The fact that boxers and pitbulls are similar doesn't excuse the fact that people need to be more open minded. I don't accuse anyone's rott or doberman of being a mean dog even though there are some out there who are mean. That's all I know about those dogs and I still wouldn't assume anything. If people think that a dog in a car is going to attack them then maybe they need to mind their own business and keep their eyes out of other people's cars.
VENTING!!! Anyone else get frustrated when people act afraid of Boxers?
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daisymom
Boxer Buddy
WHAT CAN I SAY? The same thing seems to be going on everywhere in the world. We have had people mistaking our Dai-doo for a "pitbull" and I had assumed that such ignorant people existed here only, as our society is not all that freaked about dogs. Who can even mistake those biig, soft, velvety eyes and that beautiful smile for a pitbull, I cannot understand?
It is so funny to read that mostly the dogs people walk everywhere are golden retrievers - is this some kind of fashion trend, because it is the same here too?
It is so funny to read that mostly the dogs people walk everywhere are golden retrievers - is this some kind of fashion trend, because it is the same here too?
myrocky
Boxer Insane
fashion trend too funny!
I agree with the fashion trend thing. Everyone who starts a family thinks that they have to have either a golden or lab. Collies used to be big but I think that has faded away. The really good family dogs are boxers and rotties. But people are afraid of them. If people would just take time and do some research then they would have the information. But instead they talk like they know everything. Oh we can't have a rottie they are mean. Whatever.
Jason-yes I do and have the right to get irritated when people make assumptions. Isn't there a saying in there about being an a** when you assume? I would rather people ask me what kind of dog I have then to assume that Rocky is a pitt. The people that assume then feel my dog is mean and won't come near us. This is very upsetting. It is hard to socialize a dog when no one wants to come near him. And for those of you who have pitts, I would be just as upset when people assume my dog is mean just because of breed typing. That is just plain ignorance and should not be excused.
I agree with the fashion trend thing. Everyone who starts a family thinks that they have to have either a golden or lab. Collies used to be big but I think that has faded away. The really good family dogs are boxers and rotties. But people are afraid of them. If people would just take time and do some research then they would have the information. But instead they talk like they know everything. Oh we can't have a rottie they are mean. Whatever.
Jason-yes I do and have the right to get irritated when people make assumptions. Isn't there a saying in there about being an a** when you assume? I would rather people ask me what kind of dog I have then to assume that Rocky is a pitt. The people that assume then feel my dog is mean and won't come near us. This is very upsetting. It is hard to socialize a dog when no one wants to come near him. And for those of you who have pitts, I would be just as upset when people assume my dog is mean just because of breed typing. That is just plain ignorance and should not be excused.
J
Jason
Guest
Ok Guys. Myrocky wrote:
"The really good family dogs are boxers and rotties. "
Rotties are the #1 dog involved in fatal attacks on humans. You can't compare a Rottie to a Boxer in any regard. You were way off with that statement.
mannabyrd and the rest. I am not attacking you I am just trying to get you all to open your eyes. Yes people are generalizing. Why does it bother you? Because you believe your the difference between a Boxer and Pit is night and Day. This is not true. They are very similar. And there is nothing wrong with Pits.
For hundreds of years dogs like Pits and Boxers were used for all sorts of activities that we would consider, inhumane. When in the years preceding the mid to late 80's can any of you point out a dog biting epidemic like the one we have now? The problem is people, unscrupulous people. Just ask yourself "what kind of Damage could a 75lb Boxer(that has been abused and mistreated) do to a person?" The same damage as any other dog. So don't judge an entire breed based on the actions of dogs that are the opposite of what the breed is about.
"The really good family dogs are boxers and rotties. "
Rotties are the #1 dog involved in fatal attacks on humans. You can't compare a Rottie to a Boxer in any regard. You were way off with that statement.
mannabyrd and the rest. I am not attacking you I am just trying to get you all to open your eyes. Yes people are generalizing. Why does it bother you? Because you believe your the difference between a Boxer and Pit is night and Day. This is not true. They are very similar. And there is nothing wrong with Pits.
For hundreds of years dogs like Pits and Boxers were used for all sorts of activities that we would consider, inhumane. When in the years preceding the mid to late 80's can any of you point out a dog biting epidemic like the one we have now? The problem is people, unscrupulous people. Just ask yourself "what kind of Damage could a 75lb Boxer(that has been abused and mistreated) do to a person?" The same damage as any other dog. So don't judge an entire breed based on the actions of dogs that are the opposite of what the breed is about.
myrocky
Boxer Insane
You need to take your own advice. Rotties are great dogs and just because someone somewhere got attacked doesn't mean that they are awful. Rotties are not bred to be aggressive and hurt people. They are working dogs and they are hearding dogs. Eventually people saw them as being good guard dogs. If boxers turned around and became the the #1 dog involved in human attacks would you give up your dog----doubtful. You would try and educate people that boxers can be wonderful. And we all know that in animal attacks it is usually some humans fault not the animal.
J
Jason
Guest
MyRocky...
My point is not to upset you. Read the other posts. Can you see all the pit bull bias? It is pretty thick. The Boxer lovers on this board are fooling themselves into thinking they have the furthest thing from a pitbull, anything a pit can do a Boxer can do(The sucess rate is another debate). The 2 breeds have common hertitage and ancestry... and the 2 dogs have similar temperment. I should have made my point clearer about Rotties. They are the #1 dog involved in FATAL attacks on humans. Yet you understand that the breed itself is not a "bad" breed. The same is true for the pitbull and the people on this board should realize that.
I've had people see my Boxer and then assume he wants to bite them. I don't get upset I tell them to come and pet him. That should be the response, not this misguided ignorance that comes across from all the anti-pitbull posts.
DO YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE GERMANS HAVE BEEN KILLING INNOCENT BULLDOG(pits and Staffs), BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN THE SAME IGNORANCE YOU EXHIBIT AND MULTIPLIED IT. It's a sad situation, people are losing good pets just because a bias created by the media... As dog lovers you should all be ashame of yourselves for buying into it.
My point is not to upset you. Read the other posts. Can you see all the pit bull bias? It is pretty thick. The Boxer lovers on this board are fooling themselves into thinking they have the furthest thing from a pitbull, anything a pit can do a Boxer can do(The sucess rate is another debate). The 2 breeds have common hertitage and ancestry... and the 2 dogs have similar temperment. I should have made my point clearer about Rotties. They are the #1 dog involved in FATAL attacks on humans. Yet you understand that the breed itself is not a "bad" breed. The same is true for the pitbull and the people on this board should realize that.
I've had people see my Boxer and then assume he wants to bite them. I don't get upset I tell them to come and pet him. That should be the response, not this misguided ignorance that comes across from all the anti-pitbull posts.
DO YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE GERMANS HAVE BEEN KILLING INNOCENT BULLDOG(pits and Staffs), BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN THE SAME IGNORANCE YOU EXHIBIT AND MULTIPLIED IT. It's a sad situation, people are losing good pets just because a bias created by the media... As dog lovers you should all be ashame of yourselves for buying into it.
JulieM
Boxer Insane
Geez, is it a full moon or something???
The information about Rotties being the #1 dog involved in fatal attacks on humans is correct, but should probably be qualified a bit. Rotties were involved in 33 fatal attacks on humans between 1991 and 1998 (according to an American Veterinary Medical Association study). That's 4 fatal attacks per year - not dozens or hundreds as some might imagine
Pit bulls were involved in 21 fatal attacks over the same period.
Part of this, of course, was due to the rising popularity of Rottweilers (#4 in AKC registrations in 1998). Pit bulls still lead all breeds for fatal attacks between 1979 and 1998, with at least one pit bull involved in 66 mauling deaths. Rottweilers were blamed for 37 -- most of those in the 1990s -- followed by German shepherds with 17 and huskies with 15.
The numbers highlight widespread mistreatment of dogs and a growing public ignorance of how to behave around them, researchers said. They blamed adults for not teaching children to stay away from unfamiliar dogs.
"It's not a Rottweiler problem or a pit bull problem," said Randall Lockwood, the Humane Society's vice president for research and educational outreach. "It's a people problem."
I couldn't agree more!
The information about Rotties being the #1 dog involved in fatal attacks on humans is correct, but should probably be qualified a bit. Rotties were involved in 33 fatal attacks on humans between 1991 and 1998 (according to an American Veterinary Medical Association study). That's 4 fatal attacks per year - not dozens or hundreds as some might imagine
Pit bulls were involved in 21 fatal attacks over the same period.
Part of this, of course, was due to the rising popularity of Rottweilers (#4 in AKC registrations in 1998). Pit bulls still lead all breeds for fatal attacks between 1979 and 1998, with at least one pit bull involved in 66 mauling deaths. Rottweilers were blamed for 37 -- most of those in the 1990s -- followed by German shepherds with 17 and huskies with 15.
The numbers highlight widespread mistreatment of dogs and a growing public ignorance of how to behave around them, researchers said. They blamed adults for not teaching children to stay away from unfamiliar dogs.
"It's not a Rottweiler problem or a pit bull problem," said Randall Lockwood, the Humane Society's vice president for research and educational outreach. "It's a people problem."
I couldn't agree more!
Nedra's_momma
Completely Boxer Crazy
I do agree with Julie, however I need to add that I feel that poor breeding practices have also been a major contirbutor to the number of rottie attacks.
Lets face it, when a breed of dog becomes popular, all of a sudden EVERYONE is breeding them, regardless of whether the dog is breeding quality or not. All of a sudden we have all of these pet rotties that are turning on their owners because they have sh*tty temperaments, because the breeders that were breeding to make a buck threw together a male and a female that they had in their back yards.
The thing that really stinks about the whole thing, is that the dogs that are actually making the attacks might not be the best representatives of the breed. The people that actually put their entire lives into these dogs (people that show and work their dogs) have no say as to how these dogs are labeled by the general public now because the cause of the whole situation may be something that was "thrown in the woodpile".
So the bottom line is, the "rotties" that are recieving a bad name for the entire breed, may not be the rottie that the truely reputable breeder sees as a rottie, or, it may be even worse, a mix. And the dogs that are true representatives of the breed are the ones that are suffering because of it. (I know I have posted before on the sheer number of breeds that are included on the German Breed Specific Legislation that was passed earlier, but I don't have it off hand - it was 40+ breeds, one category *could* include the boxer...).
Just my 2 cents.
Lets face it, when a breed of dog becomes popular, all of a sudden EVERYONE is breeding them, regardless of whether the dog is breeding quality or not. All of a sudden we have all of these pet rotties that are turning on their owners because they have sh*tty temperaments, because the breeders that were breeding to make a buck threw together a male and a female that they had in their back yards.
The thing that really stinks about the whole thing, is that the dogs that are actually making the attacks might not be the best representatives of the breed. The people that actually put their entire lives into these dogs (people that show and work their dogs) have no say as to how these dogs are labeled by the general public now because the cause of the whole situation may be something that was "thrown in the woodpile".
So the bottom line is, the "rotties" that are recieving a bad name for the entire breed, may not be the rottie that the truely reputable breeder sees as a rottie, or, it may be even worse, a mix. And the dogs that are true representatives of the breed are the ones that are suffering because of it. (I know I have posted before on the sheer number of breeds that are included on the German Breed Specific Legislation that was passed earlier, but I don't have it off hand - it was 40+ breeds, one category *could* include the boxer...).
Just my 2 cents.
myrocky
Boxer Insane
Thank you Julie and Jessica appicon!!!
Jason you are missing our points. We are not upset because we are afraid of the pitt bull reputation. We are upset at the uneducated people out there. I am not mad because someone says that Rocky is a pitt. I am upset because when people see a muscular body and wide head they automatically think pitt. I know that pitts and boxers have some common threads, all dogs are connected some how. I just want people to know that there are all kinds of breeds of dogs and not to just assume something. I do think that pitts get a bad rap and there are some good dogs out there, there are owners on here who could back that up. I just want people to be educated and be more open-minded about things. If you knew me then you would also know I am the last person to believe the media.
Jason you are missing our points. We are not upset because we are afraid of the pitt bull reputation. We are upset at the uneducated people out there. I am not mad because someone says that Rocky is a pitt. I am upset because when people see a muscular body and wide head they automatically think pitt. I know that pitts and boxers have some common threads, all dogs are connected some how. I just want people to know that there are all kinds of breeds of dogs and not to just assume something. I do think that pitts get a bad rap and there are some good dogs out there, there are owners on here who could back that up. I just want people to be educated and be more open-minded about things. If you knew me then you would also know I am the last person to believe the media.
Not only are you missing our points Jason, but why do you feel you need to berate people on this board by calling them ignorant? Fact is, it's just plain upsetting to walk with our perfectly good hearted boxers and have people simply FREAK OUT when they see them. Uneducated or not. Whatever you classify it as. Do people do that when they see a disabled child? I guess they do, but it only hurts the situation and personally I don't feel the need to educate those who act so ridiculous, because there are a lot scarier things in life to act so crazy about. Maybe you just haven't seen people act like they do. The point is, some of us just plain get mad when others feel totally justified in acting mean, rude or just plain overtly disgusted simply because they ran into something that upsets them. Also, I have never seen more fangs and upturned jowls than as I have on Goldens and Labs, two labs actually attacked my boxer. My point is, even though that has happened to me, I don't freak out whenever I see a Lab and I'm with Bingo, even though my heart is pounding a mile a minute. I just cross the street, smile and ignore them. I don't impress my feelings of nervousness on them,,,that's all I think people are trying to say.
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