blah blah blah.

OWNER KILLED BY PET PIT BULL

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/17/13334356-chicago-man-mauled-to-death-by-his-own-pit-bull?lite

So sad.

The story said they had one dog since it was a puppy, and also one of it's sons. That means they bred the one dog.


I have great respect for anyone that adopts a pit bull because once they hit a shelter, they are absolutely doomed -- nobody wants them.

But BREEDING them??? For God's sake, how stupid can you be? There are thousands unwanted pits and you are purposely bringing more into the world?


What this also means is the publicity around this story (and others) will doom yet more dogs to being euthanized in shelters, as even fewer will now be adopted.

Yet pitbull puppies are on craigslist all day every day. >:( Last time I was at the shelter, three pitbull dogs were brought in to be surrendered just while I was standing there. One major problem with even adopting them is what if you needed to move to a city like Denver with breed specific legislation?
I think they are great dogs but it's so so wrong to breed them right now. This article (http://www.kitsap-humane.org/truth-about-pit-bulls) talks a little bit about why we erroneously think pitbulls are more aggressive or dangerous than other dogs. Large dogs in general have the capacity to kill you under the right circumstances, but it's far more widely reported when the dog attack was from a pitbull-looking dog. Also pitbulls are much more likely to be used as guard dogs and chained up outside, leading to more behavioral issues.
Not sure that was the deal with this case, but you don't know what provoked the dogs.

I have a rescued Pit and he's the sweetest thing. I got him when he was about a year old and had him fixed right away. He sleeps on the bed with me and likes to give me lots of kisses. He is protective and doesn't like strangers around or in the house when I'm not there. There are many many other pit bulls out there that don't make the news or attack people. It's a matter of breeding and training the dog gets, any dog can be made vicious. Labrador Retriever's have also been know to attack and kill a human as well as German Shepard's and Rottweiler's. Unfortunately there are too many people out there who don't breed or raise them right. Sometimes the old saying is true, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

The difference with Pits is that they were bred to fight and even kill and you never know when that instinct will be triggered.

<30 deaths per year. I think if we're going to start damning behaviors we have bigger fish to fry than feisty dog breeds.

A friend of mine had a "brindle" Pit Bull. I some ways it was the friendliest, smartest dog I'd ever seen--next to a Border Collie. But in one second my friend could turn it into a death dealing psycho dog. The only more bipolar dog I've ever seen was a Doberman. I just remembered that at one time I was "part-owner" of an unclipped (ears and tail) pit bull puppy . . . but it got "parvo" and died. The other "co-owner" was supposed to have taken care of the shots and so forth but didn't.

I don't think the breed should be regulated -- it's not realistic anyway because there isn't even agreement as to what a "Pit Bull" is. It's not a recognized breed and many are mixes with other types of dogs.

I'm the biggest dog lover you'll ever meet but I had an incident at a dog park that forever changed the way I see Pits. My Labrador (who rolls on her back submissively when approached by almost any dog) was brutally attacked and it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. The Pit went absolutely insane -- it was terrifying. It never got a good grip on my dog's neck and was pulled away by it's owner, but I had to run with my 90-pound bleeding, screaming (she made a noise I had never heard coming from a dog) Lab in my arms back to my car and to the emergency vet.

My dog just had a bunch of bite marks but I was so shaken I haven't been back to the dog park and this was years ago. And this park is in what is considered to be one of the nicest areas of Southern California.


Doesn't mean all Pits are bad by any means, but having witnessed this incident personally, I will forever just steer clear of those dogs.

Again, much respect to those who take them in, but I am never going to take that risk myself.

<30 deaths per year.

...in the u.s., around 350,000 people per year are seen in emergency rooms because of dog bites. around 850,000 people per year seek some form of medical attention. -M

The only dog that ever bit me was a scrawny collie of some sort. I was a little kid and it bit me on the leg (calf) because I was running across the neighbor's/its backyard, a small patch of ground that was shared by my playmates (their kids), on my way home (in proto-suburbia). I think mom took me to the doctor. It was a nasty bite. I think that was the day that I made up my mind that the next dog that bites me will be the last time that dog bites anyone. My plan has worked for over 50 years. I think dogs can sense it. =)

I have a rescued Pit and he's the sweetest thing. I got him when he was about a year old and had him fixed right away. He sleeps on the bed with me and likes to give me lots of kisses. He is protective and doesn't like strangers around or in the house when I'm not there. There are many many other pit bulls out there that don't make the news or attack people. It's a matter of breeding and training the dog gets, any dog can be made vicious. Labrador Retriever's have also been know to attack and kill a human as well as German Shepard's and Rottweiler's. Unfortunately there are too many people out there who don't breed or raise them right. Sometimes the old saying is true, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

Getting the dogs fixed may have a lot more to do with attack tendency than breed. "For example, since 1965-2008, there have been 17 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in connection with dog bite fatalities in Texas. All of the dogs have been intact (not spayed/neutered)." Quote from the article I mentioned in my last post. I don't see "ball specific legislation" coming on the books any time soon. lol

I've also owned an older cocker spaniel that was mean as heck. It pretty much couldn't leave the yard without attacking every other dog it came across. Lots of times when I'm at the park there is some dog that is just a jerk, barking and lunging at other dogs that aren't doing anything. In my experience little dogs are often jerks but nobody thinks much of it because they are little. Nearly every chihuahua I've ever met is just vicious. Supposedly this actually is caused by how much little dogs are spoiled causing them to develop "small dog syndrome" http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/small-dog-syndrome/26546

<30 deaths per year. I think if we're going to start damning behaviors we have bigger fish to fry than feisty dog breeds.

30 per 200+ million people.... 49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure... Not trying to downplay this sad thing to happen but death by dog attack is really very very low.

Getting the dogs fixed may have a lot more to do with attack tendency than breed. "For example, since 1965-2008, there have been 17 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in connection with dog bite fatalities in Texas. All of the dogs have been intact (not spayed/neutered)." Quote from the article I mentioned in my last post. I don't see "ball specific legislation" coming on the books any time soon. lol

I think a few wives might be in favor of that lol

<30 deaths per year. I think if we're going to start damning behaviors we have bigger fish to fry than feisty dog breeds.

Take tame killer sharks for example . . .
Or look at the rare instances of tapir and chimpanzee attacks fer cryin' out loud.
This doesn't mean that I trust pit bulls or their owners . . . But c'mon . . .
And lightening--especially global warming caused lightening.

Have you ever been around a full-sized poodle?
Untrimmed, (uncoiffed) it's a pretty scary dog. Or at least worthy of genuine respect.
And don't even get me started on Ayredayles . . . or those creepy Norweigian Wolf Dog/Hounds.

Now imagine a "toy" chihuahua (of the yapper line) about the size of a Great Dane.
That would be a dog worth avoiding.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads14/Dogs+20Playing+20Poker+Web1227043307.jpg

All rights and wrongs reserved.
(but note the absence of The Monster Chihuahua or anything resembing a Pit Great Dane)

My friend has pitbulls and he breeds them and they go for hella big bucks and they sell quick, so I don't know where you're getting your information. All dogs can love if shown proper love.

Tru' Dat.
(now whut?)

So . . . where does "Hellabigbucks" in the private sector rank on the scale of "DangerToThePublic"?
in terms of fiduciary concerns and stuff like that there?
not counting cruelty to animals and dogs an so forth etc blablablah

I think that Political Attack Ad Salespersons for Both Parties are overlookin' a niche market.
No?

...in the u.s., around 350,000 people per year are seen in emergency rooms because of dog bites. around 850,000 people per year seek some form of medical attention. -M

Still pretty small beans IMO.

30 per 200+ million people.... 49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure... Not trying to downplay this sad thing to happen but death by dog attack is really very very low.

Exactly. And regulating smoking took forty years of controversy and bickering.

There is an old, overused, contemporary parable related to this issue ("bickering") that you may have by-passed in the course of your studies of current events . . .
dm2Y80jSHi0
Non-Denominational.
Dogs are involved.

The difference with Pits is that they were bred to fight and even kill and you never know when that instinct will be triggered.

I would never own a pitbull.

I have been involved first hand in an unprovoked attack on another animal where myself and 2 others were fighting to get the pittbull off of the other dog after the pitbull broke away from its owner, charged over 50 yards across the street at a blue healer that had just jumped out of the back of my truck. I dont want to go into it more but i've also witnessed another attack. I dont care what type of owner you are, they are unpredictable dogs around children and other animals. The attacks that I have personally been involved in have all been with dogs who 'were good dogs and have never done this before'.

I would have no issue killing one if it came into my yard.

(Im a huge animal lover, I've had my own dog since i was a child and have 2 right now)

Yet another good argument for Open Carry.

If you don't have a pistol or other assault dog deterent readily available, I have it on good authority that you place your fingers at the base of the dog's jaws, where the jaws connect to the rest of the head, and squeeze like you mean it, the dog will stop biting (itself) long enough for you to leverage yourself into a position in which you can literally break the dog's jaw and render it non-threatening. From now on.

Yes, it will hurt.

Once, I was in a local pound on behalf of a breed specific rescue organization checking out whether a particular dog was a Samoyed. I expected it to be depressing but I was truly shocked at the number of pits that were in there - cage after cage after cage. Just awful - how can people keep breeding and abandoning them? The pound/shelter had even kept the name of one owner surrender - Cudjo. Come on - that dog was never going to be adopted unless it was to go into a fight pin (this wasn't far from where Michael Vick had his kennels).

I have always had good luck with pits - they are the sweetest things - big babies. But one day, it dawned on me that I go out of my way to talk about the "typical" Samoyed temperament and realized how inconsistent that was. If Samoyeds have a certain temperament - and I believe they do - there is no reason to think Pits don't have their own personality traits that could include abrupt violence. The scary thing about pits is not just they can be violent or that they can do real damage - the scary thing is how it can turn off and on with no warning. The thought of having a child around a pit sends shivers down my spine.

The scary thing about pits is not just they can be violent or that they can do real damage - the scary thing is how it can turn off and on with no warning. The thought of having a child around a pit sends shivers down my spine.

4000 Dollars in vet bills and 1 animal death that ive personally witnessed so far.

2005
^You could always carry one of these around if yer worried. http://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html
Also good for staking the odd vampire.
Nobody was saying that no one buys/wants pitbulls, obviously they do and probably pay hellabigbucks for them. That doesn't mean they won't dump them in the shelter later when they need to move into a rental with a no dogs or no pitbulls policy, or when they want to get a cute new puppy. My friend had two gorgeous pit puppies dumped on her property last week with docked ears. 20062007

in all honesty,
i'm a bit peeved
at the rogue cat
that trespassed into
our natural animal sanctuary.

we put out feed
for the birds and the squirrels steal it.
the lurking, unpredictable, cat
has me wondering
if the birds
are at risk

but
at least one
of the squirrels
was "barking" at it
so
i don't know
for sure

my wife
has suggested pellet guns
and vaseline for the feeder pole
to challenge the squirrels
in their neverending quest
for seeds

now
a stray cat
has entered the picture
and i'm not sure what to do
except for no dog. =)

P.S.: The Sonic Egg from PetSmart works GREAT to deter annoying barking neighbor dogs.
It is far kinder than chicken bones or chocolate.

now a cat has entered the picture
and i'm not sure what to do
except for no dog. =)

It's not The Old Woman Who Swallowed the Fly, you don't need a dog to get rid of a cat. lol You could take it to the animal shelter or maybe call animal control. These animals have no idea they are trespassing in your birds only zone.

do you seriously think i'm going to attempt to make friends with a stray cat?
dream on. (my grandmother and mother fullfilled that "obligation" =)

however, my opinion of the local tree rats (squirrel's) has improved slightly:
the squirrels only eat the seeds we put out for the birds
the cat would eat the birds
which is unacceptable

kindness--in Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs on the road to Self Actualization--is a tricky deal =)

doesn't authentic Brunswick Stew involve squirrels?
i think it does.

doesn't authentic Brunswick Stew involve squirrels?
i think it does.

You eat the squirrels, the cat eats the birds, everyone is happy! XD

To Pete and Penny's point: animals are not humans, and they have animal instincts. Sure, all dogs may attack but pits are much more vicious and dangerous when they do. How often do you hear of other dogs killing their own owners?

This pat "there are no bad pits just bad pit owners" is simplistic -- and unsupported by fact. The facts are that pits kill and maim frequently, and more so than other dogs per capita. Perhaps more importantly, when they do attack they are more lethal than other dogs.

Chicago passed the law to allow owning handguns in 2010, 2 years after the pit bull owner bought the dog. Had he been allowed to own a handgun, would he have bought the dog?

Statistics regarding pitbull attacks are such crap. Please--identify the pitbull here: http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

My boyfriend and I adopted a "pitbull" (??) from the shelter last year. He was extremely easy to train and is the most loyal dog I've had. He's much better-behaved than my Australian cattle dog/dalmatian mix. I cordially invite any of you to meet me at the dog park this weekend and see the vicious pitbull in action.

Also, I was attacked as a child by a golden retriever. I'd also love to show you the scars I have from that.

The sad reality is that ignorant people are generally drawn to the pitbull breed. They are extremely loyal to their owners, and thus easy to train (this includes training to be destructive). When stupid people get ahold of a physically powerful, loyal breed, bad things happen. Combine that with the fact that most people identify any mid-sized boxy-looking dog as a pitbull, and you get a lot of controversy over a dog breed. It's really sad.

Also, more people than not say my dog is 'such a sweet pitbull'! There is not a drop of pitbull in her.

2011

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/georgia-woman-killed-dogs-rescued-street-article-1.1138784

I'm leery of pit bulls, but I'm also leery of many other large breeds - except Great Dane's - we bred Dane's for awhile when I was young and those were the best large dogs I've ever known.

I was attacked as a child by a dog - German Shepherd. My best friend growing up lost half of his ear when he tripped over his sleeping Doberman. My wife's mother raised Rotts and they were just great big babies.

My neighbor has a wolf-hybrid. We dog-sit when they go out of town and its a great (big) dog that is very friendly to us - but it would attack and kill a smaller dog without a second thought.

All the stats are wrong?


In the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in 2000 a study on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979-1998. The study found reports of 327 people killed by dogs over the 20-year period. Using newspaper articles, the CDC was able to obtain breed "identifications" for 238 of the 327 cases of fatal dog attacks.

Newspaper articles are not statistically valid sources of a dog's breed. As I pointed out, many, many breeds of dogs are misidentified and placed in the 'pitbull' category, especially mixed breeds. Could you identify the pitbull in the link I posted above? So, my point is that these are not really "stats".

I understand your fear, though. Trust me--I truly do. It took me many years to be able to even be in the same room as a dog. I still have occasional bouts of panic when I'm at the dog park and a dog jumps up on me.

It really is hard for me to say anything bad about pits because, as I said, my personal experience is that they are sweet, very affectionate, etc. I have a good friend in my Samoyed group who took in a pit puppy as a foster puppy, fell in love with her and decided to keep her. We all called her the naked Samoyed. This type of discussion came up and most of us were tactful. We knew that dog and knew she was a sweetheart. We also didn't want to hurt our friend's feelings. Some people felt differently and came down like gangbusters anti pitbull to the point where he got so disgusted he dropped out of the Samoyed group (he'd been an active member for years and had trained dogs when he was in the military). I guess none of that makes any difference but while I just HATE this whole controversy, I can't ignore the stats and, more, I can't ignore that so many of the pitbull victims are babies, some even pre walking. I've seen too many dogs who give babies a special dispensation to be able to ignore a dog that would kill or mutilate a baby. Most dogs I know who are bothered by a toddler might nip to get away (not that this is okay) but no way would they go on the attack, kill and sometimes even eat parts of the child. And so many of those dogs are described as big babies until they snapped.
I think there is a definite market for pits if you have the right setup, but most people going to the pound aren't looking for pits. And it just seems like so many pits are abandoned, more even than Jack Russells and I honestly can't understand that.

Still pretty small beans IMO.

Not if you're one of the victims. I was mauled by a dog (our family pet) when I was two years old. There were numerous bites on my head which required stitches. I still have scars from that and it's big beans to me.

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

The only dog that ever bit me was a scrawny collie of some sort. I was a little kid and it bit me on the leg (calf) because I was running across the neighbor's/its backyard, a small patch of ground that was shared by my playmates (their kids), on my way home (in proto-suburbia). I think mom took me to the doctor. It was a nasty bite. I think that was the day that I made up my mind that the next dog that bites me will be the last time that dog bites anyone. My plan has worked for over 50 years. I think dogs can sense it. =)
When I was 4 we were visiting my grandparents in Slaton, Texas, I was running down the hall and my grandmothers Chihuahua chased me down the hall and bit my leg behind the knee. That is the only dog bite that I have had happen to me and I have been around dogs my entire life. I have no doubt that my heeler could've been aggressive if she was protecting something in "her" territory since they are a breed bred to protect livestock.

Part of the problems of trying to use "statistics" is the poor value of those "statistics", most dogs that somewhat resemble a pit are just classified as one even if there is no pit bull lineage in them, just likeit seems like most any gun is described by the media as an "assault weapon" even when it isn't, the public just takes it at face value that someone know what they are talking about.

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

What a total non sequitur. Many animals can be dangerous to humans if we aren't careful around them and you don't normally encounter cows in your yard or while walking down the street. I was just attacked by a crazed animal in my yard with no provocation so your analogy doesn't work. My point was that it's not "small beans" which was your comment.

In 2011, there were 31 people killed by dogs in the US. Of those, 71% of the fatal attacks were from pit bulls. This despite the fact that pit bulls make up only 5% of the US dog population.

Here's the link:

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2011.php

Pit bulls are bred to kill. Yes, they can be sweet and stuff, but if their inbred aggressiveness is triggered by internal or external factors, they can snap and kill. The stats above are staggering -- and they don't include the maiming and other serious injuries these dogs cause, or the deaths they cause to other animals. I had a good friend whose dog was killed by a pit bull as she -- and the dog's unthuggish, responsible owners -- watched helplessly, even though they were beating their own dog with a limb.

I'm surprised insurance companies do not inquire as to the presence of these dogs when they write policies. They are a four-legged, snarling liability.

What a total non sequitur. Many animals can be dangerous to humans if we aren't careful around them and you don't normally encounter cows in your yard or while walking down the street. I was just attacked by a crazed animal in my yard with no provocation so your analogy doesn't work. My point was that it's not "small beans" which was your comment.

Mine was in a yard. Thirty a year is a very small number no matter how much it bother some individuals. If we take action against specific breeds it will be because they seem scarier, not because we've adressed all the other, much larger threats to our safety.

Where has anyone on this thread said they thought the breed should be banned or regulated?

All the stats are wrong?

I never said violent breeds are hard to train. That would be a pretty silly position to take.

I guess if we can't accept statistics provided by major medial sources, we don't have much to talk about. I'm not big on conspiracy theory debates.

I think the problem is what defines a Pit Bull? The term can encompass 3-5 different breeds and is often misused, which can sometimes lead to problems. I'm not a huge fan of the breed(s), but I've had good and bad experiences with them. I have a few different friends that have Pits, or very Pit like dogs and they've always been fine. I've dog sat for them without issue and vice versa. But I've had some real bad encounters at the dog park with Pits attacking my dogs(Who the hell brings a dog that's been at least partially bred for dog fighting to an off leash park, anyway?) or generally being over aggressive.

I though I would glance at Wikipedia to see what was there and their stats definitely matched up with yours, but I thought the following was really interesting:

Several studies have determined that pit bull owners and owners of other "vicious" or "high risk" breeds (most commonly identified as Akita, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and Wolf-mix) are more likely to have criminal convictions and are more likely to display antisocial behaviors. A 2006 study comparing owner's of "vicious" dogs to owners of "low risk" dogs determined that the former group had nearly 10 times as many criminal convictions.[50] A 2009[51] and a followup 2012[52] study generally supported these conclusions.

I have a unsubstantiated suspicion that problems with Pit Bulls are much like the vast majority of problems with other dogs: The people that own them.

To Pete and Penny's point: animals are not humans, and they have animal instincts. Sure, all dogs may attack but pits are much more vicious and dangerous when they do. How often do you hear of other dogs killing their own owners?

This pat "there are no bad pits just bad pit owners" is simplistic -- and unsupported by fact. The facts are that pits kill and maim frequently, and more so than other dogs per capita. Perhaps more importantly, when they do attack they are more lethal than other dogs.


From google searches I'm coming up with a rough estimate of around 9-10 million Pit Bulls, with half that number being registered dogs. So with 9-10 million pit's in the US there are 30 deaths. The deaths are tragic and I still believe a vast majority of the blame is on the owner. May dogs are called Pits but really arent, many are cross bred.

Quite often dogs that attack are identified as pit bulls when they are not. There are 20+ breeds that are commonly incorrectly identified as pit bulls. Visit Understand-a-bull for more information.

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

Don't get me wrong, if you break into my house or attack me all three of my dogs, 1 Pit, will tear your ass up. But if you're a guest they will demand that you scratch them or give them a milk bone. I take my Pit on walks or drives all the time and he has never gone after another dog or person.

And I was trampled by a cow. Shall we ban them?

I was too as a teen growing up on a farm... we ate it :)

Don't get me wrong, if you break into my house or attack me all three of my dogs, 1 Pit, will tear your ass up. But if you're a guest they will demand that you scratch them or give them a milk bone.

My goofballs would roll over for the burglars - even home invaders - asking for a belly rub. I have one that once ran from a rabbit.

In 2011, there were 31 people killed by dogs in the US. Of those, 71% of the fatal attacks were from pit bulls. This despite the fact that pit bulls make up only 5% of the US dog population.

I'm surprised insurance companies do not inquire as to the presence of these dogs when they write policies. They are a four-legged, snarling liability.

If I'm reading the number correctly, it appears that 22.01 people were killed by pit bulls.
I wonder about the .01. Was it a ChihuahuaPit Hybrid? Or is that what was left after the feeding frenzy?

If I owned a Pet Pit I'd have to lock in out in the garage overnight.
It could snap and go all feral and whatnot while you are asleep.
Probably only .01% probability of that occurring but . . .

(don't you love that insurance co. ad featuring the guard dog that was so happy his owner invited all of his buds over for a treat-giving party? i do.)

You are correct. I am selling my house this spring and contemplated moving to an apartment near the dog park for a short period of time before buying another house. I cannot find an apartment complex that would allow our pit-mix to live there. They vary in which breeds they disallow...cocker spaniels were disallowed at one of the places! Dalmatians, too, which rules out my other dog. But, generally, it is fairly easy to find places to accommodate their size of dog (they are both 40 pounds).

My homeowners insurance is about $60/year more expensive to have my dogs. I can't remember if that was for dogs in general or if that was because of breed.

We took in what we think was a full blood pitbull (whatever that may be) wearing a collar but no tags. He was real sweet and got along with our dogs, except one, who had been abandoned as a puppy and given that history, might have some pit in him. We had to keep them totally separated as they tried to kill each other on the two occasions they met. There was no good dog/bad dog, both were in killer mode. It took about a month but we found our "guest" a new person on Craigslist. Joyously, they rode off into the sunset.

Edit: The guest dog had been neutered, further suggesting he wasn't of total heathen upbringing.

Another avoidable tragedy. But, they're just as sweet as can be!

Three Month Old Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull

A 3-month-old baby boy died Monday night after being mauled by the family's pit bull.
Burleson, Texas, police say officers responded to a 911 hang-up call at about 6:45 p.m. When they arrived, they reported a family disturbance.

read more:

Police: Pit bull fatally mauls 3-month-old baby in Texas - U.S. News (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/25/14095596-police-pit-bull-fatally-mauls-3-month-old-baby-in-texas?lite)

I think the parents should be charged with negligent homicide. I will not allow my daughter in the home of anyone who owns one of these killers.

I'll go ahead and file this thread away in the "train whistles and indian casinos" dustbin that just keeps collecting posts. It irritated me when I first read it and it continues to do so as you add to it. Apparently you've got a grudge against a specific breed of dog. Perhaps what you should be considering is the owners. There was a family disturbance in progress that very likely should give you the clue as to where the problem was in the first place. Dogs do what they're taught and permitted to do. I've received several dog bites over the span of my years and they all have come from dogs YOU would trust before you would trust a pit bull (a very vague breed collection, by the way that most shelters and city officials lump together with mutts that they cannot identify a specific breed on). I'm sure that the TV would never get the breed wrong or never just assume that it was a pit bull (whatever that is). I would hope that you would look at more than the family pet before you decided where you let your minor family members spend time. Don't let your prejudices run your life, eh?

In Selfish Praise of Dogs
(dedicated to Dubya61) (and intended to annoy formatting nazis and their ilk)

i like
Beagles
and
Border Collies
i also like
mixed breeds
except for the
Nasty
Annoying
NAFTA Spawn
HuskyWolfMixes
supposedly from
TundraTerritory
up Nord
and
PsychoChihuahuas
supposedly from
the Soud

Pit Bulls are OK
Except when they sense
Train Whistles
And should be limited
to the frightyards
in the vincinty
of KC
so torea
can have
something else
to bitch about.

if i see a pit bull
attacking me
i will shoot it
on sight
because i do not
reside
in a
protected
national
park
an
attacking
dog
bear
or puma
doesn't think
in terms
of
Federal
Rules
and i don't
possess
a firearm
or a dog
anyway
=)

Baseball column related to pit bulls. Check out our cartoon:

Hacked_MLB_Accounts (http://sillimanonsports.com/Hacked_MLB_Accounts.html)

Silliman on Sports
By Stan Silliman

HACKED MLB ACCOUNTS MORE ENTERTAINING THAN ACTUAL ACCOUNTS

“We regret to inform our fans Derek Jeter will miss the rest of the season with sexual reassignment surgery. He promises to come back stronger than ever in 2013 as Minnie Mantlez.”

You will not currently find this post on the New York Yankees Facebook page but it was there on August 3rd, obviously a hack and also much funnier than anything the Yankees normally post to their page. Sorry, 6 million Yankee Facebook fans, but someone has figured out how to post false messages to the page.

The Yankees weren’t the only one to be hit the same day. Even though they only have 280K fans, the Washington Nationals found their site hit with this stinging message: “We’re going back to Montreal. SEE YA SUCKERS!!!!” Fans actually believed it. Lots of ??? and “Just when they were getting good!?”

The hacker then jumped into the Marlins site with “Just a reminder tonight is FREE PIT BULL NIGHT at Marlins Park. The first 10,000 fans ages 18 and under will receive a free rescued fighting Pit Bull courtesy of Dade County Animal Rescue League.” Everybody should have known this was a hack. I mean, really, 10,000 fans at a Marlins game?

Did the hacker stop there? No! He found his way into even more sites. The San Francisco Giants were hacked with “That Chick-Fil-A guy sure is an (anatomical expletive)” Was this as bad as the one hitting the Cubs: “(Expletive) Bill Murray.”? Of course, the White Sox weren’t left out with “Everyone knows President Obama is a diehard ChiSox fan. Unfortunately, we’re voting for Romney.” Ouch. When Rahm Emanuel finds this guy, the hacker will get Rahmed.

Here’s a mean one that was posted to the San Diego Padres Facebook: “Just a note: Though the handicapped are allowed to enjoy Padre games at Petco Park, their attendance is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED!” This one we understand. With a record of 45-64 there’s a good chance the Padres will lose. It’s hard enough to get in and out of Petco Park if you’re able bodied so the Padres don’t need a park full of disgruntled fans in chairs streaming to the exits. It would not surprise us if the Padres took advantage of the Hackalypse to make it seem they were posting a fake message.

We couldn’t find the hacked message for the NY Mets but we assume it to be “Anna Benson, wife of former Met, Kris Benson, promised to have sex with the entire Mets team if she found her husband cheating. Well she did and she will – next Friday on a bed set up near the Mets dugout. First 15,000 fans receive a Kris/Anna split-apart bobblehead.”

We’re sure the Boston Red Sox site, if it were hacked, would read: “Didn’t get a chance to boo Josh Beckett last time out? Next Wednesday you get another chance. Josh promises a performance worthy of booing.”

If the Cards site were hacked we expect this: “Due to budgetary considerations we had to sell the Clydesdales. Do not worry. Ann Romney promised to turn them into quality dressage performers.”

Another avoidable tragedy. But, they're just as sweet as can be!

Three Month Old Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull

A 3-month-old baby boy died Monday night after being mauled by the family's pit bull.
Burleson, Texas, police say officers responded to a 911 hang-up call at about 6:45 p.m. When they arrived, they reported a family disturbance.

read more:

Police: Pit bull fatally mauls 3-month-old baby in Texas - U.S. News (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/25/14095596-police-pit-bull-fatally-mauls-3-month-old-baby-in-texas?lite)

I think the parents should be charged with negligent homicide. I will not allow my daughter in the home of anyone who owns one of these killers.

Obsessed much?

Another avoidable tragedy. But, they're just as sweet as can be!

Three Month Old Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull

A 3-month-old baby boy died Monday night after being mauled by the family's pit bull.
Burleson, Texas, police say officers responded to a 911 hang-up call at about 6:45 p.m. When they arrived, they reported a family disturbance.

read more:

Police: Pit bull fatally mauls 3-month-old baby in Texas - U.S. News (http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/25/14095596-police-pit-bull-fatally-mauls-3-month-old-baby-in-texas?lite)

I think the parents should be charged with negligent homicide. I will not allow my daughter in the home of anyone who owns one of these killers.

There are over 30 different breeds of dogs that are commonly mistaken for Pits. So, when a dog is attacking, people automaticaly assume that the dog is a pit. I would have to say the most common dogs that get mistaken for Pit are American Bulldogs and American Stadforshire Terriers (most will tell you that the Staffy's are the same as a Pit but they are not). Another sad part is often time people rely on the identification of Pitbull experts to identify the dogs, and often times even the Pit experts can't indentify the dogs. Many "Bully" breed mixes can look like pits and so everyone goes with, "if it looks like a pit is must be a pit".

Many more children are killed by neglect from the parents every year than from dogs. My pit has been around babies and young children and he's gentle with them, that's because he's been trained right.

many more children are killed by neglect from the parents every year than from dogs.

boom!

I've had ferrets as pets for over 30 years. They get a bad rep too. I've only had large mixed breed dogs as my canine pets. Except one beautiful full blood German Shepard. Her parents were East German. Never once got bit by my dogs. Didn't let kids around them either. Responsible ownership keeps everybody safe.

Anyone remember the labrador puppy who ate the baby while the baby's mother and grandmother slept? Poor dog didn't know people, as he was neglected and hungry. Pup was *destroyed*.

But people aren't hysterical about labs. Go figure.

I think I posted this before... Pick out the Pit Bull Pet PitBull - Legislation (http://www.nokillnow.com/PitbullFindIT.html)

I have no problem with the breed, as long as we will prosecute owners directly for their actions (much like a gun ownership). If your dog kills someone, it's manslaughter (at the least) for the owners. If they attack someone, it's assault with a deadly weapon.

Don't like it, then be a better owner.

I'm willing to extend this to all dog breeds (rather than picking on one).