Dear Mr. Rodricks,

I recently came across your article in the Baltimore Sun about pit bulls. As a veterinarian who has worked at an open-door shelter, a private practice, and an emergency clinic, I have encountered quite a few pit bulls. And quite frankly, a number of the “facts” you presented in your article are outright false.

Let’s start with your statement that, “Pit bull jaws are three times stronger than those of a German Shepard.” First, you misspelled Shepherd. Second, this is completely false, as research (http://dogbitesinformationandstatistics.blogspot.com/2008/01/canine-bite-force.html) has shown. In fact, that scientific study demonstrated that the force generated by a pit bull’s jaw is actually LESS than that produced by a German Shepherd’s bite. Furthermore, the damage inflicted by an animal bite is due to the bite itself, not the strength of the animal’s jaw. To date, I have been bitten by a Bichon Frise, a Miniature Poodle, a Miniature Schnauzer, and too many Chihuahuas to count. The bite with the most severe scar is the one obtained from the Miniature Schnauzer. In addition, while they did not manage to bite me, the two most threatening dogs I ever saw in clinical practice were a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd. You may note that pit bulls appear on neither of my lists.

In addition, you cite a report from JAVMA discussing dog attacks and fatalities from 1979-1996. First, the only article I was able to find was for the period of 1979 to 1998, not 1996. Second, the article refers to “pit bull-type” dogs, as “pit bull” is not actually a breed; there are *many* actual breeds that are often lumped into the “pit bull” category. Third, you completely failed to even consider any sort of reporting bias. As mentioned above, I have been bitten by several breeds of dog. I did not report any of those incidents to the authorities. Somehow, I doubt that folks being bitten by Poodles are running to their local police station, but due to the image of the “vicious” pit bull portrayed in the media, I suspect those attacks are substantially more likely to be reported.

And now, I will share with you my personal experiences with a couple of pit bulls encountered throughout my years in practice. When I worked at my local Humane Society, we would see abused animals come through our doors with a saddening regularity. Quite a few of these dogs were pit bulls. And despite having been abused by humans, all of these dogs were incredibly sweet. One in particular comes to mind – she and her brother were brought in together. When I was examining her brother, she stood right next to him, licking me. And when I moved on to do her examination, she climbed into my lap. We ended up naming her Sweet Pea, and she was adopted by a couple who had two adorable children. More recently, I managed to grow rather fond of a brindle pit bull named Morgan, who was up for adoption at the shelter near my house. Interacting with her basically guaranteed that I’d end up covered in saliva, as she loved to give lots and lots of kisses.

If you have ever been to an animal shelter, you might notice that pit bulls tend to be over-represented on the adoption floor. This is due to two factors: (1) They are overbred and (2) They are incredibly likely to pass the temperament test administered by shelter employees. Pit bull-type dogs were originally bred to guard children (source: http://www.ywgrossman.com/photoblog/?p=676). Any pit bull who attacks a person would be equivalent to a Labrador Retriever who attacks a person – that behavior would be atypical for both dogs, given what their temperament should be.

I really hope that you’ve read this far. I cannot fathom that you might run out and adopt a pit bull, but I highly encourage you to at least get to know some of them. They have been grossly misrepresented in the media, and many of the anti-pit bull laws are being pushed through the legislative process because people are afraid due to this misinformation. In reality, the vast majority of the pit bulls I’ve met are some of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever encountered.

Heather [last name], DVM

I’m also amazed at the outlandish claims people make about the behavioral and (in particular) physical traits of this dog. They weren’t bred on Krypton, the laws of physics still apply to them.

Some day we’ll be able to stop defending the poor bully breeds at every turn.