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matramepapi t1_j44jfra wrote

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External_Staff_300 t1_j44la6x wrote

Ah, the dog hater Colleen Lynn and her fake studies to get donations. You should do better research.

https://adbadog.com/truth-behind-dogsbite-org/

"The conclusion of this science based study (not a conclusion based on the former’s wishful thinking) demonstrates that breed is not a contributing factor in dog bite fatalities, and breed specific legislation is not the solution for eliminating dog bite fatalities."

Maybe you should talk to people that actually know dogs, rather than seeking out sensationalized headlines and studies from lawyers?

Just a thought.

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matramepapi t1_j44lmw4 wrote

Sorry, dog expert. I’m done arguing with you. Statistics prove that you are wrong, pitbulls are an inherently violent breed with a strong tendency to seriously injure people. Bye bye nutter!

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External_Staff_300 t1_j44lsg3 wrote

I'm not an expert. I just have a lot of experience with dogs of all kinds of breeds. And I have never seen a vicious dog that didn't have a stupid owner.

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matramepapi t1_j44lzzz wrote

Ah yes, because one person’s experience and anecdotal evidence is totally more reliable than statistics

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External_Staff_300 t1_j44md28 wrote

I am one person and I am relating my personal experience. But you have also shown that you have zero issue with citing biased sources but balk when given actual studies from experts on dog behavior.

I already know I won't change your mind and I'm not trying to. All I am hoping is that someone who isn't as close minded will look at the actual information I've shared and get a little wiser about this issue.

You have a wonderful evening.

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Wrinklestiltskin t1_j46h569 wrote

I would like to point out that I've never owned a pitbull (don't ever plan to), and I am not invested in this topic. But I'd like to play devils advocate here in order to promote scientically literate discussion on the matter.

There are many confounding variables that impact studies on dog aggression and reporting of dog attacks.

For instance, this study (PDF warning) found a strong association between deviant criminal behavior and and ownership of high risk 'vicious' dogs. It's important to note the relatively small and localized sample in that study.

To the claim of putbulls being the most vicious breed, this study found that smaller breeds were in fact the most aggressive. A finding which has been replicated by other studies. There are many factors thought to influence this, including the growth factor gene.

Smaller dog attacks are also severely under-reported since they are not as concerning, which further skews the statistics on dog attacks to a very significant degree. Source. Also illustrated in that article is the prevalence of pitbull ownership in specific locations/demographics, which directly impacts the rate of attacks simply due the higher proportion of pitbulls in the given population.

I think it's important to weigh all of the facts, consider the conflicting studies, and address all of the confounding variables that are not controlled for in most of the studies assessing breed-specific violence.

To claim that pitbulls are the most aggressive breed is not a claim you can make with certainty from the scientific literature we have on the subject.

For people more unfamiliar confounding/third variable problems, here is a famous example:

Statistics show that as ice-cream sales rise, so does the rate of violent crime. You should not draw inferences of causation from correlations, but one might arrive at the false conclusion that ice-cream promotes violent behavior.

However, in actually, the third variable influencing both of those statistics is hot weather.

I'm not going to tell anyone what they should believe, but I encourage everyone to remain vigilant in scrutinizing all available scholarly information, avoid engaging in confirmation bias, and do not simply believe other redditors' comments at face value.

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