The Truth Behind Dogsbite.org

Dogsbite.org is not an "expert" organization when it comes to canine behavior. There, I've said it.

While it seems that lately, several media outlets have been treating them like they have a particular knowledge on the subject of dog bites and attacks (I'll get to a possible "why" on that later in the post), it doesn't erase the reality that dogsbite.org is simply a website run almost entirely by an individual person who has an expertise in web design, access to google, and a desire to seek revenge on an attack that happened to her several years. Those are the qualifications behind the website. And it runs no deeper than that. And treating the website as anything more than that is a recipe bad information that will lead to less safe circumstances for people and dogs. Let me explain.

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Dogsbite.org is a website run by Colleen Lynn. In June of 2007, Lynn was an unfortunate victim of a dog bite while she was out jogging. Because of the dog bite, by a dog that is said to be a 'pit bull', Lynn decided to create the website dogsbite.org.  According to the original "about us" section of the website, the intent of the website was three-fold:

-- Distinguish which breeds of dogs are dangerous to have in neighborhoods

-- Help enact laws to regulate the ownership of these breeds

-- Help enact laws that hold dog owners criminally liable if their dog attacks a person or causes serious injury or death

While I actually agree with her original third mission statement, the original purpose of the website is very clearin the first two statements -- she intended to target particular breeds of dogs and ban ownership of those breeds. The goal was not public education or anything that she claims it to be about now -- it was about enacting breed specific legislation...even though she has no credentials to propose legislation like that with any basis of expertise.

And make no mistake, all of the experts organizations disagree with her idea on breed-specific legislation.

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Every mainstream national organization that is involved in canine/human interactions is opposed to laws targeting specific breeds of dogs. An at-least partial list of these organizations include:

American Dog Owners Association

American Humane

American Kennel Club (AKC)

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

American Veterinary Medical Association  (AVMA)

American Working Dog Federation

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

Best Friends

Center for Disease Control

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

International Association of Canine Professionals

National Animal Control Association

National Animal Interest Alliance

National  Association of Dog Obedience Instructors

National Canine Research Council

No Kill Advocacy Center

You find nearly one-stop shopping of all of the position statements of these groups here.

These groups represent the best of the best in the United States for Dog Trainers, Rescues, Shelters, Animal Behaviorists, Government entities,veterinarians, and even Animal Control Officers. All of them oppose breed specific legislation. All of them, in large part, because they have experience working with the actual dogs, and read the science, and realize the aggession is not a breed-specific issue -and the reality is that most dogs, regardless of breed, do not show aggressive behavior -- and yet, some dogs, of each breed, have. 

All recommend dog ordinances that focus on the the behaviors of the actual dogs, and not on its body type.

And not listening to the professional organizations, and instead, listening to an "organization" that has no expertise, can lead to bad results. Again, their focus is not in the best interests of public safety...it's about getting revenge.

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For example: at the end of 2008, Dogsbite.org named Lucas County (OH) Dog Warden Tom Skeldon their "Dog Warden of the year." Their reasoning is that "Skeldon has vigorously worked to prevent horrendous pit bull maulings resulting in serious injuries or death of human beings, their domesticated pets and livestock."  Interestingly, in the same year that Skeldon received this "award", the actual number of dog bites in Lucas County had gone up 23%.

So dog bites go up, and they give the man the dog warden of the year award because he is targeting 'pit bulls'.   Does that sound like the resume of an award winner for a group advocating for public safety to you? Me neither.

Within a year of them issuing the "award",  Skeldon stepped down from his position under significant public pressure. The actual citizens who had to put up with Skeldon's behavior, outrageous shelter kill rates and lack of improved public safety actually forced him out of office. 

But nothing may be worse than a fairly recent post (you can click on the picture to the left to read a screen shot of it) actually claiming that parents shouldn't be expected to teach their children to be respectful around dogs even though major, well-respected, dog training groups recommend otherwise.  If you can teach a young child to not touch a hot oven, then they can at least understand "caution" around dogs.  It is this type of irresponsibility that is making people LESS safe, not more safe.

Oh, there are other greivences. There is the reality that they claim dogs of even distantly-related breeds -- including Boxers, Bulldogs and Mastiffs - to all be 'pit bulls' in their "statistics".  They consistently claim that all of the professional organizations that oppose BSL are only doing so because they are supported by dog fighters*. They sensor all comments on their website that even come remotely close to disputing anything they post -- even if it is someone who is providing acutal data that is correcting something they misspoke about -- again, censoring other types of thinking isn't exactly something you'd expect from a "public education" website.

* The all of these organizations are opposed to BSL because they are supported dog fighters  and dog breeders is a particularly funny notion. Many of the organizations that oppose BSL spend literally millions upon millions of dollars trying to shut down dog fighting operations, and all of the orgs oppose dog fighting in principle, even if they aren't actively working to shut the groups down. And as for breeding, several of the groups support breeders and several are working very hard to end breeding and spend countless dollars arguing amonst themselves on the breeding issue - -so the idea they would agree on this subject because they are supported by breeders is baseless too -- to the point that it's kind of comical.

And this doesn't even include their inaccurate use of case studies to support their point of view vs reporting the actual data. Or the reality that one city that allowed them to influence their policy-making, Omaha, has had a disasterous year.

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So, the question then remains, how is it that an organization that has so few real credentials continues to get quoted by media outlets out there?

One of the things that journalism schools around the nation teach is the importance of providing both sides of a story. There are always two sides, and they teach the importance of providing both. So when it comes to the argument about whether or not to ban 'pit bulls', dogsbite.org ends up being THE ONLY 'organization' in favor of banning 'pit bulls'. So the media almost has to use them, because they are the only ones with the alternative viewpoint.

And that folks, is the sad truth about dogsbite.org. They are the only one(s) that favor BSL. And they do so based on having a website and google -- not with any real expertise in working with dogs.

And that's very telling.

Oh sure, they will likely retort with criticisms of me, and what are my true credentials. It's true, that even though I've worked in rescue, and I've worked with hundreds of dogs that would be considered 'pit bulls', I have no credentials after my name. I'm not a certified trainer, or a vet. However, I will say this. My opinion is the same one shared by the national organizations that speak for veterinarians, animal control officers, dog trainers and rescuers throughout the nation. So my ideas and point of view is supported by pretty much everyone that has knowledge of canine/human interactions.

Their support group is a city attorney in Denver and an animal control officer that was forced out of his job in Toledo. That's it.

And that's the truth about dogsbite.org.  Fine, give them the "other" voice. But let's not mistake them for an organization that has any form of expertise, or any unique knowledge. Let's not mistake them for anything more than a person, with a website, that is seeking revenge for an incident that happened to her. No more, no less.

On one final note to Ms. Lynn. I am sorry that you were attacked by a dog. And I do hope the owner of the attacking dog was held appropriately accountable for the actions of their dog. But it was one dog -- and is not reflective of the millions of dogs out there of this type -- and I would encourage you to go to your local shelter and meet some more of the dogs that you seek to destroy. And I hope that pushing for ordinances that actually improve public safety, and that pushing for educating parents on how to introduce pets and children, will trump your desire for personal vengeance so that we can actually create a safer society. 

Comments

[Sarah]

Such great info! Thanks Brent! I'm pretty unfamiliar with the site but have a question. Has anything been done to bring attention to their lack of credentials as far as news outlets are concerned? I know it would be difficult, but what if every time they were quoted, anywhere, the news outlet got a barrage of inquiries about the quality of their news source? Eventually, if the outcry is loud enough, they may stop using them. No better way to squash this obvious nut job of a woman than to take away her voice. Fear is such a sad and powerful thing. It would have been really nice to not have had to lie to my family about the breed of my dog when I brought him home as a pup simply to ensure they would give him a chance as a dog and not fear him as a Pit, a breed which they knew nothing about. Two years later they have changed their minds. He is now a beloved family pet, and far better behaved than the Basset and the Dachshunds!!

[Melissa]

Thank you Brent. Unfortunately trying to make contact wih Colleen Lynn is fruitless. I guess she doesn't want to face the fact that she's wrong and because of people like her pit bulls are being thrown under the bus so to speak. It truly brings tears to my eyes. I am an owner of a German Shepard who also have bad reputations and I can without a doubt say he is a sweetheart. We dont need these so called experts who are pissed because they got bit by a dog pretend to have all this false expert opinions she lists on her website. I agree the biggest problem is educating dog owners and holding dog owners accountable for what their animal does. I have been a dog owner all my life and have owned many different breeds including a pit bull mix and not one of my animals bit anyone because I am eductated about dogs and I have always took the time to socialize, train, and love my animal like the part of my family they are. We just need regulation, maybe background checks when adopting a pet or buying one. I've always stuck by the motto that "there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners". Ms. Lynn was bitten, and now she has made it her mission to gather all the other dog hating idiots out there to further UNEDUCATE people about dogs especially pit bulls. I apologize for my anger but I cannot mince my words. i am utterly disgusted with dogbite.org. In the recent People magazine article there is a feature on Mr. Steve Markwell who started "Olympic Animal Sanctuary" in Forks, WA who takes in so called bad dogs with most being slated for euthanasia and rehabilitates them and cares for them. He calls it a group home for so called criminal dogs. We should send donations to his cause rather than 1 penny to dogbite.org.

[KC KS Kills Dogs]

Brent this was a GREAT post! I see others in the Facebook community are copying this post to their wall and encouraging any and all to forward this to as many people as possible.

I encourage all your readers to pass this post onto others via FB or email or whatever means possible to spread the word.

[Emily]

Exceptional work, Brent! You are great advocate for pit bulls and other breeds targeted by BSL everywhere!

[Coleen]

I wouldn't include the HSUS in that list. http://www.dogpolitics.com/my_weblog/2007/08/hsus---we-oppos.html

While they don't outright support BSL, they are anti-pit bull.

[Kelly]

Thanks for taking the time and doing the research! Every person who wants to get an anti-pit bull sentiment or idea across references dogsbite.org. It's a joke. Example: Dogsbite.org is quoted in this week's People Magazine profile on The Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, WA.

One of the "posts" on dogbite.org made me so upset that I did extensive research and drafted up a couple of different responses over a period of a few days - all to find out, that when I actually tried to post my response, they "weed out" comments made by anyone who tries to voice frustration with their views/opinions ... even if what you're trying to get across is rooted in fact.

Again, thank you.

[Brent]

Coleen,

A couple of things:

1) Over the past few years (since that article was written), HSUS has officially changed a lot of their policies in regards to 'pit bulls' -- including rewritten their official policy statement on Breed Specific Legislation and on automatically euthanizing all dogs from fighting rings without an evalutaion. Here's their new, official, policy on breed specific regulations:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/facts/statement_dangerous_dogs_breed_specific_legislation.html

2) I do know that at least some of their territory reps are still actively support Breed Specific MSN, in spite of the overall position statement. I also realize that their statement of "strictly regulating" is also a subjective statement that affords them this opportunity.

3) I will also admit that I don't trust HSUS in this regard....but it doesn't change their official position statement.

[Brent]

Kelly,

It's worse than that -- not only do they actively weed-out people who "voice frustration" over their views/opinions -- they also weed out comments that actually point to actual facts that don't match with their opinions.

Essentially, by weeding out all feedback that doesn't 100% suppor their mission, they are actively engaging in confirmation bias (only reading what they want to read) -- and has ended up creating group polarization -- where the few followers they do have have become even more pronounced in their views because everything they read or hear confirms the belief they already have. I wrote a post about this awhile back and it couldn't be more accurate in describing what is happening over there.

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2009/10/we-fear-in-crowds-part-3-of-8.html

[EmilyS]

Brent, the HSUS SE Rep, Desiree Bender, posted in favor of MSN in a comment at Animal Farm Foundation's FB page just yesterday. She wrote that she was "Not sure that MSN is a compulsion". Huh? What part of "mandatory" does not involve "compulsion"??? (well, I guess if you're already in favor of s/n the mandatory part isn't compulsive...)

It's this kind of thing that makes so many of us mistrust HSUS. I truly don't believe they allow their employees to make rogue statements that aren't in accord with organizational policy. I believe that, like other organizations, they are OK with MSN, at least in regards to pit bulls (which makes it a form of BSL, yo). because it"s "better" than killing them. Bad Rap supported the MSN exclusion for California's no BSL law for the same reason.

[Joanne Dixon]

I heard Colleen Lynn on a live talk show recently about some pit bull attacks in Philly. The radio show used her as an "expert" about the subject. I was thinking the whole time I listened, how is this women an expert? I loved it every time the attorney for the SPCA put Ms. Lynn in her place during the show. Colleen Lynn could not answer one single question put to her, while the attorney for SPCA answered clearly and knowledgeable. It was awesome as is your article.

[Brent]

Emily,

Yeah, I saw Desiree's comment on FB yesterday -- and I know it's not her first time promoting BSL/MSN. And I'm not sure that most at HSUS don't favor MSN for all breeds...

Hey, I'm not defending HSUS. I don't trust them a bit. But "officially" they are against BSL....

Joanne, that radio interview was pretty telling about what's behind the professional-seeming website...and it's clearly someone that is very knowledgable about the subject.

For those who haven't heard it, you can listen here:

http://whyy.org/cms/radiotimes/2010/02/24/whos-to-blame-for-pit-bull-attacks-the-dogs-or-their-owners/

[Faith]

Another wonderful blog post Brent. Keep'em coming. It is absolutely refreshing to read the truth, and not the frenzied writings of the lunatics at dogsbite. With the rubbish that spews forth from the media, I am not surprised that they continue to quote dogsbite, since logic and rational arguments don't sell newspapers. I think we all need to start pushing for responsible journalism.

[alyssa]

Amen, brother.

[alyssa]

http://www.everettindependent.com/2010/03/31/vicious-dogs-should-be-banned/

You guys need to check this out.

[Margo Willmes]

I am SO saving a link to this so I can post it in response every time someone uses that website as "expert" advice!

Thank you, Brent!

[Freedom Pup]

Love the post! It's spot on to the facts that people need to know about dogsbite.org!

[Robbin]

Fantastic article, Brent! I'm so glad someone wrote the truth about Dogsbite.org! I also listened to that radio show on my Blackberry entitled, "Who's to blame for pit bull attacks, the dogs or their owners?" To be honest, I was also quite annoyed at the fact that Colleen was invited as an expert speaker. On the other hand, I was very elated that Debora Bresch was invited to the show. She corrected every fallacy Colleen spoke. Good for her! Dogsbite.org is the farthest thing from educational unless Googling, and copying and pasting news articles about "Pit Bull attacks" is considered to be educational. The media can be extremely biased, manipulative, and inaccurate and seems to be completely fear based these days. I was quite sickened by the disturbing measures Colleen has taken against Pit Bull advocates, like Carianne. I'm so sorry that Carianne's privacy was violated and that they posted her private e-mail with her Facebook photo on their website without her permission. That is wrong on so many levels! A couple of weeks ago, I came across an article about a baby who was tragically killed by the family pit bull (a 110 pound Pit Bull?) and noticed that Colleen posted a comment beneath it. It was so inappropriate. She wrote, "Here come the anti-pit bull zealots in 3.... 2.... 1." She left the name "Colleen "Crazy" Lynn next to her comment. Someone tragically lost their child, and she remarks in such an inappropriate way! Crazy is right! I'm so glad you stated how obviously biased Colleen and her website are, Brent. Thank you!

By the way, has anyone seen the following You Tube video parody about Colleen Lynn? It's quite funny but it is unfortunately quite an accurate portrayal of her (in my opinion, anyway): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NypYLgUcr50

[Dana]

Working in an animal control environment where we do get bite dogs and we do have the vicious dogs that come in, point in case we have adopted out "bite" dogs. Typically they don't no matter the breed bite for no reason there's a provocation behind it. Pit bulls have been so damned by so many people in society with the media and unintelligent people that have a complex that deem it necessary to fight dogs that make the human feel a bigger more powerful person, when in reality they are scum and have a very bad complex. Most of the time your "vicious" bite dogs are going to b the smaller breeds that bite out of pure fear. I don't foresee any legislation going through to ban a specific breed, there's really no such thing as a "pure" bred dog anymore. Im sorry when people get bit by any dog, big small or otherwise, blame the human owner of the dog not the dog or the breed. Dogs are like children, become what you raise them to be. Ive owned bullie breeds, I had a rottweiler for 12yrs. Taking her out in public people will walk in the middle of a freeway then on the sidewalk with her, she was raised to not hurt a fly. Breed specific legislation that bans specific breeds would be like banning a certain race or ethnicity to be allowed to move into your neighborhood, where did equality go?
Great article proving case:
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/88743137.html

[Jan]

Dogsbite.org just had a press release. Here's some more of their idiotic stuff to blog about. Notice that they say that the dog that killed the child is a bull terrier, not even a pit bull!

[Brent]

Jan - -I could probably break down everything that they've ever written. The article you linked to (which for a number of reasons I've removed) is one of their more laughable attempts to try to support their case. I've never seen someone work so hard at trying to prove their point vs just using the available information and basing their opinion on that info. They just got their opinion first and then decided to spend countless hours inventing information to support their point of view.

[Jason M]

Great post. True to point. I have written about Ms. Lynn as well. And the work continues ....

[RONALD SHIMOKAJI]

INSTEAD OF PENALIZING RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNERS AND BREEDERS, REGARDLESS OF THE BREED THEY RAISE OR OWN, WE SHOULD BE GOING AFTER THOSE OWNERS WHO PUT THEIR NEIGHBORS IN JEOPARDY BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THEIR DOGS TO ESCAPE FROM CONFINEMENT AND TERRORIZE CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY, AND SMALL PETS.THEY ARE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN BREEDS GETTING A BAD REPUTATION. INSTEAD OF PASSING A BREED SPECIFIC LAW, PERHAPS WE NEED TO ENACT LAWS HOLDING IRRESPONSIBLE OWNERS LIABLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF HEIR DOGS.

[Laura]

Awesome article. Totally telling. I have had several people tell me that their comments haven't been approved on Dogsbite.org, too. She is in no way an expert and neither am I. But, I do know about BSL and pit bulls history. I have a Youtube channel against BSL. Colleen Lynn has another cohort on Youtube. Zupf is the username. This person would not debate me, and post only news clips of dog attacks that are so called "pit bulls." You are an awesome person to stand up for truth, and a breed that is very discriminated against. Many thanks to you from me and my pit bull loving pals. Any questions for me, I can be found on Youtube. ILuvMyPitbulls. Thank you! :)

[Claudeia McCartney]

Funny thing.....I remember when the rottweiler was the baby eater, nasty killer dog! I hate BSL! It's bull! Last time I checked I lived in America, land of the free! For 20 yrs, I personally have owned breeds that would be deemed bad by some, German Shepard, Boxer and Rottweiler. The next may be a pit bull! Who knows? Who cares? I live in America! I have every right to have what ever breed I want! I love, train and care for them......Thank goodness I live in a state that believes in "Live and Let Live!" Oh and baby killers, I think not! One day when my daughter was little I was walking her to school in the city when out from a yard came a charging rott, I had myself, a 7 yr old and a 2 yr old in a carridge! I stomped my foot at that boy and told him to sit, and guess what?.....HE SAT! Most people are responsible owners, with a few exceptions! Maybe we should spend more energy and funds educating people than dammning the dogs!!!!

[Paige Burris]

Thank you for a great look at the reality of what dogsbite.org truly is— one woman with a chip on her shoulder and way too much time on her hands spent spinning her wheels when she thinks she is making the public safer.
I am a certified positive trainer in Raleigh, NC and was recently interviewed following a tragic death of a 5 year old girl caused by, yes, this time a pit bull. The media descended on the story and repeated it every day, then finally asked for another opinion on the breed, which was from me. I pointed out that when something like this happens, it is important to look at the BEHAVIOR and not the BREED. That to judge an entire breed based on one dog's actions is the same as judging a race of people based on one person's actions. I felt good at least that I was given a few minutes to talk about the positive characteristics of the breed, when the whole story was centered on the negative...Unfortunately when you are interviewed, you never know how the actual story will be told, because you have no control as to what parts of what you actually said will be used. After I watched the interview, I emailed the reporter, who had unfortunately ended the whole segment with a reference to dogsbite.org, citing their dog bite statistics, which are truly skewed against certain dogs, obviously. I told the reporter that in the future, she could access much more accurate (and CREDIBLE) dog bite information on http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/ncrc-research/.