Jim,
The ‘information’ provided to you by Jennifer is false. Please consider these:
The Pit Bull (a combination of four breeds [1]: American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American bulldog and any other pure bred or mixed breed dog that is a combination of these dogs) has it’s reputation as a dangerous breed for a reason. Since 1851 there has not been any decade in which pit bulls did not account for at least 50% of dog related human fatalities [2]. For the past 30 years pit bulls have account for 65% of human maulings and deaths [3], fairly consistently, even though pit bulls account for less than 5% of the US dog population.
The pit bull advocacy movement, of which Jennifer is surely a part, is a well funded lobbying group which has overrun the ASPCA and Humane Society with people who ignore the facts of this breed. Here is a more accurate fact statement [1].
Pit bull myths [4]
Pit bull ‘personality’ [5]
The ATTS test [6]
“Pit bulls are not a risk to children” [7]: The actuarial risk of a child being killed by a pit bull in the same house is approximately equal [8] to a child being killed in a house with a loaded firearm; even though 50 million houses have firearms and only 3 million houses have pit bulls.
You are clearly an intelligent man and if you take a little time and look at the links I’ve provided with the opinions of doctors in canine behavior and veterinary medicine, and actual real statistics I know you will see the tricks Jennifer is trying to pull. Pit Bull owners and breeders are notorious for ‘fudging the truth about their dogs, especially to themselves [9].
Regards, – Kathryn D.
James Wesley:
Readers should be aware that some states (like mine) now have laws on the books that could get you charged with a felony. If your Pitbull injures someone enough to require hospitalization, you could be charged. In my mind not worth the trouble with other breeds being off the radar. – Debra B.