Why do you think we never hear about dog attacks other then bully breeds and Rottweilers.?

Slanesville, WV (PRWEB) August 25, 2007 -- 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:



August 18, 2007 -

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 (1) article and only in the local paper.



August 19, 2007 -

A 16-month old child received fatal head and neck injuries after being attacked by a mixed breed dog.



This attack was reported TWO (2) times by the local paper only.



August 20, 2007 -

A 6-year-old boy is 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 (1) article and only in the local paper.



August 21, 2007 -

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 (230) articles in national and international newspapers, as well as major television news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX.



"Clearly a fatal attack by an unremarkable breed is not nearly as newsworthy as a non-fatal attack by a Pit bull," says Karen Delise, researcher for the National Canine Research Council.



The National Canine Research Council reports that people routinely cite media coverage as "proof" that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dogs. Delise says costly and ineffective public policy decisions are being made on the basis of such "proof". While this biased reporting is not only lethal to an entire population of dogs; sensationalized media coverage endangers the public by misleading them about the real factors in canine aggression.



About The National Canine Research Council

The National Canine Research Council investigates all reported cases of fatal dog attacks in the United States. Serious analysis and discussion of canine aggression cannot be conducted from information acquired from media sources.



For accurate and in depth information on verified cases of fatal dog attacks and the circumstances contributing to these incidents, please go to the National Canine Research Council at:



http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil鈥?/a>



Dog Miss ID's

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Mis鈥?/a>Why do you think we never hear about dog attacks other then bully breeds and Rottweilers.?
I think it's because stories of dog attacks from other breeds just wouldn't make sensational news. People don't expect, say, a golden retriever to attack someone. On the other hand, people do expect aggression from the above mentioned breeds. Oftentimes, it's to justify anti-bully and anti-Rottweiler attitudes. Fact is, dogs of any breed can be gentle pets if properly bred and trained.
come to think of it, I never hear about dog attacks by bully breeds - rotties and pitties, in the news either. People on here keep talking about the media giving these dogs a bad name. The only media I have encountered doing this is right here on Yahoo Answers. I never hear anything on the news, TV or magazines or papers. If I google I can probably find some news stories. But then you can find anything if you just google. Are pitbull news very regional? Not enough bully breed dogs in my town? What's going on?Why do you think we never hear about dog attacks other then bully breeds and Rottweilers.?
I grew up with a pitbull. He was a gentle loyal dog. I believe a dog will behave as the owner wants. Unfortunaltly the majority of people who purchase pits, rotties etc, wants them to be mean. I knew a guy once who fed his pit gunpowder to make him mean. He was a sweet puppy but grew into a visious dog that attacked my neice. Its not the dogs fault but rather the owner. These dogs reps are bad because of the way the human raised them. I admit that any type dog can be born with a mean streak, My mother had a very small mix breed dog who had a mean streak by nature, but by and large you get what you create.
I think there are a few reasons for it. I think that EVERY pit bull or rottweiler attack, even if minor, makes a headline news story. And I think that if a person got bit by a pit bull they are more likely to report it to the police, than if they got bit by a lab, even if the same amount of damage was done. AND, people VERY often mistake other dogs as pit bulls or rottweilers. They see and aggressive dog, and just ASSUME it is a pit bull.... My friend's dog bit her neighbor, the neighbor reported it as a pit bull attack to the police. BUT, my friend's dog is a black lab/cocker spaniel mix. A lot of people do this.



And the last reason I think we hear about it more in the news is because when a pit bull or rottweiler, or any large breed dog bites someone, it does more damage than when a toy poodle bites someone. Even though I know there are more aggressive small dogs out there. My brother's dachshund is the devil, and she has attacked my pit bull numerous times, but my pit bull just backs down.



I will try to find this article for you about mistaken identity

I found it:

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/Mis鈥?/a>

You will find a story in here about a reported 'rottweiler attack' when it was actually a lab and a dachshund who attacked the woman....



Find the Pit Bull Game:

http://www.pbrc.net/poppysplace/games/Ad鈥?/a>Why do you think we never hear about dog attacks other then bully breeds and Rottweilers.?
Seems the media and politicians on local and state levels like to get distracted with something that they believe will raise reading or viewing rates, or garner more votes.

Media focuses on certain breeds, politicians bang the drum to "rescue" society from "bad breeds" and they feed off each other.

So far, people don't like to think of Golden Retrievers or Labrador Retrievers as anything other than family dogs but both breeds have individual offenders to rival any Rotweiler or Pit Bull dog. In fact, a few yrs ago an infant in France was killed by a Pomeranian.

In a given time period, 3 fatalities of children were associated to a type of breed of dog. In that same time period, 2,000 PARENTS took the lives of their children. What is the problem that should be more adequately addressed? When it comes to the dogs, in most cases where dogs attack people, there is a history of the owners abusing or fighting dogs.

Seems more focus on abuse and fighting of dogs would help solve the problems. Too bad ignorance can't be banned.

I have three dogs. One is Aussie and Irish Setter mix, One is Golden Retriever mix and the third is APBT. Guess which one is the best with kids? If you guessed APBT, you'd be right! She has a very high tolerance for toddlers crawling over her, grabbing her, playing around her. The other two, I have to supervise much closer because if a child pokes or prods at them they will tend to want to nip.
I do. My friend had to have multiple surgeries on her hand after she was attacked by a Miniature Schnauzer.



Small dogs bite just as much or even more often, but we hear mostly about the major damage that large dogs can do because it makes for "good" news.
Because the news media sensationalizes these attacks. babies have been killed by Pomeranian and it never made major news. The lady in England who had the face transplant, it was a lab that chewed her face.
CRS, thanks for reposting that. Unbelieveable, huh? And dmarie2101 is absolutely right, most people can't even properly identify a "pit bull" from other, similar looking breeds.



I have three dogs (a Schipperke, a big black mutt, and a Rott/Aussie mix), and I get a lot of crap from random people about the Rott/Aussie mix, who really does look a lot like a Rott. My own mother was ticked off when she heard that I had rescued this dog. Now she loves him :)



And oh, if I had a dollar for each time a Pomeranian or a Chihuahua tried to bite me when I worked as a vet tech!



**EDIT*** averagebear, I don't know where you're from, but I live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and hear about it all the times, so much so that the state of MN is considering BSL that would ban "pit bulls," Rotts, Akitas, Chows, and wolf-hybrids - or any mix of those breeds - from the state. This, sadly, would include my Rott/Aussie mix. (I wonder if he'd pass for a Gordon setter mix or something... Here's a pic of my babies: )

http://picasaweb.google.com/sysxperts/Ho鈥?/a>
Because thats what sells at the moment. Besides that, almost 70% of reported pitbull bites are not pitbulls at all, but usually a mixed breed that happens to be short, stocky, short hair, big head, etc...But you never see a correction report on the news about that...bc that would show tat not all pits are bad and take their stories down a little. I dont hear near as much about rotties as I do about pits. People just need to be more educated on the subject, and then the news wouldnt be able to report such crap bc people would know the truth.
Because they are greater in numbers. The higher concentration of a particular breed, the higher the number of incident reports.



There are countless dog attacks, involving other breeds, but these other breeds are not recognized as readily. Also,the media helped to perpetuate negative perceptions of these such breeds, but associating them with "thugs" and illegal activities.
believe it or not the toy breeds bite the most. this is because most owners don't want to discipline them cause " they are SO cute and small" so most of them run around undisciplined and dominate.
Because who wants to admit they got attacked by something small and fluff like a pomeranian or poodle?
I think it is society, but unless someone is killed by a different breed you never hear it..

like that person that was killed in NY by those to Mastiffs

that went to trial..

but you never hear about it..

Not many Rotties, Sheppards, Boxers, Bulldogs... and the ones I think are nasty and hard to trust are pointers and blue heelers (austrailan cattle dogs ) cant turn you back on those without get bitten in the butt..
Partly because most people know what they look like, they are big dogs, and people tend to be afraid of both breeds. If the news story was ' Chihuahua mauls child ' People would think it was a hoax. We tend to believe the story about the big dogs when they do something. It sounds serious and it's something that people would turn in to see rather than flipping past and watching something else.. It grabs the attention of the viewers.
Most other dogs don麓t keep on until they kill you.
i agree, people are always so quick to judge.

its because the government or the people who have silly little dogs would like to see them baned.
No one wants to hear of a golden retriever gone bad, but it does happen. It happens to all breeds. Just not enough Hollywood enough.
I runa pet shop at I hear stories, almost every day, of JRTs, Border Collies, Springer Spaniels, Labs, etc. biting people, attacking dogs etc. I rarely hear of any of the 'usual suspects' being 'in the frame'... I blame most of the hype on the media.....a little dog mauling someone just doesn't do as much damage as a large dog. Not as news worthy. :-(
Because it wouldn't sound as bad if you heard the newscaster report on two chihuahua

going at it in a dog fight as opposed to two pits or rotties.
because they dont think they are the bad breeds my daughter has an American and german Rott they are awesome and big
Statsistics show that pits are respnsible for at least half of all dog maulings and rotties are a distant second. You cant deny stats.
Because these two breeds are the most stubborn. They are harder to train and they will most likely take matters into their own hands instead of using their human manners.