Philadelphia: Cop Kills Dog After Mauling Attack

Image copyright: Drew Hallowell/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • A Philadelphia police officer fatally shot a Cane Corso that was part of a pack of four dogs — including three pit bulls — attacking a 53-year-old man on the street.

  • Following the incident in the city's Mantua neighborhood, the officer was placed on administrative duty pending a probe. Investigators claim he tried distracting the dogs with his siren before firing three shots, after which the pit bulls ran off.


The Spin

Narrative A

People jump to conclusions when they hear about pit bull attacks because they're misinformed. As with any breed, whether or not a pit bull is aggressive depends on when it was spayed or neutered and how its owner raises and treats it. Even if society chooses to ban them, maintaining such a policy would cost far too much.

Narrative B

People who want to ban pit bulls aren't jumping to conclusions — they use common sense and follow the statistics. Pit bulls are disproportionately more inclined to maul people — especially children — because they're biologically wired toward aggressive behavior and built to impose maximum carnage on their victims. There's no reason not to ban them.


Metaculus Prediction