Dog saves 5 kids from (2) pit bulls

[Omaha Steve]

Source: News24.com

Wellington - A plucky foot-high Jack Russell terrier named George saved five New Zealand children from two marauding pit bull terriers, but was so severely mauled in the fight he had to be destroyed, his owner said on Wednesday.

George was playing with the group of children as they returned home from buying sweets at a neighbourhood shop in the small North Island town of Manaia last Sunday when the two pit bulls appeared and lunged toward them, his owner Allan Gay said.

"George was brave - he took them on and he's not even a foot high," Gay told The Associated Press. "He jumped in on them, he tried to keep them off.

"If it wasn't for George, those kids would have copped it."

Read more: http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2107151,00.html

---

Read the full story. This hit Marta and I close to home. We have 2 rat terriers (and a German short haired pointer).

[saltpoint]

1. Damn, I love that brave dog. And awed by his instinct. And sorry he's gone.

The wrong Georges survive.

[skipos]

2. Stories like this make it easy to be a vegetarian

(not that I ever ate dogs). So many animals seem to be naturally GOOD and CARING.


Watch this hippo trying (and unfortunately failing) to save an impala from an alligator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNbL2s0nTLE

[BlooInBloo]

79. BWAHAHAHA!!!!! Good one! LOLOLOL!!

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Pit Bulls Are Soooo Kewl

Let's also allow people to own tigers and suitcase nukes.

:mad:

[MadMaddie]

5. As with any breed if the dog is not socialized with other dogs

and humans any dog has the potential to become deadly. I have a neighbor that just moved into my complex that has a full Pitt and he is not fixed....utter bullshit....the owner says he is sweet...the owner may weigh 125 the dog weighs at least 80 pds and is not full grown.

This is a recipe for disaster. I avoid the dog and the neighbor when I am out walking my dogs.

We didn't get our Pitt because it was cool...as a matter of fact..we didn't even know he was a Pitt Mix until we saw him...he is special needs and turns out he is the best dog I have ever owned. I have a Rhodeisan Ridgeback mix and she is far meaner on the leash than my Max...she is in uber training at all times. She was abused badly by her previous owners....

The interesting thing is Maddie (thus my name) and Max get along famously.

[MannyGoldstein]

6. Guns Don't Kill People. People Do.

People with guns.

Problem is that an incredibly disproportionate number of people are attacked, maimed, and killed by Pit Bulls. There's something in the breed, or in some part of the breed, that either makes them dangerous OR makes them more likely to become dangerous if treated a certain way.

I'm sure that your doggie is very nice - but I still would be very wary.

[MadMaddie]

9. From the reading and research that I have done sadly you

are correct...

Part of it is very poor breeding, inter breeding in the same blood line and believe it our not Pitts are sensitive dogs-by that I mean once they have been betrayed they do become mean, betrayed by being forced to fight, betrayed by being neglected etc.

I have also seen German Shepards kill also...same thing A friend of mine owned a German Shepard this dog went batshit crazy and killed a blind greyhound that she lived with....


One thing I would point out...many of these owners that raise Pitts to fight are often negligent parents too....they treat their childrent badly and they treat their animals badly.

And Guns Don't Kill People. People Do.

The readily abundance of guns creates an environment for crimes to happen...

Thus the abundance of unneutered dogs raised to fight by bad owners can lead to disasterous results...

You can't seperate the two...Just sayin...

[johnaries]

42. Bad owners are the problem, There is no breed specific

evidence that any breed of dog is more "agressive" of dangerous than any other.

Here's a good site to start with:
http://blessthebullys.com/id26.html

Otherwise, just Google "breed specific" and you'll find LOT'S of "research".

[retread]

48. Yeah. That why we see so many police poodles. n/t

[Swamp Rat]

51. LOL! Don't forget the Kitty Kat Kops.

:D

[theHandpuppet]

53. Yeah, we all know that breeding for certain characteristics is not the problem

Which is why I'm betting on the Clydesdale to win the Kentucky Derby. If he doesn't win, it must be the owner's fault.

[frogcycle]

54. and yet

you can read all about "breed characteristics" such as "good with children", stubborn, loving, blah, blah blah. And terriers generally love to chase after small furry creatures, shelties try to herd anything that moves...


But oh, no, it can't possibly be true that a breed that has been selected to KILL other dogs for centuries could be aggressive. And they couldn't possibly transfer that aggression to anything that moves other than their owner...

Oh, no, no way, can't POSSIBLY be true.
:sarcasm:

Bullshit.

[NashVegas]

13. The Owner Did The Right Thing

And requested the pitbulls be put down.

[Djinn]

32. No they don't

The attacks you hear about though are all pitt bulls.

When I worked in PR for a hospital some years ago we had a kid have half her face torn off by a dog - as dog attacks were big in the news at the time we thought we'd get lots of media enquiries - we did, however once they discovered the dog was a labrador and not a vivious pitt bull they weren't interested.

Part of the problem is that people tend to misidentify any aggressive dog with short hair and a stocky build as a pitt bull - most aren't.

So much bullshit persists about Pitties, particularly the "lock jaw" bollocks.

[johnaries]

40. That is not true and has been debunked many, many times.

do some freaking research, will ya?

[DarkTirade]

45. I'm sure a good portion of the problem is basically a self-sustaining reputation...

they are reputed to act a certain way, and they are treated as such. Which causes many of them to act that way. :\

[Chulanowa]

47. Not exactly

Two factors make pit bulls dangerous.

First and foremost, are the people who own pit bulls are often (Certainly not always!) the sort of people that should not be trusted with any dog. Pit bulls are the latest in a long line of "fad" dogs for insecure men - german shepherds, Dobermans, and rottweilers have all fallen into this category of "tough guy dog" that often ends up in the hands of someone who will take their own problems and insecurities out on the dog.
A related group are the people who read up on how fierce the dogs are, and get a pit as a guard dog. They make really, really lousy guard dogs, because, due to their breed history, they are naturally extraordinarily people friendly (any aggressiveness towards humans resulted in destruction of whole litters, back when they were meant to be fighting dogs).
These two groups of people will often try to "toughen the dog up" via all sorts of abuse, or will just abuse it in general. What you get is a severely maladjusted dog that hates humans but might be scared of its owner.

Of course, this can happen with any breed of dog - I've met some pretty savage labradors coming out of bad homes.

Problem two is that pit bulls are tanks. They're not that big, but they are strong as hell. An eighty-pound pit bull is completely muscle. A great deal of that muscle is in their jaws, necks, and forelimbs - They bite down and shake, just like any other dog would, but this concentration of muscle makes it far more damaging than if, say, a poodle were doing it.

So we have an animal that, through no fault of its own, has a strong physique, and tends to have bad owners. These two factors make for an unpleasant mix.

Then again, I nearly lost a finger to a boston terrier, and recently had to have my nose repaired after a malamute decided he deserved my meatball sub more than I did...

[kimmylavin]

52. Exactly.

I don't think it has anything to do with the breed, and everything to do with the owners (or previous owners). But the misconception is so frustrating.

Our dog, Turbo, is a Shepherd/Rottie mix. That's all most people need to hear, and they'll write him off as vicious. Never mind that he's been treated with absolute love and proper discipline from day 1 (11 years old now), and that he would sooner bite himself than any of us. Never mind that he's more gentle with our tiny little kitties than some of the neighborhood kids. Nope! He's a Rottweiler - he must be a killer!

And you hit the nail on the head with the "fad" dog thing. My husband works in a manly field - lots of guys, lots of big trucks, lots of tools, and LOTS of people who have NO BUSINESS having a pet owning Pit Bulls. They keep them chained (yes, that's chained - a loop of chain held together with a padlock) in their yards (read: driveways) for 10 hours a day, and then wonder why the dogs don't obey their every command. Or they ride around with them chained (again - CHAINED) in the back of their trucks, then leave them there while they go in to stores, bars, etc. They are treated as a status symbol, and just one more accessory to make a man look "hard". Its no wonder these dogs turn out badly...

[uppityperson]

77. Rottweilers are insecure lovey dogs that want to lean on you all the time.IN GENERAL.

I am amused at the OMG A ROTWEILLER! bs after that movie (The Omen?) that had them be woofy dogs. Other rott owners I know agree, they want to sit on your lap, lean on you, walk right in front of you to get there first and just are very insecure needy big doofuses.

[hollowdweller]

55. People with guns kill problem put bulls

I hate them and Rotts. They are both the ignorant redneck drug dealer dog around here. My wife has been bitten by both. A Rott killed my 17 year old cat Foo Foo, and another ate my friends kitten when the local dumbass walked it past his porch. Both were later caught in the act and shot by my neighbors. I can't tell you how many chickens I've lost to them.

From Wikipedia: a CDC study detailing dog bite related fatalities in the US between 1979 and 1998 reveals that roughly one-thirds were caused by Pit Bull type dogs. The highest number of attacks (118) were by Pit-bull type dogs, the next highest was Rottweilers at 67. The full report can be accessed at: <2>

[Chulanowa]

60. Interesting fact about those dog bite studies

Pit bulls are listed as a "type" - the pit bull type includes many breeds with similar builds, but varying temperaments. The Irish Staffordshire Terrier looks just like a pit bull, but has almost no temper issues. On the other hand, the Presa Canario is also in the "type", and is known for having a very unstable temper. There's also any number of mixes and matches - an American staffordshire / newfoundland mix is counted as "pit bull" rather than being tossed into the "indeterminate breed" bin.
Thirdly, due to everyone "knowing" pit bulls are vicious, other dog attacks have a way of turning into pit bulls, even if it was really a collie or dalmatian. People hear of a dog attack and immediately assume it was a pit bull, and report it as such. Nevermind a lot of people couldn't pick a pit bull out of any number of mastiff / cur breeds.

Now, look at that report. One third of attacks sounds like a big number of deaths! Boy, that must be a lot, right? Not really, no - 238 deaths in that period of time, and more people were killed by non-pits. The CDC also states that results don't mean much without any information on the total number of each breed there are. Given that pit bulls are popular as hell, but wolf-dog hybrids are rather uncommon, I would wager that the wolfdogs are, per capita, far more dangerous (and truthfully, they are - high intelligence, predatory instinct, no fear of humans, and lots of muscle make them a bad choice for a pet - leave wolves in the woods, people)

[uppityperson]

76. Only dog ever bit me, I've ever been afraid of was a terrier.

They can be hyper nasty little things, unless they are raised and socialized properly, like MOST ALL OTHER dogs.

[burrowowl]

12. Do you watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel

It is very good, if you don't have NG check out the website.

[tnlefty]

8. Nah, just live in an area where people are allowed to crossbreed

dogs and wolves and then sell them as a family pet! :crazy:

[MannyGoldstein]

10. A Friend of Mine Had A Malamute

Which, I understand, is much closer to a wolf than are most dogs.

It was a weird, weird dog. Incredibly aloof, dispatched a few neighborhood animals.

[tnlefty]

17. The only Malamute that I've been around was an okay animal, but

he was trained. He lived with 2 other dogs and 2 cats and my best friend was one of the 3 kids in the house, and he never offered to get ugly. There are people around me who crossbreed dogs and wolves and I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that, nor why anyone would want to purchase one of the offspring. From what I've read mixing the 2 makes them dangerous because they are friendly to a degree, but the wild animal isn't bred out of them and they are very unpredictable. :shrug:

[johnaries]

38. A friend had a shephard/wolf mix. Sweetest dog you ever met!

He was huge, and even had the double canines of a wolf. But he loved people. Because he grew up with people. People were his "pack". He always wanted to make new friends! If you understood more about the social structure of dogs in general and wolves in particular this would make sense to you.

[Sanctified]

31. I had to destroy a Jack Russell that I owned.

We adopted it at the age of 3 and it probably came from an abusive home but no matter how much we tried to reform it the dog would randomly go bat shit crazy and attack people. The last straw was when it viscously attacked a neighbor child who jumped in our back yard to get his ball.

[IndyOp]

69. Welcome to DU, MiltonF. Sorry about your Jack Russell, but I think you

did the right thing. I adopted a dog from the local Humane Society that was about 6 months old and mostly labrador retriever. Sweet personality, friendly with all dogs - though he played rough. Within the first few weeks I had people asking me why I had a pit bull and I got really worried - talked to local behavior experts and that all reassured me he was fine. As he got older he got dominant and bullying with other adult males bigger than him. Then he showed the same behaviors to adult females. Then younger dogs. Then he went after the mailman and I blamed myself for not having latched him in the house securely enough. Then one day, walking across the neighborhood, with him on leash avoiding all other dogs we greeted a couple of junior high kids headed to their school bus and he snapped at one of them. The kid actually said it didn't scare him, that his dog did that all the time. I could not take the risk. I had him put down the next day. I have a lot of people who love animals who hear about this and insist that there must've been something else I could've done. There wasn't.

:(

[johnaries]

34. You obviously know nothing about them. I used to be like you.

I heard a lot of misinformation about them. I actually believed most of it. Then, as luck would have it, I ended up with one of my own - a "free to good home" or they'll be tied in a sack and drowned type situation.

He is one of the most loving and friendly dogs you will ever meet. After I did some more research, I found that Pit Bulls are much LESS agressive than most dog breeds. But, they are also one of the most ABUSED breeds.

I understand why you would jump to conclusions - like I said, I used to be guilty of it myself!

But the hype JUST AIN'T TRUE!

[madeline_con]

71. Why don't you make more generalizations?

Leave pit bulls alone. They're NOT a necessarily "bad" breed of dog.

This is SSDD every time someone's attacked.

[MadMaddie]

4. The Terrier did himself proud...and he protected the kids..

I own a Pitt Mix (Lab and Sharpei) and every time I read stories like this it boils my blood...

My dog Maximus is a gentle soul, who loves to play with other dogs and when I am walking him children must ALWAYS ask to pet him and he is made to sit or lay down...usually that means that he ends up sunbathing on the sidewalk or grass....He is special needs with a bum hip..

The owners let these dogs run loose, it's obvious they were raised to attack and fight and the dogs must be destroyed. If this happened in America the owners must always be prosecuted.

God Rest George...the hero Terrier!

[StarryNite]

7. What a brave little dog.

Animals are so amazing.

[barb162]

28. That poor little thing!

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. What a precious pup!

:cry:

[Faygo Kid]

14. Best friends? You bet. First animals domesticated (actually, they did us).

The older I get, the more I appreciate the dogs that have shared my life and the unconditional attachment they have for us. A noble story with a sad ending.

[Purveyor]

15. Good job done, "George the Terrier" . If there are doggie 'angel wings', you certainly earned a big

pair.

Bark 'hey' to Peppy, Auge, Suzie and Max for me, ok?

[bluestateguy]

16. I don't even consider Pit Bulls dogs. They're just beasts.

But a touching story.

[motocicleta]

27. That is an incredibly ignorant statement.

You should be ashamed.

[ConsAreLiars]

33. Some people seem to be pure born bigots by nature. They think in labels.

All members of whatever label the massed media promote as demons become the same to those simple minds. Immigrants, muslims, pit bulls, commies, whatever. Sick and dangerous.

(edit to fix typo)

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mopinko]

18. yup, this is why i am a terrier person.

i have 3 rats. and a boxer.

to say that this is not part of the pittbull terrier is to deny that there is such a thing as inheritied behavior traits.

[donco6]

24. Me too!

I have 2 rats. Best Dogs Ever.

[antonialee839]

19. My JRT is very protective of my grandaughter,

don't make any sudden moves around her, or he will not hesitate to nip you. He pretty much guards the whole family, he's made it his job over the past 13 years. I absolutely love this breed. I wish the story had a happier ending for the brave little Jack.....

[ninkasi]

20. Bless his sweet, brave little soul

I wonder if we even deserve these loving, trusting dogs? My husband and I have a 4 year old mini-Schnauzer that we got from a rescue society, and he is wonderful. A few years ago we had a huge Rott female, and a little mixed breed terrier, and the terrier would play by jumping up and grabbing onto the Rott's neck, and she would walk around the room with this little terrier being dragged because he didn't let go. If she got enough, she would just shake her head and shake him off, but she never, ever hurt him, or any other dog, or any human.

[Morgana LaFey]

21. Oh, what a heartbreak

I have to be honest -- while I love dogs, I really, really dislike the little terriers. But this story certainly puts my bad attitude to shame. WHAT a story. :cry:

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. Jack Russell terriers are great dogs. All terriers are awesome. I have two yorkies.

Both are sweethearts. RIP little George O8)

[frankenforpres]

41. all terriers?

even american pit pull TERRIERS???

[Dragonbreathp9d]

23. Wow, wish I knew more Georges like that

[roguevalley]

25. poor little baby. all of these dogs are to be pitied, george for his

loss and the two pits for not having better owners. God must have needed a good dog.

[entanglement]

26. Prosecution, tough fines and jail time for irresponsible pit bull owners is the way to go

n/t

[Nicole]

29. Poor George.

What an amazingly brave little guy he was.

Poor pit bulls for being owned by an irresponsible jackass.

"Gay said the pit bulls' owner had surrendered the pair to dog control officers, and demanded they be destroyed, claiming they had launched unprovoked attacks previously."

The owner knew these dogs had attacked before yet let them run loose? I hope the owner of the pit bulls is fined heavily. He should be barred from owning any dogs. Ever!

[badgerpup]

58. My eldest cat was killed in his own front yard by a couple of dogs...

...looked mostly like Labs, but something about the skull structure wasn't quite right for pure Labrador.
The owner chose to have them put down, since this wasn't the first time they had gotten loose...and Animal Control determined that their pen wasn't adequate for confining them...:banghead:(fucking DUH...they'd gotten out and killed Misha...:nuke::cry:)
Misha was fourteen, but he was strong and healthy, and would have had quite a few good years left to him.
I MISS that big loud noisy cat...:(

[Nicole]

30. Delete n/t

[frankenforpres]

35. Bullshit detector

"quoted in the Taranaki Daily News on Wednesday as saying George fought with the pit bulls to keep them off his four-year-old brother, Darryl.

"George tried to protect us by barking and rushing at them, but they started to bite him - one on the head and the other on the back," Rosewarne said. "We ran off crying and some people saw what was happening and rescued George."

But George, aged nine, was so badly mauled that a veterinarian had to put him down, Gay said."



sounds like the JRT attacked the 2 pits "George tried to protect us by barking and rushing at them"


if the dogs wanted to attack the kids, they would have got to them.


JRT are cool as hell, but they like to mix it up

[johnaries]

36. Yep, sounds like another anti-Pit Bull thread to me.

Let's go ahead and start another "all smokers suck" thread, too.
:eyes:

[Nicole]

37. I don't think so.

"George was playing with the group of children as they returned home from buying sweets at a neighbourhood shop in the small North Island town of Manaia last Sunday when the two pit bulls appeared and lunged toward them, his owner Allan Gay said."

The dogs had already lunged toward the kids before George starting barking & rushed them.

[ConsAreLiars]

39. You can parse the "them" and "lunged toward" to mean that

the fight was initially between the two dogs and the kids, but unless you believe that somehow two pit bulls determined to kill children somehow failed completely to leave a scratch on them, because some hyperactive JRT fought them into submission, then the previous poster, not the media version, seems more credible.

[Nicole]

43. Maybe. Maybe not.

Not enough details about how the dogs were subdued.

"We ran off crying and some people saw what was happening and rescued George."

It sounds like adults probably subdued the pit bulls, not the JRT. If the adults were close by, the kids could have got away without a scratch on them. The dogs could have been distracted by the JRT long enough for the kids to get away. They were distracted long enough to rip the skin from his throat and chest and down his back.

Not enough details.

[ConsAreLiars]

46. Exactly. Not enough details, but plenty of media induced preconceptions.

I remember when German Shepards and Dobermans were the "mad dog" favorites of the scaremongering media. Alligators and sharks also had their run. Recently, locally, a Lab attacked an older person - it got 10 seconds on the local news, but no mass hysteria. When a Chihuahua killed an infant in a crib no one claimed that mass extermination of that breed would be good social policy, because the media never made it an issue and the mindless dittoheads never got stirred up.

[Nicole]

49. True.

The media is only concerned with the pit bulls it seems.

I posted earlier "Poor pit bulls for being owned by an irresponsible jackass".

That should be the focus here. Irresponsible owners, not the breeds unfortunate enough to be in their "care".

[A Simple Game]

57. You have it right.

The only one that was injured was the initial attacker, which was the Jack Russell Terrier.

If the two pit bulls were like the ones I have had, they just wanted to play with the kids. The pit bulls that both lived at my house for a short time, loved my grandchildren and played with them all the time. They would knock them down by running into them, but never intentionally hurt them.

As friendly a dog as I have ever known, and I have had a collie and a beagle basset mix, both very friendly dogs. My only beef with pit bulls, at least the ones I have had, is that they chew everything in sight. Never leave a shoe unattended!

If this had been two jack russell terriers being stopped by a pit bull, you never would have heard about it.

Edit to remove an unnecessary word

[rosewarnewilsonveale]

84. Reply to: "You have it right"

You are obviously a good dog owner, who has nurtured your dogs to be sociable, playful animals. This was not intended to be a story discriminating against breeds of dogs. It is people who have minced the facts with opinions, not children trying to campaign against Pitbull dogs. Understand that Alan Gay lost his friendly, sociable dog ,George. A dog whom put his life at risk when he placed himself between 5 children and two, growling, running, barking dogs. Dogs that want to play with kids who are used to playing with kids, do not growl, run at and bark at kids who have their backs turned. They know that this will frighten a child. Most dogs who accidently jump at kids intending no harm, do so tongues wagging, minus the growls, snarls and barks. These dogs were already in pursuit of the children, before the children or George were aware that they were behind them. The first indication was the sound of growling.

These dogs that attacked George were not the friendly dogs you'd want to put on a dogfood advertisement. George did not attack the dogs, he ran towards them, stopped and barked at them. They attacked him and he tried to fight them off, but was too small, too old and out-numbered, but thanks to his heroic attempt to divert the dogs attention, his friends, 5 children were able to get away.

If you wish to argue about breeds of dogs then perhaps a forum especially for that purpose should be made, because I'm sure there are many Hero Pitbull's out there too and of course the world should know about them before they judge, but these Pitties in this story - were agressive and poorly trained dogs. The one thing George did have over these dogs, was he belonged to a good owner. It makes a big difference.

George never stole shoes, but he did run off with the kid's tennis balls and place them in a spot of gravel at Alan's. He also like to play rugby, but he wasn't that good at the game, because the kids always moaned when he hogged the ball. He's a real Hero - trust me.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

63. I think you're right.

If the pit bulls had wanted to attack the kids, a Jack Russell wouldn't have stopped them.

There's a Jack Russell across the street that's always going after my Rott. They're brave little buggers, I'll give them that.

[madeline_con]

72. Yes, one little terrier's not going to keep 2 pits off. n/t

[rosewarnewilsonveale]

83. No Bullshit - Mother of children saved by George, replies

Try to understand, first and foremost, you are quoting the words of a 11 year old boy, who does not comprehend that to an adult the words "rushing at them" could be interpretted so many ways. Ask a child playing with another child, "did you touch him?" If a child replies "yes", to an adult that could mean one of many things ie fondle, hit, slap etc, to a child - he touched him.

The words "rushing at them" in this statement by Richard, means - "ran quickly towards them."

You wanted more details, this is what happened.

My five children ages 11, 10, 8, 4 and 3 were out walking with George. My 3 year old was in a stroller. We have a small town, it was a typical, quiet Sunday and there would have been maybe 10 other people walking around different parts of the town, at the time. Our town is so small it takes me 40 minutes to walk around the entire township. The kids were a 5 minute walk away from our home, where the attack happened. Anyway, they turned a street heading south-bound and walked 3 metres from the corner they had just turned, when they heard dogs growling behind them. Richard turned to look behind and the two dogs were 3-4 metres away looking at and running towards my 4 year old son Darryl, who was to the left of Richard. Richard had the stroller, and my other two children were on his right-hand side. George was 1 metre in front of the kids on the right-hand side. Richard yelled, "There's a dog, RUN!" He grabbed Darryl's hand and with the other hand on the stroller they all ran, including George. But Darryl let go, so Richard stopped, momentarily til Darryl was in front of him and they kept on running. When Richard stopped, this is when George turned around, saw the dogs and rushed back towards the dogs. George stopped and tried to bark them off. Note: He did not attack the dogs. He did put himself between my children and the dogs and the dogs attacked him. The kids ran until they had passed some adults who had come out of a corner house. The kids got to the corner of that street and looked back to see George being savaged by the dogs. One attacking George's neck area and the other was attacking George's mid area. The people from the corner house chased the dogs off and rescued George while my children weepily returned home. Had the newspaper asked for a statement from the police, instead of phoning my son for a statement the next day, the details I just gave would match the statement Richard gave the police two hours after the attack. I felt for my son when I got home from work and he told me the newspaper rang for a statement. He said, "It wasn't as good Mum as the one I gave the police", meaning, it wasn't as accurate, but what do you expect when you phone a traumatized 11 year old boy. Had they come and interviewed him instead, he would have had time to collect his thoughts. We had no idea that this story would hit World headlines.

Sorry if you were misinformed, but don't ever jump to conclusions and quote a child's statement as bullshit. A child will be a child, and this 11 year old boy of mine, has a bloody good, responsible, head on him. George saved 5 children that day - Richard (11)wants to be a vetenarian, photographer for National Geographic or similar photographing animals, and of course - an All Black. Kelly (10), wants to be a nurse or a teacher. Christian (8), a zoo-keeper or farmer and an All Black, and Darryl (4) and Ariana (3) don't really know yet, because they are too young, but they love Higgly-town Heroes. For now though, they just want to be kids who will never forget their Hero Dog George and his Hero Owner Alan Gay.

The photo of George that has become a familiar picture on websites was taken 2-3 years ago, by Richard. George had aged quite a bit since then. A grandfather in dog years, Alan confirmed today after receiving a letter from George's first owners - George was 13yrs old when he died.

[johnaries]

44. Here's an interesting fact:

From the American Temperament Test Society http://www.atts.org/index.html which is the premier agency for testing dogs for "temperament" based on a multitude of criteria.

Breed Name Tested Passed Failed Percent
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER 542 456 86 84.1%
JACK RUSSELL TERRIER 54 44 10 81.5%

So, a higher percentage of Pit Bulls passed the temperament test than Jack Russell's. You'll also be surprised at other breeds that Pit Bulls out-scored.

Check it out!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

50. it seems that the dogs they test are tested through organizations that cater to AKC participants.

Many Pit Bulls are bred indiscriminately and you will not find those lines in a show ring.

http://www.atts.org/tests.html

[madeline_con]

73. It would be silly to have the Bread Board sponsor it, wouldn't it?

Many pits are maligned indiscriminately.

[mainegreen]

56. The problem with pitbulls is not temperment, but ability to do damage.

A chihuahua when abused is going to have a hard time killing people. A pitbull will have no such problem. Of course the pitbill is not the only dog to have such a problem, but being the muscle machine it is, can do more damage than a lot of breeds. Last time I checked owning a dog is not a constitutionally protected right, so I don't see why you shouldn't have to have a license to own certain breeds, especially in urban areas.
:shrug:

[Chulanowa]

61. Licensing isn't a problem

Of course it'll be a waste of effort and legislation - It's really hard to legislate common, easily bred animals, and what would the requirements me? A test? Demonstration of ability and temperament? Would one state license count in another state? But no, that's not the issue.

The issue is anti-breed legislation, where if your dog looks like a pit bull, it's illegal, will be confiscated and destroyed. It's based on looks. As I said in a previous post, few people know what a pit bull looks like. They just assume any "tough-looking" dog is one. Such as this breed:


It's a black-mouthed cur. Cur breeds are densely-built utility dogs, used in hunting, herding, and guarding. They're powerful and can really mess you up if they attack. They are, however, very even-tempered, given their deep gene pool and multiple-use origins (you don't want a savage animal watching your sheep, after all). Due to their builds and stocky jaws, they are often mistaken for pit bulls, and wind up on the wrong side of breed legislation. Here's another cur dog folks may recognize:

[Czolgosz]

65. I've had two JRTs (still have one). They are not dogs well suited to confinement. They're small dogs

with the exercise and burning-off-energy needs of a much bigger dog, but because of their small size (and because they are cute and very smart) some people choose them imprudently and try to treat them like a Paris Hilton dog. That often works out poorly.

A well loved JRT given exercise and attention is the best dog you could possibly hope for and will be endlessly loyal.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

66. Not terribly surprising.

They're both terriers, originally bred to attack.

[Dorian Gray]

59. Poor, brave, loving doggie!

This makes me both happy and sad at the same time.

And it reminds me of my dog growing up. She was a cockapoo (cocker spaniel/Poodle mix). We also had a cat who wandered around the neighborhood. One day, she was outside, doing her thing. Our dog went batshit insane, barking up a storm. We went to the window to see what she was barking at, and four neighborhood dogs had surrounded our cat and were batting at her and attacking her. We ran to the door to go out and get her, and our little dog ran out there and started barking at the other dogs to get them away from her little kitty cat. She was snarling and growling and even nipped at one of them. (And the dogs were dobermans and german shepherds. Not small little wimpy cockapoos like her!)

Needless to say, we shooed away the other dogs, got our cat and dog inside safely, and were so proud of our dog for protecting her "sister" cat. It was the sweetest moment. After that, they'd take to napping with one another, something that they didn't do before that incident. :)

[Marnieworld]

62. great story

I can never fight the urge to click on these dog stories but I often regret it because they usually make me cry.

I wish that Jack Russell didn't have to die. So sad. :cry:

[geardaddy]

67. Crikey!

Yep, Jack Rs are great.

[brentspeak]

68. Pit bulls and (Rotweillers) were bred to be attack dogs

It's in their nature to bite people. The "all dogs are equally potential killers" argument is not true.

[madeline_con]

74. Bullshit.

Pits are bred to fight each other, and hold hogs until they can be shot.

[uppityperson]

78. post#77 about rottweillers

Rottweilers are insecure lovey dogs that want to lean on you all the time. IN GENERAL.

I am amused at the OMG A ROTWEILLER! bs after that movie (The Omen?) that had them be woofy dogs. Other rott owners I know agree, they want to sit on your lap, lean on you, walk right in front of you to get there first and just are very insecure needy big doofuses.

[Naturyl]

70. Ban the breed. It's not the dog's fault, but...

The fact remains that this is an attack breed which is preferred by abusive and ignorant owners. The dogs themselves are not at fault for the actions of the breeders and owners, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a recipe for disaster. We don't need these breeds.

[madeline_con]

75. If you have a pet, it should be banned, too.

I'm saying this with the same amount of information about whatever you may share your home with as you are displaying about pits.

[Chulanowa]

80. From your own words, it seems to be the owners we should worry about

You're kind of making the argument that we should ban axes rather than prosecute axe murderers.

[rainbow4321]

81. Pitbull vs porcupine

Got this in an email today:

A Pitbull decided he would battle a Porcupine in back of his house in Southern California. But being both brave and stupid, he ultimately learned the hard way that he can't always win, no matter how tough you are. A vet sedated the dog, and then removed a total of 1,347 quills. The dog survived, and hopefully learned a valuable lesson: Don't mess with Porcupines

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

82. That's a bull terrier.

Often confused with pit bull terriers.