Pit Bulls

[Rusty]

I was walking my dog on the cotton valley trail in Wolfeboro this afternoon when I passed a lady who was walking a Jack Russell. The dog went nuts when it saw my dog and the owner had a hard time calming it down.

I talked to the owner and she said that she just got the dog and was going to take it to dog obedience training because of the way it acts when it sees another dog. She said it barks constantly and gets very aggressive when it comes in contact with other dogs.

Is this common in the Jack Russell breed?

I searched for a video and found this one. The Jack Russell acted just like the one in the video:

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by Rusty

I was walking my dog on the cotton valley trail in Wolfeboro this afternoon when I passed a lady who was walking a Jack Russell. The dog went nuts when it saw my dog and the owner had a hard time calming it down.

I talked to the owner and she said that she just got the dog and was going to take it to dog obedience training because of the way it acts when it sees another dog. She said it barks constantly and gets very aggressive when it comes in contact with other dogs.

Is this common in the Jack Russell breed?

I searched for a video and found this one. The Jack Russell acted just like the one in the video:

Yes Jack Russell males are very alpha strong in many cases. I have known 2 people who had to put a male JR down because of this and the sad thing is that in both cases it was definitely lack of the owners to act on this.
In one case it was our elderly neighbors, we had offered to take the dog and work with it since we had 3 but in the end he felt bad letting us and eventually put him down.
Many dogs will display this kind of behavior towards other dogs but in most of those cases it is because the dog has not been allowed to interact with other dogs so in the end it doesn't know any other way. This type of behavior can in my opinion always be traced back to the owner.
We have never had one of our dogs act this way around other dogs. My Rascal who is a strong alpha and rules the house will turn and growl at another dog when the dog refuses to leave her alone, but only then.
I have a friend with a huge German Sheppard and it is comical to see her chasing him across his yard while snapping at his heals after she has sent him the message that she wants to be left alone and he persists.
80-90lb German Sheppard being run down by an 18lb JR, what a sight.

[Lakepilot]

I have a friend with a male and female Jack Russel. In his case it's the female that is hyper and acts like this. If it were always the owners that are the problem why are some breeds of dogs more hyper then others?

[Belmont Resident]

Originally Posted by Lakepilot

I have a friend with a male and female Jack Russel. In his case it's the female that is hyper and acts like this. If it were always the owners that are the problem why are some breeds of dogs more hyper then others?

Lakepilot, read up on Jack Russell's, they are normally a very hyper breed of dog. While they are not normally an aggressive dog they like any other dog can be.
I noticed in the video Rusty posted that the lady that had the hyper JR was older.
No disrespect meant but when older/elderly people get dogs they tend to shower them with love and affection but do very little when it comes to discipline. Kind of like grand parents with grand kids, they can do no wrong.
We have been very lucky to have gotten Jack Russel dogs that have taken well to training and interact well with any dog they have met in public.
I take mine with me to work all summer and she sits in the sun all day sleeping or watching me work. I've even got her to stay on command if she see's a squirrel or chipmunk. That took a while to achieve.

[NickNH]

I am so sorry about your baby. It must have been horibble for you and your wife to have to deal with that. A friend of mine was walking her dog a few years ago, on leash. A 7 year old girl was walking her mother's boyfriends Pit. The Pit got loose and attached my friends dog. He kept coming at her dog until he had killed him even though people were trying to pry him away.

The owners reaction? "Well at least he killed this one so I don't have to pay the vet bills like I had to the last time he attacked a dog.....$100 fine is nothing".

I think the OWNER should have been euthanized....

I do believe this breed has been bred for this and irresponsible owners allow these dogs to act this way.

My nephew has an American Bulldog (another of the "Bully Breeds" and she is the sweetest dog on the planet.....she is the grandaughter of the dog who was in the movie The Incredible Journey. She was well trained and lives with other dogs of all sizes, cats and young children with never an issue.

Again, so sorry for you and I hope you can find some peace.

[GrandmaBig6]

Belmont Resident,

Our hearts go out to you and your wife on your loss. What a very sad way to lose such a wonderful family member.

My husband and I are total animal lovers, who own the dog in the avatar and three cats, and we would not hesitate to want justice for any one of our "kids" taken away by a menace and heartless family.

We were thinking that if you could not win the fight to have this dog put down, what about asking the town to make sure this dog is muzzled every time it leaves the inside of their house, even in their yard? Every time you see this dog without its muzzle call the town and report them and hopefully they will actually consider seizing this animal and do something they should have done a long time ago.

All our best to you,
Mary and Frank

[LongBay]

Both my wife and I are sorry to hear the about Pirate. We will be still thinking of him when we anchor over at Mark Island.

[SAMIAM]

So sorry for your loss, Belmont. It's like losing a family member......and you are so right about pit bulls.
I have to laugh at people who use that tired cliche' that "There are no bad dogs, just bad owners" Nothing could be further from the truth. Pit bulls account for over 70% of dog attack fatalities (128 in the last 7 years) even though they are only 5% of the dog population. They are born and bred to kill things....it is in their DNA and nothing can change that.
Last year, according to Dogbites, 8 of them actually killed their OWNERS
We've noticed, when visiting Florida that pit bulls are the favorite of gangbangers and other losers. The city of Miami has actually banned them. Good for them.
Hope you do contact their landlord and insurance company and, again, sorry for your loss.

[Rusty]

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[magicrobotmonkey]

Further reading:

http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil...hatisadogbite/

http://www.americanhumane.org/animal...dog-bites.html

[Resident 2B]

Originally Posted by magicrobotmonkey

Further reading:

http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil...hatisadogbite/

http://www.americanhumane.org/animal...dog-bites.html

Good reading, but what is your point?

In this situation, no human was bitten, but a pet dog was killed by an aggressive pit-bull, that appears to have been raised and owned by irresponsible owners. I am a dog lover and I have two very passive dogs. I am completely in favor of responsible dog ownership, including but not limited to socialization, training and control of the pet at all times.

R2B

[magicrobotmonkey]

Originally Posted by Resident 2B

Good reading, but what is your point?

In this situation, no human was bitten, but a pet dog was killed by an aggressive pit-bull, that appears to have been raised and owned by irresponsible owners. I am a dog lover and I have two very passive dogs. I am completely in favor of responsible dog ownership, including but not limited to socialization, training and control of the pet at all times.

R2B

I agree with you 100% I posted the further reading only because I feel there is a lot of stuff being thrown out in this thread without a lot of facts backing it up. Many people bash pitbulls, say they are bade despite their owners and then go on to bash their owners as well. It is true that there are more dog bits from pit bulls than other breeds, but it's also true that thanks to pit bulls reputation, many people own them who have no business owning a big, strong dog. It turns into a negative feedback cycle. I'm just trying to post some facts.