Replies

Look, my whole point here is that:

1. Something must be done about the 'pit bull' problem in the U.S.

2. Lower-case 'pit bull' does not have a standard definition. Case in point. Ten people are killed by ten dogs of the following breeds:

7 - American Pit Bull Terriers (or mixes)
2 - Staffordshire Terriers (or mixes)
1 - American Staffordshire Terrier

Dogbites.org says that's ten deaths by 'pit bulls.'

But if we used the same numbers and said those breeds were in an ASPCA shelter and asked them how many 'pit bulls' they had, the answer would be eight (8). The ASPC does not include Staffordshire Terriers in the definition of 'pit bull.'

3. To solve the problem, let's get rid of American Pit Bull Terriers and then decide what else we get rid of, by breed, by physical description, or both. But don't just say 'pit bulls.'

Is That Dog a Pit Bull? A Cross-Country Comparison of Perceptions of Shelter Workers Regarding Breed Identification.

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (Impact Factor: 0.89). 03/2014; DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2014.895904

Christie Hoffman, Natalie Harrison, London Wolff, Carrie Westgarth.

Synopsis:

"Bull breeds are commonly kept as companion animals, but the pit bull terrier is restricted by breed-specific legislation (BSL) in parts of the United States and throughout the United Kingdom. Shelter workers must decide which breed(s) a dog is. This decision may influence the dog's fate, particularly in places with BSL. In this study, shelter workers in the United States and United Kingdom were shown pictures of 20 dogs and were asked what breed each dog was, how they determined each dog's breed, whether each dog was a pit bull, and what they expected the fate of each dog to be. There was much variation in responses both between and within the United States and United Kingdom. UK participants frequently labeled dogs commonly considered by U.S. participants to be pit bulls as Staffordshire bull terriers. UK participants were more likely to say their shelters would euthanize dogs deemed to be pit bulls. Most participants noted using dogs' physical features to determine breed, and 41% affected by BSL indicated they would knowingly mislabel a dog of a restricted breed, presumably to increase the dog's adoption chances."

Doesn't sound like agreement to me.

Sorry, but I will continue to read the pit bull research and the kill, and maim statistics.

I thought your freepmail said that I wouldn’t hear anymore from you on the topic, but you are too totally obsessed.

“Pit Bulls”, dozens of countries restrict them, and researchers collect data on them.