Pitbulls are not born agressive,it is how they are raised.My sister has a pitbull who would never hurt anybody or anything.So think about that.

I agree, VanTing. Too many dangerous dogs, not enough good ones. The owners of them pit bulls should also be charged. Makes me mad that such negligence on their part has gotten away scott-free.

I'm pretty sure that's not the way it happened, LadyG. It does not say she shut the door and hid until it was over. She probably went to put the baby down so she could come back and fight off the dogs. Do you think you could fight off 2 pit bulls while holding a baby? I don't think I could. She was in a horrible predicament and since we weren't there, I don't think we should judge. Give the lady a break. Her home was invaded by vicious beasts!

I hope she is able to bring a civil case against the owner of the pit bulls. He was either using them to fight or to protect something he considered valuable, so he must have something she can get.

Now you are making assumptions, Elle Marie. Just because someone owns Pit Bulls doesn't mean they are fighting them or using them as guard dogs.

I have had 3 Pit Bulls and all were very sweet, affectionate and loyal dogs. I know that Pits sometimes turn on people but I have never had that problem. I do believe that any of them would have protected me if they felt it necessary but I did not have them so I could fight them or to protect valuables - they were family pets and much loved.

I also have a Chihuahua and she can be quite agressive, but is also very loyal and a beloved family pet. Please don't assume that the owner of the Pits was negligent. Fortunately the woman and her children were unharmed and I can promise you that while a dog is certainly not her child, he can't just be "replaced".

And in case you are wondering, the Chihuahua rules the roost over the Pit in this house!

Why do people enjoy owning vicious dogs. Pit bulls were not designed and bred to be family pets. They were cautiously designed to be attack dogs, it is in their DNA. Everyone who insists on owning a guard or attack dog should be made to have a 'certificate of training' for the purpose of the dog from a certified trained professional.

Well like I said, lkpenn, the owner had those dogs for a reason and it could have also been to protect valuables. My point is, I hope the woman goes after him in court.

i have 3 dogs a minn-pinn, a jack russell and a pit bull and my pit is the sweetest of them all---there is a 90 percent chance that my minn-pinn would bite you before my pitt but i think it is all in the way the dogs are raised and anyone using these lovable animals as a means to make money making them vicsious and fight til the death should be sent to prison and used in the same manner--When is someone going to stand up for the animals i have no doubt all 3 of mine would die protecting me from any danger but that is the only way they would attack anything!----Animal rights activist in oklahoma

id have to say that we all need to remember to watch our biases. yes, pit bulls were bred to be naturally more agressive as gaurd dogs, however, so were german shepherds and doberman pinchers. However, raised correctly they can be as docile and sweet as any other pet. saying things like all pit bulls are viscious or mean is like sayng all african american's are gangbangers, all hispanic americans are illegal aliens. it simply isnt true. this is a stigma that america has been trying to get away from for generations, just as pit bull owners have been trying to get away from the stigma of a few bad apples or poorly trained animals. personally, im generally far more worried when i pull up to a house with a yapping chihuahua or other small dog simply because ive heard people say 'well they are too small to worry about training, her mouth is so small anyway it doesnt hurt when she bites!" BS! responsible pet owners train thier dogs to be well behaved, happy, adn non aggressive, no matter how big or small they will be when fully grown.

in the case of the pitbulls here, one, either the dogs wandered into the house and were attacked or startled by the chihuahua (which is natural and correct, strange dogs in thier territory where the chihuahua's owner was abviously afraid, any dog should automatically go into defense mode) or two, the pit bulls were trained to be slightly more aggressive or even fully aggressive for what ever reason. I have seen dogs 'turn' without reason, however, that does not seem to be the case here as there was 1. a yapping chihuahua, and 2. the scent of fear in the air. both of these can be very strong triggers for an animal to become defensive/agressive. my point is, im glad the babies are safe and i feel bad about the chihuahua dying. the pit's owners should have been keeping an eye on them or made sure thier fence was more sturdy, then this whole fiasco could have been avoided. However, blaming a dog for it's breed alone is close minded, foolish, and in my oppinion, shows a possible lack of intelligence on your part.

well said, pandy.

Though I feel terrible for the chihuahua, it makes the pits sound like antagonists here; they aren't evil dogs.

They deserve to be alive, just as any other dog.

You can't blame the dog, but rather the owner of the dog.

Rotts and doberman attacks happen all the time, they just aren't publicized.

I was in front of my house one day when a doberman from across the street started barking and running towards me to attack me-I started running. My great dane, Starbuck, heard the dog barking and jumped the fence and protected me.

It was a real bloody fight between the two; and I feel so bad that the doberman died...but I was glad that I had Starbuck at the attention.

It's terrible that pits get such a negative stereotype by people that train them as death machines...but all big dogs have the capability to kill, they just have to be trained in a good environment and they won't hurt anyone.

My Starbuck never once jumped on me, though he was such a huge dog- I never let him play rough with anyone.

I've also had three rotts and one german shephard; none of them ever snapped at me, and they're all potentially guard dogs.

Just because pits are big dogs and are bred for home defense, doesn't mean they're going to attack people.

i agree that the dogs should have been more securely retained in thier own yard, however, not all pit bulls are dangerous and these might nto have been looking for trouble when they ran into a yappy or aggressive chihuahua, who granted was protecting his family against implied danger. i agree they should apologize and offer to replace the pet, however the family might not want to have him replaced. i think maybe councelling for the child and mother should be offered instead of a fine however, because seeing something like this could cause mental trauma and cause the child to be afraid of dogs for life.

Actually, if you knew anything about the history of "Bully Breeds" (American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, and American Bulldog) you would know that while these "fighting" dogs were bred to be "Dog Aggressive." They were also bred to be extremely human passive. Why? If you have ever seen a bully dog clamped down on something, you would realize that it is exceptionally difficult to get them to let go. They have immensely powerful jaws. If they bit their handler, they could cause a lot of damage. Therefore, the ones that were the least bit aggressive toward the handler, even in the middle of a dog fight, were put down, and not bred.

This has resulted in a group of dogs that have a tendency to be aggressive toward other dogs. Tend to not "posture" before attacking, and when they do attack, tend to do a hell of a lot of damage.

Most, though not all, of this dog-aggressive behavior has been bred out of them (except for the ones bred by the Michael Vick types, those are being bred to be dog aggressive). As a result, outside of dog fighting circles, MOST instances with a bully breed fighting with another dog it is the OTHER BREED that starts the fight. Regrettably, the bully gets the bad rap because they are very well suited to FINISH the fight.

When a bully breed dog gets excited, it tends to completely ignore things like pain, and when it chomps down on something, it will hang on until someone pries it off (with a crowbar or such tool) or until the thing it is holding ceases movement.

So, is it truly "genes not training" maybe a little...however, training is a HUGE aspect of it, particularly when it comes to humans.

I am not defending the pit bull owner in this case...he should have had his dogs better contained, however, if the chihuahua had not approached the pits in an aggressive manner, they would likely have ran up to the child, and attacked him with their TONGUES, covering his face with their saliva. I've seen it many times. When a pit bull decides to give someone a licking, they go all out.

It is however, dangerous to leave a child alone with a bully breed dog. The mother of the child in this picture stated that she only "turned her back for a minute" and this was the tragic result... see picture at http://www.screencast.com/users/msaleem/folders/Jing/media/6d38157b-0353-435c-8268-63f8985f2895

LOL <3 it!

I'm blown away by this and most other comments here. I'm a breeder and trainer of Rottweilers so I know the ignorance abounds here. First off you can say that 100% of DOG fans, not pit bull fans are wrong to defend dogs. I train rotts for show, conformation and home protection. My most "alert" rott would never, ever be aggressive to anything or anyone without just cause. Just last week a kid came to our back door with a Chihuahua in her hands. My rott didn't even stop at the door, she went through it! But her mission was just to be friendly, give it a sniff (and a bath) and I have all German imports which have a very strong prey drive. People freak out over certain breeds because they are uneducated The last dog I was bitten by was a Chihuahua! Right in the face!! I feel for the family and their dog but the truth is that it could have just as easily been a case of two thrilled pups running around and went inthe wrong house, freaked out the owners because they're "pittbulls" and killed the dog unintentionally because they don't know their own strength. The owners should be responsible for damages but lets not make this into a witch hunt. WE don't have all the facts. And I can tell by the comments made here by some that I could find major flaws in your dogs because they are not calm submissive on command. They probably just don't have enough size for anyone to care!!

Jeff-Arctic haus Rotts

P.S. Rottweilers were bred to herd and pull milk carts, not fight....

Wow, such ingnorance. Pit bulls are very sweet and affectionate dogs, and are amazing with children. This is the owners fault, NOT THE DOGS FAULT. The dogs most likely have not had any training or attention and I will assume they are never taken on walks which is why they chewed a hole through the fence. Chewing on things that are not meant to be chewed on is caused by boredom or they are not given toys to chew on. I would know, I have a pit bull as well as a pit bull/lab mix. Pit bulls must be mentally stimulated and taken on walks at LEAST once a day; we walk ours twice a day. And the pits in the story were not properly socialized which is why they attacked. When they are puppies, they HAVE TO BE socialized, it is the one of the most crucial parts of their lives. Everything that happened is entirely the owners fault and they should pay a hefty fine.

I apologize, I meant to spell it "ignorance."

Don't get frightened by the 'grammar nazis' on these blogs, who happen to be English majors.

We get it - don't blame the breed. How many have your Rotts have chewed through as fence and invaded another persons home *and* killed their pet?!? What. None? Could you train the 850k Pit owners out there? If not ignorance is yours. Thats the real problem here. Most neg comments here are aimed at the owners. that sometimes suck - unlike yourself.

I do think that the mom should not have left the 4 year old but what choice did she have? Her alone could only take one child with her so she sensibly took the newborn.

This is also a great example of how loyal dogs can be. Rest in peace chihuahua... rest in peace. You were very brave.

No, SHAME ON YOU Valerie! Blaming the victims of a deadly scenario? Yeah, that's real mature of you. If this site gives a thumbs down vote, you'd have gotten two of them from me. Sheesh.

I agree with you there, I would not have left him alone with those dogs even if I was to biten by the dogs ....

This is to "Nicole": What the hell do you mean "her alone could only take one child with her"?! Are you kidding me? You are telling me that a grown woman cannot hold a newborn in one arm and grab a 4 year old with the other? I don't give a crap how big the kid is, I would have found a way to exit the room with BOTH kids. What an odd thing to say. Im guessing you have no children, and if you do, I pray that they are never put into a life and death situation with you.

Have you ever owned a pit bull?

Don't need to own one to know what they are like. Obviously, many owners are too stupid to know what these dogs are capable of.

How can you judge the breed based on stories you hear about? How can you TRULY know what one is like until you own one?

Based on stories - no - factual news reports and police reports - and reports by people who have witnessed these killers at work. Only a FOOL would ignore these reports. Are you one of those fools?

LOTS of other breeds of dogs have killed and injured others. It is not the dogs fault, is the OWNERS FAULT for being irresponsible. And how immature of you to name call.

Not as immature as some of the replies you have made to other peoples comments. Pit Bulls should be banned in the US - except under very special circumstances. Most Americans are too unintelligent to won one.

Well if I am a fool for rescuing a pit bull who was abused and neglected and I gave her the loving life she deserves then so be it.

Brick, why don't we ban alcohol while we're at it, since people are two negligent to handle it?

Do you really want the US to turn into a nanny state?

Taking things away that is potentially harmful?

Please. If they did that, all of our big dog breeds would be banned too, including collies, german shephards, great danes, dobermans, rottweilers...all dogs are dangerous if in the wrong hands.

A killer is not born, they're made.

Blame the @!$%#s who train their dogs to kill, not the dogs.

And Slap, I applaud you for adopting one of the abused...I feel so bad for those unfortunate pups.

Ya know...we did ban drugs.....oh wait, CRIMINALS still have access, and the government still make profit from drugs and trying to stop it...yes, let's let big brother do his thing (I'm being sarcastic BTW) ;)

"Trained professional" is going a bit too far, I think- but the owner DOES need to know how to control such a big dog, and know what that dog is capable of.

Negligence of big animals will only lead to instances like this.

That's so sad...

My dog, a miniature dachshund, was hit in the head with a rock by our neighbors because it barked everytime they got in our yard.

He died hours later, from brain trauma.

I once had a rott to protect our house, as we lived in a dangerous area...he was a kind and loyal dog.

During the night, somebody slipped anti-freeze in his water. We found him the next morning frothing at the mouth on the ground. We thought he was going to die.

He was never the same after that; his sight and sense of smell were gone, which made him bark like mad at anyone near him.

He was afraid because he couldn't recognize anyone, so he just attacked anyone who got near.

I've seen so much hatred aimed at dogs, and I just don't understand how anyone could do that to an animal.

Anathema,

I have had a similar experience with antifreeze. About 10 years ago homes in our neighborhood were getting broken into. We believe that these individuals poisoned all of the dogs in the area to try and kill them off for easier access to the homes. Our dog survived, but others with the same symptoms died. We believe the poisoning is what lead to her thyroid cancer and other medical problems. She was very affectionate around strangers before the poisoning, but after it she became protective of our family and leery of new visitors to our home.

I live in a fairly safe neighborhood, but I wouldn't leave the front door open like that, but the last thing I would worry about is dogs coming in. I would be more worried about vicious people! But we don't know the reason the door was open. Maybe she had just come back from the store and was carrying in groceries or maybe she had just burned dinner and was airing out the smoke before the alarms go off (okay, that's usually the reason I have to open up all the doors and windows!)

Regardless, unless you live out in the boonies where there are bears, wolves, etc., you probably shouldn't have to worry about vicious animals coming into your house. Just too freaky!

Shame on you too for being inhumane to blame the victims in this case. God, what a wretched world we live in where we have to put up with BS coming from you and anyone else who thinks it's the mother's fault. No one is perfect and even if she did have the door closed, it wouldn't have mattered. Those vicious dogs would've just found their way around the problem. OR if she had opened the door while the dogs were in there, they would've jumped up and attacked her. What an insignificant small mind you have.

I will never trust one! I gotten bitten by it! that wasnt just a story that was my story! it happen to me. They are and always will be vicious dogs. they need to be banned!

My boyfriend's grandmothers yorkie is more vicious than my pit bull. You hate pit bulls because ONE bit you? Out of all the hundreds of pit bulls, ONE bit you and now you hate them all? Shame on you for judging them. THEY SHOULD NOT BE BANNED BECAUSE OF YOUR IGNORANCE. Any other dog could have bitten you.

How big is your grandmothers Yorkie? Big enough to kill you if it attacks you? Or could you simply kick the thing to death? Obviously - you don't have enough intelligence to be replying to anyone about this story.

You heard the guy's story. Bite and do not let go. That is the pit bull's motto.

Many small dogs are vicious dogs and the only reason they do not get a bad rap is because they are small and not as big as pit bulls, therefore don't kill people. They are only big enough to nip at your ankles.

I hate German Sheppards because the neighbors came into our yard and was attacking my English Springer Spaniel, and when I pulled him off of her, the f-er bit me. I have a friend who was bit by a Dachshund, and thus he hates them. Anyone who has been bit by any breed has a right to hate them.

I totally agree with you ( slap yourself silly). You cant judge them til you have one. I have owned two and Secret is 2 1/2. She is gentle. She loves all dog even small and kids. She plays with my three that are 13,14 and 12 and my neighbor kids that are (2,3 and 4). She wont even take her toys out of their hands. she doesnt jump on them or anything. I have trained her myself. The problem isnt the dog its the owners. Most people that own pits have fun loving family pits. Everybody doesnt train there dogs to be killers. Hell you can train a poodle to be a killer. Anything with a brain is going to be a natural protector. this is just my personal opinion but smaller dogs like poodles, pomerians, and yorkies are more likely to bit then a pit bull. I wish they would report all dog bit stories instead of just pit bulls. I do believe that if you are going to leave them outside you need to make sure they are secure. Secret is never outside by herself. Cause i never want her to be a story. People fear of pits make them over react. I wish more positive stories of pit were made public. There are thousands of therapy pits. So they are just like all the other breeds. Oh and if you get bit by a dog you shouldnt hate that breed just that dog. I have been bit one time by a Chihuahua. I was mad at the owner cause she thought it was funny how she bit me but when she saw that i had a pit with me. she almost pee on herself and was running and yelling for her to come back. So i took the bit cause I would have been pissed if she bit Secret and she reacted. Pit bulls do have the right to defend themselves just like all the other dogs. So my thing to all these people that hate pits. Make sure your dogs are always on leashes and teach your small dogs how to behave. Treat your pets just like your kids. I have thought Secret to turn around if she can and walk away and let me handle the situation. When I need her help I will let her know. Im the pack leader not her.

i know where i live all dogs are reauired to be registered. most responsible dog owners do train thier pets. im voting ignorance on your part since all of your posts show a marked hatred towards dogs. if u dont like dogs then why are u posting on a forum that talks about dogs? go elsewhere and be gone!

Thank you! :)

personally i kind of think that instead of outting the owners in jail they should have to pay for the psychological counceling after the fact. it would be far more effective in preventing animal attacks once people start realizing just how expensive that councelling can be, and on the other side can help prevent fear, bias, and hatred of dogs.