Dog attack in Lancaster CA

RoyF wrote:
A few years ago, I was attacked by a pit bull. I came off lucky -- only a bite in the thigh. I was able to stay on my feet until the owner could pull the dog off, exclaiming "he's never done that before".

When I contacted my representative on my city council about a possible city ordinance to limit pit bulls, I was told there was a strong pro-pit-bull lobby that would make it impossible to pass such an ordinance.

City council? lol

That dog would have bled out due to multiple stab wounds, unless I was in an airport, because you can't carry a knife in an airport...

You never know when that "General RVing Issue", pitbull attacking you in a homeless camp, will pop up!
Thanks for the hearty rv.net warning. Our members will be safer for it.

Along the same lines, I saw someone sh tting on the ground next to their RV in a Portland "RV Park", sorry, "encampment", last weekend when we were down there. Fair warning, I don't think the hook ups were working there, so, you know, RV related....

agesilaus wrote:
I was going to say that pit bulls weren't the most dangerous but looked it up. Forbes says they had 284 attacks with Rottweilers and German Shepards far far below them. 280 or so for the PB and 45 IIRC for the Rottweiler. All the other breeds added together probably are less than half of the PB.
I thought Chows were highly dangerous but they aren't even in the top ten. Of course how many dogs of a specific breed exist in the US is a factor. Not many chows around for example.

Anyone can buy a "pitbull" for $100-$500 or get one from a shelter for even less. They look "tough". They have a reputation. And they are used for illegal sport. That means they are owned and bred by lowlifes far more than other breeds. And these lowlifes will purposely breed the least sound in temperament to encourage that reputation. So it's logical that there are more reported bite incidents with "pitbulls". Shepherds, dobies and rotties can be had for around $500 from backyard breeders, but they are not used for illegal sport and therefore aren't purposely bred to be unpredictable and/or dangerous, so while there are temperamentally unsound dogs of those breeds, it's not as common as unsound temperaments in "pitbulls". In addition, many, if not most, of these lowlife owners abuse, neglect, fail to socialize, fail to obedience train, fail to control, fail to keep contained, etc their dogs. And many of these lowlife owners use dangerous and cruel techniques like alpha rolls to "dominate" their dogs. All this leads to individual dogs with serious issues.

The other consideration is that the "pitbull" label is not limited to one breed. There is the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the american staffordshire, the staffordshire, the bull terrier, and a huge variety of mixed breeds comsisting of mastiffs, dogo argentinas, cane corsos, etc. All of these can and do get identified as "pitbull" for bite statistics. So, while a "german shepherd" label is pretty much limited to one or two breeds plus their mixes, a "pitbull" label is used for a dozen or more breeds plus their mixes.

toedtoes wrote:
Anyone can buy a "pitbull" for $100-$500 or get one from a shelter for even less.

The shelters are loaded with pits in So Cal. There's definitely no shortage.

dedmiston wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Anyone can buy a "pitbull" for $100-$500 or get one from a shelter for even less.

The shelters are loaded with pits in So Cal. There's definitely no shortage.

And there are far more backyard breeders breeding "pitbulls" than any individual breed. And those people sell them to anyone no questions asked as long as they have the dollars.

agesilaus wrote:
I think (but don't know) the Pit Bulls aren't even an AKC recognized breed.

The American Pit Bull Terrier is not AKC recognized.

The close relatives and oft confused American Staffordshire Terrier and American Bulldog are recognized.

Recognized breeds that are seen in mixes labeled as "pitbull" include the bull terrier, boxer, bulldog, bullmastiff, cane corso, dogo argentino, dogue de bordeaux, mastiff, miniature bull terrier, neopolitan mastiff, perro de presa canario, and staffordshire bull terrier. Then there are other non-recognized breeds out there whose mixes can also be seen as "pitbull".

Grit dog wrote:

RoyF wrote:
A few years ago, I was attacked by a pit bull. I came off lucky -- only a bite in the thigh. I was able to stay on my feet until the owner could pull the dog off, exclaiming "he's never done that before".

When I contacted my representative on my city council about a possible city ordinance to limit pit bulls, I was told there was a strong pro-pit-bull lobby that would make it impossible to pass such an ordinance.

City council? lol

That dog would have bled out due to multiple stab wounds, unless I was in an airport, because you can't carry a knife in an airport...

Be careful at that "RV Related" airport. :B

agesilaus wrote:
As for headlines are they ever accurate?

But you're the one who chose to post the version of the story that had that headline. You could have found one with a more accurate headline, like the one from the CBS affiliate: "Man Dies Following Dog Attack At Lancaster Homeless Encampment."

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2022/02/23/dog-attack-leaves-four-wounded-in-lancaster/

Random thoughts: the dog was doing what all dogs do - protecting its owner. Considering that it appeared to be living under less-than-ideal circumstances, it's probably a miracle that the dog didn't die from the bites it gave - is it fentanyl that police officers must protect themselves from contact with? I'm just pondering what happens when a dog bites someone under the influence of lethal drugs....

The photos of the encampment show where RVs go to die.