Question about dog safety

[SeekerMage]

SIL just got a new dog....a mutt that seems to be mostly pit bull and part boxer. They got it from a vet who had rescued it from abuse. While they say he is gentle and are taking it to obiedence school....how safe is this dog really? They cant even control their 2 year old, how do they intend to control this dog too? Do I have reason to be concerned? My oldest will go up to any dog just about and love on it so this really makes me nervous! Especially since the dog was abused, who knows what will make it upset. What do you think?

Well I can't control my almost two year old and I have THREE dogs!!!!
I persoanlly would hate the fate of animals to be determined by if we can control a two year old...
How this dog will be no stranger can answer...only time will say.
With that said some the greatest dogs I have ever been around are boxers, pits of course have a reputation but I have also seen very nice pits.

the good news is it was a vet that determined this dog was "rescue" material...and I think on the level of who is to evaluate such a thing that is the top notch person to make such a decision.

I hope this is a great dog for everyones sake...everyone of course has a right to decide if they want to go to others homes due to animals are not and that might be a decision that you have to make...

I have been around many abused dogs in my resuce efforts and have found many to be the most wonderful of pups...

Good luck!!!!
Neve and Tristan born Feb 25, 2003
* EDD 3/19/05 Baby girl BRONWYN
* Adopting siblings in Ukraine 12-10-04
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan

Well I think you're going to have to meet this dog before you pass judgement. FWIW, dogs are much easier to control than 2 y.o.'s TRUST ME - LOL!

[lmintzer]

This may sound extreme, but here are my thoughts about it. You cannot guarantee your child's safety around a dog like this. Pitt Bulls are hunters/killers. That's just who they are genetically speaking. You can modify their behavior, but you still don't know how one would respond when frightened or angered. And children can easily spook dogs, even when they don't mean to.

I have had a psychotherapy patient who was maulled by a Pitt, and boy oh boy, was he a mess, physically and psychologically. It was a very, very sad case. So, you can see where my bias is.

I would not let my children in a house with a dog like this--at all. Just my 2 cents.

We have had "rescue" dogs before and it can be difficult really whether you have kids or not..

I think the mostly pit bull part is what bugs me..i know some can be fine but i also know as a whole the breed was/is for fighting.

They banned them here where i live, which i'm mixed on how i feel about that too ;)

Really in all honesty NO dog should ever be left alone w/a child, children and dogs should be watched by adults closely.

[ethansmom]

"Really in all honesty NO dog should ever be left alone w/a child, children and dogs should be watched by adults closely."

ITA! Our dog was abused and is now, 8 yrs later, great with our DS. However, I don't think it would have been that way had we had DS 7 yrs ago. Our dog has never (yet!) bitten anyone, but he did snap at me when we first got him and was testing who was alpha dog.

Obedience training is the best thing they can do for the dog at this point. It helped ours so much! Our timid guy found some self-confidence and it made a world of difference.

Seriously, my DS now taunts the dog w/food and regularly sticks his hand in the dog's mouth (we are working on that!). That being said, I wouldn't leave them alone because you just never know....I don't want to feel that guilt. However, rescue dogs are very grateful and can make some of the best additions to a family.

[Momof3Labs]

>You cannot guarantee your child's safety around a dog like
>this.

The reality is that you cannot guarantee your child's safety around ANY dog. Use the same reasonable precautions that you would use around any dog - closely supervising your child's interactions with the dog, and if anything makes you uncomfortable, end the contact immediately. It's also VERY important to teach your child how to act around a dog. Including keeping her away from the dog's toys, food and water. Don't expect the dog to just take anything that a toddler can dole out.

And remember that abuse (and neglect) comes in many shapes and forms, and different dogs react differently to it. I would hope that the vet wouldn't place a dog that showed an iota of aggression in a house with a toddler, but the reality is also that not all rescuers take these things into consideration.

I had a formerly abused dog who was the sweetest soul in the world, and was absolutely amazing with even the youngest children. Hopefully this dog will be like mine was!

[HGraceMom]

You're not out of line to ask them to crate (or relegate to the basement, etc.) the dog when you're visiting with your children - We have a 100 pound Chessie (who's as gentle as they come) who I always put downstairs when we have friends over with their children. You just never know how either the child or the dog is going to react when pushed to the limit... I'd never be offended by the request.

That said, the first time you all meet the dog, do it in a calm setting so your children and the dog all can get acquainted. Our dog always is excited to meet new people, and that's when she usually gets into the most trouble - jumping or pushing into the crowd to say hello.

It makes me sad to see pit bulls given such a bad rap. :( Pits were bred to fight *other dogs* not human beings. Aggression towards other dogs and aggression towards humans are two very different things. Back when pits were used in fighting, it was important that they be good with people because the owners needed to handle them while injured and riled up.

Pits are not hunters, but hunting is not a drive associated with aggression against people.

A bad pit can do a lot of damage, and I wouldn't be blase about a pit bull, but they aren't the evil dogs many think they are.

As has been mentioed, you can NEVER guarantee a child's safety with any dog. I think erring on the side of caution is always best, especially when dealing with an abused rescue. Better safe than sorry.

[miki]

This is the same experience we had with our rescue dog. Seven years ago he was obviously abused. He once snapped at my husband when we were checking whether his ears needed to be cleaned. Now he is much better with DD than the dog we've had since puppyhood. Our rescue dog is the one that DD goes to hug and pet. You definitely need to be careful and encourage the obedience training.