why can we ban pitbulls but not labs, etc.?

Question

why dont people ban labs, jack russels, german shepards, bull dogs, akitas, mastiffs, or any other dogs who attack people WAYYYY more then pitbulls? pitbulls are involved in 0-10% of bites each year. while labs all by itself are involed in over 45% some if not most thats even fatal. Some people are sick....Next they're going to make slavery and **** legal....Who knows. Some boy got bite by a dog which was MISTAKEN for a pitbull which was a Corso. Banning wouldn't stop dog fightin, attacks, or even pitbulls, because it just couldnt happen. plain & simple.
People should take a look at this country on some serious ****...look at the person who runs the country....we should illealize his @ss.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Answer 1

BSL sucks. Its rash, judgmental, and unjust to alot of "pit bulls" that are great ambassadors for the breed. Punish the deed, not the breed!

Also, to Margeurite:
It's going to take me a while to address all the errors and falsities that exist in your post, but I will, because I think the asker deserves researched and educated answers.

First of all, PLEASE do your research before you post ignorantly on here. It's the least you can do. Pit bulls are NOT genetically predisposed to attack and kill. Their genetic tendencies lie in the realm of DOG aggression, which is VERY different from HUMAN aggression. Dog tolerance exists on a continuum, ranging from dog social (like most puppies) to dog intolerant. The pit bull breeds exist on all parts of the continuum, but most exhibit some degree of dog intolerance or dog aggression as they mature. Responsible owners are cognizant of this trait, respect it, and take PROACTIVE measure to ensure the safety of their dog and the pets of others. However, human aggression is both an uncharacteristic and undesirable trait for the pit bull breeds, and should not be tolerated.

Secondly, the pit bull breeds are NOT "generally unpredictable" in temperment. In fact, according to the American Temperment Test Society (atts.org), all the pit bull breeds (this includes the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Stafforshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier) had a higher passing percentage rate than German Shepards, JRTs, and Akitas.

Thirdly, the last time I checked, NO dog, no matter what breed, is able to speak. Let's assume this is true; therefore, dogs need another system of communication in order to convey their needs/wants/feelings/ etc. My point is, ALL dogs use body language to communicate (yes, even the pit bull). They DO NOT attack unprevoked and they ALWAYS give warning signs. It is the fault of the OWNER, not the DOG when these warning signs go unheeded.

Fourth, about those stories you see on TV about pit bulls "mauling"children and whatnot...I am willing to bet that one of four scenarios is true for EVERY story of this nature: a) The child was not supervised while in the presence of the dog, b) the dog had shown warning signs of being human aggressive in the past that were ignored by the owner, c) the dog was untrained, unsocialized, neglected and/or abused, or any combination of these necessities to responsible ownership, or d) the dog was not even a pit bull, but falsely identified by the media. (http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/MistakenIdentity/WrongId.htm It happens more often than you think).

And so in conclusion, perhaps instead of banning pit bulls, the idiots who believe everything they see on TV or in the news and who expend energy perpetuating dangerous myths and propoganda and babbling about subjects about which they know nothing should be banned.

Edit to the idiot who posted below me: Please look up "confirmation bias." It might give YOU a different perspective.

Actually, since you were too lazy to look up facts the first time around, why should I expect you to now? Confirmation bias "is the process by which a person forms a theory and then searches for things that prove their theory while ignoring things that are contradictory. This is how stereotypes form and grow. The seed is planted, and each event that confirms the stereotype causes it to grow, while events that refute the stereotype are minimized or rejected. We can apply confirmation bias to the stereotypes of pit bull and pit bull owner. Events which confirm that a pit bull is a killing machine are counted and recalled over and over, while hundreds of thousands of normal, sweet, friendly pit bulls are completely ignored and events involving a heroic pit bull are fudged a little (perhaps the breed is not mentioned). Similarly, in the news, connections are frequently made between drug dealers and pit bulls, while responsible pit bull owners don't make the news at all." (Courtesy of www.happypitbull.com).

Answer 2

Pits get a bad rap. Like you have said a lot is due to improper identification. On top of that the media has blown it all out of proportion, who wants to read about a Doxie, Lab or German Shepard that bit someone or even killed them. Pits are the front page news now. A Golden Retriever killing someone will get second page at best.
If they ever try to ban Pits in my town I will take my baby to the city council meeting so they can see that they are not a bad dog. She loves everyone. I know someone that moved from Denver, CO to California because they banned his Pit.
Out of the many dogs I have had over the years I rate top people friendly as my Pit, Old English Sheepdog and a Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound mix. The Pit is the smallest. The worst was a German Shepard, too protective.
The site you posted is great. I went through and saw some that looked like a pit. Then I got to number 16. It looked like that they had a picture of my Pit, Honey.

Answer 3

Alot of people who breed Pits, over breed and don't breed for the right thing (temperament and health should be the number 2 things in a breeding program along with workability etc)
Then you have dogs with "not so good temperaments" being breed and making more "not so good temperated" pups!
Alot of people are just in it for the money and not the well being of the dog.
I breed and show Cane Corso's and never had a problem. If I were to get a dog with a "not so good" temperament or health, for sure I would not breed it!
Then you have the people who don't want to watch their kids around the dogs...I know someone who had a child who was killed by their Pit Bull, do I blame the breed...not so much, even though they should not have bought it from a backyard breeder probably breeding just for money and not caring about all the things I listed previously in this message, creating a "not so sound temperament".
The reason for the bans, blame backyard breeders. They are the ones running that breed into the ground. I don't think they are bad dogs to own, its the people who don't breed to create better dogs!

Answer 4

We shouldn't ban any breed. Statistics show that serious dog attacks remain the same in places after they enact breed bans. A dog's good or bad behavior cannot be predicted on the basis of breed alone. And in the USA, all dogs combined kill 20 to 30 people a year. That is really horrible for those persons and their families, but statistically, that is less than pretty much any other cause of death. Dogs are actually incredibly safe.

Answer 5

I have been SOOOO mad lately about the same thing. It is because dumb people buy pitbulls to fight them because when they bite they have a lock jaw (they don't let go) So people can't really have them because they are affraid that whoever has them will fight them. You can own them here but you have to have ensurance on them. I have been looking on line to adopt one but every place says no because of where I live the people in this state are stupid. I wen't to the pound the other day and saw a beautiful female tan and white pit. I sat there for like 20 min. getting to know this dog. She was such a happy dog and had a good spirit. She wanted out so bad. I wanted to take her home. So I went to ask and they said that she wasn't for sale because she was there because her owner abused her and after the court case is over she has to be put down. She told me that any pit that comes to the pound has to be put down. Every dog shelter around here does not have this breed. They are my favorite! We have a pitbull sharpei mix and he is the greatest! He has NEVER shown any aggression at all. Not even to our other male dog. They play awesome and he is so gentle with our kids. Plus he loves everyone and isn't "overprotective" I don't care what anyone says....if you raise a dog right and give it love then it will turn out to be a good dog.....if you neglect and abuse it it will turn. Any breed! This has been making me so upset that sometimes it takes me forever to go to sleep. Like I called this # that was in the paper to see if they had any pitbulls,english bulldogs, or american bull dogs for adoption and she automatically says OH NO we don't sell fighting dogs and starts accusing me of fighting dogs and telling me that I know nothing and on and on and on and starts wanting personal info and stuff and just went totally crazy on me. I'ts like pittbull is a forbiden word! So yeah I am totally with you on this one!!

Answer 6

I know what you're saying. And... well, bsl is trying to ban/restrict all the breeds you named. It isn't taking place in all cities, the city council decides, but BSL even wants to restrict pugs... who thinks a pug is dangerous to society? This country is filled with loads of idiots, and it's a shame. Y'know, in 10 years, it'll be another breed. 10 years ago people were hatin' on dobermans, and they were the breed to hate. People still do, but back then, it was basically like genocide, and they're trying to do the same thing now with Pitbulls. This country is possibly a true symbol of idiocy.

Answer 7

Well I have a German shepard that had that issue huge dog but was wicked skinny the vet said it was because he was such an active dog and recomended food I cant remember the name or he said you can feed him 3 times a day instead of the normal 2 so he was gettin about 7 or 8 cups a day but hes a big dog

Answer 8

People look at the history books, breeding books, and what they were originally for, not the current dog. Pits used to be bred for soley fighting animals and to kill other animals and people. today they aren't bred as much for that, but they still have a bad rap and i hate it. i work at a vet's office and as soon as a pit walks in the other workers muzzle the poor dog while he is wagging his tail! I hate it, and yet they do not muzzle the snapping growling lab or chihuahua. it really ticks me off. I don't think pits should be banned either, but partly it is for the breeds safety because some people still do fight them and if and when those dogs escape their cages, those are the dogs in the 0-10% range of dog attacks. it's not fair to the other pits. I would much rather hold down a pit at my vet office than a golden or german shepard. our vet here will easily tell you that bird dogs, goldens, labs, chihuahuas, chow chows and others dogs are much more naturally mean than pits. pits have to be trained to be mean. if they aren't trained and if they are raised in a loving, good home they are wonderful dogs. It has been my pleasure to shove pills and give shots to pits, but i WILL NOT touch a chow chow with a 10 foot pole. chow chows are the dogs that should be put down and banned.

Answer 9

Exactly. Pit bulls have a very bad reputation, and are in fact considered the ideal family dog in Europe, but americans are too stupid to realize this. Golden retrievers are currently number one the list of aggresive dogs, and followed by that are cocker spaniels. No one wants to ban them, do they? Even chihuahuas are proven to be more viscous than pits! Is someone going to take Tinkerbelle away from Paris Hilton? I didn't think so...

Answer 10

i didnt read the whole thing, but pitbulls just turn all of a sudden and atack. if labs, jack russels, german shepards, bull dogs, akitas, mastiffs, or any other dogs who attack people WAYYYY more then pitbulls attack it's because they we're raised that way or they feel threatened.