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Are Pit Bulls A Public Health Threat?

PIT BULLS AREN'T A PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT HERE'S WHY While dogs are considered man's best friend, people are split on whether pit bulls are problematic and prone to violence or victims of unwarranted and damaging stereotypes PIT BULL BACKGROUND AND POPULATIONS Total dogs Up to 20% of dogs in the 90 MILLION U.S. are in the pit bull family* .... *According to estimates by pitbullinfo.org IIIII II =500.000 Pit bulls 18 MILLION PIT BULL ORIGINS Bred in England from a mix of Old English Bulldogs and Old English Terriers in the early 19th century MAJOR PIT BULL BREEDS Bred for strength and agility American Staffordshire Terrier Staffordshire Bull Terrier American Pit Bull Terrier Brought to America prior to the U.S. Civil War where it was termed the American Pit Bull Terrier PIT BULLS IN SHELTERS 3,300,000 dogs enter shelters per year 670,000 dogs euthanized in shelters per year An animal shelter case study showed the pit bull label can increase the stay of a dog, even compared to pit bull "look alikes" 00 = 10,000 AVERAGE SHELTER STAY Dogs labeled as pit bulls 42.07 DAYS Dogs that are pit bull look alikes 12.80 DAYS A PUBLIC AGAINST PIT BULLS How dangerous do you think medium sized dogs to people and other animals? Would you consider adopting a pit bull? How dangerous do you think pit bulls to people Do you think pit bulls safe enough to live in residential neighborhoods? and other animals I 35% Somewhat dangerous 1 24% Very dangerous I 24% Not very dangerous 1 9% Not at all dangerous I 45% Not very dangerous I 24% Somewhat dangerous I 50% No I 40% No 1 39% Yes I 21% Unsure 1 31% Yes I 18% Not at all dangerous I 10% Unsure I 9% Unsure 9% Would not I 3% Very dangerous adopt any dog I 9% Unsure 16% OF PEOPLE SAY OWNING A PIT BULL SHOULD BE ILLEGAL The fear and distrust of pit bulls is so pervasive that they are often the targets of special laws and regulations known as Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), laws that regulate or ban specific dog breeds in the interest of preventing dog attacks on both humans and other animals States upholding municipal BSL States prohibiting municipal BSI Maine Washington Wisconsin Rhode Island South Dakota lowa Ohio Connecticut Utah Illinois California West Virginia Colorado Kansas Missouri D.C Arizona Kentucky New Mexico Arkansas Florida GROUPS OPPOSED TO BSL A A CDC A UKC UNITED KENNEL CLUB Defending Liberty Pursuing Justice NACA CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES American Centers for Disease Humane Society National Animal United Bar Association Control and Prevention of the United States Control Association Kennel Club Critics of BSL argue that breed discriminatory laws are costly, ineffective, and punish the dogs instead of the owners who fail to control them While a harsh stigma surrounds pit bulls, it is important to recognize that some of its reputation is rooted in misunderstanding and misrepresentation UNFAIR BIAS AGAINST PIT BULLS Pit bulls and close mixes tend to be reported in the media as the majority of serious dog attacks DOG ATTACKS CAUSING BODILY HARM 1982-2016 REPORTED AS PIT BULLS 69% 4,946 OUT OF 7,186 MEDIA COVERAGE CAN BE BIASED AGAINST PIT BULLS In 2007, two dog attacks that occurred days apart received wildly different coverage August 18, a man (70) was hospitalised in critical condition after an attack by a labrador mix - covered by one article in the local paper August 21, a woman (56) was hospitalised after an attacked in her home by two pit bulls - covered by over 236 national and international articles and television news networks VISUAL BREED IDENTIFICATION IS OFTEN INACCURATE, EVEN AMONG THE EXPERTS 5,922 "dog expert" respondents were asked to identify the prominent breed of 20 shelter dogs Respondents correctly identified breed an average of 15% of dogs identified 27% correctly 70% OF THE TIME OF THE TIME 22% of dogs identified correctly 1% OF THE TIME Moving past the misinformation can reveal that pit bulls are just as, if not more, well-behaved as any other type of dog – especially under the right conditions The American Temperament Test Society (ATTS) assesses behaviors of dog breeds based on factors like friendliness, aggressiveness, and shyness Staffordshire Bull Terrier American Staffordshire Terrier American Pit Bull Terrier 91.2% PASS RATE 85.2% PASS RATE 87.4% PASS RATE Contrary to preconceived notion, no pit bull type breed even broaches the top five of unruly dogs based on American Temperament Test Society (ATTS) standards TOP FIVE MOST UNRULY DOG BREEDS 1 2 3 4 5 Chihuahua Dachshund Chow Chow Doberman Dalmatian Pinscher Researchers identified several similar factors across a 10-year range of dog attacks that have nothing to do with breed 87.1% No able bodied person present to intervene 85.2% No familiar relationship of victims and dog 84.4% Dog was not neutered I 76.2% Dog was not exposed to positive human interaction compared to family dogs 21.1% Owner had a documented history of neglect or abuse Pit bull prejudice is often based in stigma and shaky information – in reality, like all dogs, pit bulls are perfectly safe given proper care, treatment, and responsible ownership Sources atts.org/breed-statistics pitbullinfo.org/breeds-pictures.html saveabullmn.org/media-b love-a-bull.org/resources/the-history-of-pit-bulls animallaw.info/article/overview-states-prohibit-bsl#ut avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.243.12.1726 dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs-state-by-state.php statista.com/statistics/198100/dogs-in-the-united-states-since-2000 aspca.org/animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/what-breed-specific-legislation aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146857#sec008 animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5L-Orgs-that-do-not-endorse-BDL-2014.pdf animals24-7.org/2017/01/03/dog-attack-deaths-maimings-u-s-canada-1982-2016 cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/w4imcy4y68/tabs_HP_pit_bull_20140724.pdf vetmed-maddie.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/files/2012/05/2012-Croy-Maddies-Shelter-Medicine-Confernce-Abstract.pdf pit-bull ONLINE MASTERS in Public Health DEVELOPED BY NOWSOURCING

Are Pit Bulls A Public Health Threat?

shared by NowSourcing on Mar 19
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Pit bulls get a bad name because of bad owners, but statistically they are very good dogs. Learn more about pit bulls from this infographic!

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