[giturbewan]

I have read a lot of comments about how some people dont like the current measures taken to improve the pit bull image, and visa versa. My question then is what SHOULD be done to improve the pitbull image and encourage responsible ownership?

[flueftArete]

We're kinda screwed no matter what we do. We want folks to know what a great breed it is and that they are no monsters. But we don't want the general public all wanting a "pit bull". As we can see from all the horror stories, a lot of people can not handle them.

I wish they would just stay out of the light. Even the good shows do damage (imo). Everyone around me is wanting a "pit bull" now because that Shorty guy (From Animal Planet's Pit Boss) said that the breed is just like other dogs. I wish the breed would just sit on the back burner out of the spot light. Rescues and breeders need to be more picky who they give their dogs to.

[bUqLfXRI]

I'd be fine w/ the breed taking a back-burner position, but I don't think it's going to happen.

I think the solution is simple, yet rarely seems to happen: TELL THE TRUTH. The whole truth, not just the nice stuff.

* Tell everyone that these dogs should be human friendly. If yours is not, you have a problem.

* Tell everyone that these dogs are prone to animal aggression. Don't let you guard down or think you know it all. When you least expect it, your dog could decide he doesn't like another animal.

* Tell everyone that these dogs need a LOT of exercise. If you're not willing to get off your ass EVERY DAY and do something w/ your dog, then it's not the right dog for you.

I think if these were the first 3 things anyone heard about these dogs, we'd be doing a lot better. I don't even see why these points are skirted around so much. I haven't watched the new Pit Boss show, but I have watched Parolees, and even though I do think those guys know what they're doing, I've seen them gloss over these issues on the show. When IMO, it should be the first thing said, and it should be said over & over.

[Adimos]

We're kinda screwed no matter what we do. We want folks to know what a great breed it is and that they are no monsters. But we don't want the general public all wanting a "pit bull". As we can see from all the horror stories, a lot of people can not handle them.

I wish they would just stay out of the light. Even the good shows do damage (imo). Everyone around me is wanting a "pit bull" now because that Shorty guy (From Animal Planet's Pit Boss) said that the breed is just like other dogs. I wish the breed would just sit on the back burner out of the spot light. Rescues and breeders need to be more picky who they give their dogs to.

I agree!

IMO, until we get rid of the BYB who are just pumping them out to make a quick buck and then the so called "reputable breeders" pumping them out and selling them to whoever that wants one and you have a lot of Shelters and Rescues adopting out to any avg Joe that pays the adoption fee, then this crisis we're facing will Never be fixed. I don't know of a solution. What I do know is is that Humans really suck. We destroy everything we get our hands on and apparently the APBT will be no Exception.

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 PM ----------

oh and I agree with Turner about getting them out of the spot light which includes the alleged "good light" TV shows. IMO, the TV shows are doing more damage than good and the APBT doesn't need it. They need to be completely out of the TV series as well as the media.

[sDePrx59]

What I do know is is that Humans really suck. We destroy everything we get our hands on and apparently the APBT will be no Exception Sadly, this is true.

[Itrtuawh]

I'd be fine w/ the breed taking a back-burner position, but I don't think it's going to happen.

I think the solution is simple, yet rarely seems to happen: TELL THE TRUTH. The whole truth, not just the nice stuff.

* Tell everyone that these dogs should be human friendly. If yours is not, you have a problem.

* Tell everyone that these dogs are prone to animal aggression. Don't let you guard down or think you know it all. When you least expect it, your dog could decide he doesn't like another animal.

* Tell everyone that these dogs need a LOT of exercise. If you're not willing to get off your ass EVERY DAY and do something w/ your dog, then it's not the right dog for you.

I agree and I do try to do exactly this.

[fudelholf]

We're kinda screwed no matter what we do. We want folks to know what a great breed it is and that they are no monsters. But we don't want the general public all wanting a "pit bull". As we can see from all the horror stories, a lot of people can not handle them.

I wish they would just stay out of the light. Even the good shows do damage (imo). Everyone around me is wanting a "pit bull" now because that Shorty guy (From Animal Planet's Pit Boss) said that the breed is just like other dogs. I wish the breed would just sit on the back burner out of the spot light. Rescues and breeders need to be more picky who they give their dogs to.

I agree!

IMO, until we get rid of the BYB who are just pumping them out to make a quick buck and then the so called "reputable breeders" pumping them out and selling them to whoever that wants one and you have a lot of Shelters and Rescues adopting out to any avg Joe that pays the adoption fee, then this crisis we're facing will Never be fixed. I don't know of a solution. What I do know is is that Humans really suck. We destroy everything we get our hands on and apparently the APBT will be no Exception.

---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 PM ----------

oh and I agree with Turner about getting them out of the spot light which includes the alleged "good light" TV shows. IMO, the TV shows are doing more damage than good and the APBT doesn't need it. They need to be completely out of the TV series as well as the media.

i agree with turner and PBH.

i think our breed needs a major house cleaning. (there is an old old thread, about the house cleaning. i'll find it and post it)

it seems like every time we turn around, everyone is getting their hands on a 'pitbull'.

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------

Does this Breed Need a House Cleaning

[TimoDassss]

I have read a lot of comments about how some people dont like the current measures taken to improve the pit bull image, and visa versa. My question then is what SHOULD be done to improve the pitbull image and encourage responsible ownership?

you wanna clean up the image? people need to quit using this stupid f*cking term "PITBULL". we all bitch and complain about the bully breeders calling their dogs American Pit Bull terriers, well its time to practice what you preach! get specific, and if you have an American Pit Bull Terrier, call it one, not a f*ckin "pitbull" people. same goes for Staffy bulls, Am staffs, and the Bullys. QUIT CONFUSING THE PUBLIC! its a proven fact that a huge percentage of the public cant tell one breed from the other, so help them out and get specific with what you own. i PERSONALLY dont feel that the APBT is ruining the "pitbulls" image due to the fact that they are a less likely to be HA, and anyone who knows enough to search a real one out and buy it are more than likely knowing what they are getting themselves into. not the bully owners who have no damn clue what they are feeding. its the halfbred mutts that are ruining the rep. so again ill say, GET SPECIFIC. BTW, do ya think im passionate about this subject?

[pageup85]

Is this a fantasy question? If so then the ideal solution is to ban them all and destroy all dogs currently owned. The truely hardcore will keep their dogs hidden away and things will start over. Then there would need to be constant monitoring to prevent them getting in the hands of owners again. What purpose would this serve however? Everyone says they don't like the people who are owning the dogs but consider themselves to be good enough owners.

The fact is the worst of society is attracted to these dogs and if you own one there is probably an 80% chance that you are also one of the worst of society. Rather than everyone pointing the finger at everyone else, perhaps it would be best to wipe them all out and start over.

How can you get the dogs out of the hands of the urban gangster punks? The best solution would be to destroy the breed, either by breeding it into a soft sissy dog to shake off the image they want or by killing them all and starting anew.

Our laws and governance would probably need a big shakeup to get some common sense back. I read a news article about owning tigers in Ontario (I think it was) and they said its illegal to own a pitbull but ok to own a tiger...

[extessarere]

I think we should stop having people who are involved in rescue/fostering talking and encouraging stealing dogs on a public forum.

[Pwy9egVW]

you wanna clean up the image? people need to quit using this stupid f*cking term "PITBULL". we all bitch and complain about the bully breeders calling their dogs American Pit Bull terriers, well its time to practice what you preach! get specific, and if you have an American Pit Bull Terrier, call it one, not a f*ckin "pitbull" people. same goes for Staffy bulls, Am staffs, and the Bullys. QUIT CONFUSING THE PUBLIC! its a proven fact that a huge percentage of the public cant tell one breed from the other, so help them out and get specific with what you own. i PERSONALLY dont feel that the APBT is ruining the "pitbulls" image due to the fact that they are a less likely to be HA, and anyone who knows enough to search a real one out and buy it are more than likely knowing what they are getting themselves into. not the bully owners who have no damn clue what they are feeding. its the halfbred mutts that are ruining the rep. so again ill say, GET SPECIFIC. BTW, do ya think im passionate about this subject?

Lately I have been stressing this. People ask me what my dog is and I say APBT but then theyre like o a Pit Bull so I say no an APBT and they look at me funny!

[Rurcextedutty]

I'll go back to my blog.... Kill more and rescue out less... too many bleeding hearts want to rescue a "pit bull" they want to rescue this "big bad dog" and show that its all how raise them....

If there are less of them out there, less of them in shelters, then the fewer people that shouldn't have them will have them...

Yes I believe that bybs are a huge problem... but they have a right to do with their property what they wish to do, and its impossible to past legislation against bybs and not have it effect responsible breeders too.... so I don't want to see those rights infringed on.

But as it was sad earlier... tell the WHOLE story when you talk about these dogs.

Yes I have an American Pit Bull Terrier... Yes they were bred for the purpose of dog fighting.... Yes they are more often than not dog aggressive... Yes yours WILL fight whether you believe it or not. Yes this is a breed that is not for everyone and should not be promoted as a breed to be owned by everyone. No it doesn't matter how much you love your dog, your dog may still want to kill every dog it sees.... and so forth and so on.

[TimoDassss]

I think we should stop having people who are involved in rescue/fostering talking and encouraging stealing dogs on a public forum.

LMMFAO! i agree on the rescue thing man. i know im gonna piss some folks off, but seriously, everyone bitches about overpopulation being such a problem. PUT SHELTER DOGS DOWN. ive heard to many bad results from em, and i believe they do not end up in the right hands anyway. seems plenty of folks put on a "nice guy" face, talks the talk, and walks home with a dog they were to cheap to buy from a reputable breeder in the first place. now i know there are plenty of responsible folks ON HERE that rescue, but id bet the amount that arent "out there" is astonishing. i know i sound cold, but i have the breeds best interest in mind, and like the old saying goes, ya gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.

[Qauunet]

What I do know is is that Humans really suck. We destroy everything we get our hands on and apparently the APBT will be no Exception ...Dont forget that before we destroy it,,,we exploit it

[Pwy9egVW]

Dont forget that before we destroy it,,,we exploit it

Yes the APBT and the like are in for one hell of a ride.

[Adimos]

Note: My Post is NOT directed at any one person. It's solely in response to the OP

I have been over this before and I again say that I am not convinced that killing more Rescue/Sheltered dogs is the solution. In Fact, it's No Solution to the problem.

Some realize that the only way to properly identify an APBT or most any other breed for that matter, is by use of DNA testing so advocating "kill more APBT in Shelters" won't due nothing to solve the issue. You're advocating killing countless numbers of dogs that may or may not have any APBT in them and killing solely because of what a dog looks like makes you no better than the authorities in Denver considering that is exactly what they are doing.

Also, some claim to not advocate to infringe of BYB for their Irresponible ways and over breeding and breeding not for the betterment of the breed but to just collect a few extra dollars among many other unreasonable breeding practices yet in that same breath you want to take the rights away from Rescues and certain Shelters. I don't see what the difference is to be quite honest. The dogs that belong to the Rescues are the Rescues property, the Director's property. Why is he/she less of person that he/she isn't entitled to the same rights as the BYB or anybody else for that matter.

Until the Breeders (of all kind), the Rescues/Shelters (of all kind), the media, and general public can get on the same page, there is NO Solution. As long as we're pointing fingers and blaming others for the crisis then we won't be able to "fix" this problem meaning again, there is NO Solution. Until people start accepting accountability and responsibility for there actions, there is NO Solution.

What can we do? I have no earthly idea... but what I do know is by fixing part of the problem does NOT and will NOT fix the problem... again NO Solution.

[TimoDassss]

there is no feel good solution PBH, but you must agree, overpopulation is a major factor. now how do we solve it? city wide bans?? nope, that dont work. make it more difficult for breeders and owners?? that wont either, its gonna happen as long as people love their dogs SOOOOO MUCH that theyre sure theyd make wonderful puppies. so again i say, humanely put them down where they more than likely will end up anyway, shelters and pounds. yes it sux, but you cant compare this to city wide bans man. im not saying go door to door taking animals

[AK47rulz]

What may improve the image is to provide the truth when people rescue or adopt pit bulls. Full disclosure. They are not for everyone, they are not like every other dog. They take a lot of work to own and you need to be a very responsible person to keep one.
Make it known that if they adopt/rescue this dog it may one day attack and kill another animal. It may because of bad bybing be unstable and if it did bite someone it has the propensity to do major damage. They are a liability to own and you as the owner has to be ever vigilent in keeping your dog out of the spotlight by taking this in and accepting it.

[TimoDassss]

do you think that will stop morons from adopting them HerWay? i admit, breeders dont screen well enough either, but they sure as hell aint gonna stop pumping out litters. its gotta stop somewhere is my point

[Adimos]

there is no feel good solution PBH, but you must agree, overpopulation is a major factor. now how do we solve it? city wide bans?? nope, that dont work. make it more difficult for breeders and owners?? that wont either, its gonna happen as long as people love their dogs SOOOOO MUCH that theyre sure theyd make wonderful puppies. so again i say, humanely put them down where they more than likely will end up anyway, shelters and pounds. yes it sux, but you cant compare this to city wide bans man. im not saying go door to door taking animals

I understand what is being said, very much so. However, as long as BYB and self proclaimed "reputable breeders" and the likes continue pumping the dogs out this crisis will never be fixed. It might slowly shrink the problem (I'm not convinced it would shrink the crisis to a smaller level though) but the problem itself will go on. Also, advocating for people's rights should also include the private rescues and shelters. I asked, why should they not receive the same rights as everybody else?

As for killing the Rescue/Shelter dogs as I said in my previous post is without DNA there is no way of knowing for sure which ones have and don't have APBT in them so by killing them you're advocating killing practically any dog that enters the rescues adn shelters and I still don't see this as a solution or a workable solution.

Like I said, you can't fix part of the problem and call it a solution.