Another one of my letters got published in the newspaper...

[Guest human4m]

After the dog attack, I emailed the local paper... They apparently liked my letter, 'cause they published it in print and online. I did endless amounts of research before I wrote them, just to make sure there were no rebuttals... I surprisingly enough, didn't have any hatemail comments from it. Anyhow, if you're a PitBull advocate, I wouldn't suggest reading it, it'll likely bother you.

 

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/license-79050-ban-pit.html

[Gamecock]

Only one way to deal with an aggressive Pit.....12 gauge w/2X Buckshot, they never come back for seconds!

 

And that from a dog lover with 0 tolerance for aggressive Pits!

 

 

Ben

 

 

Great Letter!

[painterman67]

not trying to start an argument. I was a pit bull owner. I have owned and do own dogs that are not on the list of agresive dogs. Only one I had ever bite anyone was a full blooded black lab. But thats just me I guess. I'm must be one of the few who actually love my four legged friends and treat them well.

 

 

As already stated above , not trying to start an arguement. We all have different opinions. Thats the beauty of the nation. I think what you said was well written and informed. I just disagree. You are correct. You dont hear about dramatic bites from other breeds. Doesnt mean they dont bite.

 

 

respectfully in disagreement

David

[qdude]

I owned a pit and she was nicest, smartest, sweetest dog you could hope for. My nephew owned a pit that scared the bejebus out of everyone, it turned mean for no reason and he had to get rid of it.

[Yammer Dan]

I have seen them treated both ways and there is just something wrong with some Pits. Son had one that was big baby and no dog ever treated better til the day it turned. Had it turned on a kid the kid would have been dead.

[hig4s]

You dont hear about dramatic bites from other breeds. Doesnt mean they dont bite.

 

 

respectfully in disagreement

David

 

Any breed will bite, but fighting breed dogs have been specifically bred with jaw and jaw muscle structure to clamp and hold until dead, they have also specifically been bred to have little or no release instinct when their opponent becomes submissive. Any breed will bite, but very few will try to kill.

 

And sure proper training makes a huge difference, but still, check the facts on what dogs kill the most people, there are only few that make up almost all the stats. Comparing a lab to a pit is like comparing a knife to gun. There are many uses for knives, guns are designed to kill.

[hig4s]

They apparently liked my letter, 'cause they published it in print and online.

 

But did they pay you for it?

[eazyduzzit]

I've got a Lab, and I can't imagine him hurting anyone. He's a big baby

[1 Canuck]

Good article and I totally agree. I have owned many dogs and have been bitten by a few that were not my own, but thankfully never by a pit bull.

Unfortunately, one day my Jack Russell slipped by me and ran out of the house and bit a kid on the ankle in front of my house. I phoned the parent and apologized and see if his son was ok (he was more scared than anything else) and then I had to put my dog down. One unprovoked dog bite is one too many. IMHO

[Gamecock]

Key word in my post was aggressive....

 

I've seen good, I've seen bad.....many more bad than good. There's a reason Southerner's use the breed for wild hog hunting...

 

 

Ben

[painterman67]

for those who read the deleted post I opologise. this subject is just a little too personal for me so Ill just lurk from now own in this aprticular thread.

 

 

David

[BEER30]

for those who read the deleted post I opologise. this subject is just a little too personal for me so Ill just lurk from now own in this aprticular thread.

 

 

David

 

Hey Dave ,

I'm not Anti-Pit , but I am Anti-Jerks whom do not love their critters enough to raise them correctly!

I still love ya there Brother!!!!!!!! Want a Scooby snack ?

 

BEER30

[Guest Swifty]

I still love ya there Brother!!!!!!!! Want a Scooby snack ?

 

And this was in our news today...

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24499856

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I hunt pitbulls for sport. Fair is fair, since they hunt kids, dogs, and people for sport..right?

 

 

[Guest human4m]

I have a Jericho 941 .40 cal Baby Eagle, which I LOVE, but it's not so great for long-distances... I'm not very rifle-savvy, and I'm looking for something that could perhaps take down a 120lb beast from maybe 200 yards... I was thinking a .223 with a decent scope would suffice. Animal control wasn't even able to label the animal as 'dangerous' because the neighbors apparently took the P.B. to their cousins house, and claimed they've never had an animal. Now the 'attacker' is in a home-made kennel on the woodline, 1/4 mile from my house. With unadultered access through a field BEHIND my house, I think my goal could be accomplished fairly quickly without visual witness.

[Wolf]

Well hell, we should eraticate the world of humans. I bet we kill more than the dogs do.I understand your loss, but to label an entire breed of animal as killers is silly and irresponsible. Lions kill more humans, sharks, falling coconuts from trees kill more people than pitbulls.

[Yamaman]

Well hell, we should eraticate the world of humans. I bet we kill more than the dogs do.I understand your loss, but to label an entire breed of animal as killers is silly and irresponsible. Lions kill more humans, sharks, falling coconuts from trees kill more people than pitbulls.

 

Yes, and don't forget plane crashes, boating accidents, snow skiing, slipping in the bath tub, falling off ladders, and dare I say it..... motorcycling! Let's all lock ourselves in padded rooms, never take a risk, and hope to live to be 100... if you call that living. As for me, no thanks. I'll live my life, trust others, love my dog and yours, and occasionally maybe even someone I love or I will get hurt when I trust someone or something and they break that trust. Accidents will happen and there will always be stupid, inconsiderate people that will find a way to hurt others. It's just not possible to legislate away every conceivable danger, and if it was, that's not a society I would care to live in. Freedom and liberty involve lots of risk. It's a cost I'm willing to pay and if you really stop and think about it, I believe most of you would agree. Because once you start putting the responsibility to keep you completely safe into someone else's hands, you've given up a piece of your own freedom.

[KB2RWW]

I have owned many dog's but the bully breed has ben the best for me.

I understand your loss and your fond hatred for the breed do to the loss, but if your dog kills someone else's beloved animal or baby would you also condemn that breed also?

 

As for your comment in the letter about dog's dragging tiers and blocks, I believe you may be miss understanding of that purpose. I don't fit any of my bully's but do use them to pull carts, wagons and other things hear on the farm. If you do a search for dog weight pulling you will find that the bully breed has ben bred for doing the task among other things. I start my dog's off with them and work there way up to 1000lb the same as i train my horses, I had a bully named buddy that wade 75lbs and could pull 2300lbs and I will miss him.

nun of my dog's have gone after the chickens or any other animals OR KIDS but as a responsible owner I do watch them when around kids, ALL kid's older than five have the nature of being cruel to animals and if younger than 5 being curious of there surroundings. No dog enjoys having fingers up there but or teased and tormented by older kid's, there protective response is what gets printed in the paper.

As for other animal attacks such as yours I cannot comment on do to not knowing the events leading up to the fatal attack such as your dogs response to another dog in the area. I'm no Cesar millan, but i do know by watching my dog's behavior what can happen next and I can intervene in there response before something bad can happen. just the other day i had my Niece hear for a visit and one of my dog's had enuf of hear roughhousing and wanted to call it quits but she did not understand this and kept chasing him around until he tuned and stood his ground. wen ever she is over thay would play together for up to 5 hrs before they both tier out, but on that day i had him working pulling hay out to the horses and after all that just wanted to be left alone. I don't think he would have bit hear but before it got to that point I took hear over to the horses for the rest of the day.

 

I'm all for the bully breed but the breed is no for everybody. it takes a lot of dedication and training and most people just wont them to say thay have one without understanding what it takes to keep them. I'm all for the 3 strike law and only one of my dogs "buddy" has bit sum-won and that was me on the chin. he used to sleep with us in the bed and one day he was sharing the pillow with me on my laze-boy and from what i understand, I roll over him pinning him to the side of the Chara and was starting to hurt him. his response to get free was to bit me. Let me tell you it definitely woke me up which in turn freed him. I went to the hospital to get fixed up and thay called the authorities which in turn sentenced him to 1 month confined to the home and a mark on his record. I don't blame him for biting me nor should he be condemned for it, he was protecting himself.

All dog's are dangerous when trained or used improperly but the biggest problem is people, plan and simple. Gun's and Dog's don't kill people, people kill people, thay just use guns or dogs to do it and I believe should be treated the same. if you use a gun to kill you go to prison or sentenced to death. if you use your dog to kill it is put down and nothing happens to you. I believe if it was treated the same there would be more responsible owners out there.

 

I'm sorry for your loss but don't blame the breed blame the owner.

[slick97spirit]

Yes, and don't forget plane crashes, boating accidents, snow skiing, slipping in the bath tub, falling off ladders, and dare I say it..... motorcycling! Let's all lock ourselves in padded rooms, never take a risk, and hope to live to be 100... if you call that living. As for me, no thanks. I'll live my life, trust others, love my dog and yours, and occasionally maybe even someone I love or I will get hurt when I trust someone or something and they break that trust. Accidents will happen and there will always be stupid, inconsiderate people that will find a way to hurt others. It's just not possible to legislate away every conceivable danger, and if it was, that's not a society I would care to live in. Freedom and liberty involve lots of risk. It's a cost I'm willing to pay and if you really stop and think about it, I believe most of you would agree. Because once you start putting the responsibility to keep you completely safe into someone else's hands, you've given up a piece of your own freedom.

 

 

:thumbsup::clap2::thumbsup:

[rdunbar123]

I've owned labs, and golden retrievers, none of them have bitten but labs are ranked high on the list of number of dog bites. why? because approx 150,000 labs are registered wtih the AKC each year next is shepards or goldens at 50, 000 apiece. and this is only registerd. however labs may bite, but I have never heard of one savaging a human. dogs bite pits kill and mame. On the news when you hear of a Pit killing a child is the statement"but he was always such a nice dog"

[Guest human4m]

I understand your loss and your fond hatred for the breed do to the loss, but if your dog kills someone else's beloved animal or baby would you also condemn that breed also?

 

As for other animal attacks such as yours I cannot comment on do to not knowing the events leading up to the fatal attack such as your dogs response to another dog in the area. I'm no Cesar millan, but i do know by watching my dog's behavior what can happen next and I can intervene in there response before something bad can happen.

 

 

The dog that was killed had a mouth no larger than that of a Boston Terrier puppy. She was TINY at less than 6lbs. Whereas she might have been able to kill an infant if left alone with it for a LONG period of time, it would have to be something that small; in which case, yes- If there were repeated reports of tiny little mutts that looked like a shrunken down Benji attacking people while running loose in the streets, and KILLING/MAIMING people... I'd be all for it. An end to all Mini-Benji's.

 

 

I was walking my dog in MY yard, when said pit bull ran into my yard and literally snatched her in its mouth. Before I completely realized what had happened, the injuries were beyond repair. Now I walk my Dachshund with my loaded pistol under my arm, and ANY dog that comes in my yard is fair game. Be it Lab, Rotti, Shepherd, or Pit- It's dead.

 

My negative image of Pit Bulls comes from the fact that they hold the most potential for being a deadly weapon. They do the most damage when they attack. Yes, a Cocker Spaniel may bite more often, but here's the way I feel it should be looked at it.

 

However Cocker Spaniels are not known for their powerful bone crushing jaws either are they?

 

I suspect more people get bitten by hamsters and gerbils than cocker spaniels too. But their isn't much comparison now is there?

 

Cocker Spaniels (and other small breeds) = Plastic BB Guns

Large Breeds (Labs, Rots, Dobies, etc) = .22 single shot long rifle

Pit Bulls = Fully Automatic 12 Gauge Slug

 

 

You can get shot all day long with those little plastic BB's, and it IS possible that they may do some permanent damage (Shoot your eye out, perhaps?) and the risk increases as age decreases; posing the most threat to defenseless newborns.

 

A .22 is still a potentially lethal weapon by all means, especially with a direct hit to a sensitive area., but most bites seem to be hands and other extremeties with short-lived attacks.

 

The 12 Gauge Pit Bull DOES NOT STOP once it starts. It can and will remove limbs, shred and destroy.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I've learned one thing in debating the merits of the pitbulls and rotts.

 

If you argue with someone who owns and loves them, you wont ever convince them of the facts. I dont give a ratsass about how its trained, loved, brought-up, or whatever. The fact is, that it is capable of killing humans. Not simply able to bite and cause some blood loss, but willing and able to kill a human in just a couple minutes or less.

 

And as mentioned before, they are ALL good dogs till they kill someone. As an owner, if you are so devoted to the breed, how about this? If your dog kills someone's pet...YOU get sentenced to prison for 5 years? And if it kills or seriously maims a human ( other than an armed intruder) then YOU get the electric chair or lethal injection...not that different from the penalities resulting from me using a gun to commit a murder. Would you be wiling TODAY to sign your life away if your dog ever maims or kills someone? Are you willing to DIE for your animal? NO? But your asking others to be willing to DIE so that you may continue to own them.

 

I'm guessing most people don't NEED a damn pitbull..they just WANT one...its all about ego...so lives get put in danger because someone WANTS to have a pitbull. Taking multiple paragraphs to explain how useful or loving they are...does not justify owning one in my mind. And having them bite you because you rolled over on it...and you have to go get medical care...that should be a tipoff that things could get nasty.

 

I'm not against keeping dangerous animals per-say...people keep rattlesnakes and scorpions and you never hear of attacks on neighbors. But owners of pitbulls frequently lose control of those animals, and they roam the neighborhoods looking for victims, and unlike other dogs, are able to easily KILL innocent people without provocation.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 2010 by tx2sturgis

[Wolf]

I am still waiting to see these so called facts. Back it up.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Pit bulls and rots cause 67% of all dog attack deaths in the US.

 

Just google this:

 

pit bull attacks

 

I found over 600,000 hits.

 

Or for a page maintained by a dog trainer go to this page:

 

http://leerburg.com/pitbull.htm

 

I dont know how many stories are reported there...but its quite a few.

 

From that page:

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined U.S. dog-attack fatalities from 1979 to 1998. During that period, dogs killed more than 300 Americans, and pit bulls, either purebred or crossbred, accounted for 76 of the deaths, the most of any breed. Purebred or crossbred Rottweillers were responsible for 44 deaths, the second highest. The CDC concluded that Rottweillers and pit bulls were responsible for 67 percent of fatal attacks.

 

 

 

Also from that page, there are many stories culled from newspapers around the country:

 

 

Pit-bull attacks in San Bernardino County

 

MARCH 2006: TWENTYNINE PALMS - Four pit-bull mixes escape from a fenced yard and attack a 15-year-old boy walking by. He had huge chunks of skin ripped away and required two surgeries to reattach the skin.

 

FEBRUARY 2005: YUCAIPA - A woman walking near Seventh Street Park is attacked from behind by a pit bull. She scares it away by throwing dirt in its eyes before it can bite her.

 

AUGUST 2004: LOMA LINDA - A 6-year-old boy wanders into a woman's home. Her pit bull attacks him, biting him on his head, back, stomach and arm.

 

AUGUST 2003: A police officer shoots and kills a pit bull that severely mauls a 72-year-old woman after escaping from its yard. The woman suffers serious bites on her left leg.

 

DECEMBER 2001: FONTANA - A pit bull attacks a boy who is riding his skateboard down the sidewalk. When a man tries to intervene, the pit bull turns on him. Both victims suffer major injuries.

 

JUNE 2000: SAN BERNARDINO - A 5-year-old boy is walking to school with his older brother when a pit bull attacks him, breaking the right side of his jaw.

 

APRIL 2000: NEWBERRY SPRINGS - A 10-year-old boy dies after a pit bull attacks him while he walks down the road with a friend.

 

 

 

 

Now type in "pit bull attack" on youtube...especially telling is this one where the OWNER of the pit bulls is killed.

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8s3n6dqn8&feature=related]YouTube- Woman killed by her pit bulls[/ame]

 

 

Shall I go on or do you concur?

 

I think at the very least, pit bull owners should have to be trained and licensed, the same as a kid who straps into a car or motorcycle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2010 by tx2sturgis

[LilBeaver]

Well hell, we should eraticate the world of humans. I bet we kill more than the dogs do.I understand your loss, but to label an entire breed of animal as killers is silly and irresponsible. Lions kill more humans, sharks, falling coconuts from trees kill more people than pitbulls.

 

I am still waiting to see these so called facts. Back it up.

 

I am waiting too.