Authorities investigate pit bull bite

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

A Cole County man was treated and released after being bit by a pit bull Monday morning.

According to the Cole County Sheriff’s Department, the dog bit the man’s forearm around 9:23 a.m. at 1001 Route T.

Sheriff Greg White said the man was protecting himself from the dog. He could not confirm reports the man had assaulted the dog’s owner, and the owner claimed the dog was defending her.

White did say this occurred in an unincorporated area where there is no leash law.

Since this was the first time this dog had been reported as biting someone and the dog has a rabies tag, the owner was given a warning to contain the animal. But if this occurs again and if a judge finds the dog to be vicious, the dog could be destroyed and the owner given a citation.

If the dog were allowed to stay alive, it would have to stay in kennel that meets standards set by the law.

White said the owner has several pit bulls, but this is the only one she has allowed to run loose.

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mia 11 months, 3 weeks ago

ummm yea. You attack me and my guard dog will lay into you. Cut and dried.

TickledPink 11 months, 3 weeks ago

But Mia, it's a pit bull. Don't you know pit bulls are never innocent? There are some people who won't be happy until the entire breed is eradicated.

Sequoia 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Nothing against pit bulls, but reports of attacks on the dogs owner were unconfirmed.

If my dog bit someone and the cops showed up at my house, what would I say to try to get out of trouble? Let me think...

jeffcitygirl 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Pit bull bites are worse than other dog's bites, it's not the "breed" it's what the "breed" is capable of when and if they DO bite that makes them dangerous, and yes I'd be happy if they were eradicated off the planet. You would be too if you see the victims of what these potentially dangerous animals have done h ttp://pit-bulls.christianfunfair.org/attacks.htm

MO4LIFE 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Owners make Pitbulls vicious the dog itself is not vicious. Thats like saying u would like black people eradicated because they commit crimes!

John 11 months, 3 weeks ago

The same was said of German Shepherds, Doberman Pincers, Rotweillers, etc. Oh, and I love the statement, "eradicated off the planet." They are either eradicated or not . . . . geeeezzzzzz

TickledPink 11 months, 3 weeks ago

In what way are pit bites worse than other dogs? Sure, it's worse than a chihuahua (which are by far a more "vicious" breed) but worse than a lab? A husky? A bite from a larger dog is always bad no matter what the breed. Should we ban all dogs over 15 pounds?

I don't own a pit, never have. I just don't agree with people wanting an entire breed dead because of a few bad ones.

PatsyDecline 11 months, 3 weeks ago

"Does your dog bite?"

spelchek 11 months, 3 weeks ago

"No." BITE..... "I thought you said your dog doesn't bite."......"That's not my dog."

jeffcitygirl 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Pit bulls and other dangerous dogs such as dobermans are capable of mauling, not just biting. This sums it up well Through selective breeding, pit bulls have developed enormous jaw strength, as well as a ruinous "hold and shake" bite style, designed to inflict the maximum damage possible on their victims. This bite trait delivered winning results in the fighting pit. When the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the Denver pit bull ban in 2005, the high court set aside characteristics that pit bulls displayed when they attack that differ from all other dog breeds. One of these characteristics was their lethal bite:

"[pit bulls] inflict more serious wounds than other breeds. They tend to attack the deep muscles, to hold on, to shake, and to cause ripping of tissues. Pit bull attacks were compared to shark attacks."11

dogsbite.org

jeffcitygirl 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Ooops..hit post too soon, I'm not going to wage another war on here with those that love their pit bulls but this is from the site dogsbite.org that sums up what I'm saying better than I can .

"Whether a pit bull bites more or less than another dog breed is not the point. The issue is the acute damage a pit bull inflicts when it does choose to bite. The pit bull's "hold and shake" bite style causes severe bone and muscle damage, often inflicting permanent and disfiguring injury."

That's all I'm saying. Look at the faces of those who have survived a pit attack compared to those that have a simple bite from any other breed, if you REALLY look at the pictures of innocent children maimed for life and admit to yourselves in your hearts what your precious Fido could really do to someone just based on their build and genetic breeding, you'd think twice about owning a pit too.

John 11 months, 3 weeks ago

My Shi Tzu has a "hold and shake" attack style, when she attacks her rope toy or other toys. My German Shepherds had "hold and shake" styles, as did my lab and my poodle. I guarantee you, jeffcitygirl, you would rather deal with a 40 lb American Pit Bull than my 80 lb German Shepherd. The owners of mean animals need to be held responsible for damage UNLESS the animal is protecting itself or its owner from abuse. . . By the way, which Bulls are you eradicating, American Bit Bulls or another "Pit" Bull breed?

TickledPink 11 months, 3 weeks ago

ALL dogs are capable of mauling. In 2000 a Pomeranian mauled and killed a 6 week old baby.

h t t p://w w w.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Dog-Bites/dogbite-factsheet.html

h t t p://w w w.avma.org/public_health/dogbite/dogbite.pdf

I think I'll stick with getting my information from the CDC and American Veterinary Medical Association. I understand this is an emotionally driven issue and no amount of discussion will change those deadset on breed banning. I wish that much effort went into educating and training dog owners so we could see a higher level of responsibility.

melanie0715 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Thank you TickledPink ... i couldn't have said it better myself.

asb 11 months, 3 weeks ago

There's a side to pits not mentioned here so I will. They are not only bred to have the strongest jaw strength to weight ratio, and the most intense of the canid ability to hold and shake, and the strongest upper (fore) body strength to weight ratio of all the breeds; they've also been bred to want to do this with far less motivation than other dogs and with far less sensitivity to the pain of combat. Yes, pits are dogs and exhibit no trait unique to them, but they have had only one breeding purpose for hundreds of their generations and the dog genome is the most plastic known. They feel less pain when aroused, they bite harder, they persevere more, and have more dragging and shaking strength than any other breed, because they're meant to. The statistics, whether from the CDC or wehatepits.org paint a very clear picture. They are small, compact weapons requiring attention and special relationships with irritating children and other pets, and even then they will be the ones who maul, shred and kill children, cats and dogs twice or thrice their size. And, their meat is rank and tough . . .

John 11 months, 3 weeks ago

"...jaw strength to weight ratio" and "strongest upper (fore) body strength to weight ratio," again, more claptrap. So a 40 pounder bites like a 60 pounder. That has NO bearing because there are 100 and 150 pound dogs out there whose bites are much stronger.

Again, ALL dogs bite and shake, read that? ALL dogs.

All dogs by genetic straiits are hunters and killers. All dogs were originally feral creatures, whether bred as an offshoot breed or a pure breed. Oh yeah, by the way, the AKC and associated KNOWLEDGABLE canine associations claim that there was only a single original breed. Therefore, nearly all breeds are bred for a purpose.

If the dog attacked to protect, so what? It was performing as it should.

asb 11 months, 3 weeks ago

No John, a 40 pounder that bites like a 120 pounder, and grinds and shakes like a shark, and won't let go until it's unconscious. Yes John, I said in my post all dogs bite and shake, pits just do it with more determination and strength than others. Yes John, all dogs originate from a single breed (though we don't know which one), and others are also bred to kill easily, and those are usually not indoor pets. If the dog attacked to protect, that's fine, but you could fill a boxcar with dead babies killed by pits who were protecting themselves from nothing more than an irritating noise. I just think we sould require exotic animal licensing and training to own them, you know, like lions and alligators - read that?

billbrasky 11 months, 3 weeks ago

"Everybody saying that pit bulls go crazy and bite people. That pit bull didn't go crazy that pit bull went pit bull."

gofish 11 months, 3 weeks ago

"That dog won't hunt"

PLUS!!!

God spelled backwards is Dog, so we shouldn't try to eradicate them before the apocolypse.

JMO 11 months, 3 weeks ago

The poster's discussing bite strength are correct. It isn't the size of the dog that is the issue, it's how it's built. Pitts have been bred with a jaw structure that gives them an incredibly strong bite. I absolutely would rather be bitten by an 80 lb German Shepherd instead of a 40 lb Pitt Bull, not that either would be minor. But, I know what those massive jaw muscles can do. By the same token, there are many breeds with those strong jaws. A number of the "bully" breeds have been bred that way. Heck, my Boston Terrier has one heck of a bite. You may not know it, but those cute little black and white Boston's were bred to be fighting dogs, like Pitts, but they failed at it and were bred down into pets instead. Rottweiler's bites are just as powerful if not more so and given their size I'd take a Pitt bite over a Rott.

All that being said, Pitt Bulls can be terrific pets. They are bred to have dog aggressive - not people aggressive - tendancies. An owner worth his salt knows how to deal with those tendencies. There are mean dogs. Heck, Co-cker Spaniels are one of the nippiest dogs there are. But when you get down to it, most of the time It is the owner, not the breed, that is to blame when a dog bites.

Silverado_Phil 11 months, 3 weeks ago

Pit bulls are like hammers. By themselves they are pretty harmless. But when in the hands of someone with bad intentions or lack of common sense, they can become dangerous. I have a friend who has had a few pit bulls and they have been the biggest babies. Yes they are capable of much damage, but they were very gentle and playful.

wcywing 11 months, 3 weeks ago

all dogs can be dangerous. pit bulls way back when used to be used as nanny dogs to watch over children. who would mess with a kid with a pit bull? unfortunately some special people want to use them to fight each other and other stupid things. they have a bad rap. its peoples fault. they train the animals.

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