cannibalgoldfish Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 A discussion came up at work today that I thought was interesting. It was along the lines of "why are pit bulls recorded in dog attacks more than bull terriers?" The question was, since they have a similar background as a fighting breed originally why isn't there more bull terrier bites? The general guessed answer was in identification. Bull terriers are a very distinctive breed and people recognise them (even if they get their name wrong!) where as, as it has been discussed elsewhere, that a lot of "pit bulls" are crosses or just bullish breed looking dogs that are identified as pits? I was interested in other peoples opinions? Was the answer we came up with on the right track? Obviously I dont know enough about the breeds or the stats on biting but I know some people here do. It is just a genuine curious question and I hope it doesn't bring out the usual stomp fights that these topics can sometimes create. Do people have any opinions or answers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stack Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 A discussion came up at work today that I thought was interesting. It was along the lines of "why are pit bulls recorded in dog attacks more than bull terriers?" The question was, since they have a similar background as a fighting breed originally why isn't there more bull terrier bites? The general guessed answer was in identification. Bull terriers are a very distinctive breed and people recognise them (even if they get their name wrong!) where as, as it has been discussed elsewhere, that a lot of "pit bulls" are crosses or just bullish breed looking dogs that are identified as pits? I was interested in other peoples opinions? Was the answer we came up with on the right track? Obviously I dont know enough about the breeds or the stats on biting but I know some people here do. It is just a genuine curious question and I hope it doesn't bring out the usual stomp fights that these topics can sometimes create. Do people have any opinions or answers? I agree, there are lot of crosses, and bullish looking breeds that are identified as pits. It just goes to show how uneducated the general public is. Sure i'm not highly knowledgable on dog breeds but i'm also not naive enough to call every bully looking dog I see a pitbull. Even some pedigree dogs are often mistaken by members of the general public as pitbulls. http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html here is a good example of what people often mistake as pitbulls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 There are very few bull terriers and it's legal to have them - so most of them would be registered - you'd think. The scary looking cross breeds - anyone who claims they own a pitbull younger than abou 8 years - can't legally register them (not allowed to buy, give away, keep undesexed or breed), so probably don't bother and generally don't care about complying with rules they think don't apply to them. So when there is a dog attack reported (NSW has good stats) - people call all the scary looking cross breeds "pitbulls" or "staffy" or "staffy x" whether the dog actually is or not. Given that pitbulls are not on the ANKC breed registers, it would be hard to prove what the given dog was. After all, if we're not bothering with law, why would we bother with record keeping and paper work either, especially as that should also get the "breeder" in trouble too. If it's a black and tan scary looking dog with a short nose - it gets called a Rotti, and if it has a long nose and longer coat then it's an "alsation" and so on. It's very rare that there is any follow up with any actual evidence or even a dna test to give a clue about what the breed is. I own a cross breed with short coat, muscley build and semi erect ears and all this talk about banning these is really horrible to me. I can't imagine her mauling anyone or anyting to death - though I think she has the lawn mower man fooled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdie Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) . Edited September 17, 2011 by Purdie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Wasn't BSL introduced here after an incident involving a Bull Terrier? The ultimate misidentification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zayda_asher Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) Wasn't BSL introduced here after an incident involving a Bull Terrier? The ultimate misidentification. Yes and if you ask people "what's a pit bull" a good portion of people actually describe a bull terrier! A lot of people actually think that the bull terrier IS the restricted pit bull!! That's just the beginning of the ID problems Edited August 19, 2011 by zayda_asher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Bull terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers are recognised breeds with a well documented breeding history. Over the last few decades in Australia they are generally bred for pet or show homes. While all of those breeds have a background in fighting, it's what breeders do today and how they select their dogs every single time they breed that makes the biggest difference between ANKC bloodlines and other bloodlines. Anything unpapered is just a gamble. You don't know what is in the lines or what traits the yobbos have strengthened. You can call the dog a pitbull or anything you like, if its a big nasty dog it will end up in the media if it hurts somebody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 The Bull Terrier was never designed as a fighting dig. It's maker, James Hinks, wanted a dig to compete in the new sport of dog showing. He took the old bulldog, various terriers and the dalmatian to create a dog that could win in the show ring. His design was for a pure white dog that also filled the need as a gentleman's companion - hence the name White Caviler. Would someone designing a dog for fighting really care about coat colour, and why use predominately non fighting breeds in the mix. But I so agree that the general public couldn't identify one if it jump up and bit them on the butt as the saying goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I think the media aren't doing anyone any favours. Rarely do they report a dog attack unless it's perpetrated by a bull breed type... and thus described as a "pit bull"... The statistics do show a good number of dog attacks from breeds other than "pit bull" - but the general public aren't appraised of those statistics via the media. Simply said, it sounds better for a media hype story for the dog to be a "pit bull"... For a dog breed that is "banned" in Australia, there sure seem to be a lot of "pit bulls" around... if you believe the media hype... Any poorly raised/socialised dog is capable of doing severe damage to a human - especially a child. Having seen the damage a small white fluffy did to one of my friends' face was extremely convincing of that fact... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Im over it, i had a few people at work tell me off because i own 'one of those dogs' Our local paper has a thing today, on facebook last night it had "Orange residents show the positive side of bull terriers in tomorrow's CWD" then today they have this: http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/news/general/izzy-hounded-by-undeserved-bad-name/2264367.aspx I did ask what breed it was they were talking about last night but have no reply. And then the above story just lays blame with other dog breeds *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) I am constantly asked why i have a pitbull with children ( she is a BT) In fact my neighbours built their house 6 months ago , and due to their excavation ,there is now a 6ins gap on top of my 4foot retaining wall, between my retaining wall and a 6 ft wooden fence.Interestingly they have done nothing about it for all this time, yesterday bricks were shoved in the hole. He is the local pastor with 4 kids, and has told me kids should not be near dogs. Wonder how long it will be before i get a visit from the ranger about my "pitbull". ;) Back on topic, i thinks its because most attacks are crosses, and BTs are very people friendly. Edited August 19, 2011 by juice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Hi, I was always under the impression that the term pit bull described a type of dog - a bully breed or cross. Unless the dog is a American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) or an Staffordshire Bull Terrier SBT or American Staff, or Bull Terrier and registered as such, then all the other dogs are "pit bulls" which describes a type (which can be a crossbreed APBT, AM, SBT or Bull Terrier). Because of this it is extremely difficult to tell the animals apart. I really don't think the general public is interested if it is pure bred dog or not, what they are concerned about is a bully breed (cross or not) are involved with dog attacks. Get rid of sites like Gumtree that advertise these dogs, get rid of pet shops selling puppies, only purchase from registered breeders or from a rescue organisation and enforce the laws with very high fines and/or jail terms for breaking these laws- in fact I would like to see what happens in some European countries - you have to get a licence before getting a dog and no dog will be sold to you until you have the licence and can prove that you will be responsible. We could learn a lot from these countries - dogs are welcome almost everywhere and you don't have the issues we have here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spudd Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) I have a bull terrier and he is such a beautiful pet dog! He is great with children, elderly, strangers, small dogs.. I often get asked by strangers if he is a pit bull. Our house is on the market and the first time the real estate agent came around to look at the house, he was in his crate and she said "I assume he is in there because he might bite us?!?!" I said no! He is in there because he is extremely friendly and will just follow you every where because he wants to meet everybody and play! Edited to fix some spelling mistakes (-; The other day when there was a news story about the poor little girl that got killed by a pit bull, a few people at work said to me "a dog like yours did that! They should all be banned!" I didn't even say any thing back, I just kept walking. There is no point arguing with people like that... Poor bull terriers always cope it! Don't get me wrong, I love pit bulls and I know they can be awesome pets just as any other breed of dog, if trained and socialized well! Edited August 20, 2011 by Spudd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adnil444 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I have a bull terrier and he is such a beautiful pet dog! He is great with children, elderly, strangers, small dogs.. I often get asked by strangers if he is a pit bull. Our house is on the market and the first time the real estate agent came around to look at the house, he was in his crate and she said "I assume he is in there because he might bite us?!?!" I said no! He is in there because he is extremely friendly and will just follow you every where because he wants to meet everybody and play! Edited to fix some spelling mistakes (-; The other day when there was a news story about the poor little girl that got killed by a pit bull, a few people at work said to me "a dog like yours did that! They should all be banned!" I didn't even say any thing back, I just kept walking. There is no point arguing with people like that... Poor bull terriers always cope it! Don't get me wrong, I love pit bulls and I know they can be awesome pets just as any other breed of dog, if trained and socialized well! Hi Spudd, unfortunately it is responsible owners like you (and those of us in these sites) that pay the price for the minority and I'm sure it is a minority. I think councils have a lot to answer for - they don't enforce the laws that they have given us. Perhaps if they did, we wouldn't have so many issues. People get slack if they don't think anything will be done so will continue to break the laws unless they are enforced. I agree with you in regards to your last sentence, and that is the problem - some people just won't do the right thing by their dog(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korbin13 Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I think that most of the problem comes from the fact that people look to the US for their 'facts and figures' where the pitbull is considered to be any bull breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rastus_froggy Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I think it is because bull terriers these days are are fairly docile dogs - actually of the 5 I know, I would say four of them are among the most doughy dogs I have EVER met of any breed, sorry Teebs your boy tops the list ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Also, there are nowhere near as many Bull Terriers around these days and they are not hugely popular with BYBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoStoNmAdNeSs Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 The media is just full of crap The other day, Neil Mitchell (Mr Know It All) had a caller talking about pitbulls and how "their jaws lock". Mitchell's response was to say that, no, he didnt think that pitbulls had a jaw that locked but that Bull Terriers do! Two minutes later he had a caller who said he just saw a pitbull on the loose in the Western Suburbs. When Mitchell got him to describe it, it was obviously a BT. I'm sick of the crap and the hysteria in relation to my breed. I'm sick of ill informed gooses who wouldn't know a elephant from their arses. End rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoStoNmAdNeSs Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 I think it is because bull terriers these days are are fairly docile dogs - actually of the 5 I know, I would say four of them are among the most doughy dogs I have EVER met of any breed, sorry Teebs your boy tops the list ;) Not sure about them being docile as such, but they do have their moments..:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 oh no, Atlas is docile... just ask RF about the few times she took him for a walk for me.... He does his crazy run about once a week for about 10 mins and spends the rest of his life asleep :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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