Severe Dog Attacks and Pit Bulls

"How has the landscape of America and the mindset of Americans changed so dramatically in only a few decades? Is it canine behavior that has changed so drastically? Or have we, with our growing ignorance of dogs, become so unreasonable that any flaw found in an individual dog is taken as ample justification for vilifying all their innocent brethren? Have we, in morbid fascination, concentrated so intensely on emphasizing the bad that some dogs do that we can no longer recognize the myriad of good and positive things that most dogs contribute to our lives? Or, as some lawmakers and the media would have us believe, are some dog breeds inherently more dangerous and aggressive than others? Are Pit bull- type dogs becoming increasingly more dangerous than they were a century ago? Are most such dogs wonderfully tolerant and manageable or are these dogs unpredictable and untrustworthy, waiting to explode in a fury of aggression against everyone and anyone?

"For those interested in understanding canine behavior and the forces which contribute to severe attacks, modern-day media sources are sorely lacking in vital information surrounding these events." This is what increases the public's fear of certain dog breeds, mainly those surrounding the pit-bull type dogs. What you hear, "Pit bull attacks and kills a 7 year old boy. The dog was owned by the child's neighbor." What you don't hear, "Prior to the attack the dog was beaten, served a dose of rat poison, and was found to be severely malnourished." If you were to hear that, would you still have the same opinion about the dog?

Around the 1900s the Newfoundland, Bloodhound, Mastiff, and Bulldog, were the feared. They were the breeds to avoid. They were the cause of nearly all dog attacks. But, they were replaced by other dogs with just as bad temperaments. The German Shepherd was just one of the dogs that replaced the first set of vicious terrorizors and baby-killers.

They were a fairly new breed to America, and were most commonly used as guard and protection. The breed of yesterday, is not the breed of today. The old German Shepherd was rebuilt by media. No longer do we see them as the killers they once were.

By the 1920s, the German Shepherd was gaining in popularity as a "bad dog." It already had several years of killings and fatal attacks behind its paws, and it was not getting any friendlier.

Slowly the vicious image of the German Shepherd was beginning to rebuild and reshape. Rin Tin Tin featured a friendly, fun-loving German Shepherd dog. Police began using the dogs. People began using them as seeing eye dogs; The German Shepherd was the first seeing eye-dog in the US.

About 10 years after the height of the German Shepherd fear, they had been reshaped into a heroic and courageous breed.

But, the German Shepherd isn't the only dog breed to have been reshaped by media. The Great Dane is another dog breed that is now seen as the gentle giant, but was once feared. The Doberman Pinscher has, also, been slightly reshaped by media, but not nearly as much as the German Shepherd or Great Dane.

Note- This does not mean that the German Shepherd or Great Dane are not responsible for a portion of the dog attacks and fatal killings of today. It just means that yesterday's fear can be tomorrow's love and joy.

Also Note: The first breed ban was for the German Shepherd. Not many people know that, but, it sure tells you a lot about the dog who is now seen as a hero.

• Bloodhounds- (various breeds of bloodhounds- Cuban, Siberian, Russian, British, etc; during 2^nd half of 19^th century frequently the cause of severe and fatal attacks)
• Newfoundlands- (latter part of 19^th century, predominate cause of severe, fatal attacks)
• Siberian Huskies
• Eskimo dogs
• Alaskan malamutes
• Labrador retrievers
• Arctic Sled dogs
• Alaskan huskies
• Spaniels
• Mastiffs- (used as guard dogs, they are common for severe and fatal attacks, but currently, the attacks have virtually disappeared)
• Collies- (numerous severe attacks in the first few decades of 20^th century)
• Mix-breeds (IE Mutts and any dog that is unrecognizable to a breed)
• St. Bernard- (sporadic episodes of severe, fatal aggression at the beginning of the 1900s and again in 1970s)
• Fox terriers- (severe attacks to young children)
• Boston terriers
• Airedale terriers

The more popular a dog breed, the likelihood of an increased number of attacks by that dog breed.

• Drug agents drove to a house, suspecting an arrest. The suspects rushed out of the house, loosened and ordered their dogs to attack the officers.
• A pack of dogs terrorize schoolchildren, chasing and biting three of them.
• A police officer mounted on his horse shoots a dog attacking his horse.
• Owner arrested for releasing and siccing his dog on a police officer.
• Police officer was able to barricade an attacking dog inside his doghouse, but the dog tore through the wood and lunged at the officer, who had to shot the dog.
• Dog shot twice after attacking 2 children and biting a police officer.

So, what type of dog was reported in each of those incidents?

Pit bull? .... No...

Rottweiler? ... No...

Poodle? ... No...

Mix-breed? ... No...

German Shepherd... Yes...

Media likes to portray dogs with human emotions, frequently being described as jealous, lonely, depressed, enraged, angry, and frustrated, but dog's do not have human emotions. Dogs don't think like humans. Dogs think in the here and now. So if you leave the dog at home alone for the day and come home to find your new shoes torn up; the dog didn't do it out of spite. They don't know or understand what spite is. The dog did it out of boredom and well your new shoes probably tasted good.

Here's a common story you may read in the paper or see on television:

"The beloved family pet, who never once showed signs of aggression viciously attacked the young 17 year daughter of Mr. John Doe. The girl, innocently rocking in the rocking chair, and calling the dogs name, never expected the dog to begin attacking her face, chest, and arms."

What you won't hear:

"The 17 year old was rocking in the rocking chair, when she accidentally rolled the leg of the rocker on the dogs paw. The dog went darting around the room in pain, and when the 17 year old called the dog, he responded by lunging at her."

That attack was out of pain, injury, and confusion. Not an innocent attack by a beloved family dog. It was a reaction to having his paw squished under a large wooden rocking chair.

This is a true story from 1897 of a Newfoundland.

The media has bashed the pit bull type dogs since the 1970s. Most reports claim that a pit bull was (1) bred to kill, (2) non-human aggressive, and (3) have locking jaws.

1. Well, they were bred to kill dogs, not people; human aggression and dog aggression are completely different types of dog aggression. One would not claim their dog food aggressive if the dog is only toy aggressive, so why would I claim a dog who is only dog aggressive as being human aggressive?
2. The pit bull type dog breeds, which include the American Pit Bull Terrier, Bulldog, Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Bulldog, and any dog that may resemble a Pit Bull, were never bred for human aggression. Even in the height of dog fighting, dogs that showed signs of human aggression were culled from the breeding programs, meaning they were either put down or just removed from the breeding program but still kept as a pet.
3. Pit bull type dogs are built like any other dog, but with the frequent reports of, "the pit bull locked his jaws around the child's neck," the most common myth "pit bulls" have locking jaws arises. In actuality, studies show that with most pit bull type dogs, have stronger jaw muscles than other breeds, but they're jaws cannot possible lock in place.

It is the intent of the media to report just about every dog fighting raid, police raid, and pit bull seizures, to attempt to further the bad reputation of the breed. This (1) makes people believe that these types of dogs are the only dogs attacking and have to ability to be aggressive and (2) furthers the fear of the breeds.

What's sad is that, statistically speaking, the American Pit Bull Terrier is the least likely dog breed to bite, and the Cocker Spaniel is the most likely dog breed to attack.

Another sad note is that because "pit bull" is commonly the term to group dogs of a fighting background, the American Pit Bull Terrier is the most common dog breed that is hit with the wrath of irresponsible dog owners, as APBT contains "pit" and "bull."

You commonly see pit bull type dogs with gangsters, mobsters, drug lords, and other rough and violent people. Do you see them with portrayed in the homes of teachers, CEOs, or the elderly? Unfortunately, not so often.

Recently, with the Old Navy commercial featuring the blue American Pit Bull Terrier puppies, have hopefully shown people that these dogs are not vicious by nature, because otherwise these cute, innocent puppies would be attacking the actors. Before that, the last time one has really seen a friendly, family APBT was in "The Little Rascals."

I mean come on, even Steven King used a pit bull type dog in the "Cujo" book. How scary is it to see a large rabid dog chasing after you, much less if that dog is a rabid pit bull type dog? Pretty scary, if you ask me.

Even PETA, the world's advocate for animal rights, is the main organization setting fear in the eyes of people in regards to pit bull type dogs. I'm not saying that these dogs don't fatally attack, because they do, but there's no need to single out a group of dogs, collectively known as "pit bull." PETA is the main organization pushing for breed bans. They're the ones with the vicious pit bull posters.

Yes, they bite. Yes, they kill. Yes, it happens. But it also happens in regards to labs, retrievers, terriers, and other "family dog breeds."

In the 20^th century there were over 450 reports of severe dog attacks in the United States, and none of them were caused by pit bull type dogs.

The media, being single minded, puts on their blinders, so to speak in regards to the pit bull. Think about it... From 2002-2005, there were 11 fatal dog attacks. 0 out of those 11 dogs featured pit bull type characteristics, but the media claimed each a pit bull attack. The media never once reported the true breeds of these dogs

According to the CDC, Center for Disease Control, over about 20 years, 66 fatalities caused by dog attacks were attributed to pit bull type dogs. 66 in 20 years!

Many people use this statistic to claim the pit bull type dogs are the most dangerous thing or dog, just because it has more fatalities than other dog breeds. Well, in actuality, in regards to children, the most dangerous factor is not a pit bull type dog but fathers, as the majority of child deaths is caused by physical abuse by fathers or father- figures.

You can't believe everything you hear from a politician's mouth or from a news reporter. The media is skewed.

10-20 pit bull type dogs cause fatal attacks, but tens or thousands are loved family pets... Look at those numbers... 10 versus 10,000... Hm...

Now, do consider that I'm not saying that pit bull type dogs never attack, as it's been reported over and over again, and even the CDC had about 66 reports pit bull attacks. But, every time you hear it on the news or any type of media, doesn't mean that particular attack was truly caused by a pit bull type dog. In many cases the initial report assumes pit bull type dog, and when the results claim the dog as another type of dog, there is never a retraction.

Otherwise, you'll see the headline "Pit bulls attack child of 8" but if you continue reading, you'll notice that the real dogs that attacked were American Bulldog or some other bulldog breed. It just doesn't sound the same to read a headline as "American Bulldogs attack child of 8."

Pit bull type dogs can and do attack people and other animals, but you have to consider that not every dog attack is caused by a pit bull type dog and not every pit bull type dog will attack.

Also, do take into account that it can be hard for the average person to properly ID a dog, so many statistics even the CDC dog statistics can be inaccurate. I've seen the results of cops in an area where BSL had just been enacted; they'll snatch any dog they think is of pit bull type origin. I've been to the kennels, and I've seen Catahoula Leopard Dogs, white Boxers, and Bulldogs that were taken in mistake for pit bull type dogs.

The common characteristics that lead people to believe that a dog is a "pit bull" includes medium to large sized body, short hair, muscular, broad chest, and wide- square head. There are so many dogs that, also, fall into these traits. Mastiffs, Rottweilers, American Bulldogs, and English Bulldogs, are just a few breeds with these traits, and none are considered of the "pit bull" class. These traits are usually those that determine that the stray that attacked your nephew was a pit bull type dog. Now, how fair is it, when so many other breeds have the same traits?

A combination of the following characteristics can cause a dog to attack in many different situations.

• Intact male dog.
• Female in heat.
• Dogs used for guard and protection purposes.
• Malnourished dogs.
• Untrained and poorly socialized dogs.
• Poor breeding- inbred, over bred, etc.
• Abuse and mistreatment.
• Fear.
• Unsanitary living quarters, which can lead to health issues.
• Harassment.

Any dog breed can attack. Any dog breed will attack. Any dog breed can kill.

Proper socialization and training is the key. Don't be a poor pet owner or an ignorant soul. There is more than one dog breed that attacks and kills.

Take off the blinders and open your heart. One day the American Pit Bull Terrier will be reshaped as the feared dogs of the past once were. One day, they'll be beloved and cherished again.

Time changes. People change. Our past proves that alone, as the most feared dog in American was once a loved family pet and war hero.

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