Pit bull savagery
A 6-year-old Florida boy died earlier this month after being mauled by his family’s pit bull mix; doctors at two hospitals had labored in vain to save him.
The child, from North Port in Sarasota County, suffered severe injuries to his upper torso. The dog was taken by Sarasota County Animal Services, and the family has requested that it be euthanized.
Such horror repeats itself time and time again throughout our country.
Below is a sharply abbreviated list of many reported pit bull victims in the U.S. during the last four months of 2022 taken from the website National Pit Bull Victim Awareness. Remember these are only reported instances:
An 8-year-old girl was attacked and bitten by an unrestrained pit bull as she was trying to enter her home in Bakersfield, Calif. A neighbor had to shoot the dog when it refused to release its grip on the child.
A 27-year-old man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after being attacked by his two pit bulls outside his apartment building in Des Moines.
An older woman and her dog were viciously attacked by a loose pit bull while on a walk together in Anchorage, Alaska.
A woman was attacked by a leashed pit bull being walked by another woman in Ithaca, N.Y.
A repeat-offender pit bull attacked a postal carrier in Roanoke, Va.
A small dog being walked was fatally mauled by a pit bull in The Villages, Fla.
An 88-year-old woman was killed by a pit bull while on a walk in Richmond, Va.
A 5-month-old boy and his 2-year-old sister were mauled to death and their mother critically injured in pit bull attack in Shelby County, Tenn.
A woman and a 7-month-old infant were critically injured in pit bull attack in Washington, D.C.
These are a smattering of the listings, yet sufficient to make the point that pit bull viciousness is a serious, growing and widespread matter. Accordingly, Arkansas needs a strong and effective law with stringent penalties against those who fail to properly restrain these often dangerous and unpredictable kinds of dogs, and other larger breeds with documented histories of maulings, maimings and killing both people and smaller non-vicious pets.
According to the website for Fuicelli and Lee Injury Lawyers, the most aggressive breeds according to statistics the American pit bull terrier, bull mastiff, Rottweiler, German shepherd, husky, Chow, Doberman pinscher, Akita and wolf hybrid.
Also from the website:
“In 2015, 28,000 people had to get reconstructive surgery due to dog bite injuries.
“We saw an 86 percent increase in dog bite-related hospitalization stays from 1993 to 2008.
“Pit bulls and Rottweilers make up 77 percent of all fatal dog bites, despite making up only 6 percent of the U.S. dog population.
“Pit bulls are 2.5 times more likely to bite in multiple anatomical locations than other breeds.
“Pit bulls are responsible for 60 percent of all injuries and 63 percent of ocular injuries.
“Pit bull terriers are 31 percent more likely to attack an unknown individual than other breeds.
“Pit bull terriers are 48 percent more likely to attack without provocation than other breeds.
“Pit bull attacks have higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges and a higher risk of death than attacks by other breeds.
“During 2005-2017, pit bulls killed one citizen every 16.7 days, totaling up to 284 Americans while Rottweilers killed [every] 105 days during that time period.
“From 2005 to 2017, Rottweiler and pit bull attacks contributed to 76 percent of dog-bite deaths.”
Yes, my friends, times have changed with the number and nature of our pet dogs, and we definitely need tighter legal restrictions that insist owners of potentially violent larger dog effectively restrain their dogs or face serious consequences, exactly as we would do if irresponsible people wanted to let their pet cougar roam freely. It’s common sense and helps ensure public safety.
Now go out into the world and treat everyone you meet exactly like you want them to treat you.