The Errors of BREED PROFILING
1.) STEREOTYPING: There is no "Pit Bull" breed. It is a slang, derogatory term for a variety of breeds that have been bred from similar lines combining bully breeds with terriers. Most people cannot properly identify the dog breeds that are commonly ascribed the label, and often erroneously categorize breeds that are not even bull-and-terriers as "pit bulls" based on appearance alone (lean, stocky, with large heads).
Another commonly made error is that people think "pit bulls" are large dogs. They are actually medium-sized dogs. When you see a hulking animal with bulging muscles, that is a fighting dog that has been over-trained through abusive methods, and pumped full of steroids by thugs - that is NOT the breed standard.
How can you profile a breed when you don't even know what it is?
Can YOU pick out which one is the "pit bull"?
Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull
2.) MEDIA: The media aren't exactly vigilant about discriminating breeds, either. Not only do they often assume that any dog that bites is a "pit bull" without bothering to confirm it, they intentionally ignore evidence to the contrary. I once responded to an article citing a "pit bull" bite and pointed out that the dog in the picture was definitely NOT even close to resembling a pit bull. Did they run a correction? No. They simply took down the picture!
They are so quick to run with these inflammatory stories, one made national headlines before it was discovered that the "pit bull" in question (accused of chewing off a baby's toes... while its parents weren't in the room, big surprise) was actually a FERRET.
3.) TEMPERAMENT
The American Temperament Test Society (
ATTS - American Temperament Test Society, Inc. - ATTS Breed Statistics (http://www.atts.org/statistics.html - broken link))
Scores of the "pit bull" breeds:
American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) 85.3%
American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) 83.9%
Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Staffy) 88%
Bull Terrier 91.2%
Miniature Bull Terrier 100%
Breeds often mistaken for "pit bulls":
Cane Corso 81.2%
Dogo Argentino 90.9%
Dogo Canario 100%
Presa Canario 89.3%
The average passing score for all 122 breeds tested is only 77%. All of the breeds listed above scored higher than the Beagle, Border Collie, Corgi, Chihuahua, Great Dane, & Portuguese Water Dog, to name a few. That's right, "pit bulls" and their lookalikes are all better-behaved than the President's dog.
4.) CHARACTERISTICS: The American Kennel Club has combined the APBT and the AmStaff into one breed, calling them all AmStaffs. So this AKC statement applies to both breeds: "The Am Staff is a people-oriented dog that thrives when he is made part of the family and given a job to do. Although friendly, this breed is loyal to his family and will protect them from any threat."
The AKC statement on the other prevalent "pit bull" breed: "The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is extremely courageous and obedient, highly intelligent and affectionate with a sense of humor. This, coupled with its affection for its friends, and children in particular, its off-duty quietness and trustworthy stability, makes it a foremost all-purpose dog."
5.) HUMAN-AGGRESSION Vs. DOG AGGRESSION - Completely separate!
While dog breeds do have different temperaments, and some "pit bulls" can be dog-aggressive, human-aggression is NOT consistent with the history of the breed. In fact, the closer a particular dog is to a dog that was bred for fighting in its family tree, the LESS likely it is to be human-aggressive. Dogfighters historically exterminate or refuse to breed any dog showing human-aggression tendencies.
"The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children... The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable." United Kennel Club: American Pit Bull Terrier (
United Kennel Club: American Pit Bull Terrier (Revised November 1, 2008) (http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/Breeds/AmericanPitBullTerrierRevisedNovember12008 - broken link)) (Revised November 1, 2008)
6.) FATALITIES: This article (
Dogbite- Fatal Dog Attacks - MedicineNet - Health and Medical Information Produced by Doctors) cites a study conducted with the combined efforts of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Humane Society of the United States. Regarding dog bite fatalities:
"They found that 57% of the deaths were in children under 10 years of age. 22% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog OFF the owner's property. 18% of the deaths involved a restrained dog ON the owner's property, and 59% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog ON the owner's property. The researchers also found that 10% of the dog bite attacks involved sleeping infants."
This means that nearly ALL dog-bite fatalities are the direct result of gross human negligence - unsupervised children, irresponsible owners, or no owner at all. Not to mention, dogs do nothing unprovoked (they are more reasonable creatures than humans in that respect), and that fact is reflected in dog bite law, which usually states something to the effect of, "No animal that, at the time of the acts complained of, was responding to pain or injury, or was protecting itself, its kennel, its offspring, a person, or its owner's or custodian's property, shall be found to be a dangerous or vicious dog." (Virginia Animal Code 3.2-6540 C)
7.) BITES: The major finding of a 2-year study conducted by The Coalition for Living Safely With Dogs and the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association: "all dogs will bite, and that circumstances under which the bite occurred are more pertinent than the breed or type of dog involved."
Most likely breed to bite a Vet or a Groomer: Chihuahua
Most damaging biters: Lhasa Apso
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20090816%2FGJCOMMUNITY_01%2F7081699 74%2F-1%2FFOSLIFESTYLES (broken link)
8.) BITING BREEDS: As reported by 6,000 dog owners, in a survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, and published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science, the dog breeds most likely to bite: Dachshund, Chihuahua, Jack Russell Terrier, Australian Cattle Dog, Cocker Spaniel, Beagle.
Top Biting Dog Breeds (http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-Biting-Dog-Breeds&id=1407118 - broken link)
9.) ACTUAL THREAT: Even using the biased, inaccurate statics, the average number of people killed by a "Pit Bull" each year is 3.
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 caretaker than by a "pit bull".
10.) REHABILITATION: Only ONE of Michael Vick's surviving 50 dogs had to be put down for aggression.
SEVEN became therapy dogs.
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Now hers rips off some other dog's ear. Oh, the irony. Who would have EVER thought that a pit bull would do such a thing? 
