I recently finished the book The Pit Bull Placebo by Karen Delise. An electronic version is available for free from the National Canine Research Center.
I don’t know that I’d recommend this book. It basically examines news reports of dog attacks from the turn of the century through the present to identify the factors involved in dog aggression towards people and to dispel the myth of the pit bull as a inherently dangerous dog.
The first few chapters recount fatalities caused by popular types of dogs from the 1900s. These were mainly caused by Newfoundlands, Mastiffs, St. Bernards, and other popular guard dogs of the time, but did you know that collies were responsible for several fatalities in the mid-1900s? Kind of shatters that image of Lassie that I had from my childhood. The point is that all breeds can aggressive and dangerous if neglected and abused, particularly when a breed is most popular.
The most interesting fact that I read in the book had to be this one:
The fact that there is no documented case of a single, spayed/neutered Pit bull or Pit bull-type dog, maintained exclusively as a household pet, involved in a fatal attack on a human in the United States is proof that canine behavior is profoundly influenced by the function of the dog and quality of care and control practiced by owners.
I live with two pit bulls. I love the breed for it’s loyalty and good nature, and I’ll stand up for pitties at any opportunity. I read a lot about the breed and follow the efforts to rehabilitate the Vick dogs and the dogs from the Oklahoma bust. But I’d never heard this fact, and it’s surprising to me that it’s never made it into a media story that I’ve seen.
I’ve long had a theory that pit bulls are a most resilient and forgiving breed. If you spend any amount of time in neighborhoods like the west side of Salt Lake or Rainier Beach in Seattle, you’ll see a lot of pits chained up in back yards. They’re often emaciated and bred frequently. They’re primarily guard dogs, kept around because they look tough. They don’t get a lot of attention, and when they do, it’s probably not the good kind. There are probably hundreds of thousands of pit bulls kept like this in neighborhoods across America, and the amazing thing is that in, spite of it all, so many of these dogs are actually good dogs. Even pit bulls who have been abused horribly can come into homes where they are treated well and be great dogs.
The moral of this story is that pit bulls are the least of our worries. In fact, they aren’t a worry at all. If you want to prevent dog bites and aggression, spay and neuter your dog. Don’t chain it up outside. Don’t let it run around and terrorize your neighbors. Socialize it. Encourage the people you know to do the same.
And if there’s a breed you do want to worry about, I’d say it’s chihuahuas. They’ve apparently taken over California, and this one won’t stop terrorizing my pit bull puppy.
