Castanet

Good Poll i guess...but i just wish they would Include the " Animals Owner's " in these Polls !....Alot more to fear from them imho !!....but as Usual...let's blame the Dog !

Stories like this make me sad for dogs.

xlauvawke wrote:Stories like this make me sad for dogs.

Really? Because stories like this make me sad for the child. It's good that Castanet tried to avoid type casting the breed. What they failed to do was distinguish between dog bites and vicious attacks (and yes there is a readily available definition for vicious attacks). If you look at the online stats under this more relevant criteria you'll see a very different picture starts to get painted about certain specific breeds. These breeds require special attention, training and care. Even their owners (the responsible ones at least) admit this. The more we put our heads in the sand and try to convince the public that it's the fault of the owner or that the dog was somehow improperly trained the more we are culpable in the inevitable attacks and tragedies that ensue.

It is true that you should never leave a child alone with any dog or animal for at matter. But there is a big difference in potential harm between say a Cocker Spaniel or poodle and an Akida or Pit Bull (the latter often cited for their propensity to commit vicious attacks).

nextimeround wrote:It is true that you should never leave a child alone with any dog or animal for at matter. But there is a big difference in potential harm between say a Cocker Spaniel or poodle and an Akida or Pit Bull (the latter often cited for their propensity to commit vicious attacks).

I've never heard of this "akida" breed you mentioned but if you are talking about the japanese Akita then i have no clue why you are grouping it with the pitbull.

Also as for leaving children with dogs/blaming dogs for 100% of incidents of bites is unfair in my opinion as i spent the majority of my children living with and being unsupervised around big dogs and had never had a major incident. Yes i got bit on occasion, but that's just in the nature of the beast.

TL:DR - it's unfair the dog got put down/the kid probably had something to do with getting "attacked"

No, this is not a good poll. Yes it was a pit bull that sadly bit this young boy. The thing is, in the last 8 months, there have been 88 reported dog bites. Only 10 were from pit bulls. The largest group of bites were from 'unknown breeds, and the second largest amount from shepherds or shepherd crosses. A better poll question would have been. Do you fear dogs?

There is a lot missing from this story, in regards to the dog, the dogs training, the dogs temperament, the dogs owner, what the dog was doing when the boy leaned over to pet him, etc.

Bottom line is, it was a nasty wound and the dog was euthanized. I'm glad the mom is working on not allowing this incident to permanently make her son fearful of dogs. I noticed that when they showed the boy on the floor with his Uncle's little white dog, he went over the head to pet it, then facing backwards he hugged (squeezed) the dogs body. This boy needs to be taught not to squeeze and when he goes to pet, he holds his hand out and approaches under the chin, not over the head. This dog may be fine, but many others wont be.

xlauvawke wrote:
I've never heard of this "akida" breed you mentioned but if you are talking about the japanese Akita then i have no clue why you are grouping it with the pitbull.

Also as for leaving children with dogs/blaming dogs for 100% of incidents of bites is unfair in my opinion as i spent the majority of my children living with and being unsupervised around big dogs and had never had a major incident. Yes i got bit on occasion, but that's just in the nature of the beast.

TL:DR - it's unfair the dog got put down/the kid probably had something to do with getting "attacked"

Thanks for the spelling correction - yes Japanese Akita. If you troll the net you'll find quite a bit indicating this breed involved in more serious or vicious attacks. Not trying to single out the breed, just using it as an example.

My wife personally knows the mother. The child did nothing more than lean over to look at the dog who in turn had to jump to reach the boys head/face. Nice way to blame the kid/victim. As for not leaving kids alone with dogs, that is pretty standard common sense and I think just about every expert will tell you that (I'm not an expert nor trying to claim to be one). I was simply agreeing with the statement in the article (perhaps you want to read it).

CoffeeCanuck wrote:No, this is not a good poll. Yes it was a pit bull that sadly bit this young boy. The thing is, in the last 8 months, there have been 88 reported dog bites. Only 10 were from pit bulls. The largest group of bites were from 'unknown breeds, and the second largest amount from shepherds or shepherd crosses. A better poll question would have been. Do you fear dogs?

There is a lot missing from this story, in regards to the dog, the dogs training, the dogs temperament, the dogs owner, what the dog was doing when the boy leaned over to pet him, etc.

Bottom line is, it was a nasty wound and the dog was euthanized. I'm glad the mom is working on not allowing this incident to permanently make her son fearful of dogs. I noticed that when they showed the boy on the floor with his Uncle's little white dog, he went over the head to pet it, then facing backwards he hugged (squeezed) the dogs body. This boy needs to be taught not to squeeze and when he goes to pet, he holds his hand out and approaches under the chin, not over the head. This dog may be fine, but many others wont be.

My question is, of this 88 reported bites, how many of them were serious or vicious attacks? There's a big difference between being bit on the hand for reaching out to take a dog's toy or food, and being lunged at and grabbed by the head as was the case here, and too often is the case. Let's compare apples to apples here people.

Yes, there is a big difference between a nip, a bite, a severe bite, and repeated severe bites as in an attack. I'm not excusing the dog, the boy, or the adults involved. Like I said, there was a lot of relevant information missing from this news piece. Well, for me as an experienced dog owner anyhow.

Of those 88 'bites' reported to RDCO, and no matter the breed, I would like to know the type of bite, and if it was on a human or another animal. What exactly were the circumstances surrounding each of these 'bites'. Any unprovoked bite or attack, no matter if it was on a human or animal is a concern to me. The majority of bites and attacks can be prevented.

From the news report, I know only a fraction of the bites from those 88 bite reports. One was the recent pit bull bite on the mailman, then there were those 2 loose pit bulls running around Glenrose (?) a while back, and now this pit bull. That's 3 bites I'm aware of. What about the other 7 pit bulls? The 38 unknown breeds, 20 shepherds and their crosses, 10 border collies and 10 labs?

Assuming all 88 dogs are mentally and genetically sound, one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. These dogs were put into a situation by uneducated and/or irresponsible humans in which they failed miserably. No matter that the human let these dogs down, when there is a bad bite or attack, the dog almost always loses.

I feel very badly for this little boy and I wish him a full and speedy recovery.

ETA ~ Actually I do excuse the boy in this story. Even if he was partly or fully to blame (we don't know) for this bite, he is only 4, therefor his parents and the dogs owner are ultimately responsible.

CoffeeCanuck wrote:........thing is, in the last 8 months, there have been 88 reported dog bites. Only 10 were from pit bulls. The largest group of bites were from 'unknown breeds, and the second largest amount from shepherds or shepherd crosses..........

But as you adequately pointed out, it is a rare occasion with Pitbulls being only 11.36% of the reported bites. However, there are probably more of the other breeds around and consequently, the stats would be skewed.

CoffeeCanuck wrote:There is a lot missing from this story, in regards to the dog, the dogs training, the dogs temperament, the dogs owner, what the dog was doing when the boy leaned over to pet him, etc.

Can't really blame the author of the story because the news medium has taken on the tabloid style of journalism. The authors are raised and bred to present their stories so it sells space, and increases readership - the story doesn't have to be factual, correct, or provide details.

CoffeeCanuck wrote:Bottom line is, it was a nasty wound and the dog was euthanized....

I am sorry for the dog. The dog was just being a dog. An untrained one, but a dog never-the-less.

I would not waste too much effort with the Castanet polls since they are not very scientific, and with a bit of quick taps to the keyboard, one can vote several times.

I enjoyed the way you approached the issue. A poll "do you fear dogs" would be hard to answer Yes or No to. I would want to say, 'depends on the dog and their owner - not the breed.'

My dog (RIP) was labeled a "vicious dog" by the apple cops because he barked at them when they came on the property. He has a record The word "vicious" is only 7 letters, but is a mile long. Once a public servant, now known as "officials" attaches a label to something, there is not much one can do to defend the difference.

Keep up your excellent posts - they are a pleasure to read.

J

Yup i fear pitbulls, not all of them though.....just the ones that lunge, bark, growl, just like any other dog! My son has been bit not by a pitbull, but my a shepherd, and a chiuaua (sorry no idea how to spell that). I am cautious with ANY dog, as my son is now too!

chihuahua (just like they sound when they're yapping lol) they are usually just mean natured.

http://www.change.org/petitions/no-to-a-pitbull-ban-in-british-columbia-canada

As some of you may already know there is talk of a breed specific ban for pit bulls in British Columbia. If you disagree with this you can go to the link above and sign the petition. I feel horrible for the two children and their families having to go through the traumatizing experience of being bitten by a dog. I just don't think that everyone else's pit bulls have to be punished. I know it's a touchy subject and many people are very strongly opinionated on this subject. I own a pit bull terrier mix and she is the most amazing dog I've ever met. She's noting but loyal, playful, obedient, and so so loving. She has done so much for me mentally since I've gotten her, she really has changed my life. She's my family. I won't sit around and let her be punished and muzzled everytime she goes out in public because of something she hasn't done.

Is there a petition supporting the ban?

Nebula wrote:Is there a petition supporting the ban?

Not yet. Cart before the horse?

Nebula wrote:Is there a petition supporting the ban?

I encourage you to get educated about breed bans and the pit bill breed itself before making any decisions. It's more than just the breed that suffers when bans like this are put in place. It's not right to label and condem one specific breed. If you read the article castanet posted recently about dog bites to date this year pit bulls don't have the highest count, and are in the exact same bracket as border collies, and labs. They aren't the vicious animals people label them as, and no I don't know if there is a petition supporting the ban I hvent looked into it.