Who supports Ban the deed and not the breed?

Question

My question is,
How about instead of banning the breed, we ban idiots who get dogs for the wrong reasons, (fighting!!!)

Thanks for all your answers.

You can tell those who have experience with dogs and those who do not!! If i were able to change the laws regarding this, i would make sure that, EVERY dog was to be neutered UNLESS it was used to be shown or for breeding, and even then, the owners of the dog would have to be registered and inspected by regulating body (depends which country you live in) and the new owners must be registered and inspected in order to maintain high standards in training and obediance etc. If the pupps were to be sold to someone who was not registered, then the breeders would lose their liscence and their dogs be removed and rehomed. (so the breeders would be very careful who they sell them on to)
I think the genuine breeders of any breed of dog wants responsible owners for the pups, and would adhere to this. Responsible breeders do not want idiots mistreating their pups, and if they do not care, they shouldnt be breeding in the first place.

I understand that there will always be people who bend the rules and break the law, but i think there should be stronger penalties for those that do, and more laws protecting innocent animals who get abused and neglected.
A pit bull, should never be allowed to be put to sleep, just on the basis of what breed he is. If that pit bull shows signs of aggression towards humans etc then YES, the owners need to think seriously about PTS the dog. But same as any dog, not just a Pit bull. If a lab shows signs of aggression, that also needs to be considered. But dogs what do not, it is wrong to label them all with the same brush.
ANY DOG CAN BE AGGRESSIVE, and if my dog ever showed signs to anyone then i would like to think that i would do the right thing, (but that is something i have never had to consider before. None of my dogs ever showed aggression)
I can not believe we are in 2007 and in todays world, it is a law that a "type" can be banned just on how it looks!!! Mad!!

Note to shelly- Sorry, i wasnt very clear, what i mean is, i support the idea that pits should be neutered to stop breeding in the wrong hands. The only exception to this would be, 1. If the dog was used to be shown at crufts etc, and 2. If the breeder who owned them intended to breed from them in the future, BUT only licensed pit owners would be allowed to breed, because i believe that the good breeders do it to improve the quality and charachter of the breed, not just for the nomey and by doing it this way, a professional breeder will only pick the best to breed from and discourage any bad qualities from passing down. Any other breeder, (back yard breeders) should be banned and have stricter punishments. So, in my opinion, we can still have pits as family pets, but we can not get a pit to breed from and make money unless we can prove we are seroius and professional breeders with the best intrests of the dog being paramount.

I agree that cross breeds are also affected by this and i own a cross breed myself and i love her to bits. I have nothing against cross breeds, but until we can get a hold on this situation and stop the hysterical "Look theres a pitbull" attitude in some people, i think we should try and stop cross breeds as much as possible. I have a staffy cross and some people could mistake her for a pitbull type, and in my area, shelters are overcroweded with staffy crosses, cos people just breed them too much and cant be bothered with them afterwards. I just think pits in the future should be exclusively breed as a pedigree by the people who do it properly. Then if we could get a tighter grip on the dogs and control how they were raised and breed, we could manage to show people that Pitbulls are not all bad.
If it was a choice between losing my dog and getting her neutered, i would be at the vets in a second. I dont want to breed my dog, she is a pet and so i have done the responsible thing.

I have had my dog neutered, i am not a breeder and i don't want to be. I will leave that to the ones who know what they are doing.
I think if everyone did neuter their dogs, it would stop a lot of confusion over staffys and APTB etc. This is the only real way i could see pits being allowed back in to society as a normal family dog like they should be. As it is now, anyone with a Pit of staffy cross can easily get mistaken for a dangerous dog cos people are not aware of the breed enough.
"Pit type" is the governments way of saying if we dont like the look of your dog we will take it. I think this attitude is wrong. I think they need to change it. I think each dog should be assessed on their own merits.

Answer 1

Totally agree, It's been proved time & again that breed specific legislation does not work, but it's the quick fix solution for governments. Unlike some people, Im not naive enough to believe that there are no bad dogs. Bad temperament can be bred for, just as long legs or curly tails can be. However, dogs bred for fighting should not be human aggressive because their handlers don't want to be bitten! (Not that I in anyway condone breeding fighting dogs!)
Sadly, it's irresponsible breeding by the idiots who must have the latest macho dog. It's been around for a long time. In the 60s it was the GSD, in the 70s the Rottweiler and now it's the Pitbull & by association by the ignorant, the Staffordshire.
Until people are educated about responsible dog ownership tragedies will happen.

Answer 2

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.

Answer 3

I completely agree. Morons who say otherwise are greatly misinformed and just showing their ignorance. Everyone is so quick to jump to conclusions without getting the whole story and the facts. The "reports" that say pitbulls will turn on you no matter what are ridiculous. They are not monsters. I get so angry when I read the bullshit that says all pitbulls are natural fighters. Well, my pit didn't get that memo. He tried to jump in a fight between my other dog and a boston terrier and had no idea what was going on. He ended up licking the leg of the boston terrier. Some natural fighter.

edit--to scarymary, who says the killer instinct is genetic, so it's always there--what tabloid or idiot did you get that from? Because you certainly didn't get it from the true reports and studies on pitbulls. Instead of joining the countless other morons who mindlessly post and spread their stupidity, why don't you spend this time (since you're online anyways) to look up pitbulls and read actual accounts from dog EXPERTS, not Joe Smo that writes for the Sun.

Answer 4

Anyone in Dublin who lives in a Council house and owns one of the 11 breeds they are banning would.
Anyone who knows Dogs properly would.
I certainly do!
I've had checks done not once but three times, RSPCA, German Shepherd Rescue and the local Animal Welfare as I 'rescue' all my dogs. They all have to be neutered/spayed too.
Perhaps we need something like the 'driving' test before you can get a license applied to dog ownership.
Would it stop the 'idiots'? Not all of them but it might make people realise just what a responsibility owning a dog is!

I too have been 'attacked' by a dog, a Pit Bull type? A Shepherd? A Doberman? No it was the oh so lovable Labrador!!!!!!

Answer 5

I am a real animal lover and own 3 large dogs, a cat and a bird. I have always had pets in my life and would die without them. However - the pit bull issue is that so many people have bred them to be, let's call it "mean" where they become unpredictable, that - many that appear sweet and gentle can instantly turn and attack. Once they have tasted blood, that's it, they are basically unstoppable until the kill. Humans have bred this into the breed and it has made it so NO pits are looked at as loving pets any longer. It is the fault of humans, but it is what it is now, and there is a reason they are banned from certain places in Canada and I believe here in the US now also. When you see the damage they can do when they go on the attack, it will scare anyone - and unfortunately, they go for innocent passersby more often than intruders or people doing harm! They do not possess human judgment to know who to attack and who not to. The story of the woman going in her apartment in San Fran and was attacked TO DEATH by 2 pitts was scary, and I hear more and more of this. I think yes, the humans should be made to PAY financially and by doing time in jail, for breeding to kill. Like I said, I love animals, but I am afraid the pitt breed has had too many incidents against innocent humans for it to be considered safe any longer, and I would not ever want one as a pet. I know some are very very loving pets, but I would not intentionally get such an unpredictable breed. I'll stick to my labs and retrievers to be on the safer side!

Answer 6

I think that they should only be bred by professionals who love and want to preseve the breed. And prospects to buy them should be screened. Also if they are not going to another approved breeder they should be spayed/neutered. I am not a fan of Pit Bulls but I don't think they should be punished for who they are. Its sad that the ones who end up in fighting rings always get put down even when they are resuced because of their threat to society. I hope Vick gets what is coming to him. Dog fighting it awful...

Answer 7

I agree 100% with you. I do not necessarily agree with the background check completely, I have a plan for those who fail the test. I myself would probably get flagged for my past, I am a felon. I have changed my life completely and if I were told I could not have my precious breed, I would like a chance to prove that my past should not stop me from having them. Anyone who is out there changing peoples minds on the breed has to be able to own them. The test for people failing should be a face to face observation process with strict standards. You need strict standards to raise the dogs so it just fits. You dont get a dog because it is tough or looks tough. You get them for their tempermant, and then looks. They are beautiful and ive had them since diapers.

Answer 8

I agree 100%!!!!!!! if we allow breed bans to happen NO breed will be safe!!!!!!! it will start with one and before you know it any breed someone doesnt like can be added to a list..........we need to punish the deed Not the breed!!!!! anyone caught fighting should do jail time and have to give up the right to own or live in a household with any animal for the rest of their life!!!!!!! we need strickter laws for abusers and we need to start enforcing spay/neuter as a way to cut down on backyard breeders that breed for illegal reasons!!

Answer 9

I think its a load of rubbish as a child my Auntie got mauled by a poodle but did she get put in the paper and poodles get a bad name er....nope. I have a staffie and she is the softest dog i have ever met she absolutly loves children and is very gentle with them she even grooms the cat but when we take her for a walk people walk around her like she's gonna attack them! I think they should keep checks on all dogs and if there is any sign on bad treatment or using them for fighting or baiting they should be banned for keep ANY animal!

Answer 10

Pit bulls are great family dog and thands to dog fighting everyone is scared of them. People also do c--k fighting and Beta fighting but are we scared or roosters or Beta fish....no. Everytime people tell me about pit bulls I tell them how other breeds like chihuahua's, cocker spaniels, dalmations, jack russells, chows, and a bunch of other breeds are the ones who are more prone to bite someone, and are agressive but you don't hear about those because they are usually small dogs who don't do much damage. I am so tired of seeing bans on a few breeds just because people are uneducated about these breeds and choose to be scared rather than learn about them. I actually know a bunch of pit bulls in my area who are therapy dogs and go to nursing homes and hospitals to visit people and the only thing they do to the people is lick them to death. Pit bulls, dobie's, rotts, and mastiffs all get a bad name and they are GREAT dogs. Its all how the animal is raised if it is beaten and trained to be mean then it will be. If it is loved then it can be a loving dog.