The FACTS
1) In 2006, the American Temperament Testing Society tested more than 27,000 dogs. The test measures a dog's reactions to strangers, novel noises and sights, and unusual footing. In addition, the dog's self-protective behavior and potential to be aggressive are assessed. Of all the dogs who took the test, 81.5 percent passed, but some breeds scored better than others. Shetland Sheepdogs had a score of 67.3 while Collies had a score of 79.2. The American Pit Bull Terrier exceeded all the scores with more than 84 percent passing the examination.
2) Many Pit Bulls are animal aggressive but just as many are not. It's always best to remain cautious when around other dogs.
3) Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a PSI comparative test between a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd. Of the three, the pit had the LOWEST pressure per square inch.
4) Pit Bulls are used in Search and Rescue work. One example of well known SAR Pit Bulls is Kris Crawford and her dogs. Kris and her dogs have helped save the lives of many people during their efforts. http://www.ForPitsSake.org
5) Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history. He found over 3,000 lbs of cocaine in Hildago, Texas.
6) Pit Bulls are not human aggressive. The American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed is not human aggressive. In fact, quite the opposite is true of the breed. They are gentle and loving dogs. Like people, some dogs can be unsound and have behavior problems.
7) The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in WWI, but WWII as well. Sgt. Stubby was a Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action twice, he saved his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack and he single handedly captured a German spy.
8) Pete the Pup on the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.
9) Pit Bulls do NOT lock their jaws according to Dr. Lehr Brisbin.
10) The term "PIT BULL" is very loose fitting and includes several breeds.
11) After a dam broke on the Tijuana River stranding 12 dogs and one cat on an island, a pit bull named Weela crossed the river to take food to them for a month until they could be rescued. Weela led a rescue team to a group of 13 stranded horses and ran back and forth barking to warn a group of 30 people of the deep water they were attempting to cross. Weela was awarded Ken-L-Ration's Dog Hero of the Year in 1993 for her bravery.
12) Animal cruelty ends through humane education.
*Credit to Arden Moore, www.realpitbull.com, www.pitbulllovers.com, D.Caroline Coile, PhD., Pat Miller, and Dr. Lehr Brisbin.
By The Numbers!
1) Since 1992, the breed most involved in fatal attacks has been the
Rottweiler, not the pit bull. (Note, I've owned many Rottweilers and found mine to be wonderful family pets.) 2) In 2000, 13 pit bulls were involved in 8 fatal attacks. That is roughly ONE dog out of 204,000 - or .000385 percent of the pit bull population.
3) About 40 people (children) per year die by drowning in 5-gallon water pails. A person, during their lifetime, is 16 times more likely to drown in a 5-gallon water pail than to be killed by a pit bull.
4) Approximately 50 children in the US are killed every year by their cribs - 25 times the number of children and adults killed by pit bulls.
5) Approximately 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts. Therefore, you are more than 60 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be killed by a PALM TREE than a pit bull.
6) Each year, 350 people drown in their bathtubs. You are 151 times more likely to be killed by your bathtub than you are by a pit bull.
7) It is estimated that about 500 deaths per year are caused by aspirin. You are more than 200 times more likely to die from taking aspirin than from a pit bull attack.
8) Every year, more than 2,000 children in the U.S. are killed by their parents or guardians either through abuse or neglect. A child is more than 800 times more likely to be killed by their adult caretaker than by a pit bull.
9) It is estimated that 5,000,000 dogs per year are killed in shelters. Since in many places pit bulls make up 30-50% of the shelter population, and are less likely to be considered for placement than any other breed, guessing that 25% of those dogs killed is a reasonable estimate. Therefore, it can be assumed that perhaps 1.25 million pit bulls are killed per year.
Therefore - it is at least a HALF MILLION TIMES MORE LIKELY that a pit bull will be killed by a HUMAN than the other way around.
10) For every pit bull who kills, there are hundreds of thousands that DON'T.
*Credit to realpitbull.com for the statistics.*
A BIG No No!
1) Never feed dogs unless they are separated.
2) Never leave dogs, even the best of pals, together unsupervised.
3) Never ignore the early warning signs of a disagreement. Dog fights are preventable.
4) Never allow dogs to compete over a toy.
5) Never allow overexcited wrestling.
6) Never take a mature Pit Bull to a dog park. While your Pit might be very well mannered, there could be some irresponsible dog owner who has his dog running loose.
7) Never let your dog have the experience of being in, or especially winning a fight.
8) Never let your dog stare at or try to intimidate another dog.
9) Never assume your dog won't fight.
10) never forget to take advantage of opportunities to educate the public about your wonderful, well trained Pit!
*Credit to D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D*
1) In 2006, the American Temperament Testing Society tested more than 27,000 dogs. The test measures a dog's reactions to strangers, novel noises and sights, and unusual footing. In addition, the dog's self-protective behavior and potential to be aggressive are assessed. Of all the dogs who took the test, 81.5 percent passed, but some breeds scored better than others. Shetland Sheepdogs had a score of 67.3 while Collies had a score of 79.2. The American Pit Bull Terrier exceeded all the scores with more than 84 percent passing the examination.
2) Many Pit Bulls are animal aggressive but just as many are not. It's always best to remain cautious when around other dogs.
3) Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic conducted a PSI comparative test between a Pit Bull, a Rottweiler, and a German Shepherd. Of the three, the pit had the LOWEST pressure per square inch.
4) Pit Bulls are used in Search and Rescue work. One example of well known SAR Pit Bulls is Kris Crawford and her dogs. Kris and her dogs have helped save the lives of many people during their efforts. http://www.ForPitsSake.org
5) Pit Bulls serve as narcotic and bomb sniffing dogs. One Pit Bull, Popsicle (named that because he was found in an old freezer) has the largest recorded single drug find in Texas history. He found over 3,000 lbs of cocaine in Hildago, Texas.
6) Pit Bulls are not human aggressive. The American Pit Bull Terrier as a breed is not human aggressive. In fact, quite the opposite is true of the breed. They are gentle and loving dogs. Like people, some dogs can be unsound and have behavior problems.
7) The Pit Bull was so popular in the early 1900's they were our mascot not only in WWI, but WWII as well. Sgt. Stubby was a Pit Bull war hero. Stubby was wounded in action twice, he saved his entire platoon by warning them of a poison gas attack and he single handedly captured a German spy.
8) Pete the Pup on the original Little Rascals was a Pit Bull.
9) Pit Bulls do NOT lock their jaws according to Dr. Lehr Brisbin.
10) The term "PIT BULL" is very loose fitting and includes several breeds.
11) After a dam broke on the Tijuana River stranding 12 dogs and one cat on an island, a pit bull named Weela crossed the river to take food to them for a month until they could be rescued. Weela led a rescue team to a group of 13 stranded horses and ran back and forth barking to warn a group of 30 people of the deep water they were attempting to cross. Weela was awarded Ken-L-Ration's Dog Hero of the Year in 1993 for her bravery.
12) Animal cruelty ends through humane education.
*Credit to Arden Moore, www.realpitbull.com, www.pitbulllovers.com, D.Caroline Coile, PhD., Pat Miller, and Dr. Lehr Brisbin.
By The Numbers!
1) Since 1992, the breed most involved in fatal attacks has been the
Rottweiler, not the pit bull. (Note, I've owned many Rottweilers and found mine to be wonderful family pets.) 2) In 2000, 13 pit bulls were involved in 8 fatal attacks. That is roughly ONE dog out of 204,000 - or .000385 percent of the pit bull population.
3) About 40 people (children) per year die by drowning in 5-gallon water pails. A person, during their lifetime, is 16 times more likely to drown in a 5-gallon water pail than to be killed by a pit bull.
4) Approximately 50 children in the US are killed every year by their cribs - 25 times the number of children and adults killed by pit bulls.
5) Approximately 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts. Therefore, you are more than 60 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be killed by a PALM TREE than a pit bull.
6) Each year, 350 people drown in their bathtubs. You are 151 times more likely to be killed by your bathtub than you are by a pit bull.
7) It is estimated that about 500 deaths per year are caused by aspirin. You are more than 200 times more likely to die from taking aspirin than from a pit bull attack.
8) Every year, more than 2,000 children in the U.S. are killed by their parents or guardians either through abuse or neglect. A child is more than 800 times more likely to be killed by their adult caretaker than by a pit bull.
9) It is estimated that 5,000,000 dogs per year are killed in shelters. Since in many places pit bulls make up 30-50% of the shelter population, and are less likely to be considered for placement than any other breed, guessing that 25% of those dogs killed is a reasonable estimate. Therefore, it can be assumed that perhaps 1.25 million pit bulls are killed per year.
Therefore - it is at least a HALF MILLION TIMES MORE LIKELY that a pit bull will be killed by a HUMAN than the other way around.
10) For every pit bull who kills, there are hundreds of thousands that DON'T.
*Credit to realpitbull.com for the statistics.*
A BIG No No!
1) Never feed dogs unless they are separated.
2) Never leave dogs, even the best of pals, together unsupervised.
3) Never ignore the early warning signs of a disagreement. Dog fights are preventable.
4) Never allow dogs to compete over a toy.
5) Never allow overexcited wrestling.
6) Never take a mature Pit Bull to a dog park. While your Pit might be very well mannered, there could be some irresponsible dog owner who has his dog running loose.
7) Never let your dog have the experience of being in, or especially winning a fight.
8) Never let your dog stare at or try to intimidate another dog.
9) Never assume your dog won't fight.
10) never forget to take advantage of opportunities to educate the public about your wonderful, well trained Pit!
*Credit to D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D*