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# "<u>Only poorly socialized pit bulls cause problems.</u>" This is not special for pit bulls.<br> # "<u>Only poorly socialized pit bulls cause problems.</u>" This is not special for pit bulls.<br>
Please remember that this page is ] of Misplaced Pages's ''encyclopedia article'' about pit bulls, not about your love of pit bulls. We all love our dogs!}} Please remember that this page is ] of Misplaced Pages's ''encyclopedia article'' about pit bulls, not about your love of pit bulls. We all love our pets!}}


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== Nature Study in Staffordshire Terriers not being aggressive ==
==Breed related risk==
I'm trying to understand this edit by {{user|NolanAlex}} (Welcome back, I see this was the first edit from this account in 12 years). The sentence from the article that's disputed is, {{tq|Dog bite severity varies by the breed of dog, and studies have found that pit bull-type dogs have both the highest risk of biting and a tendency to produce the most severe injuries.}} The first source for that is which says, {{tq|Injuries from Pitbull's (sic) and mixed breed dogs were both more frequent and more severe....The high risk breeds had both a high rate of biting and caused significant injury.}} and the second source is , that who wrote that {{tq|The most known dog breeds that were involved in this study were pit bull and German shepherd breeds, which is consistent with the literature.19, 20, 21, 22}} and those cites in Taylor represent four additional sources on the breed-related risk of pitbull ownership that can always be found and added to the article as well. ] (]) 19:27, 11 February 2023 (UTC)


Hi,
:There are 2 components to the original wording "highest risk of biting" and "tendency to produce most severe injuries."
:Only the first reference discusses severity. It reports the following (figure 2 and figure 3). A higher number indicates greater severity, as measured by tissue damagae. I don't think the linked references supports the original wording of "most severe" since there were other breeds that were reported as more severe on average in the reference.
:'''Highest Severity'''
:1. Mixed -- 4.2
:2. Great Dane -- 4.0
:3 (tie). St. Bernard 3.8
:3 (tie). Pit Bull -- 3.8
:The 1st study discusses rates of reported bites to face. It found that pitbulls had a higher rate of reported bites to head and neck that were severe enough to require emergency room treatment other breeds. The 2nd study doesn't discuss rate only total number. It found that ~10% of reported bites were by pitbulls or pit mixes, and the vast majority were unknown breed (presumably mixed). I don't think the original wording of "highest risk of biting" (in all situations) is a good representation of the first study finding of highest rate of bites to head that were severe enough to require emergency room treatment. There have been other studies that found other breeds had a higher rates of bites in general (not just emergency room bites to head). An example is https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159108001147 , which found that pitbulls had an average rate of reported attempted bites to humans compared to other breeds and a lower rate than numerous other breeds.
:I believe my edited wording is a more accurate representation of the references. You quoted the references directly. An alternative would be to use a direct quotes from the references like this, rather than rewording. ] (]) 20:45, 11 February 2023 (UTC)


Regarding , the edit comment given was: ''says Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not pit bulls. Also, it's a Primary study''.
== Temperament ==


I agree that it says "Staffordshire Bull Terrier", which is one of the 4 breeds generally lumped into "Pit Bull", but this is a Nature paper, so I don't know how much more primary you can get. The actual quote from the paper is:
This article only talks about pit bull dogs biting people and being aggressive. It does not discuss other aspects of pit bull temperament like the entries for other types of dogs do. Many pit bulls are loyal, loving, and caring dogs who are great with children and families. Some are docile. It would be great to have a more well-rounded discussion of temperament besides just the popular perception that they bite. ] (]) 18:06, 23 January 2023 (UTC)


"''To be noted, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is one of the restricted breeds, for example, in Ireland2, was not among the most aggressive breeds in this study.''"
:Unfortunately this page is routinely brigaded by an anti-Pit Bull hating group on Reddit. I would recommend double-checking sources and removing unreliable claims by yourself, as well as adding new sources, if you have the necessary expertise. People up on this discussion have pointed out that many sources on this article are unreliable.


Perhaps the other editor was confused about the Ireland citation, thinking it to be the source for the "not aggressive" fact, where it was only the source for the fact that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a highly restricted breed. This study itself is the source for SBT's not being particularly aggressive. The fact that the study notes the contrast between the restrictions and the aggressiveness is what makes it worthy of inclusion and faithful to the intention of the paper's authors.
:As well:


May I therefore propose to reinsert the study with the fact, but we can clearly state in the text that this source is discussing Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Thank you. ] (]) 16:02, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
{{Caution|'''Arguments to avoid'''. Some common points of argument we often see here should be avoided:<br>

# "<u>Pit bulls can be very loving.</u>" This is not special for pit bulls. All dogs can be loving.<br>
:Oh, also, also mentions Pit Bull Terriers, saying:
# "<u>Only poorly socialized pit bulls cause problems.</u>" This is not special for pit bulls.<br>

Please remember that this page is ] of Misplaced Pages's ''encyclopedia article'' about pit bulls, not about your love of pit bulls. We all love our dogs!}}
:{{cquote|The relatively average C-BARQ scores for stranger-directed aggression found among Pit Bull Terriers (Fig. 3A) were inconsistent with their universal reputation as a ‘dangerous breed’ and their reported involvement in dog bite-related fatalities (Sacks et al., 1996). In our survey, nearly 7% of Pit Bull owners indicated that their dogs had bitten or attempted to bite an unfamiliar person in the recent past, somewhat higher than the overall average (4.7%), while 22% reported bites directed at other dogs. This pattern is consistent with the view that this breed has been selectively bred for aggression toward other dogs rather than humans (Lockwood, 1995). It should be emphasized, however, that while the prevalence of human-directed bites or bite attempts among Pit Bull Terriers may be only slightly above average, the severity of their attacks is probably affected by other traits (e.g., the size and strength of the breed, its reputed failure to give warning signs, and its reported tenacity when attacking) that may also have been selected for in the development of this “fighting” breed."}}

:and also that Pit Bulls scored higher than average for aggression directed at unfamiliar dogs:

:"Some breeds scored higher than average for aggression directed toward both humans and dogs (e.g., Chihuahuas and Dachshunds) while other breeds scored high only for specific targets (e.g., dog-directed aggression among Akitas and Pit Bull Terrier".
:I'd like to find a place for this information in the article as well.

::I don't believe I'm confused. As I said, it is a ] source making a claim about Staffordshire Bull Terriers, not pit bulls. I am aware that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a type of pit bull, are you aware that not all pit bulls are Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Also, the text you added, {{tq|Regardless, studies on breed aggression do not place Pit Bulls among the more aggressive breeds}} seemed to go beyond the source, which said {{tq|To be noted, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is one of the restricted breeds, for example, in Ireland, was not among the most aggressive breeds in this study.}} There should be a ] source for that, preferably a literature review.{{pb}}The C-BARQ study is another primary source, and it still acknowledges that Pit Bull Terriers are prone to catastrophic mauling. {{tq|It should be emphasized, however, that while the prevalence of human-directed bites or bite attempts among Pit Bull Terriers may be only slightly above average, the severity of their attacks is probably affected by other traits (e.g., the size and strength of the breed, its reputed failure to give warning signs, and its reported tenacity when attacking) that may also have been selected for in the development of this “fighting” breed."}} ] (]) 16:28, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
:::Excellent, sounds like we're in agreement. The question was is you had any objection to my proposed revised text?--] (]) 21:19, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
::::Since, there's been no response here, I've gone ahead and done a bit of a rewrite, breaking off the bite/aggression topics into their own sections, leaving a summary at the top. I have summarized the results of the and mentioned the , clearly stating that they had only made statements about Staffordshire Terriers, as per your comment. Let me know if you find anything you feel I haven't represented faithfully in my edits.] (]) 15:59, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::What I mean is, since it says Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not Pit Bull, it shouldn't be in this article. There's a ] article it could be added to. ] (]) 21:17, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::Okay, I've got 3 main things to bring up going forwards:
::::::1. I think the 2021 Mikkola paper's bit about SBT's is at least a bit relevant here, but I'm willing to forego it on the argument that it's a bit too tangential for our main topic in the spirit of compromise.
::::::2. That leads to the next issue to be resolved - how to break the article by sections. Per your edit comment that this was "burying the controversy", I wanted to settle that concern first.
::::::To my mind, the purpose of a lede is to introduce and define the subject, and summarize the gist of the detail that appears below. My issue with the now-current version of the page is that it's putting a lot of detail (201 words out of 388) on the issue of the debate over aggression, exact percentages of bites, consequences for insurance while ignoring the entire history section of the article. All that needs to remain is a high-level summary of dog bites, aggression, laws, and insurance, while specifics can be relegated to their own sections. Obviously, I liked the wording I had before:
::::::{{quote|Pit bull–type dogs have a controversial reputation as pets internationally, due to their history in dog fighting, the number of high-profile attacks documented in the media over decades, and their proclivity to latching on while biting. Proponents of the type and advocates of regulation have engaged in a highly contentious nature-versus-nurture debate over whether aggressive tendencies in pit bulls may be appropriately attributed to owners' poor care for and competency to handle the dog or inherent qualities owing to their breeding for fighting purposes. As a result of their reputation, Pit Bulls are often a target for breed-specific legislation, though the evidence for their being any more dangerous or aggressive than other breeds has been mixed and is contested.}}
::::::but I'm open to any revision you'd want to propose.
::::::3. Lastly, it seems absolutely worth mentioning that the 2018 Duffy paper clearly delineates dog aggression by target: strangers, other dogs, owners, and that while some dogs are just aggressive in all of the above targets, Duffy et al. have concluded that Pit Bills have a notably higher level of aggression when directed at other dogs. I'd also like to mention that Pit Bulls were also shown to be ''less aggressive'' than other breeds towards their owners (as it might go a far way to explain some of the pro-Pit Bull/anti Pit Bull debate and why people seem so invested in it. Obviously, this is my own speculation and not scholarly enough to be included).
::::::Thanks for continuing to read posts and work with me towards improving the article to something we can both be reasonably satisfied with. ] (]) 21:44, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Well, previously other editors have not allowed sources in this article that are about specific individual pit bull breeds, and I generally agree with that convention. Also, I'm still opposed to adding primary studies about perceived breed aggression, especially when those are self-reported by dog owners.
:::::::The medical journal literature reviews that say that pit bulls kill the most people of any type of dog, and inflict the most catastrophic damage, are the best sources in this article, and I do not consider any lead section that doesn't mention that acceptable. ] (]) 22:05, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::1. On including Duffy:
::::::::''Also, I'm still opposed to adding primary studies about perceived breed aggression, especially when those are self-reported by dog owners.''
::::::::We're already citing the Duffy paper in the version that's been allowed to stand and we've got another at least dozen of primary sources already in the article. Overall, the article does not overrely on primary sources. Our personal judgement about methodology is not generally criteria for inclusion, but we could specifically highlight the methodology by mentioning it in the text (e.g. "Based on C-BARQ surveys filled out by dog owners...").
::::::::2. How about just adding that to mine and calling it a day: "Medical journal literature reviews state that pit bulls kill the most people of any type of dog, and inflict the most catastrophic damage." and then later in the article we cite more details about aggression and bites, in their own sections?
::::::::3. How about my suggestion here? We're already using the Duffy source to support that Pit Bulls are more aggressive towards other dogs. How about including the additional information about towards strangers and owners? Again, we could qualify by stating that all three conclusions come from surveys of owners and kennels. ] (]) 22:32, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::1. Okay 2. Maybe not that literal text (I haven't looked at the relevant sources in a while, and want to make sure it's accurate) but something like it. 3. Yes, that sounds good with qualifications wherever we're using Duffy. ] (]) 18:51, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::Very good, what do you propose for #2, in that case? I'd like to get to some final wording that we can include. ] (]) 15:16, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::I want something like {{tq|While some studies have argued that pit bull–type dogs are not disproportionately dangerous, offering competing interpretations on dog bite statistics, independent organizations have published statistics based on hospital records showing pit bulls are responsible for more than half of dog bite incidents among all breeds despite comprising only 6% of pet dogs. Some insurance companies will not cover pit bulls (along with Rottweilers and wolf hybrids) because these particular dogs cause a disproportionate rate of bite incidents. Dog bite severity varies by the breed of dog, and studies have found that pit bull–type dogs have both a high rate of reported bites and a high rate of severe injuries, compared to other non–pit bull–type dogs.}} to remain in the lead. You kept removing it for some reason. ] (]) 01:59, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::"Independent Organizations have published statistics based on hospital...only 6% of pet dogs" is not doing the reader any good. The 6% garbage "statistic" comes from dogsbite.org and animals24/7.org, both have been deemed unreliable by ]. There is no good argument to include data from sourced from unreliable sources.
::::::::::::] is not a valid reason as it states "If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims." ], states "Each source must be carefully weighed to judge whether it is reliable for the statement being made in the Misplaced Pages article and is an appropriate source for that content".
::::::::::::It stands to reason that if ] already concluded that the source for the ..."more than half...despite 6% of population" "statistic" is unreliable, then others quoting that statistic just for the sake of quoting it, without showing additional evidence to back it up, then it is unreliable and should be removed from the article. ] (]) 02:16, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::I know that you have some kind of vendetta against Dogsbite.org, because we've already had numerous unproductive discussions about it. Unfortunately for your position, these numbers are being cited in quality papers, such as ''Dog Bites in the United States from 1971 to 2018: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature'' by Bailey et al. 2020, in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, who say, {{tq|Pit bull-type and German Shepherd breeds are consistently implicated for causing the most serious injuries to patients in the United States across heterogeneous populations, and this remained consistent across multiple decades....Furthermore, our data and others reinforce the suggestion that Pit Bull--type breeds have been responsible for a large subset of dog-associated maulings and fatalities over the past three decades.}} Citing a number of journal papers and not just Dogsbite.org (which is largely a distraction since no one is calling for citing Dogsbite.org directly in Misplaced Pages at this time). ] (]) 02:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::Red herring. All of these reference their "data". None of them validate it. Dogsbite.org data is still unreliable.
::::::::::::::The data being questioned is their breed demographics and share of dog fatalities. None of these sources touch on either. Show me a study on breed data that shows the gen pop close to 6% for all pit bull type dogs. Then show me a study showing they're responsible for 60% of dog fatalities.
::::::::::::::Until then, context matters. ] (]) 03:20, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::I need a statement in the lead that respects NPOV by recognizing the scientific consensus that pitbulls are among the most dangerous breeds of dog, in the sense that they cause most bites, fatalities, and the most severe damage. The claim that they make up 6% of the dog population is less important. Are you saying that you could play ball with that? ] (]) 03:24, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::::There is no scientific consensus that they are the most dangerous breeds of dogs. One could argue that they are among the most capable of causing serious harm. The data seems to suggest that. However, that doesn't translate to being the most dangerous. Just because one dude is a massive 280lb MMA fighter doesn't make him an inherit threat. I hope that helps draw the distinction. You are jumping to conclusions that no one made with data that doesn't conclude that. ] (]) 03:42, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::::I will also caveat that there is a valid discussion among breed identification by medical staff that is not being addressed for simplicity of the argument. But to achieve NPOV, any statement of the above should also disclose that the data collection methodologies have been shown to be unreliable in studies. ] (]) 03:45, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::::::No. Not going to use ] studies that claim breeds are hard to indentify to "debunk" higher quality ] sources in the medical journals. ] (]) 03:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::::::]. The medical journals are gold standard source for medical related injuries. No question. However, if the data collection methods that were used were through visual identification, then there is enough data out there to question the reliability of the breed id reliability of said data. Human medical data is good for injury related information. Veterinary medical data is good for questioning whether breeds can be determined reliably through visual identification.
:::::::::::::::::::A true NPOV of the topic would be something like: Pit bull dogs have been shown to cause disproportionate amounts of serious medical injuries. However, these studies relied upon breed identification, which has been shown to be unreliable.
:::::::::::::::::::The reader can the research both and make their own determination. ] (]) 04:00, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::::::::No. I'm not going to agree to using a vet school website dated 2016 to attempt to discredit a secondary literature review from 2020. That's OR. ] (]) 04:05, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::::::::I know. I think we interacted enough for me to know that. However, you have no reasons, which is why none are listed. 2016 doesn't matter, there hasn't been any new data published about breed identification reliability, so its still the most recent academic research out there. If there is, please post it. The 2020 data isn't about breed identification reliability, but uses it as a method within its. Being that the most updated research on using breed identification shows its unreliable, that's a valid criticism of the 2020 study you posted. ] isn't a valid argument. ] (]) 06:24, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::Interesting, so are you staying it can't be included because it mentions one specific breed and not "pit bulls" in general?
::::::I actually agree. This page should be about information specific to "pit bulls". So, should be cleanse the article of all mention of specific breeds rather than the umbrella term? If so, there are some breed restrictions that should be removed as they don't apply to "pit bulls"... ] (]) 00:20, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Are we in agreement ], or does this rule only apply to citations that make a pitbull type breed look good? ] (]) 06:26, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

The argumentative editor is pushing viewpoints that are off-topic for this webpage and harassing other editors. Asserting that "breed identification is unreliable" is beside the point. Even if that catchphrase were true, it wouldn't preclude using the available reliable sources that report breed specific data, statistics and information. We should not even consider using conclusions of alleged studies where "shelter workers made mistakes of identifying breeds in a small sampling of dogs, mostly mixed breeds" to make broad and sweeping assumptions that all other sources everywhere and at any time cannot possibly know actual breeds and that their data must certainly be wrong. Such insistences by Unbiased6969 are irrational and fallacious arguments. ] (]) 20:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

:Take it to the incident board if you have an issue. Not the place for it. Keep it on topic of the talk page please. ] (]) 23:37, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:: Totally on topic. You brought up unreliability of visual breed identification in this thread as an argument to support your viewpoints. 7 times. The subject is already covered elsewhere in the article, in context. However, that opinion is not widely accepted, per sources. Because of that, it is not necessary for users to evaluate every source through the lens of "visual breed id is unreliable, and they mention breed, so it must have been visual, and they must therefore be unreliable, and so we can't use that source". That is utterly ridiculous. ] (]) 16:51, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::Your ] are off topic and better addressed on another forum. ] (]) 17:36, 22 October 2024 (UTC)


== This topic is not as controversial as it is in public opinon. ==
-- ] (]) 19:42, 4 February 2023 (UTC)


I think the primary debate friction is a lack of understanding of what a dog breed is, basic genetics, and basic statistics. A dog breed is a collection of traits. We arbitrarily classify certain sets of traits and call them dog breeds.
:"Many pit bulls are loyal, loving, and caring dogs who are great with children and families" Are there any statistics/sources for this? Aside from anecdotal evidence. ] (]) 13:28, 5 May 2023 (UTC)
::]
::Read the infobox you literally replied to as well.
::--] (]) 22:25, 7 May 2023 (UTC)
:::Unlike other dogs, pit bulls are best known for being controversial, of course this article will focus on that, and in a way that's unlike all other dog articles. The ] policy requires it, and this is not negotiable. (The guideline literally says, {{tq|This policy is '''non-negotiable''', and the principles upon which it is based cannot be superseded by other policies or guidelines, nor by editor consensus.}}) There's really no point in arguing about it on this page. The IP who started this thread is making a request for something that can't be granted because it's in conflict with Misplaced Pages's core policies. It probably would have been best to have ignored this thread. Or perhaps for one of you to have not reverted my deletion of it a couple of months ago, when it was obvious enough to me that it wasn't going to go anywhere useful. ] (]) 00:12, 8 May 2023 (UTC)


If any trait is actively selected for it will be more pronounced. However, if a trait is not selected for, it will fade out and be decided by natural selection. Likewise, if a trait is actively selected against, it will also of course fade out. See the ] wiki for more.
==Canvassing from Reddit==
Pro-pitbull editors are being recruited , in violation of ]. ] (]) 02:51, 17 February 2023 (UTC)


A trait that was once selected for in the late 1800s but no longer is, it is not going to remain present 200 years later. Furthermore, responsible and licensed dog breeders actively breed out aggression in all large dogs.
Unfortunately I’ve seen the anti-pit folk do that as well. It’s going to be hard to make this article neutral and transparent if both sides are brigading. ] (]) 15:06, 17 February 2023 (UTC)


It is true that there are backyard breeders which actively do breed aggression into pit bull type dogs, but that could be done for any breed of dog, they just choose pit bulls because of human related reasons. It is nothing inherent to pit bulls. And we know this because aggression is not a for any of the pit bull type breeds. So for example, a dog with the traits: Muscular neck, short coat, flat skull and aggression is a pit bull terrier. A dog with the traits Muscular neck, short coat, flat skull, and meek is also a pit bull terrier. Depending on where you get your pit bull, from a licensed breeder or a backyard breeder you may have an aggressive pit bull or a meek pit bull. It's possible, if not probable, that there are more aggressive pit bulls than other breeds because of how pit bull type dogs are the breed of choice for backyard breeders intentionally breeding aggression into their dogs.
Anti-pitbull editors have been recruited
, in violation of ]. ] (]) 06:38, 10 April 2023 (UTC)


Now that you are armed with this knowledge, it shouldn't be surprising that it is global scientific consensus that breed specific legislation is not effective.</nowiki>]</nowiki>]</nowiki>]</nowiki>]</nowiki>]</nowiki>] The quality research generally lies in the effectiveness of breed specific legislation realm because that is where the money is being spent.
:I'm not sure we can call those instances you cited as "recruiting." All the examples you linked were from an anti-pitbull subreddit, but seemed to be legitimate discussions of Misplaced Pages content and perceived bias, not invitations for brigading.
:-
:-
:-
:-
:These posts all seem to be pointing out concerns about ] policy violations, mostly having to do with removing dog attack statistics from Misplaced Pages pages. ] (]) 21:56, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
::Hi random IP. It seems you failed to read any of the comments on those posts. Understandable if you are bias, but not very honest of you.] (]) 05:46, 26 May 2023 (UTC)


So now that i have addressed what a dog breed is, basic genetics, there's also a lack of understanding of basic statistics that probably contributes to most anti-pit bull opinions. I've seen various verbiage, but the statistic cited generally goes like this
== "The term was first used in 1927" ==


"Pit bulls and pit bull mixes make up 20-60% of all dog attacks. While being 6% of the dog population."
There are many records of the use of this term well before 1927 as we can see for example in "" and in subsequent years volumes like in "". However, it is difficult to define when the term was first used. So it would be better not to mention a specific date. ] (]) 22:04, 7 April 2023 (UTC)


There is absolutely nothing in this statistic that indicates genetic predisposition to harm. All it indicates is that there is an external influence causing pit bulls to be overrepresented. Insurance companies only care about the probabilities and are not interested in a cause or a solution so they will adjust rates appropriately or refuse to ensure. It’s natural for humans (and all mammals really) to have pattern recognition that results in fear, and when fear is involved all rationale tends to go out the window even for the otherwise sharpest of minds.
:Very interesting find, it seems the article may need tweaking. I checked page 46 in your second link, "winner of 3 pit battles", charming.
:The current source at "The term was first used in 1927" (that's ] only btw, not good WP-writing) states
:"First Known Use 1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1" and sense 1 is
:"or pit bull terrier : a muscular, short-haired, stocky dog (such as an American pit bull terrier or American Staffordshire terrier) of any of several breeds or a hybrid with one or more of these breeds that was originally developed for fighting and is noted for strength, stamina, and tenacity"
:It seems to me that your 1913 source (can't tell on the 1905) is using the term in the same sense, but I'm not an expert. Per that source, I could go with something like "has been used since at least early 20th century." ] (]) 06:49, 8 April 2023 (UTC)
:Fwiw, here's a little info on ''The Dog Fancier'': ] (]) 06:57, 8 April 2023 (UTC)
:I changed the article like so . I ignored the 1905 source for now since I only see small snippets, but the new text fits anyway. It seems quite possible per that source that "pit bull" was used in the 19th century, but atm that's guessing. ] (]) 17:15, 9 April 2023 (UTC)
:Updated to one from . ] (]) 17:34, 9 April 2023 (UTC)


There is limited research on why the stat is the way it is, and what does exist is generally low quality or contaminated by interest groups. But it could be because , issues with the data collection / falsely labeling an offending dog a pit bull, backyard dog breeders (or dog fighters) flooding the dog population with aggressive pit bulls, the breed being the dog of choice for violent people and , or perhaps also people who want a dog to train to be aggressive for guard dog purposes choose pit bulls because of their reputation and this leads to more bites. Personally I do not know, I think more quality research is needed to reach such a determination. Nevertheless, this is what any debate should be over and should include the nuances I have outlined in this topic. It's hardly a nature versus nurture debate like this[REDACTED] article suggests. ] (]) 03:43, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
==As A Symbol Bias==


:{{tq|A trait that was once selected for in the late 1800s but no longer is, it is not going to remain present 200 years later.}} The ] implies otherwise. For example, here is an article about a deleterious genetic problem in Clumber spaniels that has persisted from the founding of the breed in the 1700's up to today. Also, since illegal dog fighting is still very common, presumably some pit bulls are still being intentionally bred for aggression.
Are we going to talk about the bias in the Symbol? I mean tying pitbulls to white supremacists without also mentioning that
:I don't intend to have a "debate" on this here, but if the dog breeding article says anything contrary to this, it is wrong. ] (]) 05:06, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
:"Strong cultural ties exist between pit bull dogs and the Black community. The same is true of the Latino community. Research undertaken here to investigate this claim suggests that people of color are perceived to be the most likely owner of this breed of dog."
::Quite right that our arguments such as "There is absolutely nothing in this statistic that indicates genetic predisposition to harm. All it indicates is that there is an external influence causing pit bulls to be overrepresented." are ] and can't really be posted in this article but if EVOSexybeast has proposals for inclusion of sources that make those arguments and those sources are of good quality, those should be included. ] (]) 15:16, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
] (]) 06:54, 10 April 2023 (UTC)
:::Pit bull type dogs are a large collection of diverse breeds and do not have a small founder population, heck or hardly even a shared founder population.
:::The average age of onset for Clumber Spaniels with degenerative which makes it so that it’s difficult for breeders to select out before they breed. Aggression does not have this same disadvantage, and aggression is not defined by a single autosomal recessive gene like the SOD1 gene is for the source of the Clumber Spaniels defect. This is conjecture on your part with no evidence in support and is a plain rejection of modern genetics.
:::“Also, since illegal dog fighting is still very common, presumably some pit bulls are still being intentionally bred for aggression.”
::Of course, I said that in my comment. It’s not a nature versus nurture debate, both sides of the pit bull debate are generally wrong in the most common arguments. I also would not get a pit bull type puppy (or german shepherd) from a shelter, as I know backyard breeders choose the breed to breed aggression into them and I won’t know who the breeder was. I always ask a breeder what steps they take to breed out aggression for any large dog.
:::There is higher quality and growing research about non-breed specific legislation and its effectiveness and I am working on a section for this article for it as I think this article lacks in that area. ] (]) 16:21, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
::::Sure seems like a lot of opinion and speculation in a comment and not much source on the actual topic at hand. You grabbed "founder effect" and slapped it in there like it provided anything meaningful. Dog and strange human/dog aggression at the genetic level would be exist in dogs pre-domestication from wolves. Its something that every breed has, not just one specific. In fact...
::::"Our findings show that canine fear and aggression that are directed toward strange humans or other dogs share variation that was present prior to the creation of dog breeds."
::::So the attempt to use the founder effect to single-out a single dog breed for aggression is mute.
::::I agree, there is no need to debate this, unless someone has genetic studies showing otherwise. ] (]) 00:14, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::I agree, those who are objective about the topic, there is nothing controversial. The academic consensus widely believes that environmental factors likely play a role in individual dogs attacking, and not genetics. However, much like vaccines are widely known by the academic community to not cause autism, you have conspiracy theorist that cling onto blog and bogus data that reaffirms their belief that they're dangerous.
:::::Additionally, I wouldn't waste much time with this stat: "60% of all dog attacks despite 6% of population" garbage stats as if its fact. All you need to do to debunk that is go to the ] archive to see that its source has been deemed unreliable. Its garbage and not worth assuming is fact for sake of argument.
:::::Lastly, as you may know already. There are individuals on this page that subscribe to the latter of my before mentioned. They exist solely on this page to ]. So welcome to the pit bulls page, I hope you have better luck improving this page that others in the past. ] (]) 00:01, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::Well, the ultimate question is just sourcing. We can argue forever, but what we need to do is evaluate which sources are quality and relevant enough for inclusion and only convey that those stay. In that vein, what is the source of the "60% of dog attacks despite 6% of population"? The cited sources seem to the print book "Pit Bulls for dummies" that I can't check and a Time Magazine article that's citing and I , so this fact might need to be retired, unless we can find the original source of this claim. ] (]) 17:12, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Louiedog, . To find Clifton content, perform site-specific searches like or where I see several sources to satisfy your curiosity. ] (]) 20:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::The claim should at the very least be attributed given it is attributed in the Time magazine source. ] (]) 20:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::The sources have already been evaluated. ] and ] have already concluded that these websites's "data" is not reliable. I have the Dummies for book, and it adds nothing but citing the "data" from animals24-7 and dogsbite.org. In fact, the book calls them a scientific website. However, they are self-published blogs and hold no background in science, and who represent fringe theories. Every source that cites them just regurgitates their misinformation without adding any credibility.
:::::::The fact Time mentions them doesn't give them reliability, but only diminishes Times's reputation for reliability given they didn't do any fact checking before citing. ] states that "<b>If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, <u>particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies</u>, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims".</B>
:::::::I don't see why the article should include ] to represent minority claims, with the sole reason is outside citation. ] states<b> <u>"Information provided in passing by an otherwise reliable source or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication may not be reliable</u>; editors should cite sources focused on the topic at hand where possible."</b> Time is an otherwise reliable source, the dog bites topic is not related to the principal topic of its publications, so if the full context of ] is adhered to, and you add ]'s part about using information provided in passing by otherwise reputable sources, then there is sufficient reason to not mention it in the article.
:::::::] states that the quality of the arguments determine consensus. I have not seen anymore of an argument for including other that just stating ] and saying Times is reputable therefore the source is. However, that argument lacks applying the full policy and fails to factor other policies as it mentions within it. ] (]) 00:43, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::Care to share an image of that page of the book so the rest of us can also read it, unfiltered? ] (]) 16:51, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::No, doing so would violate ]. ] (]) 17:31, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::{{tq|"Information provided in passing by an otherwise reliable source or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication may not be reliable; editors should cite sources focused on the topic at hand where possible."}} Care to explain how that applies here? ] (]) 17:46, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::I will try to explain it further. What this guideline/policy is saying is that when an otherwise reliable sources is using a source in its publication, which said information does not belong to what that publications primary topics area, then it may not be reliable. Instead, editors should go to sources that primarily discuss the topic at hand.
:::::::::So for example. Time does not primarily publish about dog bites or attacks, but are otherwise reputable. However, they cite a source like dogsbite or animals24-7. ] states that the information cited by Time may not be reliable, so editor's should go to sources that primarily publish within that topic.
:::::::::Now before you say "may not be"... yes. Because some sources cited are reputable. However, the community already determined that the source cited was not reputable. So when you take ] guidelines in totality rather than picking one, its clear that using Time's citation of animals24-7 or dogsbite.org is not reliable. ] (]) 23:27, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::Yes, "may not be". Regarding {{tq|the community already determined that the source cited was not reputable}}. I don't think that one discussion at RSNB that didn't even take USEBYOTHERS into account is binding. It's not as if the source has been permanently banned from Misplaced Pages, although you appear to believe that it is. ] (]) 23:36, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::Then I encourage you to bring it up with ] if you feel differently and bring up ] and see if that changes the outcome. I suspect it won't but definitely don't think its a bad idea to do so. However, as it stands now, they were determined to be unreliable and when the all of ] is applied. Its clear that their allowance in the article is problematic.
:::::::::::Unless you have a better argument as to why it isn't? Trying to have a honest dicussion about it before requesting admin edits. ] (]) 23:45, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::And why would I have to do that? Why don't you go to RSNB and see if your interpretation holds water? ] (]) 23:46, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Consensus on the sources was already reached. It is not me challenged that. An admin will decide the quality of the arguments here before making a determination. I am not concerned with the past consensus and feel it was correct. ] (]) 23:50, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::The source certainly isn't reliable but the paper referencing it (although I think the quality of the paper is quite low after reading it) is reliable enough to include it there.
:::::::::::I have many issues with the source but from a policy perspective I don't believe there is any reason to oppose it. It is an article published in a reputable journal without any published criticism (at least that I am aware of).
:::::::::::I still think attribution should at least be included or mention that it is not an official nor medical estimate. ] (]) 23:49, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::There are no published criticism because it exists within a medical journal where the focus and expertise is on the medical data. Not dog facts.
::::::::::::Had this been reviewed in the Veterinary Medicine Journals, then it certainly would have received some criticisms as not one study published by them has supported the conclusions made in it.
::::::::::::We now arguing that medical journals are reliable sources for breed related data over veterinary journals. ] (]) 23:53, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::Do you have veterinary journals that say that the medical journals are wrong? You haven't presented any. ] (]) 23:59, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::Why would a Veterinary Journal critique a Medical Journal? In what world would that be something reasonable. Veterinary Journals have publish multiple times addressing topics breed's role, or lack there of, in aggression.
::::::::::::::You're building a strawman fallacy trying to have someone show a journal addressing another journal. That isn't what they do. They publish their own data. ] (]) 00:55, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::Okay, so you don't have any evidence that there's this imagined veterinary POV that conflicts with the published views in medical journals. ] (]) 00:57, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::::Never claimed that. There are LOTS. I can work on compiling all them tonight. Here is a quick one before I go eat. ] (]) 01:14, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::::::::::That actually supports what my sources are saying: {{tq|n a range of studies, the breeds found to be highly represented in biting incidents were German Shepherd Dog, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,50 mixed breed,1,4,6,8,10,11,12, 19,17, 20,50 pit bull type,5,9,13,16, 21,20,22,23,24,25,26,27 Rottweiler,15, 18,22,24, 25, 28 Jack Russell Terrier,21,25,26 and others (Chow Chow,7,23 Spaniel,14,26 Collie,3,29 Saint Bernard,20 and Labrador Retriever2 ). If you consider only the much smaller number of cases that resulted in very severe injuries or fatalities,21,23 pit bull-type dogs are more frequently identified.}} It acknowledges that pit bulls are frequent offenders in severe attacks, but tries to frame it in alternative fashion. Those references are going to helpful to cross check against my list of papers, thanks. ] (]) 04:36, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::::::::::::::Cherry pick what you want, but all those were discredited by this... {{tq|"The pit bull type is particularly ambiguous as a “breed” encompassing a range of pedigree breeds, informal types and appearances that cannot be Page 3 of 8 reliably identified. Visual determination of dog breed is known to not always be reliable."}}
::::::::::::::::::Basically saying, all that data that relied upon visual identification is unreliable...
::::::::::::::::::That's the point of it, to discredit the data out there because it was obtained using methodology that is widely known to be flawed.
::::::::::::::::::I have compiled a list of other studies determining visual identification to be unreliable and will post tomorrow. ] (]) 05:24, 23 October 2024 (UTC)


== Protected edit request on 22 October 2024 ==
:That may deserve a mention somewhere, but it's not clearly "symbol", is it? Also, I'm not sure what the source is, exactly, is it a dissertation per ]? I'm guessing it's not by ]. Consider also articles like ] and maybe ]. ] (]) 07:21, 10 April 2023 (UTC)
:Also from your source, "Breed-specific legislation may be being used as a new form of redlining to keep minorities out of majority-white neighborhoods." That's interesting. ] (]) 07:26, 10 April 2023 (UTC)
:Btw, I started the Symbol section and I didn't add anything by Ann Linder to it because I had no idea she existed. ] (]) 10:22, 10 April 2023 (UTC)
::The source is the Animal Law Review, and it is from Ann Linder. Not sure why you would doubt it was? Animal Law Review is a scholarly journal that focuses on legal issues related to animals. Depends on how your definition of symbol. The second definition of symbol is "a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract." I would definitely argue that there is sufficient evidence in history/media to show that pitbulls have been used as a symbol to represent the black communities pet ownership. Its not even really a debate as you can find many sources if you google "pit bulls black community".
::As for your comment about the racism behind BSL laws, its something widely argued and currently litigated in George County as I write this. ] (]) 16:52, 12 April 2023 (UTC)
:::Ok, if it is '']'', does ] apply here? Arguing "Strong cultural ties exist between..." = "Symbol" is far-fetched to me, the section as currently written is more literal, and I don't think it should stray from that. This bit however, seems more on-topic; "'' appeared in music videos and were featured as cultural symbols of “‘urban ghettos’ and ‘Afro-American lifestyles.’”31''"
:::On the wider angle, you could try starting a "Presence in different communities" or something like that section. Perhaps even a separate article. ] (]) 17:23, 12 April 2023 (UTC)
:::The History-section has "...the type becoming a status symbol in American gang culture." Trying to expand on that is an option. ] (]) 17:30, 12 April 2023 (UTC)
::::Its a reliable source. They are the most respected publication in their field. You are comparing it to a student newspaper and not a scholarly journal, which it is more like. Check its wiki if you need more proof. Its a law journal.
::::They're a symbol of the black community. You seem to have a definition of symbol that is narrower than it actually is. The pit bull is an Isomorphic Symbol of black culture. Symbols don't need to be pictures.
::::The fact that the article has pit bulls as part of "American gang culture" is a not objective, and again appears to be written in a way to direct a reader to forming an opinion on pit bulls. Pit bulls are part of black culture and black culture is not gang culture... Gangs don't go around promoting pit bulls and selling them. Drugs/violence/guns are symbols of gang culture, not pit bulls. They are part of black culture, and in the past those were not differentiated. You don't hear about how gangs are pushing pit bulls onto people or killing people with pit bulls. You see rap videos with pit bulls in them, which society then associated rap videos to gangs because skin color.
::::I can see room for creating a new section, but I think fixing the current is better addressed before adding more. ] (]) 22:15, 12 April 2023 (UTC)
::::Also Lagunitas Brewing uses a pit bull as a logo for their company. However, logos are not symbols. And skinheads using a pit bull as a logo doesn't symbolize Pit bulls to white supremacy. The wiki article on symbols does a good job explaining what symbols are and what they do. There are also scholarly journals that address on the topic of symbolism. But basically, using an image as a logo doesn't make it a symbol. Millions of people have pit bulls tattooed on their skins and don't belong to supremacism groups because a pit bull is not a symbol of white supremacism. A specific image of a pit bull may be an identifying marker for a gang, but that doesn't make the pit bull a symbol. ] (]) 22:31, 12 April 2023 (UTC)
:::::Yes, WP says that. It may be correct. It doesn't seem awful, if someone objects when you use it in an article, you can discuss that then. I'm not clear on if Ann Linder is a student or not, "Legislative Policy Fellow" doesn't ''sound'' like a student to me, but here my ignorance kicks in. I disagree that logos are not symbols, it's a broad word, and logos fit quite reasonably in this section. ADL disagrees with you, pretty much: If you have a decent secondary source for the brewery having a pit-bull logo you can add it. Existing is not enough.
:::::I checked the cites at "American gang culture", and they support it (not the ''NYT''), except the ''Humanity & Society'' doesn't actually say "American" (and UPI speaks of "ghetto youth", but the context is American), so there may be case for removing "American". ] (]) 07:24, 13 April 2023 (UTC)
::::::Her bio is publicly available here
::::::I disagree with symbols/icons bit, but I can get back to you on more about them. As for a source for Lagunitas, the founder of the company in his own words. Petey was a American Pitbull Terrier as mentioned in the Wiki Page.
::::::As for gang culture, another study that argues that pit bulls are linked to hip-hop culture, which is not gang culture. I think its best to describe that pit bulls have been exploited by gangs to guard illegal narcotics, and to intimidate and attack civilians, other criminals and police" But then remove that they're part of gang culture. There is insufficient evidence for it. There is much more evidence to show that they're part of urban culture. In fact, even citation 16 mentions hip-hop culture.
::::::Either way, I think there is sufficient evidence that Pit bulls are an isomorphic symbol for black pet ownership. The piece by Ann Linder provides a lot of evidence of such. If you don't agree its a symbol, then what about a new section to talk about pit bull ownership, or at the minimum mentioning it in BSL, which doesn't address anything about the link to racism and BSL? Just seems odd that a wiki page would link a dog to white supremacists ownership and not mention that they're perceived to be owned by minority communities too? ] (]) 06:17, 14 April 2023 (UTC)
:::::::Not a student then. I found the same article on the beer, added it yesterday, and rearranged the Symbol-section a bit, adding Linder. I'm not sure there's insufficient evidence on gang culture, but I haven't looked further than this article. Gang/Hip-hop is not a contradiction, it can be both.
:::::::"isomorphic symbol for black pet ownership" sounds WP:OR to me, and I think many readers would have to look up isomorphic. Pit bull ownership (or my above suggestion) could be a decent section, or "Pit bull ownership in the US" if that's what you end up writing. The article doesn't talk about white supremacists ''ownership''. Since Linder writes about BSL, that would seem the default place to add something from her article. Consider adding something about pit bulls to ]. ] (]) 11:44, 14 April 2023 (UTC)
::::::::Can it be both? Sure, but they're not mutually exclusive. If anything its blood sports that is tied to gangs. I mean, cock fighting is huge among gangs, but its not promoted in rap videos... its the rap videos, which is hip-hop culture that gives them the "gang image". Because lets face it, society did not differentiate much between them.
::::::::Rather than add another section, I think it can be addressed through the BSL section? Rather than talk about hip-hop culture, it can be acknowledge that they're associated with POC which may have lead to a number of BSL laws being passed. Then mention a court case that is currently being litigated along with Linder's work. Should the court case prevail, then there is sufficient evidence to change that BSL laws were determined to be passed in at least one case for discriminatory reasons? ] (]) 06:38, 19 April 2023 (UTC)
:::This source (Ann Linder's article) is known for its lack of historical detail. This is not a history paper. It's a public policy paper. Her affiliation is with the Animal Law and Policy Program at Harvard.
:::The "Historical Background" section (pg 55) makes a mention of the pitbull being "America's Dog" at the beginning of the 20th century, and then jumps straight to the 1980s as the dog's supposed start of its association with POC communities. Even if this history extends farther back than the 1980s, this article makes no mention of that. ] (]) 05:08, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Where is this source known for its lack of historical detail? Or known at all? ] (]) 08:04, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
:::::This article well-known for being cited by anti-] groups for its supposed illustrations of connections between pitbulls and people of color, and its possible implications of discrimination in the ]. Organizations such as the Best Friends Animal Society lean heavily on this single article to imply that BSL implies racial discrimination, and therefore would require rollbacks of BSL.
:::::But my main point is that if we were to include the history of the pitbull and its association with symbols, this is not a good ''historical ''source.
::::: - It first mentions pitbulls as "America's Dog." We don't actually include that in this article anywhere, so if there is a better source that might be something to add to the article.
::::: - Second, the history section repeats the "nanny dog" myth, citing a ] article about ] as its source. The source does not explain the origin of the term.
::::: - Third, it then skips a handful of decades to (late) 1980s history, where it finally touches on the topic of POC as owners of the dog, citing a source which then cites several news articles from that time, including a ] article and one ], both from 1987.
:::::tl;dr this source is mostly about an experiment which shows a perceived association between Black and Latino owners of pitbulls (page 64). The history section (page 55), which has the most detail about symbolic use of pitbulls over time, is weak and has a lot of gaps. ] (]) 01:54, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
::::::Ok. If there are other opinions on this source, I'll guess we'll hear them. You seem to have dug deep. ] (]) 06:11, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
:::::::If the source contains the "nanny dog" myth, then it's unreliable. ] (]) 20:31, 25 May 2023 (UTC)


{{edit fully-protected|Pit bull|answered=yes}}
== US Centricity ==
Change "proclivity to latching on" to "proclivity to latch on". Change "that it will no longer cover" to "that it would no longer cover". This article mixes American English and British English spellings. It mostly covers the United States but then uses British spellings like recognise, organise, organisation, criminalising, labelled. ] (]) 16:09, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:{{done}}<!-- Template:ESp -->, thanks. The article's date format is mdy, so I standardized to American spellings. ] (]) 18:01, 30 October 2024 (UTC)


== Khan et al., Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma, 2019 ==
This article is written with the tone that Misplaced Pages, at least in English language, is an American website. The angle of the writing is about the American history of these breeds despite saying that they originated from the United Kingdom. ] (]) 07:20, 19 May 2023 (UTC)


Source quote: {{tq|The data showed that compared to other dog breeds, pit bull terriers inflicted more complex wounds, were often unprovoked, and went off property to attack....From our data bank, we found the predominant breed (as identified by the owner, witnesses, animal encounter documents, and so on) was the pit bull type of dog....This is most likely under-reported, owing to the challenges cited earlier regarding confirmation on the part of some owners who demurred or resisted identification of the breeds of their dogs.}} So that's an interesting tidbit, pit bull attack rates may be underreported because dog owners don't want to admit that their dog is a pit bull after it has attacked someone, for reasons that seem readily apparent. But how does this result compare with the existing literature? They continue: {{tq|This tendency appears to hold true in most medical reports except when pit bulls have been banned the reporting health care system's regional jurisidiction}} (Also interesting, doesn't that imply that when BSL is implemented, the pit bulls are apparently re-labelled as some other breed?) They continue: {{tq|The most comprehensive nonmedical data bank, which includes all media and police reports in the United States for nearly a 20-year span, lists pit bulls as the leading perpetrator of bites, mauling events, and deaths.}} The "nonmedical data bank" in question is Merritt Clifton of animals24-7 dot org. If it's good enough for medical journals, why isn't it good enough for Misplaced Pages? per USEBYOTHERS? ] (]) 18:22, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:Hello 2A02, I thought you deserved some kind of reply. Yep, there's a lot of US in the article. This may or may not be because the editors who have bothered to work on it find this interesting, or that the sources they found when looking mostly focused on the US. It may be that Pit bull is to some extent mostly an American "thing", and if so, the article ''should'' reflect that. What you can do is to gather your ] on non-US Pit bull stuff and start editing. You have to ] and become ]ed first, but that's quite doable. Hope this helps some. ] (]) 10:46, 25 May 2023 (UTC)


:Hi, I was actually just looking for the Merritt Clifton source cited in Time Magazine and it's 404. I google around and cannot find it anywhere. Unless you have better luck locating it, we're going to have to discontinue it as a reference, since it can't be verified. ] (]) 20:37, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
== Notable pit bulls ==
::Per ], {{tq|Do not reject reliable sources just because they are difficult or costly to access. Some reliable sources are not easily accessible. For example, an online source may require payment, and a print-only source may be available only through libraries. Rare historical sources may even be available only in special museum collections and archives.}} ] (]) 20:54, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
]
:::I don't think ] is their argument. But instead ]? It may have existed at one time, but there is no longer any way to verify the source, paywall or not. ] (]) 23:48, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
The inclusion of ] in this list seems incorrect. Most sources (including current Misplaced Pages pages) point to either a ] or ].
::::We don't delete sources just because they're not available online. ] (]) 00:28, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::That isn't ]. If there is no way of verifying a source, even in libraries/museums, then it falls under ].
:::::Just an FYI. If it can't be found here, then I think there is a real good argument for WP:VNOT. Seems Time has a library of their own publications online.
:::::If it can, then the source link should probably be updated. One doesn't need to argue for WP:VNOT to get Time removed. There is a more than sufficient argument about the reliability of its citation within the article. ] (]) 01:02, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::What are you talking about? The Time article is here. . ] (]) 01:05, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::::Oh, my apologies. The link that is 404 is the hyperlink included within Time. The yeah, I would say that is irrelevant because the same claims can still be found on their websites, broken URL or not. Hyperlinks can change, and that's irrelevant. So its clear what they were citing. I agree not to remove it because of that. ] (]) 01:12, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:] which says <b>"If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims."</b> & then ] is why.
:Medical journals, professionals are not primarily discussing the topic of dog populations demographics, dog attacks, breed types, or the efficiency of BSL policies. Its outside their domain.
:They are certainly in the topic of discussing medical injuries resulting from dog attacks, long term impacts from injuries, and etc. But they are not authoritative figure when it comes to what kind of dog it was or how much of a % a dog breed represents of the total dog population.
:They are simply citing another source in passing to present their data. Now, does that mean that their source cited is not reliable? Of course not, that source then needs to be evaluated to determine reliability. As such was done here. ] (]) 23:40, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
::This looks to me like Wikilawyering to try to exclude any and all medical sources that discuss which types of dogs are causing the worst injuries. I don't think that's going to lead to NPOV content. ] (]) 23:50, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
:::Nope, just a good-faith discussion on the merits of a source reliability using WP Guidelines. If a reliable source cannot be found to support a claim, then it shouldn't be included within an article. ] states <b>"All articles must strive for <u>verifiable accuracy</u> with citations based on <u>reliable sources</u>, especially when the topic is controversial or is about a living person."</b> Removing unreliable sources achieves more of a NPOV than including them to represent controversial view just for the sake of presenting it. ] (]) 01:08, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
::::Except that Time magazine is reliable, and so are reputable peer reviewed journals. ] (]) 01:16, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::"Information provided in passing by an <u><b> otherwise reliable source</u></b> or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication<u> <b>may not be reliable</u></b>"
:::::Time / Medical Journals are otherwise reliable, presenting information that is not related to its principal topic of publication. I don't know how to make it more clear, so we will have to let others/admins weigh the strengths of our arguments and agree to let this go. ] (]) 05:18, 23 October 2024 (UTC)


*This source is clearly reliable and is ] for this article. The claims it is not are so sophistic as to be almost incomprehensible. Yes, a medical paper can make reliable claims about dogs and injuries caused by dogs. ] (]) 06:42, 24 October 2024 (UTC)
'''Current sources in the pit bull article include:'''


== Tsokos et al., "Extensive and Mutilating Craniofacial Trauma Involving Defleshing and Decapitation". In American Journal of Forensic Medical Pathology, 2007 ==
- 1st source (): "We can tell you that according to his owner, British artist Francis Barraud, who acquired Nipper in 1884, the dog was a '''fox terrier'''."


Source quote: {{tq|"Pit bull-type" dogs refers to a variety of breeds including the bull terrier....These dogs seem to be a particular problem compared with other breeds as they tend not to make threatening gestures, such as snarling or baring of teeth, prior to attacking and so there may be no warning of impending aggressive behavior....Once attached, they also continue to grind their premolars and molars into tissues while holding on with their canine teeth causing greater amounts of soft-tissue injuries than other breeds. Ninety-four percent of pit bull attacks were unprovoked in one study of nonfatal dog bites, compared with 46% of cases overall. Combining all of these features with aggressive personalities and relatively larger sizes makes them highly dangerous to children.}} So, another journal paper that says that pit bulls are known to inflict more injuries than other breeds of dog. Are we going to try to keep this one out of the article, too? ] (]) 01:14, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
- 2nd source (): "While some call Nipper a pit bull {{who?}}, no one knows the breed of the real dog he was based on." I tried to verify this in the book, but there is no citation in the main text, and the bibliography has no mention of Nipper.
:We absolutely shouldn't try to keep this out. It should be included.] (]) 06:38, 24 October 2024 (UTC)


== RSNB Thread opened ==
- 3rd source (): "The dog sitting attentively and eternally next to that old-fashioned phonograph horn on RCA Victor records is a pooch named Nipper, who looks to me like a '''fox terrier or something close'''."


]. I hope this helps. ] (]) 20:40, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
So 2/3 references listed in the current article do not validate the claims made. The second one might, but I was unable to verify it in its bibliography.


:The discussion is now on archive page 456:
'''Current Misplaced Pages articles referencing Nipper:'''
:] ] (]) 09:09, 13 December 2024 (UTC)


== Identification of pit bull breeds ==
- ]: "which depicted a '''Jack Russell Terrier''' dog named Nipper"


To avoid edit warring I wanted to ask why large portions of my edits and sources have been removed? I was not even finished adding content to the section when most of it got deleted. The reason given was: "Trim content not related to pitbulls and rewrite Australian registration issue".
- ]: "He was likely a mixed-breed dog, although most early sources suggest that he was a '''Smooth Fox Terrier''', or perhaps a '''Jack Russell Terrier''', or possibly "part Bull Terrier."" I looked into the "part Bull Terrier" source (), but it didn't have a citation for where it states "It was based on his dog, Nipper, who was partly Bull Terrier"


I do not agree that what I have written is not related to pit bulls. Pit bull breeds can have registration papers (which can help to prove the dog's breed, if the dog or its parents were registered at some point), their DNA can be tested and compared to their suspected parents DNA, their pictures can be AI analyzed, they can be determined by their physical characteristics. That breed assessment is done for health and legal reasons also applies to pit bull breeds. I do not understand why this was removed.
Most of these sources, including two in the current pit bull article, indicate Nipper being primarily a terrier, usually a Fox Terrier or a Jack Russell Terrier. There may be some open questions whether he had a small mix of pit bull as part of his breed, but the sources cited point to Nipper as chiefly a terrier.


Text passage affected:
'''A note on edits:'''


<s>Strikethrough</s>: Removed. <u>Underlined</u>: Added
The pit bull page edit history shows that the occurs as the following text: "Nipper, a bull terrier mixbreed, is the dog in Francis Barraud's painting His Master's Voice." The citation for this text is listed as , but this source references Misplaced Pages (doesn't list exact page), which I believe may be a ] issue. Note also that the entry on Nipper for the pit bull article page has been added and removed multiple times. Rather than perpetuate this edit war, I'd prefer we resolve this issue on the Talk page and then make a decision on inclusion. My personal conclusion based on the majority of sources is that Nipper was either a terrier or terrier-dominant mix, and therefore does not belong on this page. ] (]) 08:54, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
:The Newsday/PQ reads "There has been some controversy about whether Nipper,the famous RCA dog peering quizzically into the horn of a phonograph, was a so-called pit bull... Also, of the several bull terrier and fox terrier club spokesmen and breeders we spoke to, only one - a bull terrier club president - said the dog was a pit bull. Everyone else agreed that Nipper was a fox terrier." That supports the WP-article text, like "The Pit Bull Life". The New Yorker is for the "commonly seen" part, illustrating that people look at Nipper and see different things, but may be a bit redundant. Ping to @] and @] if you're interested.
:As a general note, there is no demand on WP for ] to cite their sources, or that the sources they cite cite their sources, etc, we have to stop at some point. Don't dig ''too'' much, not for WP-purposes anyway. Previous discussion and more sources at ]. IMO, the sources used in this WP-article supports "at times referred to as a pit bull", this is a view that has been noted, so per the sources (there are others) and ], my view is that the sentence is ok, and fwiw, it's a very notable dog. Reasonable people may disagree. Per previous discussions (yep, there's more), I think a ] may be the next step to attempt a consensus on this.
:On current WP-articles with Nipper, they have to take care of themselves per ]. What is ] here may not be in the Nipper article, or it may be. On the Radio Canada, looking at the other pics I ''think'' "The famous listening dog *Nipper* the symbol of RCA records, Deutsche Gramophon and others was a pit bull, or pit bull mix, possibly with a Jack Russel © wikipaedia" is meant to refer to where they got the image. The "© wikipaedia" as written doesn't make much sense (neither WP or Commons has any copyright on that pic), but it's what I think. And of course, the source is not used in this article. ] (]) 10:07, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
:For the Wikipedians, text under discussion:
:* ], a mongrel at times referred to as a pit bull, though commonly seen as a non pit bull-type terrier, is the dog in ]'s painting '']''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richterman |first1=Anita |title=Problem Line: - ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/277876182/39D440B0AF42421FPQ |access-date=11 September 2022 |work=] - via ProQuest |date=1 September 1987 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Franklin |first1=Deirdre |last2=Lombardi |first2=Linda |title=The Pit Bull Life: A Dog Lover's Companion |date=22 November 2016 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-58157-504-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImTfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT8 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Angell 2011">{{cite magazine | last=Roger | first=Angell | title=The Wrong Dog | magazine=The New Yorker | date=2011-11-30 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-wrong-dog | access-date=2022-09-12}}</ref>
:{{reftalk}} ] (]) 10:20, 25 May 2023 (UTC)


<s>'''Methods''': There are various ways to identify a dog's breed. It can be proven through ] (])<ref>{{Cite web |title=Importance of Pedigree Papers |url=https://dogsaustralia.org.au/getting-a-dog/importance-of-pedigree-papers/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=dogsaustralia.org.au}}</ref> or it can be determined by examining a dog's physical traits. A look at the dog's DNA to validate parentage<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Wiley |first=Claire |date=2023 |title=Genetic Testing in Dogs – an Overview |url=https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/genetic-testing-dogs-overview/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=American Kennel Club |language=en}}</ref>, testing DNA-based ancestry and the use of artificial intelligence<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Valarmathi |first1=B. |last2=Gupta |first2=N. Srinivasa |last3=Prakash |first3=G. |last4=Reddy |first4=R. Hemadri |last5=Saravanan |first5=S. |last6=Shanmugasundaram |first6=P. |date=2023 |title=Hybrid Deep Learning Algorithms for Dog Breed Identification—A Comparative Analysis |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10192536 |journal=IEEE Access |language=en-US |volume=11 |pages=77228–77239 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3297440 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240420045846/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10192536/ |archive-date=2024-04-20 |access-date=2024-12-12}}</ref> are further methods employed to provide information about a dog's breed. The determination of a dog's breed can be necessary for health<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dobson |first=Jane M. |date=2013 |title=Breed-Predispositions to Cancer in Pedigree Dogs |journal=International Scholarly Research Notices |language=en |volume=2013 |issue=1 |pages=941275 |doi=10.1155/2013/941275 |issn=2356-7872 |pmc=3658424 |pmid=23738139 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> or legal reasons<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-07-12 |title=Breed of dog that killed newborn ranks highest for attacks in NSW |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-13/fatal-dog-attacks-american-staffordshire-terrier/100286872 |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU |quote="Central Coast Council confirmed that last month's attack had been registered, and said 'the family was undertaking a breed and temperament assessment' at council's request."}}</ref>.</s>
:: I've read through the relevant talk pages on the ] issue:
<s>'''Pure breed identification''': If registration papers are not available, ] can be determined by their physical characteristics:</s><blockquote><s>"The identification of differing physical characteristics of dogs is an uncomplicated and straightforward way to categorize dog breeds."<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Kriangwanich |first1=Wannapimol |last2=Nganvongpanit |first2=Korakot |last3=Buddhachat |first3=Kittisak |last4=Siengdee |first4=Puntita |last5=Chomdej |first5=Siriwadee |last6=Ponsuksili |first6=Siriluck |last7=Thitaram |first7=Chatchote |date=2020 |title=Genetic variations and dog breed identification using inter-simple sequence repeat markers coupled with high resolution melting analysis |journal=PeerJ |volume=8 |pages=e10215 |doi=10.7717/peerj.10215 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=7605226 |pmid=33194413 |doi-access=free}}</ref></s></blockquote><s>'''Mixed or cross breed identification''': Mixed or cross breed identification can be more challenging than pure breed identification and can be supported by testing for genetic markers.<ref name=":2" /> However, DNA-based ancestry testing that works with owner-reported databases can be unreliable.<ref name=":1" /></s>
:: - ]
:: - ]
:: - ]


Studies have found that when people involved in dog rescue, adoption, and regulation identify the breed of a dog of mixed parentage, this identification did not always correlate with the DNA analysis of that dog.<ref name="Inconsistent identification of pit bull–type dogs by shelter staff">{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=K.R. |year=2015 |title=Inconsistent identification of pit bull–type dogs by shelter staff |journal=The Veterinary Journal |volume=206 |issue=2 |pages=197–202 |doi=10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.07.019 |pmid=26403955 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="Rethinking dog breed identification in veterinary practice">{{cite journal |last1=Simpson |first1=Robert John |year=2012 |title=Rethinking dog breed identification in veterinary practice |journal=] |volume=241 |issue=9 |pages=1163–1166 |doi=10.2460/javma.241.9.1163 |pmid=23078561 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="A canine identity crisis: Genetic breed heritage testing of shelter dogs">{{cite journal |last1=Gunter |first1=Lisa M. |year=2018 |title=A canine identity crisis: Genetic breed heritage testing of shelter dogs |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13 |issue=8 |pages=e0202633 |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1302633G |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0202633 |pmc=6107223 |pmid=30138476 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Mixed-breed dogs are often labeled as pit bulls if they have certain physical characteristics, such as a square-shaped head or bulky body type.<ref name="Irrationality Unleashed: The Pitfalls of Breed-Specific Legislation">{{cite journal |last1=Swann |first1=Kristen E |title=Irrationality Unleashed: The Pitfalls of Breed-Specific Legislation |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/umkc78&div=32&id=&page= |url-status=live |journal=UMKC Law Review |volume=78 |pages=839 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326163501/https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals%2Fumkc78&div=32&id=&page= |archive-date=March 26, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2020}}</ref>
:: If you'd like to include the phrasing about Nipper possibly being a pit bull, I agree with the comments stating that per ], we'd need much better sources for this, and those have not been provided, even in historic versions of the ] page. ] thus requires us to follow the majority of legitimate sources stating Nipper's more likely terrier background.
:: 1. Richterman, Anita is a very brief source, and does not support the claim of Nipper as a pit bull. It specifically states Nipper is a ], and that as far as dissenting opinions, "only one - a bull terrier club president - said the dog was a pit bull", implying this is not a common view<ref>{{cite news |last1=Richterman |first1=Anita |title=Problem Line: - ProQuest |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/277876182/39D440B0AF42421FPQ |access-date=11 September 2022 |work=] - via ProQuest |date=1 September 1987 |language=en}}</ref>


<s>'''False breed declaration''': Although an offense in many countries or juristictions<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dog Control Act 1996 No 13 (as at 30 November 2022), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1996/0013/latest/whole.html |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.legislation.govt.nz |quote="Every person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 who, in making an application for the registration of asome dog, makesowners any written statement knowing that statement to begive false."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-24 |title=Companion Animals Act 1998 No 87 |url=https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-1998-087#sec.11H |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=legislation.nsw.gov.au |publication-place=Australia |quote="A person who in or in connection with an application for registration makes a statement or gives information thatregarding the person knows is false or misleading in a material particular is guiltybreed of antheir offence."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dog Registration - Town of Port Hedland |url=https://www.porthedland.wa.gov.au/forms/online-dog-registration/154 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.porthedland.wa.gov.au}}</ref>, it came to light that</s> <ins>In Australia some </ins>dog owners <s>gave</s><ins>give</ins> false information regarding the breed of their dog<ins> to local authorities, despite this being an offence under the Crimes Act</ins>. Inquests after fatal or serious dog attacks showed that pit bull owners registered their dogs under a wide range of other breeds, like the ], to evade their local laws and regulations.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fife-Yeomans |first=Janet |date=2014-04-26 |title=Lethal dogs in disguise: pitbulls registered under other breeds |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/lethal-dogs-in-disguise-pitbulls-registered-under-other-breeds/news-story/99e777e8a5547e33beecad813c0a3c23 |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=The Courier Mail}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Deare |first=Steven |date=2024-02-19 |title=Dog breeder claims may put unsuspecting owners at risk |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8526406/dog-breeder-claims-may-put-unsuspecting-owners-at-risk/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.canberratimes.com.au |language=en-au}}</ref>
:: 2. "The Pit Bull Life" honestly seems like a coffee table book. My opinion on this source remains unchanged. I'm furthermore convinced that, "While some call Nipper a pit bull..." falls under ] <ref>{{cite book |last1=Franklin |first1=Deirdre |last2=Lombardi |first2=Linda |title=The Pit Bull Life: A Dog Lover's Companion |date=22 November 2016 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-58157-504-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImTfCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT8 |language=en}}</ref>


<references />
:: 3. New York Times article: This source makes no mention of any pit bull lineage for Nipper anywhere in the article. @] mentioned "The New Yorker is for the "commonly seen" part, illustrating that people look at Nipper and see different things, but may be a bit redundant.". This idea does not appear anywhere in that article.<ref name="Angell 2011">{{cite magazine | last=Roger | first=Angell | title=The Wrong Dog | magazine=The New Yorker | date=2011-11-30 | url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-wrong-dog | access-date=2022-09-12}}</ref>
] (]) 10:25, 13 December 2024 (UTC)


:What you wrote could be included in any dog breed article, but if we included every dog related thing in an article on a dog breed the article would become quickly bloated and have little information on the breed itself. ] (]) 10:48, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:: This opinion (Nipper most likely being a terrier, and Pit bull claims being unsupported) is in line with statements from both ] and ] in the archived Talk pages. Judging by the quality of sources, I think at this point an ] would be overkill and not add anything. It's pretty clear that the Nipper/pit bull claim is at best weakly supported, and at worst is a purely speculative opinion, and should therefore be removed from this article.


:: Traumnovelle: The ''controversies'' surrounding the ability or inability to identify dogs, and the sources published about it, are predominantly related to pit bulls and their closely related breeds because of the desire to regulate such dogs for public safety purposes. Few bother to question the ability to identify a Golden Retriever or a German Shepherd or any other breed. Your earlier two-times removal of content which was ''related specifically to '''identification''' and regulating of '''pit bulls''''' giving different reasons, then this removal, makes me suspicious. ] (]) 20:59, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:: ] (]) 14:36, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
:::The content you added verges into howto territory and was not encyclopaedic. ] (]) 21:03, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I disagree that for this article/section we need better sources. It's pretty much a pop-cult section, not a ]. There's books and uni-press (uni-press in the archives). We don't say Nipper is a Pit bull, we say sources have called him that, and they have, that is not weakly supported. WEASEL say "views that are properly attributed to a reliable source may use similar expressions, if those expressions accurately represent the opinions of the source." They are. This isn't scientific fact, it's eye of the beholder stuff.
:::: Dude, that's an even stranger argument. By the way, I didn't actually add that content; I had tried to add sources. After your first wholesale removal stated a bizarre reason, I tried to restore it while clarifying what it applied to. ] (]) 21:37, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:::On Angell, in that article the author says Nipper looks to him like a fox terrier or something close, and that others have called him a Jack Russell, that is people looking at Nipper and seeing different things. Speculations about Nipper are speculative yes, but ] are allowed to speculate all they want.
:::::You're trying to discuss two different pieces of content in the same section. ] (]) 21:43, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:::The sentence falls under editorial discretion, there is an element of ]/] here, like a discussion about what ] is best for an article. We'll see if more editors can be arsed to have an opinion. An RFC can, sometimes, help reaching some sort of conclusion. ] (]) 17:15, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
::I think it's important to take a step back and see if an "average reader" can understand a section. I added a few sentences that introduce the topic for readers who are not familiar with the subject at all. I have listed common methods that are used to prove or evaluate a dog's breed. I also exemplary mentioned two reasons why it can be necessary to identify a dog's breed. I think it is appropriate to put such introductory words at the beginning of a section like this.
::::When in doubt, leave it out. I got think there's enough to include the famous pup. Misplaced Pages isn't here to be a clearing house of under-informed speculation, even if that speculation is in reliable sources. ] (]) 17:35, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
::Right now, without any introductory words, the section jumps to a specific focus of the topic = visual identification of mixed breed dogs in shelters by shelter staff. I find that a bit weird.
:::::And what makes this speculation under-informed is you declaring it such. There is no doubt the pup has been called a pit. ] (]) 18:57, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
::I think it's also important to include the note that “breed ancestry DNA tests” are unreliable (and should only be used by curious owners as the American Kennel Club emphasize on their website). They can give different results depending on the company. I think that using the word “DNA tests” without further explanation is '''misleading''' and leads the reader to believe that such tests are 99,999 % accurate (because the DNA fingerprinting method is accurate and people often think it's the same thing).
::::::The speculation is that on the sources. We don't have to include all speculative material in sources if it's not the broad conclusion of outside sources. Plus we still run into the ] issue with the self-contradictory phrasing. Notably, nowhere in the actual ] article calls him a pit bull. So the inclusion here is undue weight given to a common error. Because that's what it is. An error. We don't need to point out other people's mistakes. That just makes us look silly. ] (]) 01:49, 26 May 2023 (UTC)
::I would also like to point out that the introduction to the subsection “Liability insurance” also contains introductory words that could be included in any article about dogs. ] (]) 16:05, 14 December 2024 (UTC)
{{sources-talk}}


Wikigrund: You could make it a separate wikipage since you have many sources for the topic, and you say you weren't finished. You could title it ], for example, and link to it from here and other related breed articles. ] (]) 20:59, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
== Nomination of ] for deletion ==
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<div class="floatleft" style="margin-bottom:0">]</div>A discussion is taking place as to whether the article ] is suitable for inclusion in Misplaced Pages according to ] or whether it should be ].


:Good idea. The topic has many interesting aspects that are worth writing about. ] (]) 16:09, 14 December 2024 (UTC)
The article will be discussed at ''']''' until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.


== American Bulldog is Not a Pit Bull ==
Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article until the discussion has finished.
<!-- Template:Afd notice --></div>


Hello,
Note that I have proposed ] for deletion, due to ] It is perfectly fine as a source for articles, but does not meet the notability standards required for its own page.
<ref name="Dickey 2016">{{cite book | last=Dickey | first=Bronwen | date=2016 | title=Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon |publisher= ] |isbn=9780307961761 }}</ref>


The American Bulldog is NOT a type of Pit Bull; they do not have any Terrier in their lineage/pedigree.
] (]) 16:50, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
{{reflist-talk}}


Can this be corrected?
=="pit bulls are mixed breeds"==
This diff and edit summary looks like one editor's original research . If we have editors edit warring, without sources, that pitbulls aren't descended from fighting dogs, then this is going to have to go to ArbCom. I don't want that, but there's been enough ] disruption in this topic area. ] (]) 22:05, 25 May 2023 (UTC)


Thanks! :) ] (]) 18:32, 23 December 2024 (UTC)
::And there is actual DNA evidence for this here. See Figure 1, Figure 4, that show Staffordshire terriers are bulldog/mastiffs with Irish terriers mixed in. And this source quote from the paper's text: {{tq|For example, when dog fighting was a popular form of entertainment, many combinations of terriers and mastiff or bully-type breeds were crossed to create dogs that would excel in that sport. In this analysis, all of the bull and terrier crosses map to the terriers of Ireland and date to 1860-1870. This coincides perfectly with the historical descriptions that, though they do not clearly identify all breeds involved, report the popularity of dog contests in Ireland and the lack of stud book veracity, hence undocumented crosses, during this era of breed creation (Lee, 1894).}} So hopefully that will put this to rest. I find it unreasonable to demand "DNA evidence" for uncontroversial, ] things. ] (]) 00:12, 26 May 2023 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 18:32, 23 December 2024

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Nature Study in Staffordshire Terriers not being aggressive

Hi,

Regarding this edit and reversion, the edit comment given was: says Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not pit bulls. Also, it's a Primary study.

I agree that it says "Staffordshire Bull Terrier", which is one of the 4 breeds generally lumped into "Pit Bull", but this is a Nature paper, so I don't know how much more primary you can get. The actual quote from the paper is:

"To be noted, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is one of the restricted breeds, for example, in Ireland2, was not among the most aggressive breeds in this study."

Perhaps the other editor was confused about the Ireland citation, thinking it to be the source for the "not aggressive" fact, where it was only the source for the fact that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a highly restricted breed. This study itself is the source for SBT's not being particularly aggressive. The fact that the study notes the contrast between the restrictions and the aggressiveness is what makes it worthy of inclusion and faithful to the intention of the paper's authors.

May I therefore propose to reinsert the study with the fact, but we can clearly state in the text that this source is discussing Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Thank you. Louiedog (talk) 16:02, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

Oh, also, this study also mentions Pit Bull Terriers, saying:
The relatively average C-BARQ scores for stranger-directed aggression found among Pit Bull Terriers (Fig. 3A) were inconsistent with their universal reputation as a ‘dangerous breed’ and their reported involvement in dog bite-related fatalities (Sacks et al., 1996). In our survey, nearly 7% of Pit Bull owners indicated that their dogs had bitten or attempted to bite an unfamiliar person in the recent past, somewhat higher than the overall average (4.7%), while 22% reported bites directed at other dogs. This pattern is consistent with the view that this breed has been selectively bred for aggression toward other dogs rather than humans (Lockwood, 1995). It should be emphasized, however, that while the prevalence of human-directed bites or bite attempts among Pit Bull Terriers may be only slightly above average, the severity of their attacks is probably affected by other traits (e.g., the size and strength of the breed, its reputed failure to give warning signs, and its reported tenacity when attacking) that may also have been selected for in the development of this “fighting” breed."
and also that Pit Bulls scored higher than average for aggression directed at unfamiliar dogs:
"Some breeds scored higher than average for aggression directed toward both humans and dogs (e.g., Chihuahuas and Dachshunds) while other breeds scored high only for specific targets (e.g., dog-directed aggression among Akitas and Pit Bull Terrier".
I'd like to find a place for this information in the article as well.
I don't believe I'm confused. As I said, it is a WP:PRIMARY source making a claim about Staffordshire Bull Terriers, not pit bulls. I am aware that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are a type of pit bull, are you aware that not all pit bulls are Staffordshire Bull Terriers? Also, the text you added, Regardless, studies on breed aggression do not place Pit Bulls among the more aggressive breeds seemed to go beyond the source, which said To be noted, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is one of the restricted breeds, for example, in Ireland, was not among the most aggressive breeds in this study. There should be a WP:SECONDARY source for that, preferably a literature review.The C-BARQ study is another primary source, and it still acknowledges that Pit Bull Terriers are prone to catastrophic mauling. It should be emphasized, however, that while the prevalence of human-directed bites or bite attempts among Pit Bull Terriers may be only slightly above average, the severity of their attacks is probably affected by other traits (e.g., the size and strength of the breed, its reputed failure to give warning signs, and its reported tenacity when attacking) that may also have been selected for in the development of this “fighting” breed." Geogene (talk) 16:28, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
Excellent, sounds like we're in agreement. The question was is you had any objection to my proposed revised text?--Louiedog (talk) 21:19, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
Since, there's been no response here, I've gone ahead and done a bit of a rewrite, breaking off the bite/aggression topics into their own sections, leaving a summary at the top. I have summarized the results of the 2008 Duffy paper and mentioned the 2021 Mikkola paper, clearly stating that they had only made statements about Staffordshire Terriers, as per your comment. Let me know if you find anything you feel I haven't represented faithfully in my edits.Louiedog (talk) 15:59, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
What I mean is, since it says Staffordshire Bull Terrier, not Pit Bull, it shouldn't be in this article. There's a Staffordshire Bull Terrier article it could be added to. Geogene (talk) 21:17, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
Okay, I've got 3 main things to bring up going forwards:
1. I think the 2021 Mikkola paper's bit about SBT's is at least a bit relevant here, but I'm willing to forego it on the argument that it's a bit too tangential for our main topic in the spirit of compromise.
2. That leads to the next issue to be resolved - how to break the article by sections. Per your edit comment that this was "burying the controversy", I wanted to settle that concern first.
To my mind, the purpose of a lede is to introduce and define the subject, and summarize the gist of the detail that appears below. My issue with the now-current version of the page is that it's putting a lot of detail (201 words out of 388) on the issue of the debate over aggression, exact percentages of bites, consequences for insurance while ignoring the entire history section of the article. All that needs to remain is a high-level summary of dog bites, aggression, laws, and insurance, while specifics can be relegated to their own sections. Obviously, I liked the wording I had before:

Pit bull–type dogs have a controversial reputation as pets internationally, due to their history in dog fighting, the number of high-profile attacks documented in the media over decades, and their proclivity to latching on while biting. Proponents of the type and advocates of regulation have engaged in a highly contentious nature-versus-nurture debate over whether aggressive tendencies in pit bulls may be appropriately attributed to owners' poor care for and competency to handle the dog or inherent qualities owing to their breeding for fighting purposes. As a result of their reputation, Pit Bulls are often a target for breed-specific legislation, though the evidence for their being any more dangerous or aggressive than other breeds has been mixed and is contested.

but I'm open to any revision you'd want to propose.
3. Lastly, it seems absolutely worth mentioning that the 2018 Duffy paper clearly delineates dog aggression by target: strangers, other dogs, owners, and that while some dogs are just aggressive in all of the above targets, Duffy et al. have concluded that Pit Bills have a notably higher level of aggression when directed at other dogs. I'd also like to mention that Pit Bulls were also shown to be less aggressive than other breeds towards their owners (as it might go a far way to explain some of the pro-Pit Bull/anti Pit Bull debate and why people seem so invested in it. Obviously, this is my own speculation and not scholarly enough to be included).
Thanks for continuing to read posts and work with me towards improving the article to something we can both be reasonably satisfied with. Louiedog (talk) 21:44, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
Well, previously other editors have not allowed sources in this article that are about specific individual pit bull breeds, and I generally agree with that convention. Also, I'm still opposed to adding primary studies about perceived breed aggression, especially when those are self-reported by dog owners.
The medical journal literature reviews that say that pit bulls kill the most people of any type of dog, and inflict the most catastrophic damage, are the best sources in this article, and I do not consider any lead section that doesn't mention that acceptable. Geogene (talk) 22:05, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
1. On including Duffy:
Also, I'm still opposed to adding primary studies about perceived breed aggression, especially when those are self-reported by dog owners.
We're already citing the Duffy paper in the version that's been allowed to stand and we've got another at least dozen of primary sources already in the article. Overall, the article does not overrely on primary sources. Our personal judgement about methodology is not generally criteria for inclusion, but we could specifically highlight the methodology by mentioning it in the text (e.g. "Based on C-BARQ surveys filled out by dog owners...").
2. How about just adding that to mine and calling it a day: "Medical journal literature reviews state that pit bulls kill the most people of any type of dog, and inflict the most catastrophic damage." and then later in the article we cite more details about aggression and bites, in their own sections?
3. How about my suggestion here? We're already using the Duffy source to support that Pit Bulls are more aggressive towards other dogs. How about including the additional information about towards strangers and owners? Again, we could qualify by stating that all three conclusions come from surveys of owners and kennels. Louiedog (talk) 22:32, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
1. Okay 2. Maybe not that literal text (I haven't looked at the relevant sources in a while, and want to make sure it's accurate) but something like it. 3. Yes, that sounds good with qualifications wherever we're using Duffy. Geogene (talk) 18:51, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
Very good, what do you propose for #2, in that case? I'd like to get to some final wording that we can include. Louiedog (talk) 15:16, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
I want something like While some studies have argued that pit bull–type dogs are not disproportionately dangerous, offering competing interpretations on dog bite statistics, independent organizations have published statistics based on hospital records showing pit bulls are responsible for more than half of dog bite incidents among all breeds despite comprising only 6% of pet dogs. Some insurance companies will not cover pit bulls (along with Rottweilers and wolf hybrids) because these particular dogs cause a disproportionate rate of bite incidents. Dog bite severity varies by the breed of dog, and studies have found that pit bull–type dogs have both a high rate of reported bites and a high rate of severe injuries, compared to other non–pit bull–type dogs. to remain in the lead. You kept removing it for some reason. Geogene (talk) 01:59, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
"Independent Organizations have published statistics based on hospital...only 6% of pet dogs" is not doing the reader any good. The 6% garbage "statistic" comes from dogsbite.org and animals24/7.org, both have been deemed unreliable by WP:RS. There is no good argument to include data from sourced from unreliable sources.
WP:USEBYOTHERS is not a valid reason as it states "If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims." WP:CONTEXTMATTERS, states "Each source must be carefully weighed to judge whether it is reliable for the statement being made in the Misplaced Pages article and is an appropriate source for that content".
It stands to reason that if WP:RS already concluded that the source for the ..."more than half...despite 6% of population" "statistic" is unreliable, then others quoting that statistic just for the sake of quoting it, without showing additional evidence to back it up, then it is unreliable and should be removed from the article. Unbiased6969 (talk) 02:16, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
I know that you have some kind of vendetta against Dogsbite.org, because we've already had numerous unproductive discussions about it. Unfortunately for your position, these numbers are being cited in quality papers, such as Dog Bites in the United States from 1971 to 2018: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature by Bailey et al. 2020, in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, who say, Pit bull-type and German Shepherd breeds are consistently implicated for causing the most serious injuries to patients in the United States across heterogeneous populations, and this remained consistent across multiple decades....Furthermore, our data and others reinforce the suggestion that Pit Bull--type breeds have been responsible for a large subset of dog-associated maulings and fatalities over the past three decades. Citing a number of journal papers and not just Dogsbite.org (which is largely a distraction since no one is calling for citing Dogsbite.org directly in Misplaced Pages at this time). Geogene (talk) 02:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Red herring. All of these reference their "data". None of them validate it. Dogsbite.org data is still unreliable.
The data being questioned is their breed demographics and share of dog fatalities. None of these sources touch on either. Show me a study on breed data that shows the gen pop close to 6% for all pit bull type dogs. Then show me a study showing they're responsible for 60% of dog fatalities.
Until then, context matters. Unbiased6969 (talk) 03:20, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
I need a statement in the lead that respects NPOV by recognizing the scientific consensus that pitbulls are among the most dangerous breeds of dog, in the sense that they cause most bites, fatalities, and the most severe damage. The claim that they make up 6% of the dog population is less important. Are you saying that you could play ball with that? Geogene (talk) 03:24, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
There is no scientific consensus that they are the most dangerous breeds of dogs. One could argue that they are among the most capable of causing serious harm. The data seems to suggest that. However, that doesn't translate to being the most dangerous. Just because one dude is a massive 280lb MMA fighter doesn't make him an inherit threat. I hope that helps draw the distinction. You are jumping to conclusions that no one made with data that doesn't conclude that. Unbiased6969 (talk) 03:42, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
I will also caveat that there is a valid discussion among breed identification by medical staff that is not being addressed for simplicity of the argument. But to achieve NPOV, any statement of the above should also disclose that the data collection methodologies have been shown to be unreliable in studies. Unbiased6969 (talk) 03:45, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
No. Not going to use WP:PRIMARY studies that claim breeds are hard to indentify to "debunk" higher quality WP:SECONDARY sources in the medical journals. Geogene (talk) 03:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
WP:CONTEXTMATTERS. The medical journals are gold standard source for medical related injuries. No question. However, if the data collection methods that were used were through visual identification, then there is enough data out there to question the reliability of the breed id reliability of said data. Human medical data is good for injury related information. Veterinary medical data is good for questioning whether breeds can be determined reliably through visual identification.
A true NPOV of the topic would be something like: Pit bull dogs have been shown to cause disproportionate amounts of serious medical injuries. However, these studies relied upon breed identification, which has been shown to be unreliable.
The reader can the research both and make their own determination. Unbiased6969 (talk) 04:00, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
No. I'm not going to agree to using a vet school website dated 2016 to attempt to discredit a secondary literature review from 2020. That's OR. Geogene (talk) 04:05, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
I know. I think we interacted enough for me to know that. However, you have no reasons, which is why none are listed. 2016 doesn't matter, there hasn't been any new data published about breed identification reliability, so its still the most recent academic research out there. If there is, please post it. The 2020 data isn't about breed identification reliability, but uses it as a method within its. Being that the most updated research on using breed identification shows its unreliable, that's a valid criticism of the 2020 study you posted. WP:JUSTDONTLIKEIT isn't a valid argument. Unbiased6969 (talk) 06:24, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Interesting, so are you staying it can't be included because it mentions one specific breed and not "pit bulls" in general?
I actually agree. This page should be about information specific to "pit bulls". So, should be cleanse the article of all mention of specific breeds rather than the umbrella term? If so, there are some breed restrictions that should be removed as they don't apply to "pit bulls"... Unbiased6969 (talk) 00:20, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Are we in agreement Geogene, or does this rule only apply to citations that make a pitbull type breed look good? Unbiased6969 (talk) 06:26, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

The argumentative editor is pushing viewpoints that are off-topic for this webpage and harassing other editors. Asserting that "breed identification is unreliable" is beside the point. Even if that catchphrase were true, it wouldn't preclude using the available reliable sources that report breed specific data, statistics and information. We should not even consider using conclusions of alleged studies where "shelter workers made mistakes of identifying breeds in a small sampling of dogs, mostly mixed breeds" to make broad and sweeping assumptions that all other sources everywhere and at any time cannot possibly know actual breeds and that their data must certainly be wrong. Such insistences by Unbiased6969 are irrational and fallacious arguments. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 20:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

Take it to the incident board if you have an issue. Not the place for it. Keep it on topic of the talk page please. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:37, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Totally on topic. You brought up unreliability of visual breed identification in this thread as an argument to support your viewpoints. 7 times. The subject is already covered elsewhere in the article, in context. However, that opinion is not widely accepted, per sources. Because of that, it is not necessary for users to evaluate every source through the lens of "visual breed id is unreliable, and they mention breed, so it must have been visual, and they must therefore be unreliable, and so we can't use that source". That is utterly ridiculous. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 16:51, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Your WP:ASPERSIONS are off topic and better addressed on another forum. Unbiased6969 (talk) 17:36, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

This topic is not as controversial as it is in public opinon.

I think the primary debate friction is a lack of understanding of what a dog breed is, basic genetics, and basic statistics. A dog breed is a collection of traits. We arbitrarily classify certain sets of traits and call them dog breeds.

If any trait is actively selected for it will be more pronounced. However, if a trait is not selected for, it will fade out and be decided by natural selection. Likewise, if a trait is actively selected against, it will also of course fade out. See the Dog Breeding wiki for more.

A trait that was once selected for in the late 1800s but no longer is, it is not going to remain present 200 years later. Furthermore, responsible and licensed dog breeders actively breed out aggression in all large dogs.

It is true that there are backyard breeders which actively do breed aggression into pit bull type dogs, but that could be done for any breed of dog, they just choose pit bulls because of human related reasons. It is nothing inherent to pit bulls. And we know this because aggression is not a defined trait for any of the pit bull type breeds. So for example, a dog with the traits: Muscular neck, short coat, flat skull and aggression is a pit bull terrier. A dog with the traits Muscular neck, short coat, flat skull, and meek is also a pit bull terrier. Depending on where you get your pit bull, from a licensed breeder or a backyard breeder you may have an aggressive pit bull or a meek pit bull. It's possible, if not probable, that there are more aggressive pit bulls than other breeds because of how pit bull type dogs are the breed of choice for backyard breeders intentionally breeding aggression into their dogs.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge, it shouldn't be surprising that it is global scientific consensus that breed specific legislation is not effective. The quality research generally lies in the effectiveness of breed specific legislation realm because that is where the money is being spent.

So now that i have addressed what a dog breed is, basic genetics, there's also a lack of understanding of basic statistics that probably contributes to most anti-pit bull opinions. I've seen various verbiage, but the statistic cited generally goes like this

"Pit bulls and pit bull mixes make up 20-60% of all dog attacks. While being 6% of the dog population."

There is absolutely nothing in this statistic that indicates genetic predisposition to harm. All it indicates is that there is an external influence causing pit bulls to be overrepresented. Insurance companies only care about the probabilities and are not interested in a cause or a solution so they will adjust rates appropriately or refuse to ensure. It’s natural for humans (and all mammals really) to have pattern recognition that results in fear, and when fear is involved all rationale tends to go out the window even for the otherwise sharpest of minds.

There is limited research on why the stat is the way it is, and what does exist is generally low quality or contaminated by interest groups. But it could be because low income families disproportionately represent pit bull owners, issues with the data collection / falsely labeling an offending dog a pit bull, backyard dog breeders (or dog fighters) flooding the dog population with aggressive pit bulls, the breed being the dog of choice for violent people and violent people's dogs are also violent, or perhaps also people who want a dog to train to be aggressive for guard dog purposes choose pit bulls because of their reputation and this leads to more bites. Personally I do not know, I think more quality research is needed to reach such a determination. Nevertheless, this is what any debate should be over and should include the nuances I have outlined in this topic. It's hardly a nature versus nurture debate like this[REDACTED] article suggests. EVOSexybeast (talk) 03:43, 17 October 2024 (UTC)

A trait that was once selected for in the late 1800s but no longer is, it is not going to remain present 200 years later. The founder effect implies otherwise. For example, here is an article about a deleterious genetic problem in Clumber spaniels that has persisted from the founding of the breed in the 1700's up to today. Also, since illegal dog fighting is still very common, presumably some pit bulls are still being intentionally bred for aggression.
I don't intend to have a "debate" on this here, but if the dog breeding article says anything contrary to this, it is wrong. Geogene (talk) 05:06, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
Quite right that our arguments such as "There is absolutely nothing in this statistic that indicates genetic predisposition to harm. All it indicates is that there is an external influence causing pit bulls to be overrepresented." are Original research and can't really be posted in this article but if EVOSexybeast has proposals for inclusion of sources that make those arguments and those sources are of good quality, those should be included. Louiedog (talk) 15:16, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
Pit bull type dogs are a large collection of diverse breeds and do not have a small founder population, heck or hardly even a shared founder population.
The average age of onset for Clumber Spaniels with degenerative myelopathy is approximately nine years of age which makes it so that it’s difficult for breeders to select out before they breed. Aggression does not have this same disadvantage, and aggression is not defined by a single autosomal recessive gene like the SOD1 gene is for the source of the Clumber Spaniels defect. This is conjecture on your part with no evidence in support and is a plain rejection of modern genetics.
“Also, since illegal dog fighting is still very common, presumably some pit bulls are still being intentionally bred for aggression.”
Of course, I said that in my comment. It’s not a nature versus nurture debate, both sides of the pit bull debate are generally wrong in the most common arguments. I also would not get a pit bull type puppy (or german shepherd) from a shelter, as I know backyard breeders choose the breed to breed aggression into them and I won’t know who the breeder was. I always ask a breeder what steps they take to breed out aggression for any large dog.
There is higher quality and growing research about non-breed specific legislation and its effectiveness and I am working on a section for this article for it as I think this article lacks in that area. EVOSexybeast (talk) 16:21, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
Sure seems like a lot of opinion and speculation in a comment and not much source on the actual topic at hand. You grabbed "founder effect" and slapped it in there like it provided anything meaningful. Dog and strange human/dog aggression at the genetic level would be exist in dogs pre-domestication from wolves. Its something that every breed has, not just one specific. In fact...
"Our findings show that canine fear and aggression that are directed toward strange humans or other dogs share variation that was present prior to the creation of dog breeds."
So the attempt to use the founder effect to single-out a single dog breed for aggression is mute.
I agree, there is no need to debate this, unless someone has genetic studies showing otherwise. Unbiased6969 (talk) 00:14, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
I agree, those who are objective about the topic, there is nothing controversial. The academic consensus widely believes that environmental factors likely play a role in individual dogs attacking, and not genetics. However, much like vaccines are widely known by the academic community to not cause autism, you have conspiracy theorist that cling onto blog and bogus data that reaffirms their belief that they're dangerous.
Additionally, I wouldn't waste much time with this stat: "60% of all dog attacks despite 6% of population" garbage stats as if its fact. All you need to do to debunk that is go to the WP:RS archive to see that its source has been deemed unreliable. Its garbage and not worth assuming is fact for sake of argument.
Lastly, as you may know already. There are individuals on this page that subscribe to the latter of my before mentioned. They exist solely on this page to WP:STONEWALL. So welcome to the pit bulls page, I hope you have better luck improving this page that others in the past. Unbiased6969 (talk) 00:01, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Well, the ultimate question is just sourcing. We can argue forever, but what we need to do is evaluate which sources are quality and relevant enough for inclusion and only convey that those stay. In that vein, what is the source of the "60% of dog attacks despite 6% of population"? The cited sources seem to the print book "Pit Bulls for dummies" that I can't check and a Time Magazine article that's citing a The Daily Beast article that's gone 404 and I can't bring up any source associated with this "Merritt Clifton", so this fact might need to be retired, unless we can find the original source of this claim. Louiedog (talk) 17:12, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
Louiedog, Daily Beast archive is easily found. To find Clifton content, perform site-specific searches like "6%" or "census" where I see several sources to satisfy your curiosity. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 20:41, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
The claim should at the very least be attributed given it is attributed in the Time magazine source. Traumnovelle (talk) 20:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
The sources have already been evaluated. WP:RS and WP:DOGS have already concluded that these websites's "data" is not reliable. I have the Dummies for book, and it adds nothing but citing the "data" from animals24-7 and dogsbite.org. In fact, the book calls them a scientific website. However, they are self-published blogs and hold no background in science, and who represent fringe theories. Every source that cites them just regurgitates their misinformation without adding any credibility.
The fact Time mentions them doesn't give them reliability, but only diminishes Times's reputation for reliability given they didn't do any fact checking before citing. WP:USEBYOTHERS states that "If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims".
I don't see why the article should include WP:USEBYOTHERS to represent minority claims, with the sole reason is outside citation. WP:CONTEXTMATTERS states "Information provided in passing by an otherwise reliable source or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication may not be reliable; editors should cite sources focused on the topic at hand where possible." Time is an otherwise reliable source, the dog bites topic is not related to the principal topic of its publications, so if the full context of WP:USEBYOTHERS is adhered to, and you add WP:CONTEXTMATTERS's part about using information provided in passing by otherwise reputable sources, then there is sufficient reason to not mention it in the article.
WP:DETCON states that the quality of the arguments determine consensus. I have not seen anymore of an argument for including other that just stating WP:USEBYOTHERS and saying Times is reputable therefore the source is. However, that argument lacks applying the full policy and fails to factor other policies as it mentions within it. Unbiased6969 (talk) 00:43, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Care to share an image of that page of the book so the rest of us can also read it, unfiltered? Wikianon3770617 (talk) 16:51, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
No, doing so would violate WP:CV. Unbiased6969 (talk) 17:31, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
"Information provided in passing by an otherwise reliable source or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication may not be reliable; editors should cite sources focused on the topic at hand where possible." Care to explain how that applies here? Geogene (talk) 17:46, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
I will try to explain it further. What this guideline/policy is saying is that when an otherwise reliable sources is using a source in its publication, which said information does not belong to what that publications primary topics area, then it may not be reliable. Instead, editors should go to sources that primarily discuss the topic at hand.
So for example. Time does not primarily publish about dog bites or attacks, but are otherwise reputable. However, they cite a source like dogsbite or animals24-7. WP:CONTEXTMATTERS states that the information cited by Time may not be reliable, so editor's should go to sources that primarily publish within that topic.
Now before you say "may not be"... yes. Because some sources cited are reputable. However, the community already determined that the source cited was not reputable. So when you take WP:RS guidelines in totality rather than picking one, its clear that using Time's citation of animals24-7 or dogsbite.org is not reliable. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:27, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Yes, "may not be". Regarding the community already determined that the source cited was not reputable. I don't think that one discussion at RSNB that didn't even take USEBYOTHERS into account is binding. It's not as if the source has been permanently banned from Misplaced Pages, although you appear to believe that it is. Geogene (talk) 23:36, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Then I encourage you to bring it up with WP:RS if you feel differently and bring up WP:USEBYOTHERS and see if that changes the outcome. I suspect it won't but definitely don't think its a bad idea to do so. However, as it stands now, they were determined to be unreliable and when the all of WP:RS is applied. Its clear that their allowance in the article is problematic.
Unless you have a better argument as to why it isn't? Trying to have a honest dicussion about it before requesting admin edits. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:45, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
And why would I have to do that? Why don't you go to RSNB and see if your interpretation holds water? Geogene (talk) 23:46, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Consensus on the sources was already reached. It is not me challenged that. An admin will decide the quality of the arguments here before making a determination. I am not concerned with the past consensus and feel it was correct. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:50, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
The source certainly isn't reliable but the paper referencing it (although I think the quality of the paper is quite low after reading it) is reliable enough to include it there.
I have many issues with the source but from a policy perspective I don't believe there is any reason to oppose it. It is an article published in a reputable journal without any published criticism (at least that I am aware of).
I still think attribution should at least be included or mention that it is not an official nor medical estimate. Traumnovelle (talk) 23:49, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
There are no published criticism because it exists within a medical journal where the focus and expertise is on the medical data. Not dog facts.
Had this been reviewed in the Veterinary Medicine Journals, then it certainly would have received some criticisms as not one study published by them has supported the conclusions made in it.
We now arguing that medical journals are reliable sources for breed related data over veterinary journals. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:53, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Do you have veterinary journals that say that the medical journals are wrong? You haven't presented any. Geogene (talk) 23:59, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Why would a Veterinary Journal critique a Medical Journal? In what world would that be something reasonable. Veterinary Journals have publish multiple times addressing topics breed's role, or lack there of, in aggression.
You're building a strawman fallacy trying to have someone show a journal addressing another journal. That isn't what they do. They publish their own data. Unbiased6969 (talk) 00:55, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Okay, so you don't have any evidence that there's this imagined veterinary POV that conflicts with the published views in medical journals. Geogene (talk) 00:57, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Never claimed that. There are LOTS. I can work on compiling all them tonight. Here is a quick one before I go eat. Unbiased6969 (talk) 01:14, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
That actually supports what my sources are saying: n a range of studies, the breeds found to be highly represented in biting incidents were German Shepherd Dog, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,50 mixed breed,1,4,6,8,10,11,12, 19,17, 20,50 pit bull type,5,9,13,16, 21,20,22,23,24,25,26,27 Rottweiler,15, 18,22,24, 25, 28 Jack Russell Terrier,21,25,26 and others (Chow Chow,7,23 Spaniel,14,26 Collie,3,29 Saint Bernard,20 and Labrador Retriever2 ). If you consider only the much smaller number of cases that resulted in very severe injuries or fatalities,21,23 pit bull-type dogs are more frequently identified. It acknowledges that pit bulls are frequent offenders in severe attacks, but tries to frame it in alternative fashion. Those references are going to helpful to cross check against my list of papers, thanks. Geogene (talk) 04:36, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Cherry pick what you want, but all those were discredited by this... "The pit bull type is particularly ambiguous as a “breed” encompassing a range of pedigree breeds, informal types and appearances that cannot be Page 3 of 8 reliably identified. Visual determination of dog breed is known to not always be reliable."
Basically saying, all that data that relied upon visual identification is unreliable...
That's the point of it, to discredit the data out there because it was obtained using methodology that is widely known to be flawed.
I have compiled a list of other studies determining visual identification to be unreliable and will post tomorrow. Unbiased6969 (talk) 05:24, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

Protected edit request on 22 October 2024

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Change "proclivity to latching on" to "proclivity to latch on". Change "that it will no longer cover" to "that it would no longer cover". This article mixes American English and British English spellings. It mostly covers the United States but then uses British spellings like recognise, organise, organisation, criminalising, labelled. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 16:09, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

 Done, thanks. The article's date format is mdy, so I standardized to American spellings. DrOrinScrivello (talk) 18:01, 30 October 2024 (UTC)

Khan et al., Journal of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma, 2019

Source quote: The data showed that compared to other dog breeds, pit bull terriers inflicted more complex wounds, were often unprovoked, and went off property to attack....From our data bank, we found the predominant breed (as identified by the owner, witnesses, animal encounter documents, and so on) was the pit bull type of dog....This is most likely under-reported, owing to the challenges cited earlier regarding confirmation on the part of some owners who demurred or resisted identification of the breeds of their dogs. So that's an interesting tidbit, pit bull attack rates may be underreported because dog owners don't want to admit that their dog is a pit bull after it has attacked someone, for reasons that seem readily apparent. But how does this result compare with the existing literature? They continue: This tendency appears to hold true in most medical reports except when pit bulls have been banned the reporting health care system's regional jurisidiction (Also interesting, doesn't that imply that when BSL is implemented, the pit bulls are apparently re-labelled as some other breed?) They continue: The most comprehensive nonmedical data bank, which includes all media and police reports in the United States for nearly a 20-year span, lists pit bulls as the leading perpetrator of bites, mauling events, and deaths. The "nonmedical data bank" in question is Merritt Clifton of animals24-7 dot org. If it's good enough for medical journals, why isn't it good enough for Misplaced Pages? per USEBYOTHERS? Geogene (talk) 18:22, 22 October 2024 (UTC)

Hi, I was actually just looking for the Merritt Clifton source cited in Time Magazine and it's 404. I google around and cannot find it anywhere. Unless you have better luck locating it, we're going to have to discontinue it as a reference, since it can't be verified. Louiedog (talk) 20:37, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Per WP:SOURCEACCESS, Do not reject reliable sources just because they are difficult or costly to access. Some reliable sources are not easily accessible. For example, an online source may require payment, and a print-only source may be available only through libraries. Rare historical sources may even be available only in special museum collections and archives. Geogene (talk) 20:54, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
I don't think WP:SOURCEACCESS is their argument. But instead WP:VNOT? It may have existed at one time, but there is no longer any way to verify the source, paywall or not. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:48, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
We don't delete sources just because they're not available online. Geogene (talk) 00:28, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
That isn't WP:SOURCEACCESS. If there is no way of verifying a source, even in libraries/museums, then it falls under WP:VNOT.
Just an FYI. If it can't be found here, then I think there is a real good argument for WP:VNOT. Seems Time has a library of their own publications online.
If it can, then the source link should probably be updated. One doesn't need to argue for WP:VNOT to get Time removed. There is a more than sufficient argument about the reliability of its citation within the article. Unbiased6969 (talk) 01:02, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
What are you talking about? The Time article is here. . Geogene (talk) 01:05, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Oh, my apologies. The link that is 404 is the hyperlink included within Time. The yeah, I would say that is irrelevant because the same claims can still be found on their websites, broken URL or not. Hyperlinks can change, and that's irrelevant. So its clear what they were citing. I agree not to remove it because of that. Unbiased6969 (talk) 01:12, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
WP:USEBYOTHERS which says "If outside citation is the main indicator of reliability, particular care should be taken to adhere to other guidelines and policies, and to not unduly represent contentious or minority claims." & then WP:CONTEXTMATTERS is why.
Medical journals, professionals are not primarily discussing the topic of dog populations demographics, dog attacks, breed types, or the efficiency of BSL policies. Its outside their domain.
They are certainly in the topic of discussing medical injuries resulting from dog attacks, long term impacts from injuries, and etc. But they are not authoritative figure when it comes to what kind of dog it was or how much of a % a dog breed represents of the total dog population.
They are simply citing another source in passing to present their data. Now, does that mean that their source cited is not reliable? Of course not, that source then needs to be evaluated to determine reliability. As such was done here. Unbiased6969 (talk) 23:40, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
This looks to me like Wikilawyering to try to exclude any and all medical sources that discuss which types of dogs are causing the worst injuries. I don't think that's going to lead to NPOV content. Geogene (talk) 23:50, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Nope, just a good-faith discussion on the merits of a source reliability using WP Guidelines. If a reliable source cannot be found to support a claim, then it shouldn't be included within an article. WP:5P2 states "All articles must strive for verifiable accuracy with citations based on reliable sources, especially when the topic is controversial or is about a living person." Removing unreliable sources achieves more of a NPOV than including them to represent controversial view just for the sake of presenting it. Unbiased6969 (talk) 01:08, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
Except that Time magazine is reliable, and so are reputable peer reviewed journals. Geogene (talk) 01:16, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
"Information provided in passing by an otherwise reliable source or information that is not related to the principal topics of the publication may not be reliable"
Time / Medical Journals are otherwise reliable, presenting information that is not related to its principal topic of publication. I don't know how to make it more clear, so we will have to let others/admins weigh the strengths of our arguments and agree to let this go. Unbiased6969 (talk) 05:18, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
  • This source is clearly reliable and is WP:DUE for this article. The claims it is not are so sophistic as to be almost incomprehensible. Yes, a medical paper can make reliable claims about dogs and injuries caused by dogs. Boynamedsue (talk) 06:42, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

Tsokos et al., "Extensive and Mutilating Craniofacial Trauma Involving Defleshing and Decapitation". In American Journal of Forensic Medical Pathology, 2007

Source quote: "Pit bull-type" dogs refers to a variety of breeds including the bull terrier....These dogs seem to be a particular problem compared with other breeds as they tend not to make threatening gestures, such as snarling or baring of teeth, prior to attacking and so there may be no warning of impending aggressive behavior....Once attached, they also continue to grind their premolars and molars into tissues while holding on with their canine teeth causing greater amounts of soft-tissue injuries than other breeds. Ninety-four percent of pit bull attacks were unprovoked in one study of nonfatal dog bites, compared with 46% of cases overall. Combining all of these features with aggressive personalities and relatively larger sizes makes them highly dangerous to children. So, another journal paper that says that pit bulls are known to inflict more injuries than other breeds of dog. Are we going to try to keep this one out of the article, too? Geogene (talk) 01:14, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

We absolutely shouldn't try to keep this out. It should be included.Boynamedsue (talk) 06:38, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

RSNB Thread opened

Misplaced Pages:Reliable_sources/Noticeboard#Use_of_medical_literature_for_claims_about_relative_incidence_of_dog_attacks_by_breed. I hope this helps. Geogene (talk) 20:40, 23 October 2024 (UTC)

The discussion is now on archive page 456:
Misplaced Pages:Reliable sources/Noticeboard/Archive 456#h-Use of medical literature for claims about relative incidence of dog attacks by-20241023203400 Wikigrund (talk) 09:09, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

Identification of pit bull breeds

To avoid edit warring I wanted to ask why large portions of my edits and sources have been removed? I was not even finished adding content to the section when most of it got deleted. The reason given was: "Trim content not related to pitbulls and rewrite Australian registration issue".

I do not agree that what I have written is not related to pit bulls. Pit bull breeds can have registration papers (which can help to prove the dog's breed, if the dog or its parents were registered at some point), their DNA can be tested and compared to their suspected parents DNA, their pictures can be AI analyzed, they can be determined by their physical characteristics. That breed assessment is done for health and legal reasons also applies to pit bull breeds. I do not understand why this was removed.

Text passage affected:

diff Strikethrough: Removed. Underlined: Added

Methods: There are various ways to identify a dog's breed. It can be proven through registration papers (pedigree) or it can be determined by examining a dog's physical traits. A look at the dog's DNA to validate parentage, testing DNA-based ancestry and the use of artificial intelligence are further methods employed to provide information about a dog's breed. The determination of a dog's breed can be necessary for health or legal reasons.

Pure breed identification: If registration papers are not available, purebred dogs can be determined by their physical characteristics:

"The identification of differing physical characteristics of dogs is an uncomplicated and straightforward way to categorize dog breeds."

Mixed or cross breed identification: Mixed or cross breed identification can be more challenging than pure breed identification and can be supported by testing for genetic markers. However, DNA-based ancestry testing that works with owner-reported databases can be unreliable.

Studies have found that when people involved in dog rescue, adoption, and regulation identify the breed of a dog of mixed parentage, this identification did not always correlate with the DNA analysis of that dog. Mixed-breed dogs are often labeled as pit bulls if they have certain physical characteristics, such as a square-shaped head or bulky body type.

False breed declaration: Although an offense in many countries or juristictions, it came to light that In Australia some dog owners gavegive false information regarding the breed of their dog to local authorities, despite this being an offence under the Crimes Act. Inquests after fatal or serious dog attacks showed that pit bull owners registered their dogs under a wide range of other breeds, like the Australian Terrier, to evade their local laws and regulations.

  1. "Importance of Pedigree Papers". dogsaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  2. ^ Wiley, Claire (2023). "Genetic Testing in Dogs – an Overview". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  3. Valarmathi, B.; Gupta, N. Srinivasa; Prakash, G.; Reddy, R. Hemadri; Saravanan, S.; Shanmugasundaram, P. (2023). "Hybrid Deep Learning Algorithms for Dog Breed Identification—A Comparative Analysis". IEEE Access. 11: 77228–77239. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3297440. Archived from the original on 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  4. Dobson, Jane M. (2013). "Breed-Predispositions to Cancer in Pedigree Dogs". International Scholarly Research Notices. 2013 (1): 941275. doi:10.1155/2013/941275. ISSN 2356-7872. PMC 3658424. PMID 23738139.
  5. "Breed of dog that killed newborn ranks highest for attacks in NSW". ABC News. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2024-12-12. Central Coast Council confirmed that last month's attack had been registered, and said 'the family was undertaking a breed and temperament assessment' at council's request.
  6. ^ Kriangwanich, Wannapimol; Nganvongpanit, Korakot; Buddhachat, Kittisak; Siengdee, Puntita; Chomdej, Siriwadee; Ponsuksili, Siriluck; Thitaram, Chatchote (2020). "Genetic variations and dog breed identification using inter-simple sequence repeat markers coupled with high resolution melting analysis". PeerJ. 8: e10215. doi:10.7717/peerj.10215. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 7605226. PMID 33194413.
  7. Olson, K.R. (2015). "Inconsistent identification of pit bull–type dogs by shelter staff". The Veterinary Journal. 206 (2): 197–202. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.07.019. PMID 26403955.
  8. Simpson, Robert John (2012). "Rethinking dog breed identification in veterinary practice". Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 241 (9): 1163–1166. doi:10.2460/javma.241.9.1163. PMID 23078561.
  9. Gunter, Lisa M. (2018). "A canine identity crisis: Genetic breed heritage testing of shelter dogs". PLOS ONE. 13 (8): e0202633. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1302633G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0202633. PMC 6107223. PMID 30138476.
  10. Swann, Kristen E. "Irrationality Unleashed: The Pitfalls of Breed-Specific Legislation". UMKC Law Review. 78: 839. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  11. "Dog Control Act 1996 No 13 (as at 30 November 2022), Public Act – New Zealand Legislation". www.legislation.govt.nz. Retrieved 2024-12-12. Every person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 who, in making an application for the registration of asome dog, makesowners any written statement knowing that statement to begive false.
  12. "Companion Animals Act 1998 No 87". legislation.nsw.gov.au. Australia. 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2024-12-12. A person who in or in connection with an application for registration makes a statement or gives information thatregarding the person knows is false or misleading in a material particular is guiltybreed of antheir offence.
  13. "Dog Registration - Town of Port Hedland". www.porthedland.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  14. Fife-Yeomans, Janet (2014-04-26). "Lethal dogs in disguise: pitbulls registered under other breeds". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
  15. Deare, Steven (2024-02-19). "Dog breeder claims may put unsuspecting owners at risk". www.canberratimes.com.au. Retrieved 2024-12-12.

Wikigrund (talk) 10:25, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

What you wrote could be included in any dog breed article, but if we included every dog related thing in an article on a dog breed the article would become quickly bloated and have little information on the breed itself. Traumnovelle (talk) 10:48, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
Traumnovelle: The controversies surrounding the ability or inability to identify dogs, and the sources published about it, are predominantly related to pit bulls and their closely related breeds because of the desire to regulate such dogs for public safety purposes. Few bother to question the ability to identify a Golden Retriever or a German Shepherd or any other breed. Your earlier two-times removal of content which was related specifically to identification and regulating of pit bulls giving different reasons, then this removal, makes me suspicious. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 20:59, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
The content you added verges into howto territory and was not encyclopaedic. Traumnovelle (talk) 21:03, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
Dude, that's an even stranger argument. By the way, I didn't actually add that content; I had tried to add sources. After your first wholesale removal stated a bizarre reason, I tried to restore it while clarifying what it applied to. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 21:37, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
You're trying to discuss two different pieces of content in the same section. Traumnovelle (talk) 21:43, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
I think it's important to take a step back and see if an "average reader" can understand a section. I added a few sentences that introduce the topic for readers who are not familiar with the subject at all. I have listed common methods that are used to prove or evaluate a dog's breed. I also exemplary mentioned two reasons why it can be necessary to identify a dog's breed. I think it is appropriate to put such introductory words at the beginning of a section like this.
Right now, without any introductory words, the section jumps to a specific focus of the topic = visual identification of mixed breed dogs in shelters by shelter staff. I find that a bit weird.
I think it's also important to include the note that “breed ancestry DNA tests” are unreliable (and should only be used by curious owners as the American Kennel Club emphasize on their website). They can give different results depending on the company. I think that using the word “DNA tests” without further explanation is misleading and leads the reader to believe that such tests are 99,999 % accurate (because the DNA fingerprinting method is accurate and people often think it's the same thing).
I would also like to point out that the introduction to the subsection “Liability insurance” also contains introductory words that could be included in any article about dogs. Wikigrund (talk) 16:05, 14 December 2024 (UTC)

Wikigrund: You could make it a separate wikipage since you have many sources for the topic, and you say you weren't finished. You could title it Dog breed identification, for example, and link to it from here and other related breed articles. Wikianon3770617 (talk) 20:59, 13 December 2024 (UTC)

Good idea. The topic has many interesting aspects that are worth writing about. Wikigrund (talk) 16:09, 14 December 2024 (UTC)

American Bulldog is Not a Pit Bull

Hello,

The American Bulldog is NOT a type of Pit Bull; they do not have any Terrier in their lineage/pedigree.

Can this be corrected?

Thanks! :) 2600:6C50:7A3F:3F33:D186:4168:C228:C47D (talk) 18:32, 23 December 2024 (UTC)

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