Random Politically Incorrect Dog Links
A bunch of dog items in my to blog folder that do not warrant their own individual posts, but here goes.
Officers subdue a pit bull with a taser.
Doggie genocide in Arkansas: Unaware that there is no breed called a pit bull, Hot Springs officials voted to prevent adoption of pit bulls and pit bull mixes from the local animal shelter. The press reports that the official name of the breed is American Stafsordshire (sic) Terrier. They are wrong.
911 Operator has bias against pit bulls (via Tom):
Dispatcher: “What kind of dog attacked him, Samantha?”
Dispatcher, repeating: “What kind of dog attacked him, Samantha?”
Samantha to her husband: “What kind of dog is JD?”
Husband: “He’s a pit bull.”
Samantha to operator: “He’s a pit.”
Dispatcher: “Stupid people.”
If you call in such an emergency, why does the operator need to know the breed of dog anyway?
February 9th, 2005 at 1:07 pm
why does the operator need to know the breed of dog anyway
So that they can tell if the people are stupid or not…isn’t it obvious?
February 9th, 2005 at 2:50 pm
I have had several occasions to call 911 and in every case I believe the operator unnecessarily delayed assistance with irelevant questions. This may be why almost no crimes are stopped because of a 911 call. The cops get there to wipe up the blood and the goon is gone.
February 9th, 2005 at 3:07 pm
Get up, get, get, get down
February 9th, 2005 at 5:13 pm
“Stupid people” aside, I don’t fault the operator for asking the breed of the dog, any more than I’d fault him for asking for a description of the perp, his getaway car, etc.
February 10th, 2005 at 11:46 am
I realize there’s not an official bred called a pit bull, but that is the common name for a particular type of dog most people can now recognize, and there is an association for American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs). I had two such dogs. I told people they were Staffordshires, simply because that bred has no stigma attached.
I bought a 150V cattle prod powered by 4 D cells for the purpose of separating my dog from other dogs (he loved people, but went after dogs), but it didn’t work. He’d yelp like he was really being hurt when I tested it, but would completely ignore it (taking the pain) when in attack mode, and I still had to phyrsically pull him off the other dog (sometimes getting scratched in the process).
Neither of my pits ever attacked any human of any age. Once one ran between the legs of a young girl, knocking her down, but only because she was standing in the doorway when he saw an animal outside. Her mother threw a fit. Later she bought a cocker spaniel for the little girl, and it frequently nipped at her (something my pit NEVER did).
When I hear reports of pits attacking very young kids, I wonder why their parents allowed them to be in such a situation, typically out in the yard unwatched.
My next dog will be an American Bulldog. They are similar in appearance and typically bigger, but not bred to fight, and not as easily excited. Plus, many communities have outlawed pit bulls.
Every vet I’ve ever talked to had nothing but good things to say about pits (or whatever you’d prefer we call them).
February 10th, 2005 at 11:51 am
Ace, I have an AB. While he has never been aggressive to other people’s dogs, I have had to separate him and my other dog (a mutt). They are territorial and when they turn about 2 years old, their dominance attribute kicks in. However, he has never been aggressive to other people’s dogs when we go for walks and such.
Never been aggressive with people, though.
And he has displayed aggressiveness to cows.
February 10th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
Interesting. From what I’d read, I didn’t think ABs were nearly as agressive toward other dogs. Since I stay in town during the week, and lots of neighbors walk their dogs, I don’t need a dog which will be barking at them, trying to get through the fence to get to them, or lurching at them when I walk him. Maybe I need to reconsider, or at least study the breed some more.
February 10th, 2005 at 12:45 pm
Don’t misunderstand, i don’t think ABs are that aggressive to other dogs. But if they have a fellow dog around the house, the dominance issue kicks in (as with all breeds) and once they do get aggressive, they’re hard to stop. They are not inherently aggressive to other dogs, in my experience.