Do you think it's irresponsible for people with babies/kids to keep violent dogs?

Well..it depends..is the dog itself violent or is the breed just have a stereotyped nature of being a violent dog? If I had a dog for a few years and he was never anything but a cuddly big old baby and then I was having a child..no I would not get rid of it unless I felt in my heart that it could harm my baby. If it had violent bursts in the past..yeah..it would be history for sure. Owning an animal is like having a child...it is part of the family.

Just because he's a big dog doesn't mean that he is a violent dog. I would never get rid of my dog because I had a child, they are part of the family. I mean of course there are circumstances that may change my mind, like if my dog had attacked someone before or something but size/breed mean nothing to me. A little dog can be more vicious than a big dog and a rottie can be sweeter than kitten. Every dog is different.

I don't know whether you're assuming the breed is dangerous or that your cousin won't love his child. No one would opt to keep a dangerous dog around a newborn. As a dog owner, you know what your dog is capable of. You're also very much aware that he has teeth. I suggest: 1) that you respect your cousin's choice and 2) do more research on bulldogs. It's sad that a lot of people would rather believe the "hype" or "sensationalist" news than do their own research.

This is going to be nothing but drama!! No I do not think that you should get rid of a dog bc of its breed. I am in rescue and pit rescue at that and I will tell you that I have seen far more little dogs-lap dogs get snippy with kids before the dogs that have a bad reputation. As long as a dog is properly socialized it does not matter what the breed is-there is no reason to get rid of a dog (or cat) just bc you are having a baby. That is just rediculous!!

We raise American Bull Dogs we have 8 of them and we have 5 children !! All of our dogs are both inside and outside dogs they are very very loving and my kids climb and hang all over them, They have never bit and we have had some of them for years. Just because it is a big dog does not mean that its a mean dog. We have a Male who is also NOT fixed and he weighs around 130 lbs and he sleeps with my 4 year old son and he has been doing so for over a year. If a dog is mean it is becasue he or she was made that way it is not due to his size or breed !

Haha....I have had a Pit Bull that wouldn't know how to be mean even if you were a stranger and endangering him or his home. And now, I have a tiny Miniature Pinscher and she is freakin' ferocious. She might weigh 4lbs and she is like might be 10 inches tall, but, if she even thinks someone is coming into our house beside me or my son, she will go nuts and she will bark growl and try to bite. So, unless the dog has a history of meaness and is big enough to do harm, I would keep it.

my daughter was knocked down and badly injured by a female labrador retreiver. However, I have 2 labs of my own. The "vicious" dog was indeed VICIOUS! but it was the DOG, and not the breed. If the dog has shown signs of aggression then it SHOULD be removed! NOT just removed because it's a large dog.

But don't you think all dog owners tell themselves how sweet their dogs are until they're not. It takes about 2 seconds for a dog to attack and kill a child. I doubt the owners of dogs who have killed think of their dogs as ticking time bombs, otherwise, why would they have them around their children? Dogs are friendly until they attack you.

My personal opinion is that it would depend on the dog itself, and that dog's temperment, and history-- has it shown signs of aggression, has it snapped at or bitten anyone? Just because some breeds are considered 'violent' does not mean all dogs of that breed are. I think a lot of that has to do with how the dog is handled and trained. My former boss had a rottweiler, and that dog looked imposing, but in reality he was a big old friendly moosh!! So looks (and breed stereotypes) can be misleading!

I guess it would depend. Is the dog violent? Or is it just the breed you are worried about? Some dogs really don't live up to their bad reputations. But if the actual dog is a violent one and he is refusing to get rid of it, than yes that is VERY irresponsbile of him.