Cohousing-L Mailing List: Pit bulls -- more data

[Sarah Lesher (sarah.lesher]

https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2020.php


In the 16-year period of 2005 through 2020, canines killed 568 Americans.
Pit bulls contributed to 67% (380) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and
rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths.


https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php


*Pit bull myths ::*

Pit bull owners, breeders and animal advocacy groups have created a slew of
myths and distortions about the pit bull breed to fight breed-specific
laws. Below are the top 10 myths.

   - Myth #1: It's the owner not the breed
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth1>
   - Myth #2: It's impossible to identify a pit bull
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth2>
   - Myth #3: Human-aggressive pit bulls were "culled"
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth3>
   - Myth #4: Fatal attack statistics about pit bulls are false
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth4>
   - Myth #5: The media conspiracy against pit bulls
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth5>
   - Myth #6: Pit bulls are not unpredictable
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth6>
   - Myth #7: Pit bulls do not have a locking jaw
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth7>
   - Myth #8: Pit bulls used to be the most popular dog in America
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth8>
   - Myth #9: Pit bulls pass the American Temperament Test
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth9>
   - Myth #10: Punish the deed not the breed
   <https://www.dogsbite.org/dangerous-dogs-pit-bull-myths.php#myth10>
   -

*Myth #10: Punish the deed not the breed*

The slogan often voiced by pit bull advocates, "Punish the deed not the
breed," works to the benefit of pit bull breeders and owners who accept the
large collateral damage the breed inflicts upon the public and has been for
the last 40 years. The slogan also accepts that a "new victim" must be
created prior to punishment. The goal of breed-specific legislation
<https://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-bsl-faq.php> is
to *prevent
the deed*, as civil and criminal recourse for dog attack victims *after the
deed* is often impossible to obtain.

Parts of a recent email sent to DogsBite.org outlines this reality clearly:

"She nearly lost her left arm in that attack and since then has piled up
hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. She has brought a
lawsuit against the dog's owner. He had no liability insurance and has
since moved out of the neighborhood. The main witness also has moved.

This woman and her family basically have no recourse. The lawsuit is fine
but who knows if they will ever get a penny out of it.

I'm assuming this is a fairly common occurrence that you folks know about
all too well."

Much like the outdated Myth #1, "It's the owner not the breed," this last
myth lies at the heart of archaic and insufficient U.S. dog policy. The
modern answer to this final myth is to develop policies that prevent future
victims from being created. As Dr. Michael Golinko told the *The Fifth
Estate* <https://youtu.be/iFa8HOdegZA?t=1065> in 2017, "one half" of the
cases that required surgery in his large-scale pediatric dog bite studies
<https://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-study-characteristics-1616-dog-bite-injuries-level-1-trauma-2016.php>
*24,25* involved pit bulls. If a ban "can prevent one death or one tragic
injury," it would be worth it, he said


*Both articles have many footnotes that seem legitimate substantiating
statistics and other claims.*


*--Sarah Lesher, speaking for myself*