Banning Specific Breeds of Dog

[Motokid]

Should any local, state, or country government be able to specifically state what kind of dog you can, and/or can't own? It's called breed specific legislation and I can't stand it.

http://www.pitbulllovers.com/breed-specific-legislation.html

I own a pit bull. She's a freakin' fantastic dog. Before her we had two Labs and while my pit is a bit feisty at times around other dogs I would be extremely outraged at someone trying to tell me my dog should be outlawed and banned from basic civilization.

I did not raise my pit from a puppy...she's a rescue dog. We have no idea what her past was, or how old she is or anything. But I can tell you this dog is loved completely by my family and we have no issues with her being around my kids. She loves us back and is a bit protective of us and our home. I can only imagine how much more of a wonderful dog she would be if we had ownerd her from a puppy.

We should not need legislation against a specific dog, what we need is tougher laws against the people that raise any dog to be violent and dangerous. Pit Bull , Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepard, Chow Chow, Lab., wolf mix....it shouldn't matter.

And what about mixed breeds? I don't know if my dog is a pure bred, or a mix of lab and pit bull, or what....she looks mostly Pit Bull.

Do you think that because some group of butt-heads riases pitbulls for fighting, that my family should have to put my dog down due to the actions of others?

 

[RainbowGurl]

Having a breed of dog banned from a country makes it sound a bit like...whats the word... judgeing? A bit like saying we will ban pakistanis from comming into our country, or something like that.

 

[mehastings]

I own a pit bull.

You are lucky you still have homeowners insurance. My dad had to give his dog away to a farm (yes, he did actually go to a farm...not "the farm").

 

[Ice]

Do you think that because some group of butt-heads riases pitbulls for fighting, that my family should have to put my dog down due to the actions of others?

Put them down? No.

I do think that something needs to be done, but i'm not sure BSL is the answer. In the UK you are probably aware that the DDA (Dangerous Dogs Act) came into effect in 1991. After that date, the 4 breeds on that list (and any deemed to be of that type) had to be neutered and muzzled in public. There should now be none of those breeds left in the UK (or they are extremely old dogs). Am Staffs come under 'of Pit Bull type' so are also banned.

Moto - I fully realise that you and your family may well raise a well behaved Pit, and if they are in good hands I feel that no breed should be banned. However this is not often the case. Over here you get local 'hard guys' using their dogs as a status symbol, encouraging them to be aggressive - this is very, very wrong. Until this is addressed then BSL will remain. I personally do not like bull breeds (with the exception of English Bull terriers) and am wary around Staffs. The main problem with bull breeds is their purpose and the amount of damage they can do if allowed and encouraged. Most dogs, once they have attacked, will let go of their victim - this tends not the case with bull breeds (as they were bred for fighting). On occasion (even at a show) people have had to place a metal bar in a staffs mouth, effectively breaking their jaw, to get it to release another dog. I go on another forum and one of the users there has a 3 year old grandson whom has just have to had major reconstructive surgery after a staff ripped his throat - all the boy did was play with his friend (the son of the owners of this particular dog), they were no where near the dog at the time. Obviously a destruction order was placed on this dog and when allowed out of hospital the family had to rehome their own staff x as the child was terrified.

Now i'm not saying that this type of attack does not happen in other breeds, it does - however the type of attack is different and this is why people are concerned. Saying that, some states are trying to add Mals to the list of dogs on the BSL - obviously this will be fought, but it only takes a couple of badly bred, badly reared dogs to give an entire breed a bad name.

We should not need legislation against a specific dog, what we need is tougher laws against the people that raise any dog to be violent and dangerous. Pit Bull , Rottweiler, Doberman, German Shepard, Chow Chow, Lab., wolf mix....it shouldn't matter.

This statement I couldn't agree more with. Unfortunately until the owners are educated then BSL will remain

 

[RobertFKennedy]

this legislation is an absolute joke. theres just no sound moral or legal basis for it whatsoever. talk about give a dog a bad name.

If a dog is a danger it can come from any breed.

 

[Renee]

I owned a pitbull once. Sweetest dog I've ever had. He didn't like mean and aggressive people. He jumped out the second floor window to stop some guy from pushing and yelling at his girlfriend. He could be menacing but he never bit anyone. He shredded a hockey puck and the wooden legs of a chair.

Ferrets are banned in quite a few cities as they are such fierce and dangerous creatures. They can quite easily disembowel a cat. I've never seen one that was vicious. I've never seen one that wasn't cute and adorably amusing.

 

[leckert]

Well, again, I am against legislation (shocker!)

However, I am completely in favor of charging owners of dogs who attack with aggravated assault/attempted murder/murder just as would happen if the dog were a gun.

We have the same thing, here, Ice. The thugs think it's cool to have a "feared" dog, and they train them to be agressive. This should be the legal equivalent of brandishing a firearm.

Unfortunately too few of these agressively trained dogs (to my knowledge) turn on their owners, and, more likely end up viciously attacking a kid who want to play with it, or an innocent person who happens to get in the way.

 

[Motokid]

Doesn't banning a specific breed just mean the "bad" people will shift their attention and training to another type of dog? If you can't have a pit bull, then you get a rotweiler (spelling?). If they are outlawed you get a Lab...what happens if standard poodles are the dog of choice for the drug lords? Any dog can be taught to be vicious.....all it takes is a vicious owner...

 

[clueless]

I agree with moto. It's not the breed, it's the owners.

If there are dangerous breeds, there are not the ones that are usually banned. Pekinese are terrible and any dog with a pug face - one example of GM dogs - can be really dangerous for their owners as it gets older.

 

[ruby]

Moto i am with you all the way on this,its is the way the owners breed there dogs just to fight its so cruel. I look after my friends dog which is a cross staff/pit she is part of the family and loved by all,shes so good around people and she loves kids.

 

[sirmyk]

I only wish the government would step in and control how some people breed. Anyone gone to a Walmart lately?

 

[Robert]

Pit Bulls have a reputation for turning on their owners (or keepers if you live in San Francisco), especially the children. Is this reputatioin well deserved or not?

 

[leckert]

I only wish the government would step in and control how some people breed. Anyone gone to a Walmart lately?

Yeah, SirMyk, the crowd at Walmart definitely helps me make my argument for birth control in the water and an extensive training program for the antidote.

 

[Motokid]

Pit Bulls have a reputation for turning on their owners (or keepers if you live in San Francisco), especially the children. Is this reputatioin well deserved or not?

The same could be said for guns, drugs, alcohol, matches, lighters, swimming pools.....

 

[Robert]

The same could be said for guns, drugs, alcohol, matches, lighters, swimming pools.....

No it is not the same. You can control those things, but you can't always control a pit bull.

Is it a deserved reputation or not?

 

[leckert]

The same could be said for guns, drugs, alcohol, matches, lighters, swimming pools.....

I have never seen a gun, drugs, alcohol, a book of matches, a lighter, or a swimming pool turn on its owner. I have seen moronic owners of these things use them in ways that injure themselves, though.

I have heard that a Doberman's brain eventually outgrows its small head, which causes them to randomly go nuts and turn on their owners. Does anyone know if this is true?

I do believe that the owners of these dogs that attack should be charged with the injuries/deaths their dogs cause, but how much of a dog's aggressiveness is in its DNA? Is there someone out there with an actual education in this who can give some objective facts? It would be interesting to know if the dogs temperment comes from nature or nurture.

 

[Robert]

I have never heard that about Doberman. Sounds like an old wives tale. Let me know if you find anything conclusive.

Doberman and Rottweilers are gentle animals unless they're trainied to be nasty. My brothers doberman is wonderful with children and sleeps with her own teddy bear. Very nice dog, and getting old now that I think on it. He just got a second about 18 months ago and it's the same deal. Very gentle dog.

I have read too many stories about pit bulls raised to be family pets that turned and killed or badly injured a child.

 

[Catalyst]

About 98% of the time a dogs behaviour is a result of how it was treated growing up. The amount of dogs i have seen that could have been such loving dogs, but because of neglect have turned out nervous dogs, which results in aggression towards humans - the people who made them like that in the first place! Dogs cant really think for themselves, most things they know as a grown dog come from what we show them and let them experience as a puppy and growing dog.
Of course as with humans there are the 2% that are just plain crazy and when something snaps they dont need to get a gun, they have a weapon right in their mouth.

 

[Robert]

That's true in general. But it's possible that the pit bull is the exception.

 

[Motokid]

my first attempt at photobucket....

my pit....

edit: sweet...I'm glad that worked (who needs a testing area?)

now...is this the type of dog you want to ban?.... 'cause I'm afraid you'd be in for a bit of a fight to take her away from my family.....