Pit Bull Attacks On Rise; Police Blame Owners, Not Dogs In Some Cases

From WPXI

Pittsburgh police said pit bull attacks are becoming a big problem in Allegheny County. So far, seven people have been attacked by the dogs this year.
In several of those cases, police and humane agents blame the owners of the dogs, not the dogs themselves.
On Wednesday, humane agents were called to a Beechview home on an animal neglect call. When they arrived, they said they found three dogs living in the driveway, with a pit bull tied to a truck.
Human officer Christine Luffey, who is also a pit bull attack victim, said owners who neglect or abuse dogs are the reason for many of the recent attacks.
"Animals that are neglected are prone to being aggressive," said Luffey.
Luffey said she and her dogs were attacked by three pit bulls last spring as they walked near her Beechview home.
"If they had their way, my dogs would have been dead and so would I," Luffey said.
More recently, two pit bulls bit a boy at playground in Marshall-Shadeland last weekend. On Monday, a woman and her dog were mauled by a pit bull outside of Aspinwall.
According to records, there were 133 animal bites reported in 2009 and among the reports, nearly half of them were from pit bulls.
Experts say the dogs are often raised to fight for money and are taught to be aggressive. Humane agents said when adopting a pit bull, owners need to take a proactive approach to raising the dog to be obedient and safe.
"They can't be confined in a basement, they need human contact," said Human Officer Bob Gosser.

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