The dog is going on the list.

[Cat]

That poor pit.....it needs to be in a rescue. My good friend ha gotten to 2 PIts from rescues.....the first was more docile than my cat (RIP, sweet pooch) and the 2nd is sweet, but still a puppy.

I have a friend who's a vet assistant, she's met some......non-happy dogs.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm sorry. A father who buys a large, powerful dog with anger management issues for his 8-year-old daughter has no business caring for children.

That poor girl is going to end up being that dog's chew toy.

[PepperElf]

Pits are a touchy subject.

Reminds me of one Rottie I saw that had was just *adorable*. He just looked happy... like the only thing going through his doggy mind was "yaaaay, I'm out with Daddy!"

But the dog's human was no fool. He had that dog on a special chain leash for big dogs, for maintaining control. It was obvious he didn't believe in "mistakes" in handling his dog.

I got to pet the dog - but I asked first. And he made a point of petting the dog at the same time, so the dog wouldn't think some random human had just reached out to touch him.


So yeah, they can very well behaved dogs. But they need responsible humans.

[Primer]

I have a friend who's a vet assistant, she's met some......non-happy dogs.

I used to be a vet assistant. I nearly got mauled by a very unhappy dog. But then there were some unhappy dogs that would not let anybody else but me near them. Vets generally have enough experience to be able to tell the difference between merely unhappy, and downright dangerous. I'm glad the OP's father told the owner what was what, but I fear for that little girl.

[tropicsgoddess]

I hope for different things. I can't see a behavioural therapist fixing this dog ... in this ownership.

So I hope for (best outcome) he realises the dog is beyond his abilities to control and gives her up and she ends up with someone who actually CAN own and train a dog into good behaviour.

I agree and an owner like that SC is just going to exacerbate any other behavioral issues the dog has that might even render her to be unadoptable.

[Zaiida]

Good grief the father's in denial, I worry about his little girl if the dog is that touchy. Yikes. Hopefully he will work with the dog for it's behaviour but I won't be holding my breath.

[Bosch]

WHEN are people going to realize that pit bulls are not good pets for families with children? This annoys me to no end!!

You need to be seriously educated about the breed. Its the correct dog with the correct training and time spent with it, they are awsome for people with kids. You have to know and work with the breed, they are hardcore working dogs that WILL get into trouble if you don't take the time to work them and train yourself to work them.

Its never the dogs fault, its always the humans fault for not reading the dog.

[smileyeagle1021]

that dad is in a weird state of denial I've never seen before... I know the difference between play bites and real bites... I've recieved both from cats and dogs (sometimes the same cat or same dog). What was described was most definitely not a play bite... it was an act of aggression. Dogs aren't stupid... they know about how much force it takes to cause injury... and if they are "just playing" they can control it so that they don't come anywhere near that force... for a dog to cause injury they have to want to cause injury.

[valhar2000]

Man, I would never leave my dog alone with the vet! He is one of the best behaved dogs I have ever seen, but being left alone in a small room with a stranger trying to stab him would scare him out of his mind! I always stay with him, and I also put on a muzzle just in case. Really, even peaceful dogs need reassurance when painful procedures are going to be done on them, particularly if they are easily scared.

I do leave him alone when I take him to get his fur washed; he doesn't like it, and the hair dryer worries him, but none of that scares him enough to cause trouble.

[Nyoibo]

It takes about 15 generations of selective breeding to go from wild animal to human friendly, another 3-5 to domesticate them, but all it takes is one asshole to ruin it all and turn them wild again.

[protege]

He was very badly abused as a kitten so I think it is more of him being afraid of people that he doesn't know than him trying to hurt someone.

My first cat, Kitty, didn't like going to the vet's at all. He didn't like "strangers" to begin with, nor did he enjoy the car ride. Oh, and there were the shots too. He knew, that if his carrier was on the porch, things weren't going to be pleasant for him. He hated being in there, and once inside, would cry the entire way to the vet's office...and all the way back. But, once he was there...he wouldn't come out of the carrier, and if I tried to dump him out, he'd try to hide. As if that wasn't enough, he bit the vet the last time he was there.

Baxter and Sally don't really mind going to the vet's all that much. Baxter loves to hide, so it's no problem putting him in his carrier. Sally gets a little freaked, since she can hear him, but can't see him. But, once out of their carriers, they don't want to go back in...they want to play and get petted

As for dogs, I've only been bitten once. One of my paper-route customers had a German Shepherd, which was a bit evil. Said dog got out...and sunk its teeth into my leg as I was making a delivery Let me tell you, the owners were literally shitting themselves... After the dog bit my brother, and someone else...they were forced to get rid of it. We'd already sued them once (my brother's injuries were much worse)...and it was only a matter of time before the dog bit someone...or was killed by someone. Unfortunate that it came to that, since it wasn't the dog's fault. However, the owner was an asshole, who simply wanted an attack dog.

[AlmightyALT]

My sister has a pit bull. He's the sweetest thing. But he's HUGE. And still a puppy. To keep him from jumping up and trying to bolt out the door when people come to visit her husband has to *sit* on him. She's right now very, very pregnant (boy, due in April) and I'm worried about the baby. Even though he's a sweet dog and wouldn't hurt anyone who's not trying to hurt his mommy or daddy, he's still bloody huge and could easily hurt the baby by accident. I was so relieved when her hubby said they were getting rid of the dog before the baby's born. And he agreed with me when I said that dogs that big do not belong in families with children until the children are big enough to handle a dog that strong.

[Sliceanddice]

mommy or daddy, he's still bloody huge and could easily hurt the baby by accident. I was so relieved when her hubby said they were getting rid of the dog before the baby's born. And he agreed with me when I said that dogs that big do not belong in families with children until the children are big enough to handle a dog that strong.

he didnt need to get rid of it all they need to do is get in contact with a dog trainer who deals with family pets and she can go through some easy training and doggy proofing and baby proofing.

[AlmightyALT]

he didnt need to get rid of it all they need to do is get in contact with a dog trainer who deals with family pets and she can go through some easy training and doggy proofing and baby proofing.

They could... but she's a cosmetologist who's still in uni and he's currently jobless and with a baby on the way.... So they can't afford to do anything special like that. Also the people who are taking it are his family. They want him as they keep missing stuff from their yard, and no matter how sweet that dog is, his size is enough to dissuade anyone from taking anything else!

So it's kind of a win/win situation. The dog is going to his family who will take excellent care of it, and they can visit them and the dog with the baby anytime they want.

[teller]

through tipically i love dogs i could swear that i know this kid.
there is a family just up the road from with pit bull guard dogs and tipicaly i avoid guard dogs but to the faimliy there great. i geuss even when there guard type they can be ok.