Recommended Reading For Dealing With Aggressive Dogs

Pack Leader | January 18th, 2010

GRRR! The Complete Guide To
Understanding And Preventing Aggressive Behavior In Dogs
ISBN: 0-316-79022-2
The Dog’s Mind - Understanding Your Dog’s Behavior
ISBN: 0-87605-513-7
The Other End of the Leash - Why We Do What We Do
Around Dogs
ISBN: 0345446798
Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar’s Way to Transform Your
Dog . . . and Your Life
ISBN: 0307381676
Click to Calm: Healing the
Aggressive Dog (Karen Pryor Clicker Book)
ISBN-10: 1890948209

The Facts

Pack Leader | November 12th, 2009

The original thread for which this post is a reply can be found here.

Replying to moderntemplar:<blockquote> and they are the sweetest big puppies in the world. Are they killers? No more than any other dog of any other breed  My point? Don’t blame the dog for acting like a dog. Blame the owner for not caring for her animals properly. Proper care includes making sure they don’t run free.</blockquote>You should reread Ormusdudes post made at 1:04pm. I implore you to refute these statistics. The Pit Bull Terrier is a bred specific breed. I do spout off a lot of opinions on here that are not popular or well thought through, but this breed has a history that cannot be changed. My opinions may be changed with facts and historical evidence. “I know a pit bull that is SOOO sweet” does not fit either one of these.

Ok, I will be happy to refute his post.  What he has done is called “fact stacking”.  This is when you take legitimate data and parse it with unverifiable data (or outright lies) in the hopes that the reader will accept both sets as truth.

ormusdude wrote::

“Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 67% of fatalities, the next closest breed was the rottweiler at 12%.”

FALSE:  This information was contrived form a report released by the Centers for Disease Control.  It has been highly publicized, to the point many people believ it as fact.  It is not fact.  The CDC retracted their statements about breed specific bite statistics by saying, “Finally, it is imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in owner related issues. For example, less responsible owners or owners who want to foster aggression in their dogs may be drawn differentially to certain breeds.”

After 1998, the CDC stopped tracking which breeds of dogs are involved in fatal attacks; according to a CDC spokesperson, that information is no longer considered to be of discernable value.

Even though the CDC and all major animal organizations agreed that breed-specific bite data is inaccurate, many websites that profit directly from dog bites and the hysteria that surround them continue to present the flawed data as fact.

ormusdude wrote:

“Pit bull is one of the most brave and dauntless dogs that usually takes on any opponent.”

TRUE:  I love that about my dogs.  I can leave my 14 year old daughter at home while I work without having to worry about her being victimized by child molesters or other sexual predators (they are in every community).

ormusdude wrote:

“Therefore they take part in dog fighting.”

FALSE:  Pit bulls do not “take part” in dog fighting.  They are forced into it.

If you don’t believe it, take a look at the transformation that has occured with the Michael Vick dogs.  http://www.badrap.org/rescue/vick/now.html

ormusdude wrote:

“It is common knowledge that this dog breed can even mangle the human to death as pit bull locks its jaws onto the booty until it is dead.”

FALSE:  It is common knowledge that each day there are millions of pit bulls that don;t bite anyone.

All dogs over a certain size are capable of doing serious damage to the human body.  The idea that pit bulls somehow lock their jaws differently than other dogs is not only inaccurate but laughable.  Tray a quick google search:  http://tinyurl.com/y8tpuf8

ormusdude wrote:

“For each US dog bite fatality there are about 670 hospitalizations and 16,000 emergency room visits, 21,000 other medical visits (office and clinic), and 187,000 non-medically treated bites- 46.1% (nearly half) of dog bite injuries were triaged in emergency rooms as “urgent-emergent”- Dog bites are the second highest reason why children seek emergency treatmentThat’s about 60,000 bites per fatality and that information is dated. It is reported today that a US citizen is bitten by a dog every 75 seconds.”

TRUE:  this data can be easily verified.  It has nothing to do with pit bulls and everything to do with dog bites in general, which should be the focus of concern.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9424044

The part that he left out is this:  “Dog bite injuries are an important source of injury in the US population, especially among children. Improved surveillance and prevention of dog bite-related injuries, particularly among children, are needed.”

Improved surveillance and prevention, not breed-specific restrictions.  Interesting.

This is the part that I find relevant:  “… For each US dog bite fatality there are about 670 hospitalizations and 16,000 emergency room visits, …”

There are, on average 25 dog bite related deaths in the US each year.  If we believe ormusdude, (even though I don’t) that means that pit bulls are responsible for 16.75 deaths a year.  There are 307,914,462 people living in the US.

here are some adds for you:

Getting canonized:         20,000,000 to 1
Killed by a pit bull:      18,661,482 to 1
Being an astronaut:        13,200,000 to 1
Becoming president:        10,000,000 to 1
Being killed by lightning:  2,320,000 to 1
Winning Olympic medal:        662,000 to 1

So your chances of being killed by a pit bull are somewhere between becoming president and sainthood.

One more fact worth mentioning…

Odds of being killed sometime in the next year in any sort of transportation accident: 77 to 1

Police are Afraid of Pit Bulls - Dog killed in Laramie, WY

Pack Leader | October 6th, 2009

pit-stats Police are Afraid of Pit Bulls - Dog killed in Laramie, WY photoBelow is a report follow-up report about an officer-involved shooting in Laramie, Wyoming where a pit bull was killed.  Please read the story and then I will give you my thoughts.

Police Issue Reports In Pit Bull Shooting Case

CHEYENNE, Wyo., (AP) ? The Laramie County Sheriff Department has released investigation reports into an officer shooting of a pit bull that indicates the deputy feared he would be hurt by the dog.

The department last week released reports on the Aug. 11 incident, but has declined making any additional public comment.

Spokesman Gerry Luce says the agency is keeping quiet due to potential legal fallout from the shooting.

Investigators say deputy Kenny Thomas pulled out his gun and shot the dog, named Buddy, because it was barking violently and charged within a foot of him. Thomas went to the home to serve an eviction notice.

Owner Mary Bolin, says Buddy was just barking and bouncing and didn’t deserve to die. She says her 17-year-old son was reaching for the 40-pound dog and was inches away when Thomas shot the dog.

http://cbs4denver.com/wireapnewswy/Laramie.County.Sheriff.2.1228062.html

Ok, let’s understand what has happened here.  Cop goes to house to serve an eviction notice (a civil matter).  Boy opens door.  Dog runs out.  Cop gets scared.  Cop discharges firearm in neighborhood.  Cop kills pit bull.  That all sounds pretty simple, right?  Wrong.

The underlying issue here is not whether the dog was aggressive the question is what motivated the officer to draw his sidearm and fire it in a neighborhood where innocent and otherwise uninvolved people live.  The use of deadly force,  i.e.,  firing live rounds, is serious business and should be restricted to times when the lives of people are in clear and present danger.  A dog barking and moving toward an officer is not grounds to discharge a weapon.  The Sheriff’s office is keeping quiet about the officer’s motivation which opens the matter to speculation.  Did Deputy Kenny Thomas act according to policy?  Does he have the adequate training and experience to determine if a dog is acting aggressively or just acting like a dog.  Was he justified in killing Buddy, owned by Mary Bolin.  Did his gunfire endanger Bolin’s son or other residents?  These are all questions that must be answered.

According to a report on the incident published on Policeone.com, the department is being closed-lipped in preparation for litigation.  In short, the Sheriff’s department is afraid that Bolin is going to sue them for killing her dog, and they should be afraid.  In 2005, a resident in Richmond, CA was awarded $210,000 when police shot and killed a pit bull.  In 1991 the same department was forced to shell out $500,000 for killing a pit bull.  I wonder how much this will cost Laramie, WY.

How Dogs Learn

Pack Leader | September 27th, 2009

Before you begin any type of dog training it is important to understand how dogs learn.  This understanding will speed your training and make the entire process more enjoyable for both you and your dog.

1. Learning by observation

This might seem obvious but is still one of the earliest and most common ways that dogs acquire knowledge. One of my dogs will go over to the Toy box, pick out a toy, bring it back and chew on it. The other, observing what the first dog has done, makes a decision in her mind and does the same thing. This type of learning by observation has been demonstrated in laboratory conditions too.  Puppies in the juvenile period of development were taught to pull a food cart on a runner by means of a ribbon. Other puppies in an adjacent compartment were allowed to watch and learn to do the same thing.

2. Classical conditioning

Classical conditioning (also Pavlovian or respondent conditioning) is a form of associative learning that was first demonstrated by Ivan Pavlov. The typical procedure for inducing classical conditioning involves presentations of a neutral stimulus along with a stimulus of some significance. The neutral stimulus could be any  event that does not result in an overt behavior response from the organism under investigation. Pavlov referred to this as a conditioned stimulus. Conversely, presentation of the significant stimulus necessarily evokes an innate, often reflexive, response.

The original and most famous example of classical conditioning involved the salivary conditioning of Pavlov’s dogs. During this research on the physiology of digestion in dogs, Pavlov noticed that, rather than simply salivating in the presence of meat powder (an innate response to food that he called the unconditioned response), the dogs began to salivate in the presence of the lab technician who normally fed them. Pavlov called these psychic secretions. From this observation he predicted that, if a particular stimulus in the dogs surroundings were present when the dog was presented with meat powder, then this stimulus would become associated with food and cause salivation on its own. In his initial experiment, Pavlov used a metronome to call the dogs to their food and, after a few repetitions, the dog started to salivate in response to the metronome. Thus, a neutral response (metronome) became a conditioned stimulus as a result of consistent pairing with the unconditioned stimulus (meat powder in this example). Pavlov referred to this learned relationship as a conditioned reflex (now called conditioned response).

3. Operant conditioning (otherwise known as dog training)

Operant conditioning is the behaviorists’ term for standard dog training. Other terms are used also, instrumental conditioning, instrumental learning or operant learning. The words ‘learning’ and ‘conditioning’ are interchangeable. The most important fact to remember is that dog training is constantly going on whether or not people are actually involved in it. The principle of this type of conditioning of the dog’s mind is that a certain action carried out under certain circumstances is followed by a reward. They dog chases a car driving by and the car “runs away”. Action — reaction — reward. This simple approach to learning is based on work that was originally carried out by B.F.  Skinner in the late 1930s in which rats in boxes were “trained” to do things for food rewards.

Reinforcement

Dogs are constantly learning in the operant conditioning since of the word. They learn fastest when their behavior is consistently rewarded. The rewards themselves will vary. The dog addicts under a garden fence and escaped out onto the street is rewarded by the mental stimulation that comes with exploration. It was fun. He’ll do it again.  The behavior is reinforced.  Food rewards, praise and padding are simple methods of reinforcing behavior that we want our dogs to have. Dogs have been trained in the laboratory to bark exactly 33 times for a food reward. Dogs differ in their enjoyments. To some, exercise is the greatest pleasure. To the more gluttonous, food is the supreme reinforcer. With this in mind, any dog training that we participate in, that we want to control, should be reinforced with a variety of rewards — food, praise, touch or activity.

Food and physical contact can be called primary reinforcers. Both are potent rewards to the dog. Purple praise is a less potent reward and can be called a secondary reinforcer. And operant learning, it is always best to use a primary reinforcer first to reward a dog and then to couple that with the secondary reinforcer. An example can be teaching a puppy to sit. His meals are potent rewards, primary reinforcers of behavior. Bolding his food bowl directly above his head can naturally bring the pop into the “it” position and once he is in that position, we can be given his food. We will so learn to sit when he seized his food bowl. And if you command “set” each time you feed him, this acts as a secondary reinforcer. Soon, simply say the word “sit” will have him okay without the need of the original primary reinforcer.

Types of rewards

In the dog’s mind there are degrees of reward and the more valuable the reward, the faster his learning will be. This means that whenever possible and especially during the juvenile learning. We should with whole the most potent rewards, food and touch, and only give them at the proper time to suit or a listed proper behavior. We should also very rewards as much as possible to reinforce specific behaviors.

Reinforcers are positive or negative. Positive reinforcers are pleasurable. Negative reinforcers are punishing.

1. Food

This is a powerful reinforcer of behavior.

2. Touch

Contact is a potent reward for the sociable canine and should be used wisely and carefully simply because different types of touch mean different things to the dog. Gentle petting has a calming effect but linked the padding, while giving us emotional satisfaction, actually means “dominance” to the dog and can result in chronic attention seeking from him. Rough-and-tumble contact will make a dog more excitable and is not conducive to learning.

3. Sound

Praise is an excellent secondary reinforcer but must be used initially with a primary reinforcer such as food or touch. The tone of voice, rather than the actual word, it is most important. A relaxing tone of voice should be used for positive reinforcement and a harsh tone should be associated with negative reinforcement and punishment.

4. Play

Physical activity is an outstanding reinforcer of behavior but because it is so exciting, it is often difficult to use.

5. Owner attention

As leaders of the pack, or at very least, as members of the pack, we often inadvertently reward behavior simply by paying attention to our dogs. A shout in response to a dog barking can be a potent reward for parking. Acting as doorman to your dogs scratching to go in and out is another suitable reinforcer of this behavior. And rewarding this behavior intermittently makes it even harder to extinguish.

6. Chewing

Mal being activities such as chewing on toys (or chewing up carpets and furniture) can be rewarding by having a subduing effect on the dog’s state of arousal, on his adreno- pituitary axis. Urinating and defecating might produce similar reports.

7. Discomfort avoidance

Avoiding physical or psychological discomfort can be a potent reward. This can be a cruel method of training and physical pain must be avoided except in the most heinous of crimes. Shock collars and high-frequency sound collars are high-tech methods of negatively reinforcing behavior. Punishment is not always productive but it does have a place in altering the dog’s mind.

Pit bull kills deer in Michigan

Pack Leader | September 27th, 2009

I use a service called Google alerts to inform me anytime a pit bull attack news report is published.   Most of the attacks follow one of several patterns.  Most of the attacks that I read about are either caused by dogs running at large, poorly socialized dogs, or people who take unfamiliar dogs into their homes.   A recent story in Michigan doesn’t fit any of the above categories. In fact, this story defies even the most convoluted logic.

I have quoted the story in its entirety below including a link to the original article.

srv0000006478968 Pit bull kills deer in Michigan photo

Click to enlarge

Dog was running loose, may be euthanized.

Police and animal control officials must decide whether to euthanize a pit bull after it apparently attacked and mortally injured a deer in Macomb Township on Thursday, officials said.

Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said the incident occurred just north of Hall Road (M-59) shortly after 10:30 a.m.

Officers responding to a call of a pit bull running loose found the dog and the fallen doe. As officers approached, the dog fled, but police were able to capture it, the sheriff said. A police officer shot and killed the deer, which was dying from its injuries.

The dog was taken into custody by officials from the Macomb County Animal Shelter. Shelter officials were unavailable for comment.

“Right now, the question is (whether to) put the animal down,” said Hackel.

The dog is licensed, Hackel said, but officers were unable to locate its owner. Allowing a dog to run at large — even a licensed animal — violates ordinances in most communities, the sheriff said.

“Obviously, nobody was watching the dog,” Hackel said.

Hackel was not certain what other possible charges the dog’s owner might face.

The sheriff also said representatives of the Department of Natural Resources contacted his department and have joined the investigation.

Pit bull terriers have come under increased scrutiny in recent months in the wake of highly publicized attacks on humans and other animals.

In the most noteworthy case, a pit bull that was the pet of an Eastpointe family attacked and killed an 11-month-old baby as the child lay on a bed. The baby’s father then shot the dog. Eastpointe is about to finalize a vicious-dog ordinance.

Other Macomb County communities, including Mount Clemens and Center Line, have taken action on ordinances aimed at combating vicious animals.

In Oakland County, Royal Oak officials this week directed their attorney to research an animal ordinance after dogs attacked other animals in that community. In one case, a pit bull killed a sleeping cat.

http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2009/09/25/news/srv0000006478968.txt#blogcomments

We have humanized these dogs to the point where we expect normal prey drive to disappear.  I have read two stories about the same incident and I am appalled by the fact that people expect dogs to behave as something other than dogs simply because they live in an urban environment.   I am also appalled by the fact that news reporters are allowed too much creative license when reporting the news.

Here is an example:

“When one of the officers called the dog, he came.  He even sat on command.”

This is a quote taken from another website reporting the same story here is the link to that story:  http://www.candgnews.com/Homepage-Articles/2009/9-23-09/Macomb-pit-bull-deer.asp

“As officers approached, the dog fled, but police were able to capture it, the sheriff said.”

This quote is taken from a story on this page.

Which is it?  Did the dog flea and was captured, or was the dog obedient and following commands?

The greater question here is why would a community, animal control officer, or Sheriff’s Department even be considering euthanizing a dog of any breed for doing what dogs do naturally;  chase prey.

Ungulates are prey animals to every breed of dog and prey drive aggression is in a completely different category than any type of human focused aggression.  As is evidenced by the fact that the dog showed no signs of aggression toward the officers, there was no risk to any of the residents in this neighborhood.   To euthanize this dog for chasing and capturing prey would not only be a miscarriage of justice but it would also indicate that the departments involved are acting based on ignorance and fueled by the media’s presentation of pit bulls as marauding killing machines.

WHY USE A CLICKER?

Pack Leader | September 25th, 2009

A clicker is a way of letting your dog know when he has done the right thing. It acts as a bridge between Teddy doing what he was told and receiving his reward. It is an efficient way of relating this information quickly and distinctively.

Once you understand how to use a clicker, it proves more efficient than using your voice. That’s because your voice is always in use. This isn’t a bad thing, because you will need to use varying tones and specific words to communicate with your dog. However, since your voice is a constant sound in your dog’s life, it doesn’t offer a distinctive sound to reinforce a good response. This is important, because Teddy will be less confused if he receives notice of a good  behavior the moment it occurs. Telling him “good boy” as he moves away from doing something you want only rewards him for moving away, not for doing what you had requested.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you want Teddy to sit. He does so, but then jumps up on you, his muddy paws redesigning your apparel. You had praised him, but not at the exact moment he sat. He received his praise as he was rising up to jump on you. Teddy has learned that the act of jumping up on you is rewarding but the act of sitting is not; therefore, he will continue to jump on you. Had you clicked when he sat, he would have learned that behavior was what you wanted, because he was rewarded for it and the act of jumping was not rewarded. The result would be a dog who sits for a reward instead of jumping up for it.

As this example illustrates, verbal praise doesn’t always come at the right time.   It is far more difficult to express praise in the proper tone of voice than it is to simply  press on the clicker. Yes, you always carry your voice with you, whereas you  don’t always carry a clicker. But eventually you won’t need to carry the clicker  because your dog will respond properly to vocal and visual cues. When teaching  your dog something new, however, it’s best to offer a timely bridge to his proper  response, and the clicker works best for this.  

The sound of the clicker offers a nonemotional response. Regardless of the  mood you are in, your dog receives a consistent bridge, thereby producing reliability.
You can use the clicker from any position, any location, and under any environmental  conditions. You can be sitting, standing, near, or far. You can be inside,  outside, in a quiet yard, or a busy shopping mall. Your dog will learn to work for  the sound of the clicker because he knows the sound will be followed by a reward. His mind will be fixed on offering a proper response to your cues.

WHAT IS A CLICKER?

Pack Leader | September 25th, 2009

A clicker is a noise-making device that was once a child’s toy. The old ones are  made entirely of metal and were often designed in bright colors and pleasing  shapes, such as animals. To make the clicking noise, a flexible metal tongue in the  middle is pressed down onto another piece of metal. The sound is best if the piece  of metal is pressed and released quickly.

Clickers are currently made of plastic rectangular or oval boxes with a flexible  metal piece in the middle that makes a distinctive sound. Clicker training has  become so popular that you can obtain a clicker at most pet supply shops or from  many catalogs and online stores.

Even though they are mass-produced, each clicker has its own unique sound. Because dogs can hear far better than humans, they can tell the difference, no matter how slight. That means in a class full of dogs and clicker trainers, your dog can still pick out the sound of your clicker.

WHY USE A CLICKER?

TX: West Columbia Pit Bull Ban Dies

Pack Leader | August 25th, 2009

TexasStuds TX: West Columbia Pit Bull Ban Dies photoThe amazing thing about this story is not that the proposed pit bull ban in West Columbia, Texas was dropped because it would have violated state law and the rights of the citizens, but that the City Council is so ill-informed that they would have even allowed this matter to come before them.

WEST COLUMBIA — After learning state law was stacked against them, West Columbia City Council decided to use the laws it already has to combat dangerous dogs rather than ban certain breeds.

Council members opted not to take any action during a meeting Monday night on a proposal to ban pit bulls and Rottweilers from the city limits. Any such ordinance, City Attorney Wes Griggs said, would violate state law, which prohibits bans against specific dog breeds.

“There are ordinances on the books that deal with nuisance or vicious dogs,” Griggs said.

Council voted at its July 13 meeting to craft an ordinance to ban the breeds after several residents complained a pit bull lunged at a West Columbia resident and knocked her down, council members said.

Rather than placing a ban on a specific breed, the city should work to eliminate dogs that have posed a danger to residents rather than breeds, Councilwoman Donna Schwebel said.

“When an ordinance talks about a nuisance animal, that’s before the bite,” she said.

Prior to the meeting, West Columbia Mayor Laurie Kincannon read a statement to the crowded room apologizing for the decision to have the ordinance drafted.

“Our concern was for the health and safety of our citizens,” she said.

Kincannon said the council had “no intention” of violating residents’ rights.

“I’m very proud our council was able to step back,” she said.

When resident Allen McCormick planned to speak at the meeting about the ordinance Monday night, he said he believed Kincannon had beat him to the punch.

“It pretty much squashed what I came here to address,” he said.

McCormick said the problem with dangerous dogs most often is not the dog.

“I think we do need to deal with these irresponsible owners,” he said.

A Houston attorney who specializes in legal matters involving dogs spoke at the meeting and told residents existing laws are enough to control dangerous dogs.

A dog only has to lunge at a person and it can be deemed dangerous, regardless of the breed, said Zandra Anderson.

“Texas is one of the toughest states for dangerous dogs,” she said.

Dogs are not allowed to be loose in the city, and owners can be fined if their dogs are not secured, Police Chief Michael Palmer.

“They can be cited or fined,” he said.

Palmer said if a dog is found to be dangerous, police can require the owner to further ensure it is secure by putting up a higher fence. If the dog continues to pose a problem, animal control can take custody of it, he said.

If a dog bites a person and it causes a serious injury, the owner faces up to 10 years in prison, Anderson said. If the dog causes a death, it could mean 20 years in prison, she said.

“Punish the deed and not the breed,” she said.

OH - Whitehall Breed Ban Voted Down 5-2

Pack Leader | August 25th, 2009

pit-bull-puppy-7431651 OH - Whitehall Breed Ban Voted Down 5-2 photoApparently some of the law-makers in Ohio understand that banning a specific breed of dog does nothing to protect or insure public safety.  I applaud those right-minded Council members that voted against this ridiculous proposed ban on pit bulls.

WHITEHALL, Ohio—The heated debate over whether to ban vicious dogs like pitbulls took an unexpected turn in one Central Ohio community.
The City of Whitehall was deciding whether to ban the animals from their town. Whitehall City Council wasn’t supposed to vote on the issue for another two weeks. However, Councilmember Chris Rodriguez asked to suspend the rules and make an immediate decision.
Rodriguez says the citizens deserve better than the continued theatrics surrounding the issue and wanted to get this issue off the table.
Councilmember Jacquelyn Thompson-who proposed the ordinance-says she was surprised by the rule suspension and believes it was planned.
The proposed ordinance was voted down with a 5-2 vote.
The debate isn’t over just yet. Councilmember Leslie Lacorte says she is going to propose an ordinance to put the issue up for vote by citizens on the November ballot. Currently, vicious dog owners are required to put up a six foot fence, have liability insurance and to have their dogs microchipped.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.

http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/…ed_turn/19651/

For those of you that are here looking for facts, here are some relative to the State of Ohio and dog bite fatalities.

Over the past 44 years (1965 – present) there have been 18 fatal dog attacks in Ohio, an average of one (1) fatality every 2 to 3 years.

At least eleven (11) different breeds/types of dogs have been identified in these  attacks.

The victims were 6 adults and 12 children.

Nearly half (5 out of 12) of the children killed were attacked when they approached chained or penned dogs. Four (4) of the other children  were infants (< 2 months old) who had been left unsupervised with unfamiliar dogs.

All the dogs involved in fatal attacks in Ohio were intact (not spayed or neutered).

At least four (4) Ohio dog owners were charged  with actively encouraging their dog(s) to be aggressive, or with commanding their dog to attack a person. Two were convicted and sentenced to incareration.

J. Mann was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of restraining his girlfriend and repeatedly ordering his dog to attack her. (1992)

M. Crawley was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 6 months in jail after he repeatedly allowed his dogs to roam loose. The dogs had mauled one woman, and then killed another woman in a separate incident. (2003).

Two other Ohio dog owners were charged with involuntary manslaughter, but  not convicted, though prosecutors were satisifed that criminal negligence in maintaining and controlling their dogs appeared to  contribute directly to the deaths of the victims.

In spite of the recklessness, even malice, of some owners, dogs still pose an incredibly low risk for causing a fatality in Ohio:

Ohio: Recognized Risks Year 2005
Tobacco-related fatalities 18,600
Total (alcohol & non) traffic deaths 1,321
Alcohol-related traffic fatalities 519
Persons drowned in tub or swimming pool 29
Bicycle-related fatalities 16
ATV-related fatalities 15
Death from contact w/bees, hornets, wasps 4
Persons killed by lightning 1
Persons killed by dogs 0

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2005, 83 Ohio children died as the result of maltreatment (abuse, neglect).

In a single year, 2005, more than seven times as many Ohio children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 44 years.

***

Fact is, people in Ohio routinely accept far greater risks from swimming pools, ATVs and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council

Now, let’s understand this…

In 44 years 18 people were killed by dogs, not pit bulls exclusively but all dog breeds.  In 2005 83 kids were killed by their parents yet valuable legislative time is spent discussing banning pit bulls.  Go figure!

Supplements for Pitbulls

Pack Leader | March 14th, 2009

pitbull mp3

So you’ve found this article and you want it to give you some guidance as to the effectiveness and healthfulness of giving supplements for pitbulls. It is, if nothing else, very interesting debates because there are people that are on both sides of the fence for, as well as against the supplements for pitbulls. There are many myths and fables that surround this controversial issue however with this article, we will try to put some of that to rest. There is an overall theme by pro supplemental users as well as those who oppose it and the general theme is in your goal in giving supplements to pitbulls, just be responsible.

The Myth Surrounding Supplements for Pitbulls

Many people who are ignorant in the way of pitbulls and believe they should be banned do not quite understand or embrace this rare animal. It is a dog and there is no proof of this dog attacking more young children or adults than any other breed of dog. This is one myth that should be put to rest or intensely studied to discover the truths surrounding it. However, the supplements for pitbulls are often cause for alarm because they have been picked up and used against owners in the mistreatment of pitbulls. This is because there are many owners who will give the pitbull the equivalent of steroids to pump him up as many people use the pitbulls in weight pulling and want the dog beefed up and extremely strong.

Steroids in pitbulls have the same terrible effect that they have on humans and cause many anger as well as behavioral problems. Dogs, like humans are not trustworthy when they are on this type of powerful body and mind-altering drug however, when supplements for pitbulls are used properly and there is no mixture of steroids, the supplement usually consists of vitamins and creatine. The cheap dog foods don’t provide, much like our human food, the proper nutrition for a dog and therefore supplements for pitbulls can provide what the standard diet doesn’t.

Supplements for Pitbulls: Yes?

Supplements for pitbulls have shown dramatic increase in the joints and bones of these dogs as well as mentioned above, adding needed nutritional value to the meals that are generally missing from the regular dog food diet such as kibbles. There is a huge problem with today’s food for humans and dogs in that the manufacturers are adding more chemicals and preservatives and in the way there are many nutritional factors that are lost and rendered useless in the foods containing so many additives. Supplements for pitbulls should be used especially if you are feeding grocery store brand dog foods.

If you want to learn more about American Pitbulls please visit our site which is free to the public. You’ll find the best tips on everything to do with Pitbulls