abused.
we're working on it though. Have had her for three years but her aggression did not ramp up until cupcake came home.

we did expect some problems but not right now. We got cupcake in feb and it's now june. It has only been now that the scuffle's have become actual fights.

If my husband wants to keep lulu then he needs to read up on the pit bull breed which he hasn't. To me he's an idiot because he has not done the research as I have. Since he's seen cupcakes DA-he's now getting the picture. Should have gotten it eariler. Never bring a dog into your home without researching the breed. I've told him time and time again, hey, you cannot change the fact that she's a fighting dog and a fight will break out sooner or later...we need to do this and this to prevent it. He rolled his eyes at me...not now.

He seems to be a little unsettled...and damn he should be. I've been doing all the work here on this dog and raising it right. If he refuses to crate lulu then he'll have to get used to having to fix the crate when cupcake is in and if he doesn't like crating cupcake ( which he doesn't ) the basset will go. If he's unwilling to be responsible while I'm at work and he's off then he has no business supervising two alpha dogs while at home. It's only been recently that he's starting to see that everything I've told him ( even told him to read the stickies on this site ) is true.

I think most people think like my husband when they get a pit bull puppy thinking " oh he/she will grow up with the other dogs and get along just fine". Not so. It seems to me that it takes a fight for the person to realize " oh shit ".

I'm shaking my head as I write this. How stupid can you be not to understand the nature of the pit bull? I've been expecting this to happen, he hasn't.

I married an idiot.

we may keep lulu-may not. It depends on what happens and what my husband is willing to accept or not. If he want's to be irresponsible when I'm not home, gone. He needs to be like me-responsible. If he's not willing to seperate the two because he feels that it's wrong to crate then the aggresor will have to go. It's my way or the highway baby.

anyone else have a spouse or gf bf who doesn't take owning a pit bull seriously? It's very fusterating to deal with.

Sheri

p.s-you better bet helen keller commanded that dog she was a tough lady