Mesquite considering stricter rules for pit bulls

Pibble, says:

Any idea how many dogs kill cats?

It`s prey drive NOT aggression

http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/catc...

There are NO meaningful stats about 'pit bulls' or any other dogs.

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcoun... [quote]

"A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites.

* There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill."*

http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/bitepre...

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) released statement on the erroneous use and conclusions of the CDC study:[/quote]

"Pit Bulls" is a slang term used for 3 recognized Breeds.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers

American Staffordshire Terriers

APBT

Learn about "Pit Bulls"

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/s...

"Pit Bulls" outscore the ALL Breed Avg year after year in Temperament testing

http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/t...

Most dogs being reported by the Media are mutts.

Pick out the APBT from these 20+ Pure Breeds.

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Find...

Babies and small Children should not be left ALONE with ANY dogs of ANY Breed/type.

Serious Bites are NOT Breed Specific and neither are the VERY rare fatalities.

"Pits" do NOT cause injuries unlike other dogs.

Match the fatal injuries to the 15 Breeds. http://www.nationalcanineresearchcoun...

[quote]Below is a list of 15 different victims of a dog attack along with the description of the fatal wounds as listed on the autopsy report. Each victim was attacked and killed by a single dog. Each victim was killed by a different breed of dog (for a total of 15 different breeds*). Only one victim was killed by a Pit bull (or any type of bully breed).

*
  Victim 1: Multiple penetrating wounds to the abdomen
*
  Victim 2: Collapsed lungs, multiple wounds to the chest, partial devourment
*
  Victim 3: Massive head and neck injuries
*
  Victim 4: Multiple bite wounds, dismemberment
*
  Victim 5: Extensive scalp and neck injuries
*
  Victim 6: Multiple lacerations of scalp and neck, depressed skull fracture
*
  Victim 7: Exsanguination from multiple bite wounds
*
  Victim 8: Skull fracture and severe bites to upper back and face
*
  Victim 9: Multiple penetrating wounds to back and chest
*
  Victim 10: Severe bite wounds to the head
*
  Victim 11: Severe bites, massive bleeding, broken facial & neck bones
*
  Victim 12: Massive head injuries
*
  Victim 13: Severe, multiple penetrating injuries to head and neck
*
  Victim 14: Massive bite injuries to lower extremities, dismemberment
*
  Victim 15: Severe scalp, facial wounds, laceration of jugular

Fifteen different breeds inflicted the fatal wounds listed above. The breeds were:

*
  Siberian husky
*
  Coonhound
*
  Dachshund
*
  Chow chow
*
  Pit bull
*
  Sheepdog-type dog
*
  Malamute
*
  Labrador Retriever
*
  Chesapeake Bay Retriever
*
  St. Bernard
*
  German Shepherd dog
*
  Wolfdog
*
  Golden Retriever
*
  Mixed breed (no discernible breed visible)
*
  Rottweiler

It is virtually impossible for anyone to match the breed of dog with the fatal injuries listed above - as such -

claims that one breed of dog inflicts injuries unlike other breeds have no merit.**

(Fatal wounds / breed matches can be obtained upon request).

• Breeds were chosen for this sample only if the breed has been involved in more than one human fatality (i.e., Airedale Terrier, Pomeranian, Jack Russell Terrier, et.al, were not used as only one human fatality has been attributed to each of these breeds in the United States).[/quote]

BSL does NOT work and is rejected by EVERY credible Canine Expert and Organization http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/t...

Netherlands just lifted 15 Yr Ban

Read Pit Bull Placebo by Karen Delise for Factual Info

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/09721...

The Media is not exactly a reliable source of information on Dog Attacks.

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcoun...

Time to start listening to the REAL Experts

http://www.nationalcanineresearchcoun...

Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention

http://www.avma.org/public_health/dog...

Texas http://www.nationalcanineresearchcoun...

[quote]Texas

Are Dogs A Real Danger?

A National Canine Research Council Perspective Report

Over the past 43 years (1965 - present) there have been 58 fatal dog attacks in Texas, or an average of one to two fatal attacks per year.

At least 17 different breeds/types of dogs have been identified as participating in a fatal attack in Texas.**

The victims were: 17 adults and 41 children.

All the fatal attacks in Texas involved intact dogs (not spayed or neutered). Besides being intact, a significant number of dogs involved in fatal attacks in Texas were irresponsibly and actively being used for breeding:

In 1990, an 18-month-old girl was killed when she approached one of her father's chained breeding dogs. The father claimed he had bred "hundreds of dogs over the past 10 years." He also claimed he could not understand why the intact male dog would have attacked the girl since the child used to "ride the dog like a horse." (It is not known how an 18-month-old riding a chained dog "like a horse" would lead the father to expect the dog to exhibit future amicable behavior towards the child -- NCRC comment)

Other incidents involved chained dogs that were approached by young, unsupervised children:

In 2006, a two-year-old child was attacked and killed after she wandered over to a neighbor's dog. There was no shade afforded to the dog from the hot summer sun, other than that from the doghouse to which he was chained. (El Paso)

Fatal dog attacks in Texas encompassed a variety of different scenarios and risks factors ranging from low levels of negligence to extremely reckless or dangerous behavior; a number of which resulted in criminal convictions for the parent/owner:

In 1983, B. Rognaldsen received a 1-year sentence for criminal negligence after her 1-month-old daughter was attacked and killed by her dog. The dog had a detailed history of aggressive behavior and had "gnawed" on the baby's crib previous to the fatal attack. The night before the incident it was tesitifed that the mother was "very intoxicated and acted as though she was also on drugs." The infant was found mauled to death in the morning when the mother awoke. (Dallas)

In 1984, J. Traxler received a 5-year sentence for reckless injury to child when his 4-year-old stepson wandered out to his dog chained to a utility pole. His comment, "that boy knew better than to get near that dog" undoubtedly helped to convict him. He was allowed to serve this sentence concurrently with a 10-year-sentence for drug possession. (Conroe)

In spite of a significant number of reckless and dangerous dog owners in Texas, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality:

Fatal Dog Attacks in Texas as Compared to Other Selected Risks:

Snapshot of Texas: Year 2005

Persons killed by dogs: 3 Child hyperthermia deaths (left in hot cars): 4 Persons killed by lightning: 5 Death from contact w/bees, hornets, wasps: 12 Child < 5 yrs. old drowned in tub or swimming pool: 26 Older children & adults drowned in swimming pool: 33 ATV-related fatalites: 51 Bicycle-related fatalities: 61 Alcohol-related traffic fatalities: 1,672 Total traffic (alcohol & non) fatalities: 3,536 Tobacco-related deaths: 24,200

Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2005, one hundred and ninety-seven (197) Texas children died as a result of maltreatment (abuse or neglect).**

In a SINGLE YEAR, 2005, nearly FIVE TIMES as many Texas children died from maltreatment (abuse or neglect) than the TOTAL of ALL children killed by dogs in Texas over the past 43 years.**

Note: Texas experienced an increase in the number of fatal dog attacks the last 2 years (2006, 2007), with 14 fatal attacks within these two years. It is difficult, and perhaps premature, to attempt to draw any conclusions from this data since the number of dog attacks per year in any given state fluctuates from year to year. For example: Texas had five (5) fatal dog attacks over two years (1999, 2000) and then only one (1) fatal attack during the following three years, (2001, 2002, 2003).

So, are dogs a danger? Fact is, people in Texas routinely accept far greater dangers from ATVs, swimming pools and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.[/quote]

Texas has much bigger problems than dogs chasing and killing cats!

snowboard9, says:

I agree with Pavel. Sheesh. The cut and paste was a bit over the top. However, I'm sure you had something meaningful to say.

snowboard9, says:

While I sympathize with those that don't feel breeds should be targeted, it does seem certain breeds are just predisposed to aggression. Unfortunately because of this, it draws a higher percent of loony owners getting off on this and further drawing out the innate aggressive nature of these animals.

jtmbls, says:

Good thing I took that speed reading class. In summation: Pit Bulls = Low risk. Thanks, now I have a headache.

heatheranna, says:

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines... Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.16.2007 "Question: Are there any statistics on the breeds of dogs most often reported to have attacked and injured people in the U.S.? Answer: A study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2000 examined the breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. The top five breeds were pit-bull types, Rottweilers, German shepherds, husky types and Malamutes. The top 20 breeds include Dobermans, St. Bernards, Great Danes and Labrador retrievers. However, the Humane Society of the United States has taken a stand against using breed-based dog-bite numbers to regulate dog ownership. It contends that unless the numbers of a specific breed are known, it is impossible to statistically calculate which are the most dangerous breeds. For example, if a study indicates that there are five bites by golden retrievers and 10 bites by pit bulls, but there are 100 retrievers in the community and 500 pit bulls, then statistically the retrievers are the breed more likely to bite."

There is no uniform way of collecting this data and conditions other than breed must be considered to be scientific. We know that intact males and chained dogs attack more. Children are likely victims b/c they don't see warning signs. The presence of food or puppies are a risk or a female in heat. The PURPOSE someone has a dog is the main risk factor. I have two adopted pit bulls as family dogs. My dogs are trained and obedient. Many pit bull owners seek the dogs for status, image, fighting, breeding or train them for protection, hence more pit bulls are involved in attacks. Plus pit bulls are one of the most common dog breeds even if they aren't officially counted by AC or the city.. there is only 50% compliance with these laws among ALL breeds and it is higher among people who are casual dog owners or into illegal activities. These dogs were VERY popular family dogs in the late 19th and early 20c. People ruined this dog breed and they very well may ruin another if this one is banned.

Also, many people just turn their dogs loose when there is a ban instead of turning them in or paying to have them pts. Then you will have more of the worst dogs (from the worst owners) running loose. I HATE irresponsible dog owners of all kinds. I have loose labs run up and harass me and my dogs and it ticks me off. I see pit bulls in the news and I HATE thier owners.. the owners need to be barred from owning dogs!!!!

jtmbls, says:

Well one thing is for certain; Pit Bull owners are some of the most verbose people on the planet. I think it boils down to, like heather said, the owners. Unfortunately, just like we can’t keep stupid people from reproducing, we can’t keep stupid people from owning dogs. Pit Bulls, as far as I know, are the only breed specifically bred, sold and owned for the purpose of fighting. I have yet to hear of dog fights organized for any other breed. Except maybe the Pomeranian Scott referred to earlier. I understand that there are many loving owners like heather who wouldn’t dream of treating their Pits in that way, but the sad fact is, there are thousands who do. So, how do we stop it other than banning the breed?

jtmbls, says:

So that's where you've been all day Jason!

ch0, says:

Racism at its finest

jtmbls, says:

Yes! You did but I don't expect you to be surprised. He's been building up to that for a while now. He's been rather brilliant lately, don't you think? I would link to something profound he's said in the last week or so but I'm too lazy.

xdavidwattsx, says:

Oh great, Pibble's back.

Snooze.