home invasion attack by pits 9/17/12

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BT PITS

Friday, March 27, 2009

share

Home Invasion Attack: Pit Bull Attacks Maryland Family

Man Seriously Injured
Edgewater, MD - On Tuesday, an Anne Arundel County man's face was partially ripped off and his wife and son were also injured in an attack by a pit bull. James Powell had to have more than 100 stitches in his face after the attack. News reporters spoke with Powell after he left the hospital, and he was still in pain and very angry with what had happened. So was his wife, Dana. The attack happened at a home in the Edgewater area near downtown Annapolis.

According to the Powells, they were about to go inside their house around 6:30 p.m., and they were carrying a pizza for their son Brandon's 18th birthday party. Dana Powell went inside with the pizza, and the pit bull raced up from the back of the house and attacked James. "He came under my arm and just lunged, and took all this off," said Powell, showing reporters his injuries. "And I mean, all this was just gone, and the plastic surgeon reattached it."

The pit bull forced its way into the Powell's home, biting Dana and the couple's 18-year-old son.
"The dog came running straight for me," said Brandon. "I had my 3-month-old little girl, who lives in the house. Just turned three months yesterday." Brandon's daughter was not hurt in the attack. All three of the Powells say they tried to subdue the dog by holding it down and lying on top of it. James used a knife on the dog to try and stop it, but with no success. When police arrived, Dana said it took several shots before the dog was dead.

Police have identified the dog's owner as Karim Abdalla, who lives a few blocks away on South River Terrace. The man faces a few civil citations

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Sunday, November 9, 2008

share

Woman Stabs Pit Bull in Home Invasion Attack

Pit Bull Kills Her Dog
Archdale, NC - In another home invasion attack -- last month a pit bull ran into a blind woman's home and attacked and killed 2 of her pets -- an Archdale woman fended off a crazed pit bull with a butcher knife. Nancy Verzone says the pit bull first went after her rat terrier in her backyard. When she snatched her dog from the pit bull's jaws, the attacking dog followed her inside. "The harder I stabbed the more he got mad," said Verzone, who still has the bloody shirt.

Verzone said her rat terrier was injured so badly, she had her veterinarian euthanize the dog. The pit bull's owner shot the dog in the head and buried it in his yard. Animal Control later made him dig it up so the dog could be tested for rabies. Officer Cooper says because of the bullet wound to the dog's head, rabies testing came up inconclusive. So Verzone must now receive the rabies vaccinations. The pit bull's owner promised to cover the vaccination bill.

The cost tops $2400 dollars for a series of at least five shots

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Monday, August 29, 2011

share

Victoria Signals End to Unregistered Pit Bulls After Fatal Attack

30 Days Amnesty
Melbourne, AU - In the wake of a little girl brutally killed by a pit bull-mix in a "home-invasion" attack, the Baillieu Government is rushing new laws through Parliament to arm council officers with the power to seize and destroy unregistered restricted dog breeds.1 Prior to this, crosses of restricted breeds could escape inclusion on the dangerous dogs register. Owners of pit bull crosses have one month to register their dogs or face the animal's seizure and destruction.

On August 17, Ayen Chol was ripped from her mother's grasp by a pit bull cross that entered into the home where her family was staying.

The Government also created a Dangerous Dog Hotline (operational seven days a week) so that members of the public can notify council officials about restricted dog breeds living in their neighborhoods. Officials are also considering stronger penalties for owners of restricted breeds who are not in compliance with state law. The new penalties would require jail time, instead of the $4500 fine that was issued to the owner of the pit bull cross that killed Ayen.

A new set of identification guidelines spelling out exactly what is regarded as a pit bull or pit bull cross will stop owners claiming their dogs belong to different breeds.
An amnesty allowing pit bull and restricted dog owners to notify authorities of their pets will end on September 30.
From that day, dog inspectors will have the authority to destroy any unregistered dog fitting the pit bull description.
From today members of the public can "dob in a dangerous dog" through a $100,000 hotline to help council officers identify potential dangers hidden in their neighbourhoods.(Grant McArthur and Amelia Harris, Herald Sun)
Kudos on the crackdown Baillieu Government!

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Thursday, July 31, 2008

share

Home Invasion Attack by Pit Bull in Cincinnati

Animal Aggression is Unacceptable
Cincinnati, OH - Ronald Sickinger and his wife were having breakfast Tuesday morning when a pit bull charged in the back door, which was open. "I was scared to death, you know," said Ronald Sickinger. "You just, not expecting that and I got high blood pressure and everything else." The Sickingers' dog, Rocky, has a bite on his neck from the attack.

The Sickingers say the pit bull then ran around the corner to their son's house. "Ran up his back steps into his living room and attacked his dog," said Shirley Sickinger. The pit bull bit Rowdy in his mouth and the Sickinger's son has bites from trying to separate the dogs. The genetic trait of "animal aggression" in pit bulls leads not only to pets being attacked, but humans as well.

Lefty, the Staffordshire Terrier and bull dog mix (a fancy name for a pit bull) is on lockdown, quarantined for ten days by order of the Norwood Health Department. "He ain't a vicious dog at all," said Jeffrey Todd, owns Lefty. "He isn't a mean dog. He's very friendly. You can ask a lot of people around the neighborhood." Todd says the recent incident was an accident

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

share

Two Pit Bulls Kill Lab in 'Home Invasion' Attack in Kitty Hawk

Lab Owner Wants Change
Kitty Hawk, NC - Back in January, two pit bulls burst into the home of Mark and Diane Kent and killed their Labrador retriever named Jazz. The pit bulls had begun the chase outside of the family residence. When Jazz ran into the doggie door of his home, the pit bulls darted inside after him. Jazz was found in a pool of blood in the basement. Dare County Animal Control impounded the pit bulls then released them back to their owner the following day.
Dare County lacks laws on "animal-on-animal" attacks.
North Carolina is also a "one-bite" state, so liability is not assigned to the dog owner until after the second bite. The state statute does not deal with whether the victim is an animal or a human or the severity of the bite. So even if the attack resulted in a child loosing an arm, the offending dog would be returned to its owner after the 10-day quarantine. The pit bulls in this instance, 1.5 year-old male "Shine" and 4-year old female "Isabel," were both fixed.

Mark Kent Now Wants New Laws:

Surprisingly, no one mentions the genetic reality of pit bulls throughout the related articles. Pit bulls were selectively bred for animal-aggression, specifically dog-aggression. Current county laws protect pit bull owners more than any other types of dog owners, given the pit bull's innate desire to attack other animals. The victimized pets have little protection. Unsurprisingly, the Kents are still so traumatized by the attack that they are moving to a new location

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Friday, February 15, 2008

share

Dogs Mauled by Pit Bulls in Home Invasion Attack

Pit Bulls Bust into Home to Attack Dogs
La Marque, TX — Jerry Wallace, 25, went to buy an engagement ring for his fiancée, Brittany Morgan, 19, but made a gruesome discovery when he returned. A vicious mauling occurred inside the couple’s home killing their beagle, Bacon and seriously injuring their pit bull mix Blanca.
“I went inside, looked down and it looked like there was mud everywhere. I yelled,‘Bacon! What have you gotten into now?’ I walked into the guest bedroom and saw him lying on the floor.”
Wallace immediately realized it dried blood. He said he saw three dogs in the house. After they saw him, they went single file into the backyard. Wallace then said that he reached for his shotgun, but was afraid that authorities would take it away, so he took a moment to calm down.

Wallace found the couple’s other dog, Blanca, a 7-month old pit bull mix, severely injured and hiding in a closet. He said the neighbor’s three dogs, which authorities identified as pit bull mixes, had escaped their owner’s yard before. A portion of the chain-link fence doesn’t touch the ground and assumes that’s how the dogs entered his yard.

Kurt Koopmann said an animal-control officer investigated the incident and took information from police. The animal-control officer issued the owner three citations. And there is an investigation into whether to declare the dogs dangerous.
"My understanding is three dogs got out of the yard and ended up in a neighbor’s house," Koopmann said. "The (police) officer witnessed the dogs going back into their yard

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Friday, February 15, 2008

share

Girl bitten by stray pit bull in her home

Girl Bitten by Loose Dog in Northwest Harris County
Houston, TX - At about 4:40pm, a three-year-old girl and a sibling were playing outside with their Chihuahua when a stray pit bull entered the yard. The Chihuahua ran into the house and the pit bull ran after it. The children went inside to rescue the Chihuaha and the girl was severely bitten on her arm. The girl's father grabbed the pit bull and dragged it outside. A neighbor saw the man struggling with the dog and helped tie it to a tree. The girl was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Saturday, January 3, 2009

share

Carson City Teenager Stabs Attacking Pit Bull to Death

Pit Bull Attacks Three Dogs
Carson City, NE - Back in September, a 16-year old Boy Scout stabbed an attacking pit bull to death in Arizona. In that instance, two pit bulls were attacking his friend's beagle named Belle. Before Moses whipped out his pocketknife, he said he kicked one pit bull so hard that all four of its feet were in the air, but the dog still wouldn't let go. It was recently reported that another teenage boy stabbed a pit bull to death after the animal attacked a neighbor's dog, killed one of his own dogs, Emma, and went after his Labrador, Duke.

From left: 17-year old Tyler Yeoman, Duke.

The teenager's mother, Tara Yeoman can't understand why a pit bull would first bust through a neighbor's screen door -- in a home invasion attack -- to attack the man's dog, who was a Sheriff no less, and then hop a 6-foot fence to attack two other dogs. The behavior can be explained in two parts. Pit bulls are animal-aggressive, specifically, they are dog-aggressive. Pit bulls were selectively bred to attack and kill dogs. They were also selectively bred for "gameness," the ability to keep attacking even after serious violence is inflicted upon them.

The brutal sport of dogfighting created the "ultimate canine warrior," called the pit bull terrier. The pit bull's "gameness" is unmatched by any other breed. It is a trait you do not want to experience first hand, as brave 17-year old Tyler Yeoman and his mother recently did. When activated, the pit bull's drive to attack -- even in the midst of being stabbed to death -- is unfathomable to most. What happened to the Yoemans exemplifies why this breed, the ultimate canine warrior, poses a specific danger to communities that other breeds do not.

"A stray pit bull burst into an East Carson City home and attacked a dog, then jumped a fence and killed another dog before being stabbed to death by a teenage boy as it went after his Labrador on Tuesday afternoon. "I just don’t understand why," said Tara Yeoman, whose dogs Duke and Emma fell victim to the vicious pit bull about 4:30 p.m. "Why was this dog out? And why was it looking for something to attack?"

Just after 4 p.m., the Yeoman’s neighbor on Ballarat Street was changing a tire when the pit bull broke through the man’s screen door and went after his small dog in the living room, said Carson City Sheriff’s Sgt. Earl Mays. The man ran inside and beat the pit bull in the head, possibly breaking his hand, before he was able to free his dog, get the pit bull outside and call police.

But the animal didn’t go far, said Tyler Yeoman, 17. The Yeomans think the pit bull jumped the 6-foot fence into their yard and killed Emma, a tiny dachshund-Chihuahua mix. It was the yelping of Duke, the family’s 11-year-old, 130-pound Labrador that woke Tyler and his mother, both suffering from the flu. Tyler said he could see through the sliding glass door that the pit bull had Duke by his neck on the ground. Tyler threw a cereal bowl at the animal, but that didn’t phase it, he said. His mother ran from her bedroom and struck the pit bull with a cinder block, to no avail. Then Tyler told his mother he was going to get a knife.

When he returned, the soft-spoken teen said, he began stabbing the pit bull, at least 10 times that he could recall, before it released its grip on Duke’s neck. "I just wanted to shut him down," said Tyler, still in a daze. "And I did." The pit bull died at the scene. Duke did not sustain serious injury. After police arrived, they found Emma’s body alongside the fence. "She was the sweetest little thing," Tara said through tears. "Her and Duke were very close. She used to stand on his back like she was a circus dog

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Thursday, May 22, 2008

share

Pit Bull Owners Plead Guilty in Gorman Attack

UPDATE 05/22/08: We wrote to Pierce County officials asking for clarification about the charges. We wanted to know the legal difference between "attempting" to own a dog that attacks, and "owning" a dog that attacks. After the home invasion attack of Sue Gorman, which left the Northwest rattling, many of our readers wanted to know the answer to this question. In light of the complexity described below, it appears the charges were adequate.

Pierce County Response:
"The two charges that Wilson and Martin each pled guilty to were gross misdemeanors. They each carry a maximum penalty of a year in jail plus two years of supervision. The sentence agreed to by the parties and imposed by the court was that each of these sentences runs consecutive to the other. Therefore, both Wilson and Martin are subject to two years of jail if they fail to comply with the conditions of sentence over the next four years. During the next four years the Department of Corrections will supervise Martin and Wilson to ensure that fines and restitution (no dollar amount has yet been ordered, but will be at a hearing in July) are paid and that there is no dog ownership or possession during that time.

This contrasts with the felony charge that would have allowed for a maximum of 12 months in jail and NO supervision after release as provided for by statute and caselaw (i.e. there would have been no one to supervise dog ownership or possession and no penalty to bring to bear in the event there was a violation noted).

There was a small amount of jail time imposed. Both Martin and Wilson currently have an ability to pay the restitution to be ordered by the court. The sentence imposed should not affect that. Ms. Gorman was consulted every step of the way and supported our decision. As I told the judge, I believe her primary concerns that Wilson and Martin not own or possess any dog, that the dog Betty be forfeited, and that restitution be ordered and paid were addressed through this resolution."
05/16/08: Guilty of Attempting to Own a Dog?
Gig Harbor, WA - Zachary Martin, 20, and Shellie Wilson, 46, pleaded guilty to two counts of "attempting to own" a dog that attacks, charges that were reduced from "owning a dog" that attacks. On August 21, 2007, Martin and Wilson's pit bulls entered Gorman's home while she was sleeping. The dogs attacked and killed a Jack Russell terrier, then attacked Sue, ripping large holes in her arms.

The two dogs, Tank and Betty had a history of problems. According to records, animal control officers cited Wilson twice in 1998 at her previous residence and made 16 visits to her current home since 1999 for dog complaints from at least eight neighbors. They cited Wilson a total of 10 times for roaming or unlicensed dogs.(At what point does it become negligence on the part of animal control? Does it require 50 home visits?)

Martin and Wilson were sentenced to four years probation, two years of suspended jail time and 30 days of electronic monitoring. They are also required to pay restitution and to not own dogs. Since the attack, Pierce County has passed stricter dog laws. The new laws are neither proactive nor breed-specific. They do, however, give the county more authority to take action on a dog labeled "potentially dangerous" and "dangerous

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Friday, December 18, 2009

share

Pit Bull Dog Aggression: Pit Bull Charges Through Screen Door to Attack

Home Invasion Attack
Lehigh Acres, Fl - In another example of deadly pit bull dog-aggression, a neighbor's pit bull charged through a family's front screen door and mauled their small dog to death. At the time of the incident Patricia Denis was decorating her home for the holidays. Her son David intervened to stop the attack and the pit bull "bit through his finger." As demonstrated by this pit bull, the breed was genetically engineered to attack and kill dogs for the purposes of dogfighting.
"Patricia Denis was decorating her home for the holidays when all of a sudden a pitbull charged through their front screen door.
"My dog was screaming horribly," she said.
Her three year-old Shih Tzu named Buster was in a fight for its life.
A neighbor's pitbull literally broke through the screen door, attacking Buster.
David, Patricia's son says it happened on the living room floor.
"Buster is only this big. The pitbull's head is this big. Buster was making a horrible noise," he said.
David tried pulling the dogs apart, but the pitbull bit through his finger.
A few seconds later, Buster was nearly dead

ANOTHER HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS
Friday, March 20, 2009

share

Owner of Killed Cat Calls Pit Bull's Bite: "Death Grip"

Home Invasion Attack
Fort Collins, CO - A Fort Collins pit bull has been euthanized after it entered into a neighbor's home and killed a pet cat in front of the shaken family, including two children. The pit bull, an 18-month-old dog named Lucky, chased a 2-year-old tan-and-white tabby named Simon upstairs into a bedroom and held the cat in an ironclad bite. "The dog clamped onto him and never let go," said Shannon Watson, the cat's owner. "He was just shaking it like a rag doll."
Watson described the bite as a "death grip."
It would be interesting to know how Cat Fancier groups feel about breed-specific laws (AKA pit bull laws). The number of cats savaged by pit bulls is shocking and overwhelming. Sadly, many cat owners and lovers likely make donations to animal organizations (such as Best Friends) that spend considerable resources opposing pit bull laws and promote the "rehabilitation" of multi-generational fighting dogs designed to kill dogs, cats and other animals

HUMAN FATALITY HOME INVASION ATTACK BY PITS

Saturday, October 4, 2008

share

Neighbor's Pit Bull Kills Blind Woman's Pets Inside Her Home

Deadly Home Invasion Attack
Orlando, FL - An 81-year-old blind woman was home alone when a pit bull ran into her house and attacked her pets. The pit bull killed her dog and cat. The animal dug a hole underneath her fence to get into the backyard. The woman was letting her dogs inside, but she didn't realize that the pit bull ran in behind them until it was too late.

For seven years, Irene Hults' little black Chihuahua Bebe kept her company. "I opened the door and my little Chihuahuas came in first," said Hults. She is legally blind, so she had no idea a neighbor's pit bull had ran in right behind the little ones. "He jumped up on me, thinking I could protect my little dog. When it did, I just let him go. That's when he got him," she said.

The pit bull attacked Bebe first and Irene said she could hear growling all around her. Her Siamese cat Tiny was crying and, moments later, Bebe and Tiny were dead. Tippy, her niece's dog, was also mauled. "It was terrible. It was awful to go through," Hults said. Orange County Animal Services took the pit bull into custody and launched a dangerous dog investigation.

The pit bull, named Diamond, lives at a home down the street. Animal Services has deemed the dog "friendly to people." According to the news article, two options remain: Animal Services can determine that the dog is "dangerous" and return it to its owner so that it can attack and kill more pets and possibly attack a human being, or the dog can be put to sleep.
Animal-aggression is unacceptable.
Pit bulls were selectively bred to attack and kill animals. As depicted here, and in other stories at DogsBite.org , pit bulls will chew through woods slats, enter into dog doors and bust through screen doors -- of other people's homes -- in order to reach their victim, which is frequently the family's dog or cat. In order to stop the attack, the victimized pet owner often intervenes and suffers injury as well

American Pit Bull Terriers passed the test at a rate of 85.3%.

This is higher than Collies, Golden Retrievers, and other dogs generally considered "family friendly". The average dog population is around 77%.

As most dog behaviorists and trainers will tell you, a dog is almost 100% a product of it's owner and the training it recieves.

Many of the dogs abused my Michael Vick are now therapy dogs, some had to be put down because they could not be satisfactorily rehabilitated. Punish the dogs and people responsible, not the innocent.

Perhaps these people should have locked their doors. Got what they deserve by the sounds of it.

reality wrote:

American Pit Bull Terriers passed the test at a rate of 85.3%.
This is higher than Collies, Golden Retrievers, and other dogs generally considered "family friendly". The average dog population is around 77%.
As most dog behaviorists and trainers will tell you, a dog is almost 100% a product of it's owner and the training it recieves.
Many of the dogs abused my Michael Vick are now therapy dogs, some had to be put down because they could not be satisfactorily rehabilitated. Punish the dogs and people responsible, not the innocent.

the atta test is junk science a man eating lion could score higher than lassie i will post more

should say atts test not atta

1.01.2011The Pit Bull Hoax: The ATTS

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Mark Twain

"Pit bulls score higher than ______"
As soon as the topic of pit bulls hits the comment sections, the pit bull apologia goes on the defensive and more often than not, the ATTS (American Temperament Testing Society) is the weapon of choice from their arsenal of myths. Typically the pit bull's ATTS scores will be inflated to unbelievable heights. It is not uncommon to read "pit bulls score higher than ANY other breed." A quick check of the available on demand ATTS statistics will bust that myth straight away. But the pit bull does score higher than many popular, safe, family friendly breeds of dogs. How could the dog responsible for roughly 50% of all fatal attacks, score better than Lassie?

This blog post spells out how and why and touches on the following aspects: The history of the test, the test requirements, the test itself, the evaluation, criticisms of the test, junk science, and examples -- in their own words -- of pit bull owners who acknowledge the test's biases and invalidity.

Introduction
Pit bull advocates have much invested in the ATTS myth. They clutch to these scores and parade them around as though they were the definitive tool that proves that their dogs are not only safe to be in the community but SAFER than most other dog breeds. From the NCRC to Best Friends to Badrap, from Jane Berkey to Diane Jessup to Leslie Haller to Adrien P, they all extol the virtues of the mighty ATTS. They mislead the public and preach the superiority of pit bulls based on this flawed test and its perverted results that are further exaggerated when regurgitated ad nauseam by the pit bull ideologues.

Researching the American Temperament Testing Society (the actual organization) was quite an education in and of itself. Information was difficult to obtain, for example the names of the board of directors and testers were not easy to come by. I finally found the names of the board of directors through the Missouri secretary of state website, but good luck finding the names of testers. Unearthing underground dog fighting information would be an easier task.

Suspicious secret society aside, the problem with the ATTS is complex and any discussion of the problematic statistics should begin with the inherent bias of the test, the testers, the testees and the myths surrounding what exactly this test measures

ATTS History
The temperament test was developed by Alfons Ertelt in 1977. Mr Ertelt was not an animal behaviorist, he worked in the print industry but his passion was dogs and he was involved in schutzhund.(schutzhund is a dog sport that mirrors the training of police dog work and it is dominated by german shepherds) The ATTS test was initially intended to test working dogs for jobs such as police work. The test favors bold dogs, dogs that need to face danger head on without hesitation and fear. Courage was desired and rewarded, timidity was not. The ATTS favors dogs like pit bulls over dogs like collies. It is important to note, the test does not evaluate dogs for "pet" suitability. It comes as no surprise that when you look at the numbers tested by breed, four of the top five breeds (5357 rottweilers, 3038 german shepherds, 1574 dobermans, 968 mixed breeds, and 893 bouviers) excel in schutzhund. Presently, their website states the ATTS was established to "work for the betterment of all breeds of dogs." Mr Ertelt left the ATTS a few years after its inception and in 1983 formed the German Shepherd Dog Schutzhund Club of Los Angeles. In 1990 Carl Herkstroeter, his wife Carolyn, and Harriet Ann Pahlmann and Margaret B Pahlmann incorporated the ATTS into a for profit business in the state of Missouri. One year later, they created the non-profit. Records indicate there has been only a few board changes over the last 20 years.

Test Requirements
Dogs must be at least 18 months of age and on a 6 ft lead. The handler is not allowed to talk to or correct the dog. If the dog fails, it is allowed to retake the test after 5 months, but only one retest is allowed. It is not clear if or how this is monitored and enforced.

Entry level testers are called Apprentice Testers and they must be at least 21 years of age and active in dog sport or employed in the veterinary field for at least the past 5 years. As the testers become more experienced, they can work their way up through the ranks.
Provisional Testers
Temperament Testers
Provisional Chief Testers
Certified Chief Tester
Teaching Chief Tester
Since the testers are required to have a great deal of dog sport experience, the testers are often very involved in their breed clubs, therefore the testers are often evaluating their friends and acquaintances and usually the breed of their choice. In other words, they are testing dogs that they have a vested interest in seeing pass the test.

The Test
The test takes approximately 10 minutes and at least 3 ATTS trained evaluators score the dogs. The test is usually sponsored by breed clubs, most often rottweiler clubs but other large powerful breed clubs like german shepherds, pit bulls and akitas sponsor the test as well. The sponsor can request the test be closed to other breeds or open to all. It is easy to see how a lab or a collie would be at a serious disadvantage at a pit bull sponsored test being evaluated by people who not only don't possess breed specific knowledge of labs or collies but also might harbor resentment towards the other more popular and socially accepted breeds.

The dogs are on a 6 ft leash. The owner/handler is forbidden to speak, give commands or corrections. As the dog progresses through the test, it becomes increasingly more stressful. The dogs' reactions are measured toward a neutral stranger and a friendly stranger. The dog/handler then progress to hidden noises, first the metal bucket with coins then gunshots. From there the dog has an umbrella open suddenly nearby and then walks across plastic sheeting and wire grating. The final phase of the test measures a dog's self protective/aggressive behavior by exposing the dog first to a weirdly dressed non-threatening stranger, then a threatening stranger and finally an aggressive stranger.

If a dog panics and does not recover or if the dog shows strong avoidance or unprovoked aggression, it fails. Re: aggression, breed specific temperament and the prior experience and training of the dogs are taken into account. The website states that aggressive responses during the final phase of the test is okay for a dog with schutzhund training but an untrained husky displaying aggression toward the stranger may fail. It is obvious that these judges possess far too much discretion in these tests. Some pit bull owners report that their pit bulls passed when it launched aggressively at the stranger while other pit bulls have passed when it barely acknowledged the stranger. Passing or failing is completely dependent upon the whims of the testers.

The handlers are advised to come early so they can do a walk through of the test, without their dogs.

The Evaluation
There are a total of 10 subtests and each test is scored by at least 3 testers who rate the dog on a scale of 0-10. All dogs start with a score of 5 on each subtest. Points are added to the score of 5 for the dogs who perform positively and points are deducted for dogs who perform negatively. A score of zero on one test is a failure, even if the dog scored a 10 on each of the other 9 subtests. And oddly enough, a dog would pass if it received a score of 1 on each test. If the testers are not in agreement, the majority rules. Click here for a more in depth explanation of the 0-10 rating scale. Since more often than not, these tests are sponsored by breed clubs, and tested by club officers, there is an inherent bias in the testers to see their breed of choice pass and others fail.

ATTS Tests

Current ATTS scores for pit bull type dogs:
american pit bull 86%
american bulldog 84.8%
american staffordshire 83.9%
bull terrier 90.4%
staffordshire bull terrier 89.6%

Current ATTS scores for a few popular breeds of dogs in America:
cocker spaniel 81.9%
collie 79.7%
beagle 80.3%
chihuahua 71.1%
labrador retriever 92.3%
golden retriever 84.6%
german shepherd 84.2%
jack russell 84.1%
mutt 86%
pomeranian 75.8%
pug 90.9%
standard poodle 86%

Of the 30,000+ dogs tested by the ATTS to date, 82.4% have passed.

*The breed of dog with the overall lowest passing score was the skye terrier at 37.5%.

The most "aggressive" dog in America, yet it didn't make the Clifton report.

Test Criticisms
Anyone with a superficial understanding of scientific method and what constitutes good science, should be able to immediately recognize the inherent problems with this test.

First and foremost is the issue of what exactly does the test measure? The ATTS website claims to measure stability, shyness, aggressiveness, friendliness, protectiveness, self-preservation. In theory, the testers consider the following during the test:
The breed of the dog (hereditary purpose)
The training the dog has received
The dog’s age
The dog’s gender
Whether it has been spayed or neutered
The dog’s physical health (dog in season)
Whether it is a house dog or kennel dog
Yet the pit bull advocates present the stats in such a way as to imply that higher scores equal less aggression and lower scores equal more aggression. According to Herkstroeter,“Just because a certain percentage of dogs in a certain breed fail, this does not necessarily indicate aggression. Dogs fail for other reasons, such as strong avoidance. If you look at our statistics just from a perspective of aggression or non-aggression, they can be very misleading.” Herkstroeter states that 95% of the dogs that fail, do so because they lack confidence to approach the weirdly dressed stranger or walk on the strange surface. The remaining 5% fail because they take longer than 45 seconds to recover from the gunshot or the umbrella. Still pit bull advocates continue to distort the meaning of the test.