Nancy Grace has gone too far

You said a lot right there!!! It's those people that litter the breed with fighting lines that have done so much damage. It's the fighting lines that make the news. Unfortunately no matter how much educating you do about the original origin of the breed the fact will always remain that there's no way for someone to know where a neighborhood pit came from.

Excellent Point! It is very clear that a few dogs every year that are abused and go bad show us that the million or so other Pit Bulls and related breeds are just ticking time bombs.

I am kind disappoint in Athena....10 years and not one confirmed kill yet! She did give a guy a real dirty look once or maybe she was constipated but it looked kinda mean............

Check this website out, I think you will find it more enlightening than your sensational UK newstory.

Bob, no one is saying that pit type dogs are not involved in attacks. The point is, so are many other types of dogs, including mixes like Smoky. You got her from a shelter, you have no idea what her background is, and you have no idea if she is a time bomb waiting to blow. Hopefully she is not, but you just don't know. So please stop with the sensationalistic posts where you google "pit bull attack" and then link the results. It's easy to find those kind of stories because that is what the news media thrives on. In realitiy, there isn't any proof in that article that the dog was even a pit bull, like people have said, half the time the identity of the breed turns out to be wrong. You obviously have an issue with this type of dog for some reason as evidenced by your biased attitude and pre judgement of people who own them, like the guy you described walking his dog in the park.

Like everyone else here, all I do is post my opinions. Nobody is 'telling' anyone anything, just repeating stats or stories about pit bulls to support their own opinions.

You're wrong. I never said anything remotely like that, but kudos for mastering the art of trying to shift the onus onto your opponent by attributing outrageous statements to him.

I said I didn’t like the tone of violent moral righteousness. And that tone wasn’t coming from me. I was heated, but I didn’t indulge in threats, insults or clutching victimhood to my bossom. Unlike, say:

‘And if you don't like my/our defending these dogs, too bad. I'll protect my dogs until my own death.’
‘I guess you all wont be happy until we have no dogs.’
‘Our beloved mutts were responsible for 19% of fatal attacks. Looks like mutts will be banned next.’

What on earth are you talking about? You're the one wetting herself because I disagreed with you. My saying that I don't agree with you is not an expression of contempt (the wetting comment, on the other hand, may just qualify). Exactly how are we supposed to have this debate if any difference of opinion is called contempt?

CASA-well okay, maybe not all breeds will be banned. Think about it logically. If pits get banned, then later bull dogs get banned. After bull dogs it goes to Dobermans, after dobermans it goes to Rotweillers, after Rotweillers then come the GSDs. After GSDs, the bad people and people who want protection dogs will turn to some other breed, maybe Dalmatians or Ridgebacks or standard poodles or..

Um..I am dangerous because I defend a great breed of dogs?? Yeah...

Sure I realize that a lot of bad people have pit bulls but what everyone will realize after they are banned (which hopefully will never happen) is that the bad people will move onto another breed and we will have lots a wonderful breed of dogs due to our own ignorance.



Travel-I just had to say that story is horrific. I am sorry about your friend at the shelter. That's so sad...

5-Week Old Mauled By A Dog 9/04

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A 5-week-old boy is dead after being mauled by a dog.The attack happened at a home off Jade Drive on the Westside Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say a man and a woman rushed the young boy, identified as Jose Diaz, to a nearby fire station asking for help. Firefighters tried CPR on the little boy until Trauma One arrived to take the baby to Shands Jacksonville. The boy did not survive.

Grandfather Frank Michno says the dog who attacked his grandson had been with the family for more than 12 years. "Oh, I'm very angry with Chance. I can't understand what would have gone through his mind." Michno says his plans are to euthanize his dog if the courts don't already order it.

In the mean time the family is just trying to cope with the loss. "It's like a bad dream, I don't know what else we're going to do," Michno said. First Coast News anchor Mark Spain says investigators believe the baby's grandmother and mother were in the house at the time of the attack. Family members say the child's parents were dropping the child off at his grandparents for the day. The grandmother left the room for only a moment. "A split second was all it took and it was done and gone," Michno said.

There are three dogs at the home. Animal Control officers took the dogs away. Two of the dogs are mixed, the third is a terrier. Investigators are trying to determine which dog attacked the baby. Once that is determined, the dog will be labeled as "dangerous", and that could lead to it being put to sleep.

Terrified neighbours see Bullmastiff kill owner 08/04
A 39-year-old woman was savaged to death by her pet bull mastiff dog yesterday.

Terrified elderly neighbours could only look on as the fatal attack, which started inside Carol Leeanne Taylor's home in the Dunedin suburb of Caversham, spilled on to the back lawn. Blood and upturned furniture in the lounge told a gory story. Neighbour Melva Dixon told how she watched helplessly as Mrs Taylor fought for her life.

Mrs Dixon, 72, said she saw Mrs Taylor trying to fight the dog off while sitting on the ground in the back yard of her home. Blood was coming from a bite on her arm. Mrs Dixon stayed behind a solid gate blocking access to the back yard and called out to Mrs Taylor, but was answered only by screams.

"I said to her 'do you want the ambulance?' I could not understand what she was saying, because there was only screams and yells. "With that the dog rushed over to the gate and left her on the ground." Mrs Dixon was alerted to the horror when she heard high-pitched squealing noises "like a cat" coming from next door about 3.50pm. She peeked over a fence separating the two houses and could see the dog with "something on the ground". "I had thoughts of taking the broom or something, but I started to panic and I just went around to the side gate of the house empty-handed."

Mrs Dixon said she was afraid to open the gate to try to intervene for fear of being attacked herself. When she yelled out, and the dog rushed to the gate, Ms Taylor remained sitting on the ground. Mrs Dixon rushed to another house and called emergency services. By the time she returned to the gate Ms Taylor was lying in a gathering pool of blood. Other neighbours had also gathered, but could do nothing.

Senior Sergeant Phil McDouall said the attack started inside Ms Taylor's house. "There was a confrontation in the lounge, then the dog has dragged her outside and the attack has continued," he said. "The ferocity of the attack meant neighbours weren't able to get in to help for fear of their own safety." Ms Taylor, a sickness beneficiary, received major head and upper body injuries from the attack, which took place about 4pm. On hearing screams, neighbours called emergency services. Ms Taylor was still alive when police arrived, but she died within minutes.

The tan bull mastiff is thought to have released her on its own accord and was wandering around the back yard in an "agitated" state when police arrived, Mr McDouall said. It was destroyed by police. "It was still growling and wandering around very agitated while we were trying to resuscitate the owner."

Police did not know what had prompted the attack. Mr McDouall said the Dunedin City Council animal control team had been called to the address after a neighbour complained of the dog's barking. One neighbour said Ms Taylor had considered getting it destroyed because she was afraid of it. Pauleen Tangimetua said the dog frightened Ms Taylor so much that she had called animal control herself for help. Ms Taylor called dog control to the house in June when she could not stop the dog ripping her clothes, but withdrew consent for it to be taken to the pound.

Victim Support was at the scene yesterday supporting neighbours. Police asked reporters not to approach an 88-year-old man who saw the attack and was severely shaken by what he had seen. Ms Taylor's body was removed at 5.30pm and Mr McDouall said inquiries would continue on behalf of the coroner. Dominion bull mastiff club secretary Simone Mearns, of Auckland, was last night dismayed a "gentle and friendly" breed was linked to the death.

I think I can guarentee that no one will ever turn to the standard poodle for machismo support. That's like saying that if we outlaw SUVs, rednecks will turn up in Mini Coopers, racing madly through the swamps with moonshine jugs balanced on their heads.

Hmmm .. well, I read through all these pages (but I skipped all the outrageously long posts .. sheesh). I just have a few comments that I hope people will think about a bit.

First of all, my impression of the people defending pit bulls is that they have a bit too much aggression themselves. Sorry, but if you're wanting to convince people that pits are nice dogs then you need to seem nice yourself, and the attitude coming off of some of you is pretty bad. If I knew nothing about pits and read only the posts from the supporters, I'd be thinking "whew, no wonder pits have bad reputations .. their owners are MEAN".

Just telling it as it felt, reading through this.

Another thing is that pit people really need to stop using excuses like "well, OTHER dogs bite and kill TOO!". That makes it sound like "it's okay to do something bad because others do it". It really makes no difference that other breeds are doing it too. The reality, as some have pointed out, is that the percentage of deaths caused by ANY dog is very low. But that doesn't keep the public from making a huge thing out of every bite and especially every death. Dragging other breeds into it doesn't help your cause, and it increases the desire in many to ban numerous breeds/types of dogs. It's a lousy excuse and shouldn't even come up.

The sad thing is that pits have a bad repuatation, and it's an earned reputation. Dogs who rarely bite and never kill are not splashed across the news. Yes, people will show their cute little photos of their pitbull types next to tiny children but in all honesty what does that prove? I had a very aggressive dog years back and she was trained enough that I could pose her next to anything and take a photo. Didn't mean she liked it. And it certainly didn't mean that all of her breed were wonderful dogs.

So instead of acting aggressive yourself, instead of quoting stories of other breeds that bite and kill (why would anyone with any common sense think that HELPS??), people need to be thinking calmly about ways to help educate the public - preferably the public that will be owning these potentially dangerous breeds. Pitbulls may not have been bred originally for human aggression, but there are a lot out there who have transferred their aggression to species other than dogs. This is what you need to deal with, not attacking all the other breeds of dogs.

I'm against breed specific legislation. I take great care in making sure my own dogs are well socialized and trained. I do my best to educate people on the care and training of their own dogs, and talk to kids about how to approach and act around dogs. My responsibility for helping to prevent BSL starts with my own dogs and works out from there.

And one last thing - It's important that ALL dogs, in this day and age, be as safe as possible around people and other dogs. While the history of the pit bull included aggression to other dogs, I really think that those who wish to have this breed remain in some form should be breeding for non-aggressive dogs in all ways. There's just no reason to have a dog-aggressive dog any more. Every time a pit bull (or any other breed) goes after another dog, that only increases the fear and distrust that people have for the breed overall.

If you love your breed, start working towards making the breed more "user-friendly" for society as a whole and you may see a major shift in the attitude people have toward the breed.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

Toddler Wanders Into Yard, Face Mauled by Chained German Shepherd Dog
August 1, 2004, SPANIARD'S BAY, Nfld. -- A dog attack that took just seconds has left a Newfoundland toddler in hospital with facial wounds his mother fears he may never fully recover from. Two-year-old Johnathan Mahoney-Marsh remained in hospital this weekend in St. John's after a stomach-turning incident Tuesday night. The boy and his brother were being cared for by a babysitter who took the children with her to her brother's home.

While there, the youngsters wandered out of the caregiver's sight, and Johnathan strayed within reach of a German shepherd that was chained up in a neighbour's yard. "I got the call at work to go and meet them at the Carbonear hospital," the boy's mother, Sonya Mahoney-Marsh, said from her home in Spaniard's Bay. "When I got there and met with him, I was beside myself -- the only thing keeping his face together was a face cloth."

She said the right side of Johnathan's face has stitches on his mouth, cheek, below his ear, on his forehead and on his temple. His mother also said Johnathan has bruising on his back, and his nails are blackened from scratching the pavement while trying to escape the dog's reach. "I'd trade places with him (in) a heartbeat," she said.

RCMP Const. Steve Blackmore said because the dog was tethered on private property the animal's owners aren't facing charges. However, he said they've voluntarily agreed to put down their pet. "The owners did the right thing by having the dog tied on, but the problem really is that a child can wander and get within the dog's reach," Blackmore said.

Mahoney-Marsh, a single mother of three boys, said she's not able to spend as much time with her boy in hospital as she'd like. "I can't stay in there because I've got two other kids, which is tearing the guts out of me," Mahoney-Marsh said. "I'm calling around the clock to see how he is."

Johnathan is in satisfactory condition and is expected to leave hospital by Monday. But his mother fears the damage may stretch beyond the remedy of cosmetic surgery. "They said within a couple of years we could go back and see about plastic surgery, but it's a mortal sin," she said. The major obstacle facing Johnathan right now, his mother said, is the infection from his wounds. She said doctors told her they may have to reopen his wounds to drain infection and then restitch the cuts to prevent further complications.

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Would-be police dog kills boy, 4
June 3, 2002

MARTELL, Neb. - A police dog in the final stages of training mauled to death a 4-year-old boy Sunday at his parents' kennel southwest of Lincoln.

The German shepherd apparently escaped from his kennel after a gate was not securely latched after a feeding Sunday morning.
Killed was Colter B. Kumpost, whose fourth birthday was 10 days ago.

The boy's parents, Randall and Mary Kumpost, have operated a kennel since 1985. It trains German shepherds for police work.

The dog, a 31/2-year-old male named Ajax, had been scheduled to be delivered today to the Lincoln Police Department, according to Lancaster County Chief Deputy Sheriff Bill Jarrett.

A Web site for the kennel described the dog as a "very strong, high drive, powerful male."

Among other traits, the Web site said, Ajax has a good grip and is neutral to gunfire.

The site said: "He is a very confident dog, and socialable (sic) ... He is priced to sell!!!!!!!!!!!"

The dog is being held at Capital Humane Society. Authorities did not know Sunday evening whether the dog would be destroyed.

The attack occurred about 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said the 4-year-old had been playing on the porch of the family's rural home when he was discovered to be missing.

Family members found Colter lying on a rock driveway, about 50 feet from the home, with the dog standing over him.

The dog mauled the boy's right shoulder and chest, biting him deeply enough to cause internal injuries, Jarrett said.

Rather than wait for a rescue unit to arrive at the home, about 15 miles southwest of Lincoln, the boy's parents began driving him to BryanLGH Medical Center West. They met a Lincoln ambulance en route.

Gregg Fisher, fire chief for Lancaster County Southwest Rural Fire District, said paramedics were able to restore the boy's pulse, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital about 1:44 p.m.

Jarrett said he had no idea what might have prompted the dog to attack the boy.

"It depends on what he was being trained for," he said.

An investigation was continuing, Jarrett said, but he did not expect criminal charges.

Capt. David Beggs of the Lincoln Police Department said that, typically, dogs used by the department are trained for tracking and sniffing drugs, as well as protecting their handlers.

He said the department was in negotiation to acquire the dog, which had been imported from Germany in January. Those negotiations are probably over, Beggs said.

Beggs and Wagner said it was the only fatal dog attack in Lancaster County that they could recall in at least the past 20 years.

A Web site for Crown Kennels said the victim's father is a Lincoln veterinarian and his wife specializes in animal behavior and rehabilitating aggressive dogs. The couple also have a 15-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son.

The kennel has sold dogs to the Nebraska State Patrol, according to the Web site. Authorities said the kennel had 12 dogs - German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and Rottweilers - on Sunday.

Yellow police tape cordoned off an area just south of the family's rural home as distraught family members gathered Sunday on a sidewalk. Nearby were several wooden obstacles used in dog training.

A 6-foot-high chain-link fence surrounds the farmstead with a warning sign that reads: "This area used for police service dog training."

Another sign nailed to a tree pictures a dog baring its teeth. It reads: "Warning: Guard Dog."

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Regina Arispe of Colorado Springs said it cost $24,000 to put her face back together after she was attacked by a German shepherd while giving the dog a bath at a grooming center.

"I didn't even get enough money to finish my face," she said.

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(CBS) CHICAGO A brutal dog attack has a woman from the Northwest Suburbs calling for stricter laws.

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports the dog in question is a repeat offender.

Dog owner Ann Gerber’s Shin Tzu poodle mix, Gigi, was mauled by another neighborhood dog while on a walk.

Gerber, the well-known Skyline columnist says a German shepherd mix jumped a fence and attacked Gigi.

"They told me they didn’t think she’d make it,” said Gerber. “He had puncture wounds here. She was bleeding all over here. She lost a lot of blood."

Gigi spent three weeks in two different hospitals before coming home.

"She always wanted to come home with us and she couldn’t understand why she was hurting and people were sticking things in her,” recalled Gerber.

Village of Skokie Health Department records show this is the second documented case with the same German shepherd mix attacking a neighborhood dog.

Citations were issued to the owner of the shepherd mix in March of last year. He was fined $250 for having a dangerous dog that attacked unprovoked. The owner also paid $75 for allowing his dog to run loose.

When CBS 2 went to the dog owner’s home, we received a “no comment” about the incident.

"I think there should be a law in Illinois that says if a dog bites two dogs, he must wear a soft muzzle when out of the house,” said Gerber.

The only recourse on the books in Skokie for cases like this is administrative hearings and fines.

"I don’t want to minimize this. Of course, this is a very serious matter also. But, a human bite would take it to another level,” said Lowell Huckleberry, Director of Health for the Village of Skokie.

And another level means circuit court. Then it would be up to a judge to decide the dog’s fate. Huckleberry, who oversees animal control in Skokie, says there are no plans to change the ordinance as it stands right now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t change in the future.

The owner of the dog that attacked Gigi is not fined the maximum of $750 for this second attack. Gerber says the owner said he’d pay Gigi’s veterinarian bill – that totals $3,800. Skokie officials say he paid the vet bill in the first attack too.

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Boy, 7, hurt in dog attack
By Sol Buckner
Jul 28, 2006
A seven-year-old boy from a village near Kidderminster needed 100 stitches during surgery after he was bitten on the head by his family's pet dog.
Harry Ridge screamed in agony as the German Shepherd called Toby attacked him - four months after the animal was taken in from a dog rescue home.

The youngster, of Sladd Lane, Wolverley, had been playing with Toby at 4.30pm on Tuesday when it suddenly turned on him and clamped his head in his jaws.

Harry's mother Jane, 42, was in the kitchen when she heard the screams and ran to her son's aid. The boy had lost a patch of skin from above his nose and there were deep teeth marks in his skull.

Mrs Ridge called for an ambulance and wrapped Harry's head in a cotton towel to stem the blood loss.

Ten minutes later an air ambulance landed in a nearby field and Harry was airlifted to Birmingham Children's Hospital with his mother by his side.

Harry was in plastic surgery for two hours while consultant Vassu Carrie worked on his wounds, which required 100 stitches.

The bite marks had gone into the bones of his skull and five layers of skin. Mr Carrie said he was lucky not to have lost an eye.

After just over 24 hours in hospital, Harry was allowed to go home.

Mrs Ridge has returned Toby to the kennels she had him from in April and said it will be long time before she gets another dog.

Mrs Ridge said: "I heard the dog growling and knew something was wrong. I went into the lounge and could hardly recognise Harry's face with all the blood.

"The dog had grabbed him by the head and clamped him. I wrapped his head in a towel and just waited with him for the ambulance.

"Harry made an amazing recovery and we can't believe how good he looks after surgery.

"It has left him a bit nervous and we don't want any more dogs for a while."

Um..If we outlaw dobies, rotties, dalmatians, pits, gsds, ridgebacks, mastiffs, YES they will turn to standard poodles.

There are always going to be bad guys who want an aggressive dog.


I think I am being fairly nice, I am posting facts. There are tons more stories about GSD attacks I just dont have time to post them. I think you would be pretty upset if someone were to attack your breed like my breed (or one of them) is being attacked.

I personally dont like small breed dogs. They are nervous and they bite quite a bit. Not only that but the owner's (most owners not all) think it is funny when the dog bites someone. I think THEY are dangerous as are their owners.

Again, if you all want to talk about how horrible pits are why not meet one first? I havent heard any story from any person on here who actually seems to have met one. I heard from Bob that some guy who owns one looks like a gangster. So what? You dont judge a book by it's cover. The dog/man could both be wonderful people/dogs to know. If you want to talk bad about pits go to the shelter & meet one. I am sure your mind will change.

I myself have only met 2 pit bulls who wernt from shetlers/bad situations. In my 1 year volunteering at the animal shelter & volunteering at a pit rescue, I have met 1 aggressive pit bull (at the shelter) and with time he seems to have come around and is now a fairly nice dog. Now, I have met 3 aggressive cocker spaniels, some extremly aggressive labs, as well as aggressive GSDs. The 2 pits I knew who wernt from bad conditions were also wonderful dogs. For examples,one of the pits at the rescue came from new orleans. she was found after the hurricane running wild. She had to be trapped, yet that is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. Another one at the rescue was found with an embedded collar in his neck 2 weeks after the hurricane, he is also an extremly sweet dog. These dogs come from horrid situations yet they are happy and friendly. From my experience, yorkies or poodles or shih tzus who come from those kind of situations are permenantly scared and usually dont ever become fully trustworthy. (BTW-My foster came from our local kill shelter, he is a very sweet pit boy)

Banning pit bulls is like saying well since most serial murderers are white males, let's just put them all in jail to avoid the problem. Make sense? Of course not!

One thing that bothers me is the way owners of dogs who attack react in the aftermath. The owner above had "no comment". That's tantamount to "No Remorse". I don't think this helps pit bulls or any other breed that attacks someone. For example, we had a six year old boy attacked in his yard and horribly mauled about his face and head. It happened four years ago and that boy is still having surgeries. The neighbor's dog, yes it happened to be a pit bull, wandered loose into the boy's back yard. The judge ordered the dog destroyed and, instead, the owners covertly removed the dog from our area and shipped it far enough away so that it was never found again. Besides showing complete disregard for the maimed boy, somewhere, some place, that dog is a danger to another child. That is VERY wrong. If you have a dog who has done something like that, you are creating a danger for someone else by protecting the dog.

Toca-No kidding that is wrong. Is there nothing the police could do about it?? It does bother me that the owner has no comment but in almost all cases the owner is at fault and that is probably why they have no comment. I wouldnt ever suggest a dog (of ANY breed) that attacked someone ever be returned to the owner or even kept alive. I think the Pom who killed the child should be destroyed as well.

I may be a little over the top but I think that any dog who has bitten (unless provoked) should be euthanized. There are WAY too many dogs in this world to have any that dont have perfect temperments. My shelter euthanizes 2500 perfectly healthy, sweet dogs each year. There is no reason for someone to own ANY dog of ANY breed who bites. Sure they can probably contain the dog when it is at home, but what about if it gets loose? (Poodles, cocker spaniels, shih tzus all fall under the same belief for me)

I'm not sure how often this happens, but I have noticed, when I see "pit bull" attacks, the dogs are put to sleep right away.

However, I saw a retriever attack someone once, very badly. The dog was put through vigorous testing, and went to several behaviourists. He was never put to sleep.

Does this happen as often as I'd hate to believe it does? It's not fair, in my opinion. I have seen dogs who have bitten, turned around, and live their lives out having never done it again. Most of these dogs who have bitten started out in inexperienced homes, anyway, and ended up with people who had tons of experience with dominant dogs, dogs with behavioural issues, etc. I don't think a dog who has bitten should be immediately condemned to death. JMO.

I think there were some hefty fines wrough upon the owners, and of course, they were civily responsible for the ongoing restoration of the boy's face, which from what I am told, is not coming along very well.

I recall that the dog scurried home before they could confiscate him and he was never to be found again. They refused to bring him forth.

They suspected the dog went to connecticut but the owners had a really smarmy lawyer and the story ended there. These people had some bucks. If the dog was identified and brought back, I surely did not read a thing about it. I actually know the boy's mother in an acqaintence kind of way and when I do run into her I ask how he's doing, but I never have the courage to ask more. I figure she suffers enough over this daily without getting her agitated.

I just gave my Tosca a huge hug and kiss, for I know that if she ever did such a thing, she would have to see the Bridge. There would be no other alternative in my mind.

DanL said:

Bob, no one is saying that pit type dogs are not involved in attacks. The point is, so are many other types of dogs, including mixes like Smoky. You got her from a shelter, you have no idea what her background is, and you have no idea if she is a time bomb waiting to blow. Hopefully she is not, but you just don't know. So please stop with the sensationalistic posts where you google "pit bull attack" and then link the results. It's easy to find those kind of stories because that is what the news media thrives on. In realitiy, there isn't any proof in that article that the dog was even a pit bull, like people have said, half the time the identity of the breed turns out to be wrong. You obviously have an issue with this type of dog for some reason as evidenced by your biased attitude and pre judgement of people who own them, like the guy you described walking his dog in the park.[/QUOTE

Click to expand...

Why not scan breeders, and buyers? Do checkups. Make sure people are aware of temperament issues in DOGS, not just breeds. Make sure people are aware of backyard breeders, badly bred animals, puppymills, pet shops, etc.

IMO all dog owners should have to have a license to own a dog, since every dog has the potential to do a great amount of damage, that shouldn't be judged by anyone other than the person the damage happened to.

Breed bans aren't the answer, because they affect TOO many responsible people who do not want to own Labs, or Shih-Tzus, or Poodles. They just don't...and that's why us responsible owners are fighting it.

Um..I posted back a ways about a pom who got killed by small breed dogs (I believe there was a shih tzu and a yorkie). Did those dogs get euthanized, of course not!

Lots of dog attacks happen, only pit bull attacks make the news.

Bob-reread over what I posted, the insurance companies are making money off of having to insure pit bulls. If they could make money making people insure yorkies they would do it!

A lot of dog owners are uneducated, and dont know anything about pit bulls. There is a lady who I work with who is scared of ANY large breed (this includes labs, pit bulls, GSDs, any other large breed), she is actually a nice lady, donates $ to local rescues, loves her dogs very much, but she is uneducated and believes everything she hears.

I am pretty much done. This is going no where and the people talking about how bad pits are have never met one. There is a saying "dont believe everything you read/hear".

FYI BOb-I just found this on a germanshepherd forum.
"Sad to say, I saw a clip on CNN's 'Prime News with Erica Hill' today.

They showed a list of the top four breeds of problem dogs and GSDs were number 4 with incidences in the past year.

Of course, Pit Bulls were on the list, too, but I am unable to bring up the news items online.

They said that this could now affect home insurance rates.
And that the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) recommended that these breeds not be left alone with children under the age of 10 yrs.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - when I see it verbatim (without controversy) I will further be able to offer more information. The news item went so fast that I am not able to remember the other two breeds - I was in shock.

The percentages of incidences was not very high but enough to put the breed of GSD on the list. "