Absolutely true. If one believes the probably correct statistics, when dogs attack, they cause 5,000,000 bites per year in the US…If dogs had guns, probably a million more deaths per year from guns would be recorded. Thus, if dogs had guns, they would be about 120 times as dangerous as people with guns.
The point is that dogs lack the self control that most people have to understand actual threatening circumstances and to act with some reserve.
Dogs are pretty dumb, actually, but because they have those big brown eyes and eyebrows and eyelashes…people think they are as capable of making good decisions as are humans. 'Tain’t true, folks.
I suppose it should be said…don’t shoot a dog unless it actually tries to bite you, or has bitten you. Maybe they saw you throw a snowball and just want to discipline you not to do that again to their other little girl friend.
I actually trained my dog TO pull on the leash. I’m going to start working on getting him to bark at people that aren’t paying attention to him next. My neighborhood needs some more scary [del]droogs[/del]dogs.
Well, I deny it. I’m not a “pit bull supporter” or a detractor. AFAIK there’s no identifiable behavior defect in the wide range of bully breeds, and neither is there reason for anyone to consider them harmless by nature, or to expect any dog to be risk-free. A pit bull properly cared for and managed is likely no more of a threat than any other dog; one with improper care and management is a greater liability due to certain specific traits described by (among others) the ASPCA.
I think recognizing that improper care and management is sometimes difficult and it should be the subject of debate, moreso than the clashing good breed/evil breed arguments that we usually see.
This is pretty much exactly my analysis of the situation, but I think we can move this to the never-ending pit bull thread, also in the Pit. (ETA: Not specifically directed at you. Just the general discussion.)
More Information
ATTACK STATISTICS
By compiling U.S. and Canadian press accounts between 1982 and 2013, Merritt Clifton, editor of “Animal People,” shows the dog breeds most responsible for serious injuries and deaths.
The combination of molosser breeds — including pit bulls, curs, rottweilers, presa canarios, cane corsos, mastiffs, dogo argentinos, fila brasieros, sharpeis, boxers and their mixes — inflict:
>> 81 percent of attacks that induce bodily harm
>> 76 percent of attacks to children
>> 87 percent of attacks to adults
>> 72 percent of attacks that result in fatalities
>> 81 percent that result in maiming
Those breeds represent 9.2 percent of the total dog population
SOURCE: The Clifton Report
This was actually a really interesting thread until it went off the rails in post 191 when crucible gave up and turned it into a pitbull thread. Ignoring my feelings about pitbulls one way or the other, the whole pitbull conversation (in general) just isn’t something I have much interest in. I asked him to stop then, but the main part of this thread has probably run it’s course anyways. As long as crucible is hijacking the thread there’s not really much else to say, at least not for me.
For the love of absolute fuck, can you keep your bullshit confined to the thread designed for it so the rest of us who are tired of arguing with your idiotic non-statistics can ignore you?
[Moderating]
We already have one thread dedicated to pit bull attacks. Lets keep arguments on that topic in that thread, and out of this one.
[/Moderating]
??? this thread is about dog attacks, isn’t it? If not, what?
“Vicious Dogs Might Escape Leashes”…??? dog attacks? pit bulls do most of the serious attacking, and not too many folks are going to worry or point guns at fuzz ball miniature dogs straining at leash.
What is the source for these statistics – bearing in mind that scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and vets at the American Veterinary Medical Association are on record saying it is not scientifically possible to determine bite statistics by breed?
In other words, the experts insist that there can.not.be. useful statistics.
Care to quote some statistics?
edit: apologies, I didn’t see Marley’s remark above.
FWIW, my worst dog experiences (and I spent years working in vet clinics, boarding kennels, and training facilities) were with a Pekingese, a Chow, a Springer Spaniel, and various small mixed breed dogs that you could tuck under your arm - if they weren’t trying to tear a chunk off you. The other “watch” carded dogs were very poorly bred Labs and Goldens who were fear biters - so sad to see in breeds who were ostensibly bred to be human oriented, trusting, and extremely teachable. The only bully-breed dog I remember as a problem was one who’d basically not seen anyone or anything but his own person and his own house and yard for the first two years of his life. When his circumstances changed he had a VERY hard time adjusting, poor guy
Small dog bites are rarely reported but they can be just as terrorizing and aggressive.
