Anyone who reads the paper would be forgiven for thinking that ‘pit bulls’ are unpredictable dangerous dogs. It feels like every time we read about a dog causing serious injuries to people, a pit bull is to blame. It appears the media show a bias against pit bulls in their reporting of dog attacks. Animal Control officers in the U.S. have reported that when they alert the media to a dog attack, news outlets respond that they have no interest in reporting on the incident unless it involved a pit bull. The Denver Post recently admitted that they have been guilty of breed bias in their reporting of dog attacks.

Reporting rarely includes the events that led to the attack, valuable information that might help us avoid similar incidents.  Instead we are led to believe that the pit bulls are simply unpredictable dangerous dogs. We frequently read headlines about Pit Bulls whose breed later turns out to be misidentified. We read about dogs turning on owners who later turn out to be someone minding the dog. We read about “family dogs” who later turn out to be simply “resident dogs” confined to a back yard.

We decided to investigate whether the Australian media shows a bias against Pit Bulls.

Two Attacks but Only One Reported

The first attack involved a couple walking their small dog home from the shops in Diamond Creek, Victoria. They encountered two roaming dogs, one of whom repeatedly bit their dog and the female owner. She received serious injuries to her hands and her dog received multiple wounds with possible fractures. Nillumbik council seized both roaming dogs. The dog who attacked them was not a Pit Bull. A week later we have not been able to find a single report of this incident in the media. Nothing. Not even a line in the local paper.

The second attack resulted in a man and a woman being hospitalised after receiving multiple bites from a dog in their backyard in Sydney. Initial reports claimed that the dog involved was a Pit Bull and the media went wild.

Just 12 hours after the incident, Google shows how the media respond to news of a 'pit bull' attack.

Media Reaction to Mention of ‘Pit Bull Attack’

Every single one of these stories reported that a Pit Bull was believed to have attacked it’s owner. While they focussed on the injuries caused and police shooting the dog, none of these stories gave any details on what led to this attack.

It Wasn’t a Pit Bull

The media couldn’t wait to report on this story. They saw the words ‘pit bull’ and that’s all they needed.
Early reports suggested the dog in question may have been a pitbull terrier – a breed that has been banned in Australia since 2005.
But police last night confirmed the animal was a Staffordshire bull terrier.

Early reports suggested the dog in question may have been a pitbull terrier – a breed that has been banned in Australia since 2005.But police last night confirmed the animal was a Staffordshire bull terrier. Early reports suggested the dog in question may have been a pitbull terrier – a breed that has been banned in Australia since 2005. But police last night confirmed the animal was a Staffordshire bull terrier.

So What Led to This Attack?

At midnight, news.com.au published a story that gave details of what led to the attack.

Mr Edwards said both dogs were normally kept in the backyard. He said he understood his wife was in the backyard hanging out washing when her friend arrived and probably tried to gain access by cutting through the garage. The man, aged in his 50s, was attacked first, then Mrs Edwards, who is in her 40s, was bitten.
This looks like a case of a resident dog (as opposed to family dog) reacting to an unknown intruder. The owner was not present and his mother was quite likely to have received bites while trying to stop the dog attacking her visitor. Her son’s dog was named ‘”Chopper”. Was he raised to be a ‘tough dog’ or did his owner just love helicopters?

What We Want to See

This sort of sensationalized reporting only feeds people’s fears. We are not in the middle of a dog bite epidemic.

Australia has a canine population of about 4 million and over 40% of homes have a dog. However, fatalities are rare (less than one a year nationally) and just 1,400 people have injuries that are serious enough to send them to hospital. I say ‘just’ because the number of people hospitalised each year from tripping over – 18,970. While 1,439 people are hospitalised from ‘trampoline’ related incidents.

SavingPets.com.au

Misreporting and over reporting of attacks by ‘Pit Bulls’ has resulted in States enacting laws that target dogs based on their appearance. Victoria recently enacted laws that allow council officers to seize and kill family pets who look like they may have some ‘pit bull’ in them. There is no scientific evidence that one breed is more likely than another to injure a person. Media bias against certain dog breeds feed public fears but do nothing to make us safer.

The Australian Veterinary Association have spoken out against Breed Specific Legislation. The RSPCA also believes that the owner, not the dog is the issue. It’s time to stop feeding pit bull hysteria and do more to educate the public in how to be safe around dogs.