Thread: Girl, 3, mauled to death in bulldog attack

Originally Posted by Vee030473

Many people don't report dog bites,for a lot of different reasons. Statistics can be skewed to have the result you want. Just look at the study linking autism to vaccinations,it has been debunked because it is a fraudulent study swayed to get the results the researchers wanted. Often times you need to look at who is funding the study...


I have one of the most aggressive dog breeds....a Dachshund. But he is not aggressive,he has been properly socialized,he gets exercise and he knows his order in the pack. I am a former Staffordshire owner,he was not aggressive because he was trained and treated the same way as the Dachshund.

so you are saying that the CDC is not a reliable source of information?

Originally Posted by Breezin

I can't control the date of the link, since it is currently on the CDC website (the link in the first part of your paragraph that you left out) it should be the most up to date information since that is what you are quoting as a reliable source.

Did I say you could control the date of the link?
I also didn't quote them as a reliable source,I said the CDC does NOT identify breeds because dog bite reports are not always deemed reliable. You provided the 2000 link,I did not.
I provided the 2008 link only AFTER you provided the original link.

Originally Posted by Breezin

so you are saying that the CDC is not a reliable source of information?

pertaining to what?

Originally Posted by Vee030473

Did I say you could control the date of the link?
I also didn't quote them as a reliable source,I said the CDC does NOT identify breeds because dog bite reports are not always deemed reliable. You provided the 2000 link,I did not.
I provided the 2008 link only AFTER you provided the original link.

I see where this is going, you say the CDC doesn't identify them, I show you they do, my link 2 lines up from your quote is outdated -- whatever-- feel free to hold your viewpoint, I'll hold mine.

Originally Posted by Vee030473

pertaining to what?

On fatal dog bites since the link I gave is prefaced by:


"A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years" (link I provided follows)

Originally Posted by Breezin

I see where this is going, you say the CDC doesn't identify them, I show you they do, my link 2 lines up from your quote is outdated -- whatever-- feel free to hold your viewpoint, I'll hold mine.

It's not about viewpoints. Your link was about a 20 year study,it was a Special Report. From your own link,on the left in the box,if you read the CONCLUSIONS,it states "Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-typedogs and Rottweilers), other breeds may bite and cause fatalities at higher rates. Because of difficulties inherent in determining a dog’s breed with certainty,enforcement of breed-specific ordinances raises con-stitutional and practical issues. Fatal attacks representa small proportion of dog bite injuries to humans and,therefore, should not be the primary factor drivingpublic policy concerning dangerous dogs. Many practi-cal alternatives to breed-specific ordinances exist andhold promise for prevention of dog bites." (J Am VetMed Assoc2000;217:836–840)
It is because of this study they do not identify breeds in dog bites/attacks.
Again I will say it is not about viewpoints. I work in the veterinary field and I know what is on the CDC incident report,I have filled out too many of them.

Originally Posted by Breezin

On fatal dog bites since the link I gave is prefaced by:


"A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years" (link I provided follows)

It is a reliable source,again I will say to read the conclusions. From the conclusions it helped determine that identifying breeds is not as easy as it seems,because not all reports given about it are reliable.

http://hubpages.com/hub/CDC-Dog-Bite-Statistics

Originally Posted by Breezin

So you are saying you have no basis to back up what you are saying and that the statistics that actually show how violent pit bulls are skewed since people don't report nips to their ankles only when they are mauled??

I am basing this on my own experience with a variey of dogs... sorry no out of date documents for you. I know that several small dogs I know personally would bite you as soon as look at you and no one ever reported the vicious little beasts. I know several well trained, well kept large dogs ... including a pair of Rotties, Chows, and yes ... a few Pits that are so well behaved that the owner has taken food from the dogs mouth with out problems ... and the dog put himself in "time out" as a result. These dogs are better trained them some kids I know.

When I hear of a "vicious dog attack" I usually think ... "What happened first ?"

AND yes.... if you get bit by "FIFI" most people wash with soap and water and put on a bandaid ... if you get bit by a larger dog you will usually have a larger more serious bite. Laws of physics.

Originally Posted by Breezin

so you are saying that the CDC is not a reliable source of information?

I will say that the CDC is not a reliable source of information as per my experiences in dealing with them. They are a goverment agency with the faults, failings, and liabilities that entails.

Originally Posted by pepperpot

What I can say for certain....is a pit bull's bite can cause more damage than a Chihuahua's ....although a Chihuahua may bite more often

The original statement was concerning what dogs bite more often ... toy poodles and Chihuahuas bite more often although they aren't not as damaging. Many people do not report the bites because they are considered a PITA and don't want FiFi to get in trouble... and so and so forth.

A well trained, well socialized healthy animal is far less likely to bite regardless of breed.



Breezin, have you some terrible trauma in your history that predeposes your attitude towards large breeds ? Or did you just want to start a cat fight here ?? :

Originally Posted by jasmine

so what do you think about when you hear those stories about a dog attack, and the owners/family will say and hold strong to the fact that their dog has never been vicious, always sweet, affectionate, sociable etc.. etc... and then bam, out of the blue from no-where the dog attacks?

I have heard of a couple stories like that on the news, so you being a vet, what is your prespective on this?

Are dogs truely trainable, or in the end are they truely a wild animal that can/may attack, even if it has always been kind etc...??

Honestly I take it with a grain of salt. I think dogs are truly trainable if it is consistent. A lot of times it comes down to territorial aggression,something dogs reserve for other dogs and animals. But because the owner does not put a stop to it,it can transfer over to humans. Have you ever been to someone's house and the dog there barks and barks at you? That's territorial aggression in its mildest form to humans. Many times people will think the dog is being protective,but it is not the dog's job to be protective unless he is a trained guard dog. It's the alpha member of the pack's responsibility,who should be the adult human,not the dog. Those kinds of dogs have the kind of owner you mentioned saying their dog was always sweet. The dog was allowed to continue the behavior and it escalates. I've been bitten at work and the owners all say the same thing you mentioned. BTW I am a vet tech certified in dog behavior,not a vet...I would love the salary increase !

Originally Posted by pepperpot

These people owned a bulldog farm/breeders. I'm sure these dogs were not 'family pets' but were bred and apparently not well socialized.

I must ask why anyone would want to own a dog who is caged 23 hours a day? What is the purpose?

We have all wondered that. Infact, the majority of our family thought the dog should have been put down after killing the poodle... not JUST cause of the poodle but because of ALL the fighting. In discussing it w/ my nana she has said "All I can think about is how I used to sit in the shower ready to cut my wrists and wondering who would take care of her"... she sees the dog as saving her from suicide. I am not saying it makes sense, but it is how it is. My nana does not have the willpower to force her to get rid of the dog... so really, it's kind of everyones fault.