Pit Bull Bias
How Did It Start?
Unscrupulous owners starting in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s started using the pittie traits against them.
- Strong, possibly intimidating build
- Take to training, so they would train pits to guard drug stashes and dealers
- Eager to please, these dogs were trained that aggression is rewarded, so when given a chance, they would demonstrate what good dogs they are for their owner... by being bad dogs for society at large
Breed-specific Legislation (BSL) has cropped up to put more dogs at risk of euthanasia and anti-social behaviors (note: Mo was a breeding dog in an area where pits are banned, yet she herself was on probably her third or fourth litter, with five to 10 puppies in an average litter)
Why Do We Keep Hearing about Pit Bulls in the News?
Myths about pit bulls are spectacular (-ly wrong)
- Locking jaws (no such thing, but they are strong!)
- Bred to attack animals and people (a favorite - what rancher wants dead cattle and what dog fighter wants to be a snack himself?)
- Just snap (dogs who do act viciously have common factors driving poor behavior - details to come)
The news feeds on the fears already out there (which are founded in falsehoods).
Remember: CDC statistics come from these biased news reports (while the JAVA study cited below gathered medical and police reports), and even the CDC admits issues with identifying breed on sight
Who Dogs Attack
Dogs of any breed involved in attacks tend to have the following in common (JAVA Study):
- #1: THERE IS NO ABLE-BODIED PERSON PRESENT TO INTERVENE (87.1%)
- #2: THE VICTIM HAS NO PRIOR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DOG (85.2%)
- #3: THE DOG IS NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED (84.4%)
- #4: THE VICTIM IS UNABLE TO MANAGE THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH THE DOG (77.4%)
- #5: THE DOG IS NOT KEPT AS A FAMILY PET (76.2%)
- #6: THE OWNER HAS MISMANAGED THE DOG IN THE PAST (37.5%) OR HAS ABUSED OR NEGLECTED THE DOG (21.1%)
Interestingly, the breeds of the dogs involved in fatal attacks could only be identified in 18% of the cases. Often times, the media's report of the dog's breed conflicted with animal control reports. Within that 18%, twenty different breeds were identified, which correlates with previous studies that have found that no single breed of dog is more likely to attack than another.
- “If anyone says one dog (breed) is more likely to kill ... that's not based on scientific data.” - Dr. Julie Gilchrist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention