Promo photo used by San Diego Humane Society & SPCA.
Attack could not have been foreseen, claims SPCA president Weitzman
SAN DIEGO, California––The inherent unreliability of temperament testing and untruthfulness of pit bull adoption promotions depicting the dogs as safe were underscored on April 22, 2016 when a two-year-old pit bull named Polo, rehomed six months earlier by the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA, killed three-day-old Sebastian Caban.
San Diego Police Department child abuse unit sergeant Tuu Nguyen told media that Caban’s mother and father were watching television in bed with the baby and the dog at their home in Mira Mesa, a San Diego suburb.
Polo, who killed three-day-old Sebastian Caban. (SDHS & SPCA and San Diego County Animal Services photos)
Watching TV in bed with pit bull
Said Nguyen, “When the mother suddenly coughed, the dog made contact with the baby, leading to traumatic injuries.” Unable to reach 911 emergency assistance in two attempted calls, the parents rushed the newborn to a hospital themselves, where he was pronounced dead.
Brian Maienschein
District of pro-pit legislator
Caban was attacked and killed in the 77th California state assembly district, represented by Republican Brian Maienschein, author of a pending bill––AB 1825––which would allow animal shelters to rehome dogs impounded in dogfighting cases.
Caban was the sixth human fatality in five years involving pit bulls from San Diego County. Five of the fatalities occurred within the county; the sixth, four-year-old América Viridiana, was killed in Tiajuana, Mexico, on June 19, 2012 by a pit bull her grandfather, Godofredo Cruz Martinez, 55, said he had found running at large in Balboa Park, San Diego, just a few days earlier.
San Diego Humane Society & SPCA president Gary Weitzman
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
Didn’t see “signs of aggression”
“The first question we asked was whether we had seen any signs of aggression in this dog before adopting him out,” wrote San Diego Humane Society & SPCA president Gary Weitzman to staff and volunteers.
“That answer is no,” said Weitzman, himself a pit bull owner, as also is San Diego Humane Society & SPCA vice president for community response and chief of humane law enforcement Stephen MacKinnon.
Stephen McKinnon
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
“Happy, social dog”
“His records tell of a happy, social dog who enjoyed going on walks and playing with other dogs,” Weitzman continued. “He was adopted quickly and greatly loved by his new family.
“This horrible accident was one that all of us in animal sheltering dread and not a single one of us could have foreseen,” Weitzman alleged, disregarding more than 70 articles posted by ANIMALS 24-7 alone since 2014 warning of the utter predictability of pit bull attacks, most often occurring without prior behavioral cues, grouped under sub-menus at The Pit Stop Archive.
More than 200 warnings
Altogether, ANIMALS 24-7 staff and board members have published more than 200 articles issuing similar warnings in humane media since 1988.
Additional hundreds of similar warnings have been published by the pit bull victim advocacy organizations Daxton’s Friends and Dogsbite.org, more than 60 pit bull victim advocacy Facebook pages and groups, and by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Pit bull promotions
Claiming to be “a seasoned animal welfare professional with more than 20 years of experience,” Weitzman would appear to have been unlikely to have missed all the warnings, while aggressively promoting pit bull adoptions through events such as Yappy Hour and Bark & Brews fundraisers, “Pitties in the Park” festivals each fall, and “St. Pitty’s Day” on St. Patrick’s Day 2016.
“There was not a fragment of aggression seen in this dog before tragedy struck,” Weitzman forged on. “But tragedy did strike and there was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it,” Weitzman said.
Three basic rules
Actually there were many things the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA could have done to prevent the pit bull Polo from killing Sebastian Caban, beginning with observing three basic rules for ensuring adoption success and adopter safety which for decades were almost universally practiced:
- No adoptions of pit bulls and other dogs of dangerous breed to first-time adopters and other inexperienced petkeepers;
- No adoptions of pit bulls and other dogs of dangerous breed to families with small children or expecting the birth of a child;
- Discourage allowing dogs to claim beds and other places where people might sleep as their own territory.
43 shelter dogs have killed people since 2007
When the 1989 first edition of the National Animal Control Association Training Guide went to press, no dog adopted from a U.S. shelter was known to have ever killed anyone. Two wolf hybrids rehomed from shelters killed children while the first NACA Training Guide was in production, but the next fatality inflicted by a shelter dog––a pit bull––did not occur until 2003.
Since 2007, however, at least 43 U.S. shelter dogs are known to have killed people. Among the dogs were 31 pit bulls, seven bull mastiffs, three Rottweilers, a husky, and a “Labrador mix” who appeared to be part pit bull.
Joshua Phillip Strother, 6, killed on July 7, 2015 by a pit bull rehomed by the Asheville Humane Society after passing the ASPCA’s SAFER test.
SAFER test
Many of the shelter dogs who went on to kill people were cleared for adoption through use of the SAFER test, introduced by animal behaviorist Emily Weiss in 1999-2000, amid complaints by pit bull advocates that too many pit bulls were failing the older behavioral screening tests developed by Sue Sternberg of Rondout Kennels and others.
The American SPCA hired Weiss as senior director of shelter behavior programs in 2005, and on May 5, 2007 made promoting the SAFER test an ASPCA program. But the ASPCA appeared to step away from the SAFER test, if only to reduce potential liability for accidents, after a pit bull killed Joshua Phillip Strother, age 6, on July 7, 2015, days after the dog passed SAFER screening and was rehomed by the Asheville Humane Society, of Asheville, North Carolina.
SAFER testing. (From ASPCApro video)
ASPCA backed away
The Strother case was only the most serious of many pit bull attacks coming to light in 2015 that involved dogs who had cleared SAFER screening.
“Effective immediately, the ASPCA will be discontinuing the certification process for SAFER (Safety Assessment to Evaluate Re-homing),” the American SPCA announced on December 2, 2015 via the ASPCApro blog distributed to shelter workers.
Is one test of suitability for adoption from the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA the dog’s willingness to wear a silly hat?
San Diego Humane Society & SPCA use their own test
The SAFER test was formerly used at the North County Humane Society, of Oceanside, California, which merged into the San Diego Humane Society & SPCA in 2010. But the entire San Diego Humane Society & SPCA shelter network now uses a behavioral screening protocol developed by the organization itself. This was the protocol that was used to pronounced Polo safe for adoption to Sebastian Caban’s family.
Alexandra Semyonova
Assessed ANIMALS 24-7 board member Alexandra Semyonova, author of The 100 Silliest Things People Say About Dogs, “The real problem here is not the 911 dispatch response time. It is not exactly which of the various pit bull type dogs killed this infant. It is not about figuring exactly what triggered the pit bull mix to execute its inherent motor pattern. Neither is this latest infant death about children and ‘any dog,’ which will be the next damage control response pit bull advocacy predictably comes up with. The tragedy of this child’s death is about exposing a newborn baby to the type of dog that has been responsible for more child killings than all other breeds and types of dogs combined.
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
“Not talking about a bite here”
“Yes, many types of dogs have bitten children,” Semyonova blogged, “but we are not talking about a bite here. We’re talking about an instant killing, not preceded by any warning signals, not triggered by anything that would offend any normal dog, and so vicious that the parents of the child had trouble getting the pit bull mix off their baby. These parents took a loaded Kalashnikov to bed with them,” Semyonova charged, “because it’s the fashion of the moment. The Kalashnikov shot their baby in the head when the mother coughed with her finger on the trigger.
“Conflict avoider”
“The normal domestic dog is a conflict avoider,” Semyonova explained. “At startle or threat, it will try first of all to increase distance and assess the situation. A normal dog would have jumped off the bed and, if jealous, slunk off to pout. Jealous normal dogs don’t go into a sudden gripping death-hold attack.”
Dan DeSousa
“Fire Dan DeSousa”
Dogsbite.org founder Colleen Lynn argued that San Diego County Department of Animal Services deputy director Dan DeSousa “should be fired for deliberately manipulating this dog’s breed to confuse the media and public.”
Blogged Lynn, “Let’s start from the earliest report at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, where the dog is a ‘2-year-old American Staffordshire terrier, according to DeSousa.’ In the next report, at 1:56 p.m., the dog is a ‘2-year-old, neutered male American Staffordshire terrier-mix, DeSousa said.’ By 2:31 pm, the dog became a ‘Great Dane-American Staffordshire terrier mix, according to DeSousa.’
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
“Two-part manipulation”
“There are two parts to DeSousa’s manipulation,” Lynn continued. “Part one was calling the dog an American Staffordshire terrier, which is exactly the same breed as the American pit bull terrier. Part two of the manipulation is more sinister. The first part of a ‘mixed breed’ label indicates the predominant breed.
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
“Within three hours of media reports, DeSousa tried to make the confusing Staffordshire label the least predominant breed by placing it second,” and minutes later, allegedly engaged in “100% denial of any pit bull heritage,” Lynn charged, “to hide the truth after a neutered family pit bull killed a newborn baby.
“DeSousa successfully derailed, at least initially, what this should have been about: basic safety with a newborn,” said Lynn, “and the impact of thousands of photographs posted on social media with pit bulls sleeping next to a baby. Basic safety practices with a newborn were never mentioned once by DeSousa or anyone at Animal Services. Not once.”
Remedios Romero Solares.
Obfuscation
DeSousa engaged in similar obfuscation after housecleaner Remedios Romero-Solares, 30, of Fallbrook, was killed by pit bulls at the home of a dog breeder and marijuana grower on December 7, 2012.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Homicide Unit found eight “large dogs” running loose in the yard where Romero-Solares’ remains were found.
The San Diego County Department of Animal Services identified the dogs as “Olde English Bulldogges.”
Olde English Bulldogges
“Olde English Bulldogges”
Asked ANIMALS 24-7 editor Merritt Clifton of DeSousa’s supervisor, San Diego County Department of Animal Services director Dawn D. Danielson, “Who is DeSousa and/or your department trying to fool? Not only are “Olde English Bulldogges” a pit bull variant, but some pit bull enthusiasts insist that they are the original, older, & ‘purer’ pit bull line than the common American variants.”
Dawn D. Danielson
Responded Danielson, “The dogs responsible for this fatality do not resemble the American Pit Bull Terrier, English Staffordshire or American Staffordshire Terrier. We wanted to accurately describe the subject dogs and not add to prejudicial hysteria. These dogs are not what the general public recognizes as ‘pit bulls.’ We are not ‘trying to fool’ anyone,” Danielson insisted, “only to relay the most accurate information we can without fanning the flames for pit prejudice.”
Bred for baiting
But on the web site of the breeder on whose property the Romero-Solares fatality occurred was acknowledgement of the dogs’ fighting ancestry and the incorporation into their pedigrees of at least two recognized pit bull lines and two lines ancestral to modern pit bulls.
“The Olde English Bulldogge…were the early ancestors to many of the bull breeds that exist today,” the web site explained. “They were bred to participate in blood sports like bull baiting.
(SDHS & SPCA photo)
“The modern Olde English Bulldogge is a reconstruction of the original Olde Bulldogge of the 17th and 18th century,” the site continued. “The foundation of most of today’s Olde English Bulldogges can be traced to English bulldog, American bulldog, American pit bull terrier, and mastiff.”
Despite the renamings of pit bulls, pit bull intake acknowledged by San Diego County Department of Animal Services has increased from 17% of all dogs received in 2008 to 37% in 2015.
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It’s really a shame the way Dan DeSousa is being portrayed on your website or blog. He is actually getting death threats and I was hoping you could set the record straight.
Dan, among other jobs is also the department’s public information officer. We received the call from San Diego Police Department dispatch to our dispatch on the evening of April 21 to pick up a dog that had bitten a child. The dog was called a Great Dane from San Diego Police Department dispatch. It may have been Great Dane “mix”. Dan did NOT have anything to do with the breed information. He reported to the media (when he was called) what was on the record. Dan never saw the dog. When our animal control officer picked up the dog, the dog was micro chipped and the information on the chip listed the dog as American Staffordshire Terrier. Again Dan had nothing to do with the breed identification. American Staffordshire is how the animal control officer listed the dog on the record. Of course later we were all wondering where Great Dane came from, but we didn’t pursue it and just assumed there was some kind of miscommunication.
Dan is very forthright and just reports to the media the facts as we know them. He would never intentionally deceive the public.
Thank you,
Dawn D Danielson, RVT, Director
County of San Diego
Department of Animal Services
5480 Gaines St.,
San Diego Ca., 92110
619 767 2766
http://www.sddac.com
“The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Mahatma Gandhi
The dog is definitely some type of mix. The muzzle is long compared to the other dogs pictured that are supposedly “pit bulls”.
All I have read in this article is criticism. Calls for so and so to be fired. What is the solution ? The majority of people do not want to see more animals killed.
The solution to stopping deaths and disfigurements by pit bulls, including pit bulls rehomed by shelters, and to stopping the deaths of cast-off pit bulls in shelters, too, begins with passing and strictly enforcing strong breed-specific legislation which criminalizes breeding, selling, giving away, or otherwise transferring any pit bull or pit bull derivative, so as to completely take the profit potential out of producing and distributing pit bulls; mandates sterilizing pit bulls and pit bull derivatives remaining in homes; gives possession of a pit bull evidentiary weight in dogfighting cases; and makes omitting acknowledgement of pit bull ancestry in any dog offered for adoption a misdemeanor if the misrepresentation is discovered before someone is killed or disfigured, but a felony if someone is killed or disfigured before the truth comes out.
Short of awaiting legislative mandates, the humane community could simply start telling the truth about pit bulls: they are not safe pets, not safe around children or other animals, and are not magically transformed by any amount of love, patience, and temperament testing. Currently, and for the past several decades, animal shelters desperate to rehome pit bulls have been manufacturing the market for pit bull breeders by promoting the myth that “it’s all in how you raise them.” Believing the hype, much of the public opts to acquire a pit bull, but from a breeder, not a shelter, since there is no telling how a shelter dog might have been raised. Then, a few weeks, months, or occasionally years later, those pit bulls acquired to be “raised right” are dumped at shelters when they turn out to be the products of their breeding after all. (See also “Why pit bulls will break your heart,” by Beth Clifton.)
I agree with what you have written, but I also think that CA should have a law like Colorado in that if a dog bites someone it is removed from the owner, kept in a kennel for 10 days, it’s saliva and blood tested for any foreign substance and then destroyed. That way it would not be secretly rehomed to people who have no idea that the dog is dangerous. I feel that any dog that has bitten once will bite again.
The issue here is what constitutes “a bite”. Municipalities should have intelligent definitions of dangerous dogs and processes in place for hearings.
The problem with pit bulls is that the first evidence of aggression is often a serious maiming or fatality which makes the “one free bite” rule not appropriate.
What about the sound asleep dog who is tripped over and bites by reflex and then realizes and acts contrite (submissive? Should this dog be destroyed? What about a 4 month old puppy who breaks skin when a kid repeatedly pulls a treat out of reach and the dog finally jumps fast enough to get to the treat (and the kid’s hand)? Should the dog be destroyed?
Granted, the ability of dogs like pit bulls to do significant damage with a single bite is a game changer, but we still have to exercise reason.
BTW, this position that any dog who “bites” should be destroyed underscores my concern that the proliferation of pit bulls and their promotions by shelters (which DOES create a market for puppies from breeders because people believe how they are raised is the critical issue) will result in the loss of privileges and rights, as well as extreme liabilities, for ALL dog owners.
Bob Cronk. This know-nothing pit bull advocate likes to troll comments to pit bull fatalities that “he is prepared to sacrifice (your) children to protect his perceived right to own the world’s number one killer canine.” Is it any wonder no one listens to you, Bob? You are such a wonderful human being.
Considering that I have owned what people might call a pit bull for over 20 years I think I might know more about pit bull ownership than you do. I am quite sure you gather your “facts” from irresponsible news articles or the DBO cult. I have owned multiple dogs at any one time.
If I thought for one minute that my dogs were a danger to myself or other people I would have them put to sleep.
I also vol. at a shelter where I work with mainly what people would say are pit bulls. I have done this for well over 8 years.. so to me I do have experience in working with what people call a pit bull.. which is basically a type of dog composed of over 20 breeds.
Your statement that if you thought your dogs were dangerous you would euthanize them is commendable. However, attack after attack has been committed by dogs whose owners did not believe that their dogs were dangerous. Could it be that they were all liars?
As far as the precept goes that dogs don’t belong in bed, well, most of us are guilty of this, but Bob, this fatality of three-day-old Sabastian was going to happen, whether in the bed, on the floor, or perhaps in the yard. These parents had no idea that their loved pet was going to kill their child, and therefore took no steps to protect him. It seems to me that you do understand the potential of your dogs to harm people and other animals, and that you’ve taken steps to protect others and your dogs. If you don’t mind living this way, more power to you, but unfortunately most pit bull owners are not like you. They do not have the experience that say you or I have with pit bull type dogs nor do they understand them, their behavior and their dangers. Also, while I have your attention, I would like to clarify and point out that one of the most important purposes of breed-specific legislation is to end pit bull proliferation, leading to many shelter deaths of abandoned pit bulls, with mandatory spay/neuter laws and strict enforcement. Nowhere have either Merritt or I called for the mass destruction or removal of pit bulls from their homes at any time. Neither has mass destruction and removal of pit bulls from homes been the purpose of any breed-specific legislation ever adopted in the U.S., Canada, or western Europe.
Thank you, Merritt Clifton, for continuing to shine a bright light at the grotesque underbelly of shelters and rescues pimping the USA’s number one canine killer of people, pets and livestock animals. We SO appreciate your hard work in educating the public regarding the particular dangers that the fighting/gripping breed dogs present when foolishly kept as “pets” in homes.
ditto
Terrible!! These idiots that keep lying about and defending pit bulls are just as guilty as those idiot parents who brought a pit bull into their home around a baby! Shame on them for putting human life secondary to providing homes to such dogs who should be put down. There are so many safer breed dogs in shelters that get euthanized daily because of these idiots promoting pit bulks. They should put down all the pit bulls and dangerous like breeds in shelters and that will leave room for good dogs to live and get adopted out rather than be euthanized. When will these idiots learn that pit bulls cannot be trusted?!
I agree that any aggressive dog should be destroyed and never rehomed. As you say, there are many good dogs that are put down that would make a wonderful pet.
They never are “predictable” until it’s too late. Thank you for getting the truth out. Sharing to social media.
Thank you for your relentless efforts in warning people of the dangers of bully breeds, and other large aggressive dogs. And for calling people out, those who are all too aware of the dangers, yet choose to ignore them in place of their own agenda. Especially those in positions of influence and decision making. It is a slow battle, but you are making headway as more and more people are paying attention, and more and more cities, states, and entire countries are enacting regulations, and thus… in time… fewer and fewer people will experience severe injury or die a horrific death. Please don’t give up!
All pit bull-type dogs adoptions should at least come with a mandatory full disclosure. Pit bull type dogs are the number one canine killer of children, people, beloved pets and livestock of all other dog breeds combined. Temperament is not the problem with pits; they are generally pleasant to be around when raised well. The danger is the unprovoked aggression, gameness and physical ability, that has been bred into them from day 1. This cannot be trained or loved away, and you never know when it will appear until it’s too late. Please use extreme caution if you choose to bring a pit bull into your home. All pit bull owners should own a break-stick and know how to use it. This person demonstrates how to use a break stick on a pit-bull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfMVH4wY5Pg
The vast majority of the pit-type dogs who severely maul or kill are family pets, and are not trained fighters. Pit-type dogs are hardwired to maul and kill without warning. It is a part of their genetic code, like border collies herd, labs swim, goldens retrieve, pointers point, and bloodhounds track.
Pit bulls are zero-mistake dogs. Pit-bulls are dangerous because they have the capability of inflicting life threatening injuries in a split second. It is not worth the risk of your child’s health and life.
Pit-bull type dogs are responsible for 95% of severe attacks on people, pets and livestock:
From 2005-2016, 240 people killed by pit bull type dogs. http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities.php
50,000 + animals killed by pit bulls every year: https://www.animals24-7.org/2015/01/27/how-many-other-animals-did-pit-bulls-kill-in-
and https://www.animals24-7.org/2016/01/31/pit-bulls-killed-24000-other-dogs-13000-cats-in-2015/
459 disfigurements in 2015 by pit bulls. https://www.animals24-7.org/2016/01/04/record-33-fatal-pit-bull-attacks-459-disfigurements-in-2015/
I hope you will read the entire breed bio for the American Pit Bull Terrier on our website to have a better understanding of why pit bulls disproportionately kill more humans and animals than all breeds combined.: http://www.daxtonsfriends.com/american-pit-bull-terrier/
I am so sorry for this family. I cannot even begin to understand their pain. I always stress that no babies should be level with a dog, which means no babies on the floor and no dogs on the bed. NO, the YouTubes of babies lying on dogs are not cute but are in fact dangerous.
I was initially opposed to BSL (breed specific legislation) because I feared the slippery slope and the belief that if pit bulls were targeted it was only a matter of time before my breed of choice was targeted.
Instead, what has happened is that all ownership and venues deemed appropriate to all dogs are being limited because of the proliferation of the pit bull and the baseless advocacy of this breed. “It’s not the DOG it’s the PEOPLE!”
I am legislative liaison for the Alaskan Malamute Club of America. As such, I received an American Kennel Club legislative alert that the city of Colton, California was in consideration of a MSN (mandatory spay neuter) ordinance. I wrote and called in my opposition to MSN. I did not receive the alert until hours before the vote on the ordinance. After the call (my bad) I read the entire ordinance and it was a MSN of pit bulls with provisions that breeders and owners working their dogs in sanctioned performance events could keep dogs intact. It was modeled after legislation in Riverside, California. In fact, I would have supported such legislation, and feel duped by the AKC legislative alert. I am pissed!
A review of dogs available for adoption at my shelter indicates that over 90% are pits and Chihuahuas. The data, which ANIMALS 24-7 has documented clearly, indicates that the pit bull’s record of serious injuries and death far exceeds its representation in the dog population and is irrefutable. God forbid Chihuahuas weighed 70 pounds, as they are nasty little buggers.
I am appalled that the “humane community” (who seems to fail to note “human” in the word) would offer the almighty dollar and concern for adoptions stats at worst, and concern for animal life at best, as their reason to adopt out these dogs, who were selectively bred for aggression without a behavioral cue and “gameness,” meaning unwillingness to stop an attack. If companies who promote dangerous products to the public are found liable, why are not shelters and rescues found liable for adopting these so called sweetheart nanny dogs out to the public, when the evidence is clear that these are not viable family pets?
I just recently dealt with two situations, one where a family adopted from a rescue a “border collie mix” as a family dog for their 9 year old son. The dog was a pit bull mix, no question, who was poorly socialized and shy. I suggested they return the dog and they did. The rescue was angry. I am sorry this dog did not have the chance, but in good conscience I could not recommend the family take this dog.
I recently met up (at an auto repair) with a person who took in a pit bull (male, neutered, 15 months old) who is concerned about the dog and his 5-year-old since he hears so much bad information about pit bulls. The dog is a sweetheart (aren’t they all) but is untrained. I told him that if he was willing I would provide him with a training program, but to never leave the dog unattended with any children.
What can I say? I notice; I see that easily one third of the dogs in my suburban community are pit bulls. I am on a task force for homelessness and pets are a topic. Almost all of the pets of the homeless are pit bulls.
I know folks who are longtime pit bull owners, trainers and breeders, and even they agree that the situation is out of control and SOMETHING has to be done.
To never leave a child unattended with a pit bull sounds reasonable, but the recent San Diego fatality, and many other pit bull fatalities and disfigurements, have occurred when parents were only inches away from the victim, and were still unable to prevent the attack.
Also of note is that while observers often remark that relatively high percentages of dogs in their communities are pit bulls, casual estimates of dog types by percentage are typically made from observation of dogs seen outdoors, including those running at large or frequently barking, drawing attention to themselves. Thus the numbers of large, noisy, ill-behaved dogs are consistently over-estimated, while the numbers of small, quiet, unobtrusive dogs are far under-estimated. Systematic dog population surveying reveals that pit bulls are still barely 5% of the total U.S. dog population, despite accounting for nearly two-thirds of the dogs surrendered to shelters or impounded by animal control.
Your point about observation of breed versus actual population of breed is well taken, as is the point that monitoring interactions with dogs and children is not a failsafe approach.
Still, in this part of California, this breed at least appears to be growing in numbers exponentially.
One of our community’s canine officers when asked at the K9 presentation what he thought of pit bulls said, “I think they are misunderstood and get a bad rap.” He looked at me and acertained from the look on my face that I disagreed. I told him I would e-mail him. Sent him links to your articles. He said he was convinced. Again, this may well be a skewed representation, but he said the majority of the drug, DV, and other calls they go out on involve a residence with a pit bull and in future he would be more cautious.
Let’s give serial killers and rapists second, third and forth chances! Let those bleeding hearts bleed all over everything.
Absolutely not true. Have you not heard of resource guarding?
The thing no one is mentioning, that troubles me about this specific incident, is that this couple had only owned this dog for five months. Five months with a rehomed young male pit mix is not enough time for that dog to be trusted with a brand new baby or any child. My heart goes out to those uneducated parents and the dog.
Cooper, your comment underscores the problem with adopting out pits to inexperienced adopters. Your comment also highlights the fact that behavior evaluations and temperament testing can’t predict future aggression. You’re right, 5 months clearly wasn’t enough time to assess this dog’s true colors. Sometimes 8 years isn’t enough. We’ve all seen these cases, and again and again heard the shocked “he was so sweet, we never suspected…”
A behavior evaluation is a snapshot in time, as Emily Weiss and company admit. I used to work in animal shelters as a professional trainer who performed thousands of these evaluations. I no longer believe they are accurate when done on pit bulls and other fighting breeds. These dogs were developed to exhibit sudden, unprovoked aggression, as has already been said. Once they attack, it is usually very difficult to get them to stop. Thus the maulings and deaths associated with pits and not other dogs.
The problem with this post and the posts in general on this web site, is that everyone looks at the exception. The majority of dogs called pit bulls are adopted and live out their lives as cherished family pets.
BSL is losing ground. However there is a problem. Any pit bull owner and advocate that even hears the word BSL is going to be against this. Yet I think we all realize there is a problem, but BSL is not going to solve it.
Bob Cronk has recited four fictions in only seven sentences.
The first fiction is that attacks, other dangerous behavior, and shelter surrenders or impoundments of pit bulls are “the exception.” The second fiction, closely related to the first, is that “The majority of dogs called pit bulls are adopted and live out their lives as cherished family pets.” In truth, almost a third of the entire U.S. pit bull population passes through animal shelters in any given year, after having been in an average of three homes previously. Only half of the pit bulls in homes at any given time are still in those same homes a year later. The rate of pit bull failures in homes is about 12 times that of all other breed types. Pit bulls are less than 5% of the U.S. dog population, yet more than 30% of shelter dog intake and 60% of the shelter dogs who are killed, primarily for threatening behavior.
The third fiction is that “BSL is losing ground.” In reality, the numbers of communities adopting and repealing breed-specific legislation are approximately equal over the past three years, but pit bull advocates are outspending opponents by easily more than $1,000-to-$1.00 to achieve this result. At the state level, communities have been prohibited from enacting breed-specific legislation only in states where pit bull proponents have encountered no organized opposition from pit bull victims. In the six states where victim advocates have mobilized, bills introduced to block the passage of breed-specific legislation have repeatedly failed, again despite pit bull advocates outspending the victim advocates by more than $1,000-to-$1.00. Of most note, though, is that in the two jurisdictions where breed-specific legislation was put to a public vote, the voters of Miami, Florida and Aurora, Colorado upheld their breed-specific legislation by margins of more than 60& in favor.
As to whether breed-specific legislation works, the answer is by now clear: it works, resoundingly well, since the jurisdictions that have it, in whatever form–including the province of Ontario and the cities of Miami, Denver, and San Francisco––have markedly fewer fatal and disfiguring dog attacks and far fewer pit bulls in their shelters, despite disgracefully poor enforcement of the laws in Miami and the Ontario city of Toronto, in particular.
I just adopted a female pit bull from a shelter last week. She was very docile and passed all her temperament tests. No jumping or even barking––I haven’t heard her bark or whine. She walks on leash, loves to sleep in her new kennel, and knows how to fetch. All of this told me she was once someone’s pet. She was found as a stray who had puppies some time back, not sure when. The shelter said she’s about three years old. We don’t have kids at home any more. We do have a Persian cat and a min Pin. When I was bringing the pit bull downstairs Sunday morning, she saw my cat and took off running after her. My little dog barked at her, then hid. I assumed okay, the pit bull can’t be around cats. The next day she got into it with my dog over a ball. My little dog is very territorial and wants me all to herself, but never has showed aggression to any other animal. She barked at my new pit and all of the sudden it was a full-on dog fight. I was screaming. My little dog was yelping. Finally I broke it up. The next two days I was on guard, totally stressed out. I was scared to leave them alone outside when I’m at work. I was so happy to have saved a shelter dog and she was so mellow and sweet. Now don’t know what to do. Do I put them both with a trainer, or do I find a home for my pit where she is the only dog? My little dog provoked her, but I don’t know her story, and my husband now doesn’t trust her. I’m not taking her back to the shelter. I just need some advice. Does this mean she’s taking control because she’s getting comfortable, or is it me making a big deal???
Hi Kim. I would like to share an essay I wrote about my dog Trooper: Why pit bulls will break your heart. It may help you to make an informed decision.
My best advice to you difficult as it will be and short of euthanizing the dog, is to return the dog to the shelter before you, a family member, or your other pets are severely injured or killed, or perhaps even a neighbor’s child or pet. Neither you or your husband trust her now. Living in constant fear of a tragedy will diminish your quality of life and if the worst happens will certainly have a negative impact on your lives. Shame on the shelter staff and volunteers who promoted this dog’s adoption! She’s a ticking time bomb. Protect your family and others.
The lady needs to get a professional k-9 behaviorist to assist her. Unfortunately the first dog meet was not done. Did she do a pack walk with her other dog? The only way to bring a dog into a new house with existing dogs is a dog meet on neutral territory. I have always had a trainer or behaviorist assist with bringing a new dog home.
However this does not mean the adoption is flawed. With work and the human becoming the pack leader the situation can be saved. I would also crate the new dog.
Any dog offered for adoption should already have had appropriate behavioral assessment and retraining, if necessary. If the dog is not ready to associate peaceably with other members of a new household, including unfamiliar humans, cats, and other dogs, the dog is not ready to be rehomed. The suggestions of a “dog meet” and “pack walk” prior to adoption are worthwhile to introduce dogs to other potential housemates, but do nothing to ensure the safety of the non-canine members of a new household, and the safety of visitors and neighbors. If dogs are introduced successfully, but form a pack which becomes menacing to other household members, visitors, and neighbors, this too is an irresponsible and dangerous adoption, regardless of whether a human has become “the pack leader,” which is in itself a simplistic and risky concept. In real life situations, the first dog to observe and respond to the presence of another human or animal tends to be the ad hoc “pack leader,” while the “pack leader” person may be away for hours or days. Finally, crating dogs for behavioral modification is a practice often abused, which often backfires. At least two human fatalities just this year have occurred when pent up and frustrated pit bulls either were released or escaped from crates in which they had been confined for many hours.
Crating with no exercise is certainly a bad practice. I crate one of my dogs 10 hours a day but she has a chew toy. She gets two good walks a day and car rides. Once I am home she has a big yard to release some of her energy plus an older k-9 friend. If you are talking about the dogs that got out of their crate and killed their owner’s 9-year-old brother, I think there is probably a lot more going on there. The biggest question I would have is how much exercise did these dogs have.
You may dislike Cesar Milan but he has some good advice. Exercise, discipline and affection … in that order. Constant affection only enforces bad behavior.
Yes I’ve been visiting the shelters and working with rescue groups…my son has two Pitts but he raised since birth and was very diligent with his training and they really are good dogs but they don’t have a story and never ever were mean to my car or dog who they lived with while my do was traveling. So please share your story I’m so torn Ii don’t want to take her back to the shelter that’s my last resort I don’t know if I can find her a home unless she is the only dog and what if??? I was thinking maybe she just got scared with my dog all her temp tests were good which I don’t even know if that matters anymore
Kim, the dog should be returned to the shelter or rescue right away so that they can address and handle the problems. Rehoming the dog would be passing on the problem. This would be bad for everyone including the dog. Also you may find, if there was a contract of sorts, that you must return the dog in such cases.
Also, when I was in the thick of the shelter world and performing behavior evaluations, I remember distinctly refusing to read, watch, or pay any attention to stories of pit bull attacks, choosing to go with the status quo “it’s just media hype” belief system. Once I left the shelter world, I finally allowed myself to see what was really happening. I was, and still am, shocked by the number and severity of attacks, a daily event at this point. But I could not look at that while reporting to work every day and working with pit bulls and adopters. And, mind you, I was someone who wanted to work with animals since I was a little kid. I wanted that more than I wanted to face reality.
I say this to perhaps explain why some of those those who work in the non-profit shelter system might keep their heads buried in the sand so they can preserve their belief systems and their jobs. Self-brainwashing, maybe. I have to say that the more saturated with pit bulls the shelters became, the less attractive “working with animals” became. I had no affinity for them. I am obviously not typical of a shelter worker today. You’d think pits were the greatest dog breed ever developed! A dog bred for bloodsports? It’s crazy.
Meanwhile, “Legally blind McHenry woman, guide dog recovering after pit bull bite” http://www.nwherald.com/2016/04/08/legally-blind-mchenry-woman-guide-dog-recovering-after-pit-bull-bite/a7wjjpi/ The punishment for this crime should match that of attacking a K9 officer.