I always equate pitbulls to the gun argument. Small breed dogs are water pistols. The odds of them killing a human are astronomically low if not impossible. Maybe if your Yorkie decided to gnaw at your jugular vein for an hour after you passed out from copious amounts of opioids would be the only way it could happen.
All larger breed dogs to a certain extent are a firearm. If someone shoots you with a light calibre hunting rifle, yes you could die, but if it hits you in the right spot but there still a reasonable chance of survival. Most larger breed dogs can be reigned in from an attack, with good commands or a kick to the ribs.
Pit Bulls are like owning an Anti-tank rifle. You get hit, you're likely dead. Once a pit-bull gets to your throat and locks its jaws, you are done. There's almost no way to stop it. About 20 years ago I saw a pitbull attack a smaller dog at a dog park, and 3 people were kicking the dog as hard as they could and it was oblivious to it. Almost like the thing had an invincibility cheat code. And of course the owner was exactly what you'd picture, and yes he was such a good boy and never did anything like this before. Added points for fleeing the scene and not sharing his info with the owner of the dog his pet just killed.
And that's where there it's not guns that kill people, it's people that kill people rationale comes in. The typical pitbull owner is trash. Not all, but most. They are the types of people that shouldn't own a gerbil, let alone a dog. You have a volatile, destructive weapon of an animal, in the hands of a volatile destructive person which compounds the odds of the thing going rogue. It's a terrible match.
I own guns, and I own dogs, both responsibly. I see no reasonable reason to own an anti-tank rifle, no differently than I see no reasonable reason to own a pit bull. An accidental discharge by the rifle is as unnecessarily dangerous to the public within a +/- 1 km radius as the chance of pit bull hopping the fence and deciding to go after my neighbour.
It's time to let this breed die out, at least in civilized countries.
|