Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hate when I hear people say how dangerous Boas are and how they will eat small childeren etc.. when they are just talking about something they really do not know anything about.

However... those same people usually have dogs as pets, and they are MUCH friendlier right.. dogs dont hurt anyone, Boas do all the hurting. Found this in my local paper today.... when was the last time you seen a boa take down a horse??

Pitt bulls kill family's horse

Wed, Apr 13, 2005

Dogs maul pets as 14-year-old twin girls attempt to intervene

By MELISSA DONLEY

The Brunswick News

A Nahunta family is still in shock after four pit bulls attacked its two horses, killing one and seriously injuring the other.

"They just demolished Gracie," said Mary Hinson of one of the horses.

Hinson is the mother of the two girls who witnessed the attack last Thursday.

The family's two horses, Gracie and Whitey, were in a fenced area with her twin 14-year-old daughters when the dogs got out of their own fenced-in area next door and attacked the animals.

"My children witnessed it," Hinson said. "They went out and tried to get the dogs off. One went after (one of the girls), and she started hitting it with a stick."

Gracie was killed by the dogs. Whitey is currently receiving care from a veterinarian for injuries to the stomach, hind end and legs.

The Hinson Family has had Whitey, 5-years-old, for 21/2 years and Gracie, 16-years-old, for a year.

The Brantley County Sheriff's Department said it has charged the owner of the dogs, 32-year-old Nahunta resident Robert Sizemore Jr., with cruelty to animals in the second degree. Sizemore is Hinson's neighbor.

"They knew it was (Sizemore's) dogs because there was blood everywhere," Hinson said.

Hinson was told that Sizemore destroyed the four dogs, but she said Tuesday that she wants proof.

Her girls, Kathleen Quinn and Tracy Quinn, have not gotten over the incident.

"It traumatized my kids because they saw it and tried to save their horse," Hinson said. "My kids are really going through a lot."
Article here

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Thanks
Shawn Morelan
www.SouthernBoids.com
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Signature file edited; [phw 9/26/04]

i own snakes aaaaand pit bulls.. and in my opinion the ones that should suffer dearly are the irresponsible owners !! not the poor animals . in my honest opinion i believe that the only thing that would put an end to all this bulls--t is to enforse high and strict fines !! dont ban an animal and ruin it for the responsible owners out there like myself ! i believe that the only reason politicians just dont waste time and go straight to banning an animal is pure lazyness.. if strict laws and fines are enforced on thos irresponsible owners and are made known to the public , i guarantee you that that kids father thats buying these animals for these kids will think twice about aquiring an animal for that child, knowing that if that child is irresponsible it can cost em , lets sayyyyyyyyyy $2000 ?? this imo would be a great solution to banning an entire species or breed of dog.. i live in miami where pit bulls are completely banned and now i have to resort to keeping my animals in a cousins farm in west palm beach florida !! and trust me i get very angry when i see kids being irresponsible with a breed of dog that can whoop anything on 4 legs. i do believe dogs like the american pit bull terrier is a breed that does require an extra amount of responsibility to own. and shouldnt be owned by someone that feels its ok to take em out for a walk without a leash for example .. enforce strict penalties for irresponsability and stop banning animals that can be owned by responsible adults with no problems and we will see a huge difference . koky
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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!

his name is lucky and hes my second thing in my life after my son

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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!

PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED!

But you can go down to the local pound a get a "mixed breed" (pit bull) for FREE. That's why fines and lawsuits don't work against irresponsible owners. Unfortunately, I would be shocked if in the next five years there wasn't a total or partial ban on "aggresive dogs" in Florida. It's the easy way out for the law makers and the VOTING public is getting very tired of reading about maulings every week in the paper. Personally. I would love to get a brindle female at exactly 8 weeks old, after my current "boxer mix" passes on (she's 10 and doin' great-just can't jump in the truck bed anymore.)Hope I'm wrong about a ban.

Just as the incidents with reptiles in the media were the result of irresponsible owners, pit-bull become victims too. I have a pit-bull and never shown my dog violence.... sometimes I feel a little weird because my dog acts the opposite of the normal stereo type. Looks can be deceiving! Here is a pic. of my sissy dog at only 8 months.

I love pits as much as I love snakes and there's misunderstanding and ignorance about both. It always comes down to responsible and irresponsible owners. EVERY single time. It's not the animals' fault. And also, as far as banning goes, pits are probably banned in more places than snakes. Which in a way, isn't such an ignorant thing since there are SO MANY ignoratnt pit owners that breed for fighting and everything else that those amazing animals should not be subjected to.

I have 6 Rottweilers and know exactly what you mean Koky. Ban the deed, not the breed! It's the punks that mess everything up for the responsible owners like us. I get so sick and tired of people asking if my dogs will eat their kids!
I prefer people to cross the street when they see me walking 3 of the dogs at a time...then I have no need to answer their ignorant questions about the dogs. If people really want to know about Rotts, they will walk right up to me and ask. It's the people that walk away and never learn that are the ignorant ones that will never know the love of a Rott or a Pit Bull.
*Hops off her soapbox*
Dove

My, pit's also a big sissy lap dog but I wouldn't have it any other way. He still does his job of protecting the snake room though! Nice pit Angel, looks like he's gonna be a big guy.

RUBEN MICHEL

why do people feel the need to have the one that is statistically the most unpredictable and dangerous? They are intimidating as well, I hate being around pitbulls. I don't trust them. Cheers

Russ

Sorry you feel that way Russ. Ignorance can be a poison. If you believe what you see in the media then nothing in these posts will mean anything. Any dog has the ability to be trained to attack, however not all dogs have the look one would consider intimidating. If say tomorrow Chihuahuas became the number 1 animal kept by teenagers and in urban areas, would we have more cases of Chihuahua bites? How many pitbulls have you owned to say they are unpredictable? Again, you are probably going off the media. I have owned and been around pitbulls for more than 30 years and not once have I been bitten. Then again all pitbulls I have been around have been raised as family pets and were not acquired because of fighting. If anyone has properly researched dogs they would find that a Golden Retriever has just the exact same temperament as a Pitbull. You said it yourself “They are intimidating”, that is why these dogs are the choice of most teenagers and careless people. Let’s run some real numbers here, if you got rid of the 70% of careless pitbull owners then the number of bites would be similar to any other breed.

Oh, and I can assure you that if someone would try and harm a member of my family….. Shady would lay his life to protect. Why would I want something else?

RUBEN MICHEL

your hearing from one whos daughter lost a large amount of her lips by one raised by an elderly lady. This dog was in the family for around 10 years , problem free, until one day when it bit the owners daughter in the arm repeatedely(to the bone), and also my 7 yr old daughters face, to where she couldn't close her mouth.
I know there are countles "nice ones" but to have an animal , and be allowed to roam around playgrounds, and parks, etc - is like pointing a gun to your head and spinning the chamber. TOO UNPREDICTABLE.! ! !
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--aka DMOG68

Again, any dog has the ability to attack. You have crazy people capable of harming a child. People harm people more than dogs….. do we keep our children away from other persons? I could tell you right now that I would not let my son run around any park with ANY animal not properly restrained. People act like Pitbulls are the only dogs that ever bite. Like I said, if you get rid of all the irresponsible keepers... the numbers would be the same or less than any other breed. Pitbulls are hardy animals and are more tolerant than other breeds; tests have actually been conducted and pit pulls seem to have better temperament than numerous other dogs.

Any person or animal can be unpredictable..... No one is guaranteed safety from anything. I'm not saying that a pitbull won't bite, what I'm saying is that there is a chance that any dog would of done the same. Are you saying that you have never been bitten by a reptile unexpectedly? I know I have, man.... I've been bit by a leopard gecko and everybody told me they didn't bite. If you want to guarantee you or your children won't get bit or hurt, then the only solution is to keep away from people and animals as far as possible.

But I keep hearing that "it's the way they were raised", that's not all that true, as with the incident with my daughter, and a Great Dane that my father put thru obedience school, who turned on, and bit people within a year for no reason. I do see your point, as one who works in the utility industry - When I pull up to a construction site, and these young guys have 6 different types of dogs running around with no leash - they are totally being careless of others. I really hear what you are trying to say, but i don't trust the "nicest" dogs of any kind.
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--aka DMOG68

I'm a dog trainer and I work for a company that trains Police dogs and also works with aggressive pets. Pit bulls are fabulous dogs...if you know how to handle a working breed. There are exceptions to any stereotype, but I'm not talking about those dogs.

The fact is that they are a breed not everyone should own. They are high drive (prey drive, the desire to chase, catch, and kill), extremely intelligent, pain tolerant, and highly trainable. This is an absolutely to die for combination if you are looking at police or military dogs, but with the stigma the breed has collected due to poor owners and people breeding fighting dogs, we can't use them.

Take away all that bad 'mojo' and quite honestly, they would be the only breed I'd probably own. However, they are not suitable for most people, and as with ANY dog, I'd never leave them alone with a child. People are not educated in a way which makes them understand dog behavior, hence the reason people insist "the dog just turned one day" and the pit usually does alot of damage.

Most people pretty much let their dogs do whatever they want and as the dog matures, it takes over the leadership position. The pup that would let your child crawl all over it, is much less likely to tolerate the behavior (particularly from a child, which the dog percieves as the lowest on the totem pole) as a mature adult.

I have worked with dozens of pits, and never been bitten...but I also know how to read them. The most notoriously aggressive breeds I've worked with have been Chows (and chow mixes), Shar-peis, and cocker spaniels (although this is generally fear based biting). Most small dogs are quicker to bite than large dogs. The only large dogs I've ever been bitten by have been mixed breeds. I get bitten about once out of every 200 dogs I work with, and the most recent was a Great Pyrenees/Malamute mix.

I'm a pit bull owner and a HUGE pit bull fan. I know what great loyal dogs pit bulls are. I also know that pitbulls and it relatives are great with kids because they can tolerate the pains that children sometimes inflict on kids. However, the potential that these animals have makes them, in my opinion, to be unsuitable for ownership by most dog owners. I would support a measure to require a license attached with a pretty hefty fee for ownership of potentially deadly dogs (and pythons for that matter). I have seen the faces of beautiful children torn off from these dogs. It isn't the dogs fault it is the way they were brought up. I know pitbulls aren't prone to attack anymore than any other dog but they do have a fighting history which includes aggresion. How can anyone believe that there isn't anything going on with this breed? Look....my philosophy still remains....PEOPLE first animals second. Again, I have a pitbull that is part of our family and he is a house dog, but I have to be smart too and realize what could happen. So I keep him socialized and keep a EXTREMELY watchful eye on him. Let's not be ignorant at the expense of some innocent beautiful child. It has happened way too much.

BTW the same holds true with Rotts, Dobys, German shepards and the such.

Alex

are the exact reason we are having this problem with our snakes as well.. what a shame people on this forum still even make these comments !! about any animal.. whatever .. i guess you cant change the world
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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!

I have two female golden retrievers. Yes, yes...you can start going on and on and ON about how 'nice' goldens are. I hate those two more than I hate people. They ARE unpredictable and HAVE shown just how 'pit bull-like' they can be. Both dogs have sent me to the ER more than once because I got in the middle of their fighting and they turned on me. Another time, they both ganged up on our now deceased westie terrier and proceeded to shake her like a rag doll. I had to use a tree branch to keep my UBER FRIENDLY dogs from killing another.

That being said, I am always at my friends' houses and they own Dobermans, Pitts and Rotts. NEVER have those dogs shown ANY type of 'weird attack dog' behavior...unless you count the humping of the leg or peeing on the leg but hey, that just means they like you and they now own you, right?

What I'm trying to say is that it's nuture, not nature. My dogs were showered with affection and love and never shown any type of cruelty and yet, I wouldn't trust them around a toddler with food. The 'attack' breeds of dogs are CAPABLE of being vicious and certainly capable of killing pets and people unless preoperly raised, trained and care for. If you raise a Pitt with the sole purpose of having a big, mean dog...well, you have a big mean dog with no social skills and that dog is more likely to be the cause of some serious trauma to a child than a Pitt who was smothered with love and attention which might just scare the kid by jumping on him/her and proceeding to try and lick his/her face off.

And by the way...I KNOW my Tokay, Marble and Bibron geckos are SOOOOOO worse than any dog.

I was just saying that I see alot more news on other animals then Boas ... I did not mean other animals should or should not be banned.

I am also a dog lover, but we always had Boxers. None of our animals were ever mean either... but they would sure make a scene if you tried to come in the yard.

Beautiful pics of your animals as well - I would not try to get by them.
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Thanks
Shawn Morelan
www.SouthernBoids.com
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Signature file edited; [phw 9/26/04]

I think people get more emotional over dog bites...dogs are social animals, and we take them into our family, and we trust them--but dogs, like people, are prone to psychological difficulties...sometimes, things happen. Not often, but every now and then...and then we feel horribly betrayed, because an animal we trusted became violent.
With herps, we know where we stand--we know that they aren't social animals, and we expect that even a tame herp may try to bite us one day. We know that we have to be, at least a bit, on guard with them. Folks who don't keep herps don't know that...they think a tame herp is trustworthy, or they believe that all herps are automatically vicious.
So, if a snake bites someone, people freak out and try to ban all snakes, because they're all lumped into the same category--"vicious".
If a dog bites someone, they go after the BREED...they can't believe that it might have been ANY dog that did it, because then they wouldn't be able to completely trust their own faithful pooch.
Pit bulls were traditionally the BEST family dog you could get...Our Gang had one, Buster Brown (the shoe company) had one on their logo, RCA had a pit bull on their logo...the ideal loyal family pet.
Various breeds that have been subject to a "bad reputation" over the years include pit bulls, German shepards, doberman pinschers, Akitas, and rottweilers. See a theme?
Ironically, the German shepard's current reputation isn't bad at all. It used to be considered unpredictable, and prone to being vicious without warning...and sure, there are plenty of stories to back that up. Every now and then, a dog will attack...and we won't understand why. But hey, German shepards are used by law enforcement, and as guide dogs....you can't ban a breed that's used as a seeing eye dog, can you?
Pit bulls make decent seeing eye dogs, by the way, if they go through the proper training...it's been done, though not often.

Point blank--the more of a breed are owned by people who are irresponsible or violent, the more the statistics of that breed will show them to be "unpredictable and vicious". The high rate of pit bull attacks has nothing to do with pit bulls, and everything to do with the massive numbers of nasty people who own them. If you take away the pit bulls, rottweilers will be next--they already are in some places. Take away rotts, and they'll move on to something else--German shepards, dobermans, mastiffs, any large dog that has at least some instinct to guard or fight would make a good candidate for abuse by those type of people. And any dogs subjected to that treatment will be unpredictable and potentially violent. The more dogs subjected to that treatment, the more the statistics will show those dogs to be dangerous.
If a pit bull owned by a responsible person makes you nervous, but a German shepard owned by a responsible person does not, then you are a victim of the media...you're being gullible, frankly.

Is a boa more dangerous than a pit bull? Absolutely not! Is a boa more likely to bite you than a pit bull? Yes, it absolutely is. You can own a pit bull for its entire life, and never have that dog try to bite a single person.
If you own a boa for its entire life, and it never bites you, and never strikes, you own a miracle, lol.
The problem is that people don't realize that the majority of the time, a snake bite is no big deal....they assign a level of capability to a boa that is way out of proportion to what it can accomplish. They think a boa's like a vicious pit bull, when it's really more of a snappy miniature poodle.
Education's the only way to solve that--not by downplaying the fact that snakes bite, because all snakes can bite, and most do at some point--but by demonstrating that a boa simply doesn't have what it takes do to serious damage to someone, even if it went completely berserk and behaved like a rabid badger...which they simply don't do.
The only way you're going to be seriously injured by a boa is if you actually help the snake injure you--placing it around your neck, for example, or kissing it on the nose.

the original dog on the little rascals was an american pitbull terrier as well now why would anyone ever trust a supposedly vicious dog with a whole bunch of little kids ? my son is 2 years younger than my dog and my dog has always adored him. my son is 6 now and my dog 8. never once did my dog even look at him funny. its all in what you teach your animal .. cause my dog does not tolerate any other animal .. he just developed a high prey drive i guess.. but when he sees my son he just pees all over the place of happiness !! they are best buds !!
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NO BEAUTY LIKE THE BEAUTY OF A TRUE REDTAIL !!