This despicable website, created by phobics, liars, fools and bigots to promote dog breed prejudice and persecution of responsible dog owners, is discredited by the vast, vast majority of dog experts, breeders, and people with any knowledge of dogs. It is useful in a way, in that its rhetoric mirrors that of the anti-Jewish, final solution advocates of the Nazi regime, and the most virulent American racists, like the KKK. (A dog breed is exactly like a human race.) It also apes the logical fallacies of those who want to ban guns or engage in racial profiling.
Although a mass of data and history proves that pit bull-related breeds are no more inherently dangerous than any powerful breed and arguably less, Dogsbite.Org is leading a vendetta against both the breeds and lawful, loving owners, reasoning that dogfighting uses pit bull-type breeds, and pit bulls used for fighting are more likely to be dangerous (as any dog so abused may be), so to kill two birds with one stone, it makes sense to wipe out not just any individual dangerous dog of the type but any dog that is a hybrid of the a “pit bull breed” and any dog that looks like what people think is a “pit bull”, in part because there is no such breed as “pit bull.”
Thus because some “pit bulls” are abused, all should be exterminated.This is essentially the argument of the unethical people at PETA, which announced that it is supporting DogsBite.Org with the batty, but no more so than many of their positions, argument that we need to destroy the dogs in order to save them.
Pretending that there is some dog-monster known as a The Pit Bull is just one of the lies (or examples of reckless ignorance) perpetrated by hysteric and her deadly band of anti-dogowner fanatics on their website. Denver’s infamous pit bull ban, like Lynn, defines the “breed” as “an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one of those breeds.” This rigged methodology renders the statistics repeatedly cited by anti-pit bull bigots obvious nonsense. When one compares one distinct breed to many or more by falsely representing them as one breed, then it’s not hard to show that the fake breed is disproportionately aggressive. Says the site: “If it looks like a pitbull, then it is one.” It is because of this kind of “thinking” that my American Bull Dog-owning friend is forced to buy exorbitant insurance, move, or have his family’s gentle companion killed.
Except that his dog is not a member of any of the breeds fairly belonging into the category called “pit bulls,” which are all terrier mixes. There is no terrier in a bull dog. Never mind, though: this is about hysteria, fear-mongering, legislators who care more about votes than they do about fairness or dogs, official ignorance, and cowardice. This is another of DogsBite’s abundant lies: it claims that most people can identify a pit bull accurately. Even most dog owners are lousy at identifying breeds, and phobics, as well as people who have no experience with dogs, often can’t identify any breeds beyond beagles, Lassie, German Shepherds and maybe chihuahuas.
More people asked me if my English Mastiff was a pit bull than ever identified her correctly. I’ve owned Jack Russell Terriers for 25 years, and more people have asked me if they were pit bulls (actually, they are a lot closer to pit bulls than a mastiff is, or an American bulldog) over that time than identified their ( wonderful, merry, loving and frighteningly smart) breed correctly. The tendency of journalists and police to mistakenly attribute attacks to pit bulls is well-documented, but the website just denies it. It also falsely claims that the American Kennel Club has tried to confuse the public by re-naming breeds in order to disguise what really are pit bulls. The AKC breeds lumped into the imaginary pit bull category all predate pit bull hysteria. When I was growing up, everyone was terrified of Doberman Pinschers (another loyal, intelligent, loving breed.)
The misguided, unfeeling, reveling in ignorance fools who man this website share responsibility for the pain and misery that thousands of families have had to experience when their loving pets and companions have been taken from them by a local government and gassed simply because killing them is part of the warped pit bull “final solution.” Dogsbite.Org deals in bad statistics, debunked fallacies and anti-dog propaganda that has turned into cruel legislation in communities all over the country. Their tactics succeed because craven political hacks would rather kill harmless pets than risk losing the votes of PETA members, dog breed ignoramuses and bigots.
I’ve written a lot on this topic. This isn’t even a close call on the facts. Most of all, you should view the heart-breaking documentary, Beyond the Myth.
If friends start repeating the DogsBite lies, introduce them to an American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any mixture thereof. I can take my Jack Russell to a dog park in Arlington, Virginia, where, on any nice day, between 10 and 30 of these terrific, playful, obedient dogs will be romping happily and harmlessly among other breeds, large and small, and young children. The key fact is that none of the owners are dogfighters, drug dealers or Michael Vick.
UPDATE 1: And then there’s this…
UPDATE 2(1/13/18):
In the future, comments to this post that consist of nothing but repeating the same, disproven myths and ignorant beliefs about the various pit bull breeds will not get through moderation. Any serious, well-researched, civil comments presenting counter arguments and genuine statistics to the facts and expert opinion discussed in these posts are welcome. Citing dogsbite.org as authority will guarantee rejection. Lumping multiple breeds together as “pit bulls” proves laziness, bias and ignorance, and will also result in the comment being spammed. Dumb arguments like “You can’t prove they aren’t pit bulls!” will have the same results.
It is depressing how many people will hold on to a factually unsupportable bias despite every effort to enlighten them, but then prejudice against humans works the same way.
__
Sources: Huffington Post, Salon
Ethics Alarms 
I’ve had a couple of these guys. Almost ridiculously playful and affectionate. All they ever wanted to do was climb into your lap and slobber on your face. I loved them. Just big babies. Unfortunately, I lived in Puerto Rico at the time, and they were stolen while I was at work. There was a place just down the road that fought them. I went there every night for a while, to no avail.
Oh no. Awful story.. I’m so sorry.
A few random thoughts:
– I love dogs and I’m still terrible at identifying breeds (once confused a Shiba Inu with a Corgi, losing all my Internet cred in the process). Still I say that anyone who can’t tell a Jack Russell from any of the “bull terriers” is going to confuse them with a Guinea Pig next.
– Growing up I had neighbors who had a Rottweiler, another of the “killer” breeds. The ‘little’ guy was the most friendly and tame dog I’ve ever met, had this weird appreciation for people scratching his snout and only ever barked at his own paw when he thought it was going to steal his bone (he was not that bright). This completely destroyed any dog stereotypes I had, as Rottweilers and Dobermans were considered DANGEROUS at the time where I lived.
– I can understand people being afraid of Dobermans. No matter what they do they can’t help but look intimidating (IMO). Pit bulls have those goofy faces that you just want hug.
– My current dog is a rescue dog, I’ve never been able to figure exactly what breed. At least she does not look like a pit bull, so no one has asked that question.
You reminded me: I was terrified of Dobermans until the day I walked into a friends kitchen and found myself staring at FOUR of them. I nearly plotzed. Then they all started wagging their tails and vying for my attention. Beautiful, smart dogs.
I was terrified of Dobermans growing up until a family next door got one and didnt dock his tail or ears. He was a big goof. He was more likely to hurt you with his tail wagging then his teeth.
I mean look at this dog? We make them look aggressive by the docking otherwise they would look like the big babies they are.
Great point, Bill, and one that is seldom made in print.
So you’re telling me that by merely making an object *look* more aggressive it should be assumed that it is more dangerous and therefore more regulated than “ordinary” looking versions of the same thing?
Is there anything else in society that idiots are applying that standard too? Are people like that even able to tie their shoes?
It’s just ignorance driving all of this. People who have no experience with dogs, people like my mother and sister (who was phobic until she actually bought a dog, and now has no fear at all) who have been terrified by isolated incidents and people who know no more about dogs than they do. To people that isolated from facts, sure, making dogs look more menacing is all it takes.
“So you’re telling me that by merely making an object *look* more aggressive it should be assumed that it is more dangerous and therefore more regulated than “ordinary” looking versions of the same thing?”
Where do you get that from?
The same type of people who spend a lot of money to ban ‘assault weapons’ because they look scary, despite the fact that they are used in almost no murders at all in this country?
I’ve been contemplating docking my ears to look more fierce, and possibly putting a spoiler on my back to look more fast.
I stand corrected, that little guy does look cute. ☺
It’s Dalmatians, Cocker Spanials, Golden Retrievers, and Blue Heelers that you have to look out for. Those are the breeds I’ve been bitten by. Where are the websites for them? 😉
I’ve been bitten by more humans than dogs, do I get a website too?
How did you manage to get bitten by a Golden Retriever?
I know, right?
Just a nip, he belongs to my mother and he gets so little exercise he gets pretty excited when anyone comes around. I’ve tried to get her to find him a more active owner but she loves him too much to give him up. So, we try to get him exercised as much as possible from a distance. (extremely frustrating) Sometimes I don’t know whether I worry more about him or her.
They bite a lot, usually because too many people let kids abuse them.
I will never understand – unless and until someone with credibility like the Dog Whisperer on TV explains to my satisfaction – WHY a dog (typically) seems to enjoy hanging his head out the window of a moving vehicle, but then, the same dog gets annoyed and nips at people who blows in his face.
There is a huge difference there. First of all a dog is choosing to stick it’s head out the window. They also have the choice to bring it back in. If that choice were removed I guarantee you a number of dogs would work themselves up due the stress of not having an escape route or for being stuck.
Dogs tolerate human idosyncrasies to a point, some dogs are far more tolerable to us poking and prodding and some are less. It is always on an individual aspect though. You could have two dogs from the same litter, raised and managed the exact same way and one has a high tolerance for a child climbing on them and the other has a low tolerance. In no way does that excuse someone allowing a child to climb either dog, but that is how individuality works.
One of my personal dogs only likes having his face out of the window if I’m driving under 35 MPH. I assume it’s either too much wind or to loud for him, while my other dog will stick his out regardless of my driving speed.
Neither of mine care if you blow in their face, however they would care if you grabbed their head and they had no way out and no choice but to stay there while you did it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/aiden-mcgrew-killed-dismembered-dog_n_1442092.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/months-infant-mauling-dog-attack-mcgrew-home-article-1.1237732
Two goldens, one family lost two kids to them within a couple of years.
The photo of the second dog clearly shows a pit mix. The first is also claimed as a golden mix, most likely a pit bull as well. Huf’s opinion pieces hiding as news stories, not surprising that pit bull fans flock to their site. Pits bulls aren’t a breed, can’t identify, blah blah blah…..
Identifying pit bull type dogs;
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1496137140642653899&q
pibble on….
When I was a kid ,a friend of mine asked if I wanted to meet her dogs. As a dog lover I said yes in a heartbeat. She had a golden retriever and a airedale terrier. Those 2 dogs charged me, knocked me down, and I had bite and scratch marks everywhere. The only reason my face wasnt bitten up is because I had my face down on the floor and my hands around the back of my neck. Everyone on the block was in the living room trying to get those 2 dogs off of me and under control. Even after all that I still became a vet tech, I have seen a few nasty unpredictable Goldens at my clinic.
Airedales are big terriers, without the calming nature of bulldogs, as with pitbulls, and one-man dogs unless they are trained otherwise.You’re lucky to be alive.
It behooves one who works with or around any quantity of unknown dogs to learn how to disable or dispatch them quickly with your hands, if absolute need dictates. Like General Mattis said, “be polite, be professional, but have a plan for killing everyone you meet”. It’s just common sense.
They are more dangerous in the sense that they have way more jaw strength than most dogs. They are not, however, more likely to bite a human. They can be extremely dog aggressive, however. I’m always much, much more wary around a pit bull than any other breed of dog with my two dogs-especially since I own a cairn terrier-notorious for willing to get into fights they cannot possibly win. (And my guy seems to have a major issue with other male dogs.)
I’m not saying I support this legislation- I do not-but I am saying that we cannot go so far as to say “Well, they’re not more dangerous.” They are. They very clearly are. Therefore, if you wish to own this particular breed, you need to know that and plan for it. They must be socialized extremely early with other dogs. And any “nipping” behavior must be met with correction much more quickly than would be necessary for smaller, less dangerous breeds.
No, they really aren’t. They are not aggressive unless they are trained to be. Did you read the Salon piece? They are not more dangerous than many of the giant breeds, German Shepherds, rotties, pinschers, Airedales, Belgian sheepdogs, boxers, Labs,retrievers, huskies and malmutes, bouviers, komondors, and dozens of other breeds, if they are raised and trained the same way. Nor do they have the stronger jaws than many, many breeds. You need to keep a small dog who likes to mix it up away from all of these breeds (my Jack Russell hates the huge Belgians next door, and has twice attacked BOTH of them. Yes, they fight back. That’s true of most dogs, although my mastiff, at 160 pounds, was terrified of my father in law’s cat.)
Dangerous when attacked isn’t the same as “dangerous.”
The Germans never really liked the Belgians next door either…
“Well, they’re not more dangerous.” They are. They very clearly are.”
This is a nature vs nurture argument.
You CANNOT say for a fact that, by their nature, they are more dangerous. If by nurture (abuse, training for fighting, etc) they are more dangerous, then that isn’t an INHERENT flaw in the breed, it is a programmed flaw in INDIVIDUALS belonging to a breed.
Hi, Texagg04. I agree with this 100%. I may have failed to make myself fully clear. Let me try to rectify any confusion. I did not mean to say that pit bulls are inherently more dangerous vis-a-vis any kind of aggression. However, pit bulls through no fault of their own are more likely, currently, to have in-bred dog-on-dog aggression.
It’s hard to explain in-bred aggression if you have not seen it. My cairn has it vis-a-vis cats (like the vast majority of his breed). His eyes glaze over, he loses all other aspects of his personality, and his only objective is to kill the cat. While there is no reason, outside of human asshats, for a pit bull to have higher possibility of in-bred dog on dog aggression, the irresponsible breeding currently makes this a reality. Therefore, responsible pit bull ownership requires being aware of this possibility, mitigating against it, and being able to act in the occurrence of this possibility. Once you determine the pit does not have this in-bred issue, they are no more likely than any other dog to be aggressive.
I am fearful that going so far as to say pit bulls are not more dangerous than other dogs may go slightly too far, currently, because it may suggest to prospective pit bull owners not to take the risks of pit bulls seriously. Almost all, if not all, of those risks exist because of improper breeding. (And while many of these risks are not the fault of pit bulls, this does not mean that owners should not be cautious about these behaviors and risks.)
jmvo405 please goggle “Bite Force Competition-pitbull rottweiler and shepherd”. This professional test busts the myth, as the so called “pit bull” came in last on the tests done. It is a fact that the bigger the dog the more “bite force” it has. The average APBT as per the AKC and the CKC weights 65 lbs fully mature. In closing, ALL dogs must be properly socialized early with both people AND other dogs.
Their jaws are no more dangerous than any other dog of their size. Rotts and G. shepherds have a stronger bite PSI than APBT and most pit mutt mixes.
Jaw strength relates to the size of a dog. jmvo405 you might want to google “Bite Force Competition-Rottie-German Sheppard-Pit Bull”. Guess who came in last on the two professional tests done? Hint? Wasn’t the Rottie or the GSD.
I was licked passionately in the face by an 11 month old pitbull yesterday, at PetsMart. Highlight of my week.
Why not exterminate the nasty, macho idiots that abuse dogs to turn them into junkyard dogs or fighters?
Sounds good to me. The world could use a few less of their type.
VICOUS DOGS ATTACK!!
I think this is yet another case of people wanting to duck individual responsibility. It is easier to ban ‘scary’ dogs than require that dog owners be responsible for their animals. The same people who want all pit bulls banned are the same ones that would protest if a single mother was fined and jailed because her dog attacked someone.
I have a dimmer view of dogs and dog owners than you do, Jack, because have been attacked by dogs on more than a few occasions. I was knocked to the ground by a German Shepherd who tore my thick winter coat to shreds in the few seconds before the owner pulled him off of me (The dog broke through their screen door when I rang the doorbell. I was 5). I would have been severely hurt if that jacket didn’t have an insanely wide, metal zipper. I was attacked a few times in my yard by a neighbor’s Doberman, but I beat the dog off with a stick each time. I was attacked in my yard by a neighbor’s dog that routinely escaped his fence and attacked anyone in sight (he sent two mailmen to the hospital). I was attacked by a boxer in my yard when a neighbor took the dog for a walk and it leaped off the sidewalk to attack me…while still on the leash. It took the woman over a minute to get the dog away. They moved soon afterwards and it came out that the dog had attacked dozens of people, many of whom were trying to sue the owners.
I have been attacked by neighbor’s dogs at 4 different places that I have lived and I found that the authorities could do nothing about it. In the last case, the police told me to carry a gun and shoot the dog next time it acted aggressively. He said they shoot at least 1 dog/day in my town. Imagine if gun owners acted like this. Imagine if an average person could easily be shot by 3 or 4 gun-owning neighbors in their lifetime. Imagine if police had to shoot 1 gun owner/day in the average small town. I think there really needs to be a lot more accountability for dog-owners. I agree that banning breeds won’t do anything. It is just an excuse for the harder truth that owning a dog is a lot of work, a lot of responsibility, and not everyone is up to that task.
1. Jeez, Michael, what are you doing to dogs?
2. No pit bulls, I notice.
3. Breed specific legislation does some things—it perpetuates the myth that only pits bulls can be dangerous, and it kills harmless pets.
I’m not doing anything to dogs. You will notice that I was in my yards when three of these dogs attacked me. These were dogs that just attacked anyone but their owners and their owners would let these dogs run loose through the neighborhoods. This is fairly common. The police officer told me that our police department kills at least 1 dog/day. Officers will respond to a call or pull a car over and when they get out of their car, a dog will run out of a yard and attack them.
Some idiot let his retriever off the lead near our PA house. I didn’t see the owner and was just walking when this dog ran up toward me, with no clear sign of its intentions. I had a thick walking stick and if he had leaped for me I was going to thwap him and book while he was stunned. However, the owner got him back under control before he reached me. He got a stern lecture about private property and what tends to happen to unsupervised dogs in rural areas with a lot of gun owners.
I would never ever ever trust a German Shepherd at all! These is the only breed of a dog I have seen with my own eyes give no warning to bite and then all of a sudden turn evil. One time it was seven people and me holding a German Shepherd down as it lunged and ripped my coworkers nose off. Literally all you seen was bone and blood. And of course the owners said everyone was lying on the dog. I personally think they are way to unpredictable only large breed I have ever been bitten by.
What applies to pit bulls and dog breeds, does NOT apply to Muslims.
Looking forward to a time when laws and lawmakers hold irresponsible owners of any and all dog breeds, types and mixes responsible for the actions of their pets. Could not agree more with this well written and well researched article.
In my opinion, Ethics Alarms could have a post a day on this topic and it would never wear on me. If nothing else, I think this topic should become the personal mission of this website.
Well, along with making sure Hillary is exposed…
Leave pit bulls alone. Now geese, on the other hand, should be banned. I still have a scar on my ass from when one attacked me when I was 12 or 13. Yep, I was goosed by a goose.
I have had much more effective “watch geese” than “watch pitbulls”. Watch geese are actually attack geese. A “watch pitbull” will watch your entire family fortune be hauled away in exchange for a treat! I have found roosters to discourage unwelcome (or welcome) visitors as well.
I’ve been attacked by geese twice. All my encounters with previously unknown pitbulls, in contrast, have been delightful. But obviously, an abused pitbull is a lot harder to run from, unless it has webbed feet.
You just can’t fix stupid. The licking of my American Bulldog and American Pit Bull will absolutely drive U crazy BUT want to get bit..I’ll introduce U to my Chihuahuas.
Michael R comments: “Officers will respond to a call or pull a car over and when they get out of their car, a dog will run out of a yard and attack them”.
This happened to a friend of mine when he was a callow young copper. Someone reported a viscous dog that was allowed out onto the footpath.
Senior Sergeant took my mate to site.
Out came the dog full of attitude.
Bang.
The lady of the house came out in a tizz.
“Yes madam, I was just coming around to talk to you about your dog”.
To quote the Judoon from Dr. Who: “Justice is swift”.
In 1991 Great Britain passed “The Dangerous Dog act” and Pitbulls were banned from the British isles. This was because they “thought” them to be so dangerous. They not only banned the breed but the authorities went around measuring the muzzles of dogs, and did an overall check on dogs all over the country and if they thought the dog was a Pitbull or PART Pitbull they killed them. I saw pictures of the aftermath. It was horrific. Thousands upon thousands of dog bodies in huge piles …DEAD. Many were not Pitbulls at all but “looked” too close to the breed to be allowed to live. So, after this nightmare and they have “cleansed” their country of the evil Pitbull and Staffordshire Terrier…Twenty years go by and some number crunching got done. The authorities in charge of this crap wanted to show the public how well they had done at lowering dog attacks and dog bites etc. However the report came back and the numbers were terrifying. Dog attacks and bites had NOT decreased…as a matter of fact they had INCREASED! “HOW COULD THAT BE??” thought those who pushed the horrible breed banning legislation. The answer is simple: these idiots never dealt with the real problem (which was NEVER the Pitbulls to begin with)! The ISSUE was and IS the human beings that get dogs and abuse them, don’t train them, don’t socialize them, FIGHT THEM, neglect them… Get the picture? They hadn’t done a DAMN thing to deal with the real issue which is human beings being irresponsible, abusive and evil. IF, twenty years ago, they had passed a law insisting that any person who owns a dog HAS to go through the same thing one has to go through to get a drivers license Classes, training, testing.. etc? The dog attack/bite situation in the UK would be massively lower but NO. Instead of passing a law that required dog owners to be humane and decent dog owners they killed off tens of thousands of innocent animals. In the end the research showed the same people who had owned “pitbulls” that had bitten people NOW owned LABRADORS that bit people. The same people who fought their Pitbulls in illegal fights are now fighting OTHER breeds of dogs. All the issues that SHOULD have been addressed were NEVER addressed at all and “dangerous dogs” remains a problem in the UK because the truth is this: There was never a dog born who is “dangerous.” Where the REAL danger lies is with the human being that owns the dog. IT is the human who doesn’t do their job of raising their pup correctly, give it the love it needs, socialize it, care for it, take the time to train it. The worst part is …It’s not that hard to do and there are so many resources to help the novice dog owner. Most every adult ed centre has dog training and “good citizenship” classes. The cost is very responsible. There are even professional dog trainers that give classes on a sliding scale and some even give free classes for people having financial issues IF one would only take the time to do the research! Furthermore, Dogs, compared to children, are a cinch! They respond quickly to praise and cuddles and they LOVE to learn! A dog with a job is a happy doggy. Training a pup to bring in the newspaper or pick things up off the floor to help clean up .. They love this stuff! It gives them a sense of purpose. The UK COULD have been a leader in this area by requiring people to be decent dog owners. Instead they chose to kill innocent animals and let the REAL culprit off the hook – the evil, abusive, neglectful human beings. In the end the numbers showed the truth of their stupidity. More dog bites and more dog attacks, NOT less… And then there are the tens of thousands of dead canines buried in mass graves. Dogs who did nothing wrong except to be born a misunderstood and maligned breed. Just my two cents worth.
Great post, in fact the Comment of the Day. And worth much more than two cents.
Thank you Jack. This message cannot be told enough. Innocent dogs suffer unthinkable abuse because of fear driven myths. This is a cause I keep fighting for, thank you for this excellent post. Colleen’s actions suggest she is mentally ill. I think she just wants attention.
I just rejected a comment from an apparent pit bull bigot/ hysteric whose sole comment was that the post was “laughable.” Such non substnative, lazy posts don’t get published here, unless a commenter has proven their seriousness and worth. In this case, on this issue,this marks her as someone who “just knows” that pit bull breeds are deadly, and no amount of facts to the contrary will penetrate her gullible, hateful brain.
“Lois, these mashed potatoes are shallow and pedantic”
Family Guy
You probably get the reference, but it’s an episode in which Peter is erroneously told he’s a genius, so he just starts regurgitating everything he hears that sounds intelligent, most likely thinking that his audience thinks he’s just operating at a level they’re just not sophistocated enough to comprehend.
Just like with this lady.
Though, I agree wholeheartedly with this article, please refrain from comparisons to the Jewish experience and the Holocaust. As a Jew and a pit bull advocate, foster mom, and mom of two pibbles—I have been tempted to use this example but errored on the side of caution. There are Holocaust survivors alive and these comparisons undermine the devastation to them and their children and children’s children. With that said, I understand why one would make the comparison—but it is not culturally sensitive. I could go into depth, but the point has been made. Ultimately, the idea that extermination of a breed of canine is not problem solving it is incredibly evil and demonstrates a lack of intelligence and understanding of the issues at hand. Thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts.
Jennifer, the comparison is apt. I don’t play those games here. When someone talks of wiping out a species or race base on cruelty, lies and propaganda mixed with apathy and ignorance, that make a Holocaust analogy appropriate and vivid. Nobody owns concept. Cultural sensitivity is self-censorship, and makes it more difficult to communicate. I would not use the analogy in a synagogue, because there would be no need to, but the world isn’t a synagogue. Anyone who takes any part of serious discussion of dog breed extermination personally needs psychiatric help, and anyone who can’t distinguish the two issues is too limited intellectually to be involved in the discussion. Check out The Niggardly Principles in the Terms section above. Frankly, I find the objection insulting. Are you arguing that I am ignorant of the Holocaust? Because I am not. That I’m insufficiently awar of the difference between the difference between human and dogs? Wrong again. Indeed, the Nazis called Jews dogs and pigs…if they had comprehended that even wiping out pigs or dogs was unethical, they wouldn’t have embraced doing the same to people.
The point isn’t made, and I reject it.
Glad I read this first. I saw her comment in my email, and was about to make a special snowflake comment.
Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times for bringing these irrational and hateful folks and their site to public attention. I would say they are frightening, but if you read into their propaganda they simply become perplexing and then laughable.
I wrote a children’s book that stars a homeless pit bull. It is based on my own Pit Service Dog. The comments that these folks made ranged from wishing my dog would kill me to take me out of the gene pool to insinuating I was having sex with my dog – because of a photograph of my dog giving me a big ‘ol slurpy kiss. Nice rationale.
Let them be idiots. The more radical hyperbole they wallow in, the more ridiculous they become to anyone they come in contact with.
Bravo, Ethics Alarms!
Thanks Jill.
I think the aspect of pit bulls including dogs which are part pit bull is that they usually look into your eyes as if they are searching for what you want. We’ve had a couple abused pit bulls whom we had to watch very closely, but we also have a German Shepherd we have to watch closely. I believe that dogs can get PTSD and like humans, and an early trauma can get locked into their nervous systems. I know that with humans, the catecholamines are involved.
I suspect that pit bulls are abused at a higher rate than other dogs and they probably have higher incidence of PTSD. We have found that all dogs improve, except in the extremely rare instance of a brain tumor which causes the aggression. We had only one case of that.
My favorite was a pit bull cross with a border collie. Our vet labeled her a “Lab-mix” due to the prejudice which this article discusses.