What is it with the media's infatuation with 'bad rap' breeds? [Archive]

Renee750il

08-20-2004, 08:12 AM

Grace, it's the same rationale that dictates that you hear all the sordid details of an alleged rape, murder or other violence, the complete life history of the accused and the family of the accused, and then, when it comes about that the wrong person was accused, it's buried on the back page of the newspaper. Only the sordid, sensationalized and salacious stories (how's that for alliteration?) are deemed newsworthy. It's sensational and easy to place the blame squarely on the dog, no questions asked, when it's a Pit or one of the other breeds the media loves to portray as nefarious killers, but if it's a Lab or one of the more typically common 'family pet' breeds, it might make too many people ask just what made the dog bite, depriving the media of a sexy, juicy story that no one will question.

I remember a few years ago in middle Tennessee a woman was fatally bitten by a Chow she had rescued from an extremely abusive owner. The dog was having a predictably difficult time acclimating to being in a new place and wouldn't eat or come out of it's doghouse for a couple of days - understandable under the circumstances. This well-meaning but foolish woman crawled into the dog's house to pull it out! Of course the dog bit her! Unfortunately, her artery was cut and she bled to death before anyone knew anything about it. Did the news ever mention the fact that it was her own fault for so foolishly invading a frightened animal's only safe place? Nope! It would have been a perfect chance to educate people about intelligent handling of animals, but it was a wasted opportunity.

I was heartened, though, by the coverage of another incident in middle Tennessee. It was heartbreaking, but the right people got the blame for once. A family from Florida was pulled over by the local authorities and everyone - parents and kids - were made to get out of the car. The entire incident was caught on the patrol car's video tape. You could hear the parents pleading with the officers to shut the car doors so that the family dog wouldn't get out. The officers were holding these people at gunpoint and laughed at them when they tearfully begged them to shut the car doors so their pet wouldn't run out of the car and be hit on the busy highway. Well, predictably, the dog, about a 35 o 40 pound Pit mix, bounced out of the car, tail wagging and grinning, and started looking around, but when he started to bounce toward one of the officers, the #@%$* shot him point blank with his rifle - twice! The big strong cop said he was afraid for his life because that vicious Pit Bull attacked him. Oh, the local news got hold of the tapes of the entire incident and saturated the airwaves with it, the national media got it and did the same, the name of the officer got out, he received all sorts of death threats from all over the country. AND THE ENTIRE STOP HAD BEEN COMPLETELY BOGUS!
I heard that a very reputable breeder here in Tennessee of very expensive dogs (forget which breed, it wasn't really the point, I guess) invited the family to come and pick out a puppy from her next litter.

FaceZ Of DeaTh

08-20-2004, 12:11 PM

The press talks more about pit attacks because they are more common. They also wanna get people excited and have afeeling that the article about a pit attack instead of a lab attack will be juicier.

You also have to think about it like this. Let just say(this ratio isnt accurate so dont critisize it.)

100 pit attacks a year. Then 2 lab attacks a year.

You will probably hear more about the pit attacks because their is more of them. So the new crew may not be biased.

Another thing is labs are not as powerful as pits so their attacks aren't as fatal. Labs are a lot less aggressive so there isnt as many lab attacks.

08-20-2004, 01:06 PM

Excuse me?

Labradors are easily the nation's most common breed. With them being the most common breed, Labs are GOING to attack more often than Pits because there are MORE of them.

Take my neighborhood for example. There is a Chow/Pit X that lives right across the street from two labrador retrievers. Sometimes Gypsy (pit mix) runs with Beavis & Butthead (Dunno their real names)

Well, one day a 9-year-old on the street got attacked, and the whole neighborhood blamed Gypsy & a Rottweiler that also lives on that street.

The girl said that a black dog and a yellow dog jumped at her while she was riding her bike and knocked her down into the gravel while they chewed on her arm. Might I point out that the Chow/pit mix is brown and white.

If anything, IMO, Labs are more aggressive than pits. BUT, they don't have incredible jaw-power and they can't sever an arm with just one bite. Maybe you should look at the facts instead of just being prejudiced and set in your ways.

FaceZ Of DeaTh

08-20-2004, 01:08 PM

no i didnt say there is more labs than pits!!!! i said there are more pit atatcks!!! god~

dont be rude if u dont even know what i said

You look at the facts

08-20-2004, 01:24 PM

I do know what you said.

Pit Bulls do NOT attack more than any other dog out there, like you seem to be saying. What I'M saying is that when they do attack they inflict a more serious wound, therefore getting on the news or in the paper.

Do you honestly think that people register a dog bite every time a Chihuahua bites them? 'course not. Little dogs probably bite three times as much as large dogs, but because they don't do DAMAGE, it doesn't matter. the same goes for breeds with weaker jaw muscles that can't HURT someone as badly as a pit or a rottie.

Pit attacks are not more common, I personally have only heard of Pit Bulls injuring someone, never seen a truly aggressive pit, and have a pretty hard time believing that Pit Bulls attack more than any other breed, so therefore they get on the news.

FaceZ Of DeaTh

08-20-2004, 01:31 PM

k~~ i misunderstood u~~ u dont need to be so harsh when u correct me~~

Debi

08-20-2004, 03:08 PM

hey you two.....before getting into a tizzy.........I've heard lots about all kinds of breeds. Here it is the doberman and the Rottie that get the bad rap. We all know any dog can inflict damage. Not just picking on the pits. Some news stories just seem to pick up on certain breeds when there is a problem. You've all heard me say this.......and I stick to it........those little 2 or 3 pounders scare me the most!!!!!! Mean little suckers. I must say, tho...I came across a pit bull that was dropped off....I had great respect for that fellow and his powerful jaws...he was, tho......a sweetheart. Ya just never know. ;)

08-20-2004, 04:02 PM

Debi, i have to agree about the little tiny guys! The only dog bites I've endured have been from little dogs! :p

Facez of death, I don't mean to be harsh, but you really, REALLY need to take a good, long look at what you're saying, and then go research the breed that you're criticizing and being prejudiced against.

If, after lots and lots of reserach and after you learn the temperament of the breed, you still think they're all vicious man-eating machines, then you'll have reason to criticize and dislike the breed. Right now you obviously know nothing about pit bulls, and you are just taking in everything bad that you hear about pits and storing it as your idea of their temperament...

pitbulliest posted alot of good sites in your 'pit bull' thread, go look at them... :)

xXAKC dOg GuRuXx

08-20-2004, 06:49 PM

FOD. You shouldn't critisize a whole type of breed like that. Pit bulls can be very friendly if raised correctly.

Renee750il

08-20-2004, 10:48 PM

Understand this, if nothing else: Every breed of dog will bite. Any dog that can take you off your feet is potentially lethal. When a dog bites, it has a reason. Every single time. We may not know the reason, we may not understand the reason, but there is a reason and the reason absolutely always has it's origin with a human being, whether it is the person who got bitten at that particular time or some person or persons in the dog's history, even if it is as far back as a breeder. I have dogs that are bred for very pronounced stranger aversion, but they still need a reason to bite. It is our responsibility to care for dogs in such a way that they do not feel compelled to bite. It is our responsibility when a dog bites. Period.

pitbulliest

08-21-2004, 07:48 PM

Facez of Death..again it seems like you are way too heavily influenced by the media yourself. First of all, the REAL fact is that there are no more pit bull attacks than lab attacks... the reason you think there are more pit bull attacks is because enforcement officials do not identify the breeds correctly 80% of the time. In fact, MANY MANY labs are mistaken as pit bull terriers...however...it is a lab that tore off that child's face, or shredded that little dog to pieces..but heck..since they have no clue about breed identification..then they decide its a pit bull.. yes..stupid..but true..
I was just at my local animal control office a few days ago since they pick up stray dogs..I was curious at what kinds they found lately...well as shocking as it may be, more than half the dogs were labelled as "pit bulls"..when in fact..I clearly recognized a couple to be husky mixes, some lab crosses, and a german shepherd... isn't it good to know that if one of these dogs attacks someone or does something wrong, its the pits that will get blamed yet again..because our ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICIALS (who mind you, should have more knowledge of dog breeds than anyone else), have no flippin clue about any breeds!

Second of all, pit bulls are not more aggressive than labs...at least when it comes to humans...in fact, I would say pit bulls are less aggressive than labs (except when it comes to other dogs..since they were bred for fighting..yes they are more DOG aggressive..but they are not generally HUMAN aggressive since they are bred to be extremely faithful and loyal towards humans)...keep in mind that the American Temperment Testing Society gave the pit bull a high grade of 84% while the sweet and loving Golden Retriever did 2% worse overall...hmmm :P surprised? WOoo..sooo vicious *rolls eyes*

Third of all, pit bull attacks are reported because of the severity of the bite. Lets face it, when a pit bites, and a Chihuahua bites...there IS a difference...so people tend to ignore the chihuahuas and the shitzus. Pits are raised by the wrong people...the ghetto trash, drug dealers, dog fighters..these people have no true knowledge of the breed, not to mention they never socialize their dogs, in turn turning them into aggressive monsters...so who's fault is that? DUH!...

There are specific reasons..although completely ignorant and stupid, that the pit bull gets the front page of the paper every time...although its usually not the pit bull thats responsible...and alot of the times its not even a pit bull to begin with..media still covers it, without bringing forth the background history of the dog (perhaps it was abused/left to starve to death/bated? we don't have a clue..because the media doesn't even bother to try and find this information!)...yup..so that's why you've got pits on the front cover..not because they're evil, dangerous, and mean dogs... :P for cryin out loud facez, get a clue! You've been on this forum long enough and you still haven't learned anything?

shredhead (DOG LOVER)

08-23-2004, 12:40 PM

Amen to that.

nicco

08-23-2004, 03:53 PM

What can I say?I am familiar with the so called pitt problems.It's the same here too...I can say that the only ones responsible for a dog's behavior (any breed) are THE OWNERS.
I was in the park one day and a female pitt came along.She was so cute and she was so friendly with all the dogs.For some reason she liked Amira so she (Sonya) came everytime and licked my dog and she just layed down on her back with her belly up.Amira doesn't like very much to be licked by other dogs.And as Sonya was bothering her,Amira growled at her and wanted to scare her off.But Sonya just stood there and recognized Amira's authority and she didn't attack her or something like that.I was surprised,because all the pitts that I'd seen untill then were all owned by some boys that were showing off and they "trained" their dogs EVERY SINGLE DAY in the park.Some of the dogs got into fights accidentaly and the owners were just laughing and you could see in their eyes that they were so proud of their dogs.I thought that they were (are) so stupid.
And another exemple of a dog being mistaken to a pitt: One day I was walking with my dog without a leash on (we were just going to buy a newspaper which it was near our home and anyway she doesn't leave my sight).When I heard, suddenly, a woman's voice that was yelling at me to grab my dog and to hold her.I was shocked because Amira was 5 metres away from her and she didn't seem to go towards that woman anyway.And then I said that my dog didn't bite,otherwise I would have put her the leash on.Then she screamed at me,actually asked me "What about that pitt bull?"...She was so confused because now she thought that every dog would bite and every dog was supposed to be a pitt bull...And that's a wrong concept!
I know that people all over the world tend to blame it on the pitt, but I've said it and I say it again.The only ones responsible for a dog's behavior are THE OWNERS.
And that cocludes my opinion :D
Hugs to all, Nicco :cool:

pitbulliest

08-23-2004, 05:45 PM

Yeah people are dumb..however if you ever see that pit bull's owner in the dog park again, tell them they better avoid dog parks..its the last place a pit bull should be. They are known to be dog AGGRESSIVE...and even if its been to the park 239402934 times and has loved all the other dogs, there may come a day when everyone least expects it..and that pit bull will attack another dog..you can never trust this breed not to fight with another pooch..its what they were bred for...

as for people freakin out about your dog..lol you know what I do? If I see people giving me really dirty looks when they see my dog and I, I just get down and give her a big wet kiss and a hug..lol that makes them even more ticked off cuz I'm rubbing in their face how my dog is a big ol sweetie and I could care less what anyone else thinks! :)

Sadarra

08-23-2004, 11:24 PM

The press talks more about pit attacks because they are more common.

FALSE. Pit attacks are not anymore common than any other breed. The problem is that the look alike breeds get listed as pits. How many times have you heard of Boxers or Staffie Bulls attacking people? You just don't here it because they are called Pits. Even some of poorly bred Labs out there look just like drop eared pits.

Before you judge a breed you should read up on them. The Pit Bull was bred for fierce dog fighting true but do you realize that the dogs were required to put up with *strangers* prying them apart in the middle of a fight? Try breaking up a dog fight, it's dangerous and even the most well behaved dog will snap at a human hand, the pits were bred to have great judgement under the most stressful conditions. Dogs who did bite were shunned, no one wanted to pit their dogs against a dog that they could not inspect to ensure the fight was fare.

Because of this Pits have a high pain tolerance. There is a Pit in my 4-H club that will allow her two young masters to lay on her back without a care in the world. She'll just let out a little whimper if the kids step on her too hard.

Yes, there are the horrible dogs who maul children but you are missing the broader spectrum. Look into the past of these dogs. They'll either have horrible owners, no socilalizing, poor breeding or even all three.

5 years ago a Dachshund leapt into a crib and mauled her infant owner.

A Gordon Setter played patiently with a toddler before, without warning, the dog tore into the child almost killing her.

These are just SOME of the breeds known to attack. Others include Pomeranians, Cocker Spaniels, Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Goldens, Labs, Siberian Huskies, Poodles, and the list goes on. ANY dog can bite, I just wish we could bite the owners back :mad:

http://www.samthedogtrainer.com/Articles_Dog%20Bite%20Statistics.htm
http://www.drklein.net/_disc1/00000031.htm
http://www.fataldogattacks.com/

With only about 20 fatal dog attacks a year and hundreds of thousands of Pit Bulls registered by the United Kennel Club its impossible to say that Pits are vicious.

To say that all Pits are vicious is to say that all African Americans belong in jail. We all know both are nuts.

pitbulliest

08-24-2004, 01:23 AM

Great Post!

tl_ashmore

08-26-2004, 11:34 AM

First of all, my boston terrier is way more aggressive than my pit bull. Not towards people of course...But Bula, my pit, will cower down to Dixie(my boston). And Bula is like 5 times bigger than her. I hate getting into the conversation about pits being the most aggressive dogs, because the people that I get into it with, are so hard headed and ignorant of the breed, that it is absolutely useless. When they set their mind to something, they don't even want to hear anything else to try to change their mind. Look at all these shows on Animal Planet. All the Animal Cops shows. On EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, they are busting pit bull fights, and bringing in pits that are cut up, and almost ripped to shreds, but a lot of these dogs, when they get away from other dogs, are just fine. The vets usually don't have problems with them. Every once in a while, they will find one that is too mean, they can't handle. People don't understand that a lot of pits are only aggressive towards other dogs, NOT HUMANS. I'll tell you this, I have been around Pits my WHOLE LIFE, and I have NEVER seen one that wasn't just a big teddy bear. The only pits that are mean to people are the ones with stupid owners. And yes, every once in a while the dogs will fight each other, only to decide who is going to be the boss, but that is with every breed. If you have two female dogs in one house, they are going to fight at least one to establish dominance. Two males will do the same thing. Bula and Dixie have even tried to fight, but Dixie won that one. I will say it again, My boston terrier is dominant over my pit bull. She's the boss. If Bula starts playing too rough, Dixie will let her know, and she'll quit. I don't care if you have two chihuahas, they will fight to see whos boss.

ButtGumbo

09-07-2004, 12:54 AM

Like most things villified by the media, they misguide the (generally sheepish) viewing or reading masses into blaming the tool, not the idiot human handlers.

As a firearms safety instructor and advocate (who lived in Kalifornia) I experienced negative media bias DAILY. Some cracked-up dillrod plugs his neighbor with a stolen pistol? Sure happens all the time. Who do you blame? Not the idiot criminal but Taurus or Beretta!!! How do you solve the problem? Make perfectly law abiding citizens wait ten days to buy a stripped down "CA legal" weapon with unsafe "safety features.". Morons.

The Lethal Dog issue is 100% analagous. I was walking through a very small rural Catholic Church festival the other day with Josie the Wondermutt right after I got her. Knowing that it wouldn't be crowded, I thought it a good chance to see how she did around groups of people. I had her on a short lead and went by two hayseed cops and overheard them talking:

"Can that guy have his dog here?"
"Yeah, as long as it ain't a Pit Bull or a Rott."

:mad:

Fools. Evidently they watch the same news between cartoons as FOD does.
When I had my purebred Rott, I would have been 100% confident to take her into a crowd and not even be concerned about her behavior as I was with my new mutt. I'm careful, I'm responsible, all of which are by products of literacy!

I do think that the salacious bashing of Bad Rap breeds is exacerbated by what a lot of us (doggies) and them (non doggies) see when we see the "bad" Pit or Rott owners. How many times have you seem some punk-a$$ dude strutting down the street with his OMGBADASSDAWG, MANG!!1! He looks mean (and stupid) so the non-dog owning layman will assume his choice in pets is the same, and blame the dog rather than the chucklehead owner.

OK...*whew*, I'm ranting now. :)

The media is a business, trust me they KNOW their audience better than their audience knows itself. They don't so much inform as they do pander. They use iconic imagery to generate enough emotion for Ms. Smith to sit through that Ex-Lax commercial to catch that juicy story about the EVIL Rottweiler who viciously mauled little Brittany down the street.

Don't get me wrong, I feel badly for lil' Brit, but my mind works differently than these alarmists. My first thought is: "Where in bloody heck was the dogs owner?" Not: "Those **** rottweilers."

When my friend in college died in a Mustang, I didn't shake my fist at the sky and say: "Why Lord? Why couldn't Henry Ford have been a baker?"

Are there bad dogs? Sure, we all know that, but I think most of us would agree that 98.37% of all dog problems are the owners faults.

When you have Bad Rap dogs that are potentialy lethal in the hands of people that couldn't succesfully pick their own nose, bad stuff is gonna happen. The vicious circle is that these nuckle draggers want a dog that showcases their perceived BADASSERY. It gives the breed, good breeders, and responsible owners all a bad rap, and it keeps those dogs from getting into the homes that they deserve.

Trust me, 'ole EXTREMEBLOODNINJA the Pit would MUCH rather be called Daisy, at home with the Gentrys and lounging fieldside at lil' Britney's soccer game than being cooped up in SPYDER'S flopshack and waiting in his '78 Nova during his meetings with his probation officer.

*This message has been approved by ButtGumbo*

Out.

Renee750il

09-08-2004, 09:43 AM

LOVE that post! Especially the last paragraph.

chazhound

09-09-2004, 12:03 AM

What a rant! Never heard it put quite that way. It was right on.

09-10-2004, 01:53 AM

Great post.. Have I mentioned that I love your sense of humor? :p

Ratboy

09-10-2004, 02:15 AM

There was a biting incident in this area a few years ago, and the "pit bull" was a registered Chocolate Lab. The kid hit the dog on the head with a stick a half dozen times and he nipped her cheek to tell her to knock it off. The cops were the ones that claimed it was a Pit, and even our clueless dog warden couldn't yell "PIT BULL!" as he's prone to do, as it was obvious it was a Lab, a nice one at that. The kid admitted she hit him with the stick "on the face" and he didn't like it.
The story went from being one of the "top stories" on the 6PM news to not being mentioned on the 11PM broadcast. In the paper, it was just a tiny article that mentioned she had provoked "the attack". Attack is a stupid term for what happened. I would call it "explaining things". A 90 pound dog doesn't barely break the skin when it "attacks". I've been bitten a couple of times and I know what an attack is.

Renee750il

09-10-2004, 03:17 AM

My first reaction when I hear about a dog biting incident is typically, "well, what was he/she doing to the dog?"

Sometimes I even manage to keep it to myself - believe it or not! (lol)

FaceZ Of DeaTh

09-10-2004, 07:22 PM

09-10-2004, 10:12 PM

My sister had a friend that had a pitbull since child hood. It loved her and she took it evry where. One day she came home and the pitbull ripped her arm open for no reason.
You said this awhile about pit bulls.

She had the pit bull since she was a child and it tunrned on her and she has scars all over her face.
Now the dog bit her FACE? Which is it? The arm and the face are very far apart from one another. :rolleyes:

Because of that, I really believe that you are making this whole 'she was attacked' story up, just to get people angry.

chazhound

09-10-2004, 10:25 PM

FaceZ of Death,
One more insult posted in this forum and you will be banned.

I am sorry if someone you know was hurt by a dog. That does not mean that it is the dog breed's fault. Your auguments and comments are baseless.

Chazhound

FaceZ Of DeaTh

09-11-2004, 08:07 AM

Je** of* isnt a swere word. It is just jurk like a mean person and off like turn the lights off.

Renee750il

09-11-2004, 08:36 AM

Don't try to rationalize, FOD. Stop and think before you click to post. Now, behave! Everyone here is perfectly happy to help you with problems and dog questions, but no one is willing to put up with foolish, inane, redundant tripe. You can do better.

FaceZ Of DeaTh

09-11-2004, 11:50 AM

Guys u win seriously i didnt know much about the breed. Thats why i made that one post to see what you guys think. You guys very angry (Dont know why) when i discussed my point of view. I wont talk about the breed anymore and i bet they are very good dogs. You guys have changed my point of view but seriously dont freek out.

I AM SINCERELY SORRY

FaceZ Of DeaTh

09-11-2004, 11:53 AM

Truly i am just another person who was around the discrimiting opinions my whole life. I have been acting like a je** Of* LOL. What i heard on the news is all i ever realy heard about the dogs.

Renee750il

09-11-2004, 12:15 PM

Please, please, if you learn nothing else here, learn that if you ask questions, you'll get real answers. If you throw out uninformed opinions, you open the door for opinions to be formed about you, and even though you will get answers, they won't be the information you really wanted.

That holds true everywhere, throughout your entire life; not just on this forum.

09-11-2004, 03:49 PM

We don't want to "win", FOD, we just want to educate you. The people on this board aren't vicious people, but your trolling was upsetting and yes we got mad.

I hope we really did help you open up your mind. :)

pitbulliest

09-11-2004, 11:30 PM

phew...I'm glad I didn't pop up in here earlier on or else I would've ended up being banned :mad:

ANYWHO!!!!.... :D

Buster

12-29-2004, 01:20 PM

Rose's Gal

12-29-2004, 05:38 PM

My mom is telling me to get off of the computer so I have just one short and sweet thing to say, 'Punish the deed, NOT the breed!'

Brattina88

12-29-2004, 06:44 PM

I am a PROUD and responsible owner of an American Pitbull terrier. I plead with anyone that thinks the media's bias nature against pits is correct to look up a bite statistic sheet. Pitbulls are nowhere near top on the list. I have grown up on a farm and have been around dogs and other animals all my life. They ALL can and will bite if invoked. I have only ever been bitten by two dogs and both were Cocker Spaniels. But yet I am still not prejudiced against cockers. those two dogs do not represent the breed!! Just as a Pit that has been raised wrong and/or trained to attack should not be the representative of the breed. I could go on forever about the sound temperament of the bully breeds and all of their good points but I do think that they cannot be owner by just anyone. And that goes for a lot of other breeds due to the stubbornness and the need to be the alpha in the relationship. Strong dogs require a strong owner I don't see why this common knowledge gets forgot about when it comes to bully breeds. People need to blame people not dogs!!!!!!!As a proud owner of a Cocker Spaniel I aplaud you for not hating the breed for those unfortunate incidents. Was it two different times? I'm sorry to hear about that...
I've also never been bit by a pit. Ironically I have been bit by a Golden*, and I come in contact with pit bulls way more often than goldens. My Uncle's girl friend's brother raised and fought pits** and kept them ALL in/by the house. He has a 7yr old and a 12 year old. He is Stupid for fighting them, but do you think he would be dumb enough keep those "vicious" dogs by his children? NO! They're the biggest babies towards humans. Just aggressive towards dogs. I think everything that I know is true, or needs to be said has already been said, so I'm Out.

*we were at a park with the day care kids and the golden happened to be off leash running around. He got way to excited and jumped up on one of the k-care kids for pets. I placed my hand on his rump want was reaching for his collar telling him to get 'off' but before I could reach his collar he turned and tore my hand open. OUCH! The owner ran to me, put his leash on and apologized. It turns out he had hip displasha (sp!)and I must've hurt and.or startled him. Who do I blame? Me, for letting him around the kids in the first place, no matter how friendly his owner said he was. His owner for letting him of leash of course, but most of all the Breeder. I can't imagine what it be like to have to live with hip problems, especailly if it was preventable.

** With help from certain people on this forum I turned y Uncles girlfriends brother in and hes been arrested and is currently in jail for drugs and one count of animal cruelty. The dogs have been confiscated and sent to some pit rescue and other rescues out of mansfield because they are illeagal to own there. They suspected I reported him, but then changed there mind because theres no way I would do 'such a thing to the family'. Two of the dogs are actually here in my town. Im convincing myself that theres no way I can adopt either one of them.
:cool:

Renee750il

12-29-2004, 09:44 PM

Good for you, Brattina! That takes guts and integrity.

candy722

12-30-2004, 10:00 PM

I think any breed can be friendly and unfriendly. I think it depends on their personality and hereditary.

becca_4321

12-31-2004, 11:01 AM

Last year a lady owned a Pitt Bull, sweet big baby. When she'd walk the dog the local police would warn her a Pitt must have a mussle on at all times while outside. Sadly she took the dog for a walk one evening without one. As she was taking it for a walk another dog approached it, provoked it and the two got into a dog fight. The owner of the two dogs got inbetween them to try to stop the fight and was bit. Charges were pressed and the Pitt was 'arrested'. The poor thing was made to stay in the dog pound for months while she battled it in court to try to prove her dog was not a mean dog. We live close to the pound and she worked at a station we went to often. The dog warden would meet her at the pound 3 times a days to allow her to take the Pitt out of the pen to walk her. He'd sit in his truck reading a newspaper while she played with the dog. The local vet, and the dog warden both testified in court the dog was not a dangerous dog. Sadly the Pitt still lost the battle and was sentenced to death. Very sad but it seems once people make up their minds a breed is a dangerous breed there is no changing their minds.

Renee750il

12-31-2004, 11:01 PM

Profiling. Bigotry. Prejudice. Ignorance.

annestaff

01-03-2005, 03:43 PM

There has been more people attacked by other breeds than pits in Ontario but its the bully breeds who are having a hard time and getting banned over there..............why?

Renee750il

01-03-2005, 05:44 PM

Anne, see the post right above yours . . . ;)

Kelly blackwell

01-08-2005, 11:54 AM

there is a very good book entitled fatal dog attacks you can buy it online..the two main breeds involved in fatal attacks are pitt bulls and rottweilers in part part because they geneticly predisposed to predatory behavior...it is a very interesting book

Renee750il

01-09-2005, 01:31 PM

Neither breed is bred to be "genetically predisposed" to be human aggressive. Bunk and more propaganda put out by those who wish to rationalize insupportable, phobic positions. I can only think it offered in the same vein of sensationalized, pandering tripe as those idiotic series of "When Animals Attack" videos.

Don't even get me started on how easily people are manipulated by psuedo science, manipulated statistics and authoritatively presented bushwa.

joce

01-09-2005, 04:59 PM

Every other study people do on it says a different thing. All i know for sure is that I have never been scared of a pit or a rottweiler. I've been frightened by some of their owners but no one is putting them to sleep! Every case of a dog attacking or biting has an explanation. Eitheir the people claim it was never aggresive-but they never even worked with it, or a pack mentality, theres a ton of things. Definately not the dogs fault! Pits were bred to like people.

Renee750il

01-09-2005, 06:06 PM

Thank you, Joce!

Dogs do not bite for no reason. There is always a reason, and it's a real good bet that there is a human being behind the reason somewhere.

Rose's Gal

01-11-2005, 05:18 PM

Thank you, Joce!

Dogs do not bite for no reason. There is always a reason, and it's a real good bet that there is a human being behind the reason somewhere.

I agree one hundered 100%.

Brattina88

01-12-2005, 07:18 PM

Every other study people do on it says a different thing. All i know for sure is that I have never been scared of a pit or a rottweiler. I've been frightened by some of their owners but no one is putting them to sleep!
ya know?!
Dogs do not bite for no reason. There is always a reason, and it's a real good bet that there is a human being behind the reason somewhere.
Exactly!

Pits were bred to be Dog aggressive, Not people aggressive, infact, just the opposite. From experiance I know that they favor dogs who are friendly to people but hate dogs... this is including them letting kids pulling ears, tails, biting, sitting on them...! How is it that dummies who fight dogs have them better socailized with people than others who own one or two pits (or any ther breed for that matter) who 'turn on people for no apparant reason.'
Puh-lease :mad:

Saje

01-12-2005, 07:51 PM

Ok. Being part of the "stupid, one-sided media" I feel I should add a bit. :)

First of all, not all of us journalists follow the "if it bleeds, it leads" theory. Don't worry, I haven't been offended. Most journalists do a lazy, half-arsed job. They get into a routine and they don't push the limits or try to include all angles. It's called "pack journalsim." I'm sure you've heard the phrase.

Anyway, news is a business. News gets readers/viewers/ratings, that gets advertising which gets money and the circle continues. So the problem with the bad-rep breeds is that they are like a car accident. People like drama and they love to get all worked up about something. We don't gossip about who's dating who at church anymore (ok, some of us may). It's a much large scale but it's the same principle. This is actually why soap operas and CNN are really not that different.

So, people tune in. They pick up newspapers with those headlines and increase the statistics which tells publishers... that this is what people want to read.

I hope I'm not treating you like you're stupid. I know this is common sense stuff. I'm just trying to work through what I want to say as I write.

There are essentially two kinds of stories: those that people are intersted in and those that people NEED to know about.

Why would you need to know about something that you're not interested in? Because it could affect you in the long run. Because knowing that a rapist has been let out of jail could make you safer....

I meander.

IF there were to be a pitbull/rottie attack in town I would cover it because it is news and it people need/want to know about it. I would not glorify it. I would not put all one-sided facts in the story. I would tell both sides because that's my job.

Now I sound riteous. :rolleyes:

Someone made a point about how the media is always showing pictures of victims... or something like that.

There is an interesting debate behind that.

Of course, a lot (most?) of the time those horrible pictures are shown for shock factor and to sell papers.

But there is another debate. And that is that if you tell yet another story about a drunk driving death few people will be affected by the statistics. "this is the seventh alcohol related death this year on BC roads..." bla bla bla. Put that story with a picture and it makes people stop and realize how sad it is and how important it is.

some people agree with it and others don't.

I don't agree with the extreme of a front page, full-colour photo that shows all. I don't want any family having to see that or the rest of the world. I don't mind running an older picture of the vicitm or of the scene (car crash...).

This is getting long.

I hate the attention that the media gives these breeds. I totally blame my peers, bad breeders/bad owners and the dogfighting industry.

I guess my point is that if you want to change anything than change the channel when those stories are on and don't pick up the newspaper.

I'll probably add more in awhile to this long post. I hope that it is a little interesting. I really care about good, quality journalism.

saje

Renee750il

01-13-2005, 08:14 AM

That was a needed post, Saje; it sheds some perspective.

Saje

01-13-2005, 02:23 PM

Thanks Renee. I thought I'd killed this thread 'til you popped by! :)

Renee750il

01-13-2005, 03:15 PM

You can't kill this thread. :D It gets hot; it goes dormant; it gets hot again. Something inflammatory hits the media and we get wound up all over again.

Saje

01-13-2005, 03:25 PM

That's good. Sometimes I think I'm quite a good threadkiller. People don't know quite how to respond to me. LOL Or maybe I just write so long that there's nothing much more to say. :D

Renee750il

01-13-2005, 04:18 PM

What can I say?

GOTCHA! :P

Rose's Gal

01-13-2005, 04:30 PM

Saje

01-13-2005, 04:33 PM

That's actually another game in another forum. The "threadkiller" game. People write obscure things in a post and then the next poster has to write something that includes at least two words from the above post. Whoever "kills" the thread wins. That means that if someone posts and no one can think of anything to post within 24 hours the thread is dead and the last poster triumphs. :)

I also like the "guess what movie this line is from" game.

For example: "there slippery little suckers." :)

What movie? Do ya know?

Renee750il

01-13-2005, 04:59 PM

Well, Saje, it's tickling in the back of my head, but I can't seem to get my thoughts around the name - it keep slipping by just out of reach.

In the meantime, you'd better answer Rose's Gal's question!

Kelly blackwell

01-15-2005, 09:23 AM

http://www.dogexpert.com/ http://www.fataldogattacks.com/

Renee750il

01-15-2005, 10:01 AM

Good article on the fatal dog attacks link. I bookmarked the other to go over it when I'm not as tired, and for professional use. Thanks!

Saje

01-15-2005, 03:58 PM

You said you had killed this thread so let's see if I can start it up again. You said earlier that if a Rottie/Pit attacks people need/want to know so you publish it. How about if a Collie bites? Or a Labrador? Or even a Golden Retreiver? How come when those breeds bite, it doesn't make news but if a Pittie bites it becomes an attack? Shouldn't people know if a Collie bites just as much as when a Rottie bites?

Sorry, I messed up my response before. Here it goes again:

Of course I would write about it. And yes they should know. It's a less than ideal industry. And I think a lot of journalists who start out with great intentions lose their edge or toughen up. Journalists, especially in bigger communities, deal with a lot of bad things. Some of my professors at school told stories that I hope I never have to deal with. The career can be very hard on marriages (all of my teachers were married and divorced at least once) and on the mind/soul. I think with some people, a life like that makes them lose something.

I think I can tell you one reason that it doesn't make the news. Journalists don't know about it. We get out information from other people. There are so many people upset now about pitts biting... that immediately there will be a press release from groups or the police. Not only organizations are informants. I get calls from people all over the community giving me "tips." Now, when a pit bites people say, "this is ridiculous... something needs to be done... we need to make people more aware about this...I'm going to call the paper."

When a lab bites people say " ... " or "I wonder why he would do that." "My lab was the gentlist dog, something must have happened." And they don't tell anyone or do anything or think much about it.

I don't have anyway of finding these things out. A lot of it is chance. If people don't tell me about it how will I know? I talk to a lot of people and get a lot of information that way. It's amazing how easy it is to find stories but if we don't get on a topic that makes people think of that they won't bring it up.

That's just my persepective. Other reporters might not feel that it has that "if it bleeds, it leads" quality.

And dogs with stronger jaws do more damage, which upsets people more, and therefore gets more coverage.

Hope that answers your question.

If you want to do something to change it then write letters to the editors. Be clear, don't rant, use facts and references and you will be heard.

Rose's Gal

01-15-2005, 04:47 PM

Sorry, I messed up my response before. Here it goes again:

Of course I would write about it. And yes they should know. It's a less than ideal industry. And I think a lot of journalists who start out with great intentions lose their edge or toughen up. Journalists, especially in bigger communities, deal with a lot of bad things. Some of my professors at school told stories that I hope I never have to deal with. The career can be very hard on marriages (all of my teachers were married and divorced at least once) and on the mind/soul. I think with some people, a life like that makes them lose something.

I think I can tell you one reason that it doesn't make the news. Journalists don't know about it. We get out information from other people. There are so many people upset now about pitts biting... that immediately there will be a press release from groups or the police. Not only organizations are informants. I get calls from people all over the community giving me "tips." Now, when a pit bites people say, "this is ridiculous... something needs to be done... we need to make people more aware about this...I'm going to call the paper."

When a lab bites people say " ... " or "I wonder why he would do that." "My lab was the gentlist dog, something must have happened." And they don't tell anyone or do anything or think much about it.

I don't have anyway of finding these things out. A lot of it is chance. If people don't tell me about it how will I know? I talk to a lot of people and get a lot of information that way. It's amazing how easy it is to find stories but if we don't get on a topic that makes people think of that they won't bring it up.

That's just my persepective. Other reporters might not feel that it has that "if it bleeds, it leads" quality.

And dogs with stronger jaws do more damage, which upsets people more, and therefore gets more coverage.

Hope that answers your question.

If you want to do something to change it then write letters to the editors. Be clear, don't rant, use facts and references and you will be heard.

Ok, one more question.....how come that any dog that bites is labled a Pit Bull (even if it is for sure a blocky Yellow Lab)? I've read/heard of so many things that have said, 'A Pit Bull just attacked somebody!!!!' and they showed a picture of the dog and it was a Lab! Why is it that every dog that bites is labled a Pittie? (Or Rottie, or Dobe, or Chow......even if it isn't?)

Saje

01-15-2005, 04:51 PM

Ok, one more question.....how come that any dog that bites is labled a Pit Bull (even if it is for sure a blocky Yellow Lab)? I've read/heard of so many things that have said, 'A Pit Bull just attacked somebody!!!!' and they showed a picture of the dog and it was a Lab! Why is it that every dog that bites is labled a Pittie? (Or Rottie, or Dobe, or Chow......even if it isn't?)

LOL I don't know why they'd label a lab a pitbull. Maybe it was a joke. Maybe it was because some people are just ignorant. I've never seen that. Probably just a lack of research and knowledge of breeds. When I got my dog at the SPCA they told me he was a rottieX and he is very very newfie. Not purebred but obviously newfie. <shrugs> go figure

Love4Pits

01-20-2005, 10:41 PM

Even more annoying when they say its a Pit attack it is almost always a Pit-mix (usually with lab) but because it has a bull dog face OH its a Pitbull!!!! I have been attacked twice in my life once by a lab and once by a lab/ great dane mix

Saje

01-20-2005, 10:48 PM

True. A lot of people have a problem with that. People who aren't knowledgable about breeds shouldn't make an assumption like that and spread it around to the media and general community.

Love4Pits

01-21-2005, 04:20 PM

Listen i have a rottweiler i never said i dont dislike them. I just dont like pit bulls. They were bred for dog fighting they are unpredictable. They see a little kid running and it triggers their instinct to attack the kid. Pit bulls cant be trusted they were basicly bred to kill other animals. You guys will believe me when u get attacked by one like my sisters friend it was a tragidy.

She had the pit bull since she was a child and it tunrned on her and she has scars all over her face.

(edited out insult to forum - Moderator)

Um you need to not prejudge pits like that. Im sorry that happened to your sisters friend but thats not my dogs fault. My Nephew runs around my two pits all the time and it never triggers any ooooh I can kill him instinct. They just lay and watch him run or play with him. Not EVERY pit is the same

smkie

01-22-2005, 01:21 AM

My friend Kelly had the most vicous puppy I had ever seen. It snapped at everything. I thought she was absolutly nuts bringing a dog into her life with that temperment from the beginning. She worked at socialization with Fergi extensively. Fergi is a great dog, (with opinions she mutters about) but is absolutely nothing like what I thought she would turn out to be. Time spent, teaching, socialization, respecting and teaching to respect, can make miracles happen. JUst as neglect, and ignorance can take a good "breed" and make it the meanest thing alive. You cannot judge any breed by a few individuals....that is what I have learned through a lot of experience with a lot of dogs...each is different..it is the owner that makes or breaks the dog.

Saje

01-22-2005, 03:19 AM

Ash47

01-24-2005, 05:31 PM

I agree with smkie. I own a Chow x Lab. She is nothing but a laid back angel. She is not in the least little bit aggressive. We have raised her this way. The stigma on Chows is sad. I love the breed, they are beautiful, and can be great dogs if you allow them to be.
My grandmother owns a full blooded APBT, and she is more of a lap dog than anything else. It is all in the way you raise them, most definetely.

Saje

01-24-2005, 06:20 PM

I think the majority of us feel that way. If only we could make everyone understand that. :)

gaddylovesdogs

02-07-2005, 09:45 PM

I have noticed that reporters on the news and reporters for the newspaper try to make things like this more "interesting" by adding Pit Bull or Rottweiler or Doberman to the scramble of words. Have you heard about the "pit bull attack" that ended up being a samoyed? Ooo and southern posted an article from Sweden on GP about a Poodle attacking a Pit...Pit was standing there and Poodle attacks him, then poodle owner and paper tries to blame in on pit :rolleyes:. Personally I was delighted to see "Poodle attacks Pit Bull"....heck, I'd be happy to see "Labrador Retriever attack" and I'm a Lab owner and lover!!! But then maybe people would realize than no matter what the breed they can attack. Did you know Chihuahua's are the breed that attack people most in the US? I've never seen anything about a Chi attack..."but they're small" SO WHAT IF THEY'RE SMALL? THEY CAN STILL DO DAMAGE!! I don't care if it's a 6 lb. dog or a 150 lb. dog--an attack is an attack.

southern_girl09

02-07-2005, 09:48 PM

gaddylovesdogs

02-07-2005, 09:50 PM

gaddylovesdogs

02-07-2005, 09:50 PM

(Just playin'--I like Poodles.)

Saje

02-08-2005, 12:07 AM

EXACTLY. But you are probally never going to see that bc the media dont care about the Labs,Poodles and Collies. All they care about is the Rotts,Staffs,Pit and Rotties.. and Mastiffs. They need to take their BS stories and stick them up their butt. And that poodle pit bull article made me smile! I was like Finally!

Ok. Again coming from a reporter - assume I was a reporter who didn't know anything about dog breeds I would simply report what had been told because that is my job. The people at the shelters and animal control often don't know much about animal breeds. That's why we were told at the SPCA that Maverick (newfie) was a rottie. :rolleyes:

Reporters are not an expert on everything they simply share the info given to them by 'experts.' It would be very unethical for them to add that to a report. However, drama does sell and if you want to help then don't buy the papers or watch those stations. Promote your cause and if an attack happens go on record saying that it wasn't necessarily a pitbull or whatever. The media is always happy to have 'real people' who want to come forward and speak.

Renee750il

02-08-2005, 08:27 AM

So right about "experts" having no clue. Years ago, Charley took Odd Job in for his check up at his regular vet's office. There was a new tech there and she wrote Pit Bull X on the chart. Charley, being Charley, threw a red-headed Irish fit and chewed her thoroughly - not that he dislikes Pits, he loves "little Pittie-Dogs" as he calls them :) , but back in the 1970s White Pine passed a city ordinance banning them. He lives outside the city(?) limits, but it could still cause trouble, especially since Odd Job went everywhere with him. Odd Job had a file already, from the time he was born, since he was bred (accidentally) and born right here on the farm - a Bull Mastiff/Rottweiler cross out of Charley's two dogs . . . labeled correctly right on the front of his folder!

So much for "experts!"

Saje

02-08-2005, 01:31 PM

LOL Ever dog is a pitbull. The tried to label Mikey that at the vet and I said no I think he's a staffie-lab. She said: ok a lab. :rolleyes:

Renee750il

02-08-2005, 01:46 PM

I don't know if I've told this on the forum before, but when we had Buffy a couple of good ol' boys came by to see about buying some old tractor equipment from Charley. Of course, Buffy was out when they came, so they very prudently stayed in the truck and talked to Charley from that semi-safe vantage point. One of them kept looking at Buffy, shaking his head saying "that's the biggest *$#&%@* hound I've ever seen!" It didn't matter how many times Charley told him she wasn't a hound, he just kept repeating it over and over and over again.

We've laughed about that ever since . . . :D

Saje

02-08-2005, 02:20 PM

Ha ha ha. What a couple of goofs. Buffy must have been so magnificent. :)

sharpeilover

02-24-2005, 04:23 AM

FaceZ Of DeaTh thing u need to read this.
http://www.deviantart.com/view/11454716/

over here in the uk it is just the same, when to mastiff attacked a girl, then all hell went lose their seem to b a dog attacked in paper each day, after that all done by 2 rotties attacking one girl and etc but in the paper it said about dog like a lab or something in a small box in the bottom of paper but when its a breed like the rottie/gsh/staffie then is a big box in middle of paper with a aggressive looking rottie on showing all the teeth etc.

Renee750il

02-24-2005, 09:44 AM

Ha ha ha. What a couple of goofs. Buffy must have been so magnificent. :)

Buffy was one of those Once-In-A-Lifetime dogs. What an ego that dog had!

Melissa S.

02-24-2005, 10:19 AM

Once again........we had a news story last night of "pit bull attack" tune in at 9! UGHHHHHHHHH I went straight to my lap top and sent a letter to the editor. What a great resource this thread has been in getting the point across. What a sad sad life most of these poor dogs have.

Renee750il

02-24-2005, 10:27 AM

It was encouraging to me that all three of our local newscasts ran extensive coverage of the first felony trial and conviction for animal abuse here. The stepfather murdered (and they actually used the word 'murder' - how's that for progress) his stepdaughter's Jack Russell puppy by beating it and crushing it in a door. He got two 2 year sentences, and the outrage that's been the result is making the law makers go back and re-examine the sentencing guidelines for felonious animal abuse to make them more severe.

MoparStar

02-24-2005, 12:43 PM

Saje

02-24-2005, 01:59 PM

Rose's Gal

02-24-2005, 02:27 PM

Ok, somebody said something about the editors and peeps not knowing squat about differnet dog breeds, etc. Well, before you print something, shouldn't you make sure you were right? I mean, if you have no knowladge on the subject, shouldn't you ask someone who does? That is how rumors get started, is it not? You say something you actually have no proof on, and then wham! it comes back and hits you from behind. That was just my thought.

Saje

02-24-2005, 02:32 PM

That's a good point. It all just depends on what she wrote. Maybe that's what she wrote - that they should have proof that it was a pitbull :D

Melissa S.

02-24-2005, 02:41 PM

Most of my letter discussed the fact that they present articles such as these without telling other sides of stories. I said that in addition to discussing stories like these, they should think about discussing responsible dog ownership and how these kinds of problems should be presented with helpful information to prevent such tragic situations from happening again. I talked about how these things arise not because of the breeds of dog, but rather because of the owners that fail to control, supervise, maintain and properly train the breed of dog they choose to keep.

Saje

02-24-2005, 02:49 PM

that'll work. :) You may start a firey debate in your paper. What paper is it? Is it online?

Gustav

02-24-2005, 03:01 PM

My mum was attacked by a GSD when she was a little girl. It jumped over a fence and attacked her head! She had to have 22 stiches in her face and head. But even she doesn't blame the dog! It was protecting it's territory and she had just got too close! Nothing was done about it really, and now she is cautious around GSD (understandably!) but she still likes them!!

Melissa S.

02-24-2005, 03:02 PM

it was a TV news broadcast...nightly news. It was NBC local. I sent an e-mail. I will probably get no response.

Renee750il

02-24-2005, 03:04 PM

Oh my God how can people do those kind of things and sleep at night? Where did this happen? I hope that monster ends up in a cell with some dog lovers. I would not be able to contain myself if I ever met someone that did that.

Believe me on this one; he's going to have a very, very bad time being locked up - from both sides of the bars. He won't be staying in county facilities, although it would still be bad in the county where he was convicted. He'll be going to a state facility with people who aren't concerned about getting parole. He'll find plenty of mates who like dogs and plenty who just don't like someone who would do that to a child. And no one will care what happens to him while he's there.

I've found a funny anomaly when I've had to talk to clients in jails: a lot of the ones who have committed some of the more violent acts seem to have a real soft spot for pets.

Saje

02-24-2005, 03:04 PM

Too bad.

They may right back. Did your local paper write anything about it?

Melissa S.

02-24-2005, 03:08 PM

I didn't notice it but I will have to go back and check..... :D

Saje

02-24-2005, 03:11 PM

:)

Well, I was just thinking that if they did you could write (or resend) your letter and they might print it. They usually do. Or they should. We print good and bad letters.

Melissa S.

02-25-2005, 10:07 AM

well I couldn't find it in the paper. I did get a response back from the news station; it said "Thank you for you comments" So at least I know they got it! :)

Saje

02-25-2005, 01:29 PM

LOL what a bunch of goofs. That's all they said? Hmpf.

doglovertina

02-25-2005, 10:11 PM

This was a long and interesting thread. I have only ever been bit by two dogs, one was a black lab who "Never bites!" lol and a Lasso Apso spelling?)

Both were unprovoked by me, but not without reason I'm sure. The first time there was a lot of chaos and I think it scared the dog... if that were my only defence, I'd bite too.

The second was Spike, and I pet him too closely to an recent injury and I think I scared him.

I have five dogs now, one black lab, three that are black lab mixes and a basset hound. (I need to post some picks for sure) but my "Two boys" are extremely aggressive when people come to our gate and have bit several people.

I have very mixed emotions about this. Once someone is in the yard... they're fine. But so many kids have taunted my dogs and thrown things at them that, well I think that's why they act this way.

But I have no doubt in my mind that they would never hurt anyone in my family. My girls have hit them, stomped on them, tackled them, tried to ride them and all sorts of things and they just roll over and take it. If anything, they come hide behind me or my husband so we can get the girls off. =0)

I've been around rotties, dobermans and pit bulls and never been bit... So I guess I just wanted to share too.

poodlesmom

03-06-2005, 05:09 PM

Here's an article I came across where the media actually reported a good story on a one of the so-called "dangerous" breeds!

Dog rushes to help

Pit bull ran outside to rescue woman stranded in cold

By DEREK PUDDICOMBE, Ottawa Sun

IT WAS about -40C and Noella Mitchell lay helpless on the handicap ramp leading up to her home. She would soon be staring into the eyes of a pit bull and thinking she was about to die. The 42-year-old woman left her Craig Henry home one very cold morning last January to complete an errand. When she returned about 30 minutes later, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Mitchell, who suffers from Graves' Disease which causes muscular weakness, wasn't able to pull herself up. Her attempts to right herself using her walker were futile.

Before her fall, she was able to open the door enough so if somebody was inside they would have been able to hear her cries for help. However, her two children and a friend of her son's living at the house had already left for the day.

Two months earlier, her son had come to his mother and asked if a friend could stay with them for a while. Mitchell hesitated because the boarder came with Cloe, a two-year-old female pit bull.

ATTACKED AS CHILD

Mitchell is dreadfully afraid of dogs. When she was a 10-year-old girl living in Montreal, she was attacked by a German Shepherd.

When Mitchell finally agreed to her son's request, it was on the condition that since she is confined to the first floor of the home, Cloe would be kept upstairs at all times.

On the ramp with her leg lying partially in the snow, Mitchell could hear the dog upstairs clawing at the bedroom door and moments later she looked up to see Cloe running towards her.

"When I saw her, I thought I was dead," she said.

But to her surprise, Mitchell said Cloe began licking her face and trying to bring attention to her fall. "She sat there beside me howling and barking and she started to lick the side of my legs."

At one point, the dog attempted to pull Mitchell inside the house by grabbing onto her jacket.

After about 30 minutes outside, the owner of the dog arrived home and helped Mitchell inside.

She figures Cloe, determined to rush to her aid, somehow managed to get the bedroom door open.

"I will never lock her up again," said Mitchell.