Pit bull problem

[polarpooch]

I, too, own a big "pit bull" (mix of half pit bull, half bull mastiff), and second everything you said! (My dog is the silliest, sweetest, wiggliest dog on earth!) Where I live (Madison, WI), people don't treat pitbull owners with open derision. At least not in my personal experience. We love pits! In fact, our humane society took posession of some 40 or more pits (bred for fighting) that were seized in a drug case. The list was a mile long to adopt those dogs, if any were deemed suitable (few eventually were). I'm so sorry you have to deal with jerks while walking that gorgeous dog. If I walked pass you, I'd stop you and ask about her!

[MyPetTherapyDogs]

Hello PolarPooch

Thank you sooooooo much for your kind words!

Yes, our breed is so misunderstood it is horrible.

Well, here is an article from today's newspaper about my classes pit bull graduation!

The day went fantastic and we had animal control officers, a vet that owns pit bulls, myself, & my husband, rescue workers, shelter directors, and people in the class all as guest speakers.

The media was out in abundance!!!
ALL FINALLY POSITIVE!!!

We did get our point across!

http://www.projo.com/news/content/WB...7.34c6d01.html

This coming Sunday, we are doing a "Bully Breed Pit Bull Awareness walk"
Slowly, maybe people will realize its not the dogs but rather the irresponsible dog owners that create issues.

Not just pit bull owners but all dog owners should be responsible.

Susan

[polarpooch]

Such a positive story! It's good to see that SOMETIMES someone is willing to tell the real story of these wonderul dogs.

Here is a picture of my pit-mix

His name is Gimli. I hope the link worked.

[wendysue1853]

"pit bulls" have for a lonnnngggg time had violence bred into them. Sometimes it does not matter how they are raised, they can and will snap at the least provocation. I work for a sheriff's office that also does animal control and we are FOREVER getting calls about "pit bulls" that have gotten lose and have either chased children or other dogs for no apparent reason so I totallllly disgree about the whole nature or nurture question and would never own one nor and I would cross the street to avoid one, leashed or unleashed , no matter how nice it seems the owner is! Ok. getting off the soapbox now!

[Alysser]

"pit bulls" have for a lonnnngggg time had violence bred into them. Sometimes it does not matter how they are raised, they can and will snap at the least provocation. I work for a sheriff's office that also does animal control and we are FOREVER getting calls about "pit bulls" that have gotten lose and have either chased children or other dogs for no apparent reason so I totallllly disgree about the whole nature or nurture question and would never own one nor and I would cross the street to avoid one, leashed or unleashed , no matter how nice it seems the owner is! Ok. getting off the soapbox now!

There is always someone who has to ruin a positive thread with their own ignorance. You obviously have no education whatsoever on the breed, so don't post something that you know NOTHING about. A dog never ever, no matter what breed, has a reason to attack/bite/etc someone without a good reason. A dog cannot just be aggressive. People who avoid dogs on the street just because they are "pit bulls" are NOT TRUE DOG lovers.

Mypettherapy, what a beautiful post! Thank you!!

[polarpooch]

Some perspective might be useful here:

There are some 50 million dogs in the United States

Approximately 5 million dog bites are reported annually in the US.

Of those 5 million bites, all but a handful (literally) are fatal...the average dog bite fatality count per year is around 20.

Of the dog bite fatalities, half are caused by Rottweilers . One third are caused by pitbulls. The rest break up between other breeds--including HUSKIES and German Shepherds. (I have owned all these breeds, and currently have a pit mix and a Siberian Husky. Cue creepy music...)

The CDC does NOT independently verify the breed of dog involved in the attack, so it is likely that the self reported nature of these incidents causes "pit bull" to show up more readily than the breed might otherwise, because they are notoriously hard to identify.

The site Mad City Pit Stop has a great interactive on just how hard it is to identify the "pit bull" as a breed. Even I can't tell all the time, and I own a pit mix.

It's also important to remember that as breed popularity changes, so will the breeds involved in fatal dog bites . In the 1970s, Dobermans and German Shepherds topped the list of breeds most likely to cause fatal attacks. Huskies and Pit bulls didn't even rank.

Incidently, dogs on the loose are NOT the main culprit in dog attacks. 80-90% of all dog attacks are from dogs known to the victim. Additionally, a CHAINED dog is 2.8 times more likely to attack than an unchained dog. Unaltered male dogs are 3 times more likely to attack.

But I digress.

My main point is: 50 million dogs. 5 million bites. 20 fatalities. 7 caused by pits. That is .00014 percent of all dog bites are fatal and caused by (so-called) pit bulls. The chance of dying in a dog attack are slim to none--and dying from a pitbull attack? Even slimmer.

PLEASE keep the (ill-conceived) laws off the dog breeds, and direct them where they belong: irresponsible owners.

[wendysue1853]

sorry to make anyone angry. but thats my belief/opinion, whatever. i will not bother you again on this particular thread! have a nice day!