Do you think we should have a law banning owning a Pit Bull dog?

Question

We could start by having all of the dogs sterilized and thus preventing the new births of these vicious killers.

Wow...Syetta. That site you suggested on YouTube brought tears to my eyes. I am a dog lover and it is sad to know that humans can be so cruel to animals. Our pets depend on us and only want to please us. Thanks.

Answer 1

this would change your mind. go here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwI_qlq5vHs


Banning Pit Bulls would be like banning cars because people get killed in car accidents! Who's responsible, the car or the driver/manufacturer? Any car can be deadly in the wrong hands or if built with defective parts. Same thing with dogs... Any dog. Pit Bulls are no more responsible for the way they are bred, raised and trained, than cars are responsible for the way they are designed, built and driven.

Simply put, the best argument against breed bans is that they are costly and ineffective. Breed bans are often a knee-jerk reaction from politicians who want to say they are "doing something", after a highly publicized dog attack (of any breed). This is a useless exercise.

Criminals habitually break laws, so having an "illegal breed" may indeed be attractive to them and might make them want to breed and sell more "illegal dogs". If their dog is confiscated and killed, they really don't care. They will just get another one because breed bans punish the dog, not the owner.

On the other hand, law abiding responsible owners, whose dogs love people and have never done anything wrong, can see their homes invaded, often without a search warrant, and their beloved family members dragged away (in front of their children) to be killed. Not because the dogs are unstable or mean, but simply because of their breed. Meanwhile, the owners of truly dangerous dogs (of any breed) escape punishment because their breed is not targeted by legislation and therefor is believed "safe".

A 10 Lbs Pomeranian killed a baby a few years ago... Obviously a problem with that particular dog, not the breed. "The baby's uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. ("Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog," Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)"

Because of a serious lack of regulation in dog breeding, too many dogs inherit defective genes and are sold to irresponsible owners. A breed ban will not resolve the problem. This nonsense will continue with the next macho breed and will become an endless race between breed specific legislators and unscrupulous breeders.

A Pit Bull breeder was shut down last year because Pit Bulls were banned in Topeka, Kansas. All his dogs were seized and destroyed, just for being the wrong breed at the wrong place. The man now breeds and sells African Boerboels, a rare breed from the Mastiff family, completely unknown to legislators. Unlike American Pit Bull Terriers, however, who are known for their love of people, Boerboels are serious guard dogs bred specifically as protectors. An irresponsibly bred and owned Boerboel might actually be more dangerous than an irresponsibly bred and owned Pit Bull. This is what a breed ban has accomplished in Topeka...

So in light of this, what kind of message are we telling abusive and irresponsible individuals when we make the dogs pay the price for their actions?

Answer 2

Vicious Killers? I assume you have never personally met a pib bull, but go by strories you read in the paper, and stories your friends and neighbors tell you. Well let me tell you that many of these stories are exagerated and untrue. Pit bulls are one of the sweetest dog breeds. While some of them may have dog aggression problems (which can be prevented by early training and socialization) they are not naturally aggressive to humans. In fact, they LOVE humans. The dogs who attack humans, no matter what breed it is, were either not trained well, abused, neglected, purposely trained to be aggressive, the owners could not handle their dog, the dog was allowed to run free, or their owners kept letting their aggressive tendancies slide, neglecting to seek behavioral help, until the dog attacks someone. And a lot of 'pit bull attacks' were not actually pit bulls. They are usually a dog whose breed is unknown, a dog who might look like a pit bull, or it was someone trying to get attention, so they SAID it was a pit bull. My friend has 5 dogs. One of them is a cocker/lab mix, and one of them is a pit bull. The cocker mix bit her neighbor, and she reported it as a pit bull attack, even though the pit bull was not at all involved. And this happens in a lot of cases.

While i think spaying and neutering is absolutely necessary for people who are NOT Reputable breeders who actually know what they are doing. I don't think pit bulls should be banned. I am in love with the breed, and if you actually met a pit bull who is owned by a responsible person, you would be too.

And if we start banning pit bulls, what about ALL the other dogs who bite people? I was attacked by a golden retriever who left scars on my face. I know quite a few people who have been bit by labs, golden retrievers, beagles, huskies... An aggressive dog has less to do with breed, and MORE to do with responsible ownership. Rather than banning certain breeds of dogs, we should require people to be licensed to own a dog or become a dog breeder. If we could some how do this, then we would be able to weed out the bad owners, and have less dog attacks.

Answer 3

My first question to you is, have you even spent any time around a true "pit bull"? I own two American Pit Bull Terriers that I adopted through a rescue years ago, and they are the best dogs I have ever known. I firmly believe that the owners are fully responsible for the actions of their pets, regardless of what breed they are. We shouldnt ban these dogs because of their actions, its not going to "make it go away". It only creates a temporary solution to the real problem. The neglectful owners will simply obtain another breed and use them instead. Thats exactly what happened with German Shepards, Dobermans, and Rottweilers. Banning something is just a fast, easy fix that will create more of a problem in the end. If you want to really control the issue at hand, I suggest you do some research and look at the facts around the cases against them. Truth be told, the real problem lies with the owners.

Answer 4

No. They are a more violent breed on their own (can't help it, brain expanding with skull formed, slightly more agressive at times) but any dog can be violent if training to be that way is added. I think that instead of banning the ownerships of Pit Bulls there should be guidelines set that are a little stricter for a notably more dangerous breed than say ... a small generally timid dog. Or increase the protections so that all breeds must follow them to keep it even. Even my idea has faults because people make mistakes and do stupid things so SOME dogs, Pit Bull or not would still be dangerous.

Clearing something up. I don't mean that they are mean because their brain swells. What I mean is, unlike the human skull, where small bridges expand with our brains until our brains stop growing around 21, some of the stalkier breeds like Boxer, Pit and Rots can have a problem with their skull fusing, which in turn puts pressure on their brain as it grows a little more. That can make some dogs that have this happen more sensetive and agressive. It just depends on the dog.

Answer 5

Some cities do have an exemption for show dogs, but many don't. The AKC opposes BSL, and as much as possible they try to avoid having shows in places with BSL so that owners of banned breeds don't have to worry about being punished. I completely with everything you've said. I've always thought BSL is like Jim Crow for dogs. Once all the pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Dobermans are gone BSL supporters will have to start going after Golden Retrievers, then Cocker Spaniels, and pretty soon we'll only be allowed to have Chihuahuas. Until, of course, the Chihuahuas are determined to be dangerous, and then I guess we'll all have to get cats.

Answer 6

NO. That's like asking, 'Should we wipe out a perfectly decent dog breed because of what HUMANS did to them?' If the dogs are trained properly than there is no reason to ban them. Maggie, my friend's pit bull, is a nice little fireball of fun. She never bites because THAT'S HOW SHE WAS TRAINED. The dogs are just doing what they were trained to do their whole life. So whipe out a living creature because we told them to do the things they do? There are ways to prevent chaos involving these dogs other than the first word that pops into peoples heads. Train them properly. Fine people who choose to train these dogs in the wrong ways. People talk about these dogs like they're land minds or weapons instead of innocent LIVING THINGS. It's natural to do whatever the owner says. LOYALTY. Wipe out pit bulls because of the obvious fact, dogs are loyal? Train the dog right, everyone's happy. Much simpler and less cruel than banning. Pit bulls are playful, kind, and love people if trained properly. Even my PUG is more vicious than the PIT BULL next door. Just drop banning dogs for doing what they're told, okay?

Answer 7

No. I've known many really nice pits. I do think that all dogs, no matter what breed or size, should be muzzled when out in public and definitely all dogs should be on a leash (held by a human being, none of this letting the leash drag on the ground behind the dog or letting the dog carry his own leash) when in human populated areas to both protect the people should the dog suddenly go crazy, and also to protect the dog from being falsely accused of biting by a whacko person. They make muzzles these days that don't hurt the dog at all, don't hinder his ability to breathe or lick his muzzle; it would not be a hardship to the dog to wear a muzzle. I think anyone who owns and walks a very strong dog should be able to control the dog at all times and in all situations--if they use "I was walking the dog and it started to go after someone and I couldn't control it and that's why it bit that person" the person should automatically have to go to jail for 20 years without parole. I think the people who create and keep killer dogs (any size or breed) ought to be put to sleep because they obviously have something seriously wrong with their brains. I think if someone's dog mauls a person to death, it should be treated no differently from any other murder, with the dog only being the weapon used, not the motivation.

Answer 8

Ban the deed, NOT the breed!! What we SHOULD be banning are irresponsible owners and breeders, who take wonderful dogs and RUIN them. The dog very few times is the reason behind the attack. The Pitties I've met and worked with were complete marshmellows. The real vicious killer is the owner and breeder. They take a wonderful life and absolutely destroy it.

And unfortunetly, there's already plenty of those laws out there taking our dogs from our homes and causing wonderful owners & dogs be blamed and spit upon where they carry NO blame.

How would you like it if the golden dog of America, Labs, were banned? Or your personal breed of choice? Those of us standing behind bully breeds are just like other dog owners. Fight Breed Specific Legislation before if gets YOUR breed.

And you want vicious? You should have seen the Austrailian Cattle Dog my local pound had in a few months ago.

Ban the deed. But for godsake, don't ban the breed or rally for that movement.

Answer 9

king Toot has no clue what he is talking about...actually they just released a study saying that the dog breed responsible for the most bites are German Shepherds and Rottweilers...not pit bulls. Also, if they ban pitbulls....you don't think all those irresponsible owners are just going to give up fighting dogs, and being irresponsible pet owners...they will just move onto another breed and make that breed the next "bad" breed. Eventually we would have to ban ALL dogs. ANY dog has the potential to be dangerous...it is how they are trained and brought up by the owner, has NOTHING to do with breed. I have seen vicious chihuahuas. I have worked with hundreds of pitbulls and have never met a mean one yet.

Answer 10

The dogs aren't the problem...

It's the dog OWNERS that are the problem.

If you really want to control vicious dog attacks (from ANY breed of dog) you need to get laws passed that apply far more strict financial and jail-time penalties to the humans who breed or own any dog proven (on an individual, not "Breed", basis) to be vicious; we need a national database that can track these bad dog owners/breeders and keep them from ever purchasing, breeding or owning another dog again; and we need to set up rehabilitative treatment for the abused dogs so they can be retrained to better control themselves and get re-homed with good people.

You want to stop the cycle; stop the unscrupulous breeders and the vicious dog owners who work together to turn their dogs into killers.