Problem Owners, Their Dogs, & The News

Sunday night, the local news promoted their 10 O'clock program with this announcement: Local Man's Violent Encounter with a Pit bull.

I wasn't in the TV room, but I was able to hear the commercial - and just for clarification, I called out to my wife: "what did I just hear?"

Yeah, I had heard it correctly.

I didn't stay up to watch the segment. However, I did look for the segment Monday morning, and while I was able to read the story, I was not able to find the video - which I believe was an interview of the men whose dog was killed. That said, I am not sure if there are differences between the write-up and the video.

From the time I heard the news promotion and up until the point when I was able to read the story, all I could think about was this:

I wonder if the dog was even an American Pit bull. And if not, shame on the local news for tarting up the story for ratings.

Sure, many will cite that my question is heavily based in semantics - especially for a guy that is writing on a blog that often uses the generic term "Pit bull." Point taken. And the discussion is worth having, but I digress.

When I found the news article online, the title was not nearly as sensational as the 10 o'clock promo:

"Chihuahua Killed By Problem Dog."

Clearly, this title isn't as sensational as using the terms, "Pit bull" and "violent", in the same sentence.

In fact, the title is a decent one as it doesn't exploit the situation for ratings. This title is so tame and reasonable that I'm wondering if the news station received emails and phone calls from concerned viewers about the segment, which may influenced how they presented the story on their website.

Back to my question:
is the offending dog even an APBT?

Turns out the dog is likely to be a mixed breed.

Turns out the dog has a history of running loose in the neighborhood.

Turns out the dog's owner is a "problem owner."

More than likely, this dog would not have ended-up in the headlines had this woman kept the dog on her property...and most regrettable of all, these gentleman may not have lost their dog in such a violent and up-setting fashion.

Same old story: crappy dog owner allows dog to menace neighborhood - crummy journalists selling out their professions to keep advertising dollars coming in.

My heart goes out to the guys that lost their dog in this attack.

My frustration goes out to all the idiots that allow their animals to roam.

Yes, accidents happen and dogs get loose even under the watch of the most responsible owners - but when it's a reoccurring theme, it's a problem.

As for the media, I won't waste my time going into detail: they're just as irresponsible as the owner of this dog.