I run a group on Facebook called “Ken Reid’s For the Love of Dogs”. It is an amazing group composed of over 7200 members and climbing. It is one of the most active dog groups on Facebook. However, like any public forum, there are times when the debate gets heated. Things are stated without the posters really thinking about what they can be implying. Such was the case over the last two days with discussion on the pit bull that mauled and killed a beagle in St. John’s..for more on that see this VOCM news story.
I wrote the post below after a full day of myself and the administrators of the group moderating a number of posts and deleting a large discussion that, at points, got very heated.
After I posted it, the feedback was tremendous. Because the group is a closed group, the post itself could not be shared. I promised I would post it to my webpage so people could share it directly.
So here it is with some links and add ons...
So I just deleted that whole post debating pit bulls in case people are wondering where it is. There was some good information being shared, some good debate and some not so good. It was going in circles however and it is really not necessary.
People are entitled to their opinions. If you think pit bulls are the best dog in the world...great. You are entitled to that opinion. If you think they are all dangerous and need to be wiped of the face of the earth...you are also entitled to that opinion.
A couple of things that I would like all to keep in mind though...
1. The nature versus nurture debate is alive and well. Whether this dog attacked because of the way he was raised, the way he was being treated or as a result of some genes he inherited is debatable and is something we will never know.
If the dog was being mistreated, it indicates the need for better and greater animal protection laws.
If the dog was not mistreated but there was indication that the dog was aggressive, the owner should have stepped up to the plate and sought the training needed to help this dog and then continued to put the work in while providing a safe and secure environment for the dog. If the owner did not do this, there was negligence and we are back to greater and better laws.
2. For those defending pit bulls in general...they can be great dogs. But they are all not great. Let's try to keep that in mind. Sometimes regardless if a dog is raised well, it can be dangerous. This is true among all breeds.
3. For those saying all pit bulls are dangerous...I know that is your opinion and while you are entitled to your opinion please keep in mind that there is not one credible study, not one reputable research group nor dog expert that will agree with this assessment. Yes I have seen the bite statistics. Yes I have seen the reports. None of it is reliable. Doubt what I am saying? Listen to the American Veterinary Association, the ASPCA, the AHS and their stance on it all. (For links of the same, refer to the bottom of this post)
4. I have said it before and I will say it again...pit bulls are just dogs. They should be judged the same as any other "breed". They are no better and no worse.
5. Horrific attacks happen every day. Any medium to large size dog can do a hell of a lot of damage if it wants to. Pit bulls are just dogs. They feel pain. Tolerance to the same depends on the individual dog. Yes, their jaws have a lot of power, but they are outclassed by a number of other breeds. They are muscular no doubt but so are a lot of others. They can be tenacious but so can many other breeds. Everything that is an actual fact, that can be said about what makes a pit bull dangerous, can also be stated about a lot of other breeds. Accept it and move on.
Getting back to attacks...
I can speak from personal experience...in my ten years of working as a trainer I have seen some pretty horrific things. I have dealt with a newfoundland dog who ripped into his owner causing (if I remember correctly) 40 stitches and the only reason more damage was not done was because the owner was able to get into another room behind a closed door. I saw a young child who will be sporting scars the rest of her life because she was attacked by a St. Bernard. I saw a young teen with his arm ripped open because of an Aussi...
Couple of things about these attacks…
Every one of these dogs was owned by a wonderful owner.
Gasp!!!
Why were the dogs this way? Sometimes that happens. Sometimes chemical imbalances exist. Sometimes owners do not read the warning signs correctly. Sometimes owners thought a behaviour was being managed and dropped their guard. It happens. So let's move beyond the hack kneed "it is all about how they are raised" because gene science says otherwise.
I know a lot of good owners who have dogs with issues. Think twice before saying “ It is all about how they are raised". It makes good owners of problem dogs feel horrible.
So yes, attacks like this happen daily. Funny thing is, not one of the attacks I just mentioned has ever hit the media. Matter of fact, I remember a story a couple of years ago from Labrador dealing with a "Pit Bull Attack". I was contacted by the various media outlets for interviews. I did one interview. Later in the day, it was found that the attack was by a lab cross, not a pit bull. The rest of the interviews were cancelled...reason being "it is not really a news story now".
The media jumps on the pit bull attacks because of the response it gets...including this type of response. It is sad. Want to change that, change the conversation. Talk about responsible pet ownership. Talk about public awareness and education. Talk about individual cases. Leave the broad generalizations out of it because for the most part, they do nobody any good on either side of the debate.
6. This was a horrific case. My heart goes out to the owners of the beagle. They watched it happen, tried to help their dog and could not. Their kids saw it occur. I can only imagine how horrible and terrifying it was.
7. My heart goes out to this pit bull as well. We as a society failed him in so many ways.
Is he a danger to the general public? Probably, but not in the way many think. For those talking about the safety of humans...I want to point out that this dog was being wailed on, kicked, hit with shovels...at any point, did he turn on the people?
Not in any report I read. If this dog was a monster he could have ripped into all involved. He did not.
Is he a danger to the public? He ripped apart a beagle that was tied on and despite people trying to stop it, he did not. That constitutes danger. Reports indicate a lot of things even saying he ate the beagle before he was picked up by animal control. That is over the top and indicates very concerning and dangerous behaviour.
6. Personally I LOVE the "breed". I owned one, will probably own another in the future. I plan to use any dog that I get in demos, in presentations and in events just as I have in the past if the dog has the temperament and personality for it and that includes any pit bulls.
I would love to see all dog owners, including those that own pitties make sure they take every precaution to socialize your dog properly, early and extensively. If there is a problem, seek help. Find ways of addressing it AND PLEASE KEEP WORKING ON IT. If your breed has a bad reputation, it is your responsibility to ensure your dog is better, more well behaved, more bombproof than any other dog out there.
7. This group is called "For the Love of Dogs" for a reason. If you are on it, you should love dogs. That means all dogs. I want to remind everybody that the very logo for the group is a pit bull and she was wonderful.
Think about what you are saying before you start bashing a breed. If you want to bash, do so elsewhere.
If you are afraid of pit bulls, that is really too bad. Some of the most cuddly and easy going dogs I know are pitties who want nothing more than a scratch and a love session. I know some that are doing amazing work acting as emotional support dogs and even therapy dogs.
If you want to state you are afraid of them, I have no problem with that. Before I began working as a trainer...I was too.
If you want to state that you think all pit bulls are dangerous and that is your opinion...expect backlash. This is a group of dog lovers. It is an internet forum. It is going to happen.
If you want to state pit bulls are dangerous as a fact...that I have a problem with for so many reasons.
It is fear mongering and I do not like that. If pit bulls are dangerous, so is every other medium to large size dog out there...hell, so is any dog out there regardless of size.
You want to state it as fact and back it up with reputable research...I am willing to listen. Discussion and debate is all good as long as it remains civil.
Civility should come from both sides of the debate too guys. Keep that in mind when engaging each other.
Now, can we please move on. Go show your dog some love. Do something nice for them. They deserve it
Thanks
Ken
Epilogue:
So that was the post. It has recieved a bunch of positive feedback. It seems to have calmed down the debate for a while. Feel free to share it from here.
For those wondering exactly what the stance of the AVMA, AHS and the ASPCA…here is some of the articles in which I was referring.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/breed-specific-legislation/fact_sheets/breed-specific-legislation-no-basis-in-science.html
https://www.avma.org/public/Health/Documents/dogbite.pdf
http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls
I invite everybody to look at the original source material especially in the second document of the AMVA. It contains a lot of good reputable research.