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WyldHrt -> RE: When A Dog Pack Attacks (Graphic Bloody Photos) (6/14/2011 4:34:16 PM)
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quote:
I don't know what the "research" says but pits tend to make the news a lot.
'Pit bull' has become a buzz word for the media. Getting an attack by nearly any other breed reported in the local newspaper (let alone on the TV news) is almost impossible unless the dog has killed someone, or it is a pack that has made multiple attacks on livestock or pets; but say the words 'pit bull' and the media goes into a frenzy. It's not quite as bad now as it was in the 90s, but there is still a very strong bias in the media about this breed. The result is the appearance that pit bulls are 'vicious' and more likely to attack than any other breed.
quote:
I found this site that shows some of the statistics and to me for a 5% ownership across the US, the percentages to me are pretty high for people to be in denial about pits.
There are several factors involved here. The first is the actual number of pit bulls. Most stats rely on registrations for this, and not all owners register their dogs. Some will register, but give a different breed on the registration due to fear of BSL (breed specific legislation), so getting an accurate count isn't possible. That said, even if pit bulls are only 5% of the total dogs in the US, that makes nearly 4 million pit bulls in this country.
The second factor is that 'pit bull', let alone 'pit bull type' is not a breed of dog. American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed, as are American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Bandog, Cane Corso, Perro de Presa Canario, Dogo Argentino and several others. These breeds and others are often lumped together as 'pit bulls' when dog bites are studied, skewing the results.
Next, many studies (never mind TV news people) rely on eyewitness or victim statements to ID the breed of dog involved in a bite or attack. Many people who don't have the knowledge or experience to properly identify any dog breed will automatically say 'pit bull' when asked what kind of dog was involved, even if it was really a Jack Russell or a Dalmatian.
For anyone that remembers the Diane Whipple case in San Francisco, the Presa Canarios that killed her were repeatedly identified as 'pit bulls' during the first days of the huge media circus surrounding her death. Even after the breed was corrected, many people still insisted that the dogs were pit bulls.
Similarly, when a friend of mine and I used to walk our dogs in public, she got many comments on her 'gorgeous pit bull'... too bad her dog was a 125lb Presa Canario. Few people accurately identified my 55lb purebred APBT as a pit, and some even argued with us when we told them which dog was actually an APBT [8|]
Many, if not most, people think they know what a pit bull looks like, until you show them something like this and ask which dog is the pit bull.
Lastly, as with many breeds (bulldogs, dalmatians, and labs leap to mind), popularity has done the APBT breed no good and much harm. The worst of it was when the media stopped picking on Rotties (before that it was GSDs) and made 'pit bulls' the new 'big mean dog' on the block, encouraging every idiot gangbanger, criminal and clueless owner looking for a 'bad' dog to want a pit bull. Backyard breeders and those out to make a buck began breeding any APBT, regardless of temperament or physical problems. Pairing badly bred dogs of any breed and clueless, irresponsible owners is a recipe for disaster, let alone a strong breed like pits.
All that said, I agree with your main point. The owner of any dog needs to be aware of the proper temperament and natural inclinations of their chosen breed. An APBT of proper temperament is not human aggressive, but may well be dog and/or animal aggressive, esp after the age of 8 months- 1 year. That is a fact, and something that every owner needs to know.
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