Was I Wrong To Help Him?

LoveMyKees

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#1
Today my friend Taylor and I were playing outside, enjoying the warm weather while it lasts. We were shooting hoops, when out of no where a huge white un neutered pit bull comes running from across the street into our yard. Taylor is extremely afraid of them, but I'm not at all. He was trying to run in and through all of the yards, until I was able to corner him and grab a hold of his collar. Meanwhile, Taylor was inside telling my mom and asking what we should do. My mom said to let go of the collar. However I didn't listen, but he accidentally got out again. This time I had Taylor get Max's leash so I could clip him. When we were finally able to get him clipped we walked back to my house. Luckily, I'm not afraid of pit-bulls, so having him walk next to me was no problem. We decided we'd walk around the neighborhood until someone was able to recognize him. Luckily, when we got to the end of the street, a blue van pulled up and a woman came out. She said this dog was hers, he'd accidentally busted through their screen door. She thanked us greatly, and said she was surprised we weren't afraid of him. I told her I wasn't, that I've always actually wanted a pit bull. She swore at him though, calling him "an annoying little $hit," regardless of us standing there. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way, she didn't seem like the most responsible owner.

Anyway, I'm extremely happy he's now hopefully safe and sound. My mom on the other hand is completely angry at me. She says not only did I not listen to her, but I was putting me and Taylor at danger as well :( She said the approaching a pit-bull I don't know or have ever seen for that matter is just foolish (especially since we're only 12 and 13 yrs old), and that we could have been bitten. This made me really upset, the pit bull stereotype is unavoidable. I even asked her, what would you have said if it was a golden retriever, or a lab?

What do you guys think? If you were my age (13), would you have done the same thing? What if it was your daughter that did it?
 

Sweet72947

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#2
If the dog is approaching me with happy waggy tail and other non-threatening behaviors, then I do catch the dog and try to find its home. When I was 13 I didn't know what I know now, so I probably wouldn't have. And this is ANY dog, not just pit bulls. I see why your mom might be mad though. She didn't know if the dog was nice or not. But you did do a kind thing (maybe the woman loves her dog and was just a little mad at it, my dad called Benji a little sh&t when he tried to eat the cat, but my dad would never hurt a dog).

Just be careful!
 

LoveMyKees

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#3
Yeah, if he didn't look so happy I probably wouldn't have gone up to him. But he looked like he was having a blast. His tail was wagging and he looked like he was smiling as well--we all know that happy smile pit bulls give off :D

Now my mom isn't as upset. She knows how I love to help, she just didn't want to be responsible for Taylor if anything did happen since her mom isn't home.
 

Miakoda

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#4
I would've done the same thing you did at that age (& I did. I picked up all kinds of strays)

However, in today's day & time, I would advise you & every other person out there to ignore a stray dog regardless of it's outward demeanor. As soon as you could, get to a phone & call AC & let them know of the loose dog and/or cat. Let them deal with it. There are too many stories lately of people going up to pet nice looking dogs & then getting bitten. It's not worth it.

As for the owner, who knows. But I call my dogs' "annoying little shits" all the time. :)
 

SummerRiot

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#5
I would have done the same thing..

Although your mom does have a point - strange dogs "CAN" be dangerous.. she is wrong however on the "pitbull" part.. its not just the breed.. its the generalization that its a strange DOG..
 

Kase

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#6
I would have done the same thing too, you just have to be careful and you are very responsible :).
 
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#7
There are three issues - should you approach a strange dog, should you try to handle a strange dog, and does it being a pit bull change anything? I understand having no fear of dogs - I also tend to assume the best of dogs - but I would be very, very cautious about trying to tell a completely strange dog what to do by taking its collar. This dog you approached wasn't hurt, but he could easily have decided, on the spur of the moment, that he really didn't want you leading him, that it was intolerable to be told what to do when he'd been running around free. Your mom's anger is completely reasonable; there was a news article posted on chaz a few weeks ago about a child who went to help a dog that had become caught on a fence, and the dog mauled him, apparently biting out of fear and anxiety.

I won't even get into the pit bull issue, as it seems insane to argue yet again that an attack by a dog of a breed designed to kill each other might be a hair more difficult to survive than that of a breed designed to, say, retrieve waterfowl.
 

joce

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#8
too many pits I know are not other dog friendly so I defintaly would have worried about my dog first.

As far as her calling it an annoying little you know what I do that sometimes too;) Just today in fact when I was talking to my neighbor. they drive me nutts sometimes but I still love the mutts!
 

LoveMyKees

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#9
Thanks guys :). I totally agree with the unpredictable part. The fact that it was a pit bull hadn't frightened me at all. Any dog can do something if they feel like it.
 

Lizmo

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#10
I would have done the same, but let the dog come up to me, depending on his behaviour. Then leashed it right away and walked around the neighorhood or called HS to see if anyone had reported a missing dog.
 
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#11
Breed doesnt matter, but I would side with your mom, you shouldnt approach ANY loose dog because you just never know.


That said, I have caught my neighbor's pit bull before, I didnt hesitate for a second. I didnt run up to it, but meerly squated down and held my hand out, of course the dog came running up to me wagging his tail.

I would say dont corner a dog again, if you see one running loose, get a piece of cheese or something yummy to catch him. Cornered dogs will bite out of fear.
 

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