![]() “Dogs are just dogs.Was a comic strip character created in 1902 by Richard Felton Outcault who was known for his association with the Brown Shoe Company. Smith predicts that pit bulls will soon be dethroned by the Belgian Malinois - a variety of shepherd favored by the Secret Service and used by the Navy SEALS who raided Osama bin Laden’s compound. In the 1970s, German shepherds ranked as dog-bite kings. In the 1800s, bloodhounds were reportedly the most feared breed. Pit bulls are merely the latest in a string of four-footed outcasts. BAD RAP, the Bay Area group that helped rescue Vick’s dogs, conceded in 2013 that the “nanny dog” claim was “a recent invention.”Īnd so the debate over pit bulls rages on - until the next canine villain emerges. After an anti-pit bull website posted photos of kids straddling alligators and offered evidence that the claim was actually cooked up in 1971 by the president of a Staffordshire bull terrier club, some advocates backtracked. The label is sometimes backed with vintage photos of youngsters riding or cuddling pit bulls. Although officials from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society believed his 51 pit bulls were beyond rehabilitation, rescue groups placed nearly all of the dogs (one was euthanized for violent tendencies) in new homes and sanctuaries, where they’re doing well, according to published reports.Īnother oft-mentioned pit bull defense involves claims that they were nicknamed “nanny dogs” in the early 1900s because of their devotion to children. To further counter the dog’s savage reputation, other advocates point to the case of Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback who pleaded guilty in 2007 to operating a dog-fighting ring. The nonprofit offers weekly training classes in local parks and occasionally sponsors mass pit bull walks around the Rose Bowl to showcase the animals’ underlying good nature. With that in mind, Troy Smith, a Woodland Hills accountant who owns three pit bulls, launched L.A. The problem isn’t the car it’s the driver.” Likewise, pit bulls in the wrong hands can wreak havoc. ![]() Many dog experts say such attacks are aberrations spurred by irresponsible owners who train or torture the dogs to be mean.ĭodman compares pit bulls to muscle cars: “Insurance companies know if you put an 18-year-old behind the wheel of a Ferrari, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Most mauling victims are children, with boys substantially outnumbering girls in injuries and deaths, a statistic that “strongly indicates that human behavior plays a major role in dog-bite injuries,” according to University of Pennsylvania researchers. That helps explain why pit bulls often lead the pack in biting humans, according to media reports analyzing records from various city and county animal control departments. The combination produced dogs that deliver a “crushing bite” and don’t let go, Dodman says. Pit bull terriers are a cross between English bulldogs, which were bred in the 1800s to fight bulls and bears with tenacious bites to the snout, and terriers, known for speed and agility. “Different breeds tend to have different biting styles,” Dodman says. And the Antelope Valley woman who was killed by a pack of pit bulls two years ago suffered 200 puncture wounds. Last November, a Riverside County toddler’s ear was torn off by a pit bull. However, when they do chomp down, it can be a bloodbath. In the plus column, numerous studies show pit bulls are no more likely to bite humans than other breeds.
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