Karen Delise is the author of "The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression" and "Fatal Dog Attacks: The Stories Behind the Statistics." She is also a licensed Veterinary Technician with a degree in Veterinary Science Technology. Her book is based on over 15 years of investigative work into dog-bite related human fatalities and severe dog attacks.
In her words:
"The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression" explores and reveals how our views and beliefs about canine aggression have changed over the last 150 years and how our perceptions about the nature and behavior of dogs has been influenced and shaped by persons and organizations who often times disseminate information about dog attacks which is tailored to further an agenda unrelated to the improvement of the human/dog bond.
We have come to be in the midst of a social hysteria about Pit bulls because we have abandoned centuries-old common sense and reasoning and have been duped by inaccurate reporting from a media that thrives on sensationalism and by politicians who traffic in rumors, myths and pseudoscience in their efforts to pass legislation that demonizes dogs while exonerating criminal and abusive owners.
Despite the intense media, political and public interest in dog attacks, there is a disturbing scarcity of accurate information and investigation done on the real causes and reasons for these incidents.