Another Sweet yet misunderstood Pitbull

[The Voice]

Fair enough....

The original post was meant as sarcasm.

I think the wannabees that support back yard breaders are the biggest problem.

[Craig Huckerby]

The original post was meant as sarcasm.

I think the wannabees that support back yard breaders are the biggest problem.

Agree - in fact all back yard breeders should be shut down.

[Hans]

I would contend that mastiffs have been bred away from their past. Whereas Pit Bulls are still being bred for their ferocity and fighting skills.

Which mastiff breed do you own?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastiff

The biggest breed in the world, the German Mastiff.

[Hans]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull

Seems pretty clear to me what these dogs purpose is.

From the same article : "An electronic search of newspaper articles by Dr. Malathi Raghavan, DVM, PhD, found that pit bull terriers were responsible for 1 of 28 (3.6%) dog bite-related fatalities reported in Canada from 1990 through 2007.[41] The study also notes that "A higher proportion of sled dogs and, possibly, mixed-breed dogs in Canada than in the United States caused fatalities, as did multiple dogs rather than single dogs. Free-roaming dog packs, reported only from rural communities, caused most on-reserve fatalities"."

Seems to me other breeds are responsible for the majority of fatal dog attacks...

[Joy.D]

I believe that although certain breeds have unfortunately been bred to be unstable, it is still the responsibility of the owners to research and be cautious of the breeds AND control their dogs.
You don't hear about the poodle that attacked a child and required medical attention. or the chihuahua that bit a person's face, etc...

[stupefied]

From the same article : "An electronic search of newspaper articles by Dr. Malathi Raghavan, DVM, PhD, found that pit bull terriers were responsible for 1 of 28 (3.6%) dog bite-related fatalities reported in Canada from 1990 through 2007.[41] The study also notes that "A higher proportion of sled dogs and, possibly, mixed-breed dogs in Canada than in the United States caused fatalities, as did multiple dogs rather than single dogs. Free-roaming dog packs, reported only from rural communities, caused most on-reserve fatalities"."

Seems to me other breeds are responsible for the majority of fatal dog attacks...

And right after that the wiki goes on to say

It is also worth noting that the total number of fatal dog attacks from the 27 year period is equal to about one fatal attack per year, while the Clifton report, a more comprehensive study that includes the 1990-2007 period in the Canadian Veterinary Journal Study, shows an average of 6 fatalities attributed to pit bulls alone annually in the United States and Canada.

Some scary numbers here.

[Hans]

6 a year out of 27 is still less than 25%.

[The Voice]

The biggest breed in the world, the German Mastiff.

I could be wrong but I am pretty sure that Great Danes were bred for hunting.

Also no low-lifes covet them for their pit fighting ability.

As well they may be the tallest bred in the world but they are not the biggest.

[The Voice]

I should have looked it up first It is English Mastiff. Danes are #4.

The Biggest dog I have ever seen personally was an English Mastiff.

http://thehydrant.wordpress.com/2011...largestbreeds/

[MagicFingers]

On another note take a read
http://onlovinganimals.blogspot.ca/2...ra-killed.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M16cKwrkjGM
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/l...ncoming-train/
https://www.google.ca/search?q=cesar...w=1600&bih=764
http://www.cesarsway.com/dogbehavior...-Get-a-Bad-Rap


Myth: A pit bull is more likely to bite me than another dog.
Fact: Pit bulls are even less likely to bite than many other types of dog! Breed groups commonly identified as pit bulls have consistently scored at or below average for aggression when compared to other dogs. Temperament evaluations by the American Temperament Test Society give American Pit Bull Terriers a very high passing rate of 82.6%, while the average passing rate for the other 121 dog breeds tested was only 77%. No spayed/neutered, indoor pit bull has ever killed a person.

According to studies by the CDC, a person is more likely to be killed…

- by a family member
- by a falling coconut
- in a bedroom slipper-related accident
- choking on a marble
- drowning in a 5-gallon bucket
- getting struck by lightning

…than by a pit bull.

http://www.bulladelphia.org/understa...ythvsfact.aspx

[Magneto]

Its easier to blame the pit-bull for its behaviour than it is to blame the pit-bull's owners for lack of proper obedience and training given to the dog. It's the modern way... accept no responsibilities for your own actions or lack-of..... blame someone or something else.

Anything that requires an effort.... such as raising a dog that has a natural disposition to want to be dominant... is far too much work... why can't the dog just raise itself? Some of the animals are far more sophisticated than the owners that "care" for them. Its a shame some of these dogs get put down. Some owners should be put down instead.

[MagicFingers]

As the saying goes blame the deed not the breed.

I think when looking at pitbull attacks you have to look at how the dog was raised etc. A dog be it pitbull or any other dog, that is kept outside with minimal interaction with humans is more likely to bite or attack. A dog that is kept tied up and is not given proper socialization to other dogs and or animals is also more likely to bite.

You have to look at types of people and what types of dogs they are drawn to. Maybe stereotypical but there is some merit.....all too often i hear criminals wanting to get pitbulls...WHY? or people who want to fight want pit bulls. People who want dogs as guard dogs want pit pulls.

I pit bull in the hands of a loving family can be a marvelous thing both for the dog and the family.

I believe there are more dogs that bite than just pit bulls, all dogs are capable of biting, some are too small to cause much damage but it is still a bite. A pit bull causes damage so it gets the news coverage however I have seen vicious little ankle biters that I would gladly punt across the yard and take a pit bull over anytime.

[The Voice]

Herding dogs have the highest bite instances. I think at one time it was Collies that had the top spot. You know Lassie?

Admittedly the last two instances of a killing in Canada I remember were Huskies.

BTW I can find you lots of Links to sites that Skew the Info the other way against Pitbulls.

Here's one.

http://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs.php

Also I don't think too many Wannabe biker's have their dogs in these Studies.

I would hazzard a guess that some of these stats are based purely on AKC & CKC Registered Pure Breds.

News Flash criminals don't bother registering their backyard kennels.

[MagicFingers]

From the articles I have read it is difficult to get accurate states on what breeds have the highest bite rate there are too many things that scew the data...... IE reportings, how many times does a small dog bite and it is not reported,

Here is another link that also explains why studying dogs and biting is difficult.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL.../CDCReport.htm

And yes criminals don't bother registering backyard kennels.

Also now there are so many mix breeds you can't even tell what breed a dog is sometimes. Are people aware there are 20 other breeds out there that are mixed and are referred to as pitbulls but they are not true pitbulls.

"Finally, it is imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in owner related issues. For example, less responsible owners or owners who want to foster aggression in their dogs may be drawn differentially to certain breeds." So you can't really blame the breed you have to blame the owner. no centralized reporting system for dog bites exists, and incidents are typically relayed to a number of entities, such as the police, veterinarians, animal control, and emergency rooms, making meaningful analysis nearly impossible."

[The Voice]

From the articles I have read it is difficult to get accurate states on what breeds have the highest bite rate there are too many things that scew the data...... IE reportings, how many times does a small dog bite and it is not reported,

Here is another link that also explains why studying dogs and biting is difficult.
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL.../CDCReport.htm

And yes criminals don't bother registering backyard kennels.

Also now there are so many mix breeds you can't even tell what breed a dog is sometimes. Are people aware there are 20 other breeds out there that are mixed and are referred to as pitbulls but they are not true pitbulls.

"Finally, it is imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in owner related issues. For example, less responsible owners or owners who want to foster aggression in their dogs may be drawn differentially to certain breeds." So you can't really blame the breed you have to blame the owner. no centralized reporting system for dog bites exists, and incidents are typically relayed to a number of entities, such as the police, veterinarians, animal control, and emergency rooms, making meaningful analysis nearly impossible."

I agree and there is no easy answer to the question.

BTW biting stats are skewed against herding breeds. It is part of their DNA most of the time it is a herding reaction not an agressive attack.

[MagicFingers]

Yep our golden used to play with a hearding dog...not a collie but i forget the name of the breed and my golden was about 5 years the SHELTY (thats it) was a puppy the shelty would try to heard our golden to the point her ankles would bleed...It wasn't that she was being aggressive but she was just trying to heard our dog. Our dog was pretty lenient and patient.

now there was a terrior yorkshire I think, at my moms trailer that kept growling at my son when he wasn't even doing anything to it. After about the third incident our golden stepped in between my son and the other dog showed her teeth and snarled at the dog. There is no doubt in my mind that our golden would have fought this dog. Just goes to show that dogs are capable of anything however she was protecting her child (my son). For the record she has never ever snarled at anyone or anything in the past but i have no doubts to protect one of us she would.

Also while we were at my In-laws last week i witnessed a ****zoo dog bite my niece a minimum of 4 times. left no marks but just goes to show that little dogs can bite and they just don't get reported because they don't leave damage if a pitbull bit its strength and size would leave damage and it might not have intended it, its just the physical nature. Will also say that my niece will not stop smothering the dog and her parents let her hence why she keeps getting bit.

[MagicFingers]

I agree and there is no easy answer to the question.

BTW biting stats are skewed against herding breeds. It is part of their DNA most of the time it is a herding reaction not an agressive attack.

By the way most people don't know this but rotweillers were originally bred as hearding dogs.....they were hearders just like collies and shelties.

[MagicFingers]

[kitca]

that is perfect magicfingers! and exactly the truth. these dogs are only doing what we breed or nuture them to do. bad owners make bad dogs.

[MagicFingers]