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Home » xyzzy » Tower » Maryland rules that Pitbulls are dangerous
| Re: Maryland rules that Pitbulls are dangerous [message #72539 is a reply to message #72484] |
Sat, 05 May 2012 01:01   |
Thermionic
Messages: 208
Registered: May 2009
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| LuvMartin wrote on Wed, 02 May 2012 11:37 | A Maryland court of appeals has ruled that pitbulls are "inherently dangerous". I hate reading news stories like this. I have a pitbull and I have known many pitbulls. They are excellent family pets and it's not fair to rule against a whole breed like that. Any dog can turn vicious if it is not treated properly even a Lab or a golden retriever.
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You're SO exactly right; it's not a dog breed that's the problem, it's irresponsible dog owners. These Maryland justices are the same type who thinks guns kill people, not the person behind the trigger. Bad gun, bad dog.
What's really stupid about this kangaroo court ruling is that it's just that, a COURT ruling. Not a ruling by true experts on the matter, but by clueless, activist politician judges with an agenda. The same thing happened here in my town a few years ago, when pit bulls were banned just prior to an election where the mayor and several aldermen were up for re-election. They were trolling for votes by demonstrating their "care and concern for protecting the people."
After the ban was passed by the city council, I wrote a pro-pit bull letter to the local newspaper's opinion column, which was not printed. Only anti-pit bull letters made it to print, because that's the agenda the newspaper has always exhibited. AAMOF, the news media is why we have this breed-specific legislation in the first place. They needed a new "shock and awe" story and fabricated one, as is their normal modus operandi. The populace drank their Kool-Aid and freaked out in fear (just as the media had hoped for), and the politicians had to act on it or else appear "uncaring." As the old saying goes, "If you tell a lie enough times, it becomes the truth."
Back in the '80s, when the local news media first started their hokey campaign against pit bulls, a breeder that a friend of mine knows called the area ABC affiliate TV station. He told them that in the interest of fair and accurate journalism, they should allow equal air time for the flip side of the coin, and invited them to bring their cameras and reporters to his kennel. They rudely, flat-out told him that they were only interested in shocking, sensationalistic stories, because that's what the viewers wanted, and that nobody was interested in his story.
The media buzz about pit bulls is clearly like 99.9% of everything they "report;" it's hyperbole stuffed into the skin of a lie and topped with sensationalism sauce, and served up to us as "facts," because one of their nitwit "experts" said so. But, when you hear what the REAL experts have to say, a very different picture is painted. Here are some statistics from the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, and American Dog Breeders Association for fatal dog attacks. The listed numbers quantify the percentage of fatal attacks versus the estimated population of the breeds listed. These statistics were compiled by Glen Bui, Vice President of the American Canine Foundation. Mr. Bui is a professional dog trainer who holds a degree in Biology Genetics, and is a widely recognized expert on canine behavior.
Apx. 240,000 - 12 Fatal Attacks Chow - .705%
Apx 800.000 - 67 Fatal Attacks German Shepherds - .008375%
Apx. 960,000 - 70 Fatal Attacks Rottweiler - .00729%
Apx. 128.000 - 18 Fatal Attacks Great Dane - .01416%
Apx. 114,000 - 14 Fatal Attacks Doberman - .012288%
Apx. 72,000 - 10 Fatal Attacks St Bernard - .0139%
Apx 5,000,000- 60 Fatal Attacks American Pit Bull Terrier - .0012%
An excerpt from one of Mr. Bui's articles on Canine Genetics And Behavior:
"To state that a breed of dog is aggressive is scientifically impossible. Statistics do not support such a finding. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years and within all breeds there can be dangerous dogs because of owner issues such as training the dog to attack, lack of training and socialization.
There is no such thing as the "Mean Gene" in dogs as well as in people. However mutant genes have been discovered. Alteration of a single DNA base in the gene encoding an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has been found to render the enzyme nonfunctional. This enzyme normally catalyzes reactions that metabolize the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline. What this does is cause slight mental impairment which interferes with the ability to cope with certain situations, resulting in aggression. There is no proof and never has been that the American Pit Bull Terrier possesses mutant genes. There is a one in ten thousand chance of a mutant gene appearing in a population.
Aggressiveness has many definitions and its stimulus of the environment that causes behavior. Dogs defend territory, they exhibit dominance, and if allowed can become protective of their family. All this behavior can be controlled by the owner and aggression is mainly an act of behavior."
The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (a U.S. Gov't agency ran by politicians) says the pit bull is one of the most likely breeds to bite (in general, not necessarily fatally), and states numbers and stats. However, it does not provide any documentation to verify those numbers, nor does it reveal their source(s).
Statistically, the Chow, Chihuahua, Pekingese, and Dachshund have always been some of the breeds most likely to bite, as determined by numerous independent agencies and organizations. The pit bull isn't on any top ten list I've ever seen, except the CDC's, which is the one being used by the news media and anti-pit bull organizations. It does indeed seem that the CDC's unverifiable "facts" do not mesh with everyone else's findings. Hmmmm, imagine that.....an agenda-based "fact" from the same people who tell you that injecting mercury into your body is perfectly safe.
Finally, The American Canine Temperament Testing Association rates breed temperaments by their reactions to a a series of standardized tests, in which the dogs are placed in various confrontational situations. The first sign of aggression or panic is a failure of the test. 82.5% of the American Pit Bull Terriers tested passed, compared to a 77% average passing rate for the 122 recognized breeds tested. The APBT achieved the fourth highest passing rate among those 122 breeds. It's no wonder that they're often used as therapy dogs, service dogs, and search-and-rescue dogs. But, that's old news to me....
One of the two best dogs I ever had was a pit bull. He was one of the smartest dogs I've ever seen, and certainly one of the most noble and well-tempered. When I moved out of the family home into an apartment, I gave him to my widowed grandmother, to whom he was a faithful companion until his death at about 15 years old. He was always at her side, and slept on the foot of her bed each night. He absolutely loved kids. They'd pull his ears and tail, and wrestle with him, and he'd never do anything but lick them all over their faces and endlessly play.
I got him from a friend who was a pit bull breeder, as was his brother. They kept about 25 UKC-registered pit bulls between them, and all were big babies. When you walked up, they'd wag their tails furiously, whimper, and lick your hands. Most would roll over on their backs in a display of submission. The breeder who called the TV station was a friend of theirs, and all his dogs were the same way. AAMOF, pretty much every pit bull I've ever seen was the same way!
Do note, I'm talking about REAL, UKC-registered American Pit Bull Terriers here, NOT American Bullys! The American Bully is what most people (and the CDC!) call a "pit bull," but wouldn't know a real pit bull when and if they saw one.
The American Bully is an APBT crossed with the American Bulldog and Bull Mastiff, to increase the body size amd muscle mass. They are NOT a purebred APBT. A true APBT is rarely ever over 50 pounds (most are considerably smaller), and they are lean and muscular, not thick, heavy, wide, and overly musclebound. Both dogs who portrayed "Petey" from The Little Rascals were registered as APBT by the UKC, and were fine examples of the breed.
In closing, a couple of my favorite videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2OC5Z1Fii8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75GEzD6wh8o&feature=relmfu
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