As sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, any story about a pit bull attacking a person will bring out hundreds of people accusing the media of persecuting the breed. Or is it the government with their proposed legislation? The argument is immature and very child-like.
As I write this, there are two adults recovering from emergency surgery in a shock-trauma center in serious condition as a result of a pit bull attacking them. It was not a random act. From the police report, it seems the dog was familiar to the couple–it belonged to one of their children.
Be that as it may, once commenter on our Facebook page was upset:
First of all, I am not losing any sleep over losing a Facebook “like”, but when I read this I was scratching my head. First, does a photo that you don’t like really call for someone to boycott a page? Where was the sensationalism? We stated the facts–a pit bull bit two people, they are in surgery, the dog, and the dog belonged to the victims’ child. So what was so offensive? Here is the image that was used.
If a pit bull mauls two people, how is a photo of a snarling pit bull not appropriate to the story? I responded to the commenter and said:
Help me to understand….a pit bull attacks two people who undergo emergency surgery and are in serious condition in a shock trauma center; yet you feel the photo of a pit bull snarling is wrong?
Are you suggesting I need one of a pit bull perhaps biting into the flesh of a person? Or do you prefer to have a picture of unicorns and rainbows to effectively convey what happened yesterday?
Is this the appropriate photo for the article?
Let’s face facts here. Put bulls are a strong breed of dog which can (and does) frequently overpower their owner. I have witnessed this many times just watching a pit bull (and to be fair other breeds of large dogs) walking a person. Pit bulls are genetically built with powerful jaws. Yes, all dogs can be frightened and snap. But when a pit bull does it, you combine the power and the jaws and you have a potentially deadly recipe. Can a chihuahua snap–absolutely, and they probably do so more often than pit bulls. However, a chihuahua bite is a lot easier to avoid (shake your leg and the dog does flying), and any bite tends to be little more than a scrape–not deep puncturing wounds necessitating emergency surgery in a shock-trauma center.
There are plenty of wonderfully tempered pit bulls. There are also many ill-tempered ones. And there are some (like any dog) that we just don;t know about–will they go off today…tomorrow…never? To the pit bull supporters, I ask if this is a risk you are willing to live with on a daily basis.
Look at the recent record here in Anne Arundel County.
- December 2012 (American Bull, closely related)
- November 2012
- October 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- May 2012
- November 2011
- June 2011 (aggressive dog, not attack)
- December 2009
In April of 2011, a Gambrills grandmother was mauled by 2 pit bulls–two of fifteen in the home. The dogs belonged to her granddaughter who ultimately tried to appeal the Animal Control ruling designating her dogs as “dangerous.” Really? Two of your dogs nearly kill your grandmother and you feel it is unfair to deem them dangerous?
I wrote an editorial on pit bulls back in June of 2011 which drew a lot of controversy and I still stand behind it. And I was an unapologetic supporter of the recent legislation introduced in an attempt to mitigate some of these issues. In this column, I presented all of the facts and figures that support the legislation. And today, I still stand behind it.
The solution to the issue, I agree, is not in banning them. But in controlling the sale of them. Owners of pit bulls need to be made aware that these animals are more apt to snap and they need to be able to handle the situation. If that involves more secure fencing, a weight limit on the dogs, a minmum size for the owner–I do not have the answer. But if a dog, any dog, is unable to be controlled–there is a problem.
The apologists are so quick to condemn anyone or anything BUT the breed. They are typically unwilling to listen to any opposing viewpoint that argument is a moot point. This morning as I thought about the people in the hospital, I was wondering how the commenter above would feel if it was not involving a pit bull.
Recidivism among child sexual predators is high–similar to the number of attacks by a pit bull. I think we can all agree that with the right upbringing, most people do not become child sexual predators. But a few do. Would the pit bull apologists be as equally accepting of a child sexual predator living in a home with their children? Just wondering.
Now back to the land of unicorns and rainbows!
Related articles
Sorry, you must post a picture of the dog who did the deed, not a picture of what you call a snarling pit bull. I wouldn’t trust anyone to publicize a dog bite case and really know the breed. Was it an American Bulldog pit bull or a Staffordshire Terrior pit bull or your Unicorn pit bull?
Your story makes perfect sense! Don’t even bother with the pit/shit apologists they swear these land sharks are always innocent even after all the mauings, and killings.
It’s not how nice they were before they maim/kill. I’ve seen owners treat their dogs bad & good. Dogs will still bite. Makes no difference.
I personally loved the story and the snarling dog picture. The only better pic would have been a pic of the dead dog that did the deed! The only good pit is a dead pit.
I was bitten by a labrador Retriever about a year ago… and a Collie 4 years ago. How come I don’t see those write ups here? I’ve been a Veterinary Technician for over 12 years and I can tell you EVERY animal has the potential to be fractious. Rather then posting photos of an animal which was not even related to the story, post a photo of the owner of the dog… the person who’s lack of training and guidance allowed the animal to become that way. The fact of the mater is John, you stereotype. Wether it’s dog breeds, blacks, whites. hispanics, male or female it’s just plain wrong. You are doing a disservice to the citizens of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County by having this smut constantly posted on you website who’s main goal is to clearly provide a bias opinion rather then the stone cold facts.
Talk about biased. I was bitten by a mosquito last night, and I scratched for hours. Why isn’t the media covering those stories then, eh! And what do genetics matter, is a shark dangerous just because it’s genes make it a shark? I don’t think so,! And FYI, Sharks aren’t really all that dangerous, if they had tongues they would just lick you to death. And all you people outraged because pitbulls regularly maim, maul and kill people ought to look at your priorities. Do you really think focusing on the suffering of those innocent people is more important than my feelings and my right to own fighting breeds of dog. What’s more important, my right to own whatever the hell I like regardless of the risk it poses to others, or creating a safe and secure environment for the citizens of a community. I think the answer is obvious, don’t you?
Riz still doesn’t get it. Oh, unless Riz neglected to mention her 2 trips to emergency surgery and stays in a shock trauma center in serious condition days after her attacks…I’m certain she still doesn’t get it. I do. I was bitten as a child, went to the emergency room, got stitches, was sore for a while had a scar. that was it. No life altering or life ending change for me because I wasn’t mauled by a pit bull…and I am so thankful for that because I can tell the difference between even a serious bite and a pit bull mauling. And I wish these victims well because they are now suffering from terrible pain and debility and their lives are forever altered.
Wow, the only thing I agree with is your stance on scaling back the sale of Pit Bulls. Other than that, you have absolutely no clue what you are stating. You point to a few local articles. I have rescued and raised abused Pits for over 15 years. Once you have more research and first hand experience under your belt, why dont you post then, instead of looking like an uneducated blithering idiot, with a case of the blind media sheep syndrome. And yes, I would be happy to
point you out to more relevant studies…
To view this as a news story or any kind of fact based reporting is hilarious. There is about as much meat in this “opinion” piece as me saying “red flowers are the prettiest”.
Let’s tackle the picture first. If I’m talking about a plane crash incident, is a picture of a different plane crash even remotely relevant? Does the author suppose that we don’t know what a snarling dog might look like? Of course not. Therefore the only reason to include that picture is to generate an emotional reaction, therefore it is, by definition, sensationalizing. Secondly, that picture doesn’t even look like a dog ready to attack. The rest of his/her body language is relaxed and the picture is perfectly focused, implying that it’s staged. The dog could well have been trained to stand and show his/her teeth, proving only that this particular dog was trainable and obedient. So now (back to our plane crash analogy) we have a picture of a completely different plane crash that wasn’t even real.
Now let’s get to those pseudo stats that are supposed to prove … what? A list of months where … what happened? How many times, compared to what similar thing? How many people did it NOT happen to? Is it increasing or decreasing? This doesn’t lend any meat to the story at all.
And before you write me off as an irrational pitbull supporter, let me clarify that I don’t think there should be one more pitbull born ever. Not because I think they are inherently more dangerous than other large breeds (I don’t) but because enough of our society fears and rejects them that they have no secure place in our midst and therefore should cease to exist.
However the other thing that should cease to exist is the type of garbage reporting exhibited here. Mr Frenaye should either research his topics more thoroughly and present real facts and relevant images or make it clear that what he is expressing is merely his own subjective sensationalizing opinion.
You opinion is not wanted. Your ignorance is prominent. Take your big fat head and get out of our city.
Enact and enforce MANDATORY spay/neuter microchipping of all pits, pit mixes, ALL DOG AGGRESSIVE dogs. No responsible caring pit owner is punished, as his dogs are spays/neuters. If a lab mix is misidentified, no problem, she gets a free spay. Breeders of other dogs, for example Airedales and ACD’s. Know who is buying your pups and for what purpose. When in doubt, spay/neuter pups before sale, therefore preventing selection for increasing reactivity and dog aggression. If you fail and over the many decades, your dog becomes the “next pit bull”, your breed will be added to the mandatory spay neuter law.
It would take many decades to create a game fighting dog from a non-bully dog. When dog fighting is suspected but cannot be proven, at least the dogs can be confiscated and spayed/neutered.
The pit BULLY people’s right to breed more reactive, unpredictable, dangerous, sometimes deadly dogs ends where it robs neighbors and passersby (pets/people) of their well being and ability to live safely in their community and even inside their own homes.
Those who resist this sane compassionate way to reduce pit attacks and to also reduce the disproportionate pit homelessness, euthanasia, suffering and deaths must be suspected of ties to dog fighting. At the very least, they ARE enabling dog fighting to continue. This plan can end dog fighting.
Pit BULLY show daily, by word and deed, that 1) they do not care about the welfare of other pets/people and /or 2) their fail to understand or acknowledge the pits’ tendencies, abilities and instincts to attack, maim, kill. Therefore, the BULLY people should not “get a vote”.
Colby, pit founding father, fancier/fighter, author wrote: “Inasmuch as dog fighting is illegal… as long as these dogs are bred there will be pit contests to prove who owns the better fighting dog.” Of course, he got that right!
But with those words he also tells us how to end dog fighting: stop breeding fighting dogs.
While it seems that pits do behave well in the presence of strong assertive leader/owners, (the vet’s, groomer’s) that doesn’t help the many victims of loose pits. The pit books often say that pits are not for everyone, as pits are escape artists and are strong, tenacious terriers and do best with strong leaders. But then a thinking person must wonder: what happens when that tenacious terrier escapes and no strong leader is their to guide the dog’s behavior? Sometimes horrific injuries happen.
Pis ARE different. Ask those who created pits, who love pits for what pits do best: wantonly attacking dogs. All USA dog fighters, with countless dog breeds from which to choose, all choose pits.
The one most special aspect of pit BULLY people is they astounding ability to NOT have empathy for pit victims, even DOG victims.
Notice how many pit bully people say: “pits were not created to kill humans, only dogs,.” as if that makes pit aggression acceptable? Well it doesn’t, to normal people.
Perhaps that’s because the pit is an extension of the pit bully people, of themselves, and therefore the attacks are too. Who knows?
Since pit bully people cannot understand their victims, even dog victims, let’s try this.
A new neighbor stops by to say hello. She then proceeds to tell you about her boy…
“My son Tommy, well, he’s different. We raised him like our other boys, but he’s grown up to kill dogs. We think he only wants to play, but sometimes he does kill the dog. His favorite dog is the pit bull.
But don’t worry, killing dogs is MUCH different from killing humans, I’ve done a lot of research. I really don’t think he’ll kill you or your kids!
We try to keep an eye on him, but he’s so quick and quiet. He can be out of the house, over the fence and killing the neighbor dog before we even notice. He’s so fearless, the dogs don’t seem to know what to do! Ha!
Where we lived before he somehow got up a ladder, got up to a second story balcony and broke in and killed their two pit bulls! Wow, can you imagine that, two at the same home invasion! Everyone was impressed.
The police and the DA said that Tommy’s er, a… special and since Tommy didn’t kill a human, we just had to pay a fine.
He’ll watch and wait and when someone is coming home and opening their front door, he’ll crash through and kill their dog. He’s killed several pit bull puppies that way. The owners have to pry his hands off their dead puppy, but, well, that’s nature, I guess.
Our boy will sneak up behind a leashed pit bull, tear open the dog’s abdomen, all before the dog even knows he’s there.
But I know if you spend time with him, you’d love him! He’s so comical, smart, handsome, affectionate. He loves to sit on your lap and give kisses”, big slobbery kisses. You’ll love him, I know!”
Want Tommy to be your neighbor? I wouldn’t, and we normal people do not want dog-killing-expert pits as neighbors, either.
Wow Stephanoe, now I want pit bulls to infest my neighborhood. Thanks for your articulate explanation of your love of pit bulls.
You are all ignorant, any dog is capable of biting. It starts with HUMANS! They were bred as working dogs, and HUMANS began to use them to fight causing them to become more aggressive. Learned behaviors can be passed down via genetics! So if humans would stop the fighting, mistreatment, and inbreeding then this kind of thing could be stopped! Blame it on the breed! A lab bit a womans nose off, so lets condemn labs? Humans have destroyed the earth and killed more humans than ALL combined animal species. STOP THE HUMAN SPECIES! 2013 American Hero Dog is a Pit Bull. So eat it you ignorant @$$holes!
Exactly, my pit does this too when she plays, and she is the sweetest dog i have ever seen or had.
I see what you did there. Well played. :)
And there we have it folks. The typical pit bull owner. Take a bow James.
I was attacked by a chihuahua once, and I was left with a severe saliva spot on my ankle.