There are pro pit bull lovers and those against. Unfortunately for innocent dogs like Lennox and Wicca and too many more dogs, some of the folks who hate pit bulls and/or are afraid of them do not know what they are talking about but have a public platform to express their opinions pretending to be facts (newspaper editors and reporters). Everyone is entitled to their opinion AND when they state opinions as if they are FACTS it is misleading and causes mass hysteria which leads to abuse and death to innocent dogs. It’s just that plain and simple.
As a newspaper reporter and editor, I know that “whatever bleeds leads” and headline stories. Most people know that is because scary stories (as well as sex scandals) sell newspapers. Karen Delise in The Pit Bull Placebo effectively outlines the media’s role in shaping people’s perceptions of dogs as well as known factors that produce ‘dangerous dogs’. Many people do not know, recognize or print these factors in newspapers and magazines. What they too often do is perpetuate myths (locking jaw, unpredictable dogs, born to maul and other such FICTION). To some, truth may be in the eye of the reader but OBJECTIVE FACTS are not the same as opinions nor myths. Objective facts are credible and are backed up by experts and studies whereas myths are refuted and opinions are anyone’s thoughts or beliefs which cannot be substantiated. Gravity is FACT while the moon is made of swiss cheese is a myth.
My personal observation of these anti pit bull CRAZIES are that they are mad, angry, fearful people who bash dogs and sane loving people for the sake of THEIR OWN ISSUES. Instead of dealing with their own STUFF, they project onto dogs what is INSIDE of themselves.
When Mother Teresa was once asked why she dedicated her life to the poor and needy of Calcutta, she is said to have replied: ”Because I realized that I had a Hitler within me and decided to turn around and do good.”
Barbara Kay and the other anti pit bull spreaders of lies, myths and fiction would do well to heed that sage advice.
From Karen Delise’s Pit Bull Placebo, The Pit Bull Paparrazzi traffic in myths and pseudoscience.
“In 1987, over 800 newspaper articles were printed in which “Pit bulls” were headlined.
Over a decade later, the media is unrelenting:
• 2004, over 900 newspaper articles were printed in which “Pit bulls” were in the headline.
• In 2005, there were an incredible 1,700+ newspaper articles which headlined the words, “Pit bull.”
• In 2006, the media continues to exploit the Pit bull with an unprecedented 2,800+ newspaper articles vying for their readers’ attention with the words “Pit bull” in the headlines.”
A recent case of anti pit bull hate mongering was published in the National Post, a Canadian newspaper (that appears to be of the same ilk as the New York Post known for its scandalous headlines and articles filled with myths) with a blaring headline about how (ALL) Pit Bulls are Bred to Maul (people and should be banned/killed).
Anyone who knows breed history knows that true fighting dogs do not show any aggression towards humans whatsoever. Human aggression was in fact considered a major fault, so if a dog showed any human aggression it would be destroyed and the line would not be bred from anymore. Handlers were in the pit with the dogs during a fight and would not be so if they thought there was any danger.
So if it said Pit Bulls are Bred to Give Kisses to People While Shopping at the Mall, I would agree. Because pit bulls LOVE to lick, live to lick… Cici barked at a couple the other day because they walked by her without saying hello to her, the nerve. She LOVES people as do her canine brethren. They were bred to LOVE people. And cannot hold their Licker. Sometimes she will spend 20 minutes licking me. One time, I saw her lick another dog at a dog park for at least an hour. Pit Bulls are Bred to Lick. Yes, they are. This clerk at Trader Joe’s and I were talking about our dogs the other day. She has a German Shepherd she said who is a love bug but very protective of her. Hah, I said, well, my dog has to wag her tail and say hello to EVERYONE and show them her belly. The mailmen, UPS, FedEx, anyone who comes to the door, people that walk by her at the park down the street. She is very gentle with kids, LOVES men and people in wheelchairs. A few times lately, she sat nicely waiting for people to come over and say hello and/or give her a treat. I did not train her to do any of this. She came this way. I would not know how to train her to do this. She was born to LOVE. She waits patiently outside my roommate’s door in the morning so she can say hello to him and show him her belly. Every morning. She was born this way.
Barbara Kay says:
“Fact: When it comes to dog bites, it very often is the breed. Each year, about one PB in 100,000 kills someone, compared with one non-PB in about 10 million. About one adopted PB in 30,000 kills or disfigures someone after passing behavioral screening. (Other dangerous breeds, like Rottweilers and Huskies do plenty of damage too; more on them another time).”
I refute her so-called opinions pretending to be facts with these actual FACTS…
There are no incidents to date of a spayed/neutered indoor family pit bull ever having killed anyone.
…[S]ince 1975, dogs belonging to more than 30 breeds have been responsible for fatal attacks on people, including Dachshunds, a Yorkshire Terrier, and a Labrador Retriever.” (It’s also key to point out that you are more likely to be killed by lightening than a dog, and dog bites are at historic lows.)
http://stubbydog.org/2012/05/pit-bulls-by-the-numbers/
But she is just demonizing dogs for the sake of entertainment and to keep dogs banned. I wrote to the opinionator Barbara Kay to refute her hysteria derived opinions disguised as facts (all unsubstantiated of course but she has her refuted sources)… to let her know that I did not appreciate that articles like hers are the reason millions of innocent dogs are killed, abused and attacked.
What I received in return was insults and name calling… First, she called Karen Delise a nut case. Then she called me a nazi. And finally, said that she has noticed that all pit bull owners/lovers have lower IQ’s than normal people. This was in response to my Stated and Linked FACTS.
Really… well, when you have NO Defense for your outrageous LIES and MYTHS, then what else can you do but attack by calling people names and insult them and then say it is not personal?
According to Barbara KKK (the Queen of the Kill K9s Koalition), it is also pit bulls fault because too many dogs are in shelters and get killed. Hello. A majority of the dogs in shelters ARE pit bulls and get killed because they ARE pit bull types/mixes.
Kay states:
“According to Merritt Clifton, for decades a statistics-driven investigative reporter in this field, PBs accounted for 930,000 shelter killings in 2011, 60% of the U.S. total, even though they represent 3.3% of the dog population. PBs also account for 51% of dogs impounded for attacking other animals. Each year, from 33% to 45% of the total U.S. PB population enters an animal shelter, “a phenomenon never seen with any other dog breed.” Clifton says there are few accidental PB births, “because nothing resembling a pit bull occurs in nature.”
WHAT???
“First, Clifton’s statistics incorporate “press accounts” of dog attacks which are notoriously inaccurate. The press is in no way qualified to make breed determinations, nor are Animal Control, veterinarians, or law enforcement. In addition, with the press calling any and all dogs that can pass for a “pit bull” a “pit bull” (which is a type, not a breed), what will victims of dog attacks and witnesses most likely say the “breed” in question was? And as Clifton himself notes, his statistics are “by no means a complete list of fatal and otherwise serious dog attacks,” which means that there is little one could accurately conclude from Clifton’s “statistics.”
http://www.nopitbullbans.com/debunking-merritt-clifton/
Then Kay goes on,
“Denialists all quote each other’s baseless statements in an endless loop, and parrot the same Manchurian-candidates mantras: “My PB may lick you to death”; “all dogs bite”; “It’s the owner, not the breed”; “the pit bull was the most popular family pet in America.”
These are all myths. Dog-sales statistics show that PBs were never that popular in America; and they were never bred for anything but fighting.”
Apparently, she never heard of Petey the Little Rascal Dog. And Stubby. And so many other famous pit bulls. Nor has she ever heard facts stated by world renowned dog experts and dog trainers such as Victoria Stilwell, Cesar Millan, Justin Silver and Jim Crosby who have and/or have worked with pit bulls, fearful and dangerous dogs for YEARS. Victoria and Cesar offered to rehome both Lennox and Wicca at their own expense. And Jim Crosby works with truly dangerous dogs every day and has for the past 25 years.
“Let’s look at the “qualifications” of the only evaluation that the BCC or Court accepted. The BCC “evaluator” is, admittedly, a former police Constable. So am I, except that instead of being a Constable, the equivalent here in the US to a base Patrolman, I retired as a Lieutenant and Watch Commander, the UK equivalent of a full Inspector with the Metropolitan Police. I am also a certified Behavior Consultant (he has no such training), have been certified as a Professional Dog Trainer, and am trained and certified as a behavior evaluator by several organizations-and he is not. I have further, over the years, worked with, trained, and evaluated what are probably over a thousand Pit Bulls and other breeds prohibited in the UK, certainly more than the BCC evaluator.
“…And frankly, if their evaluator thinks that Lennox was the “most dangerous dog” he had ever seen,-please come meet some of the guys I have handled and evaluated after they have killed humans. I have seen more dangerous Cocker Spaniels.”
http://canineaggression.blogspot.com/2012/07/lennox-gloves-come-off.html
In regards to Wicca, accused in Montreal of two bite incidents, Crosby said:
“Jim Crosby, retired police lieutenant and canine dog bite investigator from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in Jacksonville, Florida, who has invaluable experience with dangerous dog issues, has contacted the shelter and city officials on Thursday to offer his assistance. http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2011/10/24/the_wrong_way/
“Crosby says he finds it hard to believe they want to kill this dog over what, even if it WAS a bite has to be rated minor- what I would term a low Level 3 incident on the Dunbar bite assessment scale-and based on the one photo I am not persuaded it was caused by teeth.”
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2012/07/26/death_order/
Wicca saved her owner’s life, was far from a vicious dog and was killed by the city of Montreal because she was a pit bull.
“Pit bulls were the dog of choice for famous personages such as Helen Keller, Laura Ingalls Wilder (of Little House on the Prairie fame), and President Theodore Roosevelt.
Meanwhile, pit bulls were chosen as mascots by the Buster Brown shoe company and by the United States itself, which featured pit bulls on American propaganda posters for each of the first two world wars.
“Fittingly, the first dog decorated with medals by the armed forces was one Sgt. Stubby. In the first world war, Sgt. Stubby not only survived being twice wounded in combat, but captured a German spy and saved his entire platoon from a poison gas attack.
“In 1903, an American Pit Bull Terrier named Bud became the first dog to travel across the entire US via car. He accompanied the first humans to make a non-stop journey cross country by automobile, but his fame eclipsed theirs, as newspapers in cities across America featured a goggle-wearing Bud.”
http://www.pitbulls.org/article/brief-history-american-pit-bull-terrier
Delise, “…for over half a century in between, 1920 to 1970, millions of Bulldogs, Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and all their mixed breed cousins served Americans well in every possible capacity and circumstance.
Kay goes on…
“All dogs bite, but few do serious damage on a statistically consistent basis. Some PBs may lick you; others may maul you. Nobody can predict their behaviour — not even celebrated dog whisperer César Milan, as a recent YouTubed episode rather horrifyingly demonstrated. The fact is, even responsible owners cannot prevent PB attacks. Most killer PBs were raised in loving homes and seemed sweet — until they attacked.”
What Cesar Millan says about BSL :
http://bydogpeople.com/2011/07/11/cesar-millan-pit-bull-ban/
She reiterates the myth that pit bulls are unpredictable and more likely to bite people than other dogs.
That is fiction. There are known factors that contribute to dogs of all breeds biting. If the dog is male, not neutered, kept chained or roams loose in a pack, these are ALL known factors in dog bites/attacks. Dogs of ALL breeds. Also a female dog usually chained with a litter of newborn puppies, guard dogs, abused dogs, sick dogs, neglected dogs, starved dogs and unsocialized dogs.
And all dogs, before they do bite, gives warning signs.
Dogs who are the top biters are daschunds.
Pit bulls bite harder than other dogs. When Dr. Brady Barr did a comparative bite-pressure study among pits, German shepherds and Rottweiler for National Geographic, pits came in last.
And Pits will “turn’’ on you because they’re hard-wired to kill. The former Vick dogs disprove that.
Back to Kay’s fantasies disguised as facts.
“Semyonova says, “There is no temperament test or behaviour test that can predict or assure that a pit bull won’t suddenly do what it was bred to do.” PB “impulsive aggression” is a genetically carried trait and strongly heritable. By seven months, those cuddly pups usually start attacking other animals without provocation. Small children are at particular risk for harm because they are easy prey.”
NO dog of ANY BREED should EVER be left alone with a child. NEVER EVER.
And this assertion has been PROVEN INCORRECT.
“Yes, abused, starved, endlessly-chained or desperately cornered dogs of other breeds will fight, but not to the death like PBs. Once PBs attack (without warning, unlike other breeds), with their characteristic grab-and-shake death lock, they are so pain-insensitive they are almost impossible to dislodge.”
Semyonova’s book claims that the pit bull has a chemical imbalance in its brain that causes it to “snap”, a different chemical make up in the brain says Semyonova, however, doesn’t she does NOT cite ANY sources proving this. No names of researches, no date of research, no nothing.
There’s no scientific data to back that up. They’ve actually studied pit bulls and found that the pit bull skull is no different than any other dog. There’s no locking mechanism. Just as there is no chemical imbalance causing them to snap.
Dr. Lehr Brisbin of the University of Georgia wrote:
“The few studies which have been conducted of the structure of the skulls, mandibles and teeth of pit bulls show that, in proportion to their size, their jaw structure and thus its inferred functional morphology, is no different than that of any breed of dog. There is absolutely no evidence for the existence of any kind of “locking mechanism” unique to the structure of the jaw and/or teeth of the American Pit Bull Terrier.”
More creative fiction from Kay, as she cites Clifton’s fantasy stats.
Here are the true facts:
Dog attacks: 33 …(and just 15 in 2011)
With a US population of 311,591,917 (July 2011) and that year’s 15 dog attack fatalities, your chances of dying in a dog attack (from all breeds combined) is 1 in 20,772,794….almost 21 MILLION! One in over *30 MILLION* from a Pit-Bull or Pit-Mix.
Then Kay says, “Bans work.”
well, no, they do not work in the real world.
BSL does not eliminate dog bite incidents…
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/media-center/
Dog-bite related fatalities are so extremely rare that not even a state could ban enough dogs to insure that they had prevented even one. (Consider: in Denver, Colorado, after they banned pit bull dogs in 1989, they had another dog bite related fatality in the Denver area, involving another type of dog.)
Spain, Italy, Great Britain and the Netherlands have all reported that their breed specific regulations have not produced a reduction in dog bite incidents. The Toronto Humane Society surveyed health departments throughout the province of Ontario, and reported that the breed ban enacted in 2005 had not produced a reduction in dog bites. In Winnipeg, Manitoba, after the city banned one type of dog, dog bites actually rose, just involving other types of dogs. Reports from Denver, Colorado, Miami-Dade, Florida, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska all tell the same story.
After a few exchanges with her, it became clear to me that Kay writes the trash she calls objective journalism, fair and balanced, my dog’s rear end, so that she can fight with sane people and call them names. How mature and professional, NOT.
Apparently Kay bases her opinions pretending to be facts on these type of statistics which are stats based upon news media headlines NOT real dog bite statistics
http://bslnews.org/2012/01/24/the-real-dog-bite-statistics-plus-media-myths-colleen-lynn-exposed/
real dog bite statistics can be found here
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com
from The Pit Bull Placebo by Karen Delise
“…for over half a century in between, 1920 to 1970, millions of Bulldogs, Bull Terriers, American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and all their mixed breed cousins served Americans well in every possible capacity and circumstance.
Perception of dogs as killers is skewed
“…Fact: In 2002 over 420 children were killed as the direct result of physical abuse by a parent or a guardian (this number does not include death from neglect).
Fact: The majority of physical abuse deaths of children were inflicted by fathers or father-type men (stepfathers, live-in boyfriends).
Conclusion: Therefore, fathers are statistically the most dangerous of all persons.
The media vastly over-reports Pit bull attacks as compared to other dog attacks (and does not usually point out the other dogs breeds in headline)…
Another reporter thinks Kay’s opinions are skewed to the dark side.
“Two days ago, Barbara Kay, a columnist at the National Post, blasted pit bulls and spoke out in favor of breed specific legislation to keep these dogs out of Ontario.
Not only is she in favor of keeping the Ontario, Canada ban in effect, but she is adamant in her belief that “pit bulls are bred to maul.”
A damning, blanket statement.
http://www.examiner.com/article/national-post-columnist-blasts-pit-bulls
Kay would never read this, about real dogs, real heroes because they do not fit in with her fantasy world of Demon Dogs. Too bad.
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