Myth: The U.S. Center for Disease Control (the CDC) has determined that the Pit Bull is the most dangerous dog in the U.S.

Some myths about Pit Bulls:

Myth: The U.S. Center for Disease Control (the CDC) has determined that the Pit Bull is the most dangerous dog in the U.S.

Fact: In 1999, the CDC formally quit compiling dog fatalities by breed, because they conceded they had been compiling all their statistics from newspaper reports, which were written by newspaper reporters. If a Yellow Lab bites a mailman, it is not very likely the incident will be in the newspaper. But if a Pit Bull even chases a mailman, the police will likely be called, and the incident will very likely to be in the newspaper.

F

urthermore, most newspaper reporters, and even policemen, are not experts in dog identification. Example: Just last year in my hometown, there was a front-page headline: "Officer Shoots Pit Bull." Two days later, in the back of the newspaper, was the small headline "Dog Shot Is Misidentified." In the clarifying article, the dog was identified as being a Blue Heeler/Boxer mix. But the damage was done, and such shoddy reporting and consequent damage goes on daily across the U.S.

Finally, the CDC has stated that any of its previous statistics on breed identification and dog related fatalities are so flawed that they should not be used at all.

Myth: When Pit Bulls bite, their jaws lock.
Fact: Their jaws lock no more than any other dog, which is not at all.


Myth: They have the most powerful jaws.
Fact: German Shepherds and Dobermans have stronger bite pressure according to testing done by National Geographic. And based on size alone several dogs the same size or bigger than German Shepherds probably do too. Pit Bulls just have the wider jaw/narrower nose appearance, which makes their jaws just look more formidable, and cutting their ears off just emphasizes that look.


Myth: Pits are very human aggressive.
Fact: In breeding them for dog fighting, they have been bred to be very people friendly. A Pit Bull that bit a handler was a goner. Consequently the dogs left for breeding are the least likely to bite a human. Why don't dog-fighters use other dogs, especially bigger dogs? Because they would be much more difficult to control in a dogfight.

Furthermore, according to the American Temperament Test Society, Inc., the leading institution on evaluating canine temperament, the following dogs all have worse temperament failure rates than American Pit Bull Terriers: Akita, American Eskimo, Australian Shepherd, Australian Cattle dog, Boxer, Dalmatian, Doberman, German Shepherd, Great Dane, Golden Retriever, Greyhound, Mastiff, Rottweiler, Shar-Pei. And yes, you read that right--Golden Retriever.

Fact: A big problem dog fighters have is that they sometimes have a hard time getting their “Pit Bull” to fight.

Fact: There has NEVER been a documented case of a sexually altered, single household family pet Pit Bull killing a human. By household pet, I mean not kept chained up out-side the house or kept just in a kennel or used as a guard dog. And you can bet that if this had ever happened, it would be well publicized.

Fact: The woman who received the world's first partial face transplant in November 2005, was attacked by a--Labrador.

Fact: Pit Bulls often have a prey drive that can be easily activated. So do most dogs, including the bigger ones such as German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers, Boxers, Akitas, and Labradors, as well as smaller dogs that have also been involved in human and dog fatalities.

Opinion: Anyone who leaves a child alone with more than one sexually intact dog of any comparable size or larger is committing negligence.

One book you need to read if you want to be up-to-date and well informed about the issue of aggressive dogs is:
"The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression," by Karen Delise.
Well researched with extensive footnotes and well written, it's a masterpiece about canine behavior in connection with politics and journalism. The book can also be downloaded for free athttp://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/resources/breed-and-behavior/

Another excellent book is “Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous” by Janis Bradley. This book really puts the issue of dangerous dogs in perspective. Both books can be found at Amazon.com
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