Michigan

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To:  Rep Hugh Crawford
        Rep Tim Bledsoe
        Rep Sean McCann
          and hundreds of others

When Darius Tillman of Kalamazoo was slain by a pit bull in February Michigan was once again reminded of the horrors of pit bull attacks.

Michigan has a long history of violent pit bull attacks. The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology published a report on pit bull maulings which analyzed six deaths in Wayne County, all of them attributed to pit bulls. That report is available, if you have the stomach for it, by clicking here.  It is evident from this report that the damage pit bulls inflict during a mauling is unlike that of any other dog.

The pit bill advocacy movement is well-connected and well funded.  When any community considers public safety measures regulating pit bulls,  advocates mount an overwhelming, coordinated attack. Michigan is at a particular disadvantage in protecting its citizens, because Kalamazoo is home to the United Kennel Club, the country's registry for the American Pit Bull Terrier.

Pit bull advocates clearly love their dogs and claim they are normal, affectionate dogs. This may indeed be true, until the moment they attack. Some pit bulls may never attack. Others may be normal, affectionate pets for years then suddenly, without warning or provocation, revert to their fighting heritage and attack their own human family. This has happened thousands of times, and owners continue to profess how wonderful their dogs are, until they attack, after which they express profound bafflement.

Those of us who study these patterns of pit bull behavior grow weary of witnessing the useless, avoidable carnage. It takes courageous politicians to withstand the avalanche of pit bull advocates, who target the politicians in important positions. Of course the vast majority of letters you receive will be from advocates defending the pit bull.

A similar distortion is also true in the media, as we witness from the recent coverage in the Detroit Free Press.  As usual the reporter interviewed pit bull advocates including the president of the American Pit Bull Terrier Association, who is kept busy defending their breed of obsession.

As we write this letter we received news that a 74 year old man lost both arms and suffered severe facial injuries yesterday  This is only one of many such attacks, all of which are preventable if those in positions of responsibility would only take action. We urge Mr Crawford and others to please move House Bill 4714 to a vote before the legislature.

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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

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 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.

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