Another news story today out of Ottawa regarding a dog attack.
It’s never a German Shepherd. It’s never a Boxer. It’s never a Shih Tzu. It’s never a Poodle, or a Bichon Frise. or a Chihuahua.
It’s always a fucking Pit Bull!
Why the fuck do people buy these dogs?
It’s always a fucking Pit Bull!
Classic confirmation bias. You think it’s always a Pit Bull because you expect it always to be a Pit Bull. And people identify the dogs as Pit Bulls because they expect the dogs to be Pit Bulls. And the media reports them as Pit Bulls because they cover “Pit Bull” attacks more than attacks by other dogs, because they expect Pit Bulls to be dangerous and gravitate toward stories that confirm their suspicions. For example:
Actually, it’s not. A complaint from people who own actual Pit Bulls is that any time a short-haired dog bites someone, it’s reported as a Pit Bull. In other areas, they get called a Bulldog unless they happen to be black, in which case they’re called a Doberman (never mind the actual breed).
And in any case, you know why it’s those dogs? Because it’s the ones with lousy owners.
It’s the news media definition of a Pit Bull. If a dog attacks a person it’s a Pit Bull.
It’s always a “Pit Bull” just like it’s always an “AR-15” … until the facts come out, that is.
Before any “eyewitnesses” give reports to the media, they should be required to take this test.
It very often is a German shepherd, or a boxer, and standard poodles can be pretty vicious. Shih tzu’s, mini/toy poodles, Bichons, and Chihuahuas may do less damage, but they are much more likely to bite. Dacshunds and Jack Russles are probably the most dangerous dogs from a biting perspective out there.
Pit bulls are about the least threatening dogs of their size. Confirmation bias and poor eyewitness testimony give them an unfair reputation. They do have a bit of a tendency to get up in your face, which I can see those who are terrified of dogs may find threatening, but that is simply incorrect perception of the dog’s intentions.
Yeah. From the OP’s own link:
Emphasis added.
I’m reluctant to blame the dog. It’s the owners who usually are to blame. And while “pit bull type dogs” make up the majority of god attacks, it’s unclear if that’s because of the dog or the owners training the dog.
I agree with the OP … come on, you can’t deny that there’s a contingent of owners who are not necessarily violent people but are drawn to pit bulls out of a cheap thrill/admiration for dangerous creatures. Kind of like middle class types who get into romantic correspondence with jailed felons - “oh, he’s just misunderstood!”
I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with LC Strawhouse.
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Sure, except many of those owners have no idea whether or not they have a Pit Bull. And then by Pits and faux-Pits being very popular breeds the percentage of attacks attributed to them will be higher than for other breeds. When I was a child German Shepherds were a popular breed and considered the most dangerous dog. Some years went by and Dobermans became popular and they became the most dangerous dog. Not that long after Rottweilers became popular, and guess which dog was then the most dangerous? Then Pits became the popular breed, especially popular among people who wanted vicious dogs too, so the Pits and their imitations have taken a strong lead in the vicious dog category.
We’ve done plenty of threads on this. There are no useful records, dog attacks aren’t recorded consistently, breed identification is rarely confirmed. Pit Bull has become a synonym for scary dog.
*anecdote about Shepherds in the 60s as vicious dogs: My friend had a German Shepherd when he was a kid. The dog got overly aggressive playing with him and bit at his face leaving a few marks. He said when his dad got home he was so mad he took out his hunting rifle and shot the dog on the spot. That made his mom really mad because the dog was in the living room.
Very true.
But there’s also many pit bull owners like me that are just looking for a smart, loyal, loving, fun companion.
I rescued my best friend from a shitty household when she was 6 months old. Luckily i got her out of there before any major damage was done to her.
She is just over 3 years old now, and although she’s still a bit skittish, the only thing she attacks is her bowl of dog chow 
Understood, but I don’t recall fans of Dobermans, German Shepherds etc. ever denying that the dogs were at all dangerous, claiming that they were being confused with other breeds, etc etc. In contrast there is so much PR spin around pit bulls that it really seems like they are protesting too much.
Haha! I’m really not that bad. In fact we should hang out in Bright’s Grove one day, maybe we’ll even run into Dino Ciccarelli! 
I have seen owners of Dobies and Bulldogs say that, like any other dog, they are dangerous if they are mistreated, or if they feel that they or their owners are being attacked. But these were people who lived in places where the default breed reported is Bulldog if light-colored, Doberman if black.
My first news that German Sheperds have ever been seen as “a dangerous breed” has been these boards, I’ve always heard them as well as any of the shepherd breeds recommended for homes with children. I consider this another data point indicating that the dangerous or not is more a matter of human culture than dog breed.
It’s about people who want vicious dogs, and breeders who provide vicious dogs. “Pit Bulls” are the breed of choice.
That breed is in quotes, the American Kennel Club doesn’t recognize this as a separate breed. Typically we’re talking about the American Staffordshire Terrier, although my understanding is there are a couple other official breeds lumped together in this “pit bull” designation.
My insurance company was clear, no pit bulls. Any claim to them that involves a pit bull will not be honored, I’d be completely on my own to pay any liability. Perhaps this is based on media hype or conformation bias … but it could be because the actuaries say pit bulls cause more financial loses over the long term.
Just about any dog can be trained to be vicious, and a Lhasa Apso might send you to the hospital, but a pit bull could send you to the morgue.
All dogs are dangerous if treated badly. There is nothing special about any breed, other than sheer size, that makes one more dangerous than another.
Yeah, my money’s on a Bichon Frise.
I miss that long running “stupid Pit Bull news of the day” thread.
Too bad the poster “running” that got banned.
OP might wanna be careful.
I am expecting Rachel Ray to get taken down any day now. At least her hubby can claim “they never did anything aggressive before this!”
She sounds like they tore out her throat at least once already.
Which is to kiss you. I love pits, but Wife hates them.
That study posted above has one seriously stupid assed point. They point out that fatal dog attacks have at least 4 out of X number of mitigating factors. Fair enough.
But when it comes to fatal dog attacks, the fact the victim doesn’t have some OTHER able bodied person there to save their ass is one fucking dumb assed point.
So, if you are a dog owner, and you are stupid enough to actually be ALONE with it and it kills you, that’s just bad dog ownership?
Christ on a cracker.