Man Eaters by Gary J. Hammonds

GARY HAMMONDS and RUFUS ROM

Man Eaters

by Gary J. Hammonds (Pit Bull Gazette, May 1982)

Trough the years, the ,,Man Biters,, have been of special interest to me since, in theory, most are not supossed to be game. Simple observation tells me there are as many game man biters(percentage wise) as there are game dogs in the Pit Bull family. Most of the old-timers felt the man biters should be destroyed and most definitely never used in a breeding program. I believe a deeper look into these dogs to be a worthwhile project. Through my research and observation, I have concluded that there are several types of man biters, each of which deserves recognition and comment. The most acceptable of the man biters are those that are both protective and territorial. Most bulldogs have this trait to varying degrees and the beauty of it is that it can be encouraged or discouraged depending on the needs of the owner. These dogs are usually the more intelligent bulldogs and while they are generally gentle with people, will become a terror to the suspicious intruder and literally inhale a direct threat to its master or his property. The second most acceptable man biter is the territorial junk yard dog. This dog gladly accepts its owners but all others are not welcome in its domain. Off his own property, he is not nearly so aggressive except when challenged directly. These dogs are not for the novice but can be kept and are definitely a deterrent to dog thieves and various riffraff. The last acceptable type is the junk yard dog that will bite anyone anytime, just for the fun of it. Many of these dogs actually have to have their feed chucked to them even by their owners. These dogs are for the professional only, and most are probably good candidates for execution. There is also the excitable dog that will bite you to get loose and get another dog, cat, horse or whatever. These dogs are definitely not for the amateur and should be kept from these types of situations as much as possible. Bullyson, Andersons CH Spade and Mesquite Sam were dogs of this type. To me the most dangerous is the latent man biter that just goes bad without provocation. These dogs should always be destroyed as their unpredictability makes them an extremely lethal commodity. This recessive tendency surfaces in other breeds so why should the Pit Bull be any different? The percentage of malicious man biters in the Pit Bull family is extremely low. I believe that through the use of proper breeding methods we can even lower this. Most of the attacks that are given so much news media,, coverage are generally made by dogs of no breeding. Check the records---in most cases where a bulldog mauls or kills someone, they are dogs that were bred by the amateur breeder and usually backed by several generations of scatter-bred individuals, most of which are equally bred badly. So in many cases the breeder is at fault and in all but a few instances, human error enters into the mishap. There is much to be said about the man biters but for the sake of good judgment, everyone who owns one, just like all Pit Bull owners, should be very conscientious. Just one case of carelessness could mean a law against the breed in your area and turn public support from our dogs. That is exactly what we do not need at this point in time. Man biters--keep one if you must, but take care if you do.