Pit Bull Haters In Full Force
UPDATE: There’s a whole conversation going on, with LOADS of Anti-Pit Bull people chiming in, in the Youtube comment thread of the above video. Click here to see it.
AND there is also a great conversation thread over on our founder’s Facebook page. Click here to see it.
Yes, despite ALL the progress we’ve made in recent years to educate the public and change the stigma of pit bulls, these people are still out there. Watch my video above for full insight. Then check out the email a well known Anti Pit Bull group sent me.
See all three parts of the referenced interview with Dr. Katy, Steffan Baldwin, Luke Westerman and Gordon Shell in the links at the very bottom of this post.
But first, checkout the full email below I’ve copied and pasted here from Julie Wall of DogsBite.org and the National Pit Bull Victim Awareness group. I received this email from Julie after our appearance on Dr. Katy’s show.
My first reaction is, clearly this is a form letter she sends to all pit bull advocates she meets. How I haven’t received this letter yet, I have no idea. But she clearly saw us as advocates who are a threat to the population at large.
And she’s quite accusatory, making claims about us right out of the gate without knowing or meeting us. Literally, to my knowledge, none of us have ever had a single conversation with this woman.
So…
I’m curious, as a pit bull parent or advocate, what do you make of everything Julie shared?
What should our Lovabull community of advocates and pit bull parents take away from her information?
Can we learn anything constructive or make any progress from anything in her email?
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Here is her email:
“
Dear Aaron Blevins
I can tell that you have spent zero time learning about all the people, beloved pets, and livestock that have been severely mauled or killed mostly by pit bulls. Your pit bull activism is misleading and is getting innocent people and pets severely mauled or killed.
Do you really think you would keep pushing powerful pit bulls onto the naïve public if this happen to your child or niece? Several weeks ago in my city a toddler was almost killed by an 8-year-old trusted family pit bull.
The pit bull latched onto the FACE for 5 minutes. It took three grown men to pull the pit bull off this child. . http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/04/18/boy-pit-bull-attack/
Pit bulls do not lock their jaws but with their ‘gameness‘ trait they do not let go. Most dog breeds do not have the capabilities to hold a bite for 5 minutes while three men were trying to pull this pit bull off this child. Pit-bulls are dangerous because they have the capability of inflicting life threatening injuries in a split second.
Many people lack the basic understanding of dog breeding 101. If this family would have had the correct information about the dangers of pit bulls this would have never happened.
All dog breeds are human-made creations, the result of unnatural selection to achieve desired traits/ characteristics for certain tasks. They’re individuals, yes, but you should always expect for them to display those characteristics. Pit bulls have been bred for violent blood sports and to execute the killing bite.
States, cities and towns need to stop catering to the 1% who own pit bull type dogs in the U.S. These pit bull owners are endangering the rest of us.
The vast majority of the pit type dogs that severely maul or kill are family pets, and are not trained fighters. Pit type dogs are hardwired to maul and kill without warning, it is a part of the genetic code like border collies herd, labs swim, goldens retrieve, pointers point, and bloodhounds track.
Pit bulls have been selectively bred for extreme aggression for hundreds of years for violent blood sports with a deadly bite. They are not safe or appropriate pets and should never be considered as such. Not all pit bulls will maim or kill but predicting which ones will is impossible.
Pit bull-type dogs make up 6% of the U.S. dog population but are responsible for 95% of the severe attacks on people, pets and livestock every year in the U.S. By taking time to read these tragedies, you’ll discover most of the killing pit bulls came from loving homes. No other dog breeds even come close to the carnage pit bulls cause.
From 2005-2016, 245 people killed by pit bull type dogs. http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities.php
50,000 + animals killed by pit bulls every year: http://www.animals24-7.org/2015/01/27/how-many-other-animals-did-pit-bulls-kill-in-
and http://www.animals24-7.org/2016/01/31/pit-bulls-killed-24000-other-dogs-13000-cats-in-2015/
459 disfigurements in 2015 by pit bulls.
http://www.animals24-7.org/2016/01/04/record-33-fatal-pit-bull-attacks-459-disfigurements-in-2015/
This site tracks daily severe pit bull attacks on people: http://www.nationalpitbullvictimawareness.org/
Very Telling: All 290 U.S. military ban pit bulls. There are 937 U.S. cities and 41 countries which enact breed specific ordinances because they present an unreasonable risk to health and public safety http://www.banpitbulls.org/where/where-pit-bulls-banned/
It’s amazing to see how fast several Quebec cities are not going to tolerate pit bulls in their cities after only a couple of severe attacks. But here in the U.S. our humane orgs such as, the Humane Society United States, ASPCA and Best Friend Animal Society and legislators are turning our neighborhoods into killing fields for pit bulls. http://blog.dogsbite.org/2016/06/cities-in-province-of-quebec-move-to-ban-pit-bulls.html
I attached Medical/Academic Research Links Regarding Dog Attacks: http://www.nationalpitbullvictimawareness.org/npbva-campaign/pdfs/
Please note the conclusions of the University of Texas, San Antonio study conclusions: “The unacceptable actuarial risk associated with certain breeds of dogs (specifically, pit bulls) must be addressed. These breeds should be regulated in the same way in which other dangerous species, such as leopards, are regulated. Individual municipalities need the power to enact ordinances that can protect their citizens from this risk. If they are to obtain such power, the issue must be addressed at the local, county, and state legislative levels.” http://blog.dogsbite.org/2011/05/texas-doctors-produce-study-mortality.html
I hope you will read the entire breed bio for the American Pit Bull Terrier on our website to have a better understanding of why pit bulls disproportionately kill more humans and animals than all breeds combined.: http://www.daxtonsfriends.com/american-pit-bull-terrier/
There are irresponsible owners of poodles, beagles, greyhounds and I could name 300 dog breeds that will not lead to severely maimed or dead neighbors, pets and children. It shouldn’t be a death sentence for any of us to depend on all pit owners to raise their pit right. That’s impossible. If you think it’s how they are raised, then they should be banned.
Dogs can be great escape artist. When pit bulls get loose it can be dangerous and deadly for everyone in the neighborhood. I attached a picture of a mother kissing her son goodbye after the child is fatally mauled by two pit bulls. Just before the pit bull attack, Tyler was riding his bike after returning from school. With so many irresponsible or naïve pit bull owners, all of you are not immune to someone in your own community harboring a pit bull that could kill one of your family members. If these pit bulls were a beagle or I could name almost 300 dog breeds this child would be alive to today.http://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/04/2013-dog-bite-fatality-callaway-boy-savagely-mauled-by-dogs-dies.html
Pit bulls do not lock their jaw but with their ‘GAMENESS’ trait they do not let go until their victims are dead.
Two words to prove pit bull type dogs are inherently dangerous, “BREAK STICK’.
Does this sound like a normal and safe dog breed to have live in our neighborhoods? Pit Bull Rescue Central recommends ALL pit bull owners to have a “break stick”, a wedge-shaped piece of wood used to pry open a pit bull’s jaw during an attack. “Since pit bulls have a strong fighting background, we recommend that pet owners also have a breaking stick as a precaution, even if they don’t plan to use it in an illegal context. However, please be discreet. Breaking sticks are not something to brag about and the general public might have the wrong impression if you walk around with a stick in your hand. Breaking sticks are not illegal, but they are considered dog fighting paraphernalia in certain states and/or with certain law enforcement agents.” http://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html
This person demonstrates how to use a break stick on a pit-bull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfMVH4wY5Pg
Pit-bull Rescue Central, the leading authority of pit bull types, admits MOST pit-bull types are not safe around other dogs because of their genetics. For that reason alone is why I do not consider them safe family pets for our neighborhoods. These are powerful animals that break away from their guardians all the time and maul & kill another beloved pet or person in front of a child or person. This is a typical pit attack on another beloved pet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZTiGWgQubA Too many children & adults have watched their beloved pets be mauled to death by pit bulls. Many develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after watching a horrific pit attack: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=684_1405912995
According to Pit Bull Rescue Central, “It is a FACT that our pit bulls, AmStaffs and pit mixes come with a built-in fighting heritage.It doesn’t matter where we get them from, whether it be the pound, a stray we pick up, or a puppy we buy from a breeder. The majority of pit bulls will, at some point in their lives, exhibit some degree of dog-on-dog aggression. Yet, chances are that a “normal” pit bull will not share his affection with other animals.We cannot predict when or where it will happen and we can’t love, train or socialize it out of the dog. Pit bulls may not start fights, but they will finish them.” http://www.pbrc.net/misc/PBRC_dogpark.pdf“
Red Flag: MOST insurance companies have come to the same conclusion and do no cover pit-bulls because they can’t afford the risk. Insurance companies have a calculated actuarial risk of pit bulls of 3,000% compared with other dogs. Pit bulls are seven times more likely to attack their owners. Dog attacks are the third most common claim on homeowner’s insurance. More evidence that people who have pit-bulls and certain other types of breeds are endangering people and other people’s beloved pets in our communities. https://www.esurance.com/info/homeowners/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-pit-bulls
It all starts with the ethical breeder willing to produce a dog with a stable inherited temperament. Domestic animals are selectively bred for certain traits, people are not. It is not possible to discriminate against dog breeds that are purposely bred for certain traits and characteristics. Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intent to maintain or produce specific qualities and characteristics. There are 300+ dog breeds. Pit bull breeders are the only ones who are breeding for aggression, tenacity and power to create the ultimate canine gladiator. The reality is that it is not how you raise them, it is how they are bred. “Love” will not take away a pit bulls inherent drive to kill. They are supplying to dog fighters, drug dealers, gang members, people who want a guard dog or a dog that looks like a protection dog. Aggression is a dominant trait resulting in a 75% chance of inheritance. One needs to actively breed to eliminate it through selective breeding and deliberate attrition, things that back yard breeders never do. Another problem is the rampant inbreeding with pit bull that produces unsafe dog. Pit-bull type dogs are the number one dog surrendered to shelters, a million every year, mostly because of aggression issues. Then many are rehomed by irresponsible pit bull advocates back into our communities. Watch this clip of unethical backyard breeders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiZOj9o6jpE So basically people who have pits are playing Russian Roulette against our communities.
Most dogs warn you before they attack, growling or barking to tell you how angry they are—”so they don’t have to fight,” ASPCA adviser and animal geneticist Stephen Zawistowski stresses. Not the pit bull, which attacks without warning. Most dogs, too, will bow to signal that they want to frolic. Again, not the pit bull, which may follow an apparently playful bow with a lethal assault. More information from experts about pit bull traits: http://www.city-journal.org/html/9_2_scared_of_pit.html
BENJAMIN HART, professor emeritus at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and animal behaviorist, “It’s quite common for a pit bull to show no signs of aggression. People will call it a nice dog, a sweet dog, even the neighbors – and then all of a sudden something triggers the dog, and it attacks a human in a characteristic way of biting and hanging on until a lot of damage is done. Hart said pit bulls are responsible for about 60 percent of dog attack fatalities each year, which is “way out of proportion” compared with other breeds. Pit bulls make up less than 5 percent of the American dog population. “It’s very poor policy to allow any child around a pit bull, in my mind, let alone climb on a dog.” More info from pit bull experts: http://thetruthaboutpitbulls.blogspot.com/2012/10/no-one-can-be-great-thinker-who-does.html?m=
Tia Torres who has a T.V. show on Animal Planet called, “Pit Bulls & Parolees ” wrote this for Rescue Train. “It’s a mistake to think the fighting gene can be easily trained or loved out of a pit-bull.”
Why she think it’s appropriate to rehome pit bulls after saying that is beyond me. Adopting out predators of other people’s beloved pets compromises public safety. In my opinion is immoral. Pit bulls are zero mistake dogs and people make too many mistakes. http://www.therescuetrain.org/pit_bull_education.php
This issue has never been about which breeds bite the most.The issue with pit bulls is the degree of damage they inflict, and their attacks being more likely to result in fatality. Appellate courts across the United States have recognized the dangers of the pit bull breed for over 25-years. We’ve listed excerpts from court decisions that demonstrate this. http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-appellate-court-decisions.php
I’m a volunteer for Dogsbite.org. DBO: national dog bite victims’ group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. Our website contains a wide collection of data to help policymakers and citizens learn about dangerous dogs. Our research focuses on pit bull type dogs. Due to selective breeding practices that emphasize aggression and tenacity, this class of dogs negatively impacts communities the most.
Thanks for listening to my concerns,
Julie Wall
Supporter of National Pit Bull Victim Awareness
”
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Here is the link to the Facebook thread from Dr. Katy I showed in the video above. Go here to give the pit bull haters your thoughts if you dare.
The Pet Show Interview: Breed Specific Legislation (Part 1):
The Pet Show Interview: Supporting Animal Welfare Causes (Part 2):
The Pet Show Interview: One-on-One with Gordon Shell (Part 3):