Colleen Lynn is a veteran user interface designer who is known for her exceptional multidisciplinary skill set and creating websites that deliver social impact. In 1995, she began her Seattle-based web design company, and over the next decade worked with a diverse range of clients including Internet startups, retail companies and smart device manufacturers. During this time she played a key visual role in numerous identity designs and nearly 100 website designs. Colleen Lynn also spent two quarters teaching evening courses at the Art Institute of Seattle. Achievements in social activism include being selected as the visual designer for the 2008 Washington State grassroots primary Obama campaign. The Drupal-based site was created as a model to be deployed to other states. In the same year, Colleen Lynn created DogsBite.org, which currently receives over 270,000 page views per month and in April 2011 was cited in a peer-reviewed study published by the Annals of Surgery. In 2010, she created Righthaven Victims, a free speech advocacy website, to help educate bloggers about copyright trolls. The Media Bloggers Association noted the site in an amicus brief filing as well. Since then, DogsBite.org has participated in their own amicus filing in a landmark Maryland appeals court case on behalf of a young boy severely mauled by a tenant’s pit bull.
Colleen Lynn graduated in 1991 with a degree in Communication Arts from Holy Names College in Oakland, California. After graduation, she returned to Houston and attended Rice University’s Publishing Program.
The Front Burner: Banning pit bulls saves lives and protects the innocent
Whether to ban pit bulls is a human health and safety issue that should be steered by health and safety officials. Public safety is not the profession of animal advocates. Thus, public policy coming from animal advocates concerning protecting humans from pit bulls is fundamentally flawed.
So far this year, 13 of the 14 Americans who have been killed by dogs — 93 percent — were killed by pit bulls and pit mixes. This is well above the average of 60 percent from 2005 to 2012.
As the pit bull population rises, more human fatalities ensue…
Thank you Thank you!! I love what you do! I have always felt the same as you, but you are much better at putting it into an understandable format! You have made it very easy for me to raise awareness about how dangerous these dogs are. – Richard, Connecticut
THANK YOU SO MUCH for this website. MAGNIFICENT EYE-OPENER REALLY. And to the founder of dogsbite.org, Colleen, THANK YOU SO MUCH. You are so brave for doing this. THANK YOU. Someone needed to take a first step and you did so. And in a beautiful manner. THANK YOU. May your horrifying experience and consequent actions save many lives. You’ve probably saved many lives already. Thank you! – Pedro, Portugal
Colleen Lynn – founder and president of dogsbite.org
Every country should help establish a human victim-centred organisation with resources and statistical studies.
This organisation should be independent of influence and funding by dog breeder, veterinarian and animal welfare groups.
We’re a US charity dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks. Every week, a person from the UK writes to DogsBite.org asking if a similar organisation exists in their country.
Thus far, we frustratingly write back: “Not to our knowledge.”
Based in Austin, Texas the website raises awareness about the potential danger posed by some dogs
It advocates changes in legislation and regulation to minimise the risk of dog attacks
I want to thank you for the hard work and dedication you have in trying to protect people from dangerous dogs such as Pitbulls. Your dedication is admired by all of us that are in this battle to try and restore some safety and peace to the people, children and normal family pets. Safety and peace that has been so badly disrupted by Pitbulls and the ProPitbull Lobby. We appreciate your honest and tactful manner in which you report dog attacks. I hope that I can bring some help to the victim advocacy movement. – Gail, Texas
In a recent letter to the editor of The Vancouver Sun, the founder of DogsBite.org, Colleen Lynn, shines a light of truth upon falsifications written in an “opinion” piece published by the same newspaper. Below is the submission, the published letter was edited.
DogsBite.org, a national dog bite victims’ group, addresses falsifications written by Rebeka Breder and Rebecca Ledger published on Sept. 17. Their opinion piece responds to an article by Stephen Hume, “Hume: Certain dog breeds and owners combine for violence.”
The co-authors falsely state, “Hume bases his facts and statistics on data that is neither peer reviewed nor published in scientific publications, and is therefore unreliable.” The co-authors then cite DogsBite.org as one source of Hume’s data.
Both authors ignored the peer-reviewed scientific study that Hume wrote about in his article — Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs, by John K. Bini, MD, et al., published in the Annals of Surgery in April 2011.
Pit bull injury data from DogsBite.org is cited in several areas of this study. Thus the statement by Breder and Ledger is doubly fictitious. Hume indisputably relied upon peer-reviewed data and DogsBite.org data has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific publication.
The pair next state: “This American-based group is run by an attack victim whose only agenda is to exterminate what it considers to be ‘dangerous breeds.’”
DogsBite.org is a tax-exempt public charity organization with a board of directors, advisors and volunteers with the following mission: “A national dog bite victims’ group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks.” Since our inception in 2007, DogsBite.org has corresponded with hundreds of dog bite victims. Such correspondences cannot be published for privacy reasons.
Hume got it right, which is what triggered the erroneous response by Breder and Ledger.
The petition against Ms. Biniaz is not a spontaneous phenomenon, but the fruit of a well-oiled, extremely well-funded propaganda campaign by the pit bull advocacy movement (PBAM). The PBAM is wedded to the fiction that the pit bull, sadly victimized by a biased press, is a gentle, affectionate, child-loving dog. They are — until suddenly they aren’t. And nobody knows when or why they will strike with their rending, crocodile teeth and implacable to-the-death grip, except that the answer lies in their genes. The pit bull is a genetically manufactured ambulatory grenade and deserves every bit of condemnation it receives. The PBAM is a powerful lobby group that has successfully coerced complicity in the propagation of pit bull myths from kennel clubs and humane societies, and shamefully misled gullible media. Ms. Biniaz is the best thing to happen for public education about pit bulls in a long time - Barbara Kay
Pit bull advocacy fails to realize that the people who speak out for regulation of dangerous dogs, the people they characterize as “haters” are just ordinary folks who probably had no thoughts on pit bulls one way or another. Until, and this is the key point, they became victims of the violence. We pretty much all say the same thing after our attack “nobody should have to go through this, somebody should do something.” It comes to us that we are the “somebody” and we demand regulation. Ms. Biniaz is a high profile somebody, and she is courageous to use her status to focus attention on the maulings. Emma’s parents are somebody, the Soleskys are somebody. Every parent, and every pet or livestock owner who contacts legislators to demand action, they are somebody, every one of them. Colleen Lynn is a powerful somebody, she shines a light on the need to regulate a known danger. Thank you Colleen and thank you Miss Canada! – april 29
Dear Colleen Lynn,
First of all, your site does absolutely first rate research. Without your findings, when I had my pit bull moment, I would have been rudderless in a sea of inequity. For a non-profit to do the kind of work you do, informing people like myself about the grave realities of that breed, it’s really gratifying to see your growth and I’m really happy to give witness to your effectiveness in the battle against a true public safety menace.
My story:
One year ago I had a family move in next door to mine with what appeared to me to be some sort of Pit Bull mix. The dog was a female about 80 lbs. and just over one year old. I voiced concern with the owner, as I have a wife, 4 year-old boy, and infant daughter. After all, we shared common areas, the same fence dividing our property in the back, a car port, and our doors were roughly 5 feet apart in a town home association.
I was assured that the animal had no Pit Bull blood and was friendly with children. However, I had been advised by a good friend that the breed was nothing to take lightly, pure bred or not, so I started to search the Internet. When I found your site, I couldn’t believe the back log of devastation the pit bull breed had levied across our country. I tried to contact lawyers, the local animal shelter, etc., but was told by all the above they could do nothing unless there was an “incident.” Therein lies the rub. Any incident with that dog could result in a death or maiming to my family.
I contacted you and you provided information. Through my steps with the owners of that property, which resulted from my interaction with your site Dogsbite, I was able to influence the removal of that dog. I was also able to keep it from becoming a confrontational event, and insure timely action. For the two to three weeks it was still there, it rushed me twice as I was leaving my property through the back. If there is no gate or fence, I’m certain I would have been attacked. If that dog ever got a hold of my wife or children, I’m certain the results would have been ruinous.
Your site enabled a proactive response, which is really the only way to deal with a threat like that. Current laws demand some sort of violent and unchangeable actions to be carried out, which is completely unacceptable to people in danger, just like my family was at that time.
Thank you for your support in my time of need. – George, California
Annapolis, MD – In a rare decision by the high court to grant a motion for reconsideration, the Maryland Court of Appeals narrowed its April, 26 2012 ruling in Tracey v. Solesky by limiting its ruling only to pit bulls and removing the terms: cross-breds, pit bull mix, or cross-bred pit bull mix. The Court narrowed its original Opinion because the case before them, Tracey v. Solesky, had no references to cross-bred pit bulls. The dog in question in Tracey was a “pit bull terrier.”
The Court’s holding that “pit bulls are inherently dangerous” still stands, as does strict liability for their owners and landlords when a tenant’s pit bull attacks. – DogsBite.org
Dear Colleen Lynn,
So glad I came across your website, which I think is exceptionally well done and setting a high standard in terms of prevention and victim support.
I was pleased to see the South African media clips on your website.
No one will ever understand the sheer horror of being attacked by someone’s pet unless you have been a victim yourself, or, as in my case, being the daughter of one who was savagely attacked and killed a few years ago (in the week proceeding Father’s Day).
I wish you all the best and may you receive all the funding you need and more to keep things going strong.
– Leana, South Africa
Dear Colleen Lynn,
My dog and I were attacked by a pit bull two months ago. I just wanted to give you a heartfelt thank you for all you do. My anxiety swells just reading the comments and posts from the pit bull defenders. Sometimes I have to stay off the Internet for days just to regain my inner peace. They are so hateful. Please keep strong and know that you are an inspiration to so many victims. You are the resource I informed the Aldermen to research when I spoke at a public forum about my attack. Our city has now formed a committee to address the dangers that lurk and maul. If it weren’t for people like you and many others on PBRP, I would never have fared so well and been able to be so pro-active. So here is a “Job Well Done” for you to shine light on the darkness that is so pervasive in the pit bull culture. – Lucy, New Hampshire
Dear DogsBite.org,
I have had many animals over the years. I wanted to thank you for your website! Your site is written so well and the information is priceless. I have been feeling very alone in my dislike for pit bulls and the ignorance that usually goes with this breed. It seems like every time I turn around more and more people are advocating for pits. I don’t understand it, do they not read, watch the news or listen to others? Well you know this all too well. Again I am very thankful for your time, energy and very informative site. I no longer feel alone in my decision to not support this breed. I will spread the word about your site and help support the cause when I can. Thank you,
-Carmie, Utah
IN WHAT ORDER SHOULD THE ARGUMENT BE ARRANGED?
The order and progression of an argument are important to its ready comprehension, but in the Supreme Court these are not wholly within the lawyer’s control. It is difficult to please nine different minds, and it is a common experience that questions upset the plan of argument before the lawyer has fairly started. I used to say that, as Solicitor General, I made three arguments of every case. First came the one that I planned – as I thought, logical, coherent, complete. Second was the one actually presented – interrupted, incoherent, disjointed, disappointing. The third was the utterly devastating argument that I thought of after going to bed that night.
