Grandmother mauled to death by family's pit bulls

Well then you better add all Bulldog's, Chow's, Doberman's, German Sheppards, Rottweilers, Terriers and so on etccc. Unless you have a lap dog they all have the potential to hurt someone, I notice you completely omitted a response on the most vicious animal on the planet, Man.

Excellent observation.

They were also bred for their physical characteristics- well muscled, agility, jaw strength, endurance, etc. Not to mention loyalty and perserverance.

"Bred to kill" refers to the humans intent for the dogs and has nothing to do with the dogs "intent".

"I notice you completely omitted a response on the most vicious animal on the planet, Man."

Man is responsible for the Pit Bull.

"He was so specifically bred to kill bulls that he had no animosity toward man or another dog."

As a cattle rancher I have a little more than a passing knowlege of genetics. When breeding we use genetics for carcass weight, marbling, fat/lean ratios, feed conversion, etc. In fact, I even have a small library on the subject. Despite two hundred years of accumulated advancement of genetic science, I can find no reference to a "bull-baiting" gene.

Dvorak takes liberties in this article attributing trained behavior to genetically bred behavior. What was "bred" were physical attributes. The "bull-baiting" was trained behavior.

In dog bite/attack incidents, the term pitbull is applied to any dog that bears a resemblence to a pitbull. This includes more than 21 recognized breeds and their crosses. It's no wonder that "pitbulls" are often associated with incidents of these kind.

The Centers for Disease Control study dog bite incidents, including the types of dogs most likely to attack. Of the breed specific dogs, Rottweilers, German shepherds, Huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Akitas are the chief offenders. Pitbulls are also reported, but even the CDC adds the caveat that the term pitbull is a descriptive term rather than a breed reference.

The CDC reported that:

"Although pit bull mixes and Rottweillers are most likely to kill and seriously maim, fatal attacks since 1975 have been attributed to dogs from at least 30 breeds."

The CDC study also includes:

"The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictibility 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.)"

Later the CDC seems to advise against the "blame the dog game" where this statement is offered:

"In all fairness, therefore, it must be noted that:
'Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person. Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner most often is responsible -- not the breed, and not the dog.

'An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous, as in the case of the Pomeranian that killed the infant (see above).

Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be likely to bite. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. One cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then state whether or not it is going to attack."

I have taken the liberty to place emphasis on appropriate words in the above quote.

I think it important to notice the lack of any finding by the CDC of "genetic pre-disposition" for any dog, including Pitbulls or pitbull mixes, to bite or attack.

Let's keep in mind, when we're talking about "pit bulls", that there are similar breeds which have excellent reputations as children's companions. However, as with any dog, common sense should be used and adults should always supervise interaction between kids and pets. The following breed is often lumped in with pit bulls, in breed-specific bans:

How are Staffordshire Bull Terriers with children?

In England, the Stafford is known by the affectionate nickname, "The Children's Nursemaid" or "The Nanny Dog." Their tolerance of, and affection for, children is well known. That doesn't mean, however, that it's a wise idea of put the puppy and child together without supervision. Children should learn to respect the dog and neither should indulge in play that is too rough. Some Staffords - even the males - have a "mothering instinct" and will stick right by the little ones, whether they are puppies or kids. A Stafford, "tough" and not as quick to react to pain or discomfort, is likely to make allowance for the attentions of toddler, finding a refuge only when things become too overwhelming.

There's nothing in the canine world, IMO, that matches the nobility, courage, and sheer athletic prowess of these dogs. I admire the breed for those reasons, but love them for an entirely different one.

We've been talking a bit about the nature of pitbulls. From my experience they are not only very calm dogs, they also have a calming effect.

I know they are working dogs. (mine wasn't) They can, and do, excel like no other dog in search and rescue.

I don't know how to solve the problem of bad people owning bad dogs, of any breed. Banning breeds isn't the answer. People should not have dogs (or children) if they do not have the time to bring them up proper. So many people seem to get dogs and then ignore them. They treat their children and dogs alike, having time for neither.

Thanks for your posts. I've learned a lot.

You have missed my point. By "bred to kill", the author of those original words most likely meant that for those people who wanted a pit bull to fight, they would first seek out a dog/puppy who had aggressive tendencies. A good, though not fool proof, indicator of temperment is to look at the temperment of the dog's parents. Are you with me so far? These dogs, however, still need to be trained to fight well. It's the same thing with race horses. My father always said, "you can't make a race horse out of a jackass". It's the same principle. Though all dogs may have this instinct, this same instinct is more present or embellished in certain breeds.

Instead of beating me up for my opinions which are based on my personal experiences, if you truly love this breed, why don't you do something about the bad publicity these dogs are getting? Contact the American Pit Bull society, or something, and ask what you can do to help the breed.

What bothers me the most about this breed is the unpredictability I hear about. I can understand knowing you have a tempermental dog and dealing with it responsibly, but when you hear about these 'sweet family pets' who all of a sudden decide to maul a member of their own family, then I think there is a real problem if these reports are indeed true. I am well aware that the vast majority of these dogs are kind and loving pets. Do you think they got this "bad rap" overnight for no good reason? It's OK if you believe that - you are allowed to have your own opinion, just like I am allowed to have mine.

As for bad press, let's take the article this thread is based on.
The author leads us to believe the dogs just attacked and killed this lady, while this may be true there are NO facts in the story to prove this.
There is no positive identification of the dogs as Pit Bulls, it is possible they are one of the 30 bulldog-like animals.
It is entirely possibl;e the lady died of natural causes and the dogs then ate on her, a disgusting thought at that, but still different than them going bezerk and murdering the lady.
Frankly we don't know the truth in this case and I will not defend the animals carte blanche.

I can relate my personal experience with my dog and tell you he is one of the smartest young dogs, I have ever been around. We are raising him and an Aussie female and they are seperated by one week, they just turned six months.
The Aussie is just now starting to get her head good and obey commands the Pit has been doing this for three months.
We have 30 something chickens running free range and the pups have not killed one of them, although they each stole one egg, we got that straightened out. We have three newborn calves and they have not attacked the calves and instead like to play with them.
Lastly, we also have a 4 month old Manx cat, a rumpy for you fans of these awesome cats, and the other day the cat was laying on the back of the Pit, sound asleep, I wish I could have snapped a picture.
Don't judge all animals because a few idiot owners have no business owning dogs period, much less one this powerful.

I carry a gun for personal defense, and I realize that there's probably a greater chance that I'd have to use it to defend against animals than I would against humans. Pit Bulls are difficult to dissuade, but a .357 magnum does the trick quite nicely.

**My guy friend calls pit bulls, rottweilers, etc. "Penis Puppies" since they always seem to be owned by overly macho, tatooed, beer belching, privates scratching, trailer trash. Keep in mind we live in SW Missouri. Vicious dogs are somehow a testament to the size of ones so-called "man-hood" **

In Northern California the pit owners are usually gang bangers. Sick.

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_3_id=265&page=5976487

A grandmother's death proves pit bulls must go
Friday, December 13, 2002

I did not know Julia Mazziotto, but she was described in The Record this week as an 80-year-old woman who lived in a Garfield home for a half century and was currently sharing it with her granddaughter. A man who owned a business next door called her "a nice old lady who stayed inside."

A kind woman, then; perhaps a bit old-fashioned; a woman whose earth was her home and whose universe was her family; a woman, in other words, who lived exactly like my own grandmother lived her last few years. Except that there were two members of Mrs. Mazziotto's household my own grandmother would never have permitted.

These were pit bull dogs. One, Shay, was 7 years old in human years. Onyx was only 18 months old. The two dogs had been part of the Mazziotto household since they were puppies. Supposedly they were watchdogs; maybe they were comforts to Mrs. Mazziotto in those times when she was left alone.

Monday Mrs. Mazziotto was left alone while her granddaughter was at work. When the granddaughter returned home with her boyfriend, they found Mrs. Mazziotto dead in a pool of blood on the floor of her front hallway, suggesting that she was trying to escape her attackers. Police found dog tracks in the blood, and a medical examiner determined that Mrs. Mazziotto died as a result of being mauled by a dog.

This was a private tragedy affecting Mrs. Mazziotto's family and friends. A woman they loved, and who loved them, died in a horrid manner. Nothing can change that.

This also qualifies as a public tragedy because Mrs. Mazziotto did not die a natural death. Police were involved. The medical examiner was involved. Bergen County animal control officers are now involved, beginning the legal process that will, in all

probability, lead to killing the two dogs. This process may involve a judicial decision as well.

Beyond the investigation and the disposal of these dogs, however, there is a much larger public question involved: What, if anything, should be done about pit bulls?

Two years ago, after pit bulls attacked four children, two in West Paterson and two in Hackensack, I wrote that these types of dogs should be regulated out of existence in New Jersey. I agreed with the officials of a handful of towns who had attempted to do this by approving such measures as leash and muzzle laws, high licensing fees, mandatory liability insurance policies, a requirement to carry a "Jaws of Life" device to pry open a pit bull's jaws should it clamp onto a passer-by, and mandatory fences around yards where pit bulls roamed.

Of course I received mail - more, in fact, than I'd ever received after a column. A few supported my stand. The vast majority did not. Crackpots threatened me, and many who were not crackpots claimed that pit bulls were not born dangerous but that malicious owners trained them to be so. "Ban the deed, not the breed," was their motto.

That is an understandable sentiment, coming from people whose private experience leads them to value pit bulls as pets. Yet "ban the deed, not the breed" would not seem to have any bearing on the two pit bulls who were brought as puppies to the home of Mrs. Mazziotto. The hard fact is, as Ray Koski, a special prosecutor for the Bergen County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told The Record this week, good pit bulls sometimes turn bad for no apparent reason. Their killer instinct is bred into them.

Two assemblymen, John Burzichelli, the mayor of Paulsboro, and Gary Guear, for 25 years a Trenton policeman, have introduced a bill that recently cleared committee. It would authorize municipalities to regulate the keeping of pit bulls, pit bull-like dogs, and Rottweilers. The bill is breed-specific.

"Thanksgiving eve a 10-year-old girl in Salem, a town I represent, was chewed up by pit bulls," Burzichelli told me Thursday afternoon. "This happens a lot. I've seen photos you don't want to see. I cannot begin to imagine the fear and torment that 80-year-old grandmother in Garfield felt as her life was ending."

Burzichelli said he believes he has the votes to get his bill through the Assembly, and he plans on adding a provision to allow the inclusion of other dangerous dog breeds as determined by the leaders of the municipalities. He said he also has a green light from the Attorney General's Office for the breed-specific legislation.

Two years ago, when I wrote my first column on pit bulls, I knew it wouldn't be my last, that there would be other, more horrible incidents. Yes, many of these dogs are faithful, nice pets. However, Ray Koski is exactly right in asserting that some turn bad through no fault of their owners. That seems to be what happened Monday in Mrs. Mazziotto's home.

That's why I think the Burzichelli-Guear bill should be approved as soon as possible and that municipalities should follow up quickly with legislation that will protect citizens and discourage ownership of dangerous dog breeds.

All the pit bulls in New Jersey are not worth the life of a Julia Mazziotto.

Rod Allee may be reached at The Record, One Garret Mountain Plaza, P.O. Box 471, West Paterson, N.J. 07424, or via e-mail at allee@northjersey.com. Please include your name and phone number.

http://www.northjersey.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?id=5947551

I had/have no intention of beating you up for your opinions, it is the use of the incorrect words 'bred to kill' that I take issue with. It is all very well to say that the author really meant something else. But, darn it, words mean something and the general public in reading these words comes away with an incorrect view of Pits and related breeds.
You ask me why don't I do something about the bad publicity these dogs are getting. Well.... that is my motivation for taking part in this forum. As well I volunteer in our Amstaff clubs information booth at the local Sportsman show.

As for the 'bad rap' that this breed gets.....

"Pit Bulls attack more people than any other breed." Bite statistics actually show otherwise. More popular breeds that are generally considered to be "nice dogs" top the majority of lists. It may seem to the general public who is constantly bombarded with disturbing reports on Pit Bull attacks that this is the only breed that harms humans with any great regularity. However, the fact remains that Pit Bulls are hot news items. Dogs of all breeds and mixes bite and attack people all the time, but it is mainly the Pit Bull bites that get sensationalized. A report about the local Golden Retriever that attacks and maims a child isn't considered newsworthy. No one wants to believe that any dogs--even the fuzzy, cute, popular ones--are capable of biting. It's much easier to blow up and sensationalize a story about a vicious dog when it's a member of a breed who's reputation preceeds it. Pit Bulls are already considered the demons. All the reporters have to do is stand in front of the camera, look horrified, and say, "A Pit Bull did it". "

and may I add this from the same site...

" "All Pit Bulls are vicious", or "Pit Bulls are born mean". No one breed as a whole is bad, the same as no one race of humans is bad. Much has to do with the individual, it's genes, upbringing, and training. In the case of Pit Bulls, a breed that was created to be especially gentle with people, all of the human aggressive dogs are victims of one or more of the following: poor breeding, bad training, or irresponsible upbringing. There are thousands upon thousands of Pit Bulls that are loving, loyal, safe pets, who will live and die without ever having bitten a human. They are the proof that this "born bad" idea is fiction, pure and simple."

Pleas check the following informative and well designed site for more info......

http://www.realpitbull.com/myths.html

My Pit Bull was just recently killed by a "good samaritan" for running free on his own property (18 acres) He was not just a dog but a very special being embodied in a beatiful pup. Tyson (and Spanky) will forever be remebered by my WHOLE FAMILY. He loved every being in my family (this includes my parrots, cocker spaniels, and the last descendant of my old dachsund who became paralyzed a few years back) He was murdered this year on my property while enjoying his afternoon with his running buddy and a beloved friend of mine, a 10LB RAT TERRIER. (Who was shot alongside his pal) The man next door claimed that my dogs were a threat to his hogs next door, each weighing in excess of 800Lbs with 6 inch tusks. Now if you know anything about hog catch dogs (which are a main use of pit bulls) they dont kill the hogs when they catch them, just hold them until the hunters HOG TIE them. -(Hence the origination of the term HOG tie) The hogs are not killed by the dogs, unlike some of these fuching veggie munching pricks believe.

Plus they taste like chicken!!!