Media Lies About APBTs
Borrowed from http://www.coldsteelpits.com/coldsteelme...
Newspaper %26amp; Media
Accounts of Dog Attacks...
The media has vast influence over our perceptions of which breeds of dogs are dangerous, as they decide which dog attack stories to publish. With over 4.7 million dog bites recorded each year in the United States and with over 800,000 of these attacks serious enough to require medical attention, the resources for dog-bite stories appear unlimited. Yet, the media seems to delight in Pit bull related stories, so much so, that in their haste to report the latest Pit bull attack story the truth often takes a backseat to sensationalism.
Listed below is a small sampling of inaccurate and misleading media accounts that have caused irreparable damage to the image of Pit Bulls:
Killer Pit Bulls Rip Granny to ShredsNew York Post (NYPost.com) Dec. 11, 2002
Pet Pit Bulls Kill Woman, 80, in Her HomeThe New York Times (nytimes.com) Dec. 11, 2002
[The victim's daughter and granddaughter (owner of the dogs) could not believe the dogs, a female Pit Bull and a male Lab/Pit mix attacked and killed the elderly woman. The family hired a forensic pathologist to review the case. It was determined that although the victim had sustained some dog bites, all the bites were non-lethal and post-mortem. The grandmother was not "ripped to shreds" by the dogs but died from cardiac arrhythmia. Both dogs were eventually returned to their owners.]
Pit Bull Attack Victim Leaves Hospital WTVO (Channel 17) April 25, 2003
Man Struggles to Recover from Pit Bull Attack WTVO (Channel 17) April 29, 2003
[The man in this case was never bitten by a Pit bull. Indeed, there is no mention of the dog making contact with the man at all. Instead, the man was running from the dog and he ran into the road and "slammed" into a passing van. He sustained serious injuries from the collision with the vehicle.]
Pit Bull Horror New York Daily News February 7, 2004
Pit Bull Mauls 3-Year-Old's Face New York Newsday February 6, 2004
[A Bronx family owned a Boxer dog and a German Shepherd puppy that usually were kept in the basement as guard dogs. Two days before the girl was bitten, the family took in a Pit Bull. The 3-year-old was alone playing with the three dogs when a dogfight started. At this point the girl was bitten in the face by the Boxer (also reported to be an American bulldog). It was later acknowledged that the Pit bull (also reported to be a Pit bull mix and a "pet bulldog") was not involved in the attack on the girl]
Cortland Pit Bull Mauling Death WBNG.com (Channel 12) Dec. 9, 2002
[It was later determined that although the Pit bull participated in the death of 24-year-old Eric Tallman, the dog did not inflict the fatal wounds. The victim died from blunt force injury. It was later revealed that the victim was beaten to death by an acquaintance over a drug debt.]
Barstow Trial Opens in Boy's Death: Pit bulls fatally mauled Cash Carson, 10. The
Press-Enterprise May 5, 2001
Murder Charges Filed in Pit Bull Mauling The Associated Press June 17, 2000
[This tragic case of a 10-year-old boy killed by dogs was carried extensively in the media. The dogs were repeatedly headlined as "Pit Bulls". Neither of these dogswere "Pit Bulls". One appeared to be a Pit Bull Mix and the other dog (the male that inflicted the fatal wounds) was clearly a mixed breed dog. Animal Control and photographs of the dog more accurately identify him as a possible Chow/Pit Bull mixed breed.]
Vancouver Girl Badly Injured in Pit Bull Attack CTV News Dec. 23, 2002
[This was a very severe attack and as such garnered much media attention. As a result of more in-depth coverage the breed was later correctly identified as a Mastiff/Rottweiler mixed breed]
Family's Pit Bull Kills Boy, 20, months The Gainesville Sun May 8, 2000
20-month-old Killed by Bull Terrier Naples Daily News May 9, 2000
[This child was not killed by a Pit Bull, nor a Bull Terrier, nor a "family" dog. How the dog came to be labelled a "Pit bull" is unexplained. The owner described the dog to be a Labrador/Mastiff/Rottweiler cattle dog. The dog was used to herd cattle and was kept chained on the property. Animal control and the Alachua Sheriff's office confirm the dog was a mixed breed. Photographs of the dog reveal no discernable breed.]
________________________________________...
Another serious problem with the image of Pit Bulls is the over-reporting of Pit Bull attacks vs. other breed attacks. Unquestionably, a disporportionate amount of media attention is given to Pit Bull attacks. One example of this is a recent fatal attack in Detroit by a Pit Bull. This story ran in over 30 separate national newspapers and was also picked up by FOX news, CNN and two British newspapers. Two weeks earlier a man was KILLED by his German Shepherd Dog and this story ran only in the local community newspaper.
Pit Bulls in particular have been in a firestorm of bad publicity, and throughout the country Pit Bulls often bear the brunt of breed specific legislation. One severe or fatal attack can result in either restrictions or outright banning of this breed (and other breeds) in a community. While any severe or fatal attack on a person is tragic, there is often a tragic loss of perspective as to degree of dangerousness associated with this breed in reaction to a fatality. Virtually any breed of dog can be implicated in a human fatality.
From 1965 - 2001, there have been at least 36 different breeds/types of dog that have been involved in a fatal attack in the United States. (This number rises to at least 52 breeds/types when surveying fatal attacks worldwide). We are increasingly becoming a society that has less and less tolerance and understanding of natural canine behaviors. Breed specific behaviors that have been respected and selected for over the centuries are now often viewed as unnatural or dangerous. Dogs have throughout the centuries served as protectors and guardians of our property, possessions and
families. Dogs have also been used for thousands of years to track, chase and hunt both large and small animals. These natural and selected-for canine behaviors seem to now eliciting fear, shock and a sense of distrust among many people.
There seems to be an ever growing expectation of a "behaviorally homogenized" dog - "Benji" in the shape of a Rottweiler. Breeds of dogs with greater protection instincts or an elevated prey-drive are often unfairly viewed as "aggressive or dangerous". No breed of dog is inherently vicious, as all breeds of dogs were created and are maintained exclusively to serve and co-exist with humans. The problem exists not within the breed of dog, but rather within the owners that fail to control, supervise,
maintain and properly train the breed of dog they choose to keep.
______________________________________...
CANINE AGGRESSION - AN OVERVIEW
It is important to emphasize that dogs bite today for the same reasons that they did one hundred or one thousand years ago. Dogs are no more dangerous today than they were a century or millennium ago. They only difference is a shift in human perception of what is and is not natural canine behavior and/or aggression and the breed of dog involved.
Examination of newspaper archival records dating back to the 1950s and 1960s reveal the same types of severe and fatal attacks occurring then as today. The only difference is the breed of dog responsible for these events. A random study of 74 severe and fatal attacks reported in the Evening Bulletin (Philadelphia, PA) from 1964-1968, show no severe or fatal attacks by Rottweilers and only one attack attributed to a Pit-Bull-type dog. The dogs involved in most of these incidents were the breeds that were popular at the time.
Over two thousand years ago, Plato extolled a basic understanding of canine behavior when he wrote "the disposition of noble dogs is to be gentle with people they know and the opposite with those they dont know...." Recently, this fundamental principal of canine behavior seems to elude many people as parents allow their children to be unsupervised with unfamiliar dogs and lawmakers clamor to declare certain dogs as dangerous in response to an attack.
Any dog, regardless of breed, is only as dangerous as his/her owner allows it to be.
Addressing the issue of severe and fatal dog attacks as a breed specific problem is akin to treating the symptom and not the disease. Severe and fatal attacks will continue until we come to the realization that allowing a toddler to wander off to a chained dog is more of a critical factor in a fatal dog attack than which breed of dog is at the end of the chain.
________________________________________...
MEDIA LIES
The media is so slanted, readers practically need
climbing equipment!
It can't be stated any more plainly:
"If you only know what you hear or read in the media,
you really don't know much."
After one too many slanted, misleading, grossly
inaccurate or just plain dishonest dog bite reports in
the media, we thought it high time to 'pull back the
curtain on the wizard' and prove 'the emperor has no
clothes.'
The headlines screamed: another ghastly 'pit bull'
attack in Ontario. In this case, a Shih Tzu was the
intended victim. It's owner, a hapless casualty.
Pretty much every media agency in the region covered
the following story. ...Repeatedly. ...Ad nauseam.
"Those awful 'pit bulls'; attacking innocent people
and dogs. You never hear of a Labrador or a Golden
Retriever involved in these kinds of incidents."
On February 14, 2006, Tarra Barnett was walking her
'pit bull' along Danforth Rd. in Scarborough, when it
bolted and attacked a Shih Tzu being walked by its
owner. The Shih Tzu didn't survive. Its owner also
suffered minor injuries in the attack.
According to neighbours, Ms. Barnett's dog was known
to be aggressive. According to witnesses, the 'pit
bull' may have been off-leash and unmuzzled prior to
the attack.
March 11, 2006, Ms. Barnett was charged with
'unlawfully causing bodily harm' and 'common
nuisance', in relation to this incident.
Sounds alright, huh? An important story that deserves
reporting.
Well...it would be...if the media was truly unbiased.
It is obvious that, like so many stories before it,
this one was headline news for some time, because it
involved a 'pit bull'. Want proof?
March 2, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes, known to
be aggressive, were again "terrorizing the
neighbourhood" in Port Colborne, Ontario. The two
dogs attacked and killed a Pomeranian chained in its
yard, then moved on to attack a 'pit bull' before
being corralled.
Only two local (Welland area) newspapers carried this
story...once. Only a muzzle order for the dogs and
talks of a fine were mentioned as possible punishments
for the owners. No headlines. No criminal charges.
No media blitz.
So, do you still think the media is a reliable source
for information? If so, we have a lovely bridge that
might interest you.
These two stories are nearly identical. They both
involved unprovoked attacks that led to the death of a
dog. They both involved dogs with a known history of
aggression. They both involved negligent owners. The
story involving the 'pit bull' was headline news. The
one involving the Labs? Well...it never made any
headlines, and is all but forgotten, just a few days
afterwards.
The media picks and chooses its stories, not for their
"newsworthiness", but for their ability to attract
readers/viewers/listeners which, in turn, allows them
to claim higher ratings, and charge more for
advertising space. It's business. Plain and simple.
We've been told outright,
"If it doesn't involve a 'pit bull', it's not 'news'."
In reality, non-'pit bull' dogs are responsible for
90-100% of bites, attacks, and fatalities in Canada.
...But you'll never hear that on the evening news.
In order to provide a more balanced view of dog biting
incidents, below is a sampling of stories you probably
didn't see reported in the media:
March 10, 2006, a Jack Russell Terrier was ordered to
attack a man, nearly severing his penis, which was
successfully reattached by doctors.
March 8, 2006, a 17-month-old was mauled by the
family’s Labrador Retriever.
March 7, 2006, a police officer shot a Ridgeback mix
dog after it attacked another dog and menaced the
officer. There was a brief report in the media, in
which the owner-confirmed “Ridgeback mix” was
described as a “pit bull look-alike”. (Good grief!!!)
March 6, 2006, a man and woman were sent to hospital
after being attacked by their German Shepherd Dog.
March 4, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes killed a
chained Pomeranian, then attacked a ‘pit bull’, during
a neighbourhood wide rampage in Port Colborne,
Ontario. The dogs were frequently at-large, and known
to be aggressive. No penalties against the dogs’
owner has been announced since the attacks, despite
provincial law allowing up to $10,000 in fines, or six
months in jail for this kind of offense.
March 2, 2006, a 6-year-old girl underwent surgery to
repair injuries suffered in an attack by her
grandparents’ Husky/Chow mix.
March 2, 2006, a Great Dane killed its owner and
severely injured her relative, while he was chained to
the porch, in a small Texas town.
March 1, 2006, a 16-month-old girl was attacked by her
family’s St. Bernard.
March 1, 2006, a Springer Spaniel suffered severe
injuries after being attacked by a mixed-breed,
off-leash dog in a conservation area. The owners of
the attacking dog refused to identify themselves or
offer assistance before fleeing the scene.
A police dog, a Belgian Malinois, was accused of
excessive force after refusing to let go of a suspect
in 2003, only to go on to attack a police officer in
October of 2005. In that incident, the dog simply
attacked the officer unprovoked while she was guarding
evidence at a crime scene. When the officer was
unable to shake free, she pulled her weapon and shot
the dog. Still, the dead dog’s jaws had to be pried
off the officer’s arm.
February 26, 2006, an Edmonton boy was mauled by his
family’s Golden Retriever, leaving him in serious
condition in hospital.
February 24, 2006, a St. Bernard/Mastiff mix attacked
an American Eskimo dog and its owner.
February 22, 2006, an Alabama girl had to undergo
hours of surgery to close the gaping wound that
exposed the victim’s jaw bone. A Labrador Retriever
attacked the girl while she was petting it at a pet
expo.
February 17, 2006, a third grader required 68 stitches
to repair the damage caused by a Golden Retriever that
attacked the girl on her way home from school.
February 9, 2006, a six-year-old was knocked to the
ground and attacked by a roaming Labrador Retriever.
February, 2006, a 4-year-old boy had to be placed in a
drug induced coma in hospital after being attacked
mauled by stray dogs in Waswanipi, Quebec.
February, 2006, a man was bitten by one of two
Weimaraners being walked by their owner.
After several biting incidents, a man’s Border Collies
have been deemed “dangerous”. No charges have been
filed against the owner.
An Alameda County Deputy District Attorney’s mixed
breed dog (Lab/Shepherd mix) may be ordered destroyed
after numerous biting incidents.
A 2-year-old was left with cuts and puncture wounds to
the face after being attacked by a Jack Russell
Terrier in February, 2006.
In February, 2006, an 18-month-old girl was seriously
bitten by a relative’s Australian Cattle Dog tied on
the property.
In February, 2006, a five-year-old boy required 190
stitches to repair damage to his throat after being
attacked by 2 German Shepherd Dogs on the owner’s
property.
February, 2006, a Garden City, Idaho, police officer
had to shoot the police dog he was training, after it
attacked him and another officer.
In early February, 2006, a 2-year-old girl was left
with a 15cm long gash after being attacked by her
grandmother’s Border Collie.
January 26, 2006, a 2-year-old had her jaw broken and
most of her lower face torn away in an attack by a dog
described only as “a large dog”, in Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan.
After no penalties were laid following a biting
incident involving a 10-year-old girl and a Chow/GSD
mix in December, 2005, the dog bit a second child in
January, 2006; disfiguring the boy’s face by tearing
away a portion of his lip.
In December, 2005, a 90-year-old woman suffered bite
wounds and a broken bone in her back while attempting
to defend her own dog from attack by a Dalmation.
An infant suffered severe head injuries after being
attacked by the family’s Golden Retriever in November,
2005.
In January, 2006, a woman was critically injured in
Del Rey, California, after being attacked by a German
Shepherd and a Chow. Police shot and killed the dogs.
The owners were not charged.
In January, 2006, an 11-year-old girl was savagely
attacked in the face, by an Alaskan Malamute, while
visiting her friend’s home.
A 5-year-old girl was left with severe gashes and 4
missing teeth after being attacked by her
grandmother’s chained, mixed breed (non-‘pit bull’)
dog.
Which dog breed attacks?
Why? ... Because those that are anti-dog know they can get the needs of their agenda met (to ban dogs as pets) by having folks like you make the case that all dogs bite, therefore the pitbull terrier should not be singled out.
If we can agree that all breeds of dogs bite, then as a matter of public safety ... all breeds should be banned. You just made anti-dog proponents very happy! Good for you.
Tony A-
Edit - No ... its not the same as the Salem witch hunts - because there never were any real witches.
Look, THE best response to BSL are discriminately bred dogs in the custody of responsible people. Find a way to achieve that and we will save the breed.
Reply:well a pit bull,rought rouler, french bull dogs thats all i have Report Abuse
Reply:Great Post! Lots of good info . It's nice to see someone with info to back up their claims. And to answer the "small" part of the question, lol ANY dog can attack!
Reply:I am assuming you mean 'why' do you see so many reports of attacks by pit bull or pit bull mix dogs.... This breed has gained popularity with a number of factions that only want vicious dogs so they are being bred indiscrimanently and ignorantly. They are being owned by irresponsible owners that don't know how to train their own selves much less an animal that can out think them. So you have many dogs that will attack because they are breed ignorantly and unstable. There are representatives of the breed that are not unstable or ignorantly bred but the vast majority of those being bred and owned at this time are being poorly bred and the temperament goes by the wayside. With the rise of popularity and irresponsible owners will come these attacks. Just the way it is.
add: NO it is not 'just America' - these breeds are actually banned in many parts of Europe because ignorance and irresponsibility knows no boundaries. Actually the restrictions on breeds/dogs are much more stringent in other countries than in America right now because of many serious bite incidents. Just another example of how ignorance breeds this sort of stuff.. 'just America' hahaha wrongo buddy...
Reply:Thank you for this post. I LOVE it!!! I think the media prematurely headlines ANY dog related case as a "PIT BULL ATTACK!!!" Because it gets attention. They are all just competing for ratings, and ALL pit bulls suffer from this. I am so glad I read this. Thank you again for posting it.
*I still think some people are set in their ways, and will ignore every bit of this. They continue to believe what they want to believe, and ignore the information layed out in front of them.
** I just wanted to add one more thing that just came to my mind. I am a veterinary technician, and I went to a two day seminar about animal behavior. The animal behaviorist that was teaching us gave MANY examples, and showed many videos of dangerously aggressive dogs that they had worked with. You know, Not One of the dogs was a Pit Bull. She does positive reenforcement training, clicker training, desensitization, socialization, and other positive ways of behavior modification. She said that Pit Bulls are actually one of the easiest breeds to work with because of their high drive to please people.
Reply:Keep up the good work! My pittie and me thank you!
I have people shy away from him too AFTER they find out that he's half pittie.
There is a lady who has been in the news a lot because she had a face transplant in France. She got mauled by her own dog...it was a lab.
It's because of what the previous poster said..sensationalism. Children get molested all the time and that's very sad but if a teacher or priest does it, you can bet it's going to make national news. It's the same with dog attacks. They happen all the time but if it's a pitbull..it makes national headlines..
Reply:your absolutly right
i have a pitbull %26amp; he is the friendliest dog , he wil cuddle %26amp; he NEVER has snapped , thats because i trained him well
now say when he was a puppy i let him bite %26amp; jump on people because " it was cute" then he would think its okay to bite %26amp; attack people now
Reply:Thanks so much for putting this up here. I hate seeing people shy away from my pit as soon as I tell them what he is [even if moments before they were petting him and playing with him].
Answer to your question: It sells. Fear is a weapon, and it sells. The media love hype.
Renee:
Not once in that did the poster say pits don't attack.
Point is, every dog is capable of attacking.
Blame the deed, not the breed.
There's only one 't' in pit.
Reply:As pointed out in your very long question, any dog breed can attack. It depends on how they are raised and trained.
Reply:A dog that is not trained properly, socialized correctly, or given proper leadership throughout his life is very likely to attack.
Dogs attack to protect themselves and/or their people, not just because of their breed or gender.
Pit Bulls were originally bred to FIGHT, so yes, there are still some of these lines in today's pit bulls. But if you get a Pit Bull puppy and correctly train and socialize him, he will grow to become a well-mannered canine citizen. Those who purchase Pit Bull puppies who still have fighting lines in their genes, and then proceed to NOT properly raise and train it, will most likely subsequently have an unruly dog on their hands who is more likely to bite when provoked, no matter how big or small the prompt is.
If you train your dog to attack, he will attack.
If you train your dog to have manners and act appropriately around ALL situations, he will be a well-behaved dog.
The more a dog is abused, mistreated, ignored, taunted, and so on, the more likely he is to attack.
Reply:GREAT post. More people need to be aware of the fact that ANY dog of ANY breed can bite/attack. They all have teeth, they all have instincts and any breed can have stupid owners/breeders/trainers.
I blame the media for sensationalizing and spreading BS.
Reply:If it has teeth, it can bite. So lets see, all dogs have teeth........
Reply:Everyone thinks that pits and so bad well in fact those dogs depand on how they are rasised not every pit is mean it just depands.
Reply:Why what? Why use pit bulls as the scapegoat; that's easy, they are a powerful, misunderstood breed. Why not cover all dog attacks equally; because that wouldn't line the pockets of the publisher/reporter/editor. Why pick on any dog; lack of intelligent news to cover. Dog attacks make headlines, dog attacks involving pit bulls make more headlines.
Retarded and unfair as it is, until everyone realizes that their breed may be next and fights against the media nothing will change.
Reply:where were you last year. lol. I did on a project on dog attacks. I am still not entirely sure why pit bulls get the most attention. Truth is they are actually very sweet dogs, it's just that most people train them to fight other dogs, and just like any animal that has been abused, they will either become aggressive toward people or be afraid of them. There are a lot of stories about dog attacks, and they are not all pit bull ones. It is a shame though that they are categorized in such a way due to some people's cruelty. Here is a website to a list of which breeds byte the most, or at least in Montgomery.
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/poltmp...
Reply:Because when any animal is threatened they have a defense. Dogs attack for a reason, instinct or they were taught how to do this. Alot of times the only reason people can now tell a Chihuahua from a GSD is because of Paris Hilton. Its funny, you can ask 100 people if they can pick the pitbull, they can't. Education is our failure here, everyone. If you are going to own animals, research them. Not only the breed but the species. It can't hurt.
Reply:Well i think that any dog i Capable of attacking
i remember when i was a kid and had to walk to school this little silky would come running out of a house and bite me all the time i was so scaried of this dog. i even tried sneaking but it all ways seemed to know i was coming
Reply:Dogs attacking humans has nothing to do with breed. It has to do with poor handling. I've seen chichi's that will attack, but they are so small nobody notices. The problems with pits is they are very dedicated to holding on and have the strongest bites in the canine world. The media has zeroed in on them because so many of the wrong kind of people favor them for their illegal activities. They are what they are, it's just ashame people abuse their abilities.
Reply:Great Post, i feel what you are saying, but it's just America...
Reply:Because people are mean and ignorant!!!
Reply:Because blood and drama sell papers and net viewers. People don't want to hear about all the good and positive things that happen on a daily basis, they want their daily dose of drama.
Pits are also generally associated with society's "bad" crowd. They are lumped in with the whole gangsta, ghetto tough guy image. People around here have trouble believing that I, a 25yo white middle-class female would even WANT to share my home with one of 'those' dogs.
There are no easy answers, I wish there were. I wish that I could come up with that one thing, that one idea that would stop the public vilification of my chosen breed. I do my part by fighting BSL where ever it pops up, by training my girl to be a breed ambassador, by taking her into the public as a true example of what the breed should be. She's a registered therapy dog, has her CGC, TT and a ton of obedience titles but I still have to worry about waking up tomorrow and losing her to a breed ban. I guess I just have to do the best I can to never give up the fight to keep my girl because I know she would never give up on me.
Reply:Any dog will attack, it is the severity of the attack. A bite is a lot different then being malled and having your own dog killed for trying to stop it.
Pits do go off in my opinion more often and more severe that most other breeds.
I am not trying to say that a pit is a bad dog but it does need more attention and training than most people are willing to give them.
Reply:Well the same people who think only Pit Bulls attack and revel in these stores stories are the same ones who think that Britney Spears is the only bad mother in the world . People are drawn to sensationalism, plain and simple.
Reply:I think any dog can attack I think it is the way the are raised and treated as puppies. Some breeds are known just for it. Myself I would never own a pit bull.
Reply:cause 'PIT BULL ATTACK' is an eye catcher.
miss understood breed with to many poor owners of it. and many other breeds....its a dog problem not just one/a few breeds. It is a training problem. so it is more a HUMAN problem.
belame the deed, not the breed!
and the owner should be held more accountable for what their dog does.
i didn't see the one where a pit bull puppy and a ferret were left to roam the house and chewed a newborn's toes off, while the parnets slept?????????? i say it was the ferret.. how could anyone sleep through that? that baby had to screaming!
*EDIT*
I love the salem witch trail example! So true! LOL
Reply:Are you saying that Pitt Bulls NEVER attacks!!
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