PitBulls go on rampage through Philadelphia

NBC.10 ^ | April 6, 2006 | NBC10.com

[Wristpin]

Pit bulls on the loose went on a rampage Thursday and terrorized a southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. The dogs escaped from their backyard at 53rd Street and Cedar Avenue and ran several blocks through the neighborhood, attacking several people. Their rampage ended with a policeman shooting one of the dogs.

[kanawa]

We all know the MSM/ local media isn't always accurate when reporting these attacks. Many attacks have been reported as being perpetrated by pit bulls when, in fact, later on it was confirmed the dog was not a pit bull. That is a FACT and one easily sourced.

Here's one I was involved with...When is a pit bull not a pit bull?

[HairOfTheDog]

The dog may be a mutt, but so strongly resembles a pit bull that I don't think it's anything but wishful thinking to determine it has NO pit bull blood in it.

[Libertina]

I'm waiting for the dopey posts saying "all dogs are nice it's just bad owners..." Dogs have individual characteristics just as people do. Some are more agressive, some more gentle... ARGH!!!

[Wristpin]

Pit Bull circular logic...

Pit Bulls were not bred for fighting

Pit Bulls were bred to be dog aggressive, not human aggressive.

4.8 million Pit Bulls only killed 15 people last year

There is no such breed as a Pit Bull

Pit Bulls are america's most loved dog

Pit Bulls are subject to discrimination by the media.

[Palladin]

When are we going to outlaw these Muslims of the Dog World?

[the OlLine Rebel]

http://www.leerburg.com/dogparks.htm

Trouble waiting to happen. Just like that Chihuahua who was killed the other day noted on FR.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Actually dogs are better than guns.

Crook knows dog is there, doesn't go in. Doesn't know if gun is, so takes the chance (which is "good" these days).

Dog noise draws attention to the house (never mind the owner if there), thus alerting others to possible danger. Gun doesn't.

Dog (especially effective dogs like German Shepherds and yes, "pits") prevent any damage being done at all - crook doesn't even try. Guns don't - crook doesn't know so enters anyway.

To me, guns are good back-ups to the good dog. Not the other way around! ;-)

[Wristpin]

They seem like a disaster waiting to happen.

Nashville bans unleashed Pit Bulls from dog parks.

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog/news/article2006-04-07news002.aspx?pitbull

[the OlLine Rebel]

You are correct. I don't like people always trying to blame people in terms of "abuse", and other libels, because their dog is aggressive, or scared, or whatever their personality.

It's time people - of all stripes - stop trying to make everything out to be 1 or the other (usually, these mealy-mouthed days, it's "environment" and "love", not genetics! oh no!), and recognize it is a FACT that any living individual is basically HALF GENETICS, HALF ENVIRONMENT.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Dog parks are a very stupid/asinine idea, and Frawley points out more than a few reasons why. I don't care if all you have are basically nice dogs and serious (not frou-frou "lovey-dovey") owners - bad is going to happen. Even if it's just every-day disease or minor abrasions.

If people want to allow their dogs to socialize with dogs - they should pick a neighbors'/friends'/relatives' SINGLE dog whom they know well enough, to "socialize" in a very controlled environment.

[kanawa]

I posted to a comment about breed misidentification.
I took the name for the link from the first line in the article.
It would have been more correct to say 'When is an AmStaff not an Amstaff?

The fact is it was reported to be an AmStaff.
Here's my AmStaff...

The fact is it was not an AmStaff as reported.
I know all the Amstaffs in this area.
Believe it or not when the BSL was introduced into this province
there were only 19 AmStaff in the whole province.
There are all sorts of "pit bull type" dogs in Ontario but unless you have a registered purebred then all that can be said is you have a mutt.

This mutt was examined by the Humane Society (which btw is nothing like the HSUS)
and they determined it was a mix of a "Whippet, Great Dane and even some Dalmatian"
You can say it's wishful thinking to say it doesn't have "pit bull" blood in it.
I can just as easily say it's wishful thinking to say that it does.
Which only goes to show the arbitrariness of BSL when based on a dogs appearance.

[Wristpin]

"It's time people - of all stripes - stop trying to make everything out to be 1 or the other (usually, these mealy-mouthed days, it's "environment" and "love", not genetics! oh no!), and recognize it is a FACT that any living individual is basically HALF GENETICS, HALF ENVIRONMENT."

Selling dogs is big money...and the high risk dog industry will fight the relationship of Genetics vs risk to the death. The concept of liability for breed ownership decisions would be devastating.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't like breed specific legislation and my point doesn't speak for legislation...

My point was about the wishful thinking of some agenda being either furthered or derailed by whether this dog is a pit bull. You can guess it's part panda bear if you want, there isn't a whole lot of difference between those two dogs.

[Wristpin]

Now an Am Staff isn't a Pit Bull?! That's a snow job...This only reason the name exists is due to the AKC's refusal to register "Pit" Bulls.

Pit Bull Talking Point three

4.8 million Pit Bulls only killed 15 humans in 2005

There is no such breed as a Pit Bull

[the OlLine Rebel]

I warn you, I am against breed (or type) -specific legislation.

But I don't have the wool over my eyes about genetics.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Pit bull is in fact a type. It's not a breed, although some use it in their breed names. Greyhound is both a breed, and a type.

[Wristpin]

The sordid struggle of creating the Pit industry...

In 1898, Chauncy Bennet formed the UKC, a breed registry aimed solely at the registration and acceptance of pitbulls. The AKC had wanted nothing to do with pitbulls, so Bennet sought to create an organization that would represent the breed as performance dogs. Mr. Bennet added “American” and initially dropped “Pit” from the APBT’s name but public outcry let to “Pit” being added back to the name - thus the American Pit Bull Terrier.

For a pitbull to be accepted into the UKC the dog had to have won three fights - a requirement that was later dropped. Another registry that was started solely for APBT’s, the American Dog Breeders Association was born in 1909. The ADBA was started by Guy McCord who was a close friend of one of the founding fathers of the modern APBT, John P. Colby. The ADBA was created to test the performance quality of a APBT without actual pit fighting; the ADBA’s main focus was on weight pulling competitions with a spattering of conformation shows.

The AKC decided to register Pit Bulls but under a different name - the Staffordshire Terrier, which was later changed to the American Staffordshire Terrier in 1972, or AST. Up until 1936, Pit Bulls and AST’s were physically identical. After 1936, AST’s were bred solely for conformation and their breed requirements became much more stringent. APBT’s were being bred for both performance (fighting) as well as conformation shows and the breed’s standard became much more lenient. The AST’s, phenotypically, became “flashier” with blockier heads, larger chests and a thicker jaw while the APBT’s varied phenotypically from lanky to stocky. Although the phenotypic expression varied in the APBT, relative weight, size and proportion remained constant and dogs over 60lbs were rarely seen. Both AST’s and APBT’s were bred to be exceptionally sturdy and extremely human friendly, not to mention athletic, courageous, and tenacious.

http://dogs.about.com/cs/breedprofiles/a/pitbull_history.htm

[PleaseNoMore]

And, your point is?

The ADBA was created to test the performance quality of a APBT without actual pit fighting; the ADBA’s main focus was on weight pulling competitions with a spattering of conformation shows.

This organization was and is dedicated to recognizing the breed for its positive traits; those traits which the earliest of the breed were famous for. Those traits were NOT dog fighting. The UKC recognized the breed and dropped the asinine requirement that the dog have won three fights upon the criminalization of the "sport".

Both AST’s and APBT’s were bred to be exceptionally sturdy and extremely human friendly, not to mention athletic, courageous, and tenacious.

[the OlLine Rebel]

You conveniently leave out the fact that this refers to a SPECIFIC BREED - the "American Pit Bull Terrier". As I just stated, using the type name in your breed name doesn't mean there is just 1 breed. There are Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Whippets, Afghan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, and Russian Wolfhounds. They are all "greyhounds". Only some of them use the "greyhound" as part of their breed name. And just because they don't, doesn't mean they aren't "greyhounds".

You are missing a few other breeds that are "pit bull terriers"

-Staffordshire Bull Terrier
-American Bulldog
etc etc etc


Reading the 1st few paragraphs of that article gives more to that lie. In fact, it points out that indeed "bull terriers" come from bulldogs partly - in fact, "bulldog" is another type! There is a Bulldog, a French Bulldog, etc.


Regardless, macht nichts regarding their origins or purpose. I simply am against banning living things that too many idiots don't know how to identify and cannot even be documented guaranteed (believe me, while it's pretty good, the AKC is imperfect in documenting genuine purebreds, either - personal experience) without tyrannical SS-type oversight (which would just take too much manpower, if nothing else).

[PleaseNoMore]

Come on wristpin, you are being so disingenuous with your selective excepting. Give the complete history of the breed, ok? You have not failed yet to leave out one positive remark written in the articles you quote. This is from your About.com link. It's part 2.:

The 1980’s saw an upsurge in the popularity of American Pit Bull Terriers as “guard” dogs for drug dealers and also as an expression of ego or “manhood” for street kids. Thus, it began - the production of disproportionately large “Pit Bulls”. For all intensive purposes, these were not (and still are not!) true American Pit Bull Terriers - lines of American Bulldog, Cane Corso’s and other molosser breeds were incorporated into the APBT’s lineage to produce massive brutes. In some cases, a large APBT pup was born and was overused as a stock breeder, thus producing highly inbred dogs with serious behavioral issues. It is a myth that an APBT can weigh 80lbs or more - those are not true Pit Bulls and if a pedigree was attained, at some point, there would be molosser (mastiff) blood added or the dog would have come from highly inbred lines.

APBT’s are no more or less difficult than any other dog to train or socialize. Owners most certainly need to understand the dog fighting history and take necessary precautions by ensuring early socialization with other dogs and monitoring of their interactions with other dogs. And even with extensive socialization, some APBT’s may never become comfortable around other dogs, so each dog should be treated as an individual with careful consideration. By their very nature, APBT’s strive to be around humans - centuries of breeding have seen to that. They need a kind heart AND a kind hand - physical reprimands are useless and ineffective for any dog and should rarely, if ever, be employed.

APBT’s have been used by the FDA and USDA for sniffing out bombs and drugs and have been used by the military as well as police forces. APBT’s have also been used as therapy and service dogs; in fact, the first certified hearing dog in Alaska was an APBT. APBT’s are great at weight pulling as well as agility, schutzhund, obedience and carting. As far as temperament is concerned, APBT’s have consistently scored an 82% and higher on the American Temperament Test Society’s evaluation, higher than Goldens, German Shepherds and most other breeds. With socialization, training and a kind hand - APBT’s are wonderful companions for all walks of life: from families to single individuals, from joggers to apartment dwellers, and onward.