Another pit bull attack, link inside....

[Va-bear]

How come this wasnt linked this week??? Its much worse then this current article: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9414854

Or this: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=5a10fdb9-100f-41bb-8584-a514cefaa619

Hmph - weird.

I think that's because Pits are the breed of dog being "watchd" right now - as, in my lifetime, it has also been the german shepard, the doberman, and the rottie. That is because, right now, the Pitts are proportionately causing the most dog bites in this country (they only account for about 1% of the dog population but over 50% of the "bad" bites being reported - all numbers subject to change depending on the year and source, but are fairly consistent in the last few years.) Just as MOST of the previously mentioned breeds will never attack anyone, most pitbulls will never attack and will be GREAT pets. BUT, some will turn, for all sorts of reasons, and when that happens the effect can be quite devistating, and often worse than other breeds (not all.) That is why many feel that we could select other, less dangerous breeds - to avoid the level of damage often caused when they do attack. Why put others in the path of extreme danger when its not necessary - there are plenty of breeds that dont have the same high percentage ot attacks - and, yes, attacks will still happen, but hopefully, less frequently and with less extreme devistation.

 

[Donnie Joe Diser]

Pits are vicious. It's been shown time and time again. Some pit bites my boy and the owner will have to worry about something a whole heap more serious then their dog being put down.

 

[Kathi OD]

Honestly that's just ridiculous. Many dogs bite many maul. Not all pit bulls are bad. Yes I actually let my kids around one and you know what? They're perfectly safe and if a stranger ever approached in a threatening manner while they were with the dog the stranger would be very sorry. Pits need special care and upbringing. Most people don't have the skill needed to train one. The dog my kids are around has the proper person training it. One of my little ones stepped on the pits leg on accident and you know what she just laid there and licked him. Dogs aren't the problem the owners are. There was a child around here mauled and seriously disfigured by a black lab should labs be outlawed? All dogs can maul.

You know, I used to think the same thing. My youngest DS spent almost every day playing with the neighbor's sweet, non-vicious pitbull. They were best buddies.......until the day he came home from school and opened the gate to OUR yard and the sweet, non-vicious pit from next door ran over and attacked him! DS had not even passed their yard. So much for being best buddies and trusting the sweet, non-vicious pitbull.

Yes and absoutely no blame should be held by the kids that were taunting the dog, trespassing, opening a gate to release a fenced dog.

Since when has retrieving a ball become tantamount to taunting?

The kids shouldn't have gone on private property, but a nice, sweet, non-vicious dog wouldn't have attacked either.

Continue to the drink the KoolAid. You'll change your tune when one of your own children have experienced a terrifying attack by one of these gentle and sweet animals - just like I did.

 

[mickeyboat]

Were you there? Did you see that this didnt occur??? The bite on his face is no where NEAR an attack - you have said it yoruself. Theyre much more powerful then that. How do you know this dog DIDNT give warnings???

"We were walking through, going to the park and then the girl was playing baseball and then she hit the ball over the fence and then the dog came out when she opened the gate... then he jumped on me," Clark says.

This is from the article linked in the OP. It looks like the child who was bitten did not even go into the yard.

 

[CathrynRose]

I think that's because Pits are the breed of dog being "watchd" right now - as, in my lifetime, it has also been the german shepard, the doberman, and the rottie. That is because, right now, the Pitts are proportionately causing the most dog bites in this country (they only account for about 1% of the dog population but over 50% of the "bad" bites being reported - all numbers subject to change depending on the year and source, but are fairly consistent in the last few years.) Just as MOST of the previously mentioned breeds will never attack anyone, most pitbulls will never attack and will be GREAT pets. BUT, some will turn, for all sorts of reasons, and when that happens the effect can be quite devistating, and often worse than other breeds (not all.) That is why many feel that we could select other, less dangerous breeds - to avoid the level of damage often caused when they do attack. Why put others in the path of extreme danger when its not necessary - there are plenty of breeds that dont have the same high percentage ot attacks - and, yes, attacks will still happen, but hopefully, less frequently and with less extreme devistation.

Your % is not accurate. Ive been through this before.

 

[sha_lyn]

But I will absolutely not excuse a dog from biting someone just because they came into their yard. That dog's first response was not a bark, not a growl, not intimidation, not a nip at the heels - it was a bite to the face. That is not what just about any dog would do. That is what pits do, and that is why they are so dangerous.

And I will not be thankful that a dog chose not to kill the kid instead of biting his face, causing wounds that are likely to become infected, and to cause scars that will last a lifetime. Unbelievable.
__________________

So you were an eyewitness and know for a fact exactly how it all went down?
Drop the "that's what pits do" BS. You have no idea what pits do.

Are you serious...You aren't thankful that the child wasn't more seriously injurred or killed. WoW...how heartless

 

[CathrynRose]

"We were walking through, going to the park and then the girl was playing baseball and then she hit the ball over the fence and then the dog came out when she opened the gate... then he jumped on me," Clark says.

This is from the article linked in the OP. It looks like the child who was bitten did not even go into the yard.

And? What was going on during the gate opening?

Please gimme a break. Im floored you all think its hunky dory to open people's gates. Lord.

 

[mickeyboat]

And? What was going on during the gate opening?

Please gimme a break. Im floored you all think its hunky dory to open people's gates. Lord.

I don't think it is o.k. to open people's gates.

I also don't think it is hunky dory to own dogs that will bite off my face if I do.

Denae

 

[Nomi]

I agree with CathrynRose on this. I love how nobody replied to the other reports of dog attacks by other breeds (all much worse than this). It's true that if a pit bull bites a person, and a lab absolutely mauls a person, it's the pit bull that will make the national news. Pit bulls were bred to be dog aggressive (key word: Dog, not person. Dog.), and of course that requires care on the part of the owner, but pit bulls are not anywhere near the monsters the media makes them out to be.

 

[sha_lyn]

Your % is not accurate. Ive been through this before

Then of course to back up the % we'll get the top breeds (which only includes pure breds) list from an organization that doesn't recognize them as a breed.

 

[mom2boys77]

I am glad the child is o.k. but those kids did not belong going into someone's yard. My kids are constantly kicking balls over the fence and they know that they must go to the neighbor's door to ask for their stuff back. It's called trespassing to go into the yard without permission. I really don't think it's fair to say a whole entire breed of dog is vicious. Our neighbor has a golden retriever that terrifies us. Lots of dogs can be vicious not just pit bulls.

 

[sha_lyn]

I agree with CathrynRose on this. I love how nobody replied to the other reports of dog attacks by other breeds (all much worse than this). It's true that if a pit bull bites a person, and a lab absolutely mauls a person, it's the pit bull that will make the national news. Pit bulls were bred to be dog aggressive (key word: Dog, not person. Dog.), and of course that requires care on the part of the owner, but pit bulls are not anywhere near the monsters the media makes them out to be.

not to mention the over 20 breeds (27 I believe) that are miss-identified by "eye witnesses" and the media as pits

 

[CathrynRose]

I don't think it is o.k. to open people's gates.

I also don't think it is hunky dory to own dogs that will bite off my face if I do.

Denae

Oh - so youre not cool with Lab's or Golden's either? Because the link I provided clearly showed a lab which bit a man to his bone.

Im glad we've got that cleared up. Its not just pits, it's dogs which could bite your face off - which inlcudes a LOT!

 

[kirbsam]

I am glad the child is o.k. but those kids did not belong going into someone's yard. My kids are constantly kicking balls over the fence and they know that they must go to the neighbor's door to ask for their stuff back. It's called trespassing to go into the yard without permission. I really don't think it's fair to say a whole entire breed of dog is vicious. Our neighbor has a golden retriever that terrifies us. Lots of dogs can be vicious not just pit bulls.

what if there is no fence? can they go and get the ball then, or is that trespassing also? what if they are running and accidently step on someone elses property? is that trespassing? or does there have to be a fence to be trespassing? i need answers people.

 

[happybratpack]

And I could say the same, if you don't respect your nieghbor's private property enough to feel it is fine to hop their fence then all I can say is WOW.

ITA. I would be really angry if any of my neighbors came into my fenced yard. It IS trespassing.

To be honest, I'm not even sure how my sweet-as-pie Lab would react if someone came into "his" domain (be that the house or yard) without me.

 

[Nomi]

not to mention the over 20 breeds (27 I believe) that are miss-identified by "eye witnesses" and the media as pits

Exactly. Not only is 'pit bull' a type that includes several breeds (as if that alone wasn't enough to screw with the statistics) but suddenly every stocky dog is a pit bull.

Have you seen this? I dare everyone to try and find the American Pit Bull Terrier. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html It's fun. Even I learnt about some new breeds.

 

[mom2boys77]

Honestly, yes that is trespassing. I live on a corner lot and it bugs me to no end that people think they can just walk across my yard. My kids understand what private property is.

what if there is no fence? can they go and get the ball then, or is that trespassing also? what if they are running and accidently step on someone elses property? is that trespassing? or does there have to be a fence to be trespassing? i need answers people.

 

[sha_lyn]

Have you seen this? I dare everyone to try and find the American Pit Bull Terrier. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html It's fun. Even I learnt about some new breeds.

I love that
Sent it to a friend not long ago after a long conversation about our big stocky dogs (both mixed breeds that may or may not be part pit)
She was shocked that she couldn't identify the APBT. Her 12DD found it first try LOL

 

[Donnie Joe Diser]

Well now I don't like to talk for talking's sake, so I decided to do a little research.

I thought this was interesting:

The deadliest dogs
Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author's observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening.

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

Clifton's opinions are as interesting as his statistics. For example, he says, "Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all."

Here's the link to the site where I found the information.
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html

 

[kirbsam]

Honestly, yes that is trespassing. I live on a corner lot and it bugs me to no end that people think they can just walk across my yard. My kids understand what private property is.

what if there is no fence, and they have to walk past the ball to get to your door and then ask you for permission? is it still trespassing to just grab the ball, or should they still go to the door, even if that involves more "trespassing". now can you see my dilemma?