The bottom line is... a PB is dangerous and a big problem. You would not be hearing and reading about their attacks if this were not so. They are aggressive dogs and now I realize that their owners are the same.

I did not read this article you found on Wikipedia, as most of my research was done through much of the printed material I found in various library and the information I have at my home. Of course, most of the material I recalled from memory when I did research for other reasons. The problem I have here is people attempting to label a breed more dangerous because there are some who have bad run-ins with these certain breeds.

I guess by the same logic since my firearms can kill people, then I should not be able to own them. Of course, I would never give up my guns just as I would never give up my dogs, regardless of what laws are passed. The fact that I carry a gun everyday does not mean it will jump out of its holster and shoot someone. It is also a fact that having a Pit Bull, or any other animal-aggressive dog, means that it will cause immediate and great harm to those nearby.

The problems behind certain guns and dogs are tied to the criminals in control of them. Cars can kill people, bears can kill people, catching a disease could kill people. I guess we should just level the planet of everything but certain people, wrap ourselves in bubble wrap, lock ourselves in steel reinforced basements and pray that everything will be ok.

I feel bad that this girl was hurt. People that raise animals that hurt other should be held accountable, except for cases where the animal was protecting the owner from an attacker(human or other animal). As with a gun, it takes someone with at least a moderate amount of intelligence to properly care for and handle any dog.

I will agree with the commenter Montezuma on part of this. The PitBull was a product of selective breeding over many years to produce and aggressive and powerful animal to serve the needs of humans. Most people recognize this even if in a general sense and those who procure a Pit do so with the intent to own an intimidating dog. There are plenty of owners who have raised loving animals but the potential to create a destructive dog is always there. Blame the owners at the end of the day. Unfortunately, Mr. Montezuma cannot make a comment without using slurs against the individual posting an opinion if it differs from his.

Monti:

Did the research. I was not talking about some special mechanism that pit bulls have to make their jaws lock, which is the "lock-jaw" myth dispelled at Wikipedia. In fact Wikipedia describes exactly what I was talking about:

"These dogs were used in battle and for guarding, but they also served utilitarian purposes, such as farm work. Specifically, these dogs accompanied farmers into the fields to assist with bringing bulls in for breeding, castration, or slaughter. The dogs, known generally as bulldogs, protected the farmer by subduing the bull if it attempted to gore him. Typically a dog would do this by biting the bull on the nose and holding on to the violently struggling bull despite injury. These traits permitted the development and rise of the bloody sports of bull-baiting and bear-baiting."

I also know about this feature because I have heard about people beating a pit bull over the head with all kinds of objects, trying to get them to release their limbs or the limbs of another person. A person at my school was also killed by a pit bull when I was in high school.

Another helpful quote from the Wikipedia article you sent me to:

"A study examining a two-year period by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that, "during 1997 and 1998, at least 27 people died of dog bite attacks (18 in 1997 and 9 in 1998). At least 25 breeds of dogs have been involved in 238 human DBRF (dog bite related fatalities) during the past 20 years. Pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers" [the study places both breeds into one category] "...were involved in more than half of these deaths." Additionally, the article concluded: "Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers), other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates."

Thanks for the pointers. Next time read the article yourself. IT does have some helpful information for your side of the argument, too.

Love,

E.W.

E.W.: Your statement is rather stupid. The "lock jaw" idea on Pit Bulls is a well known myth. You could find this just by do a quick search on Google or Wikipedia. I would suggest that you do a little more research before you post here, or you will just look more like a fool.

Since a BB gun and a Colt .45 are far different items, I suggest you use something different. A .22 and a .45 are similar(gun powder based projectile weapons) and both are easily capable of killing a person.

Pit Bulls are known to be animal aggressive, not person aggressive. Of course, dogs like Rottweilers are the same way and the two I had could not have been more wonderful animals. It is the way the animal is raised that decides how they act towards people.

ECB: Since you are not God and cannot tell me how all the Pit Bulls that have attacked people were raise, keep your stupid statements to yourself. My comments about you earlier still stand.

I guess my analogy should read "it's like saying a Colt .45 is no more dangerous than a BB gun."

The problem with pitbulls is that they are bred to have an instinctual lock-down jaw. Once they attach, they will not come off without being shot. They have this in their genes because they were bred, generation after generation, to fight or bring down much larger animals.

While they have to be trained to do this on command, they have a natural propensity to clamp down because of their genetic make-up.

To say that they are not more dangerous than other breeds does not take this genetic feature into account. It's like saying a BB gun is no more dangerous than a Colt .45. If you get shot with a Colt .45, regardless of the reason for being shot, you will receive a much worse injury. And a BB gun could kill you if it were used to shoot you just right, but a Colt .45 would kill you much more easily.

Why is it that many of these PB attacks are from ones that have never been taught to be agressive and dangerous? Some of them, considered to be, the most loving family pet has turned on their owners for no reason. I certainly am no sad little person and if my irritating little mouth can open someones eyes, then so be it...

The animal is no more prone to attack than any other type of dog. It is the way they are trained. Quit trying to incite people to believe that these breeds are dangerous; they are not. I think that people who choose to judge those that enjoy owning Pit Bulls are sad little people, who should keep their enormously irritating mouths shut.

Pit Bulls are known to be great with kids. Just like children, a person can teach any dog to be dangerous. Until you become educated on the subject, keep your uninformed opinion to yourself.

This story really hits close to home.... A pitbull wandered into the yard where my three young grand-daughter's were playing and attacked their small Pomeranian. Had my daughter not been there with them, I shudder to think of what might have happened. Their Pomeranian is okay except for a few marks on her neck. Now I ask, why do people choose to own an animal that is prone to such attacks? Is it for the sake of saying you own one? I love animals and I just don't understand why anyone would want a pet that they have to live in fear of. If you are a PB owner, you do think about this, you know deep down that you do. Having pets is great, so why not choose to own something that you know will always love you back. I'm sure this is making a lot of people mad as they read and are saying, yeah, even small dogs can bite their owners. Yes they do but I had rather it be a bite other than a vicious attack. I think owning a PB just does not say much about the owner.