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Here’s a thoughtful defense of the breed. 

Here is what responsible owners have to say!

It is time to ban this breed?

The Province April 14, 2009

There is no doubt there are many wonderful pit bulls in the world. People familiar with the breed often talk about how social they are, that they love to play, and that they make great family pets.

Unfortunately, pit bulls have three strikes against them:

1.When they bite, they don’t easily let go and the damage to their victim is almost always severe.
2. They scare the hell out of people. Yellow Lab walks down the street with its owner and people smile. Pit bull walks down the street with its owner and people cross the street.
3. They don’t attract quality owners. That’s not to say all pit bull owners are questionable pet owners, just that an inordinate number of questionable pet owners are attracted to pit bulls.
On Friday, a pit bull savagely attacked a three-year- old in Surrey. No doubt the family is devastated by the incident. The father of the injured boy has accepted responsibility for not keeping a better eye on his son.”I can’t say it’s the dog’s fault,” the dad told Global TV.

However, in the end, it was the dog that did the biting and it was the dog that was euthanized.
There is no doubt there are many wonderful pit bulls in the world, but the time has come for jurisdictions like British Columbia to ban ownership of this breed for the safety of all.

What do you think? E-mail a brief comment, including your name and town to: provletters@theprovince.com

This is what we think:

NO it is not time to “ban this breed” it is time to stand up and hold the irresponsible OWNERS accountable for thier failer to house, train and socialize their dogs. Banning a breed doesn’t do anything but make the public FEEL safe, do you actually think that people who cant even follow a simple leash law are going to be able to follow a breed ban or the rules that would be implimented with BSL legislation.

WAKE UP, if only all provinces would follow in Alberta’s foot steps, Calgary has some of the best dog legislation in the WORLD and NO breeds are banned !

Proud owner and rescuer of the American Pit Bull Terrier

Here is an essay by one of the commenters on this weblog that I thought deserved its own post.

Last year I used Google Alert to get some insight on dog bites and attacks. For those of you that don’t know about this service, you give Google a topic and it e-mails you news releases on that topic.

So, for the last year I have been getting on average of, lets say, four alerts a day, and at least one report every day. Now, if I disregard the reports that are non relevant (articles that happen to have the words dog and bite or dog and attack in the story) then disregard the articles that are multiples of the same stories, I am still left with a staggering amount of violent incidences between humans and K-9’s.

Reading through every word of every article is not my cup of tea. My research skills are not great. However, I have trained myself to at least skim through all the articles to find the age of the human victim and the breed of the dog involved. Many of the attack releases are horrifying. Most involve young or small children, the dogs are (usually) known to the victim and of course “Pit Bull” is the news popular breed.

I am not writing this article to bash Pit Bulls. I would never own one, because I am not a Pit Bull “type”. Nor am I a Poodle or German Shepard “type”. I think for the most part this breed is getting its reputation because of irresponsible humans that have no idea how to manage a dog that has been bred to be a killer. Do Jack Russell Terriers not bite? We breed them to kill. No one wants to take the time to read a story about a ferocious JRT. But we do pay attention to the dangerous breed attacks. As well, we have to take into consideration the severity of a Pit Bull attack.

Part of my dog related business involves dog attack training for utility companies. These are the people that go to your house to read meters or to service equipment and it’s usually in the same place where many people STORE their dogs. I have labeled these dogs “backyard lawn ornaments”. The utility workers tell me their biggest fear is going into a fenced yard and seeing a dog on the end of a chain. They also tell me that some people will actually chain the dog to the meter, or build the dog run around the services to the house. The meter still needs to be read so there is usually some type of confrontation between the worker and the dog or the worker and the dog’s owner when asked to remove the animal from the area. It is easy to see that people that keep dogs this way did not get a dog for companionship. This dog is nothing more than a tool and eventually grows to be a social misfit. If it escapes or a child wanders into the yard the outcome is usually grim.
Dogs, like humans, are social animals. They need interaction with other living beings to be mentally stable. A dog that grows up on the end of a chain will not develop the social skills needed to suppress the attack or bite reflexes when confronted by another dog or human. Understanding pack mentality is crucial to raising a dangerous breed pup.

There are many other reasons why dogs develop aggression problems. Dogs are naturally aggressive. It is a survival instinct they are born with. The aggressive pup in the litter gets the most nutrition, warmth and affection. Once humans are in charge of the nutrition, warmth, and affection, care must be taken to insure that the pup knows its place in the human pack. The pup must be raised as a dog, not a human. Humanizing a dog will cause aggressive behavior. Issues can come from something as trivial as letting your dog on the furniture. Height is status in the pack. A dominant dog will stand over the submissive dog to show dominance. So letting your dog sit or sleep with the human pack members can give the dog a sense of authority that needs to be protected by aggression.

Not controlling the entrance to the house can cause aggression issues. If your dog charges the door at the sound of a knock or a doorbell, it is a dominant response to protect the pack. A stable dog will know to alert the pack by barking once or twice and let the pack leader deal with the intruder. When you take your dog for a walk, the dog should be the last one through the door. In fact the dog should sit at an open door until it is allowed to go out. These may seem like small details to humans, but in a dogs mind Alpha Status is everything.

If your dog is showing signs of aggression look for the triggers. What causes this dog to react violently? It may be something as subtle as a food dish by a door, or just being frustrated from lack of exercise.

Bill A

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Be sure to check the link, because there are great pictures and write-ups there.

13 of the Biggest, Strangest, and Most Devastating Sinkholes on Earth

April 13th, 2009

One day you’re feeling satisfied with the fruits of all your yard work. The next day, your lawn is a gaping pit of mud. That’s if you are lucky – it could have been your house, neighborhood or, say, local interstate. Sinkholes tend to appear suddenly, and while particular regions are famously prone to sinkholes they happen all over the world. It begins with an innocuous leak in a rusty pipe. The earth beneath your feet quietly erodes until one day…whoosh. Whole buildings have been sucked into sinkholes. Entire roads have been knocked out. Here are some of the biggest and baddest sinkholes in the world…

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IS THE GRIZZLY TROUBLE . . . OR ARE WE?

How would you feel about being mauled by a 500 lb Grizzly Bear?  Frankly, my memory would be flooded with the smell of the beast, the rush of my emotions as my body came into contact with his fur, the pain of his teeth on my head, and the cut from claws being raked across my flesh.

This is the forgiving attitude of Ron Leming, an Elk hunter from Wyoming.  He doesn’t blame the Bear for the attack.  Ron’s father had the presence of mind and the skill with the bow and arrow to put the Bear down before it killed his son Ron.  What an experience they had together while tracking Elk for their home’s wild life decor, wall trophy, and/or Elk steaks.

How do we respond?  Are Bear attacks on the rise?  Read about it in the Outdoor Life magazine, March 2009, pages 44-50.  Teddy Roosevelt would say that the Bear is the Spirit of America. 

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Great message board discussion of Mountain Lions.

Jim Lowery passes on info from a workshop on mountain lion biology, taught by tracking pioneer Jim Halfpenny who among other knowledge has the largest database about cougar-human interactions, resulting from more than 500 interviews. Here are a couple of highlights.

Cougars and dogs. In Boulder, CO, where mountain lions have been seen fairly often in recent years, it was discovered that among all of the interactions between cougars and people with dogs (for example, people jogging or walking with their dogs on local trails), the cougar was dominant over the dog in 67% of the cases, while the dog was dominant in only 11%. And, in 48% of the cases, the dog was killed! For those people who think that bringing their dog along will protect them, Jim reminds us that jogging with a dog in mountain lion habitat “is basically baiting the cougar.”

Deterrent behavior. Students often ask us whether you should avoid making eye contact with a mountain lion, and the answer is, you should make eye contact. It does not escalate an encounter by doing so, and like standing tall, raising a jacket up above your shoulders to make yourself look larger, and making noise, it lets the cat know what you are. Of course pick children up off the ground and hold them when you encounter a cougar. What has not deterred a cougar: foghorns or playing dead. In the latter, there have been instances in which a mountain lion has simply dragged off a person playing dead. A cougar may growl, moan or hiss without actually attacking. Make sure you stand tall and do not run, which may trigger an automatic chase response. The likelihood of a cougar attack increases with how fast you move.

Mountain lion range. In the East and Midwest, there have been increased sightings of cougars in recent years. Many “sightings” have been housecats, bobcats or dogs though. For the most accurate information, go to www. cougarnet.org, a website that shows specific evidence for verified sightings east of the Rockies. At the site, click on the “big picture” map and go to “confirmations.” By the way, I was surprised to discover that there are an estimated 12,000 pet cougars in the U.S., many of them illegally kept.

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A dog bite victim advocacy group. Interesting site.

Over 150 dog breeds populate the US. Studies show that two breeds account for nearly 70% of bites that end in death and serious injury. We must regulate these breeds or risk the safety of our families and pets

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Here’s a very thoughtful essay about the issue of dogs attacking children and what can be done to prevent it in the future.

Work together to solve dog attack issues

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Pits bulls again made the news. Now, before I go on, don’t think this is an editorial about pit bulls. All dogs bite. While bites have long been endured as a job-related hazard for utility and postal workers, for many cities the problem affects the entire community. Dog bites are serious public health problems that cause considerable physical and emotional damage to victims and incalculable costs to communities.

Following a severe attack, there is always an outcry to do something by citizens, and the something that is done often reflects a knee-jerk response. Typically, it’s an outcry to “ban the breed.” However, a knee-jerk response does not cure an ongoing problem. Of critical concern are the demographics of typical dog bite victims. Almost half are children younger than 12 years old, and boys 5 to 9 are at the highest risk. People more than 70 years old comprise 10 percent of those bitten and 20 percent of those killed. The costs of dog bite injuries are high. The insurance industry estimates it pays more than $1 billion a year in homeowners’ liability claims resulting from dog bites. Hospital expenses for dog bite-related emergency visits are estimated at $102.4 million.

A frequent question is what breed or breeds of dogs are most “dangerous.” This inquiry is generally prompted by a serious attack by a specific dog, or it may be the result of media-driven portrayals of a specific breed as “vicious.” Lately, it’s been pit bulls, but Dobermans, Rottweilers and German shepherds have all been targeted at some point. Singling out a breed for control can result in a false sense of accomplishment. Doing so ignores the true scope of the problem and will not result in a responsible approach to protecting the community’s most vulnerable citizens. In general, dog bite statistics do not give an accurate picture of dogs that bite. However, what is clear is that chained, intact (unneutered) male dogs are involved in 70 to 76 percent of reported dog bite incidents.

Total costs associated with dog bite injuries cannot be easily measured because so many intangible quality-of-life issues are involved. These costs include time spent by officials on animal-related issues, deterioration of relationships between neighbors, citizens’ concerns about neighborhood safety for children, concerns about being able to walk safely, homeowners’ insurance costs within the community and even animal shelter support for unwanted pets. These are quality-of-life issues that ultimately determine the desirability of a community to its citizens and contribute to feeling safe in our neighborhoods.

What can Abilene do to help prevent dog bites and attacks? Make responsible dog ownership and public education a priority. We have many programs already available in our community that could easily add a dog safety program.

To begin, we need Abilene animal control to enforce the ordinances and to let the City Council know if the current ordinances are ineffective in controlling animal problems. For your information, all animals in Abilene must have current rabies shots and be licensed; this makes the owners responsible for their animals. And, yes, this in turn helps fund programs. Offer reduced registration fees for neutering/spaying your pet. Many cities have passed ordinances requiring “breeder” licenses to help control overpopulation. Lack of enforcement regarding animal control ordinances in Abilene is a major safety concern of every citizen, young and old.

Dog bite injuries rank third only to bicycle and baseball/softball injuries as a leading cause of emergency admission of children to hospitals. Since every school child in Abilene goes through “Safety City,” add a short “safe pet” program for our children, sponsored by a local vet or another animal agency.

Parents, if you don’t know the safe dog rules, ask your school or child care facility to help sponsor a safe pet program. Always keep in mind that children are the most likely to be bit in the face.

And finally, to help the older victim of dog attacks, target the senior population through our senior centers and Meals on Wheels programs. Seniors are vulnerable not only because of mobility problems but underlying health issues that can turn a nip into an unhealed wound.

Responsible dog ownership is not only a good neighbor policy but a community responsibility. Abilene should be a safe and responsible community with safe neighborhoods. Unfortunately, until everyone is willing to take responsibility for their pets, it is up to Animal Control to enforce our ordinances.

Let’s put aside our differences about our “beloved” pets and work as a community to do our best to keep this tragedy from happening in Abilene.

Lydia M. Long, Ph.D., teaches criminal justice at Excelsior College and owns a Welsh corgi.

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Five poisonous snakes in North Central Florida

Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.

Five poisonous snakes in North Central Florida

Cottonmouth water moccasin

Description: Juveniles are brightly colored with reddish-brown crossbands on a brown ground color. The dark crossbands contain many dark spots and speckles. The pattern darkens with age so adults retain only a hint of the former banding or are a uniform black. The eye is camouflaged by a broad, dark, facial stripe. The head is thick and distinctly broader than the neck, and when viewed from above, the eyes cannot be seen. The top of head in front of the eyes is covered with large plate-like scales.

Habitat: Any wetlands or waterway in the state. Cottonmouths can be found along streams, springs, rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, sloughs, reservoirs, retention pools, canals, and roadside ditches. It occasionally wanders far from water, and has been found in bushes and trees.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake

Description: A large, heavy-bodied snake with a row of large dark diamonds with brown centers and cream borders down its back. The ground color of the body is brownish. The tail ends in a rattle.

Habitat: often found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak, and sand pine scrub areas. These habitats contain palmetto thickets and gopher tortoise burrows in which the Diamondback may seek refuge. Humans have invaded many of Florida’s pine flatwoods and scrub areas which now contain farms, homes and shopping plazas. As a result, the displaced Diamondbacks may be turn up in backyards, golf courses, and even parking lots.

Timber rattlesnake:

Description: The reddish brown stripe running down the center of the back is disrupted by a series of large, black, chevron-like crossbands on the pinkish gray or tan body. The tail is uniform black. The head is large and sometimes with a dark diagonal line through the eye or just behind the eye.

Habitat: Low botttomlands that are fairly damp, river beds, hammocks pine flatwoods, swamps and cane thickets.

Dusky pygmy rattlesnake:

Description: A small snake but very thick. The top of the triangular shaped head is covered with 9 large scales. The body color is light to dark gray. A longitudinal row of black or charcoal, transverse blotches disrupts a reddish brown stripe running down the middle of the back. Dark spots on the side line up with the blotches. The tail is slender and ends in a miniature rattle. The belly is heavily mottled with black and white.

Habitat: Common in lowland pine flatwoods, prairies, around lakes and ponds, and along the borders of many freshwater marshes and cypress swamps.

Eastern coral snake:

Description: Body ringed with black, yellow, and red; narrow yellow rings separating the wider red and black rings. The rings continue across the belly of the snake. From tip of snout to just behind the eye the head is black. The tail is black and yellow, without any red rings. The red rings usually contain black flecks or spots.

Habitat: Occupies a variety of habitats from dry, well-drained flatwoods and scrub areas to low, wet hammocks and the borders of swamps. They are quite secretive and are usually found under debris and in the ground, but occasionally they are found in the open, and have even been seen climbing the trunks of live oaks. Good numbers of them are turned up when pine flatwoods are bulldozed, particularly in South Florida.

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Informative article about snake safety in Florida.

Snakes: What you must know in order to adapt

By Cindy Swirko
Staff writer

Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 6:01 a.m. 
Last Modified: Friday, April 10, 2009 at 8:57 p.m.

Ah, springtime. Love is in the air – even for snakes.

This is snake mating season and, combined with the warm weather and recent deluges after a lengthy dry spell, snakes will be slithering around woods, yards and across roads.

Snakes have a biblical evilness that still viscerally creeps out some people, but the creatures are beneficial in many ways and should simply be left alone if found – even venomous varieties, professionals say.

“Most people who are tuned into nature know that snakes are here. They are basically good guys – eating mice, crickets and lizards. Most people who are tuned into that and are out in the garden are fine with it,” said Wendy Wilbur, Alachua County extension agent. “But then we have a lot of folks who are just scared of snakes. For them the world is a scary place. My grandmother would kill an oversized earthworm, but I just can’t recommend that. Snakes are mostly good.”

Snakes are reptiles and reptiles are cold-blooded. The change of season recently to warm spring weather has revitalized snakes. The recent heavy rains will widen the pool for water snakes such as moccasins and may have strictly terrestrial snakes looking for higher ground.

All that activity means people are more likely to see snakes now when hiking, gardening or enjoying other outdoor activities.

“Certainly water snakes, including the cottonmouth, will have an expanded range when the water expands. Other types of snakes that are not particularly fond of water will be seeking out higher ground,” said Henry Cabbage of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Florida is home to 45 varieties of snakes, of which six are venomous, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. Of those six, five can be found in North Central Florida – the cottonmouth water moccasin, eastern diamondback, timber rattlesnake, dusky pygmy rattlesnake and eastern coral snake.

The only way to tell if a snake is venomous is to be able to identify it. Detailed descriptions and photos of venomous snakes can be found at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/FL-GUIDE/Venomsnk.htm.

Experts say bites can be prevented with a few precautions.

One is to leave snakes alone – many people are bitten because they try to kill a snake or get a closer look at it.

People should stay out of tall grass unless wearing thick leather boots. People should also keep hands and feet out of areas you can’t see.

Snakes can be found in any yard, but Wilbur said some residents will specifically have a highly landscaped and manicured lawn because it is less of a natural environment for snakes, particularly venomous snakes.

“We don’t often see them in the urban environment,” Wilbur said. “It’s interesting when people put in ponds. They want the waterfall and they want to attract wildlife, which to them is happy wildlife – the birds and the frogs. They don’t bank on the fact that the snakes show up, too. We try to teach tolerance.”

Contact Cindy Swirko at 374-5024 or at swirkoc@gvillesun.com.

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One thing this article is missing is the use of pepper spray. If you’re hiking in an area where dangerous wildlife is common, its best to have that handy.

ANIMAL ATTACKS – AVOIDING AND DEALING WITH THEM

 

Wild animal attacks are not common. Dogs that live among us are a much more common danger. But there is something about being attacked by a wild animal that is especially disturbing. Of course, we want to avoid this nightmare, and if unavoidable, we want to survive it. Some tips on doing both follow.

Moose Attacks

More common than bear attacks, moose attacks can be just as dangerous. A bull moose can weigh over 1500 pounds. Attacks in the fall, during the mating season, are most likely. Winter is the second most common time – they are just pissed off because of all the snow and lack of things to eat.

Be especially watchful during fall and winter then to avoid an attack. When you see a moose, watch closely. Do its ears fold back, or the hair on its neck stand up? Does it clench it’s teeth? These signs show that it is upset and may attack you.

Go behind something big, like a boulder or tree. If possible, run and get into a stand of trees, but be sure they are not too bushy – you need room to maneuver, in case the moose continues the chase. The good news is that most moose attacks are “bluff attacks,” which end shortly after they begin.

Mountain Lion Attacks

These animal attacks are not normally a bluff. Fight with everything you’ve got, using rocks, your walking stick, a knife – anything. A jogger in Colorado successfully got a cougar to let go of his head (it was in the animal’s jaws) by sticking his thumb into the cat’s eye. You have to convince the mountain lion that you’re too not the easy meal he thought you were.

Before an attack – when you and the cat are looking at each other – your goal is the same. Let him know you’re trouble, and look big, by standing tall with your jacket opened up. Yell, and slowly back away while looking for a weapon. Whatever you do, don’t turn and run or crouch down – these behaviors will trigger the mountain lion’s instinct to attack.

Bear Attacks

These come in two forms. The classic bluff attack is meant to scare you away, but may also kill you due to the size and strength of most bears. You can often survive by curling up on the ground and holding your hands around the back of your neck (to protect it).

The animal attacks when you surprise or threaten it – or its cubs. Bears in these circumstances make a lot of noise and may charge you repeatedly, stopping before contacting you. Avoid eye-contact and back away slowly.

The other type of bear attack is predatory. These are rare, but both black bears and grizzlies occasionally prey on humans for food. Such attacks are quieter. The bear will have its head down and come straight at you, watching you closely. He is assessing whether you are an easy meal or not.

In this case, don’t play dead or you will be dinner. Yell, make noise, and look for a weapon. In a worst-case scenario, you might have to fight for your life. Fortunately, most adult grizzly bears can’t climb trees, so if there is a lot of space still between you (these bears are fast), you can try climbing to safety.

Various Other Animal Attacks

Elephants may swing their trunks, kick up dirt and hold their ears out before an attack – and make noise. Get yourself behind a large rock or tree. If that isn’t an option, run downhill – elephants are slower going downhill.

Snakes usually are just warning you, so step away slowly. It is very unlikely that a snake will chase you. Avoid the problem to begin with by watching the trail carefully and probing with a walking stick before stepping over logs.

Get between mother baboon and her baby, and the whole troop may attack. Back away, while shouting and clapping. Drop any food you have in your hands, and don’t yawn or stare – these are signs of aggression to baboons.

Don’t feed wild animals, or provoke them. Learn to use the zoom function on the camera instead of getting closer to dangerous animals. Basically, just use common sense to avoid animal attacks, and the rules above to deal with them.