Pit bulls and children do not mix
Posted
May 31, 2006 at
9:33 am by
Jessica
People own pit bulls to use as a weapon and if you are part of the few that doesn’t own a pit bull for a weapon, then know you’re amongst the majority of trash that does. Nobody thinks, “Gee, a pit bull would be a GREAT family dog.” A pug is a great family dog, a pit bull is not. In fact, why not just go out and get your family a bear or a tiger? And if you’re fortunate enough to live in an area where one of your neighbors owns one of these weapons of mass destruction, then do yourself a favor and move (your property value isn’t going to soar with pit bulls running around anyway) or get your village to sign an ordinance banning these animals. Children deserve better. People deserve better.
From the website dogbitelaw.com, here are some stats on dogs that kill:
As stated above, there are two problems that have been reported as though there is only a single problem, namely there are canine homicides (i.e., dog bite related human fatalities) and the dog bite epidemic. The dogs responsible for the bulk of the homicides are pit bulls and Rottweilers:
“Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996….[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities.” (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
Other breeds were also responsible for homicides, but to a much lesser extent. A 1997 study of dog bite fatalities in the years 1979 through 1996 revealed that the following breeds had killed one or more persons: pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Akitas. (Dog Bite Related Fatalities,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 30, 1997, Vol. 46, No. 21, pp. 463 et. seq.)
Owners of such dogs should be aware that if their dogs attack a person, the attacks may be scrutinized by law enforcement. The reason is that irresponsible behavior with or toward a dog whose breed is known to bite has caused a rising and unacceptable injury and death toll, which authorities are determined to stem.
“Irresponsible behavior” is defined differently from place to place. In California, for example, it can be a felony for a person to possess a dog trained to fight, attack or kill that, because of the owner’s lack of ordinary care, bites two people or seriously injures one person. (See Felony prosecution of attack dog owners.)
In different parts of the United States at the current time, there are a number of parents who are on trial for manslaughter because their dogs have killed their children. In these cases, the prosecutors have taken the position that the parents behaved irresponsibly because they left their children in the company of dogs most likely to bite.
There is an 8 out of 10 chance that a biting dog is male. (Humane Society of the United States.)
And here is the tragic story, brought to us by WTHR-Indianapolis, that tells a true account of just one out of thousands of tragedies that involve a child mamed or killed by a vicious dog each year. As a society, we fight for safer streets, safer schools, safer immunizations, safer foods, environment, homes, cars and so on, we need to keep ban dogs that are most likely to kill a child. People cannot be trusted to keep your children safe from their dogs. If you think the kind of person that chains up a pit bull or a rottweiler in their yard is of a level of sophistication that they keep innocent people in mind, then your are sorely mistaken.
Indianapolis - A toddler’s life is on the line after a pit bull attack. The victim’s family wants the owner held accountable.
It happened Friday afternoon in the 13-hundred block of South Belmont near Lambert Street on the city’s southwest side.
Police say the animal took control of the toddler and wouldn’t let go. His young victim’s blood was still on it’s snout while teams at Riley Hospital worked to save 2-year-old Amaia Hess.“She sustained serious injury to her face and it appears she may have been bitten on other parts of her body too. One of her eyes is missing at this point. The other eye is seriously injured,” said Sgt. Mathew Mount of the Indianapolis Police Department.
The little girl was in the stroller with her mother. A man opened his door and the dog, named Ozzie, ran out straight for the little girl.
“I seen the baby in the dogs mouth and the dog shaking the baby like a rag doll, just shaking, shaking, shaking,” said a witness.
Amay’s great uncle calls her a sweet loving child facing a long struggle.
“One eye was completely tore out but the pupils were good so they can do some reconstruction on that,” said the uncle. “The doctors said that there’s many many surgeries there to do.”
It’s the second pit bull biting at the house in a year.
Tags: dog-attacks, dogs, family-dogs, fighting-dogs, pets, pit-bull-terriers, pit-bulls, Social Issues |
367 Responses to “Pit bulls and children do not mix”
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 13 » Show All
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 13 » Show All
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Leave a comment
Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately in an effort to remove commercial messages, irrelevancies, excessive foul language, racist/sexist/hateful comments, spoofed/cloaked IPs and/or personal attacks and will be edited/deleted at our discretion. Thank you for your patience.
31. Brittany said:
January 21, 2007 @ 12:09 pm
As an owner of two pit bulls, reading comments like these really angers me. How about looking up some statistics on how many pit-bull abuse/animal cruelty cases there are? Perhaps the terrible pit-bulls that you refer to and have come into contact with live with crappy parents. I have a two and a half year old pit bull that is one of the best dogs that I have ever had - he loves everyone and everyone loves him. My eight week old is following in his footsteps. I would just like to remind you that ANY breed of dog can be mean. A pug is a perfect family pet? Why? Because it’s small? My grandmother had a Boston Terrier that would put a hurting on you!
You can’t beat pit-bulls into submission. Swatting another breed of dog may cease bad actions, but it only fuels a pit-bull’s fire. If you’re interested in getting a good dog who will be loyal, sweet, and give you the best wet kisses (there are no kisses like a pit-bull’s), then get a pit-bull - but buy a training book specifically for pit-bulls so that you can know what you’re doing. And buy it from a reputable breeder - not someone who has their dogs tied to treadmills and a fighting ring in the back yard. A pit-bull isn’t a lab or any other type of dog. They’re unique - and that’s what makes them a joy.
And on one last note, your statement that pit-bull owners are “trash” is offensive and presumptive - keep talking that way and no one’s going to read your little blog.
32. Home made dog treat recipes said:
February 14, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Jessica, I tend to agree with most people who have commented here.
Personally I only believe dogs become bad due to bad owners. And although I would never trust a small child with any dog, and I mean any dog, I don’t think PitBulls or Rotty’s are any different.
At the age of 3 I was bit by a Lassie (Collie). It was my fault as I picked up his bone.
People can be raised as killers and so can dogs. Bad parenting is normally the cause.
Regards
Justin Bryce
http://www.dogtreatrecipes.com.au
33. Erin said:
February 27, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
Everyone is entitles to their own opinion so I’m just gonna leave all that alone. I just wanted to say that this past summer my boyfriend and I adopted a pit/rott mix from the pound. He was alread a year old when we got him and I swear he is the most loving, obidient, and socialable dog with everyone and everything. He’s the best dog I’ve ever had. The biggest mush ball you’d ever meet. It breaks my heart to think what would have happened to him if we didn’t give him a chance.
34. KAREN said:
February 27, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
jessica, i just wanted to make a comment on your artical you have posted. honestly i have a pitbull and a akita along with a child. i will have to tell you that both dogs are wonderful with my daughter. i KNOW they would never harm her. It is true that these dogs are aggressive but with the proper training and love they are wonderful pets and yes they will do what ever they have to, to defend their home. but these dogs are bad because of the owners and it is a shame because both of these breeds are very loyal to their family. you really should spend some time with pitbulls and any other breed that you think you know about just becasue of what you read in the paper. have a wonderful day.
35. KAREN said:
February 27, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
HELLO AGAIN JESSICA I HAVE FOUND A WEBSITE THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT http://www.paw-rescue.org/petbulls.html
36. Allison said:
February 27, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
Sorry, I just gotta say, though, I don’t trust any pitbull. Call me “closed minded”. I don’t care. I was doing dishes the other day, and Dh and the kids were in the driveway and front yard. I looked out the window and here comes a big brown pitbull running right into my yard with toward my kids. I hollered out the front door “Get that F***ing dog outta here!” The owner had him off her leash and was calling it from all the way down the street!
Now, I realize any dog can be an asshole, not just a perticular breed, but I’ve seen enough stories like the one posted above to take any chances. I gave that lady a good long glare as she took the dog away. The safety of my kids is waaaaay more important to me than hurting that lady’s feelings.
It’s called a leash, people. Use it!
37. Mike said:
February 27, 2007 @ 6:22 pm
Allison,
Your 100 percent on the money, unattended children and any dog breed don’t mix.
I used to own a pit but he died of cancer right after my first son turned a year old. I trusted him with my life and my kid but never left them unattended. Any unknown dog is never a safe chance around children. Pits as a rule get a bad
rap and the news tend to call any mutt with muscles a pit bull. But a dog with size and strength can hurt children with just rough play never mind full blown agression and thats why any dog
owner with kids needs to be careful. Set boundaries and rules with your Dog that establish the kids as pack leaders and never treat the dog as anything but an animal. It’s not a little human folks it’s a dog. Applying human emotions to it will just confuse the dog and lead to trouble. A proper well socialized dog would never intentionaly hurt a child ( including a pit bull ) Although I know you said you don’t trust
pits but they truly are a great breed. I was just like you, I never would have bought one but I was
given one and couldn’t return him. It turned out to be the best dog I have ever owned and Ive had
lots. You sound like a good mom I only wish you knew a resposible pit owner as these poor dogs need all the good press they can get.
38. Jessica said:
February 27, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
Now, I realize any dog can be an asshole, not just a perticular breed, but I’ve seen enough stories like the one posted above to take any chances. I gave that lady a good long glare as she took the dog away. The safety of my kids is waaaaay more important to me than hurting that lady’s feelings.
It’s called a leash, people. Use it![/quote]
LOL, Allison, you are too funny!!!
39. Jessica said:
February 27, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
40. KAREN said:
March 1, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
i just wanted to make one more comment about akitas and pitbulls. alot of people seem to think that these dogs just attack humans and animals. well i have a quick story….i was washing my dogs in the front yard over the weekend and two black labs had ran into my front yard, well my pitbull was lying in the sun, she seen the dogs come in and she chased them out of the yard (she did not leave the yard at all). so it really boils down to how the dogs are trained and along with how they were brought up….again these are wonderful dogs…give them a chance before you judge a book by its cover :O)
41. jacob said:
March 1, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
u dont know not thin about a pit if u think they are bad with kidz because i saw a web with over 100 kids go see it if you real think that at strongerthanall.com
42. karen said:
March 2, 2007 @ 11:13 am
honestly sweetie i have had over 4 pits in my life and never had a problem with one. you really should do some research on pitbull (no about them attacking) type in your seach engine and put pitbulls and health and you will see alot of facts about them.
43. Christina said:
March 9, 2007 @ 12:52 am
My husband and I have three children. Our children’s ages are 5, 6, and 7. I am very disgusted with the media in which has portrayed our society into thinking that ALL Bully Breed Dogs are vicious. Our American Pitt Bull is the one of the most loving, loyal, willing to please, intelligent animals. Jessica’s racist comments about “you’re amongst the majority of trash that does and nobody thinks, “Gee, a pit bull would be a GREAT family dog” is completely out there. One fact is intelligent people do research as well as the needs for a dog.
One, who does not want to be active or spend time to train a dog, will not get a Pitt Bull. Jessica I really wish that you would get more educated on Bully Breeds than to discriminate against all Pitt Bulls. My one daughter was bit by an American Cocker Spaniel but, we have an American Pitt Bull and our dog is her best friend! It is a shame that only the negative attention has portrayed these animals.
44. KAREN said:
March 9, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
i agree with christine jessica you are talking about a bully breed like you know what your talking about. have you ever been around a pitbull and have you done any research about this breed (besides reading attacks) please just for you own knowledge search the internet about the breed’s facts…not just websites that have negative information. and christine i know what your talking about when you say the dog is your daughters best friend. my daughter and pitbull are undetachable. well enjoy your dog and family, and i just wish everyone else would give this breed a chance.
45. Christina said:
March 11, 2007 @ 9:58 pm
Thank you Karen for agreeing with what I have written. Once our family did the research we knew the challenges that lied ahead. We wanted to make a difference in our society. My American Pitt Bull has completed Puppy Training. He is now in Intermediate Training, and Agility Training. I myself am working on becoming an Ambassador of Bully Breed Dogs.
Our one daughter is disabled and our dog “Rocky” her quote on quote “Best Friend” works with her. I will eventually have my dog certified. When I stated that “Bully Breeds are a lot of work; I meant it.” It was sad to see that Scholastic had a pole where they asked children should Bully Breeds Be Banned? 96% said yes. Reason being “my parents told me there bad dogs.” NOT GOOD ENOUGH PEOPLE. Educate your children and yourselves! Only 4% said no. Reason being children stated “It is not the dog’s fault.”
I guarantee you will see my name one day! I will fight tooth and nail to claim that these dogs are the most intelligent, willing to please, lovable dogs out there. Question for those people who want a lap dog or another type of breed; can you have people come over your house without telling someone “O watch out he or she bites?” I can tell people proudly “Look at my marvelous Rocky; he would not hurt a soul!”
46. Bebe said:
March 14, 2007 @ 1:05 am
TO EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY JANEL SCOTT, JESSICA & CARMINE–PLEASE READ….
TAKE A LOOK AT THE STATS–OVER 67% FATALITIES FROM ONE BREED (AS RICK NOTED EARLIER, AND WHICH I NOTED FROM SEVERAL SITES PRIOR TO COMING TO THIS ONE)?? COME ON PEOPLE–WAKE UP & SMELL THE COFFEE! I DID.
UNFORTUNEATELY, I DID SO AFTER OUR PIT/CHOW/LAB MIX BIT MY 12 YEAR OLD SON IN THE FACE–UNPROVOKED!! THIS DOG HAS BEEN DOCILE AND FRIENDLY AND SWEET SINCE DAY ONE. WE ADOPTED HIM FROM THE CITY SHELTER, WHICH HAD HIM NOTED AS A “LAB MIX.” HE LOOKS LIKE A CHOCOLATE LAB–CUTE AS A BUTTON. OPEN HIS MOUTH, HE HAS A PURPLE TONGUE, FAR BACK WHERE I COULD NOT SEE WHEN WE DECIDED TO ADOPT (FOR THIS REASON I ASSUME HE IS PART CHOW). AFTER HIS FIRST VET VISIT-VET SAID, “OH HE IS DEFINITELY PART PIT BULL”–HIS FACE HAS “PIT-BULL” WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!!
WELL, I BELIEVE WHAT MANY OF YOU PIT-LOVERS BELIEVED–IT’S THE OWNER, NOT THE BREED, TYPE OF MENTALITY. PLUS, THIS DOG WAS STILL VERY YOUNG WHEN WE ADOPTED HIM–6 MONTHS OLD, AND VERY TRAINABLE. WELL, TODAY HE IS 3 MONTHS OLD & OVER 30 POUNDS, COMES UP TO MY KNEES.
MY SON WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO GET AWAY & RECEIVED ONLY SUPERFICIAL CUTS TO HIS LOWER EYE, CHEEK, AND LIP. I DON’T EVEN WANT TO IMAGINE WHAT MY SWEET LITTLE BOY’S FACE WOULD LOOK LIKE NOW IF THIS DOG HAD LOCKED ONTO HIS FACE OR IF THE DOG WAS OLDER AND FASTER!!
WE’VE ONLY HAD THIS DOG A SHORT WHILE, AND WE LOVE HIM, BUT NOW I HAVE TO FIND A NEW HOME FOR HIM. THIS WAS A WAKE UP CALL FOR ME. I AM NOT SURE HOW TO BREAK THE NEWS TO MY CHILDREN, AS THEY HAVE RECENTLY LOST A YOUNG DOG POST SURGERY–THIS WILL BE ANOTHER HEART ACHE FOR ALL OF US TO BEAR. THE CHILDREN DO NOT KNOW YET, BUT I AM EITHER GOING TO HAVE TO FIND A GOOD HOME, NO-KILL SHELTER, OR RETURN HIM TO THE POUND. IT HURTS ME TO THINK OF WHAT MAY HAPPEN TO CHICO, BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM NOT WILLING TO TAKE THIS TYPE OF CHANCE WITH MY CHILDREN, WHO COME BEFORE ANY DOG, ANY TIME.
THOSE OF YOU THAT SAY THIS “BAD RAP” IS A RESULT OF “IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP”–I AGREE, PARTLY. BUT, THIS HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF IT NOT BEING THE OWNER’S FAULT–IT’S THE BREED!!
MY POINT BEING THAT PIT BULLS ARE BRED TO BE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS OTHER DOGS. DOGS NATURALLY RUN IN PACKS. OUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE A PACK IN THE EYES OF CHICO–I AM THE ALPHA DOG. MY CHILDREN, IN THE EYES OF CHICO, ARE HIS PEERS, OR, DOGS JUST AS HIMSELF. AND THIS DOG BELIEVES THAT HE IS AN EQUAL TO MY CHILDREN (7,9,12 YEARS OLD)
IT’S ALL VERY SIMPLE. MY CHILDREN CAN NOT LIVE WITH THIS DOG. IT IS UNFORTUNEATE, BUT THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS. AND I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT PUT THIS DOG IN FRONT OF CHILDREN WITH THE HOPES THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.
SOMEONE WHO WROTE EARLIER COULDN’T SAY IT BETTER. THEY SAID SOMETHING LIKE THIS. YES, ALL DOGS ARE ANIMALS AND HAVE THE POTENIAL TO BITE. HMMMM, LET’S THINK ABOUT THIS. DO I WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE OF A PIT BULL LOCKING HIS JAWS INTO ONE OF MY BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN’S FACES, OR A BREED WHOSE ANATOMY IS NOT AS POWERFUL (WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO USE A “SPECIAL” INSTRUMENT TO PRY OPEN THEIR MOUTHS) AND WITH A LESS AGGRESSIVE PERSONALITY TOWARDS “OTHER DOGS” WHO RUN IN HIS PACK (MY CHILDREN)??
MY POINT: PITS & CHILDREN DO NOT MIX. AT LEAST NOT IN MY HOUSE!!
47. animal lover said:
March 14, 2007 @ 6:45 pm
Well Bebe unfortunatly your veterinarian has no clue on what breed or breeds your pet is mixed with. He is not a breed specialist he deals with the SCIENCE of how an animals body works. I own two American Pit Bull Terriers one male one female and one Pomeranian mix, guess which dog a veterinarian thought was a bird dog mix, my female APBT when she was ten months old. There is no way to know your dog’s breed unless you have a copy of the geneology history that only the breeder has. So for the dogs found on the street or at a shelter you might as well not even guess. It’s not fair that you blame the dogs behavior on the breed because all animals bite it’s up to you to have control over your animal and only allow them to do what YOU want. You have to treat dogs as what they are, DOGS, they are not your little babies as most would say. I personally would not leave my child alone with any dog no matter what it is because accidents happen and it would not be fair to blame the animal or the child. You have to be the leader for both. Take a look at the show DOG WHISPERER maybe you might have a different opinion. He has a pack of Pit Bulls and Rotties and CHILDREN.
For those who think banning or muzzeling the Rottweilers and Pit Bulls is a good idea to keep people from being attacked look at this website http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/Files/Information/Compare.pdf it shows the dog attack statistics. Looks like the next breeds to be demonized will be Labradors, German Shepherds, and Dobermans.
Rick the info the government published is dog attacks in general not one type so are you saying get rid of dogs. Also Rick about the Dog Fancy magazine that is DOG aggression NOT HUMAN aggression. If you would have done a LITTLE more research you would know that’s what they were bred for ORIGINALLY and it’s up to the owner to take the initiative to socialize the dog. Not everyone has the will or the capabilities to do what it takes to keep dogs and people out of the line of fire the nicest person can have an out of control dog or a mean child.
Again the owner has to be the leader and not confuse the dog with human emotions. Whether it’s a Pug or Pit doing the biting it does not make it right, you shouldn’t discriminate towards the bigger dog because you may think the smaller one is cuter.
48. KAREN said:
March 15, 2007 @ 11:46 am
I HAVE READ THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED SINCE THE LAST TIME I WAS ON HERE. NOW FOR CHRISTINA I THINK THAT IS SO WONDERFUL THAT THIS DOG IS THAT PRECIOUS TO YOUR DAUGHTER, THAT IS THE SWEETEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD. IM HAPPY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE BULLY BREEDS AND MAKE THEM SERVICE DOGS, THAT IS GREAT. HOPEFULLY PEOPLE CAN SEE THAT THESE DOGS ARE NOT BAD. ALSO FOR BEBE I AGREE WITH ANIMAL LOVER, YOU REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT THE BREED IS FROM A SHELTER AND AGAIN YOU HAVE TO SHOW THE DOG WHO IS BOSS…ALL I KNOW THAT MY PIT BULL AND AKITA ARE GREAT AND I WOULD NEVER OWN ANY OTHER TYPE OF BREEDS. ALSO I HAVE A LADY WHO HAS A DAYCARE RIGHT NEXT DOOR AND THEY KIDS PLAY WITH MY DOGS ALL THE TIME (OF COURSE SUPERVISED) WELL THE DOGS ARE PROTECTIVE OF ALL THE KIDS THAT ARE OUTSIDE WITH THEM…THE KIDS ARE ALSO ABLE TO TAKE A BALL OR STICK FROM THE DOGS MOUTH AND PLAY WITH THEM. AGAIN ITS ALL IN THE OWNER. IM NOT SAYING THAT BEBE DID ANYTHING WRONG BUT YOU DO HAVE TO MAKE PEACE AND RESPECT BETWEEN THE CHILD AND DOG. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY ALL.
49. Sonia said:
March 15, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Wow, touchy topic.
As a life-long fan of dogs, I can see how so many people have great things to say about pitbulls and other large dogs. But I think we all need to take a step back and see that Jessica has a GOOD POINT HERE. Yes, any dog can attack any person- provoked or not/ well-trained or not. Many posters have noted that, especially when mixed with children, who are also unpredictable, constant supervision is a must.
I support the idea that pit bulls can be just as sweet as a miniature poodle, but I’d prefer to have my child live a safer life surrounded by dogs that don’t have such powerful jaws. If my beagle attacked my 2 year old, her small jaw could only do surface damage, and my son would most likely survive (while my beagle would NOT). If a pit bull attacked my 2 year old, the dog would likely be able to crush his skull, tear off his limbs and do the sort of damage that most large breeds have the ability to do.
Love the pit bulls, and train them to be sweet and docile. But don’t hate me for being extra cautious when you walk by my child. It’s not a prejudice with malice; I wish only the best life for every breed of dog. It’s a prejudice with love for my child and everyone else’s; and the hope that someday we will stop hearing about how another child was killed, tortured and maimed by another large breed dog.
50. Sonia said:
March 15, 2007 @ 2:29 pm
And another thought to those who breed pit bulls and other large breeds who are known to be more aggressive: you know that you can tell what personality or temperament a puppy will likely have as an adult. If you breed pit bulls, and the like, and find a puppy with a severely dominant or aggressive temperament, I would suggest that you put them down.
After meeting with many breeders of various breeds, I know that puppies are put down for other defects, so don’t go all crazy on me for suggesting this. Our beagle was going to be put down for a jaw deformity, but we promised the breeder that she would be spayed and would never be touted as a ‘papered’ pure bred.
I think that having a group of pit bull (and such) breeders that are so passionate about the gentility of their breed that they will selectively breed for docile temperaments would do more for the so-called prejudice against “bullies” than anything else I can think of.
51. Michael said:
March 15, 2007 @ 6:14 pm
Bebe your right, dogs do view us all as members of the pack but remember the dog is never treated as an equal to children but are always subordinate in the home pack pecking order. Our jobs as Pack leaders is to let the
Dog know he is subordinate to everyone in the home. Not by being mean or abusive just by being firm and consistant.
Your dog wasn’t a pit, it was a mutt or mix breed. When mixed breed dogs bite they are always called a ” pit bull type ” how many actual times has a purebred pit bitten a human being ? No one knows because its much easier to paint in broad strokes and call all these mixed breeds ” pit bull types “. How about Chow type or Lab type ? Nah doesn’t have the same ring for the 6 oclock news. Who we gonna scare with Chow type ? Simple facts are a shelter dog of uncertain blood has just been thrown in the same boat as purebred pit bulls and that’s not right.
To clear a few things up a Pits jaw does not
lock. The jaw strength / bite force of a pit is
just the same as most other breeds of comparable size. The only thing that keeps a pits jaw closed on whatever he’s biting on is determination and courage. Two traits that are the result of being bred to fight. When pits were in the dog fighting ring in the old days people had to be in there with them and that meant no human agression of any kind was tolerated. Human agressive pits were put down simply because they couldn’t make money if no one trusted them. Hundreds of years of this type of selective breeding and you end up with a breed that has a stronger than normal tendancy for dog agression but lower than normal human agression. They represented our country in world war 1 . Hellen Keller also owned one, I wonder what a deaf mute was doing with with the most dangerous dog in the world ? Pete from the old
black & white tv show ” Our Gang ” Man do you think Spanky and Alfalfa know how close they came to getting their throats torn out ?
Give us all a break folks these are just
dogs. Don’t throw every mix with muscles in the pit bull pot, it’s not fair. 67% ? Bullshit !
Bebe God bless you and your son, Im glad he’s
ok, but a Mutt bit your boy not a Pit.
52. KAREN said:
March 16, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
I FOUND THIS ARTICAL ON A SITE…PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT LIKE THE BULLY BREAD. Excerpt:
The goal of pit-bull bans, obviously, isn’t to prohibit dogs that look like pit bulls. The pit-bull appearance is a proxy for the pit-bull temperament—for some trait that these dogs share. But “pit bullness” turns out to be elusive as well. The supposedly troublesome characteristics of the pit-bull type—its gameness, its determination, its insensitivity to pain—are chiefly directed toward other dogs. Pit bulls were not bred to fight humans. On the contrary: a dog that went after spectators, or its handler, or the trainer, or any of the other people involved in making a dogfighting dog a good dogfighter was usually put down. (The rule in the pit-bull world was “Man-eaters die.”)
[ed.: This is an example of what Temple calls 'informal selection pressures,' or culling.]
A Georgia-based group called the American Temperament Test Society has put twenty-five thousand dogs through a ten-part standardized drill designed to assess a dog’s stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness in the company of people. A handler takes a dog on a six-foot lead and judges its reaction to stimuli such as gunshots, an umbrella opening, and a weirdly dressed stranger approaching in a threatening way. Eighty-four per cent of the pit bulls that have been given the test have passed, which ranks pit bulls ahead of beagles, Airedales, bearded collies, and all but one variety of dachshund. “We have tested somewhere around a thousand pit-bull-type dogs,” Carl Herkstroeter, the president of the A.T.T.S., says. “I’ve tested half of them. And of the number I’ve tested I have disqualified one pit bull because of aggressive tendencies. They have done extremely well. They have a good temperament. They are very good with children.” It can even be argued that the same traits that make the pit bull so aggressive toward other dogs are what make it so nice to humans. “There are a lot of pit bulls these days who are licensed therapy dogs,” the writer Vicki Hearne points out. “Their stability and resoluteness make them excellent for work with people who might not like a more bouncy, flibbertigibbet sort of dog. When pit bulls set out to provide comfort, they are as resolute as they are when they fight, but what they are resolute about is being gentle. And, because they are fearless, they can be gentle with anybody.”
Then which are the pit bulls that get into trouble? “The ones that the legislation is geared toward have aggressive tendencies that are either bred in by the breeder, trained in by the trainer, or reinforced in by the owner,” Herkstroeter says. A mean pit bull is a dog that has been turned mean, by selective breeding, by being cross-bred with a bigger, human-aggressive breed like German shepherds or Rottweilers, or by being conditioned in such a way that it begins to express hostility to human beings. A pit bull is dangerous to people, then, not to the extent that it expresses its essential pit bullness but to the extent that it deviates from it.
Catherine speaking: over Christmas vacation, we visited Bob B., who is one of our best friends in Los Angeles. Bob and his family have become devoted lovers of pit bulls - they have 3 of them!
Having met those dogs, we’ve become pit bull devotees, too. They are incredible dogs, astonishingly focused on humans. Vicki Hearne is right: the dogs we met were fearless, resolute, and gentle.
Unfortunately, given the fact that criminal breeders are now deliberately mixing dog-aggressive pit bulls with human-aggressive breeds like the Akita, I’d be too nervous to buy or rescue a pit bull myself. I wouldn’t feel confident that we’d be able to know what kind of genetic mix we were getting. We have 3 kids, two of them with autism; plus we have lots of kids coming to the house; and we have lots of neighborhood dogs walking by. Bob lives in Topanga Canyon where he can keep his dogs separate from other people and other dogs.
So we’re going to be living a pit bull-free life for the foreseeable future.
But these are incredible animals.
53. KAREN said:
March 17, 2007 @ 11:11 am
HERE IS SOME MORE POSTIVE INFO ABOUT PIT BULLS
little dogs bite more often. big dogs don’t bite AS often, but they kill sometimes, so they get a bad rap.
taken from fataldogattacks.com-but remember, the fatal ones aren’t representative of all dog BITES.
“FATAL DOG ATTACKS”
The Stories Behind the Statistics
by Karen Delise
THE STATISTICS - FATAL DOG ATTACKS IN THE U.S. FROM 1965 - 2001 *
The study covers 431 documented human fatalities from a dog attack.
Location of Attack
25% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by chained dogs
25% resulted from dogs loose in their yard
23% occurred inside the home
17% resulted from attacks by dogs roaming off their property
10% involved leashed dogs or miscellaneous circumstances
Number of Dogs
68% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by a single dog
32% was the result of a multiple dog attack
Victim Profile
79% of all fatal attacks were on children under the age of 12
12% of the victims were the elderly, aged 65 - 94
9% of the victims were 13 - 64 years old
The age group with the highest number of fatalities were children under the age of 1 year old; accounting for 19% of the deaths due to dog attack. Over 95% of these fatalities occurred when an infant was left unsupervised with a dog(s).
The age group with the second-highest number of fatalities were 2-year-olds; accounting for 11% of the fatalities due to dog attack. Over 87% of these fatalities occurred when the 2-year-old child was left unsupervised with a dog(s) or the child wandered off to the location of the dog(s).
Boys aged 1 - 12 years old were 2.5 times more likely to be the victim of a fatal dog attack than girls of the same age.
Reproductive Status of Dogs
Overwhelmingly, the dogs involved in fatal dog attacks were unaltered males.
From 2000-2001 there were 41 fatal dog attacks. Of these, 28 were attacks by a single dog and 13 fatalities were caused by multiple dogs.
Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between 2000-2001;
26 were males and 2 were females. Of the 26 males, 21 were found to be intact (the reproductive status of the remaining 5 males dogs could not be determined).
this is from a different site, but once again, only FATALITIES
# registered No. of Fatal Attacks Breed Percentage
240,000 12 Chow Chow .705%
800,000 67 German Shepherds .008375%
960,000 70 Rottweiler .00729%
128,000 18 Great Dane .01416 %
114,000 14 Doberman .012288%
72,000 10 St. Bernard .0139%
5,000,000 60 American Pit Bull .0012%
Only registered dogs were included. In this finding, the number of the breed is expressed
first, then the number of fatal attacks by the breed and the percentage of dogs in that
breed who administered the fatal attack.
54. KAREN said:
March 28, 2007 @ 11:15 am
hello jessica have you done any research on this breed yet? if so what have you found out. have a wonderful day all.
55. Christina said:
April 3, 2007 @ 9:12 am
Karen I am happy that you showed some statistical numbers. I would like to also know geographically the statistics. For Sonya, yes this is a very touchy topic indeed. This gets people more educated though. I believe that some people who write have no idea about the Pitt Bull are being ignorant. For you, you understand that yes Pitt Bulls can be dangerous if not properly trained. Regardless of what breed a large dog is you prefer not to go near one of them.
A question for all people on this site who are afraid, non educated about the bully breed, and completely judgmental: What will you do if you are in the hospital, regardless if you were in an accident, critically ill, and so on, and someone like me who has a certified helping dog which happens to be a Pitt Bull to help you; will you finally get it through your head, or freak out ignoring the fact the hard work and training the dog has gone through?
What will people do when the Pitt Bull is gone? The media will portray another dog as a killer and society will then ban that breed. What one does not realize is yes big dogs have big teeth and jaws, but little dogs such as the cocker spaniel bites more frequently and aggressively. When asking a veterinarian one will say yes small dogs are much worse. One has to understand how much social activity any dog needs. If people would take the time out to actually walk his or her dog, get him or her trained, maybe put him or her into a Doggy Daycare, one will see life in a new perspective.
Please people understand CAPS means you are yelling. Please calm down, take a step away from the computer, collect your thoughts, and then write. You are just getting your self and everyone else upset. I can understand that one does not want his or her child around a Pitt Bull. OK get on with your life. Also you have to understand you all are talking about MIX breeds. I am speaking of the Full Blooded American Pitt Bull. When you have mixed breeds they also need a lot of interaction with society and other dogs. I personally did not get a mix breed because I would then have to know the ins and outs of the different kinds of breeds in my one animal.
Bebe you can not live with a Pitt Bull. Where are you getting your statistical figures? You stated “MY POINT BEING THAT PIT BULLS ARE BRED TO BE AGGRESSIVE TOWARDS OTHER DOGS.” My take is; Society would rather believe that Pitt Bulls are born blood thirsty killers, rather than understand that this is due to cruel training techniques. I know that I did not have a breeder breed just to raise aggressive fighting dogs. I understand how upset you must be to have a dog like this attack your child. The fact of the matter is though is that you had a Pitt Chow Lab mix. THIS IS NOT A PURE PITT BULL!!!!!!!!!!
Anything can happen regardless of what breed of dog. For dog owners to get a dog and not have done his or her research on what the back ground of the breed he or she is getting shame on you. When ever someone gets a dog a lot of research should go into what the dog needs, should have, and what the owner should do. So do not be bias against the owners of pure Pitt Bulls because we know and understand what our dogs need! We did our homework and give our pets what they need. We took that responsibility when we brought our pet home.
56. Deirdre said:
April 17, 2007 @ 10:50 am
I completely agree with the last comment. It is all in how you train a pitbull. Obviously the statistics are going to be high for pitbull attacks, when many people TRAIN them to attack. A pitbull is not inherently an evil dog, it is the person that makes it that way. I also think that you should volunteer at the SPCA, or another animal shelter, and learn for yourself that these dogs have the best demeanor, and they deserve better.
57. Cody said:
April 20, 2007 @ 6:04 pm
Its really just this bad name they’ve gotten. There’s been so many attacks involving pitbulls because they’re so popularly turned vicious. And when these dogs get mean, they can really hurt someone. The stories are so bad, they get put all over the news. People get scared, and everyone starts thinking that pitbulls should be banned. Also, Golden Retrievers scored lower on the Temperment test than pitbulls. But noone says Goldies are bad. Its all about this media.
58. Christina said:
April 21, 2007 @ 8:18 am
Substandard quality of life for the Pitt Bull is an outrage. Cruel methods of training
techniques have left the Pitt Bull Terrier group as the main attraction in society. As the media
feeds society with listed Pitt Bull attacks the media fails to indicate how these animals have been brought up, or even why these incidents happen. Ultimately leaving these individual uneducated about these breeds, but leaving him or her feared, ready to discriminate, ban, and kill these animals. Pitt bulls are not born these viscous killers that they are made out to be; rather they are made.
Regardless of a breed no child should be left alone with an animal though. Children have a tendancy to pull, yank, and so on. But this is where the media strives off of a dog just acting out.
59. Karen said:
May 8, 2007 @ 10:40 am
good afternoon all. just another true story the other day my friend and her child were over and her son is 3 years old. he accidently pulled on my dogs neck and she yellped, i thought she was going to do something. the only thing she did was stand up and shoved the kid with her nose and moved. see again pitbulls are not all bad. i just like to share this information with people that do not know facts about the pitbull and believe all pitbulls are bad. have a wonderful day chritina. how is your daughter doing :O) good i hope. bye bye for now :O)
60. cecilia said:
May 13, 2007 @ 8:44 pm
I began to read this and it just went on and on. Just wanted to add that my pit/rottie mix is my 2 daughter’s “big brother” according to them. he is afraid of his own shadow, and did nothing but wag his tail when 1) fire fighters had to break open the door of the apartment he was staying in when the buiding went on fire and 2) another apartment was having some work done and complete strangers broke through the drywall with sledge hammers. I thought you might all get a kick out of how dangerous he is.