[Jesse---James]

Pitbulls are either one of two things: Proven vicious attackers; or timebombs ticking away until they snap. No other dog breed creates the bloodbath news headlines over and over and over again like pitbulls.

Banning the breed is the only solution. People of low self-worth who need to raise scary dogs will just choose chow-chows or rots -- but even these dogs don't massacre like pit-bulls do. So the community will be better for it.

One can argue all they want about "their" dog would never attack. But whenever one of these monsters does snap and shred a toddler the owner always invariably says something along the lines of how they never expected their faithful companion to act in such a way.

Banning the breed in the city would also be a blow the underground dogfighting industry. Which all dog lovers should applaud, since it is such a cruel and abusing sport.

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

I thought there was already a ban in place on Pitt bulls... everytime i read of something involving a Pitt in the World Herald it was always being taken away by the humane's society!

I guess if the residents of Omaha want and vote for a Pitt Bull ban then its cool... But I'm not really a fan of government imposed bans on people esp. in the privacy of their own homes (in my view it is the government over-stepping its boundaries). I'm sure if someone wants to own a Pitt that bad they can always move to Council Bluffs or Sarpy County... Avoiding the wheel tax alone is incentive enough for a lot of folks... less government intervention is even more!

On a similar note, Omaha should repeal its ban on owning the Green Iguana as a pet... We have owned a female Green Iguana for almost two years and haven't had any trouble with her!

It's people's carelessness that causes these mauling incidents and the entire public shouldn't have to suffer because of the arrogant actions of the few!

[kayramage]

I own two "pitbulls" and they are the most gentle, loving dogs I have ever owned. I have a 9 month old, 2 year old who spend alot of time with them and love them very much.

I do have difficulty finding places to live and insurance because of the ignorance about "pitbulls". But, I deal with it and I take my dogs out to meet people and help change the perception of these dogs, one person at a time.

I didn't get these well-behaved dogs overnight. They have been to obedeince class, agility training and GOOD SOCIALIZATION since I have had them, they are hardly left outside. They are on a feeding schedule and are exersiced often.

This is what it takes to have a well-behaved animal. Patience, money, love and dedication. The same things it takes to have children. Too many people are IRRESPONSIBLE with their "pitbulls". They don't socialize them, feed them properly and often chain to a tree for hours at a time. Dogs need to be part of the family and given lots of love and structure.

Any creature deprived of love, training, socialization and proper nutrition and health care is a ticking timebomb!!! Are killers born or are they made?

Many of these animals are rescued/adopted and owners do not know what happened to them before they came upon them at the shelter. Anytime that you are not 100% sure of how it was raised you must socialize, socialzie, and socialize. These animals need to be in obiedence classes and continue going.

But, people don't do this. They get a cute little puppy and love it until it gets too big to be in the house then it's chained up outside until it gets loose and hurts someone. Then, they get a "house-broken" older dog who gets no socialization or stimulation and they are chained up outside and get loose and hurt someone.

But, where is the punishment for the owner?

The animal dies but the owner spends a few weeks/months in jail, faces a small fine and continues on with it's life and most of them get another dog.

Too often the warning signs of a "dangerous dog" are ignored. The neighbors fail to report a animal that's constantly barking or just seem aggresive. If they do report them the situation is not properly investigated.

We need harsher punishments for the irresponsible owners. Mandatory fines/jail time for suspicion of harboring a danger anaimal (numerous police reports of excessive barking, animal observed being left outside for excessive amounts of time, malnutrition, failure to maintain health of animal).

We need to make it more difficult to own "pitbulls'". Mandatory obedience class, neutering/spading if you are not a licensed pitbull breeder, no breeding with in city limits, proper vet care. The minute you fail to do this, we take your dog and if you get another one, jail time.

If your out of control animal kills someone, you get charged with manslaughter.

It's time people started using common sense and start being responsible for their animals or they don't need to have animals.

[PizzyPands]

The problem with Pit Bulls is that when they attack, it's not just a bite or two. The dogs go into "fight to the death" mode. Centuries of being bred for dog-fighting has resulted in an extremely active medulla oblongata, which releases huge amounts of adrenaline and other chemicals into their brains. The chemicals trigger a massacre.

Unfortunately, all too often it is a toddler on the other end of what the dog sees as a fight to the death.

The dogs that are raised in loving homes have this response repressed somewhat, but it is still there. Maybe it will be triggered, maybe not. Pitbull owners always seem to think that their love is enough to keep that response repressed. This is why the owners are always suprised when their dogs go ape-sh*t and sends someone to the emergency room.
Council Bluffs already has a ban on Pitbulls -- Sarpy County is already considering the same. Sometimes the goverment needs to step in to protect citizens.

[ehenningsen]

sounds like Council Bluffs is starting to edge Omaha in, gulp progressiveness

[ran39822]

Which Breed Of Dog Is Most Aggressive?

Study Finds Dachshund To Be Most Aggressive Breed


POSTED: 11:16 am EDT July 8, 2008
UPDATED: 8:44 pm EDT July 8, 2008

(broken link)

They may not look as threatening as some of the larger canine, but research revealed that the dachshund is the most aggressive breed of dog.
Citing a study published by Applied Animal Behavior Science, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that one in five dachshunds has bitten or tried to bite strangers, and one in 12 has shown aggression toward its owners.
The study involved researchers from the University of Pennsylvania. About 6,000 dog owners were questioned about their dogs' behavior. Thirty-three breeds were ranked on their aggression.
Ranking below the dachshund was an even smaller dog, the Chihuahua. According to the newspaper, research found that the tiny breed often snaps at most beings it encounters -- including its owners, strangers and other dogs.
The Jack Russell terrier was third, followed by the Akita and the Australian cattle dog. The pit bull was sixth, followed by the beagle, the English springer spaniel, the border collie and the German shepherd.
The Telegraph reported that researchers said previous studies on canine aggression could have been misleading as most bites from smaller dogs were not reported. According to the researchers, bites from larger dogs were more likely to require medical attention than those from smaller dogs.
According to the Telegraph, the Rottweiler, which is widely believed to be an aggressive dog, scored average to below average ratings for its hostility toward strangers.
The newspaper reported that some of the lowest scoring breeds for aggression included the Basset hound, golden retriever, Labradors, Siberian huskies and greyhounds.

http://www.wsbtv.com/family/16819735/detail.html

[kdbrich]

Originally Posted by kayramage

I own two "pitbulls" and they are the most gentle, loving dogs I have ever owned. I have a 9 month old, 2 year old who spend alot of time with them and love them very much.

I do have difficulty finding places to live and insurance because of the ignorance about "pitbulls". But, I deal with it and I take my dogs out to meet people and help change the perception of these dogs, one person at a time.

I didn't get these well-behaved dogs overnight. They have been to obedeince class, agility training and GOOD SOCIALIZATION since I have had them, they are hardly left outside. They are on a feeding schedule and are exersiced often.

This is what it takes to have a well-behaved animal. Patience, money, love and dedication. The same things it takes to have children. Too many people are IRRESPONSIBLE with their "pitbulls". They don't socialize them, feed them properly and often chain to a tree for hours at a time. Dogs need to be part of the family and given lots of love and structure.

Any creature deprived of love, training, socialization and proper nutrition and health care is a ticking timebomb!!! Are killers born or are they made?

Many of these animals are rescued/adopted and owners do not know what happened to them before they came upon them at the shelter. Anytime that you are not 100% sure of how it was raised you must socialize, socialzie, and socialize. These animals need to be in obiedence classes and continue going.

But, people don't do this. They get a cute little puppy and love it until it gets too big to be in the house then it's chained up outside until it gets loose and hurts someone. Then, they get a "house-broken" older dog who gets no socialization or stimulation and they are chained up outside and get loose and hurt someone.

But, where is the punishment for the owner?

The animal dies but the owner spends a few weeks/months in jail, faces a small fine and continues on with it's life and most of them get another dog.

Too often the warning signs of a "dangerous dog" are ignored. The neighbors fail to report a animal that's constantly barking or just seem aggresive. If they do report them the situation is not properly investigated.

We need harsher punishments for the irresponsible owners. Mandatory fines/jail time for suspicion of harboring a danger anaimal (numerous police reports of excessive barking, animal observed being left outside for excessive amounts of time, malnutrition, failure to maintain health of animal).

We need to make it more difficult to own "pitbulls'". Mandatory obedience class, neutering/spading if you are not a licensed pitbull breeder, no breeding with in city limits, proper vet care. The minute you fail to do this, we take your dog and if you get another one, jail time.

If your out of control animal kills someone, you get charged with manslaughter.

It's time people started using common sense and start being responsible for their animals or they don't need to have animals.

I've seen very nice and loving wolf hybrids, too. Heck, I've seen people hugging and loving on a lion or tiger on a leash. Doesn't mean that we should allow those animals in the city limits to be owned by the average joe.

We can also severely penalize any owner who has an animal that attacks someone...but what price do we put on a life of a 4 year old?

[star_gazer]

It IS sort of ridiculous when you think about a possible ban on pit bulls.

I mean consider all of the people who are injured or killed due to 'bad owners' of guns... many, MANY more than the numbers of those who are impacted by all dog incidents combined. Yet, we wouldn't think of a gun ban.

Of course I would personally be happy to see both a pit bull and a gun ban.

[ehenningsen]

guns do nothing until used..

pit bulls will pant and play, and then attack two year olds..

BIG difference!

[2Adam29]

I'm not fond of guns or pit bulls. I think the latter should be outright banned, and the former should be decided on a local level, which is why I was sad to see the DC gun ban get struck down. I really felt like that was a sensible middle ground.