Fact: Any breed of dog is capable of attacking a human. But 56 percent of all fatal dog attacks in the United States in the past five years were committed by pit bulls, according to a report released last week by the organization DogsBite.org. “During the 1980s and 1990s, fatal dog attacks averaged 17 per year. The death-by-dog-bite rate now is nearly double this amount at over 30 per year and largely due to pit bulls,” the group says. The tips below can be used against any breed of dog that happens to attack, up to and including the pit bull. (And to those who claim that humans’ anxiety about pit bull attacks is fostering an environment where pit bulls are subliminally encouraged to attack: I will not discuss matters of human culpability and mind-reading pit bulls because YOU ARE INSANE.)
“Trying to make friends with strange dogs is not a good idea,” says David Wiley, a Seattle dog behavioral therapist with BarkBusters.com. “Don’t try to pay attention to a dog in a car or behind a fence—even friendly dogs can be territorial.”
Never let yummy little kids—who make sudden, startling, unpredictable movements—anywhere near unleashed pit bulls.
If you find yourself on what feels like the verge of being attacked: “Don’t run—the movement can make the dog more excited and chase you. Stand completely still and cross your hands in front of you. Don’t make direct eye contact, which can come across as a challenge. Don’t turn your back, as it may embolden the dog. Just stand still. Once the dog loses interest, back away,” says Wiley.
So you’ve stood still and avoided eye contact, and still the dog in question shows signs of dangerous aggression. If you can get yourself somewhere higher than the ground, do it. If you can stand on a car, stand on a car. (You can worry about possibly denting a stranger’s hood and roof later—just get the fuck up there.)
If there’s no car or any other higher level handy, “don’t try to defend yourself, just protect yourself,” says Emily Keegans, behavior program manager at the Seattle Humane Society. “That basically means to get down on the ground, pull your knees to your chest, clasp your hands behind your neck, put your elbows around your face.” This play-dead-while-defending-your- tender-face-and-lap-bits approach is seconded by Wiley: “Stillness is the best thing. If a dog gets its teeth into you, fighting back can make things worse.”
There’s nothing as low drama as spraying the animal with a pain-inducing repellent. If your life regularly takes you through areas populated with dogs, get Mace (or pepper spray, or citronella). Do it now, because all other “fighting back” options are nauseatingly violent. Butch’s Gun Shop on Aurora Avenue sells a small container of Mace for around $12, while REI sells an eight-ounce “bear spray” for $30.
Is there something heavy you can grab? A rock, a brick, a boom box? If so, smash it against the dog’s head until it retreats or loses consciousness.
Or can you or someone else grab the attacking dog’s legs? If so, yank them apart to break the dog’s knees.
If that’s not possible, choke it. Don’t straddle the dog, but get into a position with the bony part of your forearm against its throat and put pressure on the windpipe “for at least 30 seconds until the dog is unconscious and has stopped struggling,” says self-defense specialist Charles Prosper.
Is choking not in the cards? Do you have something to wrap around your arm? Say, a jacket? If so, wrap it around your nondominant arm and let the dog bite it. Then fall on top of the fucker and dig your fingers into its eyes. Don’t stop until the dog’s a whimpering mass of blindness, then get yourself to safety. 
The follow-up: How to Defeat Someone Made Furious by ‘How to Defeat a Pit Bull with Your Bare Hands.’
This is the best the stranger can do? What are you the Christian Science Monitor now? I have an idea, how about banning ghetto ass mother fuckers (black AND white) from having pits – problem solved
Expect mindlessly reactionary blogs to freak out over this. Don’t be surprised if your e-mail inbox is filled with vague threats and photos of doe-eyed Pitmonster puppies.
This makes me sad to be a Stranger reader.
As someone who has been chased by pitbulls twice (luckily the owners were able to contain them both times) this is relevant to my interests.
@4, Yeah, I particularly like the illo for #5: looks like the pitbull is smiling at the human’s vain effort at survival!
You people are completely out of ideas, aren’t you?
Really, guys?
“How to Defeat a Hipster with Your Bare Hands” would be more useful.
As someone who has been chased by pitbulls twice (luckily the owners were able to contain them both times) this is relevant to my interests.
Pit bulls steal land from Palestinians!
Oh my god! This is the greatest article ever!
When I was 13 years old I was attacked by a rottweiller. Luckily I was an experienced wrestler having competed for two years already. I was able to get on the dogs back and wrap my legs around it’s stomach and put the dog in a choke hold then rolled onto my back so the dogs legs were in the air, then I choked it until it passed out. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever encountered. Still gives me chills thinking about how close I came to having my face chewed off.
@8 Point behind them and shout “Oh look! Animal Collective is playing an ironic, off-key impromtu show!” and then punch them in their PBR-addled skull.
Seriously though, fuck Animal Collective.
@8 – Please write that. (:=
Nothing better to write about or just hit writer’s block? Typical. Sad indeed to be a reader.
It’s always surprised me how little info there is on self-defense against canine attackers compared to humans.
One point to add – if the dog is wearing a collar, grab it and start twisting until it relaxes, goes unconscious, or dies of strangulation.
Also, playing dead is probably going to get you killed if your attacker is a gladiator breed in the red zone. Best way to protect your jugular and face is to stay on your feet.
@12 – Seconded
@13 If Dan or Christopher let me, I totally would.
“Option 5: If confronted by a hipster, break their black glasses. They may bite, so use nearby blunt objects to avoid the range of their mouths, as infection may result from contact with lip piercings. You will have a 50/50 chance of escape here, as studies have shown only 50% of hipsters have a need for corrective emo glasses.”
@13 If Dan or Christopher let me, I totally would.
“Option 5: If confronted by a hipster, break their black glasses. They may bite, so use nearby blunt objects to avoid the range of their mouths, as infection may result from contact with lip piercings. You will have a 50/50 chance of escape here, as studies have shown only 50% of hipsters have a need for corrective emo glasses.”
@13 If Dan or Christopher let me, I totally would.
“Option 5: If confronted by a hipster, break their black glasses. They may bite, so use nearby blunt objects to avoid the range of their mouths, as infection may result from contact with lip piercings. You will have a 50/50 chance of escape here, as studies have shown only 50% of hipsters have a need for corrective emo glasses.”
I have NO idea why that posted three times. I got whacked with a Proxy error from the Stranger Server the first and only time I hit submit.
this article is fucking great
@21 nails it. There’s a reason this dog was our mascot in WWI and WWII, and was used as Petey in Little Rascals and Our Gang. They’re a good breed, but any breed in the hands of idiots is dangerous. A Yorkie could be trained to be as vile as any attack pit bull (admittedly, defending against a Crazed Yorkie would only be as hard as your ability to kick a football).
The best option is to shove your hand down its mouth as far as possible. The dog will not be able to bite you while you do this. It will be stunned and choking. Then, expand your hand, turn your outstretched hand towards you in a motion similar to constricting a bag and clasp firmly. Pull with great force.
The pit bull will be half inside out.
No one will ever mess with you again for the rest of your days.
Thirty deaths per year in the entire country. Thirty. And your assertion is that pit bulls have added about 15 to that otherwise unremarkable total.
To put that in perspective, in the United States, there are about 60 deaths per year from lightning strikes. Bees kill about 50 Americans per year. About 120 people are killed every year when their car hits a deer.
Dogs are societally problematic for a lot of reasons; they spread disease, dog owners manage their dogs poorly, and occasionally they attack people, which is scary and creates a general public nuisance. Write about that, instead of writing about the dog-related problem that someone is least likely to have.
Again, like the meth thing — you guys are just engaging in a bullshit scare campaign.
I run nearly every morning around the Greenlake/Ravenna/Wedgewood area and in the past 4 years I have been nearly attacked by three pit bulls. And these are pit bulls that are supposed to be well trained, well cared for and owned by nice people. And on those 3 occasions I have used pepper spray when the animal began to charge at me.
Pit Bulls need to be banned. Pure and simple. Owning a Pit Bull is the dog owner example of a gun owner feeling they have a right to own a semi-automatic rifle.
56 percent of all fatal dog attacks in the United States in the past five years were committed by pit bulls.
Well, maybe. But the people probably deserved it. They were probably guilty of something. They had to be since pit bulls are actually angels put on Earth by Jesus.
Rad. The Stranger now advocates beating dogs? Or assuming that because a dog looks a certain way that it’s ok to kick the shit out of it? Whatevs. Pit Bulls are strong. So are Rots, so are Labradors, so are St. Bernards, so are Huskies, so are German Shepherds, so are any number of large dogs. Hell, Dobermans got popular in the 80s and were tough-guy dogs back then (and everybody claimed that they were too dangerous to live).
The problem isn’t the breed, it’s animal abuse and/or gross negligence on the part of the owner. If you were to instantly vaporize all of the Pit Bulls in the US trailer trash everywhere would just move on to another breed and we’d all be wringing our hands over German Shepherds (which used to be Alsatian Wolf Dogs before a PR move to change their name in 1977).
I have a pit bill in my neighborhood that gets loose now and then scaring the crap out of people. So I got mace to keep handy.
When looking up what to buy I read that pepper spray and mace used on people do not work so well with dogs, especially pit bulls. Supposedly the tear ducts are different and one needs the mace made for dogs. I got one called “the muzzle” and hopefully I won’t have to put it to the test.
Could be advertising bullshit and both sprays are the exact same. . .but wanted to mention it in case it’s true and there actually is a difference.
Also, when reading the users testimonies on the muzzle, a few people said the muzzle spray didn’t work on red zone pit bulls. Plain ol’ riled up/aggressive pit bulls and the other breeds it did work fine.
As a paperboy in the 70’s, I found a water pistol filled with water & ammonia works very nice. Aim for eyes, nose & mouth.
this is really great i love how its gonna piss off a bunch of uptight dog lovers. would have liked to see a real article and not just a shorty but whatever
Nothing in this article is specific to pit bulls. The article could have just as easily been titled: “How to defeat an aggressive dog with your bare hands.” Calling out Pit Bulls specifically in the title is clearly just a shock tactic.
Animals are like people – they’ve got different personalities, and many of them are assholes. If a dog (or a person) makes a violent attack on me, I would not hesitate to do whatever was needed to stop the attack.
@25
30 deaths a year, maybe, but just shy of 800,000 emergency room visits, and more than 4.5 million bites. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml…
The danger is real.
@25
30 deaths a year, maybe, but just shy of 800,000 emergency room visits, and more than 4.5 million bites. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml…
The danger is real.
@25
30 deaths a year, maybe, but just shy of 800,000 emergency room visits, and more than 4.5 million bites. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml…
The danger is real.
@morrolan That’s total horseshit since your link is about dog bites in general, not pit bulls.
Your equating it there would make it sound like pit bulls roam the street en masse like extras in a George Romero film, attacking and biting every human in sight.
Nothing like giving into mainstream sensationalism and scare tactics. How about an article on how to fend off violence perpetrated by a loved one. That is more relevant and may save more lives, emergency room visits, etc. Very disappointed to be a reader right now.
Also: Wear heavy boots and aim for the neck. A good kick to the neck can lift it off of all four feet, spin it onto its back, and collapse the windpipe. I had to do this in Bend once. A very spooky, barbaric feeling afterward. Like I had just faced down mortal danger and kicked its ass. I’m glad I was sober at the time.
Wow, gee.
Would there happen to be any representatives from the UNITED FRONT TO CRUSH ANY RESERVATIONS PEOPLE MAY HAVE ABOUT PIT BULLS AND DEFEND PIT BULLS AT ALL COSTS posting in this forum today?
@35
If you read the whole page you just linked to from the CDC, at the bottom they refer you to resources on how to prevent dog bites. Primarily the AVMA’s Community approach to dog bite preventio… (PDF).
Wherein you will learn all the many reasons why breed bans, or any focus on dog breeds, does not work, and instead efforts should be on education, neutering, enforcement, and so on. Articles like this Stranger thing are the opposite of education, by the way. Disinformation, I think, is the word for it.
So you’re right. The CDC is concerned about 800,000 ER visits per year over dog bites, and they, along with the American Veterinary Medical Association, have determined that going bananas over pit bulls is not the solution.
Maybe there’s a few of us out there that grew up knowing how to handle animals. Frankly people that walk around scared of dogs are weak and should not be taken seriously, kind of like Lindy West’s movie reviews.
What’s next–an article on how not to be hit by PIT BULL lightning? Or maybe one on how to survive a PIT BULL plane crash? Or maybe how to survive an assassination attempt by a PIT BULL. Hey, how about METH DEALERS with PIT BULLs–knock off two in one.
For the record, no, I don’t own a big dangerous dog of any breed and never have. But The Stranger is usually against that mainstream media fear-flaming bullshit type of story, so it was kinda surprising to see it here. That’s all.
What’s next–an article on how not to be hit by PIT BULL lightning? Or maybe one on how to survive a PIT BULL plane crash? Or maybe how to survive an assassination attempt by a PIT BULL. Hey, how about METH DEALERS with PIT BULLs–knock off two in one.
For the record, no, I don’t own a big dangerous dog of any breed and never have. But The Stranger is usually against that mainstream media fear-flaming bullshit type of story, so it was kinda surprising to see it here. That’s all.
What an utterly random article.
Are ratings sagging? I’m beginning to think that this is a premeditated strategy to show advertisers how popular the website is. One sure fire way to drum up traffic and comments is to insult people’s dogs…
This is perfect and helpful.
Sure, sure, pit bulls can be totally sweet dogs. But they can also be fucking monsters.
On a more serious note I do own a large breed, a Dogue de Bordeaux. You have to be a committed owner and socialize/train your dog especially the more aggressive ones. It seems most people buy pits to compensate for their small winky. The breed is not for inexperienced owners.
A word of advice, NEVER back a hipster into a corner. They are especially vicious then.
Only 47 comments? C’mon Pitfools, you’re letting us all down.
Why didn’t Dominic Holden write this, since he and his brother are members of Dogsbite.org ? Conflict of interest?
Why a study of five years? Was it the only way to bump the stats to 50%?
Check out that site..it is SO FUNNY..falsified stats and omitted attacks…I’m glad it was referenced so readers can see what loonies the Dogsbite people are:)
According to 2009 stats, pits are responsible for 20% and labs 17% and Rotties 15% of fatal attacks
Dogsbite won’t tell you this bc an active DB member (Sandy) has Rotties and they dare not upset lab owners.
Anyone with half a brain can see that attack stats are high for pitties and labs as they are POPULAR/greatest in numbers among the dog pop.
Anyway, check out the dbsite for a chuckle:)
Why didn’t Dominic Holden write this, since he and his brother are members of Dogsbite.org ? Conflict of interest?
Why a study of five years? Was it the only way to bump the stats to 50%?
Check out that site..it is SO FUNNY..falsified stats and omitted attacks…I’m glad it was referenced so readers can see what loonies the Dogsbite people are:)
According to 2009 stats, pits are responsible for 20% and labs 17% and Rotties 15% of fatal attacks
Dogsbite won’t tell you this bc an active DB member (Sandy) has Rotties and they dare not upset lab owners.
Anyone with half a brain can see that attack stats are high for pitties and labs as they are POPULAR/greatest in numbers among the dog pop.
Anyway, check out the dbsite for a chuckle:)
What a cruel, alarmist piece of crap. Not to mention the obvious problems with the “data” this piece was hooked to.
I love you Stranger, but I tossed this issue straight into the trash. Doesn’t deserve to be recycled.
Yes, really great article on how to beat the shit out of an animal. I’m hoping to start up a “dog defense” class where I get animal shelter dogs and practice beating the crap out of them.
Now can you write another article on how to defend oneself against the dogfighting ringleader, after I just killed his dog?
For the record, Federal Army & Navy Surplus on 1st Ave carries pepper spray (better than mace, look it up). 7 bucks and tax gets you a half ounce canister, good for a couple sprays. This stuff is stronger than what the cops use, so one spray is all you’d need. And yeah, I’m an employee shilling for my store.
This is a very interesting, instigatory, and satirical article. It’s also productive, and thank you for that!
A lot of popular dog breeds were intended for hunting, tracking, killing vermin, or guarding. They were bred to be tools and in the city are treated like family. A non-dog person shouldn’t be expected to anticipate their actions, but should have easy information about how to handle them.
Leash Law: If you’re uncomfortable with dogs off leash, avoid areas where that takes place. If offleash is happening where it isn’t allowed and it poses a problem for you, contact the authority in charge of that area and tell them.
Body Language: Dogs often respond to motion-
i.e., whizzy, exuberant, high speed. Joggers, cyclists and skateboarders need to be aware of that, especially if you’re noisy or if you’re on a sidewalk and a dog-walker has nowhere else to go.
Dogs aren’t mind readers, but they ARE body readers. If you appear hostile or threatened, your posture will show it. Be cool. You also smell different when you’re stressed out.
Having been attacked by a dog myself a couple of years ago I appreciate a good how-to in self defense. That being said, I think the stigma around “dangerous pit bulls” is way overblown. Why not focus instead on the idiot owners that promote violence in these poor creatures. They’re the ones that should be put down.
@50, @51 – Link, or it’s not true.
Here — Copy & paste this into the comment area:
(Alarmist, Straw-Man Argument in Response to Legitimate Public Safety Concern)
There, I hope that saved someone some effort.
I used to run in an obscure western fringe area of Griffith Park in the Hollywood Hills — rustic dirt roads etc. These fairly prosperous middle aged pseudo bohemian types would stand around yakking on the road while their dogs ran free, a violation of posted leash laws. When I approached the people, the big dogs reacted as if thinking I was a threat to their owners. I had to slow to a walk to avoid provoking the dogs to attack me. The dogs would always walk right up to me as I walked past the owners, the dogs sometimes making contact with me. The obliviously selfish dog owners could not understand why I was peeved by their imposition on my freedom to run in the public park, thinking my own thoughts, instead of stopping to calculate the odds of being mindlessly injured by a beast. Whatever they want to do is supposed to be okay with everyone else. They expected me to be satisfied with their assurances that their big dogs won’t attack. But there was nothing (like a leash in use) to prevent it if the dogs had their own ideas. The owners expected me to serenely gamble my chance of injury on their worthless spoken words. I equated to “What if I want to swing a sharp blade within inches of your skin, telling you to ‘Relax, because I won’t touch you’?? Would you be A-OK with that??”
In this case, the selfish jerk dog owners were not trailer trash or ethnic minorities or the teen blasting his car stereo. Nope, they were middle aged middle class white people (like me).
@58 http://www.kcdogblog.com
http://www.canineresearchcouncil.com
or Google Canine Aggression Issues with Jim Crosby
also http://www.cdc.org
@50
You’re absolutely correct. I’ve worked with dogs for years and have seen literally hundreds of pit bull type dogs in my life and at the clinics I’ve worked. In all those years, I’ve only known of one that was truly a vicious dog.
Pit bulls, like any other large terrier, are going to have a higher tendency towards dog aggression, and be more assertive. As such, they aren’t really for the inexperienced dog owner, but for someone with common sense, they are fine dogs. There really isn’t anything that unique about their behavior–other breeds have the same behavioral traits, they just aren’t as popular.
Largely, however, pit bulls are the current darling dogs of the stupidest people on earth. I know–I’ve met them. I have met some of the absolute dumbest pit bull owners out there, and I was only shocked they hadn’t been bitten or killed by their dogs sooner.
In the hands of most decent people (which is a sizable portion of the population now–pit bulls are everywhere), they are just fine. In the hands of idiots, they are a problem. It’s no point banning them, though, another breed would just take their place.
For people that walk, run, or ride a bike, being attacked by a strangers dog is a real concern. If you live in the city and drive your car everywhere, you probably don’t have to worry about it very much. Since I like to ride a bike and walk a lot, I have had numerous, terrifying experiences with dogs and I appreciate the advice.
Many of these where in rural areas where the owners of the dogs were nowhere in sight. It always amazes me how clueless dog owners can be about the issue, even when they are a few feet away.
If you walk or ride a bike a lot, being attacked by a strangers dog is a real issue. If you live in the city and drive a car everywhere you might not think about it very much. I have had a lot of terrifying experiences with dogs and I appreciate the advice. Many of the times I have been attacked have been in rural areas where the owners were nowhere in sight. You may love your dog, but to a stranger who is about to be mauled, it is the same as any other wild animal. Would you fight a cougar or a shark if it attacked you? Hell yes.
Where is #7?
Shove your arm down the beasts throat and pull out its insides. I was attacked by a cruel dog years ago and I can personally attest to this working.
Oh, I miss read the headline, I thought it said Republican, my bad. I don’t have an arguement now.
Oh, I miss read the headline, I thought it said Republican, my bad. I don’t have an arguement now.
Oh, I miss read the headline, I thought it said Republican, my bad. I don’t have an arguement now.
Oh, I miss read the headline, I thought it said Republican, my bad. I don’t have an arguement now.
Oh, I miss read the headline, I thought it said Republican, my bad. I don’t have an arguement now.
Pit Bulls are actually friendly loving creatures that happen to express their love by maiming you. The best thing you can do while that is happenning is pet their teeth GENTLY, you insensitve assholes.
I’m not going to pretend I have an opinion on breed bans or what to do with an over-bred, aggressive species of dog. there are plenty of people who can go on and on until they’re blue in the fingers. and this is most likely why The Stranger insists on hammering the pit bull thing obsessively… no shortage of idiots running their mouths in the comment section (really? you actually believe they are advocating abuse rather than self-defense? do you shout “racist” in front of women’s self-defense classes too?). all the same, this walks the thin line between sensationalist garbage and somewhat useful information AND entertainment, so well done guys.
here’s my two cents: I recently got duped into dogsitting my friend’s bull terrier for a weekend. it went as horribly as can be expected (I considered boarding it, but didn’t have its immunization records and knew it was an aggressive dog), but by the end I said “fuck it, just get through this, they’ll be home soon enough”. annnnnnd then it nearly killed a kid in my neighborhood. I was just walking it on the final morning and there was an eight year old kid 25 feet away just standing there, waiting for the bus, not even moving. the dog flipped. apeshit. ravenous. I could barely control it and I’m a big dude. basically, it wound up being me dragging the dog back to my house in front of all my neighbors looking like a huge asshole.
this was a completely unprovoked incident. in the light of random, unprovoked incidents, knowing how to handle the situation isn’t a bad idea.
The breed has hair-trigger and somewhat un-predictable mental and personality traits, coupled with jaws that are far more powerful than most breeds. Recipe for a pet owner’s worst nightmare- your dog maims a child. Yet the breed’s apologists continue to rattle on about how they’re no more dangerous than a chihuahua and it was all the kid’s fault. Geez.
I own two cockatoos who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Yet I never trust them around strangers and small children, because they are excitable, do un-predictable things when startled and have beaks *capable* of biting off a nose, ear or eye.
Couldn’t the pit bull apologists at least have the decency to acknowledge what I’m willing to do with my little 2 pound birds?
I love my dog and my cat. I also like my concealed .40 that I bring on rides now (out of state here). I hope I never ever feel the need to use it, but after being chased by three loose Rotts one day, I carry the pistol. I love animals and get along just fine with almost every dog I’ve met, but if it comes down to me (or a loved one) versus someone’s dog, the dog goes, end of story.
I respect and get the feelings of people defending their breeds- there are misunderstandings and half-truths out there. However, that has nothing to do with the utility of knowing how to defend yourself from canine threats.
Good article. I would add ways to identify threats and the importance of being aware of your surroundings. I avoid certain problem areas with dogs. Sure, I may be in the right to be there, and the dogs shouldn’t be loose and aggressive, but avoidance is a lot better than knowingly putting myself in danger and having to kill a dog.
Speaking of, time to ride. Happy Thursday. 🙂
I enjoyed this.
The bottom line is that most people (educated or not, white or not) are not educated on how to handle and care for dogs. I have two and realized eight years into owning the first that I was pretty clueless. They need to be consistently looked after and regularly reminded that they are not in charge (and this is with two gentle ones).
I am disheartened by the kind of dog owner that thinks their dog could never do wrong, walks their dog off leash, neglects to pick up poop, believes their dog is there for their amusement and “forgets” that it is a living being with its own needs and desires.
Love the drawings.
I don’t want to hate on pit bulls in particular (I’ve met nice ones and aggressive ones), but I would like to offer some advice. If a dog is about to attack you (and you don’t have a better alternative), consider kicking it in the head, HARD.
I read this piece of advice after a German Shepherd mauled my Border Collie mix. I’ve had to use it several times on other dogs (including a pit bull) and it works. In all cases, the dogs were interested in attacking my dog and not me. They were shocked to be kicked in the head and retreated immediately.
I love dogs, but I see nothing wrong with self-defense. I wish I had known about the kick-to-the-head trick earlier: it was truly awful to stand and watch that German Shepherd attack and injure my dog. The attack only lasted a few seconds, but it was severe enough for my dog to require surgery.
The best way to defeat a charging pit bull is to throw a copy of The Stranger at it. Dogs hate dogshit.
There should have been in illustration of the dog getting its eyes gouged out.
Seriously, fuck you fucking dog lovers. I’m really sick of having to pick my child up because your god-damned wonderful dog is too precious to be put on a fucking leash. So what if it’s not the dog’s “fault” that it’s fucked up? It’s still fucked up and needs to be killed.
@79 you make no sense, what part of town are you at where random savage dogs are roaming off-leash?
My son’s lab raises her hair whenever I come to visit. It can take up to an hour before she will not threaten me. Aggressiveness is not peculiar to any breed but perhaps it may be a trait. Rotwilers and dobermans were bred for guarding and do this very well but I don’t believe that I would want one around a three year old child.
Pure bred dogs can be inbred and weird. A mutt will be more stable and a better friend. Puppy mills are bad. If you want a dog, go to the pound and choose the dog with the wagging tail and not the one that barks loudest.
Thanks David, this is valuable information. It should be repackaged as a pamphlet and available at all libraries and city and county offices.
@8 “just don’t look, just don’t look, just don’t look”
Great article, great artwork. Fuck aggressive dogs and the idiotic people who own them. I knew a girl who would cry all the time about people judging her precious pitbull that she herself would have to hide from when it went into a “pitfit”
Wow guys really?? I was just thinking last week that the paper hasn’t had any really good articles lately. Now I know why…your a bunch of idiots.
>implying hipsters aren’t 98 lb weaklings that get blown over in the breeze.
Quit talking about beating up hipsters you alarmists.
It surprises me how many people are screaming “fuck you fucking dog lovers”. What are you? 9 years old? Do you not have a heart? I’m sorry you have to pick your daughter up when dogs come around her, but, if you’re like any other mindless plebian I’ve met around this city, you’re having to do that in dog parks. Instead of worrying about the dogs, worry about the morons who own them. And they’re not just minorities or street kids (which happen to be a majority of pit bull owners these days) they’re average people who have no fucking clue how to handle a creature like that. All you idiots who think Cesar Milan is god are fucking clueless. Dogs don’t need to be domiated, they need to be taught what is right and what is wrong and they need to be told that EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not with abuse, but with positive reinforcement. Being a dog lover myself, who was also attack by dogs in the past (1 doberman, 1 rott, and 1 dauschund) and have now owned 2 pittbulls, I can confidently say that pitties are the most gentle breed of dogs I’ve ever encountered (and being a dog walker I see many dogs everyday). The stranger should be ashamed of themselves for writing such filth. Of course you’re going to get a lot of angry people on here, because this paper is feeding into the mainstream bullshit that pitbulls are bad dogs. Educated socitiety on how to care about dogs, they’re not just your best friend.. they’re fucking kids. They’re clueless, have little to no reasoning skills when it comes to morals (they’re animals for crying out loud) and if you’re going to own one, be fucking responsible and EDUCATE YOURSELF. If you don’t know how to train a dog DONT GET ONE. I’m tired of going to parks and walking my dog and people not know how to control their dog and MY dog getting blamed just because she’s a pitbull. I’ve never seen a pitbull aggress another dog, and the only times I’ve ever experienced that happening is when some dumbass is running on a path and freaking the fuck out because a dog wants to sniff them or see why they’re running. As sad as it may be that people get attacked by dogs, I’m more saddened by the fact that we let idiots own dogs and then place blame on the animal, not the morons raising the pups. Take accountability for your actions and maybe there will be far less people bitten by dogs.
Wow guys really??? I was just thinking the other day how this paper has not come out with a good article in a bit. Well now I know why…there is a bunch of idiots at work. So many things to fear, so little time. You guys love Seattle so much and the wonderful people who live here and picked this one. SMART!
Consider your paper dead to me.
More and more, I think everyone’s better off carrying a baseball bat wherever s/he goes. Works on pitbulls and hipsters alike.
@73. Yes. A cockatoo is capable of severing fingers, blinding, and even (ouch just thinking) many parrots when startled will attack the frenulum between the nostrils.
I have a cockatiel. Even that little bird, at 4 oz, is capable of badly injuring a child if angered or startled.
Pit Bulls, like any animal, but especially because of their idiosyncracies, are very dangerous.
I have lost all respect for the Stranger. I realize this is 1 staff writer’s ignorant opinion of Pit Bulls, however, there is a staff and/or editor who reviews & consents to each article & editorial. David Smader has picked a set of inaccurate ‘facts’ to validate his ideas. What I would like to know is How Do I Defeat a Shallow, Hysterical Stranger Writer with my Bare Hands?
This is just wrong, wreckless and irresponsible.
I have lost respect for The Stranger.
Despite the predictable and tiresome outrage from dog lovers, I’m happy to receive tips on how to protect myself against a real problem. Is a dog’s life really worth so much that a person shouldn’t defend himself when attacked?
I have a lab. She sometimes slips under the gate and disappears for a day or two, but she always makes it home in the end. She is, after all, a retriever. That’s what they were bred to do.
My neighbor had a Bassett Hound. He would sometimes flop his ears down off the front porch where he slept, and wander a few houses up the street. He would find some tree and sit at the bottom of it, baying soulfully. He never came home on his own – if my neighbor called for him, he would perk his ears up and bark louder. He was, after all, a hound. That’s what they were bred to do.
My neighbor and I are not hunters. Neither one of us trained these behaviors into our dogs – the behaviors came in the genes.
What behaviors come in a pit bull’s genes? What were they bred to do?
Of course dog attacks have double since 1980…. So has the dog population in the united states. DAVID SCHMADER YOURE A DOUCHE.
You just lost a shit ton of readers.
I liked reading the stranger before this article, but frankly, don’t be a fucking idiot. The dogs’ reputation is made by the stupid fucking people who choose to make a very sweet breed vicious. I have a pitbull and she is the calmest, sweetest, most intelligient dog I’ve ever met. And her being banned from cities is a real pain in my ass. Pit Bulls are built strong and can look intimidating, but are only ‘vicious maneaters’ when they are in the hands of irresponsible fuckheads who don’t know how to treat animals. Sorry to rant but if somebody tried to mace, choke, or break my dogs knees because of the stereotypes of Pit Bulls I won’t hesitate to fuck somebody up. =]
Hello commenters! My response may be found here.
I liked this article – a LOT!
Fairly practical advice for the most part.
David, I wanted to comment on your slogpost regarding the comments here, but that doesn’t allow comments (perhaps in an effort to keep the rage focused here *smile*)
As devoted attendees of your bad movie screenings, we’ve long had debates over how to write out the sound effect of mind-boggling confusion/disbelief (almost akin to brain whiplash). I see you have chosen “Juh?” which works quite well (we’d played around with variants: dju, jehh, etc). Thanks!
I was always told to try and force your hand down his throat. Yes, he’s biting you, but he will die quickly if your arm is down his throat. Windpipes can also be crushed flat.
I’ve been menaced by pit bulls before, and if one truly went at me or my fiance, I would have no regrets kicking the LIVING SHIT out of it with my steel-toe boots. I’m sick of the terrified adrenaline heart-pounding feeling after some badly-trained fleabag runs at me snarling. This article could be repurposed for any dog, really. Remember the presa canario horror in San Francisco? The woman killed (KILLED) in her own apartment building by two 140 pound dogs? Fucking entitled dog owners. Die in a fire, assholes.
101: Thanks, and yes, “juh” does the trick. (It’s what you say when you’re so confused you can’t remember the word “huh?”)
“It’s not the dogs, it’s irresponsible owners, blah blah blah…”. This argument completely ignores the fact that pit bull fighting is a culture, and otherwise not so dangerous things often become dangerous things when an idea or culture uses them. Take the wearing of all blue and red: most high schools ban this because of its affiliation to gangs. There is nothing intrinsically bad about wearing all blue or red, though — you could say that barring huge leaps of logic into freak accident land, it has a danger level of 0. Likewise, pit bulls should be banned because they have unfortunately been picked up by a culture of macho dickheads who fight them. If pit bull lovers can figure out a way to squash this culture and ensure that these dogs don’t attack at a higher rate than your average dog, then great, I will give them a round of applause. But don’t start clapping anytime soon.
Schamder, your article would probably be a lot more accepted and no so inflammatory if you had titled it “how to defeat and attacking dog with your bare hands”
The strangers misguided hatred of pit bulls is getting old.
“It’s not the dogs, it’s irresponsible owners, blah blah blah…”. This argument completely ignores the fact that pit bull fighting is a culture, and otherwise not so dangerous things often become dangerous things when an idea or culture uses them. Take the wearing of all blue and red: most high schools ban this because of its affiliation to gangs. There is nothing intrinsically bad about wearing all blue or red, though — you could say that barring huge leaps of logic into freak accident land, it has a danger level of 0. Likewise, pit bulls should be banned because they have unfortunately been picked up by a culture of macho dickheads who fight them. If pit bull lovers can figure out a way to squash this culture and ensure that these dogs don’t attack at a higher rate than your average dog, then great, I will give them a round of applause. But don’t start clapping anytime soon.
Dog attack survivor here.
I’d say: I prefer not to use bare hands, but yes: gouging eyes is an excellent and proven method to slow ANY violent animal attack (bear, dog, those damn fiesty squirrels), …including from humans.
Good article – fairly entertaining, slightly educational I suppose for those who haven’t endured a dog attack before. Love the art. Dead on true about using forarm. Meanly-trained Rotties, Dobes and PB’s like tasty fingers. Trust me.
One other point that needs to be brought up: I don’t really give a fuck about dog fighting, so long as it’s done out in the middle of nowhere. For someone who eats meat, or even vegans and vegetarians who tolerate the fact that others in the world eat meat (almost everyone, in other words), it’s hard to make a case against letting dogs go at each other for entertainment when you aren’t out there trying to stop them from being eaten.
The key thing is that dog fighting take place in rural areas: if you have your dogs in a modern, safe kennel, and you fight them well away from civilization, then fine. I think what you’re doing is stupid, but I don’t really care. What I do have a problem with is this culture’s base in urban and suburban areas, where there are kids and other tasty forms of meat walking around.
Don’t assume that dog lovers speak with one voice. I am a dog lover and I like this article. My gentle Golden was attacked by a pit and I wish I had the knowledge then to defend her and myself. She survived, but needed medical attention. I wonder if there are some stats about pit bull attacks on other dogs?
Just want to shatter any impression that all dog lovers are outraged by this article.
This will be the last time I read anything in The Stranger. This type of media attention is exactly why cities across the country try to pass BSL. Luckily, informed and educated individuals are starting to fight back against this discrimination and show communities that it isn’t just “pit bulls” that attack but a dog that is abused, neglected, not socialized can attack. If all reports of dog bites where in the media as much as pit bull bites were, people would actually be aware that pits are NOT the dogs that bite the most – labrador retrievers are. Pit bulls are intelligent, loving dogs that get a bad rap partially by people like David Schmader. Get your facts straight David – and spend more time writing intelligent articles vs. ill informed crap like this….Never mind – I won’t read it anyways.
I’m the owner of the sweetest, friendliest dog you ever met. And she’s a pit bull. She’s less aggressive than my previous dogs, a cocker spaniel and a lab-collie mix. But the reason she continues to be sweet and gentle is that I have trained her to be that way. She knows I am her “alpha”, and she has to do what I say all the time! I’ve socialized her to be gentle with other animals (she thinks our two cats are her babies) and with people. If you are careless with a weapon, and an untrained naturally aggressive animal is a weapon, bad things will happen. I’ve known chihuahuas that I wouldn’t get within 10 feet of, because they barked and lunged at me and tried to bite nonstop. And those breed laws? If pits were banned from everywhere, then people who want crazy mean dogs would pick another strong breed and start all again. The solution is mandatory education for all dog owners about their animals natural instincts and how to overcome them with training.
Oh David, your political career is looking good when you can post an article named “How to defeat a Pit Bull” and then backpedal trying to defend it by *retroactively retitling it* to “How to defend yourself from an attacking dog”.
The point is, you *didn’t* write an article called “How to defend yourself from an attacking dog”. You wrote one — specifically — on “how to defeat a *pit bull*”
In other words, if you are attacked by a German Shepherd, or Doberman, or even a Rottie, you’re fucked — because this guide is only for Satan Spawn Born Evil Pit Bulls. Stranger is not concerned with non-stereotypically-violent dogs.
(I wonder what Golob says about the Stranger’s canine eugenics?)
Another dog-lover here. I sorry to inform other dog lovers that there are some extraordinarily violence-bred pitbulls. One of my neighbors in Manhattan had three of them. It was a horror show when he took them up and down the stairs for walks. They were virtually uncontrollable, trying to bite through their chain leashes until they were bleeding from the mouths, and berserk from the taste of their own blood. They would attack each other, and I believe they were related. The neighbor appeared caring and patient and would try to protect his animals from each other, and was strong enough to restrain them from biting people. The problem was the animals.
Never buy a pitbull pup without meeting both of its parents. Even then, there’s a lot of inbreeding with the breed, which can amplify negative behavioral traits. An awful lot of the extant pitbull stock comes from recent attempts at breeding dogs for pit-fighting contests. Fight breeders selected the strongest and most blood-thirsty dogs to breed with each other, and breed a lot of them, because they have a high attrition rate. Many of those pups that aren’t strong or vicious enough get sold or given away into the pet market, despite them having genes for really bad personalities. And if a couple of those are later bred to each other, watch out.
The sweet, child-friendly, protective “Buster Brown” dog bears no resemblence to these fighters with their massive T-Rex heads. Yes, it is the breed, at least as it’s presently constituted, sadly.
Thanks.
As a small woman I often feel like potential target/snack for these dogs/biological weapons/walking manifestations of human rage. It’s nice to have options.
I was once rushed by an unleashed pitbull. I froze–thanks self preservation instincts!–fortunately it was friendly or I was passive enough not to incite it.
How to spark interest in an increasingly vapid alternative weekly and increase hits on its website:
1) Write inflammatory, ignorant article in print edition.
2) ???
3) Profit
As much as I hope to never have occasion to use it, this is valuable information and I am glad to see it published. The tips for injuring the dog, as hard as they may be to swallow, are a necessary part of self-defense because you cannot reason with an aggressive pit bull. I don’t want to choke or maim a dog in any way if I am not forced to do so. There is simply no question that I would do any of these to protect my life and health. Getting up on a car — seems obvious, but it will save your life. Dogs lack the balance and motor skills to get to you there. Too bad these types of dogs often go after kids who are too small to effectively use any of these tactics.
i have thought about this from time to time, and it seems to me that unless the dog is extremely heavy, in relationship to the atackee, it might be best to simply allow the dog to lunge at you, then grab a leg ( remain very cool! ) and lean back while spinning, keep spinning, and then heave the dog over a fence, onto a roof, or into traffic.
???
Pit bull owners are are like the dickwads who insist on their right to carry guns into Starbucks.
They believe they have a constitutional right to casually intimidate their fellow citizens.
When I see a pit bull owner I think some combination of daddy issues/small penis/low self-esteem is being worked out on the public stage.
Anybody seen Kyle? ’bout this tall. Seen Kyle?
this article makes me ashamed of being a stranger reader.
You know, French poodles can also be quite vicious.
114: The title of the piece remains the same as when it was published, and all the tips in the piece can be used against any dog that may be attacking you.
pittielover @87 said:
Sorry, pittielover, but this statement shows that you are not a good dog owner. How is the runner supposed to know the dog’s intentions? You should KEEP the dog from approaching runners in the first place. You obviously do not properly control your dogs.
311_TruthMovement @109 said:
Only if you’re deluded. Otherwise it’s pretty easy, actually.
I always liked the stranger because they didn’t run all the same non-sense the other papers do. apparently this is changing…
@124, Schmader
That’s like posting and article on “how to kill black people” and then later on saying you can use the same methods to kill any other race too.
David, the reason Pit Bull fanciers are getting all, um, nonsensical furious, is because your poorly written article wasn’t really, as you say in your second post, about “how to defend yourself against an attacking dog”. It was about trying to inflame people against Pit Bulls. That article might have been interesting and useful. And I’m not just saying it was poorly written to be mean. Your sins:
1) Relying on sketchy statistics
2) Not disclosing The Stranger’s links to DogsBite.org
3) Setting up and knocking down straw men (humans’ anxiety at fault argument, really?)
4) Possibly bad info (is playing dead really a smart idea when being savaged?)
5) Not getting input from “the other side” Isn’t Dan always going on about this with pot stories?
105 has a point. There is a Pit Bull problem. Too many are vicious, too many attacks. The problem is real. And a lot of it centers around this breed. So how do we make the problem better? In deciding how we should act, it is very important to distinguish the *reason* for the problem. The Stranger thinks the problem is the breed. I think it is thuggish and/or ignorant owners. I think The Stranger is unwilling to pile onto these owners of bad dogs who are (let’s be honest here) usually poor, black, and dysfunctional with a sprinkling of white trash. Basically your train wreck demographic.
For the sake of argument, lets say we ban Pit Bulls. Do you honestly believe that the 20 yo drug dealer owner will say “oh well, I guess since it is illegal, I’ll just not have a dog at all! Oh look, I think I’ll go help that old lady across the street!”. No, they will just move on to another breed. There is a type of person who thinks they need a mean “guard dog” to keep them safe, and to enhance their image. These people will just pick a new “it” dog, and destroy that breed too.
So, these are my proposals, that will make a difference.
1)Make back-yard breeding illegal.
2)Make neutering mandatory, unless you you have a breeding permit.
3)Make seizing dogs much easier. If you are caught without a dog license the dog should be seized automatically. Then, you will be able to “adopt” the dog back from the shelter (if you and the dog pass the shelter’s screening procedure!) once it is licensed and neutered.
4)Make seizing dogs on cruelty grounds easier.
5)If a dog bites a human, it should be put down. End of story.
Another approach is to confuse it with Molly Moon’s overpriced ice-cream, or a Po Dog’s hotdog and then attack it with a R.E.I. pocket, nuclear harpoon.
@78:
Your statement is clear evidence of just how little you know about dogs. Apparently, you’ve never seen a dog gleefully roll around in its own (or another dog’s) shit, or worse yet, eat it.
I don’t mind this article. I am of the positive training philosophy, and continue to train my dog throughout her years. I hate people who do not train their dogs.
I have one more tip: this one is for stupid parents: KEEP YOUR KIDS OUT OF DOG PARKS.
I wouldn’t let my dog loose in your child’s playground, don’t let your child loose in my dog’s dogpark.
Aww boo hoo something that conflicts with my opinion. I am going to stop reading forever!
@131 – it’s not the dog parks that are the problem. Duh. I see WAAAY more dogs loose near (and even IN) children’s playgrounds than I see children loose in dog parks.
The problem is that half the dogs I see in PEOPLE parks are OFF LEASH. And what happens is when your stupid dog comes running at our kids we have no idea if it’s planning to lick them or eat them.
I’m with @21 & 23. The behavior of the dog–ANY DOG, cat, tarantula, pygmy goat, whatever—depends upon the training / lack of training, love, quality care–or violent abuse and other mistreatment by the human(s) responsible. I’ve met Doberman Pinschers that didn’t threaten to rip me to shreds.
If so-called pet owners don’t want to be responsible, maybe they’re better off not having pets.
@87 – How can a person learn to train a dog if they don’t own one? Also, you contradict yourself. My favorite instance is calling Cesar Milan fans “clueless idiots” right after proclaiming the dog-lover bashers here have the mental and emotional capacity of nine year-olds. Love when you launch into calling people “mindless plebian” or rather plebeians. You will win no support with that kind of attitude. Plus, you basically stole what I said, crapped all over it and posted it back on here.
@87 – How can a person learn to train a dog if they don’t own one? Also, you contradict yourself. My favorite instance is calling Cesar Milan fans “clueless idiots” right after proclaiming the dog-lover bashers here have the mental and emotional capacity of nine year-olds. Love when you launch into calling people “mindless plebian” or rather plebeians. You will win no support with that kind of attitude. Plus, you basically stole what I said, crapped all over it and posted it back on here.
@ 94 – You ask a very good question – what IS in those pit bull genes anyway?
@ 115 answers your very good question. 115 has it right – these dogs are exhibiting EXACTLY the behavior we bred into them. Unscrupulous breeders select for aggression and breed the most agressive dogs together – to result in just the kind of nightmare scenario that Brooklyn Reader describes.
All you ‘it’s not the dog, it’s the owner’ people out there take note: it IS the dog, in this sad case, much more so than Dobermans or Rottweilers. It damn sure IS the dog that’s the problem, a problem only exacerbated when lowlifes own hella snappin pits. You just have to wrap your minds around that fact: it IS the dog that is the problem, because we’ve bred it to be. Unless ALL pit breeders start selecting and breeding for gentleness (ha!), we will not, in our lifetimes, see the return of the Buster Brown-type pit bull dog. (And that’s a real fuckin bummer, because pits have all kinds of potential to be truly great dogs. Chalk it up to the shitheel-ness of humanity that we’re in the fix with them that we’re in now.)
And hey @ 109, 311TM – you’ve got a strange view of dog-fighting, dude. Because you think it’s mostly a rural phenomenon, you’re not bothered by it? Really? Outta sight, outta mind, right? Right………..
Hey, David Schmader, I think this article is useless, sensationalistic, fearmongering shit. Can you quote me in a SLOG post denouncing the article’s detractors? You can say “EPIC FAIL” or something. C’mon, it’ll be fun.
And how many of you worthless piece of craps that work at the Stranger have adopted a pit bull? You all disgust me. This paper isn’t even worthy of being recycled. Once again people not educating themselves about breeds.
This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read! I don’t know if I should feel sad for the author (for obviously being an elementary school drop out and not being able to use his brain for anything but useless babble) or mad (because he is just using this amazingly poor article to get his infamous name in the world, but will never be given a second thought).
Please get your information from a reliable sourse (not Dogsbite.org)! For those of you who don’t know- the highest number of dog bites are currently being held by the dachshund breed. You have a better chance of being bitten by a lab or a retriever than a pitbull. I work with dogs all day every day and can truthfully say that a dog, regardless of breed, age, and sex is what we humans make them to be! For some reliable and trustworthy websites check out:
http://www.thetruthaboutpitbulls.org/index.php
workingpitbull.com
outofthepits.org
http://www.badrap.org
http://www.pbrc.net
http://www.pitbullunited.com/wallacethepitbull/
http://www.realpitbull.com/
~Audrey
First of All…
ANYONE who sites or quotes Colleen Lynn of Dogsbite.org is a total idiot. Her website is 110% pure propaganda and slanted information. The woman was bitten by a pit bull years ago. GET OVER IT… In the course of rehab’ing and training the fight out of these abused and neglected dogs, I been bitten over a dozen times and I still believe they are the greatest breed known to man.
DO NOT MISCONSTUE an abused and neglected, over bred, ameciated, and fought for profit animal for one this is vicious. Sure, any animal enduring such horror should not be out in public until completely rehab’ed and trained and all of its medical needs are taken care of.
THAT is what some of us spend a life time doing while the rest of society shoves its head in the sand and chokes on EVERYTHING the government and media shoves down their throat.
One of the very most convenient things the government and media and loose cannons (Like Colleen Lynn) forget to mention is… the pit bulls who attack and end up on the 11’0’clock news make up less than 5% of the over all population. They also convenienty fail to mention all the good things and positive experiences people and other dogs have had with pit bulls.
Since they choose to conveniently omit this information… I WILL share it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TY6Km6Eq…
Until complete crazed losers like Colleen Lynn or Kory Nelson (Denver, CO) or KingHuman (Youtube) are ready to step up to a “PUBLIC” debate on the issue of Pit Bulls… I have nothing to say but “Go Back to 1949 McCarthyism where you belong. There is no place in the new milenium for your or your witch hunt.”
Chef David Edelstein and Team Pit-a-Full
Orange, CA
Boy, you pit bull owners are sure like a bunch of, um, well, pit bulls when it comes to defending these critters.
Like owner, like dog.
My American Pit bull is a better and more imaginative writer than Schmader. He clearly also has better manners.
I have often thought about what I would do when I see unleashed dogs around town. This after an unleashed dog (not a pit bull!) came after me on my motorcycle – it was a residential street and I was going slow enough that the dog easily caught up with me – in fact it got ahead of me (faster than I could have anticipated) and caused a crash.
The owner was startled and said “we’ve seen him go after bicyclists before, but never a motorcycle.” Which naturally made me wonder: if they’d seen the dog go after bicyclists, was that not enough to leash it?
Something important to note here: not only is there a leash law in Seattle (and other) city limits, but Washington state law says that dog owners (but not cats!) are liable for damages caused by their pets. All of them. Fully.
So that dog owner ended up paying for (quite expensive) repairs to my motorcycle.
This type of law is not unique to WA, but not all states have it. I do recall in Massachusetts hearing of (urban legend?) case law that established that a driver that deliberately ran down a dog in a town with a leash law + state “liable for all dog damages” law and the dog owner had to pay for damages to the driver’s car.
IANAL, YMMV and all that.
I love dogs.
Please keep yours on a leash in the city, choose not to have a dog in the city, or move to the country if you want to let your dog off leash.
How disappointing to see such a hateful fluff piece. I would have thought that The Stranger would be above mindless fear mongering. Disgusting.
Cujo was a rabid St. Bernard…
@80: Skyway, motherfucker. Roaming savage red-eyed pitbulls and chows several times a year. And how about Ballard? Our friend’s chihuahua was mauled to death by an on-leash pitbull owned by an average citizen.
Thanks, this is good to know. Stray dogs with heads the size of a bear’s are freaking terrifying. Especially when I’m walking my 20 pound dog while pushing my 2 year old in a stroller. I’ve been meaning to get some mace– thanks for the reminder.
At this moment, I have a 90 pound Pit Bull sleeping at my feet. He is about four years old, has never bitten anybody and has never fought with another dog. He’s dog friendly, child friendly and people friendly. Some of the nicest dogs I’ve met have been Pit Bulls.
I’ve been rescuing and rehabing dogs for 50 years and have never been bitten by a Pit Bull. At the present time I have seven dogs in my home: one is a Pit Bull and one is a Boxer/Pit mix. All seven live in harmony and have full run of the house and yard.
I think Mr. Schmader needs to brush his teeth, clean his filthy mouth and find some decent adjectives. His writing is poor and his choice of words shows a lack of intelligence.
Diana
I was attracted to reading the article because of the great illustrations.
The usage of “Pit Bull” in the heading of the title, is, as some have pointed out, obviously to antagonize, but at the same time, inform the dear Stranger readers.
Funny, because I was at a tattoo convention in Philly last weekend and talking to a woman running a anti- BSL (anti-breed law) campaign in defense of PBs. Interesting that she knew to target the “tattooed tough- guy” stereotype as to be very partial to the breed.
Blah, blah- they can be cute and nice and all, but they are BIG and STRONG. A child, much less a grown adult would be mincemeat in seconds if one ever went apeshit. Dachshunds- hardly.
Again- kudos to the excellent drawings!!
I’ve been attacked by owls and shit on by crows in Seattle. Maybe Seattle is a magnet for fucked up animals! Not likely. People want to be safe but there isn’t a minute in your life when you are safe. A dog is a dog is a dog. If you feel threatened you are vulnerable. Simple as that. It would help us all if more of us spent less time identifying threats and more time figuring out what we’re scared of. If you look back persecution is always about fear and control. No dogs are simple and humans aren’t simple. We have many more human predators in Seattle (and everywhere) than animal. Learn how to deal and stop blaming based on category. If you have fear, accept that you will be interesting to someone or something that feels your fear. Or just find it in yourself to think about what is going on around you…and be prepared for anything.
you guys, richard simmons is hilarious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21OH0wlkf…
Pit Bulls were bred for fighting other dogs. They were also bred to be handled in the ring and not bite their handlers. That requires a certain temperament and an aversion to biting people.
Mixing this sort of dog with the American Bulldog and Mastiff which are used for human protection work undoes that characteristic. So does breeding solely for viciousness without regard to being able to handle the dog.
If you have a dog, it’s reasonable to be overly cautious of pits. Plenty of clueless owners insist their dog is ‘just playing’ when it’s clearly showing signs of incipient dog aggression, and for that reason alone should be very well-controlled on leash when out and about. But as for people- I’d be more worried about the German Shepherds and Rottweilers in terms of breed, but mostly stay away from any dog on a chain.
Akbar @ 127 You really might want to reconsider that analogy. Seriously, think about what you just wrote.
QUOTING dogsbite? U R KIDDING ME? This is a BSL Lobby group and tells me the writer knows NOTHING and has “bitten” into their agenda and has NOT done HIS homework or he would KNOW about their agenda.
This small group of fanatics is the modern day “KKK” (Kooky Kanine Klan).
http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2…
There are already 4 different breeds deemed to be “pit bulls” and if one adds another 32 different breeds COMMONLY misidentifed and THEIR Mixes it amounts to nothing more than Canine Genocide.
The average “pit bull” type dog is 45 to 65 lbs how BIG and STRONG can that be? The only professional tests done on bite force put a German Sheppard, a Rotiweiler and a Pit Bull together, after TWO tries the “pit” came in 3rd BOTH times.
Time for the media to get informed before they put pen to paper and do PROPER research BEFORE doing so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbwMs7cjK…
The Stranger has hit a new low. You have NO idea about pit bulls except what some BSL agency told you to write. I help rescue pits that have been hung on trees to encourage violence, left on chains all day and night and those who are bred over and over for some sick person to make some money selling pups that will end up tortured or abused. You might want to hook up with Michael Vick and learn the way he tortured and abused his animals…bet you writers love to read his descriptions of torture and death methods.
Its all about a buck to sell to advertisers…sick people you are, writers. Maybe you should change it to gun-tottin Starbuck drinkers…you are just another idiotic trash magazine trying to sell to your advertisers. I hope your ‘newspaper’ goes down in flames. Right after my pittie chews the crap out of it!
Number one thing you always hear from pit bull owners:
“oh not my pit bull. My pit bull is the sweetest dog in the whole world. It’s all how you train them.”
Yeah right!
WTF? Is The Stranger going to have a feature on how to protect yourself against aggressive panhandlers next?
Seriously, keeping on this sensational anti-pitbull stuff is not doing anything for your alternative journalism credentials.
“Pit bulls” are a type of dog not a breed. There are over 20 types of dogs that people refer to as “pit bulls.” Police reports are made by people who only know that the innocent that they’re reporting was caused by a dog that looks like a pit bull. It’s like saying that a dark-skinned person mugged me and describing them as black.
Yes, there occasionally are horrible consequences that arise from people owning powerful animals that they don’t have the ability or desire to control. Same with guns. And booze. Talking about how to defend yourself against a drunk hobo, crack head or street thug won’t rile people up enough for the Stranger though.
The Stranger should stick to covering what they’re good at – lame bands, nightlife and city council members.
Obviously it has been a slow week for the try-hard reporters at the Stranger. Now, for those readers who are intelligent enough to do some actual research on canine aggression, or for those readers who might want to at least educate themselves before believing the rubbish depicted in this ‘cartoon-like’ article or leaving ignorant comments, please visit http://animalfarmfoundation.org/view_art…
Despite the advice given here (and it seems like there’s a lot of discussion as to whether this can even be called that), I can’t shake the feeling that because I read The Call of the Wild, I’m capable of defending against dog attacks like the man in the red sweater. Apparently the part of my brain that thinks this way has already beaten the logic center into submission.
Funny as hell article. Loved it.
It’s dead simple, pitbull fans (no pun, really).
What is a breed designed FOR?
Dalmatians were bred to run alongside French royalty’s carriages and snap and bark at any commoner who got too close.
German Shepherds were bred to assist WWI veterans who had been blinded by mustard gas.
Greyhounds were bred to run.
What do you think a breed called PITBULLS was designed to do?
You put them in PIT with a badger, bear, lynx, or other dog and bet on which animal will survive. Pitbull fighting goes back over 500 years in Spain and central Europe and longer than that in China.
They are not, nor have they EVER been, a companion breed or a dog bred for guarding people or property (like German Shepherds and Rottweilers).
They have a powerful stalking instinct BRED INTO THEM and they have a ‘gameness’, meaning they’re willing to take on an animal larger than themselves (including people).
It’s like reading the label at the grocery store.
@ 159
Owning a pit bull is not like owning a gun. A gun is not capable of acting independent of its owner nor can a beer act independent of its consumer.
I’m stunned how polarizing this article is, as it simply outlines how to defend against any dog attack. And even if you hate math and facts, statistically speaking if you are going to be attacked my something it is a pit bull.
Pit bulls are dangerous because their size and potential for aggression can cause greater bodily harm than most other readily accessible to the general public . There certainly are larger and stronger dogs but they are hard to come by and expensive. An out of control Bull Mastiff will kill the pit pull attacking you then kill you.
Your “pit bull is like a gun” simile however does touch on the idea of regulating the ownership of certain breeds based on size and aggression like guns should be regulated. Do you need a license to own a bb gun? No. Machine Gun. Yes. Breeds like Bull Mastiffs are already regulated to the extent that the cost of buying one means (mostly) those owning have invested time and money into dog owner ship.
Of course gun regulation hasn’t been going very well either as equally hysterical arguments are made about impinging on freedom, or demonizing guns when really guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Just like pit bulls don’t kill people irresponsible owners kill people.
It reminds me of some of the unforgivable BS spewed by republicans when they attacked healthcare when they said “oh sure thousands might die because they don’t have insurance”, but LOOK thousands die in car accidents.
Again, NOT THE SAME THING. These are preventable deaths. And anything that may educate the public in preventing these death is quite simply a public good.
162 FTW. For Reals
And all you folks out there who are frothing over with outrage over this little newspaper piece: just what is so AWFUL about learning how to protect yourself w/o weapons against an attacking dog? Isn’t that good information to have?
If you’re shitting yourself over the term ‘pit bull’ in the title, ask yourself why that is. Don’t pit bulls, like other dogs large and small, attack? Wouldn’t it be good to know what to do in the case of a sudden canine attack, when you find yourself without a handy 2×4 to pick up to defend yourself?
Critical Thinking: It’s Not Just a River in Egypt!
such nice dogs…
such nice dogs…
such nice dogs…
@34 and @35
Where in the link you provided by CDC the breed of the dog responsible for bodily harm is mentioned???
To the author, I really wish you’d receive a good education from a reputable institution where they actually teach you the data gathering science and use of verifiable sources – dogbites.org is a hysteria fueled website that does not provide any factual statistical data, nor do they reference verifiable data sources.
We can all write articles but we are not all editors.
Have a good day.
Boris.
P.S. David, I hope you reply to my email. Well, it is my hope.
Wow, you are so uneducated.
Might be worth your while to do your homework on the groups you cite.
You want to know about dogsbite.org? Take a look at this link.
http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2…
I can tell you’ve never even interacted with any of the breeds known as pit bulls. In the infamous words of bugs…….what a maroon.
Wow. I only come to the Stranger to read Dan Savage’s blog and today I realized why. This article is disgusting. To use “pit bull” in the title is a blatant attempt to get attention and perpetuates the stereotypes of this breed.
Everyone knows the stereotypes about pit bulls. Why not write an article with the FACTS that dispel some of these myths? That way you could still have pit bull in the title, you could still have controversy in the discussion board, and you could have an actual piece of reliable journalism on your hands instead of some bullshit drivel that references one wholly inaccurate and sensationalist website.
By the way, the author’s “reaction” was pure masturbatory bullshit. You sir, should be ashamed to call yourself a writer or, god forbid, journalist. Do some fucking research.
This is horrendous, arrogant, ignorant and just really sad. I’m so disappointed in The Stranger. Really?!
In response to 162 – Rottweillers were the ONLY breed (of the 32 you mentioned) specifically bred FOR attacking humans. Do YOUR research!
(of the “32” was a typo – should have been “3” – geesh!)
Pit Bull owners (like me) can’t get too upset over this sort of nonsense…. Schmader has never been much of a writer, and it’s not the loons like him who have much effect anyhow…. people really DO “consider the source” occasionally, probably more often than Schmader realizes…. I’d just as soon listen to George Bush speak on Education Reform, or Ann Coulter talk about what is wrong with American Society…. on the other hand, for REAL information I listen to folks who DO know what they’re talking about (and Schmader does NOT make THAT list, LOL, not by a LONG shot!)
@162
Here’s the answer to your question:
American Pit Bull Terrier was designed by selective breeding for dog on dog combat, and be gentle with people because there were at least 3 people handling the dogs in the pit.
All I can say is my neighbor has two Pit Bulls and they’re MEAN. Yes, I blame the neighbor for leaving them outside all the time, alone and unloved. When he’s around they’re practically puppies. But just because it’s his fault doesn’t mean that they’re actually nice dogs on the inside. It’s too late to retrain them. No, not all Pit Bulls are crazy, but the ones that are crazy are REALLY crazy.
I hadn’t thought of pepper spray, it seems so obvious now. Thank you, David. It was a very good article.
There’s nothing wrong with posting a list on how to handle a dog attack, but it’s not necessary to identify them with pit bulls, considering how even golden retrievers have killed people.
If we give singular non-expert opinions like Colleen Lynn’s idiot website media plugs, can I expect the Stranger’s next major article to be on the Flat Earth theory? Got’s to be journalistically fair, and all that, them’s round-earthers have hogged the media outlets for too long.
The attacks are getting worse because BSL is banning these dogs so there are more strays due to owner abandonment. People think this is a better option for the dog than being captured. That is just one of a million reasons why these dogs are so compromised now more than ever (in society, not behavior) and we are advocates looking to change this in the very near future. I work w/ and rescue pit bulls and even the severely beaten and abused dogs have never EVER displayed so much as an ounce of aggression. They want to be loved. If you were beaten or mistreated by a certain species, you’d probably want to rip it to shreds too, so lets stop using the F bomb to describe why MACING a dog is ok. This article has pissed me off and I am writing to the editor for a retraction. Want to avoid a dog attack?? Then get REAL education because I am a 5 ft tall 110 lb female and I’ve approach MANY stray pits and had them licking my face w/in seconds. They are afraid of you, they don’t attack to be vicious you idiots, they attack because a human mistreated them somewhere or they were abandoned and starved, it’s fear. Not temperment. Get educated before you print this crap. Really! It’s shit like this that is hindering the cause to save these dogs and their reputations. If you want to educate people than YOU yourself must get educated. You have NO real facts in this article to back up anything you are saying and Dogsbite.com is not exactly a great source to use info to write something like this. You want the REAL facts?? Go to http://pitbullrescuecentral.com/ and STOP WRITING THIS NONSENSE. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. Jump onto a car? Are you serious? LOL I am never reading this magazine again, I had no idea the morons that wrote for it. “mace the fucker”??? Really? Nice vocabulary skills!!
Angie
Pit bull Advocates of Washington
Pit Rescue and Foster
“PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED”
And to soulcat…sorry, but you too are very wrong. It is 100% all the owner and I guarantee you I could have both those dogs calm and happy and licking my face in a matter of seconds. Pits were not meant for the outdoors and seclusion does not make them “crazy”, it makes the frightened. I’ve been doing this for a very long time so I do know what I am talking about. One very important thing for everyone to remember is this..”If a persons mind is closed to the real facts about this breed, then SO should be their MOUTHS”
soulcat, well, what I meant to say it is 100% all the owner and I guarantee you I could have both those dogs calm and happy and licking my BALLS (not so much my face) in a matter of seconds. That’s how damn good I am! And remember, “If a persons mind is closed to the facts about real breeding, then their MOUTHS ” . . . ah shit . . . “If a persons real MOUTH is open to breed facts” Ah! Nevermind!
Pit bull advocates did NOT post comment 181. But whoever did, thanks for proving our point of idiocracy at it’s finest.
I am so beyond apalled at this article. Advocating animal abuse?!! This is upsetting, ignorant, and just sad. This paper is dead to me.
What part of Dog Aggression does NOT equal Human Aggression do you people NOT understand? Pit Bulls were bred to be Dog Aggressive NOT Human Aggressive.
How intelligent would it be to try to fight dogs that a person cannot handle? When it is hurt? Excited? Angry?
Are there misbred Pitbulls that are Nutty as a fruitcake? YES Should they be put down? Yes.
Blame the owners of the Human Aggressive dogs and NOT the entire breed of dog.
My daughter was severly bitten by a Husky. Here we are Pitbull owners and she is bit by another breed.
Go figure. How about the stray dogs that killed my cat but my pitbulls love my cats?
I would gladly kill an attacking dog of any breed but guess what? Not ALL owners are dumbasses like the ones that let the dogs run loose,.
If a breed has a higher propensity for attacking people than other breeds, perhaps a group such as say the Seattle City Council ought to ban them from the city limits. Anyone here who’s been attacked could lead the effort.
Next week, can we have an article on How to Protect Yourself From Getting HIV from the Gays (And Everyone Else, Of Course)? People should know how to protect themselves.
Thanks for the fear-mongering bullshit, The Stranger. You sure are getting good at it.
While on my bike, I’ve been bitten once, charged by other dogs twice, and chased once while on foot. Not once by a pit bull.
If you’re on a bike while charged by a dog, stop while swinging your dog – side leg high and dismounting opposite the dog. Keep the bike between you and the dog. They’ve turned away when I’ve done this, but you gotta be prepared to fight ’em.
Unless you already have a good head of steam, it’s a gamble trying to outrun the dog, if you lose the race, it’ll put a hole in your thigh.
The bear spray is the best idea. And carry a legal size folding knife.
People who own pit bulls should have to carry a $5million bond on each animal. Those that can’t or won’t get said bonds should have the dogs taken away. All pit bulls in existence should be sterilized immediately and let the species die out in a few years.
@26: doubt it, since i’m in the same area every day jogging with my lab. if this were true, there would be more pit bulls trying to chase/attack my dog. breed bans are for pussies.
If I thought it would do any good, my comment would include credentials, an explanation of learning theory, the interaction between genetics and experience when it comes to a dog’s temperament, and blah, blah, blah. Or I could refer anyone who’s interested to the book “Dogs Bite, but Balloons and Slippers are More Dangerous.”
Additionally… What miserable journalism. I bet you’ll make a lot of money by pissing people off. As a dog trainer/lover/advocate, as well as someone who is painfully aware of how obnoxious and yes, occasionally dangerous a dog (of any breed) can be, I would be quite satisfied if you lost your job over this article. If you’d done some research into the most up to date, scientifically sound training methods, you’d probably be embarrassed to use a Bark Busters “behaviorist” for your expert. And I’ll bet Emily Keegans would rather gouge her own eyes out than be associated with this article. Great job.
Wow, I had no idea so many mal-adjusted psychopaths read the stranger.
@191 Or, apparently, write for the Stranger…
Very disappointed, but not surprised. The Stranger has been a shit stack since you began writing for it. Where the hell did you get 56% from? You are fucking retarded!
LOL! You actually quoted Dogsbite.org in the first paragraph and you expect any educated reader to take your information seriously!??
Fact: Dog bites haven’t been scientifically tracked in the U.S. since 1999…dogsbite.org is a fanatical group of bloggers who clip news articles with the word “Pit Bull”, that’s all.
I bet they even included the recent attack by a guy’s PET BULL that was initially mis-reported as PIT BULL and later corrected…nothing to do with a Pit Bull but I bet it’s in their “statistics”.
Chances are you’ll be molested by a catholic republikkkan before you, or anyone you EVER know is killed by a Pit-bull.
Your last president & Co. Just laid waste to well over a million humans…whats 30 more…
Really Though, I’ve known more Pit-bulls since the ’80’s than I can even begin to count. Without admitting to any felonies, I can honestly say that I’ve owned, seperated two males intent on hurtin each other countless times…(my bare hands damn near in their mouths with a breakin stick, never once been bit) & lived with Killer, Champion Fighters that you could let loose in a daycare center fulla kids & the worse thing that would happen is a kid gets hit too hard by a wagging tail. Personally, I’ve only known one person thats been bit by a Pit-bull and as soon as the dog realized he was biting a human instead of the dog that was try to attack him, he let go. Accidents happen.
Unless an idiot makes the mistake of teaching a pit to attack humans, this breed does not have it their genetic code to want to hurt people,only other animals, they love us. Unlike German Shepards, Rottweillers, Dobermans, etc. Man-made Breeds created for the sole purpose of protecting Man from Man.
Never teach your Pit dog to harm a person…bad,bad,bad…get a Nazi dog for that.
And If a stray pit looks at you funny and your thinking about(trying to)gouge its eyes out or, play Turtle, At least try this tactic first: Yell at it in a demeaning voice, “Bad dog”…”Did You Do This”, & Point at the Ground away from you…You might be surprised at what happens.
I KNOW that I could kill a pit without getting to badly hurt, I also KNOW that this particular breed has an insane tolerance to pain…Physical pain that is, but their ‘feelings’ are sensitive.
There are exceptions to every rule. Of all the Pit’s I’ve known, only one was Born Bad. I wish that was my same track record with humanity.
What a ridiculous article! I am a pitbull advocate and think that this article is totally absurd. Let’s see the statistics on other breeds. Why discriminate on pitbulls. Do you know that 90% of the time….. dogs are called pitbulls even though they are not. Do you know a REAL pitbull when you see one?
Congratulations David…you may reach 200 comments on this one! Is that why you wrote it? I can’t come up with any other logical reason. In 15 years of reading The Stranger, this is by far the most unfortunate thing I’ve seen published.
this is oooh i wanna curse retarded if you was in the real world for one you would know american pit bull terrier yes was bred 2 fight other DOGS and the ones that would even think about biting the handler were takin out of the breeding stock usually killed APBT’s do and will not just attack someone i breed HELL YES i breed purebred american pit bull terriers and any of the kids can kick punch slam grab they would never ever ever even think about biting now if u come in the house sorry for your bad luck and most of these so called pit bull attacks ive seen 100’s of pictures they aint even APBT’s @ all the are some bully breed mutts that resemble why put the blame on the real entire breed remember the rottie’s dobbies we have went thru this with all these breeds get a life and leave the tru APBT’s alone and plus nowuhdays with the american bullies even the gameness is being bred out of them were they dont even wanna catch lizards etc no more grow up and quit blamming the purebreds!!!!!!!!
wow i have 2 start over first the real APBT’s rank 3 in smarts and do ur math research whatever dere is plenty of dogs lets see 4 1 germain shepard that will bit u way b4 i APBT yes they was bred 2 fight DOGS and any APBT that wuld even think of biting dere handler would be killed and taking out of breeding stock thats why they r so eager 2 please humans 2day im so sick and tired of the bully breed mutts or just resemble giving all this hasstle 2 the tru APBT’s i breed hell YES i breed purebred american pit bull terriers and american bullies my dogs will let the kids jump kick punch poke stab do anything they want 2 them and never even think about biting them..u break in my house well diff story ok back 2 this remember the rotties the dobbies all them other breeds that went thru this same shyt get over it let the APBT’s free now when i say APBT im talking purebred look it up if u dont know whut that stands 4..lmao now a pit bull could be any mongral that resembles the breed or a mix of a bully breed why does the APBT get all the heat god wish i culd of sent me last comment better yet get a life str8 up do ur freakin research and see were APBT’s rank in smarts and the chart of dogs that bite u might be suprised 1 the APBT last i seen was the 3rd smartest breed out of all dogs ill keep the biting one a secret ill give u a clue a germain shepard will bite b4 a APBT and a bunch of litte dogs LOOK IT UP!!!
” In response to 162 – Rottweilers were the ONLY breed (of the 32 you mentioned) specifically bred FOR attacking humans. Do YOUR research!
Posted by lance”
Where’s your research ‘lance’? If you knew anything about Rotties, you’d know they originated in Germany as guard dogs (NOT a fighting breed). Prior to that, they were used by ancient Romans to herd and guard livestock.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rottweiler
One of the tests done on Rotties (and German shepards AND Dobermans) at national kennel shows is the disposition and response to strangers test. The judges walk up to and around the animals, look them in the eye and then squeeze their ears to check for over-aggression or fear biting. Dogs that snap or react aggressively are removed from the competition.
That said, backyard breeders of America have done a good job of destroying the qualities of the Rottie breed by specifically breeding them for aggressive/fearful behavior so they can be used in pits … to fight pitbulls.
Further proof pitbulls are a stupid breed, stupidly over-bred by idiots who live in slums and think it’s butch and cool to walk down the street with an animal they can’t control.
Although, if enough pitbulls “accidentally” bite and kill their idiot owners … maybe that’ll be progress.
@brooklyn reader– you are ignorant. did you even read what you wrote?
@grrrrl– you have absolutely no idea what you are posting about. rambling on about a bunch of random nonsense. did you just make those facts up? pit bulls in china 500 years ago? wtf are you writing about? moron.
to those posting that pit bulls aren’t a specific breed you also have no idea what you are writing about. unfortunately, the name pit bull has taken on a generic meaning similar to kleenex. kleenex is a specific brand of tissue, but when someone needs a tissue (like tito) they ask for a kleenex. got it? so any big headed stocky dog is called a pit bull. el wrongo.
for pete’s sake, the majority of dog owners have no business having a dog in the first place. dogs give plenty of signs before something bad happens. people just don’t get it. regardless of breed.
how about just banning all dogs over 25 lbs within city limits?
Lots of comments about the unlikely chances of being killed. Very likely to be mauled. Work in any urban ER, spend three hours irrigating and sewing hundreds of puncture wounds and a dozen flaps, do it again a week later, then again on a kid, then come talk about how this whole concept is overblown.
shameless sensationalism. i feel like i just read some BS churned out by Fox News
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02…
if my pit bull ever grew its balls back to attack a person, standing on a car is not going to stop him from getting to you. neither is playing dead, and i highly doubt you are quick enough or strong enough to get your hands around his neck to choke him out. with that being said, i take this entire article as a joke.
i wish i could give a dollar for every time i was scrutinized for being a pit bull owner. maybe then some of you guys could buy a clue and realize that its not the dog, its the owner! if you don’t have the time, means, or patience to be a responsible owner, you should not own a dog (any dog).
I love how outraged readers are to this article, especially in light of how many cheered on that STOOPID feature a couple of years ago about hunting urban wildlife. Some idiot’s story of trapping and killing rabbits, squirrels etc. He didn’t know the first thing about hunting and his clumsiness caused anguish to the creatures he killed – and they weren’t even attacking him!! Where were you people then?
Defending oneself from animal attack is at least useful. And for all you shocked and outraged readers, it would help to remember that the first line of defense (rightfully listed here) is to avoid conflict. Re-read the first item – it’s not that different from advice given by most wildlife experts when dealing with cougars, bears etc. Don’t pose a threat, and don’t make eye contact.
An aggressive pit bull or Rottweiler simply cannot be handled the same way as a Lab. Except for the eye-gouging, everything here cited expert advice. If you disagree, why don’t you find a better expert and post about it? You can debate the odds of a pit bull attack all you want, but if you’re ever in that position I doubt you’ll all be so squeamish about protecting yourselves.
What happened to just clicking the right thumbstick to snap its neck?
Hmmmm… how to beat a DOUCHE BAG with your bare hands.
I delivered newspapers for four years, and was bitten 12 times by “good dogs” whose owners insisted that I “must have done something to him.”
In those years, and in the years since, I have learned that there are effective strategies in dealing with dangerous dogs and their equally dangerous owners.
Firstly, stand your ground and make sure the dog sees that you are watching it. Most dogs are cowards and will back off. If this fails, then you have to kick it hard, or get something between yourself and the dog.
Finally, if you are threatened by a dog, the best strategy is to tell the owner in no uncertain terms that if it bites you, you will kill it. Then, carry a heavy steel rod or a pistol with you, and make good on the threat if you have to. Fortunately, I’ve never had to, as the owners have made sure their dogs are in their yards, or under control, when I’m out for a stroll or a bike ride.
if your a hipster don’t worry, as soon as the dog realizes your an ineffectual waif full of self rightous opinions and pseudo intellectual bullshit it will realize chewing your face off isn’t worth the jaw calories and move on
Considering how many people have had their faces mauled by dogs in the northwest recently, I consider this article quite pertinent. Thank you, Stranger, for the useful and fearless advice. No other paper would have the PETA-repellent balls to tell me to gouge the dog’s eyes out or break its legs.
Hoorah for that.
As soon as I saw dogsbite like alot of commenters I knew the story lacked any legitimacy. I wonder if perhaps the writer of this blog is the same person who writes the dribble over at that hoakie other blog. The name escapes me at the moment. Way to throw more gas on an already out of control fire. Were not all irresponsible with our dogs, some of us work hard to educate and help people better understand the breed. If people want to learn about the real American Pit Bull Terrier tune in to The Pit Bull Positive Show every Saturday night @ 8 pm central on Ustream and Pit Bull Positive.
Dogs have attacked and in a small percentage of instances, maimed or killed humans. Bacteria, cars and cigarettes have each killed far more people. PEOPLE have killed in far greater numbers than dogs.
If you have to defend yourself, by all means do it. But know one thing:
I have two very non-agressive, but very high energy dogs. They love to run towards other dogs and sometimes people, so that they can lick your face and sniff you. That’s what they do. If you don’t want to interact with the outside world, stay indoors.
Learn how to greet or avoid a strange dog just as you must learn how to deal with a dirty, scary looking drunk you happen across. If you mace, kick or otherwise damage my dogs, I will fuck you up.
Seriously? Is there even and editor around to question this garbage? Let’s vet the statistics cited here first. How bout a little fact checking Stranger? Weird. I used to read this rag but after being exposed to a couple of ill informed articles like this, I quit reading. Vile and ignorant. Very bad combo.
Love it!!! You nailed it!!! Go to http://www.pitattacksbystate.blogspot.com and see all the times when tazers, pepper spray, hammers, guns, etc., were used on pits and they still kept coming. Go on YouTube and see the contest on how high a pit can jump a fence. I believe it is over 10 feet now. The best way to handle pits is to ban them. The bloodsport they were bred to do is now illegal and pits should be too.
I’ve never been attacked by a pit bull, but I have been rushed by dogs when biking, had dogs run at my toddler in Seattle parks (not dog parks), etc. The info on preventing and protecting yourself from dog attacks is useful–thanks! Too bad not all dog owners are responsible so that it’s not necessary.
Ban the breed. Period.
Ban the breed. Period.
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2008/10/dog-bit…
Butch’s Gun Shop on Aurora Avenue also sells GUNS. Do as the cops do and shoot the motherfuckers.
It is absolutely incredible that pathological liar Colleen Lynn gets cited as some sort of authority in dog behavior and genetics, when in reality she is a freelance web designer. She is not a dog trainer nor animal behaviorist. She is the publisher and profiteer of DogsBite.org.
There is NO proof that she donates any money to any dog attack victim, yet she gladly accepts donations on her hate site, so she can stuff the money in her own pocket.However, her greatest claim to fame is that she is an admitted paranoid delusional that must take medication to prevent a level five anxiety attack.
Pathological liar Colleen Lynn is a certified crazy person on a crusade to complete the circle of victimization by preying on responsible dog owners, and those that follow her over-generalized agenda are of the same mindset as those that drank the Koolaid in Jamestown.
This is the most disgusting piece of trash I have ever read. You know how much more likely it is that a pit bull/other dog will be killed, injured or tortured by a human than the other way around? Ya ever wonder how they got to that place where they feel like attacking someone? No probably not, I’m no longer a reader of The Stranger, so I don’t care anymore.
Seriously!? Encouraging violence against animals is your way of solving the problem? Let’s not go to the source and deal with the people who neglect these animals. That’d make too much sense…
This is irresponsible and disgusting. Spread the fear, Stranger – that’s definitely the best way to deal with something you don’t like.
Let’s substitute pitbull with gay people, since 68% of all serial killers (Past & Present) are gay. Maybe it is time that us normal people defend ourselves against these creeps.
Gay people are so wonderful http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200…
(Dutch shock over gay HIV rape gang)
@173, they actually weren’t originally bred for that. They were cattle herders originally.
this article disgusts me.
I will no longer read the stranger
I agree with the many people who’ve commented here that the problem is not the animal, but the people who’ve trained it to attack and mistreated it. This article is really disappointing. It plays up the shock factor in order to delight the readers who like it when the “liberals” get pissed off, but it completely undermines the issue of animal cruelty, which is the real problem. One more reader lost.
I’ve only been bitten by a dog once, and surprise surprise, it was one of those bastard pit bulls. Bit down on my leg, and I had no clue what to do. I didn’t move, and told it a couple times in a loud voice to get down, which it did, and then it slunk off. I consider myself lucky.
Next day, I bought myself a nice little CRTK folding knife, you know, for peeling apples. Or gutting the next vicious fucking beast that thinks I look like lunch.
If you are sick and tired of “articles” (ok, I use the term loosely) like this one and the fear-mongering that it perpetuates, then please join Families Against Breed Bans and help fight breed specific legislation!
If you are sick and tired of “articles” (ok, I use the term loosely) like this one and the fear-mongering that it perpetuates, then please join Families Against Breed Bans and help put an end to breed profiling! http://www.fabbseattle.org
So you are using a website (Dogsbite.org) that is NOT a fact finding, research heavy driven website to site your source? Dogsbite.org is by pit bull haters, about pit bull haters. They aren’t about finding facts. That have continuously reported pit bull attacks, when it was completely different breeds. Want to get real fact, go to the CDC, you know, Center of Disease and Control….oh wait, a few years ago, the CDC made an announcement it was IMPOSSIBLE to list specific dog breeds as attacking more or less than others because witnesses are often wrong, many breeds look similar, and many dogs are mixed bred and thus, cannot properly be classified….how does one classify a Pit bull lab mix when it attacks? As a pit bull or as a lab or as both? See how they saw it? The CDC also does not advocate ANY breed bans, they are 100% against it. And when websites like Dogsbite.org and similar news rags and dog haters used their stats and the CDC’s good name to trash dogs, the CDC fought back, and now only lists “DOG ATTACKS”, as in, NO BREED is identified because as the PROFESSIONAL GOVERNMENT AGENTS, SCIENTISTS, and the like said….it is IMPOSSIBLE to get SPECIFIC numbers on what breeds attack. So please, before you post a blog that is pretending to be some fact based how-to, do some REAL research. Open a book, go to non-agenda based websites, etc.
Now THIS is a blog, written by a man who has first hand experience not with one or two dogs, but 100s. He is a professional and educated. His agenda is about FACTS, not headlines and craptacular comic book art.
For those who actually believe the BS of Dogsbite.org, please go here. I’m sure if you beliefe Dogsbite.org you won’t, because you like being that incredibly ignorant and moronic. But least for those who are seeking to allow their minds to grow out of the small shell that is their thick skull, they may learn something.
http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2…
Now THIS is a blog, written by a man who has first hand experience not with one or two dogs, but 100s. He is a professional and educated. His agenda is about FACTS, not headlines and craptacular comic book art.
For those who actually believe the BS of Dogsbite.org, please go here. I’m sure if you beliefe Dogsbite.org you won’t, because you like being that incredibly ignorant and moronic. But least for those who are seeking to allow their minds to grow out of the small shell that is their thick skull, they may learn something.
http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2…
This article is useful for the information it provides. If I am attacked by ANY dog – be it pit bill, rottweiler, or Yorkie – I damn well better know how to defend myself.
And as a person who would never choose to own a pit bull themselves, I understand why the Stranger would target pitt bulls as the main dog to defend against.
But at the same time – Dan Savage throws a hissy fit anytime a journalist writes an article that uses scare tactics to frighten people away from taking drugs. How is this that much different? Throw out some facts, don’t bother to explain them, and keep from examining the ‘pitt bull’ problem in depth.
How do I know that its a pitbull attacking me? Should I get a DNA test first before employing your defense tactics? Thanks.
My question is this: Of all the people who see this article as superfluous… how many of them have been the victim of a large dog attack, much less a pit bull? I agree – there should be more regulation of the breed, but all that mean bubkiss when you have one strolling toward you while your talking you kids for a walk.
I agree with #8! How to defeat a hipster with your bare hands would have been much more useful.
What upsets me the most is not that the article was written to tell people things they can do to protect themselves, it is the manner in which it is written. It reads as if it was written by a 9th grader who loves to swear. I am disgusted that it would promote violence against dogs. I think a much better article would be the truth, that the only real way to prevent dog attacks is to promote and educate on good dog ownership. It isn’t the dogs fault, humans are the ONLY reason why any dog acts the way it does, based on the care and training and home life it receives. We are the ones who know right from wrong yet so many people take a dog home and just forget about it, not training it, socializing it and even using it for the wrong reasons. You should be writing to promote animal ownership education. To classify “Pit Bulls” as the US’s most deadliest dogs is proof alone that you did not even try to research facts before writing this, because they absolutely are NOT, that is not a statement that is a actual statistical fact. If you had real statistics, you would be taken more seriously here but you do not. I am in pit rescue like some others on here and we are very educated on the myths and facts about these dogs and some of us have houses full of them, some plucked right off the street. It’s not the dog, it’s the owner. Always. I am done w/ the stranger simply due to it’s writers blatent disregard for finding the real truth before writing such an article. You have lost a lot of readers from this article. For REAL information on myths surrounding this breed…go to http://www.realpitbull.com/myths.html. Sorry Stranger, but you’ve really done it this time. To all, those for and against this article, please know that our jobs are only to educate, not start issues, this article truly is not factual and there is absolutely no real research done here. Alls they did was looked on one website and copy/paste quotes from some man they’ve never met or talked to. A man that is not even a dog trainer or expert. This article should not be taken seriously but if you really do want to know how to help the bully breeds or even just know how to truly protect yourself so you don’t have to fear what is more afraid of you, please see pitbullrescuecentral.com or post a comment on how we can get more educational information to you. Maturity is the only way to educate, and this article missed that by a long shot.
Bite statistics are difficult to obtain accurately. Dogs that are referred to as “pit bulls” in statistical reports actually are a variety of breeds and mixes all lumped
together under the “pit bull” heading. Also, many people have a difficult
time properly identifying a true Pit Bull, so added to the statistics are
those dogs that have been misidentified. Considering these factors, the
actual number of attacks attributable to American Pit Bull Terriers is
considerably lower than represented. Also important to understand is
the extreme popularity of the Pit Bull and pit bull-type breeds. By some
estimates, numbers-wise they are the most popular of all dog breeds. It
is only logical to assume that the breed with the higher number of
individual dogs would be represented with a higher number of bites.
Viewing older statistical reports for the Center of Disease Control, one
will see that trends in breed popularity reflect in the number of bites
attributed to a specific breed during a specific period of time.
-Information provided by http://www.realpitbull.com/myths.html-
This is a sad display of pure ignorance. IT IS THE OWNERS TO BLAME, NOT THE ANIMALS. I own two wonderfully behaved pit bulls. I also have three children under the age of 10 you LOVE and ADORE those dogs. What is wrong with you people? You have nothing better to to than to put down a breed just because of the bad rep they got due to horrible owners?? Give me a break and do everyone a favor…go get some education on a subject before you go bashing it!!! It’s all in how you treat and train your animals people…get with the program here!!!
“A Brooklyn couple watched in horror Sunday as their pet pit bull suddenly snapped and viciously mauled their 20-month-old son.
The usually docile dog suddenly turned on little Elliot Korenblyun, sinking its teeth into the helpless tot‘s face inside the family’s apartment in Bensonhurst.”
@240 Christopher Frizzelle,
Gay people are so wonderful and responsible.
Dutch shock over gay HIV rape gang
A homosexual gang that raped victims lured on the Internet, drugged them and infected them with the HIV virus has shocked the Netherlands and raised questions over its liberal sex culture.
Health Minister Ab Klink called the case “horrible”, as the press splashed the news across its front pages.
The matter came to light ON Wednesday, when police said they had arrested three seropositive homosexual men two weeks ago after four victims, men aged 25 to 50, accused them of rape and premeditated bodily harm.
Ronald Zwarter, the police chief in the northern town of Groningen, where the alleged crimes took place, said two of those arrested, a couple aged 48 and 33, had confessed.
“Their stated motive was that it excited them – and also that, the more HIV-infected people there were, the better their chances of unprotected sex,” he said.
“They considered unprotected relations to be ‘pure’.”
A fourth man who allegedly supplied the three suspects with several litres of the date-rape drug GHB and ecstasy tablets was also arrested.
The gang risks up to 16 years in prison.
According to police and prosecutors, eight more victims have come forward since the case was publicised.
Officials said the three seropositive men invited men contacted on the Internet to private homosexual orgies.
@240
Toddler at home after dog attack
Posted: Apr 04, 2010 4:13 PM PDT
Updated: Apr 04, 2010 4:13 PM PDT
WARREN COUNTY, MS (WLBT) – Easter Sunday brings good news to the little boy from Warren County who was mauled by a dog.
Family members tell us he returned home Sunday. Twenty two month-old Jack Gaines has been at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital since Wednesday night. That’s when a six year old Black Mouth Cur dog, belonging to his grandmother, mauled the infant.
Gaines suffered multiple lacerations on his head and face. His parents, Robin Causey and Brad Gaines, say their son may not be able to open his left eye again. They have since moved out of the grandmother’s home and are currently living with another relative.
According to Vicksburg Humane Society Officials, the dog was euthanized Friday afternoon.
Let’s not ban the Pit Bulls. Instead, let’s petition that it be required that all owners of Pit Bulls be sterilized along with their animals.
@239, “IT IS THE OWNERS TO BLAME, NOT THE ANIMALS.”
Would you mind providing some facts to back this re-occurring theory up?
Of pit bulls involved in an incident what % of their owners had a criminal record compared to other dog owners?
Of pit bulls involved in an incident what % of their owners had been convicted of animal cruelty/negligence compared to other dog owners? Compared to other animal owners?
Any verifiable scientifically measured facts you can provide to support this claim would be great.
Let’s not ban those poor animals. Instead, let’s require that all Pit Bull owners be sterilized along with their pets.
It’s not the advice, it’s the tone that saddens me … and the assumption that ONLY pit bulls attack.
This article is infuriating. I’m a huge advocate of the pit bull breed. I have owned a couple myself and am currently looking to rescue another. I am very, very tired of paranoid people throwing around loaded statistics. Here’s a good statistic for you: 77% of dog bites happen to a member of the family who owns the dog or a friend. 77%. Dogs, pit bulls included, don’t just go around foaming at the mouth and maiming innocent people. This article is only going to serve to incite more panic in people and cause them to take violent action against a dog that has no intention of harming them. I’ve seen many people freak out when a totally friendly put bull comes up to say hello (even on a leash). Freaking out, getting angry is a great way to provoke a dog. Shame on the Stranger for publishing such a hateful article.
@MacGruber, #246:
Dobermans used to be involved in more dog attacks than pit bulls. Dobermans used to be the dog of choice for people who wanted aggressive dogs. People who want aggressive dogs opt for pit bulls now. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle.
You can read more in this article by Malcolm Gladwell: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/02…
I’m a Dachshund owner and those little beasties can be devilish opportunists.
But really, the Jack Russell issue needs to be addressed in this city. they may not attack humans as oft as PB’s but they cause problem after fucking problem at doggy daycare and at the park.
I’m in people’s yards all day – constantly meeting new dogs – and I love them, mostly. Over the years I have been attacked by a German Shepard, a Rott, a Lab, pulled a German Shepard off a kid, and once took my friend’s awesome Rott on a walk, on a leash, when he unexpectedly lunged at a bicyclist and literally tore flesh from the man’s ribs. That one was eventually put down after randomly biting a kid. But IMO the big dogs, when they charge you aren’t nearly as scary as the little ones. A Rott jumps at me; I shove my arm in his mouth, but I confess when small dogs rush me I usually run.
So what I want to know is how to defend yourself against a pack of tiny dogs. Three times I have been attacked; twice by Boston Terriers, once by Chihuahuas. They jump up and bite and run in a circular pattern, leaving me bleeding from numerous contusions and bruises below the knees. I kick, stomp, punch and never connect with the little bastards, while the owner inevitably screeches “don’t you hit my dogs!”
@202 “how about just banning all dogs over 25 lbs within city limits? “
yeah right.
I’m in people’s yards all day – constantly meeting new dogs – and I love them, mostly. Over the years I have been attacked by a German Shepard, a Rott, a Lab, pulled a German Shepard off a kid, and once took my friend’s awesome Rott on a walk, on a leash, when he unexpectedly lunged at a bicyclist and literally tore flesh from the man’s ribs. That one was eventually put down after randomly biting a kid. But IMO the big dogs, when they charge you aren’t nearly as scary as the little ones. A Rott jumps at me; I shove my arm in his mouth, but I confess when small dogs rush me I usually run.
So what I want to know is how to defend yourself against a pack of tiny dogs. Three times I have been attacked; twice by Boston Terriers, once by Chihuahuas. They jump up and bite and run in a circular pattern, leaving me bleeding from numerous contusions and bruises below the knees. I kick, stomp, punch and never connect with the little bastards, while the owner inevitably screeches “don’t you hit my dogs!”
@202 “how about just banning all dogs over 25 lbs within city limits? “
yeah right.
#115 and #137 are right. Unfortunately it IS the breed. Maybe positive trait pits were once the majority but as the popularity of pits as aggressive guard dogs grew, so did selective breeding for aggressive behavior. Yes yes, there are still many sweet as pie pits out there–I’ve met a couple–but unfortunately there are many that are genetically predisposed to violence despite how responsible their owners are. One of my dearest friends recently had to put her pit down, despite the hundreds of hours she’d invested in training this dog (which they rescued as a tiny pup), because this beast was so f#cked up you couldn’t even look at it without it wanting to eat your throat. She is by far the most committed and responsible pet owners I’ve ever known and still she couldn’t save this dog. Some are just bad seeds. I think we should require any bully breed to pass a canine good citizenship test before being adopted out and then the owners should be required to have some additional licensing that discourages irresponsible ownership.
@239: Well said! I agree.
Just browsing one of NYC’s main animal shelters. Astonishing. Out of 17 dogs up for adoption, only ONE is NOT a pit bull or pit bull mix.
http://www.nycacc.org/adoption.htm
And the pro-pit idiots think we don’t have a problem.
http://injurylaw.grossmanjustice.com/201…
Spay and neuter will not stop this.
BTW, this is not from dogsbite.org, it’s from a op/ed piece written over 10 years ago:
“First, the pit bull is quicker to anger than most dogs, probably due to the breed’s unusually high level of the neurotransmitter L-tyrosine. Second, pit bulls are frighteningly tenacious; their attacks frequently last for 15 minutes or longer, and nothing—hoses, violent blows or kicks—can easily stop them. That’s because of the third behavioral anomaly: the breed’s remarkable insensitivity to pain. Most dogs beaten in a fight will submit the next time they see the victor. Not a defeated pit bull, who will tear into his onetime vanquisher. This, too, has to do with brain chemistry. The body releases endorphins as a natural painkiller. Pit bulls seem extra-sensitive to endorphins and may generate higher levels of the chemical than other dogs. Endorphins are also addictive: “The dogs may be junkies, seeking pain so they can get the endorphin buzz they crave,” The Economist suggests.
Finally, most dogs warn you before they attack, growling or barking to tell you how angry they are—”so they don’t have to fight,” ASPCA advisor and animal geneticist Stephen Zawistowski stresses. Not the pit bull, which attacks without warning. Most dogs, too, will bow to signal that they want to frolic. Again, not the pit bull, which may follow an apparently playful bow with a lethal assault.”
People make dogs into monsters, dogs are not born to be bad. Pit bulls have been made into monsters by people, bred down to destroy, people are at fault not these dogs.
after reading this article, and assessing the callousness of humans, I have decided to no longer read the stranger, after enjoying it for nearly 15 years. I hope that David Schmader enjoys his cat, he is most certainly a pussy to write a pathetic article like this one, and the illustrations? Not funny, not cute, just ridiculous.
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/…
Can you spot the pitbull? I wonder how many scary pitbulls are cases of mistaken identity….
Statistically there are more bites on average from breeds such as Chihuahuas. Do your homework before writing such nonsense.
If all these self-absorbed douchebags make good on their promise to quit reading the stranger then I’d say this article was a complete success.
@246 Exactly, the tone is so needlessly nasty. This isn’t written as an informative article- it’s written, and illustrated, like some kind of power/revenge fantasy.
I mean, look at that fourth illustration! Look at that fucker bleed! Yeah! That’s what it gets! We’re all sensitive, caring people worried about the children!
Pets are not people. Dog owners need to quit whining about their ‘fur children’ and recognize the pecking order.
Mutant wolverines
Humans
all the rest of God’s creation
I will eat a dog if necessary, but I will refrain from eating children. Additionally, I accept that a mutant wolverine may eat me.
“Stand completely still” is scary as fuck to a dog, just as it is to a human. Anyone who suddenly freezes looks crazy as shit.
I mean, I agree, don’t run, don’t stare, don’t flail your arms around — but try to act some semblance of natural.
You know, the way you would if you had a kilo of pot in your backpack and a cop appeared. Just be cool, dude.
If you are truly concerned about this, I suggest you conceal a pork chop in your pants. When danger approaches, grab your meat. Abuse the pooch with it as opportunity presents. Or fling.
Works great against hipsters, too. Especially when balanced on a Vespa.
PLUS, you don’t need a permit.
Duct tape? No. To have enough stopping power, it’s just too bulky.
Not everybody is suited for concealed carry, I realize. At the very least learn to say “Fuck You!” like a Chicagoan.
Great article. Not all breeds of dogs need to exist and pit bulls are on the top of that list.
ALL dog breeds are, obviously, the result of genetic engineering (it’s called selective breeding in this case). we created them, we can end them, forever.
well, I think it started out well with #1 and #2
pretty good eastern advice…avoid, get away
#4-#6 though possible and entertaining, would probably lead most to #3
#2 definitely the best idea esp. for children
This was a funny article. Too bad other people don’t have a sense of humor.
wow, this was the most ignorant article i’ve ever read from The Stranger. The comments take it a step further.
this is very ignorant, pit bulls are actually some of the sweetest most loyal dogs. its not in the dogs nature to be aggressive it is the abuse that makes them that way. the most common dog bites are actually by smaller dogs, they just never get reported.
http://www.kitsap-humane.org/truth-about…
i cant believe that the stranger would be so ignorant.
I lost a lot of respect for STRANGER reading this article. What uninformed, un-dog educated fool was able to publish this. The information on self defense is consistent with any breed- including crack-flustered vagrants and punks. This proves that people that do not understand dogs (including dick-thugs or specific authors of the stranger) should not include themselves with the world of dogs.
Almost sadder, but not, “The Stranger” has some respect to earn back.
-Adamcan
@ #239
“This is a sad display of pure ignorance. IT IS THE OWNERS TO BLAME, NOT THE ANIMALS. I own two wonderfully behaved pit bulls. I also have three children under the age of 10 you LOVE and ADORE those dogs.”
Who fucking cares who’s fault it is? What does that even have to do with anything? If a Pit Bull or any breed of dog attacks unprovoked, kill the dog if possible & sue the owner. & yes, i have dogs. If they attacked someone unprovoked, they would be put down, as simple as that.
These pussies trying to muddy the water with “who’s fault it is” or “what breed is worse” are missing the point. We are the ones with the opposable thumbs, at the top of the food chain. If you don’t like that, move the fuck away from other people with your dog & do the rest of us a favor.
Also,if you are stupid enough to have a pit bull around small children you deserve what will probably happen to them, but the kids don’t! You are a selfish ass!
I carry a lock blade knife that is both legal and very very sharp, and will be well within my rights if I have to gut your precious sweet pit bull like a fish if it attacks me or anybody else.
A pointless, fear-mongering article sponsored and written by a bitch. I’ve worked as a driver/delivery boy and have been attacked by dogs multiple times, but never a pit.
If you don’t carry any sort of weapon and no blunt object is within reach, just jam your hand down it’s throat. Never met a dog that liked choking on a hand.
this article is disgusting…are you advocating this as a sport? is this supposed to be funny?
the real problem with pit bulls, and the reason attacks are on the rise is:
1 – people pay more attention to their attacks…golden retriever attacks don’t make the 11 o’clock news.
2 – the “thug life” motherfuckers who own them don’t know how to handle the animal they got. let’s have an article on how to strangle one of them for bad pet rearing.
everything in this article is helpful to defend yourself from an attack from any kind of damn dog. labs, retrievers, billy goats, terriers. and so on.
if you have a strong arm—remember, pits are the strongest dog pound for pound that exists (high pain threshold too)—if youre not strong enough, youre just gonna piss it off—punch it in the top of its head. if it goes down, stomp on its chest. this last action will kill it. remember, it tried to kill you.
File complaints against the Stranger with the Washington Attorney Generals office for inciting violence and animal cruelty. Nuke the fuckers.
Oh, to add one more thing, Charlie Prostrate the Self Defense Specialist who is quoted in the fucking story ? Charlie is a joke, its most likely Charlie has never really even been in a good fight. If a doggie wants to take you out ? it will happen so quick you would not have a chance to do anything but curl up and protect yourself. Macing a dog will only piss it off more, trying to gouge it eyes out ? only a stupid idiot would suggest that ? GOOD WAY TO LOSE fingers, yes lets stick our fingers near an attacking dogs head. In fact I hope the piece of sh%&t that wrote the sick story uses the methods he defined if he is attacked by a dog. As for pitbulls and dogsbite.org (lol!) Coleen Lynne who created that blog ? Claims she was attacked by a pitbull, it never happened and her data is manipulated, she is racist.
It is sad to see such a cool rag as The Stranger fall prey to the bad side of animal rights. Yes there are 2 sides to animal rights, those who hate dogs, actually who hate animals period, that would be the PETA type, then there is the good side, the serious mother fuckers who get off on finding people who abuse animals and use the some of the tatcis described above on the humans animal abuses. Is the reporter that wrote this story an animal abuser ??? What does everyone think ????
Really, David? Is this a belated April Fool’s piece? It kind of made me sick reading it, but I also know that you have a dog that you fawn over and I can’t see you seriously promoting any of the violence this little number promotes. Color me bemused.
Pit defenders really need to get a clue. My exboyfriend had a pit, he was a good owner. Never beat it, trained it well, raised that psychotic thing as well as any dog owner.
It was fine until it was about 5 years old. Super cuddly, sweet, well mannered dog. At 5 it started to lose it. One day it tore into my dog (a dog it had been friends with for years) for absolutely NO reason. There was no aggression on the part of my shepard mix. It tore her belly completely open and would have killed her if there weren’t 3 people to pull her off. I broke up with him because he refused to get rid of it and I figured that dog would someday turn on me.
Low and behold, within a year, his dog killed his roomates dog, and removed my exboyfriends thumb for him.
Lovely breed. Simply lovely.
Of all the dogs that I’ve ever met, chihuahuas are the nastiest little fuckers around and the only breed who I have consistently run into who are aggressive fear biters. I think we should ban those little beaners instead.
way to further the negative & b.s. stigma attachedto pit bulls. this article title sucks & it panders to people easily swayed by shock journalism.
@ 281
That can happen with ANY dog. That is a DOG thing, not a pit bull thing. You are the one that needs to get a clue.
someone in Arlington read this
Dog is found fatally beaten
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/2010040…
Haters everywhere we go. Haters haters haters..haters everywhere we go! I know Betty and she’s awesome! Fuck you haters. I laugh my ass of when I read comments from people dissing pitbulls. these dogs have more love in their heart than any dumbass hating on pitbulls. Unconditional love to their ownerband the people that show them love. Maybe we should ban dumbass people who have nothing better to do but to google ‘pitbulls suck’. Fuck….you……haters….
Not a reactionary comment, just a note to let you know that it’s actually reactionaries like yourself who doom the breed. I’ve been bitten by plenty of children, but never a pit bull.
This article is pathetic and David Schmader should be fired from The Stranger for writing it. Knowing how to defend yourself from an aggressive dog (or any animal/human for that matter) is definitely a good thing, especially in a city like Seattle where dogs out-populate kids by 46%. HOWEVER, the way this article was written was disgusting and down right offensive, and this is coming from a non-pit bull owner. Not only was it wrong to target a specific breed of dog, but the great detail in which David describes the various ways to defeat an angry dog is quite honestly disturbing. Would everything he mentioned in this article probably work to defend yourself? Yes in theory. But the way in which the article is written is the worst part of all. It’s almost as if David Schmader (the amazing author of this lovely article) has a personal vendetta out for dogs (pit bulls). It’s like his entire family tree got wiped off the face of the earth by viscous man-killing K-nines and now he’s all alone, left to fend for himself. In any case, it looks like David Shmader had a bit too much time on his hands this week and decided to write a graphically illustrated novel on how to get fired from a job he shouldn’t of had in the first place.
-Ian
from
FAINTLY
http://www.faintlyband.com
Huh? You needed more than the first line? Any breed of dog is capable of attacking a human. There were a whopping 23 fatal dog attacks in 2008. In the entire nation. Any idea how many stupid human attacks there were in the same year. Can we just cut this out? The dog isn’t the problem. It’s crappy, criminal and lazy owners. EVERY animal needs training. Including the nasty little chihuahua next door that continuously bites my ankle when I step outside. Understand…the activists get out of hand because the discrimination is out of hand. I own a gentle, loving, sweet pit bull…trained…and on his way to becoming a therapy dog. But try finding a place to live. All of this vehemence on both sides is ludicrous. Just train your dogs people!
Not to be uppity, but Mace isn’t necessarily “Bare-Handed” is it?
I’m not even gonna touch the fact that this article targets one breed. That alone makes it ridiculous.
But as a very experienced dog handler, I can tell you this…if you follow most of the adversarial advice of this article with any dog over 35 lbs you are going to get hurt, badly.
When you try to bash the dog’s head in with an object, it’s going to whip around and latch onto your flailing arm.
While you are choking the dog it’s going to bunny-kick with it’s claws, and since dogs have strong neck and shoulder muscles (hello, carnivore??!!) your arm will be pushed back like a twig and the dog’s most likely going to bite you in the face since it will be close enough.
Also, since you’ve now shown yourself a threat it will move faster and be fueled by fear and adrenaline. Good fucking luck, buddy.
If you want to avoid dog attacks, carry a good defense spray, STOP JOGGING when you see a loose dog, leave the dog alone, and call ANIMAL CONTROL. Follow up and make sure the owners who are too stupid or careless to contain their ward are charged appropriately.
And first and foremost, stop acting like a scared little girl and suck it up. Dogs have brains the size of lemons. If you can’t outsmart one, what does that say about you?
The unleashed and unattended attack animal that will face me down will be owned–if at all–by the most uneducated or irresponsible owners possible.
To the delusional: Fuck you. If we’re serious about owner responsibility, let’s jail them for their dogs’ attacks on man and beast. We’d see some training then.
Do not defend these owners. Do not blame me for defending myself. And if some wild dog faces me, beyond all power but mine, God help it, for it will die.
Great article.
To all of you who say you have a great pit bull – sweetest dog – the rest of the world is uneducated… yadda yadda…
You say it because your pit hasn’t mauled another dog or person…YET.
Do you think the owners of dogs who finally maul someone say “Oh yeah, it’s no surprise, he always does that.” ?
http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/…
I own a lovely Glock 19. It is the sweetest, most mild mannered handgun. We often go to the gun park and spend quality time together. It has never harmed a person. I think I’ll leave it in the park so it can play with the kids.
Powerful dogs are dangerous, regardless of how well they are trained. They need to be supervised, especially around children and those less familiar with animals.
Big mean farm dogs where the rule where I grew up, and learning how to be careful around them was one of the first things we learned. And if a dog bit a person or got into the livestock they were shot by the owner.
Can you please write an article about how to defend yourself against all the gay people in the world while you are writing stupid articles that discriminate…all their bright colors & fancy hair is so frightening. The more The Stranger publish’s crap like this…the closer I am to going to every Stranger distribution box on the streets every thursday night, & throwing every paper in them in the garbge…not the recycling. Focusing the article on Pit Bulls instead of just dogs is so pathetic. Just as pathetic as being racist or homophobic.
Genetics, Genetics, Genetics! Pit Bull proponents are in denile of this breed’s original purpose: To kill BEARS and BULLS gladiator style. This debate shouldn’t be based on emotions but rather statistics and facts.
peet bool……tear eyerr!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdRPRvhXS…
215 comments was where i gave up. my responses:
1. you definitely aim to annoy. says something abt you. i should know. i started getting like that on my blog. i’m not posting any more because i was being as obnoxious as those i hate.
2. the article was funny as was it’s followup masterbatory response. doesn’t mean either are good articles. here’s where independent thought on the reader’s part is vital.
3. you managed to get what you sought: polarized obnoxious snapping humans.
4. these advise tips would do nothing at all to actually save me from one of these dogs if it was of the attack variety.
i had a “girlfriend” with some kind of pit-mix. it was a wussy farting doofus that liked people & other animals. it had been a bait dog in a fighting ring broken up by police. she took the dog in after a cop who was part of breaking the fight ring had him a while. he was loathe to give him out but my ex is a good responsible owner & keeps him controlled at all times just out of precaution. i’ve pet this creature up close. he stayed in my house & sniffed my cats. he gassed us w/his farts whenwe had sex, ate, slept, walked… i’ve walked him. if he had chosen to, he could have killed me & nothing short of a lucky eye gouge would have saved me. to badly quote my ex ff, his head is basically a battering ram. his jaws are horse-sized & muscular like a horse’s hind legs. his neck cannot be strangled because it’s too thick for most any human. he’s just an unlucky victim (scars everywhere) of asshole humans that got lucky in the end because there were non-assholes willing to take him in & be responsible for him in the demanding ways he needs. not aggressive but definitely needy. my ex chose well & got lucky too. a dog his size in full health would not be stopped by any of your tips because the animal exceeds human tolerances in most cases (i’m average; not small or huge). as i read your amusing articles i just assumed them to be jokes as my vivid memory of this dog & his owner’s friends’ dog flashed in my head as i read each tip, just finding them all terribly unlikely, especially strangulation or windpipe crushing. this dog had bad legs, so i don’t know about that…
you only suceeded in being a troll & amusing people who like trolls. you didn’t provide workable advise. if all you write is stuff like this, you’re a known entity. but a casual reader might mistake this article for useful info & be more likely to allow a confrontation thinking they are “armed” with your tips. that’s a disservice.
everyone: it’s the dog BECAUSE it’s the owners. simple. your bipolar b&w responses are totally what this guy wanted & you gave it to him. some good responses among you but mostly personal agendas & ego. the author won.
oh, i came here thru Dan’s reference on slapnose for his “slog” blog. now i know what this place is & i won’t be a returning reader to the rest of this site. it’s tiresome & trollish. Dan’s stuff was at least recognizable for being news commentary entertainment. this dog thing… bah. bait. not interested in more.
Lol @ 297’s logic.
You lost me as soon as you quoted “dogsbite.org.” That website is the “brainchild” of a nutsy woman who was badly attacked by a dog and so now makes it her life’s work to try to get pitbulls banned. (Apparently, she doesn’t ever look at the statistics that say that the number of serious dogbites across the US have decreased in the last 20 years and that the most “dangerous” dog changes every decade or so, depending on what kind of dogs thugs are favoring lately.)
Never mind that those who disagree with her include the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Animal Control Association, and every other group I know of. The only people on “dogsbite”‘s side are politicians who prefer to get lots of public attention without doing any research.
The #1 thing you can do to prevent getting attacked by vicious dogs: Make sure your locality has a leash law and enforces it. All of you folks who are whining about loose dogs chasing you – are you persistently contacting your local animal control when you see this? If not, I’d appreciate your keeping your mouths shut until such time that you are willing to take constructive action.
Which breed is a ‘pit bull’ again, because – and correct me if I’m wrong, but ‘pit pull’ is a type of dog, encompassing a number of specific breeds. I’m also curious as to how it has come to have such a bad reputation? For a dog bred to fight and kill other dogs, it seems a strange behavior – biting humans – to be genetically imprinted on the animal. Perhaps, and I’m stretching here, the behavior of the owner has more to do with the dogs behavior. Huskies bite, with alarming frequency, and yet…there isn’t a lot of noise being made about banning them. Or golden retrievers, who – due to their popularity are involved in more bites. I understand the article is concerned with ‘not being killed by a dog’. But, if only 33 fatalities were recorded in 2007 then I’m not concerned. 33 out of 300 million people? Seriously? In the same year about 16000 people died from using aspirin. Can we get an article on how to defeat a pharmacist with a BOGO sale on Bayer?
Quit worrying people about dog attacks. All you’re doing is foisting responsibility onto the dog, when the owner is the one who has the control. And if the owner doesn’t have control? Slap the fucker. The dog will probably come down on your side.
Fuck you you fucking piece of shit. You should fucking go kill yourself you cocksucker. Get educated on the topic before you write an article on it. Dumb fuck.
Come on people…why are you attacking the author because he has a view on Pit bulls? I just witnessed a Pit bull rip a small dog out of a woman’s arms and shred it. Another friend underwent chemo and a Pit bull attacked her before her reconstructive Barbie boobs had a chance to gel. The vet said it was because the dog could smell the poison in her. I’m not saying ban Pits but the owner should take full responsibility and expect some pretty harsh punishment if something happens. That’s fair game.It should be the same for any breed that decides to make lunch meat out of another.
This article is not animal abuse. This article is not a hate letter to pit bulls. This article is not a big letter telling people that suddenly it’s okay to “kick the shit” out of pit bulls. This article is an article on self-defense. Nothing more or less. It deals not just with pit bulls, but with all attacking dogs, and it says so right in the article. Pit bulls, again, are statistically- wait, why the fuck am I reiterating what the article has already said?
People thinking that this is appalling: Get attacked by a pit bull sometime and see if you:
A) Defend yourself from the dog instinctively so the dog doesn’t tear your internal organs out,
B) Attempt to find the dog’s owner to deliver a stern talking-to about taking proper care of pets, all while your arm is being ripped off, or
C) Write a strongly-worded letter to The Stranger telling them that in fact you are enjoying the experience of having your nutsack chewed up by a fucking PITT BULL.
This article is bullshit. Cops have beaten pitbulls with TIRE IRONS and it has done NOTHING – 3 rounds from a Glock .9mm finally put it down. 3 rounds!
You cannot, repeat, cannot beat a pitbull or other large animal as a human. And forget about the pathetic owner being able to control it. They are either weak ass crackers who barely have the strength to hold up their lattes for extended periods, or wankster ass wannabe’s who don’t give a SHIT about you anyway, and will most likely find your impending demise funny, and somewhat sexually stimulating.
The only solution is superior attacking force ala a gun. Carry a gun you fucking liberal douchebags and intersperse you loads between a hollow point and a shotshell load like the Glaser rounds. When nutso potentially LEATHAL ANIMAL approaches, steady aim for center mass of the stupid animal (that’s right, read it again shitstick libtard, ANIMAL) and blast away. Once the threat has been eliminated be prepared to be assaulted by whankster Freemont / Queen Anne types who elevate ANIMALS to the status of people. You’ll need a lawyer.
Lastly, to all the gayass Seattle dog owners out there being towed around by a giant rodent while carrying its bag of steaming shit, grow up and have a fucking kid already you miserable DINKs.
PS. Nothing beats a pump .12 gauge shotty but it’s touch to carry one around and not get hassled by “the man”.
The funny thing is they say 56% of attacks is by pit bulls, but what is considered a pit bull? I would like for the writer of this article to complete this in less than 3 tries for me. To show how ignorant all of you are. PUNISH THE DEED, NOT THE BREED!!!!
HERE YA GUYS GO TRY IT OUT http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/…
The Seattle Humane Society agreed to be interviewed for the story, and we are very sorry we did. What follows is our letter to the editor:
Dear Mr. Frizzelle,
As a former journalist, I always try to assist writers seeking information from the Seattle Humane Society on animal welfare issues. When David Schmader called wanting expert information on protecting oneself during a dog attack, our animal behavior manager Emily Keegans provided him with important information about an important issue.
We’re very disappointed in the focus of this story and sorry that we agreed to be quoted. Schmader was intentionally dishonest, saying he was a reporter writing a news story. If this was intended to be farcical, it was offensive and poorly done. Worse yet, it didn’t really address this serious issue in a meaningful way.
You no longer have our respect as a credible news source. Sorry.
Rhonda Manville
Rhonda Manville
Director of Marketing
Seattle Humane Society
Tel: (425) 274-1513
I live in NYC and there are a lot more dogs here than you might think and a huge number of them are pit bulls. I don’t trust any strange dog but pit bulls are especially scary because they mostly consist of a powerful head, neck and jaws with just the right height to bite a small child’s face. My son is ten now and higher off the ground but when he was little I mentally prepared myself to act defensively every time one walked by his stroller and always kept myself between him and any dog. My husband was walking with our son on 5th Avenue when a pit bull jumped up and gave him a little nip for no reason. Glad for all concerned that it wasn’t me. All you people who want to argue who’s fault, why or if they deserve their reputation, their purpose, breeding, how sweet they are, etcetera – please spare me. If any dog (we are talking about an animal here) tries to attack me or mine I will make a full throttle effort to neutralize and/or kill it (I’ve pondered prior to reading this if eye gouging would work) and seek to punish the owner to the maximum extent allowed by law. I’ve kicked attacking dogs on more than one occasion and been luck enough to escape injury. Now I have some other tips to make any defensive effort more effective. Thanks for doing the legwork Mr. Schmader. Hope I never have to test your information. Owning a dog means being a pack leader. If you can’t or won’t control a dog then don’t get that sweet little puppy. Try a kitten instead.
I am a trainer with Bark Busters Home Dog Training and was contacted by David Schmader as a source for this story. I regret having contributed, and wrote the following letter to the editor:
Dear Mr. Frizzelle,
I am a professional dog trainer with Bark Busters Home Dog Training. I was excited when Mr. Schmader contacted me for information on dog attacks – how to prevent them and what to do in the event that one occurs. There is so much misinformation circulating, it seemed like a great opportunity to help educate the public.
The quotations attributed to me were accurate, but they were included in a way that the reader might be left with the notion that I actually agree with this article. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, no breed names were ever mentioned during the interview, neither by Mr. Schmader nor by me.
I’m proud that I’ve helped train many owners and their Pit Bulls. I also volunteer for a rescue group that provides foster homes and training for the many dogs who are abused and/or poorly trained.
I have often read the Stranger and found it interesting and provocative. This experience leaves me feeling deceived and frustrated. I expected better.
Sincerely,
David Wiley
Bark Busters Home Dog Training
http://www.barkbusters.com
Ive got something for you.. your a stupid ignorant douchebag. Your one of the reasons that pits have a bad rep have you ever actually seen a pitbull? I have one myself that i rescued off the street and guess what she didnt have a leash on did i mace it? No hard A i didnt becausee between the ciggarette burns and the barb wire i dnt think she could take much more. Hey did dogbite.org mention the cruel pricks that abuse these beautiful loving dogs and make them mean. Why dont you get your facts straight before you start preaching about something you have no knowledge about. My pit is loving and i have a 11 year old brother and she protective over the whole family. If anyone in here wants a dog a pit is the way to go loving and loyal till the end. By the way jackass if you knew anything about pits you would know that they are very agile and strong and standing on a car wouldnt save you DA!!!
This article is a joke. Don’t let “yummy little kids” near a pit bull? Do you honestly think pit bulls sit around waiting for yummy little kids? Go to the site below and learn something about how this breed has become public enemy number one and it will put a new perspective on things.
People For The Ethical Treatment Of Pit Bulls
Funny.. I remember when Rottweilers were the main source of “aggressive breed” stories and the only thing Pit Bulls were famous for was being ugly (a sentiment I don’t agree with; I think they’re cute in their way).
Yes, some breeds are naturally more aggressive than others, but that doesn’t mean the owners of out-of-control dogs aren’t to blame, at least somewhat. Anyone who works with dogs or knows about training them will tell you that properly socializing dogs is important, particularly for more instinctively aggressive breeds. A well-trained dog knows if it attacks, there will be consequences.
Some people posting here have complained about dog owners who treat their dogs like children. I have to say, I don’t think the people in question would make very good parents, as they don’t seem to want to punish their “children” in order to divert them from bad behaviors.
As for the commenter who said that if you want to let your dog off-leash, move to the country… I live in the country and I really disagree with that. Dogs should never be allowed to run free, as they can terrorize livestock, pets, and humans. People do live out here, too, you know! I’m fine with dogs running free in their own yards, as long as they can’t get out.
Anyway, I know all this is a little belated, but what with all the howling in the comments (pun intended) I figured a little more balanced discussion wouldn’t hurt.
Man what a world of ignorant people we live in. all i can say is watch the dog whisperer. cesar milan is a genius.
yeah, there are a lot of idiots out there like michael vick who think dogs should be a source of entertainment. but dogs are living breathing creatures. and if anything, human or animal is abused it will turn into a violent creature.
idiots continue living in fear. i’ll look for you. you’ll probably be the ones running around with tin foil on your heads in 2012.
Just wanted to point out that pit bulls have been bred for the entirety of the breed’s history to be completely human-unagressive. Traditionally when fighting dogs both handlers are in the ring with the animals, and separate them multiple times with their bare hands.
Most people don’t even know what a pit bull is supposed to look like, so any aggressive mixed breed is often falsely called a pit. For example, the proportions of the animal in the pictures are inconsistent with the American pit bull, and it lacks jowls.
This is not to say that pit bull can’t be aggressive, or that they’re perfect little angels, but people should stop grouping any mean looking dog falsely with a specific breed and they should stop spouting nonsense without doing research.
I don’t have a problem with dogs generally, or pit bulls specifically. I respect the space of strange dogs and go to great lengths to avoid aggressive ones, and teach my kids to do the same.
That said: If one attacks me – and I don’t give a shit what breed it is – I’m gonna try my best to kill the fucker. And if it attacks my children, I’m coming after the owner next.
Dogsbite.org, eh? This is directly from Coleen’s diary:
“Don’t Believe Everything
You Think
By Colleen Lynn
“I’d Smack You, But chocolate Splatters!”
That’s what the bumper sticker on the back of the truck said. I imagined a mound of chocolate several feet high and someone taking a baseball bat to it. As the crap flew to my face, I realized that my vision was incorrect. According to the bumper sticker, I was that mound of chocolate getting stuck to the driver’s face.
“Who Lit the FUSE on Your Tampon?”
This sticker included a drawing of a tampon. The necessary string hung from the bottom, and it had a bright red belly, indicating that it was used. The tip of the cylinder-shape was on fire. I imagined a hand yanking a tampon out of a woman and holding it up to a match — a terrible image, but one that I could not stop my brain from producing.
“If You Can Read This, The Bitch Jumped Out!”
This dead ringer was plastered on the cab’s back window. Apparently, his bitch did not sit in the cab, but squatted in the bed of the truck and hung on to the roll bar. That’s one lucky bitch — she got away.
I had been running errands that afternoon. I was on way home when a cluster of traffic stopped me in my tracks. Defeated, I sat back and read what was in front of me: the bumper stickers on the vehicle ahead. In this moment, the trigger went off. But, unlike in my far away past, my body had no response to it.
That truck was a lifted up four-by-four, with deep treaded tires for off-road ridding. It’s fat fenders looked like muscles bulging from a giant’s arm. The man in the cab was thirty-something. He was agitated, and appeared to be shouting into his phone. I continued to read the stickers.
“SORRY! I don’t date outside my species.”
Before I started taking medication, a scenario like this would have caused a full-blown anxiety attack. The essential elements were present: an unexpected side-slam by homicidal images, and ultimately a cruel man.
Before the medication, suddenly landing behind this truck would go something like this: I would have imagined that I was sitting in the cab next to him and that my door was missing a handle. I would have imagined that he squeezed my arm and said, “Don’t go trying nothing bitch, or I’ll make you real sorry.” I knew then that my thoughts only existed in my head, but my body did not know.
The area between my abdomen and upper thighs would have released enough sweat to drench the seat. Both of my legs would have panicked into spasms, as if I were dancing on hot lava stones. The pump inside my chest would have (miraculously), exceeded my maximum, beating upwards of 190 times a minute.
It would have been a level four attack — five being disastrous — because of the suddenness of the event.
After a high-level attack, Disassociation sets in. This usually lasted for about two weeks. During this time, I was incapable of looking at anyone directly. Relating conversationally to people, even my close friends, was like the disorientation of going deaf. I watched their lips move, but only heard parts of sentences, and sometimes no sentences at all. I was a mild catatonic, dressed up as myself.
My boyfriend, who lived with me, got the worst of it. I would slingshot from a stupefied state into one of aggression, especially if he approached me from behind. “fizzle YOU!” I would shriek. “Don’t you EVER come up behind me without announcing yourself.”
That last piece of behavior is called Generalizing, which went hand-in-hand with my periods of Disassociation. Generalizing means that you think the person next to you is the same person that caused you trauma. There are layers of Generalizing. For instance, the truck man was a stranger, an outer layer that triggered the memory of a past trauma. My boyfriend, who I have known intimately for two years, became a closer layer during these times. By taking certain actions, he too could trigger a painful memory. Generalizing is a frightening spiral to spin down.
One of the greatest fear’s I have now is: What if my medication stops working? But because I am on medication, I only have this thought once, then it floats away, like I have just let go of a balloon. There doesn’t seem to be a downside to taking the pills. And my boyfriend, without hesitation, says that I should keep taking them.”
Sure sounds like reliable, trustworthy source, right?
OMG, YOU (the writer)are INSANE! I have been doing pit rescue for over 20 years and have never even been bitten. My son nearly had his ear torn off by a family pet which was a golden retriever. His second bite came from a neighbors pet black lab that was in OUR yard and put 3 puncture wounds in his hand. If this article was telling people how to defend themselves against a “black” person, people would be outraged. Breed profiling is just as wrong, Especially when you don’t know jack about the breed.
We can sit here and joke about this but the real monster isn’t the Pit Bull, it’s the guy with the bare chest standing on a city street corner with his Pit Bull on a double leather lead and a spiked collar around it’s neck threatening everyone in the neighborhood because he is programmed to be a bully and turn his dog into one.
That’s why the Pit Bull is the current monster dog, because of the people that own them, just like the guy who just let his dog go on purpose to attack me and my aussie.
We don’t admire Lassie anymore, we like blood and guts and Cujo, so I consider myself lucky, because the police didn’t have to shoot this one. He only scared my dog so badly he doesn’t want to go out of the house and all he did to me was smash my sunglasses, rip my clothes, tear my purse, bite my hand and gouge and smash my knee which is still swolen after a week.
How fun is that!!! Sorry there wasn’t more blood, like I said, I was lucky. As long as there are monster people in this world there will always be monster dogs!
Did you just call my dog a nigger?
Hey David. Nice article. Next, how ’bout an article on “how to lynch a darkie with your bare hands”?
If you read nothing else, read this: The University of Pennsylvania’s study found that pit bulls rated below average for aggression towards strangers, were in the BOTTOM five breeds for aggression towards owners, and they were in the top five breeds for aggression towards strange and unknown dogs but even that showed only 21% of pit bulls showing any kind of aggression toward another dog.
Incredibly disappointing, as usual, to read the responses here. The average person seems to think that selective breeding is perfect and magic rather than a crapshoot. Do you really think that dog fighters are incredibly talented geneticists, and that behavior and genetics are so simple that a breeding of two aggressive dogs creates a litter of perfect clones? Behavior is FAR more complex than appearance as far as genetics is concerned. Jean Paul Scott proved in his research to selectively breed aggression into mice that IT CANNOT BE DONE (from his book Aggression). You can alter the threshold of stimulation and cause a defensive attack but aggression in terms of an unprovoked attack CANNOT be bred for. About half of the dogs at Guide Dogs for the Blind flunk out every year, and that’s with a 70 year old breeding program run by experts and puppies handled from birth to do a specific job. Do you really think that the small percentage of people breeding pit bulls to be aggressive are so incredibly talented, and that there is a magical aggression gene that is so dominant that it effects every single pit bull alive? Not that anecdotal evidence means anything, because it doesn’t, but just for fun: my friend owns a Colby dog, a line that has been bred since the late 1800’s for dog fighting until it was made illegal, but nonetheless it is a line of very tightly linebred dogs: the pedigree is almost entirely Colby dogs. She is 14 years old and has never shown aggression to a human or another animal, yet her bloodlines are entirely from pit bulls bred for fighting. “For every question there is an answer that is simple, easy to understand, and wrong.” And just fyi – BSL has failed everywhere it’s been passed. And dogsbite.org is a very obvious hate group run by a single person who (surprise, surprise) was bitten by a pit bull, Colleen Lynch cherry picks her news stories and outright lies.
Really? What’s next? Very dissapointed. Open minds with shit pouring out.
As a pitbull owner I can’t stand this article. I own two pit bulls and they are both registered therapy dogs and would never hurt a fly. The one thing this article doesn’t discuss, is what the people were doing in the first place TO get attacked. Pits have a bad rep from dog fighting – but they do this only because their loyalty to their master is so strong, they are willing to die for them, quite literally. Secondly, most get these dogs for protection. I’m willing to bet most of these “horrible monsters” that attacked “innocent people” actually deserved it for being involved with the illegal act of dog fighting or we trespassers. Dogs RARELY act unprovoked unless your doing something on their territory they don’t like.
And to say its insane that a dog can’t pick up on human emotions and react, well you’re an idiot. It’s factually proven they can
grab their neck and twist. or throw it in the dumpster.
if not, stick your arm down its troath.
Why are the pro-attack dog brigade acting like such a bunch of thick cunts? True, the article should have said ‘big aggressive dogs’ instead of Pit Bulls to shut you knuckle draggers up, but the advice is necessary for people to understand what happens, what to do and what to expect in these situations…which is on an alarming rise.
@328, there is another reason dogs attack and that is illness or disease. Of course in that case, the family owned by the dog is in the greatest danger. This is why unexplained aggression in a dog needs to be dealt with via a speedy trip to the vet’s office to figure out what’s going on.
err..I meant the family who owns the dog…LOL
I’ve been attacked several times by dogs, some of them large. Best bet: Do NOT let them get behind you, use your legs and feet as weapons, as well as anything else you can grab (car keys, etc.) and keep your hand and arms high. Then scream like hell for help.
It is legal in 44 states to kill and eat dogs. Such stocky and muscular dogs as pit bulls and chows make the best eatin,’ according to my father, who enjoyed two wonderful stays in Asia (Korea in 1951 and Vietnam in 1967, both of them courtesy of Uncle Sam) and became pretty familiar with Asian cuisine. There’s no such thing as a bad dog.
this makes me so sad… as I am a pit bull owner and they are the most loving and compassionate dogs you will ever meet, they are just misunderstood and become pets to naive people that think they make great attack dogs (false)… but being that they are very high energy dogs and do like to play using their moths people get themselves hurt by getting the pit excited, and the pit thinks its a game, and they love to win so they will play till they win and thats not their fault its their owners and the dumby egging the poor pitty on. I know the stats show they are dangerous but its not the dog its their owners
i know how to punch a cat in the face without spilling my beer.
i know how to punch a cat in the face without spilling my beer.
this is wrong; the only way to protect yourself is learning shito-ryu karate and pluck of the dog jaw, of course beraking it’s legs is important too but usually the snout comes to you before you can grab or strike the dogs legs
Here is another fucker giving this breed a bad name! another person that lets the media run thur thoughts!!!! just because they put it on the news doe’s not mean all pit bulls attack. other breeds attack more than pit bulls! do some more reading on the breed b-4 you talk bad about it!
this breed is just miss understood!
read and understand the breed!
raise your dog right!
I like picture number 5. Sort of makes me chuckle.
You dog people are crazy as loons. Dogs are not your babies: they are animals with brains and breeding, and often (800,000 times a year in this country!) cause problems, because you let them.
We can’t ban people, not even dog-owners with chips on their shoulders and disregard for their fellow human beings.
We can’t ban people, but we can ban breeds. (Or, categories of breeds, you pedantic pricks).
choke the mother f er
Pit monster defenders talk about death statistics as if those are the only ones! What about attacks where the victim is able to flee or find safety or fend off?What about maimings, injuries, etc. My wife was attached by a Pit Bull just today when she was walking on a park trail (which is why I’m even on this website). The idiot owner was walking the dog in the city where leash laws apply. She was walking our playful 1-year-old Boyken Spaniel and told me the Pit would have killed our dog if it could have caught her. And the dumbass owner of the Pit? No apology, didn’t even approach my wife to see if she was okay! Pitbull owners are fucking morons! These dogs are bred for killing. Period. Don’t be a fucking dumbass! Get a real dog not a killer! End result, my wife called the police and they tried to find the stupid owner and her Pit Monster. No reports yet. I’m carrying my .45 next time we walk. If that happens again that fucking monster will be full of lead! “officer, I feared for my life and I emptied the clip.”
It’s funny how Colleen Lynn of Dogsbite manages to be quoted for “articles” like these.
Being a victim of a dog bite does not render one a dog bite expert. Nor is she an expert even in the remotest sense of the word when it comes to canine behavior. All she is is a person with a visceral hatred of all stocky canines, a computer, and access to internet search engines. She does not vet any of her links, she simply links to anything negative and ignores bites by other types of dogs. If you disagree with her, you are a “pit nutter” and there’s a good chance she’ll make your email public so that her minions can flame you with hate emails.
There isn’t a single respected canine behaviorist or organization who would agree with any of the fear and misinformation she puts out as fact.
Why does Colleen Lynn of Dogsbite keep getting quoted as some kind of expert?
She has zero qualifications. She is not a canine behaviorist. She is one person with a visceral hatred of all stocky dogs.
She has a computer and access to Google, where she sits on her butt and types in words that will pull up negative stories about “pit bulls” which papers are all too happy to publish in order to draw traffic.
Colleen does not vet any of the links she publishes. She has “statistics” on her site such as “100% of pit bull owners are criminals” which is ludicrous. Oh, she includes traffic tickets to get to the 100%, which by her logic means 100% of any group of people you can think of are criminals. Except that traffic tickets are civil, not criminal, offenses.
Anyone who disagrees with Colleen is labeled a “pit nutter” and odds are she will make your email public so that her minions can flame you with hate emails.
There isn’t a single respected/reputable canine behaviorist or organization who would agree with Colleen Lynn and she does not deserve to be quoted for any reason whatsoever.
The evidence is overwhelming that Pit bulls are extremely dangerous and should be exterminated from the dog kingdom, because they really are not dogs.
If attacked by a Pit bull, kick his face, he keeps attacking, pepper spray—he keeps attacking and he will, you have no chose, use a knife or gun.
As long as some people are unable or refuse to accept the fact that Pit bulls are dangerous, you will see Pit bulls on the street with no muzzle on them, so be prepared!
Defending yourself, whether from dogs, humans, is always worth working on. Regarding dogs, some points to consider: many fatal attacks are perpetrated by two or more animals. If you see two or more free-range dogs, avoid them and report them. Together, they are certain to be more aggressive than individual dogs. Teach children to leave strange dogs alone. Mistrust people who say their dogs don’t bite. All dogs bite. The difference between dogs is the conditions under which they will bite. Carrying an umbrella can be useful, along with the mace or pepper spray.
Articles like this really demonstrate how completely ignorant and uneducated people are about dogs and dog behavior.
“What is considered aggressive is culturally and generationally relative. German shepherds were on the top of the list after World War II; in the 1990’s Rottweilers and Dobermans were scorned; the American Staffordshire terrier (also known as the Pit Bull) is the current bete noire. Their classification has more to do with recent events and public perception than with their intrinsic nature. Recent research found that of all (dog) breeds the dachshunds were the most aggressive to both their owners and to strangers. Perhaps this is under reported because a snarling dachshund can be picked up and stashed away in a tote bag.” – Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz.
I should have read this last week. At that time I was amoung the idiot brigade that thinks these animals are only aggresive if they are trained to be. Well I am living proof that the friendly pitbull that I have petted on many occasions can decide he is in the mood to put someone in their place. I was that person. I am a 5’11 240 pound former wrestler, boxer, Marine, and Rugby Player, and dog LOVER, who thought he would play the “dog wisperer” on the nieghbors pit bull. I guess it was my fault, I actually bent over to pick something up off of the ground. Pit bull was secured by collar and cable and was approximately 30 to 40 yards away. Picking a twig up of your lawn apparently is a pit bull trigger because he was on me in no time. This pit was raised as a puppy by my neigbor and on many occasions found his way in my yard with nothing more than a tail wag and a pat on the head, scratch of the belly. Well Saturday at 3:30 pm in my yard was not the same fucking game plan because that monster attacked me with such ferociousness that I wound up in the hospital and I faught back as hard and as best I could for the better part of a minute. To the boxers out there you know a minute seems like an eternity when your ass is getting thumped. It reminded me of the crazy dogs in the movie “I am legend”. Luckily the neighbor heard the commotion and came out and pulled the bi-polar pit bull away. I did pretty good though, I just walked away with three stiches. I honestly beleive that If the neighbor did not come to the rescue, I would be dead. These dogs should be muzzelled at all times. Moral of the story, Will Smith should have brought a pit bull to the I am legend Party!
Thanks SO much for the article. I live in Portland, and walk everywhere. 4 years ago I was charged by a Rottweiler UNLEASHED in a school playground 5 blocks from my house. Luckily I had my little guy leashed, and that saved his life (but almost broke his neck) because I swung him so high that the Rott couldn’t get him before someone got the ROTT. It’s a miracle neither I nor my little dog were killed or seriously hurt. Since then I’m hyper-vigilant. I am so glad to see that my plan to get us up on a car makes sense. And now I’m getting the bear spray too. I love Caesar Milan, and understand the whole thing about “powerful breeds”. Unfortunately the “powerful breed” dog owners are usually so out of it and stupid that I have to assume the dog is at the very best not trained and possibly dangerous/deadly. I would have had no idea what to do if a Pit bull, with it’s “powerful jaws”, got a hold of me (or my little guy), but now I do. Now I also know what to do about the rest of them… if it works for a pit, I assume it’ll work for a lab! SO THANK YOU for the information and great illustrations. I feel better and won’t be forgetting any of that soon!
Excellent article. Thanks for the tips. I personally don’t give two fucks about the hows and the whys of bully breed aggression. I do care about what to do when one of them attacks me or my small dog. It’s happened twice and I was able to protect us both each time. This article gave me more tools to use for the next time. And there will inevitably be a next time.
A pit bull killed her owner, a 7 year old little girl 4 years ago. The mom was a friend of my wifes. It was a major news event. A pit bull attacked my cousin’s dog in Tucson, the dog is lucky to be alive. My friend told me today his neighbors little dog got loose, and crossed paths with a pit. Its dead now. 1 year ago I was walking my beagle and luckily I had a can of mace that the mail man gave me. Some idiot on a bicycle was riding by me and towing his running dog. His dog broke the leash and pulled him off his bike. His medium sized dog came over to my dog. It was night so I couldn’t see his dog well. The man followed, and said ” don’t worry, my dog won’t bite ” Next, there was a slight growl and his dog sunk its teeth into my Beagle’s neck ( my kids joy of their life is that Beagle). There was no dog fight. It was a death grip, and my Beagle had no chance. As his dog was trying to kill my dog, I screamed, ” Get your dog off my dog ” and he couldn’t. He was a strong man, maybe in his late 20’s. He could not get his dog loose from mine. Him and I watched helplessly as his dog was killing mine. I could see him struggling trying to get his dog loose. So I said , “Can I spray your dog? ” I asked him a second time. He said “Yes”. So I sprayed that friggen thing right in the eyes, for a long time. It still did not let go of my dog. A few minutes passed. Something happened, and it LET GO 🙂 I immediatly grabbed my dog (still on leash) and held him in my arms, and ran 1 block at least. The killer dog was trying to get loose, and come after both of us but the owner was able to hold him. The wife of that man picked us up, and took us to the Animal Hospital. My dog was bleeding all over the inside of her nice truck. I asked what was the breed of that dog? She said Pit Bull. My Beagle was in operating room for nearly 2 hours, many, many stiches on side of neck and into the ear cartilage. Deep into his ear was the damage. The Bill was $900 Dollars and they paid it. I can not tell you how scared I was, and after seeing the damage that Pit Bull did, I can see easily how they can kill a human. I have children ages 6, 9 and 11 and I will NEVER let them walk the dog without me present and I am seriously considering getting the handgun training and carrying a firearm when walking the dog. My 12 guage is just not convenient to carry. A Pit Bull is NOT a family dog. Anyone who thinks it is , is blind to the threat.
Thanks so much for this article! I personally think owning a pit-bull should be illegal. Here’s a few personal reasons why:
A pit-bull mauled my 8-year-old cousin as he was riding his bike down the street just a few weeks ago. The attack was completely unprovoked, and my cousin’s face is scarred for the rest of his life, it was ripped up to hamburger. He has gashes going 2 inches deep into his back, and not to mention the risk of death from infection. He almost died in the street before the owner finally came out and pulled the dog away.
Another incident occurred with a childhood friend of mine. Her family had owned this pit-bull for about 5 years, and then one day it randomly attacked her (she was only 15 at the time). It tore the left side of her cheek all the way to her ear, leaving her permanently scarred for life.
AND yet, another friend of my mom’s was a police officer who adopted a pit-bull. She also cared for it for years, then one day while feeding it, it attacked her out of no where. It mangled her left forearm to the point where it had to be amputated.
I’ve been bit by non-pit-bulls before, but it seem like when this particular breed decides to be aggressive, it’s not just a single bite, it’s a life-threatening maul. Pit-bulls are just awful.
Good to see someone willing to address self-defense for less usual circumstances. As usual there are those that don’t like the idea of taking personal responsibility for their own well being and thus don’t like the article. Not a problem as that attitude will hopefully get them out the gene pool sooner.
Regarding some of the techniques like getting on the ground are recommended for a bear encounter as there isn’t much other choice. With a pit bull you’re likely to get your head chewed off.
I know several people that have been attacked by pit bulls with the one fellow, having been attacked by two simultaneously, had both forearms chewed so badly he needed micro surgery to reconstruct tendons and muscles his wrists.
I walk or bicycle daily and have had on two occasions pit bulls come after me. When I walk take either my Japanese hanbo (48″ heavy walking stick) or an 18″ collapsible baton. I had the hanbo both time the pit bulls came after me they both backed off as I moved to the attack. I guess they could see that “you’re going to look like a “pit bull Popsicle” look in my eyes.
Myself having a fair bit of background in self-defense training would personally opt for side stepping the little shit as it attacked and caving in its ribs with a well placed kick.
I had a German Shepherd attack me straight on years ago and I waited for it lunge at me. As soon as a dog is airborne they have just transitioned from formidable attacker to a furry Pinata. I side stepped and kicked the dog directly in the upper chest with a round-house kick. It hit the ground gasping and didn’t get up for about 15 seconds at which point it high tailed it out of there. I would not try that defense on a pit bull as target area is too small and they’re likely to latch on to your foot as you kicked.
In a knock-down pissing match where the dog has managed to get you the gouging the eyes is a good technique but I would recommend a fast strike when executing the technique otherwise the dog is likely to let go of where it’s biting and to start devouring your hand.
Personally I think that the breed plain sucks as they were bred for fighting and for their powerful jaws making them very dangerous and should be outlawed. I am a big dog lover, am currently 58 and have had a dog in the family for almost all of those 58 years. I just don’t find much of anything redeeming in a breed that has such a track record of causing injury and death.
just want to say today two decent sized pitbulls strolled up onto my property and attacked my shih tzu. had my neighbor not came out and fought them off with a broom and my little sookie not been uber fast we probably would be in the hospital(i say we because my dog is like my kid and we weren’t going down with out a fight). so yea it happens but because not everyone dies who gets attacked the stat of dog attacks is low. so thank god for you and others like you who post this important info. it’s always good to know just in case!
As someone who grew up with dogs, mostly the miniature size, I can tell you that ANY dog can be aggressive. We learned early that being on the wrong side of a miniature poodle’s teeth was not good. She never bit us, but she did bite strangers who SHE thought she had to protect us against. Including my Kindergarten teacher who brought me home when I was sick one day. Toya, our dog, never escaped our yard, was always current with her vaccinations, and always licensed. And was never treated harshly.
My Brother had a dog who was half pit-bull/half shepherd. His name was Garth. He was about 6 months old when my Sister and I got him for my Brother, with his approval. They went through
training together, several times. Garth was good at obeying commands, but when it came to socialization he wasn’t so good.
Any dog can be good. Any dog can be volatile. When a dog is not on its home territory, or is with more dogs, they are dangerous. Period.
I taught my kids to not go up to strange animals. Period. And I taught them to ask the owners if it was ok to approach the ones that were with their owners. And don’t do it at face level. You need to start off as Alpha (pack/social standing), and stay there. You can’t do that if you are at face level, or lower, to them.
Well, you can talk nature or nurture all you want, but the thing is, in our city, all the people have them in order to look “gangsta”. We read reports all the time about kids getting mauled. It can’t be that all the limited pitbull bites are happening in one town, so I question the stats. I know what I see. So many of these “gangsta” wannabees have toddlers, too.
Ziggzaggers, I am so sorry for your family, for those poor kids and adults to go through trauma like that.
I was attacked by a pitbull that wanted to eat my two little dogs so badly it broke its collar to reach us. It was more interested in the dogs than me, and pinned my smallest on top of my chest holding us to the ground.
I GOUGED ITS EYES. Not out, but the best I could. Learned this in a self-defense class. The thing wouldn’t have stopped til we were all dead.
GO FOR THE EYES!!! And seriously, people – insurance companies won’t even sell you coverage if you own a pitbull. Insurance companies have no interest in hearsay, just the numbers and facts. These dogs have LOCKING jaws and many breeders mate the most vicious pup with his own mother to make them more deranged.
These things should NOT be kept as pets!
My German Shepherd (on a leash) almost lost an eye to a female pitbull (no leash) at the beach. The 3 little low-life losers had no control and did NOTHING to end it. I had to drag the dogs into the surf and almost drown the damn dog before she let go–all the time being called a bitch and a cunt for hurting their dog. They ran away with their “loving” pet and left me with a $600 vet bill.
I went through another similar situation walking my dog (on a leash) near home–another pit bull (no leash) and another vet bill.
Now, years later, I have a black lab puppy and I listen to the pit lovers at the dog park talking about their blue or pink-nosed lovebugs (like they were dolphins) and how gentle they are. What they don’t talk about is training them to pull on the baby swings at the park or how they have to tether them in cages so they don’t scale fences or chew through the back door of the house (like my neighbor’s dogs–the wind or the meter reader is always to blame for the open gate). I never heard of a “break stick” until last week (at the dog park)–the pit crowd was comparing products. Because I live in a more rural area, I carry a gun. In town, an axe should suffice.
These dogs never play with other dogs and the owners are never within 100 ft of them–usually on cell phones or hanging with the other “responsible” pit owners far away from any control zone.
I’ve been knocked down, for no reason, by two of these fantastic pets. I was just standing on the grass and watching other dogs playing–no dogs or people near me.
It wasn’t a mistake or an accident–and neither of the owners even helped me up or asked me if I was OK (not that they were even close enough). I have a huge bruise on the back of my right leg from the last hit. This one came at me after I fell. When I asked the woman to keep her dog away she said, “Are you afraid of my dog?”. I’ve been bumped by lots of dogs at the park, including my own, but never run down by any that weren’t playing with another dog.
My own vet says to avoid pit bulls (their jaws don’t lock) because they are bred to hold on and inflict maximum damage–and the owners aren’t much better, IMO.
Yeah, yeah, pit bulls are only 5% of the dog population but they account for the majority of maulings and deaths–and everything but breeding seems to “provoke” them to violence. Dogs walking/barking/running/playing. People walking/yelling/running/playing/holding something. OH, and they have “NEVER shown any kind of aggression in the past”, “somebody must have done something to make this happen” and “they were just being protective”.
Go ahead, feel free to call me the above names. It’s what I’ve come to expect from pit owners. I’m 60 years old and this is the first time I’ve ever posted on the subject. I didn’t come by my opinions overnight or by reading. I used to just blame the owners but experience has taught me well.
The bright side is.. 80% of pit bull fatalities are to family members.
Why provide commentary on these articles and blogs, if uninformed/misinformed people are allowed to comment! Yeah, First Amendment freedoms and all.
Seriously people, check your facts! Do the world a favor.
And yes, I own a Pitbull. Or she owns me. Along with a Border Collie and a Lab/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. Do I let her run off-leash? Nope. Same is true with our other doggies. Does she get on with our other doggies and people? Absolutely! The same is true with the Golden Retrievers and Collies we’ve had in our happy family.
It all seems to depend on the environment and how well is schooled and gets along.
Dogs are dogs! It’s silly to think that people have all these strange fears and judgments about a particular breed.
I’ll introduce you to our girl any ol’ time.
I own a pit bull I got out of a junk yard beaten bit up and burned fed steriods you name it her old thug owner probably did it I got her when she was a year or so old she is twelve now and sleeps under the covers and loves her people to know end she has actually saved me from home intruders with out maiming them and saved me from another dog not a pit bull from lunching at my face and all she did was pin him. I always keep her on a lease why? for her safety and ya know what i found all those small little dogs off lease always want to attack her i just pick her up till the dumb owner comes trotting over to claim there dog while she enjoys a good cuddle i prefer to keep my dogs ankle in tact i would have no problem with this article if it had said dog and not had brutal cartoon pictures by the way your not getting your hand down a pits throat it may have a big mouth nut they have unusually small throats ask a vet breed specific profiling is just stupid I dont hold any grudge against the breed of dog that went for me its just that dog. I live with someone that was tore up my a dog and him and his small child love my dog once again her she is twelve plus years and all she has ever done is love her family
These techniques are useful against the dog and their mentally unstable owners too. When an Owner says “Oh he won’t hurt you. He likes kids”, insert your hand down the owner’s throat and pull their tongues out from the root. Then put the owner on a leash!! Dog Owners who attack this common sense pamphlet are bred for aggression. They need to be put down. Heel Owner Heel!
This is an excellent article. For all the retards that say otherwise, I suggests you mfer’s read the paper once ina while. Then maybe you can understand while pitbulls should be exterminated. I am sure that the 30 number is understated. The only thing coming close to the horriffic news of a baby being brought home only to be eaten by the family pitbull, is reading about the maimed bodies of children who are attacked and live with the stigma of disfigurement for the rest of their lives.
Shame on anybody who tries to argue otherwise!
Lets talk about a few facts…There were over 300,ooo dog bites treated in the year that this article was writen. pit bulls made up less than 5% of those. The numbers say you are more likely to be bitten by a German Shepherd or a pomeranian. Pit bulls bites are capable of grater pounds PSI thus doing more damage. That does not establish them as inherently violent.
For everyone that has an opinion, remember this, it is your opinion. It is not based on facts. Your opinion is based on how the media relays information. If someone died in a dog attack, it is broadcasted as a dog attack. When a pit bull hurts someone, it is a pit bull attack. That is the same thing as saying a crime commited by two races of people are not the same crime.
Pit bulls are becoming more and more popular to own, but by people that should not own any breed of dog. I own 2 pit bulls and I have had several throughout my life. I socialize them from the time they are puppies. They play at the dog park with everyone else. I am a responsable dog owner. If you are someone that feels that a specific breed should be discriminated against, that makes you an ignorant person.
I used to be open to the idea that pit bulls could be good dogs, if they had responsible owners. Last month my sweet, gentle dog was killed (ripped to shreds) by a pit bull (the pit’s owner is a dog walker/trainer). I’m now fully in the Ban Pit Bulls camp. It’s like owning a pet lion. Sure they can be sweet and loving, but when they attack it’s deadly.