A breed apart

People sometimes walk warily around Alexandra Mitchell and her blue-nosed pit bull, Tia Luna, when they encounter the pair out in public.

Mitchell, who recently moved from Haiku, Maui, to Oahu, swears her 68-pound dog is a sweet and well- socialized animal. Since getting the dog as a puppy about a year ago, Mitchell has put her through months of obedience training that continues as Tia Luna works to become a certified therapy dog.

The 34-year-old freelance marketer, who had a pit bull as a teen, fell in love with the breed and is determined to show that pit bulls are not the aggressive canine terror so often painted by the media.

She is not alone. Over the weekend several thousand pit bull owners and supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate against legislation that targets the breed.

Love them or fear them, pit bulls are part of a long-running debate in Hawaii and nationally on whether certain canine breeds are more dangerous than others, and whether breed-specific bans effectively reduce dog attacks.

While dozens of cities on the mainland still have laws restricting pit bulls, 17 states now prohibit communities from adopting breed-specific bans, and six more are considering similar measures, according to the Associated Press. In early April, Maryland reversed a controversial 2012 ruling in which pit bulls and pit mixes were declared "inherently dangerous."

The Hawaiian Humane Society, which is observing Dog Bite Prevention Week through Saturday, has taken a position against breed-specific legislation.

"Breed is not a conclusive indicator of behavior," said spokes­woman Jacque Vaughn. "Abuse, socialization, training and the many other ways in which an owner influences behavior are more accurate predictors of an animal’s likelihood to be aggressive."

Groups like the American Humane Society, the National Animal Control Association and the American Bar Association support more comprehensive laws focusing on individual dogs deemed dangerous and reckless owners rather than ones targeting certain breeds as a class.

"Pit bull" is a term interchangeably used to describe the Staffordshire bull terrier, which the American Kennel Club says is highly intelligent and affectionate "with a sense of humor," the American pit bull terrier and the American Staffordshire terrier or combinations of the three. They share common characteristics of a short coat, stocky body and powerful jaws.

The reality for owners of pit bulls in Hawaii is that they will have a more difficult time finding rentals and obtaining homeowner’s insurance here.

All military housing communities in Hawaii have a policy banning aggressive breeds, including pit bulls. The Army, whose ban has been in place since 2009, also prohibits Rottweilers, Doberman pinschers and chow chows, or any combinations of those breeds. The Air Force’s Hickam Communities extends its ban to mastiffs, cane corsos and presa canarios.

In Hawaii a pit bull ban was proposed in the Legislature in 2009 after a police officer was attacked by a 70-pound pit bull mix in Kapa­hulu. The officer fatally shot the dog. The bill sparked opposition from pit bull owners and did not pass.

The number of reported dog bite cases in Hawaii, meanwhile, is on the rise.

A total of 1,610 patients were treated in emergency rooms in 2012, up from 1,281 in 2008, according to the latest statistics available from the state Department of Health. Children are the most common victims of bites, followed by senior citizens.

Four deaths resulting from dog bites have been recorded between 1991 and 2012, according to the state. The breeds involved were not noted.

However, state epidemiologist Dan Gala­nis found reports for 13 dog-bite cases at the Queen’s Medical Center between 2003 to 2006, with breeds for eight of the cases described as pit bulls, and one as a chow.

Aside from medical expenses, dog attacks can result in costly liability claims. State Farm Insurance, one of the few insurers willing to cover homeowners with pit bulls, reported handling 18 dog-bite claims in Hawaii in 2012 totaling about $740,000.

Kenneth M. Phillips, a Cali­for­nia-based attorney representing dog-bite victims nationwide, supports breed-specific legislation restricting pit bulls, which he says attack at random and without warning.

"In my practice I see many bites by many breeds," said Phillips, who has handled half a dozen cases in Hawaii. "The pit bulls inflict huge, huge damage when they bite. They weren’t bred to just snap and let go. They were bred to kill."

He supports laws for pit bulls, including mandatory sterilization as well as limits on who can own one, where they can live and how they should be kept.

"The vast majority of victims killed by dogs were killed by pit bulls," Phillips said.

Pit bull owners, a pretty passionate lot, insist the breed per se is not to blame for attacks.

"Pit bulls by nature are not an aggressive dog," said Gina Weaver, co-founder of Maui Pit Bull Rescue, which takes in abandoned dogs, rehabilitates them and finds families to adopt them. Bad deeds by pit bulls should be blamed on mishandling by their owners, she said.

Weaver contends that attacks by other breeds, including Labrador retrievers and smaller dogs, often go unreported in the media.

At one time pit bulls were portrayed as an all-American family dog, say advocates, appearing as mascots of bravery on World War I posters. President Theodore Roosevelt had one. So did Helen Keller.

Cesar Millan, star of National Geographic Channel’s "Dog Whisperer," has been one of the most influential advocates for the breed, showcasing a pit bull named Daddy as a calming influence on misbehaving dogs. Other shows such at "Pit Bulls & Parolees" and "Pit Boss" also are helping to change attitudes.

Sit Means Sit Hawaii dog trainers Chris Koa­nui and Leonard Letoto have been bitten by several breeds of dogs, both big and small, but do not believe pit bulls have a predisposition for aggression.

"I’m not saying all pit bulls are wonderful, but every dog has that potential to be that bad pit bull or that bad Shar-Pei or bad Chihuahua," said Koa­nui. "It’s the human’s responsibility. If your dog has requirements and you don’t meet those requirements, this is where other issues start to come up."

Mitchell, while vouching for pit bulls’ general disposition, says anyone who plans to own one should know what they’re getting into. "This breed, as an adult dog, needs at least two hours of exercise a day," she said. "They’re high-energy, but with exercise they can be balanced. This is a breed you have to take an active role in."

Jill Tanaka of Ewa Beach adopted her 4-year-old pit bull mix, Mahina, from the Oahu SPCA in November after several months of fostering the canine.

"I’ve only had good experiences with pit bulls, so for me it wasn’t a big deal," she said.

Mahina gets several walks a day and "can play ball and play ball and play ball."

She doesn’t have a problem with people, but around other dogs she whimpers and lunges.

So Tanaka took her to Sit Means Sit for a board-and-train session and continues classes to help Mahina keep her anxieties in check.

Approximately a third of Letoto’s clients own pit bulls, which he called "an all-around great dog."

The breed’s popularity in the isles may be due to their tough image, which Letoto said is the wrong reason to get one, and their reputation as guard dogs. A bad reputation and irresponsible breeders out to make a quick buck are two reasons pit bulls are ubiquitous at local animal shelters.

Yet Vaughn said the Hawaiian Humane Society has not found it particularly difficult to find homes for pit bulls or pit mixes.

"They are a popular breed, locally, and they’re highly adoptable," she said.

Several were adopted by families in mid-January, as documented on the organization’s Facebook page in a post called "Pretty Pitties." Phoenix, a pit bull rescued by Humane Society investigators last year after being trained to attack a pig in a small enclosure in Wai­anae, was adopted by a family and is now well adjusted, according to Vaughn.

"They’re such loving animals," said Mitchell, whose first pit bull was abused before her family adopted him. "Since he could recognize abuse, he could also recognize love. He was the sweetest dog. Everyone loved him."