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The Killer Dog Problem, by Charles Danten

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(Beth Clifton collage)

Going to the root of things is always a good idea if you really intend to change things.

 
Let’s start with pit bull advocate Anne-Marie Goldwater’s delirious statement:  “We use derogatory words to identify a certain subgroup of dogs which does not form a ‘race.’  Like blacks, Latinos, Arabs… these aren’t races.  Just like there is only one race, the race of human beings. There is only one ‘race’ of dogs.  It’s called dog: canis lupus familiaris.”(1) 
 
Not so, Ms. Goldwater. The dog is in fact a domesticated subspecies of the wolf, itself divided into more than 450 breeds or variants, easily identified by their morphology (phenotype) and able to predictably produce offspring true to type.  No one has ever seen a couple of registered pit bulls such as the American Staffordshire Terrier produce a litter of poodles. 

(Beth Clifton collage

Breeds in dogs, just like races in humans (2)(3),  are an inescapable reality,  and in dogs this reality is not limited to appearance,  but also concerns behavior.

Genes versus training

People often say: “there are no bad dogs, but only bad masters.”  For example,  Bill Bruce, author of the current canine municipal regulations in the city of Calgary,  said often “We believe that canine aggression is essentially a human problem,  and if we solve the problem at its source,  the canine problem will resolve by itself.” (4)
 
In other words,  since breeds and behavior are a social construct,  it would be unjust to discriminate against one or another canine. 
 
But would it really be unjust?  Of course not!  As most honest breeders,  agronomists,  and veterinarians can tell you,  genes play an important role in aggressiveness,  even if the acquired or trained aspect of behavior also matters. (5)  All dogs are not born equal. 

(Beth Clifton collage)

“No bad dogs,  but only bad masters”?

The favorite saying of pro pit bull advocates, copy-pasted from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s preposterous theory of the noble savage,  that “There are no bad dogs, but only bad masters,” is completely untrue.  Pit bull breeders typically select at birth,  or shortly afterward,  the most docile specimens of a litter for company,  and the more aggressive ones for protection.  Others are sold for reproduction to a puppy mill or simply culled.
 
Does this mean that all pit bull dogs are dangerous?  No.  An undetermined number are not (see below). But since there is presently no verifiably accurate test for effectively separating the safe from those of high risk,  it would be safer to banish them altogether.  These born killers have a very heavy genetic past.  They were made by mating extremely aggressive breeds that were selected for thousands of generations for their gameness,  strength,  overdeveloped predator instinct,  high pain threshold, and impulsiveness.  These factors,  combined with the power of their jaws,  cause extremely serious injuries. 

(Beth Clifton collage)

“Unpredictable & incredibly violent”

Pit bull attacks are by definition unpredictable and incredibly violent. 
 
The most dangerous pit bulls are those who are trained to be aggressive by mostly ill-reputed individuals, such as drug dealers or gang members or even ordinary persons who like to scare or intimidate others.  Although law prohibits dogfighting,  dogfights still occur,  and dogs are still bred for this purpose.  Only the most aggressive dogs are used. 
Others are sold to breeders who produce inexpensive puppies by the dozens,  without any consideration for their behavioral traits so long as they appear true to type.  Unsuspecting clients end up buying these Jekyll and Hyde dogs without knowing where they come from.
Many of these dogs look quite innocent––until they change without warning into monsters. 

(Beth Clifton collage)

(See Why pit bulls will break your heart,  by Beth Clifton.)

Statistical black hole

In the province of Quebec, according to the findings of the Working Committee on the Supervision of Dangerous Dogs, statistics on dog bites are a real black hole for the following reasons: 
  • Registration of dogs is not required in each of the municipalities of the province.
  • The application of this obligation,  when it exists,  is often uneven and incomplete,  as it is not mandatory to report the breed of the registered animal.
  • Unlike in much of the U.S.,  police officers,  doctors, and veterinarians are not required to report bites unless rabies is suspected.
  • The right of veterinarians to secrecy in the case of an aggressive dog is also a substantial obstacle.
  • To make things worse,  since all dogs are legally equal,  some mass media,  CBC for instance,  for egalitarian reasons no longer name the breeds of canine delinquents involved in a biting incident.

Without knowing the population of each breed,  the number of bites as well as the breed involved,  it is almost impossible to find out precisely which breeds are the most dangerous. This lack of statistics might be good for business,  but it is also a flagrant flight from responsibility as well as a denial of breed reality and the importance of biology in behavior.

The case of Toronto

Fortunately, the situation is quite different in Toronto where the data on dogs is sufficiently large and precise to get a good idea of the scope of the problem (see table below).
It turns out,  all pit bull type dogs,  pure bred and mixes alike,  are the most dangerous.
Is this the reason why pit bulls and other dangerous breeds were successfully banned from Toronto in 2005?  No doubt about it.
 
 
Another way of knowing what’s going on is to consult the medical and surgery journals. For the last 40 years or so all serious epidemiological studies – i.e. those that are not made by vets or sponsored by humanitarian societies and pro-pit bull associations  – are unanimous: In North America, the majority of dog bites requiring hospitalization or resulting in death are inflicted by pit bull type dogs. (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15).

Pseudoscience is their creed

According to pro pit bull advocates, all their claims on breeds and behavior are based on sound science.  But nothing is further from the truth.  None of their allegations are scientifically documented by credible studies.  Morally abusive authorities are the sole support to these claims.  This is why advocates will viciously attack anyone who questions their sacred beliefs. 
Though pit bulls and their close mixes are only 5.6% of the U.S. dog population,  and a much smaller percentage of dogs in Canada,  pit bulls and related breeds are––as ANIMALS 24-7 has documented for 36 years––responsible for upward of 70% of all fatal and disfiguring dog attacks.  It would therefore be a good thing to fade them out gently from the market. 

Root causes

Knowing all along that regardless of the measures taken, it is impossible to eradicate biting dogs without addressing root causes,  such as false claims about the efficacy of animal-assisted therapy, which are fuelling a historically unprecedented demand for pets;  veterinary bias;  and the outrageous humanization of animals,  to name but a few. 
 
It is essential to collect valid data on the population of breeds,  the number of attacks,  the severity of the bite injury,  as well as the breeds responsible.  These statistics must be available to the public on demand or posted on a website for all to see.  Under the present circumstances,  refusing to name the breed of a biter,  as some mainstream media are doing,  is outright criminal.

(Beth Clifton collage)

Society must choose

Elected officials need to stop believing that breeds and behavior are social constructions.  It is not true.  They cannot admit this inconvenient truth because they are blindly transposing to pit bulls the egalitarian notions that apply to humans.  In other words,  our authorities are refusing to do the right thing for political reasons.
 
In the end, society must choose between lying for business and ideological reasons and telling the truth in order to protect the public.
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Charles Danten

Charles Danten earned his undergraduate degree in agricultural sciences program at MacDonald College,  McGill University,  and his veterinary science degree from the University of Montreal.  A practicing veterinarian for 18 years,  Danten now works as a scientific translator.  

His book Un vétérinaire en colère,  originally published in Quebec in 1999,  was reissued in 2008 in Spanish as Un veterinario encolerizado,  and then appeared in English as Slaves of Our Affection: The Myth of the Happy Pet in 2015.

References

1. Thomas Gerbet (September 21, 2016). L’avocate Anne-France Goldwater défend les pitbulls à Longueuil. Radio Canada (site consulted November 12, 2016).

2. Steven Pinker (2002). The Blank Slate. The Modern Denial of Human Nature. Penguin Books.

3. Steven Pinker (2012). Fear of Race Realism and the Denial of Human Differences. Conference on YouTube.com (video consulted November 19, 2016).

4. Barbara Kay (August 11, 2015). Pit bulls are disproportionally dangerous. Why is Calgary importing more of them? The National Post. (site consulted on November 12, 2016).

5. Mark Derr (February 6th 2001). It Takes Training and Genes To Make a Mean Dog Mean. The New York Times.

6. Michael S. Golinko, MD, MA, Brian Arslanian, MD, and Joseph K. Williams, MD, FAAP (2016). Characteristics of 1616 Consecutive Dog Bite Injuries at a Single Institution. Clinical Paediatrics. 

7. Mark A. Prendes et al. (2016). Ocular Trauma From Dog Bites: Characterization, Associations, and Treatment Patterns at a Regional Level I Trauma Center Over 11 Years. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg: 32(4).

8. Garvey et al. (2015). Morbidity of pediatric dog bites: A case series at level one pediatric trauma center. Journal ofPediatric Surgery: p. 50, pp. 343-346.

9. O’Brien et al. (2015). Dog bites to the head and neck: an evaluation of a common pediatric trauma and associated treatment. Am. Journal of otolaryngology – head and neck medicine and surgery: p. 36, 32-38.

10. Prendes et al. (2015). Ocular trauma from dog bites: Characterization, associations, and treatment patterns at a regional Level 1 trauma center over 11 years. Ophthalmic Plastic Reconstructive Surgery.

11. Bini, J.K., et al. (2011) Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs. Annals of Surgery; 253 (4).

12. Ricky L. Langley (2009). Human Fatalities Resulting From Dog Attacks in the United States, 1979–2005. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine; 20(1): 19-25.

13. Jeffrey J. Sacks, MD et al. (2000) Breeds of Dogs Involved in Fatal Human Attacks in the United States Between 1979 and 1998. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

14. J. J. Sacks, R. W. Sattin, and S. E Bonzo (1989). Dog Bite-Related Fatalities from 1979 through 1988. Journal of the American Medical Association; 262: 1489-1492.

15. William G. Winkler (1977). Human Deaths Induced by Dog Bites, United States, 1974-75. Public Health Reports; 92(5): 425–429.

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Comments

  1. Margaret Cleek says

    Charles Danten speaks the truth and provides references to support it. As a result, he should prepare to be villified.

    Pit bull advocates steadfastly refuse to acknowledge that the pit bull is any different from any other dog. In fact, as pointed out in the article dogs are very different and vary by breed. In fact, they are quite possibly the most plastic of species having been altered by man into a vast array of physical and behavioral types.

    While I can at least understand the pit fanatics, I am shocked and dismayed that this same position is held by humane organizations and shelters, who promote the adoptions of pit bulls of unknown genetic and behavioral backgrounds as a viable choice for a pet. When tragedies occur they shield themselves from liability by saying the dog passed a behavioral test, when the behavioral genetics of the dog breed would argue against the validity of the test for this breed of dog.

    Wait for the shit storm sir.

  2. billy says

    Thank you! I was attacked by 2 bullies in January 2018, for simply walking in the street. The owners fled their home 2 days later, I assume fearing legal consequences. I could have died. I had and have severe injuries. Moments after the attack, a school bus carrying approximately 20 seven-year-olds pulled up and released the children at the exact spot where I was attacked. Better me than them, but it still hurt, should never have happened, and will happen again.

  3. Jamaka Petzak says

    Ms. Cleek has expressed my own thoughts eloquently. And I share her consternation over humane organizations’ seeming stubborn refusal to accept that too many of these unpredictable dogs have maimed and killed other living beings to justify protecting and promoting the breed(s). I am a longtime supporter of Best Friends Animal Society, deeply appreciating most of the work they do and the inroads they have made in the reduction of innocent lives taken in our nation’s animal control centers, humane societies and other shelters. Their position is that they treat others as they wish to be treated themselves — living what some refer to/are familiar with as the “Golden Rule”. I also believe in this and whenever possible, practice it. But I do not believe in protecting killers, maimers and potential killers/maimers at the cost of the victims’ lives and health. So we must agree to disagree on the pitbull issue.

  4. Tanya Tuell says

    I hope Animals 24-7 will report on additional responses to this article. Perhaps the article had been shared elsewhere and more responses are there.

    I have 30 years in the field experience regarding animal rescue, spay neuter and responding to animal complaints as a volunteer.

    Several years ago I stopped walking with my two older dogs along a rural one lane road due to three pit bulls chained about a half mile from my house. In spite of the fact I never walked close to or past the house our ACO at the time, who I knew, had been to that property and he told me if the pit bulls were to break loose and ended up attacking my dogs I would never get them off my dogs or off of me unless I shot them with a weapon powerful enough to kill them. He told me pepper spray would be useless. Why should any citizen have to live like that?

    We are warned about and told to ‘watch out’ for serial killers, child predators, robberies, etc. For a short period of time we were even told to be on the lookout for a black bear wandering around our area. Our hands are already full ‘watching out’ for danger. Now we have be on guard against pit bull attacks. Something is seriously wrong.