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pitbull attacks on the news

3K views 18 replies 13 participants last post by  Joewilly 
#1 ·
I was watching the news last night and there have been 2 "pitbull" attacks in the last 24 hours. It riled up our news stations and they reported 4 attacks in 4 months one leading to the death of a women. The one that happened yesterday was a pitbull got out of it's yard and into an off duty cops yard. The dog went after the officer and his dog and he shot the pitbull. The other one was a pitbull attacked a Pomeranian at a park, the pitbull had gotten out of his yard. The owner picked up his dog and the pitbull bit at the owner to try and get the dog. The most disturbing one was a group of 4 pitbulls attacked a women and killed her in a rural area. They were a pack of dogs running lose and causing problems.

My reaction is, were they really APBT's or mixed breeds. They did not show pictures of the dogs but I immediately contacted the news station and large radio station. I send emails to try and give another perspective on the attacks and educate the public on the the difference between APBT's and the mixes that end up in the news. These sort of stories is what makes BSL happen and they have tried once before and I know they will try it again. I got a reply back from the radio station and I will have a 1 hour segment so we can talk about the breed and training. The radio station is a talk am station and listened to by thousands including myself.

What should I talk about? Normally when I do public speaking I just wing it and I am use to thinking on the spot but I want this to be well though out since I have a limited amount of time. Give me some ideas of topics to go over, I know we have a well educated forum and you guys will think of stuff I did not even think about. When I am ready to air I will post up the website so you guys can listen to the segment. You can listen to old shows or live on the stations website.
 
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#2 ·
I would make it clear to not come across as making excuses for the attacks. Focus your attention on the VAST mislabeling/wrong identification of what the true APBT is. Make your case for why BYB is so bad because I would be willing to guess that a majority of these attacks come as a result of BYB. That's all I've got at the moment. Good for you though getting your voice out!!!
 
#3 · (Edited)
The difference in mixes vs actual APBT as you stated

Making point of why these animals were loose (irresponsible ownership)

Lack of training and socialization that is most likely a problem with all those dogs

4 attacks in 4 months how many more pit bulls were owned properly and not causing problems, however this affects them as well due to the fact it will bring in BSL and dogs who have never done anything wrong will get targeted along with the rest.


This is a problem of contained dogs not a breed issue.

I would also ad in how many dogs you have with out issues and how many friends you have that have many of these dogs and don't have issues either. Not just owners of multiple dogs, but how many people you know even with just one and they don't have issues like this as they responsibly own dogs which goes with all breeds not just APBTs.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
I agree with wild Deuce. I notice every time you see one of these pit bull attacks happening it's those same owner's who are constantly making excuses oh we didn't raise our pitbull like this we don't know why this happened and it really irritates the crap out of me. Most of the time these thing's happen because there is some history of mental unsoundness and the owner's of these dog's did not do the responsible thing by seeking out professional help or they chose to flat out ignore the issue and as a result the dog ends up hurting someone.How often when these dog's are bred right and come from responsible breeder's do they out of the blue attack or kill a human? Usually with these kind of attacks 99.9% of the time there are warning signs along the way of a dog being mentally unstable and owner's are careless and ignore the warning signs and instead of doing what's right they cover it up and make excuses for the dog and this is completely unacceptable and irresponsible on the owner's behalf. Talk about back yard breeding and how this add's to the issue of unsound dog's being produced due to bad breeding practices. Also as Deuce mentioned talk about breed Misidentification and the different breed's that often get mislabeled as Apbt's but are not. Talk about the history of the breed and how these dog's were selectively bred to be human friendly and why they were bred that way. Whatever you do don't make excuses for any of these careless owner's because 9 times out of 10 it's always the owner's fault there were warning signs of HA behavior that the owner's failed to deal with. Let them know you don't tolerate any form of HA behavior as a trainer and if there is no medical reason for it those dog's get PTS as HA is rare when these dog's are bred properly and it's not normal for this breed and is completely unacceptable.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I was watching the news last night and there have been 2 "pitbull" attacks in the last 24 hours. It riled up our news stations and they reported 4 attacks in 4 months one leading to the death of a women. The one that happened yesterday was a pitbull got out of it's yard and into an off duty cops yard. The dog went after the officer and his dog and he shot the pitbull. The other one was a pitbull attacked a Pomeranian at a park, the pitbull had gotten out of his yard. The owner picked up his dog and the pitbull bit at the owner to try and get the dog. The most disturbing one was a group of 4 pitbulls attacked a women and killed her in a rural area. They were a pack of dogs running lose and causing problems.

My reaction is, were they really APBT's or mixed breeds. They did not show pictures of the dogs but I immediately contacted the news station and large radio station. I send emails to try and give another perspective on the attacks and educate the public on the the difference between APBT's and the mixes that end up in the news. These sort of stories is what makes BSL happen and they have tried once before and I know they will try it again. I got a reply back from the radio station and I will have a 1 hour segment so we can talk about the breed and training. The radio station is a talk am station and listened to by thousands including myself.

What should I talk about? Normally when I do public speaking I just wing it and I am use to thinking on the spot but I want this to be well though out since I have a limited amount of time. Give me some ideas of topics to go over, I know we have a well educated forum and you guys will think of stuff I did not even think about. When I am ready to air I will post up the website so you guys can listen to the segment. You can listen to old shows or live on the stations website.
How do they know the breed of the WILD DOG PACK? I'm so sick of the media being eager to say PIT BULL when there's a 99% chance that's not the fact AT ALL.

The other two attacks were circumstancial - which seems to be the case ALL THE TIME.

GAH!

I would make it clear to not come across as making excuses for the attacks. Focus your attention on the VAST mislabeling/wrong identification of what the true APBT is. Make your case for why BYB is so bad because I would be willing to guess that a majority of these attacks come as a result of BYB. That's all I've got at the moment. Good for you though getting your voice out!!!
:goodpost: exactly! The breed isn't the issue it's the circumstances the dogs are in that lead up to attacks!

As for the POM one. One good reason NOT to leave your dog outside unattended, to have a high enough fence & Keep your dog on leashes (all parties included)
 
#8 ·
My local police force loves to shoot "Pitbulls" that were about to attack them, and like your news station they always claim "Pitbull" attacks without showing the dog. Honestly a beagle could do it, but beagle attack is not near the headline as "Pitbull". It always amazes me that the police get in no trouble for firing their guns inside city neighborhoods at dogs, but people are ignorant enough to probably think they were doing a civil service. Not even considering the danger involved in firing a weapon around a bunch of houses ><
 
#19 ·
Exactly, these stories are not unusual ( now I know police officers, and know they're no different from me and maybe you too, but...) What police report is going to read ' I was frightened by a dog which may or may not have been showing aggression, so I possibly overreacted and shot it '.
I find it amazing that dogs so frequently attack armed men with the authority to kill them.
 
#9 ·
I agree with what they said...also try to talk about the sanctioned sports and activities where pit bulls excel (would hog hunting be something to bring up since there is a tv show on it?) and what you do with your titled dogs. My favorite title is "Pitbull ownership isn't for everybody, its a lifestyle."
(Do I ask you your autograph now?) And also for those of us not in your area, is there a way to record it or something so we can hear it?
 
#10 ·
You have an hour so i would believe you have enough time to include a brief history of the breed, including that in fact the APBT was America's Dog. I would also include what lead to the downfall of the breed and how it has lead up to where the breed is today.

I wouldn't make excuses for DA nor would i ignore the subject. Many APBT owners say they want the truth out however when it comes to DA many refuse to openly discuss it in fear it would create more negative light. In my opinion, if discussed and worded properly, it would create insight for how the breed needs to be trained, handled and took care of. Including these facts i would also include that shows like Dog Whisperer, while may be helpful for some, portrays you can train the DA traits out of the breed however due to its genetics, training is more of a tool for correction and properly handling of situations vs. actually "correcting" the trait completely.

I would also touch on how BSL doesn't work, evidence that banning "Pit Bulls" have completely had little to no change in those areas.

I would definitely talk about mislabeling. The difference in all the breeds commonly labeled as "Pit Bull". Talk about the differences and make it a point that this breed is not the large, vicious man biters as portrayed. I would also touch on BYB's and how the public should hold breeders and owners more accountable vs dog
 
#12 · (Edited)
Dog Aggression is something people twist into something it isn't which is why I think ppl refuse to discuss it. I am one of those ppl who won't discuss it among common folk because they won't truely understand & i feel it's a waste of time & I know I'm a responsible owner. Because most ppl don't understand road directions well enough to comprehend - so I'm not trusting them with that information until I feel comfortable... I personally don't think the outside world is mature enough to understand the DA aspect or what it really means.

I think you need to reel them in first with ALL positive information & once they see past their own nose. Then discuss the DA attributes. DA is common for pitbulls to show but it's also just as common to see a pitbull that NEVER portrays Dog aggression - especially with lines not as tight as they once were. I mean heck, there's a bassett hound & some schitzu mix that live behind me ALWAYS, ALWAYS getting into fights, nasty ones. But do you hear about that on the daily news? Would you? And how common do you think that is??? Let's be real here? Meanwhile, my 2 PITBULLS are hopping around their yards with SQUEAKY BALLS being goofy ALWAYS, ALWAYS. Same thing goes for my neighbors pitbull & ridgeback - ALWAYS PLAYING...

I don't see why DA needs to be the main focus of the breed in a presentation so touchy as this one. Reel them in, teach them about Sgt. Stumpy, therapy dogs, rescue dogs, hunting dogs, weight pull & agility dogs...Everything the pitbull is that never gets recognized. Make them understand there is more to the APBT, THEN maybe discuss that due to their potential DA/combined with strength - you as an owner must be SO SO cautious & aware of your surroundings at all times with this breed but also remember the APBT is not the only dog that portrays Dog Aggression but many breeds do. That it's because of their strength you must be a ready & aware owner at all times. DON'T let children walk this breed alone EVER! That as an owner it's simply owners responisbility to keep their dogs & other dogs safe it it really is DA.

I think starting about about DA or deep discussion of DA will only fuel an already ignorant fire. And again attacks like these occur because of _irresponsible ownership_, bad breeding, etc. If anything keep on topic about owenership responsibility & how this is a breed for the experienced owner don't trail off on DA.
 
#18 ·
Good for you! Just be yourself and tell your stories and I am sure the hour will fly by so just make sure you have most important things you feel first. So psyched and can't wait to listen in.
 
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