But don't read the comments!! People are very uninformed on there!
Update: and the comments just keep getting worse. People are so scared of pit bulls and they don't realize it's all propaganda. I've been called ignorant, naive, a silly college kid, and many other names so far!
Roitblat insists that pibbles are no different than any other dog, that they're just lovable wigglebutts and that that ANYTHING otherwise is just "propaganda".
prop·a·gan·da
ˌpräpəˈɡandə/
noun
derogatory
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
After reading her editorial, I'd call it propaganda, as it is completely biased and of a misleading nature.
"Pit bull bans like Lakewood's are wrong. These dogs are no more dangerous than other types": Erika Roitblat (Opinion)
Hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanized in kennels across the country each year. Many that face this fate will be pit bulls because of their unfair vilification and breed-specific legislation that bans them from cities across the country.
There is a myth that pit bulls are more dangerous than other breeds, but owners can attest the biggest threat a pit bull poses is a bombardment of kisses and a severe lack of personal space as these large dogs try to get as close as possible for a cuddle.
We need to end the myth that pit bulls are inherently dangerous and repeal laws that unfairly ban them from our cities.
Pit bulls' unfair reputation is not only uninformed, it's also dangerous.
This fall, Montreal passed a breed-specific law on pit bulls that enraged the social media universe.
Activists started evacuating pit bulls from shelters in the city, dismayed dog lovers took to Facebook to voice their outrage, and others signed petitions to overturn the ban. (In early October, a Quebec judge temporarily suspended key aspects of the law pending adjudication of a legal challenge to its provisions.)
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| Pennsylvania: TayLynn DeVaughn, 2, killed by family's pit bull mix |
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| South Africa: Sebastian Strecker, 14 months, has face ripped open by his family's pit bull. |
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| Woman lost eye, ear and both arms after pit bull attack |
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| Toddler left with 240 stitches after terrifying Staffordshire pit bull terrier attacked |
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| Couple's life forever altered after two pit bulls kill toddler |
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| Faith Hendricks, 1, killed by Bruno, the pit bull the family had had since it was a puppy |
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| Maine: Payton Bronish was attacked by her grandparents' pit bull |
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| California: Nine-year-old boy mauled to death by his sister's pit bulls which she had raised from puppies |
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| Virginia: Payton Lyrik Sawyers, 15 months old, attacked and killed by babysitter's pit bull |
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| Tanner Smith, 5, mauled to death by 2 pit bulls in Texas |
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| Jacklin is 5, she was mauled/bit in the face by a family-friendly pit bull, whom we loved |
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| Vicious pack of pit bulls maul two female cousins out for a run, ripping woman's scalp off in horrific 30-minute 'feeding frenzy' |
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| North Carolina: Alemeaner Dial, 83, mauled to death by her granddaughter's four pit bulls |
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| Georgia: Woman's little dog nearly killed by a pit bull. Owner says she knew her pit bull "doesn't get along with other dogs" |
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| Maine: Woman's little dog attacked by a loose pit bull at dog park |
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| Florida: Beloved Dachshund named Micky attacked by neighbor's pit bull, leaving her with four broken legs, broken ribs, broken pelvis and hole in her lung |
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| Maryland: Eugene "Smittie" Smith told co-workers at Clouse trucking that he often slept with the 84-lb neutered male pit bull that ended up mauling him to death |
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| Missouri: Deriah Solem, 22 months old, killed by family pit bull mix |
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| Georgia: Adorable little dog named Coco doesn't survive after being attacked by a pit bull |
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| Arkansas: "I lost my best friend today. He was killed by 2 pit bulls" |
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| New Mexico: Pit bull attacks three small dogs, killing one. Owner searching for one which ran off and hasn't been found. |
Florida: Fernando Gonzalez given civil citations after the Pit
Bull he claimed wasn't his attacked two dogs at dog park,
killing a Yorkie and biting man who tried to stop it
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| Tennessee: Recent dog attacks spur proposed changes to Blount County's animal control ordinance |
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| California: Little dog named Snow dies after pit bull attack |
While animal lovers across Canada and the United States seemed to unite in anger against Montreal's unfair treatment of pit bulls, many seemed unaware that cities in our own backyards have had breed-specific dog bans in place for years!
Breed-specific dog bans, like the one in Lakewood, are passed to "protect" citizens from unwarranted dog attacks. Breed-specific bans make some people feel safer, but organizations as varied as the American Bar Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and Humane Society of the United States have all concluded that there is no evidence that breed-specific legislation actually makes anyone safer.
BSL SUPPORTED BY, OF ALL GROUPS, PETA
Although some jurisdictions do have an outright ban on a particular type of dog living in their community, for many places BSL is simply about putting restrictions on dogs. Muzzled in public, mandatory spaying and neutering, not allowed to be chained/tethered, etc.
Now I know that PETA has, over the years, done some outrageous, ridiculous things that have ruined their name and is used to describe an over-the-top, crazed activist - they have redeemed themselves (somewhat) in my mind because they support BSL. Whereas the ASPCA and the HSUS (and Animal Planet) are falling over themselves trying to push pit bulls on society, PETA says this:
Some people who call themselves pit bull advocates cry, “Discrimination!” at the mere mention of breed-specific legislation.
PETA supports a ban on breeding pit bulls and pit bull mixes as well as strict regulations on their care, including a ban on chaining them.
Laws like this aren’t breed-specific “discrimination”—they’re breed-specific protection. They prevent pit bulls from being born only to be exploited, abandoned, and abused.
If you love pit bulls, help them. Work for spay/neuter requirements and anti-chaining laws. Urge people who keep their dogs chained to let them live indoors as members of the family. And always report abuse and neglect. Pit bulls need all the friends they can get.
THREE CITIES WITH BSL
Taking a look at bite statistics from jurisdictions which enacted bans, After Aurora, Colorado adopted its pit bull ban ordinance in 2005, attacks by pit bulls decreased 73% (as of March 2014).
After Pawtucket, Rhode Island adopted their pit bull ban in 2004, the city released 13-years of bite data showing that in the 4-years leading up to the ban, there were 52 pit bull attacks on people. In the 10-years after the ban, there were only 13 (as of September 2013).
In Toronto, after a decade long pit bull ban, pit bull attacks dropped from 168 to 13 annually. -- Do breed-specific laws work?
The American Canine Foundation sued the city of Aurora when they enacted BSL. The judge's decision affirming Aurora's right and responsibility to the health, safety and welfare of its citizens can be read here:
AMERICAN CANINE FOUNDATION V. CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO (D.COLO. 5-8-2009)
I find that ample evidence exists to establish a rational relationship between the City's ordinance regulating the possession of pit bulls and other restricted breeds and the City's undisputed legitimate interest in protecting the health and safety of the City's residents. Specifically, evidence was presented to support Aurora's findings that pit bulls, as well as other restricted breeds, tend to be stronger than other dog breeds, that they often give no warning signals before attacking and are less willing than other dogs to retreat from an attack and that attacks from such breeds result in multiple bites and attacks of greater severity than other dogs.
But let's get back to Roitblat's assertions...
In fact, studies have shown that people are less safe once a breed-specific dog ban is enacted because they are living under a false sense of security. Breed-specific bans distract from responsible dog ownership, which is what really matters when preventing bad dog behavior.
See Pawtucket, Aurora and Toronto stats above...
With breed-specific dog bans in place, enforcement often overlooks near-bites, dogs off-leash, and dogs who aren't properly socialized or trained becoming overly aggressive.
To make their residents safer from aggressive dogs, cities should be revisiting and enhancing their vicious and dangerous dog laws. The punitive measures for irresponsible dog ownership should be enhanced and, most importantly, enforced. Cities need to focus their attention on correcting bad owner behavior by forcing owners with frequent or severe violations of dog laws to go through a training course, pay fines, or even lose their dogs.
Any dog can be a threat if not properly trained. By placing all our fears on pit bulls, we leave ourselves open to the true threat: Owners who do not practice responsible dog ownership.
It is hard for activists to break the myth that pit bulls are dangerous because it has been in our public consciousness for so long now that we accept this narrative as fact.
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| Relatives' pit bulls fatally maul Riverview boy, 4 |
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| Maryland: Woman who "loved that dog unconditionally" killed by her pit bull |
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| Boy, 10, faces years of facial reconstructive surgery after he is viciously mauled by two pit bulls while riding on a scooter he got for Christmas |
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| Illinois: "His intestines were coming out of his body and I was trying to put them back in". Oliver killed by pit bull |
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| Florida: Little dog dies after being attacked by pit bull, which crushed his backbone |
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| California: THE SAME DAY this pit bull was adopted it attacks and kills a 6-pound Maltese named Teddy |
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| RIP Teddy. Killed by the pit bull, above |
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| "It grabbed her lower half and was pulling down on the dog or just actually his weight pulling down as he grabbed Charlotte. It was pulling me down as well, and then the other pit bull jumped on me." |
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| Iowa: Two pit bulls which had already been declared vicious in 2014, get loose again, run across street, attack maul, kill little Chihuahua |
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| California: Man devastated when his little dog mauled to death by two pit bulls. Owner ran off with dogs after the attack |
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| Michigan: Poodle attacked, disemboweled and killed by two pit bulls that have killed before |
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| "It does not matter how tame and sweet a pit bull is, they're dangerous" says woman whose beloved Rat Terrier named Texas Daniel Heidelberg was killed by one |
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| Alabama: Dachshund named Jake died after pit bull crushed his ribs and punctured his lungs in attack |
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| United Kingdom: David Mckenzie, 51, pleads guilty to being out of control of a vicious pit bull, which attacked and killed this puppy |
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| Arkansas: Little dog dies from spinal cord damage after being attacked by pit bull |
PIT BULLS WERE NOT "NANNY DOGS"
"Yet up until the 1960s, pit bulls were called 'nanny dogs' because of their gentle disposition and knack for protecting babies", claims Roitblat.
No, no, no. This myth was started by Pit Bull apologists and has been repeated ad nauseum making many people think it's true.
To know the truth, just look at antique Victorian paintings. Most of the dogs you'll see are St. Bernards, Collies - lots of Collies and this is waaay before the age of 'Lassie', and a few smaller dogs like Jack Russells. NO PIT BULLS.
Here are 25 paintings featuring the real nanny dogs:
St. Bernards and Collies, the real "nanny dogs"
Read More: "The Nanny Dog Myth Revealed"
Now Roitlat claims:
"In fact, recent tests by The American Temperament Test Society show that American pit bull terriers are far more tolerant than many dog breeds out there."
Again she is WRONG. The ATTS is flawed and was created for police and military dogs -- not personal pets. Therefore, a dog that passes the test is not passing a "he's a wigglebutt" test. It's passing a test that makes it more suitable for police, military, guard work.
Read: "Read More: The truth about the ATTS (American Temperament Test Society) - The ATTS test was initially intended to test working dogs for jobs such as police work. The test favors bold dogs, dogs that need to face danger head on without hesitation and fear. Courage was desired and rewarded, timidity was not. The ATTS favors dogs like pit bulls over dogs like collies. It is important to note, the test does not evaluate dogs for "pet" suitability."
Roitblat wants you to believe pit bulls aren't prone to aggression and that when they are aggressive, it's ONLY because they were "trained that way".
Roitblat continues:
As inner cities became more dangerous places to live, many people decided to train these muscular dogs to protect their houses, not because they were more prone to aggression, but because they looked intimidating!
Owners avoided neutering males to make them more territorial (a trait not unique to pit bulls) and trained them to be aggressive. From that point on, the myth that pit bulls are inherently dangerous has seeped into the depths of our collective consciousness.
Not only do breed-specific dog bans not keep citizens safer, but they also create another obstacle for dogs to get adopted, effectively damning loving animals to a life of concrete and cages.
Again, she is WRONG. She claims that the only vicious Pit Bulls are ones that are "trained to be mean" or "abused to be mean". There are many, many instances of Pit Bulls attacking their owners and the mom and dad claim the dog was brought up with the children, other pets including cats... that the dog had never shown an aggressive bone in its body UNTIL THE DAY IT TRIED TO KILL ONE OF THEM.
Click on the "surprised owner" tab for this blog and you'll find lots of victims who swore they were duped into thinking it was "all how they're raised" - and they or their child was attacked by their beloved dog.
And BSL has shown to make it safer for citizens in jurisdictions where it is enacted. Why shouldn't a community be able to put whatever restrictions they want? You have to pay more for insurance to own an Escalade than a Kia. Why shouldn't you have more restrictions because you insist on owning a type of dog known for mauling, maiming and killing more people, pets and livestock THAN ANY OTHER TYPE OF DOG?
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| Texas: Teen attacked by family's 8-MONTH-OLD pit bull |
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| Michigan: Her 'cheeks are missing:' Pit bull mauls young girl in foster home, lawsuit says |
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| Virginia: Fairfax County Animal Shelter continue to adopt vicious dogs. Now, a Pit bull repeatedly returned to shelter for aggression attacks and kills Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
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| Pennsylvania: Woman's beloved dog mauled to death by pit bull. How many bodies have to continue to pile up?! |
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| Dog attack survivor, 50, who lost his arm, leg and EAR after he was viciously mauled by a dozen pit bulls reveals he is haunted by nightmares |
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| Toddler's ear ripped off in Jurupa Valley dog attack |
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| North Carolina woman fatally mauled when she goes to feed boyfriend's 2 pit bulls |
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| Onslow Co. boy out of hospital following pit bull attack |
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| Cochrane boy, 7, ‘doing good’ after pit bull attack |
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| Owners of pit bull that viciously mauled boy refuse to give it up because they feel 'bullied' |
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| North Carolina: Cathy Wheatcraft had just gotten her mail and was walking back to her house when her neighbor's pit bull attacked and then killed her |
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| California: Emilio Rios Carranza Sr., 65, killed by pit bull/boxer mixes |
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| Delaware: Dachshund being walked on leash is mauled to death by two loose pit bulls |
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| Maine: Owner of pit bulls she knew were aggressive, broke through TWO fences to attack and kill Boston Terrier puppy |
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| Texas: Yorkie was killed by killed by pit bull; devasted owner says dog walker then tried to flee with the 3 pit bulls |
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| Michigan: Xavier Strickland, 4, mauled to death by pit bulls |
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| Michigan: Grandmother, 71, is mauled and killed by a pit bull inside her home as neighbors hear her scream for help |
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| Arizona: Kayden Begay, visiting his grandparents, is mauled to death by their neighbor's 12 pit bulls |
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| Colorado: Woman killed by son’s pit bulls |
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| South Africa: Two pit bulls attacked and killed Marchen Hoffman, 6, who tried to run |
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| Kansas: Piper Dunbar, 2, attacked and killed by two pit bulls that belonged to a family friend |
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| United Kingdom: Four-month-old Archie Joe Darby killed and Daniel-Jay Darby, 2, seriously injured by aunt's pit bull |
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| United Kingdom: Stephen Hodgson, 45, attacked and killed by his pit bull mix named Buster |
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| Little girl, 8, loses an arm after being attacked by two pit bulls |
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| Child Recovers After Damaging Pit Bull Attack in Isanti County |
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| OHIO -- Dog recovering after pit bull attack |
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| VIRGINIA: "RIP to my son's dog Justice! Killed by a pit bull today. Damn I miss this dog." |
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| Florida: Pit bull, which has already mauled and killed a cat and a dog in the past, attacks woman and her Dachshund, tries to bite Animal Control officer as well |
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| United Kingdom: "He didn't stand a chance", says mom after beloved dog ripped from daughter's arms and ripped apart by pit bull |
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| United Kingdom: Owner flees after his three pit bulls attack and kill little dog named Alfie |
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| Ohio: Unlicensed pit bulls attacked and killed elderly woman's Sheltie named Princess, authorities say |
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| Virginia: Pit bull breaks through a solid fence to attack little dog, nearly killing him |
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| Texas: Chihuahua named Chica-Chica doesn't survive after being attacked by two pit bulls, which broke her spine in half |
ROITBLAT VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS ANTI-BSL PIT BULL GROUP. NOW SHE WILL PROMOTE THEM IN HER "EDITORIAL"
Good work is being done by dog advocacy groups like All Breeds Lakewood, fighting for fairer dog laws. All Breeds Lakewood is working hard to dispel the myths around pit bulls in order to overturn Lakewood's breed-specific dog ban, enhance Lakewood's dog laws, and promote responsible ownership to make the city safer for people and pets.
But Lakewood is not alone in its breed-specific ban. Everyone should find out if breed-specific dog bans exist in their cities, and lobby their city councils to end them. Let's bring America's "nanny dogs" home.
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| 'I thought I was going to die' |
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| Woman, 67, suffers serious dog bite trying to save puppy from pit bull attack |
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| Pit bull terriers kill Chihuahua, injure woman |
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| Little dog dies 4 days after pit bull mauling |
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| Florida: Logan, 4, killed by his uncle's pit bulls |
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| South Africa: Sweet looking dog mauled by two loose pit bulls on its own property |
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| Ohio: Cindy Whisman, 59, died after being attacked by her daughter’s pit bull in the backyard of her home |
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| Woman loses part of leg after pit bulls 'raised in a loving home' attack |
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| North Carolina: While spending the weekend with her dad and grandma, little girl attacked by their neighbor's pit bull |
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| Pennsylvania: Little girl attacked in the face by her grandfather's pit bull |
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| Washington: Young woman protects baby from pit bull attack; is viciously mauled |
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| "It depends on how they're raised... I think I raised them properly" says owner of pit bulls which mauled his grandmother |
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| 3-Year-Old Braelynn Rayne Coulter Killed By Pit Bull |
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| OHIO - Girl attacked by dogs continues long recovery |
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| Texas: Norberto Legardo, 83, Killed in Pit Bull Attack |
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| Tennessee: Family wonders why their beloved pit bull, raised from a puppy, tried to kill its owners |
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| Alabama: Mother stabs her pit bull to death to stop attack on her four-year-old son |
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| Mississippi: Biloxi teen who saved his baby brother after they were both attacked by neighbor's pit bull MUST HAVE LEG AMPUTATED |
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| Oklahoma: Carolyn Sue Lamp, 68, attacked and killed by three pit bulls and a Rottweiler |
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| Boyfriend of woman killed by her own pit bull: 'I've never seen a dog more aggressive' |
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| Massachusetts: Little Chihuahua named Foxy is attacked and mauled to death by pit bull |
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| New Zealand: Cat attacked by two pit bulls; injuries are too great for his little body and he dies at the vet |
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| Texas: Lucy, mauled and killed by pit bulls |
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| New York: Marley attacked & killed by a pit bull |
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| South Carolina: Little dog named Termite horribly mauled by loose pit bull |
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| California: Two pit bulls mauled a horse in an attack so vicious the animal had to be put down |
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| Alabama: Little Chihuahua has giant holes ripped into his back from pit bull attack |
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| Connecticut: Hero UPS driver beats pit bull in the head with a shovel to save Collie being attacked |
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| California: Man's little Chihuahua lucky to be alive after being attacked by a pit bull; left with Frankenstein-looking stitches on her back |
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| California: Emako Mendoza killed in her own yard by neighbor's pit bulls |
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| Iowa: Jordyn Arndt, 4, killed by pit bull |
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| United Kingdom: Cat dies after getting 'ripped apart' by pit bull |
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| Pennsylvania: Miniature Pinscher attacked and killed by neighbor's pit bull |
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| Two-Month-Old Boy Dead in Pit Bull Attack |
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| 10-year-old mauled by family Pit Bull. "I cried," Jeremy said. "He was my best friend." |
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| Boynton Beach toddler recovering after pit bull bite to face |
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| Police: Family lied about daughter's dog attack to protect family pit bull |
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| New York: Family remembers 9-year-old Long Island girl mauled to death by pit bull as horse-drawn carriage carries her casket |
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| Upstate New York baby mauled to death by family’s pit bull |
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| OHIO -- Seven year old boy attacked by uncle's pit bull mix |
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| New York: Pregnant woman is attacked and two of her dogs killed by the same pit bulls which attacked this Boxer (below) the previous week |
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| Illinois: Miniature poodle attacked and killed by loose pit bull |
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| South Dakota: Woman attacked and her Dachshund named Gunner viciously mauled to death by neighbor's pit bulls |
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| Ohio: Girl attacked by family pit bull named Bear |
IS THIS JUST PROPAGANDA, ERIKA ROITBLAT?
Would you like to see more? Because there are THOUSANDS more that can be added.
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