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With all the violent pit bull imagery, especially with the recent Modesto case, it is hard to imagine sometimes that pit bulls are anything other than the vicious, savage animals. The Inquisitr previously reported on the case in central California.
KCRA in Davis, California, reported on Dr. Liz Stelow, a behavior specialist at the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Stelow, the vet expert, had a surprising commentary on pit bulls while discussing the Modesto attack. According to the California vet expert, pit bulls are not as vicious as they seem, despite the constant negative news that many have come to be bombarded with.
“I tend to see a lot more aggression in shepherds than I see in pit bulls. Pit bulls aren’t necessarily more or less aggressive than other dogs. However, when they attack, they are capable of inflicting much more harm than a Jack Russell or other terrier breed. The way a dog is treated by its owner has as much – or more – to do with its behavior than the type of breed it is”
The vet expert explained that the environment they were brought up in helped cultivate the attack the in Modesto on Tuesday. Unfortunately, according to Los Angeles Times, the owner of the four pit bulls involved in the attack might not face criminal chargers. Animal control officials told KCRA that stigma and misunderstandings surrounding the breed make it impossible for shelters to place pit bulls in good homes, thus perpetuating the cycle.
Like the California vet expert, a Montana behaviorist has also tried to dispel the stigma surrounding the breed. The Inquisitr reported on Aditi Terpstra, who explained that there are at least two mistakes that are made by reports and the media.
“The most common misunderstanding that most people have about Pit bulls is that the very breed itself is instinctively born with a violent disposition, which as Ms. Terpstra explained is a vague description. According to Terpstra, the American Temperament Test Society suggests otherwise.”
She goes onto explain that besides the misunderstanding of temperament, some do not understand what a pit bull looks like at all. Pit bull, in and of itself, is not a breed. It refers to several canines under the bully breed banner that can be mistaken for each other at times. There are times where a dog is a pit bull mix, thus causing confusion, but does not reflect specifically on any one breed.
In essence, the pit bull breed continues to be a scapegoat for people who do not properly take care of or train their animals. One can only hope that dog fighting rings will cease. Hopefully, things will change, with many groups such as Ghetto Rescue FFoundation helping to take care of and find homes for pit bulls.
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1546437/another-expert-dispels-myths-california-vet-expert-weighs-in-on-pit-bulls/#6SzMw7MJVbVmjB6B.99
Interesting fact. Denver has a breed ban. A researcher went back in the time and discovered before the Denver ban, 97% of all media reported dog bites included the term "pit bull". However when OVERALL dog bite incidents were looked at, during the same time period, so called "pit bulls" were responsible for a mere 3% of ALL dog bites. Another FACT? :ast year Denver make the TOP TEN list of US cities for dog bites AND has the highest documented hospital visits for dogs bites per capita than any of its neighboring cities. Nuff said? http://kdvr.com/2014/05/14/denver-among-top-10-worst-u-s-cities-for-dog-attacks/
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