Pit Bull Ban

[Jyssyca]

Hi! I just have a question for the board.. What is everyone's ideas concerning places like Denver placing bans on people owning Pit Bulls? I am vehemently against it as I have worked with the breed for roughly 10 years now and believe that the core issues with this breed reside more with the owners than with the dogs itself. Although my mind is pretty much made up, I would still really love to hear everyone's opinion on this issue! Please let me know what ya think!

 

[alwayz_remember_Calvery]

my personal opinion is it's sure gonna be hard to place a breed ban on a breed the doesn't exist. I believe what i've always hear was 'pit bull' is a term used to describe dog breeds that fight in a pit, not a breed itself. Sure, there are breeds similar to it: American Standfordshire terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, etc. but there isn't a breed known as a 'pit bull'. That is my first problem with it.
My second problem is this: sure, you can ban a breed, but all that's going to do is prevent people who actually care about the animal from owning them. The people who want to breed them for fighting dont' care about the law. It's like gun bans, the people who obey the law aren't the ones that are the problem.
The dogs that i've worked with that are mean are normally the little lap dogs that have been allowed to get away with being a jerk. They're never made to behave, they never learn the the human is the top dog. These are the dogs that cause a lot of problems. I've met more mean chihuahuas and cocker spaniels, and shiz-tzu than large dogs.
Lastly, if i pay my taxes and obey the law, what gives the gov't the right to tell me what breed of dog I am allowed to own and what breed i'm not allowed to own?

 

[Jyssyca]

I could not agree with you more. It saddens me to no end hearing about these people who have raised their pets up from birth and are now having them taken away by animal control. I believe if I had been placed in the same situation, me and my "herd" would have no choice but to move to another area. I thank God that I live in a place where I am free to care for all of my critters without having to worry about them being taken away.

 

[kellyc]

this is really sad. bully breeds are great dogs, but not for everyone. if the govt would work harder to stop the breeders of fighting dogs then this would never have happened. in california, i believe there is legislation pending to spay and neuter all pet pit bull dogs which i think is a great idea. thousands of bully type dogs are killed in shelters every week. we certainly don't need to produce any more.

 

[Jyssyca]

I wish the rest of the country would become more like California in that aspect. I do hate that so many of these dogs are euthanized in animal shelters around the country, but I do understand the liability in taking in a breed like that without proper knowledge of the animal's history.

 

[country woman]

Yes I agree with all of you. I personally have come across some very sweet tempered pit bulls and never had a problem with them hurting me. The owners are at fault here. All dogs can be taught to be agressive even little ankle biters.Give me a German Shepherd, Rotti or PitBull any day over a small one like a yorkie or poodle

 

[Jyssyca]

Very good point! In all of my years of experience with dogs, I would have to say that I have gained the most pleasure by working with the larger breeds. In general, smaller breeds are generally not as friendly. That's probably due to the fact that they typically are more pampered and tend to bond more with one person. Now, there are certainly exceptions to everything as my little yorkie is one of the nicest dogs I've ever known. Once again, I really appreciate the feedback!

 

[puregrl]

toatally agree!!!!!

 

[Psalms34]

Ah, I knew there would be a thread about this here. I'm mixed on this subject, myself. Look, have you ever seen a kid that was ripped apart by a PB? I have and the PB belonged to one of my friends down the street from where I lived. A little girl about seven years old wondered into his yard to visit with his little sister. The dog jumped her and ripped up her head and hand.

Maybe some of these dogs are wonderful, but enough of them pose a real threat. I have no problem if they ban them in cities or in dense populated areas, but I would think it would be fine for people that lived in the country to own such animals. If PB's are really not a problem to own, then I see no problem with owning wolves either. The same argument can be applied to Wolves, of course.

I say don't blame it all on the owners, these dogs don't have triggers and firing pins. These dogs are just too tuff to domesticate.

 

[Jyssyca]

Actually, I have seen firsthand the type of damage that this type of dog breed may do and I'm still not convinced that a few isolated incidents should condemn the breed. I still don't believe that it is the government's business to regulate the type of dog that one can own. There are special circumstances surrounding every attack that should be taken into consideration before making broad decisions concerning the breed. Also, a wolf would probably be the least likely of all domestic dog breeds to attack and kill/seriously injure a human. Most people do not have the knowledge nor facilities at hand to contain a wolf and these beautiful creatures are better off in the wild anyway. Thank you for your input, although I do not agree, I do find it interesting to see things from the other side of the fence.

 

[Psalms34]

Actually, I have seen firsthand the type of damage that this type of dog breed may do and I'm still not convinced that a few isolated incidents should condemn the breed. I still don't believe that it is the government's business to regulate the type of dog that one can own. There are special circumstances surrounding every attack that should be taken into consideration before making broad decisions concerning the breed. Also, a wolf would probably be the least likely of all domestic dog breeds to attack and kill/seriously injure a human. Most people do not have the knowledge nor facilities at hand to contain a wolf and these beautiful creatures are better off in the wild anyway. Thank you for your input, although I do not agree, I do find it interesting to see things from the other side of the fence.

Pit bull-type dogs are involved in approximately a third of human dog bite related fatalities. It is the dog most likely to kill with the Rottweilers trailing in second.

 

[Psalms34]

Oh and as for government regulating them, I don't really want my neighbor owning a Pit-bull or Rottweiler, myself. Government is of the people, by the people and for the people. This is not a government issue, it's a people issue; people are speaking out about this. The city is just a bad place to keep these animals. Statistics speak for themselves. It's nearly the same for non-lethal attacks regarding the statistics of Pit-bulls. Reported attacks each year is at 333k involving all breeds. San Francisco alone reported 27% of all dog bite attacks were pit-bull related attacks. This is not a few isolated incidents unless you only take in the TV news which leaves most unaware to what's really going on in the world.

 

[Jyssyca]

This is why it's cool that we can all share our different opinions.

 

[IvoryRain]

I disagree with BSL.

 

[WhatIsTruth]

Pit bull-type dogs are involved in approximately a third of human dog bite related fatalities. It is the dog most likely to kill with the Rottweilers trailing in second.

Of course if a "pit-bull" or a rottie bites its going to be more likely to be fatal...they are big dogs with big strong jaws. This says nothing to whether or not the dog is dangerous. There's a difference there sweetheart. First of all, where are you getting this info at? Frankly, if you are going to ban one breed of dog because IT MAY BITE, then guess what you need to ban ALL dogs from a city, because THEY MAY BITE. ANY dog has the potential in a situation to bite, maim or even kill. I'm tired of the lies people spread about bull/bull terrier breeds (since there is no PIT BULL breed). I have 3 bull breeds and they are all babies. They play sweetly with a one year old child. They wouldn't hurt anyone. When strangers come, they get a thorough kissing. Quite frankly, I would think at your age, you would realize that its not the breed of the dog it is how it is raised. If you treat an animal well and raise it to be domesticated and sweet, that is how its going to react. That same principal happens in humans.

Secondly, the whole thing with children getting "attacked", while it may be the owners fault for not training the animal properly, I also think that parents have the responsibility to teach their child animal safety and how to treat an animal. I think there would be less of a problem with "attacks" if this was done. Children who are young and are not taught better think they can pull on a dog and rough house like its a toy. Its no wonder some dogs bit the child. (Not that I'm saying the dog's owner should not have responsibility, but I think responsibility needs to be evenly handed out).

So since it is true that any dog can have the potential to bite, you better get out in your neighborhood/city to have all dogs banned. Don't focus on a breed that has been the subject of lies and frequent mistreatment. How would you feel if say you had a german shepherd and your town said.."Guess what, you can't have your dog because we've banned them, so, bring him to us so we can put him down".

Doesn't feel to good...does it?????

 

[Psalms34]

First of all, where are you getting this info at?

One of my sources but I have others regarding the SF statistics: http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html

 

[WhatIsTruth]

Well as I said, (since you DID NOT quote that) any dog that is stronger or bigger is going to have a more severe bite, with more likely hood of more serious injury. That's common sense. Its like a person who is in much better shape or "built" or whatever is probably going to have a better change in a fight then someone who is not..

Did you not read the story (on the site that you sited) of the Pomeranian that killed a baby?

I guess you didn't read the whole site because if you had you would have read this..

In all fairness, therefore, it must be noted that:

• [font=Arial,Helvetica]Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person. Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner most often is responsible -- not the breed, and not the dog. [/font]
• [font=Arial,Helvetica]An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous, as in the case of the Pomeranian that killed the infant (see above). [/font]
• [font=Arial,Helvetica]Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be likely to bite. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. One cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then state whether or not it is going to attack[/font]

 

[Jyssyca]

I couldn't agree with you more.

 

[bethdinsmore]

I believe there should be some limits. The neutering thing sounds good.

When I volunteered in a veterinary clinic, only pit bull owners were required to wait with their dogs in their cars instead of the waiting room.

In the three years I've lived here, my friend had to go to the emergency room because of a pit bull attack, and the same dog later put her neighbor in the hospital. In addition, the first time my dog went to a dog park (6 months old), she was attacked by a pit bull. We took her back about three times, to various parks), hoping that she would learn how to interact. She was never attacked again, but we saw about 6 attacks there by pit bulls (always on smaller dogs of other breeds). Fortunately, only one was very injured. We no longer take her to dog parks, as she is now frightened by any dog.

I don't blame the dogs, but some of their owners are sure dropping the ball, to put it mildly. When the park attacks occurred, the dogs would be leashed by the owners for a minute or so, then released (against park rules) to start another fight. I have wondered at the solution. I wish the parks were officially monitored. Also, it seems it would be a good idea to fence off part of the park where only pit bulls would go. Then, their owners would be less likely to allow them to fight - or would they?

 

[Psalms34]

Did you not read the story (on the site that you sited) of the Pomeranian that killed a baby?

I guess you didn't read the whole site because if you had you would have read this..

Yep, read the pro pit-bull site as well as others. My research consists of extracting data from personal bias in that matter. The statistics speak for themselves and not easily reasoned away imo.