Cops: South Carolina Man Dangles 5-Year-Old Over Pit Bull

February 1, 2012 12:11 PM

File photo of a pit bull. (credit: JOEL ROBINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Filed under

LANCASTER, S.C. (CBS Charlotte/AP) — Police are looking for a Lancaster man who investigators say dangled a 5-year-old child over a pit bull after the child kicked dirt as his car and cursed at him.

Authorities say a judge has issued a warrant for third-degree assault and battery against 22-year-old Michael Chavis Jr.

Witnesses say Chavis became angry with the boy Sunday evening after dirt was kicked on his car. Police say the man picked the boy up, holding him near a chained, aggressive pit bull.

The dog breed is infamous for its menacing nature, though not all of the species exhibit such characteristics.

Police say Chavis is also wanted for failing to appear in court on a different charge.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Cops: South Carolina Man Dangles 5 Year Old Over Pit Bull

Sylvester

Is that a picture of the creep who did it, or the dog?

Shecky Shelbourne

When they catch him …..

“OK something a little more sophisticated, you dip a guy in brown gravy and lock him in a small room with a wolverine who’s high on angel dust.”

~ George Carlin

http://911essentials.com
Mike A

Nope…File Photo, which means clip art.
Steve Verdon

It is a file picture you dope.

And notice the dog has a muzzle around its neck that “sneer/bearing of the teeth” might very well be in response to removing the muzzle…just like my dog will often shake her head when I remove her collar. And no, a muzzle is not necessarily an indicator of a vicious dog since many places have breed specific legislation requiring all dogs of a given breed to wear a muzzle irrespective of that dog’s level of aggression.

John

You’re a moron. FYI… being able to recognize and enjoy cynical humor and wittiness is a sign of intelligence. Have fun with your dog -I doubt she understands things beyond their face value as well.
Stan M

Actually, I thought the dog in the photo looked almost toothless. Aggression in a dog usually involves retracting the lips to show the teeth. This one looks like it’s missing it’s dentures.

Curtis Gomez

Neither. Just a stock photo meant to villainize a breed that has a minority of bad owners who make sensational news.

hector

seriously? pit bulls kill/mame/and hurt people on a regular basis, but yes, their owners are almost always functional morons as well
Nate

Pitbulls are stupid less than useless animals with a bad history. I don’t care if each and every one of them isn’t a muderer, I say put em all into the incinerator anyway just for good measure.

Dogs: Proof that even God makes mistakes
snafubar

Nate: Proof that even God makes mistakes.
Kenzie

I agree with snafbur. As for Nate, you are the picture of ignorance and intolerance. I work with dogs, specifically pit bulls but not exclusive to the breed, and they are amazing loving dogs. I have never been attacked by a pit but I have been by a Maltese and a few other of the most popular “purse dogs” in America. Dogs who are people aggressive are like so because they have been taught to be that way or have had something happen that makes them afraid and they feel the need to protect themselves. People like Nate are the reason I work with dogs rather than people. Your ignorance disgusts me.

John

Guys, I think this was meant as a JOKE! Actually, though, the picture at the top was a picture of your mom -not a file photo. …unless they have stock photos of your ugly-azz mom, that is.
Pat Trick Conboy

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE….

Nikole Fucci

if a man hung a child over an aggressive dog, regardless of breed, i dont care if it is a vicious chihuahua… that person should have serious SERIOUS consequences!!

JKLM

No, that is a file photo. Google “Michael Chavis jr” and there should be a picture listed under the news stories.

Jay

He’s a black guy. never would have suspected that… I mean no black guys have vicious pit bulls and get angry about having dirt kicked on their cars…

freecheese

Not as bad as what Michael Jackson did to his “white” child !

American

How about we dangle him over a few alligators to show him what it is like.

Jacko!

How ’bout dangling the baby over a balcony. Oh, that’s allowed in Germany.
pitter43

Then drop him after a few hours.

http://doctorsir.wordpress.com aaronmackay

No, not a photo of the actual dog. It’s a file photo from Getty Images.
Kevin

Does it really matter what kind of dog it was? Why does the media insist on giving the Pit Bull breed a bad name? Why was the photo above used for a pit bull? Why not a photo of a pit bull being calm and friendly? No wonder people are so DAMN scared of these dogs. Sad…VERY sad reporting.

J

The statistics are obvious. Breeds that are genetically selected for strength and aggression are going to be stronger and more aggressive. How can you argue with these stats?

http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-study-dog-attacks-and-maimings-merritt-clifton.php

John

Exactly… 1970 dog bites for the pit bulls. I know all dogs can attack, but are you familiar with the work “Predisposition”? I do agree with Richard that it is the owner, but even with nice owners, it can be a mean dog (no matter the breed), but more than likely Pit Bull. BAN THEM, SAVE THE CHILDREN!!!!!
Mitch

Correlation does not imply causation. These “statistics” could easily be explained by a number of other factors, like these dogs possibly having been forced to participate in dog fighting rings or that these dogs are more likely owned by people in dangerous and poor neighborhoods where owners are less likely to properly train and supervise both their children and their pets.
Joy

Why do people keep using dogsbite.org? The nutty couple who runs that site is obsessed with the breed. It’s not a legitimate site. They have over 30 breeds under their “pitbull type” label. It’s always a big giveaway that a list is bogus when many attacks aren’t attributed to mastiffs.
BobBARKer

I’ve known Pit Bulls that were gentle, good dogs. But that doesn’t mean I’d like to be around one that was on the attack.
Sally

http://animal.discovery.com/petsource/bully-breeds/quizzes-myths/5-myths-debunked.html
Suck it. I have a pitbull and he is a bigger baby than my golden retriever. Pitbulls were also used as babysitters for young children in the old days. It’s all about how you raise them.
James D

That website is not a credible source for anything.
Nate

Put all pitbulls in the gas chamber and save some people’s lives. They may not all be bad, but enough are. Plus, they are really just useless little poop factories anyway. Get rid of them.
NoBlahBlah

If you are an honest person and not a knee jerk reactionary, you will do some more research on the site YOU quote. Try below:

http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dogbites/state-by-state-information/

This site tracks reports for EVERY state from animal control, police, sheriff and fire department responses, civil and criminal suits inclusive of pictures of the actual animals labeled as “Pit Bulls’

At some point, you need to recognize that the media and some ‘citizens’ have an agenda that is more interested in creating sensationalism that a Factual Account / analysis of a manufactured problem

Lest you think I condone animal/human violence, you need to read what I have specifically stated when you haven’t had so much caffeine
Nikole Fucci

stats? how about the stat that proves that labs and goldens actually bite more than any other dogs?
educate yourself please. look up the history of the breed. they were bred to be dog aggressive (which many are to this day) and to be completely submissive to people. think about it. they would break up a fight, while dogs are locked on each other and pull them apart. any dog that showed aggression got killed. they had to be handled by the other man before the fight. any dog showing any aggression was killed. when they werent fighting they were home with the family playing with the kids and doing farm or hunting work any dog showing aggression was killed. only dogs that were completely submissive to people had their dna passed on.
pit bulls are strong dogs so when they bite they will hurt you but they dont bite nearly as often as many other breeds and those breeds arent targeted by the media so we dont hear about it. most of the dogs who do attack are not even pit bull terriers they are bullies, dogs bred to be huge who have been bred with mastiffs and all kinds of other breeds to give them size and even color. if a true american pit bull terrier is attacking it was abused to make it act that way…
Kenz

Although I love Nikole’s attitude, some of her facts are skewed. As I’ve said before I work everyday with dogs, especially pits. I also have studied them for a very long time. Honestly mastiff dogs are mostly considered gentle giants like great danes are. The most aggressive dogs I’ve ever met are spoiled and usually have extreme anxiety. This is why so many small dogs are human aggressive. I have also met very many friendly small dogs and own a few, honestly, it almost always depends on the owner and training when human aggression is concerned. Again though, Nate, you continue to be the model of complete ignorance in society.

C. Sense

Not the dog its the owner…..i agree

The type of morons who buy or adopt pit bulls are a different breed themselves. No need for a dog with that kind killing capability just like there is no reason for a citizen to own a fully automatic rifle.

History has shown that most dog owners treat their dogs like children instead of dogs meaning that they have zero control over the actions of their pets. This is normally not a problem for most breeds(labs, bulldogs, etc). But when a pit bull is not fully trained then it acts just like a loaded weapon.

RFB

Your a moron. We can own fully automatic weapons, just pay a little tax. And as for pittbulls, I love mine. He was rescued by my wife and is the most attentive and protective dog I own. He is a product of illeagal dog fighting. Both his parents were faught. The less than humans who owned his parents were arrested and all puppies were to be put down, but one managed to it’s way into my wifes purse and in my home. He is fully trained, responds to hand and voice commands and can be walked off leash(though he doesn’t in public and is inside or in a fence). I also plan on breeding him when my daughter starts walking so she can have the luxury of a selfless gaurd dog. My pittbull has prevented my wife from being mugged and kept teenaged home intruders out of my house.
NoBlahBlah

@C.Sense
I’m sure from your post that I wouldn’t enjoy a cookout with you and Certainly not your children.
From your comment, it is questionable to me that you have reproduced yet.

Good Luck with that
Nikole Fucci

fyi labs bite more often than any other bred…

Jenny

People are afraid of the dogs because we have a large percent of idiots who own them and train them to attack. (Although Pit Bulls, Dobermans and even German Shepherds are predisposed.) If you have an issue with people being fearful, talk to the guy in chicago who is still in the hospital after being attacked by 2-3 pit bulls while he was running in the morning in a park by the lake. He’s lucky he’s alive, although he won’t be running soon, the dogs chewed off the lower half of one of his legs.
pitter43

I just looked up on yahoo about dog bite statistics and this is what one site gave after a 27 year study.

1. German shepherd

2. Chow chow

3. Poodle

4. Italian bulldog

5. Fox terrier

6. Mixed chow chow

7. Airedale

8. Pekingese

9. Mixed German shepherd

Ian Cochran

Poddles are ill-tempered, nasty, mutts. My mom had one and her sister had one and they were the meanest, ill-tempered dogs I have ever seen in my life.
Deb

Now look up which breed had the most FATAL dog attacks. Pit bulls are the top breed
Nate

Pitter, those are misleading statistics because they do not take into account the proportion of pitbull owners compared to the proportion of owners of the other dog breeds. If that is taken into account, it will likely show that pitbulls have a much higher degree of violent incidents.

I say just incinerate them all just to be on the safe side. Stupid useless creatures.

Marcus Allen

This breed is variously cited as being responsible for nearly a third of all fatal dog attacks in the United States, in part due to its tenacity in a fight. Pit bulls cause one-third of dog-bite related fatalities while only make up less than 2% of the dog population. Because of the deaths, maulings and serious injuries inflicted by Pit Bulls, many countries worldwide ban these dogs altogether or require licenses for ownership of them
maureen

No, I think prople know how often this breed attacks, maimes,and kills people and other animals, du!

Shubham

Dear Darcie, Do you have a particular brand of dog food that you would rmcnemeod for a Greyhound and a Jack Russell? I know they would probably fare better with different kinds. What do you rmcnemeod? Thank you, VivianDear Vivian, There are so many ideas about what’s right for a particular breed of dog and those ideas are usually dry dog food types, protein quantity this or that. If your dogs were mine I’d feed them real food that you have in your own kitchen, feed it raw the way Nature intended for dogs to eat. If you want to feed processed dog food, use canned for best nutrition. If you like dry dog food, choose a good quality like the ones we have at . I would veer totally away from anything with corn, in my opinion it’s why dogs are so sick and tired these days. I’ve written many articles on Feeding, take a look here at The Dish. We have some really good raw diet books in the store, too, if you need a little help. The main thing I tell everyone is, if you can feed yourself, you can feed your dog and no, it doesn’t cost a fortune to do it. I hope this helps. Darcie

freecheese

I can’t remember reading headlines saying, “Beagle mauls child to death !”

Ed Stark

Thugs don’t keep (and abuse) beagles, genius. Think first, type second.

chris

Maybe it’s because they are largely bred for fighting and have a predominantly aggressive nature. Maybe it because as a breed they are responsible for more human deaths than all other breeds combined in this country? maybe it’s because every single time I hear of our local PD and Sheriff’s Dept. having to shoot an overly aggressive dog it turns out to be a pit bull?

Now let me ask you a question Kevin. Why is it that people like you are constantly denying that there is a definite problem with this breed?

Ed Stark

Maybe it’s because the people keeping pits? Maybe it’s the thugs and lowlifes that use them as status symbols or abuse them as fighting dogs? Maybe you could take two seconds to think about the problem and stop acting like an expert because you read some stats on the web?

Train animals for a few years, you’ll learn in a hurry a bad animal = bad owner EVERY TIME.
KEnzie

They hurt people more because of how powerful they are compared to other dogs. It all boils down to their owner and training. The reason they are shot more is because people are cruel and afraid, not the dogs. Wake up.

InCalifornia

There is good reason to be scared. A woman with a “nice” pit bull was recently killed by it in my town, Pacifica, CA. Yes, they are dangerous, and far more dangerous than any other breed. If you ever see them in action, you will know why.
Mackenzie

I aI agree. I work with dogs especially pit bulls on a daily basis and they are some of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. Yes they can be extremely dog aggressive but the only reason they are ever people aggressive is because they are raised to be by horrible people. I have been bitten by several small dogs but have received nothing but an amazing loyalty and love from pits.
Charles

Cheri, I have to slightly eagisrde with your comment. I have been around Pit Bulls since I was young and have never had an agressive pit, toward myself, my family, or toward other animals. Being a responsible breeder and knowing the breed itself, I can tell you that most of the issues do not fall back on the dog, yet the owners of the dog. The way that the dog is treated will ultimately affect its behavior. Pits are very intelligent animals and can bounce back from nearly every bad situation that they are put through, included the abuse from their owners to get them agressive enough to fight, however proper care must be taken with these dogs because they will be more agressive towards other animals. A pit bull should NEVER bite a human, they are known to be agressive towards other animals not towards people. If any dog bites a person, think about the situation, more than likely there is an underlying cause that triggered the bite. The dog may have felt threatened or were you going after it treat (resource dogs will bite in any bred). The biggest mistake that people have is treating your animal like a baby. You have to remember that as much as you love your dog and consider it family, its still a dog and it needs to be treated like one to ensure mental stability. Babying your dog, just like your child, can create negative behavior such as nipping, jumping, chewing, and disrespecting other household members. These dogs are pack dogs and need to be reminded (with love of course) that there is only 1 alpha in the household. To ensure a healthy puppy and to ensure that your puppy grows into a stable adult, Pits need to be socialized at early ages and on a regular basis. Pit Bull owners need to be extra responsible, remember, if your Pit gets into a fight with another dog, it doesn’t matter who started it, it will ALWAYS be your dogs fault.

fayebeck

Sylvester, I think it’s his girlfriend.
fayebeck

Kevin doesn’t it strike you odd that the punk did not dangle the kid over a Poodle?

Kevin

My point is that the report could have said “the child was dangled over a chained, aggresive dog.” There are many reports of people being bit and attacked by other breeds other than pit bulls, but do you hear about them? It’s not newsworthy unless it’s a mean, aggresive pit bull.

stace

it is because most other aggressive dogs can be fought off fairly easy…I could kill most small dogs if they attacked me, most large dogs are known to act like an attacking pit bull…obviously insurance companies think the same thing, most have higher rates if you own a pit bull…
Nikole Fucci

stace… that is one of the dumbest things i have ever heard. have you ever seen an actual attack? by any dog? unless it is a 5 lb chihuahua you certaily can not easily fight off an attacking dog. of any breed.

Kevin

Here is a quote from a website: “The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictability is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family’s Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed. Note, however, that they were bred to be watchdogs! The baby’s uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. (“Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog,” Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)”

John

12 years ago… in that time, how many Pit Bulls have killed/mauled. We aren’t saying it doesn’t happen, but don’t you think that the frequency is a bit suspect?

PS. in your comment above, it does mention the breed… doesn’t say “anonymous dog”
Kevin

Where’s my $500?
John

I said Pug or Poodle… not Pomeranian….
Ian Cochran

Poodles are nasty, ill-tempered mutts. They are some of the meanest dogs I have ever seen.
NoBlahBlah

@Kevin
you are wasting your time, I left a link which I am sure most leaving posts here won’t know how to click on.
I for one, am glad that most leaving posts don’t have animals, any type of animals because it is obvious they wouldn’t know how to care for them.
This was a horrific story, the dog got in the babies diaper and chewed off the genitals and the baby bled out.
go to:
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dogbites/state-by-state-information/

for a fact based analysis which many of the people here don’t have the inclination to check, they would rather leave racist remarks and pontificate about that which they know little about

re: your ‘friend’ @John and many others here

Don’t let Facts get in the way of a Good Story!

ryan mcmurtrie

How about they show a picture of the piece of human garbage that committed the illegal act, instead of including a stock photo of a pitbull that appears to be angry? The media is pathetic. “I can’t seem to write an intelligent, articulate, article today about something that actually affects society, so I’ll google until I can find an incident involving a pitbull and paraphrase it”. Get a damn life.

Kevin

Agree

John

Also agree
mtumba djibouti

No kidding!

Nate

This is a news article Ryan, not an editorial. It’s entire purpose is to report the news, which it did by giving details of this particular incident.

Are you not familiar with how the news works?

Pitbulls are useless dangerous animals. Incinerate them.

NoBlahBlah

I agree,

I also propose incinerating all children that I find ill mannered and lacking of proper parental upbringing.

I select myself as the only arbiter possible of knowing the TRUE definitions of ill mannered and lacking proper parental upbringing,

I certainly wouldn’t trust that responsibility to Nate

Death! The Final solution,
Nate

I can totally see the correlation between talking about putting down useless dangerous animals and putting down living human children! Thanks for pointing that out!
NoBlahBlah

I also must be the judge and jury on what actually constitutes a child.

I envision a sliding scale based upon overall obnoxiousness and lack of societal value scoring,

Somewhere between birth and death in Nate’s case

It is called an ‘ironic construct’

Glad that I could make a small difference in your world
NoBlahBlah

It is called an ‘ironic construct’

I’m glad to be able to make a small difference in your world.

Is the sky blue on your planet?
Nate

Why yes, yes it is Noblah. Earth is known for it’s beautiful skies. If you’d ever care to leave your fantasy world of Narnia, you may enjoy it.

Georgia

Why not show a Getty image of an idiot dangling a kid, maybe when Michael Jackson dangled his kid over a balcony???Could you find a worse photo of a pit bull???!! They’re beautiful dogs, and when treated right are wonderful pets…This is a totally biased article keeping the bad press for pit bulls in the headlines…the pit bull didn’t do anything to the kid…

Gene Harrison

Pit bull owners remind me of typical tree huggers…all emotion…few facts…pit bulls were never breed or intended to be made into “pets” ! They were intended for aggressive behavior…and that is why aggressive behavior comes natural to them. It does not change just because you “love ” them! Good grief! Get real folks!

Sally

http://animal.discovery.com/petsource/bully-breeds/quizzes-myths/5-myths-debunked.html
Jenny C

“They were intended for aggressive behavior”
Gene, that is utterly false. In the past, they had been bred and trained to take down bulls, as well as to never turn on humans. If one had shown signs of human aggression, they were put down. That was not tolerated.

On your own, check out videos of dogs fighting. Pitbulls as well as other breeds. Notice how the handlers are in the ring with the Pitbulls, but never with any other fighting dog. No other fighting dog could be trusted not to accidentally (or even intentionally for that matter) bite the handler. But the Pitbulls will not bite their handlers.

By the way, I’m no tree hugger type. I had once been afraid of Pits due to the bogus sensationalism feed to us by the media. After I had been around them myself is when I changed my mind. You, Gene, are the one who has been swayed by your emotions. And your false ‘aggression’ statement shows your lack of knowledge on the subject.
Nate

You’re right Jenny, they don’t bite their handlers.

They bite innocent adults and children, often killing or maiming them, instead.
Nikole Fucci

gene you are uneducated. they were pets. they were family dogs. they were farm dogs. they were hunting dogs. and they were fought. research fighting. the way it is today is NOT what it was back then.
research the history of the american pitbull terrier. any dog who showed aggression towards people were killed. out back drowned or bullet to the head.

D2D

Who raised a five year old to swear at people and kick dirt at their cars?

Why isn’t this kid’s family life being investigated!

Was his attacker an illegal?

Seems the “reporter” didn’t diligence!
ryan mcmurtrie

I’m a strong fiscal conservative and will probably have a mental breakdown of Obama gets reelected, but if Drudge keeps posting arbitrary articles about pitbulls on nearly a weekly basis, I will get my news elsewhere.
Stanley

Kids need to learn respect and discipline.

Noel Cullison

HAHA Yeah right, teach leroy discipline…

Esteban

Pit bulls and white trash losers suck!

Just the Truth

Actually, dear Esteban, the perp is black. See here, if you care to:

http://www.foxcharlotte.com/news/crime/Man-Arrested-After-Holding-Child-Over-Aggressive-Pit-Bull-138493224.html

ryan

Esteban,
I’m sorry you have such disdain for your culture. The ignorance and lack of intelligence reflected in your response almost assuredly proves that you are a product of inbreeding, and most probably white trash yourself.
However, I applaud your ability to write a 7 word phrase without any typos. Bravo!
Akela

Here’s the latest, my peeps. And yes, Virginia. He IS black.

The pit bull was able to get a hold of the child’s shirt, but the child was not bitten, police told WBTV on Wednesday.

Warrants were issued against Chavis for Assault and Battery 3rd Degree and he was arrested on Wednesday morning.

Chavis had an unrelated outstanding Bench Warrant for assault, according to police, which was previously issued from Lancaster Municipal Court. That charge stemmed from an incident back in December.

Lancaster Police records show that Chavis has been arrested for 23 different crimes, including Wednesday’s arrest.

His charges vary from traffic violations, disorderly conduct, threatening the life of a public official, instigating a riot, resisting arrest, drug charges, discharging a firearm in the city, assault and battery with intent to kill and multiple assault and battery charges.

Georgia

They should put this piece of trash down and it would be a safer world for 5 year olds and pit bulls.
D2D

Says allot about a society that lets 23 time offenders roam the streets at will!

Seems the system is more incompetent than this criminal!
Ian Cochran

I am pretty much a Libertarian at heart and believe that everyone has civil rights and should receive “Due Process” but shouldn’t this guy be in a S.C. penal institution on the frequent offenders program??????

LaGrange

Also note the perp’s hispanic last name (Chavez). Hispanics are notorious for keeping animals around for the purpose of fighting and killing each other such as dogs and roosters. While all races engage in this, my observations show it to be widespread among hispanics. Probably an extension of the whole bullfighting thing, whatever that’s about.

Addison Williams

Not Chavez, it’s Chavis.

He’s Black and probably an Obama voter.

Nate

It’s funny how someone at the complete bottom of the ladder as you imply he is still has more sense about him to vote for a Democrat than to vote for a Republican.

Life is full of little ironies.

You should think before making analogies that make you look completely foolish. But then, maybe you do that because you’re foolish.

fmv

My pit would lick you to death and that’s about it.. Of course, he’s well trained and has never been abused so he sees humans as his friend.
http://thecryptojournalist.wordpress.com The Cryptojournalist

Michael Vick is shaking his head somewhere. “Man, that’s not how you raise a fighting dog!”

http://rhymeandreasonable.com
deedee

THE 5 year old CURSED????OMG!! NO WAY!!!

D2D

No child raised in a loving home curses at the age of five!

Nate

D2D, get back to us once you actually have kids and can speak from experience.

D2D

How do you define an agressive dog?

Because it strains agains the chain an barks?

That defines just about any dog that is approached by a stranger!

For all we know the dog’s aggression was directed against the man holding the child over him!

This unreasoning bias the press holds for such a wonderful breed is unfathomable!

Nate

D2D, it’s the loyalty some of your moronic dog lovers have for a dog that would just as soon rip your face off(or more likely, the face of a child) as lick you. It is COMPLETELY fathomable why the press would report stories like this. It’s because they’re true, and they require little to no embellishment. Open your eyes. Those little rodents you call pitbulls are dangerous.

I just noticed some of your comments and your mention of liberals. It all make sense now. You must be one of those conservatives that likes to define their reality with the belief that by doing so, it actually makes it true.

sigh.

Tyrone

Pit bulls are not dangerous. Pit bulls owned by kneegrows are dangerous.

Nate

Tyrone, just as dangerous as when an idiot gets ahold of a computer and starts spreading that idiocy to others, as you have done here. Do us a favor, read a book and stay out of internet comments.

Pitbulls are bad news

“. . . (CDC) published in 2000 a study on dog bite-related fatalities (DBRF) that covered the years 1979–1998. The study found reports of 238 people killed by dogs over the 24-year period, of which “pit bull terrier” or mixes thereof were reportedly responsible for killing 76, or about 32 percent. . . The breed with the next-highest number of attributed fatalities was the Rottweiler and mixes thereof, with 44 fatalities or about 18 percent. . .”

D2D

Well that is skewed and sensationalistic!

So if a dog only maims you it doesn’t matter!

Years ago the sensational dog of choice was the doberman/german shepard mix! Liberals were screaming from coast to coast for bans on that mix!

How many of those “victims” were criminals in process of committing crimes?

Farmer Bob

Well, how many? Any?
Nate

D2D, typical conservative strategy. If you see or hear something that runs contradictory to what you believe, you automatically blame it on liberal media bias. Conservatives would have been the ones telling Copernicus the sun revolved around the Earth, and probably would have called him a tree hugger, and accused him of having liberal college professors before cursing at the minority they just ran over with their wagon, right before they blamed it on their slave in the back of the wagon for not avoiding the incident(even though they weren’t even driving).

budious

If you had extracted the population statistics you would also see that Pitbulls represent a much larger population than Rottweiler or Dobbermans. Averaged by incidents towards humans according to population size they rank under the others.

Drew

John, it is ignorant citizens like yourself that make me cry myself to sleep at night. Please process this information, and then inform me how you are still correct.

“Sensationalism has replaced common sense. Attacks by non-pit bull dogs are rarely taken up by national or international media sources. A study by the National Canine Research Council reveals biased reporting by the media, its devastating consequences for dogs and the toll it takes on public safety.

Consider how the media reported four incidents that happened between August 18th and August 21st, 2007:
August 18: A Labrador mix attacked a 70-year-old man sending him to the hospital in critical condition. Police officers arrived at the scene and the dog was shot after charging the officers. This incident was reported in one article and only in the local paper.
August 19: A 16-month old child received fatal head and neck injuries after being attacked by a mixed breed dog. This attack was reported two times by the local paper only.
August 20: A 6-year-old boy was hospitalized after having his ear torn off and receiving severe bites to the head by a medium-sized mixed breed dog. This attack was reported in one article and only in the local paper.
August 21: A 59-year-old woman was attacked in her home by two Pit bulls and was hospitalized with severe injuries. This attack was reported in over two hundred and thirty articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.”

I look forward to hearing how my terrier is a ticking time bomb that isn’t nuzzling my feet out of love and trust while I sleep at night, but biding his time to rip my throat out because deep down all terriers are monsters.

John

Drew, first of all, please do not be a liberal and simply start calling names… I understand, and even said that all dogs “could” be violent… however in EVERY study (and I have certainly seen about 3 on this message board, and looked at at least 10 more, Pit Bulls (and Pit Bull Mixes) have an ASTOUNDING number of attacks/mauling/bites than ANY other Breed. I just don’t understand why anyone would want an animal that is genetically predisposed to attacking? Why would anyone want a dog that has a 60% more likely chance (made up number, but any number could be put in there, even 2%, and more than likely closer to 30% to be accurate) to attack someone???

Now that I think about it, more than likely you are a liberal in the fact that you are putting the facts away and telling people what is best for them or making the argument specifically for yourself. Look at the facts Drew.

Steve Verdon

Where is Kevin’s $500?
Nate

John,

You must be a little confused. It’s the conservatives who have no use of facts or science, not liberals.

Though I do agree with your point here, and disagree with Drew.

You’re welcome.

Lou

Think of all the humans that died and the dog attacks that occurred today, yet a 22 year old dangles a boy to teach him a lesson, which is wrong, and it makes national news. All because the dog was a pitbull, for all we know the dog just sat there. Can’t believe how stupid the public is becoming.

Pitbulls are bad news

Pit bulls are flat out banned in the United Kingdom. Any pit bull or pit bull mix can be killed. There’s a reason for that.

D2D

That I believe! Liberals have rendered that once great nation a fetted sewer!

Criminals rule the streets and the lawabiding are defenseless and prosecuted if they dare take a stand against crimals!

When in doubt ban it seems to be the new UK mantra!

Farmer Bob

When in doubt, protect your kids AND your self.
Ian Cochran

Germany does not allow them either. Crimiinals do not rule the streets. It is a clean and well ordered society and if you step out of line the Polizie will beat you with a night stick.
Nate

D2D, what is this world you’re talking about where law abiding citizens are not allowed to take action against criminals? Last I heard, most states have concealed carry laws as well as laws that protect your right to defend yourself. The liberal approach to crime is the opposite of the conservative approach, and the answer lay in the middle. Liberals tend to look at the causes of crime, while conservatives don’t care about the cause, only the punishment. Both are important if you truly want to curb it. If only people would realize that liberalism and conservatism are two necessary sides of the same coin. When blended together, they bring balance. Extreme’s to either side are what is killing this country.

RFB

And the reason for that is the UK is full of panty waisted Brits that are scared of guns and one of the best breeds of dog around. Pittbulls are the original all American dog. From the first declarated war dog to the little rascals. They are also known as “nanny dogs”. They are smart, athletic, strong, and LOYAL. Pittbulls are family dogs and need to be with a family and socialized. Now, pittbulls were bred to be aggresive toward other dogs for fighting and protection, but have always had strong ties with humans unless mistreated or trained to do so. Also, like any other protective, working, or intelligent breed (Dobermans, Rotts, Dalmations, and German/Malnois Shepards) non-socialization or no human interaction/training will result in destructive and or aggresive behavior. So move to the UK please, I like owning a nanny dog. He’s also great around my daughter.
Joe Dutra

You are full of it. In GB they are called Staffordshire Terriers. Same breed – different name. They are everywhere.

slap

The problem with pit bulls is that if they attack, their jaw strength allows them to do far greater damage than most other breeds of dogs.

Any breed of dog can attack.

Farmer Bob

Sure, any breed of dog can attack. But they can’t all kill like a pit bull. Pit bulls kill more people than any other breed of dog, far ahead of even the Rottweiler.
Steve Verdon

This is false, a pit bull’s jaw is no different from any other dog.

Farmer Bob

“This is false, a pit bull’s jaw is no different from any other dog.” — Steve Verdon

Don’t get excited. Who said anything about a pit bull’s jaws? The statement reads, “Pit bulls kill more people than any other breed of dog, far ahead of even the Rottweiler.”
Jenny C

Farmer Bob,

‘Slap’ mentioned their jaw strength, which is what Steve was commenting on.
Besides, German Shepherds have the strongest bite of all dogs, followed by the Rottweiller then the Pitbull.

http://animal.discovery.com/petsource/bully-breeds/quizzes-myths/5-myths-debunked-04.html

Farmer Bob

Many years ago I had a job that required that I “socialize” with dogs more than was advisable. I was a meter reader for a public utility. I was attacked dozens of times and bitten now and then. The only dog that ever bit me on the forearm was a pit bull; but silly me, that’s because I was covering my throat with it. That dog leaped nearly six feet straight up to get at my throat. Fortunately he didn’t get a good grip on either my throat or my arm, but merely gouged four deep grooves into my forearm a little below the elbow as he slid off. When the animal control officer arrived on the scene, I told him the breed of the dog. He immediately drew his revolver. And we weren’t even back on the property yet. Nah, those puppies aren’t dangerous at all. The cop and I just misunderstood him.

Steve Verdon

OMG…that is so convincing.

The only dog to ever bite me was a schnauzer. The only dog that ever bit my son was a shi-tzu.

See what I did there? Probably not.

Farmer Bob

On the other hand, the schnauzer probably never did a vertical leap of six feet to try to lock onto your throat. See what I did there?
Nikole Fucci

i worked in a vet hospital, one of the most stessful evironments for an animal, and a place where animals who are absolte loves at home will bite someone. had a chihuahua try so hard to get at me it was slamming its head in to the bars of the cage and growling so aggressively it sounded like i dont even know how to describe it. i had to jump on top of a golden retriever and hold it down while it was trying to get the vet. i had a lab try and kill the vet and her most experienced tech. had a boxer jump straight up in the air and go for a techs throat for absolutely no reason, the people were just talking in the room.
i sat in a cage with a shepard who had just had surgery and wouldnt take his meds or eat (couldnt sneak the meds in) and snuggled him because he missed his mom. had shepards rotties and pit bulls alike come and go and never had one of them sho wany aggression (with the exception of the shpeard who was boarding because its owner went ballistic and had to be tasered a number of times to get him in to an ambulance and brought to the psych ward)…

D2D

I too had a job that involved visiting homes and I was smart enough to carry milk bones with me and pepper spray. Never got bit, never had a problem!

If you know dogs, you know how to read them and how to get them to like you!

Farmer Bob

If only you were similarly artful with people, eh?

Sally

I have been a veterinary technician in Missouri for about 5 years. In this time and through school the ONLY animal I was ever bitten/injured by was by a grumpy old corgi on his death bed. Granted, we were examining him and trying to ease his pain, but a confused and scared dog is much more dangerous than one plainly labeled “aggressive.” I own a pitbull, a golden retriever, and a chihuahua. My chihuahua is much more aggressive and snippy towards children, other animals, and other dogs while my pitbull will purposely take it easy and adjust play level on his own depending on whether he’s playing with a man, a woman, or a child. My golden retriever isn’t even as gentle as my pitbull.
NoBlahblah

Gosh farmer bob,

I lost my bet

I was Rooting for the Pit Bull