Pitbull discussion

[FortunateOne]

“These dogs were bred to be human-tolerant.

Not sure I want a dog around me that merely tolerates humans.

 

[festealth]

The story that just happened at Surrey and the story given by planetman.... both sounds more like bad owners and poor training than anything.

It's just unfortunate that both incidents are caused by a specific breed.

I advocate better licensing and training. Minimal age required for "more aggressive" breeds, mandatory training... something similar to buying firearms.

 

[keiratouch]

Keep an open mind.

2006 U.S. Dog Bite Fatality Statistics
Fatal Dog Attack Statistics
DogsBite.org recorded 30 fatal dog attacks in 2006. The last year the CDC recorded dog bite fatalities by breed was 2001. Due to pressures from animal advocacy groups, dog fancying groups and pit bull special interest groups, the CDC stopped recording these deaths by dog breed. The only other known entity that continues to track this vital information is Animal People News. DogsBite.org has joined in this effort.

2006 Dog Bite Fatalities
30 U.S. fatal dog attacks occurred in 2006. Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 53%. Pit bulls make up approximately 2-9% of the US dog population.
The combination of pit bulls (16) and rottweilers (8) accounted for 80% of all fatal attacks.
47% of the attacks occurred to children (11 years and under) and 53% occurred to adults (21 years and older). Of the adults, 17% occurred to ages 55 and older.
53% of fatal attacks in 2006 involved multiple dogs; 13% involved chained dogs.
87% of the attacks occurred on owner property and 13% off owner property. Of the off-property attacks, 100% (4) were attributed to pit bulls.
30% of the victims were female; 70% of the victims were male. Of the male victims, nearly half (10) were 11 years and under.
The state of Texas had the most fatalities (6). Of these fatalities, 67% (4) were attributed to pit bulls and 33% (2) to rottweilers.

http://www.dogsbite.org/blog/2008/08/2006-dog-bite-fatality-statistics.html

How many of these dogs were pets? how many were "guard dogs" trained and abused to be mean ect? Everyone seems to take the human factor out of the situation. I lived beside someone who own(s)(ed) one male white pit bull that lived outside all year round, never being walked, never inside even in the snow or rain, lived on their back deck and they rarely cleaned its mess. I called the SPCA but they said there was nothing they could do. Later in the year they adopted a baby pit bull, white in colour again, and living in the exact same conditions, except it was being beaten up by the older pit bull. I would hear the puppy scream in pain all night long, It was very sad and extremely frustrating because I knew the only thing the SPCA could do for the older animal was to euthenize him, but maybe the younger puppy might be reformable, my point is that not all dogs are born bad, sometimes their owners just like them that way. The guy was a sick prick and I hope he burns in hell.

 

[mimi]

keira, that's awful! I had a neighbour who did as much to a Rottweiler. The dog was out on the front upstairs deck in all weather. It used to bark at the kids playing in the street. One day the owners decided to move up North and opened the gate and let the dog run free. Surprisingly, the dog licked everyone to death. She was so happy to have social contact. She was adopted out and turned into a wonderful family dog.

keeping a dog on chain in the backyard....very wrong....dogs are social animals and need company. a dog that loves it's family makes the best guard dog there is...(as long as it isn't spoiled rotten, but, that's another thread!)