Pit Bull That Nearly Ripped Arm of Alleged Thief Sparks Debate

The case of a pit-bull dog who almost ripped off the arm of a thief who had entered its home has started a debate in Mexico over whether the animal should be euthanized or not.

The incident happened on Friday in Copoya, a town with under 1,000 inhabitants in municipality of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, within Mexico's southern state of Chiapas.

Data across the world puts them high on the list of dogs who cause the most fatalities or incident every year. Research from 2018 found that, in the 10 years from 2009 to 2018, pit bulls killed or injured more than 3,500 people in the U.S. and Canada.

According to the local news media, a 32-year-old man identified solely as "José N" entered a house in the community with the intent of stealing and was greeted by the dog attacking him.

According to Benito's House, a Facebook page that helps dogs to get adopted in Mexico, the man was rescued by emergency forces who found the pit bull had almost ripped off one of his arms. Relatives of the man, according to the group, are now asking for the dog to be euthanized.

Benito's House has started a campaign to prevent the animal from being euthanized, calling it a "dog hero."

Sharing a picture of the dog on Instagram, Benito's House wrote: "The beautiful puppy that you see is the pit bull that last Friday defended his home from the presence of a thief who tried to steal.

"The only thing the puppy did was defend his home and his family, and today, as indicated by the authorities, they have him in poor condition and under 'observation' to see his behavior, and based on that, decide whether to sacrifice him.

"The only thing this pit bull did was be loyal to those who care for and feed him, all he did was defend his home from a nefarious and horrible human being who comes from an equally nefarious family. Oh well," wrote the group on Instagram.

In a short clip shared by the group, the dog can be seen wagging its tail and letting a man pet it on the head.

Pit bulls have long been considered an aggressive and ferocious breed, despite the fact that they're not inherently violent nor threatening.

They are very muscular dogs, strong enough to do a lot of damage should they attack, but they do not bite more than any other breed. As is the case with all dogs, training and care are key to making this breed the perfect companion for any family.

In many countries around the world, ownership of a pit bull is either banned or heavily restricted and controlled—but not in Mexico.

In 2019, politician Eleazar Rubio Aldarán, then a member of the Commission for Inclusion, Social Welfare and Enforceability of Social Rights of the Congress of Mexico City, asked to carry out a campaign to verify the physical condition and regulate the responsible ownership of pit-bull dogs, but there has been no formal verdict on this breed.