http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/11/such-nice-dogs Comments On: Such Nice Dogs by Dan Savage en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Sat, 18 May 2013 17:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by nltrnzow]]> Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:30:03 -0700 The Stranger http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national…
An example of a baby killed and dismembered by a golden retriever/lab mix -- two of the most family friendly breeds around. Any dog could be a killer, there's no way to know.

Also, many, many dogs identified as "pit bulls" in news stories are, well, not:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/…
Posted by thecheesegirl]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:23:02 -0800 The Stranger Posted by pheeeew!crack!boom!]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:40:18 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Snorgy]]> Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:27:12 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Ballard Pimp]]> Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:54:52 -0800 The Stranger Posted by yucca flower]]> Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:40:55 -0800 The Stranger
a great use of public money - defending this lawsuit. nice work dude.
Posted by Cassette tape fan]]> Sun, 13 Jan 2013 09:08:03 -0800 The Stranger
As to your straw-man, there are no bad breeds of dogs -- including Pitbulls, who were once rightly seen as the perfect "nanny-dogs" for children -- there are only irresponsible owners, like Charlie's. And I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Charlie was a rescue who had been trained poorly by some asshole person.

Meanwhile, the American Temperament Test Society finds the American Pitbull to be among the most stable dogs tested. Want a dog that's likely to snap? Try those cuddly little bulldogs.


Posted by Joshua H]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 14:22:17 -0800 The Stranger Posted by EclecticEel]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:46:51 -0800 The Stranger
The science of dog behavior has made leaps and bounds in the last 8-10 years. Very little of this has reached breeders, legislators, etc. so far, let alone the general public. Ethology and Applied Animal Behavior Science are two journals where much of this is published.

Breed specific legislation is futile. There is no "pit bull" breed, but whole lot of mixed breed dogs that exhibit "X bull terrier" traits. In some places in the US over half the dogs in shelters fall into this category. They might be a "pit bull/beagle" mix, or a "pit bull/lab" mix, but often no one knows a dog's heritage. Thus, no one knows what innate behavioral tendencies the dog might have. This is one drawback of mixed breeds. On top if that, recent work shows that "drive" and "predatory behavior" can be vastly changed in only 3-4 generations through selective breeding. In other words, ban "pits" and within 10 years some other "breed" can be turned into enthusiastically aggressive sport dogs.

Carefully bred pit bulls make terrible guard dogs (which is different than watch dogs). They are bred to be aggressive toward animals (using predatory instinct to promote fighting) but submissive toward adult people ( so they can be pulled from the pit by hand even in the middle of a fight). The amplified prey drive in these dogs can cause problems when this tendency finds its way into the wider population. A good guard dog is never, ever aggressive. It is protective. Big difference.

In my professional opinion, many of the people who get "pit bulls" and other tough-looking dogs are ignorant assholes. Like most dog owners, they pick a dog based on how it makes them look and feel. Little regard is given for the needs of the dog for training, socialization, feeding, housing, exercise, and vet care. Depending on the individual dog, this can result in a frustrated, confused, aggressive animal. If it has the physical abilities of a pit bull...

Show me a bad dog and I will show you a bad dog owner.
Posted by tiny frogs]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 06:26:28 -0800 The Stranger
Horrific injuries, especially leg injuries in horses are hard to cure. Then there's the mental health issue.

Anyone knows what befall that poor beast ?
Posted by sissoucat]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 04:03:27 -0800 The Stranger Posted by joemomma]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 01:11:40 -0800 The Stranger
Then we won't have to listen to his inane, self-righteous bitching anymore.
Posted by joemomma]]> Sat, 12 Jan 2013 01:09:15 -0800 The Stranger Posted by SecretBYUBottomBoy]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 23:57:57 -0800 The Stranger
I love dogs and I love reptiles. I would like to care for a few iguanas some day, and some cats and maybe a huge herding dog (did I mention briards, oh yes I did) but not an alligator, a venomous snake, a monitor lizard large enough to harm the cats, or a dog bred to kill.
Posted by SifuMark]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:08:42 -0800 The Stranger
Posted by supergp]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:12:49 -0800 The Stranger
I don't really think there's any reason for people who aren't dog breeders to have dogs with functional sex organs. We already have to put down an insane amount of animals every year because of lack of homes.
Posted by alguna_rubia]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:03:58 -0800 The Stranger Posted by secretagent]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:23:28 -0800 The Stranger Pediatrics article (pit bulls are not among the top biters here).

The assertion that pit bull bites are more dangerous is based on their attacks having a higher mortality rate than attacks by other dogs. That's based on the following article, also cited in the text version of his podcast:

Sacks, J., Sinclair, L., Gilchrist, J., Golab, G., Lockwood, R. "Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 15 Sep. 2000, Volume 217, Number 6: 836-840.

Posted by Bonefish]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:53:37 -0800 The Stranger Posted by julie russell]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:27:11 -0800 The Stranger Posted by julie russell]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:18:52 -0800 The Stranger Posted by JimmyCap]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:36:44 -0800 The Stranger
Americans get very bent out of shape if you suggest they can't do whatever they want, whenever they want.
Posted by keshmeshi]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:17:03 -0800 The Stranger
I have rescued several Pits and they are now completely harmless. They play with other animals, let deer walk right next to them and have repeatedly taken shots to the face from a wiffle ball bat from knucklehead children without showing a hint of aggression.

The idiot owner's dog should go to a rescue shelter, then the idiot owner should pay a huge fine and do a LOT of community service. The solution to problem dogs is to make their owners accountable.
Posted by smajor82]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:05:07 -0800 The Stranger
There is plenty of evidence, however, to determine that pit bulls are especially dangerous once they do attack. Same thing with rottweilers. So a pit bull (or rottweiler) ban isn't necessarily uncalled for even if the breed is naturally no more aggressive than other breeds. Even if the problem is shitty owners, it can be argued that such shitty owners shouldn't legally be put in charge of an animal that becomes especially dangerous when shittily owned.
Posted by Bonefish]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:02:26 -0800 The Stranger