The owner of a pit bull named Venom (left) has planned a pit bull meetup at Brookdale Park today (Sunday, Aug. 29), but not everybody is happy about it. The event is scheduled for the dog park at 5 p.m.
Even though the organizer said in the Craigslist ad, “IF YOUR DOG IS MEAN PLEASE HAVE A LEASH OR MUZZLE,” that’s not enough to reassure a counter-poster, who’s hoping the “bully meet” will be called off.
PLEASE RECONSIDER having this type of meetup at Brookdale Park — there is no way the dogpark can be reserved “just for you and the bullies” IT’S A PUBLIC DOGPARK!
As I posted before, my experience there with my 2 dogs was not positive and throwing a bunch of pits together, “nice” or “mean” does not bode well for safety’s sake. A dog that can be seemingly friendly may turn on another animal in that type of situation. I would say every pitbull present should be muzzled for safety’s sake.
A Baristanet reader, who is not the counter-poster on Craigslist, is also worried about the event:
I just read this on Craiglist and feel it is inappropriate and dangerous to host a pitbull event at the Brookdale dogpark – I witnessed a pitbull attack an innocent passerby not to long ago and feel this is an accident waiting to happen. If there is any way you can alert dog owners through Baristanet, please do it.
Dog-owners and non-dog-owners alike, does a “bully meet” at Brookdale scare you? Should it be banned by authorities? Or is the pit bull breed unfairly maligned?
UPDATE: Venom’s owner has published a new Craigslist post, planning bully meets for every Sunday at Brookdale. He also plans to sell puppy pit bulls, possibly at today’s event, and — in all caps — defies “HATERS WHO KEEP FLAGGING ME.”
There are pitbulls at the dog park all the time. I’m not sure what the problem is. There are also spats between dogs at the dog park all the time, and a pitbull isn’t always involved.
Should we keep a list of all types of dogs involved in fights at the dog park? Then, no one will be allowed to go. I’ve also seen adults get into it as well. Let’s kick them out too!
This is asinine. I’ve known so many sweet and gentle pit bulls….
Canine profiling and spelling that would get you a zero in the old Montclair school system.
This is just silly. ANY dog has the potential to be mean if they’re raised that way. Let’s not profile certain breeds because of the bad press they’ve gotten.
According to Sarah and Glenn, all pit bulls are Moslems, and therefore really dangerous. And now those pit bulls want to build a dog run at a former Burlington Coat Factory site in Lower Manhattan.
Good one, Spiro.
This backlash is unbelievably ridiculous. A bunch of ignorant people who know nothing about dog breeds except what they’ve heard as a stereotype.
As breeds go, standard poodles, dalmatians, and collies are more likely to bite than a pit bull. In actuality, pit bulls are very loyal, very obedient, and very sweet dogs. It is their loyalty and obedience, however, that has led to the negative stereotypes about them. They will obey a master that tells them to attack or raises them to be mean. Unfortunately, too many owners have trained pits to be this way for a long time. A pit bull raised and trained by an average individual is going to turn out sweet, docile, and really just a lump of love.
I do worry about this particular individual planning the meet-up, though. His attempts to further upset the “haters” by making the meet-up a regular event (before the first has even gone over successfully) is a bit of a red-flag… However, I’m sure plenty of friendly pits will show and make a good example of the breed.
(For the record – I do not currently own, nor have I ever previously owned, a pit bull. I have known several that were amazing companion animals, though.)
Just to be clear – poodles, dalmatians, and collies are great dogs, too, with responsible owners. Just trying to point out that the dogs most people think of as “family friendly” are risky, too.
Nothing is quite like a poodle locking onto your shih tzu’s throat.
So when’s the Lab meetup?
“According to Sarah and Glenn, all pit bulls are Moslems…”
This MUST rank as the dumbest post of the last few weeks.
Really, Spiro, you seem to have these, pre made Mad Libs that other than name-checking conservatives, are not funny, insightful or interesting. Seriously, I enjoy a good back and forth with those that disagree with my point of view, but it’s no fun when you get lazy. And you’re lazy.
You should come up with a new paradigm, because this one is getting boring….
Spiro’s comment paradigm:
“According to _____________ (name of conservative), ____________ (current issue) is ___________ (silly ironic phrase or feigned praise).”
Prof, since when is laziness a problem in late summer? I had a productive week, and now It’s Sunday evening and I’ve been gardening all day.
But, I’ll try your collegiate madlib anyway, before I soak my aching bones in the tub.
“According to Professor Williams, being lazy is really bad, because, well, because he says so.”
And now those pit bulls want to build a dog run at a former Burlington Coat Factory site in Lower Manhattan.
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Actually, Spiro, I think it is in an old Haband store…
Lol, Nellie, imagine a pit bull pulling on one of those elastic waistbands and getting nowhere.
Stretch-infused pit bulls.
Gorgeous female chocolate Lab (all right, a little on the “cougarish” side) seeks male Lab(s) for “play dates” in Brookdale Park. Likes treats, having her belly rubbed, ears scratched, and being told she’s a very good girl. What I lack in speed, I make up for in affection.
Oh snap! I love dogfights!
I cannot believe all the stuff written….
It is not the dog that is a problem, it is the owner…………..Some times I am ashamed to be a human!
According to Sarah and Glenn, all pit bulls are Moslems, and therefore really dangerous. And now those pit bulls want to build a dog run at a former Burlington Coat Factory site in Lower Manhattan.
Spiro, unlike the prof, I love this post. Conflatio at its best!
Seriously, Pit Bulls? What protection does a child have from such a canine abomination in a public park. I say ban the breed. You can’t reason with a dog after it attacks. Neck and facial scars the victim wears for life.
Sadly, seems like only trashy, insecure and damaged people gravitate to the breed.
Are you serious? A “canine abomination”? The owner is the problem. Clearly he has his own agenda and it’s not about the dog or the breed. Did you read the line “He also plans to sell puppy pit bulls, possibly at today’s event, and — in all caps — defies “HATERS WHO KEEP FLAGGING ME.”
He’s a backyard breeder and only interested in generating interest. He should be banned as a backyard breeder, but not because of the dog(s) he plans to bring to the park!
Ugh. I agree with the comments by MFP and Karen–the guy ‘organizing’ this event sounds like someone likely to perpetuate the bad rep that bullies have unfairly gotten. MFP may not have ever lived with a pit, but I have, and his/her comments were absolutely on the mark about their inherent nature (which is to please people).
I will say this: I love bullies. Ours is sweet, goofy, whip-smart, and far more willing to do training work than any other dog I’ve lived with. She’s shown not the slightest shred of aggression toward another dog. I took her on closely supervised visits to the dog park when she was a puppy for socialization, and that was great for her. But I don’t take her to dog parks now that she’s an adult.
There’s no question that there are genetic lines of bully-breed dogs who were bred to fight other dogs. Since our girl was a stray, we have no idea what her background was. But we go by the rule of thumb promoted by many bully-advocacy groups: Never assume that your bully won’t fight another dog.
I’ve seen a lot of negligent dog owners at the dog park, and dogs who were clearly not socialized well enough to be in that kind of environment, and I’d never want to set up our dog in a losing situation–if she ever wound up having to defend herself against another dog, she’d likely be scapegoated only because of her breed. We go for long walks, which is great for both of us, and she plays in small groups with dogs she knows.
BTW, I think that’s a better approach to exercise/socialize an adult dog of *any* breed than turning it loose in a giant enclosure with a bunch of unknown dogs after most of them have been bored all day.
It is apparent this person does have a clue about dogs or trying to organize a play group. Don’t be fooled. This isn’t an issue of the breed. Pit Bulls are very sweet dogs, the problem is with the owner/training. That said, the problem with this so called “meet-up” is this statement: “IF YOUR DOG IS MEAN PLEASE HAVE A LEASH OR MUZZLE,” WHAT? Has this guy ever been to a dog park? Does he even know what the purpose of a Dog Park is. Non social dogs of ANY BREED DO NOT belong in park. Dogs should not wear a leash in the park, hence the vestibule. And for a dog that has to be muzzled, neither they or any other dog will be comfortable. These dogs need to be trained and socialized BEFORE they come to a park. This goes for a 6 lb Yorkie.
Don’t waste time arguing about the breed – that’s a distraction.
This person, as said is a “backyard breeder”, with no intention of a “meet-up”, but trying to attract customers to sell puppies!
This is why it shouldn’t be allowed – not because of a breed!
Let come, and have the police, the Humane Society and ASPCA waiting for his ass!
The only dog that ever genuinely frightened me was a Komondor – big white dog with dreadlocks instead of fur.
He was in my neighbor’s backyard about 17 years ago and when I approached the fence where he was standing and offered my hand for a sniff, he lunged at me and managed to nick one of my exposed fingers with a extremely long and wicked looking canine tooth. He continued to lunge at the fence in a frenzy. I think if he had been able to get over that fence I would have been in serious trouble. Thank God the owner came out and brought him to heel offering, “he gets that way sometimes.”.
Pit Bulls are very sweet dogs, the problem is with the owner/training.
I agree. It’s the same way with guns. They are such cute little toys. Did you ever see a gun go off by itself? Of course not.
We need an amendment to the Constitution that protects our right to own pit bulls.
” In actuality, pit bulls are very loyal, very obedient, and very sweet dogs.”
Loyal I don’t doubt, sweet no way.
Here are 2 stories from this week alone and a few recent headlines.
Pet pit bull attacks 8-year-old girl, grandfather who came to her aid
August 21, 2010|By Anika Myers Palm, Orlando SentinelA family’s pet pit bull injured a young girl and her grandfather today in Titusville, police said.
The dog, thought to be a pit-bull mix, bit the 8-year-old girl on her scalp and other areas about 1:23 p.m. at a home in the 2300 block of Harper Court. When the girl’s 59-year-old grandfather tried to get the dog away from her, the dog attacked him.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100830/METRO01/8300369/1409/metro#ixzz0y5wDgzSq
APPLE VALLEY • A 3-year-old boy who was attacked by his family’s pit bull Saturday died of his injuries, authorities said.
San Bernardino County Coroner David McCarthy said Sunday that Omar Martinez was unresponsive when rescuers arrived and he was pronounced dead at St. Mary Medical Center on Saturday.
The pit bull attacked the toddler shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday in the 23500 block of Goshute Avenue, northeast of Central Road and Highway 18.
When firefighters arrived on scene, the dog, covered in blood, came out and started to attack firefighters. A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed the dog.
“Pit Bull Attacks Iowa Police Horse”
Years back a guy moved in next door to me with pitbulls. They would bite thick ropes and hang from them for what seemed like hours. They destroyed the property and people on the block lived in constant fear they would escape. There are so many other breeds of dogs and out there, these dogs are trouble. Who do drug dealer get to guard their stash poodles or pitbulls? I dont go for that sweet stuff.
When I was a teen I worked in my uncle’s dog kennel and one of the regular dogs was a pit bull.
For over three years I had fairly regular interaction with this dog and never anything other than wagging tail and happy, lolling tongue.
One Fall the owners dropped him off and as soon as they walked out of the lobby this dog turned on me and lunged straight for my throat. It knocked me down and I just barely got my forearm between it and my face/neck.
Fortunately I was not a small kid (nose tackle for my HS football team) so I was able to get back on my feet, wrestle the dog into a submission hold and the leather motorcycle jacket I was wearing kept the damage to my arm to a minimum (only needed around 80 stitches total and it couldn’t get me deep enough to rupture any major veins).
My uncle, who was in a back room, eventually came in with a restraining rod and the dog’s owners actually fought to keep from having the thing put down because he was a “sweet and loyal member of the family” and it would upset their 9 year old to lose the dog.
They changed their mind after they saw a picture of my arm (pre-stitches) and the jacket that the dog chewed through to get at it then subtracted the 180 pound difference between me and said 9 year old.
Lol, Nellie, imagine a pit bull pulling on one of those elastic waistbands and getting nowhere
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I think even dogs have better taste than to pick Haband to pull on.
I know that anti-pit bull people are generally unwilling to consider information that might disagree with their predetermined position, but some readers might find these pages interesting:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Articles/Mediabiased/Mediabias.htm
Look: As I said, I love bully-breed dogs, and I live with one. They are powerful dogs who can be very tenacious when they become set on something, and that’s what makes them dangerous when they’re trained or bred for aggression. Some have a genetic predisposition to be aggressive to other dogs. They are NOT inherently human-aggressive–in fact they were selectively bred not to be. When dogfighting was becoming established as a (vile) sport, handlers needed to be able to pull their dogs out of a fighting pit without risk of a redirected bite, and dogs that did bite a human hand were typically shot on site. http://www.badrap.org/rescue/breed.html
I am not someone who will try to tell you that every single pit bull in the world is a sweet mush that would never hurt a soul–but I couldn’t say that about ANY breed of dog.
Unfortunately, most people don’t know what a ‘pit bull’ is, and any dog with a big head that attacks a human is assumed to be a pit bull. There is also a major media bias about ‘pit bull’ attacks, because news outlets know those 2 words will whip people into a righteous froth and they’ll get more eyeballs on their article.
Punish the deed, not the breed.
Katie,
I actually agree with you on the point that any dog can snap and attack for various reasons with lack of or irresponsible training being usual suspect.
Like I said above: 3 years of regular interaction with this particular pit bull with no problems and then one day, for no discernible reason, it decides to attack.
This can happen with any dog. But, I’d be a lot more comfortable with the concept of my 120 pound wife having to fight off a 20 – 30 pound mutt than a 90 pound Pitt.
So what happened at the meetup?
I just think it’s a shame that the meet-up caused the cancellation of this year’s Brookdale Pre-K Pork Chop Tossing Contest and Kitten Races
Hey, Mike–as I’ve said before, I’m really sorry you experienced that. It must have been really frightening, not to mention painful.
A 20- or 30-pound dog is generally going to inflict less damage than a 90-pound dog if it attacks someone. That said, I’ve been bitten (typically, but not always, redirect bites) more than once by each of my small dogs, but our pit has excellent bite inhibition–we trained her to ensure it from day 1. We can take anything, no matter how delicious, out of her mouth with no trouble whatsoever. I would be very hesitant to do that with my (otherwise adorable) older pug/peke mix. Our pit is temperamentally sound, we started her training immediately after we got her, we ensure she gets adequate exercise, and we exercise common sense.
I am really impressed with this web site–they provide balanced information and they link to supporting facts:
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.html
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/owning.html
I knew a doberman that stood about 6’6″ on his hind legs. He was the biggest baby, and a real sweetheart.
While I agree it’s all about the owner, gnm is right, for certain breeds there is just too much of a downside if things go bad. Bulls and rotties account for a disproportionate number of attacks on people and there are more severe injuries when they do. The lineage is strength and agression.
but our pit has excellent bite inhibition
That’s what they all say.
My gun has a safety lock. Nothing could possibly go wrong!
I am really impressed with this web site–they provide balanced information… www.badrap.org
I can see they have no preconceived ideas. For fair and balanced facts about gun ownership, try http://www.gunsarepeopletoo.org.
Ban the bomb. Ban the gun. But don’t ban the dog. Make love not war.
Yeah I got it.
Dog Bite-related Fatalities in the United States. Year Total Involving pit bull-type dogs
2005 28 17 (61%)
2006 29 15 (51%)
2007 34 18 (53%)
2008 23 15 (65%)
2009 30 14 (47%)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_killed_by_dogs_in_the_United_States
You are right, Karen…Breeders should be banned. Otherwise, animals will continue to be born and die simply because there are too many.
Dogs shouldn’t be sold so offhandedly like this in the park..Pit Bulls can easily be adopted for unscrupulous reasons like dog fights…Every adopter should be carefull screened but especially potential pit bull adopters…
Can’t ignore Blu’s stats but I have known people who owned pit bulls that never caused any problems.
My problem with Pit Bulls is that when they do snap, they attack in a way that can be particularly brutal (like Mike’s bad episode). They don’t bite and give you time to run away. And yes, it’s not all pit bulls and they can be socialized to be loyal pets with proper training. But the question that the Pit Bull fans never seem to answer is “why do you want one?” There are a thousand other breeds that don’t have the same documented record of involvement in brutal attacks. There are big dogs, small dogs, lap dogs, herding dogs, short hairs, long hairs . . . So why not get one of those and leave the “loaded gun” dog alone?
And back on the original post, if you’re the type who names your dog (of any breed) “Venom” you probably shouldn’t bring him to a dogpark.
if you’re the type who names your dog (of any breed) “Venom” you probably shouldn’t bring him to a dogpark.
Personally, I love it when someone names a Teacup Yorkie or similarly small dog something like “killer”.
I guess I’ve just got a cheesy sense of humor like that.
My big question about Pit Bulls concerns that ring around Petey’s eye? Was it real or drawn?
The original Petey had a real ring around his eye. However, he had to be put down after attacking Buckwheat and Stymie causing 250 stitches.
The replacement Petey had to have the ring drawn. This was fine until he severely mauled the ring drawer.
this thread on pants has legs.
As a runner, I was initially opposed to this dog park because I felt the money could have been spent on more practical purchases such as new exercise stations along the paths. Also, as a result, there is more dog waste on the paths, inconsiderate dog owners blocking off the walking paths with their extended dog leashes and more unleashed dogs in the park. Now there is to be a pit bull puppy market set up at the dog park?! I sincerely hope it doesn’t come to this. If this pit bull puppy market is allowed, what’s to stop others from turning our beautiful Brookdale into a puppy flee market?
Thanks for clearing that up Howard!
As a runner, I was initially opposed to this dog park because I felt the money could have been spent on more practical purchases such as new exercise stations along the paths.
More practical to runners, you mean.
IF YOUR DOG IS MEAN PLEASE HAVE A LEASH OR MUZZLE,”
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If you’re going to post on Baristanet and you’re mean, please wear a muzzle.
Someone should tell aprilpenny that the very “extended leashes” she finds objectionable are exactly what IS preventing her “beloved Brookdale” from becoming, as she says, a “puppy flee market”.
You just can’t make this stuff up.
I was bit by a rottie who I knew pretty well, and had never bitten anyone in her 10 years of life. Turns out she had a very painful, undiagnosed, tumor and advanced cancer. She died shortly after.
Sometimes it’s easy to label an attack as “unprevoked” but these are animals, who have emotions they can’t effectively convey.
It’s sick to blame the breed for bad owners. It’s also sick to breed dogs when so many and languishing in shelters, and sickest of all- to sell them to people without proper providence.
We should start making people obtain licenses to own a pet. Prove that you have enough money and intelligence to properly provide for the life of the pet.
A good friend of mine has an adult pitbull who was badly abused and used as a breeding dog. This dog nursed her three kittens and also shows affection to the family rabbit and the other dog.
Make this stuff up… yeah right! Try walking, biking, pushing a baby carriage, a wheelchair and yes, running, while an inconsiderate dog owner has a dog on an over-extended leash that is criss-crossing the path. I’ve been in each one of these situations. Not to mention being attacked by an unleashed dog while running. Also, I fail to see a correlation between using a leash and selling pit bull puppies.
Uh penny, maybe a little sit-down and a xanax is in order.
What can’t be made-up is the leash-flee connection, you see.
You were in a much better mood when you were working at British Intelligence with James Bond.
Sometimes it’s easy to label an attack as “unprevoked” but these are animals, who have emotions they can’t effectively convey.
Animals that can’t effectively convey their “emotions” (whole other conversation there) and an unprovoked attack are different… how?
If someone does nothing to agitate an animal and gets bitten without warning because of a third-party reason (such as the tumor you described): That’s pretty much the definition of an unprovoked attack.