He was probably involved in that dogfighting ring in Dolton last month.

Really ??
How inappropriate can someone be.

I was so surprised too! One out of the last one hundred crime reports I've read here on patch!

Yeah, but he's white trash, as are all white pit bull owners. Pit bulls are the white trash dog-of-choice!

all dogs get equal chances of being chosen by good or bad owners.. but the genes give the tendancy towards violence and unpredictably. People put Beagles in backyard pens and forget about until hunting time.. but Beagles are not attacking people and pets. Pitbulls are.. In this age of genetic engineering and genetic genology you want us to throw genes out of the window and forget that pitbulls were bred deliberately for fighting bulls in pits in England in the 1500's. That is a long time with an animal with a short reproductive cycle. You can't see genes, or DNA but you can see that pitbulls attack, mutilate and maime people and pets much more often than any other dog breed. I guess if someone chooses to pick a pitbulls and think they are special and believe the lies about the breed, you might think they are stupid.. but a lot of NICE, well cared for pitbulls that are neutered maul without rhyme reason. This neutered pitbull ran after a young girl in a backyard full of adults. .. The pitbull knew and loved the girl in the past. Noone knows why the dog turned .. as usual. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2171669/Kaylie-Ann-Foster-3-year-old-mauled-fathers-pit-bull-family-gathering.html

Mr. Caldwell, pit bulls have the bad luck to be the breed most often chosen by bad owners. It is not a random thing like you seem to think. Awful people see awful news stories about pit bulls and think 'that's the dog for me.' It is a vicious circle and pit bulls are the losers in the cycle.

Jean, Pit bulls are one of the losers in the cycle but sadly not the only ones. This cycle is responsible for countless untold carnage to animals live stock pets and human beings as well as Pit bull on Pit Bull injury and human on Pit bull and bait dog cruelty. PETA has this issue right. For the sake of all of the victims in the cycle simply stop breeding them. Ban the Breed end the Deed! Domestic dog breeds are a man made ,not nature made event. If breeds where of nature then Poodles would only mate to Poodles and beagles to beagles.

Pretty much everything JEG

As a responsible owner of pit bull...your comments are disgusting and ignorant at best.

Ignore Debbie. She's a well known troll.

I am a pitbull owner, I chose this bredd NOT for the "aggression" or "vicarious power" of the animal. I chose it because if responsible pet owners DONT start choosing to help these dogs and show people that they CAN be wonderful pets and companinions for humans AND other animals then the dogs will never stand a chance. they DO NOT bite MORE than other breeds but they are very powerful dogs so when they do bite the damage can be substantial. Small dogs bite FAR more often than ANY large breed but the strength is not behind them. Pitbulls are not typically good watch dogs, they are by nature people pleasers. They behave in the way the owners teach them...(in MOST cases)...they have NO IDEA that what they are doing is wrong. As with any dog, meet the parents...access their temperment...use the same practices you would use to choose ANY puppy then socialize socialize socialize (as with ANY large breed dog). I have noticed that if my dog does anything that any other dog would do...growl or makes growling like noises while playing (tail wagging the whole time) people panic! its RIDICULOUS and so very frustrating. I remember a time not too long ago that no one knew what a "pit bull" was and it was Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chows, German Shepherds that were the "killers". Golden Retrievers are the dogs that bite more than any other! look it up!

I do agree with Shawn and SouthSide. The dog was doing what it's owner was asking him to do. It's not the dogs fault, it's the owners fault. I have a pitbull and she's the most loving and faithful dog I have. Any can breed could have attacked the mom.

No "any dog" CANNOT be "trained to act like this" because it is not the genetic predisposition of "any dog" to attack and kill. If it had been a beagle, the woman could have kicked the little buggar to death or picked up something and bashed it to death. But kicking or attempting to bash a pit bull is about as effective as an ice cube in hades. If you really believe a beagle can be trained to attack, latch on and shake, rip and tear until its victim stops moving, you need to read some books on dog-breeding and genetics.

That's correct, any dog can be trained to attack. Pit bulls genetically are not the best attack dogs. They are more of a working do and used for fighting other dogs. Typically too friendly by nature, but as this turd proved, pits can be trained to attack as well. German Shepherds are better attack dogs, as that is why the police use german shepherds for attacking. Police use pit bulls as well, but more for search and rescue operations. It's obvious RoastPuppy is a troll spewing nonsense.

@ RoastPuppy Just fyi I have a beagle and a pit. Whenever we start messing with my daughter (jokingly such as tickeling) the beagle will start biting/nipping at us to protect 'her' child. The Pit will hide, commotion freaks him out. Dogs are different depending on every situation just like humans.

George:
Its the owners fault for letting the his dogs out, not the dogs fault. The dogs shouldn't have been shot. Punish the owner not the dogs for being let out.

That makes a lot of sense. Judging a breed because of the actions of a lunatic in the city. I walk my pit around my neighborhood and he lets the kids approach him. I also have very young nieces that come over and my pit, who is very young himself, behaves himself. Remember its the owner that you should judge, not the dog.

FYI Jackie and Harry...The dogs were part of a neighborhoof dogfighting ring. They had scars all over them. The poice did the right thing. I would rather see two dead pits put down than see children getting attacked by by the pits. Have a nice day!

I doubt he would even last 10 second with a gorilla, besides you wanna make it more agonizing for him, how about putting him in a cage with 10 angry hungry pitbulls!

well however long it takes them to rip his arms and legs off his body! lol

Amen... you said it.

People are defending the breed against haters like yourself!!!!! Pitbull haters will never understand just how great this breed is. I know plenty of people who own useless ankle biting lap dogs. I doubt the owners are training them to be vicious little fighting dogs,but the little beasts walk around with a Napolean complex yapping and snappin' their little teeth at anything that comes near them! Should these little rats all be banned? You're probably anti-2nd Amendment too!!!! LOL!!

Okay you two, I'll settle this, ITS BOTH THEIR FAULT!!! A pit bull, and pretty much any other dog that weights more than you do, can't fight its violent instincts and this idiot obviously didn't do anything to help it, he probably trained it to be that way! Its not like this dog was a puppy that could fit in the palm of your hand, sadly some of these breeds can be dangerous, just like with humans how certain 'breeds' of 'people' can be violent!

Jan, the answer is easy. Most people bitten by smaller breed dogs don't report the incident. The media loves to report pit bull attacks. If it bleeds it leads, right?
Scientific studies have proven that it is NOT in the genetic makeup of ANY breed to be overly aggressive. That is a learned behavior. There's a huge difference. Any breed of dog can be aggressive. It just comes down to the damage done by that aggression. You dogs, for example, wouldn't do as much damage as a Rottweiler for instance. Dogs are what you make them. Any dog can become unbalanced and aggressive in the right environment. It doesn't necessarily even take specific training for that. It's a combination of personalities (human and dog) and actions (human). I'm sure you're a good dog owner, like most people are. So I'd like to ask you, when are we going to start making the bad owners take responsibility for their actions? Poor dog ownership doesn't reflect negatively on just pit bull owners, but ALL dog owners.

There is no scientific study that says it is not Inherent. There are studies or better stated advocate group papers and articles but no scientific gathering has disproved the meaning of the word breed to just be some random method of telling dogs apart by the way they look. What do people actually think the word breed means? It is infact a scientific word that means something. It tells you a dogs inherent physical and behavior traits. Go find the badest poodle you can train to fight. Or the fastest Pit bull you can train to run and I will show you two breeds that by there very blood line will best you and your highly trained dogs of another breed line. Also what is a therapy dog but another phony designation. Most people think you are talking about guide dogs like my blind Uncle had. Therapy dogs and doggy citizenship is a bit of a misleading designation that many and any breed can get but few BREEDS can actually be trained for guide work. Also the SAR Pit Bull is a phony use as well. They had no Pit Bull SAR's at ground Zero.

Tony,
You are like the dork that gets spurned by a hot chick. You hold a grudge against every pitbull because your son was "critically" mauled. Get a grip.

I love that everyone is saying that the violence is inherent in the breed...guess what, pitbull isn't even a breed!!! If people actually did their own research rather then repeat what the media says is "true", this "breed" might actually be seen as the amazing dogs that they are. And BTW, the most decorated military dog is a "pitbull" and the "breed" was touted as America's hero BEFORE the 80's and a certain Time Magazine article came out. And as for their linage, they were specifically breed NOT to attack people, if they did happen to nip or bite their handlers, the line was ended. So much for being trained to attack humans!! And one more thing, the temperment of a "pitbull" is better than that of a Beagle or Golden Retriver and no one ever has called those vicious. http://atts.org/breed-statistics/

@Samantha: You say: "Scientific studies have proven that it is NOT in the genetic makeup of ANY breed to be overly aggressive. That is a learned behavior." Would you please name a "scientist," or anyone else except some misinformed pit nutter who has ever made such an idiotic claim? Obviously you know absolutely NOTHING about dog-breeding or genetics!

Katherine Houpt, VMD, DACVB, PhD, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell and author of "Domestic Animal Behavior,” says: "Different breeds have genetic predispositions to certain kinds of behavior ... The pit bull is an innately aggressive breed, often owned by someone who wants an aggressive dog ...."

Blah,blah,blah,blah,blah,bah!! It would be better stated to ignore Tony"Troll"Solesky!!!!!

Really Tony? How about the overwhelming statistics in cities like Denver who have murdered over 4,000 innocent dogs in the name of a "breed ban", and where dog bites and attacks haven't gone down? You honestly think breed bans are going to do anything other than punish good innocent owners who've trained their dogs to love? If breed bans work so well then how come every major animal association (HSUS, AKC, etc.) say they don't work? Why is it that in the State of Hawaii, the pit bull is the #1 dog and you don't see them screaming for breed bans because of dog attacks? Oh wait, it's because you never see pit attacks from there. I wonder why? How is that possible if that's the #1 dog in that State?
I own two pit bulls and both are certified AKC Canine Good Citizens. Both are becoming certified therapy dogs. With any other breed that wouldn't make me a bad owner, but in your eyes because I defend my innocent dogs against racial profiling, I am. The "FACT" is that I'm a responsible dog owner, like many of my friends who also own pit bulls. We've raised and trained our dogs to be gentle and sweet. Not everyone is meant to own a pit bull. They require work, dedication and training. I'm sorry your son was critically injured. That is a terrible tragedy. But going on a crusade to punish an entire breed of dog because of it is vindictive and shallow. When are you going to make the bad owners take responsibility instead?

Tony,
Why dont you try to ban low income minorities that cause most of the crime and murder in this country? They have killed and harmed more innocent people than pitbulls ever would. Why do I bring up that group? What sense does it make? It is all about the environment that a species is brought up in. You could split up two gerbils, two dogs or two humans and raise one group in a responsible household and one in an irresponsible environment and you tell me what will happen. You have blinders on because of an incident that happened to close to home. Come to my home and try to take my pitbull for a "Denver massacre" and see what happens!

Nonsense. Banning the breed won't stop anything. They bad owners and dog fighters will start breeding Rotties and then idiots like you will want to ban them, so they'll start breeding Cane Corsos and then you'll want to ban them, so they'll start breeding Presa Canarios and you'll want to ban them.... and on and on it goes. You may know all about lawsuits to ban a dog breed but it's clear that you don't know a thing about dog training or behavior.

Sarte,
Get a refund on the psychology class that you took. Perhaps you are just so ignorant that you cant help what comes out of your mouth.

Love the comment you need to get a refund on the psychology class and couldn't agree more. I would think most pitbull owners pull for the underdog or grew up with pitbulls that were loving family pets. That does not mean anything is wrong with them. Also please explain how you came to your conclusion he is afraid of minorities.. that is very puzzling because to me it read as though he loves his dog and believes that he trained it very well to be a loving and protecting family pet as most others raise their dogs and would not let anyone take it away from him.

Sartre,
I didnt threaten Tony, I hardly doubt he would be the one on my doorstep if there was an attempt at another "Denver massacre". There is nothing to realize about my statement on low income minorities. I deal with facts and real life experience. You need another vocation in life. Trying to decipher peoples statements on a blog and applying it to the drivel that you read in a psychology book are pretty pathetic. The fact that you cant use your own name and you use that of a cheese eating surrender monkey, erases any credibility that you tried to establish.

Self esteem has never been an issue for me and I dont have anger issues.I call it like I see it and you are an armchair psychologist that probably doesnt have a lot of friends. As far as my pitbull, its the first one that I have owned. The sad thing is that I never wanted one before because I bought into the media hype and I thought they were horrible creatures. The saddest thing is that I wish I wasnt so narrow minded about pitbulls. I was wrong, because I have owned many dogs and none was as loving as my pitbull is.

cheese eating surrender monkey

Surrender monkeys eat at Chuck E Cheeses, too?
I did not know that. Weird - weird wild stuff.

If you were randomly bitten by a pitbull four times, it's possible you wouldn't be here to write about it.

There is nothing more disgusting than a woman – and it’s ALWAYS a woman – who uses a name like "PitBullMomma" or "PibbleMom" or "Doggiemamma." Why do we never see a man calling himself "PitBulPappa" or whatever? I'm going to answer my own question: Because even male pit nutters like Clay Hund aren't dumb enough to think they are the "parents" of a freaking dog! Here's a suggestion, PitBullMomma, instead of posting asinine, unintelligible comments on the internet when you come up for air after having your nose stuck up your pit bull's rear end, try to find a course in English grammar and composition and TAKE IT! Everyone makes the occasional grammatical error when posting on the internet, but your post is so full of errors it is ridiculous!

roastpuppy: It's amusing how your main focus on my post was about my grammar and my name yet your name includes the word "puppy" in it. You have no valid points to your argument. Yes I am proud of my dogs as well as being a mother so your opinion of my ID on the Internet means little to nothing. if you were to go back and actually read what was wrote - you would clearly see that yes I stated Pit bulls CAN be dangerous, but no more dangerous than any other breed. (only difference is obviously a "purse dog" or any small breed doesn't have the strength to do severe damage. its like comparing a BB gun to a 9mm) The media focuses on the bully breeds because its what gets people in an uproar. If it were a husky, or a lab that attacked someone they would blame it on a fluke, or history of abuse to the animal. It would be the same as blaming a rapist for a "troubled past". I made it a point to not attack anyone's post individually because everyone is entitled to their opinion. As you are yours. it shows lack of intelligence when the first reaction to tell someone else how you are above them. So with that I will end this petty argument because it is like nailing jello to a tree. Your post has no real valid point aside that you know how to use spellcheck (congrats on that) and that you are so quick to get defensive as most do when they are riding a stereotype.

Stones: If I was bit by any dog over 50 pounds there is a chance I wouldn't be here to write about it.

You are right. Once pit bulls go after something, most of the time, nothing short of a bullet will stop them. There was a case of someone grabbing a pair of heavy garden shears and actually cutting off a pit bull's hind leg and it didn't deter the beast. Pit bulls literally "go crazy" when they are in "attack mode" and have been known to attack and shred tires on cars -- I have never seen, or heard of, any other dog doing such an asinine thing. Just a few months ago, pit bulls trying to get at a kitten, completely destroyed an SUV. A few years ago, there was a photo posted on the internet of a pit bull that attacked a porcupine. A normal dog requires only a couple quills from the porcupine to realize this isn't something to mess with, but the idiot pit bull kept attacking and attacking until it was full of quills and blinded in both eyes!

Furthermore, the least little thing can "set off" a pit bull: a crying child, a squeaky toy, a thunderstorm, people arguing (as happened in this case), etc. and no one knows when their sweet, gentle "pittie" is going to snap. Owners of pit bulls are six times more likely to be attacked by their own dogs than owners of other breeds/types. And those pit bull owners who live to tell about their attacks all say the same thing: "I can't understand what happened ... never any signs of aggression ... such a good dog ...."

Jeremy Rusin didn't own the freaking dog. It belonged to his girlfriend. Pit bulls will attack anyone or anything and they don't need a reason.