advice needed about neighbors pit bulls...

[lulu]

  hello everyone. i have a question that i am hoping that some of you might be able to give me some advice on. i have just recently gotten a golden retriever puppy. he is 9 weeks old today. my neighbors have 2 pit bulls. a 6 year old and a 4 month old. i admit that i have never been around pits before and know not much about them. i have heard all the stories about pits attacking other animals though. (i know there are countless pits that Never attack but you dont hear about those). my neighbors let their dogs run free in their yard. they dont have a fence and they dont chain up their dogs. so, whenever i try to put my dog, cooper, outside in our front yard (which is not fenced in) the neighbors pit comes running over. their 4 month old pit loves playing with cooper and cooper loves it also. so far they have played nicely...my concern however, is that something may one day happen. should i be worried or should i just let them play together? i have had some ppl tell me that i shouldnt let cooper play with pit bulls. i would rather my neighbor keep their dogs out of my yard, unless i invite the dogs over but i have yet to tell them that. i kind of assume since the young pit, monster, is only 4 months old (only 2 months older than cooper and not a lot larger)if they grow up playing together then there probably shouldnt be any problems but i am just not sure. anyone have any advice or suggestions? i do not want to offend pit bull owners i am just trying to protect my puppy and also educate myself more before i make any decisions about whether or not to let cooper play with him. i know i dont want him to play with their 6 year old pit because he seems to play too rough with the little pit bull and i think he would hurt cooper. i dont trust him. but the puppy pit bull is really cute and i would love cooper to have a friend to play with.
  thanks for any advice

[Kermit]

Wow, when I read the title of this post, I was like, when did I post that? Because yesterday, I thought about posting the exact same title.
I, too, have neighbors with two pit bulls... and they are even BREEDING them. They just moved in.

Anyhoo, even if you (or they) did have a fence, a pit bull can sail easily over a 5 foot fence... it happened here yesterday.
I don't have anything against the breed, but I DO know what they are capable of. And that is killing. They have the most powerful bite of any dog. They are fighting machines. It is what they were designed to do. In the event that even the nicest pit bull gets into a brawl, the other dog doesn't stand much of a chance.  If their instincts kick in, if they feel defensive, what would be a mild scuff could easily become a bloodbath.

I am not trying to scare you, but I am telling you I am scared right now for my dogs. I have 7 pooches and they range in size and age, and several of them wouldn't last a minute against one of my neighbors dogs... if a fight broke out.

My advice: if you want your puppy to have a friend to play with, take him to a local dog park or puppy class. And if you have a leash law in your area I'd try to do something about those neighbors. Pit bulls off-leash? That is asking for disaster. 

I'm sorry you are in a tough position. I hope everyone stays safe and I wish all the pit bull owners of the world (like your neighbors and my neighbors) would be responsible dog owners.

[dober_gurl]

I say let them play together... from all the pit bull fosters I've had not one has had trouble with my dogs.

[VdogLover]

Does your city have some type of leash law? If so I would contact your AC and ask for their help in this matter. If not if it was me I would be investing in a fence for my own dog.

[angelsmama]

if they get along let them play ive met several friendly pit bulls :)true they were bred for fighting and could  hurt someone or another dog,  but any breed can. its not just APBT's that will.  punish the deed & not the breed. just watch them playing like you would with any other breed and correct either one  if they play too rough. it'll all be ok i'm sure

[Terri]

We have 2 danes and 2 pits. Let them play. my goodness pits are not all mean and hateful like on tv. Our pits are the biggest babies. If they are not brought up to fight then they will just play like any other dog.

[ZooCrew]

Please research the breed before making any generalization s on them.

If they are both friendly, which it appears they are, then i see no problem with letting them play together.  We have several pits that come to our dog park, and they get into no more fights than any other dog there.

Pit bulls are a wonderful breed of dog.  Get to know them before making judgements.  And don't listen to the general population.  I've learned that is never a good place to get correct information.  It is always best to research on your own.

[will]

are the pitbulls intact?

[GR8DAME]

Fence your yard. This is not a slam against pit bulls, it is a generalization against irresponsible dog owners that let their dogs roam free. Do you know for sure that these dogs or any other dog that chooses to wander over has been properly immunized and vet checked? Are you willing to risk your dog's health to the chance that they are? What if the fun little game of Catch -me-if-you-can ends up in the street? Is your puppy well trained and controlled enough to stop on a dime and return to safety in the heat of the moment when the car is barrelling down the road? Mine aren't. You may always be out with him but it only takes a second for a tradgedy to occur.
My back-yard is fenced, and that is the play area. Other than that my crew are on leashes and under direct control, other than at the fenced (again) dog park.
And dogs do change as they mature, regardless of breed. My dane's best friend was the golden next door when they were young. They ran and played in my fenced in back yard for hours. When they hit maturity, something changed,they got into a huge fight and they could not be trusted together anymore. They hate each other and try to fight through the fence now.
I want control over my dog's environment. You can fence in your yard and still invite baby pit over to play, in safety.
Stella

[Lyn]

I would speak to your neighbours and ask them to keep their dogs on their own property. I have a big problem with loose dogs regardless of the breed or size.

 

[lulu]

 thanks for all the ideas. just to clarify, our backyard, which IS fenced in, is where cooper goes outside the vast majority of the time. but if we are taking him on a walk or walking him to the car then we are in the front yard and we also have him on a leash out in the front if we are sitting out there, and those are the times the pits run over to play. i hope nobody took my question offensively because it was not meant that way. i think i will end up having a talk with my neighbors to find out some more info about the dogs. the neighbors with the pits just moved in so we dont know much about them or their dogs. i have NOTHING against pit bulls. my neighbors pit puppy is adorable and i enjoy playing with him, i would just rather error on the side of caution.
 thanks again for the ideas...

[Kermit]

I'm glad to hear your neighbors are more conscious of their dogs' wherabouts now.

Good news over here too- since my incident the other day with the new neighbor's pit jumping over the fence into my yard, they have not left her out unattended.

[smsmith]

my husband has already briefly mentioned to one of the owners that we are a bit worried about the older one and it seems already that they have been keeping a better eye on him when he is out. so, the neighors seem to be respectful of that.

Communication is the greatest thing, ain't it?  I applaud you and your husband for being concerned and taking an intelligent step toward understanding your neighbors and their dogs.