The media takes its lumps over reporting about pit bulls
A female pit bull, one of three put bulls involved in the mauling of a 10-year-old boy in 2005, is held at Aurora Animal Care.
Monika Courtney had something on her mind and she wanted me to know about it. The Evergreen freelance writer and self-described “animal advocate” was upset about a headline she saw on a Denver television news story: “Pit bull attacks 6-year-old girl.” Courtney didn’t deny the incident happened. But the outspoken opponent of legislation banning a specific breed of dog didn’t believe the breed would have been mentioned if it were something other than a pit bull — that’s if the story had even been done in the first place. In short, she believed the media blew it. She’s not the first person I’ve encountered who feels that way. In fact, pit bull supporters in general seem to think the media has helped stereotype the breed as vicious and dangerous while failing to offer other views or context, such as whether or not the pit bull owner’s negligence is to blame for an attack. So I asked Courtney to explain why she felt that way. Here, in her own words, edited for space, is what she e-mailed me:
Pet News 101: Danish dog breed law takes first innocent victim - a Boerboel
July 2, 2:25 PM · Libbii Armstrong-Brown - Salt Lake City Pet Products Examiner
Commencing on 1 July 2010, new breed ban laws were set in place in Denmark. Denmark's new Dog Act bans the following 13 breeds, although dogs said to be pit bull terriers and Tosas were banned in 1991:
American Staffordshire Terrier
Central Asian Ovtcharka
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro
Caucasian Ovtcharka
Sarplaninac
South Russian Ovtcharka
Tornjak
Tosa (banned in 1991)
American Bulldog
Boerboel - South African Mastiff
Kangal
Pit bull terrier (banned in 1991)
Under Denmark's law, these dog breeds, as well as dogs that contain the genes of these breeds, are prohibited from being bred, purchased, sold, imported, exported or transferred in Denmark, though there is a long phase in period for breeders, up to June 30, 2015.
Those dogs that are banned dogs in Denmark as of July 1, 2010 may only stay during a phase-in period. However, they have to be kept on a short leash less than 7 feet long, and wear a closed muzzle when off their owner's property.
Interestingly, it lies on the owners to prove to authorities, upon request, that their dog is not one of the banned breeds or even a mix.
Anasha Boerboels, one of Denmark's most prestigious Boerboel breeding kennel, was forced to euthanize the first Boerboel victim of Denmark's cruel breed ban. The reason? Because she was a spayed female for which a home couldn't be found in time.
One of the owners of Anasha Boerboels made the following statement:
"The first Boerboel has to be put to sleep today because of the new dog laws that came into effect yesterday. In about an hour we will take her to the vets and she will be euthanized. She is neutered and therefore cannot be used for breeding, therefore she would have to be placed as a pet. This is now illegal in Denmark and therefore she has to pay the price.
We are a professional kennel, we have vet inspections and the vet noted that she was here. We are not allowed to own pet dogs, only breeding dogs. This is a rule that the tax authorities have enforced so that kennels have to account for all the dog food etc used in their kennel business."
'Denmark is moving in the opposite direction from other European Union countries that have discovered breed discrimination does not work to prevent or reduce dog bite incidents.
In fact, UK's Dangerous Dogs Act was declared a failure in 2007 when it was found that the numbers of dog bites had risen 10% in a year and 50% since 1998-1999. According to the BBC, hospitalizations due to dog bites increased by 25% after 'pit bulls' were banned in Britain.
It was also determined that the Act did not result in any decline in dog bite incidents with 73.9% before and 73.1% after enactment of the law.'
Breed ban laws have considerable, long term effects, as outlined in this article.
Last year Ogden proposed regulations against pit bulls; the same time that Orem was considering banning pit bulls; Springville has had regulations against the breed for years; South Jordan has banned them altogether, including Staffordshire Terriers.
But pit bulls are not the only dog breed being banned.
Did you know that North Salt Lake has banned Shar-Peis and Rottweilers?
Or that Smithfield has stated the following: Declared as vicious and require a special permit; Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Pit Bull, Husky, Alaskan malamute, Doberman Pinscher, and Wolf Hybird?
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This article particularly saddened me because there was NO GOOD reason for this female dog to be euthanized, other than to satisfy a ridiculous law. She wasn’t aggressive and had no history of hurting anyone. She was spayed, which was her death sentence.
Pit bulls have teeth that can shred beer cans, not to mention the cartilage and bone of enemy drug dealers.
But a city ordinance on the books for six years, designed to muzzle these lethal four-legged weapons - and fine their owners for noncompliance - has so far proved toothless.
The guy who wrote those pit bull sanctions, Hyde Park’s district councilor Rob Consalvo, plans to toughen them up.
But much like the beasts themselves, their owners are a particularly obstinate bunch. Failing to bind the jaws of their muscle-bound pooches, or display a “Beware of Dog” sign, doesn’t bother them much.
So far, these pit bullies have walked away from $140,000 in fines levied upon them and the thuggish dogs that invest them with such an ominous swagger.
To put some teeth into pit bull collections, Consalvo wants to attach liens to their owners’ property tax (assuming they own anything more valuable than the dog) or on their auto excise tax.
“Because,” as Consalvo put it yesterday, “just about everybody drives a car, right?”
Yesterday’s hearing to send a home-rule petition up to the State House consisted of five people: Consalvo; his Dorchester colleague, Councilor Maureen Feeney; Mark Giannangelo, assistant director of Boston Animal Control; his boss, Steve Crosby, deputy manager for property and construction . . . and me, the owner of a fierce Lhasa apso recently to laid to rest.
Among the more interesting factoids to emerge from yesterday’s brief seance was that a quarter of 2,100 registered pit bull owners in this city have been fined.
Maureen Feeney, who recently bid adieu to her golden retriever, asked Crosby and Giannangelo, about how they thought pit bulls were “utilized” by their owners.
“You just seem to see so many individuals strutting the street, pit bulls in tow, with an air of intimidation,” she said.
Later, Crosby and Giannangelo would tell Feeney the “intimidation” she described came from owners who used their pit bulls as weapons on a leash.
For Consalvo, pit bulls have become a lightning rod issue. “The hearings we held six years ago on the law went on for eight hours, longer than the firefighters contract,” he said. “Every Christmas, I get a pit bull calendar in the mail by an anonymous owner who signs it, ‘Happy Holidays, you jerk.’ ”
Just like their dogs, these creatures mean no harm . . . honest.
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Evidently, we are all part of a secret society that totes around machine guns and pit bulls in an attempt to daunt the public. Shucks we have been found out; time to change the secret password everyone! Gather your pits, machine guns, and beer cans everyone we have turf to protect... Geez… I bet the writer did a lot of research on this article.
This person is a complete moron and he should be sent to an island to live amongst other morons.
Rehabilitating police dog bites pedestrian in butt
Wendy Victora
2010-06-30 09:31:38
NICEVILLE — A man walking down Deer Street on June 20 to check out some houses for sale was bitten in his left butt cheek by a black dog, according to the Niceville Police Department arrest report.
The bite ripped his back pocket and left blood drops on his shorts.
The victim did not want the dog put down and did not want to pursue any charges. The owner came outside and showed the police officer and the victim the dog's current rabies shot paperwork.
The dog is a German Shepherd that was a prior police dog in Walton County. The dog had been shot in the face with a shotgun and its new owner is attempting to rehabilitate him, the report said.
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Don’t you just love how this headline does not attempt to identify a breed? If the dog had been a pit bull or even remotely close to resembling one, it would probably say: Pit bull bites pedestrian in butt, savagely mauls him
The victim's family tells 13abc he's terribly upset, and as you can imagine, in pain. They say the dog ripped off his genitals. The owner of the dog, Dexter Clark called the attack an accident. He says, "It was my fault for not securing him." According to the police report, Clarks pit bull/lab/chow mix ran from the backyard and attacked a 20 year old man while he was riding his bike. The report says the dog bit him in the "leg and genitals". Clark says, "I don't want him out anyway because the only person that can really control him is me. I don't really, won't let him out. They said they was going to watch him and like I said it's an unfortunate accident. Anyway I can rectify the situation I will." The report also states the dog warden's office "declined to come and retrieve the dog." Toledo has a breed specific vicious dog ordinance, but a judge ruled parts of it unconstitutional. According to the dog warden, dog owners can now have more than one pit bull and it doesn't have to wear a muzzle. Clark was cited for not having a proper fence for his dog, no dog license and no rabies shots for the dog. When Clark was asked why his dog doesn't have his rabies shots, he replied, "I don't have no money, but I'm going to borrow some money to keep him." And when asked if the dog has ever attacked before, Clark says, "Yeah, he'll attack any human being that will raise a foot or anything. You can't throw no bottle at him or nothing." But in this case, Clark believes, "I feel like it's something that's going on with him because wouldn't have just attacked like that. I know him." The reason the dog warden won't confiscate the animal, is that once the dog is confined and the victim is taken to the hospital, they have no authority to go into a home and take the animal. ______________________________
This article/video really aggravates me. First, the article states that the dog is a pit bull/lab/chow mix aka a MUTT (if you ask me). The video and article then call it a pit bull attack, which the dog isn't a pit bull. Next, the owner admits the dog will attack anything that moves and he has attacked before. This dog supposedly took off another man's genitals. It should be euthanized! The dog warden has no authority to take the dog though once a victim is in hospital and the dog has been confined. I think its messed up that the owner admits it attacks people but doesn't want to put it down because "I [the owner] feel like it's something that's going on with him because wouldn't have just attacked like that. I know him." He completely contradicted himself. If he knew his dog, he would have known he could escape at any time to attack something that moved past. Some people are idiots.... I am going to call this news station and ask them why they claim it was a pit bull/lab/chow mix but headline the dog as a pit bull in the video. In addition, I doubt the dog they show in the video is the actual dog since the owner still has the dog; I think it is one of those clips of any dog the news stations use when headlining a dog attack. The borrowing money aspect of the story.... I won't even go there
1.A 5-year old California boy wasattacked by a dogthat jumped through an open window at an apartment complex. The headline says pit bull, but they have no idea what breed it is I’m sure.
2.This ridiculous little list showed up in my Google Alerts. It was written by some lawyer and it is so ridiculous. It targets pit bulls even though the information the author is stating is standard procedure for ANY BREED of dog one encounters that could potentially bite.
Phase 1 – Common Sense and Avoidance
3. Know your physical abilities. Are you in great shape, able to actively defend yourself? Whether you are or not will greatly change how you need to prepare for the possibility of attack.
This sounds like it is preparing to send troops into battle.
Phase 3 – Self Defense
Unfortunately with pitbulls, psychology can only get you so far. These can be aggressive, unflinching animals and you may have to defend yourself. here are some good tactics.
Bears can be aggressive too. So can Canadian Geese, squirrels, snakes, and cats; hell, even birds can be aggressive. Psychology must be very helpful when dealing with an aggressive bear… There definitely should be a font for sarcasm.
3. Unarmed combat. It won’t be pretty, but there are unarmed options for handling a pitbull. When striking the animal, aim for the nose, eyes, and ears. These are all very sensitive and could help to disorient the animal. On long snouted dogs you have the option of clamping the mouth shut with your hands, but that is a bit more difficult on pitbulls. If possible and necessary, dogs can be grappled from behind and put into a standard choke hold – one arm cinched tightly under the neck with the other compressing the lock inward. one final method of attack is grabbing the legs of the animal and pulling them apart abruptly, breaking the knees.
Unarmed combat? Give me a break… Whoever wrote this crap is an idiot.
Legal Recourse
Pitbull and dog attacks can be traumatizing and lethal. it’s important to know that you aren’t alone in trying to resolve the matter and seeking professional legal counsel is highly advised.
But before you can even acquire a good attorney, here are some pieces of advice for preparing yourself.
Check out the previous line. Totally written by a lawyer.
1. Try to secure witnesses to the dog biting event.
Sure, I’ll be selling tickets at the front gate. More sarcasm…
2. Attempt to address the owners about the situation, but be prepared for complete denial of fault on the part of the dog. Remember, people will treat their animal like a family member, and will protect it as such.
Ok asshole-- watch it! If my dog ever shows any unwarranted human aggression please believe I will do what is needed; that is part of being a responsible pit bull owner. Idiots like you demonize good dogs and owners.
Here is this nice little disclaimer at the end:
Bill Hayes is owner of The Hayes Firm, a specialized personal injury attorney network designed to find the best lawyer for each individual client. Every incident is unique, and it’s important to have someone with many years of experience and an extensive network to help you find the right kind of attorney. Dog Attacks are one of Bill’s specialties and he will be able to properly guide you through the legal process and get you the help you need. Visit today and receive a free legal consultation!
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3.A pit bull in New Hampshirewas shot and killed by a man in his backyard. He claims the pit was attacking his dog and he was saving his own dog’s life. No other real details are given; additionally, this is not news. This is media sensationalism to fuel their pit bull witch-hunt…
