12 yr study of deaths from dog bites - Pit Bulls lead the pack with 65%

NationalTitles18

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I think you have to take with a grain of salt a "study" from an organization whose stated mission is to basically get rid of pit bulls. That should be obvious, but I question the validity of the stats in the first place. In the second place, the stats - even if true (but most likely inaccurate) - don't tell the whole story. Most often bad decisions made by humans placed both dogs and humans in a bad situation.

And yes, I own a "pit bull mix". She is generally sweet but can be territorial, like any dog. I am aware of this and work with her and take precautions to prevent her from being in a bad situation. I am always in control of her, where she is, who is near her, etc;... Same for my lab mix.
 

Displaced Bama Fan

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I have a Boxer. They are very family oriented, yet very protective, especially of women and smaller children.

Of course, mine is also my walking buddy and around 7:30 starts following me around the house until I put on my shoes and put his harness on him to go for our nightly walk.
 

Bamaro

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I think you have to take with a grain of salt a "study" from an organization whose stated mission is to basically get rid of pit bulls. That should be obvious, but I question the validity of the stats in the first place. In the second place, the stats - even if true (but most likely inaccurate) - don't tell the whole story. Most often bad decisions made by humans placed both dogs and humans in a bad situation.

And yes, I own a "pit bull mix". She is generally sweet but can be territorial, like any dog. I am aware of this and work with her and take precautions to prevent her from being in a bad situation. I am always in control of her, where she is, who is near her, etc;... Same for my lab mix.
The results may(?) be skewed a bit but are there any studies that show pit bulls to not be the most dangerous breed?
 

NationalTitles18

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Bamaro

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On different level, but it's akin to asking "what is the most dangerous race?" IOW, just like humans any dog can be dangerous. Larger more powerful breeds are more likely to cause more harm if they do attack. It is people who make dogs dangerous.

Here's another take:

https://www.cesarsway.com/cesar-millan/cesars-blog/the-most-dangerous-dog
It goes beyond just looking at size. Temperament is the most important attribute. Certain breeds have had aggression purposely bred in over the years.
 

CharminTide

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It goes beyond just looking at size. Temperament is the most important attribute. Certain breeds have had aggression purposely bred in over the years.
On the other hand, some owners gravitate toward certain breeds because they can more easily raise them to behave aggressively. A German Shepard, for instance, can be very aggressive and dangerous, but they can also be well-trained police animals. It's hard to separate nature from nurture in most of these studies.
 

TIDE-HSV

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On the other hand, some owners gravitate toward certain breeds because they can more easily raise them to behave aggressively. A German Shepard, for instance, can be very aggressive and dangerous, but they can also be well-trained police animals. It's hard to separate nature from nurture in most of these studies.
This is true. The prophecy has become self-fulfilling. If you talk to LEOs, they'll tell you that ownership of these similar breeds is disproportionate among criminals. Also, to a man, they'll say that they need a mean dog for "protection." They probably even believe it. Of course, it's not the truth. They need a badge, a totem. On a milder side, my own SIL is fixated on Great Danes. He always has one. Now, he's a 6'4" German and together, he and Fay make a striking pair. It finally occurred to me that that was the issue. The dog is part of his image. When we get together as families, we have had to go to ridiculous lengths to accommodate the dog. She's more likely to lick you to death, but the issue is the same...
 

crimson fan man

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I can understand the fear related to pit bulls but they can be sweet and caring dogs. When I was young we had a pit bull and my great uncle was playing with one of my sisters counting her ribs thing. Well she was making noise related to this and our dog attacked my uncle thinking he was hurting her. My daddy was about to kill our dog because of the attack and my uncle stopped him saying the dog did what he should have not understanding what was going on.
After that attack I was scared of him for a while because I never seen a dog react like that. But learned he was still the sweet dog he always was. Pit bulls should be feared until you learn what kind of nature they have. If you have a pit bull and no kids be aware of your dog just to see how they handled them.
 

Bodhisattva

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About 20 minutes before Sierra Willson’s pit bull attacked her sister and mother, the 22-year-old and the dog, Buster, were lying calmly in her bed.

"He loved cuddles," she said Saturday as she gazed down at a photo of them on her phone. She had taken it from bed the day before; it was time stamped 3:46 p.m.

At 4:07 p.m. Friday, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office dispatched deputies and ambulances to the scene of a bloody dog attack at Willson’s home.

Buster "turned" on his family, deputies said. Willson’s mother, Heidi Cooper, 45, was still at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg on Saturday, covered with puncture wounds, lacerations and stitches.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/public...s-life-but-stabbed-her-dog-to-death_162992039
 

Intl.Aperture

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I'm not that worried about it. Every Pit Bull i've ever met has been a flopsy cuddle-bug who desperately wanted human affection. A restriction on the breed is a short term solution to doo doo heads looking for a dog who's bite PSI is equivalent to that of a hydraulic press.

The dog itself is not the problem - as is the case with most things that humans get their hands on.

(Fun fact -German Shepherd and Pit Bull's tie for 2nd place in the bite strength category and 1st place goes to Rottweilers.)
 

2003TIDE

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This thread is upsetting. We were trying to adopt a dog here in ATL and almost all dogs were Bullies or Bully mixes. We ended up not adopting any because I'm not going to get a pure bread dog without knowing/meeting the breeder. Most pure breed dogs do what they were breed to do or taught to do. If they are aggressive that's on the breeder. This is 100% fixable with responsible breeding.
 

TIDE-HSV

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This thread is upsetting. We were trying to adopt a dog here in ATL and almost all dogs were Bullies or Bully mixes. We ended up not adopting any because I'm not going to get a pure bread dog without knowing/meeting the breeder. Most pure breed dogs do what they were breed to do or taught to do. If they are aggressive that's on the breeder. This is 100% fixable with responsible breeding.
It's a human problem. A lot have been bred for the wrong purposes. Getting popular is about the worst thing that can happen to a breed...
 

Bazza

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This thread is upsetting. We were trying to adopt a dog here in ATL and almost all dogs were Bullies or Bully mixes. We ended up not adopting any because I'm not going to get a pure bread dog without knowing/meeting the breeder. Most pure breed dogs do what they were breed to do or taught to do. If they are aggressive that's on the breeder. This is 100% fixable with responsible breeding.

FYI: if you haven't considered an Australian Cattle Dog, they are an amazing breed on several levels.

Here is a video I put together a while back of my 2 girls (Winkipop and Billabong). The larger one with her tail still intact I raised from a puppy and the smaller one with a docked tail came from a shelter. They will be 13 next spring and are still going fairly strong. Very intelligent and devoted along with a bunch of other attributes I won't bother listing.

Mostly posting because they are very good at not doing any harm to humans or other animals, although they play very hard (they are herding dogs so you'll see then doing that) they are amazingly careful not to actually cause any real harm. Check out the footage of Winkipop when she was a puppy playing with Matilda, our Umbrella Cockatoo, for example.

They show up in shelters from time to time - I have used Petfinder (that's where I found Billabong) and there are also a few ACD rescue organizations who are good resources like this one in the Carolinas.

Sorry to deviate from the thread topic.....

 

Displaced Bama Fan

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FYI: if you haven't considered an Australian Cattle Dog, they are an amazing breed on several levels.

Here is a video I put together a while back of my 2 girls (Winkipop and Billabong). The larger one with her tail still intact I raised from a puppy and the smaller one with a docked tail came from a shelter. They will be 13 next spring and are still going fairly strong. Very intelligent and devoted along with a bunch of other attributes I won't bother listing.

Mostly posting because they are very good at not doing any harm to humans or other animals, although they play very hard (they are herding dogs so you'll see then doing that) they are amazingly careful not to actually cause any real harm. Check out the footage of Winkipop when she was a puppy playing with Matilda, our Umbrella Cockatoo, for example.

They show up in shelters from time to time - I have used Petfinder (that's where I found Billabong) and there are also a few ACD rescue organizations who are good resources like this one in the Carolinas.

Sorry to deviate from the thread topic.....

Rigsbee approves of this message.

 

Intl.Aperture

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It's a human problem. A lot have been bred for the wrong purposes. Getting popular is about the worst thing that can happen to a breed...
The bolded part above is so true.

I love German Shepherds. Was raised with them. There are several reasons I don't own one at the moment but one of the reasons is the rampancy of hip-dysplasia brought on by reckless breeding. The breeding process has been split for some time between show and work - show the more likely of the 2 to have those health issues present but one must be very diligent in finding a breeder who's litters have only presented with incidental health issues.
 

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