Pit Bull Attacks: Experts Say Blame Owners, Not Dogs

By: Bonney Bowman - Email

Updated: Tue 5:50 AM, Aug 28, 2012

On Sunday, a pit bull was shot and killed after it attacked another dog.

It's incidents like this one which cast the entire breed in a bad light.

But animal control experts say it's not the breed that's the problem - it's the owners.

Lincoln/Lancaster County Animal Control Manager Steve Beal says a disproportionately high number of irresponsible owners own pit bulls.

He says some of that is due to culture - pits are seen as tough, dangerous dogs and can be used as status symbols.

Beal says his office sees around 500 dog bites each year.

Pits are responsible for some, but so are labs, poodles, and every other breed of dog.

He says the pits' bad reputation is not deserved, saying "I think that's a myth. I don't think pit bulls as a breed are a problem any more so than some of the other breeds so as far as the bad rap I think pit bulls get sometimes, I don't think that's necessarily justified."

Beal says it starts with educating owners, making sure they're treating their dogs well and training them properly.

He says it's the best way to avoid incidents like the one that happened on Sunday.

Surge In Gas Prices Hard On Nebraska Drivers