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Northeast Wisconsin & Upper Michigan's Bully Dog Breed Association Pitbull Attack Facts |
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Much of this Information is on loan from our
friends at Lakeshore Bully Breed Club in Sheboygan, WI. With
applying fact over fear Sheboygan, WI has successfully adopted a
non-breed specific ordinance that treats all breeds equally and
punishes the deed and not the breed.
There is a
discriminating trend sweeping our nation and other parts of the
world right now. Towns, cities, counties, states and entire
countries around the world are proposing and passing BSL.
Almost always these laws target Pit Bulls and many add other
breeds as well.
There are many reasons that Pit Bulls are
targeted. We believe the primary reasons are as follows:
- The media is eager to report any story
of a Pit Bull attacking a person or pet. Many times these
reports are inaccurate, as the breed of the dog is rarely
confirmed. Even when the media is notified that the breed was
not accurately reported, corrections and retractions are rarely
printed.
- The media does not tend to report
stories of other dog breeds attacking people and pets. People
are bitten by dogs every day, sometimes severely. But if the
offending dog is not a Pit Bull, don't expect to read about it
in the paper or hear about it on the evening news. No one wants
to hear about the kid who was rushed to the emergency room after
he was bitten by a Labrador or Golden Retriever, though each of
those breeds is responsible for more bites each year that Pit
Bulls.
- The media
does not tend to report stories where Pit Bulls are the heroes -
remember, Pit Bulls are Police Dogs, Soldiers and Therapy Dogs.
Pit Bulls rescue people and save lives on a regular basis. On
the rare occasion that these stories are reported, they aren't
reported with the same gusto, nor are they given the front-page
spotlight that is reserved only for negative reporting on these
dogs.
- Pit Bulls are strong dogs. When they bite they can
cause significant harm to the victim. This fact instills fear
into people, and it overrides people's ability to accept that it
is a fact that Pit Bulls are, by nature, exceedingly
human friendly.
- The combination of these facts
paints a picture of Pit Bulls that does not fairly or truthfully
represent these amazing dogs. If all that
you know about Pit Bulls is what you hear in the news, it would
make sense that you would want to protect society from these
dogs by proposing laws to restrict or ban their ownership. But
the media never gives the full story. If they reported every
bite by every breed, we'd have outlawed the beloved Labrador and
Golden Retriever breeds long ago.
-There is another key problem with all of
this misrepresentation in the media. Bad publicity has created
an atmosphere of fear around Pit Bulls. This tends to make Pit
Bulls attractive to the wrong kinds of owners. All of this
bad publicity has wrongfully painted Pit Bulls as the next
"killer" dog breed. This has made Pit Bulls a popular choice
amongst people with ill intentions. Convicted felons who cannot
own or possess guns will get a Pit Bull because they know that
many people fear a Pit Bull about as much as they fear a gun.
Thus, criminals with records of violent behavior are flocking to
these dogs. Unfortunately, the dogs become their next victim.
The dogs are beaten and abused to make them fearful of and
aggressive toward people.
-This is not a natural trait of
Pit Bulls but because of the breeds will to please their master
they can and will learn what they are taught. Sometimes they
are taught made to attack and fight each other. Pit Bulls
raised in this depraved environment are more likely to bite
people and pets, which gives the media another story to report
and the cycle begins again.
-The Pit Bulls are not the problem, the irresponsible ownership
is. Breed Specific Legislation is usually passed as a knee-jerk
reaction to a single report of a Pit Bull attacking a person or
pet. These laws are always passed based on emotion, not fact.
The fact is that BSL does not work.
-Communities that have enacted BSL
are not able to report a decrease in the number or severe dog
bites. This is because dog bites are a result of irresponsible
ownership. Nearly every time a dog of any breed bites someone
you will find that basic responsible ownership guidelines were
not followed. BSL does nothing to protect people from dog
bites. Instead it detracts from the real problem of:
IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP.
-BSL has contributed greatly to the high euthanasia rate of
Bully Breeds. It has been responsible for breaking up
families. In places where breed bans exist authorities can
enter a home, remove a dog and euthanize it, even if the
dog has NEVER shown aggressive behavior. Meanwhile, dogs of
other breeds continue to bite people without consequence. BSL
is usually proposed under the pretense of protecting the
community. In fact, it only protects the irresponsible owners
of breeds that are not named in the legislation.
- Bully Breed Clubs believe in a "Judge
the Deed, Not the Breed" philosophy. We think that every owner
of every dog, regardless of breed, should be accountable and
responsible for their dog's behavior. Owning a dog is a great
responsibility, not only regarding the care of the dog, but also
regarding the dog's behavior toward other people.
- Rehabilitating the reputation of Pit
Bulls will continue to be an uphill battle. Responsible
ownership is just the beginning. Bully Breed Clubs will
remain active in helping other communities to fight BSL around
this nation. We believe that every time BSL is passed anywhere,
it negatively impacts the reputation of Pit Bulls, it challenges
our American freedom and the rights of responsible owners
everywhere.
- Bully Breed Clubs are dedicated to fighting BSL and we would
like your help. Remember: THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS! "United We
Stand & Divided We Fall" The more people who get involved,
the more local lawmakers will pay attention. These are some of
the tasks at hand:
- Bully Breed
Clubs need to monitor media reporting of dog bites in our
communities and surrounding areas. We need to scrutinize
reports of "Pit Bull" attacks. We must write letters and make
phone calls to each media outlet that reports these stories and
demand proof of breed accuracy. Additionally, we must ask
for fair representation. If a Pit Bull attack is reported, why
not the bite by a Chihuahua, a Puggle, or a Labrador Retriever?
By leveling the playing field, we hope to change people's minds
about Bully Breeds.
- Bully Breed Clubs must reach out
to people in other communities who are facing BSL. We must
encourage our city and others in passing dangerous dog
ordinances that do not discriminate based on breed. Sheboygan ,
WI has a good example of effective and enforceable legislation
that calls for all dog owners to be responsible. They will
offer this legislation as an alternative example to lawmakers
elsewhere. They will also write letters and make phone calls to
lawmakers in other communities considering BSL and ask them to
respect the freedom of their citizens and protect those citizens
from ALL irresponsible dog owners of any breed.
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