Marty
08-15-2005, 11:52 AM
Columbia, SC -- Kristina Stoner and her puppy, Jager, were in a car wreck together on I-20 one winter. Although an ambulance whisked Stoner to safety, she spent the next three days in intensive care wondering what had happened to her dog.
Friends later found the buckskin-colored pup sitting next to the accident scene, waiting faithfully for Stoner’s return, she said.
Such devotion is typical of Jager’s breed — pit bull — and that trait is exploited by irresponsible owners to make the dogs obedient attackers or fighters, said Steve Branham, a pit-bull breeder and former state trooper.
Branham invited Stoner and dozens of other pit-bull owners to meet Sunday to start a group designed to protect the dogs from such exploitation and from attempts to ban the animals.
“Punish the deed and not the breed,” Branham said.
Sixty-five people joined the new South Carolina Pit Bull Organization during its inaugural meeting at Buckets Cafe in Lexington.
That eatery normally does not allow dogs indoors, but operating manager Michelle Fleming let in three pit bulls, including Jager (pronounced “YEA-ger”), which sat quietly under the tables.
Any dog with the wrong training or upbringing can become a “deadly weapon with a brain,” Branham said. Federal statistics show that at least 25 different breeds of dogs, from Saint Bernards to cocker spaniels, have killed at least one person each since 1979.
But pit bull breeds are the top killers, and — with Rottweilers — were responsible for more than half the 238 dog-bite related deaths nationwide between 1979 and 1998.
“There appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities,” concluded a 2000 study led by a researcher from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people say that conclusion justifies banning pit bulls, as Miami and Denver have done, but pit-bull owners and the study’s authors disagree.
The study suggests that banning specific breeds of dogs might only push people who want aggressive dogs to exploit other large, strong breeds. The study also said that many bite fatalities could be prevented by stronger laws related to fencing and leashing dogs, and stronger punishments for violating such laws.
Trae Edwards, who has bred dogs for six years, said dogs that repeatedly bite — or that are aggressive with small children — should be killed.
Branham said parents should never leave children alone with any dog and should teach children how to behave around dogs. Children should be taught to:
• Approach dogs slowly from the side — or, better, wait for dogs to approach and sniff
• Rub dogs under the neck, instead of on the head, because dogs view the latter as an assertion of dominance
• Never stare into dogs’ eyes or tease dogs
During Sunday’s meeting, Branham’s silver-gray pit bull, Bam-Bam, played on the floor with 11-year-old Austin Weathersby, one of Branham’s cousins. The muscular, 82-pound dog licked Austin’s face and neck, and let the boy stroke him constantly.
Austin also played with Jager, who survived three days without food and heat at Stoner’s accident scene to become a 75-pound adult dog eight years later.
Reach McWilliams at (803) 771-8308 or jmcwilliams@thestate.com.
Friends later found the buckskin-colored pup sitting next to the accident scene, waiting faithfully for Stoner’s return, she said.
Such devotion is typical of Jager’s breed — pit bull — and that trait is exploited by irresponsible owners to make the dogs obedient attackers or fighters, said Steve Branham, a pit-bull breeder and former state trooper.
Branham invited Stoner and dozens of other pit-bull owners to meet Sunday to start a group designed to protect the dogs from such exploitation and from attempts to ban the animals.
“Punish the deed and not the breed,” Branham said.
Sixty-five people joined the new South Carolina Pit Bull Organization during its inaugural meeting at Buckets Cafe in Lexington.
That eatery normally does not allow dogs indoors, but operating manager Michelle Fleming let in three pit bulls, including Jager (pronounced “YEA-ger”), which sat quietly under the tables.
Any dog with the wrong training or upbringing can become a “deadly weapon with a brain,” Branham said. Federal statistics show that at least 25 different breeds of dogs, from Saint Bernards to cocker spaniels, have killed at least one person each since 1979.
But pit bull breeds are the top killers, and — with Rottweilers — were responsible for more than half the 238 dog-bite related deaths nationwide between 1979 and 1998.
“There appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities,” concluded a 2000 study led by a researcher from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people say that conclusion justifies banning pit bulls, as Miami and Denver have done, but pit-bull owners and the study’s authors disagree.
The study suggests that banning specific breeds of dogs might only push people who want aggressive dogs to exploit other large, strong breeds. The study also said that many bite fatalities could be prevented by stronger laws related to fencing and leashing dogs, and stronger punishments for violating such laws.
Trae Edwards, who has bred dogs for six years, said dogs that repeatedly bite — or that are aggressive with small children — should be killed.
Branham said parents should never leave children alone with any dog and should teach children how to behave around dogs. Children should be taught to:
• Approach dogs slowly from the side — or, better, wait for dogs to approach and sniff
• Rub dogs under the neck, instead of on the head, because dogs view the latter as an assertion of dominance
• Never stare into dogs’ eyes or tease dogs
During Sunday’s meeting, Branham’s silver-gray pit bull, Bam-Bam, played on the floor with 11-year-old Austin Weathersby, one of Branham’s cousins. The muscular, 82-pound dog licked Austin’s face and neck, and let the boy stroke him constantly.
Austin also played with Jager, who survived three days without food and heat at Stoner’s accident scene to become a 75-pound adult dog eight years later.
Reach McWilliams at (803) 771-8308 or jmcwilliams@thestate.com.