Pit bulls create crisis in animal advocacy groups and communities

[caption id="attachment_19864" align="alignleft" width="300"] pit bull terrier[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---Across many communities around the United States, and even in other countries, people are growing more and more concerned about the number of pit bulls and the numbers of attacks documented in the news media and statistics, so that there has become a crisis among animal care advocates and communities.

Pit bulls have been found to be an aggressive breed with specific behaviors related to their genetics and a breed requiring especially good care and raising.  But even in families there have been high profile stories about young children being mauled to death by a pit bull considered friendly and the family pet.

The frequency of attacks combined with the nature of them, particularly involving children, has led many authorities to be concerned and to advocate controlling the dogs by controlling their population.  Both PETA and ASCPCA, two main animal advocacy groups, have called for spaying these dogs in order to restrict the population.

On the other hand, there are a growing number of cases found where criminals acquire these dogs and teach them to be particularly aggressive.  As crime rises so do the numbers of pit bulls in communities.  This has encouraged some communities to ask that these dogs not be allowed in residential communities, particularly where there are children.

But as some citizens clamor for increased safety from dog attacks, some animal advocates see the pit bull as being a good dog when treated kindly.  These advocates believe that the reason for pit bull attacks is related to how they are raised and treated and that with kindness they can be just as delightful as dogs of other breeds.

The pit bull is a controversial animal in most communities, as animal advocates continue to examine options for an animal who is either misunderstood, or mistreated or simply a dog that has in-bred behaviors that warrant their restriction.

Pit bull attacks raise issue of human vs animal rights, breed specificbehaviors

[caption id="attachment_19864" align="alignleft" width="300"] pit bull terrier[/caption]

Carol Forsloff--“This poor woman was just walking down the street and attacked without provocation,” Animal Services Director Robert Miller said. “Her injuries are very serious and our thoughts and prayers go out to her as she recovers from these wounds.”

This remark followed the report of  a woman who was between 40 and 50  Press-Enterprise reported  who was taken to the hospital for treatment of "very severe" dog bites.

The Press-Enterprise spoke with  a  witness to the attack, Terry Fury:

“I was drinking coffee and I heard hellacious screaming,” Fury said in a phone interview. “At first I thought it might have been one of the kids across the street. But then it continued for five seconds and I went to the front door … and I could see two pit bulls on this lady, and she was lying on the curb.”

Last week a postal service worker was bitten on the legs by two pit bulls who escaped from a yard in the greater Pittsburgh area.  According to news reports the dogs escaped through a hole in the fence.

In both cases, the dogs either jumped the fence or found a hole to crawl through in order to bite passersby.

So who is responsible the dog, the owner or the passersby?  Is a fence enough?  Are there breed specific behaviors which suggest pit bulls should not be kept in an ordinary neighborhood?

While each case is different, simply because there are always details in every situation that is different from another, there are similarities.  Two pit bulls in each situation were involved.  And secondly the fences were not equipped to keep the dogs from attacking people who happened to innocently pass by.

Every week one can search for pit bull attacks somewhere in the United States, or the rest of the world, and find cases of pit bull attacks.

Sam, who labels himself the Dog Trainer, gives some reasons why dogs attack.  Some of these reasons have to do with territorial issues, the dogs concern about a specific area as mapped out as the dog’s.    There are also medical problems, abuse, lack of socialization and poor breeding.

But in these two recent cases both of the issues have to do with dogs being able to get through fences, something that many animals find fairly easy to do when most neighborhood fences are not made in an impenetrable fashion.

The Animal Liberation Front has as its stated purpose to prevent cruelty to animals.  That is the mission of that organization, while PETA believes pit bulls should have their population reduced by spaying because people often can’t care for the dogs the way they need to be cared for.  ALF acknowledges the pit bull is descended from an aggressive breed,  their attacks tenacious,  are angrier and more aggressive than most dogs,  and 50% of the serious dog attacks in this country are from pit bulls.