Why is it that almost every single time I read the word "mauled," immediately after that I read "pit bull?" Coincidence....? I think not.

Frustrating story. I had a pit bull prejudice before I worked at a Humane Society and now that's gone. First of all--most human attacks are by non-neutered males of any breed, pitbull, lab, whatever. Secondly, if it was a retriever that did this it wouldn't get national attention (and it does happen). Go speak to a local police or firefighter and ask them what bite calls they get called out on--generally non-pits.

This happened because the dog wasn't neutered, not because it was a pit.

It's weird that people defend dogs that kill people. It's weird that people bring dogs to restaurants, the beach, movie theaters, malls, parks and other public places, letting their dogs run wild, crap everywhere, and scare or injure people and wildlife. Pit bulls are bred for brutality. It's not just "how they are raised and treated."

responsible parent-2632147: There is a major difference of being bitten and having a fatal neck injury.

Good point, responsible parent-2632147. When I read the part about "Scrappy's son, Rocco", I rolled my eyes. Spaying and neutering is one of the basic responsibilities we have to our pets. Failure to do so frequently results in unwanted litters and too-agressive behavior. Maybe this will get people's attention and they'll do the right thing. And maybe pigs will fly.

Karls : Its no weirder than people bringing kids to restaurants, the beach, etc and other public places, letting their kids run wild, crap everywhere, scare people and wildlife.

Ya gotta thin the herd by culling the slow, dumb ones and pit bull owners top the list. Natural selection at work.

@News98 - Jweilan was being sarcastic.

Unfortunately new like this is skewed... they do not tell you of the hundreds of insurance claims every year from other dog attacks/maulings/killings... only if a pit is involved. My sister works in insurance and there analysis shows the dog with the most bites is the Golden (while they may be nips while playing if the dog breaks skin and someone sues.. it's recorded)... I also remember a story where a dalmation picked a baby out the crib by the neck (as she would with her own pups) but punctured the jugular and the baby died.... In the end I just wish the new media would not hype this so much

It's called genetics! Wake up people. I've had and trained dogs for 40 years. There are just some breeds that have more aggressive behaviors at any time. Pit Bulls are one of the most aggressive.

I had 2 female puppies from the same litter (they were going to be put to sleep) and the bigger one was always attacking the smaller one, she would bite the other's neck until her eyes glazed over. these were PUPPIES, from the same letter. It's in their nature to be aggressive. I would never own any of these animals again! Rotties either. They are just as agressive and the one I had was as stupid as a door knob. She would crap in front of her dog-house, then step in it! I've switched to kitttys

How really tragic this man died.Sadly this still is happening but not just with "pit bulls".Having spent more than two decades involved with law enforcementand emergency medicine, I have dealt with countless animal attacks involving many breeds including two deaths in our state. I always heard shocked pet owners claim they never dreamed their dogs could attack anyone under any circumstances.

It is all too common for people to forget, these are first and always, predators. Not creatures with human traits.No matter how lovable, well trained, gentle and well adapted to a person or family they may be. ANY dog can and will attack or bite under the RIGHT conditions.These include being in pain,feeling threatened, suddenly startled,while eating,aroused while sleeping,(hence letting sleeping dogs lay) or being ill. There have been numerous cases of owners being attacked by pets when they simply went to add more food to their pets dish.Pets they had owned for years without any problems.

One famous case a woman was attacked just adding more food to one of her two Doberman's dishes as she bent over.It attacked and the other joined in. They continued until she stopped moving.Every time she tried to crawl away she was attacked. After five hours her husband came home at which point the dogs were fine.They had owned those dogs as pups for eight years. I handled one case of a four year old who accidentally stepped on the toe of a dog she'd known as a pup. It attacked. leaving her with over 400 punctures and torn scalp.The owner was next to the dog but refused to stop.The three year old dog was known as very gentle.

It's also important to realize dogs view us as part of their social pack and place themselves in a position relative to where they see us. Usually they see themselves as the alpha male or female unless humans actively fulfill that role.But most folks are unaware of pack behaviors so by default are lower in the pecking order with children being seen like the puppies. An alpha dog will dominate a lower dog, grabbing it by the throat until the dog lays down exposing its abdomen showing submissiveness. At that the leader growls and ignores them.For humans dogs may jump on, ignore what they say.And as soon as you turn your back or leave, do whatever they want.And no self respecting dog will accept being the lowest.

Last more attacks come from submissive sweet dogs, which always surprise the victims I have spoken to.Our pets play a crucial role in our lives and deserve our respect and love.But we must never forget, unless you remove their teeth and give them rubber dentures,dogs and cats can cause injuries. If they do should signs of aggresssion that is unusual, take them to a vet right away.Often it is their way of saying something is wrong.

All kinds of people are bitten by all kinds of dogs. It's a defense mechanism. However, in the rare case that the biting dog is a pit bull, they don't stop. They don't just bite, they keep biting until their target gets away or is dead. It's what they have been bread to do since the middle ages. It's hard wired into their behavior. It may be recessive, but it's there.

Anecdotal? Maybe, but my veterinarian will not treat pits after one killed another dog in the waiting room. "Oh he's sweet as can be. He's never done nothin like this before.", said the owner. He didn't just kill it either. In the time it took them to tranquilize it, he ripped a 60 lb labrador apart.

A good friend of mine has a pit bull. He seems nice enough although over energetic. However, there is no way I would ever leave my daughter unattended around it. Never.

You can't imagine how shocked I was to learn that the dog was a friendly pit bull.

They do have a slightly much more unpredictable temperament.

Perhaps they have aggressiveness built into their DNA somewhat, but it is we who are responsible. Those of us who bred them that way AND those of us who continue to enable aggressive behavior by failing to get our dogs neutered, failing to socialize, failing to train properly.

Not all owners are guilty and we have to be careful not to blame the innocent ones, like this poor guy appears to be. How can anyone who is not very experienced possibly realize that allowing a dog to keep his testicles might mean his or his families life? How can people know how terribly ferocious these animals are when aggressive. These animals are not a joke...

his happened because the dog wasn't neutered, not because it was a pit.

Oh please! I've had several non neutered dogs and none were aggressive. Go look at the statistics. Dogs of any breed can be aggressive. HOWEVER about 30% of fatal attacks are from Pit Bulls. That's one breed out of dozens. It's a huge statistic.

The foundation breed of the pit bull is the American Staffordshire Terrier. A Staffordshire that is bred by an intelligent knowledgeable breeder is bred for even temperment and good traits. The problems appear when the stupid backyard breeders looking only for money, and possible fighters, breed for aggressive traits. Failure to neuter only compounds aggressiveness and unpredictability. A pit bull, bred for a gentle temperment by someone with a brain, can be a wonderful pet, but unless you know the traits of the parents of the puppies, how they were bred and by whom, you are gambling with your life, your family's lives, and the dog's life. It can suddenly spiral into a "everyone loses" situation.

I am more dangerous than the most aggressive Pitt, Rotti or German Shepard on the planet when it comes to someone abusing my animals.

Fair enough. However conversely if you dog ever does attack and kill someone, their kin should put a bullet in your head. Works both ways.

Gee, and I just read the other day about how sweet and gentle pitbulls are. Yeah right.

I would never allow a tenant of mine to have one, never mind two.

For those of you saying that this breed or that one has a greater history of biting, there's a difference between a nip on the hand or ankle and being mauled to death.

I'd like to look up and see what breed holds the record for that one. 3 guess and the first two don't count is my bet.

I am more dangerous than the most aggressive Pitt, Rotti or German Shepard on the planet when it comes to someone abusing my animals.

Maybe you should be neutered.

It's also important to realize dogs view us as part of their social pack and place themselves in a position relative to where they see us. Usually they see themselves as the alpha male or female unless humans actively fulfill that role.But most folks are unaware of pack behaviors so by default are lower in the pecking order with children being seen like the puppies. An alpha dog will dominate a lower dog, grabbing it by the throat until the dog lays down exposing its abdomen showing submissiveness. At that the leader growls and ignores them.For humans dogs may jump on, ignore what they say.And as soon as you turn your back or leave, do whatever they want.And no self respecting dog will accept being the lowest.

Windancersong, I wish every parent understood that. If more children were taught to be authoritative with the family dog, there would be fewer problems.

Pit bulls are dangerous. Humans made them so.

People who believe that a loving human/owner can trump an inbred behavior are fooling themselves. (I liken them to the women who think they can change bad boys.) To them I say good luck with that, and I hope your pit is one of those who doesn't attack.

@ap-Lol!

A pit bull is still safer to be around than a human.

Dude got killed by a dog. A single dog. His own dog. Fail.

It's actually sad, he didn't want to put his friend down when he really should have! Still, very peaceful people have turned into very evil people (which is OK, it's just the devil doing it), so I still don't buy this "it's the breed" BS.

Behaviour is taught - it doesn't get passed down in our genes. Sometimes there are freak occurences. Someone in my area was killed by a stray kitten's bite. It's the breed! Pfft...

As I have said on many threads, I really wish I could find the documentary that I watched years ago about different dog breeds. It really went into in depth info with alot of intelligence testing and even scans of brain activity. The pit bull ranked horribly simply because it lacks the intelligence and brain activity of most other breeds. I think the analogy they used is that the majority had the brain activity just above a chicken. That's not too smart. Also, it went into genetics, these dogs are genetically prone to aggression. Since they are generally not to smart, they tend to "react" instead of think and therefore are prone to more violent behavior. And with their strength, they are very dangerous. I have friends who own pits and most seem sweet but I would Never trust them. One friend even admits as much as he loves his dog, he would never trust it if he had kids. It's just too dangerous if something triggered that dog which is what alot of children do with their erratic behavior that startles them. I have personally met the young man who appeared on Oprah's show after being mauled by the family's "pet" pit. Let me tell you, it's a heartbreaking experience and I would never take that chance by owning a pit. They are simply hard wired by genetics to react with aggression.

I hope this guy goes to a hell where he is little, and ruled by cruel pitbulls 20 times his size.

Be careful what you wish for. As they say, what goes around comes around...

Marty: The American Staffordshire Terrier was just the nice name recently given to this breed. Pitbulls were actually created for the sole purpose of being pit fighters (straight from AKC).

I like to joke around about the women in my wife's family. They seem to have a genetic predisposition for being crazy. Fact is I really am smarter than that - while physical characteristics are passed down a couple generations, behaviour isn't.

.

Even they know when it's time for fight or flight though. I hope this guy goes to a hell where he is little, and ruled by cruel pitbulls 20 times his size.

Do you feel that way about the Ga. dog rescue girl that was kill by her 5 dogs? They euthanized all 5 without a trial.

No dog is vicious by nature

Humans domesticated dogs and elevated their stature. Dogs are vicious hunting machines.

Maybe he beat it. Every pitbull I have known has been incredibly sweet. But every creature can only take so much before it fights back.

Maybe he beat it

Maybe you are an idiot. I have very little evidence to support this except your cartoon name. Maybe we can make up all kinds of maybes. Maybe he had terminal cancer and the dogs didn't want him to suffer.

The only evidence this characteristically light story provides is the dogs were friendly, slept on the bed and played with children.

This is why I would always as myself, "If he turned on me, could I take him?" when choosing a pet. It's a joke, of course, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Mike412302 #1.35

I had to laugh at your comment. First you wish on something, then say be careful what you wish for LOL

I was taught as a kid (no matter how hard this is going to be) that if you're attacked by any dog and you know for a fact that you're not getting out of it, to stuff your hand as far in it's mouth as you can. This creates a gag affect and they naturally can't bite down but gag instead.

Thankfully i never had to test it out. Yeah, while a pit bull is tearing me apart, I still would have a hard time doing this but what the hell, what've I got to lose? Besides my hands LOL

The only evidence this characteristically light story provides is the dogs were friendly, slept on the bed and played with children.

And the guy's dead, and the dog did it.

During 9/11 there's was several cadavair dogs searching through the rubble. Most could only search for a few hours due to the overbearing conditions. There was one dog that work relentlessly to keep searching and never have up. He was a Pitbull. Yes they can be mean and yes they can be loving, sounds alot like humans, do you ban humans?

Posting some statistics that show the number of deaths by Pitbulls is useless when you put it up against the number these have killed: humans, alcohol, tobacco, and lets not forget religion. I guess we should start banning these too.

I've owned several large dogs; i.e., a rottweiler, a doberman, and a couple of great danes. Every one of these dogs were the gentlest of creatures. My rottweiler, Heidi, was the best dog I've ever had....she was such a woose (she was actually afraid of our cat). I trusted her around children, and never had a problem. The same goes for my danes and the doberman, although the dobie DID scare a guy walking towards me (she put her paws on his shoulders and gave him a lick....scared the bejeezus out of him although she wasn't doing anything but playing). I don't think it has much to do with the particular dog as it does with (1) how it was raised, or (2) its geneology (were the parents gentle or aggressive)? As I said, none of my dogs ever caused any problems. We now have two labs...sisters....and they definitely listen to me when I speak (being a retired Army officer, I tend to use my "command" voice). It all depends, I guess, on many circumstances, but to blame a certain breed of dog for being aggressive....there's a lot to look at first.

I feel bad for this gentleman....and I pray for his wife to get through this. I'm sure she feels somewhat betrayed by what she thought was a "family pet."

I think that unless you know something about dogs and how they need to be treated, don't have one of any kind.

Here in Hawaii we have mostly Pit Bulls and the only ones that ever hurt anyone are those kept locked in cages or lead their lives at the end of a chain. Brutal dog owners are stupid people and from them we can expet stupid results. Something that has to be understood is that different breeds have different dispositions but all that can be of no consequence with love for the animal and for sure, do not allow little children to torment any breed. Torment has wide meanings which is why, if you want to have a dog, learn about dogs.

Lesson number one: If you are afraid of dogs, stay away from them because they can tell and so see you as a possible enemy to them or the family.

Lesson number two: Never approach with bad intentions anyone with a dog. You may wind up dead.

or maybe the guy was up to no good and the dog took him out before he could go on the attack and kill many innocent lives.

People are soooooooooo stupid. Pitbulls are pack oriented. If you have a bunch of non-neutered males around one will attempt to be the alpha. In this case of three unneutered males, the top pit showed that he is the alpha. Generally, pit bulls only establish the order by killing their challenger whereas other breeds will be content with driving the offending male out of the pack. The dog acted precisely as expected, too bad the humans were oblivious to their nature........

I don't think everything is as black and white as many of you would say. It would be nice if it were, of course, because then we could all protect ourselves from dog bites by always knowing for sure which dogs would bite and never owning those dogs or being around those dogs. However, I hate to tell you guys that it's not that way.

Many of you would like to say it is always the breed. I would have agreed with you once because my family owned a bull terrier we adopted as a puppy and raised with a lot of input from dog trainers because she began to show aggressive tendencies very early. The dog trainer even donated some of her own time to help us with the dog, but nothing we did curbed this dog's aggressive behavior in the least. We finally gave her back to the shelter because we feared that she was too much risk from a legal perspective as well as from a personal perspective-it was only a matter of time before she was going to bite someone, and it was going to be bad. She was sweet and adorable with family but barked and growled and showed her teeth with everyone else. We followed the training perfectly and never abused this dog. It was hard giving her back because we were very attached to her, but we couldn't bear the thought of one of our friends or family being attacked and possibly killed.

I said I WOULD have agreed with you about the breed. The reason I changed my mind was that later we adopted a dog that was a very sweet natured breed from another shelter. This was also a very intelligent breed and was a breed we had owned in the past and had fallen in love with. At first this seemed like the perfect dog-obedient to all commands and everything. However, he suddenly attacked and bit my daughter. She was not seriously injured, so we decided to work with the dog. Again we worked with experts to try to figure out the problem, though this time we had to spend a good bit of money; but nothing helped. We did everything we were told to do. Needless to say, we had to return this dog as well, because we couldn't have a dog that was going to attack our daughter. I assure you that this was a breed you NEVER hear about attacking people. (It wasn't a cocker spaniel-I know they have a rage syndrome, nor was it any of the "purse dogs.")

If some of you are going to cry foul and say we must be bad dog owners because we had two aggressive dogs, let me say that we have had other really great dogs of different breeds including one from the pound. We have a really great dog right now. We've just had some unfortunate dogs from certain shelters. It happens. That does not mean that there are not really great dogs at shelters. My point was that it's not just black and white as to why a dog attacks. It's not just the breeding or just the training or any one thing. It can be any number of things as many have said. The two that we had were aggressive in different ways. Bad breeding can contribute; owners who don't understand how to train their dogs or how to deal with them-especially with large or dominant breeds, though small breeds can have problems as well with something called "small dog syndrome"-and things like whether the dog is ill, afraid, or in pain can all lead to a bite or attack. Most dogs give signals that they are uncomfortable before they actually bite-they growl, show teeth, roll their eyes, bark, etc-but some dogs don't give many signs and some dogs go through these signs really quickly. The second dog we had that I discussed, the one who attacked my daughter, hardly showed any signs of discomfort at all before attacking-no barking, growling, or anything. A behaviorist speculated that he might have been abused and punished by a past owner for showing these signs so that only biting was left. That made him a very dangerous dog because you never knew when he was going to attack. At least we had the sense to know that, while we felt bad for the poor dog and unfortunately some bonding had happened between the dog and me, this was not a dog we wanted to keep as a pet. My daughter was more important.

Note: lest you think I'm the worst parent ever, the reason we didn't get rid of the dog after the first time he bit my daughter was that we initially thought she startled him and he was reacting as a dog might do normally when startled. It was after we began working with him that we realized the issue was more complicated.

When I was a little girl, we got a Golden Retriever from a breeder. My parents did their research, they met the mother and father... all the things you're supposed to do. The dog was female and was spayed. I should also mention that we had excellent resources to draw upon for training, as my Aunt and Cousin have been involved in dog training for a total of 40+ years experience.

Well, that dog would bark, bite, snarl and nip until one day, she cornered my mother on the kitchen table for three hours. The dog, for whatever reason, was incredibly vicious, and we had to put her down. The breeders were puzzled, my Aunt and Cousin were puzzled... nobody could understand why a female purebred Golden could be so aggressive.

My cousin (on the other side of the family) when he was in college, made the instant decision to buy a pit bull from a backyard breeder with puppies. That dog is the sweetest thing, at times even seeming cowardly. I'm not stupid enough to say that she would never hurt anyone, but she'd have to be provoked, and it's not in her nature without extenuating circumstances.

Maybe he got lucky, and we didn't. I don't know, I'm not in a dog's head. But it sure does say something that it's possible. In general, most people should not have pits. They are high energy, need a lot of attention and training, and need to have a dominant owner. Most people do not have the time, knowledge, or desire to give pits what they need and it's a shame because the dogs suffer.

Often females that are spayed become aggressive, the opposite of un-neutered males. There are numerous reasons but often it is because of hormone imbalances from being spayed without having had a litter.

People generally treat dogs like objects instead of understanding that they are individual creatures with their own drives, needs and triggers. But we just have to have them be our best friends.......

I have a 14 year old mix part pit , black lab and queens healer. Most of her life she was not spade. Do to some problems she was spade about 3 years ago. She is still a very gentle dog. When she was younger she could switch into protection mode by watching what i did. She also understood aggressive actions and would be come aggressive. She never has bitten anyone as she was always with me and listen to what I asked her to do. Today my neighbor came over with his 3 year old grandson. As we were talking, I watch the grandson make contact with my dog. His actions were very gentle and my dog came up and offered the top of her head for a little affection. She kind of put it right in his center mass very gently. Some dogs have issues and some don't. There is not much you can do with the ones that have issues, except keep them safe and maybe away for others. As these issues were imprinted in the first 6 weeks of their lives and can never be fully undone. The same goes for people but the imprint time goes out to 12 years or so

Sorry...I owned one, my niece has one I nicknamed "Goober" because he's such a dork...he chased away a dog that was going after my nephew one day...stays by him at home...lays in front of his door when he's there.

I worked for a vet for 5 years...a rehaber for a summer...people can do bad things to animals. That animal that is mistreated can also seem loving and attentive to the hand that beats it.

Perhaps he DID do something to make it attack him. No one will ever know.

Poodles should be banned worldwide. They are a very vicious breed.

ht tp://www.chicagonow.com/a-city-mom/2012/04/vicious-poodles-attack/

Perhaps he DID do something to make it attack him. No one will ever know.

bluepanther20 - He did do something bad, he owned one and let it sleep right next to him.

He raised it from a cutie wootie puppy. Ahhhhhhhh, ain't that so special of him. He even fed it - for the last time!

Again and again, how many times do we have to keep hearing on the television or reading on the internet how this sweet whittle puppy-po would never hurt a flea. He might kill a child or adult, but never a whittle flea. Yes, my pit bull is sooooooooooooooo special and sooooooooooooooo sweet. He would neeeeeeeeeeever hurt a sole. Then why is your family member laying on the bed stiffer than a board with his throat ripped out?

This breed is a killing machine waiting to go off on someone. You may have it sleep with you on your bed; you may have it eat at the table; you may have it go fetch the newspaper, but one day, it is going to size you up and take you out! It's in the blood and genetics to be one mother "f-ing" killing machine. But what do we continually hear, "He was so sweet with family members; he never showed aggressiveness in the some many years we had him." Hear is my favorite, "Police and family members are baffled as to why he turned and attack a family member."

Remember this part in the article, "Hagerman’s wife, Charlotte Williams, found him unresponsive with one of the pit bulls on top of him.

Pit Bulls are wired to attack and attack until you stop moving, breathing or both! Most other breeds will bite your ass and stop, not a pit bull. That, coupled with his jaw strength that locks onto you makes him a prime candidate for extermination from the planet.

My sincere condolences to the family - please get rid of the other one while you still can. Remember, he saw the other one kill his master, or he may be the one that did the killing himself.

Like others, I hesitate to simply write this off as a matter of the breed involved. The reproductive status of one of the dogs involved stood out to me, because statistically intact males are involved in the majority of serious attacks on humans. What also stood out to me was that one dog was the father of the other involved, and though they did not state the age of the offspring it sounded like it was most likely a young adult. That would mean most likely they bred their male very young, which is considered very irresponsible. Issues with health and temperament usually emerge around the 2-3 year range for medium and large breeds, so it is suggested that breeding should not occur before the dog is 3 years of age.

We probably won't ever know exactly what happened, and we can guess until the cows come home. But simply based upon the reproductive status and age of the dogs involved, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a case of dominance aggression. Essentially, a case of a mature male attempting to "take over the pack", as it were, attacking what it viewed as the leader of the household. This is one reason that neutering is important, because intact males are more likely to seek dominance over other dogs and even humans through aggression.

I would, however, point out that those commenting about "pitbulls attacking more than any other breed" are incorrect. And by this, I merely mean that data collection concerning attacks is flawed in many ways. The first and foremost issue is that the majority of reports break things down by either "Pitbull" or "Pitbull-type", which is itself an inaccurate when then compared to individual breeds. The reason is that when it is used in such a way, they are using a type of dog as opposed to an individual breed. It is the same as grouping Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and Akitas into a single category and then comparing them to Labradors. Doing so creates false numbers, because you are comparing a multiple to a single. A more accurate method would break it down by the individual breeds (American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pitbull Terrier, and maybe even American Bulldog -- sometimes classified with Pitbulls, sometimes classified by itself). There is some argument over American Staffordshires and American Pitbulls, because some breed clubs allow dual registration. I would argue that these two lines started out as the same, but have been bred apart for nearly 50 years and now have different breed standards (size, build, proportion). As such, they are recognized as two different breeds. I would honestly bet money that the majority of attacking dogs identified as Pitbulls are actually mixed breeds of that type, since we are seeing backyard breeders churning them out and selling them for cheap to anyone and everyone.

NC open heart....."Often females that are spayed become aggressive, the opposite of un-neutered males. There are numerous reasons but often it is because of hormone imbalances from being spayed without having had a litter."

That is the dumbest and most false statement anyone could ever make about any dog. It's comments like this that promote backyard breeding and the unnecessary overpopulation of unwanted dogs. Give your head a shake.

A lady at our vet once commented on how beautiful our female boxer was and went so far as to say that we shoud have her bred. I pointedly looked at the lady and said that there were already enough unwanted dogs in the world, why would I want to add to the numbers? and then proceeded on to our appointment.

Our dog was spayed at 6 months and we've had no issues with her behaviour or attitude towards anyone. If anything, she is the most loving dog. She greets all of our guests with enthusiasm and the utmost politeness, knows when someone needs to be cuddled and enjoys a good walk. This personality certainly did not come from the need to push puppies out of her body, it's because of how she is put together. End of story.

What pit bull lovers don't understand is that just because the pit bulls they personally know about are sweet doesn't mean that pit bulls as a breed aren't extremely dangerous. What they really don't realize is that OK pit bulls can have a gentle disposition but there is always a small probability, adding up over a large population, that sweet gentle pit bulls can suddenly go crazy for no apparent reason.

It's a complete lie that it's the dog not the breed. Courts who sole job is to be judicious by examining large volumes of evidence from both sides have repeatedly ruled that Pit Bulls, above all other breeds, are uniquely dangerous.

1. When Pit Bulls attack, they attack to kill.

• Pit Bulls can't be fought off. They are too strong and can take extreme levels of pain.
• Pit Bulls often don't signal aggression before an attack. So there is often no warning what so ever of an impeding attack.
• Pit Bulls routinely cause injuries that no other dog has ever produced. Think hyena here. Pit Bulls will rip out great big gobs of flesh and muscle. An attack to the neck is instant death.
• There are many cases of Pit Bulls raised correctly that still kill without warning. Babies, toddlers, and young children killed in the presence of their parents who were powerless to stop the attack. Pregnant women killed. Even being a full grown man isn't necessarily enough to stop a pit bull from killing that individual or someone else in his vicinity.
• Pit Bulls are responsible for more maulings, hospitalizations, and killings than any other breed and by an extremely wide margin. Almost more than all the other breeds combined.

Pit bulls are the ONLY breed that bites to kill. I have owned two. They bit and will not let go until they have killed. I had to use a crowbar to open my female pit bulls mouth so she would not kill another dog. She killed two other dogs because my kids played with them. No, I will NEVER own a pit bull again. She was never on a chain, she ran free inside a large fenced in backyard. She was never beat. She was 125 pounds of pure muscle that was not safe to be around my family or anyone elses. She was always good to my family but I grew scared of her.

P.S. Did not intend to shout in previous post. I bulleted the items, which automatically set the large font size (an obvious coding error on the part of the programmers) . I attempted to correct the post but after one save the post was permanently set.

Thanks for the explanation Mark, All is Forgiven! :-)

He was Scrappy, wasn't he? These articles should always include the status of male dogs - were they neutered? It seems like the fatal pit bull attacks are always a group of two or more.

I have been chased and bitten by a German Shepherd (when I was a child.) I approached a chained boxer and was snapped at (I should not have intruded into his territory.) I have never been attacked by a pit bull, but I do not care to be around any. They seem to be like unstable chemicals - never know when they might go off, even after long periods of good behavior.

If it was a dachshund that had done this I would understand..............but a Pit Bull..........didn't see that coming.

Lmao! A dachshund..! Thanks for that one!

Unfortunately, pit bulls have a history of turning on their owners for no apparent reason. Regardless of what those defending them will try and tell you, this is a very aggressive breed. They have been bred for far too long to enhance the aggressive trait and no matter what you do you can not overcome that breeding. Different breeds of dog are specifically bred for specific traits. Pit bulls, dobermans, rottweilers, and many German Shepard lines have been bred to enhance their aggressiveness. This is because pit bulls have been used as fighting dogs for a long time and the others have been bred as guard dogs and for military/police use. Other breeds have been bred to enhance their gentleness and friendliness like labs, cocker spaniels, etc. Still other breeds have been bred to be hunting dogs like many of the hounds and terriers. You simply can not overcome this deliberate breeding in of certain traits.

Hagerman reportedly suffered multiple injuries from the dog attack, including a fatal neck injury, according to the autopsy. The death was ruled accidental, officials from the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Accidental ? Are you kidding me ? The dog was a "pit bull". Animals revert to their "animal instincts".

Let hear it from the "pit bull" supporters on why this breed of dog should NOT be outlawed.

My (now deceased) mini-dachshund could go from zero to b!tch in one second. That's what adrenal tumors do. I got bitten a couple times, but that's it. Were that a pitbull, I would not have been that lucky.

The article states that they adopted this particular dogs "son" a year and a half ago, so I'm feeling pretty safe in assuming that neither were neutered. I would like to see stats on how many of these attacks are by intact animals in multi-dog homes? Not making excuses, just wondering.

Ido- How about this is America, it's called freedom. You can drink yourself to death or kill someone while driving drunk, and still alcohol is legal.

@ gone4now

Genetics do matter, when you breed a dog with aggressive traits to another dog with aggressive traits you are going to get puppies with aggressive traits. Its no different than breeding a 12 pound dog to another 12 pound dog, you're not going to get puppies that grow up to be 150 pounds. While intelligent training can help it won't eliminate the aggressiveness. That's just basic biology.

I wonder--why did they own pit bulls in the first place given their genetic profile? Do you think you can overcome genetic animal instincts with love? If so, why not adopt a cougar?

People usually own pit bulls for protection, which means they are relying on their fierceness to ward off intruders. It's impossible to turn this on and off.

If i was a pitbull and had to live in a cramped up apartment, in a filthy city, getting no exercise, with a who knows how he/they treated them and then you bring in another dog that cramps my style, eats my food, gets petted maybe more than me...hell i'd bite and chew on my bastard master too....

They do not turn on their owners for no reason. It's simply that humans are too stupid to understand the reason. It's about alpha dominance, pure and simple. The pitbull breed has a specific jaw type that locks when biting. That makes them far more dangerous once they attack than other breeds. Most dangerous are unneutered males with male owners. They will challenge the owner eventually and as in this case, usually have a true dominance that wins out.......but hey, blame the dog instead of the macho idiot that just had to have one........

NC open heart

Good to see some good sense in this discussion.

If it was a dachshund that had done this I would understand..............but a Pit Bull..........didn't see that coming.

Too freakin funny! The mental picture will keep you laughing all day.

Most of the time that is true however, some Terriers have a defect in their brain (note I said terriers and not pittbulls. Pittbulls are in the Terrier family) that can cause seizures and any animal having a seizure is dangerous.

Just an FYI. As its not stated in the article if the dog was put down or not or if so an autopsy of the dog was done, we will never know and the people push hate onto a dog that is simply not the beast they want him to be will continue to blame the dog

I'm confused. I don't see anywhere in the article about bite marks and blood. You shouldn't need to conduct an autopsy to determine a dog attack (seriously people come on). This is poor journalism at it's finest. The journalist obviously didn't have a story and knew what would grab peoples attention. The story doesn't add up at all. If you pitt bull haters actual read the story and did the math you'd see this. There is ZERO, NADA, NO evidence of a dog attack here. If there was, there would be some serious details on the multiple injuries and again you wouldn't need a freakin autopsy.

My friends lab turned on his daughter last year. She suffered serious injuries which included 22 stitches to her head. Time to kill off all Labs. They're natural born hunters too. That's dangerous. We shouldn't let them have the chance to take down a human. Grow up folks!

Shan W

(Hagerman reportedly suffered multiple injuries from the dog attack, including a fatal neck injury, according to the autopsy.) Maybe the author of this article needed to say multiple dog bites for you to get a clue?

Why is it poor journalism to state the fact that an autopsy was performed, and to report what it said?

Oh wow thanks!! I didn't read that part! Seriously, is this your first time reading an article on Pitt 'attacks'? Do you even read the news? Ever?

You forgot to comment about the lab!

MSN did not follow up with the up-date: apparently those were not the victim's dogs and that woman is his girlfriend, not his wife. She owned those 2 dogs and the dogs attacked her boyfriend while she was away. Both dogs were put down. Just heard this on the morning news here in Chicago.

Maybe we should round up all the nasty pit bulls and a few nice ones and give them to the afghan police forces as presents instead of a gun, then maybe the pit would take out the afghan, and we could give him to another....that way we'd save u.s. soldiers lives and we'd be giving something to the afghans that they could and if they abuse it, it kills them....

lonesome george-3335313

Finally it all comes clear. As I said in my post, to own a dog you need to know about dogs. It sounds like the dominant male was attacking his competition. You have to know what you are dealing with and learn how to deal with it.

What a shocker, who ever saw this coming.

I always see headlines like "Chicago man mauled to death by his own golden retriever" but never pitbulls

Actually, there has been a case in Ohio where a golden killed a young boy who was playing with him in the backyard of there house. So I guess we should ban all Goldens. There is not enough information to determine what happened. Pitbulls are in the agressive breed category, along with shepherds, dobies, rottwielers etc. and need owners who know how to deal with the breed. If you use adversive measures for training or rough-house with these types of dogs, it will bring out the aggressive behavior. Using positive reinforcement suppresses it. We got pits in from a humane case and brought the puppies up using only positive reinforcement and one got its canine good citizen certificate and another is a therapy dog. Don't blame the dog for having uneducated owners.

Golden retrievers can have bizarre behavior - I know of one who ate all her puppies.

A man had two dogs, a pit bull and a golden retreiver that he raised from puppies always treating them like his children, one day the golden out of the blue attacked him and bit him to death while the pit bull sat and watched. If you think this can happen I have some water front property I need to sell. Most dogs will bite and leave you alone, but not the pit he will not stop until you are dead. Meet most dogs on the street and if you have a stick you can shoo them away, not the pit they will attack even if you had a baseball bat.

I have had two dogs in my life, a german shepard and a doberman, both were good dogs and never bit anyone, I would never own another dog, I will stick with my .357 mag.

for whatever reason, thoughout time dogs have been known to turn on their owners or whomever. Small children should never be left alone with a dog. I hear stories like this all the time. Comes as no surprise, what surprises me is the I don't know what happen attitude from some owners when something like this happens.

emc916 - I applaud your comment.

Jerry-192747: so you're saying a german shepard and doberman will just bite then leave you alone? Hahahaha you're funny!

My best friend had over 100 stitches put in his head due to a dobe. Guess that was one big bite.

People who defend pitbulls are the same type who defend great whites: "they are not interested in humans, they attack you by mistake, you must have done something to provoke them, blah blah blah...." Total BS

Yeah! Why would anyone want a junkyard dog in their apartment?

While any dog can be vicious very few have the tools to kill you like a pit bull. Pit bulls are what they were breed to be a fighting dog. With the strength and instinct to kill. So while other dogs may bite they normally back off after they have gotten their point across. Not so with pit bulls they're breed to attack an keep on attacking and that's normally what they do.

Pit bulls were bread to be aggressive and mean for the entertainment of human trash - who like to watch dogs fight to the death.

And as usual, humans take no responsibility for their actions - and the dogs will pay the price for our arrogance and stupidity.

Seems to me like someone needs to "cull the human breed", and soon.

zuksam, guess you have never even ever looked up anything to what you talk about.

teacher always said to remember to engage brain before opening your mouth. Guess you and several others here missed that instruction.

Look up "Nanny Dog" sometime.

Crowbar,

I have a pit bull and love her to pieces. I had heard this "Nanny Dog" rumor as well, but recently I completed a research project on pit bulls in a law class and have found that it nothing but a myth. I love pit bulls and think that they are fantastic dogs, but all evidence seems to point to them being bred to first fight in "bull-baiting" fights, then later to fight themselves.

You need to educate yourself crowbar7.

Indigo...you need to be culled for your spelling.....bred ffs!!!

Hubba, It's nice that you "love your dog to pieces".... Just hope he doesn't one day LOVE YOU TO PIECES....

Look up "Nanny Dog" sometime.

I looked it up last time someone thew this at me. It's made up history that PB lovers throw at you when they are tying to convince you their dogs is really a sweet puppy.

Wrong. It's how it was bred for 20 generation of fighting in the pits. You can't breed that out in a few generations. Shows how ignorant you are of genetics.

When pit bulls cause more than 60% of all dog bite fatalities in the US and they are only 5% of the dog population it is not just how they are raised. That is the dumbest comment ever. Yes the family is in shock, no doubt they have commented on other pit bull attacks about how sweet and wonderful THEIRS is and that it is only how they are raised... BULL!

First: Any dog can have a seizure and do this (any animal)

F Walsh:

I want to see your proof where they cause 60% of the dog bite fatalities. Where is that number?

So any of you own a pit bull or do you assume you know everything? Any dog can bite if it not properly raised. FWalsh...i think you need to be educated more on this situation.

kljjtl.........

You can't change reality simply by asserting something different. That's called magical thinking.

Regarding "education": You seem to be virtually impervious to it. But fortunately, insurance companies are not. That's why more and more of them are excluding coverage for damages inflicted by dangerous dog breeds. Soon, you folks will own pit bulls at your own risk. You should probably seek out a good bankruptcy attorney and, perhaps, a criminal attorney as well.

I'm sure a tiger would be a perfect house pet as well if you raise it in a nice environment? And yes, any dog can bite, but most dogs don't kill when they do. Look at the statistics!

Pits just do way more damage when they attack. I'd say the number is way over 60%. I can't recall a case where someone was severely injured or killed and it wasn't a pit.

I've known the nicest pits raised by the nicest people and still when they snap, bad things happen.

Sorry, I'm tired of hearing that BS. Dogs are malleable bits of genetic tooling. They've been bred to do specific roles and they do them whether you like it or not. I've seen my friend's Britanny Spaniel who has never been used or trained as a hunting dog point birds before. They get imprinted generation after generation BY US with traits for specific purposes. Pit Bulls may be raised in a loving, disciplined environment and be the good ol' family dog...until the day for some reason something triggers their programming. Every dog of any breed is a "Manchurian Candidate" waiting to express its programming. I'm sick to death of everyone being mystified by why the Pit Bull (American Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier--call it what you like) went berserk and mauled someone. I'm also sick to death of the mamby pamby BS about them being a gentle breed and somehow it's the fault of the owner that they go psycho. You can take the dog out of it's intended context but you can't take the programming out of the dog. A Husky or Malamut is a good dog, but better outdoors than in. Even after generations of being family pets, if you hooked one to a sled it would pull till it dropped and be extremely happy about it. Yes a driver would have to train it to work in a team with other dogs but the inclination is there.

So you all are telling me that only pitbulls bite or kill? Please go google dog attacks and tell me if they are all about pitbulls.

A dog is an animal..... ANIMAL.... We attempt to humanize them for our pleasure.. I have a Yorkie that was abused, but would NEVER turn my back on him while anyone is at my home... Even though he sleeps with us.

My neighbor has a Yorkie puppy.... I picked it up to pet it and it, not bit, attacked my face, bit me and drew blood within a split second.....

Let me repeat.............. Dogs are great companions, but, they are ANIMALS...

kljjtl - thanks for the insightful suggestion to go to Google - this might help

The Clifton study of attacks from 1982 through 2006 produced similar results. According to Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes were responsible for 65% of the canine homicides that occurred during a period of 24 years in the USA. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.)

I wish people would stop defending the pit-bulls. you cannot and should not trust them at all. Its an awful thing to treat ANY animal bad. But you're playing with fire if you get one of these things!!!

Kljjl.... Any dog can bite or attack But the ones that are the most dangerous and have the strength and temperament to kill are the fighting breeds, Pit bulls, bull terriers. And those breed to be guard dogs, mastiffs, Rottweilers, and others. These dogs are dangerous because they were breed to be dangerous. Just like a gun manufacturer makes guns to kill and they work well for their intended purpose. These breeds were breed to kill or injure and they can do this very well so they are dangerous and should be treated that way.

I agree that it is mostly in the breeding. Yes any dog can bite. But all dog breeds have distint traits. That is why they sell books explaining the typical temperment and behavior traits of each breed, so you can have a good idea what you are going to be getting before you make the choice. I've known a good number of people who have owned Pits, and they were wonderful pets, never showing any aggresion at all. But it seems most of the ones we hear of are "good" dogs that appear to have snapped for some reason. It only takes that one time. And when they do snap, they are often deadly. I'm sure some of it has to do with the fact that many people who have a pit do so because they want a dog with a tough rep, and that affects the way they raise that dog, but I wouldn't trust one around my child no matter how it was raised.

Zuksam...i see your point and thanks for not being a douch about it!

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2011.php

Berenerd you can now apologize to F. Walsh you can read it yourself.

You resort to name -calling? How old are we here. I wouldn't call you stupid for your thoughts! You are ruthless!

kljjtl....yeah they are dumb, time after time I hear nasty attacks on children adults other dogs from Pit Bulls. There is a difference between biting and attacking with intention to kill. That is what Pit Bulls do. What don't you understand about genetic breeding? People breed certain behavioral or physical characteristics into dogs, and for generations they have bred aggression into Pit Bulls. By the way, great post ScooterMcCoy...

I wasn't referring to name-calling to the dog...I meant me

!

more2bits-4021678

Pit Bull owners never learn--they are just too stupid.

One of Michael Vicks Dog's from the last I heard was given to a family in the San Francisco Bay area, and is actually doing very well, these were dogs put in a bad situation, type google 'what happened to michael vicks pit bulls' for more info. Personally, I've been around a lot of Pit Bulls, and have never had a problem with them, any dog, if large enough can do a great deal of damage to human, including death. If you have an idiot raising them to attack others,, eventually, it's probably what they will do, including their owner if it's had enough of it's abuse

I heard his last words were "......are you gonna bark all day little doggy...........or are you gonna bite?"

Only pit bulls bite? Shih Tzu's don't huh?

I rather be bit 1000 times by a Shih Tzu than once by a pit bull. Therein lies the difference.

Then go for it...that sounds pretty silly to me!!!

Sounds silly to me that you don't get what Theo really said. It can only take one bite from a pit to kill.

Lisa...do you know if ANY dog bites you in the neck, main artery, you can die??????????????? Have some knowledge before you comment. Little dogs have sharp teeth and can easily puncture through the skin and veins!

kljjtl....did you read the story about the seven pound poodle who killed his owner? The poodle was found on top of his owner gnawing off the dead guy's ear when his wife came home from work. She said the dog was always so gentle around the kids. You didn't read that one? That's because it doesn't happen!

Pit bulls are much more likely to attack and injure people than other breeds. They are stronger than most dogs....they are wilder than most dogs....they go nuts more than most dogs. They're like leaving a loaded gun around the house....sure most times kids wont find it and shoot themselves...but sometimes.....

kljjtl, it doesn't say anything other than pit bulls. I have two shih-tzus and you know how many people they have bit? None. Now my male shih-tzu is blind in one eye, and crippled in one leg you know why, because he got between a pit that some idiot let run loose and my daughter. The shih-tzu lost the fight, but I won when the courts ordered the dog euthanized.

@WeAllHaveOpinions

dogsbite.org is notoriously bias against certain breeds of dogs. I would never use them as your basis for any fact or statistic on dogs. Use http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com.

______________________________

The National Canine Research Council concluded in a research paper that, "There is no scientific evidence that one kind of dog is more likely to injure a human being than another kind of dog. There is no evidence that, absent circumstances specifically associated with mating or maternal protectiveness, a dog being intact should be understood as a cause of aggressive behavior toward human beings. And for every “resident” dog that injured a human being, multitudes sadly similarly kept injured no one."

In addition, A study by the National Canine Research Council reveals biased reporting by the media, its devastating consequences for dogs and the toll it takes on public safety.

Consider how the media reported four incidents that happened in 2007 between August 18thand August 21st:

 August 18, 2007 – A dog reported to be a Labrador mix bit a 70-year-old man sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Police officers arrived at the scene and the dog was shot after charging the officers. This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper.

 August 19, 2007 – A 16 month old child received fatal head and neck injuries from a mixed-breed dog. This incident was reported two times by the local paper only

 August 20, 2007 – A 6-year-old boy was hospitalized after receiving severe bites to the head by a medium-sized mixed-breed dog. This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper.

 August 21, 2007 – A 59-year-old woman received severe injuries requiring hospitalization from an incident in her home involving two dogs reported to be “pit bull” dogs. This incident was reported in over two hundred and thirty articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.

“Clearly a dog bite-related fatality by an unremarkable Breed is not as newsworthy as a non-fatal incident involving a “pit bull” dog.” -Karen Delise, founder and Director of Research, NCRC

People routinely cite media coverage as “proof” that “pit bull” dogs are more dangerous than other dogs. Costly and ineffective public policy decisions are being made on the basis of such “proof.” While this biased reporting is not only lethal to an entire population of dogs; sensationalized media coverage endangers the public by misleading them about the real factors in canine aggression.

______________________

I am not a pit bull owner, but it seems to me that many of the anti-pit bull individuals are feeding off the unfounded fear and bias created by the media.

I really hate it when people let their dogs run loose. I've come home from work and lo and behold, there is a sixty pound dog in my front yard I don't know. He belongs to a woman up the street and she'll just let him roam. He may get hit by a car or worse. A friend of mine was bit by a loose German Sheperd his neighbor had. My friend warned him several times that the dog was aggressive. Well, the neighbor was there when the dog bit my friend Jim. Jim says to the guy "Well, how about we discuss that your dog just bit a lawyer". Yeah, Jim is a lawyer. Lawyer + dog bite = Not good results for dog owner.

who said the dog wasn't neutered?

"They took in a second pit bull, Scrappy’s son, Rocco, a year and a half ago." I would bet that they still had not neutered the dog.

Yep...better the owner than someone else...

You Sir, fail at life, now pick up your gun please...

Berenerd must be a pit bull owner. He is very defensive of the monsters.

Yup, people with dogs need to realize a dog is a DOG. They don't have human emotions. They have DOG emotions. When you get a dog you need to establish yourself as the alpha male(even if you're a woman)otherwise the dog will assume that role. Don't treat your dog as a human. You will confuse it. Treat it like a dog. They have their own social network. Also, dog crates and shock collars are not bad. A dog is a den animal so a crate is natural to them. A shock collar when used properly is a training device. My girlfriends dog loves his. When she gets it out he knows he's going to the park for a walk. You don't use them for punishment. They are an attention getting device when used correctly. Spend some time with a professional dog trainer like we did and you will have a better and more behaved dog. Also, dogs are creatures of habit. If you walk them often they expect that. Stop walking them and they get cabin fever and will/may destroy stuff out of boredom. Dogs aren't a piece of furnature or a fashion accessory. They are a living, thinking animal.

Duckworth: Loved your response. It was the first intelligent one I've read today. When I read about the second dog being brought in I wondered if the owner had properly established himself. Any time I get a dog I break him before they get too big. They are animals and they have different rules. I don't get people who humanize their animals. I think those people are a danger to society. I don't even like walking my dogs anymore because of all the problems other dog owners cause with their stupidity.

owning a dog is a risk. from spreading disease in their feces to vicious attacks they are a risk. i have owned (or they have owned me) collies, springer spaniel , spitz, st bernard, poodle, coyote mix heinz 57, irish setter. in my 50 years of owning dogs none of my dogs ever bit anyone. they were all spayed females with docile temperament observable in puppyhood. you can reduce the chance of having a biting dog by knowing the lineage and temperament of the breeding pair of your puppy. but in the end it is still a risk. minimizing the risk can save alot of heartache.

Thanks Diana, something people really screw up is if a dog is wagging it's tail, it's happy. I hear it in the park alot. Two people let their dogs sniff each other and "Oh, their wagging their tails, they like each other". Then one snaps at the other in a fear/aggression response. How a dog wags it's tail is more telling. And don't get me started on people who dress up their dog in cute clothes and want to push them around in a stroller. Leave the poor thing some dignity. My girlfriends sister will scold her own dog with words like "Ok young man, that was just rude". I just say...He's a dog, not a young man. He has no idea what you're saying. Use a consistent vocabulary with your dog. Down means down. Off means off. Here means come here. Outside means do you want outside. My girlfriends dog knows all these words and more.

Finally, one of these awful dogs kills the idiot willing to live with one of them. The only people owning aggressive, barking, biting dogs of any kind are sociopaths. I live next door one who uses his aggressive dog to threaten and intimidate others. The city leaders do nothing about this type of sociopath because the dog nuts defend them all no matter what. People don't take care of their dogs. They let them bark day and night. They hate their neighbors. They bring property values down. I KNOW this dude has some seriously happy neighbors right now. They won't ever say it out loud. But, they are silently thrilled that he and his tupid dog are gone.

I am thinking the Dog had a seizure.

Thank God there is at least one person that repsects pitbulls. Any dog can bite or attack.

finally a reasonable voice of reason. yes, I said that. I posted earlier that I've known many pitbulls that were loving and fun, never a moment of doubt as to whether or not they'd hurt anybody. Yet, my sister was bitten by a german shepard... hmm

Was she killed or disfigured by him?

Tik Tik Tik only a matter of time Chase-2101416

Right on Chase! I'm with you on this one!

True, there is a lot missing from the story. Were both male pitbulls neutered or not (assuming Scrappy and Rocco are names of male dogs)? How was Rocco raised before they adopted him?

There are several breeds of dogs that can be vicious - chows have been known to chew the faces off children. Even St. Bernards are said to be more unstable than they once were, as they have become more inbred. Any large dog that is bred for aggressiveness or just inbred repeatedly can be unexpectedly dangerous. Of course, any large dog that is taught to be aggressive is dangerous, regardless of genetic disposition.

I had a pit-bull mix when I was stationed in Texas. I lived in base housing. Shore patrol shot my dog and the dog was running away from him. It was a big investigation. He was just plain afraid of the dog. The dog would jump up and try to nip at my face. The guy was right to be afraid. the bullet didn't kill him. The navy tried to cover the incident up. They even paid the vet bill. These dogs are not to be trusted

mailman- read the story, rocco was the son of scrappy-therefore he had reproduced

Wow klijjtl you have to be one of the most stubborn people on the planet. We get it, you love dogs as do I but I don't ignore reality. Yes all dogs can bite, attack, growl, gnaw etc. but there is no dog on this planet that is more dangerous than the pit. Slice it and dice any way you want but facts are facts.

During 9/11 there's was several cadavair dogs searching through the rubble. Most could only search for a few hours due to the overbearing conditions. There was one dog that work relentlessly to keep searching and never have up. He was a Pitbull. Yes they can be mean and yes they can be loving, sounds alot like humans, do you ban humans?

Posting some statistics that show the number of deaths by Pitbulls is useless when you put it up against the number these have killed: humans, alcohol, tobacco, and lets not forget religion. I guess we should start banning these too.

A shih-tzu, chin, pekingese, don't have enough of a snout to bite. They may get lucky and get a pinch in. Ha Ha. I have yet to hear about any of the three mentioned dogs killing one of their owners, but hear about pits all the time.

If a human kills we don't allow them to run the streets.

I don't have pittbulls, nor do I want one. But I do have a dog that is very defensive. He is very close to my wife. One time I teased smacked her in the butt, and she playfully grabbed my arm, and we wrestled around. Well the dog could not understand what was happening and came over and bit my leg. It was nothing but a scratch but he got very defensive.

So I wonder if this couple had been fighting or yelling loudly and the dog was being defensive?

WeAllHaveOpinions

If a human kills we don't allow them to run the streets.

Wow, really here's an easy one, OJ. I'm sure if I took more than one minute to think, I could come up with some more. O wait don't forget our awesome President Bush, sending troops over to Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, I would consider this the same. Wasted lives on a wasted lie.

I was attacked and bitten by my friends cocker spaniel when I was 8. All I was doing was playing ball with him and when I reached for the ball on the ground to throw it for him he lunged at me and bit my face.I was not seriously injured and only required a few stitches on my face, yet I still would NEVER say "lets get rid of an animal species". See the attack I was involved in was MY fault NOT the dogs. He was just excited and did not use mallice when he bit me. See we as Humans are suppose to be the smarter ones. Just because this was a PIT Bull does not mean ALL pit bull dogs are bad. This was just a tradegy. Unfortunately we dont here about the "little" dog attacks because those are usually not deadly. We only pick on the pit bull because they are a larger breed and obviously do more physical damage. If we get rid of these dogs then ALL dogs should be banned.

As for those talking about folks needing to hire lawyers and things like that for owning a pit bull I have to ask when has it ever mattered what type of dog attacked you? I mean I see court cases all the time where the dog who attacked the person was not a pit bull but that did not mean the owner was not responsible for the damage the dog caused.

If that was a Pit Bull you would most likely not be around or in a need of serious reconstructive surgery.

UIG, So what you are saying is that when a child is bitten in face by a dog it is the child's fault?

Not the child's fault. The parents are at fault for not supervising their children when around any dog. They are after all animals. For a dog a growl is a warning and biting is defense. Children especially are vulnerable to dog bites because they don't know how to treat dogs and the dog acts out of self defense.

"...I still would NEVER say "lets get rid of an animal species"

Pit bull is not a species - it is one breed of domestic dog among many - a variety created by selective breeding. Because they have very different appearance, people think of different breeds as different species. Breeds come and go, they can be created through selective breeding and can disappear for lots of reasons (selective elimination, disinterest, mixing, collapse of the society that chose their traits, etc.)

Eskimos are very different from African Pygmies - still the same species of homo sapiens.

Well, beadarg, that goes without saying. A bigger dog has a bigger mouth that inflicts a bigger wound. No matter wha characteristics are bred into a specific line of dogs (Bulls, Terriers, Retrievers, etc.) we have to remember they are DOGS; not children in fur coats. Dogs do what dogs do, no matter what breed. I, and 2 others, were attacked by a dog yesterday. It tore it's muzzle off (known biter) and had a fit, biting anyone in range. One person required a tetanus shot. This dog is a 25lb Terrier mix. Would a pit bull cause more bodily harm? Of course. But the fact remains; this Terrier mix is more vicious & aggressive than any pit bull I've known.

But statistics show that pits are the more agressive breed. Out of 31 fatalities from dog attacks in 2011 71% or 22 attacks were by pit bulls and the breed only makes up 5% of the U.S. dog population.

Such overwhelming ignorance and fear, but fear causes ignorance . Do some research, educate yourselves. Most importantly, and this is paramount , if you don't own a Pit Bull and have no experience with the breed, you're a virgin giving sex advice ,a childless person handing out "wise" advice on raising kids. A blowhard if you will. I own 3 of the clowns myself , all rescued from abusive jerk idiots. Ive owned German Shepherds, Rotts, Jack Russell Terrorist ,Poodle and every mutt in between and dogs are dogs are dogs. Stop Canine Racism ! Remember Main Stream Media lies and tries to instill fear . Don't bother insulting my intelligence, my IQ is 122 so I'm secure.

I have two Pitbulls that were rescued from dolts. If I say jump, they ask how high.

If they were Beagles, this would still be the case, and the point. I'm quite sure they would try to levitate if asked. I demand control of them, because their lives depend on it. Literally.

The POint, being, if and when they want to " misbehave " which breed can do more damage?

Nice...hope you've moved

Been living in a Suburb in New Jersey for 12 years, away from that filth and crime and Pit Bulls. Very happy too.

HarleMan..you are soooo ignorant! Really? Only drug dealers own pitbulls? Rediculous!

KLj, I said, "Where I come from",. I'm not ignorant, I know the regular people have Pits for pets.

klj what is so ignorant about what he posted? He stated what he has noticed in the area where he is from. Ignorance is that of someone with little or no tolerance of someone who has an opinion that differs from theirs.

kljjtl said, "You resort to name -calling? How old are we here. I wouldn't call you stupid for your thoughts! You are ruthless!"

also, "HarleMan..you are soooo ignorant! Really? Only drug dealers own pitbulls? Rediculous!"

But he/she doesn't resort to name calling.

kljjtl, it's called an opinion (or in your case: a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty) and we are all entitled to one. Thanks and have a terrific day.

Michael Vick is a drug dealer? I thought he was just some sports a$$hole who fought dogs for fun.

That is a possibility. We had an elderly small husky that when she had seizures outside with our big German Shepard he would lie beside her and put a paw on her to hold her still and stay with her till she came around. When she had a seizure inside when we were gone one or more of the little dogs attacked her and we had to put her down. The male German Shepard was outside at the time.

corybud, my girlfriend had two Belgian Malanoius(sp)brother/sister litter mates. They look like German Sheperds but are lighter in color. Anyway, the male(80 pounds)would have seizures. The vet said basically a lightning storm in their brain. He had been eating only dry dog food (not the cheap stuff) and would have a seizure every three or four months. I said let's try canned dog food as it has real meat in it. We did that and he didn't have a seizure for over a year. I think people need to feed dogs something a little closer to what their real diet would be. I believe there are certain trace vitamins and other things in real chicken and beef meat that a dog needs that dry dog food is missing. It sure helped Kodo, her dog.

Exactly, next time get Goldfish.