Hooray!!!

[Captain Feathersword]

They look very similar but have very different eating habits.

[bethgael]

They look very similar but have very different eating habits.

Except for the big white ones. And you have to watch out for them in mating season. Don't get in their way.

Verrrrrrry nasty if you do. *shudders*

[Captain Feathersword]

You've obviously never had a mother and her cub anywhere near you. Worse than mating season. Worse than hippos.

[Soup Parrot]

:shock: They were so cute till I saw that :shock:  
Its like these dummies that have exotic animals for pets. I remember reading a man in Ohio kept bears it was feeding time, the bear escaped saw a neighbors kid followed him into the house and started mauling the mom. The owner killed him. Or pet cobras and boas. No thanks. And look at Sigfried and Roy cant remember which one it was during the show ione of his white tigers gragged him by the neck . You remember that. Theres always some stories. Even dogs can be dangerous, and killers like pitbulls.

[bethgael]

You've obviously never had a mother and her cub anywhere near you. Worse than mating season. Worse than hippos.

Well, no, of course I haven't. I know better. Sheesh. :p

[Doursim]

Even dogs can be dangerous, and killers like pitbulls.

I'm going to have to defend pitbulls and say:  Any dog can be a killer. Pitbulls have a bad wrap because the majority of people who own them (sorry to pitbull owners who are responsible) are irresposible people who simply want the dog because of it's image, but don't know a damn thing about keeping dogs.  Much less about purebred dogs who take a bit more handleing.  Plus most dog owners (about 95-99%) have no idea what is and isn't appropriate dog behaviour.

Some people think it's cute when dogs put their faces on your lap, or sit and whine for attention while you watch TV.  Cute is subjective, but what is definatly is:  A lack of respect from your dog, which means your dog does not think you are the leader.


Sorry about that little rant.  I just can't stand people pegging dogs as being "bad", when in reality the "bad" in the equasion is the owner, not the dog.

[Soup Parrot]

I was just using them as an example Dour as they are the most publicized. A lot of animals are dangerous and can kill, even a horse.

[LesserOr]

I've heard that Koalas are actually quite nasty of temperment.  

You would be too if you were smaller than most predators and easy to catch.

I've also heard that they are so lazy that they always use the same hand for eating...  Something about conserving brain energy or something.

I've never heard of that (too lazy to look it up ), but I do know that they and Pandas (also nasty bastards when riled, same giant bark-stripping teeth) don't get much nutrition out of their respective leaves and shoots. That's why when you see them they're usually either eating or sleeping.

Its like these dummies that have exotic animals for pets.

Some people never learn that just because something is pretty or cute doesn't mean it lives that way. They think "Domesticated" means "Lives in a house", when it's thousands of years of intentional breeding programs that got our domesticated species to stop trying to eat us on a regular basis.

I'm actually a bit peeved at EA for including wolves as tamable pets (not letter-writing furious, just...unhappy.) Wolves and wolf-crosses are incredibly dangerous, and so many people have romantic notions of them.
Take all the dog problems you've ever heard of, combined, and then include "can snap your bones like a twig", "thinks you're food", "unearthly stench", and "even if you can get them to like you, will always wait for your guard to go down so it can challenge you for leadership."

Of course, I know this sounds silly when you're talking about a game that lets you burn people to death, but the consequences there are well-represented. :?

I'm going to have to defend pitbulls and say:  Any dog can be a killer.

While I agree with you to the extent that it's not the animal's fault for what it is, calling it dangerous is justified. All dogs are hunters, but pitbulls were intended as fighters. They were intentionally bred to attack, hold on, and never let go.
Given a level playing field- all dogs yes, but pitbulls more often.

Fun fact: The majority of dog breeds are totally unsuited to living with children or other animals. One of the worst offenders? The oh-so-lovable Dalmatian.

[liegenschonheit]

Pitbulls are like bulldogs and many other hunting and fighting breeds. They have genetic predispositions that make them suited for certain environments and less suited for others. Unlike say, English Bulldogs or Bull Mastiffs, the Pitbull gets an even worse reputation because they are often bred for illegal dogfights, and the owners terrorize and abuse the animal until they are vicious and erratic.

When I was young we owned a Pitbull named Popeye, and she was for the most part a spunky, energetic and fun dog who loved the family and loved to play. On the other hand, she did have certain breed characteristics, like the fact that she was extremely distrustful of strangers around humans who she considered part of her pack. She also had to be watched like a hawk around smaller animals, and at one point got loose and killed a neighbor's cat. She also had several litters of puppies, and they did require special handling as well, since they were too young to understand how to open their jaws after they would lock on to something (or more often, each other).

So yeah, dogs have certain breed characteristics and traits that make them unsuitable for certain environments, they all do. Chow chows are often mean and ill tempered, and not recommended for children (ours was a stupid cuddly pushover though), dalmatians are intelligent but highstrung and bad around kids, most small terrier breeds are very bright and high energy but tend to start destructive and self destructive behaviour if left alone with nothing to do for extended periods of time.

I think that in most cases, problems with dogs and animals in general is because humans don't take the time to understand the traits and personality of the animal. I'm a total cat person (like dogs okay, but vastly prefer cats), but I still make it a point to educate myself to interact with dogs and know what to expect.

[Captain Feathersword]

Fun fact: The majority of dog breeds are totally unsuited to living with children or other animals. One of the worst offenders? The oh-so-lovable Dalmatian.

Useless Fact: When I was 2 a dalmation stole my teddy bear at a caravan park. Dad got it back for me and must have washed it as I still have it.

[Doursim]

Believe me, I know about breed traits.  We have a English Bulldog, Sumo. This dog is SO DUMB.  I have never met a dog that is as dumb as this one. Worse than dumb though, he's stubborn, and very dominant.  Even as a puppy we would go to the Bark Park and full grown dogs would lie on their backs for him (submit).  He's a total jerk at home.  90% of my husbands and my interaction with him is asserting our dominance (or having him stare at us blankly while we try to teach him a trick).  Those are all breed traits though, stubborn, imposing, dominaneering, easily alarmed by loud noises.  Bulldogs are NOT good around children because they need calm to stay calm.

He's a bastard and I can't stand him.  I would much rather dote on my cat, who is an angel, and can do no wrong in my eyes. lol.

And I'll agree and reinterate what I first said:  Most dog owners have no idea how to keep dogs

[Tchannie]

Useless fact: I know a bull mastiff named Lily.
She's the loveliest dog in the history of lovely dogs.
But's she's HUGE and fear-inducing.
Maybe half these dogs aren't scary, or evil, it's just the way they look that's the frightening part?

[LesserOr]

Maybe half these dogs aren't scary, or evil, it's just the way they look that's the frightening part?

It has nothing to do with scary or evil. That would be more convenient, actually.
And there will always be exceptions, because each has its own personality.

Let's put it another way- would you try to keep an Irish Wolfhound in a tiny apartment as an indoor lap-dog?
He might be the soppiest lovey in the world, but he needs to run, needs to chase and romp. He wouldn't mean to destroy your house, but he would.
He's just not intended for that life, because he was bred to hunt wolves.

In the exact same way, Pitbulls (and similar) were bred for fighting. They can be nice, and sometimes they don't even mean to hurt- they just play too hard. But their instincts compel them to dominate.

[Doursim]

I heard a story by a friend of my mothers, she used to have a wolfhound.  Lord knows why she had it in the car, but she had to stop by the grocery, she was gone for like, 5 minutes but when she came back the entire interior was destroyed. lol.  

Any dog can become destructive though, any dog can become disrespectful.  As an owner you HAVE to know how to assert your dominance over a dog, you have to curtail bad behaviour, and most importantly, you have to KNOW what is bad behaviour.  Like running to the door and barking.  Bad behaviour.  If you don't, then your dog rules your house, and you end up having to put him down because he bit the neighbors kid or something.