Two Pit Bull Attacks In Tulsa, OK

(TULSA, Okla.) June 13 - Two pit bull attacks in 24 hours in Tulsa. The first victim was a six-year-old girl Thursday night. The second was a postman Friday afternoon.

The question now, are pit bulls a bad breed or are they just getting a bad rap?

So far this year there have been 43 pit bull bites, three times more than any other breed.

The past couple of years show one in every three dog bites in Tulsa came from a pit bull. But pit bull owners say those statistics don't tell the entire story.

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=f0abd7fd-e8d8-4d38-b3fe-c8da703563af&rss=77 (Bolded by me)

I dont mean to offend-- I know there are posters here that love pitbulls and have them for pets-- but I really dislike this particuliar breed of dog. I would never allow a pitbull in my home for a pet. I dont even like to see them walking down the street. They totally scare me !!!

then what story does the statistics tell?

I love animals, but this is one BAD breed. The majority of them are vicious, killing machines. I'm sure you can have a sweet pit bull, if he's raised with a loving family, but I still wouldn't trust one of them around my child. Even if I'd raised it.

pedinurse said:

then what story does the statistics tell?

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I keep seeing people here talk about the statistics showing other dogs are as guilty etc. and yet here only in one small city...the stats are very clear.

After Pit Bulls were banned in Denmark, the level of dog bites remained the same; irresponsible owners simply shifted to other breeds of dog. And surprise, surprise! When an irresponsible owner gets a different breed, the results are pretty much the same.

The problem isn't with dogs or the breed of dog, the problem is the humans.

Grainne Dhu said:

After Pit Bulls were banned in Denmark, the level of dog bites remained the same; irresponsible owners simply shifted to other breeds of dog. And surprise, surprise! When an irresponsible owner gets a different breed, the results are pretty much the same.

The problem isn't with dogs or the breed of dog, the problem is the humans.

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If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not usually be maimed for life or killed.

In many of the cases I have read about, this is the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question.

Every pitbull owner that I've seen on the news that has had their dog attack someone always says the same thing. "I can't believe (insert cute, cuddly puppydog name here) would ever hurt anyone." And their neighbors always say the same thing. "I knew that dog was going to get somebody. I'm just glad it wasn't me." Either the owners are lying, and they really raised their dogs to be vicious killers. Or maybe the dog just forgot to "act as it was raised to act."

Oh for pete's sake enough already.
Its time to require an expensive licence and so many hours of security and safety training before you can get said licence to own these animals in a domestic setting.
Mandatory liabilty insurance and a complete background check and posting of a large deposit forfitable the minute your pet gets loose and attacks someone as well.
Its time to start erring on the side of the publics safety.

Pit bulls top list of Tulsa police shootings

TULSA -- Of the 33 vicious dogs shot by Tulsa police officers since January 2007, more than two dozen were pit bulls, according to a police department report. From January 2007 through April this year, officers shot 26 pit bulls, one Rottweiler, one German shepherd and five dogs whose breed was not identified, according to the report obtained by the Tulsa World.

~snip~

"I believe they are extremely more aggressive than other dogs, and they are designed to fight," said Officer Herbert Hardman.

On April 17, Hardman responded to a call about a pit bull that had bitten its owner's leg. When Hardman arrived, EMSA medics on the scene stayed inside their ambulance because the dog was behaving aggressively, he said.

http://newsok.com/pit-bulls-top-list-of-tulsa-police-shootings/article/3258036

I posted this thread because I think it shows the ACTUAL statistics. The stats we see plastered all across the internet are skewed depending on the point of view of the ones posting it. This is an unbiased and legal reporting of facts.

Grainne Dhu said:

After Pit Bulls were banned in Denmark, the level of dog bites remained the same; irresponsible owners simply shifted to other breeds of dog. And surprise, surprise! When an irresponsible owner gets a different breed, the results are pretty much the same.

The problem isn't with dogs or the breed of dog, the problem is the humans.

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Thank you for that quote as it is brilliant and true. Their are no bad dogs, only bad owners.

Of course there are bad dogs. And bad owners and often time the 2 badies come together to make super bad.

Pit bulls should be banned or the owners should have to get a waiver and sign an agreement that they will pay any and all damages caused by their beloved killing machine and if the dog attacks, they should lose everything (house,car..life savings) and go to jail.

That seems fair.

Also, It may sound tacky but where I live, only the rednecks or the crackheads own pit bulls. We have a crack-*advertiser censored* who lives below our garden and she owns 2 pit bulls and her skanky daughter who just moved in owns another one "for protection"...

After Hurricane Katrina, my boss fostered and then adopted a lab/pit bull mix. Last Monday, after the third unprovoked attack on another dog in less than a month, sadly, she had to have the dog euthanized. She knows better than to get in between two dogs who are fighting, but it happened so fast, and my boss got bitten pretty badly trying to separate the pit mix and her retriever before the retriever was killed. Fortunately, neither she nor the retriever will suffer no lasting physical damage from the bites.

Because she wanted to explore every avenue possible before she took the most final of steps, my boss tried to find an alternative to euthanasia. When she spoke with the Humane Society's behavior specialist, the person's very first question was, "How old is the dog?" She then told my boss that pit bulls/mixes can be the sweetest, most loving dogs you've ever seen, but then at around 2 1/2 years of age (this dog was almost three), it's like a switch flips in their brain, and this aggressive behavior begins. And it doesn't matter if the dog is in a loving home or owned by a that tortures it. Because of generations of breeding aggression into these dogs, it just happens. And because it does, any pit bull/mix can turn on anyone at any time - there's no predicting the trigger. All three times the dog attacked were completely different instances - once was food-related, another was attacking a different dog within the house when it tried to chase a squirrel, too.

I guess my point is, as a dog lover and someone who has bred and shown dogs, I would never, ever have a pit bull or mix in my home. It's like playing Russian Roulette - eventually, you or someone you love is going to lose.

Suz~ This is what I have heard repeatedly, too. People want to believe it is the owner's fault and will blame them every time...but I think it is more. I don't trust them and I would never have one around my loved ones. I care much more about my loved ones than to keep a loaded gun out in my home and I sure would not keep a pit bull around for the same reason...you never know when either one is going to go off and kill someone. It isn't worth it to me to risk it.

Again, if the problem were the breed of dog, why is it that Denmark's dog bite level remained the same after Pit Bulls were banned? In Denmark, there was a temporary lowering of the number of bites and then, within a year, it was back up to the former level. Irresponsible owners don't magically become better owners when they get another breed.

Experience has shown what really works to reduce dog bites and it isn't draconian requirements for dog ownership or banning specific breeds. What really works is leash laws that are strictly enforced. It's as simple as that! Any dog off the owner's property must be on a six foot or shorter leash that is being held by a responsible adult.

Why does that work? My theory is that it forces people to be responsible for their own dogs. They can't just open the back door and let Rover run the neighbourhood; they have to get out there and walk with Rover. Those who are unwilling to be responsible usually find that too onerous and they give up on dog ownership. They don't move on to another breed (to ruin yet another dog) because no matter what breed of dog they get, they still have to keep it leashed.

Restricting dog ownership only to small breeds is not the answer, either. There are cases of Miniature Dachshunds (typically less than ten pounds) who have caused serious injuries and death (mostly to infants and small children). There was a woman in England who was attacked and nearly killed by her pack of four Jack Russell Terriers (typically less than twenty pounds).

As for owners who say their Pit Bull was "sweet and never did anything like that before." Well, what that reminds me of is the families of murderers, particularly serial killers--how many families have been totally shocked when their family member killed someone? How many families continue to deny their family member could have done anything like that in the face of overwhelming evidence that yes, their family member did exactly that.

Human nature is full of denial.

Of the 33 vicious dogs shot by Tulsa police officers since January 2007, more than two dozen were pit bulls, according to a police department report. From January 2007 through April this year, officers shot 26 pit bulls, one Rottweiler, one German shepherd and five dogs whose breed was not identified, according to the report obtained by the Tulsa World.


In two incidents, pit bulls had attacked or injured either a police officer or an animal control officer who had responded to a report of a violent dog in a Tulsa neighborhood.

On three other occasions, pit bulls had either bitten or scratched the pet owner or someone else.

In two incidents, pit bulls had injured or killed another animal.

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What this tells me is that Tulsa police officers shot 7 pit bulls that were involved in incidents and they shot 26 pit bulls that weren't involved in incidents.
I think it says more about Tulsa police officers' attitude about pit bulls than it says about pit bulls.

pixies said:

Also, It may sound tacky but where I live, only the rednecks or the crackheads own pit bulls. We have a crack-*advertiser censored* who lives below our garden and she owns 2 pit bulls and her skanky daughter who just moved in owns another one "for protection"...

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wow... thats a new word for me. crack-*advertiser censored*. i might have to keep that one around for a rainy day!!!

Cynical Suz said:

After Hurricane Katrina, my boss fostered and then adopted a lab/pit bull mix. Last Monday, after the third unprovoked attack on another dog in less than a month, sadly, she had to have the dog euthanized. She knows better than to get in between two dogs who are fighting, but it happened so fast, and my boss got bitten pretty badly trying to separate the pit mix and her retriever before the retriever was killed. Fortunately, neither she nor the retriever will suffer no lasting physical damage from the bites.

Because she wanted to explore every avenue possible before she took the most final of steps, my boss tried to find an alternative to euthanasia. When she spoke with the Humane Society's behavior specialist, the person's very first question was, "How old is the dog?" She then told my boss that pit bulls/mixes can be the sweetest, most loving dogs you've ever seen, but then at around 2 1/2 years of age (this dog was almost three), it's like a switch flips in their brain, and this aggressive behavior begins. And it doesn't matter if the dog is in a loving home or owned by a that tortures it. Because of generations of breeding aggression into these dogs, it just happens. And because it does, any pit bull/mix can turn on anyone at any time - there's no predicting the trigger. All three times the dog attacked were completely different instances - once was food-related, another was attacking a different dog within the house when it tried to chase a squirrel, too.

I guess my point is, as a dog lover and someone who has bred and shown dogs, I would never, ever have a pit bull or mix in my home. It's like playing Russian Roulette - eventually, you or someone you love is going to lose.

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its a shame that the lab genes wernt stronger than the pitt genes

pixies said:

Of course there are bad dogs. And bad owners and often time the 2 badies come together to make super bad.

Pit bulls should be banned or the owners should have to get a waiver and sign an agreement that they will pay any and all damages caused by their beloved killing machine and if the dog attacks, they should lose everything (house,car..life savings) and go to jail.

That seems fair.

Also, It may sound tacky but where I live, only the rednecks or the crackheads own pit bulls. We have a crack-*advertiser censored* who lives below our garden and she owns 2 pit bulls and her skanky daughter who just moved in owns another one "for protection"...

Click to expand...

Ditto for here in the Northwest Pitbulls seem to be the breed of choice for meatheads everywhere.
I think its a combination of things: a breed thats predisposed after generations of breeding to be hyper aggressive and prone to attack.
That of course is going to create a 'Mojo' around the breed thats going to be attractive to an ignorant mindset of owner.
Also said owners are going to be prone to treat the animals in a manner guarenteed to agravate an already potentially dangerous situation.
I like dogs just fine but but the statistics in Tulsa simply mirror the statistics nationwide and they speak very clearly.
Trying to explain that away is simply denial .
Their cuddle factor for some people simply doesnt justify the maiming attacks and deaths this breed is responsible for.Its time for them to go.