Βίντεο πάνω / Video up : πιτμπουλάκι μόλις υιοθετημένο …και φανερά επικίνδυνο. • A Pitbull just adopted from a shelter… and obviously dangerous. Φωτό κάτω / Photo down : Allan Holdsworth
Απ’ αφορμής της σημερινής Pit bull Awareness Day, δημοσιεύω ξανά ένα προ διετίας κείμενο για την αγαπημένη μου ράτσα σκύλων.
Αμέσως μετά το τραγικό συμβάν με το ροτβάιλερ, ξεκίνησε ξανά η λιτανεία των κοινοτοπιών και των κλισέ: για τις ράτσες σκυλιών που είναι από τη φύση τους επιθετικές και όσο και να εκπαιδευτούν δεν ξέρεις τι μπορεί να γίνει…* για τα “σούπερ σκυλιά” που τα κυκλοφορούν διάφοροι macho τύποι, φιγουρατζήδες, έως και …Χρυσαυγίτες. Και δώστου εικόνες με αφρισμένα σαγόνια, και δώστου “ανήσυχοι” πολίτες να διερωτώνται …μήπως είναι καιρός να κάνει κάτι η πολιτεία… εννοώντας να απαγορεύσει, όπως αλλού, σκύλους “κατά τεκμήριο” επικίνδυνους, όπως, κυρίως βέβαια, τα “άγρια”, “ανεξέλεγκτα” πίτμπουλ. Ακόμα και αν το ατύχημα οφείλεται σε σκύλο άλλης ράτσας, η συζήτηση αργά η γρήγορα θα φτάσει στο δια ταύτα: να απαγορεύσουμε τα πίτμπουλ… Τα δύστυχα όντα θα διεκδικούσαν με αξιώσεις την κορυφή στη λίστα των παρεξηγημένων αυτού του κόσμου. Πώς το ξέρω; Έχω διαβάσει γι’ αυτά. Και …έχω ένα στο σπίτι μου: είναι το πιο γλυκό και αξιαγάπητο πλάσμα που μπορεί να γνωρίσει άνθρωπος.
Ο μόνος κίνδυνος που αντιπροσωπεύει ένα πιτμπουλάκι, προέρχεται από …αυτή την ουρά, που κουνιέται ακατάπαυστα, σαρώνοντας τα πάντα.
Η παρεξήγηση είναι γελοία: δεν υπάρχει ράτσα σκυλιού που να μην έχει περιστατικά δαγκώματος.
Οι λίστες “σκυλιών που δαγκώνουν” ποικίλλουν από έρευνα σε έρευνα, και από χώρα σε χώρα, με τις πρώτες θέσεις να καταλαμβάνουν εναλλακτικά διάφορες ράτσες, μπουλντόγκ, λυκόσκυλα, ροτβάιλερ, πίτμπουλ αλλά και …ριτρίβερ και τσιουάουα… Το πρόβλημα με τα πίτμπουλ …συνίσταται στο τρελό τους μυικό σύστημα, που τα κάνει σε μια δύσκολη στιγμή, “μη διαχειρίσιμα”. Σύμφωνα μ’ αυτό το σκεπτικό, οι εύρωστοι άνθρωποι …πρέπει a priori να αποφεύγονται… ποιος ξέρει, έτσι και παρανοήσει, τι μπορεί να σου κάνει ένας τέτοιος… έχει κάτσει κανείς να κάνει μια στατιστική του τι ποσοστό αντιπροσωπεύουν τα περιστατικά βίας από πίτμπουλ, σε σχέση με το συνολικό αριθμό τους;
Η επιθετικότητα που βρίσκεται αποθηκευμένη στα γονίδια του ζώου [“κατασκευάσθηκε” τον 19ο αι. προς αναβάθμιση του αρχαίου, αηδιαστικού εθίμου της κυνομαχίας] στρέφεται αποκλειστικά εναντίον σκύλων, κι αυτό αν δεν προλάβει να “κοινωνικοποιηθεί” σε μικρή ηλικία. Ποτέ εναντίον ανθρώπων. Το πλάσμα δεν έχει επιλογή: έχει φτιαχτεί για να είναι έτσι…
Η αφοσίωσή του στο “αφεντικό” του ξεπερνάει εκείνην οποιασδήποτε ράτσας – αυτός άλλωσε είναι ο λόγος που …υπομένει τα βασανιστήρια που συνεπάγεται η επαίσχυντη “αγωνιστική εκπαίδευση”.
* αυτά, πάντα, σύμφωνα με “κάποιους experts”, …δίχως όνομα, σε διάφορα sites. Σ’ αυτούς μπορεί κανείς να αντιπαραθέσει δεκάδες experts με ονοματεπώνυμο, που αποδεικνύουν με επιχειρήματα το αντίθετο.
Immediately after a tragic incident with a Rottweiler, the process of tagging and clichés went into motion once again: “dog breeds that are by nature aggressive and no matter how trained they are, you can never know how they will react…” *, “super dogs” owned by macho guys, show offs, even… right leftists”… And the images of drooling jaws, and ‘upset’ citizens wondering … whether it’s time for the state to do something … meaning to ban, as elsewhere,’presumably’ dangerous dogs, such as, of course, the ‘mean’, ‘uncontrollable’ pitbull. Even if the incident is due to a different breed, the debate will sooner or later come to this: ban the pitbulls… The unfortunate beings would claim the top of the list of this world’s most misunderstood. How do I know? I’ve read about them. And …I have one at home: it’s the sweetest and most loving creature a human being can meet.
The only danger a pitbull represents, comes from … this tail, which is constantly wagging, sweeping everything!
The misconception is ridiculous: there is no dog breed with no bite cases. The lists of “dog breeds most likely to bite” vary from research to research, and from country to country, with the top positions being occupied by various breeds, bulldogs, hound dogs, rottweilers, pitbulls as well as … labradors, retrievers and chihuahuas[!]… The problem with the pit is their amazing muscular system, which could become ‘unmanageable’ in some exceptional cases. According to this rationale, strong muscular people … should be a priori avoided … who knows what such person could do to you… I wonder, has anyone actually done a serious research to check the percentage of pitbull violent incidents, in relation to their total number?
The aggression found in the genes of the animal [“bred” in the 19th century, in order to ‘improve’ the old, loathsome and brutal custom of dog fighting] is aimed exclusively against dogs, unless it is socialized at an early age. Never against people. The creature has no choice: it’s made to be that way …
The pitbull’s devotion to his owner surpasses that of any breed – which is why it endures the torture that the shameful “dogfight training” entails.
* according to some anonymous ‘experts’, on various sites, who are contradicted by dozens of experts …with names[!] who prove the opposite.
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Pit Bulls do not have good reputations for sure. However, they are one of the most popular breeds of dogs in the USA. Yet, they are also the largest group of dogs that end up for adoption in shelters. I found that there were 1.8 million pit bulls in the USA in 2020 and 33 human deaths were attributed to pit bulls in 2020. Those 33 deaths accounted for 72% of fatal dog attacks that year.
The percentage of fatalities attributed to pit bulls, makes it difficult that argue that they are not dangerous dogs. But all dogs are potentially dangerous, and a huge problem with dogs out here, and especially pit bulls, is that most owners don’t train them. Therefore, people have unruly, out of control dogs that will bite other people who the dogs don’t see as being part of its pack.
People walk their dogs on the ditch and in the bosque. Sometimes, I get accosted by an aggressive dog, which is usually a mix of some type. The owners always say, “don’t worry he doesn’t bite!” I tell them he doesn’t bite you, but I not part of your pack. I’ve never been bitten by a dog on the ditch, just threatened, but when I talk to the dogs they either decide I’m not a threat anymore or someone they don’t want to mess with and back off. Laurie has been bitten while she was out running on the ditch. The owners acted shocked that Rover would bite a stranger. These dog owners need to get real, get serious and get their dogs trained.
We had two Rottweilers in the early 1980s. We had them pretty well trained, and they were fenced in on the property. When people would run on the ditch the dogs would stand at the fence and bark at people, especially other dogs. One day I got summoned to court for having vicious dogs. A woman said the dogs got out on the ditch and threatened her, she called the police and the officer said that the dogs were acting vicious threatening both of them. I asked the officer “So why are my dogs still alive?” He looked dumbfounded. I continued “If my dogs really confronted you and this woman in the manner you described, and you felt your lives were in danger, then it was your duty as a police office to shoot the dogs and stop the treat. I ask you again, if my dogs were really out on the ditch and threatening you as you describe, why are they still alive?” The judge asked the office for an explanation. He said well it didn’t seem he had to go to such a drastic measure as to shoot the dogs. I said “In other words, none of this really happened as you described. And I have no reason to believe that you answered a call from this woman and had any interaction with my dogs on the ditch.” The judged dismissed that case and told me to make sure my dogs couldn’t get out onto the ditch.
The woman was afraid of dogs, and didn’t like our dogs barking at her when she ran by our property. So I believe she trumped up the story about the dogs getting out and threatening her, and the police officer was her friend, and not too bright, and went along with her story. They couldn’t prove that the incident happened, I couldn’t prove it didn’t, but as far as the judge was concerned, the officer had failed in his duties if he was telling the truth after I pointed out he should have shot the dogs.
That was a time when Rottweilers and Dobermans were getting a lot of bad press, so I found a good home for the Rottweilers. Dogs can be a real liability. Another aspect of dog ownership people don’t think much about until they are standing before a judge. When I renew the liability insurance on my property every year, I have to sign a affidavit stating that I do not own a Pit Bull, Rottweiler or other large viscous dog.
To my opinion this 72%v of fatal dog attacks shows only the creature’s …efficiency.
The numbers of attacks fatal or not, by other breeds surely must be equal if not larger.
The problem with pit bulls is exactly that : in case of attack they become unmanageable somehow, because of their incredible fighting skills and reflexes.
But they are extremely friendly with strangers [much more than Rotties!].
Our little beast is becoming friends with everyone crossing our path, it’ s maybe the most popular dog in the neighborhood.
Also, I don’t remember a single pittie not giving me hugs and kisses at first site. These dogs can be ridiculously sweet and tender.
It goes without saying that it’s all a matter of how the dog is trained and treated by the “owner”.
“It goes without saying that it’s all a matter of how the dog is trained and treated by the ‘owner’”. That was the point I was trying to make.
Another problem out here is the pit bulls are popular with gang bangers and drug dealers who train the dogs to be aggressive, and often neglect and abuse the dogs. We also have illegal dog fighting, and cockfighting for that matter out here.
Some years ago a guy who fit the drug dealer/gang banger stereotype, had a fancy pickup truck parked in a grocery store parking lot. In the middle of the bed of the truck was a large pit bull in a spiked harness with four chains attached to the harness, and each chain attached to a corner post of the the pickup’s bed to keep the dog in the middle of the bed. The dog snarled and lunged at everyone who walked by the truck.
I would like to torture this guy personally.
There’s dog fighting here also. When I ‘d first heard about it, I was shocked and thought, naive as I was, about taking action along with friends against these people.
Only to learn that, apart from being gangsters, they ‘re supported by well – known companies, sponsors of the [illegal] events. That “calmed me down”.
Where are the major animal rights organizations? Of course, PETA is one of the few organizations that euthanizes stray and unwanted dogs and cats in this country these days.
I’m afraid here in Greece, these organizations are not exactly major. Some local groups only doing the best they can.
No such thing as PETA here…
Only pita bread in Greece? You are lucky.