When Man's Best Friend Is Deadly: 8 Dangerous Pets (PHOTOS)

Some people just love having unusual pets -- perhaps for their cuteness or the fact that they're uncommon pets. Even Paris Hilton had her own unusual pet: the kinkajou she called "Baby Luv." Well, Baby Luv sent Hilton to the emergency room twice. So, a word of caution to Hilton and all those out there who want a "different" or potentially dangerous kind of pet: some of the following animals are not meant to be domesticated.

Check these photos of potentially dangerous, and sometimes deadly pets you should fully research before calling your own.

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Ostriches

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Although this girl seems to be doing just fine riding this ostrich, ostriches are known to be rather aggressive and their powerful kicks have been deadly. They're also fast runners, which doesn't help if you're getting chased.

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Although this girl seems to be doing just fine riding this ostrich, ostriches are known to be rather aggressive and their powerful kicks have been deadly. They're also fast runners, which doesn't help if you're getting chased.

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Total comments: 382 | Post a Comment

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Dangerous Pets

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

eh, not that scary ban from pet stores!

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Comments

[Andrea Torres]

02:30 PM on 03/11/2010

I just wanted to thank everyone that helped in getting the author to remove pit bulls from her article. I received a very nice response from PETA that I'm sharing with you. So I guess this is the end, but a happy one! Those are too few these days so feel good that all our words made a difference. = )

Dear Ms. Jones-Torres,

Thank you for contacting us about this disturbing incident. We appreciate your compassion for pit bulls routinely abused due to false perceptions regarding their “toughness.” False information in media outlets is inexcusable. As a tragic result, pit bulls will continue to be abused and exploited as long as cruel humans continue to view them as living weapons.

You should be pleased to know that when PETA checked the article, it appeared that pit bulls had been removed from the list.

Over and over again, we rescue pit bulls from people who beat, starve, and neglect them; chain them to metal drums as “guard” dogs; or train them to attack people and fight other animals to the death. We remove them from abusive homes and contact prosecutors in cruelty cases in their behalf.

Thanks again for bringing this issue to our attention. Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,

Megan Vasiles

Correspondence Media Writer

The PETA Foundation

[Pitythepitty]

10:22 AM on 03/11/2010

Thank you, HuffPo for removing one of the comments in which the poster accused Ms. Nguyen of posting under a psuedonym.

[Pitythepitty]

01:19 PM on 03/07/2010

"While bit bulls can be warm and make good pets, when trained to fight, their aggression and ferociousness spells trouble when they're provoked. "
Wrong. Pit bulls don't need to be trained to fight, nor provoked, in order to attack. Hundreds of years of breeding the ultimate fighting dog have guaranteed that. The HuffPo should do a complete investigative piece on the pit bull problem in this country. Make special note of how most of these dogs that kill and maim were not abused, used for fighting, and were well loved. Of the animals listed in this article, pit bulls are causing the most carnage. The problem is getting worse as people mainstream these fighting dogs, with the false belief that all it takes is love to kiss the killer instinct out of them. 7 Americans have been killed by pit bulls since Jan 1, 2010, not to mention dozens of victims that have been maimed for life.

Start the investigation by looking into organized dog-fighting, a huge criminal underground involving doctors, lawyers, vets, teachers, coaches, etc. Investigate how these people infiltrate our government, animal control, rescues, and breeding operations to keep the flow of pits coming. Start with Jere Alexander. She is but one example of this.

Do not be fazed by all the pro-pit comments here. They are loud and vocal, but they are the minority. The majority of us would rather not live next door to your cute little pitty, thank you very much.

[thislittlepeggy]

03:00 PM on 03/04/2010

I am so glad to see this responce on behalf of the pitbull.

[hswanson2]

02:52 PM on 03/04/2010

I really wish people that demonize this breed could just spend a few hours with one. I got my first from a shelter - told me she was a rotty pup (I would never have a Pit Bull). Well she wasn't - a happier and more loving dog I have never met ( she was hard to train because when you worked with her she would throw herself on the ground and beg for belly rubs). My boy I fostered from a soldier going to Iraq - he followed me everywhere I went - I have a farm (2000 acres ) and everyone knew even if you couldn't see Rex he wasn't more than 25 feet away. He was really gentle and sweet (except to the wild hogs which he terrorized) in fact if I had a really sick calf he would lay with it all night and keep it warm. And absolutely rotten anytime I was somewhere he might get some luv he was right there making a fool of himself. He won over a lot of people because he looked so mean (cut ears - I didn't do it) but was such a ridiculous clown. Pit Bulls are not mean at all you have to work hard to make this bread vicious but they are sensitive and constantly bullying them can turn them into fear biters.

[pitbulllover]

01:57 PM on 03/04/2010

For all of you people who think breed legislation actually works, here's an interesting site to check out. I've worked for numerous veterinarians and animal trainers who could not determine which dog was what breed, and they have been experts in their field for over 30 years.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Unless you have received some type of formal training on dogs, please don't spew your ignorant lies about one of the best breeds I have had the pleasure of working with. Pit bulls, along with GSDs, rotties and all other seemingly "dangerous" breeds, have all been bred to be athletes (AKA "working" dogs). After all of my years of working in the animal industry (and receiving a B.S. in animal sciences), I can assure you that the only vicious dogs I have encountered were either small dogs or typical "family" breeds (labs, golden retrievers, etc.). Aggression, whether it's from a small designer dog such as a pomeranian or a cain corso, is NOT acceptable under ANY circumstances.

BSL does NOT work, and only uninformed ignorant people (who have no experience or education with animals) would make such a ludicrous argument.

[thislittlepeggy]

02:52 PM on 03/04/2010

Thank you! I have a pitbull nephew who is the sweetest animal.. then there is his sister the boston terrier... let's just say she is not as sweet. Both of them were adopted from a shelter.

[LoveMyPit]

12:20 PM on 03/04/2010

Really?? Lumping Pit Bulls with a bunch of wild animals which most of them are not deemed a domesticated species?!!? I have a 5 yrold Pit who isthe GREATEST dog ever and my2 ½ yrold sons' BESTFRIEND!! I workedfor the SPCA in my county for 7 years and have encountered MANY Pit Bulls. I have NEVER been bit or attacked by this so called vicious killer breed... I do realize there are MANY Pit Bulls out there that are killers but what about all the other breeds that kill as well? Pit Bulls are NOT a vicious breed when bred correctly and for the right reasons and raised the way they or any other dog or animal should be but they are most definitely the most misunderstood breed in existence. It is/was people who ruined this innocent breed of dogs’ reputation by breeding them to kill and to be vicious… Pit Bulls are GREAT family dogs as wellas therapy dogs and working dogs they are much more than what ignorant people/media lead you to believe. I have read most of the comments on here and noticed a lot of un-researched or falsely researched information and it is ashamed that there are so many ignorant people out there that are not willing to give this breed a chance. I Love my Pit and will never own any otherbreed… “We fear things in proportion of our ignorance to them.” http://www.k9mania.com/forum/showthread.php?p=93197

[RealPitBull]

11:40 AM on 03/04/2010

This blogger seems to have a misunderstanding about what "domestication" means.

Pit Bulls are dogs, canis lupus familiars to be precise, domesticated animals, living in close partnership with humans for, by some estimates, 100,000 years (Source: Coppinger). You cannot find domestic dog breeds living wild in nature; you can find each of the other species on the list living naturally in the wild. The absurdity of including domestic dogs in a category of "exotic pets" defies logic.

I'd like to challenge the statistics in the article which state Pit Bulls, "are responsible for the largest number of (fatal) attacks on humans compared to other breeds". Source, please? Even the Centers for Disease control have ceased compiling dog bite statistics based on breed because they recognize that such data is impossible to gather accurately. Dog bite stat based on breed have been called into question by many, including the American Veterinary Medical Association. Not to mention, for the purposes of bite statistics, the term "pit bull" doesn't even reference a single breed of dog: it references AT LEAST 3, along with mixed breeds and dogs merely looking a certain way. To compare "pit bull attack fatality stats" against those of "any other breed" means you are comparing attacks by MANY breeds and "types" against the bite stats of just ONE other breed. Hardly accurate or a fair representation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed, aka Pit Bull.

http://www.realpitbull.com

[fruitandsugar]

11:31 AM on 03/04/2010

Shame on you, Huffington Post, for perpetuating inaccurate stereotypes about Pit Bulls. Any animal trained to fight will fight. BLAME THE DEED, NOT THE BREED. Seriously, I can't believe you..
http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/the-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-dachshund-1
http://www.theunexpectedpitbull.com/
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.html
http://www.fataldogattacks.com/
http://happypitbull.com/basics/myths-and-facts/

[penny5]

11:24 AM on 03/04/2010

Sorry HuffPost, we love ya, but this article [at least the Pit Bull portion] should be retracted. And, why are you condoning retail sales of animals anyway? Disappointing.

[kellbell88]

11:21 AM on 03/04/2010

This is some of the most irresponsible, unprofessional article I have seen in a long time. How dare the author include the Pit Bull in their list of dangerous animals. It is irresponsible owners that are to blame! These poor dogs are being dragged not only through the mud by the media via articles of this nature but also by those who choose to use them for violence. We need to educate and help these animals to get the happy lives they deserve, not be prejudiced against them! Are you going to post articles encouraging racism? I doubt that. This is the same thing.

I quote "They are responsible for the largest number of (fatal) attacks on humans compared to any other breed." from this article. This is a down right LIE. There is plenty of evidence to dispute this statement:

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/the-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-dachshund-1
http://www.theunexpectedpitbull.com/
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/myths.html
http://www.fataldogattacks.com/
http://happypitbull.com/basics/myths-and-facts/

[baltimoregal]

11:20 AM on 03/04/2010

What "animal expert" wrote this piece? There's no link to view this author in this story. From the link here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/authorarchive/?thienvinh-nguyen/2009/09/ she seems to be a "green" reporter.

ANY dog can be dangerous "when trained to fight" because that is ANIMAL ABUSE. The larger or stronger the dog, the more dangerous IF ABUSED or put in dangerous situations.

The German Shepherd has the strongest bite of all dog breeds and is usually twice the size of an American Pit Bull Terrier and in the hands of a police officer is often turned into an attack machine. Why isn't it on the list?

And to put a pit bull on par with a poisonous snake is, at best, yellow journalism.

[natasia 6954]

11:03 AM on 03/04/2010

How can one keep their job after posting such irresponsible nonsense?

[oregonkim]

10:56 AM on 03/04/2010

This is irresponsible journalism. You are perpetuating negative stereotypes about pit bulls. This dog is not a "dangerous pet." Any breed of dog can bite or attack if provoked or raised by irresponsible owners. Do not single out pit bulls as a dangerous dog.

BLAME THE DEED, NOT THE BREED

[xstevejx]

08:17 AM on 03/04/2010

They need to figure out how to make big cat species stay in the cub stage.