Here we go again, and again...

[kjc]

Just saw on the news, another child bitten by a 'Pit Bull'... 106 stitches and 12 staples in his right leg... 4-6 weeks in a wheelchair....

The reporter then asks the owner, What's your dog's name? The guy couldn't answer! (stammered and studdered) WHAT the heck is going on here? This was an adult, unneutered male dog... He also said the child picked the wrong dog... had to be someone else's dog... plus there's a puppy PB looking out the upstairs window that he don't know nothing about! Yeah, right.

Warning: This is graphic: I have changed the font color to white, to read it, just highlight with your mouse:

Two months ago a young girl was attacked by two American Bull dogs who got loose from their yard. Each one had her by a cheek on either side of her head and were trying to tear her face off (and just about did!) II am sick to my stomach again just typing it here.


Both incidents happened here in Baltimore or suburbs, where I live (or very close to it).

Unbelievable. How many kids are going to have to suffer injury or death before something is done?

[MauiGirl]

This is so very sad and yes sickening, yet again. Praying for the child to recover, and for these attacks to end.

[yorkietalkjilly]

That poor little child! Just think what he went through! His parents must be half-crazed. All because of some jerk who has dogs he can't or won't control control them. If our legislators or police don't stop irresponsible owners from unleashing this kind of destruction on the public, it will get worse still.

[Britster]

It is TERRIBLE. That is so sad. I think it's particularly scary in Baltimore City where so many people want them just to look cool or to fight them.

My aunt has a 9yr old Pit Bull, Max, whom she took from one of her then-boyfriends friend when he was a small 12 week old pup. She, being the animal lover that she is (and living in bad parts of B-more at the time) knew what that dog was probably going to be used for and convinced the friend to give her the dog. He now is a happy, well adjusted, well socialized Pittie. It's a shame to know what happens to many of those dogs....

[yorkietalkjilly]

Duh! I finally got what you meant and highlighted and read that! It is sickening! Do Labs and Beagles and Pointers attack like that when they bite?

[Britster]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Duh! I finally got what you meant and highlighted and read that! It is sickening! Do Labs and Beagles and Pointers attack like that when they bite?

Pittie's are definitely strong! But any breed of dog can do a lot of damage.

This was done by a ShihTzu:
Home Depot bans pets after dog bite incident at Ottawa store

There's a lot of Lab attacks on this list:
Punish the Deed, not the Breed!

Bite pressure:
Humans: 120 pounds of bite pressure

Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.

[MI Yorkielover]

Originally Posted by Britster

Pittie's are definitely strong! But any breed of dog can do a lot of damage.

This was done by a ShihTzu:
Home Depot bans pets after dog bite incident at Ottawa store

There's a lot of Lab attacks on this list:
Punish the Deed, not the Breed!

Bite pressure:
Humans: 120 pounds of bite pressure

Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.

Interesting information.

[sweet_tikka]

I do feel horrible for the pit breeds especially, pit bulls are seriously wonderful family pets.. IF and only IF bought from a family safe/reputable breeder in an area NOT known for the fights especially in the Northeast of the states. Buying a puppy from a home that just breeds for money and who knows what they use their dogs for in the off season... that's what causes these biting/savage pitties.


It's so so so sad, I have a friend who has 3 pitts, 1 great dane, and a pomchi... her pitties have never shown agression towards a soul, infact they would rather roll onto their backs expecting belly scratches from a stranger rather than bark and snarl. I think that there should def. be a nation wide restriction on the breed and a mandatory registration specifically for pit breeds. And HIGH fines for fighters, or people who dont register their dog.

It's also true that any breed can be bred to be bad. I had a friend that had a 5lb yorkie rip her cheek open just because she went to kiss the pup. I also took on a 2yr old pomeranian last october who just haaaaates strangers, i had to work really hard with him to socialize him, he still freaks out at people on walks, but off his leash he is wonderful. So sad that people don't understand how to socialize and raise well mannered dogs.

[FlDebra]

I know it is very unpopular to say but I still believe the only right thing to do is enforce spay and neuter on all pit bulls and maybe some of the other more dangerous dogs. I KNOW it is not the dogs' fault. Man bred them to be killing machines and then MAN continues to leave them unattended, untrained, and often uncared for themselves. Sinc ewe cannot trust man to take the necessary precautions, we really need to stop this breed. There is no need for it to continue. They were bred to kill and kill they will until we spay & neuter them all and end the blood lines there. I do not want to put them all down, although that is what happens in most cases where they attack humans. But I do want to stop the breeding of dangerous breeds. I know many are as sweet as can be right up until the day they aren't! After most attacks, people describe the dog as friendly an would never hurt anyone before that day. We should never have bred for these characteristics in the first place -- but there is NO REASON to continue to do it. We should spay & neuter all and people could replace their next dog choice with a less dangerous dog. They just have the propensity to kill where so many other agressive dogs do not. Yorkies sare feisty little things and I am sure nip often, but they would have a pretty hard time opening their little mouths enough to really hurt anyone.

So, there it is -- my controversial opinion. Sorry pit bulls -- man has let you down! But there just is not other logical answer that will save all the lives that will be lost otherwise.

[kalina82]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Duh! I finally got what you meant and highlighted and read that! It is sickening! Do Labs and Beagles and Pointers attack like that when they bite?

All dogs can attack like that. They all have the same type of teeth and can do some serious damage. I work as a vet tech and a groomer, and needless to say, I've been bitten a few times. Not one of them was by a "pit bull" type breed. These ones bit but didn't break skin: cocker, french bulldog, toy poodle, shih tzu, chihuahua, lhasa, lab, and a golden. These ones bit and broken skin: black lab, toy poodle, basset hound, bulldog. And one Jack Russel tried to take my bottom lip off. I had to go to the emergency room and see a plastic surgeon to sew my lip back together. That was not fun.

Its very sad when children get attacked. I hope that poor child recovers well. I wish there was some way to regulate who can own a dog.

[FlDebra]

BTW -- Statistics are a crock! I know the sites FOR pit bulls hav eall sort of stats showing cocker spaniels are more dangerous! But there are plenty of stats on the other side too. I don't know how true to fact EITHER set of stats might be. But I do know lives are lost needlessly, children are maimed and disfigured needlessly all because some want to own a dog with a huge and powerful jaw. How many PSI's? Well I think every test is going to be different and every dog will be different with each circumstance. Does the dog really exert the same pressure on a bite measuring tool as they do on a child or adult for that matter?

You can get statistics to prove just about anything you want if you know how to selectively collect and collate them. I worked in statistics for quite a while. In fact, I am embarrased to say, I was known for being able to "work" the statistics. Never lying, mind you -- but you can bend a LOT! The things you need to remember are the photos of poor children that are marred forever, or the gravesites of those who won't draw another breath. You can't bend those facts! WHY would we want to continue breeding dangerous dogs when there are plenty of other breeds to choose from? What can be gained by breeding a pit bull that cannot be from another breed? Unfortunately it has become a macho thing to have a big, bad, dog with a big, bad reputation. Immature people are drawn to them -- people who do not care for their dogs or train them tobehave. It makes it horrible for those who truly love the breed for the good traits.

My nehew has rescued several and has enjoyed them. But even he will not take them out where his young nieces & nephews will be. He knows their potential for violence and he understands that realistically they ARE MORE DANGEROUS than Jack Russels, Labs, Cockers, etc.... He loves them & respects them but he also understands how truly dangerous they can be.

[ErinsWhitney]

Originally Posted by FlDebra

BTW -- Statistics are a crock! I know the sites FOR pit bulls hav eall sort of stats showing cocker spaniels are more dangerous! But there are plenty of stats on the other side too. I don't know how true to fact EITHER set of stats might be. But I do know lives are lost needlessly, children are maimed and disfigured needlessly all because some want to own a dog with a huge and powerful jaw. How many PSI's? Well I think every test is going to be different and every dog will be different with each circumstance. Does the dog really exert the same pressure on a bite measuring tool as they do on a child or adult for that matter?

You can get statistics to prove just about anything you want if you know how to selectively collect and collate them. I worked in statistics for quite a while. In fact, I am embarrased to say, I was known for being able to "work" the statistics. Never lying, mind you -- but you can bend a LOT! The things you need to remember are the photos of poor children that are marred forever, or the gravesites of those who won't draw another breath. You can't bend those facts! WHY would we want to continue breeding dangerous dogs when there are plenty of other breeds to choose from? What can be gained by breeding a pit bull that cannot be from another breed? Unfortunately it has become a macho thing to have a big, bad, dog with a big, bad reputation. Immature people are drawn to them -- people who do not care for their dogs or train them tobehave. It makes it horrible for those who truly love the breed for the good traits.

My nehew has rescued several and has enjoyed them. But even he will not take them out where his young nieces & nephews will be. He knows their potential for violence and he understands that realistically they ARE MORE DANGEROUS than Jack Russels, Labs, Cockers, etc.... He loves them & respects them but he also understands how truly dangerous they can be.

I share you sentiment completely. I've never been a PB fan, and I've known lots of teddy-bear lover PBs. I would never allow my children near even the most gentle PB. They make me nervous, because they were bred to KILL.

[FlDebra]

Here are some of those stats from the other side: Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to June 25, 2010 - By Merritt Clifton - DogsBite.org
Study highlights
The combination of pit bulls, rottweilers, presa canarios, and their mixes:
80% of attacks that induce bodily harm
70% of attacks to children
83% of attack to adults
69% of attacks that result in fatalities
75% that result in maiming
Discussion notes:
Even if the pit bull category was "split three ways," attacks by pit bulls and their closest relatives would still outnumber attacks by any other breed.
Pit bulls are noteworthy for attacking adults almost as frequently as children, a characteristic not shared by any other breed.

Like I said -- I can't be sure of any statistics but these were compiled from actual dog bite reports. I tend to doubt just about all stats -- but the actual attacks can't be argued with. If only we could enforce responsible pet ownership!!!!

[yorkietalkjilly]

FLDebra, Erins, could not agree with you more. As far as what happens after the first bite, the pitbull causes more agony, death and destruction than any other single breed from the things one sees in the media from police reports. I think it is because they are the only breed still being bred for their killing capability with only the best being kept for fighting and the others integrated into the public, bred and continuing the genetic danger.

Is that the dog's fault? No! Does the dog do the damage? Yes. Sadly, this breed has been done a terrible disservice by mankind but the ones who have destroyed this breed are not the ones paying the ultimate price. The dogs and their victims are the only ones that ultimately suffer.

[kalina82]

I think we also have to remember that the "pit bull" isn't a set breed. The term "pit bull" can be used for any dog that "appears" to look like one to the person doing the classifying. "Pit Bull" can encompass the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, "game" pit bulls, bully to bully hybrids, pit bull mixed with other non-bully pure bred, and any built, muscular dog with a square head and wrinkles . I think it is harder to get true numbers on pit bull attacks because it will always include mixes and dogs that aren't actually pit bulls but just have that look.

can you tell the difference?
findpitbull_v4
http://www.pinellascounty.org/animal...reeds-test.pdf