I tell this tale, to illustrate just how much power media has in forming perception in the public mind. Here in Tucson, thankfully, and consistently, the reporters from KVOA and Channel 13 exhibit fair reporting, and do not devolve into sensationalism to attract readers. The other local station often makes TMZ look like the Wall Street Journal. Yesterday, a woman was jogging near Brandi Fenton Park, and a loose dog...but wearing a leash...appeared and knocked her down, bit her face and elbow, and then took off. The woman was taken to the hospital for the bites to be treated. The woman described the dog as a pit bull type dog, that had tan spots.People interviewed at the scene, as reported by KVOA, correctly blamed the irresponsible owner, and not the dog. This would be a terrifying event for anyone - and I am thankful that she was not injured more, and that the dog just bit and ran off. The headlines that are running look like this: KVOA - Woman attacked by dog near Brandi Fenton Memorial Park KGUN - Deputies searching for pitbull who bit woman Ch 13 - NOT NEWSWORTHY ENOUGH TO COVER Let those differences sink in, and how they affect you when you read them. Time and time again, when there is a human bitten by a dog, there are common animal husbandry factors that co-exist - that have nothing to do with breed, The Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association did a study on 10 years of dogbites, and found that, The undue emphasis on breed has contributed to a lack of appreciation of the ownership and husbandry factors that more directly impact dogs and the complex genetic factors that work in combination with husbandry to influence a dogs behavior and responses to a given set of stimuli. The entire study can be found here.avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.243.12.1726 and a wonderful summary done by KC DogBlog can be found here: btoellner.typepad/kcdogblog/2013/12/new-study-points-to-many-factors-related-to-dog-bite-fatalities.html Thank you, to those folks tasked with reporting news to the masses, who choose to take the high road, and remain neutral - there are many of us who greatly appreciate you. Thank you also, to all the people who tirelessly, and daily, work towards making our world a better, and safer place for us all...two and four legged citizens alike.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 18:37:58 +0000
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