Sorry for missing yesterday with my fun fact but I was focusing on another worthwhile cause. I entered my group into the St. John’s Pride Parade. It was a wonderful time, a great event and a fantastic cause. Today, I am back to continue TRYING to educate and correct the misinformation which exists on pitbulls #replacefearwithfact
With my last fun fact post, I was attempting to move beyond garbage statistics. Try as I may though, it seems as if the naysayers are reluctant to allow me to do so. #justwhenIthinkIamouttheypullmebackin #justlikealpacino
Here is one comment I received….
“Coconuts vs. dogs? Are you out of your mind? That's like saying someone in Newfoundland is more likely to be squat by a rhinoceros. Surely you can come up with a better argument than THAT!! ”
See, I could point out AGAIN that the coconut danger was satirical. It was tongue in cheek.
I could point out AGAIN that I drew the analogy to show how dangerous it is looking at a statistic, especially if it is one used by a source that is non reputable.
I could point out that a statistic used without context says a lot without really saying much at all.
If I was feeling cheeky, I could point out that nobody has ever been killed by a rhino in Newfoundland...same with a pit bull. But, I am not feeling THAT cheeky.
However, I have the feeling that anybody who feels the need to write me and use my coconut analogy to prove a point, these fun facts will go over your head anyway. If this is you, just move along.
Which brings me to the statistic below and the topic of today’s fun fact
I cannot tell you how much I enjoy repeatedly seeing it. I keep recieving it like I am unaware of it’s existance. People keep using it as gospel for why pitbulls should be eradicated.
So, let’s get it out there and take it on directly as it was written to me by somebody who obviously is reading nothing I have written…#Ilovetheuseofcapitalletters #makeseverythingsooffical #shoutingishighlyoverrated
“FACT: 34 U.S. dog bite-related fatalities occurred in 2015. Pit bulls contributed to 82% (28) of these deaths. Pit bulls make up about 6.6% of the total U.S. dog population.”
This statistic and similar ones, bounce around the internet. Usually they are used liberally in anti-pitbull sites and by people who are pro-BSL.
You will not find them used in any scholarly paper and they are absent from any reputable journal article.
There is a reason for that.
I admit, that statistic is scary…if taken as FACT AND NOT PLACED INTO CONTEXT #oksometimescapitalletterswork.
I can hear people screaming now…
”Ken is just saying this because he wants us to believe all pitbulls are angels”
"He just wants to whitewash the horrors commited by pitbulls”
#barneythedinowasapitbull.
However, that is not accurate, (cough)... just like that statistic.
There are reasons why the AVMA, the ASPCA, the AHS give no credence to these type of statistics.
It is because, they are not reliable, have been gotten through inaccurate data collection strategies and could never be used in any type of peer reviewed scientific study. Basically it is the same as my coconut statistic, my five gallon bucket statistic and my bathtub statistic…
Well maybe not my five gallon bucket statistic, I had twenty of those killers around my house and immediately took an axe to every one of them. #fivegallonbucketsareinleaguewithISIS
Yes, it exists...it says a lot…and despite people writing it as “ FACT" it really does not say anything at all. #justlikeeverypolititicanever
Do not believe me?
Let’s introduce you to a whitepaper released by the National Canine Research Council.
In this paper, the Council discusses how dog bite prevention needs to be addressed from a multifaceted approach. The paper reviews how agencies including the AVMA, the NCRC, the CDC and even the White House have all come out against BSL. In the paper, bite statistic reports were studied and addressed by multiple sources. The studies found that current bite statistics are completely unreliable.
To quote from the paper…
“The authors of the new JAVMA (the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association) paper reported that the breed(s) of the dog or dogs could not be reliably identified in more than 80% of cases. News accounts disagreed with each other and/or with animal control reports in a significant number of incidents, casting doubt on the reliability of breed attributions and more generally for using media reports as a primary source of data for scientific studies.”
and another…
“The earlier, widely publicized study (which many of these ill reputable sites quote) of DBRFs (Dog Bite Related Fatalities) has been misunderstood, and misused to justify single-factor policy proposals such as breed-specific legislation (BSL), though the authors of that study did not endorse such policies”
I could go on but really there is no need. Science already points out what is fact and what is fiction.
If you believe something, that is your right.
Want to state it as your opinion? I have no problem with that.
Want to state it as fact, be prepared to be called on it. Be prepared to back it up.
If you are unable to do so without quoting something from the likes of wikipedia, you immediately loose all credibility.
I am not saying that a problem does not exist. Dog attacks are horrible, unfortunate and tragic. Sadly, in many cases, they are completely preventable and I am all for preventing them. The problem is, focusing on a strategy relying on BSL will not do so. BSL will not help. All it will do is placate uneducated and misinformed segements of the population and draw valuable resources away from work that could make a difference.
So why do it? Why waste time discussing BSL?
Instead lets focus on strategies which may minimize the risk of dog attacks. Let’s focus on public education, responsible pet ownership practices, responsible breeding practices…you know, factors that may actually work to prevent tragedies from occuring.
If we do not, we are doomed to failure and will have erradicated a beautiful family of dogs that have done nothing to deserve the reputation we have given them
#changetheconversation
#replacefearwithfact
#dontbullymybreed
Afterward:
For those interested in the material I am using for each of these fun facts…
I plan to release a bibliography later in the process. However, for a peek at the source material for this post, check out the following position paper as well as the cited source material after the paper’s conclusion.
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Co-occurrence%20Whitepaper%20-%202013.pdf
