American Pit Bull Terriers
I know there are a lot of people who own or love Pit Bull Terriers, but they are on this list for two good reasons, the first being the fact that these dogs were bred for one purpose, this being to fight. They were bred for generations to be tenacious, aggressive, and to have a killer bite, a jaw that holds and locks. The other reason is that their very name elicits fear, making this dog a choice of criminals or people who want to appear “tough”. This is not the right reason to get a dog. These people often mishandle the dog intentionally to make it mean or aggressive, or they get a dog to be “cool” and are not properly familiar with how to correctly train and discipline such a dog. Such a dog, is a dangerous thing. While Pit Bull Terriers may make wonderful pets when owned by a knowledgeable person, and handled correctly, this is one breed that if a person makes mistakes, they can cause serious problems.
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Can You Trust Your Mastiff With Other Animals?
As a general rule, if a Mastiff is well socialized as a
puppy, then it will get along well with other dogs as an
adult. It should be as calm and patient with other dogs as
it is with children. In fact, most Mastiffs love playing
with small dogs. The Mastiff is peaceful and tolerant, and
usually will just turn its back even if attacked. It will
rarely fight unless it has to in order to protect itself or
a member of the family.

If your Mastiff was unlucky and not well socialized as a
puppy, then it may be aggressive toward other dogs. In this
case, it is best not to place such a dog in the same family
as another dog of the same sex. When your puppy matures,
the two dogs will fight for dominance - it is just in their
nature to behave this way. Read more »

Dog Bite Injuries: Frequently Asked Questions

“How many people die every year as a result of dog bites?”

Answer.
Ten to 20 people die every year as a result of dog bites in
the U.S. By far, the majority of the victims are children.
In a three-year period between 1999 and 2001, 33 people
died after being bitten by a dog. A vast majority of these
victims (24 of 33) were under 12 years of age. Read more »

Kevin has shown his great doggie character in the way he has recovered from his attack last week. At the time, Kev did his best to defend himself and the moment I got the Staffie to pull away, Kev ran back towards the house - he never shows aggression! Obviously at the vet’s he was in a lot of pain, and they had to sedate him to clean the wound and decide how to treat him. When the vets rang me to say he could come home, he was already in full bark after waking up! But when I got him home the shock and pain were clear. Kev was pacing back and forth and whimpering quietly, when he finally settled down he faced the wall - totally out of character. The vet had given him a big shot of antibiotics and painkillers so I did not have to give any tablets. At first Kevin was not keen to eat, but we tempted him with some raw mince. Amazingly, he slept right through the night - coddled up in his favourite blanket.

Today saw the verdict in the prosecution of Ellie Lawrenson’s grandmother, Jackie Simpson. You will remember that Ellie was killed in an attack by her uncle’s Pit Bull Terrier on 1 January this year. The five year old girl suffered 72 separate injuries in the attack by the dog, which was a breed banned under law in the UK. The dog, which had been involved in two other attacks, locked its jaws around the child’s throat and shook her. Although Ms Simpson accepted responsibilty for Ellie’s death after allowing the dog into the house, the woman was cleared of manslaughter in relation to Ellie’s death. Ms Simpson said she never thought the dog would go for Ellie.

The dog’s owner, Kiel Simpson, 24, was jailed for eight weeks at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court in May after admitting owning a dog banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

Pilice have asked for help in preventing any more children being killed or even harmed in this way again. “Anyone who has information on where illegal dogs are being bred, who is supplying them or who is using these animals as part of their criminal lifestyles to call the police.” was the appeal from Merseyside Asst Chief Constable, Helen King.

Here is news of the successful prosecution of the owner of a dangerous dog. The man, whose pit bull-cross injured pets and their owners in a spate of attacks, has been jailed for 14 weeks but he will serve only half the sentence before being released on licence.

Cameron Mains’ dog, Budweiser, ripped the skin from one man’s hand, causing lasting nerve damage, a court heard. Mains admitted owning a dog dangerously out of control in a public place and to three counts of being the owner of a dog which caused injury. Mains, 39, of Weymouth, Dorset, was banned from owning a dog for five years and Budweiser will be killed.

Judge Christopher Harvey Clark, QC, told said: “I think a message has to go out that allowing a dangerous dog to roam freely and cause injury, fear and distress is something which the court will not tolerate. You behaved with total irresponsibility with regard to other people. You made no serious effort to keep it under control.”

The court heard in one incident, Budweiser had Delena Heslop’s Shihtzu dog, Frankie, in his mouth, damaging its ear. The dog bit Ms Heslop’s arm as she tried to protect her pet on 13 May last year.

The most serious attack happened when the dog raced towards two black Labradors on 5 September last year. The Labradors’ owner grabbed the youngest Labrador by the collar and tried to stand in the way, when Budweiser ripped the skin from his hand. It then took a number of people to pull the dog off one of the Labradors, which had been bitten on the face.

When interviewed by police at the time, Mains “promised” to prevent further attacks.

But on 20 November, Budweiser grabbed a Yorkshire terrier - which was being walked by a 10-year-old boy - by its head and threw it in to a bush.