It’s time to repeal the dangerous dogs act – by Felicity Lynch
The infamous and failed dangerous dogs act has been in place for too long. It has quite clearly failed to prevent dog attacks and its time for it to go and go now. Pit bulls and pit bull ‘types’ as well as three other breeds are banned under the dangerous dogs act. It classes them all as dangerous regardless of the dog’s individual personality. This is a major flaw and it is one that has failed every where it has been passed.
Every single dog is an individual, they have there own personality and their behaviour is affected by the way they are raised, trained and treated. These are factors dogs have no control over. It is entirely up to the owner. Owners who fail to train or socialize or abuse a dog create aggressive and dangerous dogs, not breeds. Section1 of the DDA decimates against a dog biased purely on appearance! It doesn’t take the dog’s behaviour or its training into account.
This isn’t going to solve the problem. It might solve the ‘pit bull’ problem but it then just becomes the ‘Rottweiler’ problem, the ‘Staffordshire bull terrier’ problem and so on as the bad owners and those that want to use dogs as weapons just move on to the next breed. There are so many breeds that can be used in the same manor as pit bulls and cause the same damage that simply banning a few breeds isn’t going to reduce dog attacks. A ban is one of those things that looks good on paper but in reality doesn’t real work. In fact despite the ban dog attacks have actually increased since its introduction, I think that this speaks for itself.
Most dog behaviourists and dog trainers agree that it is the dog owners that are the problem with dangerous dogs not the breed. It has also been proven that pit bulls jaw structure is no different then any other dogs, so the belief that pit bulls have lock jaws is incorrect. Another myth I come across is pit bulls massive jaw strength, I’ve heard about it in the news and unfortunately even by some pit bull advocates and owners. A dog’s jaw strength is related to skull size. The bigger the skull, the higher the jaw strength. So a dog with a lager skull than a pit bull will have a higher bite force, and any dog with a smaller skull will have a smaller bite force!
So there is nothing about the pit bull breed that makes it more dangerous than any other. In the wrong hands even a Labrador is dangerous, yes labradors have mauled and even killed, yet this isn’t really heard of because it doesn’t make the news! As breeds like the Rottweiler, pit bull or Staffordshire bull terrier cause more damage and this makes them more news worthy. So basing legislation on the media, as the 1991 dangerous dogs act was, isn’t going to solve anything as all dogs are capable of attacking and if they are large they can cause serve injuries or even death.
I another major excuse of the pit bull ban is dog fighting. Unfortunately this has also increased at an alarming rate despite the pit bull ban. Dog fighting has been illegal for over 100 years, so dog fighters already have a blatant disregard for the law, so they wouldn’t care about breaking another. I think the punishments these people get for this sick and appalling activity is nothing put a slap on the wrist. I’m not surprised that dog fighters aren’t too concerned. I think dog fighting should come with a 10 years minimal sentence. This is a much better solution than punishing the breed.
Breed bans don’t do anything but punish thousands of innocent dogs and their owners.
As well as waste millions of pounds every year on trying to enforcing forcing them. The only people that will comply are the responsible owners which aren’t the problem. The irresponsible owners and the people who use them for illegal activates are the ones who create the problem and they will not comply
The pain caused to good owners is something that is taken into little consideration when breed specific legislation is passed. If you have ever had a dog and have had one that died for any reason, then I’m sure you would have felt the pain its death caused. But how would you feel if it wasn’t a medical reason that caused the dog to lose its life, but the way it looked. Imagine if your dog that had never done anything wrong was taken from you and destroyed because of its breed. And not only was your breed of choice was banned but the government could ban any breed at any time, would you real trust the government and the police again if you got another dog? This is how thousands of pit bull owners in this country feel.
We all want dangerous dogs of our streets and dog attacks to stop. No one wants children to be killed by dogs and to see dog attacks all over the news. However, having massive dog culls based on looks clearly is a failed concept. It is never going to solve the problem as it doesn’t target the human part of the equation. Its not a question any more the dangerous dogs act needs to be changed before any more children and innocent dog’s loss their lives. The dangerous dogs act is not strict enough, effective or a success. It needs to go and go now!
Please if you want to make a difference, contact your Mp and demand repeal! The dogs can’t do it for themselves, it’s up to us. Nothing will change unless we speak out.
Highly Recommended: What dog owner wouldn’t want a piece of THIS action? – Get FREE dog food!
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Can you refer me to sites that recommend carrying breaksticks for labradors? Yet, the pit rescues and breeders do recommend carrying a breakstick for those “accidents” caused by pits. What were pits bred to do is the question that needs to be asked. Border collies were bred to herd. Hounds were bred to hunt. And even as puppies without training, you will see them doing these things because of their breeding/instinct. Pits were bred to kill other dogs, it is their instinct deep in their genes. Training only makes them better at it. Their dog aggression leads to the murders of people trying to save their pets from a pit attack. To say that these killer pits were the victims of abuse is incorrect. Other breeds also suffer from abuse but they aren’t killing in the numbers pits are. In the US pits and pit types are killing people at the rate of one every 22 days. Even in the heyday of the dobbies being the “dangerous” dogs, they only killed 5 people in a decade. In the US, the pits have killed 84 people in the past 4 years. If anything else were killing people at that rate, we would expect the government to do something about it. It is estimated in the US that pits only comprised about 5% of the pet population yet they are killing in disportionate numbers. Enforcing what is on the books now is the key, not denying the dangers of pit bulls. We aren’t talking pits bred by concerned breeders who try to bred out the aggression, we are talking pits bred in backyards with no regards for genetics or temperament, unpredictable dogs. I recommend looking at the US and what is happening there. http://www.DogsBite.org http://www.pitattacksbystate.blogspot.com
Reply
Felicity Reply:
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:19 pm
i think you need to double check your research before you start talking BS!
pitbulls don’t kill 1 person every 22days, getting killed by a dog is exstremely rare! between 1979-1996 pure pitbulls only killed 60 people. so 60 deaths divided by 17 years equals 3.5 deaths a year. pitbulls only make up 5% of the population, lets not forget that the total dog population includes breeds like poms, corgi, and other breed that just aren’t capable of killing people. so if you want to look at it that way, you’d have to find out the total percentage of dogs that have the capility to kill then divide by the percentage of pits.
the woman that got the worlds first face transpalent was mauled by a labrador! so your denying that labs are dangerous in the wrong hands, so your saying that the lab that ripped this womans face off was safe then! or the one in TULSA Okla that mauled a 2 month old baby to death! by the way dobermans killed 8 people not five! so what do you think pitbulls were doing when dobermans were the dangerous breed. think they’re weren’t attacks, that one day all of the pits got together and said ‘hey, we’ve borded of being family pets lets start killing people’ or do you think that dobermans were the dangerous breed because they got the bad press and when pits got the same bad press they then became the ‘dangerous’ breed.
their has been sciencefic experimets to show the enter-play between genetics and training when it comes to aggression, and the conclusion of these experiments-
qoute-
“aggression has to be learned. Defensive fighting can be stimulated by the pain of an attack, but aggression, in the strict sense of an unprovoked attack, can only be produced by training… Heredity can enter into the picture only in such ways as lowering or raising the threshold of stimulation, or modifying the physical equipment for fighting… In considering hereditary effects, we must always remember that the environmental situation is also important…” – John Paul Scott, Aggression
“it is their instinct deep in their genes. Training only makes them better at it” NO, ITS THE OTHER WAY ROUND! training makes dogs do certain behaviours, breeding makes them better at it! i seen quite a few collie in shelters bacause they were failed herding dogs. thats right they failed at the one thing they were breed to do. i’ve also been to peru, wear all they farmers were using mutts to herd, not dogs that have been espifically to herd.
so what about other fighting breeds, such as the shar-pei, gull terr, bull gull terr, bull kutta, ext. so you said that pits are more dangerous, what about them? what about the other 3 banned breeds, which haven’t had a single attack by them, so why are they banned?
i didn’t say that every single dog that killed did so because they were abused. i said, Owners who fail to train OR socialize OR abuse a dog create aggressive and dangerous dogs, notice the OR, you do know what or means don’t you? well, since you miss it the first time, i’m guessing not.
the dictionary deffinition of or is-
conjunction (POSSIBILITIES)
strong form /ɔːr//ɔːr/weak form /ər/, /ɚ/ conj
• used to connect different possibilities
no, not every single abused dogs becomes dangerous, some do, some don’t, just like not every single abused child grows up to become abusers themselves. the pitbulls that killed ellie lawrence was abused and had never gone to training classes. so, yes in this cause a lack of training AND abuse created a dangerous killer dog. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6981602.stm
i’ve not found ONE dog behaviourist or dog trainer that say that the breed is the problem, every single one says its the owner! so am i suppose to believe profetionals that work with dogs every single day, including aggressive ones and have to fix the problem that the owner created, or your opinoin based on media hype and incorrect information? mmm… thats a tricky one! (Sarcasm)
dog attacks have INCREASED! the number of people being killed by dogs have INCREASED! and pitbulls have been banned for 18 years. if it hasn’t worked for 18 years it is never going to! these a list of all the place that have tried it and lifted it because it hasn’t worked!
“BSL Repealed
Scott City, KS December 2006
Golden, CO – November 2006 Shelbyville, TN – March 2006
Milford, MI – December 2006 Tullahoma, TN – November 2006
Merriem, KS – December 2006 Lee’s summit, MO – December 2006
Sherwood Park, Alberta – December 2006 Raytown, MS – November 2006
Richland, WA – December 2006
Longmont, CO – April 2006 Belton, MS 2006
Redford, MI – May, 2005 Beloit, KS August 2005
Federalsburg, MD Shawnee, KS
Ellis, KS Osage County, KS
Cleveland, OH Revere, MA
Pontiac, MI Topeka, KS
Detroit, Mi Eastpoint, MI
Belton, MO
BSL stopped due to education, ineffectiveness, cost and public outcry
Levanworth, KS August 2006 Indianapolis, IN NOV 2006
Northlake, IL August 2006 Sacramento , CA August 2006
Hudsonville, MI May 2006 Taylor Mills, KY 2005
Bald Knob, AR 2006 Shannon Hills, AR 2006
Searcy, AR 2006 Mulberry, AR 2006
Golden, CO 2006 Estes Park, CO 2006
Northglenn, CO 2006 Lajuanta, CO 2006
Layfaette, CO 2006 Longmont, CO 2006
Rocky Ford, CO 2006 New Castle County, DE 2006
Federal Heights, CO 2006 Rockmart, GA 2006
Westminster, CO 2006 McHenry County, IL 2006
Normal, IL 2006 Anderson, IN 2006
Paxton, IL 2006 Humbolt, IA 2006
Forest, IL 2006 Leavenworth, KS 2006
Bloomington, IL 2006 Witchita, KS 2006
Will County, IL 2006 Frankfort, KY 2006
Chicago, IL 2006 Lietchfield, KY 2006
North Chicago, IL 2006 Milton, KY 2006
Lincolnshire, IL 2006 Lincoln County, KY 2006
Hodgkins, IL 2006 Spencer County, KY 2006
Middlesboro, KY 2006 Sulpher, LA 2006
Lake Charles, LA 2006 Oak Grove, MS 2006
Bellfontaine Neighbors, MS 2006 Unionville, MS 2006
Jennings, MS 2006 Trenton, MS 2006
Lancaster, OH 2006 East Palestine, OH 2006
Wilkes Barre, PA 2006 Bedford County, TN 2006
Woodbury, TN 2006 Killeen, TX 2006
Eau Claire, WI 2006
Detroit, MI January 2006 Romeo, MI Februrary 2006
Salem, MA February 2006 State of Oklahoma, Bill defeated Februrary 2006
Parker, CO January 2006 Lakewood, CO January 2006
Lake St. Louis, MO – December 2005
Lowell, MI – August 2005 Olathe, KS November 2005
Russellville, AR, August 2005 Battle Creek, MI August 2005
Bourbonnais, IL August 2005 Old Bridge, NJ August 2005
Flatwoods, KY – July 2005 Jacksonville, AR – July 2005
Annapolis, MD Lawrence, Kansas
Cripple Creek, CO New York, New York
Hazel Park, MI Youngstown, OH
Crawford County, MI St. Tammany Parish, LA
Baltimore, MD State of Maryland
State of Delaware Bellevue, NE
Stafford, KS Austintown, OH
Wilmington, NC Grand Rapids, MI
Loveland, CO St. Mary’s County, MD
Arlington, NM Denmark, WI
Wichita, Kansas Broomfield, CO
Auburn, WA Adrian, MI
Roseville, MI May 2004 Ann Arbor, MI
Bellingham, MA North Ridgeville, Ohio
MARLBOROUGH, MA Benton Harbor, MI – Fall 2004
Kansas City, MO Roseville, MI Fall 2004
Black Jack, MO Belton, MO
Wyndotte, MI Oklahoma State – S247, HB1282 Voted down / Withdrawn
St. Charles, MO Illinois – SB1790 – WITHDRAWN!
New Mexico – S188 Withdrawn
Hohenwalt, TN Illinois – HB1128 – Voted down!” sourced from http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/BSLWins.htm
lets not for get italy and the neverlands.
but hay, what every lies you tell yourself to help you sleep at night!
Reply
HP Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
I do believe you are somewhat confused here. These are not places that had a ban to begin with, the issue of bans was presented and not approved, there is a difference. And you forgot to mention the cities and counties that do had bans and they are working beautifully such as Council Bluff, Iowa, or Denver, Colorado and I can go from there with many more. Plus bans and regulation has worked so good in some other areas and drastically reduced the attacks that they felt they didn’t need it any more. And I would be glad to share the behavorists that do agree with my side, obviously you have only bothered to check with those behavorists that support your side of the issue. Also I can provide a few major vet colleges that say differently from you as well.
Did you bother to go to the links I provided? If so, then you will have all the information you could possibly need on the subject. The figures you quoted are 14 years old!! And yes, indeed, there have been 84 deaths by pits in the US in the past 4 years. Those are the new figures. I challenge you to produce the fatalities and mauling figures for labradors for the past four years to see if they compare with those of the pit bulls. The pit bull is an American disaster, a dog bred for one thing. And now that is illegal. http://www.DogsBite.org http://www.pitattacksbystate.blogspot.com presents the problems in the US. And every week a new city or county is passing either a ban or regulations for pits. The pit fighters/breeders have money and that buys a lot of ill informed supporters. My question is do you intend to wait until you have the tremendous problems of the US become standard for Britain as well?
Reply
Bully Bob Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Ok what vet. school indicates that pit bulls should be banned? Oh the ban works well in Denver…Why are they now re-addressing the issue ?
I am very curious have you been bitten by a dog ? You seem to twist the facts to your interputation.. I went to your web site dog bites by state. Guess what under fatalty a lot of the fatalties were cats or other dogs.. any breed of dog will kill cats.
On a personal note my Vet and other vets I have visited always complement me on how well my dogs behave…they dont always say the same thing about the yorkies or chiwawas that come in.
Reply
pitpackcom Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
And I would be glad to share the behavorists that do agree with my side,
I would love for you to do just that. Please provide me with the credentials and contact information for any behaviorist that supports your position. I would love to call and interview them.
Reply
Felicity Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
your still talking BS!
denver’s pitbull ban has had no effect what so ever.
qoute:
“Has Denver’s pit bull ban had any effect?
Prior to Denver’s 1989 pit bull ban, the city was already enjoying a dramatic decrease in the number of dog bites reported annually: from 3,361 in 1971 to 941 in 1988.
Denver, like most cities throughout the nation, continues to experience a decrease in the number of dog-related injuries (i.e., the number of reported dog bite incidents and the number of hospitalizations due to dog-related injuries).
Reports from cities and counties across the country, demonstrate that this trend is unrelated to breed bans or breed specific regulation. Cities or counties that have enacted breed bans or restrictions have not had greater reductions in the number of reported bites and/or number of persons hospitalized with dog-related injuries, as compared to cities or counties without breed bans or restrictions.”- National Canine Research Council
So what were you saying about denver’s bsl then?
FYI the lists i provided are broken into 2! one where BSL was repealed the other where it was stopped. They are titled CAN’T YOU READ! Here’s a question my do you think all of these places have either repealed or stopped BSL?
Dog attacks that were identified incorrectly
Presa Canario initially reported as pit bull
Pointer / Boxer mixes, initially reported as pit bulls
Another incident where a dog iswrongly identified as a “pit bull” as you can see in the picture this dog is clearly not a pit bull or pit mix.
Child attacked by dog. This was nationally reported as a pit bull for a week. when the dog was properly identified it was NOT a pit bull. Unfortunately as always, the damage to the breeds reputation has already been done and only 1 paper that we are aware of corrected themselves in follow up stories.
Officer mistakes Boxer for pit bull and shoots the dog.
Story headline is “mauled by pit bull”, the story goes onto say “pit mix, then to Lab/Pit mix and at the end its indicated the dog is a Lab Rott mix. Once the dog was identified as a Lab/Rott the term pit bull should have never been used.
Fatal attack in Ariziona, reported in the media as “pit bulls” The dogs were properly identified as American Bull Dogs, yet some of the media still uses “pit bull”.
Google Alert – States “pit bull”, when you click on the link the dogs are identified as American bull dogs. Texas News station,miss reporting as pit bulls.
Dogs attack cat and lunge at man. Dog was identified as a pit bull but found to be a Bull Mastiff.
March 17, 2007 Friendswood, TX Headlines reported a woman was apparently killed by her dogs, when police arrived they had to shoot and kill the “pit bull” because it attacked. A quote from Officer Lisa Price, “All three dogs were in the backyard, but the pit bull was the one that tried to attack,” she said.”
The dog was not a pit bull but a Catahoula Bulldog. The media jumped on the “pit bull” There were even stories identifying the dog as a pit bull, after the dog was properly identified.
Yet again, officers on site have made a knee jerk identification, the media takes and runs with it and the breed image suffers.
Story 1 Story 2 Story 3
Kansas City, MO March 6, 2006 Headlines on the news report “Pit Bull attacks 12 yr old”. However the dog pictured being captured isn’t a pit bull, nor does it appear to me a pit mix. After complaints to the News station regarding the breed id and using the term Pit Bull, what did they do? They removed the picture of the dog and left it as a pit bull attacks story.
Read Story
February 2006 Massachusetts – A 7yr old was killed by a large breed dog. The dog has been reported as a Bull Mastiff as well as an English Mastiff.
Dog is identified as a Rottie but from photo appears to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback
December 2005, Detroit. There was a 91yr old woman that appears to have been killed by her dog. Initial reports of course indicate it’s a pit bull, a report the next morning identifies the dog as a Bull Mastiff, and yet another says it’s a possible pit bull / American Bulldog mix. Then end result, it’s a 90lb mixed breed dog, end of story. If you don’t know the breed, don’t write it.
Story indicating the victim was 91, it was a 90lb pit bull 10 years old and had belonged to her grandson who died last year.
Another story saying it’s a pit bull and that she was 92 and her grandson died 4 yrs ago. Also says there was a visitor in the home and as well as gentleman who rents a room in the home.
Here the dog is an 80lb 3 yr old Bull Mastiff
In this story we have a Pit bull / American Bulldog mix.
December 2005 – New York; Article indicates the officer was attacked by a Pit Bull, yet the picture of the dog being led aware is not a pit bull.
Indiana (September 2005) American Bulldog attacks child it was initialy reported by press as pit bull attack.
Initial Story Corrected story
North Towanda, NY (October 2005)- This attack was initially reported as Pit bulls. The dogs were later correctly identified as a Lab Mix and a Mastiff Mix.
So it happens yet again. In Saginaw Michigan (August 2005). A couple of dogs entered a petting zoo and killed some animals and wounded several others. The two dogs were identified as “pit bulls”, one dog was shot and killed by a zoo employee and the other was taken into custody. This story made national news because of course it is a “pit bull” story. The problem, it was NOT a pit bull, nor a pit bull mix.
This dog was identified as a Pit Bull. This dog is not a pit bull and based on this picture doesn’t appear to be a pit bull mix even. Indiana Zoo Story
Another case of mistaken identity. Headlines after fatal attack ” Pit bull kills baby”, The TRUE story, it was an American Bulldog that killed the child. The families American Pit Bull Terrier, attempted to save the child by attacking the other dog in an attempt to get her to release the child according to the parent.
Boy LIES about being attacked by Pit Bull. It was his friends German Shepard!
In Sterling Heights Michigan there was an incident involving a pit bull and a Rottie. According to police records the rottie lunged at them on scene and had to be killed. The Major TV news and print press of course wrote that the pit bull was the dog that attacked the officers and was killed at the scene. The small local paper, got the story right!
Article title reads “Rapid Dog” but reading the story it’s a Racoon.
Boxer mauls toddler, dog incorrectly identified as a Pit Bull : This one is the worst of the worst!! The headline read’s Pit Bull, but you will find as you read the story it is correctly identified in the story as a Boxer.
Ottawa Sun, headlines read about a Pit Bull attacking to brothers. Many days later they find the dogs are believed to be Bull Mastiffs not pit bulls.
Council Bluffs, IA (who passed BSL based on stories like this one) Teen NOT bitten by pit bull as originaly said. When properly identified the dog is a Lab mix.
Loose dog attack fabricated!! Woman reported loose dogs, one described as a Rottie came into her house and attacked her. It turns out she was attacked by dogs that lived in her house! The dogs were a Dachshund and a Labrador.
Media Misreported – Teen was NOT bitten by a Pit bull. Once the dog was PROPERLY identified it turned out to be a LAB Mix. Feb 2005
An attack incorrectly labeled as a Pit Bull. Dog was correctly identified as a Dalmatian Mix!
-source http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Articles/MistakenIdentity/WrongId.htm
Yes I went to the site. It doesn’t say how the data was collected, were it was collected from, nor how they identified the breed evolved, considering 20+ breeds are commonly misidentified as pitbulls, the fatal attacks could be any combination of 20 breeds! I used the last report because it is the only one that has been back up by other sites. They’ve stated both how they collected it and where they’ve got it from, they didn’t state breed identification but nothings perfect. Again either of the state, how much training the dog, how much socialization, or how the dogs were treated.
And guess what the CDC recommend for reducing dog attacks:
Three categories of strategies can be considered for preventing dog bites:
1. Owner and public education. Dog owners, through proper selection, socialization, training, care, and treatment of a dog, can reduce the likelihood of owning a dog that will eventually bite (7). Male and unspayed/unneutered dogs are more likely to bite than are female and spayed/neutered dogs (7). Educational and prevention efforts should be directed at parents and children. Veterinarians and pediatricians should address strategies for bite prevention, including the need for appropriate supervision of children. Other strategies include dissemination of information on preventing bites (see box(Table_B1)), school-based educational programs on bite prevention and canine behavior, and educational programs regarding responsible dog selection, ownership, and training.
2. Animal control at the community level. Animal-control programs should be supported, and laws for regulating dangerous or vicious dogs should be promulgated and enforced vigorously (8). For example, in this report, 30% of DBRFs resulted from groups of owned dogs that were free roaming off the owner’s property. Some of these deaths might have been prevented through more stringent animal-control laws and enforcement. Although some breeds were disproportionately represented in the fatal attacks described in this report, the representation of breeds changes over time (Table_1). As a result, targeting a specific breed may be unproductive; a more effective approach may be to target chronically irresponsible dog owners (9).
3. Bite reporting. Evaluation of prevention efforts requires improved surveillance for dog bites. Dog bites should be reported as required by local or state ordinances, and reports of such incidents should include information about the circumstances of the bite; ownership, breed, sex, age, spay/neuter status, and history of prior aggression of the animal; and the nature of restraint before the bite incident.
England already having the same problem as the US! Attacks have increased! The number of people getting killed by dogs has increased! And that’s after pit bulls were banned! It has had NO EFFECT WHAT SO EVER! If you hate dogs, why are you on a k9 magazine?
By the way the dog behaviourist on this page, Adam, agrees with ME, not you. I look up dog behaviourists and trainers sites, ho would I know whether or not they agree with bsl or not before hand? Still haven’t found 1.
WHAT EVER LIES YOU WANT TO TELL YOURSELF TO HELP YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT, YOU DO THAT! BUT I AND THE REST OF US DON’T WANT TO HERE IT!
Reply
Fran Reply:
January 24th, 2010 at 10:50 am
HP you hit the nail on the head here with your comments about the genetic influences, but this could also apply to just about any breed of dog. As you rightly say, it doesn’t all come down to ownership. Selective breeding of various traits has lead to genetic hard wired behaviours which certain breeds then carry over other breeds.
These morons put an aggressive pit to an aggresive pit – because they want the offspring to carry that aggression. The litter will produce some who are more aggressive and some who aren’t. They then take the more aggressive products, and then put them together with other aggressive dogs, therefore you get the lines which become hard wired in their behaviour.
The problem is, you take away the pits, and then what are they going to move onto? I have seen some extrenely aggressive golden retrievers and weimarana’s over the years of doing behavioural work. My fear is that they will take any medium or large breed of dog and start off their own viscious lines from those. How the hell are we going to stop the idiots? their attitude towards dogs in general? and also their ability to selectively breed from any aggressive dog.
I think the solution is to stop certain people breeding and owning dogs, because they have them for all the wrong reasons. Some are just too thick to care for dogs, but then again the same kind of people breed and rear children and you only have to see the news this past week to see what they produce!!! The entire situation is just a nightmare.
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Bully Bob Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Even tough pit bulls were breed for fighting not all pit bulls will fight. If you read about Mike Vicks and his dog he killed many of his dogs because they refused to fight.
Also any pit bulls that bit a human during a dog fight were killed.
Pit bulls were never breed to be human aggressive.. only animal aggressive. That is where you get the extremely human affectionate behavior and animal aggression.
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Mary Shaw Reply:
January 24th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
I believe you to be only partly correct. Not all breeds have the ability that they were “bred to have”. There are border collies that don’t herd, there are scent hounds who won’t track, and there are retrievers who won’t retrieve. That said, it is also true of many of the bully breeds. Of the breeds that are sometimes used in fighting, only a few actually do fight. It comes from their inbred desire to please their human, NOT from an inbred instinct to fight. The proof of this is in their ubitquitous presence in North America in the early 1900’s. They were used as military mascots, farm dogs, kid minders (called “nanny dogs” at that time). Their selection was not for ferocity or aggression but for their unquestioned and unshakeable loyalty and defense of their human partners. The traits you attribute to them are the traits bred into German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, and larger herding breeds such as Pyrenees, Molossians, Komondors and other breeds that were used in rough back country to protect large herds of sheep and cattle. Those breeds needed to have aggression towards anything that was not part of their family and herd. These threats were not part of the developing environment of the bully breeds. The so called locking aspect of their jaws has been disproven by science in so many studies as to render your references pathetically useless.
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Bully Bob Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Actually pit bulls were orginally breed to bait bulls. This meant grabbing hold of the bulls nose and holding the bull so the butcher could kill the bull.
I own 3 pit bulls and vol. at a shelter the is pit bull friendly. The pit bull is not for an inexperienced dog owner or one that wants a dog to improve one’s self image. They require training and exercise. My 2 girls are 12 and 14 years old so the amount of exercise has decreased considerably.. Jack though is run every day.
My biggest fear is loose dogs running into one of my dogs. The animal control officer has told me it a loose dog runs into one of your dogs it is not your fault.. no sitation will be given to you.
Yes I have broken up a fight.. only 3 in owning pit bulls for 11 years now. When I was growing up my doxie got in such a fight it took 2 grown men to get him off another dog ! 2 of the fights with my pit bulls were among themselves.. the other was a loose dog that attacked my girls..that dog got its behind kicked. Do I have a break stick ? yes..but I have never used one to break a fight up.
Also you are using the same stupid and incorrect stats that you used on the Toledo Pit bull ban.. Pit bulls do not kill one person every 22 days and there are over 30 breeds of dogs that are misidentifield by pit bulls. Pit bulls is most widely used as a generic term for a short haired, big jawed and muscular dog. Pit bulls are only recognized by one national kennel association. So what kind of dog are you actually talking about ??
Dogs and their owners need to be evaluated individually… not sterotyped and every one lumped together.
Reply
HP Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I find it strange, Bully Bob, that there are lots of free spay/neuter programs JUST for pits bulls. Now just how do you suppose they determine what a pit is in order to give them a free spay/neuter if what you say is true? Misidentification is the excuse used by the dog fighters and breeders. It was contrived to deceive the public. And because the pit community has failed in it’s responsibility, the pit has been bred with other bully breeds in the backyards of America to the point where it is difficult to have a “purebred” pit. Still doesn’t alter the issue, it is a feeble attempt to cloud the issue. I stand on the figures I gave and you can see where they are taken from on http://www.DogsBite.org. The links are all there and pictures are often included so you can make your own determination of the bred of dog. I hate to be the one to inform you but there is not a worldwide conspiracy by the media to misidentify the pits. Reporters don’t identify, they ask those experienced in doing that. And Toledo falls under the State of Ohio which has declared pits to be dangerous. Courts in the US are declaring pits dangerous and this is setting the stage for a national action on pits.
And too, the shelters in the US are overcrowding with pits, and they comprise 58% of the shelter euthanization rate yet their population is estimated at only 5% of the pet population.
In a 3 year period, 06-08,Of the 88 fatal dog attacks recorded by DogsBite.org, pit bull type dogs were responsible for 59% (52). This is equivalent to a pit bull killing a U.S. citizen every 21 days during this 3-year period.
The data also shows that pit bulls commit the vast majority of off-property attacks that result in death. Only 18% (16) of the attacks occurred off owner property, yet pit bulls were responsible for 81% (13).
Pit bulls are also more likely to kill an adult than a child. In the 3-year period, pit bulls killed more adults (ages 21 and over), 54%, than they did children (ages 11 and younger), 46%.
In the 21-54 age group, pit bulls were responsible for 82% (14) of the deaths. The data indicates that pit bulls do not only kill children and senior citizens; they kill men and women in their prime years as well.
Between the ages of 0-4, the study reveals that 14% (12) of the fatal attacks involved a “watcher,” a person such as a grandparent or babysitter watching the child. Of these attacks, 75% (9) involved a grandparent type. (DogsBite and Animal People News (which has been recording fatalities by breed for almost 30 years) combined their info and now it is one person every 22 days instead of 21 days.)
Let’s take one example. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery:
August 2009 – Volume 124 – Issue 2
Results: Five hundred fifty-one patients aged 5 months to 18 years were treated in the emergency department after suffering dog bite injuries during the study period.More than 30 different offending breeds were documented in the medical records. The most common breeds included pit bull terriers (50.9 percent), Rottweilers (8.9 percent), and mixed breeds of the two aforementioned breeds (6 percent).
So for 27 other breeds they can divide up less than 40% of the attacks while pits/rotties/and their mixes account for 66%. We know that all dogs bite but not in the numbers that the pits do. This is only one example, DBO has many more.
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Bully Bob Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Well concerning the free spay and nueter clinc they are pretty loose in what dog they allow to spay and nueter.
To me it sounds like all the pit bull fighter and breeders are conspiring to “bs” the public. Beleive me most dog fighters and breeders are not that organized. Mostly back yard breeders and punks.
There are a few large underground fighting rings but not many. Also if you look at the breeders in the magazine “dog fancy” they are different than the back yard person who just wants some quick money.
Also most pit bulls will not fight.. Mike Vicks used to kill dogs that would not fight.. Pit bulls were breed to be animal aggressive and human friendly..
And as far a a national law on this dont hold your breath..a lot more pressing problems face our nation. Plus you will get the real heavy hitters like Cesar Milan and Best Friends Animal Santuary coming out against this.
Any breed can be breed to be vicious.. just start taking the most aggresive dog and start mating them..not to mention other rescue organizations.
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Felicity Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
there are alot of free spay/neuter progarms for pit bulls because they are way too over populated! an estimated 1000000 pit bulls are put down in shelters every year because their isn’t enough homes for them!
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*AROHA* Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 6:07 am
MY THOUGHT AND FEELINGS
~PIT BULLS~
So many Pit bulls get harmed everyday by cruel people who think they are vicious and aggressive. They leave them out on the streets or beat them, leaving the Pit bull having to defend and protect its self.
Now think, really how would a human react towards a situation, if they were getting beaten and or left on the side of the road th defend for its self… And their life.
I do understand that Pit bulls were first breed for fighting but the aggressiveness has been breaded out over the last 20-30 years.
I feel that Pit Bulls can be great dogs, Friendly and loving,
all this pet needs is loving, time, training and a home. I only wished that people would understand that all living animals have feelings, even Pit Bulls.
Every person that I know deeply cares about his or her pets. They are their best friends. They tenderly love each other. Sometimes they eat together, sleep together, and go for walks together.
Personally, I don’t know any dog that would bite without warning or just snap. It’s my firm belief that behavior of the dog doesn’t depend on its breed so much as it being the right training and the “master” that matters.
This goes for
The Boxer
Rottweilers
Presa Canario
Doberman Pinschers
Alaskan Malamutes
Huskies
German Shepherds
As These are known as the most dangerous dogs but i know some dogs from these breeds and none of which seemed the slightest scary or dangerous.
A REAL LIFE PIT BULL DEATH
She left him in her yard chained to a leash. She did not feed him or hydrate him. His only food was the garbage from her garbage can. He eventually died from ingesting garbage. Thousands of people treat them horribly every day…
Dogs most often make wonderful pets, however in certain circumstances, any type of dog can be dangerous. Even friendly dogs, can inflict great harm in the wrong circumstance.
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Any dog is capable of killing a person as they originally were wild, over thousands of year they have learned how to commumicate with us. For example becoming louder, using differnt types of bark to tell us how they feel and what they want. But they still can turn on any person no matter their training or what breed. It is true that you can have a well trained pit bull terrier, but it can still change in a matter of nonoseconds, on you or a child, this is a case of nature not nurture. I agree to HP and Fran. They experimented with wild foxes, they wanted to tame them through selective breeding. The foxes that didn’t bite a human were then bred with another with the same trait. After only five generation the foxes seeked human contact. They also showed that their coats became lighter. Please whatch The Sectet Life of Dogs, it is very interesting.
I think some breeds are more suseptable to being aggressive, but a minority of family dogs like the Labrador can disply the same kind of aggression.
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Gameness, not aggression is what dog fighters breed for. An aggressive dog is a scared dog. Being polygenetic it can take generations to produce a truly deep game dog and it is acknowledged virtually all traits are all but lost within three generations if not continually bred for. This includes herding as well! The breaking stick arguement is a safety issue. Whether a SBT and Amstaff is a Pit depends on what country u live in. All owners of these breeds as well as EBTs and Mastiffs should carry a breaking stick as they all have a bite and hold tendency.
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I think a lot of people are confusing personality with behaviour, they are different.
Researcher John Paul Scott did experiments to see if super aggressive mice could be bred. his conclusion-
“aggression has to be learned. Defensive fighting can be stimulated by the pain of an attack, but aggression, in the strict sense of an unprovoked attack, can only be produced by training… Heredity can enter into the picture only in such ways as lowering or raising the threshold of stimulation, or modifying the physical equipment for fighting… In considering hereditary effects, we must always remember that the environmental situation is also important…” – John Paul Scott, Aggression
Stimulus threshold is how long it takes to react to a stimulus, a low stimulus threshold reacts quickly to a stimulus, in human terms you would say short fussed. It’s the dogs limit, a low stimulus threshold has a low limit, a high stimulus threshold has a higher limit. If you want a dog for fighting, you wouldn’t want to spend ages for a fight to start, so you’d breed dogs with a low stimulus threshold.
Personality is affected by breeding, behaviour is affected by environment. Aggression is behaviour. When people call a dog friendly, it’s because it shows friendly behaviours, but it’s still capable if showing aggressive ones. Every dog has a limit; if you push a dog passed this limit it will exhibit aggressive behaviours. Dogs with a lower limit have a higher likely hood of showing aggression; however its environment still has a major role when it comes to whether or not it will show aggression.
Take a dog with a low limit and put it with an owner who trains and socializes it, knows their dog and knows where that limit is and never pushes the dog passed that limit. And you’d never see aggression from that dog, despite its personality making it more likely to become aggressive. Put a dog with a low limit with an owner who doesn’t train it, doesn’t socialize it, doesn’t know where that limit is, and leaves the dog unattended with children and you’ve got a high likely hood of that dog showing aggression.
Breeding has an indirect effect on behaviour as it affects the personality but environment has a direct and greater influence. When it comes to behaviour, nurture trumps nature.
Training and socialization aren’t just for the dogs benefit. The owner can learn a lot about their dog and learn its limit through training and socialization.
Dogs don’t just turn and attack for no reason; every dog that has attacked has done so for a reason! People just don’t know or understand those reasons because they weren’t paying attention to the dog and didn’t know where the dogs limit was.
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just some anecdotal views on breeds,
I do behavioural work at a (no kill) rescue centre with dogs with problems which prevent them from being adoptable. Bear in mind approx 50 to 60% of our dogs are Bull Terriers, our most dangerous dogs to rehome are a labrador who guards ferociously, a jack russel who will attack the handler at the slightest hint of a threat, an Akita who guards and goes quickly to ‘bite and hold’, an old GSD who guards against new faces, a large sighthound who readily bites and a large Staffie who seems to have trained to fight.
I myself took a pitbull who had been trained (poorly) for personal protection and was very people/dog aggressive. I now use her with other aggressive dogs as she is such a good influence and communicator.
we struggle to home staffies because of the shocking press on this type of animal and our staffie types are almost all very adopyable and would make great pets.
To put it simply, you could make any dog aggressive but also (given enough time) you can calm and trustworthy, breed doesn’t come into it. It’s owners, if you ban something it appeals to those who want status related with disregarding laws, so if you want a status dog to go with that image get a banned breed! chances are you didn’t get the dog for the long forefilling relationship so it’s nature will reflect it’s environment. (research the fatal dog attacks in britain and spot the link between the owners/circumstance)
This really isn’t anything new here, arguing for BSL only delays the process of getting a useful system in place which will help towards preventing dog attacks.
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Anytime someone uses DogsBite as a reference you should immediately stop trying to reason with them. Not only do they cling to a flawed set of pseudo-facts compiled by a reporter (not an animal professional), Merritt Clifton, but they follow in clut-like ignorance a self-professed paranoid psychotic, Colleen Lynn (again, not an animal professional).
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Millions of dogs never bit anyone today. The (even if mythical) village dog hasn’t and is unlikely to bite anyone.
The more we keep dogs on short leads and behind high fences the less socialised our dogs become.
The more the increasingly institutionalised policy castrates and speys ‘all the good dogs’ the more we (if we accept the above argument) degenerate the bad remaining pool by ensuring only bad owners have bad dogs and at the same time, we artificially increase the price of, and thus access to ALL the good ones.
We must be very careful that our policy (base) is not creating the very problem we set out to solve, else wise ‘I have seen the enemy, and the enemy is us’.
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Quoting from the National Canine Research Council, I see. Well, this is a front for a self published author, nothing more. Has nothing to do officially with the government, nothing. This “Council” is a corporation, out for money, not a non profit, no scientists or animal behavorists work for it. This person is hired by dog fighters and dog breeders as an expert when she is just a self proclaimed expert. No credentials to speak of. Ask for the hard copies on the data, it can’t be provided. Seems she “reviews” the evidence, in other words no one can get to the evidence to decide for themselves. Oh it is claimed that evidence is included but it really isn’t. This person claims to be able to see records that not even the victimized family is allowed to see.
And as far as you not being able to find a behavorist that doesn’t agree with you, obviously you never went to the http://www.Dogsbite.org link. They are all over it and well known, recognized worldwide authors and scientists.
And you can also see the truth about Denver instead of taking the propaganda from the pit bull forums. You do know that Denver has withstood court cases on their ban, right? If it didn’t work then why do they still have it after 20 years. Both state and federal courts consistently uphold the constitutionally of breed-specific pit bulls laws. Again you are looking at the propaganda spewed by the dogfighters and breeders trying to save their money makers.
Staying in denial about pit bulls is only making the problem worse. Pits are in the position they are in, not because of pit haters, but because of pit lovers. Pit haters aren’t breeding these dogs, pit lovers are. And those pits being euthanized in record numbers in the shelter are there because of pit lovers, not pit haters. You’re coming after the wrong people, go after the pit lovers, they are the ones creating this situation.
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I am not a lover of the Pit, but I certainly wouldn’t consign them as a breed to be put-down. Each animal is individual, we don’t consider putting certain humans in society down when they attack and murder. They are treated as individuals, where is our standards regarding dogs. I am the owner of a ridgeback, they are banned as a breed in Southern Ireland. Their origin is for chasing lions. I don’t possess a lion, but have two loveable cats, Ash is the most sociable dog we have owned, and he is always found cuddling the cats.
Governments will pass laws when under pressure from the media, lets be proactive and do something to prevent attacks. Any dog in the wrong hands can be aggressive, or trained to be aggressive. I was in the Metropolitan Police and the dog section uses labradors which are trained to protect its handler, and to attack if necessary, yet when you research the net for that family pet, the lab comes out as number one.It would be a nonsence of course to say that you saw a lab take a suspect down, that they as a breed, would not make a great pet, but that with training they will put a man to the ground.
Instead of getting hysterical about any breed, let us look at each dog seperately. If a dog has harmed or maimed a human, it should be destroyed. How many pits worldwide are loving innocent pets, here in England many have been destroyed and owners devestated. This is what needs to be stopped, whatever Country or State you live in.
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The dangerous dogs act never worked. Its has been called the worst pieces of legalisation ever passed for a every long time and unenforceable by some MPs, the RSPCA and the British kennel club. And here’s why:
One the act only gives police the power to seize out of control dogs when in public, but none to give control orders. Or to seize dogs that have attacked on private property. They can’t seize every single out of control they haven’t got the money or resources to do so! So a lot of incidents end up going ignored! if they could give on the stop muzzle and leash orders to aggressive and out of control dogs it would be a different story, but they haven’t.
If a child is mauled by a dog on the dog owner’s property, no offence has been committed because the dangerous dogs act 1991 only applies in public and private places the dog was not allowed to be. There are dogs who have mauled children that are still alive because it happened on the owners property. Surely mauling a child or adult for that matter, once is enough to require the dog to be destroyed! How come this flaw hasn’t been fixed in 18 years!
The dangerous dogs act has had 18 years to prove itself and it has failed! Dog attacks are increasing!
We need another dog act to repeal and replace it! One that would give the police the power they need to deal with as many aggressive dogs as they can, with the resources they have. One with on the stop muzzle and leash orders before an offence is committed.
One that will protect people on private property if they are allowed to be their.
one that will stop targeting non-problem dogs and responsible owners just because the dog looks a certain way, and bear in mind the DDA bans a type of dog not a breed, so judgement is based on appearance. So you can’t have a dog with no pit in it but just looks like it, yet have a dog with pit in it, but doesn’t look like it. Many dogs killed under the DDA had no behavioural problems, not only is this unfair, it is a huge waste of time and waste of resources that the police can’t afford! We could be using these resources to target aggressive dogs before the attack and on prosecuting owners that allow attacks to happen.
One that will include compulsory micro chipping, or even annual licensing with discounts for neutered dogs, dogs that have passed a kennel club good citizen test, or is a qualified visiting therapy dog.
As well as having much harsher punishments for those who use dogs as weapons on innocent people. Let’s say the same as some who used a gun or a knife.
There are so many places that have reduced dog attacks without bsl. it is not bsl that reduces dog attacks in bsl areas but non-bsl side of the dog law. When places pass bsl they normally change the whole dog law with it, and when attacks go down everyone forgets the rest of the dog law and gives the whole credit for the reduction to bsl. Many places have passed bsl and have had no reductions in dog attacks, such as the Netherlands and the UK. It depends on how good the rest of the dog law is. The UK has a very bad law so dog attacks increased. The rest of Denver’s dog ordinance is good so attacks went down. Both of these included a ban on pit bulls, so if it is bsl that reduces dog attacks why was the only one to have a reduction in dog attacks is the one were the non-bsl side was good? If it was bsl both would have had a decrease in dog attacks.
bsl is unnecessary and even illegal is some places in a America. The Netherlands, Italy and many other places have lifted their breed bans. Try thinking about it logically, if a place had breed bans and it work, they would have kept them. Not lifted them because they worked so well as you try claim. Most likely, they non bsl side of the law was working so well and the breed ban was costing so much and doing very little they decided to lift it Or they weren’t working at all.
You are of course ignoring all of the places wear bsl was challenged and the anti-bsl side won. BSL has been proven in a court of law to be unconstitutional by the Alabama Supreme Court, and a Westbury, NY court. Denver upheld its ban twice. One against a dog owner, one against the state because they BANNED BSL, this violated Denver’s home rule authority. i know of a 3rd put as far as i’m awear that its still depending.
I went to the http://www.dogsbite.org/links-dogsbite.htm and there are no behaviourists that say they support breed bans on it! So where are they? If they are as many as you claim, find me 20 dog behaviourist, trainers or physiologist that agree with bsl and give me a link to each of their websites on the page were it says they agree with bsl. No vets, no animal rights groups, no animal liberation groups, no victim groups, no behaviourist of other species, no zookeepers such as jack hanna, no action groups, dog behaviourist & dog trainers & dog physiologists only! Go on then. World wide if you wish.
There are dog safety programs on it, they focused on education.
Who writes dogbite.org? Another self published author! Did you even read the small print at the bottom, the one were they actually state they focus on pit bull type dogs!
Dogbite.org ‘statistics’ were collected from news reports considering how many times the media gets the breed wrong, these ‘statistic’ aren’t worth anything! and even if they were it still doesn’t take responsiblity away from the owners.
Why has bsl been in place for so long you ask? Because there are a lot of pit haters in the whole that’s why! So you saying pit lovers create the problem. Only a very small percentage of pit lovers create the problem, so don’t tarter every one with the same brush! So what about all of the pit put down under bsl, pit haters are responsible for those! And not just the ones from shelters, but people’s pets.
The vast majority of pit never harm any one. They are owned by responsible owners who neuter them, don’t break leash laws or attempted to intimate anyone with their dogs! ‘Pit dies of old age today, was friendly its whole life never harmed anyone’ doesn’t make news but that is what happens to the majority of them. I think that deep down you feel sorry for these people. You only mention dog fighters and dog breeders, but never the average person with the neutered family pet. By denying their existence and only focusing on the ones who are trying to make money, you make your self feel better about supporting breed bans. And again dog fighters don’t care about breed bans, they underground any way. Dog fighting in the uk has increased 15 folds despite the ban. Have you any evidence to support your theory about the national canine council being funded by dog fighters and breeders?
By the way one other interesting facts about pit bulls and breed bans:
The American Temperament Testing Society does temperament testing throughout the year at breed clubs and complies the statistics. The 2002 statistics show APBTs, AMSTAFFs, and Rottiweilers in the 82 percentile. Golden Retrievers, Bichon Frise 77%, Chihuahua 71%, Greyhound 81%, Lhasa Apso 71%.
Kristine Crawford has a team of pit bulls who are the top rated Search and Rescue dogs in the US. They were asked by NASA to assist in the recent shuttle tragedy, they also assisted in the recent missing girl in CA. Tell all of these families that these dogs are evil, vicious or dangerous. These dogs have brought joyful reunions, and in some cases closure to a suffering family.
Prince George County Maryland did very intensive research into their current ban on Pit Bulls last summer. They formed a large taskforce to review their vicious dog law. After months of research they produced a 300+ page report and one of the recommendations was to lift the ban because of cost, ineffectiveness, and it punishes the responsible dog owners and does nothing to the irresponsible dog owners who are the problem.
These organizations have written position statements against BSL. The AKC, ASPCA, UKC, SPCA, AVMA and the HSUS just to name a few.
People like you will only believe what you want to believe. as does the people from the other side. you will not change anyones opinion espaically not mine! so i don’t know what you are trying to achieve. i have the right of freedom of speech as does everyone else. people like you have a go at anyone how dare speaks against your opinoin, because you do not what people to see the other side of the arguement because they might lisen and vote against bsl. i know some pit lovers will not say anything because they are afaird of what pit haters think about them. i don’t care what pit haters think of me.
i love dogs and not just pits, but all dogs, all breeds and all the mutts and crosses as well. i will not defend any dog that has mauled or killed someone, but those dogs did so as individauls. i will defend any dog that hasn’t from being unfairly perscuted! there are warning signs and they usually start early. if an owner didn’t pick up on these signs and take percautions or training to fix it, that is the fault of the owner. ignorance is not an acceptable excuss. the only dogs that attack suddenly are ones with medical problems or feel threatened.
education is key, not eradication. owners should know what they are doing and how to control and manage a dog before they get one. children need to be taught not not approach or pet unkown dogs and to always tell an adult if a dog is running around loose. parents need to know what it is not okay to leave a dog and a child alone together. most fatal attacks on children happen when no adult is pressent.
most attacks can be prevented with education and good old common sense.
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No owner, myself included, is able to control the aggressive behaviour of another dog towards their own or prevent someone else from being harmed in this type of attack. Though it has been an extra expense, as a pet owner and a consumer advocate of pet insurance, I value the peace of mind I gain from knowing Toffee is insured and microchipped.. I feel safe in the knowledge that I am taking every possible step towards being a responsible pet owner and have prepared myself for every eventuality
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Do agree with some of the comments above about regardless of the types of dog it’s the owners who are normally to blame for the way they behave, however certain breeds of dogs are more likely to attack than others and when they do it tends to lead to really bad attacks, i have reported on a number of occasions two dogs that get out and cause problems, these dogs are American Pitbulls and that came from the owners own mouth, my own dog as been attacked 3 times by these dogs and the police do not seem to want to deal with the issue. the couple in question have got a new born baby now and my fear is it will attack this child and you can just read the headlines…. the police do not seem to understand the law and when you read the act you can understand why ….. The people in the village i live in are just waiting to read a Headline of “Killer Dog attacks newborn ” the act it’s self is not at fault its the lack of understanding of the act.
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You good people here seem to be getting bogged down with debating legislation, semantics “facts” and quotes. I think that everybody will agree that the lesser of two evils is the appropriate direction.
Unlike many of you I am no expert, and I do not have the vast knowledge that some of you seem to have at your disposal.
However
We all aspire to live in a world where the risks to our children and grandchildren including there beloved pets are kept to a minimum, (while maintaining peoples freedom of choice), by keeping potentially dangerous out of control situations (that happen everyday) becoming serious and possibly fatal incidents.
We try to prevent these incidents by taking away the very harmful and fatal instruments that cause the situation to turn into a harmful and fatal incident.
These fatal instruments include weapons of certain kinds that can easily cause injury or death if wielded by a person who, doesn’t think what they are doing is wrong, cannot empathise with a potential victim, someone who is in a confused state, or in highly emotional states or ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
In these circumstances the resulting incident is only limited by the potential harm that can be caused by any fatal instrument.
Therefore is it not the best approach to remove potentially fatal dog attacks from situations, by removing the dog from the unpredictable situations in the first place, and protect our children, and care less about the rights of the dog and there owner.
We must focus on the protection of children as they are often the most serious and common of all dog related incidents.
A responsible gun owner wont go out to kill someone or allow there firearm to discharge accidentally. There are responsible fire arms owners out there so should we not just make gun legal.
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