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[DontBeThatGuy]

So much pitbull hate. Its kinda funny.

it's the same kind of shit that has so many of this generation of parents afraid to let their kids hang around outside, and with cops being called when they're chilling at a playground alone.

 

[Fusebox]

Hey, you're right:

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Which_Dog_Breed_Has_the_Strongest_Jaw

Rottweiler
The Rottweiler, or Rottie as it is often called, has a huge head and large jaws. This breed bit with 328 pounds of pressure. The Rottweiler is considered the second most dangerous breed of dog; the Pitbull is number one.

Still isn't enough to make it a more dangerous breed though.

it's the same kind of shit that has so many of this generation of parents afraid to let their kids hang around outside, and with cops being called when they're chilling at a playground alone.

What is this rambling nonsense...

 

[Ray Wonder]

Hey, you're right:

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Which_Dog_Breed_Has_the_Strongest_Jaw



Still isn't enough to make it a more dangerous breed though.

Just because a rottweiler isn't number one means it gets to not get eradicated?

 

[Musician]

It's not only how hard the bite, but HOW. Pit Bulls tend to bite dogs and humans the same way they bite rabbits. Bite, hold and SHAKE. Very damaging.

Fun fact, a wolf can bite down at 1200 psi.

 

[Fusebox]

Just because a rottweiler isn't number one means it gets to not get eradicated?

Nobody is talking about putting dogs down based on bite strength though.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

Hey, you're right:

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Which_Dog_Breed_Has_the_Strongest_Jaw



Still isn't enough to make it a more dangerous breed though.



What is this rambling nonsense...

Rambling nonsense? It's really simple, people get overly precious, overly paranoid, especially these days, with the media barreling down on them from all directions, regardless of how much risk is actually involved.

 

[NCR Redslayer]

Just because a rottweiler isn't number one means it gets to not get eradicated?

I believe hes talking about the ability to control the breed.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

Hey, you're right:

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Which_Dog_Breed_Has_the_Strongest_Jaw



Still isn't enough to make it a more dangerous breed though.

Well that quote that says a pit bull is the number 1 dangerous dog is false. A Dogo Argentino would wipe the floor with a pit bull. Again not saying pit bulls aren't dangerous. Just a lot of misinformation get spewed about them.

 

[Square Triangle]

I'll never forget my buddy who got his Pit into an apartment complex that didn't allow them. He put on the app "American Stafford Terrior" and it was accepted.

People are ignorant as hell about the breed.

 

[Rur0ni]

I deeply apologize if this example is insulting to anyone but it really does draw parallels for me reading this thread and the viewpoints expressed with how some people view minorities in this country.

It's kind of similar. People don't like to draw parallels with lesser animals though, fitting or not.

 

[Fusebox]

Well that quote that says a pit bull is the number 1 dangerous dog is false. A Dogo Argentino would wipe the floor with a pit bull. Again not saying pit bulls aren't dangerous. Just a lot of misinformation get spewed about them.

Maybe they mean most dangerous, as in statistically more likely to be a danger to you.

I don't have enough information to prove/disprove these sites claims but if this is true:

http://www.dogwalkersmelbourne.com.au/articles-dog-walking-pet-sitting/133-dog-kill-statistics

Deaths in the USA by Dog Breed 1979 - 1998 REF 2

Dog Breed Deaths %

Pit Bull 'type' 76 31.1%

Rottweiler 44 18.0%

German Shepherd + mix 27 11.1%

Husky-type + mix 21 8.6%

Malamute + mix 15 6.1%

Wolf-dog hybrid 14 5.7%

Mixed Breed 12 4.9%

Doberman + mix 9 3.7%

Chow Chow + Mix 11 4.5%

Great Dane 7 2.9%

Saint Bernard 8 3.3%

TOTAL 244 100%

To see how American dog related deaths have changed the latest statistics are:

American 8-Year U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Chart - YR 2005 to 2012 REF 1
Dog Breed Deaths %

Pit Bull 151 60.0%

Rottweiler 32 13.0%

Husky 10 4.0%

Mixed Breed 10 4.0%

American Bulldog 9 3.6%

German Shepherd 9 3.6%

Mastiff/bullmastiff 8 3.0%

Boxer 5 2.0%

Malamute 4 1.6%

Labrador 4 1.6%

(3 and less) Combination 9 3.6%

TOTAL 251 100.0%

As you can see there has been a massive jump in the absolute and relative proportion of pit bull related deaths in America even though they only represent up to 5% total (pit bull and pit bull cross) proportion of the dog population.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

There's also the question of breed identification.

http://stopbsl.org/bsloverview/impossibleid/

 

[blainethemono]

Maybe they mean most dangerous, as in statistically more likely to be a danger to you.

I don't have enough information to prove/disprove these sites claims but if this is true:

http://www.dogwalkersmelbourne.com.au/articles-dog-walking-pet-sitting/133-dog-kill-statistics

this references the same exact CDC study that i linked earlier in the thread

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf

Conclusions—Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers), other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates. Because of difficulties inherent in determining a dog’s breed with certainty, enforcement of breed-specific ordinances raises constitutional and practical issues. Fatal attacks represent a small proportion of dog bite injuries to humans and, therefore, should not be the primary factor driving public policy concerning dangerous dogs. Many practical alternatives to breed-specific ordinances exist andhold promise for prevention of dog bites. (J Am Vet Med Assoc2000;217:836–840)

Procedure
We collected data from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and media accounts related to dog bite attacks and fatalities, using methods from previous studies. 1-3 The HSUS maintains a registry of human DBRF, including date of death, age and sex of decedent, city and state of attack, number and breeds of dogs involved, and circumstances relating to the attack. To supplement HSUS reports, as in the past, a database 6 was searched for accounts of human DBRF that occurred in 1997 and 1998. Our search strategy involved scanning the text of newspapers and periodicals for certain words and word combinations likely to represent human DBRF followed by a review of articles containing those terms. Data obtained from HSUS and news accounts were merged to maximize detection of human DBRF and avoid duplicate reports. One new human DBRF from 1996 was identified in the 1997 and 1998 reports and was added to the existing data for 1996

Although the fatality data are concerning, one must broaden the context to consider both fatal and nonfatal bites when deciding on a course of action. Nonfatal dog bites continue to be a public health problem in the United States. Although this and prior reports 1-3 document more than 330 DBRF during a 20-year period, these tragedies represent only the most severe manifestation of the problem. In 1986, nonfatal dog bites resulted in an estimated 585,000 injuries that required medical attention or restricted activity. 8 By 1994, an estimated 4.7 million people (1.8% of the US population) sustained a dog bite; of these, approximately 800,000 (0.3% of the US population) sought medical care for the bite (332,000 in emergency departments), and 6,000 were hospitalized. 9-11 This 36% increase in medically attended bites from 1986 to 1994 draws attention to the need for an effective response, including dog bite prevention programs. Because (1) fatal bites constitute less than 0.00001% of all dog bites annually, (2) fatal bites have remained relatively constant over time, whereas nonfatal bites have been increasing, and (3) fatal bites are rare at the usual political level where bite regulations are promulgated and enforced, we believe that fatal bites should not be the primary factor driving public policy regarding dog bite prevention.

Several interacting factors affect a dog’s propensity to bite, including heredity, sex, early experience, socialization and training, health (medical and behavioral), reproductive status, quality of ownership and supervision, and victim behavior. For example, a study in Denver of medically-attended dog bites in 1991 suggested that male dogs are 6.2 times more likely to bite than female dogs, sexually intact dogs are 2.6 times more likely to bite than neutered dogs, and chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite than unchained dogs. 12 Communities have tried to address the dog bite problem by focusing on different factors related to biting behavior.

To decrease the risk of dog bites, several communities have enacted breed-specific restrictions or bans. In general, these have focused on pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers. However, breeds responsible for human DBRF have varied over time. Pinckney and Kennedy 13 studied human DBRF from May 1975 through April 1980 and listed the following breeds as responsible for the indicated number of deaths: German Shepherd Dog (n= 16); Husky-type dog (9); Saint Bernard (8); Bull Terrier (6); Great Dane (6); Malamute (5); Golden Retriever (3); Boxer (2); Dachshund (2); Doberman Pinscher (2); Collie (2); Rottweiler (1); Basenji (1); Chow Chow (1); Labrador Retriever (1); Yorkshire Terrier (1); and mixed and unknown breed (15). As ascertained from our data, between 1979 and 1980, Great Danes caused the most reported human DBRF; between 1997 and 1998, Rottweilers and pit bull type dogs were responsible for about 60% of human DBRF. Indeed, since 1975, dogs belonging to more than 30 breeds have been responsible for fatal attacks on people, including Dachshunds, a Yorkshire Terrier, and a Labrador Retriever.

In addition to issues surrounding which breeds to regulate, breed specific ordinances raise several practical issues. For optimal enforcement, there would need to be an objective method of determining the breed of a particular dog. Pedigree analysis (a potentially timeconsuming and complicated effort) combined with DNA testing (also time-consuming and expensive) is the closest to an objective standard for conclusively identifying a dog’s breed. Owners of mixed-breed or unregistered (ie, by a kennel club) dogs have no way of knowing whether their dog is one of the types identified and whether they are required to comply with breed-specific ordinances. Thus, law enforcement personnel have few means for positively determining a dog’s breed and deciding whether owners are in compliance or violation of laws.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Reading some of these comments is like listening to Trump talk about Mexicans.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

Reading some of these comments is like listening to Trump talk about Mexicans.

what a stupid comment, drawing parallels between minorities and dogs ... smh

 

[highrider]

I think it's also important to understand the freakish strength of the bull terrier breeds in general. I've played with all kinds of big dogs my friends and family have, but they are just so strong. I'm a big guy and pretty strong, and they can knock me over just playing. My dad's English lab is huge, but my in-laws staff terriers are half the size, but just insanely strong.

 

[Square Triangle]

I think it's also important to understand the freakish strength of the bull terrier breeds in general. I've played with all kinds of big dogs my friends and family have, but they are just so strong. I'm a big guy and pretty strong, and they can knock me over just playing. My dad's English lab is huge, but my in-laws staff terriers are half the size, but just insanely strong.

Oh I agree. My girl can pull me to the ground when we pull on a rope together. I always prepare myself but she still surprises me all the time.

 

[flyinpiranha]

what a stupid comment, drawing parallels between minorities and dogs ... smh

Its the thought process of the grouping. Not comparing animals to humans. Jesus Christ.

 

[Crud]

Its the thought process of the grouping. Not comparing animals to humans. Jesus Christ.

I understood what you meant.

 

[The Beard]

Originally Posted by LookAtMeGo
Well that quote that says a pit bull is the number 1 dangerous dog is false. A Dogo Argentino would wipe the floor with a pit bull. Again not saying pit bulls aren't dangerous. Just a lot of misinformation get spewed about them.
Maybe they mean most dangerous, as in statistically more likely to be a danger to you.

I don't have enough information to prove/disprove these sites claims but if this is true:

http://www.dogwalkersmelbourne.com.a...ill-statistics

Deaths in the USA by Dog Breed 1979 - 1998 REF 2

Dog Breed Deaths %

Pit Bull 'type' 76 31.1%

Rottweiler 44 18.0%

German Shepherd + mix 27 11.1%

Husky-type + mix 21 8.6%

Malamute + mix 15 6.1%

Wolf-dog hybrid 14 5.7%

Mixed Breed 12 4.9%

Doberman + mix 9 3.7%

Chow Chow + Mix 11 4.5%

Great Dane 7 2.9%

Saint Bernard 8 3.3%

TOTAL 244 100%

To see how American dog related deaths have changed the latest statistics are:

American 8-Year U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Chart - YR 2005 to 2012 REF 1
Dog Breed Deaths %

Pit Bull 151 60.0%

Rottweiler 32 13.0%

Husky 10 4.0%

Mixed Breed 10 4.0%

American Bulldog 9 3.6%

German Shepherd 9 3.6%

Mastiff/bullmastiff 8 3.0%

Boxer 5 2.0%

Malamute 4 1.6%

Labrador 4 1.6%

(3 and less) Combination 9 3.6%

TOTAL 251 100.0%

As you can see there has been a massive jump in the absolute and relative proportion of pit bull related deaths in America even though they only represent up to 5% total (pit bull and pit bull cross) proportion of the dog population.

That's because in the past 15-20 years it's become the official dog of irresponsible assholes. (Not every owner is an asshole obviously, but assholes love pit bulls because it makes them look tough.)

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Its the thought process of the grouping. Not comparing animals to humans. Jesus Christ.

I understood what you said and yes agreed.

 

[Aurongel]

Reading some of these comments is like listening to Trump talk about Mexicans.

Totally apt comparison because everyone knows Mexicans were bred specifically for violence.

 

[Surface of Me]

Not all pit bulls.

How about you shut up and read the OP. The owner apparently ordered them to attack.

 

[flyinpiranha]

Totally apt comparison because everyone knows Mexicans were bred specifically for violence.

Woosh.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Okay, you have people saying pit bulls are sweet, then you have people retorting with statistics, then you get counter retorts about misidentification.


The fact is pit bulls were bred for combat. This means:
1. High pain tolerance and tenacity in battle.
2. Elite pound for pound athletic ability in speed and strength.
3. Violent bite habits. They tear with their bites. They don't clamp down.
4. Burst behavior. Ie: going from 0 to 100 in an instant. Think Olympic dashes and sprinting, but apply it to power, temperament, and emotional state as well. The result is volatility.
These instincts can be suppressed with training, like with all dogs, but the fact is pit bulls are by design stronger, faster, more temperamental, and attack more violently when provoked than other breeds. None of these behaviors or traits are desirable for a domestic, family pet. The fact that these traits and this breed are desirable to the assholes of society only highlights the problem.

 

[kingwingin]

yeah, that stuff is actually highly insulting and ignorant

do people really believe the millions of these dogs that exist are only owned by scumbags and felons

http://themajorityproject.com/

also it's super fucked up that seemingly a scary amount of people would be perfectly fine with police stopping me on the street and taking my dog away to be killed, based entirely on what she looks like, and not because she did anything to deserve it

like this https://youtu.be/KHwe4gt8LV8

the video you posted is from a country that banned pitbulls so the guy shouldn't of had it in the first place

 

[EightBitNate]

How did the owner think that having TWO out for a walk was a manageable. Sounds like it'd be hell.

 

[charsace]

I thank god wolfdogs are hard to get. I have been around one and it makes pitbulls look like poodles.

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

I don't know if it's been posted but apparently the woman ordered the dogs to attack the guy.


http://www.fox29.com/trending/19309682-story


Edit: oh wow it's in the op I missed it when I first watched the video.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Okay, you have people saying pit bulls are sweet, then you have people retorting with statistics, then you get counter retorts about misidentification.


The fact is pit bulls were bred for combat. This means:
1. High pain tolerance and tenacity in battle.
2. Elite pound for pound athletic ability in speed and strength.
3. Violent bite habits. They tear with their bites. They don't clamp down.
4. Burst behavior. Ie: going from 0 to 100 in an instant. Think Olympic dashes and sprinting, but apply it to power, temperament, and emotional state as well. The result is volatility.
These instincts can be suppressed with training, like with all dogs, but the fact is pit bulls are by design stronger, faster, more temperamental, and attack more violently when provoked than other breeds. None of these behaviors or traits are desirable for a domestic, family pet. The fact that these traits and this breed are desirable to the assholes of society only highlights the problem.

Many breeds were bred specifically for battle and fighting but as time went on people moved on from using them in this form and now we have dogs of these breeds that are mellowed out but still retain these characteristics. Breeding the correct attitude in pitbulls, like any other dog that was bred, can eventually result in a variation of the "breed" (even though pit is a mix of breeds) that won't exhibit these supposed violent behaviors.

Statistics by themselves mean diddly squat when you don't consider everything behind those statistics. Banning or getting rid of the breed does a disservice. There's no way to control the breed outside of putting them to sleep. And in that instance where's the argument of when to stop? Every dog that has traits from pitbull? So the breeds that make up the pit gotta go. Any dog that is part pit too?

 

[Musician]

I thank god wolfdogs are hard to get. I have been around one and it makes pitbulls look like poodles.

Most wolfdogs don't have any wolf in them but are different kinds of spitz dogs bred to look like wolves. Apparently real wolf mixes don't act like normal dogs at all and are almost untrainable.

 

[Maninthemirror]

I just don't like dogs and this makes me uncomfortable. Yesterday a dog tried to come after my daughter who was riding a tricycle and the dog just missed my daughters legs as she held the leash at the right moment, the owner was like oops and walked away, I despise creatures who cannot be controlled by the owner unless by force and this was not a pit bull or a big dog this is one of those medium sized dogs that most people have as pets

 

[Koppai]

There was a pitbull wondering the neighborhood with 3 other dogs, a german shepherd and some small dogs earlier. I didn't even think twice when I called it over to me, it was so docile and I petted it. I tried to get a pic of them but they took off too fast for me to know.

It's all about the owner, obviously she trained them to attack so she should be held responsible. I feel like people should have to go through some kind of training, but that doesn't stop them from being an asshole and teaching their dogs to attack people.

I fear that the dogs will now be put down because of this stupid woman, she should be slapped with tons of fines and locked away for a while. They should attempt to rehabilitate the dogs somehow...but I doubt they will bother since they have attacked a few humans now

 

[suzu]

Aren't most dog attacks from unneutered and unsocialized males?

You can't discount irresponsible and/or douchebag owners. Most people think they are being responsible enough when it comes to pets, and then it turns out their pets aren't trained at all. Neutering/spaying pets is being responsible too.

 

[Stinkles]

That's because in the past 15-20 years it's become the official dog of irresponsible assholes. (Not every owner is an asshole obviously, but assholes love pit bulls because it makes them look tough.)

It's the combination of breed and owners, just like Americans and guns. Too many and that means a lot of stupid owners with poorly trained powerful dogs.


Nobody "needs" a pit bull or a chow (which are much bigger assholes, there are just far fewer of them) and frankly there's no good civilian argument for dangerous breeds, period.

You could humanely breed danger out of every dog in about twenty years, without a single euthanasia.

 

[Koyuga]

I feel bad for the dogs and the people attacked.

 

[blainethemono]

Aren't most dog attacks from unneutered and unsocialized males?

You can't discount irresponsible and/or douchebag owners. Most people think they are being responsible enough when it comes to pets, and then it turns out their pets aren't trained at all. Neutering/spaying pets is being responsible too.

yeah

according to the American Humane Association:

Nearly 800,000 dog bites require medical care
Approximately 92% of fatal dog attacks involved male dogs, 94% of which were not neutered
Approximately 25% of fatal dog attacks involved chained dogs
Approximately 71% of bites occur to the extremities (arms, legs, hands, feet)
Approximately two-thirds of bites occurred on or near the victim’s property, and most victims knew the dog
The insurance industry pays more than $1 billion in dog-bite claims each year
At least 25 different breeds of dogs have been involved in the 238 dog bite related fatalities in the United States
Approximately 24% of human deaths involved unrestrained dogs off of their owners’ property
Approximately 58% of human deaths involved unrestrained dogs on their owners’ property

 

[Wolfe]

Because I can open the jaws of nearly every other dog breed out there? I could manhandle my collie and it was a big dog, you ever tried manhandling a pissed off Pitbull?

"Pit bulls do not have special “locking jaws” – that’s pure mythology. They don’t demonstrate some sort of special shaking action when they bite – all dogs display similar biting behavior. Pit bulls do not exert an unusual amount of bite-force for their size. Multiple studies have found that bite force correlates to body-weight, and tests of three breeds conducted by National Geographic found that the American pit bull terrier exerted less bite-force than German shepherds or Rottweilers."

Reading some of these comments is like listening to Trump talk about Mexicans.

I feel ya, I made the same type of comparison on the previous page and was surprised I didn't get the same kind of ridiculous kneejerk responses that you did. Likely because I posted near the end of a page.

 

[Fusebox]

"Pit bulls do not have special “locking jaws” – that’s pure mythology. They don’t demonstrate some sort of special shaking action when they bite – all dogs display similar biting behavior. Pit bulls do not exert an unusual amount of bite-force for their size. Multiple studies have found that bite force correlates to body-weight, and tests of three breeds conducted by National Geographic found that the American pit bull terrier exerted less bite-force than German shepherds or Rottweilers."

Link to this quote?

 

[Terra Firma]

I feel ya, I made the same type of comparison on the previous page and was surprised I didn't get the same kind of ridiculous kneejerk responses that you did. Likely because I posted near the end of a page.

That's because pit bulls aren't humans; there's no violence rehab or prison for animals. A better comparison would be to gun ownership. Guns don't kill people, right?

 

[charsace]

Most wolfdogs don't have any wolf in them but are different kinds of spitz dogs bred to look like wolves. Apparently real wolf mixes don't act like normal dogs at all and are almost untrainable.

I'm talking about the real one. I got to be around one on the caribbean. Shit was intelligent, big and fast. And didn't want to be caged or be a pet. People say wolfdogs are "wild," which I'm guessing means it doesn't want to be a pet. It would just let you get real comfortable and try to catch you when you're off guard. Like a bigger and smarter german shepard.

 

[Wolfe]

Link to this quote?

It was from one of blainethemono's massive info posts in this thread, they're all within the last few pages.

That's because pit bulls aren't humans; there's no violence rehab or prison for animals. A better comparison would be to gun ownership. Guns don't kill people, right?

You're missing the point both myself and the other poster were making with those comments. It's the attitude towards a particular dog breed based off of anecdotes or a small sample size of evidence that is disproportionately put into the spotlight compared to good news stories about said breed. It's the same type of attitude I see when people make shitty comments on a video about some news story involving a minority. Seeing some of the same kind of thought process in this thread.

As I said when I made the original comment, I understand if people take it the wrong way and I come of poorly making it, still something that stood out to me though.

 

[Chariot]

That's because pit bulls aren't humans; there's no violence rehab or prison for animals. A better comparison would be to gun ownership. Guns don't kill people, right?

No! Dogs are neither humans nor weapons. Why do you want to make living souls so hard to objects for the purpose of killing? That's not what a pet, that's not what a dog is for and that's the damn issue with people mistread these poor creatures. They are not weapons, they're living animals.

 

[charsace]

It's the combination of breed and owners, just like Americans and guns. Too many and that means a lot of stupid owners with poorly trained powerful dogs.


Nobody "needs" a pit bull or a chow (which are much bigger assholes, there are just far fewer of them) and frankly there's no good civilian argument for dangerous breeds, period.

You could humanely breed danger out of every dog in about twenty years, without a single euthanasia.

There are much fewer chow chow's because they are banned.

 

[Cap'n Cook]

Reading some of these comments is like listening to Trump talk about Mexicans.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

That's because pit bulls aren't humans; there's no violence rehab or prison for animals. A better comparison would be to gun ownership. Guns don't kill people, right?

There is rehabilitation but it's not easy and most aren't willing to try.
And FYI, dogs are living creatures with emotions, not a thing to be discarded. If we had more enforceable restrictions and harsher penalties this shit would be greatly reduced. Too many violent assholes breed these poor dogs to be weapons and then the lot of you complain that he dogs are bad. It's not the dogs it's the people!

 

[blainethemono]

Link to this quote?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=178523930#post178523930

http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/in_defense_of_the_pitbull_partner/

According to the American Veterinary Medicine Association, “controlled studies have not identified this breed group as disproportionately dangerous.” The American Temperance Testing Society (ATTS) puts thousands of dogs – purebreds and spayed and neutered mixed-breeds – through their paces each year. The dogs are tested for skittishness, aggression and their ability to differentiate between threatening and non-threatening humans. Among all of the breeds ATTS tested – over 30,000 dogs through May 2011 — 83 percent passed the test. How did pit bulls do? They showed an above average temperament, with 86 percent making the grade. Pit bulls are the second most tolerant breed tested by ATTS, after only golden retreivers.

Pit bulls do not have special “locking jaws” – that’s pure mythology. They don’t demonstrate some sort of special shaking action when they bite – all dogs display similar biting behavior. Pit bulls do not exert an unusual amount of bite-force for their size. Multiple studies have found that bite force correlates to body-weight, and tests of three breeds conducted by National Geographic found that the American pit bull terrier exerted less bite-force than German shepherds or Rottweilers.

Karen Delise, research director for the National Canine Research Council and author of “The Pitbull Placebo,” has investigated hundreds of serious dog bite incidents in depth. As she explains:

My study of dog bite-related fatalities occurring over the past five decades has identified the poor ownership/management practices involved in the overwhelming majority of these incidents: owners obtaining dogs, and maintaining them as resident dogs outside of regular, positive human interaction, often for negative functions (i.e. guarding/protection, fighting, intimidation/status); owners failing to humanely contain, control and maintain their dogs (chained dogs, loose roaming dogs, cases of abuse/neglect); owners failing to knowledgably supervise interaction between children and dogs; and owners failing to spay or neuter dogs not used for competition, show, or in a responsible breeding program.
​

There are a tiny number of attacks that simply can’t be explained. Occasionally, a well-raised, beloved pet without a history of behavioral issues will hurt a human – dogs are animals, after all – but these incidents are incredibly rare.

That problem is compounded by media sensationalism. Karen Delise studied every fatal dog bite reported in the years between 2002-2005, and found that “eleven dogs involved in fatal attacks with no Pitbull characteristics were counted as Pitbulls, while their ‘true’ breeds were not reported, and three dogs that were clearly not Rottweilers were identified as Rottweilers.” That was among a total of 47 fatal attacks (by all breeds) reported during that period.

This dog was involved in a fatal attack and the media called it a pit bull…

According to Delise, this dog was reported as a pit bull despite the fact that animal control officers told reporters that she was in fact a Labrador mix…

This kind of misidentification creates a feedback loop, as most studies of fatal attacks rely on media reports for breed identification.

The media’s role in amplifying the public’s fear of pit bull-type dogs was evident in a study conducted by the National Canine Research Council in 2008. When an Arizona woman was killed by one or more dogs identified as Labrador retrievers, one local newspaper reported the story. But that same year, when a California man was killed by one or more pit bulls, the incident was reported “by at least 285 media outlets, both nationally (in 47 U.S. states) and internationally (in eight other countries). MSNBC, Forbes, USA Today, Fox News, CBS News, and ABC News all picked up the story.”

And when an infant in New Jersey was reportedly killed by a Siberian husky, around a dozen local news outlets reported the tragic incident, according to the study. But when another infant was killed by what authorities described as a pit bull in Nevada the same month, it was reported by over 200 media outlets around the world, often with the word “pit bull” in the headlines. Like shark attacks, our perception of the risk associated with these dogs has a lot to do with this kind of sensationalism.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

I just want to point out that this is nuture and not nature. I've done a lot of work with the humane Society to get beautiful pitties wonderful homes, and they are gorgeous and silly animals who deserve a lot better than they get. I hate the culture behind owning them and what people assume they are for. Please give them a chance and really speak to your local humane society about the dog that is right for you. As a quick reminder, not all dogs are compatible with your lifestyle, and these pitties and all other animals at the shelter have gone through a process to filter what homes are the best fit for them. But seriously...I love these dogs and think they should be given a proper chance at a happy life with the right family.

Poor kitty - totally getting assaulted.

 

[Wolfe]

Poor kitty - totally getting assaulted.

I've already alerted the police.

 

[borghe]

90% of this thread totally missing or ignoring that the piece of shit owner intentionally dropped their leashes and ordered them to attack. Worst part is the dogs will probably have to be killed while the owner gets a couple thousand dollars in fines.

Piece of shit better have some jail time if the dogs have to be legally put down.