Pit Bull News

"American Pitbull," by Marc Joseph

2006-02-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

Mainstream media coverage of Pit Bull dogs and the people involved with them is commonly negative and oversimplified so as to focus on dog related violence on humans (including many breeds), and other criminal activity, sometimes drug and gang related. Public opinion in the United States and Europe has been uniformly shaped by this portrayal.
American Pitbull is a photographic exploration into the culture of American Pit Bull dogs and their people, presenting an alternative view of the controversial world revolving around a uniquely American breed of dog and the human beings that live for them.

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Westminster's winner is deemed dangerous in some areas

2006-02-17T15:58:00.000-06:00

Rufus cuddled up beside the couch, ready for a good nap. Belly full from his favorite steak dinner and tuckered out from a romp around the house, he put down the head that has become the signature of dogdom in America.

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Detroit weighs tough pit bull restrictions

2006-01-21T21:19:00.000-06:00

The Detroit City Council is proposing a ban on pit bulls that could place a host of costly restrictions on owners, require those visiting the city with the dogs to get a permit and force any puppies older than 8 weeks to be taken out of the city or put to death.

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Pit Bulls in the City

2006-01-09T19:47:00.000-06:00

“Pit bulls are different; they’re like wild animals,” says Alan Beck, director for the Center for the Human Animal Bond at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN. “They’re not suited for an urban environment. I believe we should open our eyes and take a realistic approach to pit bulls.”

Those who condemn pit bulls and call for breed bans targeting these dogs tend to be members of the general population, or most often, it seems, politicians. Beck isn’t calling for breed bans – he stops just short of that resulting from research yet to be published. Still, it’s exceedingly rare for an animal expert to vilify pit, and few would doubt Beck’s credentials.

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Officer Shoots Police Dog To Death During Attack

2005-12-22T15:10:00.000-06:00

Even police trained German Shepards attack. . .

An officer shot a police dog to death Tuesday when it attacked him as authorities searched for a burglary suspect, police said.

Police surrounded a home on Sims Road after the owner reported that someone broke in and stole two handguns. The nearby Ivy Drive Elementary School was locked down for several hours during the search for the suspect.

Officer Greg Blackinton sent police dog, Bosco (not shown), a German shepherd, into the house to look for the suspected thieves. Police said the dog then ran out of the house and bit Officer Brian Aleia on the leg. When the dog attacked Aleia a second time, the officer shot the dog with a shotgun, police said.

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Jury finds woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter in pit bull attack

2005-12-22T15:05:00.000-06:00

A jury Thursday found a pit bull owner guilty of involuntary manslaughter for allowing her dogs to run loose and kill an 82-year-old woman.

Deanna Large, 37, sat quietly as the verdict was read, while the family of victim Dorothy Sullivan quietly wept.

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American pit bull attacks boy

2005-12-22T15:03:00.000-06:00

A three-year-old boy has been flown to hospital in Melbourne after being mauled by a dog in Victoria's Latrobe Valley.

The toddler was with his father in a neighbour's house in Yallourn North yesterday afternoon when the american pit bull terrier attacked.

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Opinion: Officials right to look at ways to prevent pit bull attacks

2005-12-22T14:59:00.000-06:00

We share the outrage expressed last week by Lincoln County Attorney John Hackley concerning the dangers of pit bulls.

At a Lincoln Fiscal Court meeting, Hackley and members of the court heard from a Lincoln County woman whose son was jerked off his bike and severely bitten by a pit bull. The boy's injuries required 50 stitches, and the attack left him emotionally traumatized as well, his mother told the court.

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The PBRC Katrina Fund

2005-10-12T15:47:00.000-05:00

Please take the time to read about the plight of dogs in New Orleans and other places hit by Katrina. As well as donate if you can!

Related Story

Pit Bull Hotel Rejected

2005-10-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

The Saunders County Board of Supervisors has rejected a request from a rural resident who wanted to build a luxury shelter for pit bulls rescued from hurricane-stricken areas.

David Hibler, who owns three pit bulls, wanted to build on his property a $35,000 shelter for 24 animals.

But his neighbors, the county Planning Commission and now the Board of Supervisors prevailed against the idea.

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People Speak Against Pit Bull Ban

2005-10-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

Twelve Bentonville dogs have given the pit bull breed a bad reputation here.

Those 12 pit bulls are on a list of 16 canines who found themselves on Bentonville's dangerous status list, meaning they have injured a person or animal, attacking without provocation. The other four on the list, compiled since 2003, include a German shepherd, a Shar-Pei, a heeler and two boxers.

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Man abused pit bull pup, cops say

2005-10-05T17:02:00.000-05:00

It was bad enough that a pit bull puppy was kicked, stomped and dragged by its owner through part of Port Jervis, police said.

Things only got worse when the puppy was hit by a car while still on its leash.

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Pet or Threat?

2005-10-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

You have seen the news reports on pit bull attacks, and with an estimated 60,000 in the city of Chicago, one is bound to cross your path. Some people call the dogs loving, family pets; others describe them as vicious and lethal. Nationwide, a debate over pit bull restrictions rages on, and in the Chicago area, people are battling over whether to ban pit bulls.

Read more and watch video. . .

(Read Proposed Ban)

This segment begins by not being too slanted. But there is a much larger proportion of interview by the pro-ban people than the ones defending the breed. . .as usual. Even the title of the story is sensationalized.

Pit bull ban panned

2005-10-03T15:15:00.000-05:00

A proposed city ordinance to ban pit bulls from city events and facilities may find itself barking up the wrong tree after a strong negative response from the City Council and local dog trainers.

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Pit bull owners say their dogs are a "misunderstood breed"

2005-10-03T15:13:00.000-05:00

Pit bulls aren't bad dogs. They just get a bad rap.
That was the message from pit bull expert Mary Harwelik at the Friends of Sleepy Hollow's sixth annual Celebration of Animals on Sunday at Leland Avenue Park.

The nonprofit group was hoping to dispel some of the myths of what they call "The Misunderstood Breed" at the afternoon event, which was attended by more than 30 dogs and their owners, and featured animal blessings by Catholic, Presbyterian and Hindu priests and an American Indian shaman.

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Aurora closer to pit-bull limits

2005-09-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

The council votes to officially weigh rules to ban new pit bulls in the city, require an annual licensing fee of $600 for existing dogs, and require owners to have $100,000 in liability insurance.

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Prince George's Councilman Wants Pit Bull Ban Repealed

2005-09-25T15:18:00.000-05:00

One Prince George's County councilman has proposed lifting the county's pit bull ban, which he calls ineffective and expensive.

The ban was imposed in 1996 after a series of pit bull attacks and complaints about dogfighting and wandering dogs.

"Public policy should make sense," said Councilman Thomas R. Hendershot. "It shouldn't be overly expensive, and it ought to be fair. The pit bull ban is none of the above."

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Pit bull owners to launch legal challenge against ban

2005-08-25T15:09:00.000-05:00

On the eve of a law that will ban pit bulls, Ontario breeders are fighting back. They will launch a legal challenge Monday which claims the ban violates breeders' constitutional rights.

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Pit bull a banned breed now

2005-08-02T11:42:00.000-05:00

It is now illegal to own a pit bull in Denver, Colorado. A state law went into effect in December, 2004, and owners of pit bulls were given notice in order to give them an opportunity to make a decision regarding ownership of their dog - either get rid of the dog or move out of Denver.

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Outraged pit bull backers decry Commerce City plan

2005-08-02T11:40:00.000-05:00

Scores of pit bull supporters waving signs that said, "Ban the deed, not the breed," and displayed pictures of their pets showed up at the city's recreation center Monday night to protest a proposed pit bull ordinance.

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Pit bull recovering after being set afire

2005-07-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

A young pit bull is recovering at a San Francisco animal hospital after someone set it ablaze Sunday in Bayview-Hunters Point.
Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for the city’s Animal Care and Control agency, said animal control officers responded to an emergency call shortly after 5 p.m. and found the female dog suffering from burns. The dog had put out the flames — in the process igniting a small grass fire — by running away from her tormenter.

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Research on Pit Bull Dangers

2005-07-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

-- Just how dangerous are pit bulls?

The American Temperament Testing Society evaluated 122 dog breeds and found that the American Staffordshire Terrier, a type of pit bull banned in Denver, passed 83.3 percent of the time, just behind the golden retriever (83.6 percent).

The American Canine Foundation calculated rates of human dog-bite fatalities by breed and found that pit bulls bite at a lower rate than many other dogs. The Doberman pinscher was found to bite 10 times as often as a pit bull.

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Pit bull foe joins fight for city ban

2005-07-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

Calling pit bulls a severe threat to public safety in cities across America, Denver Assistant City Attorney Kory Nelson has made it a personal crusade to help other communities thinking of banning the dog breed.

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Pit bull owners forced to give up pets or move

2005-07-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

Dog wardens will be at some residents' doors prepared to take away pit bulls, which have become a banned breed in this city.
But pit bull owners will have time to find other homes for their beloved pets outside the city.

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Springville tightens pit bull ordinance

2005-07-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

Jamie Nelson is one of three Springville residents who owns a pit bull.

She knows this because Springville requires all pit bull owners to register their dogs, saying because the dogs are naturally dangerous, the city needs to keep a closer watch on them.

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