Misunderstood Pitbulls attack and kill 63 yr old woman

[Cotton]

All from the first page of a search on pit bull images on google.

 

[Kbrown]

Well, one of the variations seems to like the taste of children and old people.

 

[Cotton]

There is considerable debate on whether or not certain breeds of dogs are inherently more prone to commit attacks causing serious injury (i.e., so driven by instinct and breeding that, under certain circumstances, they are exceedingly likely to attempt or commit dangerous attacks). Regardless of the breed of the dog, it is recognized that the risk of dangerous dog attacks can be greatly increased by human actions (such as neglect or fight training) or inactions (as carelessness in confinement and control).

Human behavior [edit]

Many human behaviors (especially by people unfamiliar with dogs) may factor into bite situations. The majority of dogs will not respond to all or even any of these behaviors with aggression, however, some will. These behaviors include:

• Challenging for food or water. For example, removing food from a dog, or appearing to intervene between a dog and its food. Even when inadvertent, this may trigger aggressive behavior in some animals.
• Attacking (or perceived attacking) a dog or its companions, or encroaching on its territory. Dogs are pack hunters; they often have an instinct to defend themselves and those they consider their "pack" (which could be other dogs, humans, cats, or even other animals), and to defend their territory, which may include areas they consider "theirs" or belonging to their family. Any dog is unpredictable in the presence of an intruder, especially but not always a burglar.
• Sickness or injury. A sick or injured dog, or an older animal, like people, may become "cranky" or over-reactive, and may develop a tendency to become "snappish".
• Failure to recognize insecurity or fear. Like humans, dogs that feel insecure may ultimately turn and defend themselves against perceived threat. It is common for people to not recognize signs of fear or insecurity, and to approach, triggering a defensive reaction.
• Intervention when dogs fight. When dogs fight, a human stepping in between, or seeking to restrain one of them without due care, may be badly bitten as well.
• Threatening body language. Especially including direct staring (an act of aggression/perceived as threatening by dogs) or a person not known to the dog moving their face very close to the animal's ownsnout (may be perceived as a challenge, threatening, or imposing). Staring is more dangerous when on the same visual level as the dog (such as small children), or when the human is unfamiliar.
• Prey behaviors. Dogs retain many of the predatory instincts of wolves, including the chasing of prey. Running away from a dog or behaving in a manner suggesting weakness may trigger predatory behaviors such as chasing or excited attack. For example, the instinct to jerk one's hands upwards away from an inquisitive dog may elicit a strong impulse to grab and hold.
• Ignoring warning signs. Trained attack dogs may act against an intruder without warning.

Note that attacks may be triggered by behaviors that are perceived as an attack, for example, a sudden unexpected approach or touch by a stranger, or inadvertently stepping on any portion of the dog's anatomy, such as a paw or tail, or startling a sleeping dog unexpectedly. In particular, the territory that a dog recognizes as its own may not coincide with the property lines that its owner and the legal authorities recognize, such as a portion of a neighbor's backyard.

Dog behavior [edit]

Many adoption agencies test for aggressive behavior in dogs, and euthanize an animal that shows certain types of aggression. Alternatively, aggression can often be addressed with appropriate corrective training. Sources of aggression include:

• Fear and self-defense. Like humans, dogs react when fearful, and may feel driven to attack out of self-defense, even when not in fact being "attacked". Speed of movement, noises, objects or specific gestures such as raising an arm or standing up may elicit a reaction. Many rescued dogs have been abused, and in some dogs, specific fears of men, women, skin coloring, and other features that recall past abusers, are not uncommon. A dog that feels cornered or without recourse may attack the human who is threatening or attacking it. A dog may also perceive a hand reached out toward its head as an attempt to gain control of the dog's neck via the collar, which if done to a wary dog by a stranger can easily provoke a bite.
• Territoriality and possessions. See above. Aggressive possessiveness is considered a very important type of aggression to test for, since it is most associated with bites, especially bites to children.[SUP][5][/SUP]
• Predatory instincts. In isolation, predatory behaviors are rarely the cause of an attack on a human. Predatory aggression is more commonly involved as a contributing factor for example in attacks by multiple dogs; a "pack kill instinct" may arise if multiple dogs are involved in an attack.[SUP][citation needed][/SUP]
• Pain or sickness. See above. As with fear, pain can incite a dog to attack. The canonical example of sickness-induced attack is the virulent behavior caused by rabies.
• Redirected aggression. A dog that is already excited/aroused by an aggressive instinct from one source, may use an available target to release its aggression, if the "target" does something to evoke this response from the dog (e.g. shouting & staring at the dog for barking at the mailman).

Training and aggression [edit]

In a domestic situation, canine aggression is normally suppressed. Exceptions are if the dog is trained to attack, feels threatened, or is provoked. It is important to remember that dogs are predators by nature, instinct is something that never completely disappears, and that predatory behavior against other animals (such as chasing other animals) may train a dog or a pack of dogs to attack humans. It is possible to acclimate a dog to common human situations in order to avoid adverse reactions by a pet. Dog experts advocate removal of a dog's food, startling a dog, and performing sudden movements in a controlled setting to teach the dog who its leader is, to defuse aggressive impulses in common situations. This also allows better animal care since owners may now remove an article directly from a dog's mouth or transport a wounded pet to seek medical attention.

Small children are especially prone to being misunderstood by dogs, in part because their size and movements can be similar to prey. Also, young children may unintentionally provoke a dog (pulling on ears or tails is common, as is surprising a sleeping dog) because of their inexperience. To avoid potential conflicts, even reliably well-behaved children and dogs should never be allowed to interact in the absence of an adult who knows and understands the dog's personality and trained cues.

Dogs with strong chase instincts, (e.g. collies, shepherds), may fail to recognize a person as a being not to be herded. They may fixate on a specific aspect of the person, such as a fast-moving, brightly colored shoe, as a prey object. This is probably the cause for the majority of non-aggressive dogs chasing cyclists and runners. In these cases, if the individual stops, the dog often loses interest since the movement has stopped. This is not always the case, and aggressive or territorial dogs might take the opportunity to attack.
Additionally, most dogs that bark at strangers, particularly when not on "their" territory, will flee if the stranger challenges it, though this is not recommended behaviour as challenging the dog is just as likely to evoke a bite. Mailmen, being the classic example, provoke a strong territorial response because they come back day after day to the dog's territory. In the dog's mind they are constantly intruding on their territory and that sets up a learned behavior.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_attack

 

[skidadl]

Interesting. So if my kids, wife or grandma are not properly trained at how to handle dogs they might get their throat crushed, squeezed and shaken until they bleed to death or cannot breath?

 

[Cotton]

Yep, by more than one kind of dog.

 

[skidadl]

Can you please explain to me why it should be their responsibility to make sure they they don't get eaten by the neighbors dog or they don't know anything about dogs?

 

[Kbrown]

Interesting. So if my kids, wife or grandma are not properly trained at how to handle dogs they might get their throat crushed, squeezed and shaken until they bleed to death or cannot breath?

They just have to keep outside the invisible boundaries that only the dog knows. It's really simple.

 

[skidadl]

You know, if you know how to handle king cobras you won't get bitten.

Also, crocodiles...easy to not get killed. Maybe we should get some in the back yard.

 

[Kbrown]

You know, of you know how to handle king cobras you won't get bitten.

Also, crocodiles...easy to not get killed. Maybe we should get some in the back yard.

There are several different kinds of crocs, I think, so I say go for it.

 

[Clay_Allison]

I don't buy this bullshit that people are generalizing all big dogs with similar features to pits. Their look is pretty distinguishable.

I've seen them long legged and skinny, I've seen them short legged and heavy, they come from many breeds and they don't share any universal traits except a big head.

The fact that there are strains that have been bred for and selected for dog fighting is a problem, and the best thing people can do is wipe out dog fighting and and the breeding stock that is used for that purpose. Those dogs, the kind Mike Vick had, are dangerous they were bred for aggression.

The vast majority of "pit bulls" have never been near any kind of fighting ring nor have they been bred for it in many many generations and are as removed from their "fighting" ancestry as an English Bulldog or any of 100 other breeds that have been used for violence in the distant past that are now kept as pets.

 

[Clay_Allison]

Can you please explain to me why it should be their responsibility to make sure they they don't get eaten by the neighbors dog or they don't know anything about dogs?

It's the neighbor's responsibility to keep their dog safely. Punishing irresponsible dog owners is perfectly fine and you can punish them as harshly as you need to in my opinion.

You just want to punish all dog owners.

 

[Deuce]

It's the neighbor's responsibility to keep their dog safely. Punishing irresponsible dog owners is perfectly fine and you can punish them as harshly as you need to in my opinion.

You just want to punish all dog owners.

But why should there be the risk anyhow? You seem like a perfectly responsible owner, but what about accidents? What if your daughter leaves the front door open once and the dog gets out and maims a kid? If the dog is a collie or a west highland terroir, the kid is probably in no danger. But since its a pit, the risk is elevated.

 

[Clay_Allison]

But why should there be the risk anyhow? You seem like a perfectly responsible owner, but what about accidents? What if your daughter leaves the front door open once and the dog gets out and maims a kid? If the dog is a collie or a west highland terroir, the kid is probably in no danger. But since its a pit, the risk is elevated.

MY dog isn't going to do that because I'm also a responsible dog buyer and dog trainer. I'm going to meet the dog's parents and judge their temperament and train the dog not to be aggressive. There are plenty of dogs out there that are bigger and more powerful than "pit bulls". The name doesn't make them more dangerous.

I guarantee you that if all pit bulls were gone tomorrow, but the people who wanted to fight dogs were still around they could switch to another breed and select and train for aggression until that breed became the "new" pit bull.

The only way to stop dangerous and poorly bred and kept dogs from endangering the public is to go after the dog fighters and the drug dealers and other criminals who keep the same kind of vicious animals.

For the record I don't own pit bulls any more, there are smart ones but most of them are really dumb and I like a smarter dog.

 

[NoDak]

I don't buy this bullshit that people are generalizing all big dogs with similar features to pits. Their look is pretty distinguishable.

I don't either. If you can not tell the difference between a pit and a lab you are either blind, retarded, or pushing an agenda on either side.

 

[Deuce]

MY dog isn't going to do that because I'm also a responsible dog buyer and dog trainer. I'm going to meet the dog's parents and judge their temperament and train the dog not to be aggressive. There are plenty of dogs out there that are bigger and more powerful than "pit bulls". The name doesn't make them more dangerous.

I guarantee you that if all pit bulls were gone tomorrow, but the people who wanted to fight dogs were still around they could switch to another breed and select and train for aggression until that breed became the "new" pit bull.

The only way to stop dangerous and poorly bred and kept dogs from endangering the public is to go after the dog fighters and the drug dealers and other criminals who keep the same kind of vicious animals.

For the record I don't own pit bulls any more, there are smart ones but most of them are really dumb and I like a smarter dog.

I guess the fundamental difference between my attitude about these dogs and the attitude that you and Iamtdg share is you look at them as the victims in these situations. While that may be true to a sense in some cases, I don't agree overall. There is a reason their breed was picked for fighting and "protecting". It's their overly aggressive nature.

But those viewpoints aren't something that will change on either side so I guess I'm done with the topic. No sense in it dragging on.

 

[Clay_Allison]

I guess the fundamental difference between my attitude about these dogs and the attitude that you and Iamtdg share is you look at them as the victims in these situations. While that may be true to a sense in some cases, I don't agree overall. There is a reason their breed was picked for fighting and "protecting". It's their overly aggressive nature.

I'll leave it alone after this, but you don't know how breeding works. You can breed aggressiveness in or out of a line of dogs selectively in relatively short order. It's not a special trait that anyone "picked" a set of breeds for. Boxers were originally fighting dogs and that overly aggressive trait has been mostly bred out of them, though they still tend to be good at protecting property.

The biggest thing that "pit bulls", basically a mongrel dog type rather than a breed, are popular is cheapness. A game bullmastiff would be bigger stronger, more powerful and easily able to kill a pit bull, but they cost as much as 2000 dollars for a pup and at least 500-700.

I can get pit bulls for 25-50 bucks any day in San Antonio. They are small enough and they grow up fast enough that the dog fighters can turn a profit on them without overspending on food. They can turn over multiple generations at low cost selecting the meanest ones.

Remember how Mike Vick used to kill his dogs, it was because he was killing the ones that weren't vicious. You can't just start with an pit bull out of any mexican's back yard and expect it to kill dogs or people. You have to start a breeding program and get the "best of the best".

Unfortunately, once in a while those bad genes end up back in the main gene pool and you can get a dangerous dog. A smart and experienced dog owner will spot a dog like that and have it put down. The fact of the matter is that it's a very very small part of the population and the best way to excise that tumor is to go after the source, dog fighting, not kill the patient.

Also, there's not a single dog expert on the planet that agrees with the pop culture pit bull theory. Cesar Milan forgot more about dogs than I know and I know a lot and his take on the situation is roughly the same.

 

[Cotton]

You know, if you know how to handle king cobras you won't get bitten.

Also, crocodiles...easy to not get killed. Maybe we should get some in the back yard.

Those are both stupid comparisons. A pit is a domesticated animal. These attacks are the anomalies not the other way around.

 

[Cotton]

I guess the fundamental difference between my attitude about these dogs and the attitude that you and Iamtdg share is you look at them as the victims in these situations. While that may be true to a sense in some cases, I don't agree overall. There is a reason their breed was picked for fighting and "protecting". It's their overly aggressive nature.

But those viewpoints aren't something that will change on either side so I guess I'm done with the topic. No sense in it dragging on.

Talk about bullshit. Not once have either of us defended a dog that attacked someone. It's defending against the banning of the whole breed because a few of them have committed and murder. I think any dog that shows aggression or bites should be put down immediately. I sure as hell wouldn't own one, and the owners that keep aggressive dogs should be punished the the full extent of the law if their dog so much as snaps at someone.

 

[Cotton]

I'll leave it alone after this, but you don't know how breeding works. You can breed aggressiveness in or out of a line of dogs selectively in relatively short order. It's not a special trait that anyone "picked" a set of breeds for. Boxers were originally fighting dogs and that overly aggressive trait has been mostly bred out of them, though they still tend to be good at protecting property.

The biggest thing that "pit bulls", basically a mongrel dog type rather than a breed, are popular is cheapness. A game bullmastiff would be bigger stronger, more powerful and easily able to kill a pit bull, but they cost as much as 2000 dollars for a pup and at least 500-700.

I can get pit bulls for 25-50 bucks any day in San Antonio. They are small enough and they grow up fast enough that the dog fighters can turn a profit on them without overspending on food. They can turn over multiple generations at low cost selecting the meanest ones.

Remember how Mike Vick used to kill his dogs, it was because he was killing the ones that weren't vicious. You can't just start with an pit bull out of any mexican's back yard and expect it to kill dogs or people. You have to start a breeding program and get the "best of the best".

Unfortunately, once in a while those bad genes end up back in the main gene pool and you can get a dangerous dog. A smart and experienced dog owner will spot a dog like that and have it put down. The fact of the matter is that it's a very very small part of the population and the best way to excise that tumor is to go after the source, dog fighting, not kill the patient.

Also, there's not a single dog expert on the planet that agrees with the pop culture pit bull theory. Cesar Milan forgot more about dogs than I know and I know a lot and his take on the situation is roughly the same.

There isn't much purpose arguing with this really. Because with the few we are arguing with it's black or white and all or nothing. So, this is pointless as there is no objectivity from the other side of the debate.

 

[NoDak]

So, this is pointless as there is no objectivity from the other side of the debate.

This line could be said by anybody in any argument regardless of the side they're on.