Act five: HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

PINEY the "pit bull".

last december, DIANE JESSUP got wind of the IRA GLASS "pit bull" scandal and sent out an SOS on her pit bull forum to find out where this 7x biter came from.

YES DIANE. I CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS INFO!

please note that STACEY JACOBS-COLEMAN sees absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a seven time biter alive and living in an apartment in NYC.

STACEY JACOBS-COLEMAN?

now why does that name sound so darn familiar?

oh, that's right!

just recently i caught STACEY JACOBS-COLEMAN'S, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION greasy fingers in the Klonda Richey murder.

no wonder Diane's burning desire to find out this information fizzled out. she certainly doesn't want to alienate Old Money Bags Berkey. you never know when you might need a hand out.


diane jessup's ultimate pit bull forum

this american life facebook

this american nutter: the piney files

bloody money trail

death, excuses and psychopaths

be sure to check out scorched earth's latest round up of fatalities and the psychopaths who defend dangerous dogs. CLAY HUNDENSHIRE'S classy comments alone are worth the read.

a ruckus in florida

UPDATE! ruckus is dirt nappin' :-)

"Lying, deceiving, and manipulation are natural talents for psychopaths.
With their powers of imagination in gear and focused on themselves, psychopaths appear amazingly unfazed by the possibility –or even by the certainty– of being found out. When caught in a lie or challenged with the truth, they are seldom perplexed or embarrassed -- they simply change their stories or attempt to rework the facts so that they appear to be consistent with the lie. The results are a series of contradictory statements and a thoroughly confused listener."  
Dr Robert Hare 

last wednesday, a 27 year old female loaded up her 3 year old son and her 5 year old daughter in her toyota mini van and headed for SECOND CHANCE RESCUE in bunnell florida for her volunteer shift. she left her children in the van with the windows down and went inside to perform her duties. it is unclear how long her children were left in the mini van but at some point, one of the shelter dogs named RUCKUS broke out of his kennel and escaped outside where he jumped through the open window of the mini van and attacked her son. the 27 year old volunteer pried the dog off of her son's head and took him back to his kennel where he escaped again. RUCKUS returned to the toyota mini van and attacked her daughter. the 27 year old volunteer described the attacking dog as a "pit".

the above account is taken from the witness statement in the police report. the rescue has its own version which they uploaded to their facebook page in an effort to set the record straight, ie damage control of pibble's image. by the end of the day, they thought it might be wise to delete it, who knows why, legal reasons, hateful attention from many, including yours truly.

For those of you who just saw the news about the dog attack, we would like for you to know exactly what happened because we all know damn well that all the media cares about is a juicy story that exploits people. We have had 100's of supporters contact channel 2 to help us in our times of need, and they dont even return a call, however, something like this happens, and reporters are everywhere trying to get this on the news. A week ago, a homeless man showed up out our gate with a LAB BOXER mix and he was losing his car that he has lived in with the dog. He had gone to the Humane Society and could not afford the $150 drop off fee, so like everyone else, they show up at our rescue and either throw the dog over the fence or beg us to take the dog. The dog was friendly and vetted so we agreed to take it. Last night, one of our volunteers and her children were there, and she was letting him out to potty like she has all week and he bit them. He did NOT break out of his cage like the news said. We are doing everything we can to help her and her family. She is very upset, one because her and her child got hurt, and 2, that the news wants to exploit her family. Everyone is ok. This is not to say that it is not a big deal, because we value our volunteers so much and will do whatever we can for them. The fact is though, that if these Humane Societies were not charging a drop off fee, we would not be known as the dumping ground for unwanted animals. People use to not want to drop their pets off there because they did not want them to die and now they dont because they can't afford it. If so many backyard breeders did not get away with breeding and breeding and breeding, there would not be so many dogs born with their wires crossed liked this one. DOGS DO NOT ATTACK FOR NO REASON. This dog HAD to have has something chemically wrong with him to do what he did. The dog will now be euthanized. Once again, not the dogs fault. What kind of life did this dog have living in a car with a homeless man? What was his life like before this? No one knows, but the media just wants to say PIT BULL attack, when it was NOT even a pit bull. Our heart breaks for the mother and child that was involved. However, she knows that when you are at a rescue, with dogs that have been abused and dumped, you can't assume 100% safety at all times.

(WHY CAN'T NUTTERS USE PARAGRAPH BREAKS?!)


SECOND CHANCE RESCUE volunteer transporter CHRISTOPHER VEGAN-MURPHY copied and pasted the rescue's official statement on his facebook page. he puts forth the ole perfect storm excuse while his friends railed against the evil media for sensationalizing the attack.

meanwhile, flagler live picked up the story and that's where things really got interesting. rather than paraphrase the lies and denials, i'll just copy and paste two paragraphs.

Second Chance Rescue disputes that the dog is a pit bull, calling it a mixed labrador instead. Amy Carotenuto, director of the Flagler Humane Society, where the dog is being quarantined for 10 days before it is euthanized, said that absent a birth certificate–which the dog does not have–it is impossible to say precisely what sort of dog it is. “I bet there’s not a pure-bred bone in him,” Carotenuto said. “Some people might say he is a pit bull,” she said, because of his 40-pound frame and appearance, but “whatever he is, he is a lot of different breeds.”

Carotenuto stressed: “The issue is the same no matter what breed he is. He is a 40-some pound dog that put some hurt on some kids.”

of course, i had to find out who is in charge at SECOND CHANCE RESCUE. the head honcho is pit bull owner DEBI ROOT. i think it is safe to assume that any statements made to the press are coming from PRESIDENT ROOT.

you can see the rest of her babies HERE, 5 pits and 2 poms.

flagler humane society has custody of the attacker and director AMY CAROTENUTO is just a little too aggressive in minimizing the pit bull aspect and deflecting blame. i decided that she warranted further investigation as well.

and what a surprise... ANOTHER pit bull owner!

and a rabid one at that!

so, here is what we know. we have a "dog" that breaks containment TWICE. jumps through an open car window to attack once, then through the open door to attack a second time and sends 3 people to the hospital. we have two women, both pit bull owners, one who is clearly a zealot and incapable of being objective on the topic, insisting the attacker is not a pit bull. seriously, what are the odds that ROOT and CAROTENUTO are telling the truth?

another piece of the puzzle was put in place when a photo of the accused was released.

okay, even though you and i knew this would be a pit bull just based on the attack style, this is not the most conclusive photo ever taken. there is the remote possibility that these two women who own 10 pit bulls between them and work with dogs for a living, could have BOTH honestly misidentified RUCKUS as lab boxer mix. or SECOND CHANCE RESCUE could have taken the word of the homeless man when surrendered RUCKUS that he was a lab boxer mix. possible but not probable. we still require definitive proof before we can absolutely state that beyond a shadow of a doubt ROOT and CAROTENUTO are lying.

BINGO! the smoking gun.

here are three of several adoption listings for RUCKUS.
one - apbt/lab
two - apbt
three - apbt/lab with photos and the happy "ADOPTED" announcement (wtf?)

DEBRA ROOT should be charged with obstruction for providing false information to the police and  AMY WADE CAROTENUTO should be fired from her position as director at flagler humane society. and i sincerely hope the authorities are considering charging the 27 year old volunteer for leaving her children in the vehicle unattended.



FLAGLERLIVE

DEBI ROOT

AMY CAROTENUTO

CHRISTOPHER VEGAN-MURPHY  (my new fan! if he wasn't into dudes and watching dogs poop, i think we could have something special)

POLICE REPORT


special thanks to my secret squirrel ;-)

feel good knee jerk laws

on friday march 14th, governor daaugard officially made south dakota the 18th state to prohibit breed specific legislation. now south dakota can get down to the serious business of looking into finding real solutions to aggressive dogs. or so they say. i doubt that any committees have been formed or funds dedicated to the problem. in actuality, everyone smiled and pat each other on the back for a job well done and went home. the subject of dangerous dogs will never be uttered in the state capital again. well, maybe after a fatality or a particularly gruesome mauling.


a glimpse into DAN'S political agenda:

* yes vote on a bill to force women seeking an abortion to seek counseling first and wait 72 hours before making any decisions about HER OWN BODY. oh and by the way, weekends and holidays do NOT count in the 72 hours.
any woman who would conspire with this cracker is a traitor to her gender.

* no vote on a bill to prohibit texting while driving, despite the fact that statistics show it is MORE dangerous than driving under the influence.

* no vote on smoking bans.

* yes vote on academic bible study in schools.

* yes vote to legalize lethal force on a threatening mountain lion.
one year to the day of this report of a mountain lion attacking a man fishing (be sure to read all of the gory details), the governor signed a law making it legal to kill a threatening mountain lion. i suspect that is just part of south dakota's war on mountain lions.


next up utah and missouri.

So Called Service Maulers and Their Owners.

from a guest blogger...


Today was beautiful; sunny, clear, blue sky, 65 degrees and crisp. As one of the first great days in a region famous for half a year of chilly rain, everyone was out enjoying the day.

This is how I found out we have not one, not two, not three,  FOUR " Service Dogs" for "emotional support". Naturally, ALL are pit bulls.  There may be more, as there are 150 apartments, these are just the ones I saw outdoors TODAY.

There is huge white Am Bull in another building, and a (never leashed) boxer in the front. They probably have ADA excuses too as dogs this size are restricted, as are ALL dogs over #35, and under one yr old. ALL of these people moved in without their pit bull "service dogs". This way they cannot be denied upfront; once they have a lease, they get maulers.

Did I mention these are small apartments, in a densely populated area, with no yards, and no fences between buildings or around playgrounds? It's park-like, which used to be wonderful, now it's a liability.

As far as landlords go, these "pets w vests" are the same as a guide dog by state law, and they cannot discriminate by size or breed if they get a prescription. I was told lots of liberal docs will write one for anything, and we all know you can buy one online for about $65. Their hands are tied. I think this is a new law, because when I moved in, and until a few months ago, I never saw a big dog, certainly not a pit bull, living here. It was great, my small kids could play freely, like I did at that age, my cat could be outdoors unmolested by grippers. It was an oasis, now ruined by the selfish pit owners. I feel I can not be outdoors without hovering over my kids, fully armed. My only hope is that these people will move, turnover is very high here.

Management is just as frustrated and angry as me. I'm not the only person complaining for once, though most are apathetic, or think pits are great/no worry. Site Manager tells me what to document to get them evicted, and he hopes I do it. Corporate is involved now, and this is one of the biggest landlords in the area. They realize the liability is huge, which is why they restricted bigger dogs to begin with! They admitted it will likely take a tragedy to make changes to this law, if at all. (NOT TO ME, NOT TO MINE.)

Now on to the resident "Emotional Support Monsters"...

One apartment in my own building has a red nosed APBT puppy, already big at 7mo. These 2 owners are fit, young, clean cut, Mexican men in their late 20's/early 30's. They can at least control a large, strong dog, keep it leashed, and have appropriate harnesses, etc. They go to work all day leaving "service dog" home... They walk it a few times, otherwise I never see it.

*Their backdoor opens to the playground, and is 10' from it.*

The Second family, has TWO 4 mo old maulers. They are a young, low income, white trash couple w bad tats, stretched earlobes, plus their kids, and the young grandparents. Supposedly mutts, one dog is all pit, the other has a touch of lab, but are related.

One gripper belongs a 9yr old, to "emotionally support" her, so "she stops pulling her hair out". She can barely control a puppy, let alone a full size, raging mauler! The other mutt belongs to the entire family. Each tenant can have their very own service mauler, so I am lucky they have 2 of them not 6. I am unclear about the excuse they used.

*Their door also opens about 50' off the playground, and right to an area where 15+ small kids play, and ride bikes, daily.*

BOTH of these are within sight of one of my doors.

The FOURTH is the worst by far.

This is a mid 30's, white man, tatted up with job stoppers and huge stretched earrings. He lives with his 5yr old daughter, whom roams outside for hours unattended, playing on other peoples patios. Not sure who else lives there.

When asked how he was allowed to keep such a dog, he bragged to me that "there are ways to get around the rules". He did not care that people choose to live there because of the restrictions, to avoid such animals. (Typical pit nutter)

*His back door opens to another building where a lady has an after school kids club. 10+ kids play daily with other small animals. Same apartment is housing a stray and feral TNR and rescue.* The cat population may be out of control, but I don't want the well cared for, s/n cats, torn apart- especially in front of kids.  (The "slow kill" city refuses to PTS, or shelter, all ferals or strays. It's horrible. More on how slow kill is inhumane, and causes maulings later.)

Now, In the category of YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP....

Earlier, I was at the apartment above with my kids, and the club was in session, pets and are everywhere. Nutter comes over, and my friend asks him how he got to keep this dog, and tells him it makes me uncomfortable. He says it's a service dog, for emotional support. Of course. She asks what it is trained to do- she has one that retrieves medicine and other practical things, as she has severe spinal defects.
GET THIS- the dog "helped him through a rough break up, when he almost broke down."

That's it! GTFO. I ask him to keep his mauler away from my kids (which are there).

Then, he goes home, and brings the HUGE mauler out, barely able to control it, with all the kids there. I ask him again to stay the F away from my kids, point them out, He says he will.

**He said he just wanted me to meet the dog, so I would be reassured it's ok.**

I said NO THANKS, please get that thing outta here, if you were ripped up like I was, you wouldn't want them around either. He tells me he got his forehead and part of scalp tore off by a pit, but "it's not the breed! Its the owner" so it's OK!!! OMGF- uber nutter.

As I stare is disbelief, he repeats that he just wanted to reassure me, about 5x.

Then the ladies small legit service dog comes up to say hi to Mauler, the dogs have been friendly to each other for a while now.

AND, PREDICTABLY, THE PIT BULL ATTACKS THE SMALL, OLD DOG!!!!!!! RIGHT IN FRONT OF 12 KIDS.

Owner choke chains the dog quickly, and manages to get gripper off before he locks on. He drags it off while I shout "WOW! HOW VERY REASSURING! THANKS!" The small dog limps away, with a hurt leg, but ends up OK- LUCKY. Several kids were terrified, one so much she climbed the tree to escape (smart kid).

THAT'S WHAT ALLOWING SERVICE PIT BULLS BRINGS YOU, THANKS TO ALL THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE.

wherever mutant goes, mayhem follows

after a mere 7 hours on liveleak, this american mutant video garnered 13,872 views and 678 comments. that's impressive when you compare it to the baby raping pit bull video that has been up since september 2007 with only 69 comments.

fyi, there are nutters in the comments claiming the mutant is only playing.

liveleak

look karen, no testicles!

pit bulls and psychopaths

"Then came the excruciating rabies shots because they couldn't find the dog. I later learned from the Humane Society and the District Attorney that the owner hid the dog, and even denied that he owned a Pit Bull."

the rest of John Castle's nightmare is at dogsbite.org.

 

 













"Psychopaths show a stunning lack of concern for the devastating effects their actions have on others. Often they are completely forthright about the matter, calmly stating that they have no sense of guilt, [and] are not sorry for the pain and destruction they have caused, which is associated with a remarkable ability to rationalize their behavior." Dr Robert Hare

"They are frequently callous and hedonistic, showing marked emotional immaturity, with lack of responsibility, lack of judgement, and an ability to rationalize their behavior so that it appears warranted, reasonable, and justified." Dr Hervey Cleckley

see also The Truth About Pit Bull Owners

good news, bad news

first the bad news
missouri rep RON HICKS is on the fast track to creating equal rights for all breeds of dogs. when i read that out loud it sounds more like crazy news but hey, it's their headline.

and now for the good news
missouri is really open minded about self defense. i mean REALLY open minded. for those of you who are not comfortable with firearms, the world is your oyster in missouri. ONLY switchblades are restricted in missouri. that means you can legally own, carry and of course use these amazing push daggers. i love these little guys. a few years ago, they hit my radar and i immediately looked into acquiring them but was disappointed to find they are not legal in my state. that prompted me to research knife laws and lo and behold, these puppies are legal in missouri. i would love to be armed with two of these. bring on the pit bulls.

granny get your dagger.

available at cold steel for $125 or a smaller version for $105 or the mini for $30








missouri revised statutes chapter 571

knifeup missouri

knife laws by state

i am sure that this message would be approved by hunter and 2nd amendment enthusiast RON HICKS.

Democracy in Maryland

maryland takes the martian walk of shame.

in january, two 6 year old boys were suspended from white marsh elementary school for playing cops and robbers during recess. their actual crime: using their FINGERS as guns.

Educators say parents can use this as a teaching point and talk about the importance of not shooting at one another.

this sounds an awful lot like martian speak. an imaginary finger gun is a pellet gun is a 357 is 12 gauge is an AK47.

in february, the senate unanimously approved SB 247 which will reverse the state law that declares pit bulls inherently dangerous AND holds the owners and landlords responsible for damages that pit bulls commit. if this bill makes it into law, maryland will be a one free bite, one free mauling, one free killing state.

once again, martian speak. a chihuahua is a beagle is a lab is a doberman is a rottweiler is a pit bull.

bravo maryland. fucking bravo. i can't wait to see what march brings.

Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America

Chapter XV: Unlimited Power of the Majority, and its Consequences - part 2 Tyranny of the Majority

I know no country in which there is so little true independence of mind and freedom of discussion as in America.

In America the majority raises very formidable barriers to the liberty of opinion: within these barriers an author may write whatever he pleases, but he will repent it if he ever step beyond them. Not that he is exposed to the terrors of an auto-da-fe, but he is tormented by the slights and persecutions of daily obloquy. His political career is closed forever, since he has offended the only authority which is able to promote his success. Every sort of compensation, even that of celebrity, is refused to him. Before he published his opinions he imagined that he held them in common with many others; but no sooner has he declared them openly than he is loudly censured by his overbearing opponents, whilst those who think without having the courage to speak, like him, abandon him in silence. He yields at length, oppressed by the daily efforts he has been making, and he subsides into silence, as if he was tormented by remorse for having spoken the truth.

Works have been published in the proudest nations of the Old World expressly intended to censure the vices and deride the follies of the times; Labruyere inhabited the palace of Louis XIV when he composed his chapter upon the Great, and Moliere criticised the courtiers in the very pieces which were acted before the Court. But the ruling power in the United States is not to be made game of; the smallest reproach irritates its sensibility, and the slightest joke which has any foundation in truth renders it indignant; from the style of its language to the more solid virtues of its character, everything must be made the subject of encomium. No writer, whatever be his eminence, can escape from this tribute of adulation to his fellow-citizens. The majority lives in the perpetual practice of self-applause, and there are certain truths which the Americans can only learn from strangers or from experience.

The Truth About Pit Bull Owners

Myth 39: The serious to fatal damage the aggressive breeds inflict when they attack isn’t due to their genes, but rather due to having the wrong kind of owners.

We’ve seen that the killing bite and unpredictable, uncontrolled aggression are genetically anchored in these dogs, and that they can’t be taught not to execute killing behaviour. They inevitably reach a certain age when they start to do it, looking for opportunities and excuses to do what we have bred them to do (see Myth 38). If you’re lucky, the first attack will be on your cat or another dog, and not on your child. This killing behaviour is not caused by the owner in individual cases; it’s just part of what the dog is. However, the killing behaviour is caused by certain people’s consumer behaviour. By buying these dogs, these people are responsible for making it economically profitable to breed for the killing bite and the hair trigger. Are these people all “the wrong kind of owners”?
The answer to this question lies in the kind of person who wants a dog with the killing bite in the first place. So who are they?
Well, in fact, they are the wrong kind of owners. Take a look around you. It’s mostly a group of people who – for some reason related to their personal psychology – specifically want a dog whose breed standard explicitly states that the breed has been selected for extreme aggression. Often these are people with an inferiority complex of some kind. They want something that will finally enable them to intimidate other people. They have an ego problem, and need to prove something to the world. Many are men who are (perhaps unconsciously) worried about their masculinity, that maybe the world won’t see it. Others are adolescents who watch too much MTV and learn that an aggressive dog is an essential consumer item, just like the Nikes, if he wants to keep up his macho hip-hop or skater’s image. Sometimes they are naïve people, who think all dogs are cuddly plush toys. None of these people have any idea of behavioural conformation (see Myth 38), of the unity of mind and body Nature gives to all creatures, and they are all, in their own way, consumed by vanity.

Experience (of which this author has a lot, alas) teaches that the owners of aggressive breeds can be divided broadly into three categories.

1) We all know there are people who try to conceal their inner feelings of inadequacy by acting extra tough outwardly. Many of them nowadays go buy a “tough” dog. These people, who are struggling with an inferiority complex or an ego problem, then try to force their pit bull/Am Staff (or Presa, or Dogo, etc.) on you because they feel the world owes them recognition. Many of us have experienced this. You try to avoid these people (and their dog) on the street or in a park, but they follow you, determined to inflict the dog upon you. (After all, what’s the use of having this proof of Manliness around if no one will look at it?) They cross the street to follow you so you can’t avoid a confrontation. Their dog runs up to yours in a park, and they refuse to call it when you ask them to. Usually, the dog wouldn’t obey anyway, and they don’t want this embarrassing fact revealed to you. But above all, they enjoy your worry about what their aggressive dog will do. They shout at you to stop acting so weird about their dog. They get angry, and they often get verbally aggressive. It is of extreme importance to these people to force their dog on you, because their need is so great to show the world they know better than everyone else. The dog is the way they can seek arguments and win for a change, since they never succeed in doing this on their own strength. When their dog does attack another dog and try to kill him, they are dumbfounded, because they really are too stupid to understand what these dogs are all about. Their cowardice surfaces – they don’t dare interfere with their attacking dog, and once it’s over, they disappear as quick as they can. Often you never see them in the park again, which is great, except for the fact that someone’s normal, peace seeking dog had to pay with his life first. But some of them don’t disappear for good. Some of them actually enjoy watching their dog’s aggression, and just make sure they’re gone before the police arrive. Tomorrow they’re back again, and blaming you for having called the police. There have been cases in which the owner of the attacked dog was terrorized as punishment for reporting the attack to the police, to the extent that the owner of the horribly wounded dog had to move to a different neighbourhood. Finally, many of the people in this category of aggressive dog lovers enter their dogs in illegal pit fights, a phenomenon which has resurfaced in many of our cities since these dogs became so widespread. Some of these specifically go to places where other dogs come, in the hope that if their aggressive-breed dog practices on your cocker spaniel, he’ll do better in the pit.

2) These are young adolescent male humans, who have reached the brink of adulthood but aren’t there yet. The adolescent male is searching for his identity and trying to get himself a satisfying spot in his peer group. The adolescent doesn’t always have bad intentions, but his brain isn’t ripe yet, and he isn’t yet capable of understanding the consequences of his actions (which is also the reason he has to pay so much more for car insurance than the rest of us). He sees the macho rapper on television, accompanied by the aggressive dog, and he wants one, too. After he’s finished saving up for Nikes, he saves up for a dog. He has no idea what he’s bought once he has the dog, thinking it’s just another consumer item. To him the dog isn’t any different than his other fashion accessories, to him the dog is a thing that will – just like his Portable Play Station – turn on and off if you press the button. The adolescent is, by virtue of his age, a bit rebellious. He is exploring various boundaries, sometimes pushing the envelope in his search for an identity. He just loves to show adults that he won’t do what they ask him to do, but that he makes his own decisions. Of course he won’t leash his dog just because some grown-up makes the request, are you kidding, what a loss of face! He isn’t prepared for it when his dog attacks a person or another dog, and he doesn’t know what to do. His toy is suddenly acting up. So he does nothing, offers no help, doesn’t dare interfere with his dog, and most probably just gets the hell out of Dodge as quick as his little adolescent legs will carry him. Adolescence is an age of natural egotism, and a time when even sympathetic boys often lose their ability to empathize with others for a while. So this kid isn’t capable of imagining the suffering the attacked dog goes through, nor the grief of the dog’s owner. He’s just glad his parents didn’t find out about what happened, otherwise they might take his dog away. “Tomorrow’s another day, hey, don’t be so serious about life, and besides, what could I do about it? The dog did it, not me.”

3) These are the Egotistical Innocents. They are members of animal protection clubs and humane societies. They read lots of sentimental stories about animals, and they watch lots of programs on Discovery Channel. They believe that all animals are sweet-natured cuddly toys. These people’s egocentricity is different from the adolescent’s. These people think they are the measure of all things, and they therefore believe that if a dog is nice to them, well, it means he’s nice, period. How the dog behaves towards others isn’t so important. The Egotistical Innocent lives in a fairy tale, failing to see that a dog is a living being with a will and personality of his own, and that the dog hasn’t been informed of the fairy tale. The Innocent is reinforced in the fairy tale by breeders who agree that the stories about these dogs are all lies, after all, look how sweet he is to the prospective buyer. The Innocent doesn’t understand what “fierce protector of home and hearth, averse to strangers” means, doesn’t know a secret language has been developed since these breeds started causing so much tragedy. She likes the idea of proving to all the world that even these dogs fit her fairy tale, and that they are the poor victims of vicious anti-animal propaganda. The Egotistical Innocent is delighted with her puppy and sees him as a sort of four-legged human baby. She doesn’t see that the pup is playing in an abnormally aggressive way at the age of eight weeks already. She is dumbfounded on the day when her “puppy,” who meantime is actually a young dog, suddenly, out of the blue (because the warning phase has been bred out of these dogs), launches an unbridled attack on another dog and seriously wounds or kills the other dog. She is stricken and disillusioned – not only about the suffering of the attacked dog, but also because her fairy tale has caved in. But not to worry. It only takes her a few days to restore her view of the world. She decides her dog is as sweet as she’d thought after all. After thinking awhile, she realizes the whole thing was the other dog’s fault. After all, the other dog growled at her sweetie, so what else could her sweetie do but defend himself? Sometimes the Egotistical Innocent will cry out that German shepherds bite too, or that even a dachshund can be dangerous under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, there is always a way for people who don’t want to face realities. The great tragedy is that the Egotistical Innocent’s dog will harm or kill many other dogs, because she continues to take him to dog parks, in the belief that it’s up to the other dogs to make sure they don’t get killed.

Fact: This Myth is true in the sense that these dogs always have the wrong owners, people who shouldn’t have a dog in the first place. However, this Myth is false because it’s the genetics of the dog that make him a killer, regardless of what kind of owner he has. In other words, these dogs aren’t killers because they have the wrong owners, rather they attract the wrong owners because they are killers.

Brown, S-E, The human-animal bond and self-psychology: Toward a new understanding, Society & Animals, electronic version, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2003.
Burrows, TJ, Fielding, WJ, Views of college students on pit bull “ownership”: New Providend, The Bahamas, Society & Animals, Vol. 13, No. 2, 139-152, 2005.
Frommer, SS, Arluke, A, Loving them to death: blame-displacing strategies of animal shelter workers and surrenderers, Society & Animals, Volume 7, Number 1, 1999.
Peremans, K, Functional brain imaging of the dog; single photon emission tomography as a research and clinical tool for the investigation of canine brain physiology and pathophysiology, Universiteit Gent, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gent, 2002. http://www.uznuclear.ugent.be/research/phd_dissertations/Functional_Brain_LowRes.pdf
Oral history collected from dog owners in The Hague, 1994-2009.

From: Semyonova, A, The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs, The Hastings Press, England, 2009, pages 125 – 127. (Check side bar for purchasing options)

Recommended reading to enhance your understanding of this serious problem:

On pit bulls and their owner. Kenneth Phillips, 17 Barks, September 5, 2013

Personality and Behavioral Characteristics of Owners of Vicious Breeds of Dog. Kenneth Phillips, dogbitelaw.com

Vicious dogs: the antisocial behaviors and psychological characteristics of owners.  Ragatz L¹, Fremouw W, Thomas T, McCoy K., Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2009 May; 54(3):699-703.

Vicious Dogs Part 2: Criminal Thinking, Callousness, and Personality Styles of Their Owners. Allison M. Schenk B.A., Laurie L. Ragatz M.S., William J. Fremouw Ph.D, A.B.P.P, Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume 57, Issue 1, pages 152–159, January 2012

Ownership of high-risk ("vicious") dogs as a marker for deviant behaviors: implications for risk assessment. Barnes JE1, Boat BW, Putnam FW, Dates HF, Mahlman AR. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 2006 Dec; 21(12):1616-34.

Psychological Characteristics Owners of High Risk for Aggression Dog Breeds. Stanley Coren. Psychology Today, March 16, 2009 

Do Owners and Their Dogs Have Similar Personalities? Stanley Coren. Psychology Today, August 20, 2013

What an Aggressive Dog Says About its Owner. Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience, May 24, 2012

Owners of Aggressive Dog Breeds Are More Hostile. Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience, August 09, 2012