There is good reason pit bulls have a bad rep. Sure plenty are gentle, but the amount of deaths and maulings by pit bulls are way out of wack with their overall percentage of the dog population.
"A 1999 City Journal article stated that "Pit bulls and pit-bull crosses (not always easy to distinguish) have caused more than a third of the nation's dog-bite fatalities since 1979 and a comparable proportion of serious injuries.""
"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
Many counties and a few countries ban them altogether. Some insurance companies won't cover households with a pit living there.
The majority of the problem is likely the bad owners training them to fight, guard, etc, but that doesn't change the facts above.
I took a (bad) photo of one at the WWII Museum in New Orleans earlier this year. I guess if you win the ebay auction you could send messages to the museum.
"A 1999 City Journal article stated that "Pit bulls and pit-bull crosses (not always easy to distinguish) have caused more than a third of the nation's dog-bite fatalities since 1979 and a comparable proportion of serious injuries.""
"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....[T]he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)
Many counties and a few countries ban them altogether. Some insurance companies won't cover households with a pit living there.
The majority of the problem is likely the bad owners training them to fight, guard, etc, but that doesn't change the facts above.
I'll be visiting my friend this weekend at the corner of Clark and Sheffield.
http://digimills.com/2006/12/09/wired-fashionably-late/
http://digimills.com/2007/06/06/a-visit-to-the-d-day-museum/