Facts and Statistics - Pit bulls

[Gerri deBeer]

I've done some research on Pit Bull Bans:

Pit Bulls are already banned in: Denver CO, Miami FL, and Cincinnatic OH. PETA supports a Pit Bull ban with a Grandfather Clause allowing dogs who are already in good homes and are well cared for to live the remainder of their lives safely and peacefully.

Three states are currently trying to enact a ban on Pit Bulls: Hawaii, Montana, and Oklahoma.

Carl Friedman, Director of Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, says, quote : "San Francisco has an overpopulation of Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls are the only adoptable dogs that I kill because I cannot find homes for them. I don't blame the dog. But when people tell him it's not a single breed problem, 'the most polite thing I can say is they have their heads in the sand'. If we don't do something and there's another fatality, then people are going to start taking matters into their own hands." End of quote.

There are more documented Pit Bull attacks, some fatal, some scarring (both emotionally and physically), than people will honestly acknowledge. Why is there even a question whether this breed should be banned? There are so many options in dog ownership, why do people feel they should have the right to own a historically vicious animal? What is the agenda of owners who demand the right to keep a potentially vicious animal in a populated area?

BTW, I am born and bred. Since birth, I grew up with many different breeds of dog - German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel, Dalmation, Boxers (more than one), Standard Poodle, Chihuahua Terriers, mutts, you name it. I am a dog person who has never been bitten, I believe, because I have a natural affection for dogs, cats, and animals in general. I am not prejudiced against Pit Bulls - I am concerned for the safety of the public and the responsibility of our legislators to protect the general public against any extraordinarily dangerous situations. We have enough to worry about in our lives today; we don't need to worry about the next Pit Bull attack.

Mahalo,
Gerri deBeer

[Gerri deBeer]

FACTS:

Pit Bulls are already banned in: Denver CO, Miami FL, Cincinnatic OH, and Ontario, Canada. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supports a Pit Bull ban with a Grandfather Clause allowing dogs who are already in good homes and are well cared for to live the remainder of their lives safely and peacefully.

THREE STATES are currently trying to enact a ban on Pit Bulls: Hawaii, Montana, and Oklahoma.

Carl Friedman, Director of Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, says, quote : "San Francisco has an overpopulation of Pit Bulls. Pit Bulls are the only adoptable dogs that I kill because I cannot find homes for them. I don't blame the dog. But when people tell him it's not a single breed problem, 'the most polite thing I can say is they have their heads in the sand'. If we don't do something and there's another fatality, then people are going to start taking matters into their own hands." End of quote.

Above are FACTS, not opinion. You are entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. Go to the police station and simply ask them what type of dogs have the highest incidence of vicious attack on people and other animals. You won't like what the police will say but FACTS ARE FACTS. There should be more concern for the safety of the public and less passion about keeping a potentially vicious animal. The last owner of a pit bull that turned vicious and attacked a baby this year had the good sense to put the animal down. Enough is enough with pit bull attacks.

[Geri Salvador]

May I ask as to what facts and statistics you have? When you indicated there are more documented Pit Bull attacks, where specifically did you get your statistics? There are other breeds that also caused fatal attacks and emotional and physical scarring so, should they be banned too? Am I to believe that only pit bulls bite? I have handled hundreds of pit bulls in the last few years, and by handling, I am bent down face to face with these creatures you consider to be vicious and the only encounters I received were licks to my face. I visit a friend who owns a Chihuahua to only receive my FIRST dog bite. So should we enact a ban against Chihuahuas too? No...I own two Chihuahuas myself and they have never bitten anyone so why should they be punished because of something another Chihuahua does.

You ask why people feel that they should have the right to own a historically vicious animal. What you need to understand is that IN PAST, pit bulls WERN'T born to bull bait, they were bred and raised to do it. I speak for myself and a lot of my friends who owns bully breeds, we do not raise our dogs to bull bait or be vicious dogs. My dogs are constantly around my children as well as other children, people and other dogs. Do you think that I would put others in a position to let them around my dogs if my dogs were "vicious" as you called them? You cannot put blame on the dog, it is becomes a matter of owner responsibility on how you raise your dog. We owners do not have any type of agenda as you call it, but we do have the right to own what ever type of dog we want, there is no agenda there. Pit bulls may not be your cup of tea, but they are mine. Does that make me a bad person...ABSOULUTELY NOT!

So let me get this straight, your concern for the safety of the public depends on the ban of pit bulls? Not getting drug addicts and criminals and guns off the streets on which our children walk to go to school on a day to day basis, the street my grandmother walks on to go grocery shopping as long as pit bulls are banned we should be safe, right? That's plain ridiculous!

Let me give you some statistics from www.atts.org (Amerian Temperament Test Society)

Breed Name affected by proposed ban Tested Passed Failed Percent
AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER 586 494 92 84.3%
AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER 548 457 91 83.4%
STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER 80 71 9 88.8%

Breed Name (Breeds you grew up with) Tested Passed Failed Percent
CHIHUAHUA 37 26 11 70.3%
COCKER SPANIEL 219 179 40 81.7%
BOXER 381 321 60 84.3%
DALMATIAN 318 260 58 81.8%
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG 2875 2,401 474 83.5%
MIXED BREED 805 687 118 85.3%
STANDARD POODLE 224 191 33 85.3%

So according to these statistics, out of all the dogs you grew up with, the mix breed and standard poodle
did 1% better than they American Pit Bull Terrier which I would like to mention scored the same as the Boxer you grew up with. But the most interestesting to me is the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, another breed named on the propsed ban, scored the highest at 88.8%. I myself own a pure Staffordshire Bull Terrier, yes she once was BRED for bull-baiting but if you read up on them now, they are nicknamed "The Nanny Dog" and it appears my dog did way better than any of the dogs you grew up with. So what this proves is that once bred for bull baiting has now evolved to "The Nanny Dog"

Please note, I have used only the statistics of the breeds proposed on the ban and dogs that you grew up with. If you would like to look up other breeds, I provided you the website above.

[Gerri deBeer]

Pit Bulls are also banned in Ontario, Canada.