Marty
06-04-2005, 10:58 AM
San Francisco, CA -- Pit bull terriers may be one of the most controversial breeds around, but they are also one of the most misunderstood by the public, dog experts said Friday in the wake of the fatal mauling of a 12-year-old boy in San Francisco.
If bred and trained properly, pit bulls can be wonderful pets, experts said. If there is a lack of stability, though, they have the proclivity and ability to inflict serious damage.
Trish King, director of behavior and training at the Marin Humane Society and author of the book "Parenting Your Dog" said some have characteristics that have been exacerbated by bad breeding.
Pit bulls were bred in Europe in the 1800s to bait bulls, she said. When that practice was outlawed, handlers pitted dogs against each other.
"They were bred for intolerance and the prey drive," King said. "Those two things, in combination, can cause tragedies. The prey drive is an instinct. A reflex. It can be sparked by movement. If something causes the pit bull to become overexcited, it might become angry. They can over-respond to stimuli."
Nonetheless, she believes pit bulls can be exceptionally loving dogs.
The Marin Humane Society offers a seven-week class called Bull Breed Basics for breeds ranging from the pit bull to the boxer. The course was created last year to build understanding around the more powerful dog breeds and ensure that owners are aware and in control.
Donna Duford, dog behaviorist at Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, said "attacks by smaller dogs, other types of dogs, don't get reported like they do with pit bulls. ... Pit bulls get more press. That's because when they do attack, they can cause a great deal of damage."
The attack Friday in San Francisco is one of a handful of high- profile maulings by pit bulls in the Bay Area in recent years.
In March, two pit bulls attacked an 11-year-old boy near his Concord home. Last June, an 88-year-old Concord woman was pulled from her walker and mauled by a neighbor's pit bull. In 2001, three pit bulls attacked and nearly killed 10-year-old Shawn Jones as he rode his bicycle in Richmond.
But in this latest case, the dogs were family pets -- named Rex and Ella.
Duford said she didn't know the history of the pit bulls involved in the mauling Friday. Rex, the male pit bull, was taken to Animal Care and Control. Ella was shot at the scene.
"Everyone is just devastated," Duford said. "It's a tragic story."
She said she hopes that people don't overreact and cast all pit bulls as vicious.
She said that, generally, the concern with pit bulls is aggression toward other dogs -- not humans.
"They were bred for centuries to take bulls down by the nose," Duford said. "So there is this genetic tendency toward aggression toward animals. Not all of them have it, but I would say most have it to varying degrees."
Ken White, president of the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA, sighed when he heard of the fatal mauling.
"I do think there are bad dogs," White said. "Most, though, are bad dogs because of what people have done to them, or not done to them. I certainly think that the pit is one of the breeds that if it does harm, the level of harm can be hugely out of proportion to what another breed could do."
At the same time, White says pit bulls can be as sweet as any breed.
"We have a pit bull up for adoption here who weighs around 110 pounds, and he is one of the sweetest pups I've ever known," said White, who began working in animal care and adoption in San Francisco in 1968.
"I've been in this field long enough to have seen other breeds go through what the pit is now going through," White said. "The pit bull is where the Doberman, chow, akita or rottweiler was years ago. It's the focus of attention. "
E-mail Julian Guthrie at jguthrie@sfchronicle.com.
If bred and trained properly, pit bulls can be wonderful pets, experts said. If there is a lack of stability, though, they have the proclivity and ability to inflict serious damage.
Trish King, director of behavior and training at the Marin Humane Society and author of the book "Parenting Your Dog" said some have characteristics that have been exacerbated by bad breeding.
Pit bulls were bred in Europe in the 1800s to bait bulls, she said. When that practice was outlawed, handlers pitted dogs against each other.
"They were bred for intolerance and the prey drive," King said. "Those two things, in combination, can cause tragedies. The prey drive is an instinct. A reflex. It can be sparked by movement. If something causes the pit bull to become overexcited, it might become angry. They can over-respond to stimuli."
Nonetheless, she believes pit bulls can be exceptionally loving dogs.
The Marin Humane Society offers a seven-week class called Bull Breed Basics for breeds ranging from the pit bull to the boxer. The course was created last year to build understanding around the more powerful dog breeds and ensure that owners are aware and in control.
Donna Duford, dog behaviorist at Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, said "attacks by smaller dogs, other types of dogs, don't get reported like they do with pit bulls. ... Pit bulls get more press. That's because when they do attack, they can cause a great deal of damage."
The attack Friday in San Francisco is one of a handful of high- profile maulings by pit bulls in the Bay Area in recent years.
In March, two pit bulls attacked an 11-year-old boy near his Concord home. Last June, an 88-year-old Concord woman was pulled from her walker and mauled by a neighbor's pit bull. In 2001, three pit bulls attacked and nearly killed 10-year-old Shawn Jones as he rode his bicycle in Richmond.
But in this latest case, the dogs were family pets -- named Rex and Ella.
Duford said she didn't know the history of the pit bulls involved in the mauling Friday. Rex, the male pit bull, was taken to Animal Care and Control. Ella was shot at the scene.
"Everyone is just devastated," Duford said. "It's a tragic story."
She said she hopes that people don't overreact and cast all pit bulls as vicious.
She said that, generally, the concern with pit bulls is aggression toward other dogs -- not humans.
"They were bred for centuries to take bulls down by the nose," Duford said. "So there is this genetic tendency toward aggression toward animals. Not all of them have it, but I would say most have it to varying degrees."
Ken White, president of the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA, sighed when he heard of the fatal mauling.
"I do think there are bad dogs," White said. "Most, though, are bad dogs because of what people have done to them, or not done to them. I certainly think that the pit is one of the breeds that if it does harm, the level of harm can be hugely out of proportion to what another breed could do."
At the same time, White says pit bulls can be as sweet as any breed.
"We have a pit bull up for adoption here who weighs around 110 pounds, and he is one of the sweetest pups I've ever known," said White, who began working in animal care and adoption in San Francisco in 1968.
"I've been in this field long enough to have seen other breeds go through what the pit is now going through," White said. "The pit bull is where the Doberman, chow, akita or rottweiler was years ago. It's the focus of attention. "
E-mail Julian Guthrie at jguthrie@sfchronicle.com.