Sunday, May 22, 2011

Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs

The the usual suspects have come out in force to criticize the San Antonio Dog Bite Study recently released by the University Hospital and defame the authors because the image painted of their beloved pit bull is not quite in sync with their idealized version.
Study authors
John K. Bini, MD
Shirley M. Acosta, RN, BSN,
Marilyn J. McFarland, RN, MS
The TRISAT Clinical Trials Group, include trauma faculty members:
D. Dent, M. Corneille, S. Wolf. D. Mueller, B. Eastridge, G. Goodwiler, J. Gourlas, J. Oh; M. Bohnenblust, K. McBride and biostatistician C. Lounden.

click their names to view their impressive resumés

Excerpt from Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs:

Go to Dogsbite.org for a full review of this important study.


DECEIVE, INVEIGLE, OBFUSCATE

You find out a lot of information when you deal with the circumstances. That leads you down a different road on what causes the bites and attacks and it's not the breed of dog. It's usually the people who are involved and the surrounding situation that's involved.” Brent Toellner

BRENT TOELLNER, the man who makes his living convincing people to purchase things they don't need, can't afford and are sometimes harmful, told nbc action news, 'it's not the dog, it's the owner'. There's one way to test that theory. Take any serious pit bull mauling and substitute other breeds. Take 85 yr old Rosie Humphreys for example. Rosie and her small poodle were killed by BRIAN PENNINGTON'S loose purebred american pit bull terrier during a routine daily walk. Now try substituting golden retriever in that sentence. How about dachshund? collie? Absurd, isn't it? If breed is truly irrelevant and the problem is truly irresponsible owners, then ANY breed of dog owned by BRIAN PENNINGTON would have yielded the same deadly result.

TOELLNER'S criticisms go into more detail on his blog. One of the criticisms is valid but that does not invalidate the study. My issue with the study is the citing of AKC registered dogs. The APBT, the breed that makes up the bulk of "pit bulls" is not recognized in the AKC registry and not all pit bulls involved in fatal attacks are purebred. The inclusion of AKC numbers only opens the door for pit nutter criticism. Though their method is accepted in academic circles, I would have preferred the authors left that data out.

TOELLNER has a long list of complaints; lack of peer review, small sample, the use of animal people and dogsbite.org data (congratulations guys!), and the fact that the authors failed to consult with animal behaviorists and with ms dog bite herself, KAREN DELISE. These are major flaws in his mind that invalidate the study, in HIS mind. TOELLNER praised the authors for stating the obvious, pit bulls do not have locking jaws or an exceptionally powerful bite, but then admits that he is puzzled that the authors still came to the conclusion that pit bulls posed a greater danger than other dogs. At the end of this blog post, pit bull experts DIANE JESSUP and CARL SEMEMCIC will explain why pits are more dangerous.

I find it rather amusing that TOELLNER vigorously condemns the San Antonio University Hospital study, yet he finds no fault with the self report questionnaire study that found dachshunds to be the "biggest biters".


KAREN DELISE (a former vet tech), the great neo cortex's official condemnation of the study begins with the fact that SURGEONS have dared to express an opinion about dangerous dogs. Those opinions are reserved for herself and handful of highly trained gifted supreme beings endowed with mystical powers. DELISE thinks surgeons should stick with surgery. I can certainly relate to that sentiment, I always find myself thinking along those lines whenever the nutter lawyers like LEDY VANKAVAGE, DEBRA BRESCH, LAURA ALLEN, NATHAN WINOGRAD, KEVIN THOMASON open their mouths about animals. They should stay out of the animal AND medical business.

The vet tech writes "Those, whose professional lives are spent with pets and their owners, have been consistent in their recommendations: education of adults and children concerning dogs and dog behavior; and humane care custody and control of all dogs." This cited quote from DELISE is attributed to Texas vet BONNIE BEAVER who under oath testified in 1991, "By its origin, a pit bull is a fighting dog that takes very little stimulous to initiate aggression, and it will continue to fight regardless of what happens" and "Pit bulldogs have been responsible for about 70 percent of the deaths of humans killed by dogs since 1979."

No critique of this study would be complete without the classic pit bull sleight of hand trick, Find The Pit Bull. "There is robust evidence that guesses even by animal professionals of the breed or breeds that make up dogs whose ancestry is not known to them correlate extremely poorly with DNA analyses of the same dogs." Rule number #2 in the pit bull advocacy handbook, ALWAYS cast doubt on breed identification!

The vet tech continues "The authors seem to have begun their research with a belief regarding “pit bull” dogs, and then exploited the tools of epidemiology to legitimize that belief." ALL science starts with a belief. The belief that scientists go into research without any preconceived notions is absurdly naive. The former vet tech/"research director" fails to recognize that ALL SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY BEGINS WITH A HYPOTHESIS which states a belief or expectation. Without a belief, expectation or hypothesis, it is impossible to conduct scientific inquiry!!! Karen, objectivity in science is an illusion and only unethical researchers lie to their audiences and themselves with fantastic claims of absolute detachment and neutrality.

"The illusion of objectivity is most powerful when its victims believe themselves to be free of it." Rupert Sheldrake

The evil genius makes a big deal about the percentage of children in emergency rooms. She claims only 2% of all child visits to the E.R are for dog bites, not 20% as the San Antonio University Hospital surgeons suggest. But the vet tech's only accomplishment is exposing herself as JANE BERKEY'S hired gun and the vet tech only succeeds at fooling her gullible drones with the attack on the authors' one in five visits. A 1998 AMA study, (which you can find at dogsbite.org along with lots of other studies and great information), found that 23% of the children who visit the emergency room, are there for dog bites, in other words - roughly one in five.



*I was extremely disappointed that KAREN DELISE didn't take this opportunity to expand on her theory of the meteorologic effects on dog aggression. Oh well, maybe next time.


JIM CROSBY also had plenty to say about the study. The most surprising criticism came in the form of doubting the number of pit bulls shot and killed. The authors of the San Antonio University Hospital study claim that 1.5 pit bulls are shot and killed each day. I tracked shootings/stabbings from 10.07.09-10.19.10 and came up with 631 shooting/stabbing incidences. (Dogsbite.org tracked pit bull shootings from 2008-2009 and has come up up with similar numbers.) The overwhelming majority of incidences that I documented were shootings opposed to stabbings and the overwhelming majority of dogs were "pit bulls". Of course not all were killed but I don't have a hard time believing that 546 pit bulls are shot to death each year, especially when you consider that only a fraction of the shootings receive media coverage. Pit nutter PAT MILLER states the media reports 250-300 dogs are shot by police each year and estimates another 1000 shootings that are not picked up by the media. That is 3.56 per day, shot by JUST the police! MILLER credits her data to ASPCA's RANDALL LOCKWOOD.

uncharacteristically, WHITEWASH JIMMY expressed empathy for the human victims when he criticized the authors for including the "flashy but irrelevant" statistic; 94% of the attacks were unprovoked, adding "Small children do not have the capacity to knowingly provoke a dog. Older kids should be given the benefit of the doubt unless observed tormenting a dog."Traditionally, pit nutters search desperately outside of DNA to explain and excuse pit bull aggression. Their first line of defense is always - the dog was provoked. Congratulations JIMMY, I believe this is a pit nutter first! And i will be sure to credit you in the future.

WHITEWASH JIMMY'S analysis of the surgeons' study goes above and beyond the picayune by pointing to an age error of a victim. The authors claim a victim was 11 months old while the "well covered" attack by the media reported the victim to be 7 months. "A small error-but a factual error that knocks one more pebble from a crumbling edifice. You would think that an attending physician might just know how old his patient was." Funny how the nutters always caution us against believing the media when it comes to dog attacks and pit bulls, yet JIMMY is steadfast in his belief that the media reported the victim's age correctly and the suregons reported incorrectly. laughable.

WHITEWASH JIMMY attempted to bring his small band of zealous devotees to their knees in awe. Thumping his superior on scene fatal attack investigator chest, he points out that the dog responsible for the december 2008 death of 62 yr old Chester Jordan in Muncie, Indiana was in fact a Dogo Argentino gripping dog. But hey, in his generous spirit, he would give the authors the benefit of the doubt and call the dogo a pit bull. I don't track fatal attacks and I don't follow them closely, so I consulted with people who do and who I value the opinions of, Merritt Clifton and Colleen Lynn. The attack was in fact in November, NOT December. A small error-but a factual error that knocks one more pebble from a crumbling edifice. You would think that an on site investigator might just know what month he traveled to Indiana. Colleen's memory of that attack was just as clear as if it happened yesterday. She remembered seeing the news footage of an unbloodied white dog running around in the background while the authorities removed the two bloodied brindle pit dogs from the home. Colleen also remembered BRENT TOELLNER first positing that the "killer" white dog may have been a dogo or an ambull. And sure enough, there it is. And here are the two bloody brindle bulldogs.
Thank you Colleen!

My absolute favorite part of mr canine aggression expert's critique of the San Antonio University Hospital dog bite study, was the final sentence: "Shame on them, shame on the authors, and especially shame on the peer review committee that should have done basic fact checking before publication." This statement comes from the man who looks to KAREN DELISE as his mentor! Click HERE and HERE to see how well DELISE performs basic fact checking.

note: ALL of the links to WHITEWASH JIMMY'S references are conveniently dead and were directed to this page.


LEDY VANKAVAGE'S attack on the San Antonio study was addressed in detail HERE, but I have a few thoughts of my own to add. LEDY is very good, maybe the best at rallying the pit nutter troops over at change.org and stretching or misinterpreting the truth, I can't tell which. Perhaps a poll is needed to help me determine whether she is morally corrupt or intellectually bankrupt. to quote LEDY, "One glaring example of the report's shoddy work that they cite is that the authors state that one in every five children visits an emergency room because of a dog bite." That is quite different from what the authors ACTUALLY wrote, "One of every 5 emergency room visits by children is related to dog bites." If you do not understand the difference between these two statements then you must immediately leave this blog and go back to school. I also have to wonder if we just witnessed the birth of a lie or if researchers should take this as a sign for the need to dumb down the language of future studies for easier consumption by pit bull advocates.


VANKAVAGE, DELISE et al feel that doctors are not qualified to make statements about dog dangerousness. I think emergency room medical staff, plastic surgeons and first responders are the MOST qualified to make these statements. We are talking about HUMAN injury and death after all.


Who the fuck are these people and WHY should anyone take them seriously?



Meet no-kill/pit bull activist and marketing/advertising whiz BRENT TOELLNER who has not an ounce of medical school behind him yet feels qualified to lead the debate on public policy regarding dangerous dogs!

Meet the great prestidigitator KAREN DELISE, former vet tech, founder and director of "research" for the National Canine Research Council, a subsidiary of JANE BERKEY'S blatant pit bull advocacy organization, the ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION.


Meet JIM CROSBY, the "lone wolf" whitewasher who feels that he ALONE has more expertise combined (as a dog trainer and former police officer and FAILED -- FIRED -- AC officer) than the impressive group of 17 listed at the top of this page. Hardly a "lone wolf" gig like a typical Crosby undertaking. This professional whitewasher claims that chihuahuas are as dangerous as pit bulls. GOOD JOB JIMMY! You've never looked more stupid or more petty than you do today!

Meet LEDY VANKAVAGE, the senior legislative analyst (a paid lobbyist) for the Kanab, Utah animal rights group known as Best Friends. This attorney and life long pit bull owner feels qualified to lead the argument on public policy regarding dangerous dogs!


MORE TEXAS DOG BITE STUDIES

The results of the San Antonio University Hospital dog bite study validates previous Texas dog bite data. The state of Texas has a decent history of documenting dog bites. in 2000, Dr David Blocker presented a paper on dog bites from Bexar County (San Antonio - the exact same region that involved the University Hospital study) found the Odds ratios for each of the five most commonly biting dog breeds versus all others presented similar findings (Table 30). The odds of a Pit Bull in Bexar County causing a bite were 5 times greater than the odds for all other breeds combined, at 4.9 to 1. Chow Chows and Rottweilers also had odds ratios significantly greater than the average, at 2.9 to 1 and 1.8 to 1, respectively. The odds ratios for German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers were significantly lower than the average, at 0.67 to 1 and 0.26 to 1.


Medical doctors Stephen F. Viegas, Jason H. Calhoun and Jon Mader published an article on the savage pit bull attack of an 83 yr old man that resulted in extensive injuries requiring an amputation and later died in the Volume 84 November 1988 issue of Texas Medicine, Pit bull attack: case report and literature review.
"During the one-year period between June 1986 and June 1987, 14 people were killed by dogs in the United States. Ten of those 14 deaths are attributed to pit bulls. Thus, 71% of the deaths during that period were attributed to a type of dog that accounts for 1% of the US dog population (8,10,22)."
and
"Most breeds do not repeatedly bite their victims; however, a pit bull attack has been compared to a shark attack and often results in multiple bites and extensive soft tissue loss (3,10). Although the teeth of dogs are not very sharp, they can exert a force of 200 to 450 psi. Pit bulls inflict more serious bite wounds than do other breeds because they tend to attack the deep muscles, hold on, and shake (3,10)."
and in conclusion
"With this trend and the increasing population of dogs in general, and in pit bulls in particular, the occurrence of cases similar to the one reported in this article may increase."
Hmmm, 71% of the people killed by dogs from june 86 - june 87, were killed by pit bulls is consistent with DR BEAVER'S 1991 sworn testimony. Weren't the 1980's supposed to be the decade of the doberman?


The Texas Department of Health used to track animal attacks and submit yearly summaries.

The number and percentage of each breed of dog involved was noted...


As well as the number and percentage of each breed for attacks so serious, hospitalization was required.


Did you notice how the pit bull was number 4 for dog bites but jumped to the # 1 spot for hospitalizations?

I don't have the summaries for 2000 and 2001 but at some point the Department of Health stopped parsing out the percentage of breeds that required hospitalizations. Pit nutter tantrums, I suspect. Those tantrums most likely put an end to this tracking of animal attacks/bites altogether, as 2002 seems to be the last year for these bite summaries.


You can read the 1999 and 2002 Severe Animal Attack and Bite Surveillance Summaries HERE and HERE.


PIT BULLS ARE DIFFERENT!

Pit bulls differ from other dogs in not only HOW they bite, but WHERE they bite. This difference results in catastrophic damage to the unlucky person who happens to be on the receiving end of their gaping maws of doom.

But i don't expect you to take the word of a hater.

Read the professional opinion of former animal control officer, pit bull advocate, owner, breeder, trainer, historian, author, expert DIANE JESSUP as she pontificates on pit bulls and bite work in protection sports:
There are aspects of ring sport which put the bulldog at a disadvantage when competing against sheepdogs like shepherds and malinois. The sport requires the dog, at times, to bite and then quickly release and retreat - something no true bulldog is willing to do. Also, biting the leg, which is considered preferable, takes more training for a bulldog who will naturally shun the extremities in favor of the more "courageous" bites to the body. A bulldog is bred to grip the head of its prey - whereas a sheepdog nips the legs. Therefore sheepdog breeds have a natural advantage in this regard.
and
Another very real detriment to the sport are those few decoys, (so far I have found them only in Western Canada) who are so terrified of pit bulls that they treat them with prejudice.
Gee, I can't imagine why bite work decoys would be prejudiced against gripping dogs, I mean aside from the tendency to courageously lunge for the FACE!

Perhaps fighting dog officiando CARL SEMENCIC can shine some light on this.
(Gladiator Dogs, page 19)

click image to view larger

47 comments:

Small Survivors said...

Craven, You remind me of a little dog.

A little cairn terrier named Toto!

"Do you presume to criticize the great Oz?"

Thanks for pulling the curtain back!

All they can say now is, "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

Thanks for showing these repugnant sleazes will lie, twist, distort, lie and lie again.

You ROCK, Toto!

* said...

I've not finished reading this but I do have one thing to say.

Based on the logic of "it's all in how you raise them." Why aren't other breeds who are owned by irresponsible owners mauling or killing like pit bulls? Why are several attacks from pit bulls living in middle class conditions?

Just watch an episode of animal cops on animal planet. Many of the dog breeds that are rescued never mauled or killed anyone. And many of the are victimized breeds like retrievers, shepherd, and hound type of dogs.

Why aren't more of these abused or poorly trained dogs mauling and killing people?

DubV said...

“You find out a lot of information when you deal with the circumstances. That leads you down a different road on what causes the bites and attacks and it's not the breed of dog. It's usually the people who are involved and the surrounding situation that's involved.” Brent Toellner

Brent Toellner is just describing data mining. Humans have a great ability to find relevant and irrelevant patterns in things. Particularly, you will find patterns you think likely exist.

Further, what if all attacking pit bulls were abused? This is not enough to settle things. You would need to look at how many similarly abused animals from non-gripping breeds DO NOT attack.

His logic is like blaming the pin being pulled causing the grenade to explode without contemplating that pulling the pin out of a grapefruit will not have the same effect.

Colleen Lynn said...

An OUTSTANDING and AWARD WINNING post Craven Desires. May you sleep well for decades to come knowing how many people will read this post and be altered for good -- they will be 'transformed', unable to endure one more 'It's the owner not the breed' conversation.

You're the BEST Craven Desires! Thank you so much!

Small Survivors said...

dubv,

"His logic is like blaming the pin being pulled causing the grenade to explode without contemplating that pulling the pin out of a grapefruit will not have the same effect."

LOVE THAT - totally true!

Lindsey said...

I love this, and I love that doctors are finally speaking out about this issue. If more doctors across the country would follow suit, not all the white washing in the world would hide the fact: pit bulls are more dangerous than any other breeds of dog, and it is well past time that they were Federally banned outright or regulated to the same degree as exotic wildlife such as tigers and bears.

Anonymous said...

Damn Plastic Surgeons!... they should just shut up and keep sewing victims back together! Here is another Heresy study done by a Childrens Hospital in Philadelphia:

Results: Five hundred fifty-one patients aged 5 months to 18 years were treated in the emergency department after suffering dog bite injuries during the study period. The majority of injuries (62.8 percent) were sustained by male children. Dog bite injuries were most prevalent during the months of June and July (24.1 percent). Grade school-aged children (6 to 12 years) constituted the majority of victims (51 percent), followed by preschoolers (2 to 5 years; 24.0 percent), teenagers (13 to 18 years; 20.5 percent), and infants (birth to 1 year; 4.5 percent). Injuries sustained by infants and preschoolers often involved the face (53.5 percent), whereas older children sustained injuries to the extremities (60.7 percent). More than 30 different offending breeds were documented in the medical records. The most common breeds included pit bull terriers (50.9 percent), Rottweilers (8.9 percent), and mixed breeds of the two aforementioned breeds (6 percent).

http://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/Abstract/2009/08000/Pediatric_Dog_Bite_Injuries__A_5_Year_Review_of.28.aspx

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

"Damn Plastic Surgeons!... they should just shut up and keep sewing victims back together!"

i believe that was essentially the message being sent by the nutters to the authors of this study. it's not their job to question how the victims got that way, just fix them!

april 29 said...

"The vet tech writes "Those, whose professional lives are spent with pets and their owners, have been consistent in their recommendations: education of adults and children concerning dogs and dog behavior; and humane care custody and control of all dogs." This cited quote from DELISE" in her efforts to make the world safe for pit bulls.

It should be noted that Delise is indeed a former vet tech, she has no academic credentials, her books are self published. Delise fronts the National Canine Research Council which was always supported by, and is now an owned subsidiary of the blatant pit bull advocacy organization, The Animal Farm Foundation. The AFF is owned and funded by the VERY wealthy pit bull advocate, Jane Saul Berkey.

One must give Delise props for one thing, she came up with a really kick-ass name for her pit bull propagnada efforts. The National Canine Research Council, WOW, doesn't that make you think of legitimacy and research? Nope, just unsubstantiated opinion.

Miss Margo said...

Digger: when I hear "It's all in how you raise them!" I frequently think about retired greyhounds and whippets. For the first 3-4 years of their lives, they have almost no interaction with humans or other dogs (they are kenneled in separate crates)and are treated, at best, like well-cared-for livestock. You'd think that they would be semi-feral nuts, right? But after they are retired, many of them can transition successfully into roles as family companions. They are known for their gentleness--even submissive to the point of being timid. Really clam, docile dogs.
Can't wait to read this post; will comment later.

safe said...

An invaluable post. Each of the people whose work you review were only attacking one one medical study, and each of them punted on it. You reviewed four of them, and did it more professionally than they did. This was a massive undertaking, especially as it was accomplished by an unpaid volunteer.

* said...

One thing that I do not understand about the Doberman and GSD myths is that there is little to no evidence that these dogs were known as man biters or trouble makers. You would think that the pit bull community, in all their research capacity and infant wisdom, would produce some sort of actual document that showcases this as a plausible truth to some degree. Yet they've not been able to do such a thing.

Are you going to tackle this one, Craven? I think I may have mentioned something along these lines before, but any myth that can be proven or broken is just as important as any other.

* said...

Miss Margo:

I've mentioned this before to someone else. I've also somewhat delved into that aspect of the argument in this blog entry. As for the small dog argument, I think that anyone who tries to use this in their defense is really scraping at the bottom of the barrel.

Anonymous said...

GREAT PIT BULL MOMENTS IN HISTORY:

New Zealand, 2009; In the first known medical procedure of it's kind, paramedics induce a coma into a Pit Bull that had been latched onto a man for 20 minutes. Once the procedure was completed, the man's hand was successfully removed from the Pit Bull's mouth.

Be sure to read Dr Wirth's Comments about Pits!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2978557/Lethal-injection-for-death-grip-dog

Disclaimer** I am not making this up!

Jake said...

Re: the New Zealand article.

What a refreshing change. A story of a horrific pit bull attack (nothing good about that, and nothing new either) but the facts were clearly reported, and appropriate comments about the dangers of pit bulls were included.

Completely missing was the obligatory pro-pit bull propaganda we've all come to expect. In an american article, we'd have had to suffer some corrupt, self-styled animal behavior expert reminding us that "all dogs bite" and that "it was an unfortunate accident", and that no one could have possibly foreseen it. We would have been told that pit bulls are no more likely to bite than other breeds, and that they are wonderful pets, and that BSL is not the answer.

In any event, it was a welcome relief not to have to put up with all the obligatory propaganda that accompanies pit bull attack stories in the US media.

DubV said...

Just got off the porch with a female neighbor. She owns a second home about 2 blocks away. She was at that house last night gardening in front of the house when a young boy was walking a pit bull by her house. The pit bull pulled over to her dog that was tied up next to her. The pit bull grabbed her dog's neck and snapped its neck and ripped out it trachea. She rushed it to the vet but it had to be put down. The junior nutter predictably ran off with the dog. She is now looking for the owners.

DubV said...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10727616

New Zealand seems to be having quite a few attacks these days. Here's a story of a hero dog and hero humans too.

DubV said...

addendum:

Just saw the neighbor again. I asked her if she had called the police. She had and the local police said they could not do anything because the pit bull was on a leash. Huh? A kid who cannot control a dog is walking it, and the dog enters another persons property to kill another person's dog and this is the response?

We have no common sense anymore.

The kid in question was around 12 the lady estimates. Okay, let's take this a step farther. Let's say an idiot allows his 7 year old to walk the same dog, any negligence there?

The police around here don't want to do anything on a case where a human was not injured. I think that is the explanation.

The only recourse, I suppose is to sue the owners.

Dude, I BaggedYourPit said...

DubV; Drop a dime to the media. A shrug of indifference by police is equal to criminal complicity in my opinion. There are so many ways they could develop a criminal complaint if they had the will to - criminal mischief, public disturbance, destruction of private property.

Can the pit owners claim it was an accident? Sure, but they should be explaining this to a judge. Reasonable people know it's not an accident when a pit bull attacks and kills another pet, or dog fighters could claim they got together to watch accidents happen.

Get the media involved so the public can get involved. Only a psychopath pit owner thinks they should be able to walk away from this. This is exactly what brought about Fabian's Law.

And by all means, sue - and sue hard.

Dude, I BaggedYourPit said...

By the way, DubV. Kick ass statement here! "His logic is like blaming the pin being pulled causing the grenade to explode without contemplating that pulling the pin out of a grapefruit will not have the same effect."

Bam! Slam dunk!

And to Craven and DBO: Kick ass job up, down, and sideways!!! Sometimes I've got to crumple up a piece of paper, spike it and do an end zone dance. This was one of those times. You all ROCK!

Friends Administrator said...

If you know the law well enough, you can always call the police to inform them that you are going to a citizens arrest, if a law is broken that usually leads to an arrest by police. I have found that the law enforcement community is very lacking in knowing laws concerning animals. When I have done this before, the police were there in a flash. The reason they hate citizens arrests, a lot more paperwork for them. That's what they told me. You do have to notify them first BTW of your actions.

DubV said...

I'm crafting a letter to the editor of my local paper right now. I have to supply my contact info to have it published, but will ask for my name to be withheld.

Here's my question to everyone.

Should I mention dog breed when I discuss the recent and past attacks?

I do not see my community enacting BSL. So, I am hoping that current laws be better enforced and perhaps a general tightening of regulations.

I am trying to pick my battles in this instance.

Advice regarding this judgment call?

april 29 said...

Dub, this was a violent and lethal attack. The police have just blown the neighbor off and they think this is over. They are taking the easy way out. Make a complaint to the Councilman, to the Mayor, to the Police Chief. CC the editor of your local newspaper. Contact your County Dog Warden and file a compalint there. Find out when your next City Council meeting will be held and attend, put yourself on the agenda and stand right up there and speak. When politicians have to sit there and listen to a reasonable citizen and taxpayer tell a story like the one you are going to tell, they may find something that the law can do about this. It is easy to ignore a citizen in private but difficult to do so in a public meeting.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

first of all research your city's animal laws. if you are in an unincorporated area and fall under the jurisdiction of the county sheriff, this will probably be an even tougher battle. if what occurred is in fact a crime, go to the police/sheriff's office with a copy of the law in hand and file a complaint, including the details of the officer's refusal to take action. make multiple copies, send them to the chief or sheriff, animal control, the mayor and city council as well as the news media. the media loves police reports. demand action. i would openly include all of your cc's as well.

shoot me an email, give me the policing body information, i will get this going.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

DubV, check your email

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

Digger,

yes, i plan to take on the gsd, dobie, rott myth. and with karen delise's own statistics.

DubV,
new zealand is the land of pig dogs. here is a recent brutal attack in NZ by a 4 month old pit puppy.

Dude,
THANKS!

Lindsey said...

I second all of this regarding getting your local government involved. Often that's what it takes when you have negligent/apathetic police. Sometimes the media is a good route; sometimes they aren't. It doesn't hurt to approach them but don't hinge your hopes on that.

You're much, much better off raising a stink with the city council or county commissioners. Keep a record of all correspondence and be pleasant but firm. Don't take a "no" from anyone who doesn't have the authority to tell you yes.

Anonymous said...

GREAT PIT OWNERS IN HISTORY:

2009 Riverside CA

Pit Owner Raymond Lee Oyler sets the California hills on fire as a diversionary tactic to break into Animal Control and "bust out" his impounded manbiting Pit.

RESULT: 5 Firefighters killed and 34 homes burned to the ground. Best Friends BSL does not capture such losses with it's BSL Calculator.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Man_started_deadly_California_blaze_to_rescue_pit_bull_999.html

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah!

Disclaimer...I am not making this up!!

* said...

Now that I've had time to read this I must give Craven and Colleen a huge thumbs up! Do you have to be a scientist to figure out every problem with the pit bull community and breed? No. But for people who have no medical experience with people to condemn the doctors who deal with this on a day to day basis is beyond laughable and sad... Hopefully some B12 and a kick with the logic leg will get some of these advocates to think more clearly on how stupid they generally sound.

Also, with all of this recent talk of breed abuse. I wrote this article on breed forgiveness, greyhound edition.

Also, someone should do an "anti-BSL" cost calculator! It would be an amazing and eye opening feat if pulled off correctly.

Anonymous said...

GREAT PIT BULL ADVOCACY MOMENTS IN HISTORY:

May 25, 2011: Psychological condition of DEFEATED NUTTER SYNDROME(DNS) identified.

DNS manifests itself after a Pit Bull owner is defeated by the genetics of their animal. After the emotional investment of constaantly advocating, pontificating, sermonizing about thier breed of choice, the defeated Nutter reacts by lashing out at society via the media. The normal reaction should be shame and concern for the victim. DNS sufferers are often confused with Big Cat and Chimp owners on the Fatal Attractions television show. Fatal attractions is a slighty different psychological condition.

Be sure to watch the video!

http://www.ky3.com/news/kfsm-ups-driver-attacked-by-pit-bull-during-delivery-20110520,0,1170427.story


Disclaimer** I am not making this up!

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

Digger, regarding B12 and the logic leg, you know what they say... Hope springs eternal.


be sure to read Digger's blog about greyhounds and abuse.

* said...

Most Forgiving Breed : Beagles

This one was very hard to do. Especially from the videos I had to watch in order to get several of the images...

Is there any other breed that I should mention that is currently abused in some form or fashion?

* said...

lee t,

The rate with which beagles are maiming people is astronomical! But surely that has nothing to do with their temperament!!! We must show people that beagles are wiggle butts who need a lot of love and training, oh! And also call it racist for any law (despite it enforcing responsible ownership0 to be generally for dogs or for beagles!

We must spread the word on how misunderstood beagles are!


... Oh wait, no we don't.

:)

* said...

lee t,

This reminds me of an article I wrote. I honestly see no reason to get a pit bull as a companion pet, there are so many other great dogs that simply do not have that kind of liability always looming over them.

There are few people who I think really want a pit bull for none o the reasons above. To be honest, Pburns and Ceaser are the only two people who seem to not get easily offended if you critique the breed itself. Everyone else seems to haves some kind of inferiority complex.

* said...

lee t,

Call me crazy, but I would even dare to say. That if there were more owners like PBurns, Ceaser, and that one Josh fellow from the Tia Torres scandal, I might not mind a pit bull or two living on my block. And that's really saying something.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

outstanding beagle blog post Digger!

re: patrick burns, he is not a responsible pit bull owner. he is a responsible pit bull advocate.

to my knowledge, he breeds and owns working jack russell terriers only.

Anonymous said...

what is it about these morons?

Anonymous said...

hey craven : why has thou forsaken us? what the fuck gives?

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

lee t, i have no idea what you are talking about. explain.

Jake said...

Is he perhaps mourning the loss of the weekly frankenmauler roundup?

Bagheera Kiplingi said...

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

Upton Sinclair

coulda been mine said...

yea the frankenmauler roundup kinda resonated. in fact thats how i stumbled on this illustrious blog site. a dog had been killed and the perps had been put down and then the pit lovers came crawling out of the woodwork. that how i came here.

scurrilous amateur blogger said...

i understand about the frankenmauler roundup, i feel the same way but i have to focus my energy elsewhere. i'd be happy to take on an apprentice, show them the tools. it will take you a minimum of 10 hrs a week.

i still plan to do pit nutter roundups when they arise. i am working on one right now.

* said...

Craven,

Speaking of Toellner you should check out his commentary on this blog post of Terriermen's. He's under the name btoellner

He's also under the name 6p00d83451f90869e2 in this post.

Anonymous said...

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."

Upton Sinclair

Yes...This describes the Pit Advocacy Fat Cats to a tee...If they are going to lobby and meddle in local animal control legislation, they need to lose tax exempt status and to start indemnifying mauling victims...Best Fiends, HSUS and ASPCA are sitting on hundreds of Millions in tax free assets.

No different than the Tobacco Lobby really, cept' they paid taxes!

Anonymous said...

GREAT MANKILLING PIT BREEDER OF THE DAY:

Meet Donald Brewer whose breeding maulspawner "Brutus" killed Arianna Freeman back in 2005.

Be sure to read renowned Canine Aggression Specialist's Jim Crosby's remarks on heredity, aggression and public safety in regard to the disposition of Brutus' 17 pups.

http://www.standunited.ca/newsus/colorado/huntington_2005_jun19.html

Disclaimer*** I am not making this up!