Saturday, 15 July 2023

There's Never Any Evidence If You Make Sure You Don't Collect It...

...or if you ignore what is collected and pretend that it isn't.
A spokesperson for the Dogs Trust said research had shown that "no breed of dog is more likely to be aggressive than another".

Oh, really? 

"There is no evidence the reported increase in dog attacks is down to one particular breed of dog as, even in fatal cases, the breed of dog does not need to be recorded," they added.

But it is recorded, isn't it? Maybe not by everyone, no, but in this very article the people dealing with the aftermath are only too aware of which breed is doing the damage:

Assistant Chief Constable Dan Thorpe, of South Yorkshire Police, said each year the force had seen "significant increases in dangerous dog-related incidents".
"In 2018, we saw 77 of these incidents, and have already seen 180 in the first six months of this year," he added. ACC Thorpe said the American XL Bully breed had accounted for 25% of all the dogs seized by the force since January last year.
"We can't ignore the fact that the XL Bully breed is disproportionately represented in the number of dog attacks we attend," he said.

It seems those with a vested interest in perpetuating the myth that a chihuahua is just as likely to attack as a pitbull can ignore it just fine...... 

2 comments:

Sobers said...

"It seems those with a vested interest in perpetuating the myth that a chihuahua is just as likely to attack as a pitbull can ignore it just fine...... "

Well it may not be a myth, I have to say watching videos of dogs on youtube the number of little dogs that are aggressive for no reason is very noticeable. But its a question of what the consequences are of an attack. If a chihuahua attacks you, one good boot and its 10 feet away from you, and maybe dead from a broken neck. A Bully attacks you, you're in trouble. Chihuahua's could be ten times more likely to bite you than a bully, but if 100% of chihuahua attacks result in nothing more than a trip to A&E for a few stitches and a tetanus shot, and 1% of bully attacks result in a death, then which is the more dangerous?

JuliaM said...

"Well it may not be a myth..."

No, indeed, there is such a thing as 'small dog syndrome', but as you point out, the consequrnces of a chihuahua nipping at your ankles is somewhat less severe.