Am I The Only One Who Thinks This Is Wrong??

[cassiesmom]

More on the pit bull discussion from today's (8/20) letters to the editor:

Don't trust pit bulls

I feel that I must draw attention to an issue that was brought out in two separate articles in the Aug. 14 Tribune.

First, in the news section's "Some animal shelters debate 'no kill' plans," the story quotes "Charlene Jones, founder and director of Animals at Heart, a non-profit in Jacksonville that works to help people keep their pets longer," as saying that some shelters "will adopt out potentially dangerous animals just to make space."

With that in mind, I read the Metro section article "Dogfight suspect stripped of animals; Judge rules against South Holland man; 20 of 37 seized canines called adoptable."

These dogs are now in area shelters, and according to Catherine Hedges, who is connected with the shelters, "They're a very highly rehabilitated breed because they're very loyal and eager to please. And that's their downfall. That's why people fight them."

I respectfully disagree with Hedges.

My son Nick was mauled by three pit bulls in November 2005 and still suffers loss of function and disfigurement from the attack.

These were family dogs that "snapped," and the violent rampage that resulted nearly cost my son his life.

My message is simple: In going to a shelter to adopt a dog, unless you know exactly where the dog came from, you don't know how it has been bred. If you are interested in a pit bull, the one you get from a shelter may have been bred to be extremely aggressive and violent. This violence can display itself at any time, with seemingly no provocation.

As someone who has seen the devastation from this sort of attack, it is not worth the risk.

All of those dogs that were seized have been selectively bred to be very aggressive and violent. All of them should be destroyed.

If you want a pit bull, you should go to an authorized breeder who can prove that the lineage of the dog does not contain aggressiveness. If you don't know a pit bull's ancestry, then you simply don't know if it will attack or not.

Polly Foley
Cary

[lute]

It's very sad that people think so ill of such a sweet and lovable breed. It happends every day. Even one of the vet-techs I work with is scared of Pitties just because of their reputation.

Hopefully your neighbors don't get rid of Sandy because of what someone else says. I hope they raise Sandy into a well mannerd, lovable dog that will change the other person's mind about the breed. It's amazing what one responsible Pit Bull owner can accomlish. I don't know if anyone remembers Juicy, the stray Pit Bull I cared for. My parents were so scared of that dog. Because of what he was. After a while of comming home to find the "big, scary dog" asleep on the couch or all the slobbery kisses they changed their minds. Now my parents accept the breed a lot better and have even been open to rescueing Pitties if the need be.

[Danegirl2208]

This once again is someone who knows NOTHING about the breed...
I know this person isn't here to read my replies but I really need to bust a couple ridiculous myths in this letter..don't believe the bull people...

Don't trust pit bulls

How about we not trust ourselves either? We are afterall, the ones who created this "monster breed"

These were family dogs that "snapped," and the violent rampage that resulted nearly cost my son his life.

Firstly my deepest sorrows about her son.

But sorry to say that dogs do not just "snap."

"Dogs don't just suddenly "snap and turn" against people. Bad apples with sketchy temperaments and/or troubled dogs that can be provoked to bite show clear warning signs well in advance of causing harm. Pit bulls in particular are a ‘What you see is what you get' breed and knowledgeable dog handlers find them easy to read. Unstable examples of all breeds give off plenty of signals way in advance of escalating to human-
directed aggression.

Dogs with unstable temperaments can be provoked to aggress via mishandling or abuse. They may be especially problematic if they’re unfixed (females in season and males who are attracted to females in season) or defending territory."
(From: http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.cfm)

My message is simple: In going to a shelter to adopt a dog, unless you know exactly where the dog came from, you don't know how it has been bred. If you are interested in a pit bull, the one you get from a shelter may have been bred to be extremely aggressive and violent. This violence can display itself at any time, with seemingly no provocation.

This statement is so utterly ridiculous....

Time to do a little more myth busting...

"Many people feel more comfortable meeting the parents of their new puppy or dog; they mistakenly believe that the puppy will turn out to be a carbon copy of its parents. If the parents are mild-mannered and friendly, the puppy will be the same, right? In reality, two very nice parent dogs can easily produce a temperamentally-compromised puppy or litter. Additionally, the "end result" - the adult dog - is shaped by how the owners raise, train, socialize, and treat their puppy. Even a puppy with excellent temperament can be totally ruined by ignorant, irresponsible owners.

Although most rescued dogs do not come with a pedigree, and their history is unknown, such mystery does not automatically make the dog "dangerous" or "risky." At a reputable shelter, dogs with obvious temperament flaws (those that suggest the dog is a danger) are not offered for adoption. New owners of adopted dogs can also reduce the liklihood of behavior problems through proper training and socializing -- something that has to be done regardless of whether the dog is purchased or adopted.

The risk you face by adopting a dog with unknown history is about equivalent to the risk you face by purchasing a dog from a breeder. (Besides, do you really know the history or genetics of the dog you purchase, other than what the breeder claims to be true?)"

(From: http://www.happypitbull.com/index.html)

[critter crazy]

This once again is someone who knows NOTHING about the breed...
I know this person isn't here to read my replies but I really need to bust a couple ridiculous myths in this letter..don't believe the bull people...


How about we not trust ourselves either? We are afterall, the ones who created this "monster breed"



Firstly my deepest sorrows about her son.

But sorry to say that dogs do not just "snap."

"Dogs don't just suddenly "snap and turn" against people. Bad apples with sketchy temperaments and/or troubled dogs that can be provoked to bite show clear warning signs well in advance of causing harm. Pit bulls in particular are a ‘What you see is what you get' breed and knowledgeable dog handlers find them easy to read. Unstable examples of all breeds give off plenty of signals way in advance of escalating to human-
directed aggression.

Dogs with unstable temperaments can be provoked to aggress via mishandling or abuse. They may be especially problematic if they’re unfixed (females in season and males who are attracted to females in season) or defending territory."
(From: http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.cfm)



This statement is so utterly ridiculous....

Time to do a little more myth busting...

"Many people feel more comfortable meeting the parents of their new puppy or dog; they mistakenly believe that the puppy will turn out to be a carbon copy of its parents. If the parents are mild-mannered and friendly, the puppy will be the same, right? In reality, two very nice parent dogs can easily produce a temperamentally-compromised puppy or litter. Additionally, the "end result" - the adult dog - is shaped by how the owners raise, train, socialize, and treat their puppy. Even a puppy with excellent temperament can be totally ruined by ignorant, irresponsible owners.

Although most rescued dogs do not come with a pedigree, and their history is unknown, such mystery does not automatically make the dog "dangerous" or "risky." At a reputable shelter, dogs with obvious temperament flaws (those that suggest the dog is a danger) are not offered for adoption. New owners of adopted dogs can also reduce the liklihood of behavior problems through proper training and socializing -- something that has to be done regardless of whether the dog is purchased or adopted.

The risk you face by adopting a dog with unknown history is about equivalent to the risk you face by purchasing a dog from a breeder. (Besides, do you really know the history or genetics of the dog you purchase, other than what the breeder claims to be true?)"

(From: http://www.happypitbull.com/index.html)

Okay first off I would like to say That i LOVE Pitbulls!! I hope to own one someday!

But I also do agree that Shelter dogs, can be very unpredictable! They have been tossed from home to home, most abused, and then thrown in a cage! How the heck would you feel??? Not that this has stopped me from adopting shelter dogs, cause it sure as heck hasnt! But I have also had a shelter dog turn on a family member, My son! He will forever have scars on his face due to a Shepard mix, that Just snapped!! We understood, that it wasnt the dogs fault, and he just needed more time to adjust and feel love! But two weeks later, he went and attacked my Nephew who was Asleep at the time, and sent him to the hospital as well! So dont try to tell me that shelter dogs, arent unstable in some way! You would be too, if you had to go through what they have!! And just so you know, not all shelters have the abilities to Temperment test all dogs that come in! This shelter did not, and still does not. We no longer adopt from this shelter anymore, for this simple reason! Just my two cents!

[crow_noir]

And not all temperament tests or testers are created equal.

I was told by pound staff that Koli is good with other dogs. HA! She basically ignored them at the pound. I should have listened to my gut though when i seen how she reacted to a puppy there. "Oh she justs wants to play and is showing mothering instincts." My gut was saying otherwise. I NEVER would have agreed to take her in if her supporters had been told the truth or a competent version of it. It's been a long hard road of rehabilitation for her for everyone involved with her. (Well, she's been a near perfect angel for one of her foster homes.)

And just so you know, not all shelters have the abilities to Temperment test all dogs that come in! This shelter did not, and still does not. We no longer adopt from this shelter anymore, for this simple reason! Just my two cents!

[cassiesmom]

Fremont mother stashes baby in trash can during pit bull attack

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

(09-05) 23:04 PDT Fremont, Calif. (AP) --

A woman who was being mauled by a pit bull terrier stashed her 4-month-old son in a garbage can to protect him from the animal, which remained on the loose Wednesday, authorities said.

Angela Silva, 32, suffered severe injuries to her arms, receiving 50 staples and countless stitches as a result of Tuesday's attack in her garage.

Silva said she was holding her son, Tom Jr., while she went into her garage, which had its door open, to clean out her car. The dog named Swisher, which lived in the house next door, entered the garage and suddenly lunged at her and the baby, prompting the mother to place the crying child in an empty plastic garbage bin, she said.

The 80-pound pit bull terrier continued to pursue the baby, knocking over the garbage can as Silva tried to fend him off with her arms, she said.

"He just kept biting ... and biting ... and biting," Silva, a special-education teacher, said Wednesday, after an operation at Regional Medical Center in San Jose.

Two men across the street heard Silva's screams and shooed the dog away using power tools. The baby suffered only a few scratches.

Fremont police were looking for the dog, whose whereabouts were unknown Wednesday. Swisher is registered to the girlfriend of Silva's neighbor. Kristi Willis received a warning about the dog in May after it bit another neighbor, authorities said.

Police said they were considering whether to file misdemeanors against the couple for not cooperating with police or hiding evidence.

Willis could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

___


Information from: San Jose Mercury News, www.sjmercury.com

[Danegirl2208]

http://www.goskagit.com/index.php/ne...misunderstood/
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Local dog owners claim breed is misunderstood

Stephanie Kosonen
Argus
September 05, 2007 - 09:42 AM


Pit bulls are the dog breed Americans loves to hate.

But some Skagit County dog owners are trying to reverse the stigma that has this strain of canine on the brink of being banned from several communities in Washington.

Some of the reasons the pit bull is feared are its strong jaws and muscular build. But pit enthusiasts say the breed is less likely to cause harm to humans than most other types of dog.

Aggression toward humans, severe shyness and instability are not traits typically found and accepted in the American Pit Bull Terrier breed, according to Pit Bull Rescue Central.

The rescue center’s Web site says the breed needs a little more attention than most other dogs, and bad dog owners can turn a pit into a monster through neglect and poor training.

“It’s just not fair,” local dog groomer Germaine Kornegay said of the pit’s bad reputation. She adopted a mild-mannered pit about a year ago and said he is “the sweetest guy ever.”

Kornegay stays up late on the Internet and talks daily with like-minded enthusiasts for dog owners’ rights.

One reason pits are singled out is they do have strong jaws, said Emily Diaz, animal control officer for the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office.

“A lot of people are under the impression (that pits are) agressive and vicious dogs, which is absolutely not the case. It’s a very small amount of pit bulls that are actually vicious against people,” Diaz said.

She said the breed gets a bad rap because if a pit does attack, it is severe.

Pit bulls can cause more damage, she said. “But the bites that I have dealt with from pit bulls, they have been bites. They have not been ripping people apart.”

In an effort to reduce dog attacks, communities all around the country have come up with definitions for dangerous dogs. In some communities, a dog can be thus labeled because it looks like a pit bull, or is part wolf.

Kornegay’s main goal is to stop breed-specific legislation, which labels dogs as dangerous based on what breed they look like. This type of legislation has cropped up in the form of banning dogs from communities, even requiring the euthanasia of family pets in Colorado a few years ago.

Her research often brings her to literature published by the American Dog Owners’ Association, which has focused most of its efforts on fighting breed-specific legislation since forming in 1970.

Is it a pit?

One problem with the approach is that people don’t always know the difference between a pit bull and other breeds, Kornegay said.

As the owner of Animal House Pet Grooming on Avon Avenue in Burlington, Kornegay meets all kinds of dogs.

But on a quiz of 300 dogs in which she was supposed to pick out which one was a pit bull, she said she couldn’t do it.

There were five or so that could have passed for the under-loved breed, she said.

About 25 breeds closely resemble pits, according to the Pit Bull Educational Packet, created by Marcy Setter.

The name “pit bull” itself corresponds to three specific breeds: the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

The information pack cites research from the American Canine Foundation and information from dog trainers and rescue organizations.

The research includes reports of other dog breeds attacking and sometimes killing humans, to show that singling out the pit bull is not an effective way to prevent dog attacks.

Setter said that the dog most likely to bite is any non-neutered male, regardless of breed. The second most frequent biter is the unspayed female of any breed.

The answer is education, said Kornegay and local dog trainer Carmen Williams. Williams operates Sunnylane Canine Academy in Sedro-Woolley.

Factual information is the only thing that can dispel widespread misconceptions about the breed, Williams said.

She said she encounters aggression problems with the smaller breeds more often than she does with pit bulls.

“There’s as much variance within the breed as there is between breeds,” she added.
Kornegay said she wants to hold a question-and-answer panel at the newly built Humane Society of Skagit Valley once the staff and pets have settled in there.

Within a few weeks she said she hopes to gather up experts on the pit bull breed so that people who are thinking of adopting a dog from the Humane Society will give the pit bulls a second look.

Canine citizens

Her interests go beyond educating people about dog ownership. Kornegay said she would like to see the laws changed to assign more responsibility to dog owners.

One way she said this could be done would be to require people send their dogs through training, only allowing them to register their dog if the dog passes a Canine Good Citizen test.

The Canine Good Citizen program was developed by the American Kennel Club, and is used in some jurisdictions to provide well-trained dogs an exemption to breed-specific legislation.

Kornegay suggests that all dogs be required to pass the test each year or be sent back to training, that way people would continue to ensure their dogs are well socialized, she said.

Fewer animal problems would also mean a lighter workload for law enforcement.

With the right upbringing, pit bulls are a loving breed toward humans, Diaz said.

“Any person can make any dog aggressive toward people,” she said.

People who train their dogs to be aggressive toward people should not be allowed to own dogs, she said.

When pits were bred for the dog fighting industry, if any of the dogs ever turned on their owners, they were most often killed, Diaz said.

“So a lot of the aggressive lines toward people have been weaned out,” she said.

She said that six out of the 59 dogs labeled as a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog in Skagit County were pit bulls.
Diaz said it is never a good idea to trust any dog around a child without an adult present.

“Dogs are animals and you can’t predict what they’re going to do. It doesn’t matter if it’s a black lab or a pit bull,” she said.
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[mike001]

I really don't understand why anyone after reading the article about the mom having to stash her baby in a trash can and her getting mauled could seriously say that Pitt bulls are a "safe" dog. The mother did nothing to this dog, didn't even see it come into the garage.......I would consider that a sign of instability in the dog. It seems that everytime I read another article about a piit bull attack, it's always been unprovoked, yet people call them gentle and loving??? I would prefer to steer clear of them.

[Callie]

I have to agree with CassiesMom, not just on pit bulls (and, yes, I've known some good pitties) BUT one must be careful in adopting ANY dog from a shelter unless they know the truth about the dog's background. Voice of experience here.

We adopted a lovely Australian Shepherd/German Shepherd/Sheltie mix from a shelter. Everyone said, and it appeared, that he was a beautiful, intelligent animal with no bad habits. About a week after bring him home, he tried to bite our neighbor's child when they came to visit (the kid did nothing...not even reach out to the dog), he took to snarling at everyone who came near the front porch. What did it tho' was the day he turned on me when I came out of the garage. My throat was the target when he launched himself at me.

When we took the dog back to the shelter and reported on it, they at first couldn't find the records, then they found them and said that dog should never have been adopted out to a family because it was trained to protect property as in a used car lot night patrol dog. He was behaving exactly as he was trained to...protecting any enclosed area (like the porch) against any and all intrusions. The child wasn't injured...a bruise on his hand was all, thankfully, but I could've been...and I was 'known' to the dog at that point. The shelter apologized and put the dog down since they couldn't, legally, release it after a negative attack report. Felt awful about it but at least no one else will be in a similar situation, or worse.

I have adopted other animals from shelters and they've been wonderful but you do definitely take a risk unless you have some idea of the background.

Callie