The Doggie Diaries: At the Dog Park, Part 1 -- The Brawl

After re-reading your post, it seems to me that you already (and probably the others there too) already had poor expectations for this guy and his dog. First of all you set the tone with alot of details to define the situation....like a "youngish guy"(implying irresponsibility), and a black muscular pit bull(very negative associations there too I think) . All of these factors are often resposible-dog-owner code for "this is going to be an ugly situation". You went to great length to describe the imposing physical appearance of the pit, but I have no idea what your beloved Pippi looks like.
It very much sounds like the lady over-reacted when the pit was getting too overzealous/or aggressive. I'm pretty sure that when you go to the dog park, an occasional dog fight shouldn't be a surprise. If that had been my dog that woman was hitting, we would have gone straight to the vet, sent her the bill, AND I would have reported that lady to the police. While I may expect and assume the risk of a dog fight, I DO NOT assume the risk of another person trying to injure my dog.

There is no such thing as overreacting to an aggressive pit bull. Google "pit bull attack" and start counting the dogs, cats and children they maim and kill. It's not the dogs' "fault-" they were bred to kill. And make no mistake, that is exactly why many people own them.

It is obvious that this pit bull got unfair treatment. Bill, your attitude makes for more trouble. Weakness and fear promote attacks. Many pit bulls are not trained properly. If the bull had been ivicious it would have fought the person attacking it!!!
I am familiar with dog traits. This sounds like a dominance act. By the way at last I looked Labs bit more people than any other breed.

bill you are extremely stupid, dog attacks are almost always the owners fault because of agggresion being taught or some how learned by the dog (abuse can be a reason)

To the person who said that the pit bull was described but Pippi wasn't: not true. The author clearly stated that Pippi looked similar to the pointer mix that was attacked. And the blog is not about Pippi, so it would be quite odd to read something going on with an irrelevant description of Pippi.

To those who say that regardless of the situation dogs should not be hit, I strongly disagree. I have had an incident where a pit mix came into my yard and attacked my dog. The pit had her in its mouth and was shaking her like a rag doll. You better believe I was hitting, punching and kicking that dog like my dog’s life depended on it. The pit did not let go until its owner had to jump the fence and pry its mouth open. My dog ended up with stitches and a broken shoulder.

I do not agree with the stereo type that all pits are bad. I believe it is completely dependent on the owner. My dog has in the past and will continue to play and socialize with pits, but only if their owners are ones I trust and deem responsible.

I do not visit dog parks because there are dogs that while they may get along great 99% of the time with other dogs, there will always be that 1% that they do not.

I've had small dogs (Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos), medium size (Norwegian Elkhound) and large dogs (Akitas). I found small dogs to be more aggressive and prone to starting trouble with larger dogs.

A responsible owner should be on the look out for trouble and nip it immediately, leaving the park if necessary. Responsible being the key word - and most dog owners are NOT.

BTW - the bad dogs in our neighborhood is the all American yellow lab. So any breed can dangerous with the wrong owners.

Excuse me folkl, but aren't you all overlooking the fact that the woman was putting herself at great risk when SHE attacked the DOG??? The last thing I would do is try to beat up on a dog, regardless of breed, that was already showing strong signs of aggression - unless I had some sort of physical instrument that could keep the dog away from me and my pet. I want to tell you that we own a miniature longhaired Dachsund and I would defend it to the death, BUT not barehanded! Moral: Always carry a sturdy stick when walking your dog.....you never know what you're going to run into..be it animal or human!

I know too many people who act just like an animal. So what's the difference? Besides....most people are filthier than any animal I know of. I've seen cleaner pig sty's than peoples homes.

Step back and realize that dog parks are gathering places for dogs and that a range of "pack" behaviors will emerge, including agression. The woman who intervened was merely acting as a "pack leader" by mitigating a potentially dangerous situation between an agressive and a passive animal. Perhaps the owner of the pit bull should keep it leashed to maintain control of his animal. Then he wouldn't have to worry about other "pack leaders" diciplining his animal to protech theirs.

I've been going to a dog park since October. all sizes of dogs play together. We watch our dogs. If someone's dog get's agressive they handle it. Nothing bad has happened while I was there.I have broken dogs up before. I would not hit my dog or anyone elses dog. That was uncalled for. I think the humans were at fault. Some people just don't know how to act anywhere

Get your facts together Bill, Pit Bulls were bred as herding dogs and family companions. As a matter of fact if you google nanny dog, you find that was the nickname of the Pit Bull Breed. I have one and his two best friends are my grand children and he loves other dogs. It's ignorant people like you who have no idea what you are talking about. The dog attacks are either because the owner did not properly socalize it when it was young. Then you have the ones that train them to fight. So blame the right party

my thoughts ..... it's stupid to attack a pitbull

To the comments about pit bulls being nasty animals. Please do some research before you make generalized comments. I own an American Staffordshire Terrier (pit bull) and he is a big baby. He is a dog just like any other dog. He barks at squirrels, loves walks, and will even pick through the cat box if given a chance.. haha. While I admit some dogs are more likely to exhibit certain character traits due to breeding, proper training can mitigate the prevalence of these traits (ex. aggression). Neither my dog nor myself fit into the "pit bull" stereotype. I am well educated and have taken the time to properly train my dog. I urge everyone to ask themselves a few questions before they make generalized statements. Did you actually have a bad experience with a pit bull? Have you ever actually been around one? Are your beliefs about a certain breed based solely on 2nd or even 3rd party information?

I am so sick of pit bull owners being so deliberately blind to the facts of how their dogs were bred. You can't say anything to try to warn people of the inherent dangers of these dogs without them acting as if you were trying to singlehandedly murder every one of them and their owners, too, and they get so hateful about it that there's just no rational discussion possible. BUT, all that aside, yes, small dogs might or might not be more aggressive (at the outset, certainly not once they get going), but how hard could it be to pull a chihuahua's jaws apart if he does bite someone? Pits have jaws like vise grips, and will shake to break. The truth is that once they do attack, they will NOT let go of their own free will or even by anything but extreme force; their goal is to kill and they just absolutely ARE more dangerous at that point. To believe otherwise is to deliberately and foolishly ignore the thousands of reports that back this up. The thing that made my jaw hit the floor while reading this story was the fact that after the incident, the pit's owner PUT HIS LEASH ON and left. He didn't even have the thing on a leash in an area where there were other dogs, and where there could be children? That is the height of irresponsibility, no matter what kind of dog you have.

I take my dog to a local dog park daily and have only seen a few, albeit terrifying, acts of aggression between two dogs. I was most impressed with the owner of one of the aggressive dogs: he grabbed the dog by his collar, laid him on his side and just held him on the ground for a few minutes to break the tension. The dog did relax and looked very embarrassed afterwards. There was no yelling or hitting or anger -- just quick action by the owner. Sadly, some owners do not intervene when their dog starts the snarls and growls, and it aggression escalates when the dog park is crowded.

We are all responsible for managing our own dogs' behavior, including stepping in proactively to break up a dynamic that can quickly escalate. My dog was attacked once and while I was separating the dogs, I managed to yell to the other owner for help with her dog, but I was a little bummed that she wasn't more hands on when she saw what was happening.

Cristina

If your ready to expect somebody to pay your pets bill because YOUR dog attacked, then be prepared to pay when the lady DOES not defend herself and dog, and instead takes you to court and have you pay, and possibly your dog put down.

TO: patr728... and what if you do not get the chance to use the stick?

First of all, I have to say that I love all animals, but I love cats more that dogs. I have had both throughout my life. Cats are easier for me to care for.

Having said that, I also have to say that many, many dogs are sweet, kind and have a beautiful personality. There are many breeds and sizes of dogs. But, if a large dog were to attack me or my cat, it would die. It has one mouth, I have two hands. As it chewed on my arm or hand, I would very quickly grab the dogs windpipe, do my best to get on top of the dog, and squeeze the windpipe until it breathed no more. It would not get up and walk away. And why would I do my best to kill the dog? Think about it, what would be it's next prey?

I LOVE animals... just love them. They should be treated gently, kindly, and with much respect. But, when you have a large dog that was taught, by its stupid, ignorant owner, to attack, and it attacks me, it will be the dog that goes down and not me. Fear of it will cause you to loose the battle with it. I may be scarred for life, but it will no longer be alive to harm anyone or anything else.

Dog parks can be a dangerous place to take your dog. All it takes is one incident to ruin your day or your life. I have personally had a problem every time I have taken my dog(s) to dog parks. People who have dogs that are acting "aggressive" or overly enthusiastic, need to immediately take their dog out of the park. It isn't fair to the rest of us who have dogs that are socialized and having fun to have to have a bad experience. It is up to the owners to know when to say when. If you are asked to leave a dog park, then you should leave. It isn't personal, it is just that maybe your dog isn't ready for this type of social situation. Recognize it, someday it may save you a vet bill or worse a lawsuit!

Actually American Staffordshire Terriers and Staffordshire Terriers, popularly known in the media as "pit bulls" are not bred to kill. They were bred to restrain bulls.