Another debate: hmm...

Chatterbox: Down to Earth

Another debate: hmm...

Another debate: hmm... no politics, no religions, ahh yes. Here's one! Ahem. Big dogs. No, not big, HUGE dogs! Pittbulls, Grey Hounds, are they dangerous?

submitted by Mathilda B., Greensburg, PA
(August 25, 2009 - 4:37 pm)

My favorite big dogs are Irish Wolfhounds.... I went to Irish fair and they had some! sooo big and sooo friendly!

submitted by Maggie S.`, age 13, MN
(August 29, 2009 - 6:48 pm)

Pitbulls are actually orginially used for fighting because they won't turn on their owners. That was an important factor if you had to pull your dog off another dog in the ring.

submitted by GloWorm, age 12, USA
(August 30, 2009 - 9:02 pm)

I think that it mainly depends on how a dog is treated

by it's owner. If a dog is treated meanly than they'll

probably be more aggressive. Fore example, this

lady that used to be our neighbor has this huge

(and I do mean huge) great dane named

Samantha and she is a perfectly friendly dog.

But once, when I was out at my grandma's house,

I was taking a walk down her street and one of her

neighbors rottweiler almost bit my hand off... :\

He was smaller than Samantha but much more

aggressive. But, I do think that some of the very

large dogs (great danes, pitbulls, etc.) have a

strong instinct to kill if a stranger is in their

territory or something like that. If you mess

with them too much, even the nicest dog, then

that instinct might take over. So, yes, I think

large dogs can definitely be dangerous, but not

nearly as dangerous if they are treated well.

submitted by Megan M., age 14, Ohio
(August 28, 2009 - 3:30 pm)

It all depends on how you train the dog. I don't think it matters what size the dog is, it can be's house. But also, a rottwieler (spelling?) attacked my cousin's piano teacher. I personally like dogs in between, not super huge but not tiny either.

submitted by Julia, Oregon
(August 28, 2009 - 5:23 pm)

Pittbulls- dangerous. I know that there are plenty of nice, sweet Pittbulls, but there's no way to be sure.

Big dogs- sweet and loving, mostly. Aunt and Uncle have a huge, beautiful Belgian Shepard. She is the sweetest, timidest, gentlest dog on this planet, this coming from a cat person. My best friend is terrified of her. Some people are just biased against big dogs.

submitted by Emma
(August 28, 2009 - 6:33 pm)

There's 'no way to be sure' for anyone or anything in the world. There are humans who are murderers, but that doesn't mean we should accept all other humans as dangerous. You say that some people are just biased against big dogs. I agree, but I think that other people are just biased against pittbulls.

Are you Emmo O? There are several other Emmas, but this seems to be more like Emma O than any of the others.

submitted by Ima
(September 3, 2009 - 9:01 pm)

Well, this is just my opinion, but I don't like big dogs. I don't love any dog, (I prefer cats) but I like dogs that aren't huge, but are tiny, either. And pitt bulls.... ugh. Do a Google image search of one. Scary, huh?

submitted by Mathilda B., Greensburg, PA
(August 28, 2009 - 7:50 pm)

Yes, Megan said it well.

submitted by Mary W., age 11.69, NJ
(August 31, 2009 - 7:03 am)

Thanks. :D

submitted by Megan M., age 14, Ohio
(August 31, 2009 - 2:19 pm)

Pittbulls scare me. 

I like some big dogs. We recently visiting a farm, and they had a huge Saint Bernard. He was adorable, and really mild and gentle. But mostly I like smaller dogs. I have two dogs. One is a Westie, one is a corgie mix. They are both extremely nice, and neither of them has ever acted mean. Some little dogs are mean and annoying. I don't care for really little dogs, like miniature pinchers and such, because they yip so much and usually are not very nice. 

I think Grey Hounds are graceful and loping. They don't seem mean to me. 

submitted by JFB, age 13, Here and There
(August 29, 2009 - 8:54 am)

Nice description of a greyhound!

submitted by Lauren M., age 13, Washington
(September 2, 2009 - 4:57 pm)

Pittbulls and Greyhounds ARE NOT dangerous.  They're just bred that way.  Some people half starve the dogs so that they are really hungry and feed them gun powder so their stomach's all weird.  And if you ate gunpowder and your stomach felt bad and the person that is walking in front of you looks like the guy who kicked you around and abused you, what would you do?  Run and bark at them?  Or would you keep your anger in and stay lying there, doing nothing?  I think that I would try to hurt them.

submitted by Meadow
(August 29, 2009 - 3:01 pm)

It's not the breed that's dangerous, it's the individual dog. Some dogs are, some aren't. It's that simple, (in my opinion).

 

GloWorm

submitted by GloWorm, age 12, USA
(August 29, 2009 - 10:42 pm)

And just to say, we had 'Smidgen' who is was a fox terrier, and she would growl and bite anyone who came up to her besides our family..

Then we had Mitzi, who was a min shnauzer, and she would lick everyone. xD

Then we had Dandy, who was an italian greyhound (Mini greyhound basically.) who would growl and bite SOME people, but lick others.

 

So it's not the size...it's the dog.

 

 

GloWorm

 

submitted by GloWorm, age 12, USA
(September 1, 2009 - 9:18 am)

True. :D I've known quite a few small dogs who are

really... violent. It's really funny, actually. XD Kinda

like on the Mighty Dog commercials... o.O Anyway,

one of our neighbors has this jack russel terrier named

Lily, and our golden retriever is terrified of her. All we

have to do is say her name and he'll start running 

home. So yeah, size isn't everything, either. :\

submitted by Megan M., age 14, Ohio
(September 1, 2009 - 2:35 pm)