pitbull almost dies saving owner from train tracks

[earlycuyler]

They are pretty cool dogs indeed. If I ever get a small dog thats most likely what it will be. We thought about getting one for christmas, but it would bully out other dog, so its a ways down the road.

 

[Unkotare]

I dont want to play now. Its medical weed time.

What a surprise...

 

[Coyote]

So relax, its ok to be wrong,

I'm not surprise you think so, since you make such a habit of it. You don't want to argue with me, you want to argue with ALL the various reporters who wrote ALL the many, many stories reporting on fatal dog attacks this year and previous years.

I think right there is one of the major problems - it isn't that there are "many, many" stories, it's that what few stories there are are tragic and sensationalized in the media.

Dogbites requiring hospitalization are exceedingly rare. Dog bite fatalities rarer still.

When they are analyzed - the factors that stand out are not the breed. Pitbulls are not a new breed, only the latest in a string of tough-breed-of the day, nor were they rare prior to their popularity. It would seem if they are so terrible as a breed, we would have heard horrendous stories over the years from the regions of the country where they have long been popular. It doesn't make one a "pitbull apologist" to bring up the relevant reality.

CDC reports are frequently used statistics, yet the CDC itself says:

A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998 Adobe PDF file). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.​

The National Canine Research Center analyzed dog bite related fatalities and found the following:

NCRC investigation of over 45 years (1965-2010), of dog bite-related fatalities in the U.S. has conclusively identified the ownership/management practices that are at the root of these rare, and mostly preventable, incidents:

Function of Dog – Owners obtaining dogs, and maintaining them as resident dogs, isolated from regular, humane interactions with people, for negative purposes (i.e. guarding/ protection, fighting, intimidation/status).

Owner Management & Control of Dogs – Owners failing to humanely contain, control and maintain their dogs (chained dogs, loose roaming dogs, cases of abuse/neglect); owners failing to knowledgably supervise interaction between children and dogs.

Reproductive Status of Dog – Owners failing to spay or neuter animals not used for competition, show, or in a responsible breeding program.

All dogs can and will bite, children are far more susceptible to serious damage because of their height (face and neck), helplessness (infants) and inability to defend themselves without being percieved as prey. If a person is to be serious about preventing serious dog bites they should focus on education both of the dog owner and of children, and legally inforce responsible ownership.

Focusing on breed does nothing to solve the real problem....

 

[Unkotare]

All dogs can and will bite....

But some are more likely to bite, are more unpredictable, and do much more damage when they do bite.

 

[skye]

May all dogs be blessed .... there is nothing wrong with dogs.... I put the blame on the owners ... dogs are loyal and faithful ..... wish many human beings be as good as dogs!

 

[Noomi]

My little sweetie is a Boston Terrier...

He's just a baby, and so cute - how old is he?

 

[Connery]

The most honest and loving relationships I have ever been in is with my dogs. There is no pretense, they do not care what kind of mood I am in or if I sing off key; they just want to be around me. ...

 

[MikeK]

We had a dachshund ("Shorty") when our three girls were little. Very affectionate and extremely protective of them.

 

[SuMar]

My little sweetie is a Boston Terrier...

He's just a baby, and so cute - how old is he?

He just turned 4..

 

[Noomi]

^I had never heard of this breed before, but now I have seen what they look like...gorgeous!

 

[Coyote]

All dogs can and will bite....

But some are more likely to bite, are more unpredictable, and do much more damage when they do bite.

As individuals, not neccessarily as breeds. Any large dog can do considerable damage in an attack and even a golden retriever, when acting in a pack situation, can kill.

 

[Bfgrn]

All dogs can and will bite....

But some are more likely to bite, are more unpredictable, and do much more damage when they do bite.

As individuals, not neccessarily as breeds. Any large dog can do considerable damage in an attack and even a golden retriever, when acting in a pack situation, can kill.

Attacked by a pack of golden retrievers!

Golden Retrievers Attack 11 21 2005

November 21, 2005 is a day I shall long remember. A friend of mine took this photo and then took off running for the car. He was able to escape this pack of angry golden retriever puppies. I wasn't so lucky. Like velociraptors, this pack had me running in fear and always looking back to see if the blood thirsty hounds were catching up to me. I ran right into the mouth of an awaiting retriever. The pack soon caught up and they all began tearing at my flesh and my clothes with their razor-sharp puppy teeth. Their combined intellect far surpassed mine, yet I had a secret weapon. I had a tennis ball that I just found minutes earlier. I raised the ball in my right hand and pretended to hurl the ball with all my might. Although the ball was still in my hand, the puppies all began running for the ball. Before they realized that I never threw the ball, I was back to the safety of my car with my friend. We were safe even as we watched the puppies at the back passenger side of the car. I wondered what they were doing looking at the back door when my friend and I were up front. Those puppies were not as intelligent as I once thought. I then looked at the backseat and saw that one of the golden puppies had no doubt followed my friend into the car and was now sitting and staring at me with his tongue bobbing in and out of his mouth. That little puppy then walked to the door and used his paw to open the back door. The door swung open and the pack quickly jumped into the car. The puppies lunged into the front seat and began to lick my arms and face. I began to panic. The largest and apparent leader of the pack jumped onto my chest and his mouth went for my throat. Every good time and happy memory that I ever had during my life passed through my mind. When that ended, about ten seconds later, I passed out and...

 

[Dude111]

What a brave dog AND A LUCKY OWNER