Pit Bulls

Forums: Pit Bulls, Dogs, Pets, Pit Bull Attacks, Dangerous Dog Breeds
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Pit bulls ....

It is my opinion that the pit bull "breed" is very dangerous, regardless of the training the dog has received. While some pits have the ability to be nice pets, I believe their inherent nature is to attack, and when they bite they clamp down and don't let go. The anecdotal evidence is overwhelming.

This thread is to discuss the topic, and to post news accounts of pit bull attacks/maulings/killings. I've been meaning to start a thread for some time now.

Quote:

Pitbull attacks Valley man, 911 calls mishandled

22 comments by Lily Leung - Apr. 11, 2008 06:13 AM
The Arizona Republic

A leisurely spring day at the park turned violent - and potentially fatal - last month for an El Mirage man supervising his 4-year-old son, his neighbor's young daughter and his pet beagle.

A pitbull that wriggled out of its leash lunged at Bob Jones, 55, bit his right forearm and later dragged him about 7 feet after the aggressive dog and the beagle exchanged barks, Jones said.

It took three calls to 911 before emergency responders arrived at 128th Avenue and Rosewood Drive to treat Jones and take a report. More than 20 minutes had elapsed from the time of the first call.

...

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/7639/pit2bbull2bsitn3.jpg

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I have to say that I do not agree 100%

ANY dog can be trained to attack, and treated so poorly that it will think of humans as targets and something to fear.

Sadly, too many kids get these pit bulls because they think they 'look cool and tough' and abuse them, beat them, and MAKE them mean

then we as the public hear only about those dogs that bite and not the thousands upon thousands of other pitbulls that are NOT aggressive.

Since the 'child' population sees these dogs as a status symbol of some kind, they are bought and sold at an alarming rate.
And again.. we only hear about the bad ones.

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Don't even get me started on how ridiculous I think blaming a breed is.

However, here are some numbers for you.

Let's ban all bathtubs because some are dangerous. Rolling Eyes

Quote:

1. For every pit bull that kills or injures, there are hundreds of thousands that don't. Although there are no accurate or even near accurate census records for dogs in the US, in some populations, pit bulls are estimated to comprise some 30 to 40 percent of the dog population. That makes it a very popular breed. Considering that there were an estimated 53,000,000 dogs in the US, and assuming that pit bulls make up 10 percent of that population, there would be 5.3 million pit bulls in our society. In 2000, 13 pit bulls were involved in 8 fatal attacks. That is roughly one dog out of 204,000, or .000385 percent of the pit bull population.

2. During a 37-year period (1965-2001) pit bulls have been blamed for an average of 2.48 human fatalities per year.

3. Each year, 350 people drown in their bathtubs. A person is 151 times more likely to be killed in their own bathtub than by a pit bull.

4. It is estimated that about 500 deaths per year are caused by aspirin. A person is more than 200 times more likely to die from taking aspirin than from a pit bull attack.

5. Approximately 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts. A person is more than 60 times more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a pit bull.
(Source: National Safety Council)

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Ehh.. I see the point of how very few attacks from pits really happen..

I have to think that there may be some merit to the claim that the breed is dangerous, no matter how minuscule that merit may be.

They have been bred lately for fighting rings and aggression.

The most aggressive being the most popular and the ones that are allowed to breed even more. Granted, this is too speedy of a turn in evolution to think that we as a society have made an entire breed of dog dangerous by using these methods, but I am willing to bet MOST ( a small percentage ) are more aggressive then they SHOULD be by nature.

Again.. back to the kid population that buys them to look tough, articipate in fights,and breed them for money

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I can't believe anyone gets a pit bull because they're pretty. They get them because they are dangerous. They are.

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Bella Dea wrote:

Don't even get me started on how ridiculous I think blaming a breed is.

The last thing I would want to do is get you started, Bella. But the fact is this particular breed (and I include all of the various breeds that make up the generic "pit bull" classification) was bred to fight. Not all of them attack, but it is in their nature to do so. It isn't a question of whether the owner has trained them to attack -- some do, and some don't -- some will attack whether they have been trained to or not. And when they attack, they attack viciously. They are ticking time bombs on four legs.

These are not dogs that have only been bred lately to fight -- they were bred INITIALLY to fight. Selective breeding created a strong and tenacious breed. Fighting other dogs is a relatively recent development. But from the beginning, this breed was supposed to fight ... that's why it's in their nature to attack, to bite, and not let go.

If you read about a dog attacking an innocent bystander, what are the odds that the dog involved was a pit bull variety? Very high.

And I have dealt personally with cases of innocent children being seriously maimed by marauding packs of pit bulls. They are more dangerous when they are running loose, several of them together.

While I don't know that banning the breed is appropriate, I certainly think there needs to be greater regulation, with higher insurance policies for ownership, higher fines if running at large, stronger and better fencing requirements, warning signs, etc.

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roger wrote:

I can't believe anyone gets a pit bull because they're pretty. They get them because they are dangerous. They are.

i think you're wrong there, rog. plenty of normal people have pitbulls for pets. i believe we have some among us on this forum, one or two at least. they are great with kids, too.
my neighbor had 2 pits, they were just fine. the two bad bites of my life were from a cocker spaniel and a westie...of course that doesn't make the news.

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I'm sure if you asked dog experts, breeders, ect., you'd get a different opinion of what you're force-fed from the media.

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dagmaraka wrote:

.... the two bad bites of my life were from a cocker spaniel and a westie...of course that doesn't make the news.

That's because the cockers and westies don't normally kill or seriously maim people when they bite. They bite and let go, and they don't bite with the ferocity or strength of a pit bull. They are not inherently dangerous animals.

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These and similar dogs are now illegal in Britain (since about three years ago, I think) because of many distressing attacks, people mauled and children killed.

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Are presa canarios outlawed there, McT? If you know...

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Whoops sorry, a bit longer....since 1991. Embarrassed

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull

The other breeds are mentioned here.

And (internationally)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breed-specific_legislation

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I had a neighbor that had just gotten a new puppy. He seemed so happy and loving and sweet, but he also looked very close to being a pit bull. All the neighbors remarked - that's a pit bull. She said, no he's a bull terrier. Duh that's a pit bull. Well puppy began to grow up and he was still seemed sweet and happy, but strong. The lady that owned him wasn't the brightest bulb by any means and the dog would drag her around the neighborhood.

My husband said don't let the kids near that dog even though on the surface he seemed so friendly and sweet. Well one day it happened. He attacked unprovoked an elderly neighbor. She ended up putting the dog down. It was either that or be sued.

I am not a fan of blaming a breed, however, I feel strongly that most people should not own pit bulls. This was a sweet dog, and this woman never taught him to be mean or fight yet it was his instinct to attack and she could not control him.

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At least a dozen times a year, pit bulls are in the news of Houston, attacking, maiming, killing. There are exceptions, but, in general, pit bulls are not trustworthy dogs.

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I know there's some people on A2K that have pit bulls, and I can respect that.

But, I really dislike those dogs.

I just don't trust them.

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I don't trust chows either.

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Look them in the eye and they take it as a challenge. They respond to a challenge. So, just don't look them in the eye. Right, live your life by rules handed down by a dog.

I see people in the park every day, either being dragged around by their dogs, or dragging a resisting dog. I'm not speaking specifically of pits, but why have a dog if you can't or won't train it. And leashes. Oh, my lord. Yes, they are required, but what good does that do, when the dog is at the end of a 40 foot piece of string connected to a plastic reel.

I also see dogs walking at heel, and sitting on command when I pass on a bicycle. You see; it can be done. It can definately be done in Germany. I was stationed there in the mid 60s, and people had dogs bigger than I. No problem, but they weren't pit bulls.

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I gotta throw my hat in the ring too as one who does not like those dogs.

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Well, I knew a few personally, on a daily basis, and they were lovely non-threatening dogs. I will agree that they must have an owner who knows what s/he's doing.... and I will add that some people should not have any dogs, not even a maltese pinch.

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Ticomaya, I'll add my voice in opposition to banning pit bulls, even though I would never own one and would be super vigilant if I had children and lived in a neighborhood with a pit bull. One of the largest problems though, is that pit bulls are the choice of criminals who have trained their dogs to be 'psychotically' vicious. They continue to breed them and the cycle continues. The dog pounds are filled with pit bulls that are not considered adoptable and they are the breed that is most often put down.

There are many dogs that have caused serious damage or even death, but I tend to blame the owners. If they were agressively fined or given a stiff enough sentence, there would be fewer incidents of agression.

Below is a link to a site I found with information about home insurance rates being based on the breed of the pet dog.

I highly suggest scrolling down to read about the 11breeds that are considered dangerous--very interesting histories.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/insurance/bad-dog-list1.asp

To me, it all comes down to training by owners, especially ones like the lady Linkat referred to. I wouldn't have a problem with a law stating that certain breeds could not be sold until it and the buyer received intensive training--training aimed just as much toward the owner as toward the dog.

I also believe that not all people should have children until completing a thorough course in parenting........

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