PP, really you can watch the video. It's very fast and the tv anchor moves immediately off screen and the dog is restrained by the owner immediately. It's not anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

I think all pits should be euthanized. In the UK, you cannot even have them at all--they are a dangerous breed. How many people have to be mauled by these dogs before people wake up? They are dogs, not people. The safety of people trumps your affection for your ticking time bomb dog. Too many irresponsible owners don't know how to treat them and CONTROL them. My grumpy old white man neighbor strolls down the street in AU Park with his white pit bull OFF LEASH everyday @ 8:50, just as my toddler is getting outside to go to pre-school. EVERY DAY. The dog's face is right at my kid's face level. It is terrifying. I never say anything because the guy looks like such a mean grouch.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TABUKagZ5mA

PP, thanks for posting. That really helps. A couple of thoughts:

1) Okay, I don't see where the dog is giving off messages that he is uncomfortable. He looks like he's enjoying the attention until the bite occurs. Can someone who knows more tell me what it was about the dog's behavior that shows he is uncomfortable? Is it the fact that he is licking his lips? Just curious cuz I don't see it.

This is how I felt. Many of the PPs are saying that the dog was giving off 'signs'. What exactly are they seeing?

And, if it's true that the owner wasn't up to date on vaccinations? That is definitely a stupid owner.

I think it is terrible if the owner did have the dog up to date on its shots! I unfortunately can't bring myself to watch this video so I have no idea what people were seeing specifically but with most animals it is the ears, were they down?

Anonymous wrote:Also we don't know if before they started taping the trainer said something to the anchor like: "This dog doesn't like sudden movements or feels threatened by X,Y,Z" and the women didn't pay close enough attention.

If that was the case, and it was known that this dog easily felt threatened, then they should never have put him in this situation! The owner should have just come on without the dog, or with photos/videos of the dog instead of the actual dog. If there were any known behavioral issues, the owner was really acting irresponsibly.

Also we don't know if before they started taping the trainer said something to the anchor like: "This dog doesn't like sudden movements or feels threatened by X,Y,Z" and the women didn't pay close enough attention.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TABUKagZ5mA

PP, thanks for posting. That really helps. A couple of thoughts:

1) Okay, I don't see where the dog is giving off messages that he is uncomfortable. He looks like he's enjoying the attention until the bite occurs. Can someone who knows more tell me what it was about the dog's behavior that shows he is uncomfortable? Is it the fact that he is licking his lips? Just curious cuz I don't see it.

This is how I felt. Many of the PPs are saying that the dog was giving off 'signs'. What exactly are they seeing?

And, if it's true that the owner wasn't up to date on vaccinations? That is definitely a stupid owner.

I have posted before about dogs. I owned many dobermans and some were bred as attack dogs. The reason that this breed is used for this purpose is two fold. First they are more aggressive than say a poodle or golden retriever. So the dog is more predetermined to attack. Second, and very importantly, they are more likely to stop attacking when told to stop. Obviously an important characteristic. Pit bulls and other mastiffs have the aggression, but not the smarts to know when to quit. That said, no dog, including dobies can be fully reliable with that restraint.
Dobies are naturally more aggressive than most breeds. You have to accept that, and understand the dog's limitations. Keeping them away from strangers and children is a good idea. I never had a dog that I though would bite unprovoked (I would have euthanized), but I was still very cautious. You are fooling yourself if you think that you know what your dog is going to do.

Why do people still think that a thread about the ferociousness of a specific breed is anything more than a poster looking to rile people up?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's all these blame the victim types that probably leave their damn dogs unattended outside! So arrogant.

Not sure where you're getting that. You sound angry and ready to jump the gun.

Yes. I am angry at irresponsible owners that are doing dogs more harm than good. Don't blame other people when your dog hurts someone. 9 out of 10 times you could have prevented it. In the end it's the dogs and other people that suffer because of you.

I don't know if you are the same extreme poster who thinks all pit's should be euthanized, but I seriously cannot understand this point of view- who are you talking to? I know my dog (not a pit or any other so called "killer breed") has not and more than likely will not snap and hurt someone. I don't know if maybe you had a bad experience with dogs and you are taking it out on the people of this forum but you should maybe get into some therapy to get over your anxiety.

No, I'm not that poster. And please don't gaslight me just because YOU feel threatened by my post. I am talking to people who think the anchorwoman should be blamed for what happened here. I shudder to think about those people owning dogs. Don't leave your dog unattended, don't let people or other dogs invade you dog's space. If you do leave your dog unattended, or allow a stranger to get too close, it's nobody's fault but yours if someone gets hurt. Dog ownership 101. I don't see why you are being so defensive?

I am not threatened by your post, I just find it way over the top. Clearly in a perfect world all dog owners would be able to stop incidents like this from happening, and I don't disagree with your bolded statement. But I know of an incident that happened years ago between two friends (now former friends). One of these friends was warned about the other friends dog and its temperament. This person still chose to get in the dogs face anyway- even with the owner right there the attack happened before an intervention was possible. The injured party needed plastic surgery to have their lips put back on. The dog, who was in it's crate at the time of the incident was not bothering anyone but had to be put down immediately. The dog's family offered to pay medical bills and the like, but the "victim" needed a new car instead- sued and won. Things are not as black and white as you would like to think they are, some people who are victims of dog attacks do share the blame.

Anonymous wrote:PP again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TABUKagZ5mA

PP, thanks for posting. That really helps. A couple of thoughts:

1) Okay, I don't see where the dog is giving off messages that he is uncomfortable. He looks like he's enjoying the attention until the bite occurs. Can someone who knows more tell me what it was about the dog's behavior that shows he is uncomfortable? Is it the fact that he is licking his lips? Just curious cuz I don't see it.

2) With regard to the owner, the tv anchor was kneeling down beside the dog and petting it for a period of time but did not have her face right by the dog until she leaned down suddenly to kiss it (or it looks like she wanted to kiss it) and that's when the dog bit her. While it obviously did a lot of damage (and I'm not justifying it), it was a very sudden snap and it really did look like a defensive reaction to the woman moving in suddenly. Yeah, probably the owner should have not let her kneel down besides the dog to begin with but it would have been difficult to say something about that on live tv. But once she was kneeling besides the dog, there was no warning that she was going to move in suddenly to kiss the dog.

Overall, it looks like a very unfortunate but not surprising defensive reaction by the dog, given the strange and new circumstances, and it probably isn't breed specific (don't know anything about Argentine mastiffs so can't comment on them).

And it's also a good reminder that there are interactions in our daily lives, where it's difficult to speak up and to stop what's going on out of fear of embarrassment and despite that, we need to remember that it is our responsibility to do so. I have no clue whether it occurred to the owner that this was a dangerous situation. After all, he was distracted by responding to the tv anchor and was not watching the dog. But if he had been uneasy about it, it was his responsibility to stop her from getting so close to the dog. That said, I can see myself failing to do that in order to not disrupt live tv. And this outcome is a good reminder that we should act and not worry about the potential for embarrassment!

Anonymous wrote:The dog is in quarantine, and may end up getting put down...not familiar with the bite laws in denver. The owner has to go to court. Apparently the dog had expired vaccinations too.

Okay, this owner is just a putz. He just wanted his 15 minutes of fame. I'm not normally in support of random litigation, but I hope this anchorwoman can find a lawsuit in there somewhere.

The dog is in quarantine, and may end up getting put down...not familiar with the bite laws in denver. The owner has to go to court. Apparently the dog had expired vaccinations too.

So, what happened to dog in the video? Please don't tell me they put it down........

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:]

It's not about whether the breed is "agressive". It's about the damage these dogs can inflict if they snap. They're jaws are made for killing. I LOVE dogs, I even love pit bulls, but I don't think stupid people should own them and I do believe you should be licensed to own one.

Yet another myth about the breed.

all canines jaws are for killing, they are descendents of wolves

Anonymous wrote:
By the way -- I am neither Siegfried or Roy, but I have enough sense not to stick my face in a tiger's face!

I don't think that's a fair analogy. Yes, dogs and tigers are both animals, but most people don't keep tigers as pets.