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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I had no particular feeling one way or another about pit bulls until I was at a Delaware beach last Thanksgiving and saw a pit bull on a leash approach a small dog (with permission from the owner) and in a flash, grab its neck in its jaws and shake it til it was mortally wounded, which took less than five seconds. The police were called while the small dog died, bleeding and peeing on its hysterical owner.

I talked to the owner of the pitbull, who was also traumatized, and said she had owned the dog for years and it had never done anything like that. She still didn't know why he would have done it. She was very upset over what had happened, but also by the knowledge that the police were surely going to now take the dog she loved and put it to sleep.

So I had no particular feeling about pit bulls before this incident, but after watching the little dog's owner cry hysterically as her bloody dog died in her arms for no good reason due to a dog that (so says the owner) had never acted violently before, I feel differently now. I would talk to the owner. [/quote]

That is horrifying.  I'm sorry that you had to witness that - how awful.  I can't imagine having one of my precious pups mauled by an out of control dog.

How on earth did both of those owners not see that the dog was approaching to attack?  That's the thing that I don't get.  Was the dog at all angry/aggressive approaching the little dog?  I'm assuming that the little dog's owner was also allowing her dog to approach the pit?[/quote]

The thing is, to my admittedly untrained eye, the pit bull did not really look out of control.  Except for that split second when he lunged.  But before then he was on the leash walking with his owner.  He walked in the direction of the small dog, sort of straining on the leash but allowing himself to be held back by the owner.  The owner of the pit bull asked if it was okay to come over and the owner of the small dog said yes.  She had a better look at his front and the dog's demeanor than I did but she was too hysterical afterwards to describe how he was acting.  All I can say is he looked in control enough to be granted permission to say hi to her dog.  So there was just then that one lunge and subsequent shaking, and the whole thing was over.

It was pretty awful all around, honestly.  I had my 7 year old with me and while we didn't expose them to the bloody and emotional aftermath, we had to have a talk with them about the whole thing.  Honestly my husband and I walked around for several hours after that in mild shock.  It was just so shockingly brutal from a situation that seemed like it was run of the mill normal.  Experiences like that really teach you how tenuous and fleeting life is.

So I totally believe these other accounts here about pit bulls who seem normal and loving until one day they suddenly attack, because that's what I basically saw.  I guess I don't really understand the owners who are saying their pit bulls are normal and loving and would never do something like that, because that is the violent pit bull MO. How do you know YOUR dog isn't one that would attack on a sneeze, because s/he was startled? I don't see how you can.  YOU are choosing to accept the risk.  But you should not be choosing for others like OP to also accept the risk.  Pit bulls are just risky dogs.  That risk is on you.[/quote]

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