Battling Over Pit Bulls

Short, stocky and muscular, the pit bullterrier has a reputation for viciousness, so much so that Adventurer-Author Jack London once characterized it as "clinging death." Bred as a dogged fighter, the pit bull uses powerful jaws to grip and shake its victim until the flesh tears loose.

Unfortunately some pit bulls have been unleashing that aggression on humans. As 18-month-old Claremont Brown lay by his mother's feet in the backyard of a family friend's home two weeks ago in Westminster, Calif., he was set upon by a pit bull. Dragging the child 20 feet before his mother could intervene, the dog mauled the baby's face so badly that it may require years of plastic surgery to repair the damage. Earlier this summer, in Ramsay, Mich., a pit bull broke out of its owner's yard and wandered into a neighbor's. There it pounced on Kyle Corullo, a 20-month-old, and thrashed him about like a stuffed toy. Kyle died of a broken neck before police arrived and shot the animal.

As a result of such attacks, numerous U.S. cities have tried to outlaw the breed. Most laws banning the pit bull get thrown out in court. Judges usually find that because the term pit bull means any one of three breeds, as well as crosses with these breeds, it is difficult to define legally. A more successful technique for protecting the public may be to pass ordinances making owners of any dog responsible for harm inflicted by their pets.

Some estimates place the total number of pit bulls as high as 500,000. The continued popularity of dog fighting, which has been hard to stop even though it is a felony in 29 states, has helped create a booming market for the terriers. For some, a pit bull is a macho statement. Veterinarian David Dunn says, "A lot of people want them for the wrong reasons."

The dogs' well-organized lovers assail all such criticism of their pets as unfair. They insist that the pit bull is a friendly animal whose behavior depends on how it is treated and trained. Says Robert Rush of the Los Angeles department of animal regulation: "It's not a dog problem; it's a people problem." Contends Bill Leamer, an officer of Missouri's Sho-Me Pit Bull Club: "There's no dog that has a bigger heart. You can just feel the love coming from this dog." For those who have felt the pit bull's teeth rather than its love, that is a difficult sentiment to accept.