"PITBULL" ATTACK IN ATLANTA..What will it take for "PITBULLS" to lose the bad rep? (school, to live in)

[MiamiRob]

Here is what you "pitbull" defenders don't realize! They are violent animals who do kill! Pitbulls have been "banned" from Miami Dade county here in Florida after one jumped a neighbor's fence in 1989 and nearly mauled the scalp of a 3 year old just sitting in his front yard!
The police had to shoot it to let his grip on the child's skull and luckily he survived.
Somehow I don't fear the same behavior from poodles!

PS: If you are caught with a "pitbull" in Miami-Dade county you face a $500 fine and/or 6 months in Jail.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by MiamiRob

Somehow I don't fear the same behavior from poodles!

If you think a poodle is some little frou-frou creature you are in for a surprise. Poodles of all sizes can be bitey and a full grown standard poodle is a powerful dog.

[shivtim]

Originally Posted by arjay57

If you think a poodle is some little frou-frou creature you are in for a surprise. Poodles of all sizes can be bitey and a full grown standard poodle is a powerful dog.

Poodles are surprisingly bad tempered, and any dog can bite, but can you find a single case of a poodle killing someone? They just don't have the jaw size and strength. Pit bulls are by far the most common dog involved in fatal attacks. But it's still incredibly rare. There are around 25 fatal dog bites each year - that means less than 1 in 2,000,000 dogs will kill someone this year. The people who are calling for a pit bull ban probably have no problem driving their car everywhere, even though more than 30,000 people die each year in the US in car crashes.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Poodles are surprisingly bad tempered, and any dog can bite, but can you find a single case of a poodle killing someone? They just don't have the jaw size and strength.

I agree. I just hate to see poodles getting treated as lightweights. We've never had one but they can sure be bitey.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by shivtim

Poodles are surprisingly bad tempered, and any dog can bite, but can you find a single case of a poodle killing someone? They just don't have the jaw size and strength. Pit bulls are by far the most common dog involved in fatal attacks. But it's still incredibly rare. There are around 25 fatal dog bites each year - that means less than 1 in 2,000,000 dogs will kill someone this year. The people who are calling for a pit bull ban probably have no problem driving their car everywhere, even though more than 30,000 people die each year in the US in car crashes.

Cars are a necessity, pit bulls are not.

[shivtim]

^Well cars aren't a necessity (plenty of people, even in Atlanta, don't own one), but I see your point. A better example might be something like vending machines. They're not a necessity, and they kill 13 people per year. There are plenty of examples of things that kill people that aren't banned. I'm not necessarily against a pit bull ban, but just want to point out there are a huge number of things we know are dangerous, and aren't necessary, that aren't banned. Nothing is a black and white issue. I personally would never own a pit bull or allow one in my house, but that doesn't mean I automatically want to ban responsible dog owners from having one.

[mattee01]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Cars are a necessity, pit bulls are not.

If there a necessity, why isn't one being dished out to every 16+ year old with free maintenance and insurance?

[Southern man]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

I mostly agree with what you're saying, but @ the bold, that's not going to happen.

It's not that I don't understand that a pit bull can be cuddly; all dogs can be for that matter. It's just that they seem least likely to be so. I did a quick google and although this was not the article I was looking for, it'll do: 2012 U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities - Dog Bite Statistics - DogsBite.org. Although pit bulls only make up less than 5% of the US dog populations, they were responsible for 61% of fatal attacks in 2012. When stats like that are constantly reported, it's going to be impossible to change the perception.

The General Motors CEO is currently being grilled by congress over 13 deaths in 13 years by a faulty ignition switch and your link reports 38 deaths due to dogs in 2012. What am I missing?

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Southern man

The General Motors CEO is currently being grilled by congress over 13 deaths in 13 years by a faulty ignition switch and your link reports 38 deaths due to dogs in 2012. What am I missing?

Let's try to sort through what you posted. We're comparing an average of one death per year by faulty ignition switch to 38 per year by a dog (only for the specified year and hell would freeze over before I looked up stats for 12 other years)? Hmm... so death by pit bull is roughly 38 times higher than death by faulty ignition switch at least for the year I mentioned? I can't even tell what side you're on.

[ATLTJL]

Pitbulls have been "banned" from Miami Dade county here in Florida

Good point, and that's why Miami is the sanctuary of safety that it is today.

And your ban....I don't know how it's enforced, but I have an old friend who lives in Miami Beach and he has a pitbull. He posts pictures of himself walking it all over town. Doesn't seem to have had a problem yet, so so much for your ban.