CA: Pit bulls responsible for disproportionate number of attacks

Pit bulls responsible for disproportionate number of attacks
By Joe Frisinger
Sunday, December 27, 2009

Parents generally place their children with baby sitters assuming the caregiver’s home is safe.  That is probably what the parents of 16-month old Destiny Marie Knox of New Albany, Miss., thought before Destiny was killed last month by the baby sitter’s pit bull. That attack was the nation’s third fatal mauling of a young child by a pit bull in a two-week period. All three children were in a baby sitter’s care.

Perhaps you have heard people say: “Our pit bull is the friendliest dog a family can have.”  Well, it seems that families in greatest danger of pit bull attacks are those with infants or very young children.

The breed that developed into pit bulls was first bred in England, Ireland and Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries. The initial purpose was to breed a very strong dog for herding cattle. As time went on, the strongest such dogs were bred for aggression and for the sport of dog fighting. To this day, pit bulls are the dog of choice for dog fighting. Dog fighting is illegal in Europe, the United States and many other countries, but it continues to take place.

Pit bull-type dogs only represent 2 percent of the dogs in the United States. However, of the number of people killed by dogs in the United States, the vast majority have been attacked by pit bulls and pit bull-type dogs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2 percent of our population have experienced a dog bite. The vast majority of such bites are minor and only one out of six receive any type of medical attention, according to the CDC. Pit bull bites are, however, unique as virtually all such bites require medical attention. Pit bulls are also unique in their manner of attack. Other dogs target the victim’s hands, arms or legs. Pit bulls tend to initially target the victim’s face, especially in the case of infants and small children.

Almost 500 towns and cities in the United States, including Denver and San Francisco, have adopted some type of breed specific regulations. The state of Ohio has declared the pit bull breed “vicious” and requires owners to carry $100,000 in liability insurance, securely constrain the dog when on the owner’s property and use a chain-link leash when off property.

The U.S. military has taken the strongest stance of all regarding pit bulls. The Army, Air Force and Marines have banned pit bull type-dogs from all military facilities, both here and overseas. Some Navy facilities have taken similar steps. They also prohibit visitors bringing such dogs on these facilities. The Marine Corps bans pit bulls, Rottweilers, wolf hybrids and their mixes because, as stated by Col. Richard P. Flatau Jr., “These specific breeds present an unreasonable risk to the health and safety of our residents and are therefore prohibited.” Now, the Marines are not only very brave, they are also very smart.

Deaths caused by auto malfunctioning, such as recently occurred in San Diego County, are rare, as is death by dog bite. But, if it became known that the vast majority of such auto malfunctioning deaths occurred in a model that represented only 2 percent of autos, then I would expect that few people would consider owning such cars. Pit bull-type dogs are only 2 percent of the dog population but consistently – year after year – they cause the vast majority of dog bite/attack deaths. From an insurance actuarial viewpoint, this ratio is off the charts.

Frisinger, a La Jolla resident, is a retired human resources director.
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Pit bulls and related breeds of dog are frequently called dangerous, an assertion others call misguided. The U.S. Marine Corps recently issued an order banning pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf-hybrid breeds and mixes on its bases, including Camp Pendleton and Miramar Marine Corps Air Station by October 2012. The Marine Corps said it made the decision, after reviewing statistics on its bases and national numbers, to “ensure the continued health and safety” of base residents.

Source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/27/pit-bulls-responsible-disproportionate-number-atta/