Posted on 07/24/2014 4:30:50 AM PDT by marktwain
Dennis Williams, above, did not hesitate to intervene to save a man being attacked by three pit bulls. The event was reported on July 21, 2014, in Washington County, Wisconsin.
"I will never forget seeing that attack, or hearing the screams," Williams says. "It was one of the worst things I've ever witnessed. The dogs were on top of the man and his dog. They were not going to stop. I first tried hitting the Pit Bulls with a baseball bat, but they wouldn't relent. There was blood all over the ground."
The revolver used to stop the attack appears to be an Iver Johnson .22. Perhaps an alert reader can make a more positive identification. Guns are common in Wisconsin.
The fact is that as the Pit Bull has become more popular, it’s killings and maiming has become more numerous.
It isn’t a conspiracy created to falsely smear the most dangerous dogs in America.
(driftdriver-courtesy ping)
I am not defending pit bulls as a breed. I was responding to a statement made by driftdriver up-thread with a situation that is anecdotal, I realize.
Son’s friend did his research before getting the puppy. Not only the breed, but the breeder. I seriously doubt he would leave a pit bull alone with a child, hungry or not.
The bet is the kid has tattoos. Does he, doesn't he? Your answer is vital to my research on pit bull owners. Not only the breed, but the breeder.
By this time in "pit bull" history who the hell knows what a pit bull is and isn't. If it looks as if it got loose, it could rip a baby to shreds, and if it's chained to a broken down crack house in the 'hood, it's a frickin' pit bull. Of course, the obamasons breeding program churns out Rottweiler, Presa Canario, Dogo, Mastiff, Doberman hybrids further complicating matters. Anything to frighten whitey.
The dog came from Aggieland, he was probably offended because an Aggie didn’t want him.
In the last ten years, American Staffordshire Terriers have dropped from the 64th most popular registered dog to the 76th. I realize most 'pit bulls' owned by thugs aren't registered.
However, Staffordshire Terriers have become more popular. Bull Terriers have become much more popular. Other breeds considered 'pit bulls' in some jurisdictions have jumped from the 50s in popularity into the top 15 in the last ten years. I assume the same applies to those dogs not registered. Some of the breeds lumped into the term 'pit bull' have exploded in number.
Again, 'pit bull' is not a breed, unless you mean the American Pit Bull Dog. It's a group of breeds based on how the breed looks - not on temperament or aggression of the breed. I highly doubt that each of the breeds called 'pit bulls' by those who don't know the difference among five, six, seven, or eight breeds are responsible for their proportionate share of the increased in maimings and killings.
Among the 'pit bull' breeds, there is one, and possibly two, breeds I would buy from a reputable breeder. The others I would never buy.
I think SOME of the pit 'bull breeds' are majority of the problem, but not all of the breeds. When's the last time you heard of somebody killed by a Bull Terrier or a Miniature Bull Terrier? Both are considered "pit bulls' under my county's definition, and a death by either of them would be listed as a 'pit bull' death.
Blah blah, and the fact remains, that as the Pit Bull has become more popular, it’s killings and maiming has become more numerous.
If Rottweilers are as bad as pit bulls, then by all means the public needs to know that.
In other words, one Pit Bull became a good Pit Bull.
The rest of the world isn't as mystified by pit bulls as you who are devoted to selling them to the public.
It was within the last couple of weeks, when I started thinking about how to ban 'pit bulls' that I realized with current data, we'd be using a chainsaw and not a scalpel to perform the surgery.
If you look at deaths by breed, certain breeds are a problem. If 8-10 breeds of "pit bulls" are responsible for 40% of deaths (and another 20% by pit bull mixes, such as 'pit bull' and labrador retriever), and each breed is equally responsible, then those pit bull breeds are responsible for 6% of the deaths apiece. Rottweilers beat that, easily. Bull Mastiffs are close. Huskies are close. German Shepherds are close. Boxers are dangerous. English Bulldogs are close. Chows and Dobermans, surprisingly, are not.
It's absolutely clear that some, or all, of the numerous breeds lumped into the 'pit bull' category are a MAJOR problem. The problem's increasing as the number of 'pit bulls' is increasing.
Something has to be done about some or all of the 'pit bull' breeds. I agree completely.
However, if you start asking me to institute a breed-specific prohibition, I ask "which breeds?" I particularly ask that in jurisdictions where a 'pit bull' is described by a generic shape.
I want to know which of the 'pit bull' breeds are responsible for the deaths. If it's all of them, then let's deal with all of the breeds that get lumped into 'pit bull.'
Finally, this quote:
71% of the pit bull fatalities have occurred in the past 10 years; 42% in the past four years; 24% in the past two years.
is in support of your statement that it is a growing problem.
We have the studies that give the pit bull kill and maiming rate.
We also know that part of the strategy of Obama’s side is to create the idea that we don’t even know what a pit bull is, that is is some kind of mythical creature the dog bite studies is creating.
When people see a dog and call it a 'pit bull,' or when regulations are based on body type, the following breeds get lumped in with the Pit Bull:
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Bull Terrier
Miniature Bull Terrier
American Bully
American Bulldog
Presa Canario
Cane Corso
Dogo Argentino
Tosa Inu
Bullmastiff
Dogue de Bordeaux
Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog
Olde English Bulldogge
Any other breed with square shaped head or bulky body type
I consider many of these breeds dangerous for different reasons, such as the American Bully, American Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, Tosa Inu, and Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog. However, I don't consider all of the breeds in the list above dangerous, and I consider Rottweilers as dangerous as any of these breeds, despite having been around many Rotts that were big babies.
If Rottweilers are as bad as pit bulls, then by all means the public needs to know that.
Rottweilers, as a single breed, are responsible for 13% of dog bite deaths.
So, yes, let's do something about Pit Bulls, but when it comes to doing something about 'pit bulls,' let's exercise some thought instead of acting against any other breed with square shaped head or bulky body type. Do something about the Presa Canario, but not the Bull Terrier.
Which of the breeds listed in my post above are included in the studies on 'pit bull' deaths in addition to the American Pit Bull?
Hint: They never tell you.
LOL, I will rely on the dog researchers data on pit bulls.
However, the ASPCA says that only the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier are pit bulls.
Chako.org says that the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire terrier are pit bulls.
My county has a long list of breeds, ending with "any other breed or mixed-breed with a square shaped head or bulky body type."
Wikipedia (yes, the unreliable W), says that "The general public and news media consider a "pit bull" as one of several breeds including the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier." The photo shown is and American Pit Bull Terrier. W also says "any dog that is mixed with a "bully breed"[may also be called a "pit bull" including those that are descended from the English Bulldog, French Bulldog and Boston Terrier."
So . . . I didn't create the idea that we don't know what a lower-case pit bull is. Two weeks ago, I was "let's address the pit bull problem."
Now I'm, let's address the pit bull problem . . . but what, exactly, is a pit bull? Do you distinguish it by breed or by physical characteristics?
I just read the studies on dogs and pit bulls, I do not waste time with the effort to pretend that no one knows what they are.
As nations restrict pit bulls, the goof balls try to pretend that it is an international conspiracy against a unicorn like myth.
I can assure you that there is no single definition of 'pit bull.' I can also assure you we have a problem with 'pit bulls.'
You're an intelligent man. Google the first five definitions of 'pit bull' and tell me whether or not you get five different listings of breeds, or whether you get the block head/broad chest definition that would apply to a Boxer. That's what I did, and it made me go "huh?"
About two weeks ago, one of FR's pit bull promoters said dogbites.org was prejudiced against pitbulls aned offered another website, http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2010/03/the-truth-behind-dogsbiteorg.html.
I went to that site and reported back to the pit bull defender that his site also showed that 'pit bulls' caused by far the most human deaths. However, I also noticed that more than a few dogs described in the media as 'pit bulls' were described by the shelter than euthanized them as 'labrador retriever/bullmastiff mix," or the like.
So, as someone who knows we have a 'pit bull' problem and would like to offer a proposal to deal with it, I began, within the last few weeks, to try to do more than say 'let's ban pit bulls.'
Unlike you, apparently, I Googled to find out precisely what a 'pit bull' was.
I discovered that, other than the American Pit Bull Terrier nobody agrees on what other breeds are pit bulls, although American Staffordshire Terriers are on many lists. Lower-case 'pit bulls' seem to be "I know it when I see it."
I'm here with you to solve the pit bull problem. Let's ban the American Pit Bull Terrier and its mixes. Where do we go from there?
Do we just look at dogs and ban them based on their looks, one-by-one? Do we craft a definition based on head and body type that leaves out all innocent breeds? Do we ban a list of breeds?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.