[BicycleSpokes]

Rather than contribute further to off-tracking the previous thread regarding Jim's unfortunate attacking by dogs, I thought I would just start a new thread on the subject of pit bull ownership/dangers (on which I must admit I did not know much about previously, apart from their generally "bad" reputation.)

I work at a university in an unrelated field, but therefore have access to various literature search engines, etc. So, instead of relying on internet data, which is difficult/impossible to assess objectively, I was legitimately curious if the subject of pit bull aggression had been studied in a controlled way; and if so what the scientific findings were. For the record, though I doubt I will ever own a pit bull type as I am partial to hunting breeds, I truly have no dog in this fight, pun intended!

I was able to find two relevant peer-reviewed journal articles on the subject, the abstracts of which I copy below (I bolded the conclusions, in case you don't want to read it all):

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Aggression, behaviour, and animal care among pit bulls and other dogs adopted from an animal shelter

By:MacNeil-Allcock, A (MacNeil-Allcock, A.)[ 1 ] ; Clarke, NM (Clarke, N. M.)[ 1 ] ; Ledger, RA (Ledger, R. A.)[ 2 ] ; Fraser, D (Fraser, D.)[ 1 ]
ANIMAL WELFARE
Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Pages: 463-468
Published: NOV 2011
View Journal Information

Abstract
Pit bull dogs are a focus of concern because of their reputation for aggression toward people and because they may be mistreated by owners who try to promote aggressive behaviour. This study followed 40 pit bulls and 42 similar-sized dogs of other breeds at an animal shelter. Three pit bulls and two dogs of other breeds were euthanised because of aggression toward people at the shelter, and the remaining 77 dogs were re-homed. Of these, one pit bull and ten dogs of other breeds were returned to the shelter because of alleged aggression. For the dogs that were retained for at least two months, owner reports of aggression in various situations (to strangers, to other dogs, etc) were similar for the two groups. Reported care of the two groups was also similar except that pit bulls were more likely to sleep on the owner's bed and more likely to cuddle with the owner. Pit bull adopters were more likely to be under the age of 30, to rent (rather than own) their home, and to be adopting their first dog, perhaps because of a bias against pit bulls among older adopters. The study provided no evidence of greater aggression or poorer care among adopted pit bulls compared to dogs of other breeds.


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Breed-specific legislation and the pit bull terrier: Are the laws justified?

By:Collier, S (Collier, Stephen)
JOURNAL OF VETERINARY BEHAVIOR-CLINICAL APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Pages: 17-22
DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2006.04.011
Published: JUL-AUG 2006

Abstract
After more than a century as uncontroversial dog (Jessup, 1975), the American pit bull terrier has developed a notorious reputation as a dangerous breed since 1980, with consequent restriction placed upon it by jurisdictions in Australia and elsewhere. Studies in the United States have indicated that the "pit bull" is responsible for a significant number of human fatalities resulting from dog attack, but the data on which such studies are based are flawed by methodological shortcomings. Using absolute numbers of dog attacks by breed in Australia, data on attacks on human beings reveal the pit bull terrier to be exceeded by several other breeds. Regard less. the primary problem is that reliable data do not exist for the number of attacks relative to breed population. Of 19 human fatalities in Australia over the past two decades, none has involved a dog verified to be an American pit bull terrier. The evidence does not sustain the view that this is a uniquely dangerous breed, and breed-specific laws aimed to control it have not been demonstrated by authorities to be Justified by its attack record.

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Two studies is obviously far from a "proof" or anything... But recalling my comment about the attacking dog owner from the previous thread, at least from the above it seems that you pit bull owners are indeed not playing with a "deck of cards" that is any less full than the rest of us idiots who enjoy paying large sums of money for old pieces of cardboard! Anyways, I hope this adds something useful to this discussion. I, for one, consider myself enlightened on this apparently controversial subject.

Cheers all,
David