On February 11, Susan Haddad was brutally attacked by her neighbor's 3 American Bulldogs while alone in their kitchen. Although familiar with the dogs, she escaped them only after suffering more than 50 bites, some of them severe lacerations.
Fulton County Dog Warden Brian Banister surveyed the scene, and said it was the second most serious dog attack he has investigated during his years with the dog warden’s office.
“It was very severe. It was a life and death situation,” he said.
Because the case is still under investigation, facts surrounding the attack are not being released. Haddad required hospitalization but is now home. Her experience is the latest covered by the media about unprovoked attacks against people by what are described as PIT BULL TYPE DOGS. The dogs’ reputation for sudden, aggressive, and dangerous behavior is an incendiary topic that polarizes dog lovers and animal organizations alike.
According to DogsBite.org, an educational site provided by a national dog bite victims’ group, between 2005 and 2013 pit bull-type dogs killed 176 Americans. In 2013 alone, there were 32 dog bite-related deaths in the U.S., of which 78 percent were attributed to pitbull-type breeds. Data from that year shows that 56 percent of the victims were children seven years old and younger, and 61 percent of that group were four years old and younger. Forty-four percent of fatal attacks were against adults 25 and older.
The website’s statistics also show that 38 percent of those killed by pit bull-type dogs in 2013 were visiting or temporarily living with the dog’s owner when the attack occurred.
In Banister’s opinion, Haddad was lucky to have escaped the dogs with her life. The attack, which occurred at 2485 County Road D, lasted several minutes and caused her significant blood loss. Because the American Bulldogs, which Banister classifies as pit bull-type dogs, were confined within the house and are properly licensed, the dog warden will not file charges against their owner, William Stalder.
When a reporter contacted both Haddad and Stalder by telephone, each said they had no comment and hung up. Fulton County Prosecutor Scott Haselman also would not comment on the case.
Banister described the parties involved as neighbors who visit each other frequently. He said Haddad was familiar with the dogs that attacked her.
"THEREIN LIES THE ISSUE OF WHY THEY DID. SHE'S KNOWN THESE DOGS A LONG, LONG, TIME."
While Banister agrees that not every pit bull will eventually attack a human, the carnage against Haddad doesn’t surprise him.
“A lot of times when a pit bull attacks, the story starts out the same. They can be fine, then they attack,” he said. He added that often a pit bull attack has been preceded by the owner’s statement, “My dog would never hurt anybody.”
He said, “It’s the nature of the breed. These dogs don’t quit. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”
The dog warden concedes there are dangerous dogs within every breed. But he said pit bull-type dogs, which were bred for fighting and for hunting such animals as bears and wild boars, don’t simply bite and retreat like most breeds.
“They have powerful jaws, and when a pitbull bites he holds on,” Banister said. “I’m certainly not labeling every pit bull out there …a bad dog. Not every pitbull falls under this category. The problem being, when these dogs do attack, it’s a much more vicious attack. They bite, and they usually hold on and continue to bite. And that’s the big distinction between pit bulls and other dogs.
“I certainly do not have a vendetta against pit bulls. But it’s the nature of the breed. My main concern is for public safety, and to prevent attacks. I know there’s pit bull lovers out there, but a lot of severe attacks, even random attacks, involve pit bulls.”
Banister said owners of pit bull-type dogs argue that aggressive dogs are the result of the way they’re raised.
Experts weigh in
The American Veterinary Medical Association doesn’t support breed-specific legislation, according to spokesperson Michael San Filippo. He said the organization finds that ineffective in dealing with biting dogs.
“The main issue is, when it comes to dog bites, there are other issues, such as how the dogs are socialized, and how people act around the dogs,” he said.
There is nothing inherent in pit bull-type breeds that make them more dangerous, Filippo said. “A dog, based on its size, can cause more harm when it bites. But that’s no reason to ban a breed. These are still animals, and they behave in ways we can’t anticipate.”
He said statistics show that most dog bites occur by a pet in the home, not from strange dogs.
And Filippo is not certain why pit bull-type dogs have been given such a bad rap. He said there’s no truth to the myth aggressiveness is built into their DNA.
“They were a popular dog for dog fighting. If they’re raised to be aggressive…to not be properly socialized around people, that’s going to be an issue,” he said.
Dogs known as pit bulls have a long history of being good family dogs, Filippo said, adding, “I don’t think they’re an inherent ticking time bomb that’s a danger to society.”
To a degree, a veterinarian working with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals disagrees. Dr. Pamela Reid, vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Team, said pit bull-type dogs do have an inherent aggressiveness, but only for other animals.
“All of our various breeds of dogs are selected genetically to be predisposed to certain types of behaviors. Pit bulls are bred to display aggression,” she said.
Once used in blood sports that eventually fell out of favor, pit bull-type dogs were then used for dog fighting. Because they project power, strength, and aggressiveness, they have been referred to as “status dogs.”
And it is because of their physical strength that the dogs are able to inflict more injury than other breeds.
Victims of untruths
Jean Keating said Banister is woefully misinformed about so-called pit bulls. The co-founder of the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates said it is irresponsible to describe the dogs as any more aggressive or dangerous than other types of dogs.
“Breed identification is typical. It leads to a lot of prejudice,” she said.
Keating said Banister’s primary mistake is labeling pit bulls as a breed. She said “pit bull” is not a breed, but rather a collection of dog breeds placed under that umbrella title. A pit bull breed is not recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Breeds commonly referred to as pit bulls include the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Pit bull Terrier. The first two are recognized by the AKC, the latter by the United Kennel Club.
The American Bulldog, the breed that attacked Haddad, is in a different AKC classification.
“The fact that Banister calls American Bulldogs pit bulls right off the bat tells you there’s serious problems there,” Keating said.
The fact is, she said, 15 years ago the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped tracking dog bites by breed because they considered the information to be inaccurate.
Keating added that the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier have both been recognized as wonderful family pets.
She said 90 percent of fatal dog attacks have been attributed to unneutered male dogs, neglected dogs, dogs attached to chains, and dogs protecting their young.
“Any time you’re looking at any subject, you want to look at the national experts. All these national organizations say the exact same thing: breed is not a factor in dog safety,” Keating said.
After reviewing three years worth of dog bite reports from Swanton, she found that most of the dogs involved were running loose, and only one was of a breed Banister considers a pit bull type.
She blamed the media in part for helping to perpetuate untruths about breeds referred to as pit bulls.
“If a pit bull looks cross-eyed at somebody who’s walking down the street, my God, the media will grab that up,” she complained. “When you talk about pit bulls, it makes people afraid, and it sells. It fuels people who are not educated. I can cite case after case after case of other dogs attacking.”
She described her own case, in which a mastiff, a breed sometimes mistaken for a pit bull-type dog, bit her face.
“Aggression is an extremely complex behavior. The majority of dog attacks can be explained by a handful of things,” she said. “The real factor in dog bites is owner responsibility.”
DESPITE THE INSISTENCE BY PIT BULL ADVOCATES THAT THE DOGS ARE NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER BREEDS, BANISTER ISN'T CONVINCED. HE SAID IT'S SIMPLY THE NATURE OF THE BEAST..........
"YOU CAN RAISE A GRIZZLY BEAR CUB, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S STILL A GRIZZLY BEAR. THERE WILL BE OTHER PIT BULL-TYPE DOG ATTACKS, BUT I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT I'LL NEVER SEE ANOTHER ATTACK THIS BAD."