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Wednesday, June 18, 2008


Expert: Pit Bulls Are More Unpredictable than Ever

Paul Miller, Hagerstown, MD
Knoxville, TN - Paul Miller used to be able to unclip a pit bull he wasn't familiar with from its chain without fear. Today, that's no longer the case. Miller, the executive director of the Humane Society in Hagerstown, MD, and an expert on pit bulls, gave a public lecture recently at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

He said that in the past, pit bulls bred to fight other dogs typically were not human-aggressive. Trait dilution in the breed since the 1980s, however, has changed things. He said that today, one pit bull might be happy in the company of other pets. But another might attack humans with the same fight-to-kill mindset traditionally reserved for other dogs.
Multiple animal agencies have acknowledge this "trait dilution," most  notably the HSUS and the ASPCA.
"With the unknown breed history in a lot of them, you have to be aware of the factors in their environment," Miller said. He later added, "How far they are from fighting, we don't know." Miller’s statements leave little doubt that animal agencies, strongly affiliated with pit bulls, understand the rising risk of all pit bulls -- raised properly or improperly -- to attack human beings.

Miller's talk to about 30 people, including many pit bull owners, was the third about the topic he has given in the past few days in Knoxville. He has also spoken to law enforcement officers and shelter workers.  Since the brutal attack and killing of 21-year old Jennifer Lowe in Knox County last November, Tennessee politicians and the Lowe family have been pressing for stronger dangerous dog laws.

Related articles:
06/02/08: ASPCA Pushing Pit Bull Adoption: Adopt-A-Bull Contest

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4 comments:

Anonymous Anonymous  |  6/18/2008 7:37 PM  |  Flag  
Here is another tragic aspect of the pit bull population explosion....

http://www.news4jax.com/news/16622493/detail.html

"An advocate for collies is upset but not surprised that Tippy was attacked by a pit bull last week at Jacksonville's Animal Care and Control facility.

Tippy, a 7-year-old collie, was placed in the same kennel as the pit bull that attacked him.

City workers said the pit bull grabbed Tippy by the throat and they had to beat the dog off the collie. "

What is so upsetting about the above article is that the animal shelter workers are unapologetic...they complain that there are simply not enough runs available, so they have to house dogs together....and because so many shelter workers refuse to accept the fact that pit bulls are different than other dogs, they are deliberately putting safe, adoptable dogs at risk by placing them in kennels with pit bulls.

Has anyone asked how many safe, loving, adoptable dogs have been euthanized in this country because shelters had to make room for the never-ending flood of incoming pit bulls? I'm sure its not quite as sexy or alluring for the so-called "rescue angels" who love the drama and danger of rescuing pit bulls, to consider the needs of other breeds. Its no fun to try and rescue, say, beagles who are commonly used and horribly abused in lab experiments. You can't be part of a "movement", or blog about how unfair life is to Beagles, or buy "Punish the deed, not the Beagle" T-shirts on Cafe Press. Its no fun. No one is afraid of a Beagle, so you don't get that little thrill of having people fear you when you walk your dog down the street. You can't act rightously indignant, because everyone likes beagles.

Maybe its time for the REAL dog lovers in this country to get up off of our asses and do something about this. Its time we DEMAND regulation of pit bull type dogs. Its time we ignored the misanthropic fringe element of pit bull owners, and emotionally damaged "rescue" and shelter workers who have anthropomorphized dogs to the extent that their opinions and observations can no longer be taken seriously.

Safe, loving family dogs are dying every day in this country, killed in pit bull attacks. Shelters are euthanizing adoptable dogs to make room for more pit bulls. When do we say enough is enough, and stop the carnage? When do we regulate the breeding and ownership of these dogs?

Anonymous Anonymous  |  6/19/2008 6:46 AM  |  Flag  
What you say is absolutely true. There was another article that was posted here that said when pit bull are over populated like they are, it means more dogs of all breeds die in shelters. From my own experiences, when I went to the shelter to pick up my dog (a beagle mix), the staff tried to get me to take home a pit bull instead. They had no intentions of adopting out my dog, several staff members were stunned when they saw her out of the cage and going home. And she was marked as urgent on their web site - if I had not taken her she would have been put to sleep. And she's a great dog, would have been a wonderful pet for almost anyone. What makes pit bulls more worthy of a home than her or any other dog?

Anonymous Anonymous  |  6/19/2008 4:30 PM  |  Flag  
Many shelter workers will lie about the breed and trick potential adopters into adopting pits and pit mixes, because they know few families want them. They are commonly called "boxer mixes", or "lab mixes" or "hound mixes". What I see in the suburbs is that the families who have absolutely no dog knowledge...often those who never owned a dog before....are the ones who end up "rescuing" a pit bull; often without even realizing the dog is a pit bull.

Ironically, shelter workers consistently are responsible for setting these dogs up for failure....the people who are least capable of managing a pit bull are most often the ones that end up with one. If shelter workers were completely honest about the pit bull's limitations as a family pet, no one would adopt them.

Blogger Packhorse  |  7/26/2011 1:20 PM  |  Flag  
very good points.

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