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| Pit Bulls may be every bit as loving as any other breed of dog, but when they are ill-trained, or if they get angry or frightened and bite, as dog sometimes do, they are deadly. They have robust jaw strength, a deadly bite style, tenacity and a high tolerance to pain. |
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Pit bulls bite. A lot.
No matter how you crunch the numbers, pit bulls are represented all out of proportion to other dog breeds when it comes to biting.
It leads the list in unprovoked attacks, attacks on other dogs, mauling and fatal attacks on people.
The "pit" fans like to attribute human characteristics to these dogs saying, "they're like people, treat them nice and they'll love you in return."
The problem with that logic is that it's false on its face: a dog is not a human. You cannot equate an animal's behavior with human behavior whether that animal is licking your hand or biting it off.
Pit bulls make up 6% of the dog population and are responsible for 68% of dog attacks and 52% of dog-related deaths since 1982 as reported in a Time magazine story "The Problem With Pit Bulls" by Charlotte Alter, June 20, 2014.
An April 2011 issue of Annals of Surgery reported that "these breeds should be regulated in the same way other dangerous species, such as leopards, are regulated." That report was shared with Time magazine by PETA, the animal-rights organization.
The DogsBite.org site reports that from 2005 to 2013 pit bulls killed 176 Americans.
Suggested solutions to the pit bull problem have included sterilization, special insurance or permits to own one, and outright banning of the breed on a community basis. Pit bulls have been banned in Ontario, Canada.
While neutering is popular with many dog owners, statistics show that pit bulls are neutered at only 20% the rate of other breeds due to the fact that many owners prefer not to sterilize the animal.
Ten years ago a rash of pit bull incidents prompted then city administrator Dan Bristol to consider pursuing an ordinance to address the city's pit bull problem. Those discussions to work toward a legal solution faded away. The city's pit bull problem remains.
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| (Above) The Our Gang Comedy
films featured a Pit Bull named
"Pete". (Below) A Chinaman in the
old west, with his Pit Bull. |
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