A man in Logan, Utah has shot a pit bull terrier that was attacking him and his Labrador. The man reportedly had a concealed carry permit, and the incident took place at the Ray Hugie Hydro Park last Saturday. The owner of the Labrador had been there playing with his dog off lease, when the owner of the pit bulls arrived with his two dogs. Words were reportedly exchanged between the two owners, before the attack happened.
The attack however was unprovoked, according to Logan Police Department Captain Tyson Budge. Budge claimed that the owner of the Labrador was fetching the leash for his dog from his truck when the pit bulls suddenly became aggressive. Soon not even their owner was able to control them, and they attacked the Labrador , Idaho State Journal reported.
The Lab owner claims that he was trying to break up the dog fight when one of the two pit bulls came towards him. The man immediately pulled out his gun and fired multiple rounds hoping that it would scare away the dogs. It did, but unfortunately one of the shots hit one of the dogs in the shoulder. The man immediately took the injured dog to the vet, and the dog is expected to make full recovery.
Police are still awaiting pending review from the Cache County Attorney’s Office before they release more information about the incident.
This isn’t an isolated incident involving aggressive pit bulls. Pit bulls were created by breeding bulldogs and terriers together. They were meant to be fighting dogs for blood sport, and as such were selectively bred to be aggressive and vicious. Today, a few hundred years later, such games are illegal, but the breed lives on and with a bad reputation.
Many people argue that pit bulls are not vicious breeds by birth and it is the owners of these dogs that lead them into becoming vicious. While it is true with any large/working breed of dogs that an inexperienced owner can lead it to becoming aggressive and vicious, incidents of aggression from pit bulls are more commonly reported than with other breeds, possibly owing to the bad reputation.
The United Kennel Club, the second oldest Kennel Club in the United States and possibly the world’s largest performance dog registry, describes the characteristics of the American pit bull terrier as strong, confident and having a zest for life. They are also said to make good family dogs and are good with children.
While many pit bulls are gentle and happy family dogs, incidents such as these have led several countries around the world and some states in the U.S. to impose restrictions and in some cases outright bans on the ownership of the breed.
[Featured Image by Audrey Lohkamp/Shutterstock]