pit bulls

[luvtoquiz]

Do you think pit bulls should be band from cities or just parks? Or not at all? Our area has been talking about banning them from city parks and some people want to band them altogether. It's a very controversial subjects here. We have had a lot of pit bull attacks the last few months.

[Skokie]

In Toronto a new by-law was passed that pit bulls must wear of muzzle when out in public. The by-law came to be after a number of attacks on children. Occasionaly I search the Humane Society site to see what dogs they have available for adoption...you guessed it almost everyone I saw the other day was a pit bull.

[Baylee Golden]

Although I am not a fan of pitbulls in general, I do NOT believe in breed specific laws. It is not the breed that is at fault but the types of owners they may attract. Unfortunately, the breed tends to be attractive to irresponsible owners and are often deliberately trained to fight. In my area there is a park that I would never go to because it is common practice for gangs to gather and send their fighting dogs of various breeds, mostly pit bulls, to attack other dogs. Some of the dog parks are used to train the dogs to fight other dogs.
However, a very good friend of mine has a wonderful pit bull that has earned its UDX. I would hate to see her punished for being a responsible owner of her particular breed.

[CaynCher]

Many dogs in our Animal Control & Humane Society are Pitts or Pitt mixes also. If they ban them altogether, what breed will be next. So I guess I would require Pitt owners to carry extra insurance to cover any potential problems. That was one of the questions asked when we applied for house insurance. Other breeds are included according to statistics on dog bites I was told my our insurance agent. I realize any dog has the potential to do harm but Pitts have a reputation of not letting go when they take a bite. I am NOT a fan of any dogs running loose let alone those that could be dangerious to the public or other dog owners out with their leashed dogs. A pack of Pitts & a Chow were shot by police in our area after an attack on a man & killing household pets.

:dogbark :reddogx

[Soda]

I'm not an advocate of breed specific legislation and I feel that any bans on a specific breed leads to more bans on more breeds. Here is some interesting information about some studies that were conducted. I firmly believe that while some breeds are more driven for protection etc. it's irresponsible owners who use the breed for wrong purpose. Then there are the people who get a dog they can't handle.


The Clifton study of attacks from 1982 through 2006 produced similar results. According to Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes were responsible for 65% of the canine homicides that occurred during a period of 24 years in the USA. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.)

Other breeds were also responsible for homicides, but to a much lesser extent. A 1997 study of dog bite fatalities in the years 1979 through 1996 revealed that the following breeds had killed one or more persons: pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Akitas. (Dog Bite Related Fatalities," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 30, 1997, Vol. 46, No. 21, pp. 463 et. seq.) Since 1975, fatal attacks have been attributed to dogs from at least 30 breeds.

The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictability is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family's Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed. Note, however, that they were bred to be watchdogs! 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.)