2

Quote :

"The deadliest dogs Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author's observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening. According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states: If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price. Clifton's opinions are as interesting as his statistics. For example, he says, "Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all." "

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html


[Edited on January 16, 2011 at 9:47 PM. Reason : s]

1/16/2011 9:37:22 PM

I imagine grizzly bears make wonderful pets too

1/16/2011 9:44:26 PM

Well then you're clearly an idiot.

1/16/2011 9:45:03 PM

No no its the horrible owners that give grizzly bears the bad reputation, since we're not allowed to use an animal's instinct to judge them

1/16/2011 9:46:45 PM

happy pit is happy

1/16/2011 9:49:09 PM

Quote :

"In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states: If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price."

I think this quote is pretty accurate. Yes we see that your pits are fantastic dogs and extremely loyal and lovable, that is clear. But the point is, dogs have bad days every once in a while - even non-aggressive ones. When a golden retriever has a bad day, someone's hand might be bit, but when a pit bull has a bad day, someone's throat could be ripped out

1/16/2011 9:53:09 PM

What pit bulls can teach us about profiling.

http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_02_06_a_pitbull.html

Quote :

" ... A Georgia-based group called the American Temperament Test Society has put twenty-five thousand dogs through a ten-part standardized drill designed to assess a dog's stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness in the company of people. A handler takes a dog on a six-foot lead and judges its reaction to stimuli such as gunshots, an umbrella opening, and a weirdly dressed stranger approaching in a threatening way. Eighty-four per cent of the pit bulls that have been given the test have passed, which ranks pit bulls ahead of beagles, Airedales, bearded collies, and all but one variety of dachshund. "We have tested somewhere around a thousand pit-bull-type dogs," Carl Herkstroeter, the president of the A.T.T.S., says. "I've tested half of them. And of the number I've tested I have disqualified one pit bull because of aggressive tendencies. They have done extremely well. They have a good temperament. They are very good with children." It can even be argued that the same traits that make the pit bull so aggressive toward other dogs are what make it so nice to humans. "There are a lot of pit bulls these days who are licensed therapy dogs," the writer Vicki Hearne points out. "Their stability and resoluteness make them excellent for work with people who might not like a more bouncy, flibbertigibbet sort of dog. When pit bulls set out to provide comfort, they are as resolute as they are when they fight, but what they are resolute about is being gentle. And, because they are fearless, they can be gentle with anybody.""

Quote :

"Does the notion of a pit-bull menace rest on a stable or an unstable generalization? The best data we have on breed dangerousness are fatal dog bites, which serve as a useful indicator of just how much havoc certain kinds of dogs are causing. Between the late nineteen-seventies and the late nineteen-nineties, more than twenty-five breeds were involved in fatal attacks in the United States. Pit-bull breeds led the pack, but the variability from year to year is considerable. For instance, in the period from 1981 to 1982 fatalities were caused by five pit bulls, three mixed breeds, two St. Bernards, two German-shepherd mixes, a pure-bred German shepherd, a husky type, a Doberman, a Chow Chow, a Great Dane, a wolf-dog hybrid, a husky mix, and a pit-bull mix—but no Rottweilers. In 1995 and 1996, the list included ten Rottweilers, four pit bulls, two German shepherds, two huskies, two Chow Chows, two wolf-dog hybrids, two shepherd mixes, a Rottweiler mix, a mixed breed, a Chow Chow mix, and a Great Dane. The kinds of dogs that kill people change over time, because the popularity of certain breeds changes over time. The one thing that doesn't change is the total number of the people killed by dogs. When we have more problems with pit bulls, it's not necessarily a sign that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dogs. It could just be a sign that pit bulls have become more numerous. "I've seen virtually every breed involved in fatalities, including Pomeranians and everything else, except a beagle or a basset hound," Randall Lockwood, a senior vice-president of the A.S.P.C.A. and one of the country's leading dogbite experts, told me. "And there's always one or two deaths attributable to malamutes or huskies, although you never hear people clamoring for a ban on those breeds. When I first started looking at fatal dog attacks, they largely involved dogs like German shepherds and shepherd mixes and St. Bernards—which is probably why Stephen King chose to make Cujo a St. Bernard, not a pit bull. I haven't seen a fatality involving a Doberman for decades, whereas in the nineteen-seventies they were quite common. If you wanted a mean dog, back then, you got a Doberman. I don't think I even saw my first pit-bull case until the middle to late nineteen-eighties, and I didn't start seeing Rottweilers until I'd already looked at a few hundred fatal dog attacks. Now those dogs make up the preponderance of fatalities. The point is that it changes over time. It's a reflection of what the dog of choice is among people who want to own an aggressive dog.""

the bolded part describes every pit i have met


it's not exactly about dogs, but this thread reminded me of it. i like gladwell.

[Edited on January 16, 2011 at 9:56 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on January 16, 2011 at 9:59 PM. Reason : .]

1/16/2011 9:53:31 PM

I used my pit bull as a pillow last night. She failed to eat my face off.

Hey Metricula, if you know about stuff like this in the future I'd love to know about it ahead of time. I don't need any more dogs, but I'd still have gone.

1/17/2011 7:46:12 PM

When I worked at the shelter, we had to put down a pit bull fighting ring... There were only 2 out of 12 or so that actually needed to be restrained when sedating them. The others were extremely friendly and just wanted to please you.

And yet, there was a dog named Biscuit in quarantine who needed a padlock on its cage and would make its mouth bleed from attacking the chain link.

Anyway, I'm not going to say my pit/greyhound is an angel (he has a thing with young, black girls because one was mean to him, and maintenance men) but he's a lot nicer than many other dogs I have seen, including cocker spaniels, chows, chihuahuas, etc...

1/17/2011 8:05:36 PM

^ aww I <3 gambit... and you too of course

1/17/2011 8:11:29 PM

yeah, having worked at a vet and been around dogs all my life (my dad is a vet), pits are not bad dogs. All of you pushing for the eradication of the breed have been brainwashed by the media. Note that everyone in here WHO HAS MORE EXPERIENCE WITH DOGS THAN YOU is all saying the same thing in that these are not bad dogs by breed. bad owners make bad dogs. I have been bitten my plenty of dogs, but never by a rotty, german shepard, or a pit bull. Yes there are bad dogs out there, but every breed has them. And pits that are trained to be aggressive are exactly that- they are not that way by nature. But they are strong and stubborn (don't like to give up on any task given to them), and their jaw strength can be dangerous. But so can guns. again, it isn't the gun that is responsible when a bullet kills a person, it is the idiot holding it that ultimately responsible.

instead of wanting to ban a breed (ignorant), try learning more about them, their history (why they are the way they are and what lines they come from, see terriers), and point your troll hate towards the bad owners who try to make them ferocious and try to fight them. That is what needs to be eradicated.

1/17/2011 8:19:20 PM

Pit bulls are GREAT!






http://www.kanelawgroup.com/2010/04/09/6yearold-boy-attacked-pit-bull/

1/17/2011 9:31:25 PM

Quote :

"bad owners make bad dogs"

1/17/2011 9:33:31 PM

Quote :

"vicious dog breeds make short life expectancies"

1/17/2011 9:36:01 PM

Quote :

"bad owners make bad dogs"

1/17/2011 9:37:29 PM

any chained, socially-isolated dog can be dangerous. i'm also skeptical that the dog did it without any provocation.

Quote :

"But a number of other, more stable factors stand out. The biters were 6.2 times as likely to be male than female, and 2.6 times as likely to be intact than neutered. The Denver study also found that biters were 2.8 times as likely to be chained as unchained. "About twenty per cent of the dogs involved in fatalities were chained at the time, and had a history of long-term chaining," Lockwood said. "Now, are they chained because they are aggressive or aggressive because they are chained? It's a bit of both. These are animals that have not had an opportunity to become socialized to people. They don't necessarily even know that children are small human beings. They tend to see them as prey.""

from my link above

1/17/2011 9:38:40 PM

Quote :

"The point is that it changes over time. It's a reflection of what the dog of choice is among people who want to own an aggressive dog."

this can't be repeated enough

it's not a pits fault that they're strong like ox and it's not their fault that ghetto ass fucks wanna teach them to be hard

1/17/2011 9:40:11 PM

going back to World War I. a Pit was the mascot of the 102nd infantry. There was a dog named Stubby, he was a member of that infantry. He was a decorated war hero. The MOST decorated war dog of that time.

Helen Keller and Theodore Roosevelt had Pits. Maybe you remember a gang of kids known as The Little Rascals. Petey? He was a Pit Bull too.

The Pit Bull used to be known as "The American Breed." They were known as the babysitter dog because of their love, devotion, and loyalty for their family and are great watch dogs.

1/17/2011 9:51:28 PM

i bolded this before but wanted to post it again

Quote :

"They have done extremely well. They have a good temperament. They are very good with children." It can even be argued that the same traits that make the pit bull so aggressive toward other dogs are what make it so nice to humans. "There are a lot of pit bulls these days who are licensed therapy dogs," the writer Vicki Hearne points out. "Their stability and resoluteness make them excellent for work with people who might not like a more bouncy, flibbertigibbet sort of dog. When pit bulls set out to provide comfort, they are as resolute as they are when they fight, but what they are resolute about is being gentle. And, because they are fearless, they can be gentle with anybody."

1/17/2011 9:55:33 PM

saps, where did you get this pic?

1/18/2011 9:30:55 AM

Pretty sure that is his dog

1/18/2011 9:32:45 AM

that is stella- his dog. sister of my dog peyton

1/18/2011 9:44:10 AM

That is a dead ringer for my boy, Otis...right down to the white streak and scar on the nose

what is the mix?...Got otis at a convenience store and i never quite figured out what he is.

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 9:50 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2011 9:48:55 AM

they are pitt terrier/boxer mix (only 25% boxer though)

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 10:05 AM. Reason : h]

1/18/2011 9:51:48 AM

Quote :

"Pit bulls are GREAT! http://www.kanelawgroup.com/2010/04/09/6yearold-boy-attacked-pit-bull/"

Clearly the dumb bitch in the trailer park who had no tags on the dog or proof of vaccination was a responsible owner and the dog is to blame. Not to mention she had the dog on a chain that was long enough for it to hop the fence.

1/18/2011 9:52:13 AM

Pit owners are blind.
Pits have very strong natural instincts to kill smaller animals. They show natural aggression towards other dogs. And while "natural human aggression" is arguable, many of them will naturally "protect" their owners by eating the UPS driver's throat. Sure, you can train most of them not to do these things, but what's the point? These dogs don't give you anything that you wouldn't get from a more docile breed.

Quote :

"In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question."

Liveleak.com has some great vids for you guys:
- Dog That Killed Baby 'Very Loving' Police: 3-Day-Old Baby Attacked In Arlington Home Sunday Night
- Young Girl Injured In NE Philly Pit Bull Attack
- Test shows no rabies for pit bull that attacked 8-year-old Sheboygan boy
- 7-day-old Florida infant dies after pit bull bite
- Ox Vs. Pit Bull
- Guide Dog Brutally Attacked By Pit Bull
- Another Pit Bull accident: A 16-month-old baby of a pit bull attack has been identified as Destiny Knox
- Russian Police Officers Shoot Deranged Pit Bull And Try To Run It Over: A woman and a police officer are attacked by a maniacal Pit Bull.

1/18/2011 10:16:32 AM

I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave any dog alone with, or even with access to, a small child. But, if I ever do have kids, I've decided that he/she will get a large breed puppy at a young age and grow up with it...with this idea in mind:

Quote :

"And while "natural human aggression" is arguable, many of them will naturally "protect" their owners by eating the UPS driver's throat. "

just try to give free candy from your windowless van to little johnny

^^^how old is that litter?....any chance ours are related?

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 10:32 AM. Reason : .]

1/18/2011 10:29:55 AM

^^ You are just ignorant to the truth, and chose to follow what the media tells you. I bet you thought 4loko was going to kill all of our nations youths if it weren't pulled. Spend some time working with some pitt bulls, and not just spouting out what you searched out on google, and what the rappers of east LA tell you, and I guarantee your mentality will change. This is almost like racial profiling. Put a dog in a bad situation (bad owners) and bad things are going to happen. Any dog with a pitt's size and strength should not be left unsupervised with a child, and that is where the majority of these "attacks" happen.


^ they were born on August 4th of '09

1/18/2011 10:45:04 AM

people used to leave amstaffs with kids, alone, all the time b/c they were great babysitter dogs. i wouldnt never do it but Pits are great dogs for families of any size... you people should watch pit bulls and parolees sometime on animal planet .

1/18/2011 11:09:57 AM

oh, I think they are great family dogs. Just shouldn't be left unsupervised (which Tia will agree with). I do watch that show regularly btw

1/18/2011 11:36:14 AM

Quote :

"You are just ignorant to the truth, and chose to follow what the media tells you. I bet you thought 4loko was going to kill all of our nations youths if it weren't pulled. Spend some time working with some pitt bulls, and not just spouting out what you searched out on google, and what the rappers of east LA tell you, and I guarantee your mentality will change."

You don't know a thing about me or my experience(s) with these dogs.

Front page of Fark right now:

Quote :

"Walker told the deputies that it sounded like his girlfriend, 26-year-old Sheena Sovine, was being attacked by his pet pit bull Mojo. Deputy Christopher Brady said he walked back inside and saw Mojo the pit bull on top of Sovine biting and pulling her across the floor. Brady first tried to distract the dog, but it still wouldn't let go of Sovine. Brady then tasered Mojo twice and the dog finally let go of Sovine, but then bit the deputy's arm, which is when he shot the dog, causing it to die at the scene. Carrie Ardito, who lives nearby, described the scene when the woman was attacked. "She kind of charged inside. The dog was on the floor sleeping and when she lunged in, it startled the dog and the dog just attacked," she said. Witnesses say the dog's owner actually asked deputies to shoot it. Neighbors say Mojo was never aggressive in the past. Sovine was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening to her left arm and shoulder. Deputy Brady was uninjured and did not require medical treatment."

http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/january/196483/Dog-hangs-on-to-woman-during-attack,-even-after-taser


[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 12:09 PM. Reason : s]

1/18/2011 12:02:46 PM

That's ignorant. Stop being ignorant.

1/18/2011 12:09:28 PM

I have a question, why do people cut the tails i think the tails are bad ass

and i would figure the balance would be important for the dogfighters

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 12:11 PM. Reason : s]

1/18/2011 12:10:46 PM

^^^ I bet the oxycodone dealer is a great owner for his pet and has never bred or taught any aggression into his dog. The oxycodone dealer sounds like an outstanding citizen who never tells a lie.

1/18/2011 12:13:23 PM

It amazes me that people can claim a dog that was bred for the sole purpose of fighting large animals couldn't possibly be aggressive. It's not like breeders have the decency anymore to put down an animal the moment it shows signs of being aggressive towards people.

1/18/2011 12:14:00 PM

i dont see how you can judge

1/18/2011 12:14:21 PM

Quote :

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave any dog alone with, or even with access to, a small child."

yep, this is definitely true, and people who think otherwise need to have their heads examined.

1/18/2011 12:17:21 PM

any dog can be good with people but react horribly when it doesn't like having a barbie doll foot shoved into it's ear canal. Even the smallest dogs don't need to be left unsupervised around kids.

1/18/2011 12:19:19 PM

Quote :

"I bet the oxycodone dealer is a great owner for his pet and has never bred or taught any aggression into his dog. The oxycodone dealer sounds like an outstanding citizen who never tells a lie."

You speculate against people far worse than anyone in this thread speculates against the breed.
The neighbors say the dog wasn't aggressive. The person who was attacked was his girlfriend.
It's not like some total stranger got mauled.

Quote :

"Pit owners are blind."

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 12:20 PM. Reason : s]

1/18/2011 12:20:28 PM

dammit answer my question

1/18/2011 12:20:39 PM

Tails are easily injured. They can break and cause quite a bit of pain that some people see as unnecessary.

1/18/2011 12:21:50 PM

so thats something normal pet owners do as well (or prefer)

1/18/2011 12:23:15 PM

pit bulls are for pussies.

i have 1 dingo
&
i have 1 african wild dog

and i leave my child alone with them all the time.

all the finger are still there... so therefore, it must mean they are safe to have around children!!!

1/18/2011 12:23:53 PM

^7
what age child are you talking. Toddler? I see no problem with that. Hell, my mom told me that as a kid as soon as I learned how to escape my crib I would sleep underneath it with our dog (one of the breeds people call a pit). My niece tries to ride theirs like a horse, and it patiently allows her until she gives up and then he goes and lays down and watches her. As soon as we were old enough to play outside without my mom being out there, being inside instead, she always put the dog outside with us.

There is a reason you've got people from the ASPCA and the ATTS praising the breed, because they are fantastic with children.

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 12:40 PM. Reason : .]

1/18/2011 12:25:34 PM

all the finger are still there


The reason I wouldnt leave a dog alone with my kid is not because of any aggressiveness or anything, but dogs do weird shit like hop up on the couch, and if a little kids hand is on the couch or the dog lifts itself up on the kids leg theres definitely potential for injury

My ol lady has a fat ass bulldog/boxer mix and when her fat ass climbs up on the couch and steps on my calf or groin or somethin not only can it cut but it can leave a bruise

i just think its dumb to leave kids alone with an animal if you can avoid it.

[Edited on January 18, 2011 at 12:28 PM. Reason : f]

1/18/2011 12:25:35 PM

this dude ^^ thinks people keep african wild dogs as pets (and dingoes). that's the same as keeping a tiger or a bear.

no dogs in my house, ever. i don't like dogs. (no, i don't have cats either)

1/18/2011 12:29:26 PM

lol

1/18/2011 12:30:42 PM

pwnt.

1/18/2011 12:39:02 PM

btw I do have a tame bear

1/18/2011 12:39:21 PM

Actually, some people do keep such animals (and hyenas and tigers and lions, etc) as pets... they are called...

African dictators

1/18/2011 12:39:35 PM