Blaming the Dumb Dog Not the Stupid Owner
Right now in England the newspapers are having a field day with the story of a little girl being mauled to death by her uncle’s pit bull. What gets me is that much of the focus has been on the breed of the dog. But the owner of the dog, Kiel Simpson, was a complete scumbag to put it mildly.
Mr. Simpson is a convicted drug dealer and police found heroin and cannabis at the home where the girl was killed. Further, it is suspected that Mr. Simpson fought the dog in illegal dog fights. So what are the Merseyside police doing? Arresting Kiel Simpson? No, they are out looking for other pit bull type dogs.
Some of the articles reference the fact that some of the seized dogs have cropped ears and that supposedly it is something done to dogs that fight. This isn’t true. For example, 5x Champion and registered therapy dog Diamond C Kennel Poison Whiskey a.k.a. Mako, has cropped ears. Bella, an American Staffordshire Terrier, has cropped ears.
My American Pit Bull Terrier has cropped ears:
While we didn’t crop her ears I’m not opposed to the practice if the dog has some rather funny “pricked” ears. Cropped ears are not indicative of dog fighting. In fact, why would somebody go to the trouble of cropping a dog’s ears when it will likely die in the fighting pit?
The bottom line here is that the owner of the dog was irresponsible to the point that he is largely responsible for his niece’s death.
Every pit bull I’ve ever met has been sweet. I have an adopted corgi mix and when we first got him he was a biter. He was scared and thought we were going to hurt him. I’ve had him for a year now and he has calmed down a lot, but I still don’t let him off a leash near people and I discourage people from patting him. I trust him because he trusts me but I don’t trust him with people he doesn’t know. Animals, like people, modify their behavior according to how they are treated.
Sure pit bulls are great – until they attack and rip a face off or kill a kid. They do it all the time. Why anyone would own one of these dogs is beyond me.
A lab, or any bird dog, has a soft jaw and will bite to hold, not to break skin, as that is how they were bred.
A pit bull was bred to main, maul and kill.
Not a difficult choice on what kind to own, is it?
Wasn’t it a Lab that ripped the face off that woman in Paris who got the face transplant?
I say we ban ALL dogs! They all have sharp teeth designed to rip flesh.
I’ve been bitten 2x in my life where it drew blood. Once by my sister’s Golden Retriever and once by a toy poodle.
Clearly, all dogs should be banned.
lily,
Sounds like you are doing a great job lily. And taking a rescue dog on top of all of it.
ken,
Uhhh, no. They don’t. Pit bull type dogs are generally human submissive/animal aggresive. If you have one that is of sound mind (i.e. good breeding) and well socialized with humans and animals, there should be little risks. Still, keeping the dog on leash is a very good idea…but that is true of all dogs for a variety of reasons.
No, most dogs do not bite and hold, including labs. Pit bulls on the other hand were bred to bite and hold. That is why one can use a parting stick on a pit with little fear of being bitten, but with other breeds it is not recommended. Further, all dogs have basically the same jaw design. There is no difference between a chihuahua, a bouvier, and a pit bull when it comes to the design of the jaw.
Yes, other animals, not humans. The breeding over hundreds of years was to select for animal aggression and against human aggression.
I wouldn’t recommend a pit bull type dog for anyone who isn’t prepared for the committment. But then that goes for any type of dog. They all have their unique needs.