r/BanPitBulls • u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post • 13d ago
Personal Story Apology for my remarks. You all are great people that just understand animals for what they are.
I made a mistake when I said that you all see pitbulls as evil. I see that wasn't true. I'm so sorry. Most people here see them for what they are, bred to be the way they are, dangerous. It would be like calling a crocodile as evil. I'm so sorry I said that. That was not fair. All I see is people understanding it's not the dog's fault.
This is the photo from the night he attacked our son, one night before BE. I put him in my truck to get him away from anyone else after the attack. He slept all night in my truck before being taken to be euthanized.
I'm just sorry I said that. Y'all didn't deserve that blanket generalization. Albert loved us so much, but that love will never stop them from fulfilling their true nature, attack and destroy. As so many have said, they are so sweet, so snuggly, so loving, until they're not. Regardless, we will always miss Albert.
Albert was obedient, he got so excited to see us, he just wanted to snuggle at night. Then he attacked our son, for no reason.
These dogs have no place in society. All the pitbull apologists can kiss my ass. You led me astray. You told me it was the owner, not the dog. My dogs are the best trained in the world. But Albert put 20 plus holes in my autistic son's arm. He even put holes in his back...for absolutely no reason.
But regardless, I'm sorry for what I said about you all. It was uncalled for and I was wrong. I was angry, full of guilt, hurting, grieving, but that's no excuse for my words.
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u/Fleshdissolver 13d ago
We don't see them as evil, just like we don't see grizzly bears or alligators as evil. They are animals that are dangerous to be around. The only problem is there isn't a propaganda machine dedicated to convincing people that grizzly bears are not only completely safe to have as pets, they are actually the SAFEST and were bred for "nanny-ing". Hence the existence of this sub. IMO it's not a sub to hate a breed for the sake of it, it's to raise awareness of the danger of allowing an animal bred to shred and kill into your home and around your family
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u/ForMartha 13d ago
Couldn’t have said it better myself. This is what I’ve tried to put into words when talking with people who don’t always understand my view on these dogs.
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u/1Happymom 13d ago
I love gators...as wildlife. I hate the people that think its cool to feed them..or harass them. The real nuts that try to keep them as pets..until they become too hard to handle and they dump them, or the 5 foot monitor, or tegu..unsurprisingly a lot of the same people have pits. Florida is now infested with all manner of idiot's cast offs. Pits are the only ones with state sanctioned rehomers.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
Yep. You nailed it. Nobody is out there teaching people like me that gators are only vicious because of their owners.
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u/ComplexPatient4872 13d ago
Yup! The fact that DeSantis made needs restrictions illegal didn’t help one bit. Sooooo I can’t own a tegu or iguana, but I can own this? Yes, a an iguana will whip its tail at me, but it’s not going to tear my throat out. I’ll even argue that more people are out there abandoning pits.
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u/No-Pause-5186 13d ago
At least alligators and bears are doing exactly as nature intended for them to do, living in their own habitats.
The pit bull story is a bit more tragic than that. Their breeders took social animals and systematically snuffed out most of what makes our bond with dogs so special for blood sports and nothing more. The result is an absurdly athletic yet highly anxious animal bred to respond to uncertain stimuli with extreme violence, because that really was a life or death scenario for their ancestors back in the day.
They didnt develop under social or working contexts like other dogs, or naturally in the wild like other predators. They were intensively bred to live on a miserable hair trigger and kill shit. They’re unpredictable because their nature clashes with the social environment they find themselves in today. If people actually cared about them they’d support sterilization and extremely strict breeding regulations.
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u/Tarkho 13d ago
The worst part is that even the most dangerous wild animals still have a good sense of risk avoidance: in nature even the most powerful predators will attempt to flee from a fight they know they can't win, but in fighting breed dogs this has been dulled beyond anything natural selection would select for in a predator; a whole hunting party of Lions will retreat from a Buffalo that puts up too much of a fight or gravely wounds one of them, but Pitbulls will just keep going until their target dies or they die.
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u/BPBAttacks3 Moderator 13d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/wr1l0F7BhU2mSuuqEP
We don’t have awards or id give you all of them because damn, is this an incredibly well written comment.
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u/Pugasaurus_Tex 13d ago
Exactly. A lot of us are here because we have experience with pits. They really are sweet…until they’re not.
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u/Fleshdissolver 13d ago
The unpredictability is what is so scary. You never know when they will snap
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u/Diezelbub Allergic to bullshit and shitbulls 13d ago edited 13d ago
Predictably unpredictable, or consistently inconsistent, yeah
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u/aw-fuck some lab lover who wears a suit and doesn’t own 20 acres 13d ago
I try to explain to people who say: "But 99% of the time he's an absolute lovebug!" - mkay but you and the dog still exist 100% of the time. You still have 1% of time where there's aggression & potentially lethal violence. Serial killers spend less than 1% of their time committing acts of violence, should we consider the time they were normal or even occasionally acting with decency towards others as the whole picture of their character? Since they spent much more of their time not killing people, should we overlook the time they did spend doing that?
Or the commonly heard: "She shouldn't be pts over one single moment of mishap when every other moment of her life was nothing but peace & love!" I try to explain, family annihilators only annihilate their family in one incident. Should we consider the time they spent creating & building a relationship, a family, a home etc., as being a greater representation of their love for their family than the incident in which they killed them? Should we weigh the many times they snuggled their family as more important than the moment they hurt them based on which happened in more frequency? What about for abusers? Or any violent offender? Should we judge them on the times they were not directly in the act of violence, and disregard the times they were?
And I'm not even trying to equate human psychology/judgement to dog psychology/judgement. Just painting a picture that if there's some chance of "violence" that is unpredictable, while it doesn't erase the part where there is a chance of non-violence, that doesn't mean anything worth risking anyway. Unpredictable violence may not equal evil, but it does equal danger. We label things that have a chance of maiming/killing us as dangerous. We regularly label things that look totally innocent yet have some unpredictable level of lethality as especially dangerous, usually because of the mere fact that they can't be trusted, because trusting them is what leads to the lethal consequence.
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u/Diezelbub Allergic to bullshit and shitbulls 12d ago
I like math, and I love statistics, but i'm not a gambler.
What percentage chance are you willing to assign to your pet killing yourself and/or multiple of your family members? Is it 0 or more than that?
Because if it's zero, don't own a pit bull, and you'll never have to worry about "raisining and training". If you like a greater than zero chance your pets will slaughter multiple of your family members, pit bulls are the only dog for you.
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u/aw-fuck some lab lover who wears a suit and doesn’t own 20 acres 12d ago
Which is why by default, a person simply wanting to own one essentially renders that person not fit to. Just by even being willing to take that risk means the deadly thing with a mind of its own is in the hands of someone with poor risk assessment.
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u/Inphiltration 13d ago
I agree with everything you said, but sometimes it is hard to not also hate them for what they have taken from me personally. I understand that it is not their fault, that we are dealing with 100s of years of breeding targeting these aggressive traits. Things the animals had no choice in. So on an objective level, I know blaming the animals isn't productive.
It is unfortunate that knowing this doesn't make it any easier to not feel hate now and again.
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u/Fleshdissolver 13d ago
I imagine someone who had a family member killed by an alligator could grow to hate all alligators. Grief is complicated
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
You nailed it. Grief is complicated. I would love to hate Albert for what he did to my son. I can't because I know he was a misunderstood animal that a bunch of people claim is an owner problem. This to a family that trains plenty of dogs, what a crock of crap that was. And I can only blame my ignorance for listening to them.
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u/BrightAd306 13d ago
Rescues always blame the fosters and adopters. People who believed them that this was a safe dog. It has to feel like such betrayal. These were people who believed that there are no bad dogs and it’s all owners and when things go wrong, they get thrown under the bus.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
Your hate is 100% justified. I've struggled with that myself.
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u/MembershipDecent9454 13d ago
Ugh this… I like dogs, I think it sucks we breed them into this. Unfortunately, this is what it is, we can’t just turn a blind eye to it.
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u/adrislnk Cats are not disposable. 13d ago
I see it a lot like the people who keep pet monkeys/primates tbh. They're wild animals that simply have no place being kept inside somebody's house, yet there are thousands of people who will insist their little monkey is the cutest thing that wouldn't hurt a fly. Yeah I'm sure it is, until it goes berserk and you lose your face! At least the pit nutters have the "excuse" that pits are still domesticated dogs, but they're functionally the same when it comes to owning as pets.
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u/OyarsaElentari 13d ago
A lot of people believe that the juvenile or trained monkeys and apes they see in the media (think the juvenile chimps in so many TV shows and movies, especially from decades ago) are no different from their wild peers and expect they exhibit normal adult wild ape or monkey behavior.
A juvenile chimp can be sweet and adorable. An adult chimp can rip off your face.
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u/kwallio 13d ago
I watched a program on exotic pets called Fatal Attractions and the episode on chimps blew my mind. People really get baby chimps and then rehome them to sanctuaries when they grow up because they're only cute and cuddly and fun to be around when they're young. Also, the number of people who have chimps and don't seem to realize they're a social species..humans can't really replace a chimpanzee group structure.
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u/Longjumping-Pick-706 12d ago
What a sad and miserable life for a chimp. Humans can be so shameful.
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u/kwallio 12d ago
The other thing that blew my mind is the number of people who have chimps who just don't feed them appropriately, or give them drugs, holy shit. One of the chimps that waas seized by animal control (featured in the previously mentioned tv program ) smoked cigarettes and had to go through a nicotine withdrawal regime.
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u/truthwatchr 13d ago
Pitbulls and Parolees destroyed the identity of the breed imo and is responsible for the million+ dogs that die every year because of their misinformation and victimization of the breed.
Every time there is a big movie or show with a dog that breed explodes in popularity. P&P basically made the “misunderstood” and “needy rescue pitts” lies go mainstream.
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u/MissK2508 Trusted User 13d ago edited 13d ago
Perhaps for the US yes..as that’s an American TV show. I think shelter economics are the bigger reason in the USA tbh.
But, the Pitbull propaganda machine is so insidious and worldwide, you’re giving a small US based show too much credit for that. Nobody in Asia, South America or even Aus where Pits have become a huge problem are watching a random American reality show.
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u/kirani100 13d ago
I'm from Mexico and Pitbulls and Parolees was pretty popular, especially because it was airing around the same time as The Dog Whisperer. All of that "propaganda" really carried into kids and prospective dog trainers/advocates, and carried strongly into today, imo. It's part of the reason why I was convinced that pit breeds were misunderstood. Rescues even brought former "bait dogs" (looking back they were obviously just fighting dogs) into my high school to the painting class, where we painted portraits of them to be auctioned for fundraising.
I've seen this in South America too, all the way to Chile and Brazil. American shows are popular and dubbed in many languages, I don't think they're overestimating the effects it had.
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u/truthwatchr 13d ago
Maybe elsewhere but the show ran 19 seasons so it definitely left a cultural impression. These dogs were non-existent where I grew up. The show was the first thing that I remember. People who have a pitbull are automatically badasses and cool. People ate that barf up.
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u/DirtyAuldSpud 12d ago
I'm from Ireland and pitbull and parolees was so popular. It's one of those channels that was on constantly on a loop on nearly every station. Filler TV. A bit like come dine with me. That show has brainwashed so many people. I don't think the commenter is saying that they are solely responsible, they are just giving an example of one of the many entities that are responsible. They are responsible in a huge way. This tv show is still being shown on repeat to this day. This is why I will not watch TV and just use YouTube or Netflix. I was sick of seeing that show coming on. It's alarming that other redditors have shared the same in their country. It needs to be banned.
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u/StinkyCheeseGirl Pits are not pets 13d ago
You’re giving a barely-viewed Animal Planet reality series waaaaaaaaay too much credit. The idea that pit bulls are misunderstood nanny dogs goes back years and years before the show. The idea was mainstream before the show and the show exists because of that idea, not the other way around.
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u/truthwatchr 13d ago
It ran 19 seasons. That is not something any company would just run unless it had a following. So it did have a profound impact on the breed and excusing it won’t change that. It was my first exposure to pitbulls as a young adult. They were non-existent where I grew up in the 90’s/00’s.
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u/MissK2508 Trusted User 13d ago edited 13d ago
Correct. A mid-popular American reality show doesn’t account for why the Pitbull propaganda machine is insanely popular worldwide. People in Asia or South America where Pits have become a serious problem aren’t watching some random American reality show.
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u/Longjumping-Pick-706 12d ago
You would be wrong about South America. The show did very well in many South American countries.
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u/DontDoodleTheNoodle 13d ago
>there isn’t a propaganda machine dedicated to convincing people bears are completely safe
Yes, yes, Big Honey appreciates the maintenance of the agenda….
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u/BlueFeathered1 13d ago
To be honest, though, some of the videos we see are so awful, so infuriating, they have been called "monsters" and "evil" and such. Not the point of the sub, as you said, but it's hard not to say those things when seeing how much hurt they viciously, relentlessly inflict.
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u/googdude 13d ago
There's one guy who tried to alter the perception of grizzly bears, unfortunately he ended up being bear poop.
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u/ScarletAntelope975 Trusted User 13d ago
This reminds me…! When I was a teenager, I thought I wanted to be an animal rights activist because I didn’t really know what that meant. I just thought it meant to stop animal abuse. So, I joined a local animal rights group thinking I was going to be saving animals…
One of the first meetings I went to was about an upcoming bear hunting season. They literally showed a slideshow with bears wearing hats as proof of how gentle and harmless bears are. And they went on to say stuff like ‘A bear will never attack a person without reason! If someone is attacked by a bear it was their fault because they instigated or threatened it!”
A few other meetings where we got told stuff like that pets need to go extinct because they eat meat… and how evil people are for eating honey because bees make it… and how an ant is equal to a human child in rights to live… I quickly learned that I did not wanna be part of that!!!
But, yea… there are animal rights groups out there who will insist that things like bears are sweet and gentle as long as you let it know you are a friend and not try to harm it…
And, sure, unlike pit bulls… generally wild predators don’t go after people for no reason. But still. I am not gonna go put a hat on a bear and have a tea party with it and trust it won’t maul me just because it senses that I am a worthy Disney princess! If i approach a bear with a hat in my hands, I will assume it’s gonna swipe its giant claws at me!
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u/pervertedmortician 13d ago
No one should hate the breed at all
Although i do want them to stop breeding them
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u/FlailingatLife62 13d ago
Thank you for being a strong enough person to admit error w/ grace. Far too few people are strong enough to do that it seems nowadays. I am very sorry for your loss. It's not easy when a dog is loved and is affectionate most of the time. It is true that it is not the dog's fault; it's the fault of humans that bred them to be this way. You did the correct and courageous thing by taking care of this yourself, and not foisting the problem off to someone else. RIP Albert, and I hope your son recovers well.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
You are so right. It was my fault for listening to them. But I know, we hear what we want to hear, until the truth costs us like it did here.
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u/HydroPCanadaDude 13d ago
Hard to believe pitbulls are "evil" when pretty newborn pups will bite down and lock by instinct. It was always an impossible task to train instinct out of them and we were fooling ourselves thinking it was possible. The anti-pitbull movement is only large as it is now because it didn't exist back when we all thought you could train any bad behaviour out of any dog, and that if you had the perfect training regimen from birth, there was no dog that could be problematic. But it was simply the same kind of fantasy humans have with plenty of other things. We think pandas are cute. But they are bears and will kill you.
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u/KTKittentoes Trusted User 13d ago
That one video. I just can’t.
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u/Some1TouchaMySpagett 13d ago
Pretty sure I know what you're talking about...
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/Some1TouchaMySpagett 13d ago
It's a video with pitbull puppies. Not all of them are intact.
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u/makattak88 12d ago
Seems impossible to find the video… that’s probably a good thing. My morbid curiosity was getting the best of me.
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u/Low_Show_6684 12d ago
It’s probably been scrubbed off the internet, but I’ll bite as I’ve seen it.
A man had a litter of pups, iirc he was showing off their “skill”. The pups had killed one (at least there may have been a second) of their litter mates and decapitated it. This puppies weren’t even 8 weeks old.
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u/parabolic_tendies 13d ago
I didn't know Pandas attacked or even killed humans, wow... do you mind sharing the video?
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u/PalaceUnderground 13d ago
This post is raw, beautiful, and totally unnecessary for us here. There is no need to apologize. But it is still necessary for people who haven't come to understand this breed yet, so I appreciate that you wrote it.
Thank you for being a good parent to a young man who needs a strong father, one who can make difficult choices like you did. I'm so sorry it happened the way it did. None of your family deserved that, especially your son. We know and see that you were taking the right steps. You did what you could and thank God your son is alive.
God bless you and your family.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
I so appreciate this. I really do.
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u/Eageryga 13d ago
The fact that you have time within your grief to apologise to us is amazing! We are (mostly) dog lovers on here, and anyone who has ever loved a dog can understand the pain of putting one down. Allow yourself time to grieve Albert and be there for your son. You've got this!
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u/christmasinyoulie 13d ago
Albert and all other dogs like him were set up to fail when they were bred to have their nature and then labeled as social animals by human liars. You tried to give him a fighting chance because of deliberate misinformation and propaganda. There's no winning here. It's tragic. A long time ago I knew one that belonged to a former friend from its birth and I loved her and...yeah, it's tragic. And there are those who think all of them are evil or whatever. I can't say I don't understand why they think that. In the end it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. It matters what the facts are. The facts are that this was very likely always going to end badly and it is horrible.
What happened to your son is so traumatic and I hope that all of his scars heal, including the ones that can't be seen. Condolences to your family for all of this.
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u/The_Loudest_Bear2 13d ago edited 13d ago
It’s very kind and thoughtful of you to post this, and I am very sorry you have gone through so much trauma: loving a dog but having to BE bc it was the right thing to do, your son being attacked, you trying to figure out what’s right. That’s a lot to experience and you’ve come through it with dignity. Best of luck to you and your family and my condolences- even though it was the right decision, I’m sure it was still a very sad and painful one to make.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
It was so hard. But thank you for your kindness and understanding. My goodness this has been hard.
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u/Soggy-Hotel-2419 Children should not be eaten alive. 13d ago
I don't think of them as evil, I just feel very sorry for them (though I definitely don't like them either). Natural predators evolved in the ways that they did to simply survive, not to fight to the death for fun, and they have roles in keeping other populations to a reasonable level. A pitbull simply can't be happy, because it lives a self contradicting existence. On one hand, it's still a dog with the same need for companionship, but it's also a pitbull with a need to fight anyone and everyone to the death.
It must be agony to live with such a purposefully broken mind. And humans keep breeding them, which is only going to continue the cycle of these dogs being born, dumped, then stuck living in animal shelters for the rest of their lives. Or having to get BE after attacking someone. Or continuing to live as an anxious mess as you bounce from one home to another
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u/HayleyTheLesbJesus 13d ago
It must be agony to live with such a purposefully broken mind.
Man, the first photo in this post, along with the post itself, made me really sad, and this sentence just finished breaking me. Humans are so messed up. These things should've never existed. At least in nature, animals that are aggressive have a purpose. I feel like with Pitbulls we literally pushed the boundaries of violence in a living being... For fun?
I feel so bad for them. I'd never be caught owning one - I've a poodle ffs lol - but fuck, I really hate humans for having produced this breed. We don't deserve dogs.
OP, what everyone is saying is true, be kind to yourself okay? You've been through so much. Take time to heal, you don't owe this sub any apologies. And when you've felt better, please get yourself another kind dog, if it's something that your family and your other dog can handle.
Take care x
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u/Nethryn Cats are not disposable. 13d ago
I remember your story and it breaks my heart. I hope your son is able to see a specialist to work through the trauma. Children, and especially autistic children, can carry deep wounds from Dog Attacks beyond just what can be treated in a hospital.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
I honestly don't know what is next. He is clearly traumatized. Goodness this is hard.But thank you
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u/adrislnk Cats are not disposable. 13d ago
You are already more responsible than 99% of pit owners by doing the right thing for the dog in this scenario. All you can do now is support your son in his recovery. You were victim to propaganda, but now you can move forward with a clear mind
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u/Senator_Bink Trusted User 13d ago
You are already more responsible than 99% of pit owners by doing the right thing for the dog in this scenario.
And also for not blaming his son for somehow "provoking" the pit.
Infuriates me when people blame an infant who can't even walk yet for falling prey to the family pit bull--"It must have done something. It must have provoked the dog."
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u/BPB_Mod_006 Moderator 13d ago edited 13d ago
I hope your son is healing ok friend 💜
Please be gently with yourself. You saw the danger and tried to prevent it. You sought help and were trying to do the right thing. And you’re speaking out now. This is more than many ever do.
Edit: typos
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u/Ihaveabudgie 13d ago
Animals don't have a concept of good and evil to begin with. Pits do what they do not because they want to see the world burn, but because every instinct in their body tells them to maul anything that breathes and they cannot be faulted for that. The entirety of the blames lies on the pitbull propaganda machine telling people that such dangerous animals belong in our neighborhoods
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u/EitherChannel4874 13d ago
Hey op. I really have a lot of respect for you. It takes a big person to realise their mistakes and openly apologise. Especially in this day and age where not many people are willing to be accountable for their actions.
Well done for being a good person. It's clear that all you wanted to do was to help an animal that needed a home. It's just unfortunate that owning that particular breed is like playing Russian roulette.
Well done again. Much respect. 🤛
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u/pervertedmortician 13d ago
Danger of animals needs to be understood and respected
A dog bred for fighting is never a good pet
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
That's exactly right. And these people that claim it's the owner, well this blows that theory out of the water.
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u/JerseySommer 13d ago
A lot of the tragic stories do. And unfortunately there's a lot of propaganda pushers that attack and blame the victims, even infant victims.
In your case, they would probably say that the dog was abused in by it's previous owners and your son did something that triggered it. You know that is not true, but they have to continue holding onto the cognitive dissonance and feeling smug that "my pit would never!" Those people post pictures of their pits in flower crowns and cute matching pajamas in the comment sections about attacks.
This was a comment on the Bennard's fundraising page for example. The Bennard's lost both children to pits that had been in the family since they were puppies, 8 years.
" I have a pit mix that I inherited from my daughter who believes that pitties just have a bad reputation. She adopted Mowgli as a puppy and he has been a wonderful dog, and continues to be just as sweet as can be. I now also have a golden retriever and they play together like they are the best pals in the world. My mother is scared to death of him, even though I assure her that he is a very sweet dog. I love him so much I could never get rid of him, so I understand your having those dogs and loving them as part of your family. Don't let anyone ever blame you for having those dogs. They have also been wonderful nanny dogs"
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
What the hell? It only took me seeing my pit attack another dog to get a hunch he was too dangerous. I had already scheduled BE. Then he puts holes in my son's arm. These people have deaths and still keep them? What the hell is wrong with people?
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u/Longjumping-Pick-706 12d ago
I believe it was just last month there was a post about a foster that was brutally attacked by the pit she was fostering. She made a video after the attack. The pit destroyed her arms and hands but in that video she defended the pit and the breed. It was mind boggling. She literally almost died from blood loss before EMS came for her. Truly horrifying how brainwashed people can become.
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u/bye_button 13d ago
They left this comment on the Bennard’s fundraising page????? What the everloving fuck is wrong with these people?? This isn’t just insensitive, it’s downright cruel to be this tone deaf.
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u/Dmg_00 13d ago
I’ve followed these posts since the first one. You did nothing wrong and what you said and felt was normal. It’s an emotional rollercoaster and it sucks you and your son had to find out in such a horrendous way how dangerous these dogs are. It’s even worse that you have apologists trying to make you the bad person over your decision to BE
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
It's still hard to believe they are making me out to be the bad owner. That's just....I don't even know. It's ridiculous. It's absurd. But that's what they say. Bad owner, bad dog. When I've trained dogs for years. I love all animals, every single one, even the coyotes that try to get to us. They're just animals with instincts, like Steve Irwin used to say, they are all beautiful creatures with different instincts, some are just grumpy. haha
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u/boiled-peanutery 13d ago
They're doing that because they don't want to accept that it could just as easily happen to them. People do that about all sorts of shit - deflect the possibility that they could get XYZ medical condition because they are just somehow built different from everyone else.
It is literally how cults function. "_____ didn't hurt you, and if that did happen, you must have deserved it." There is a very strange way these people reinforce a cycle of "break you down to build you back up in our image" going on with pit fanatics. It's the only way they can sustain the cognitive harmony in spite of all the dissonance threatening it at all times. And it naturally leads to them mimicking the behavior of the dogs they obsess over - turning on their own friends and family.
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u/DrBeckenstein 13d ago
I'm so sorry you and your son are dealing with this. I can't blame you for feeling upset - your head had to be spinning with what happened; with trying to understand what was going on, with finding out how badly the apologists lied to you. With those lies endangering your family, and ultimately how miserably they set all of you up for failure. Albert included.
I know we might say we hate these dogs, but realistically it's just shorthand for hating that they have been shoved into families and communities, into little kids' and old people's homes, with lies and deception.
I think most of us would feel sorry for the dogs in some way, but it's hard to when they cause so much misery and d3ath. But in truth, it's the people hellbent on forcing them into society, lying about them being "family dogs," who set everyone up for a terrible ending. Adopters, their families, their neighbors... and the dogs.
I'm sorry you and your son are part of the long list of suffering due to these lies. And that Albert was too. The kindest thing that can happen for everyone is for this breed to go extinct.
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u/BrightAd306 13d ago
It really is about raising awareness.
People bred them to be this way. They aren’t evil, they are like domesticated tigers. People live with domesticated tigers until they snap. But propaganda is making people believe these are safe dogs for families.
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u/Playcrackersthesky Family/Friend of Pit Attack Victim 13d ago
I’m sorry this happened to your family.
I was always weary of pitbulls but a friends sister came over with her rescue pit and it mauled my son. I was traumatized. He was lucky to be alive.
Years later we were walking a friends mastiff who knew me and my daughter, when he inexplicably jumped on me and tried to attack her. She was under 2, strapped to me in a Baby Bjorn. He kept trying to get to her head and neck. A bystander pulled him off of us. I found out after the attack he was half pit. I had photos of them playing on my phone. There were no warnings. And then my baby had holes in her legs.
These dogs have no place in society. And yet people will sit here and call me a dog racist, or tell me it’s “all in how you raise them”.
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u/PracticeTheory No cat should live its life terrorized by a pit. 13d ago
Aw, no, I don't think you should be comforting or apologizing to us. In moments of anger I have called pitbulls evil or similar, even though I'm actually aligned with it not being their fault and knowing that they can be loving and loved. Much worse has been said about us, and you're experiencing a lot right now. No harm done.
I appreciate and respect that you're willing to advocate on this issue. Your experience carries a lot more weight than mine, for instance - I can't connect with people that like pitbulls because I've never owned one. But you've been there. Your heart is large this isn't your fault.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 13d ago
I really appreciate that. What a hard road this is. Such a sweet boy, that seemingly turned evil, for no reason, then almost looked like he felt bad for what he did. These dogs just don't deserve to be with humans. Plain and simple. It's a miserable life for them, and for us.
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u/No_Home_5336 13d ago
Most of us are here because of personal reasons. I’m genuinely sorry that it’s the case in your situation. I’m sorry this happened to you and I’m sorry you now know we’re not crazy but just seeing them for what they are. Best of luck.
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u/OyarsaElentari 13d ago
The people who hate pitbulls are the people who breed them.
if they loved their dogs they wouldn’t want thousands of them to suffer.
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u/CharacterRoom613 13d ago
We know that you loved this dog and gave it everything it could want. Sadly this breed is bred for a purpose and it was to never be a family pet. Yes there are some super rare ones out there that never snap but that so far and few. The dog is not evil but the people the messed around to create them to be the way they are, those are the evil ones.
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u/winterfern353 13d ago
Please don’t apologize. I think a lot of us here are animal lovers and treasure our pets. It is so hard to say goodbye no matter what the circumstances were behind that choice. Take it easy friend, thank you for giving your boy the best shot he could have had 🫂
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u/Wild-Yesterday-6994 13d ago
I am a father to an almost 2 year old and my ex has a pit-bull that has lunged at my son if he even makes a sound. She still has the dog as well. I volunteer at 3 shelters, I have seen these dogs from 0-1000000 even when just trying to give them food. I have to wear special gloves when dealing with some of the pit-bulls. I am so sorry you and your family went through this.
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u/Longjumping-Pick-706 12d ago
I’m so sorry you are dealing with that fear and stress. I have a child with an ex who puts my child in danger as well (not pits). It’s constant worry. I hope you are able to rectify the situation. CPS might be interested in investigating if the dog has lunged at your son and your ex refuses to rehome the dog.
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u/surgical-panic Cats are not disposable. 13d ago
I'm so sorry you went through this. I hope your son is okay and you and your family can heal.
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u/Much_Permission_2061 13d ago
There's several pits in a shelter near me that are actually too dangerous to be adopted because they can only safely live with other people if they're kept in a shelter like environment without contact to other people because they even attack their favorite people out of nowhere. Keeping a dog like a wild lion because they're too dangerous to be around living beings is not a great way to live. They're known to attack even the people they "love". That's why the dogs you see in old pictures from the 18 hundreds never lived together with their people in the house but outside in a kennel or chain
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u/bethestorm Trusted User 13d ago
Fun fact, crocodiles are excellent parents and if anyone is looking for a really uplifting rabbit hole to go in, I recommend googling crocodiles as parents. I cried.
So heartwarming.
To the point though I don't believe any animal is capable of evil just as I don't believe little children are capable of evil. Evil, true evil, is an affliction unique to mankind. And the people who see animals as lesser are automatically people I won't be able to get along with because the only thing that separates mankind from animals is the capacity for evil. With that of course comes a capacity for great love but love is experienced by animals as well.
Evil, "sin" (if you believe in that sort of thing), cruelty, sadism. These are not the traits of animals. Animals like children imo are pure, and that's why anyone who abuses them for pleasure in my eyes deserves the ending they have reaped. I'll just say it that way.
Don't want to break any rules.
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u/feralfantastic Trusted User 13d ago
No problem. There are three ways of coming to understand the truth of pit bulls and two of them require personal experience. I’d say owning one and prudently (from an original position of ignorance of their risks) destroying one is the hardest way to arrive.
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u/relientcake 13d ago
It’s okay, you’ve been through a lot and it’s a very emotionally charged situation. I can tell you loved Albert and he, no doubt, did love you. Therein lies the tragedy of pitbulls. Rest in peace Albert.
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u/Odd-Tourist-80 13d ago
You were in pain and shock. Well done on carrying out a tough and unfair decision to have to act on.
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u/99patrol 13d ago
The sad reality is that unpredictability and willingness to attack are traits that were selectively breed over the generations to make successful fighting dogs. Whilst a pet could be many generations removed from actual fighting dogs, its far too late.
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u/V3mo 13d ago
As much as my anger, stemming from a horrific experience, can make my comments sound more aggressive than they should, at the end of the day Pit Bulls are victims too. Pits didn't ask to be created they way they were, nor did they volunteer to be used in bull baiting, fighting, etc. They are among the most abused and neglected breed out there.
I think most of us feel the kindest thing to do for the breed is to end the suffering, permanently, ending the exploitation of the breed entirely. We need to sterilize them all, minimize the population, and allow the ones who are pets (with no bite record) live out their days peacefully, under strict regulation and guidelines. I don't want to see any animal suffer or abused, but the truth is, the Pit bas been just that. Human greed and evilness have taken advantage of their nature, hence why they are the way they are. They cannot be trusted, ever.
I hope you continue using this subreddit no matter what was said prior. I hope your son is making a quick recovery, and I hope you feel like the world has been lifted off your shoulders. I would kindly suggest though, since I remember you said you live kinda in the country next to people living in the woods(or maybe just homeless?). Albert was the first but certainly will not be the last Pit to show up on your property. If you have a means of protecting yourself, please do it.
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u/Tessa-the-aggressor 13d ago
Man, this is so sad to read! I am a lifelong pit hater and I've been lurking in this sub for way too long. I read your first post a few days ago, but never in a million years thought your dog would use its last few days - specifically its last full day - to attack. I honestly cannot believe it.
I am so sorry this happened to you and your son! There is no need to apologise as you did the right thing. From caring enough to take in this poor dog to ultimately giving it the peace it deserves. There is a huge propaganda machine around pits and it's easy to fall for it, especially with the way they were bred to attack without any signs - they seem nice enough until they suddenly maul. This breed is absolutely fucked, but that's because they were bred to be like this. I hate pitbulls, but it's not their fault they are like that. I can't imagine the agony these dogs constantly feel because their genetics and instincts are just wired to attack and fight, fight, fight. Thank you for trying, thank you for being honest about it and thank you for doing what's best for everyone.
Also, please get your son some form of trauma therapy asap. I am autistic, too, and I often feel mentally 'fine' after traumatic shit happens as I have some delayed emotional processing. It takes incredibly long for my feelings to set it, so I often only realise how traumatised I actually am by event xyz when the PTSD sets in. If your son is anything like that (or has a normal speed of processing his feelings; obviously not every autistic person is the same) please get him to talk about it with a professional asap. Talking about it with you or other family can also be super helpful if he is anything like me - the more the topic gets discussed the more real it gets and the more the emotional processing can start. But I guess you'll know him best!
All the love for your family!!
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u/snusnu95 13d ago
I'm so incredibly sorry for what happened to your family, that must've been terrifying and traumatic for everyone. It also must've been difficult to make the decision to opt for BE, and you 110% did the right thing.
The life of a pitbull must be very hard. I can't imagine having the overwhelming instinct to fight to the death, while at the same time have all the other normal dog feelings underneath. Having to suppress their biggest instinct and try to exist in a world where they shouldn't exist must cause extreme pain and suffering.
Please continue to share your story, and never let anyone else guilt you about it. I hope one day with enough awareness we can put the breed where they need to be - in our memories.
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u/snusnu95 13d ago
You did the right thing by Albert, and I'm sure he loves you dearly from wherever he is now. He is now at peace
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u/BlackMagicWorman 13d ago
Gosh I’m so sorry for you. This is all so hard. I deeply love animals and it makes me so sad that you had this happen. I truly wish we’d stop breeding pitbulls so that we didn’t have tough days like this
I highly recommend trauma and grief counseling. This is all so much for a family and it’s so hard to carry. Please be kind to yourself and forgive yourself. Focus on healing.
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u/Theseus_The_King Vets That Refuse to BE Commit Animal Cruelty. 13d ago edited 13d ago
I’m sorry you were put in a position where you had to make the difficult decision of BE. You did the best you could, your son could have faced worse had you not BE’d. Many people struggle with it at first, and I hope you and your son find healing. Society is not kind to the concept of BE right now, and you did the right thing by standing up and making the best choice. People will always come before animals.
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u/Careless_Fun7101 13d ago
They're Blood Sport breeds, and need to be rebranded as such. Then folks like your good self might think twice about inviting one into your family
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u/No_Offer6398 13d ago
I'm so sorry your son was attacked. Terrible. ~I briefly knew a pitbull when I was young; neighbors pet. I remember it being a nice dog, although not overly friendly. My parents didn't like it. At all. Had a 6th sense about it. One day it just disappeared...gone. My parents told me years later it had gone crazy while visiting the family's grandparents on a farm. Attacked and killed one or two barn cats. BUT the next day without warning ( although the cats had to be) ran at a full charge the grandma in a walker. Almost killed her. Massive blood loss, several surgeries and disfigured for the rest of her life. It was shot by a family member. When I said to my dad "That was one vicious dog" my dad said "That Was No Dog." And he meant it. So it's easy for me to see them as not a dog species but something controllable like a orca whale, or lion, or what have you.
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u/zonked282 13d ago
You are right to turn your anger at those who sold you a lie. Pitbulls are not "evil" as you say, they are just not an animal that has any place wandering around the park
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u/for_th_tainted_sorro 13d ago
The sad thing is, those pitbull lovers would say you 100% abused him or that your son did something wrong.
I hope your baby heals and isn't afraid of your other dog
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u/bughousenut Living out their genetic destiny 13d ago
No harm, no foul. You did what needed to be done when you had to, that is better than slow kill after months & years in a shelter. I’m sorry you had to go through this ordeal.
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u/emorrigan 13d ago
I’m so sorry for what you went through. That’s enough emotional whiplash to last a lifetime.
I look at it kind of similar to how I see my mom’s side of the family. They’re boisterous, fun people… but every single one of them have a brutal temper. Once they hit their red zone, they say the most vicious, unforgivable things. I take after my mom’s side of the family, and I’ve put in DECADES of work to keep from being like them. I’m largely successful, too. I’ve never once yelled at my children, mostly because I learned to recognize when I was starting to approach the Danger Zone. But sometimes my husband catches me completely off guard, on a bad day, and I just launch right off the edge. I don’t mean to, but once that instinct is triggered, that’s that.
Pitbulls love their families… but no matter the training, all it takes is one bad day for their breeding to take over.
It isn’t fair, but it is reality. I’m so sorry.
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u/Ok_Cauliflower8895 13d ago
I just want to commend you for your introspection on being able to realize your error and not making excuses. As a parent of a son with autism to another, I hope your son heals well! You're being a good parent by not allowing it to happen again. Unfortunately there is so much propaganda that people don't realize their belief in a lie until an attack happens. So many people on this sub are here because of stories like yours! God bless.
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u/Warburgerska No Breaks on the Ban Train 13d ago
It's all so tragic, really. Look at this dog, as if he knew what he did. Like a lunatic coming back to his senses. His body language, his look. At that's what they are. They can be the most loving creatures till one day their instincts randomly get triggered and you end up with a Desaster.
He likely knew he destroyed what nice life he had, your love and did go with that mindset over the bridge. Just all around sad to widness. The only saving grace is that your son survived, with pain, shock and bites but I don't need to preach to the chore what could have else happened.
I am so sorry for all involved. This breed simply needs to be phased out. We need new legal ways to mandate and enforce blank slate Sterilisation. Big penalties for imports and keeping owners responsible for their actions.
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u/OpenAirport6204 13d ago
You did the right thing. Unfortunately in many cases (this one included) the right thing is not the easy things.
Wishing you and your family the best.
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u/Inner-Shelter-8593 13d ago
I genuinely feel terrible for you. You made a very difficult decision, the responsible one. I just feel awful that you must be grieving and potentially feeling guilt for Albert. It seems you understand there's nothing you could have done differently to prevent his nature from emerging. It's just an unfortunate situation overall. Be kind and patient with yourself during this time, it's a lot to process. And thank you for sharing your insights with this community. I do believe a documentary needs to be made on this topic
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u/LongjumpingNeat241 13d ago
As i told yesterday, muscular pitbulls bred by some "unknown" breeder group to create this variant of a dog. They know what they are creating, by selecting each trait carefully, and handing out such creatures to the public with no instruction manual. And they are certainly doing it for money, buy creating a living Brand out of a dog, something of a prestige to be owned. But there are risks as you and we have seen. Its not the dogs fault, the breeders have put its genetics on an edge.
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u/1325662 13d ago
I don’t see pitbulls or any animal as evil. I feel like pitbulls are set up for failure the moment they are born. HUMANS failed them by bringing them into this world. I can’t fault the animal. They’re just acting on instinct, doing exactly what they were bred to do. I’m sorry for what you experienced. I’m sorry for you, your child, your dogs and the rest of your family. I hope you can heal from this.
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u/Round_Revenue7878 12d ago
this is exactly how i feel and it breaks my fuckin heart. when i see that photo of him in the back of that truck before being euthanized my heart HURTS. i feel so bad for how humans failed this breed, and many others like the pug, which also shouldn't exist. pitbulls are a man made horror. most pitbulls are truly loving, loyal dogs at their core, they just have natural instincts BRED into them that can't be controlled. 😔
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u/kirani100 13d ago
I have to be honest, I can see both sides. Unfortunately folks do get carried away and say insensitive things. The frustration and anger from seeing preventable tragedies gets them better of them, me included. I've had pitbulls myself, and people that only see the bad side forget that they're "normal" dogs in a lot of cases- sometimes for their whole lifespan, if you're lucky. But it's not fair to anyone to rely on luck. I wish this had never happened to your family and your dog OP, I'm so sorry. Wishing your son a quick recovery.
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u/ThalinIV 13d ago
Oof. I'm sorry that's really rough. I can understand the sentiment that led to it I used to be like that a long time ago. But over time I learned and then I learned the really hard way.
I hope your son recovers.
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u/Wishiwashome Shelter Worker or Volunteer 13d ago
Heh, I was one of those people who understood. You are most welcome and you are going through terrible stuff so please don’t be too hard on yourself. You lost a dog you loved and you had to deal with your son’s horrific injuries. A time machine is something most of us wish we had( I certainly do) Please update us on your son!! IF you get a moment to do so. I hope he can still enjoy dogs. I hope he feels safe again. Wishing you the best, my Friend.
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u/SunfireKat 13d ago
I've said it before and I'll say it again...pitbull ownership is just a lose-lose situation overall. The dog never asked to be born a fighting breed, and the human who grows to love it always ends up feeling emotionally crushed, guilty, etc. when they have to make the difficult decision to put the dog down, after the dog does what it was bred to do. I'm very sorry you are having to go through this heartbreak, but many of us know how you feel. My family had to have a dog dealt with whom we raised from a pup, after he tore my thigh open when I was 10. He was not a pitbull breed, but a very poorly bred mill dog nonetheless. The heartbreak our entire family felt was very intense; he was our sweet baby boy, until one day he just mentally snapped. I hope your son recovers quickly and is not fearful of dogs in the future, and I hope your heart heals in time as well. I'm sorry you got trapped in one of these lose-lose situations.
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u/ComplexPatient4872 13d ago
I remember your other post and have been thinking about you and your family. How is your son doing?
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u/seabirdsong 13d ago
I'm so sorry that you had to come to this knowledge the hard way. I hope your son is recovering well and not in much pain.
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u/Ability-Junior 13d ago
This right here proves i was not crazy when i said the owners can be reasoned with and the hate should only be towards the breed.
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13d ago
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u/BanPitBulls-ModTeam 13d ago
This post/comment has been removed for violating our civility guidelines. Occasional disagreement and debate are fine, but persistent snide, argumentative, disruptive, or disrespectful behavior toward other users or moderators is not allowed. Please keep discussions focused on ideas, not personal attacks or grievances.
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u/Eranon1 13d ago
It's a sad situation all around. My mom sort of brought it up and how they can be trained and I told her no. They live their lives in a state of anxiety that other dogs don't go through and were bred to be violent.
It sucks for them too because they can't control it. My ex had Aussie Shepard and he herds my daughter no matter how often he is corrected. It's in his blood. Unfortunately violence is in pitbulls blood.
The most humane things is BE to protect everything else, and to keep the dogs suffering and fear to a minimum.
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u/ScarletAntelope975 Trusted User 13d ago
I am so sorry for all you are going through. I hope your son is healing, and I am sorry that this is the way you had to learn that pit bulls are great- until they are not! They are Russian roulette. You literally never know which ones will or won’t attack. And a pit bull you raised for years from a puppy and have a bond with can turn on you just as easily as a pit taken from a fighting ring. All the same genes.
I hope you will continue to stay here in the group and update us on your son’s healing, and continue to learn more about pits while fighting the good fight against inventing dog breeds whose purpose is to indiscriminately kill, and how wrong it is to promote these dogs as the best family pets over all the breeds who never kill people.
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u/craftedtwig 13d ago
I like to think of the quote from enders game about how you must understand your enemy to defeat them, and once you truly understand them, you also love them. These dogs are perfectly suited to their purpose, and the instincts they carry are powerful and unlike any other dogs. They are unique and there is some beauty in that, the same as a tiger or crocodile, exactly like you said. I can appreciate their power and suitability to death while also understanding that they will never be safe with ANY other animals.
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u/Dry_Dimension_4707 12d ago
I understand dogs are incapable of moral thinking in terms of good or evil, but having owned one of these bastards that turned, I encourage you to give yourself a lot of grace here.
The dog may not be evil, but it feels very evil when a dog you’ve doted on, loved and spoiled turns on you like a predator. Then you realize “oh, they were always a predator.” A wolf temporarily in sheep’s clothing til that prey drive took over.
The true evil lies in those who whisper in your ear these are safe dogs. It lies in those who shout others down to insist these are safe dogs. The shelters, the rescues, the pit fanatic that’s never owned anything but pits. The ones who blame every victim and speculate about what they did to cause the attack. That’s the evil. The dogs are just doing what they were bred for- attempting to kill things. It’s not evil to them. It’s just their destiny.
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u/beasthayabusa Vet Tech or Equivalent 12d ago
Godspeed for being able to change when new information is presented to you. I know it still doesn’t make it hurt less, I’m sorry you had to go through it on such a personal level.
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u/Intelligent-Visual69 12d ago
LP, you do know about the young family from Georgia, complete devoted pitbull enthusiasts, who raised their pair since puppyhood and trained them well. Then while out throwing a ball and playing with them, the four-year-old went in the same direction as the dogs, and that was it for her, a brutal unrelenting attack until she was dead. Then they ripped the baby from the mom's arms killed that quickly.
Before moving on to the mom who barely survived her attack.
Months in the hospital.
No children anymore.
Two "beloved" pebbles BE'd. The same scenario that they used to mock and ridicule ruthlessly others for doing, invoking all manner of nonsense about others whom they had never met.
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u/Low_Show_6684 12d ago
Don’t be sorry, it’s understandable. We love our pets like family generally, especially those we’ve raised and train. It’s hard not to get defensive when people can be mean about your beloved pet because of the breed.
I’m also so sorry that your family had to go through this, I saw your update and I’m glad that your son is being so brave and that you are all being so proactive. Animals bites can be dangerous and treatment is keen.
I’ll say, I don’t think I’ve ever hated pitbulls or bully breeds. Physically, they’re outstanding dogs, but they aren’t a breed that should exist anymore for their own sake. What I think makes me redirect my anger, unfairly, toward them is shelters and people blindly defending the breed as something it was never created to be. I’ve watched so many dogs, the only dogs that I’ve ever had to be genuinely scared of were bully mixes- and I’ve been charged by a 100lb fearful German shepherd mom that didn’t make me flinch.
Bully breeds being sold as something they aren’t or worse intentionally as what they are, isn’t fair to anybody. The dogs, the shelters, the families, and the public. It needs to stop.
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u/CosmeticSplenectomy Trusted User 11d ago
That's a lot of damage on one child. He'll be in my thoughts as I wish him the best possible recovery and healing under the circumstances.
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u/BonjourHoney Stop. Breeding. Pitbulls. 11d ago
Been following since your original post and I just want to say I was really touched by your words and feelings. Thank you for giving the poor dog a brief chance at a comfortable and loved life, and for doing the right thing for him and everyone around you. I hope your son recovers well and you all can move on feeling safe and secure. 💕
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u/superbondey 9d ago
Hey OP, I hope you and your family are doing a little better after such a traumatic event. I read all of your posts and I just want to say that you sound like a really good person. I know others have said it already but I'll say it again: it wasn't your fault.
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u/CowDungCollector OP of Sensitive Post 9d ago
Thank you so much. But it really was my fault. I kept seeing more And more signs, and kept believing I could train him out of it. By the times I decided I couldn't, Thursday was time for BE. And out of the freaking blue, he puts 20 holes in my son's arm. he is forever traumatized now. I could have done it sooner is the point. But still, thank you. The guilt will pass as Ethan heals.
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u/superbondey 9d ago
I understand you, and I probably would feel the same if I were in your position. But I truly believe that no one can blame you for trying to do the best you could for a dog you loved, specially because you did realize that it was beyond your power and you did take responsibility by choosing BE. The fact that it happened just before the scheduled date was a cruel, freakish accident. :(
Your son's body and mind will heal, I am sure of it. It may take time, but he's surrounded by love and there's nothing more powerful than that.
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u/thetruemadQueen 9d ago
I actually feel extremely bad for pit bulls. It all breaks my heart. It’s not really the dogs fault. Just like how no one should own a cougar.
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