[Sam I Am]

Just found out while I was out of the country our sorry city council decided to outlaw Am Staffs, American Pit Bull Terriers, American bulldogs (for the love of pete), Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or anything even resembling one of those breeds. Unless you have a show dog or you were here before 2005, it ain't happenin'.

How absurd....how absolutely absurd. A black eye for Russellville.

[macmeal]

Sometimes life's a b*tch.......

[Sam I Am]

It is totally unfair - but now on to doing more education - I swear, I wish rescue paid a little better, I think it's my life's work.....oh, wait.....rescue doesn't pay, it COSTS! Ah well - I will continue to defend my beloved breed and work on behalf of all the "bully breeds" that are so discriminated against...I have a kid that's a lawyer, maybe it's time for him to do pro bono!

[Sam I Am]

Who knows? I was out of the country when the city council passed this. Hounds are one thing...the law is specific about ABPTs or anything that resembles one. Here's the link:

http://animalshelter.russellvillearkansas.org/docs/1918.pdf (broken link)

[nmnita]

outlawing any type of dog rubs me the wrong way. Do I love "Pit Bulls" for instance? nope, I am afraid of them and Chows as well. That being said, our granddaughter has 2 Pitt Bull mixtures and a 4 month old baby girl. None of us worry about the baby and the dogs. Both dogs are the most loving creatures I have seen and both are resque dogs. Our only concern is, the male, Tank, is a little hyper, we all wonder how many times his tail will knock Abby down when she first starts to walk.

Many people still fear Dobbies, German Sheppards, etc. Dogs are mean because of their upbringing, not their breed.

This isn't to say, some breeds are not more aggressive, more inclined to fight, more yappy, etc, but the enviornment is a factor, more than the breeding overall.

As I mentioned both are mixed though you would think they were pure bred except Tank isn't quite big enough to be a Pit.

Nita

[Stage]

Having seen way to many poorly trained pit bulls attack children. I say Good for Russelville.

Yes Pit Bulls and their cousins can be wonderful animals, but they can also be vicious killers. When it comes to decideding between children and animals, Children win every time in my book.

[Sam I Am]

Originally Posted by Stage

Having seen way to many poorly trained pit bulls attack children. I say Good for Russelville.

Yes Pit Bulls and their cousins can be wonderful animals, but they can also be vicious killers. When it comes to decideding between children and animals, Children win every time in my book.

I hope you don't live here. I and many others are fighting this as hard as we can. I totally disagree - if you will do a search on "pit bull" on this forum you will find many facts and figures regarding different dog breeds that will astonish you.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Stage

Having seen way to many poorly trained pit bulls attack children. I say Good for Russelville.

Yes Pit Bulls and their cousins can be wonderful animals, but they can also be vicious killers. When it comes to decideding between children and animals, Children win every time in my book.

Sorry Stage, I have to disagree with you. Yes, here in our county in the past few years we have had 2 or 3 horrible Pit Bull attacks on children and I wouldn't have one. That being said, in every case the dogs have been trained as watch dogs and chained up.

There are many breeds that are less than sweet and gentle, but there are sweet and gentle breeds with bad dogs. We have raised English Springer Spanials for years. I can't begin to think of a better all around dog, but, there are some Springers that are down right aggressive. What causes this to happen, who knows? Same is true with Labs, etc.

Again, would I have one? No, but do I think they should be ban, absolutely NO> Ban those who have trained these dogs to fight, don't ban the dog. Again you would have to meet Tank and Roxie to see how great they can be.

Nita

[Versatile]

Whether you like Pits or not has no bearing. Pits have a stronger bite than many other dogs. Pits are great for ahat they were bred for. It's like making a pet out of a Wolf. You might tame him down quite a bit but it is still a wild animal. Pits are not wild animals. When they revert back to what they were bred for then look out.

If you cannot control your animal then don't have it out in public or where it can get to the public. How many Pit owners can call it off when it attacks?

[strumpeace]

Originally Posted by Stage

Having seen way to many poorly trained pit bulls attack children. I say Good for Russelville.

Yes Pit Bulls and their cousins can be wonderful animals, but they can also be vicious killers. When it comes to decideding between children and animals, Children win every time in my book.

I agree and am very happy that so many towns are doing the right thing -- putting the safety of children first.