Another pitbull kills, this time a little girl

[OctagonGecko729]

Pit bulls kill about 25 people a year and of those 25 the individual owner is always to blame. This is your big moral crusade? I feel that this is a little absurd considering the vastness of problems we are facing in the current age. Statistically the animals don't even register on the human fatality dangerous scale.

You advocate using the state to solve these problems but the state has been directly responsible for murdering 250 million people in the last century not even counting wars or prison. It seems like your trying to solve a paper cut by amputating an arm.

[Gio]

Terrible argument. Sorry, biologist or not.

Let's play dirty.

How many more black males have been arrested for violent crimes than white females??


So are black males dangerous?? Absolutely ridiculous!!!! But this is what you are saying believe it or not.

You are picking and choosing here. Your point is so under thought and so far off from what the problem is.

It is poor ownership, and idiots breeding unstable dogs to each other fighting them and dumping them. It's people who THINK they want a dog and then do NOTHING with it and fail to recognize any signs of a problem.

You think you are singling out a problem breed based on WAY over hyped media info and tales that seem to stick no matter what evidence there is to the contrary. Keep in mind this is just what they want to do with snakes. "Constrictor" is now associated with death and danger thanks to the media.

We can do this with certain races, religions, males, females. It's pretty sad that you are convinced of this with a certain breed of dog.

With a science background I'm even more surprised. You are losing credibility holding onto your argument. Again, MILLIONS of pit bulls have existed for hundreds of years. How come we only started hearing about the problems when drugs, violence and gang culture started becoming more apparent?? That's not the dog's fault.


I have a deep knowledge of pit pulls. Trained and competed with them, and sorry but they have done more than the lion in the story you posted. That particular lion was not the rule VS the MILLIONS of pit bulls that are domesticated and have been HERE since the US was established. They also set the lion free because he was not manageable and after there second visit to see him he never returned.

Pit bull and viper?? Really?? That's ridiculous! How can you compare the 2?

Your continued argument has hints of completely regulating any animal anybody has an issue with.

There are pit bulls working as bomb and drug dogs with federal and municipal law enforcement. There are law enforcement officials that rescue and re-home pit bulls from their terrible situations.

You are also ignoring the fact that the dog in the report, which is full of empty info was NOT a pit bull. Pits do not weigh 130 pounds. Sorry to break the news.

And the "game bred" pit bulls were rarely if ever over 80 pounds.

Seeing any of this on a reptile board, with like minded people worried about the future of reptile keeping really is shocking.

Thinking that upstanding, responsible people should give in and have to pay and obtain a special permit for any breed of dog is really sad. I certainly wouldn't want you on any city council near me. Once the pit bulls are regulated, on to the next thing deemed unsafe by somebody that knows so little about the breed.

My family and I are VERY responsible dog owners and I've been proving pit bulls and like breeds are every bit as good as any other dog since the 1990's.

Whatever point you were trying to prove with your thread really went the opposite direction.

That's exactly the kind of thinking that 90% maybe more people on this board are afraid of.

[Mr Oni]

sad man, I remember a little 4 year old boy getting killed by a pit on Camp Lejuene.

Regardless a child died a really crappy death.

I understand snakes killing because well....they aren't playing the same game...but a dog?

I couldn't imagine a more terrible suffering.

[Eramyl]

I'm a biologist too. For me I look at it this way: a dog is a species, and needs to be treated as such. All dogs, as a species, are potentially dangerous, and need to be handled a certain way. Some dogs, such as those that are larger, have more potential to cause harm. Likewise horses are a species and all are potentially dangerous. Some horses, due to size, have more potential to cause harm. Different snakes are different species, as such have different requirements, different temperament, and different potentials to cause harm. In all of these different species you need to approach them a certain way, to handle and care for them properly.

There are people out there who shouldn't keep ANY dog. Those people can turn ANY breed into a killer. Following what you seem to be suggesting, all dogs should be regulated. Perhaps all species should be regulated for that matter. Cats spread disease, livestock kill people, rodents can kill people through disease.

I strongly disagree with your statement on larger dogs. I've been seriously harmed more by chihuahuas, Pomeranians and dachshunds than anything, and have never been attacked or harmed by a "large breed." I currently own a pitbull and a Great Dane, and they have never shown any signs of aggression. Sure, they may be stronger, but they are not predisposed to aggression anymore than a small dog.

[sorraia]

I strongly disagree with your statement on larger dogs. I've been seriously harmed more by chihuahuas, Pomeranians and dachshunds than anything, and have never been attacked or harmed by a "large breed." I currently own a pitbull and a Great Dane, and they have never shown any signs of aggression. Sure, they may be stronger, but they are not predisposed to aggression anymore than a small dog.

I did not say larger dogs are predisposed to aggression. I said the potential to cause harm is greater. This simply means a larger dog can hurt a person more easily than a smaller dog. The larger dog doesn't have to be trying either. I've been hurt by larger dogs when they've jumped on me or run into me, I've never been hurt like that by a smaller dog. A bite from a larger dog is likely to be more serious than a similar bite from a smaller dog, just by virtue of size. That does not mean the larger dog is going to be more aggressive, bite more often, or always cause worse injury if it does bite. All I'm saying is pound for pound a larger dog has potential to cause more harm than a smaller dog.

Now speaking of personal experience and preference, the most aggressive dogs I've met have been smaller dogs. I've only ever owned larger dogs, and while I've been knocked over and jumped on (not necessarily my dogs, but ill behaved dogs owned by other people) I've not been bitten by a larger dog. But behavior and temperament don't change the physiological potential of a larger dog. Note, I'm not advocating stricter controls or regulations, its just an observation and comparison.

[RissaEst]

To those of you who judge a breed by news like this, please educate yourself on the breed. I'm currently in a court battle because some uneducated biased horrible man shot and murdered my baby. My life crumbled from beneath me and after 3 months there is no sign of healing. Please, educate yourself before you pass judgement. I couldnt read all the comments

[AlexisFitzy]

To those of you who judge a breed by news like this, please educate yourself on the breed. I'm currently in a court battle because some uneducated biased horrible man shot and murdered my baby. My life crumbled from beneath me and after 3 months there is no sign of healing. Please, educate yourself before you pass judgement. I couldnt read all the comments

I'm so very very sorry for your lose
my heart and soul go out to you and your family. I can't even imagine what you guys are going through. I'm so sorry once again.


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[piedpython]

Pit bulls can make wonderful family companions. I have a Staffordshire bull terrier and Iove her to death AND she loves children. She is the best companion dog I ever had next to my German Shepards and Rottie. My sisters and I grew up with a Rottie and two German Shepards and let me tell you their temperment was much better then my moms two shi-tzus. I bled a few times from the shih-tzus playing too rough, being defensive over food or even being picked up. My two GS, Rottie, and SBT have never once even snarled at me and were much more loving then any toy dog. A dog, cat or any pet can harm you. It is all how the animal is raised and treated. My friend suffers from seizures and her service dog is a red nose APBT. You cannot be biased and group all Pitt bulls as dangerous. Most bullies who attack people were fighting dogs at one point or got loose and were mistreated.


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[Spiritserpents]

My questions:

Was the child interacting with the dog, or anything that 'belonged' to the dog? How old was the dog? Was the dog sterilised? What training did the dog have? When was the dog last taken to the vet? What breed was it *really* because a 130lb pitbull would be too fat to move.

My catahoula/lab mix snarled once at my cousin when he was 9 months old. He was allowed to physically interact with my dog (who was staying at my grandparents while I dormed) with minimal supervision. My uncle initially demanded I euthanise my dog. I countered with questions about Nathan's interactions with my dog and learned that he would grab my dog by the face and ears, but they thought it was okay because my dog would groan happily when I *rubbed* his ears. Aussie loved kids. He put up with this daily for a month before reacting at all, but to my uncle it was "unprovoked".

Hypothyroidism can lead to aggression due to hormonal imbalances. Pain from arthritis or chronic pancreatitis can cause aggressive responses. Senility, decreased eyesight and decreased hearing can all cause aggressive responses. Brain tumors and temporal lobe seizures can also cause episodes of aggression.

Threatening body language (unintentional from a child), quick movements, or attempting to 'take' something the dog considers to be theirs can all cause fear/possessive aggression responses.

Most pitbulls that attack people are intact. They are also rarely trained, and often spend most of their time outdoors and away from people.

I would bet, from the weight listed, that this dog was actually an American bulldog. Unfortunately, most of the ones I've met through work (registered veterinary technician) have been... unstable. Most people don't know what to do with a large, stubborn, sensitive dog resulting in a poorly socialised mess that is unpredictable. The few truly aggressive pitbulls I've met have been a- incredibly fearful (poorly, or completely unsocialised), b- badly bred (and yes, folks, genetics play a part in personality....), or c- made that way on purpose.

Also, OP? Your stat of 25 people a year is utter BS. The actual number is about 3. To quote the most recent study about dog attacks, and their causes... "For 401 dogs described in various media accounts, reported breed differed for 124 (30.9%); for 346 dogs with both media and animal control breed reports, breed differed for 139 (40.2%). Valid breed determination was possible for only 45 (17.6%) DBRFs; 20 breeds, including 2 known mixes, were identified."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24299544


One of my good friends and former coworker used to have a boxer-lab mix. A *known* boxer-lab mix that a neighbor thought was a pitbull. That neighbor even called animal control once saying that the dog had broken out of the backyard and attempted to attack her, and she had photos for proof! When animal control came by, she refused to give them said photos... and the dog was inside the house, where my friend left her pet, and the fence was intact.


And for fun-

Kisses, my oh-so-vicious foster pibble puppy from last year. Death by licking. He's also only 15 pounds and 3 1/2 months in this photo.

[kilopular]

This whole argument reminds me I can't get an apartment because of my golden retriever chow chow mix because he's part chow. Because they're considered dangerous. Yet he is perfect around people and I've worked with him around other dogs.

And when I go to the dog park, who's dog is starting the fight and being threatening? Not mine. Who's owner is shrugging the behavior off, not controlling their precious angel, and ignoring their dog? Not me.

Its the owner. Not the animal.

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