Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Pit Bull Agility


Revised: March 25, 2015; 19:20 GMT

The National Exhibition Center in Birmingham, UK, is the venue for the world's largest dog shows. At the Crufts Dog Shows in the late 1970s dogs were run around a course similar to a horse jumping course, as entertainment during intermissions. The sport known as dog agility can be traced to those early demonstrations at the Crufts Dog Shows.

Also in the 1970s, dog trainers in Southern California combined scent hurdle racing with bringing a tennis ball to a finish line. Then a tennis ball launching apparatus was invented by Herbert Wagner and the sport of Flyball was invented. The first Flyball tournament was held in 1983.

Pit bulls, on the other hand, have had special equipment and training exercises for hundreds of years. These tools and training methods have historically been used and are still in use today to develop the pit bull's genetic heritage and behavioral skill set.

This month the United States has witnessed a number of pit bull attacks in which pit bulls have leaped over 6' fences to pursue an attack. As shown in the videos below, a 6' fence does not present an obstacle for many pit bulls.

The first series of links below are links to videos of pit bulls exercising their natural ability to leap over fences, climb trees, scale walls, and achieve other astounding feats that owners of normal dogs would consider freakish and frightening. The second set of links presents news stories of the consequences of that ability.

* * * * *

Pit Bull "Agility" Demonstration Videos:

If you would like to watch a pit bull run straight up a wall click here.

If you would like to see a pit bull scale a 12' fence click here.

If you would like to see a pit bull make a fantastic flying leap and grab, click here.

If you would like to watch a 2 min. video of extreme pit bull leaps, jumps, and wall scaling, click here.

If you would like to see a pit bull climb a 30' wall click here.

If you would like to watch a video of a pit bull hanging by his jaws and swinging in circles, all the while shaking the rope, in a freakish display for an unendurable length of time until the rope breaks, click here. [ADVISORY: Animal Cruelty]

If you would like to watch a pit bull leap and hang on a metal bar, click here. The three dogs are playing with a jenni, a pit bull training device used to improve jaw strength and tenacity in pit bulls.

Adult pit bulls using the jenni are sometimes suspended by centrifugal force at the end of the the 20' spinning jenni arm (creating a 40' diameter circle). If you would like to watch a young pit bull suspended by his jaws from the jenni, click here. [NOTE: this video can be viewed only on Windows Media Player.]

News accounts demonstrating consequences of pit bull agility:

St Pete dog killed after pit bulls jump fence into man's home
   March 19, 2015; WFLA, St Petersburg

Escape artist dog hijacks White Bear Township board agenda
   March 11, 2015; White Bear Press

Owner cited after pit bull climbs 6' fence, kills neighbor's dog
   March 9, 2015; KAIT ABC Jonesboro AR

Pit bull leaps fence, mauls woman and two pups at dangerous Highbridge Park dog run
   September 18, 2014; NY Daily News

Passaic woman, 82, attacked by pit bull that jumped fence into her yard
   August 7, 2013; NorthJersey.com & AP.com
The dog leaped over the fence and attacked the woman, severely injuring her left arm and right leg, . . . the pit bull then jumped back over the fence into its owner’s yard.

Pit bull jumps fence, mauls small dog in Sterling Heights
   May 23, 2013; Oakland Press
"My wife was petrified, scared to death. That dog came right over the fence like it was nothing and went right after Zoey."

Pit bull jumps fence to kill Yorkshire Terrier
   March 8, 2011; KCCI Bayard IA
He didn't come through the gate; he came over the fence.



Related Post:
Over, Under, Through
   SRUV, April 14, 2011

* * * * *
Definitions:
SRUV uses the definition of "pit bull" as found in the Omaha Municipal Code Section 6-163. As pit bulls are increasingly crossed with exotic mastiffs, Catahoula Leopard Dogs, black mouth curs and other breeds, the vernacular definition of "pit bull" must be made even more inclusive.

Sources cited by news media sometimes refer to "Animal Advocates" or sometimes "Experts." In many cases these words are used to refer to single-purpose pit bull advocates who have never advocated for any other breeds or species of animals. Media would be more accurate to refer to these pit bull advocates as advocates of fighting breeds.

Similarly, in many cases pit bull advocates refer to themselves as "dog lovers" or "canine advocates" and media often accepts this usage. The majority of these pit bull advocates are single-purpose advocates of fighting breeds.

Statistics:
Statistics quoted on SRUV are from the nation's authoritative source for current dog attack statistics, the 30+ year, continuously updated Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada.
View or download the current PDF

2014 Year-end report of dog attacks
   Animals 24-7; January 3, 2015
32 years of logging fatal & disfiguring dog attacks
   Animals 24-7; September 27, 2014
How many other animals did pit bulls kill in 2014?
   Animals 24-7; January 27, 2015

This page may also include information from Dogsbite &Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.

Google News: Today's pit bull attacks

2014 Dog Bite Related Fatalities on Daxton's Friends
Index of canine fatalities on Daxton's Friends







-->-->


-->