Guest Author Carol Miller's take on pit bulls since she was attacked kicks off Dogsbite.Org's guest author series: Perspectives of Advocates
I have a number that I consider significant. Hang in there with me for just a few minutes. That number is how many Americans have been killed by pit bulls since the date of my own attack in 2007. Sadly, that number changes regularly. The number stands at 334 as of November 17, 2020.
That is 334 Americans killed in 13 years. If a manufactured product killed at this rate there would be a massive product recall but elected officials are reluctant to face the rage of breed-specific advocates so the deaths continue at an ever-increasing pace without meaningful regulation.
A great deal of research has been done on pit bull fatalities and that research goes back to the first documented pit bull fatality in the USA back in 1833. From that first fatality in 1833, it took pit bulls 174 years to kill 291 Americans (to the date of my attack) and in 13 years, pit bulls have killed an additional 334 Americans.
What happened in 2007 to kick off this bloodbath? The Michael Vick case brought pit bulls into the public eye and those looking for profit seized the opportunity. The rest is history. The date of my attack is my personal choice but pick any date you like. The numbers don't change much.
Survivors don't get their original peaceful lives back. We live with pain and PTSD. Many live with disfiguring injuries. The 334 didn't get the opportunity to see another holiday season or to see their children grow up.
What is wrong with elected officials who allow this to continue? What is wrong with breed advocates who refuse to acknowledge the suffering they create? What is wrong with those who claim to love pit bulls and continue to breed pit bulls despite the absolute knowledge that the dogs they produce in their back yards have almost no possibility of ending up in a stable and lifelong safe home?
Walk through any city-owned Animal Control facility or private shelter in America and look at the dogs harbored there awaiting the "perfect Owner." Cute little dogs have very short stays but pit bulls languish for months to years because there is no "perfect owner" for dogs that were surrendered for attacking family members or neighbors or killing other pets.
The peaceful public can't have much impact on this situation, only those who love pit bulls can stop the suffering.
Related articles:
Report: Dog Attacks on Livestock and Horses January -May 2008
The Archival Record of Fatal Pit Bull Attacks
Great piece.
Thank you, Carol, for your very important and valuable perspective. It is important that this reminder be widely disseminated. I remind many people about how many Americans are seriously injured by dangerous canines every year. Also, how many pets are killed and seriously injured by this scourge every year.
Quote: “What is wrong with elected officials who allow this to continue?… … …?” Simple question, with a simple, answer: Evil versus good. Hate versus Love. That is the answer. Lack of, or incorrect thinking is not what is wrong with elected officials, pet owners or the any other component of the Dangerous Canine Industry (DCI). Instead, what is wrong is lack of Love.
What is wrong? Two words: Dog worship.
As long as dogs are worshipped in our society, the attacks, maulings, and killings will continue.
It’s not ” dog worship ” , it’s sheer stupidity and ignorance.
K9s have been part of the human population for thousands of years.
It’s just that we live in a society that allows dangerous dogs to be rehomed instead of been destroyed.
That’s the problem.
I think “dog worship” is a very useful term for what’s going on now. Yes, dogs were domesticated a long time ago. But “dog worship”–the attitude that your dog is entitled to go everywhere you go and must be loved by everyone–is very real and very recent. It was not common when I was a veterinary assistant twenty years ago.
If pit bull “lovers” truly loved their dogs, they would have let them go extinct years ago. But we all know they don’t love those monsters. They love the status surrounding owning a “misunderstood” breed. All while their precious landsharks continue to maul and kill innocent people and while shelters are clogged to the brim with pits. I don’t see how people can claim to “love” pit bulls while not seeing these issues.
What’s wrong with public officials? Same thing as always. Whoever greases their palms the most wins.
As for what’s wrong with pit bull advocates, google “Characteristics of vicious dog owners”.
I think City and County officials are completely oblivious to the severity of attacks specifically concerning Pit Bulls. They relie on Animal Welfare advocates, and organizations, and Animal Control which works in tandem with them for suggestions and information. Also, Best Friends will come and do damage control after a mauling or fatality. These dog worshippers will sit with Commissioners every day and know them on a first name basis. I know of not one individual who is doing the same on the opposing side. They would find themselves at odds with all of these powerful group’s who directly work with and influence the sheltering system.
Remember the pregnant French woman who was found bloodied and dead in the forest? There was an outcry claiming a pack of hunting dogs did the deed. Certainly not Curtis, her boyfriend’s vicious pit bull who was with her. In this article, her mother said her daughter had never been alone with the dog before that fateful day. I wasn’t able to paste the link, but just Google The Guardian. DNA evidence finally confirmed what most of us already knew. Fascinating and horrific story.
What’s wrong with elected officials? They get the same brainwashing as the general populace, day in and day out. Feel-good videos from The Dodo. Fluff pieces in magazines touting the advantages of owning a nanny dog. Advertisements for everything from steam cleaners to picnic ware showing pits in everyday, homey-looking situations. News articles that report a horrific mauling but never say which breed. Countless excuses from every commenter: “It wasn’t raised right, must have been abused, got scared by something, was just being protective, Chihuahuas bite more… ”
They’re fed this same steady diet of misinformation and outright propaganda all while the pit lobby is whispering sweet nothings in their ears.
Every now and then one might get a wake up call when someone in their community is killed. But most often they believe that it was “just a tragic accident,” and if they do voice misgivings about pits they’re attacked and threatened like the mayor of Denver when he dared speak out. Dog breed discrimination is very much a no-no these days, due to rampant dog worship and everyone’s desire to not seem “racist.”
Great eye-opening article, Carol Miller. I wish that every elected official had to read it, and that they’d really come to grasp how large and needless that death toll really is.
Thank you. Well said.
Recently, there was a news article about thieves stealing little Maltese puppies to sell. That’s because they can easily get thousands of dollars and it’s less stressful than other forms of thievery and in the middle of COVID lockdowns, everyone is looking for friendly little dogs.
The problem with pitbulls isn’t pitbull haters–it’s pitbull lovers. Nobody else wants them.
As your article noted–when dogmen had fighting dogs, they *knew* they were dangerous and so, were careful. Now the pitbull “advocates” are the blinds for the dogmen that keep massive quantities of unwanted, useless pitbulls rocketing down the tracks breeding endlessly. The resulting slaughter of humans by these dogs is due to the pitbull lovers endless delusions that somehow, dogs bred to murder other dogs and people will somehow, with the fairy dust of their love–overcome their basic genetic code bred into them for centuries.
The death toll is mounting and there’s no end in sight because the pitbull lovers are not letting the breed die out painlessly. Pitbulls belong on the extinction pile with the dinosaurs as unfit for purpose and if the pitbull lovers do not give their ludicrous assumptions–at some point there will be a legislated culling and not just BSL with mandatory neutering and spaying.
On the day of that reckoning, then the pitbull lovers will have something to cry about.
I was attacked by 2 Pittbulls while walking my Papillion at a elementaryschool baseball field. It is indeed a miracle that I survived. The owners were trying to leave until I started recording them. Stating the dogs were only going after my dog not me (like that is supposed to be ok or it’s my dogs fault??¿¿ Then I asked them why they let the Pittbulls loose they quickly replied, oh they are NOT Pittbulls they are boxer/beagle mixes. Their vet even put faulty breed on their registry. The animal control officer correctly identified the dogs as American Staffordshire Pittbulls, they were quarantined, banned from our town, the owners were fined, and we sued them. Not for money but because maybe they would get the severity of the situation. I am thankful that the dogs came after me because just across the field, 4 very young children were playing in their own yard and it would have been fatal for them. I just cannot understand why anyone would want and justify the breed after so much evidence of their vicious purposely bred DNA.
I have tried to share my story with friends who have kids and Pittbulls who scoff and say oh it’s the way they are raised. Ours are so sweet, tame, obedient, etc., yes until someone irritates them and looses their life. I wonder when this happens if the owner ever get that it is their fault, not the dogs. The Pittbulls were bred to fight, mame and kill. That is one thing I agree with the owners on, it is never the dogs fault just the owner who refuses to learn about the breed and recognize/adhere to their true nature. Herding dogs herd, Terriers hunt, Pittbulls kill. Plain and simple.
I think we as a society need to speak up, stand up, let our voices be heard loud and clear about the Pittbull problem. It’s only getting worse.
Long before this craze, in the 1980’s, you could still have articles on PB characteristics. I remember reading an article written by an animal shelter working. Pit bulls were described as not responding to normal submissive signals from other dogs but would tear them apart anyway,
Hence most regular folks did not want them.
How many slaves do you think were licked to death by pit bulls?