Originally posted by: moshquerade
Originally posted by: zinfamous
Originally posted by: Cdubneeddeal
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: zinfamous
snip
See my edit. I read the article. Doesn't change the fact that Pit Bulls were bred to fight and other facts of the paragraph I quoted.
So what? Have you ever owned a pit? Own a dog? Have you gathered your set in stone opinion by some article you read on the internet or what the glorious media states?
in fact, I think you've gathered your opinion by what the "glorious media" states, as that message is always negative concerning pit bulls.
I once thought as illogically as you about this issue.
Then I read more articles like this one, and realized that the numbers simply don't hold up to the reporting when you examine them realistically.
This is an article published in the New Yorker. Not "some article on the internet."
It is written by Malcolm Gladwell, who has also written
The Tipping Point and
Blink, highly critically-acclaimed compendiums of his work. Had you actually read the article, you probably would have examined the source, no? Or is this a typical example of your editorial prowess?
It's posts like this that convince me that you have not read the article, rather than nitpick certain segments taken out of context.
You know, I tend to agree with you a lot on these forums, Eli. So, I'm quite surprised that you can appear so obtuse when it comes to this issue. Hell, I've even witnessed many people change their opinions over this issue after going through these pitbull piss-fests over the years...
Did you read preslove's post?
I don't want to condemn pitbulls. I'm a dog lover, but they scare the bejesus out of me, and I don't think I'm being irrational with my fear.
honestly, they scare the bejesus out of me, too.
In personal experience, though, I've been more terrified of Rottweilers. One incident, when I was quite young (5-7), my dad's pal had a few Rottweilers. They would constantly chase me around. I was perfect prey.
Hell, just this last summer, a Rottweiler bit me in the neck and mouth. He was trained as a real guard dog, and I hadn't known that. I knew he was aggressive, even though he had recently shown that he was comfortable around me. I was an idiot, though, and got too close at the wrong time....
as for "Pit Bulls," I've known a handful. Buddies in college had two, all were darling, happy dogs. Never hurt a fly. Hell, a buddy of mine adopted a troubled one from the shelter in Chicago just before he moved back to NC. I agreed to help him move (ride in Uhaul), which included a trip with this junkyard-raised, abused, and anxiety-ridden Pitt-Rott mix (imagine the head of a Rottweiler on the body of a Pitt, brindled)
This dog would be fine one moment, in his corner of the van, allow you to pet him, then suddenly freak out. Growl a bit, as a warning, and if you didn't stop petting, snap. He lashed at us a few times on the 12-hour trip, though neither of us were bitten. Honestly, the dog probably should have been put down, but my pal felt that he could take care of him. Latest I've heard is that dog, and neighborhood kids are still in all their pieces.
I had several dogs growing up. One, we adopted ~6 months old. A mutt. Within 2 years, this "dog" stood about 4 feet at the shoulders, long black hair, and a freaking MANE, with red-tipped fur. This thing was terrifying....but never went after anyone. I was smaller than this dog, and was always a little afraid of him, but I was also comfortable around him.