| |
               |
 |
In The News: BAD RAP Responds to the Golden Gate Park Horse/Pit Incident Every responsible pit bull owner in the country groaned in unison when the news article came out reporting a "Horse Attacked by Pit Bull" Of course it didn't take much reading to discover that a dog owner's lapse in judgement had - once again - tarnished the reputation of the entire breed by ignoring the most basic cure-all for preventing animal aggression: The leash law. While news stations speculate about "dangerous breeds" and other nonsense fills the airwaves, intelligent dog lovers started asking intelligent questions: "Why?" Here is one letter we received and our answer below it. "Hi, I've been considering a pit bull lately, since so many people claim that
they are very sweet dogs in the right hands, despite their bad reputation. But
my dad says he has seen more fights at Point Isabel initiated by Pit bulls than
any other kind of dog (I don't walk my dog there, only in Tilden) And now I'm
even more horrified by the incident this morning with a pit bull attacking a
police horse in GG Park!! Signed, Sarah (name changed) Hi Sarah, Thanks for asking such honest questions. We were upset by the event in GGP and appreciate the opportunity to shed some light on things. The first step to making sense of this incident is to understand the history and original purpose of the terrier breeds (as in, American Pit Bull Terriers). Terriers were selectively bred to be working dogs; specifically to "go to ground" and hunt certain select prey animals. Jack Russell Terriers for example, were created to go after rats, rabbits, foxes and even badgers. Humans refined this same terrier drive in pit bulls for bull baiting (ie 'bulldogs'), for fighting other dogs, and even hog hunting. Its not suprising that pit bulls show animal aggression. The behavior of harassing/attacking horses is not specific to pit bulls, however. Horses are prey animals and their riders will tell you that loose dogs are a common trail problem. These folks are frequently annoyed by dogs of every breed. Livestock owners experience the same with this disturbing, but all too common problem: (Read: Livestock and Loose Dogs) The problem is so pervasive that farmers are within their legal rights to shoot any dog that is endangering their horses and other animals. In the case in Golden Gate Park, a well trained, well socialized pit bull had its first encounter with a horse and shocked his owner by acting like...a dog. We can't blame these animals for following their 'genetic whisper', but we can (and do) hold casual dog owners accountable for denying their dogs' breed traits, their personal responsibilities, and ultimately, for setting their pets up for failure.The leash laws were designed to help prevent similar tragedies, and when they're ignored, careless owners can end up getting a swift kick in the head, both figuratively and literally! In the case of Nettie, there was a known history of animal aggression. Shortly after the story hit the press, owners of a dog named 'Sunny' contacted BAD RAP to reveal that their own dog had been severely injured by this same Nettie in an off leash dog park. This first completely preventable tragedy was doubly-tragic because it didn't cause the pit bull's owner to recognize her responsibilities and avoid future trouble. We see a range of animal aggression levels in all dog breeds, including pit bulls. Some are quick to arouse and become very excited at the prospect of following Nature's bidding. Others are lazier and would rather stay snoring on the sofa. Many fall somewhere in the middle. The job of any dog owner is to understand their dog's limitations and, no matter how animal friendly they seem to be, to manage them on leash when out in public. This is especially true for pit bull owners. We have to go above and beyond the call of duty to present our dogs as the Breed Ambassadors we know they can be. These oft maligned dogs certainly don't need to suffer another black mark in the public's eye. Animal aggression in pit bulls is common and 100% manageable, and cannot be "trained out" with behavior modification. A trainer that tells you otherwise is an uninformed trainer. A pit bull that displays animal aggression is not "snapping" or acting "unpredictable," the dog is simply displaying the results of hundreds of years of selective breeding. Managing this trait is what separates the responsible owners from the irresponsible. While we all know how very tempting it can be to let our joyful pit bulls off leash to play, we have to accept the breed realities when we sign on to be their caretakers. We would like to note that animal aggression in pit bulls is a very different behavior from human-aggression. Human aggression is abnormal in this breed and is considered an unforgivable sin. Any responsible breeder that finds this in his lines destroys the dog so that the trait goes out with the bad seed. As a result, classically sound pit bulls tend to be some of the most gushingly affectionate love sluts around. Their devotion to people is one of the main reasons breed fanciers are so hooked in to pit bulls, and so willing to accept the responsibilities that come along with owning one. I hope this answers some of your questions. You might find these links interesting since they relate to the topic: Pit Bulls in Dog Parks and Are You Responsible? Best regards, We at BAD RAP send our condolences to the people and animals that were injured in this event. We hope you heal quickly so that you can all enjoy the trails again soon...um, on-leash of course. :-) Breed Info | Monster Myths | Pros and Cons | Found a Stray © All Text and Photos Copyrighted 1999-2007 BAD RAP |