"It's so hard to get laid with kitten breath... but what the hell?" - Colonel Binky (a pit bull)
Oh my brothers,
A dilemma confronts me for this entry. You see this entry breaks my own rules somewhat in that Americans are not the only nation to fear pit bulls. Secondly, this nasty-ass breed of dog really does have a habit of biting the hand (or face) that feeds it, making it a less than irrational fear.
The latter of the two broken rules rests with the American Center for Disease Control (CDC), who reported that in 2006, more than 31,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs. Oh my brothers and sisters, that is nearly 100 Americans per day that are bitten badly enough to need a surgeon to sew them back together. The statistics kept by the CDC are sketchy at best as to the breed of dog responsible, though large breeds tend to do more damage than small ones, for obvious reasons.
The former of the two rules that I have broken relate to other countries. In 1991, the United Kingdom banned the breed of pit bulls. Surprising to most involved in the ban, however, the number and severity of dog bite statistics did not decline... something found in other places with the similar bans. Fewer pit bulls it seems, despite being responsible for their share of attacks, does not translate into lower bite statistics.
But now for the fear...
It seems that when a pit bull attacks a someone somewhere in America, it triggers similar attacks across the country. A rational person would conclude that this is related to the way in which the news is reported. An American, however, would conclude that it is time once again for pit bulls to be feared. In this case my friends, it is hard to blame the irrational American as their news outlets show the most horrible violence imaginable. They do this in a bid to excite the most emotion possible, lest they may run the largest number of commercials and still keep their viewers.
Yes it is true my friends, that since man domesticated the wolf, 10's or possibly 100's of thousands of years ago, mankind has received more than its due share of bites. As a species, we will continue to be bitten more I'm sure, but that is the cost of domesticating animals... particularly large animals with sharp teeth. Unfortunately for Americans, the only way to reduce (or prevent) dog bites is through common sense. But I, your humble narrator will present these simple rules for keeping dog bites out of your life and out of the newspapers, should you own a large dog.
- Avoid dogs owned by assholes. People who are assholes train their dogs to be assholes.
- If you are an asshole, keep goldfish instead of dogs.
- Kids and large dog breeds don't mix... ever.
- If you own a pit bull or other large breed, muzzle it in public.
- Do not enter the chained radius of a large chained dog. It's owner is an asshole.
That is all!
Keep safe my brothers and sisters,
Sir Robyn
References:
- The CDC fears Pit Bulls - http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Dog-Bites/biteprevention.html
- Christians fear pit bulls??? - http://pit-bulls.christianfunfair.org/attacks.htm
I disagree about your comment that large breed dogs and kids never mix. I have always owned large breed dogs (rotties and pitts mostly) and if they are trained properly, they mix perfectly fine. There has never been an incident with my dogs and either of my children nor the neighborhood children that come over to play. It's the owners responsibility to train them properly and socialize them. If they don't, then yes, there are cases of dog attackes. Blame the owner, not the animal. Did you even know that Chihuahuas are more vicious than a pit bull? Probably not as you only ever hear about pits doing damage. Do some research.
ReplyDeleteMy friend and reader,
ReplyDeleteI do tend to overgeneralize when writing these blog posts and this one is no exception. I too grew up with large breeds of dogs around and lived to tell the tale. To continue with my overgeneralizations however, families with kids and large dogs have parents that are either a) good with kids and large dogs or b) assholes. Of course, it's the latter group of kids that are the ones in trouble. I agree that a chihuahua raised by an asshole is vicious, but my point here is... a very large dog raised by an asshole is deadly.
Thanks again for looking in,
Sir Robyn
I have 7 pit bills!
ReplyDeleteand only one of them is aggressive
because she was in a dog pin her whole life, and shit isn't used to people. But Everyone thinks ALL pit bulls are deadly or mean. Its the way you raise them. You cant treat them like shit, and not expect them not to be mean.
Mine are raised with love, freedom, and care. They are all BIG lovebugs. I'm only 16, and i know that so many Assholes that think they know everything try and debate on what bread of dog is nice or not. i consider you guys look at all the other dogs, like German Shepard, They are even meaner!
i love pit bulls, and they love me.
i have one since i was 2 years old. and I'm still raising them now. with my family.
I have had 2 pits in my life, and neither one of them ever bared a tooth at either my friend's kids or now at my own. My first pit was rasied around kids; a 2 year old and a 6 year old. He slowly died of cancer. The pit I have now has a kid of my own. (lol to those that catch that) My little girl learned how to walk using my pit's ears to pull herself up. (I wouldn't recomend that for other's to attemptt, however.) Now, my poor pitty gets climbed on, over, and ridden like a horse.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the asshole term. I know someone who owns a pitt and he threw the poor thing against a tree for pooping in the house. Now the pitt will snap at any person it thinks will harm it. I grew up with pittbulls in the family and never have we had a pitt even show it's teeth. Like everyone says it doesn't matter the breed or size of a dog, they just need tlc. It's all up to the owner.
ReplyDeleteAPBTs can be very sweet, curious, intelligent, and clownish. They are noted for their outgoing, affectionate, eager to please disposition and their fondness for people, and when raised with a firm but fair hand can make a wonderful family pet........... This is research about pittbulls.
ReplyDelete