Pit bulls are the least of the worries for Los Angeles.
Via Circa:
Flyers alerting the public of the “dangers” of pit bulls have been popping up in some cities across the U.S., including Boca Raton, Florida, and Los Angeles.
The flyers, title “Pit Bull Facts,” say things like, “In 2017, pit bulls killed 38 humans, 13,000 dogs, 5,000 cats, 20,000 farm animals,” and “Pit bulls were originally bred to kill bulls and bears.”
The latter claim is misleading. Pit bulls were originally bred to bite and hold bulls, not kill. The Pit bull Rescue Central (PBRC), a pro-pit bull organization, echoes this statement.
“They have been bred to do what man wants them to do,” the organization told Circa via an email statement. “They are people-pleasers. Animal aggression and human aggression are two completely separate behavior traits. One does not mean the other will exist.”
Animals 24-7 cites the same claim, but doesn’t source it. The poster is not affiliated with DogsBite, but includes a link to the site on his flyer. DogsBite.org describes itself as a “national dog bite victims’ group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks,” and said it was unaware of these posters’ existence until I emailed them about them.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals says that pit bulls are genetically pre-disposed to be more aggressive since they are descendants of the English original bull-baiting dog, but says that the “vast majority of pit bull type dogs in our communities today are the result of random breeding. The result of random breeding is a population of dogs with a wide range of behavioral predispositions.”
Still, the creator of the flyers, who asked to remain anonymous because he fears he’ll receive more death threats, stands by the flyers. He told Circa that after being attacked by a pit bull a year ago, he decided to take action. He says he hopes the posters “spark people’s curiosity and motivate them to look further into the issue.”