"Ninety-nine percent of fighting dogs are pit bulls. They are bred to want to kill any dog in front of them. They are bred to have a willingness to continue fighting, even in great pain, even in the face of death. "

I'd like to see where you got your statistic on that one, Bret. Because, while Pit Bulls and closely related breeds that are commonly also called pit bulls are popular in dog fighting, they are not the only breed used. I suspect that since it is illegal in most places in the US that there are no such statistics in existence.

Pit bulls are not "bred" for fighting these days, not by responsible breeders. Responsible breeders bred them for strength and adherence to breed standards, so the dogs will do well in shows and competitions. Unfortunately, there is a subset of owners who "train" pit bulls for fighting, and when given the chance will breed them.

I own a couple of unregistered American Pit Bull Terriers, right here in Sharp county. They don't want to kill any dog you set in front of them and will ignore most dogs. They both bark to let us know when someone is at the door, then stand back and wag their tails, waiting for whoever it is to come in and pat them on the head. One of them will defend himself when attacked by the other dogs that run loose in the neighborhood, but you can call him off just by saying his name because that is how he was "trained" - or if you prefer, "bred". The other one is a wimp and shows his belly when attacked.

Please do not perpetuate the violent image that these animals have been given by irresponsible and often greedy owners. Dog fighting is a terrible blight, whatever breed is involved, and will continue to be a terrible blight even when so many breeds have been banned that fighters are reduced to siccing Teacup Chihuahuas on each other.

I understand that, but another commonly used quote is that "A study by the CDC shows that while Pit Bulls comprise 3% of the dogs in the US, they are responsible for over 50% of all dog bites."

Which is incorrect - the study by the CDC was a review of reports of fatal dog bites from 1979 - 1998 which showed that "Pit Bull-type dogs and Rottweilers" were responsible for over 50% of the reported dog bite fatalities in the study. Right on the front page of that report the CDC warns that while they included that information, it should not be used to draw any conclusions because:

1. Determining the breed of a dog very difficult and false determinations are easy without a confirmed pedigree or DNA testing.

2. The total number of dogs in the US is an estimate and there are no per-breed numbers available.

Study available here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/dogbreeds....

I just wanted to double check, because while APBT and APBT like breeds and mutts are the majority in dogfighting right now, I have to suspect any hard and fast statistics in an arena where statistics simply do not exist.

And for other readers, here is an article that lists indications that dog fighting may be happening in your area:

http://www.doglicense.com/counties/speci...

Please keep in mind, though, that context is everything, and some of these same things could indicate that your neighbors are running a dog rescue operation or that they show their dogs or compete in sled pull and other (legitimate) sporting competitions.

Exactly - those owners were not acting responsibly. Dogs should always be leashed and in their owner's control when they are walked.

There is more that everyone can do to help prevent dogbites.

Dogsbite.org lobbies for bans of specific breeds that they find dangerous, but when you read through the summaries of the dog attacks, over and over again you see instances where children under the age of 3 were left alone with a dog "for just a minute" or "wandered off" or were "lost sight of" or were left outside while the adult in charge "stepped inside for a moment" just prior to the attack.

Another common theme are dogs who have bitten before but were kept because either the victim or the owner "loved dogs" too much to put them down. Sometimes they don't bite but become increasingly aggressive, to the point of scaring the owner, but are kept - that's senseless.

Please do not misunderstand me - I DO think that dangerous animal legislation is a necessity. I just do not believe that it should be breed specific.

Am I biased? Yes. Is it because I own APBTs? No, it is because I was bitten by a teacup-sized (3 Pounds!) terrier breed when I was a teenager - on the face, such that I still have scars. Did I tease the dog? No. I sat down on my cousin's bed and the dog flew at me. Unbeknownst to me he had hidden a bone under a pillow on the bed, and when I sat down he thought his treat was in danger, so he attacked. Banning Pit Bulls and other large breeds doesn't do anything about dangerous, ill-tempered, yapping little furballs like that.

ALL dogs have the potential to be dangerous. Dangerous animal ordinances need be flexible and take that into consideration.

While Pit Bulls and Rottweilers are identified in increasing percentages of dog bites and dog bite fatalities in recent years, the percentage of victims under the age of 14 has remained nearly the same for some 40 years.

Children need to be taught the basics of human-dog interaction:

NEVER approach a strange animal.

NEVER approach an injured animal, even if it is known. Inform its owner or another adult. Even the nicest animal can strike out when in pain.

NEVER approach an animal that is sleeping, eating, or caring for young.

NEVER tease an animal.

NEVER play with someone else's animal unless its owner is present and has given you permission.

NEVER play with any animal without your parent(s) permission and presence.

NEVER own a dog of which you are scared.

ALWAYS train your dog to a few basic commands - I recommend NO, Sit, Lie Down, Stay, and Quiet at a minimum. Training - and frequent practice - helps the dog remember that you are in charge, not it.

What it boils down to is that ALL dogs are wolf-hybrids, some are just a few generations further away from the original stock than others. We should never make the mistake of thinking, "Oh, it's okay, it's *just* a dog."

One interesting note about the CDC's study - the lowest incident of fatal dog bites occurred when the dog was restrained and off of its owner's property - as in "leashed and out for a walk".