Thread: The Pit Bull Problem

Caelum!

Originally Posted by Candra H

Or, irresponsible people should be kept away from them, because it's not the dog's fault, right?

Anyway, Staffies, Rottweliers, Dobermans etc are big man status symbol animals. They're for show and chest beating purposes.

Ozzy is our Doberman and is not my status symbol for chest beating purposes. He is a member of our family -- the most intelligent, kind, loving and protective friend we could ever have. Yes, I am biased, but I challenge anyone to find a more loyal and affectionate breed of dog. If you came over to my house, he would bark and growl at you through the window. Then when I open the door and start talking to you, he then knows you're okay and he will not leave you alone... "You must scratch my ears and throw my ball!"

Originally Posted by Brock

Ozzy is our Doberman and is not my status symbol for chest beating purposes. He is a member of our family -- the most intelligent, kind, loving and protective friend we could ever have. Yes, I am biased, but I challenge anyone to find a more loyal and affectionate breed of dog. If you came over to my house, he would bark and growl at you through the window. Then when I open the door and start talking to you, he then knows you're okay and he will not leave you alone... "You must scratch my ears and throw my ball!"

BERKELEY, CA - On a rocky island off the coast of Guam, a Marine line officer named William Putney was leading his men on a mission to flush out enemy soldiers. Cappy, one of his faithful scouts, went ahead. "Cappy suddenly alerted that there were enemy ahead," Mr. Putney recalls. "A shot rang out and it hit Cappy and he jumped up in the air about three or four feet and fell dead." Forewarned, the Marines were able to take the rocks, killing five Japanese soldiers and taking one prisoner.

A half-century has passed since that September day in 1944 when a Doberman named Cappy saved Mr. Putney's life, but the former Marine veterinarian has never forgotten. Tomorrow, Mr. Putney and other survivors of the 2nd and 3rd war dog platoons will honor their canine comrades with a granite memorial at Naval Station Guam, part of ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the island's liberation.

On Guam, dog and handler made a formidable scouting team, Mr. Putney says. That made the end of a partnership all the more poignant. The day Cappy was shot, his handler, Pfc. Stanley Terrell, ran to the dog's side to cradle the bloody corpse. "Some photographer came up," Mr. Putney says. "Terrell looked at me, tears running down his face..."I said, 'Go take your pictures somewhere else.'"




DOBERMAN HEROES OF WORLD WAR II

statue: ALWAYS FAITHFUL







"ALWAYS FAITHFUL"

25 Marine War Dogs gave their lives liberating Guam in 1944. They served as sentries, messengers, and scouts. They explored caves, detected mines and booby traps... Given in their memory and on behalf of the surviving men of the 2nd and 3rd Marine War Dog Platoons, many of whom owe their lives to the bravery and sacrifice of these gallant animals...."Always Faithful" was inspired by the spirit of these heroic dogs who are the embodiment of love and devotion... the United Doberman Club dedicated this statue to the courageous Doberman Pinschers that valiantly served during the War in the Pacific.

I don't know what it is about pets, but when one dies, it's a very sad day.

Originally Posted by Robinjazz

I don't know what it is about pets, but when one dies, it's a very sad day.

Yes, it is. We almost lost Ozzy this winter. He ate from a pile of shelled corn that I had back in the woods for the deer. It turned out the corn had a type of mold that was shutting down his liver. We were one day from putting him down before the medicine the vet gave him finally helped him recover. $1500 and one week of suffering, but we have our boy back.

Thank you for the article about the Guam ceremony. Is this really tomorrow?

$1500 buys a lot of puppies. I've always wondered what the breaking point for individuals is considering the health care of their pets. At what point do you decide that the cost is too much, that you can't justify emptying your child's college fund to save the dog, and you put them down rather than pay out.

My two dogs were put down while I was away at college. One was in her teens and suffering from internal bleeding. My parents determined the cost was more than they could pay, and had her put down. The other one passed under similar circumstances (tumour instead of bleeding) and they made a similar call on it while I was away.

They loved the pets too, so I'm sure they had a hard time making the decision, but I'm wondering if I was there making the call if I would have ponied up the cash for some more time. I haven't had a dog since then (since I'm not home enough to give them the time they deserve), but I think I would have some form of pet insurance to cover off crazy expenses. I think it's still kind of expensive though? How do I justify putting $100/mo into an insurance policy for a pet instead of the kids' college fund?

As much as I love animals, I think there's a calculating side of pet ownership that inevitably comes in to play. I know there's a couple serious animal lovers in the thread that are also pet owners, and I wonder how close/far apart we are in thought on the topic?

Originally Posted by Robinjazz

On Guam, dog and handler made a formidable scouting team, Mr. Putney says. That made the end of a partnership all the more poignant. The day Cappy was shot, his handler, Pfc. Stanley Terrell, ran to the dog's side to cradle the bloody corpse. "Some photographer came up," Mr. Putney says. "Terrell looked at me, tears running down his face..."I said, 'Go take your pictures somewhere else.'"

That made my eyes water up slightly. There is nothing on this earth like a good loyal dog. Truly man's best friend.

Originally Posted by Writ-with-Hand

That made my eyes water up slightly. There is nothing on this earth like a good loyal dog. Truly man's best friend.

There is a World War II photograph of a black dog sniffing the body of a soldier lying dead on a beach that was used as a landing point for an invasion. It's such a heart-wrenching photo. I don't know what beach it was; it may have been Omaha. There are bodies of other soldiers (from the uniforms the soldiers appear Americans) scattered along the beach also. The dog wasn't a war dog. It must have been taken upon one the the vessels right before the invasion took place. Is anyone familiar with that photogragh. I've tried unsuccessfully to locate it. The photo shows just how attached these animals have become to us. Even the sight of fresh blood and the smell of death cannot drive them from us.



I've attended funerals of aunts and uncles and never shed a tear. But when I lose a pet, I cry like a 10-year-old.

I know my dog Lucky would sacrifice his life in a heartbeat to protect my wife or me. So, I would do all in my power to keep him alive. If he needed expensive surgery, I would work out a payment schedule with the vet. There isn't any way I'd turn my back on him. Three days ago, in a park near my house, a huge unleashed dog (a Newfoundland or St. Bernard mix) rushed up to him and was poised to attack. I had my body between my Lucky (an German Shepherd/Lab mix, who weighs nearly 70 lbs. himself) and the other dog that was nearly twice his size. I was able to keep the dog at bay long enough until his owner ran up with a leash. There was this scary moment when I was standing in front of the unleashed dog to shelter mine, that my Lucky thought the dog was a threat to me and lunged at it snapping his teeth. That was the moment for all hell to break loose. Fortunately it didn't because I instinctively yanked at Lucky's leash to get him behind me again. I could have injured his neck because of that stupid owner.

When the owner leashed her dog, I yelled at her. There are three fenced areas for dogs to run, but she had to keep her dog unleashed in the people's section. Ninety-percent of the time, it's the owner's fault, not the dog's. That two minutes trying to keep the dogs apart felt like an eternity. My clothes were drenched from sweat. Some people are plain stupid.

Originally Posted by Capulet

They loved the pets too, so I'm sure they had a hard time making the decision, but I'm wondering if I was there making the call if I would have ponied up the cash for some more time. I haven't had a dog since then (since I'm not home enough to give them the time they deserve), but I think I would have some form of pet insurance to cover off crazy expenses. I think it's still kind of expensive though? How do I justify putting $100/mo into an insurance policy for a pet instead of the kids' college fund?

As much as I love animals, I think there's a calculating side of pet ownership that inevitably comes in to play. I know there's a couple serious animal lovers in the thread that are also pet owners, and I wonder how close/far apart we are in thought on the topic?

I'm one of those serious animal lovers who, on more than one occasion, has said that money is no object. What I do weight though is the fine line between help and selfishness. When you're trying to keep them going and they're suffering with no hope, that's when you've crossed that line. Help, selfishness, hopelessness, suffering—those are the determining factors. By the way, I don't have pet insurance. Instead, I squirrel away whatever I can into an extra savings account.

Here's something that helped me through pet losses: Dog's aren't afraid of death because they don't know what it is. What they are afraid of, though, is pain. Just saying.

Originally Posted by Capulet
They loved the pets too, so I'm sure they had a hard time making the decision, but I'm wondering if I was there making the call if I would have ponied up the cash for some more time. I haven't had a dog since then (since I'm not home enough to give them the time they deserve), but I think I would have some form of pet insurance to cover off crazy expenses. I think it's still kind of expensive though? How do I justify putting $100/mo into an insurance policy for a pet instead of the kids' college fund?

As much as I love animals, I think there's a calculating side of pet ownership that inevitably comes in to play. I know there's a couple serious animal lovers in the thread that are also pet owners, and I wonder how close/far apart we are in thought on the topic?

Our dog is 3 years old, and I felt as if I was to blame for why he got sick. These were the main factors in determining on whether or not to spend the money, not too mention he is the best dog we have every had. If he was 10 years old and had bad hips, I doubt we would spend thousands of dollars for hip replacements when he is going to go through a tremendous amount of pain and only live a short time longer. Yes, I agree that some people are just prolonging the inevitable when they spend a boatload of money on a dog in its twilight. But in Ozzy's case, he is running around like a puppy and healthy as ever. We couldn't put a price on his life at just 3 years old. We would do it again without hesitation.

I think you both bring some great insight, and it really aligns with my thoughts in a lot of different ways.

If my dog would have been like 3 when the health issues happened, I would have invested in her for sure. She too was a wonderful member of the family, and could have had many years ahead of her, so Brock I completely understand where you're coming from.

And Hawke I feel what you're saying as well. When my dad passed away all my mom had to remind her of him was the family dog and us kids, who were all adults and moved away. It was just her and the dog for family within a 700km radius, so when the dog was starting to get old and his health started failing she was really reluctant to let him go.

Eventually, even with medication and understanding about accidents and a need for lift up the stairs, it was becoming obvious his quality of life was just so low, the pain so evident, that something had to be done. We called her a lot, had a talk at Thanksgiving and a Christmas, and she eventually agreed that it was better to let him go than hold him hostage for selfish reasons.

He's buried with my dad in the family plot in the town where she lives, and now she can visit them both. It's fitting, because my father also chose his time to pass on when the pain was just too much for him. I'm very proud of the decision she made. It was a difficult one because of the love she has for the dog and my dad, but it was also the right decision for the exact same reason.

Originally Posted by Capulet

He's buried with my dad in the family plot in the town where she lives, and now she can visit them both.

My dad's beagle is buried beside him in the family plot. Bram, our Golden Retriever and my 'mom's boy,' will be buried beside her the next time I go back home for a visit.

It absolutely was the right decision. I feel for you and your mother.

My Staff is buried in the garden under a camellia bush.
I'd be quite happy to be buried alongside him, because I know he will have sniffed the place out by now.

Problem is its against the law for me to be buried anywhere I fancy so it will have to be the ashes which are spread.



I am not sure if Ducko will recognize me in ash form.

Late one evening as I was playing cards in a social club with a few chaps, a dog wandered inside from the street. It had been pouring raining outside and the pooch was drenched. The card game went on all evening and the dog lay in a warm corner as if it belonged there.

The following day a ten-year-old boy entered the social club to claim the dog, saying it belonged to a lady around the corner. So, I let him take the dog home. Later that evening, during another card game, the same thing happened: the dog wandered in again.

The card game went on all night into the next afternoon, and while we were playing, the boy showed up asking for the dog again. This time I sent him back empty handed. I took the dog home and kept her for eight years. She was one of the most intelligent dogs I ever owned.

An old lady in my neighborhood had a cat that had given birth to eleven kittens. From her window the lady called me to ask me to do her a favor. She wanted me to take the kittens to the animal shelter to have them put up for adoption. I carried the box containing the (two or three week old kittens?) kittens down the stairs of her tenement and headed for the subway station.

The station was a busy one, and I had gotten an idea. Instead of taking the kittens to the shelter I opened the box and began asking people coming from and going into the subway station whether the wanted a free kitten. In an hour I had gotten rid of all but one. And after trying unsuccessfully to give this one away, I decided to take him home and keep it as a companion for my dog.

The dog was a small terrier mix. It looked like a border collie, but, instead of being black and white like the border collie, she was a light brown. She got along with the kitten just fine. The kitten would always be nestled beneath the dog's belly, perhaps thinking the dog was its mother.

Then, one day, to my surprise, I came home to find the kitten lying beneath the dog sucking on its nipple. Thinking that it couldn't be true what I was witnessing, I knelt dog by the dog, put her nipple between my thumbs, and squeezed gently--sure enough a trickle of warm milk appeared on my thumbs.

My dog hadn't had puppies. I couldn't believe she was nursing the tiny critter. Amazing.

The two became inseparable, like mother and son.

As a 16 year old delivering products door to door when one customer opened her door to me a Staffordshire Bull Terrier ran into her home and sat in front of the fire due to be being wet and cold. After selling her what she wanted she asked if I'd get that dog out of her home, I thought it was hers but it wasn't. She added it was probably the guys on the corner of the next street because he is well known for fighting these sorts of dogs, and that it had been stray on the street for weeks.
I approached it, tried to get it to follow me but it just ignored me, when I grabbed its neck it growled at me, so told the woman, 'Just wait a minute, I'll be back in a minute.'
'I hope you're not going to leave it with me.'
'No way, if its been on the street for weeks then its hungry, I'll get it out of you're home by making it follow my sandwiches.'
So went to the van, got one of my sandwiches, went back to the house, waved it in the dogs face then walked back to the van and got in, and it followed me. Kept it ever since. It was a big softy, the dog fighter probably dumped it on the street because it wouldn't fight, I called it Cringer.

I even phoned up the Police and told them about this guy who was fighting dogs, and within 4 months it hit the news a big dog fighting syndicate had been busted.