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RSS icon Comments on Florida Woman Killed by Her Pit Bulls

1

can we get on with it and ban those things yet?

Posted by dave | October 2, 2007 10:59 PM
2

" my dog never bites anyone - they are just family pets"

"all dogs are good - it is the bad ass owners that corrupt them"

I may start carrying a gun just to shoot the beggars when ever possible.

Hate 'em.

Ned to ban them in King County.

Posted by Freddy | October 2, 2007 11:05 PM
3

I don't understand the point of this post.

Posted by Kim | October 2, 2007 11:14 PM
4

Never own more than one dominant dog like a pit, or a chowchow, or a chihuahua. Two littermates are always going to be striving for dominance -- maybe their owner tried to break up a fight.

But I've known more dog-aggressive beagles than any other breed.

Posted by killer beagle | October 2, 2007 11:57 PM
5

#4: Excuses, excuses. Pit Bulls are NOT DOMESTICATED! Just like sharks and pythons are nice animals, it doesn't mean I'm going to have one in my home. Pit Bulls do not belong in homes or neighborhoods. They are too unpredictable and the results are fatal.

Posted by grr | October 3, 2007 12:04 AM
6

My French Bulldog has experienced 5 unprovoked attacks by pit bulls I will gladly debate anyone who claims pit bulls are sweet loveable anmials.Federal Way has the right idea
they are prohibited in city limits and I will be glad when Seattle follows suit!

Posted by Belltown RichE | October 3, 2007 1:00 AM
7

I imagine Schmader & Savage masturbating at their computers every time they find a pitbull story... well David, was it good for you? Didja climax??

Because if you didn't, there's really no fucking point to posting yet another dog attack.

And what's this...? Ah yes, the morons who like to simplify the issue have come out in droves. Pitbull Attacks? KILL THEM ALL!

So hey, I'll humor you- let's kill all the Pitbulls... but then, why not kill EVERY dog? (because yes, all types of dogs attack, and despite Dan's opinions to the contrary, even a poodle could kill a baby). And let me head you off- No, Pitbulls are not "different". They do not have locking jaws, they are not all killing machines. If we were so concerned about destroying dog breeds that are foul tempered from constant inbreeding, we'd go after Dalmations LONG before Pits (but Disney never made a movie about Pitbull puppies, so I guess that settles it).

And with the demise of man's best friend, we'll finally stop the massive genocide of a handful of people!

Posted by Seriously...? AGAIN? | October 3, 2007 1:10 AM
8

@7, Why do you like pittbulls? What makes them better than some mutt?

Posted by asking a question | October 3, 2007 2:19 AM
9

# 7- The difference is that an ill behaved dalmatian won't generally tear its owner limb from limb.

Posted by Ed | October 3, 2007 3:38 AM
10

The silver lining is that at least it killed the dumb trash who owned it instead of an innocent person or their dog.

Posted by ektachrome | October 3, 2007 7:20 AM
11

Psh, that's what you get for living in Florida.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 3, 2007 7:39 AM
12

Dogs aren't people. Let's throw the Pit Bulls out of the league. Sad for the fans of the tenacious Bulls, but eventually they'll gravitate to another team. If they don't they weren't really dog fans to begin with, just fans of death machines.

Posted by Smade | October 3, 2007 8:13 AM
13

yeah! lets make more laws that ban more stuff, its worked so far to keep everyone safe and happy!

Posted by meanie | October 3, 2007 8:19 AM
14

Ugh, I thought the stranger knew all about journalism?

Just because so many stories get printed about pit bulls doesn't make them the most dangerous dog, or the only one that has "unprovoked" attacks. If we killed off all the pit bulls you know what would happen? The newspapers would find another dog to demonize. Just look at places like ontario that ban pit bulls. Bite rates for other dogs like German Shepards go up exponentially.

I have heard so many stories of small dogs biting the faces off of small children. Should we kill all small dogs? Oh...but they don't post enough about them in the news for you do they Schmader? Because dog attacks only happen if you see them in print, yes?

Posted by Hunter | October 3, 2007 8:34 AM
15

Confirmation bias combined with (ironically) "man bites dog" fallacy.

Posted by Matt | October 3, 2007 8:44 AM
16

@14- biting the faces OFF? small dogs? sounds exaggerated and apocryphal. back it up, homes. BTW, scariest hostile dogs I ever encountered were owned by ghetto assholes who liked terrorizing people. They were, as I recall, a golden shepherd and a german shepherd. Instead of anecdotes, we should probably get evidence. I personally lean toward banning pit bulls except for show breeders, but it would be nice to have some REAL info to back it up, instead of stories that could have happened with any stronger or aggressive dog breed (rottweilers, dobermans, german shepherds, a saint bernard in a bad mood, etc forever).
Oh, and the guy who said they aren't domesticated? You don't know what domesticated means! They are the definition of domesticated. Domestic animals can be dangerous, too.

Posted by christopher | October 3, 2007 8:45 AM
17

#16 yes, chewing the faces off requiring major reconstructive surgery. Do a google news search on any yippie small breed, dachshunds, chihuahuas...etc and you'll prolly find stories of them biting childrens faces and mauling them, schnauzers too.

If you want good research just look at the studies done in Ontario where pit bulls were banned. Bite rates went up exponentially for other large breeds...which shows it's the owners in the majority of cases. If they can't have a pit bull to treat like crap and make aggressive they are going to get another big dog.

During the 40's pit bulls were known as mother hens, even represented as the little rascals pet. They were known as being extremely good with children and were used to raise other dogs' puppies, even kittens. So how in just a few decades does a breed somehow get a new BIOLOGICAL reputation? Has it genetics really changed that drastically in just a few decades? Or has a SOCIAL reputation slowly started and changed the type of people that own them?

It's kind of like how conservatives try and say pot is a gateway drug just because users of other drugs have often tried pot. Is it the dog thats dangerous..or just that owners who will make a dangerous dog happen to get pit bulls??

Posted by Hunter | October 3, 2007 8:55 AM
18

Prolly? Shut up, ho!

Posted by Represent | October 3, 2007 8:58 AM
19

I love the folks--#7 and #14--who seem more upset about my linking to a story about pit bulls inexplicably killing their owner than the fact that a pair of pit bulls inexplicably killed their owner.

Posted by David Schmader | October 3, 2007 9:13 AM
20

someone please post the link to those dog-attack statistics already. it really is the same arguments everytime: but pit bulls, for whatever reason/rationalization/justification cause more harm to people than other dogs. so some appropriate action ought to be taken. it would be nice if those who loved and knew pit bulls so well would come up with a good idea -- but in the absence of one, you are going to get people who just want to get rid of them all.

Posted by infrequent | October 3, 2007 9:17 AM
21
Posted by Smade | October 3, 2007 9:20 AM
22

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_pitbull


@17- You're right, biology hasn't changed in a few decades. Pitbulls are bred to be a-holes. They are bred to kill animals large and small. Why is there even a discussion about this? Ban them already.

Posted by Suck it, apologists. | October 3, 2007 9:22 AM
23

Hah hah. Schmader: 1 point. Pit bull fan club: 0.

Posted by arduous | October 3, 2007 9:26 AM
24

Back to the story-which just broke-the bottom line is that it is rare for any breed to turn on an owner. Bully breeds such as pit bull terriers are among the most loyal to owners. Were the dogs chained up? That'll do it. Who knows. A lot of dog fighters love their dogs and treat them like children and keep them around the house and dont train them at home, so nothing would be found there. The story linked says very little. The quote below is from the Florida Times which actually ask some expert. Dobermans use to be the devil when I was a kid in Philly after the pit bull terrier there will be another breed that will be the new Sadamm. North Americans need villains.


"Beseler who has had law enforcement experience investigating dog fighting rings for the State Attorney's Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, said dogs that attack their owners usually have backgrounds that would prompt that kind of violence."

Posted by SeMe | October 3, 2007 9:27 AM
25

Oh, yeah. Bumping this story to the top again was totally necessary. What is with the fucking pitbull obsession here? You're like Matt Drudge jizzing his pants over a new story about Barbra Streisand or Hillary Clinton.

Posted by tsm | October 3, 2007 9:30 AM
26

Absolutely - ban pit bulls. Damn they kill what, 2 people per year. Sharks kill like 4 per year, we should ban them too. Grizzlies kill 1 or 2 a year - ban them. Oh, dingos killed a baby - ban them. Cars!! Cars kill thousands everyday, we should definitely ban them.

Posted by Ignorance rules here | October 3, 2007 9:34 AM
27

*jack off motion*

The pit bull smearing is getting so old.

Posted by Carollani | October 3, 2007 9:36 AM
28

The big new dog scare in the UK is bandogs -- pit bulls bred with bull mastiffs. These "devil dogs" have the jaws, attack personality and tenaciousness of the former mixed with the enormous size -- up to 100 pounds, and as tall as an Alsatian -- of the latter. They're favored by criminal gangs, chavs and bully boys of all kinds.

The UK bans these and several other types of dog: pit bull terriers, Japanese Tosas, Dogo Argentinos, and Fila Brasileiros. Cross-breeds of those dogs are covered by the law, as are any dogs that "appear to have been bred for fighting".

Posted by Fnarf | October 3, 2007 9:37 AM
29

Dear pitbull apologists: If you don't want people talking about fatal maulings commited by pit bulls, perhaps you should devote yourselves to stopping pit bulls from committing fatal maulings.

Posted by David Schmader | October 3, 2007 9:37 AM
30

Dear David: I'm not even really a fan of pit bulls. This is just a profoundly lame crusade you've got going here - there are about 493,682 other social phenomena/public hazards that kill more people every year.

Posted by tsm | October 3, 2007 9:44 AM
31

I have to admit and much less outraged when a pit kills it's owner. Still sad. Still a scary breed.

Posted by monkey | October 3, 2007 9:45 AM
32

And the only way to do that is to take it out back with a 2 x 4.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 3, 2007 9:45 AM
33

@30: How is posting news of fatal pit-bull maulings "a crusade"?

Tell you what: When a pit bull rescues a dozen kids from a burning orphanage or discovers a cure for cancer, I swear to God I'll post a link to that, too.

Posted by David Schmader | October 3, 2007 9:55 AM
34

Hey, let's keep this discussion on the evils of pit bulls and stay away from breeds such as bull mastiffs and shepherds. They are all perfectly harmless, and my dog is licensed and always leashed. Good doggie. No story here. Pit bulls are the only bad ones.

Posted by Tizzle | October 3, 2007 9:55 AM
35

@ 7, do you work for the NRA? Your argument is exactly like theirs - if you ban guns you have to ban knives, cars, and everything else that can kill. Uh, no, guns are designed to maim and kill, other tools are not; pit bulls are bred to fight and kill, most other dog breeds are not.

Posted by Matt from Denver | October 3, 2007 10:17 AM
36

Jackson 06/02/07
Pit Bull Emerges Hero In House Fire

By Cheryl Lasseter
cheryl@wlbt.net

When fire broke out the home at 312 Cameron Street just before 8:00 Saturday morning, Pepper the pit bull proved her worth as a watchdog. "If it weren't for my dog, we probably wouldn't have made it out the house," says Justin Pickens, who lived at the house.

Justin and his sister Antaneshia were asleep at the time. They woke to hear Pepper barking, and soon after, their four other dogs chimed in. "I got up and looked, the house was on fire, the attic. Tried to get my sister. The dog really saved us," Justin says.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, the house was already 60 percent involved and filled with smoke. It took more than a dozen firefighters and four trucks about 30 minutes to get it under control.

But human life was salvaged out of the ashes, and the family can thank their watchdog for that.


Posted by matt | October 3, 2007 11:45 AM
37

@21 -- Holy crap. Over half of dog attacks doing bodily harm are by Pit Bull Terriers. That's a pretty big percentage.

@26 -- You're right. You're ignorant. I'm pretty sure that sharks, grizzlies and dingos are currently banned as pets.

Posted by Good doggie | October 3, 2007 11:55 AM
38

some pits are bred specifically to fight/kill. why is it so hard for some people to understand this?

if you're getting a pit from a reputable breeder, no worries [they go by the less ominous name of "american staffordshire terrier" or "american bulldog"]. if you get them from a shelter, or from a thug selling puppies out of the back of a van, you might run into trouble.

Posted by brandon | October 3, 2007 11:55 AM
39

Everyone should be required to read that ASPCA write-up in 22. It's the most accurate and even-handed description I've read yet. And *any* dog owner whose dog kills someone should be sentenced to be ripped apart by feral dogs. A minimum charge of manslaughter should be required.

Posted by F | October 3, 2007 12:20 PM
40

@36

Any dumb dog can bark.

Posted by Too bad the roof didn't cave in and take care of them all. | October 3, 2007 12:27 PM
41

@17:

the "nanny dog" you're referring to is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. NOT an AMERICAN Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or a Pit Bull Terrier. the Staffordshire is similarly built, but MUCH smaller, on the scale of French Bulldog.

all 3 of these breeds were created for the wonderful sport of Bull Baiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull-baiting.

Michael Vick & his brethren are merely carrying on a long tradition of macho dickheadry.

Posted by maxsolomon | October 3, 2007 1:06 PM
42

hey 40, i was just posting it in response to schmaders comment that if a pit was responsible for saving lives, he would report on it.

Posted by matt | October 3, 2007 1:09 PM
43

Schmader, stick to talking about Elizabeth Berkeley, at least that's one dog you actually know something about.

Posted by Hunter | October 3, 2007 1:56 PM
44

@43: Elizabeth Berkeley is beautiful.

Also, I'm not sure you know how to read. I didn't do any "talking" about pit bulls. I just posted a link to a news report about a woman who was killed by two of them.

As for the folks who have expressed boredom about posts about hideous pit-bull maulings--doesn't the fact that there are enough such stories to BORE you tell you something?

Posted by David Schmader | October 3, 2007 3:01 PM
45

A pit is just a dog; the owners MUST be responsible dog owners to have such a powerful breed. We must speak out for these dogs that know no more than what their environment teaches them.

Not to mention the media makes all these dog mauling into "pit" bull dog. Can you be so sure they are? Why not take the test? Can you find the pit in three tries?

http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/AdultFindabull/findpitbull_v4.html

Posted by Marilyn | October 3, 2007 5:57 PM
46
Posted by MC | October 3, 2007 6:03 PM
47

#7.....You said, "They do not have locking jaws, they are not all killing machines.." So you are saying that some of them are killing machines? How about we make a rule that no one is aloud to have a killing machine. Especially the kind that thinks for itself, is left unattended for hours at a time and can usually overpower the one who is supposed to make sure it doesn't kill. If guns could think and move around maybe we would ban them too.

Posted by Scott Moran | October 3, 2007 6:28 PM
48

David,

People are dumb.

Thank you.

Posted by Mr. Poe | October 3, 2007 6:30 PM
49

Idiot #26-Sharks are not on public streets-grizzly's aren't on public streets-My daughter just got attacked by 2 that an owner was walking down our street when she was riding her bike. She got over 100 stitches on her face and body. check out her pictures and the story on San Antonio stations-kens 5; woai4; ksat 12. THEY SHOULD NOT BE ON PUBLIC STREETS AT THE VERY LEAST.

Posted by Flo | October 3, 2007 6:44 PM
50

There are a lot of dogs that only knowledgeable, conscientious owners should have: Pits, Chows, Rotties, Dobermans, Akitas, Chihuahuas ... the list goes on and on.

Posted by nonaggressive k9 | October 3, 2007 11:34 PM
51

@45. those tests are stupid. i cannot identify a brain tumor either. the news usually reports these things correctly ... usually interviewing the dog owner.

Posted by infrequent | October 4, 2007 8:29 AM
52

Pit bulls are not just another dog, they are different. They have the instincts to fight and kill other dogs. Why would anyone want this type of animal as a pet or think it safe to bring into a family neighborhood? Read the warnings of how to care from these dogs on that PBRC site. They kill more people than any other breed, they are involved in 50% of severe attacks, and they make up the majority of dogs coming into shelters when they are only 5% of the dog population. For the history of pit bulls in the US go here: http://www.bestfriends.org/archives/forums/032105cultures.html#two

Posted by tired of pit bulls killing people | October 4, 2007 11:43 AM

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