Pit bull

Pit bull is the common name for a type of dog. Formal breeds often considered of the pit bull type include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.[1] The American Bulldog and Bull Terrier (standard and miniature) are also sometimes included. Many of these breeds were originally developed as fighting dogs from cross breeding bull-baiting dogs (used to hold the faces and heads of larger animals such as bulls) and terriers.[2] After the use of dogs in blood sports was banned, such dogs were used as catch dogs in the United States for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt and drive livestock, and as family companions,[3] although some owners still bred and used them for illegal dog fighting.[4] This practice continues to this day, but is illegal in many nations.[5]

The term pit bull is often used loosely to describe dogs with similar physical characteristics, and the morphological (physical) variation amongst "bully breed" dogs makes it difficult for anyone, even experts, to visually identify them as distinct from "non-pit bulls".[6][7][8] While mixed breed dogs are often labeled as "pit bulls" if they have certain physical characteristics such as a square shaped head or bulky body type,[9] visual identification of mixed breed dogs is not recommended by the scholarly community

History

Bull and bear baiting arenas shown on the "Woodcut" map of London of c.1561 (the dogs are shown coming out of pens on each side)

American Pit Bull Terrier puppy

Pit bulls were created by breeding bulldogs and terriers together to produce a dog that combined the gameness and agility of the terrier with the strength of the bulldog.[3] In the United Kingdom, these dogs were used in blood sports such as bull-baiting, bear-baiting and cock fighting. These blood sports were officially eliminated in 1835 as Britain began to introduce animal welfare laws. Since dogfights were cheaper to organize and far easier to conceal from the law than bull or bear baits, blood sport proponents turned to pitting their dogs against each other instead. Dog fighting was used as both a blood sport (often involving gambling) and a way to continue to test the quality of their stock. For decades afterwards, dog fighting clandestinely took place in small areas of Britain and America. In the early 20th century pit bulls were used as catch dogs in America for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, and drive livestock, and as family companions.[3] Some have been selectively bred for their fighting prowess.[4][5]

Pit bulls successfully fill the role of companion dogs, police dogs,[10][11] and therapy dogs.[12] Pit bulls also constitute the majority of dogs used for illegal dog fighting in America.[13] In addition, law enforcement organisations report these dogs are used for other nefarious purposes, such as guarding illegal narcotics operations,[14][15] use against police,[16] and as attack dogs.[17]

In an effort to counter the fighting reputation of pit bull-type dogs, in 1996 the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals renamed pit bull terriers to "St. Francis Terriers", so that people might be more likely to adopt them.[18] 60 temperament-screened dogs were adopted until the program was halted, after several of the newly adopted pit bulls killed cats.[19] The New York City Center for Animal Care and Control tried a similar approach in 2004, relabeling their pit bulls as "New Yorkies", but dropped the idea in the face of overwhelming public opposition

Dog attack risk

Violent interactions between humans and canines have been studied by the US government,[22] notably the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,[23] as well as academic veterinary researchers.[24] The interpretation of these studies, breed identification and relevance [25] issues, and variable circumstances have given rise to intense controversy.[26][27][28] The American Veterinary Medical Association notes fundamental problems with tracking breed in dog bite related fatalities.[29] In a 2013 study of 256 fatalities in the United States from 2000–2009, the AVMA determined that valid breed determination was possible for only 17.6% of cases.[30] DogsBite.org, a US-based pro-breed specific legislation advocacy group that focuses on pit bulls[31] blamed pit bull breeds for 62 percent of the 325 people killed by dog attacks surveyed in media reports[32] from 2005 to 2014.[33] The Center for Disease Control and Prevention notes that studies on dog bite related fatalities which collect information by surveying news reports employ a methodology subject to potential errors, as some fatal attacks may not have been reported, a study might not find all relevant news reports, and the dog breed might be misidentified.

Studies

A nine-year (1979–88) study of fatal dog attacks in the United States found that dogs characterized as pit bulls were implicated in 42 of the 101 attacks where the breed was known, and were almost twice as likely to be caused by strays as attacks by other breeds.[35] A 1991 study found that 94% of attacks on children by pit bulls were unprovoked, compared to 43% for other breeds, and that 67% involved freely roaming animals.[36] A 2001 literature review of dog bite studies notes that no other breed is represented by such a high proportion of unowned free-ranging dogs, and that unowned free-ranging dogs may be more likely to come from an environment that promotes aggression, and suggests the data for stray pit bulls be analyzed separately.[37] The study also notes that pit bulls may be overrepresented as the label "pit bull" is often applied without biological basis to a range of dogs, regardless of the dog's actual genetic makeup.

A 5-year (1989–94) review of fatal dog attacks in the U.S. determined that pit bulls and pit bull mixed breeds were implicated in 24 (29%) of the 84 deaths in which breed was recorded.[38]

A 20-year (1979–1998) study by the American Veterinary Medical Association into fatal dog attacks on humans[39] concluded that "fatal attacks on humans appear to be a breed-specific problem (pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers)," and that "pit bull-type dogs and Rottweilers were involved in more than half" (67%) of all the 238 recorded dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) in the United States during that period, with pit bulls accounting for 66 deaths. They also wrote that:

It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities.[39]

However, the AVMA later reversed its position on breed being a factor in dog bite-related fatalities, stating in a comprehensive literature review of 66 dog bite studies:

Breed is a poor sole predictor of dog bites. Controlled studies reveal no increased risk for the group blamed most often for dog bites, ‘pit bull-type’ dogs. Accordingly, targeting this breed or any another as a basis for dog bite prevention is unfounded. As stated by the National Animal Control Association: “Dangerous and/or vicious animals should be labeled as such as a result of their actions or behavior and not because of their breed.”[24]

A 15-year (1991–2005) review of dog attack fatalities investigated by the Kentucky Medical Examiner determined that pit bulls were implicated in 5 of the 11 fatal attacks (45%).[40] Another 15-year (1994–2009) review of patients admitted to a Level I Trauma Center with dog bites determined that pit bulls were most often involved in these attacks: of the 228 patients treated, the breed of dog was recorded in 82 attacks, and of these, 29 (35%) of the attacks were by pit bulls.[41] In 45% of the attacks, the dog belonged to the victim's family.[41] The journal later published a response to the study, criticizing its conclusions based on the poor quality of the data employed.[42]

A five-year (2001–05) review of dog attack victims admitted to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia determined that pit bull terriers were implicated in more than half of the bites where breed was identified. Of the 269 patients where breed was identified, 137 (51%) were attacked by pit bulls.[43] The authors wrote:

…the overwhelming number of bites involving pit bull terriers in this study and others certainly has some degree of validity when it comes to identifying bite-prone breeds. Pit bull terriers, German shepherds, and Rottweilers were the offending breeds implicated in our study, and have accounted for the majority of dog bites according to other investigators.[43]

A medical literature review of animal-related fatalities, citing the 1979-1988 JAMA study and 1991–2005 Kentucky Medical Examiner study, reported that pit bulls and pit bull cross-breeds were involved in 42–45% of dog attacks, and that unneutered male dogs were the most likely to bite.[44] Fatalities were most often reported when children were attacked, with 70% of victims being under the age of 10.[44]

A 2008 study by the University of Pennsylvania[25] that determined aggression by owner surveys instead of hospital reports found that:

scores for stranger-directed aggression found among Pit Bull Terriers were inconsistent with their universal reputation as a ‘dangerous breed’ and their reported involvement in dog bite-related fatalities

The study theorized that this discrepancy between reputation and results is because of:

a disproportionate risk of injury associated with larger and/or more physically powerful breeds and the existence of breed stereotypes.

A study by Raghaven in Canada, which showed that breed specific legislation limits the number of pitbulls, and where sled dogs and free roaming packs of dogs are more common than in the United States, an electronic search of newspaper articles found that pit bull terriers were responsible for 1 (4%) of 28 dog-bite-related fatalities reported in Canada from 1990–2007.[45] The study also noted that:

A higher proportion of sled dogs and, possibly, mixed-breed dogs in Canada than in the United States caused fatalities, as did multiple dogs rather than single dogs. Free-roaming dog packs, reported only from rural communities, caused most on-reserve fatalities.

Several studies determined that pit bull owners, and owners of other "vicious" or "high risk" breeds (most commonly identified as Akita, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, and Wolf-mix), are more likely to have criminal convictions and are more likely to display antisocial behaviors. A 2006 study compared owners of "high risk" dogs to owners of "low risk" dogs. "High risk" dogs included “vicious” dogs by breed (e.g., pit bulls) or “vicious” actions (e.g., any dog that had bitten, attacked, or killed a person or other animal). The study determined that "high risk" dog owners had nearly 10 times as many criminal convictions than did "low risk" dog owners.[46] A 2009 study[47] and a follow-up 2012 study generally supported these findings