Pit Bull Attack in Shorewood

[BrassyMomma]

We discovered there’s a guy on 35th near Kenyon who always has his pit off-leash in front of his house.

Since then we don’t walk on that side of the street, ever. And that damn dog is out there, with the owner occasionally watching, usually not. It’s venturing further and further out of the yard nearly every time I see it. Oh, but “the neighbours are the problem”…not himself, not the dog.

Ugh.

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[anonyme]

It seems to me that there are primarily two kinds of ‘problem’ pit bull owners: the ones that are irresponsible and actively seeking a vicious animal, and the equally irresponsible ones who are in complete denial that a pit bull can be anything but a love muffin. In some ways, the latter group is even more dangerous than the former (as well as more likely to allow their “don’t worry, he’s friendly!” cutie pies to run off leash).

As most regular readers of this blog know, I’m a huge advocate of animal rights. I don’t “blame” pit bulls for their nature, and I feel badly when these animals have to suffer due to human stupidity. However, I do think that the breed has a genetic disposition (as well as the physical capabilities) for lethal attacks, and that appropriate measures should be taken to protect people and pets. By appropriate measures, I mean breeding restrictions, special licensing, and muzzles in public.

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[JoB]

“pit bulls” have not been the fighting dog of choice long enough to have been genetically bred as a breed for aggression.

It’s nurture at work here.. not nature.

I have spent a lifetime rehabilitating what other people consider dangerous breeds.. rottweilers, dobermans, akitas, german shepherds, etc…

in many cases i have taken in dogs that were trained to fight and rehabilitated them as family pets who could be trusted with the neighborhood dogs and kids.

The greatest challenge i have faced in loving good dogs treated badly by people is when my husband decided he wanted a smaller dog and i rescued a couple of shiba inus.

look them up.. they are the cutest sweetest looking little set of furballs…

with some very heavy duty canine teeth, prey instincts that won’t quit, strength, speed, agility and even after 6 years of daily training, a mind of their own.

after being used as guard dogs… they are rapidly becoming the new macho badge of honor :(

these are the most difficult dogs i have ever trained

and it truly frightens me to think of them in the hands of the same people who currently walk with their big aggressive badges of honor…

i haven’t many of those humans who are smart enough or dedicated enough to handle this breed.

i fondly describe mine as having the temperament of a jack russel on steroids..

and it’s not too far off the mark.

my dogs were both badly abused by humans before they found me.

shiba inus raised in a loving home by humans who train them can be incredibly loving and friendly …

just like any of the dogs that we currently think of as the aggressive breeds.

Recently dog genomes were mapped..

the canine with the closest genetic connection to wolves?

appearances are deceiving.. it isn’t what you would think…

it’s the cute cuddly little shar-pai…

we were once taught that nothing is as vicious as grandmas little lap dog.

it’s possible those old guys knew what they were talking about.

appearances can be very decieving

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[JoB]

for those who are interested in what the genome study discovered..

i found it pretty interesting…

http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/dog%20genome.htm

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[DBP]

I agree with EdSane and WorldCitizen. I think the gun analogy is apt. Arguments used by gun defenders and pit defenders are remarkably similar.

By way of finding common ground, would the pit bull fans here be willing to go along with a special licensing/training requirement for pit bulls?

With such a requirement in force, responsible people could still own a pit bull, but anyone who just wanted a big, potentially aggresive dog could not.

That seems like a good compromise. The good guys would win and the bad guys would lose.

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[JoB]

DBP..

i would be willing to go along with required training classes for all registered pets

not just pit bulls

the least that a training class will do for a pet owner is give them realistic expectations

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[kittyno]

The study was done in 2004. Things are rapidly changing on the DNA testing front. It would be interesting to know what genetic markers they used and what data resampling techniques were used. You can get some variation in terms of relationships depending on your markers and the resampling. So…while very interesting, not to be taken as absolute gospel until follow-up studies etc.

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[DBP]

>>DBP.. i would be willing to go along with required training classes for all registered pets. not just pit bulls

–I’ll take that as a “no” vote, Jo.

The idea here is that there is a higher level of risk associated with pit bulls – a demonstrable fact – so they would require a correspondingly higher level of caution. If you equate pit bulls with chihuahuas by imposing the same requirements for both, you’re missing the point.

Any other pit bull fans wanna weigh in?

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[Rainier]

Anonyme, pit bulls “genetic disposition” once created a reputation of being the nanny dog because of their gentle and mindful nature with children. You’re unwarranted fear that every pit bull is a bad pit bull doesn’t make responsible owners dangerous, it makes you ignorant. I find it incongruent that you label yourself an animal rights advocate while at the same time holding tight to misinformation. They are getting a bad rap because they are the breed of choice of too many shady people. When I was a kid the doberman and rottweiler were the vicious dogs of the day. Around that same time a book about a sweet rottweiler came out- Good Boy Carl (what kind of bs was that author feeding us cause everybody knows rottweilers nature is to be vicious..) Wait, what? Not so? These days nobody bats an eye when they encounter a rottweiler-hmm. DBP, by putting restrictions on the ownership of a specific breed all you are doing is driving people who want to be abusive to another breed. As mentioned above, the police dog, guard dog, and fighting dog of choice has changed over the years, pits are just today’s fad. We need stronger laws on animal ownership in general and on abuse and neglect and an animal abuser registry. Those things would bring noticeable change for people and dogs alike.

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[hammerhead]

Pro Pit lover here and an owner of 2. NO I will not muzzle my dogs. I have seen it done at the park and congrats on the owners or dog walkers in knowing what their dogs can do.

I will not deny that there are pits out there that are bad, I do actually believe that breeding can/does play a part, but mostly it is the humans fault.

Most of the local shelters are pretty proactive in educating people about any dog they adopt and do encourage people to go to training classes.

I took all of mine to a training classes. It is my responsibility to keep the training going. I also know my dogs. One is bad with kids, so again she does not go near them.

Registering pit or mixes or any “aggressive” is just not logical, just like registering everyone’s gun. I would not register my dogs.

An old kids tv show , Our Gang, well that dog was a pitbull. It was a sweet, right?

I would call the police department and report that, the police officers left. They are totally responsible for this falling threw the cracks. It even says on the shelters voicemail, call 911 if there is an emergency. I don’t fault the animal control officers in getting there “late”.

It is just terribly sad no matter how you look at it. People love to breed pits and just give them away or use has pit bull fighting bait or to raise and fight them.

I am a firm believer that if ANY breed of dog attacks a human or animal it should be put down as soon the quarantining is done. UNLESS some one comes on the dogs PROPERTY, Just like if some one comes on my property and I feel threatened, I have the right to shoot him.

We can not regulate mentally ill people from getting a gun nor will be able to figure out if some one is bad owner or not. That is just a fact.

HH

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[Talaki34]

There are a lot breeds that have an assertive personality and require extensive knowledge to own and handle. I would suggest that people go to the breed section on the AKC website and take a look at ALL the breed descriptions when formulating an opinion. Many of the breeds have flaws or strengths in their temperaments (depending how you look at it) that can be exploited by really nasty people or unintentionally enhanced by lack of knowledge or laziness.

I personally do not advocate breed restrictions, but I do support special licensing for all types of pets. I think every pet owner should be required to take an intensive class pertaining to the type of animal they are adopting. Upon completion of the class they would sign a legal document that states they will spay/neuter and chip their pet. Unless they fall under the heading of “Breeder” (and the laws need to be tightened here too) failure to have the pet neutered or spayed would result in heavy fines and for repeat offenders or illegal breeding there should be mandatory jail(no parole) time. For those who use any dog for illegal purposes, for fighting or as a weapon, then all fines and mandatory jail (no parole)terms should be tripled. Upon exiting from jail the perpetrators then should be permanently paroled (hours) to work in some form of support for animal rescue. No exceptions. I also believe that all dogs and cats should have access to low or no-cost spaying/neutering and basic obedience (good luck trying this with your cat) training.

Classes should be made available for people to learn how to interact with animals. Many bites or attacks could be avoided by us learning and teaching our kids the art of talking to animals through gestures, facial expressions and body alignment.

It is true that “Pit” types have the highest fatality rating of any breed even when you break them into separate groups. However this is not how it has to be. The fighting dogs of long ago were not human aggressive. 1. They didn’t want the dogs to turn on the handlers. 2. A dog that loves his master will fight longer and harder so he can be the “good dog.” This aggression towards humans who are not threatening their master is a recent development and the Bull breeds are not the only ones affected. There are the Doberman’s, the American Cocker, Miniature and Toy Poodles, Labradors and Chihuahua’s to name a few. Over breeding, breeding for money, breeding for my dog is bigger and tougher than yours or the cute factor has led to a multitude of health and temperament issues across a wide range of dog breeds. Unfortunately, whichever variety becomes the “Dog of the Day” is usually found at the shelters in the highest numbers because of these issues.

As with most things when concerns arise, the blame always falls at the feet of those unable to voice a response in their own defense. In truth the blame should be shared by both the owners and the rest of us. We lack the laws to protect the animals we profess to love and ourselves. Laws that are already in place are hardly enforced until the situation is so bad we cannot ignore it.

In our effort to be “politically correct” and not interfere with the “rights” of the individual, we have abandoned our furry, feathered and sometimes slimy friends. When you give any thinking and feeling creature the same rights as a garden rake (just another possession) it isn’t hard to understand how when things go wrong we look for the easiest and most expeditious way to resolve the problem. Get rid of it.

We want results fast, without personal culpability and we want it cheap. Right and wrong get lost.

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[JoB]

yes

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[Author]

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