Pit Bulls, Malicious, Maligned or just Mathematically Unlucky
Pitbulls almost always portrayed in the media in a negative light for their vicious and unprovoked attacks on anyone and everyone. Genetically programmed to murder, kill or maim anything in it’s path. But is that really the case? Are they genetic mutants with a mindset different than other dogs? Or are they they just a media hot button taken advantage of. This article takes an objective look at this and offers an objective explanation based on math. Whether you love dogs, science or philosophy this article will interest you.
Pitbull terriers, are they vicious?
About Pitbulls
Photo of my Pitbull Buddy
I’m passionate about dogs, pitbulls in particular. The media is littered with stories of vicious “Pitbull” attacks. I’ve been around dogs my whole life. I’ve read books about dog psychology, body language, different methods of training etc. Before you begin to steam internally about the “pitbull” that harmed you or someone that you love please try to finish the article with an open mind. It’s not going to be the “there are no bad dogs just bad owners” drivel you’ve seen before.
According to the most comprehensive study done by the Center for Disease Control “pitbulls” are the #1 cause of dog related fatalities. The study is a 30 year compilation of fatal dog attacks in which “Pitbulls” and Rottweilers account for 60% of fatalities. An ominous number indeed. But there are a few problems with the report and bravo to the CDC for stating them in the study.
About Pit bulls
Pit Bull Population or Adoption
Photo courtesy of public domain
First, there is no singular dog named a Pitbull. Pitbull encompasses 3 different dog breeds. The American Staffordshire Terrier, The American Pitbull Terrier, and The Staffordshire Bull Terrier. They are related, however they have remained separate for almost 100 years now and are justly considered 3 different breeds. They have different sizes but similar features so it’s easy to see how people consider them all pitbulls. However there are several other breeds that have similar features even to these three breeds and are referred to as Pitbull type dogs. However nobody uses the term Pitbull type dogs (save the CDC study) they just call them “Pitbulls.” These include Presa Canario, Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Alapaha Bulldog, Olde English Bulldoge (not to be confused with English Bulldogs) Dogo Argentino, Patterdale Terrier, Cane Corso and many more. Really any dog with short hair, a wide blocky head and short muzzle is thought by many to be a “pitbull.” No other dog breeds that I know of that include upwards of 15 different breeds under 1 umbrella. So when I say “pitbulls” with quotation marks I’m talking about the very large group of dogs that include pitbulls as well as the many dogs that are incorrectly labeled as pitbulls. When I use Pitbull without quotation marks I’m talking about the three breeds that actually should appropriately fall under that umbrella, the American Pitbull Terrier, (APBT), American Staffordshire Terrier and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Even the CDC study uses the term “pitbull type” dogs for the reasons I listed above and some that I have yet to get into.
Pitbull dogs
Are Pitbulls vicious?
Photo courtesy of public domain
But just to give you an idea on how many dogs are mislabeled “pitbulls” there is an article in the Toledo Blade with pictures of 6 dogs that most people would say is or is not a “pitbull” They then took those dogs DNA and tested it to see what there genetic makeup was. You would be surprised to find that many that looked like pitbulls in fact have no pitbull genes whatsoever. Other dogs you would assume is not a pitbull is in fact a real pitbull or pitbull mix.
Another test can be found at
Only one of those dogs is a pitbull, can you pick it out? Keep track of how many you get wrong. With these kinds of numbers, statistically the “pitbull” SHOULD be the #1 cause of fatalities. After you take the test try to think about another dog you might mislabel….take your time.
A dog novice could easily and correctly identify a Rottweiler, Doberman, German shepherd, Golden retriever, pug, chihuahua etc. Not so with “pitbulls.” For a study that relies on breed identification from people who were there, this is a problem. Aside from starting with 3 different legitimate dog breeds, you have misidentification of all these other dogs being an issue. As you can see from this test many people would mistakenly identify a dog as a “pitbull” when it is a totally different dog.
CDC Pitbull Study Flaws
CDC Study About PitBulls
Cesar Milans Pit Bull Junior
Another problem with the study is that much of it’s information relies on newspaper reports. This again sways the statistics as 68% of newspaper articles reporting on “pitbull” attacks use the term pitbull in the headline (Newslibrary.com 03/2010) Only 8% of articles reporting on attacks by other breeds mention the breed in the headline. Newspapers are in the business of selling content, and pitbull attacks sell content. The study relies on identification of eye witnesses or victims and newspaper articles, its easy to see why “pitbulls” account for an inordinate amount of attacks or fatalities.
With the media reporting mostly pitbull attacks, of course that is going to influence how the majority of the public views them unless they are exposed to them.
But Aren’t Pitbulls Fighting Dogs?
Pitbull and Dog Aggression
Photo courtesy of public domain
A brief backstory, they started in Staffordshire England as a farm dog. Farmers wanted a good all around dog that was good with the family, and not afraid to take on any animal intruders that might wish to do the livestock harm. They found this in the Staffordshire Terrier. It wasn’t until later that dog fighting was born and people realized that this dog was a great athlete in the pit, thus the term pitbull was born.
This was not the original purpose of the dog. It was an unlucky bounce that the poor dogs were subjected to. Some of the misunderstood facts are that a very small number of the breed were used for this purpose, and that dog fighting was made illegal rather quickly. It continued underground but that only further reduced the number of dogs who were actually used for that purpose.
Another misconception is that pitbulls are inherently human aggressive, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Firstly, when they were being bred Farmers had large families. They needed a dog they could trust around their entire family, and to this day, barring a dog that has been neglected or abused pitbulls are inherently human friendly. The second reason is that when in the dog fighting pits the dogs were handled by many different humans, including the opposing dogs owner. This was done so that the opposing dog’s owner could check out the competition and make sure that no filing of the teeth or nails had been done, or a poison applied to the dog’s coat. Any dog that exhibited any aggression towards humans could not be tolerated and those dogs were immediately culled out. Any human aggression was not part of the breed to begin with and in it’s early days any signs of it and the dog was put down on the spot.
The Staffordshire Terrier was brought here and people wanted to show the beautiful animals in the show rings. However, the term pit bull was a turn off, so they started registering them in the AKC in 1936 calling them Staffordshire Terriers. Essentially they have been completely removed from any fighting activity for over 100 years (20 generations) American Pit bull Terriers similar story. To my knowledge Staffordshire Bull Terriers were never fought to begin with as they are significantly smaller than the other two.
If the dogs were inherently vicious what was the concoction of parents that created this beast? It’s as if people believe that there were two good parents but their combination of egg and sperm created the spawn of the devil. This new creation only bore more and more of the unstable, vicious dog many people think them today. It’s untrue. They are one of the most mentally and physically sound dogs around. Why all the attacks then?
Here is an excerpt from the study explaining the problem.
“Although fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pitbull-type dogs 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 constitutional and practical issues. Human DBRF were identified by searching news accounts and by use of The Humane Society of the United States’ registry databank.
Finally, it is imperative to keep in mind that even if breed-specific bite rates could be accurately calculated, they do not factor in owner- related issues. For example, less responsible owners or owners who want to foster aggression in their dogs may be drawn differentially to certain breeds.”
The final problem and this is conceded in the CDC study as well is that the most accurate predictor of a dog that will bite is not the breed, the sex, being spayed or neutered, it’s whether or not the dog has been abused or neglected. Any dog when abused or neglected will bite at a much higher rate. The problem occurs when this happens with a Rottie or a Pitbull or any large dog for that matter bites, they do damage. To give you an example, my uncle found a Chinese crested dog in the streets. No collar, no way to find an owner. He put an ad in the paper and no one claimed him so he ended up keeping the dog for 7-8 years, he named him George. You could tell that this dog had been abused, as he was very skittish, always on the defensive. That dog bit me more times in my life than I was growing up with 6 horses 3 dogs, cats, and that was just in my own house. But because he was a little dog, it didn’t do much damage.
Responsibility
What Really Causes the Pitbull Problem
Are Pitbulls Even a Problem?
Photo courtesy of public domain
As per the CDC study, the predictor that is most accurate is neglect or abuse. The #1 demographic that will neglect or abuse a dog are males 18-24 years old. The # 1 dogs of males 18-24 are “pit bulls”, followed by rottweilers. When you look at the math it makes sense why they are at the top of the list.
You could do away with both breeds completely, males 18-24 will just pick a new breed to be their mascot and it will start all over again. It’s not the dog, sometimes it’s not even the dogs owner, it’s the dogs past life. But pitbulls are one of the most loyal, friendly dogs you can own, and they have a great way with people. Let’s not lose this precious breed through ignorant legislation and short-term solutions. Also, let’s realize that the reasons pitbulls are the # 1 cause of fatalities according to the CDC has more to do with the mathematical category they are in. When adjusted they are actually less likely to cause fatalities.
With an estimated 15 different breeds mistaken as pitbulls, the fact that they only account for the amount of fatalities that they do only goes to show that the are not inherently vicious. Rottweilers are actually the dogs most involved in fatal dog attacks. But remember they are also the #2 dogs of males 18-24.
I’m not saying if you see a “pitbull” that it’s ok to run up and hug it. These dogs can cause serious damage if they feel threatened. However, the fact that they can do damage doesn’t mean we should legislate them away they would only be replaced. I have been bitten by many dogs, never once one of the “dangerous” breeds. I know how to read a dog’s body language. I know what dogs are approachable and what ones are best left alone. It is rare that a dog will bite without advanced warning, we just missed it. When you have a dog such as a pitbull or rottweiler it is your job to make sure that you raise a well adjusted and socialized dog. You need to educate yourself on how to read the signs of an uncomfortable dog. These are animals with great power, and with power comes great responsibility. If you truly care about the breed think wisely whether or not you have what it takes to raise a safe predictable dog. If you have doubts, there is no shame in owning a Jack Russell Terrier.
JoshuaJDavid 
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