Dr. Michael S. Golinko, MD, MA
Dr. Golinko is the Medical Co-Director of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Craniofacial Program and an Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at UAMS. He specializes in pediatric plastic surgery and reconstruction.
Interview with Michael Golinko, CBC Fifth Estate, September 22, 2017
Dr. Golinko says: “My experience in treating dog bites began during my plastic surgery fellowship in Atlanta. Our group covered the Emergency room at the Children’s Hospital, and we encountered a dog bite in a child just about every night. Because plastic surgeons deal with facial and hand injuries, we tended to be called for the most severe or debilitating injuries. I began to notice a trend in the dogs that were doing the biting, and one type of dog kept re-surfacing- pit bulls.
Curious to confirm what we were experiencing, we initiated a study looking at 4 years of dog bite injuries presenting in the emergency room. Published in 2016, the study details the experience of over 1600 children bitten by dogs and is one of the largest studies published coming from a single institution. Our study corroborated what others world-wide have found- that all other things being equal, pit bull breeds and children do not mix well. Pit bulls caused over 50% of the bites to children requiring a trip to the operating room because of the severity of their injuries. Moreover, pit bulls were over 2 and a half times more likely to bite in multiple areas of a child’s body than any other breed.
“Pit bulls caused over 50% of the bites to children requiring a trip to the operating room because of the severity of their injuries. Moreover, pit bulls were over 2 and a half times more likely to bite in multiple areas of a child’s body than any other breed.” – Dr. Michael S. Golinko
“The only death in our study was, sadly, a 5 day old baby girl who succumbed to brain damage shortly after being bitten on the head by her family’s own pit bull. In my opinion, this was a preventable death.
“Just as a doctor’s first oath is “First, do no harm”, as a pediatric plastic surgeon, I am compelled to speak out and must advocate for child safety first above all. It appears to me that the rash of pit bull injuries has become a public health issue. However, unfortunately many hold the “right-to-own” as higher than the right of each and every child to grow up and live in a safe environment. What is striking is that the despite the numerous papers and studies that demonstrate essentially the same thing- that pit bulls are responsible for the most severe injuries, many still turn a blind eye. We also know from the data that between 75-90% of the time the biting dog is a dog known to the family. I say to those families or families thinking about getting a pit bull- there are plenty of other less dangerous dogs that also need homes that have much less concern for accidental injury. It’s like seat-belts- of course you could unbuckle going down the highway at 65 mph, and 9 times out of 10, you’ll get home safely without incident. But if there is an accident, wearing that seat-belt, though it may be a hassle, could prevent severe injury or even save your life. Owning a dog, any dog, is a completely voluntary undertaking and responsibility. There is no reason to subject a child or others to the risk of such a dangerous dog when there are so many other great breeds to choose from.
“Even in the best owners’ homes and the “sweetest of dogs”, if a chihuahua has a bad day, it is a very different story than the pit bull having a bad day and disfiguring a child for life.”
Dr. Laura Marusinec, MD
Dr. Marusinec is a Pediatrician currently practicing in Pediatric Urgent Care. She graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1995 and completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She has over 20 years of pediatric experience.
After professional and personal experiences with dog attacks on children and pets and learning the extent of what she now considers an urgent public health issue, she has become an advocate for victims of dog attacks and their families.
Dr. Marusinec says: “After doing considerable research into serious dog attacks, hearing victims’ stories, and seeing photographs of children and pets killed or seriously injured by vicious dogs, I just can’t ignore this problem. As a pediatrician, I have dedicated my career to keeping kids safe and healthy. Dog bites are unfortunately one of the top reasons for a visit to the emergency room for children. While it’s true that any dog of any breed can bite, I’ve found many recent peer-reviewed medical studies that consistently show that pit bulls account for a large majority of deaths and severe injuries to children. In fact, in most studies they account for more than all other breeds combined. The American Kennel Club recognizes 174 different breeds of dogs in the US. To me, choosing a dangerous dog such as a pit bull or similar breed as a pet, especially in a home with children, just doesn’t make sense. There are so many other breeds that make wonderful pets but are much safer. Why take the risk? And besides the risk to those in your own home, choosing a dangerous dog puts your friends, visitors, neighbors, their pets, even postal workers, at risk. Dogs tend to escape their leashes, homes, cars, and even well-designed fences every day.
“I am a dog owner myself, and I donate to and volunteer with several different animal rescue and welfare organizations. I love dogs! But unfortunately, thanks to people breeding some over many years to fight and kill, for some dogs the risks are just too great to take them into your home. Some dogs, even if raised with love and proper training, can attack without warning or reason. While there are things you can do to try to keep your family and children safe from a dog bite, you can’t prevent all bites. And with dogs bred to fight and kill and to be muscular and strong like pit bulls, one slip-up can be disastrous, even fatal, especially for a child. And, by the way, there is no such thing as a nanny dog. The number one piece of advice I have for families with children and dogs is regardless of breed, NEVER leave a young child alone with a dog.”
Dr. Douglas Skinner
Douglas Skinner, D.V.M., is a 1972 graduate of Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. He has been a small animal clinic practice owner for 38 of his 44-plus years as a veterinarian. In addition to his formal education, he practiced at one of the largest practices in the state of Indiana, has owned four veterinary practices, taken thousands of hours of continuing education, did a short sabbatical two times at the prestigious Sloan-Kettering Animal Medical Center in New York City.
Doug says: “Given the argument that it’s how you raise them, then why can’t my bird dog fight in the pit successfully? Why can’t we make the pit bulls find and retrieve birds? Why can an eight-week-old collie herd? Because of years of breeding. And you can’t love instinct out of them, you can’t train it out of them.”
“Many of these attacks and deaths are not inner-city dogs, they are family pets raised from puppies. I will also mention that I DO NOT agree with the American Veterinary Medical Association’s stance on pit bulls.”
Liz Marsden
A native of Washington, DC, Liz Marsden worked in animal sheltering and rescue for nearly 30 years. She was a full time Certified Professional Dog Trainer from 2007 – 2013 and coached dog adopters in their homes and in group training classes since 2001. Her specialties included reactive and dog-aggressive dogs, herding and other high-energy dogs, using enrichment to solve behavior issues, and helping people understand the special needs of puppy mill dogs. She co-produced workshops, a DVD and booklet series to improve the lives of shelter dogs through training and enrichment. Liz has worked as a guest expert for Petfinder online training forums and as a presenter at Petfinder’s Adoption Option seminars. During her tenure at the Washington Animal Rescue League, Liz was one of the trainers overseeing the care and handling of some of the pit bulls seized in the Michael Vick case.
Liz was voted one of the top ten trainers in Washingtonian Magazine in 2006. She gave up dog training as a full time career in 2010.
“With the rise of the ‘no-kill’ movement in animal sheltering, we’ve seen a spike in the number of aggressive dogs placed into communities, with disastrous results,” Ms. Marsden says. “In particular, we’ve seen an average of 25 human fatalities each year due to pit bull maulings (64.4 % of all dog-related fatalities since 2005), which should be appalling to everyone. A catch-all group known as ‘bully breeds’, mastiffs and Rottweilers round out the vast majority of killings. But instead of placing regulations on dangerous breeds, we have lobbyists and legislators passing laws to protect dangerous dogs, not their victims.”
Liz hopes that the tipping point will come soon and that common sense priorities will return. She speaks out against the “pit bull propaganda machine” at every opportunity.
Brandi McNeely
Brandi McNeely is the daughter of an avid animal lover, forest ranger, and wildlife rehabilitator. She volunteered with her mother at the North American Bear Research Center in Ely, Minnesota where she learned to track bears for the center’s research. She then worked for a veterinary hospital before and after enrolling in the Oklahoma State Veterinary Technician program for a year.
Interview with Brandi McNeely, CBC Fifth Estate, September 22, 2017
After completion of a Bachelor’s degree, Brandi was employed as a veterinary technician for seven years before taking a position at an Animal Control facility where she worked as an Animal Caretaker. Her responsibilities included the behavioral assessment of animals. She administered temperament testing and conducted the Meet Your Match Program, performed animal euthanasia, and evaluated animals identified in bite cases. In the position of Rescue and Volunteer Coordinator, she identified area shelters and rescue organizations for animals that could not be placed out of the animal control facility. Often these cases involved extreme medical or behavior issues.
Brandi managed the volunteer program for the facility and trained and supervised volunteers. Under her direction, the entire volunteer program was revamped to include training programs and seminars to empower volunteers with better animal behavior knowledge before they began the hands-on portion of volunteering. While at Animal Control, Brandi wrote several breed information packets for potential adopters that outlined the pros and cons of certain dog breeds. She also was a regular contributor to the Animal Control newsletter.
Since 2014, she has spent the majority of her time supporting public safety measures for canines. Brandi McNeely writes all canine information for the Daxton’s Friends for Canine Education and Awareness website and is a regulator contributor to their Facebook page.
BENJAMIN HART, professor emeritus at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and animal behaviorist, “It’s quite common for a pit bull to show no signs of aggression. People will call it a nice dog, a sweet dog, even the neighbors – and then all of a sudden something triggers the dog, and it attacks a human in a characteristic way of biting and hanging on until a lot of damage is done. Hart said pit bulls are responsible for about 60 percent of dog attack fatalities each year, which is “way out of proportion” compared with other breeds. Pit bulls make up less than 5 percent of the American dog population. “It’s very poor policy to allow any child around a pit bull, in my mind, let alone climb on a dog.”
More info from pit bull experts:
COLLEEN HODGES, Veterinary Public Health spokeswoman
Some families think that they can raise a loving pet if they treat a pit bull like any other dog. They may not realize that the dog was bred to fight and that some of these dogs may have fighting in their genes.
They are tough, strong, tenacious. They are much more capable of inflicting serious damage, and some of them do. I would not recommend pits as a family dog.
TIA TORRES–
Tia Torres, pit bull advocate and presenter of the TV show ‘Pit bulls and Parolees’, writes: “Humans have created very specialized dogs through emphasizing desired traits and eliminating unwanted ones. It is no different with the Pit Bull breed. The American Pit Bull Terrier has been ‘selectively’ bred for hundreds of years to fight other dogs. This is the sad ‘work’ these dogs were created for. In the same way that Labradors were bred to retrieve birds, APBTs were bred to face other dogs in mortal combat. … It’s a mistake to think the fighting gene can be easily trained or loved out of a dog.” (Torres, Tio. Pit bull advocate. “The Real Pit Bull.” The Rescue Train web site. [Accessed Jan. 2018])
Pit Bull Federation South Africa
THE ANIMAL WELFARE AND ANIMAL RIGHTS MOVEMENT:
We have noticed a trend in South Africa where every Tom, Dick and Harry is now a pit bull rescuer.
These people have absolutely no breed knowledge, they refuse to acknowledge this breed’s history, they insist that love, socialization and care will remove a poor and dangerous temperament.
When logic and reason are thrown their way, they bad-mouth, they go crazy, they lie and they fight.
Recently a well-known rescue organization adopted a pit bull out who mauled a child’s leg off.
Its founder appeared on a well-known radio station and the presenter hailed the shelter owner as a hero.
Is this what society praises and condones?
The irresponsible re-homing of a dog who mauled a child so badly that she lost her leg?
When called into question by qualified behaviorists, experienced pit bull owners and experienced rescuers, this organization’s supporters and staff went on a tirade and abused those calling for sense and sanity.
How dare these people who know nothing about this breed place it at risk?
How dare they risk the lives of innocent children?
The PBFSA receives at least three emails a week from concerned members of the public and welfare fraternity about dogs who are being re-homed, yet they have a bite history.
These shelters are conning the public into adopting, yet they are not disclosing the dog’s bite history.
We call on the public to be selective about who they donate to and adopt from.
Martin Penkala, veterinary clinic and emergency animal hospital staff
“After having worked in two veterinary clinics and an emergency animal hospital, and seeing the statistics on pit bull attacks on both animals and humans, and after having now had two close friends’ dogs viciously ravaged by pit bulls, I feel compelled to address this issue very frankly.
I have heard both sides of the argument dozens of times, and when I put all the facts, opinions, stats and justifications together into a final perspective, this is what I conclude: Many pit bull supporters don’t seem to realize they are populating this country’s towns and cities with a lethal attack dog that needs to be rigorously controlled.
All the characteristics that make this breed notorious were selected centuries ago. They were used in the sports of bull and bear baiting. They were bred to attack without provocation or warning (hence their “unpredictability”); clamp on to a vulnerable area of the victim’s body with a hold-and-shake grip to inflict major physical damage; and sustain tremendous pain in order to continue damaging the victim. They were not intended to be household pets. They do these things for the same reason pointers “point” – it’s bred into them. It has nothing to do with “irresponsible ownership.”
It’s long past time to bring some common sense (and compassion for victims) back to this debate. Many countries and U.S. municipalities have taken measures to regulate or even outright ban these dogs, and it’s not due to some arbitrary “breed bias.” If you happen to dislike breeds that drool a lot, that’s a bias. Controlling the ownership of a breed that has proven to be a vicious killer is not; it’s sensible and humane policy.”
“Pit bulls weren’t bred to be household pets”
Caroline Coile, Ph.D., is the author of “Pit Bulls for Dummies,” and 2015 inductee into the Dog Writers Association of America Hall of Fame. In 2015 she announced, “I am the author of Pit Bulls for Dummies. I will not have another … When they were good, they were delightful; when they were bad, they were deadly.”
Douglas Skinner, DVM “Dare we say anything lest we raise the ire of the breed’s apologists?
I have been in veterinary practice for 43 years and never have seen anything like the infusion of this breed. Having worked with more than 100,000 dogs of all breeds, I defy any apologist to offer up such experience.
Sure, there are sweet pits, but telling one from the bad ones, the Jekyll and Hyde ones that can be incited to violence by some catalyst, is near impossible. While most apologists fancy themselves good trainers, 95 percent of owners are clueless.
Many breeds have a history of use based on genetics; the border collie’s is herding, German short hair pointers find birds, and pits have a history of violence. With that information, it still makes sense from the “it’s how you raise your dog” crowd that any dog could be made to herd or point; I mean, it’s how you raise them, right?
A border collie herds instinctively, pointers find game birds, and a pit bull? Well, it wants to chase two girls across a field with three of its buddies and maul them.
Neuter all pit bulls, require high, double fencing, and give severe fines/incarceration of owners for such attacks. I’ve had it with pit bulls and their mixes trying to bite me during exams or scaring other pet owners. Six weeks old, three months old, you can’t trust them; you can only make excuses for them.”
Sheryl Blair of the Tufts Veterinary School, in North Grafton, Mass., which last year held a symposium entitled Animal Agression: Dog Bites and the Pit Bull Terrier. Unfortunately the pit bull, when it attacks, doesn’t merely bite man—or, most horribly, child—it clamps its powerful jaws down and literally tears its victim apart. “The injuries these dogs inflict are more serious than other breeds because they go for the deep musculature and don’t release; they hold and shake.”
Kurt Lapham, a field investigator for the West Coast Regional office of the Humane Society.“Most breeds do not multiple-bite. A pit bull attack is like a shark attack: He keeps coming back.”
Judge Victor E. Bianchini of San Diego– “A pit bull, is the closest thing to a wild animal there is in a domesticated dog.”
SHERYL BLAIR, Tufts Veterinary School symposium – Animal Aggression: Dog Bites and the Pit Bull Terrier – “The injuries these dogs inflict are more serious than other breeds because they go for the deep musculature and don’t release; they hold and shake.”
Colleen Hodges, Veterinary Public Health spokeswoman: Some families think that they should treat a pit bull like any other dog. They may not realize that the dog was bred to fight and that some of these dogs may have fighting in their genes. They are tough, strong, and tenacious. They are much more capable of inflicting serious damage, and some of them do. I would not recommend pits as a family dog.
MICHAEL W. FOX, veterinarian, animal behaviorist: “I spent 20 years studying the behavior of dogs. Man, has created a monster, If you wish…These dogs were selectively bred to fight, they have greater propensity to fight than other animals, which is brought out in training.” “They can attack people, and because the attitudes of Pit Bulls it is more likely they will attack people. The worry is the power of the dogs jaw…to bite and not let go. It’s quite sufficient to crush right through a child’s arm or leg.”
ARTHUR HERM, veterinarian, animal control: He said he disagrees with those people who believe they can train aggressiveness out of dogs, and added he believes aggressiveness is “inherent” and “genetic” in all dogs while pit bulls “seem to have more of that.”
KATHRYN HAWKINS, DVM After seeing another dog die from a pit bull attack, I feel compelled to write. The opinion that pit bulls are “mean because of the way they are raised” is often not the case. A Both of the dogs I took care of that died were attacked unprovoked by pit bulls that were in families that raised them responsibly. Just as a retriever is bred to hunt birds — an instinct you can’t stop — many pit bulls have a genetic tendency to attack other animals. When they do, they are extremely powerful and don’t quit. I have never been bitten or growled at by a pit bull — they are very friendly. But when the instinct to attack another animal occurs, they cause serious damage, or death. They don’t bite people any more often than other breeds but when they do, it’s bad. The aggressiveness toward other animals and damage they do is not because of “the way they are raised” — it is usually due to a genetic instinct not in the control of the owner.
BONNIE V. BEAVER, BS, DVM, MS, DACVB, Professor and Chief of Medicine, Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University Executive Director, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists By its origin, a pit bull is a fighting dog that takes very little stimulous to initiate aggression, and it will continue to fight regardless of what happens. Pit bulldogs have been responsible for about 70 percent of the deaths of humans killed by dogs since 1979. The AVMA warns veterinarians to be careful about supplying behavioural evaluations of dogs for insurance purposes. “It’s risky for veterinarians,” said Dr. Beaver, explaining that there are many situations in which a dog may behave aggressively, and temperament tests can’t rule out the possibility of aggression. “You don’t have temperament tests that can identify all possibilities.”
TRISH KING, Director, Behavior & Training Dept. Marin Humane Society: “There is no direct eye contact or very little direct eye contact. It is very quick and over with. Which is one reason why with pit bulls and rottweilers, we have problems. Because they’re bred to do direct eye contact and so they are off putting to other dogs and actually scary to other dogs.” The fourth undesirable characteristic – arousal or excitement – is actually the most problematic. Many bully dogs cannot seem to calm themselves down once they get excited. And once they get excited all their behaviors are exacerbated. Thus, if a dog is over-confident and has a tendency to body slam or mount, he or she will really crash into the other dog or person when he’s aroused, sometimes inadvertently causing injury. He may begin to play-bite, and then bite harder and harder and harder. When you try to stop the behavior, the dog often becomes even more “aggressive.” In this way, play can turn into aggression fairly quickly. Research on the brain has shown that excited play has exactly the same chemistry as extreme anger. This allows a play behavior to switch quickly into aggression. And, once the dog has become aggressive a few times, the switch is much easier.
MELANIE PFEIFFER, veterinary assistant: “Working in a veterinary hospital, you are exposed to all kinds of animal trauma. One of the more common ones is dog fights. I can honestly say that in three out of four cases, an American pit bull terrier is involved. Many times, we are able to save the life of the afflicted, but yesterday, we were not”.
KEVIN COUTTS, Head Dog Ranger, Rotorua, New Zealand: There was concern among dog authorities about American pitbulls being allowed into New Zealand as they were dangerous, unpredictable animals, Mr Coutts said. “A lot of people in this town get them because they are a staunch dog and they will fight. They are perceived as vicious … It’s frustrating they were ever allowed in the country … we can’t go back now though,” Mr Coutts said. COUTTS’ comment on a pit mauling This sort of thing happens when people own this breed of dog and then don’t look after them.
JOHN FAUL, animal behaviorist– Faul said they were dangerous and a threat to life. He said the pitbull was bred to be absolutely fearless and had a “hair-trigger” attack response. “The cardinal rule is that these dogs are not pets,” he said. “The only way to keep them is in a working environment.” He said the only relationship one could have with the pit bull was one of “dominance, sub-dominance”, in which the dog was reminded daily of its position.
ALEXANDRA SEMYONOVA, animal behaviorist: You will also not prevent the dog from being what he is genetically predisposed to be. Because the inbred postures and behaviors feel good, fitting the body and brain the dog has been bred with, they are internally motivated and internally rewarded. This means that the behavior is practically impossible to extinguish by manipulating external environmental stimuli. The reward is not in the environment, but in the dog itself! As Coppinger and Coppinger (2001, p. 202) put it, “The dog gets such pleasure out of performing its motor pattern that it keeps looking for places to display it.” Some dogs get stuck in their particular inbred motor pattern. As pointed out above, this kind of aggression has appeared in some other breeds as an unexpected and undesired anomaly – the golden retriever, the Berner Senne hund, the cocker spaniel have all had this problem. The lovers of aggressive breeds try to use these breeding accidents to prove that their aggressive breeds are just like any other dog, “see, they’re no different from the cuddly breeds.” But a cuddly breed sometimes ending up stuck with a genetic disaster does not prove that the behavior is normal canine behavior. All it proves is that the behavior is genetically determined. “These dogs aren’t killers because they have the wrong owners. They have the wrong owners because they are killers.
GRAEME SMITH, veterinarian
My views about associating a breed with dangerous behaviours were challenged over time as I saw the impact of Pit Bull attacks. Talking to owners with dogs of this breed who have themselves been turned on, it became clear that these animals are unpredictable and when they attack they can cause serious injury or death. It is very hard to give Pit Bulls the benefit of the doubt.
Avoiding the identification of dogs and their behaviours by their breed means the legislation in place can be such that allows these Pit Bulls “one free bite.” This “one free bite” can have fatal consequences.
If it looks like a Pit Bull, it is a Pit Bull.
What’s at stake is the safety of people and their own pets in the wider community, there is no room for gambling with an unpredictable animal.
And that is so often the case. No one knows where these dogs are until they come out and cause some form of grief. My position is about protecting the public and other animals from these animals.
United Kennel Club (UKC) –“Most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression.” https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-pit-bull-terrier
American Kennel Club (AKC) – “It must be noted that dog aggression can develop even in well-socialized Am Staffs; an AmStaff should never under any circumstances be left alone with other dogs.”
CHARLES DANTON, DVM:
Is it unjust to discriminate against a breed? Of course not! As most honest breeders, agronomists, and veterinarians can tell you, genes play an important role in aggressiveness, even if the acquired or training aspect of behaviour also matters.
All dogs are not born equal. The favorite saying of the pro pit bull advocates, “there are no bad dogs, but only bad masters,” is completely untrue. Depending on the breed and purpose, breeders will select at birth or shortly after, the most docile specimens of a litter for company, and the more aggressive ones, for protection. The others are sold for reproduction to a puppy mill or simply culled.
Does this mean that all pit bull dogs are dangerous? No. An undetermined number is not. But since there is presently no test for effectively separating the wheat from the chaff, it would be safer to banish them all together. These born killers have a very heavy genetic past. They were made by mating extremely aggressive breeds that were selected for thousands of generations for their gameness, strength, overdeveloped predator instinct, high pain threshold, and impulsiveness. These factors combined with the incredible power of their jaws cause extremely serious injuries. Furthermore, pit bull attacks are by definition unpredictable and incredibly violent.
It turns out, all pit bull type dogs, pure bred and mixes alike are the most dangerous. Is this the reason why pit bulls and other dangerous breeds were successfully banned from Toronto in 2005? No doubt about it.
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Cesar Milan, Dog Trainer: “Yeah, but this is a different breed…the power that comes behind the bull dog, pit bull, presa canario, the fighting breed – They have an extra boost, they can go into a zone, they don’t feel the pain anymore. … So if you are trying to create submission in a fighting breed, it’s not going to happen. They would rather die than surrender. If you add pain, it only infuriates them. To them, pain is that adrenaline rush. They are looking forward to that… they are addicted to it… That’s why they are such great fighters.”. He goes on to say: “Especially with fighting breeds, you’re going to have these explosions over and over because there’s no limits in their brain.”
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Robyn Eshelby-Theart: Dog Behaviorist
I’m a qualified dog behaviourist. Not only that, but I spend my entire life working with dogs. It’s literally my 24/7/365 as, beyond being a behaviourist, I have a doggy daycare and boarding facility. My job is dogs. Tonight I will share something with you. And for the sake of all innocent animals, I hope that you read it. PIT BULLS ARE NOT PACK DOGS. PIT BULLS ARE NOT MULTI-PET-HOME DOGS. Now before everyone launches into the “I know a nice Pitbull who nurses kittens and walks around with a duckling on his shoulder” stories… Everyone knows a nice Pit bull. If everyone on ILF was to post their nice Pit bull story, within a minute or two people who truly understand the breed would refer 100+ Pit bulls currently sitting in rescue within 50km of Fourways, with profiles on social media, whose only crime was being true to their breed design. Hundreds of Pit bulls around the country, possibly thousands in fact, just in SA. The Pit bull’s breed design is dog-on-dog combat. Dog-on-dog combat is quite literally the ONLY reason that Pit bulls as a breed exist. Pit bulls do not need to be trained to fight. Pit bulls do not need to be abused to fight. Pit bulls are not jealous. Pit bulls do not need you to be the alpha. Pit bulls cannot have their genetics loved out of them. Pit bulls may only show their character after the age of 3. And sometimes, much later. Pit bulls are not and never were nanny dogs. Pit bulls were never intended to live in group environments. Now…Like any statistic, anomalies exist. The Pit bull with the duckling on his shoulder is an anomaly and must be viewed as such. The anomaly is not the majority! Thinking you can love the genetics out of a Pit bull is probably the most naive thing you can do. By thinking you can do this, you put other animals at risk. While your Pit bull’s life matters, so do the lives of their victims. Whether your own pet or someone else’s – the irresponsible keeping of Pitbulls contributes to tens of thousands of other animal deaths every year. If you truly love the breed you acknowledge their potential. You enjoy your social Pit bull while it is social – if it is social. You plan for the future that one day you may need to separate your house, yard and time, stop going to the park, to keep everyone safe. You advocate for responsible Pit bull ownership, not “raise them right”. Pit bulls are NOT unpredictable. In fact, they are highly predictable. HIGHLY. I am not saying Pit bulls are not nice. I am saying that Pit bulls, like all breeds, were engineered for a purpose. And their purpose does not correlate with the lifestyle desired by the average dog owner. All dogs bite. Anything with teeth, bites. But no other popular dog breed was specifically engineered by humans to fight other dogs to the death, and to be so impervious to pain while doing so, that they themselves will die fighting. Their jaws don’t lock – THEY DON’T WANT TO LET GO. They have genetically reduced bite inhibition. Even if it is a single snap event, that single snap is enough to break a small dog or cat’s spine. It’s not their bite strength, it’s the way they bite. This nonsense needs to stop. We are already well on our way to mimicking the absolute rubbish that is going on in the USA. This is what is getting people and pets killed by Pits EVERY SINGLE DAY. Local shelters and rescues posting dogs as “Lab mixes” or “mixed breeds”, the favourite “Staffie mix” or “Boxer mix”. If people are going to own a Pit they should be prepared to own a Pit. Denying the Pit genetics is, ironically, killing Pits! Haters gonna hate, but until you’re the one picking up literal pieces of other dogs and cats, fielding the phone calls and messages about Pits “snapping” or “turning”, then you are really not qualified to have an opinion on this, no matter how many nice anomalies you know or know of. Stop the murder of Pits and other animals. Stop buying Pits, stop adopting Pits that you think you’ll love the Pit out of. If you want to own a Pit bull then acknowledge it for what it is. And if a dog professional tells you that they’ll socialise your Pit, know that what will happen is SUPPRESSION. Your Pit will never be social, it will simply (temporarily) suppress it’s instinct to fight. This is usually achieved through aversive methods. Suppression never lasts. All it does is get you to the point that you let your guard down, and then the tragedy occurs. We need to stop this madness. STOP THE MADNESS.
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Ann Marie Rogers, Animal Control Officer, Animal Rescuer, BSL Activist:
When I began working in the animal welfare field, it was well known that pit bulls are inherently dangerous and unpredictable- a deadly risk to other animals and humans. They were always humanely euthanized upon entry to shelters in the interest of public safety.
Pit Bull attacks on our pets and people have been increasing in Michigan and across the country at an alarming rate. Many people, simply taking their dog for a walk, have been attacked by loose pit bulls and they or their dogs fatally mauled or injured. I believe the increase in these maulings and fatalities is because Pit Bulls are being popularized through TV shows, that falsely present them as friendly, normal dogs, but they certainly are not normal dogs. Pressured by the politically correct “save them all” mentality and funded by the wealthy “Pit Bull Lobby”, shelters and rescues are overloaded with pit bull types and will purposely mislabel them as “lab mix” or “boxer mix” to facilitate adoptions — an unethical, dangerous practice. Shelters and rescues are putting our communities at risk with their Pit Bull propaganda.
America loves dogs, but somewhere along the way, common sense and concern for public safety got lost in the quest to save them all. Not all dogs can or should be saved. Some have severe behavioral issues, including many that are much too dangerous. For those dogs, humane euthanasia is the kindest solution. Warehousing dangerous, unadoptable dogs in crates or kennels 23 hours a day is a liability and provides no quality of life for the animal.
There is no question that pit bulls are abused and fought, and that should never happen. Yes, there are nice pit bulls that never “go pit”. The problem is that no one can predict with any accuracy which dogs will attack and which will not.
Temperament tests are useless on pit bulls. It is common for the well-loved pet pit bull to be sweet and docile until the day it attacks someone. Attacks happen that fast. That is what makes them so dangerous- the unpredictability. Pit Bulls are not worth the risk. I would never recommend a pit bull as a safe family pet.
The trend to normalize this fighting breed as a safe pet despite the overwhelming evidence and data to the contrary is concerning. It is disturbing to see that society has decayed to the point that blood sport dogs are worshipped and public safety is ignored.
