What do you think about making pitbulls illegal in your state?

Question

The most recent pit bull incident inspired me to do some research online, and the preliminary results say that even though pitbulls do not necessarily rank first on "dog bites" per year, they are in the top two for "deadliest". They are simply a very strong, very fierce breed, so an attack can have very serious results, and sometimes turn deadly. What is your opinion on whether this breed should be outlawed in your state? Validating your facts via a website link would be very helpful. Thanks!

To Annabanana who says I'm stupid. Read the question. I am not making a statement, but asking everyone's opinion. YOU get a thumbs down for not paying attention.

Answer 1

I have been around pit bulls that are sweethearts, but you always have this nagging feeling of distrust of the breed for they can turn vicious in an instant. I am personally opposed to the breeding of pit bulls & would be for a ban on them in my home state of Az. A ban has already been put in place in Colorado - not the whole state I believe but in the Denver area or the county that Denver is in.

Answer 2

Well about the test scores. I'm sure that those scores are true. But do you think the pitbulls that are raised in horrible conditions in a suburb of Los Angeles participated in the testing? I doubt it. My aunt and uncle, and my cousins live in Ontario, Canada and they have banned the breading of pitbulls in the entire province. They are basically trying to kill off the animal. People who have a pitbull in the province can only take it for a walk with a muzzle on it or they can actually be arrested and apparently they have to have a "Beware of Dog" sign on the house. My old neighbors who used to live behind me, had two pitbulls. We only have a small mesh fence, and when they let the dogs out I went inside the house. I didn't feel safe around them. The dogs would always fight with each other and bark, but the owners where not the best type of people to own a dog, and that's the two dogs where as violent as most people think Pitbull are. So I think it depends on how the dogs are raised, but unfortunately many violent people get pitbulls, and the dogs become violent as well. If you had a young child, what type of dog would you rather leave in a room with it? A Golden Retriever or a Pitbull? NOTE: This is just my opinion on the matter. I never said all pitbulls are violent ... I'm saying that some of the owners of pitbulls are violent which can cause a dog to be violent. But that's the same with any dog, not just pitbulls. But like I said, many violent people tend to get pitbulls because of that misconception that every single one of them are bad or "attack dogs".

Answer 3

We believe that "outlawing" any specific breed of dog is ridiculous and doesn't cut to the heart of the matter: that HUMANS are training some dogs to be vicious.

It seems to us that outlawing dog breeds while ignoring the breeders and owners is a very half-assed attempt to correct a problem (that really is NOT as exaggerated as the media would have us believe).

If we were serious about dog bite issues we would make it a CRIMINAL offense to raise or keep ANY dog (not just pit bulls) that has a history of attacking people, and make the punishment for this crime a more severe one -- such as hefty fines (garnished from the persons wages), jail time (at the offender's expense), and mandatory classes in effective and non-violent dog training. Such persons should also be denied the ability to own any dog for at least 5 years.

The dogs aren't the problem; PEOPLE are. And until we acknowledge that in the law, and make the PEOPLE wholly accountable we're not going to stop a single dog attack.

BTW, every Pit Bull that has come through our shelter has been a wonderful, sweet, funny and endearing dog. Outlawing the breed because of a handful of "bad" ones means that ALL of the good ones will be put to death. That's unacceptable.

Answer 4

I disagree with banning any breed. It is true that they do not bite more people than other dogs, it is just the outcome that makes the headlines because of their strength. I think that in order to own a pit bull, the owners should be evaluated and put through some sort of training course. I also find it interesting that many obedience schools, doggy day cares, etc, will not allow the breed to participate. In my opinion that is just adding to the problem. There should be specific classes, socialization, and trainers out there specifically for the breed. If they were more accepted and able to participate in things as such, maybe they would have more of a chance at being a good, well behaved, predictable dog.

I think it goes back to the owners, which is why they should be screened. If you are not strong enough to handle a pit bull on a leash, you simply shouldn't have one, etc.

Answer 5

I am against breed bans of any kind.

Typically, it's not the dog is a 'bad' dog, but the owner is the worst kind of owner possible.

I have been training dogs for years, and before becoming a full time trainer and behaviorist I was a vet tech for 15 years. Pitts are usually very sweet, lovable dogs.

And, frankly, if a breed were to be banned, why not pick on the small nippy little brats? Because Big=scary... but more often than not, any dog that attempted to bite me or a co-worker were very often little breeds.

The dogs I see more frequently with behavior issues such as biting are JRT (one actually took off someone's nose), Cockers, American Eskimos, Rat Terriers, Westies.... man, this list could go on and on... My point here is, it serves no one to ban a breed that isn't 'bad', why not rather ban the bad and irresponsible owners from ever owning a dog again!

Answer 6

I'm a big fan of "PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED". Outlawing a breed is not going to solve the problem of irresponsible breed owners. There are no "bad" dogs, only "bad" owners. Any breed has the ability to become vicious.

Gameness, refusal to quit, perfect strength/speed/agility combo, Higher threshold of pain/ less likely to go into shock while injured. Easier to handle while injured than other breeds. This is what makes them more of a threat when they have been mishandled.

Answer 7

Well, I live in Canada and they've already been banned. But I think it's ridiculous. If they can ban a pit bull, then why not ban a german shepard or a border collie, lab, bulldog or any other breed under the sun? They should not be allowed to completley ban any breed, it's not right. I have met some pretty awesome pit bulls in my life and I can't say any one of them had a vicious sone in their body. I have met vicious labs though, and they aren't going to be banned any day soon. All i'm saying is that any breed has the possiblility of being dangerous if the owner is stupid enough to train it to be.

Answer 8

Pits can be very sweet, loyal, and loving dogs. Sadly, there are people who care nothing about the dogs themselves and cultivate aggressive instincts.
I think breed specific legislation is bad idea. I understand it in some cities where dog fighting is a problem, but I love Pits and Rotties (they're in the legislation too) and would like to own one of each some day.
Basically, Punish the Deed, not the Breed. If a dog attacks, then it's not safe, but it's rarely the dog's fault.
If anything I wish we could prohibit certain people from owning Pits. Like you have to go through training or something to own one. :)

Answer 9

i think banning a breed of dog is stupid. a dog isn't going to be malicious unless it is raised that way just like a person.
i have a nephew who had his arm bit completely off by 5 pit bulls that were in the backyard and then the guy had 5 more in his house. go figure. of course it is going to be malicious having to fight for food from having so many dogs around, etc...
the dogs were put down but of course nothing happened to the owner.

Answer 10

As an animal lover, I hate to see the predjudices again any one breed of dog. However with the pitbull situation, their agressive nature has made them a prime target for idiots, who think it is funny to train them to attack, hurt, or even kill. If you do enough research, a large number of meth labs, drug houses, or dealers, are reported as having one to several agressively trained pitbulls as watch dogs. If you ask me, the people caught training these animals to attack, hurt, and kill should be the ones outlawed, not the dogs.