In 2013, there have been 18 canine homicides of which 17 were committed by pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Our dogs are not killing us. Pit bulls are killing us. And although pit bulls attack and kill strangers like Claudia Gallardo, 38 (killed by a pit bull in the front yard of its owner's house in Stockton, California) and Pamela Devitt, 63 (killed by 4 pit bulls running at large as she took a walk in Antelope Valley, California), the usual victims are our children, parents and guests.
I have come to believe that the modern pit bull should not be thought of as a dog at all. A dog is man’s best friend, but this is an animal that will kill the man, his wife, his children, his parents and the guests in his home. Clearly this is not man’s best friend; clearly it is not a “dog” in the sense that we think of a dog. Charles Manson was anatomically a man, sociologically a neighbor, and legally a citizen, but he is spending his life behind bars because he was a deranged individual who orchestrated mayhem and murder. Just because pit bulls look like dogs, they do not have to be thought of like we think about dogs such as golden retrievers and Yorkshire terriers.
In almost all homicides carried out by pit bulls, the owners and neighbors express shock and disbelief because the animal never gave a sign that it wanted to kill anyone. But to me, this is like a drunk driver expressing shock and disbelief that his car could kill. In both types of cases, a person made a choice to do something incredibly reckless, either by getting drunk or by getting the animal that makes headlines because of the frequency and brutality of its killing. We need to stop people from doing these reckless things.
Lawmakers have to stop listening to the nonsense about breed specific laws which is spouted by the owners of bully dogs like pit bulls. Since 2006 there have been 3 psychological studies which focused on the personality and behavioral traits of the owners of pit bulls and other high-risk breeds of dog. A study published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence showed a link between ownership of high-risk dog breeds and deviant behaviors, crimes against children and domestic violence. Another study concluded that "vicious dog ownership may be a simple marker of broader social deviance." A third study established that the owners of high-risk breeds of dog displayed more antisocial thinking styles, have an arrest history significantly higher than owners of other dogs, and engage in fighting to a significantly greater degree than other dog owners. They also had higher levels of overall criminal thinking patterns to go with the actual criminal behavior. These people, who are fixated on the animals that kill, maim and terrorize, are not the people that a lawmaker needs in his camp. Reasonable people want fair laws that provide a solution to the obvious problems caused by pit bulls.
Sincerely,
Kenneth M. Phillips
Attorney at Law
Thursday, September 5, 2013
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ReplyDeletei like the drunk driving analogy because its something that pitters should be able to relate to but of course it never works ....they cant or wont see any relevance at all . actually,getting pit lovers to concede to any point is like pulling hens teeth . then they will go and say something like...... people dont have to die for their crimes so why should a pitbull . lol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
DeleteHow much more likely do you think a pit bull owner is to drive drunk than a normal person?
Deletebravo!
ReplyDeletePerfect!
ReplyDeleteI don't own a Pit Bull, but I do have French Bulldog. While rather small, he does display characteristics that are typical of larger "bully breeds". I don't have an opinion on BSL, however, in reading news articles, blogs and social media sites, I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as "reasonable people" when it comes to BSL. Both sides holdfast to their strong opinions and will never agree on "fair" laws. And, in my humble opinion, both sides are hateful to whomever doesn't agree with their viewpoint and solution to the issue.
ReplyDeleteMany abolitionists were "hateful" to slave owners
DeleteMany feminists were hateful to misogynists
Many parents are hateful to pedophiles
Many civil rights activists are hateful to bigots
So on and so forth. Just because a selection of people are "hateful" to their opposition, but that does not diminish the validity of their stance or the atrocity of allowing such crimes to continue. Passion invalidates a truth not. Wrong is wrong, period. If that makes those relentlessly persuing justice and refusing to cow to/shut up about the truth their opposition doesn't want to hear/acknowledge "hateful", sobeit.
If the (well deserved) feelings of a party turn you away from developing a stance, then I implore you to look at the solid facts and hard data available.
I don't see how facts can be hateful, facts have no agenda. And the facts are that even though pit bulls or pit bull type breeds are a small portion of the dog population they are a huge portion of all fatal dog homicides. That is not HATEFULL. That is a FACT!
DeleteIf we are talking about solutions we should look at breed specific laws and what they will do. One criticism, based or research where BSL are enacted is that the laws targeted the look of the dog instead of the behavior and resources were taken up responding to calls about the way a dog looks instead of its behavior.
DeleteNice try Hopeful, but A/C does not respond to calls about the appearance of a dog, nor has that ever been their mandate.
DeleteWhat AC is tasked with responding to is calls about an attack in progress, or about a menacing dog on the loose.
So I'm not sure what your point is here, except to complain that it's not fair that pit bulls look like pit bulls.
Breed specific regulations save lives. How could anyone argue against that?
A pitbulls is not a pet, it's a weapon. Most telling is the research about the three specific personality disorder types of people who wish to own a deadly creature. People who get off on the bloodshed their dogs cause need to be locked up. The kindest misguided ones are scarred for life when they find they were wrong. Read the story of Susan in "Friends of Dexter". Sadly, they learn you can't love away their killer instinct, as they live the horror of watching some helpless child get his eye ripped,out, skull crushed, get torn limb from limb...and die soon after, leaving his older parents without their only child, in eternal grief.
DeleteI don't think we can ever realize how much pain those parents have gone through. These children that have been mauled and killed by pit bulls are worth more than any pit bull that has ever lived, or will ever live. The choice needs to with the safety of our children. These children are the responsibility of society, and we need to protect them.
DeleteI don't feel any need to protect pit bulls.
Seriously? French bulldogs are nothing like pit bulls. They might look like them, but they do not maul people or kill them. This is why we are so 'passionate' about BSL.
DeleteIts human live. If ever there was something to be passionate about, this is the topic ;)
jamieisrunning
ReplyDeletei too am not really that sure about what kind of regulation i would like to see regarding pitbulls and other dangerous breeds . in talking with pit owners and anti bsl advocates i do like to sound hatefull and hardheaded because i really do know who im dealing with ...in general terms . i go to sites where the story is about people being injured and pets being tortured and killed and all i hear from pitters is how bad this looks for pits and their responsible owners . sorry but it is hard to be nice to these dirt bags .
jamieisrunning,
ReplyDeleteFrench bulldog have very little in common with pit bulls. They were mixed originally with bulldogs and smaller breeds, and then selectively bred to be companion animals. It is like comparing an English bulldog to a pit bull. It just doesn't make sense. I have no idea why you would consider yourself to have anything in common with the owner of the larger bully breeds that are still selectively bred to kill other things.
This is wonderful, it needs to be shared far and wide.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious what is "hatefull" about the tone of this....
Does Jamieisrunning not consider the reason why people who have lost a family member, watched the gruesome demise of a pet, who are victims themselves, likely disfigured for life are REASONABLY vocal about this issue?
The other side, their solution is the status quo.
So what side are you on....the side of dogfighters and people who think they should just be able to have a dog calculated by actuarial scientists to be 3,000 times more risky than most types without any preventative measures or liability, criminals who DO use them as weapons....or we HATERS, who are very likely, VICTIMS.
Signed, Hater.
Spot on! If I could, I would euthanize every last one of them. Also every shelter that adopts them out needs to be sued when (not if..it's not an if) a person or pet is harmed or killed by one. Same goes to breeders and sellers. Treat them like they sent out a pet mountain lion. They are equally dangerous.
DeleteI wish everybody could read this. By the way, how many people does a product have to kill before it is recalled?
ReplyDeleteI personally have no problem sterilizing all breeds and crosses thereof which have been derived from the original bulldog of bull and bear baiting fame.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! <3
ReplyDeletehere are some depraved pit nuters
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuters.com/investigates/adoption/#article/part4
'Sup, all?
ReplyDeleteMy first question on this is Where in the mother fucking hell do you all get your goddamn information?
Was it the news that told you that 17 of 18 dog homicides were Pits?
I will tell you one bit of truth. The media REFUSES to speak the truth about pits because it DECREASES their headlines.
Multiple news companies have openly admitted to refusing to report any dog incident posing pits in a positive light or any dog other than pit in a negative light.
There is no pit bull problem as you like to call it. Dogs are not dangerous.
Those that train them to be dangerous are dangerous.
Think of all the pit bull "attacks". There has to have been someone to make them that way.
I ask all to look up one thing on Bing. British Nanny Dog. Not the pictures, although you will find more often than not a baby or young child less than 5 being best friends with a Pit Bull.
Pit bulls are naturally compelled to please their masters. And protect those they love.
A pit bull mother will more often than not adopt a human child into her litter if she feels the need for it.
In the late 1800s Pit Bulls were trained as nanny dogs because of their strong compassion and desire to please their masters, as well as their protective instincts. They were also chosen because of their reaction time, and strength to help a child in danger if need be.
Before you go bashing and hating on what I say, look at my facebook page. I have a picture of a penguin wearing glasses and panda ears.
Look at my daughter. She is an American Pit Bull Terrier. She is the one you're wanting to kill. she will lick your face to the point of melting it away.
She may scratch a couple times with her claws, but it's unintentional. She's a dog. She's a social whore. She jumps.
The only thing in this neighborhood that sees her as an enemy is anything made of paper and flip flops.
And if that doesn't satisfy you, speak to my tattoo artist/close friend. She's got 6. An entire town where they used to live before her fiance inherited a farm house from his aunt, used to fight over who would get to watch them when my friends had to go to court for my artist's 4 kids.
My own mother has even had a change of heart when she learned the truth rather than listening to the media.
Mr. Attorney at Law, what do you really know about the American Pit Bull Terrier?
PUNISH THE DEED, NOT THE BREED!
I always find it hilarious when yet another nutter shows up playing the self-appointed expert. They watch the Millan show a couples of times, get themselves a pit bull type dog, and when that pit bull type dog hasn't killed them after a couple of weeks, PRESTO, they are the ultimate dog expert.
DeleteFact is, these nutters don't understand a thing about normal dog behavior, nor do they understand a thing about the pit / bulldog type's behavior. They're too illiterate to understand statistics, biology, traumatic injury (ie, the difference between a bite and a mauling), epidemiology, and so on. They have no idea of the history of the bulldog type, not back in Elizabethan days nor in John Colby's time. As they 'educate' us that manbiters were always culled (a fiction), they're too stupid even to see that they've stopped doing that the past forty years (even if it had ever been true). They don't know the difference between (for example) a fictional series like The L'il Rascals and real life (they probably think Bruce Willis et al really did save the Earth from a meteor and that Superman is still a reporter somewhere). And so on.
I think the thing they come to educate us about most of all when they show up here is how ignorant they in fact are. But they don't know this, of course. As someone recently reminded me, this is called the Dunning-Kruger Effect. They all seem to suffer from it.
@ Where in the mother fucking hell do you all get your goddamn information?
DeleteHere ya go K-427. The 2013 list. Google all the names yourself.
20 dead by dog attack so far in 2013.
Pit bull type dogs killed nineteen of them. Eleven of the nineteen dead are children.
Stars indicate people killed by a ‘family’ pit bull – ones that had been raised and cherished as an indoor pet, ‘never showed aggression before’, and knew the victim.
Child fatalities by pit bull type dog (11):
Christian Gormanous - 4 yrs old
Isaiah Aguilar - 2 yrs old
Ryan Maxwell - 7 yrs old **
Dax Borchardt - 14 mos old **
Monica Laminack - 21 mos old **
Tyler Jett - 7 yrs old
Jordyn Arndt - 4 yrs old **
Beau Rutledge - 2 yrs old **
Ayden Evans- 5 yrs old **
Nephi Selu – 6 yrs old **
Arianna Jolee Merrbach – 5 yrs old
Adult fatalities by pit bull type (8):
Betty Todd - 65 yrs old **
Elsie Grace - 91 yrs old **
Claudia Gallardo - 38 yrs old
Pamela Devitt - 63 yrs old
Carlton Freeman - 80 yrs old
Linda Oliver – 63 yrs old
James Harding - 62 yrs old - chased into traffic by two attacking pit bulls
Juan Campos – 96 yrs old
Kelsey 427
DeleteI enjoy farce as long as it doesn't become slapstick, and the assertion about pit bull dams adopting humans into their litter "if they feel the need for it" made me feel like I swallowed lake water--both funny, disgusting, and something lingeringly terrifying. Should I believe you? It seems feasible... were you yourself suckled by a pit bull? Witnessed it? Been tempted by it? Otherwise your missive is as rote as they come...but please clarify the bit about deliberate media bias--you might be aware that journalists have distinct codes of conduct--and breaches of ethics in informing the public are regarded very seriously.
another emotionally unstable, pimple faced, barely old enough to drink little girl with an entire 6 months of pit bull ownership under her belt. OF COURSE SHE'S A PIT BULL EXPERT!
ReplyDeleteand so is her fiance.
"And if that doesn't satisfy you, speak to my tattoo artist/close friend. She's got 6."
DeleteBy that line I was honestly convinced this was a troll post.
Nothing against tattoo artists at all (hey, to each their own), but anyone who keeps 6(!!!) pit bulls is showing very poor judgment. It doesn't matter if none of them has ever shown a flash of temper before, they're a notoriously unpredictable breed and having that many at once is a tragedy waiting to happen.
That was so funny, I thought it must be a creative writing entry by SadFalada, but lo and behold, it's the real McCoy! I feel sorry for pit bulls with advocates like this who share perhaps a little too much information. This from her blog, "feeling deviant".....
Delete"We together have and American Pit Bull Terrier mix Alice born on February 11, 2013. She's the exact opposite of what media portrays. Vicious, yes, but only toward marshmallows and her humpy lamb. It's called humpy lamb because every time I fix it, within 20 minutes, she's got the crotch torn out and is got it face down and she's bent over it with her head on the floor humping it until she does a somersault over it. She's a strange one, but we love her. "
I hope she is over her bout with depression in any case, and that her bathsalt using druggie neighbor is locked up somewhere safe, but as long as Humpy Lamb isn't being a distraction, she's got her frankenmauler to protect her
Yikes. She has a 7 month old pit bull puppy and so now she's an expert. Little does she know what could be in store when it reaches the magical mauling age. Everybody thinks pit bull puppies are cute, but then they grow up to be pit bulls. When that genetic switch turns on, there will be blood.
DeleteDoes this idiot really think the "media" portrays pit bulls as "vicious"? She's out of her mind. The media is very sympathetic towards pit bulls. All I ever read is how fucking wonderful they are. There are a lot of pit bull attacks, most of them unreported, but when they do report an attack, they usually waffle about the breed, and if the breed is named, they always include a quote from some idiot about how wonderful pit bulls are, and reminding us that "all dogs bite".
As far as her mauler protecting her, that's a very dicey proposition. As you know, pit bulls maim or kill friends and family far more often than they attack hostile strangers. A sad case, people who keep pit bulls with the hope of some protection.
That's sad and unfortunate that so many people have died from pit bull attacks this year. The truth is that we are more likely to be struck by lightning and die than to be killed by a pitbull. http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.htm
ReplyDeleteI understand being afraid of lightning and being afraid of pits but there are plenty of other causes that one could take up to make the world a better place before attacking a breed. Two million plus pits didn't kill anyone this year and yet some of you would have them all die because you're "afraid of lightning". Both sad and pathetic.
tim flagler, you are an idiot for comparing natural phenomena like lightening to a man made, man controlled mutant gripping dog. it's the equivalent to saying we should do away with USDA inspections and regulations because people are killed by bee stings.
Deleteyou sound like a psychopath too with your condescending attitude about "fear".
The role of mirror neurons in the development of psychopathy is as yet unclear, since psychopaths seem to have no difficulty comprehending the mental states of others. Psychopaths instead seem to have trouble empathizing with the emotional signals of others, particularly signals related to fearfulness and sadness. Researchers Linda Mealy and Stuart Kinner have pointed out that psychopaths may simply have trouble projecting onto others feelings they don't experience themselves. One psychopathic rapist commented on his victims: "They are frightened, right? But, you see, I don't really understand it. I've been frightened myself, and it wasn't unpleasant."
Barbara Oakley, author of Evil Genes
Tim Flagler, you obviously have never had someone close to you attacked by a pit bull. Even an attack on a pet is terrifying. Although lightning can be scary, it's a fact of life that it occurs. Gripping dog attacks are preventable. I lived a few blocks from Roy McSweeney. You can't ask his opinion on this matter because his neighbor's pits jumped their fence and ripped his arms off while he was raking his yard. He was strong and lasted ten days in ICU before he died. My cows have been attacked by dogs numerous times. The pits are the only ones who actually brought the 1000 pound+ animals to the ground and shredded their faces. I don't know anyone who's been struck by lightning. I'm cautious about it because I don't want to be struck. However, owning a gripping dog is a choice. People and pets die or are horribly maimed because of a person's choice of a pet. I shouldn't have to carry a gun to defend myself on my own property because of someone's pet. You really are an arrogant, uninformed person. When you have some personal experience with this matter, then come and tell us how wrong we are.
DeleteThat's funny. In my entire life I have never even heard of anyone in my community being struck by lightning. I have however heard multiple first person accounts from people that have witnessed a pit bull attacking another dog or human. Contrary to what these pit bull nutters say about the media, the press does not report every pit bull attack. MANY pit bull attacks go unreported to the police.
DeleteThose people that died from pit bulls--should they have been unafraid? Would that make them less dead? Are we able to predict and manage most risk--but not pit bulls? Should we have to accept danger in a domestic setting so that a minority may indulge themselves, and in addition, be ridiculed for our very reasonable concern?
ReplyDeleteI've read postings on these anti-pit sites for a long time, and non are remotely "sad and pathetic"--well, with good reason, there is plenty of sadness, but it's because that infinitely remote possibility DID happen. Your remark is asinine, yet your condescension and callousness are de rigueur for a pit apologist.Return now to your hive.
SadFalda-
DeleteClearly you miss the point and consider me not surprised. Where we do agree is in your one clear headed response "that infinitely remote possibility DID happen". That's correct....you and your pit hating buddies are focusing on a problem so remote of occurring that literally you have a better chance of being killed by lightning than the cause you've so taken up to fight. If anything is asinine, you sir have nailed it. You would do more good for society convincing them of the dangers of lightning....good luck. :)
Tim Flagler -
DeleteIt's interesting to see the pit freaks trying a new tactic. Perhaps the puppet masters became dimly aware that the foul mouthed name calling and threats were not effective anymore, so now we are trying to appear oh so reasonable and oh so logical.
Your mentor must have had quite the brainstorming session to come up with the lightning shtick - and while it sounds clever at first, ultimately it falls apart under its own weight due to its inherent defects.
I'm having a hard time figuring out what you think is so noble about pointing out one problem to distract attention from another problem. You don't offer any solution, just a smokescreen: "Hey, look over here! lightning! don't pay any attention to the pit bull problem!" So, by your twisted logic, we shouldn't ever be concerned about child abuse, because more people die in car accidents than from child abuse. Sorry, but that sort of numbers game doesn't add up for any normal human being.
Your argument is nonsensical in another sense also. There is no well-funded pro-lightning lobby, trying to cover up lightning strikes, blaming them on other causes, and encouraging people to go out in thunderstorms.
You also make the blunder of assuming that human fatalities are the only problem with pit bulls. You conveniently forget the people maimed for life in pit bull maulings, and you completely ignore the tragic (and completely preventable) suffering and death of thousands of innocent animals every year due to pit bull attack.
So far this year, there have been over 350 disfiguring or fatal pit bull attacks on humans. Obviously the majority were not fatal, but try telling Linda Henry (whose pit bulls turned on her in a surprise attack, chewing off her arms, an eye, and the back of her scalp) that a non-fatal pit bull attack is no biggie.
As bad as the pit bull attacks are against humans, it's 10 times worse for animals. (You folks always want to remind us that pit bulls aren't human aggressive, only animal-aggressive, as if that's OK)
You knock us for calling you on your BS pit bull propaganda, claiming there are better ways to help the world.
You attack those of us who want to end the torture and suffering, while claiming the high ground. It appears you want innocent and helpless animals to continue being tortured and killed by pit bulls. What is the payoff for someone like you? What benefit do you derive from the carnage?
And please explain what's so wonderful about your obsession with spreading pit bull propaganda and your opposition to those who speak up about the problem.
I understood your entire point perfectly, Tim, and equating known dangers with poorly, or entirely misunderstood dangers, unnecessary or containable danger, is my point. I live in the high plains states; you need not lecture me about lightning,
Deletetornados, bears, hunters, blizzards, bucks in rut, strange farm dogs. We GREW UP assuming the worst could happen.Pit bulls are wigglebutts, hell, we all know that, no caution necessary!
I'm curious as to why I should consider you're "not surprised" at my imagined failure to grasp your elegant argument. Do your statistics bear out that pit haters are sinple-minded? The fact is-and speaking as an old lady of nearly sixty- statistics have little application to general realities. South Dakota probably has far more numerous lightning strikes than California, California has many more pit bulls and people--statistically a hazards draw.
Well, Goodnight, my wine-in-a box beckons ( less dangerous than bottles)
Look you're not going to convince me and likely I won't convince you either....and if neither of us are going to budge positions the least I can do is point out how ridiculous yours is. ;) lol j/k
DeleteYou are actually more likely to die of cold(no joke) than at the jaws of those "vicious pits". Why don't we start a blanket drive and really help make the world a better place?
Again you won't convince me because I'm on my second "killing machine" and her name is Kisses. I don't have the source at hand but again you and your buddies would do far better to insist that ALL male dogs are neutered as they(unneutered dogs) account for 70% of all dog bites. Sounds reasonable to me.
Oh, before I become happily incoherent, Tim, even here its highly unusual for anyone to call for the annihilation of Pit bulls. I hate them, OK; I understand people love them, and I don't want to cause sorrow. But they can be gradually bred out or bred to be less volatile, and pit fans don't want that. Thus the impasse. However, after seeing one kill a 3 month old puppy, and finding our office cat hideously torn and dying, by 2 different pits, I have nothing but revulsion for them.
DeleteOK, G'Night! We live to squabble another day!
Flagler is really only saying two things:
Delete1) I'm afraid my dick is too small / I wish I had a dick; and
2) We can't prevent all deaths, so why bother to prevent the ones we can prevent?
Well, I guess s/he's also saying: I'm an attention junky.
In the end, that's what their rants always come down to. I'm not sure why anyone (including me) ever bothers to take the bait.
Ah Tim, you are incapable of understanding that many things may be dangerous. Many things that you own and use every day are regulated for just that reason.
DeleteYou probably have a car, cars are heavily regulated, must be licensed, driver must be of legal age to drove, the car must be street legal - not just any car may be driven on public roads, you may not drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Speaking of alcohol and drugs, both heavily regulated as well, must be of legal age to purchase and consume alcohol, may not drive while under the influence, many places do not sell alcohol on Sunday. You may make wine and beer for your own use but you may not sell it to the public. You may go to your doctor and get a prescription for drugs but you may not sell or give those drugs to friends, neighbors, or the public.
You may own a house. Regulated as well. If you want to improve your home you must get a permit to build. Want a fence? Need a permit as well. You may live in your home but if you do not live in a business zone you may not run a business out of your home. Are you a nudist? You may practice this inside your home but you better not do it in front of the windows or you will be charged with public indecency.
Don't even get me started with tobacco.
Tim, this could go on and on and I hope you get my point. Dangerous things are regulated. The courts consider dogs to be property and acknowledge that they may be regulated for the purposes of public safety.
Public safety is the concern. Pit bulls kill, and often. Pit bulls maul and cause permanent disability and disfigurement. There are no reports of packs of Beagles running through neighborhoods and mauling and/or killing children, pets, or livestock. Same for Poodles. Violent Pugs? Nope.
If a manufactured product killed Americans at the same rate as pit bulls kill Americans there would be a product recall and class action lawsuit. Pit bulls have gotten a pass so far because those who have never seen pit bull violence and killing can't imagine it. Pit bulls also have a VERY well funded and organized advocacy. Times may be changing, the attacks and deaths have become so frequent that the sleeping public is waking up to the danger. We are weary of death, weary of disfigured children and senior citizens, weary of the death and suffering of our pets and livestock, weary of hiding in our homes to avoid the danger of the neighbor's menacing pit bulls.
Earlier this summer a fine family in Atlanta GA had a pit bull. They had this dog for 8 years, her name was Kissy Face. Mom went to the bathroom and came back to find that Kissy Face had killed her toddler son. Hope you are luckier with Kisses than that family was with Kissy Face.
"Look you're not going to convince me and likely I won't convince you either....and if neither of us are going to budge positions the least I can do is point out how ridiculous yours is. ;) lol j/k
DeleteYou are actually more likely to die of cold(no joke) than at the jaws of those "vicious pits". Why don't we start a blanket drive and really help make the world a better place?
Again you won't convince me because I'm on my second "killing machine" and her name is Kisses. I don't have the source at hand but again you and your buddies would do far better to insist that ALL male dogs are neutered as they(unneutered dogs) account for 70% of all dog bites. Sounds reasonable to me."
omg, you are a fucking idiot. people don't die from influenza because they are COLD and need a blanket.
but it is good to know that your mind is made up despite whatever facts are presented to you. some things never change.
Well....I can see that the clearly there is only one side subscribed to this thread or the person that reviews comments generally removes one side as my last response(quite civil) didn't make the comments.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for preventing deaths. I just figure maybe the intelligent thing would be to start at the top of the mortality table and work down, not at the bottom and work up. Clearly the majority "watching" this blog are emotionally attached to this issue for some reason, bad experience I suspect. The only way to get over your fear is to confront it head on.
For every act of evil committed by a bad pit, 2 million others are doing something nice today. I'd suggest to all the haters here to go to a local dog park and actually see the dogs you despise in person. They really aren't as bad as you imagine and as someone remarked about Kisses last time, their are plenty out there squashing the stereotypes perpetuated by blogs like these.
I wish you all the best and hope you can see past the stereotypes and myths someday to see the dog.
Tim,
DeleteYou never did say whether all the serious non-fatal attacks on humans should be taken into consideration when weighing risks, or if it's only actual deaths that matter. If someone is scalped, or loses a finger, arm or leg, do we just tell them "All dogs bite. Yes it's too bad that the medical bills have bankrupted you, but you're still alive so be thankful and get over it"?
And what about all the smaller and/or more docile creatures that are routinely ripped apart by high prey drive, dog aggressive pit bulls... Don't they matter at all? Don't you feel any empathy for those who lose their beloved pets in such a terrible manner?
Personally what I'm most sick of is owners of high risk dogs not taking---and not being forced to take---responsibility for the damage done by their pets. They put the blame on everyone and everything else. It's *never* the dog's fault, or their own fault for owning and not controlling it. In the past there have been laws in place, wherein any crimes committed by a wife were paid for by her husband. If she stole something, *he* was the one who went to prison. Was that fair? Maybe not, but it ensured that men kept a close eye on their wives! The same sort of laws should be in place for pet owners now. If your dog kills someone, it's murder (or at least manslaughter) by proxy. You get the book thrown at you. Rest assured that if this were the case, the popularity of those "loyal, sweet, misunderstood" fighting breeds would quickly take a nosedive, and so would the number of "accidents" involving them.
Mr. Flagler,
DeleteConfront it head on? Are you for real? I will venture to say that most of us fear pits because we have been confronted by them head on. Personally, I am surrounded by them, my animals are threatened and attacked by them. Then I have to deal with the enablers at Animal Control and the idiot, self-entitled owners who refuse to admit that there might be a slim possibility that their dog, who just committed an unprovoked attack on a neighbor, might be dangerous. Please spare us your self-righteous rhetoric. We have heard it all before. I live in a world where they are not myths and stereotypes. It's reality.
Finnea, I couldn't agree more with you about the owners accepting responsibility for the actions of their pets. It is astounding to me that they are often not held accountable for the damage done by dogs that they are supposed to be responsible for. When a child is killed by a gripping dog and it is deemed an "accident" (perhaps like a lightning strike), I feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.
Pit bulls at the dog park? That's were it all started for me. It's really charming when they try to attack your dog. All the reputable pit bull advocates suggest that responsible pit bull owners should NEVER take their dogs to the dog park.
DeleteThe fact is, any NORMAL citizen wanting to live a full and healthy life should be afraid of lightning. This very reasonable judgement will minimise your chances of being injured or killed by it. It will motivate you to remove yourself from the golf course when a thunderstorm rolls in. Same deal with fighting breeds of dog like Pitbulls, the average citizen should be afraid of them, this reasonable conclusion will ensure you remove yourself from any situations that involve pitbulls, it will allow you to reduce the chances of being seriously maimed, mauled or killed by one. Their are many real dangers that the average citizen should be afraid of, these very healthy fears will see you lead a healthy, well adjusted life. The people who deny or minimise such dangers run the risk of serious injury or early death and unfortunately for the rest of us endanger everyone else around them.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely fantastic letter... when looking at the pervasive plague of pits/bully breeds around the world from this perspective, it makes perfect sense to ban & regulate them into extinction.... a permanent "recall" - and we'll all sleep better at night!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this/posting this.
Well written indeed!!! I witnesses not one, but two pitts attacking a lab mix that one pitt had grown up with. It was hideous and it is vivid in my mind as though it were yesterday. It's been three years. These aren't dogs..I agree wholeheartedly. They are weapons. Well fed, housed and loved weapons. I am astonished at the lack of empathy and rampant ignorance the owners display. It is a sad world we live in, and shortened one for those living with a loaded weapon.
ReplyDeleteMr. Phillips,
ReplyDeleteIf you are actually an attorney, then you should know that "homicide", by definition, is the killing of a human being by another. It is impossible for a dog to commit a homicide. I suppose it is possible that a dog owner who trains their dog to be a killer, then fails to control that dog, could be guilty of negligent homicide. In that case, however, the owner would be the killer, while the dog is simply a weapon. If you want to elicit sympathy for your cause, perhaps you should try to avoid such sensationalistic hyperbole. It would make both you and your argument sound more reasonable.
Depraved Indifference
ReplyDeleteTo constitute depraved indifference, the defendant's conduct must be so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime. Depraved indifference focuses on the risk created by the defendant’s conduct, not the injuries actually resulting.
I agree! We have to get rid of all the guns and all the knives too because its not the people pulling the triggers and wielding the blades, its the weapons themselves. A great point about the drunk driving! We need to get rid of cars. And trucks. Buses too I suppose. Really anything that an irresponsible PERSON can inadvertently use to harm someone else.
ReplyDelete@ccwrites - I gather you're a pit bull promoter. You've managed to somehow totally miss the point and get everything exactly ass-backwards.
DeleteLet me break it down for you. For instance, when you talk about guns and knives, your logic is flawed, to say the least. The fact is, you can test your theory with a gun or a knife. Leave a gun on the mantel. Guess what? It will stay there forever. It will never load itself, jump down and kill somebody.
In contrast, which is to say, unlike a gun or a knife, a pit bull can not be trusted to stay put and do no harm. Pit bull type dogs jump out of 2nd story windows or moving cars, chew through fences and break through the screens of strangers, to attack, torture and kill innocent victims every day.
So a pit bull isn't like any real gun. A pit bull is like a gun that has a mind of it's own and randomly shoots a victim. So we're not trying to get rid of guns, are we? Just like we're not trying to get rid of dogs. But we think it's high time to let the truth be known about these canine serial killers.
Are you so afraid of word getting out that you feel compelled to attack anyone who speaks honestly about what is happening?
@ccwrites
ReplyDeleteWhat you are so conveniently skipping over in you argument that all guns, knives and vechicles is that there are many different varieties of guns, knives and vechicles and that those varieties are already highly regulated. To give it some perspective look at it this way, high powered machine and rail guns are carefully regulated and generally only made avalible to highly trained military personel, who would have their a$$ handed to them if that weapon went awol. Not all kives are made the same, a sword is technically a blade, as is my kitchen knife, but swords are regulated much more strictly than my kitchen knife is. A tank, semi truck and a racing car are all vechicles but they too are highly regulated because of the potential to do horrendous damge on public roads. Infact tanks and race cars are generally not even road legal so not allowed on public roadsat all, while semi's must undergo regular safety inspections and be driven by proven licensed experienced and competent drivers that are held accountable for road accidents.
So how does this all equate to dogs, well there are over 300 breeds of dogs, the vast majority can safely managed by the average person just like a .22 rifle, a kitchen knife or a Honda Acord and do not need to be heavily regulated, they are generally companion animals that will give plently of warning if they are upset and do not by nature sustain an attack.
The Pit bull is like a machine gun, sword or tank (except they are technically worse as they do not require a human to make it 'go pit'), in that if it attacks it has a high risk of causing serious injury or fatality. BSL advocates want dogs regulated the same way guns knives and vechicles are which is to recognise their inherent risk and requiring licensing, limited ownership, and accountability according to those risks. Pit bulls simply have the hightest risk factors, the stats tell us that, so should be regulated accordingly, BUT THEY ARE NOT.
This is excellent Mr.Phillips! Can we hire you as America's Attorney to fix all the broken laws and regulations regarding pitbulls?! There are kick start accounts that have raised thousands to save numerous killer pits. I know we could do the same and raise the funds for your services! We need representation and you are #1 in my book! I am sick of these mutants getting free passes to roam our streets to maim, kill and terrorize us just because they are labeled dog!!!
ReplyDeletePit bull terrorists need to be exterminated! Period! They need to be shot! All they've caused is nothing but pain and suffering!
ReplyDeletePut all these pit bull mutants down!
ReplyDelete*******************************************************************************************************************************************
ReplyDeletePit bulls are UNPREDICTABLE.
"Rescue" dogs are frequently emotionally unstable.
As much as I feel for these abused animals,
they will NOT be safe to adopt as pets for your family, even if very young.
They have been selectively bred for hundreds of years to be tenacious and relentless killers.
Many "loving and friendly" family pets have suddenly and WITHOUT WARNING
turned on their owners and/or their children and other pets.
Their style of holding on and mauling is much more damaging than that of other dogs
(this also applies to the other "bully" breeds).
This is a tragedy that humans have created through genetic selection.
It cannot be undone by training or "rehabilitation". Take care
when around these animals, even if they appear to be very tame.
They can be "triggered" - for no apparent reason - in an INSTANT.
(See DogsbiteDotOrg for true accounts)
...I realize that you probably consider your loving dog to be completely safe.
I thought MY "rescue" dog was also...until he bit a neighbor child. He also behaved
in an aggressive manner toward men who smelled of beer and cigarettes.
Who knows what the background experiences of these animals have been?
(He was very loving and loyal toward me - his rescuer - of course.)
However, I will never adopt another "shelter" dog again. Too many unknowns.
The safety of other PEOPLE is my prime concern at this point.