The media has vast influence over our perceptions of which breeds of dogs are dangerous, as they decide which dog attack stories to publish. With over 4.7 million dog bites recorded each year in the United States and with over 800,000 of these attacks serious enough to require medical attention, the resources for dog-bite stories appear unlimited. Yet, the media seems to delight in Pit bull related stories, so much so, that in their haste to report the latest Pit bull attack story the truth often takes a backseat to sensationalism.

Listed below is a small sampling of inaccurate and misleading media accounts that have caused irreparable damage to the image of Pit Bulls:

Killer Pit Bulls Rip Granny to ShredsNew York Post (NYPost.com) Dec. 11, 2002
Pet Pit Bulls Kill Woman, 80, in Her HomeThe New York Times (nytimes.com) Dec. 11, 2002
[The victim's daughter and granddaughter (owner of the dogs) could not believe the dogs, a female Pit Bull and a male Lab/Pit mix attacked and killed the elderly woman. The family hired a forensic pathologist to review the case. It was determined that although the victim had sustained some dog bites, all the bites were non-lethal and post-mortem. The grandmother was not "ripped to shreds" by the dogs but died from cardiac arrhythmia. Both dogs were eventually returned to their owners.]

Pit Bull Attack Victim Leaves Hospital WTVO (Channel 17) April 25, 2003
Man Struggles to Recover from Pit Bull Attack WTVO (Channel 17) April 29, 2003
[The man in this case was never bitten by a Pit bull. Indeed, there is no mention of the dog making contact with the man at all. Instead, the man was running from the dog and he ran into the road and "slammed" into a passing van. He sustained serious injuries from the collision with the vehicle.]

Pit Bull Horror New York Daily News February 7, 2004
Pit Bull Mauls 3-Year-Old's Face New York Newsday February 6, 2004
[A Bronx family owned a Boxer dog and a German Shepherd puppy that usually were kept in the basement as guard dogs. Two days before the girl was bitten, the family took in a Pit Bull. The 3-year-old was alone playing with the three dogs when a dogfight started. At this point the girl was bitten in the face by the Boxer (also reported to be an American bulldog). It was later acknowledged that the Pit bull (also reported to be a Pit bull mix and a "pet bulldog") was not involved in the attack on the girl]

Cortland Pit Bull Mauling Death WBNG.com (Channel 12) Dec. 9, 2002
[It was later determined that although the Pit bull participated in the death of 24-year-old Eric Tallman, the dog did not inflict the fatal wounds. The victim died from blunt force injury. It was later revealed that the victim was beaten to death by an acquaintance over a drug debt.]

Barstow Trial Opens in Boy's Death: Pit bulls fatally mauled Cash Carson, 10. The
Press-Enterprise May 5, 2001
Murder Charges Filed in Pit Bull Mauling The Associated Press June 17, 2000
[This tragic case of a 10-year-old boy killed by dogs was carried extensively in the media. The dogs were repeatedly headlined as "Pit Bulls". Neither of these dogswere "Pit Bulls". One appeared to be a Pit Bull Mix and the other dog (the male that inflicted the fatal wounds) was clearly a mixed breed dog. Animal Control and photographs of the dog more accurately identify him as a possible Chow/Pit Bull mixed breed.]

Vancouver Girl Badly Injured in Pit Bull Attack CTV News Dec. 23, 2002
[This was a very severe attack and as such garnered much media attention. As a result of more in-depth coverage the breed was later correctly identified as a Mastiff/Rottweiler mixed breed]

Family's Pit Bull Kills Boy, 20, months The Gainesville Sun May 8, 2000
20-month-old Killed by Bull Terrier Naples Daily News May 9, 2000
[This child was not killed by a Pit Bull, nor a Bull Terrier, nor a "family" dog. How the dog came to be labelled a "Pit bull" is unexplained. The owner described the dog to be a Labrador/Mastiff/Rottweiler cattle dog. The dog was used to herd cattle and was kept chained on the property. Animal control and the Alachua Sheriff's office confirm the dog was a mixed breed. Photographs of the dog reveal no discernable breed.]
 
 

Another serious problem with the image of Pit Bulls is the over-reporting of Pit Bull attacks vs. other breed attacks. Unquestionably, a disporportionate amount of media attention is given to Pit Bull attacks. One example of this is a recent fatal attack in Detroit by a Pit Bull. This story ran in over 30 separate national newspapers and was also picked up by FOX news, CNN and two British newspapers. Two weeks earlier a man was KILLED by his German Shepherd Dog and this story ran only in the local community newspaper.

Pit Bulls in particular have been in a firestorm of bad publicity, and throughout the country Pit Bulls often bear the brunt of breed specific legislation. One severe or fatal attack can result in either restrictions or outright banning of this breed (and other breeds) in a community. While any severe or fatal attack on a person is tragic, there is often a tragic loss of perspective as to degree of dangerousness associated with this breed in reaction to a fatality. Virtually any breed of dog can be implicated in a human fatality.

From 1965 - 2001, there have been at least 36 different breeds/types of dog that have been involved in a fatal attack in the United States. (This number rises to at least 52 breeds/types when surveying fatal attacks worldwide). We are increasingly becoming a society that has less and less tolerance and understanding of natural canine behaviors. Breed specific behaviors that have been respected and selected for over the centuries are now often viewed as unnatural or dangerous. Dogs have throughout the centuries served as protectors and guardians of our property, possessions and
families. Dogs have also been used for thousands of years to track, chase and hunt both large and small animals. These natural and selected-for canine behaviors seem to now eliciting fear, shock and a sense of distrust among many people.

There seems to be an ever growing expectation of a "behaviorally homogenized" dog - "Benji" in the shape of a Rottweiler. Breeds of dogs with greater protection instincts or an elevated prey-drive are often unfairly viewed as "aggressive or dangerous". No breed of dog is inherently vicious, as all breeds of dogs were created and are maintained exclusively to serve and co-exist with humans. The problem exists not within the breed of dog, but rather within the owners that fail to control, supervise,
maintain and properly train the breed of dog they choose to keep.

CANINE AGGRESSION - AN OVERVIEW
It is important to emphasize that dogs bite today for the same reasons that they did one hundred or one thousand years ago. Dogs are no more dangerous today than they were a century or millennium ago. They only difference is a shift in human perception of what is and is not natural canine behavior and/or aggression and the breed of dog involved.

Examination of newspaper archival records dating back to the 1950s and 1960s reveal the same types of severe and fatal attacks occurring then as today. The only difference is the breed of dog responsible for these events. A random study of 74 severe and fatal attacks reported in the Evening Bulletin (Philadelphia, PA) from 1964-1968, show no severe or fatal attacks by Rottweilers and only one attack attributed to a Pit-Bull-type dog. The dogs involved in most of these incidents were the breeds that were popular at the time.

Over two thousand years ago, Plato extolled a basic understanding of canine behavior when he wrote "the disposition of noble dogs is to be gentle with people they know and the opposite with those they dont know...." Recently, this fundamental principal of canine behavior seems to elude many people as parents allow their children to be unsupervised with unfamiliar dogs and lawmakers clamor to declare certain dogs as dangerous in response to an attack.

Any dog, regardless of breed, is only as dangerous as his/her owner allows it to be.

Addressing the issue of severe and fatal dog attacks as a breed specific problem is akin to treating the symptom and not the disease. Severe and fatal attacks will continue until we come to the realization that allowing a toddler to wander off to a chained dog is more of a critical factor in a fatal dog attack than which breed of dog is at the end of the chain.
 

MEDIA LIES
 
The media is so slanted, readers practically need
climbing equipment!

It can't be stated any more plainly:

"If you only know what you hear or read in the media,
you really don't know much."

After one too many slanted, misleading, grossly
inaccurate or just plain dishonest dog bite reports in
the media, we thought it high time to 'pull back the
curtain on the wizard' and prove 'the emperor has no
clothes.'

The headlines screamed: another ghastly 'pit bull'
attack in Ontario.  In this case, a Shih Tzu was the
intended victim.  It's owner, a hapless casualty.

Pretty much every media agency in the region covered
the following story.  ...Repeatedly.  ...Ad nauseam.

"Those awful 'pit bulls'; attacking innocent people
and dogs.  You never hear of a Labrador or a Golden
Retriever involved in these kinds of incidents."

On February 14, 2006, Tarra Barnett was walking her
'pit bull' along Danforth Rd. in Scarborough, when it
bolted and attacked a Shih Tzu being walked by its
owner.  The Shih Tzu didn't survive.  Its owner also
suffered minor injuries in the attack.

According to neighbours, Ms. Barnett's dog was known
to be aggressive.  According to witnesses, the 'pit
bull' may have been off-leash and unmuzzled prior to
the attack.

March 11, 2006, Ms. Barnett was charged with
'unlawfully causing bodily harm' and 'common
nuisance', in relation to this incident.

Sounds alright, huh?  An important story that deserves
reporting.

Well...it would be...if the media was truly unbiased.
It is obvious that, like so many stories before it,
this one was headline news for some time, because it
involved a 'pit bull'.  Want proof?

March 2, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes, known to
be aggressive, were again "terrorizing the
neighbourhood" in Port Colborne, Ontario.  The two
dogs attacked and killed a Pomeranian chained in its
yard, then moved on to attack a 'pit bull' before
being corralled.

Only two local (Welland area) newspapers carried this
story...once.  Only a muzzle order for the dogs and
talks of a fine were mentioned as possible punishments
for the owners.  No headlines.  No criminal charges.
No media blitz.

So, do you still think the media is a reliable source
for information?  If so, we have a lovely bridge that
might interest you.

These two stories are nearly identical.  They both
involved unprovoked attacks that led to the death of a
dog.  They both involved dogs with a known history of
aggression.  They both involved negligent owners.  The
story involving the 'pit bull' was headline news.  The
one involving the Labs?  Well...it never made any
headlines, and is all but forgotten, just a few days
afterwards.

The media picks and chooses its stories, not for their
"newsworthiness", but for their ability to attract
readers/viewers/listeners which, in turn, allows them
to claim higher ratings, and charge more for
advertising space.  It's business. Plain and simple.
We've been told outright,

"If it doesn't involve a 'pit bull', it's not 'news'."

In reality, non-'pit bull' dogs are responsible for
90-100% of bites, attacks, and fatalities in Canada.
...But you'll never hear that on the evening news.

In order to provide a more balanced view of dog biting
incidents, below is a sampling of stories you probably
didn't see reported in the media:

March 10, 2006, a Jack Russell Terrier was ordered to
attack a man, nearly severing his penis, which was
successfully reattached by doctors.

March 8, 2006, a 17-month-old was mauled by the
family’s Labrador Retriever.

March 7, 2006, a police officer shot a Ridgeback mix
dog after it attacked another dog and menaced the
officer.  There was a brief report in the media, in
which the owner-confirmed “Ridgeback mix” was
described as a “pit bull look-alike”.  (Good grief!!!)
 

March 6, 2006, a man and woman were sent to hospital
after being attacked by their German Shepherd Dog.

March 4, 2006, two Labrador Retriever mixes killed a
chained Pomeranian, then attacked a ‘pit bull’, during
a neighbourhood wide rampage in Port Colborne,
Ontario.  The dogs were frequently at-large, and known
to be aggressive.  No penalties against the dogs’
owner has been announced since the attacks, despite
provincial law allowing up to $10,000 in fines, or six
months in jail for this kind of offense.

March 2, 2006, a 6-year-old girl underwent surgery to
repair injuries suffered in an attack by her
grandparents’ Husky/Chow mix.

March 2, 2006, a Great Dane killed its owner and
severely injured her relative, while he was chained to
the porch, in a small Texas town.

March 1, 2006, a 16-month-old girl was attacked by her
family’s St. Bernard.

March 1, 2006, a Springer Spaniel suffered severe
injuries after being attacked by a mixed-breed,
off-leash dog in a conservation area.  The owners of
the attacking dog refused to identify themselves or
offer assistance before fleeing the scene.

A police dog, a Belgian Malinois, was accused of
excessive force after refusing to let go of a suspect
in 2003, only to go on to attack a police officer in
October of 2005.  In that incident, the dog simply
attacked the officer unprovoked while she was guarding
evidence at a crime scene.  When the officer was
unable to shake free, she pulled her weapon and shot
the dog.  Still, the dead dog’s jaws had to be pried
off the officer’s arm.

February 26, 2006, an Edmonton boy was mauled by his
family’s Golden Retriever, leaving him in serious
condition in hospital.

February 24, 2006, a St. Bernard/Mastiff mix attacked
an American Eskimo dog and its owner.

February 22, 2006, an Alabama girl had to undergo
hours of surgery to close the gaping wound that
exposed the victim’s jaw bone.  A Labrador Retriever
attacked the girl while she was petting it at a pet
expo.

February 17, 2006, a third grader required 68 stitches
to repair the damage caused by a Golden Retriever that
attacked the girl on her way home from school.

February 9, 2006, a six-year-old was knocked to the
ground and attacked by a roaming Labrador Retriever.

February, 2006, a 4-year-old boy had to be placed in a
drug induced coma in hospital after being attacked
mauled by stray dogs in Waswanipi, Quebec.

February, 2006, a man was bitten by one of two
Weimaraners being walked by their owner.

After several biting incidents, a man’s Border Collies
have been deemed “dangerous”.  No charges have been
filed against the owner.

An Alameda County Deputy District Attorney’s mixed
breed dog (Lab/Shepherd mix) may be ordered destroyed
after numerous biting incidents.

A 2-year-old was left with cuts and puncture wounds to
the face after being attacked by a Jack Russell
Terrier in February, 2006.

In February, 2006, an 18-month-old girl was seriously
bitten by a relative’s Australian Cattle Dog tied on
the property.

In February, 2006, a five-year-old boy required 190
stitches to repair damage to his throat after being
attacked by 2 German Shepherd Dogs on the owner’s
property.

February, 2006, a Garden City, Idaho, police officer
had to shoot the police dog he was training, after it
attacked him and another officer.

In early February, 2006, a 2-year-old girl was left
with a 15cm long gash after being attacked by her
grandmother’s Border Collie.

January 26, 2006, a 2-year-old had her jaw broken and
most of her lower face torn away in an attack by a dog
described only as “a large dog”, in Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan.

After no penalties were laid following a biting
incident involving a 10-year-old girl and a Chow/GSD
mix in December, 2005, the dog bit a second child in
January, 2006; disfiguring the boy’s face by tearing
away a portion of his lip.

In December, 2005, a 90-year-old woman suffered bite
wounds and a broken bone in her back while attempting
to defend her own dog from attack by a Dalmation.

An infant suffered severe head injuries after being
attacked by the family’s Golden Retriever in November,
2005.

In January, 2006, a woman was critically injured in
Del Rey, California, after being attacked by a German
Shepherd and a Chow.  Police shot and killed the dogs.
The owners were not charged.

In January, 2006, an 11-year-old girl was savagely
attacked in the face, by an Alaskan Malamute, while
visiting her friend’s home.

A 5-year-old girl was left with severe gashes and 4
missing teeth after being attacked by her
grandmother’s chained, mixed breed (non-‘pit bull’)
dog.

February, 2006, an RCMP police dog has been involved
in its second attack, this time the victim was radio
host, Paul McMullen.

In Boston, in December, 2005, two Boxers mauled a
woman so severely, authorities believe she narrowly
escaped death, thanks to the assistance of a good
Samaritan.

In 2004, an Ontario family's Chesapeake Bay Retriever
savagely attacked one of their children, leaving over
140 stitches in the child's head and face.

In May of 2005, a family's 5-year-old daughter was
mauled to death by their two Siberian Huskies.

While visiting her grandparents, a 3-year-old girl was
mauled by their Golden Retriever.

In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a child was bitten
severely in the face by a non-descript "small dog" she
was petting in 2005.

In Bedford, it took 3 attacks before a Poodle was
declared "vicious" by municipal standards.

In 2005, every local media station covered a scuffle
between two dogs (one of them being a 'pit bull') yet
not one media agency covered an attack that occurred
within hours of the doggie dispute, involving the
family's own Golden Retriever, and their child left
with over 20 stitches to the head and face.

A Pomeranian was declared to be a "Dangerous Animal"
under municipal statutes, after several aggression
incidents.

A veterinarian testified, in 2005, that not one of her
'pit bull' patients is aggressive, but several other
patients, including several Chihuahuas, are required
to be muzzled before they're permitted to enter the
clinic.

November, 2005, French woman is recipient of world’s
first face transplant, after being attacked by a
Labrador Retriever.

A 2-year-old boy was mauled so viciously by his
grandfather's Labrador Retriever in December 2004, he
required treatment at two Ontario hospitals.  (One
television station carried this story in just one
broadcast.)

A 19-month-old toddler was sent to hospital with
injuries to the face and head, after being attacked by
her grandmother's Pointer.

A neighbour's Labrador Retriever and Dachshund
attacked an elderly woman, leaving her in a coma in
hospital.

Paris Hilton's Chihuahua was involved in an unprovoked
bite that witnesses called, "Not a little nip.  It was
a very nasty bite."

The New Mexico politician that called for stricter
penalties against the owners of dangerous dogs was
mauled by his own dogs, a Boxer and two English
Bulldogs.

A 4-year-old Nevada girl was attacked late in 2005 by
a roaming Labrador Retriever.

In 2005, in Georgia, a Jack Russell Terrier so
severely damaged its owner's 2-month-old infant's foot
in an attack; the poor child's foot had to be
amputated.

A Golden Retriever was finally put down after a second
savage attack on a child.  In the first case, the
victim was the owner's own child.  In the second case,
the victim was a child visiting the owner's home,
leaving wounds to the cheek and back of the head.

In Denver, in late 2005, a police officer was treated
for bite wounds after having been bitten by a
Miniature Pinscher.  The owner was only charged with
allowing the dog to be 'at large'.

In Rhode Island, in the summer of 2005, a family's
Siberian Husky killed their week-old infant in an
attack.

A two-and-a-half-year-old boy needed 65 stitches to
close the gaping wounds caused to his face and cheek,
after being attacked by a neighbour's Golden
Retriever.

A Trenton police officer suffered several bite wounds
after being attacked by a German Shorthair Pointer, in
July 2005.

A family's Great Dane attacked their 2-year-old child,
leaving minor wounds to the head and body.

In May, 2005, a 7-year-old Colorado girl was killed by
her family's Alaskan Malamute.

Despite their valiant efforts, doctors were unable to
repair the severed nose of a 5-year-old after he was
attacked by a neighbour's Dalmation.

A 6-week-old infant was in critical condition after
being mauled by the family's Dachshund.

A neighbour shot a rampaging Lab/Chow mix dog, after
it escaped its yard and threatened the public early in
October, 2005.

Several children were bitten, and one has to undergo
rabies shots, after being bitten by a Chihuahua mix
that wandered into a schoolyard.

In March 2005, postal workers couldn't deliver mail,
and residents were afraid to retrieve their mail in
one Indiana neighbourhood, where a vicious Chihuahua
was allowed to run loose, and terrorize residents.
After numerous incidents, and once the dog's conduct
had halted mail delivery, the owner was finally cited
for allowing the dog to be 'at large'.

A 2-year-old boy wandered into his neighbour's yard in
mid-August 2005, and was bitten in the face and neck
by the Collie/mix chained there.

A woman received bites requiring stitches, after being
attacked by a Catahoula Leopard Dog.

A chained Briard killed an 8-year-old child visiting
the owner's property.

After his second attack by the same Dalmation, a
postal worker described the dog as "the most
aggressive dog" he'd come across in 16 years.

In July, 2005, a boy finally admitted that his report
of being attacked by a 'pit bull' was false.  He had
actually been attacked by a friend's German Shepherd.
He says he filed the false report because he wanted to
protect his friend.

April, 2005, a 6-year-old boy in St. Joseph,
Saskatchewan, had to undergo plastic surgery to repair
the damaged caused when he was mauled by a neighbour’s
German Shepherd dog.

Source: GoodPooch.com independent research, asst'd
news services, reader input, & Understand-a-bull.com