Pretty much every county and parish animal control office can verify a higher statistical incidence of bite cases from pit bulls than any other breed.
“Responsible ownership” begs the question. Cobras are ‘safe’ when kept ‘responsibly’. So are violent offenders for that matter.
“Pretty much every county and parish animal control office can verify a higher statistical incidence of bite cases from pit bulls than any other breed.”
Do you mean in your area, or all over? I’m asking because in certain areas, yes, pit bulls have a higher incidence of bites, but other areas have labs, cocker spaniels, dalmatians, and GSD as their number one biters. It really does depend on the area. In larger cities and low-income areas, pit bull bites tend to be higher. In rural areas, labs and border collies represent the majority. There are exceptions, but the vast majority of bite cases involve dogs that are running loose or chained up, and intact, regardless of the breed. This information can be seen at the CDC’s website.
There are an estimated 13 thousand dog attacks every day in the U.S., and you can bet that the pit bull bites make the news almost every time. Where are all the other dogs? They aren’t considered newsworthy, and this phrase comes from a reporter who used it to describe a mixed breed dog attack on a police officer. The officer, upset that his story was not getting attention, called back a month later and said the dog was a pit bull to see what would happen. Several news stations contacted him to do a story.
Don’t forget that pit bull-type dogs are one of the most popular breeds right now, also. In some shelters, they represent as much as 60% of the population of dogs, and according to the UKC, they are the #2 most popular right now. They aren’t even the biggest registering body for the breed. The ADBA registers many more than that. The most popular “tough” dog always ends up in the spotlight until another breed comes along to intrigue the growing thug population. Dogs that are responsibly owned, no matter the breed, are many times safer than intact dogs on chains, dogs in packs, and dogs running loose.
Cobras are wild animals and will bite if given the chance, and cannot be trained as they do not possess reasoning skills. Pit bulls are domesticated dogs, and all dogs are capable of biting. They are no more likely to bite than any other breed when raised responsibly. They are not supernaturally strong, they are not bipolar, they are not blood-thirsty, and they are not born mean. These are all things people say about them that don’t have the capacity for rational thought. The dogs have the same lineage as boxers, bulldogs, and boston terriers, among others, all of which used to do the dirty work but don’t get the same kind of attention from thugs and the media. I think it’s because of the name, but who knows.
There are lots and lots of people who get the dogs for the wrong reasons and try their hardest to make them vicious. It is a testament to the stability of the breed that of the millions alive right now, only 0.00004% of them have attacked. Of those, almost 100% had been chained, running loose, in a pack, in a breeding pair, or had a record with animal control.