Baccarat ???

[bigwull]

I wholeheartedly agree with you Mart...over here...we have the same problem...the most hated dog at the moment is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier...or Staffie as it is more commonly called...its basically a smaller Pitbull,...and its the choice of dog...for what we call the Cardboard gangsters....young Neds..who think its cool to have a Staffie...wearing a heavily studded harness..and they strut about...with there dogs...which in some cases have been used as a weapon...there was a case recently where one rather nasty individual, had gotten hold of a Pitbull, and he,d bred it with a Staffie....the end result being...a fighting machine....that he was using...for  illegal dog fighting....and Badger baiting....Our laws are pretty archaic,when it comes to owning a dog....and its only in the past few years that the authorities have woken up,and started to clamp down on what breeds, are allowed,but they have not went far enough,
I am of the opinion that we should adopt, the German way...when it comes to owning a dog that is deemed to be of a dangerous nature,.see link


http://www.oconus.com/Main/eArticle.asp?294

Ahh, but the kicker there is that those dogs deemed to be 'dangerous' in nature are in truth and fact NOT.  There has been extensive research done into the 'breed factor'..........and those breeds ALL score well above average for GOOD temperament.  This is where so much goes wrong. If a dog has proven ITSELF to be dangerous, then it should be treated as such.........breed should NEVER enter into the factor. But......and this is a big but, potential owners of dogs of the same breeds should be screened,  trained and licensed in order to properly raise and train one.........it all goes back to the other end of the leash.

Did you read all what is said in the link!

[bigwull]

I am of the opinion, that any dog,regardless of breed, can turn,vicious at the drop of a hat,...its the nature of the animal,it can be the most mild good tempered beast that you ever did own....but they can and often do turn vicious for no apparent reason....take our dog for instance,..a more good tempered dog you could ever think of owning, we have had here for 6 years,and she is a very couthy animal,...but a few months ago, we saw a side of her, that shocked Avril and I,....went we got her she was 11 months old,..we brought her home into a household that had 2 cats,...from the outset she got on reasonably well with the cats, what i mean by that is, she gave them a wide berth,..and  there were never any major confrontations....t hat is ..until a few weeks ago,..when for no apparent reason,she attacked our eldest cat...Poppy,..who is a very old lady...17years old,..she, Bess, grabbed Poppy in an instant and tossed her into the air,..before a very startled Avril and I,...fortuntately,we were there and were able to rescue Poppy, and  no lasting damage has been done...but we were, and still are at a loss, as to why the dog attacked Poppy....suffice to say, we do not leave them together when we are not in....

[greenacres]

Wullie, the article makes feel like I'm a bad person for having my dogs. I've had some issues with my female and male, but they were my fault! The rescue person gave me some do's and don'ts and I didn't heed her warning. I was at my summer house and there a bone on the floor. That is a big no no, but I had never had a problem. My female is alpha. The females usually are. She was barking at the door, and my male dog went to go and get the bone. My female ran at him and told him not to touch it and walked away. He thought it was okay to take it after she left. Guess again! She charged at him full force. She almost lost her ear. I learned a severe lesson. That was my fault. You really have to be educated in the dynamics of a pack! Until you have more than one dog do understand their natures. They love each other, but Betty is a true "bitch". Betty is dog friendly loves kids, but if you live in her house you do as she says! Each experience is a learning lesson. It's not for everyone. That's why he came to me. Someone who understands. I'm very careful with them because of who they are. I know one mistake could be his death! Scary to me. I have a lot of ground for them to enjoy. I have no small children either, but they love kids. Discrimination is a horrilbe thing.

[fancypants]

Although I've been a lifelong 'pet owner' of dogs & cats (don't ask about my early learning experience with homing pidgeons that continued to fly back to where this kid bought them) , I alway try to remember that at their hearts , they are animals ; the sweetest of pets can illustrate this at any given moment , with changes in their health,environs & many ects.

I have to admit that my view on dogs & cats was forever changed , when I witnessed both feasting on deceased humans , in Cambodia (during Pol Pot days) !

Sorry in advance if anyone gets 'grossed-out' by that ... I still am .

[bigwull]

why should we be grossed out...the dogs and cats,did,nt know they were humans.. it was,nt their fault,that the supposedly superior animals on the planet  were killing their own kind...for no reason...

[greenacres]

I agree Wullie.