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Not if shooting it was done for a legitimate reason like self-defense (i.e., a Pit is either attacking you, or going to attack you, and you shoot and kill it. This is perfectly legitimate. You could even sue the Pit owner for medical damages afterwards).
Quote:
Originally Posted by YAZ
If you prefaced your post with something like:
"I specialize in gun laws throughout the U.S.A. and have handled many litigious arguments RE: dog attacks......"
I'd take you seriously.
But you're from Canada.
Well, I'm not from Canada, and I can tell you vanizorc is correct. I'm not a lawyer either, but I'm an avid Judge Judy and The People's Court fan, and there are quite a few cases dealing with dog mauling. I have also researched the laws regarding this on my own because loose dogs, often pit bulls, were a problem in my old neighborhood. (That was how my neighbor was attacked). Self defense is self defense, whether a person is defending him/herself from an attacking person, or an attacking dog. If a dog is attacking a person, he/she has the right to use deadly force to protect themselves.
There was a specific case I recall on The People's Court in which two loose pit bulls chased a father and son who were working in their yard. The pits started biting the father, who yelled to his son to get the dogs off him. The son ran inside, grabbed his gun, and came out and shot both dogs to death. The pit bull owners came back and sued the father and son for killing their dogs!!! The men had a counterclaim for pain and suffering and medical expenses, which they won-$3500 I believe.
I think the solution would be to only allow people with certain permits to breed or own pit bulls. Maybe that would keep them out of the wrong hands. Improper training, handling, and breeding are the top factors behind ALL attacks, but this would at least help pit bulls as a whole. However, it would do nothing for the attacks of other breeds. I've found German Shepherds that have not been trained or socialized to be far more dangerous than any pit bull I've ever seen. They're high strung, anxious, and ready to go nuts for any slight reason. Somebody drop a pen, and they attack. The wind blows, they attack. You touch them, they kill you. German Shepherds are extremely intelligent dogs, but they need their mind to be engaged somehow otherwise they are insane. And there are a lot of Shepherd owners who haven't the slightest damn clue, and I guarantee you, a lot of shepherd attacks because of it. And that's only one of many breeds with a quirk that needs to be understood.
So maybe regulating pit bulls would take the focus off of THAT breed and people could stop acting like those are the only dogs that ever attack anyone. I refuse to engage with people who are hell bent on believing that pits are the root of all evil in the world. I know what I know from years of direct experience, not from googling stories about "Pit bull attacks" to fit into my own agenda. For those who don't want to own one, that's perfectly fine. Some dogs are not suited for some people, and I respect those who are smart enough to know this. But those talking about shooting all pits and eradicating the whole breed is just plain foolishness. People believe what they want to believe though.
Are you really saying that people should wait for a dog to die to start a family? lol
I agree with Gizmo. Pets shouldn't be considered disposable but too many treat them as such. We need to pass laws against this inhumane treatment. Instead of telling them they should give up their dog, she should have been telling them to use birth control until the dog they committed to taking care of passed away. Yes.
personally I think people who are so quick to dispose of their pets in this manner should be entered into some sort of registry barring them from ever owning another pet as they have already shown their disposable mindset today's animals they've committed to taken care of.
When the animal was there first, sorry, but baby has to come second.
And to the poster who said they would kill any pitbull they see on their property all I can say is kill my dog, there will be full scale war.
I agree with Gizmo. Pets shouldn't be considered disposable but too many treat them as such. We need to pass laws against this inhumane treatment. Instead of telling them they should give up their dog, she should have been telling them to use birth control until the dog they committed to taking care of passed away. Yes.
personally I think people who are so quick to dispose of their pets in this manner should be entered into some sort of registry barring them from ever owning another pet as they have already shown their disposable mindset today's animals they've committed to taken care of.
When the animal was there first, sorry, but baby has to come second.
And to the poster who said they would kill any pitbull they see on their property all I can say is kill my dog, there will be full scale war.
We had a beautiful gentle PET goat ripped apart in our yard by a neighbor's husky. Believe me, if I would have been there and had a gun, club, rock or anything that I could have used as a weapon, I would have killed it or at least given it a huge head-ache. It was also known to chase another neighbor's horses. Our goat was an easy kill. We made the owner come and see what her dog had done to our goat before we buried it. She cried. I have since heard that the husky attacked another neighbor's dog and he shot it. Rightfully so IMO!
If I saw a pitbull in my yard and I knew it, and knew it was agressive, you damned right I would kill it if I had the means. If I knew it was known to be friendly, I'd still go inside and call the owners or the Humane Society to come and get it. I just don't trust them. Period.
I agree with Gizmo. Pets shouldn't be considered disposable but too many treat them as such. We need to pass laws against this inhumane treatment. Instead of telling them they should give up their dog, she should have been telling them to use birth control until the dog they committed to taking care of passed away. Yes.
personally I think people who are so quick to dispose of their pets in this manner should be entered into some sort of registry barring them from ever owning another pet as they have already shown their disposable mindset today's animals they've committed to taken care of.
When the animal was there first, sorry, but baby has to come second.
And to the poster who said they would kill any pitbull they see on their property all I can say is kill my dog, there will be full scale war.
War over YOUR pitbull being on somebody else's property. Welcome to prison.
From all the publicity and horror stories told, many pitbull or "pitbull type" owners claim they have suddenly turned on them or someone else in the family or neighborhood. These dogs were sweet-natured until that fateful day when their sweet natured pit or pit type suddenly went bezerk and ripped up their 2 year old grandchild. They claim that up until that day, the dog had never shown any agression at all to anyone. Their grandchild had played with this dog and got licked in the face by this dog and cuddled with this dog.
Now here's the key: the dog "TURNED" on them. Until that day, they had no idea that their sweet natured dog was going to suddenly turn on them. Until that day, their dog was an angel. UNTIL that day.
Tell me how many other breeds are known to suddenly turn? None that I know of.
Sure, there are breeds out there that are known to have possible agressive tendancies.(Rotties, GSD, chihuauas, toy poodles, etc) People that buy these dogs are AWARE of the possibility that when they purchase one of these puppies that it might mature and be agressive. If their puppy indeed matures into an agressive dog, they will warn strangers, they will handle their own dogs with caution and will not trust their dog around children. They are AWARE that their dog is aggressive. They have seen it raise it's lip at a child. They have heard the low warning growl at strangers. They have seen the dog look straight into their eyes in challenge of being scolded. They are aware.
But let's go back to the pitbull whose owner claims that they were sweet until that fateful day. They had NO idea that their dog was going to turn. So how many other dog breeds will be a sweet family pet and suddenly "turn"? None that I know of.
No dog suddenly "turns". There is always causation, in every breed. I've heard the same thing said about dobermans, rottweilers, GSDs, boxers... even my grandparents poodle who bit me (oh he just turned.. no he didn't he was blind, senile, old and in extremely poor health. And I stepped near him when he had a bone when he snapped at me)
"they just turned"
No. They didn't "just turn". The dog owner ignored the dogs cues time and time again. APBT, AmStaffs, mixes of those, bull terriers and every other breed on earth uses the same dog language.
The real problem are humans who fail to interpret the warning signs. And then we have owners who think this type of thing is "cute" to do to a dog........
A story popped up on my FB feed about a flat coated retriever who was dumped at the local shelter because it "nipped" at a toddler "for no reason". Except upon prodding the owners said the child was HANGING OFF THE DOG'S EARS AT THE TIME.
But the dog is to blame for issuing warnings?
No. In almost every case of a dog biting, there are cues and causes.
True human aggression cases are few and far between and dogs who ARE truly human aggressive should be put to sleep, regardless of breed, and certainly never be allowed to breed. The problem with some of the back yard breeders breeding these monstrosities that they will call XXXXL pit bulls or creating these mastiff/pit bull type crosses is that they don't take genetics into account and will breed a dog who isn't wired right or has a parent who wasn't wired right simply because they look good or because they think that being aggressive towards humans is "funny". Responsible breeders of ANY breed don't breed dogs with temperament issues and will cull puppies who show human aggressive tendencies.
I agree with Gizmo. Pets shouldn't be considered disposable but too many treat them as such. We need to pass laws against this inhumane treatment. Instead of telling them they should give up their dog, she should have been telling them to use birth control until the dog they committed to taking care of passed away. Yes.
personally I think people who are so quick to dispose of their pets in this manner should be entered into some sort of registry barring them from ever owning another pet as they have already shown their disposable mindset today's animals they've committed to taken care of.
When the animal was there first, sorry, but baby has to come second.
And to the poster who said they would kill any pitbull they see on their property all I can say is kill my dog, there will be full scale war.
( about your last paragraph ).............keep your pitbull on your property and there will be no .."full scale war"
No dog suddenly "turns". There is always causation, in every breed. I've heard the same thing said about dobermans, rottweilers, GSDs, boxers... even my grandparents poodle who bit me (oh he just turned.. no he didn't he was blind, senile, old and in extremely poor health. And I stepped near him when he had a bone when he snapped at me)
"they just turned"
No. They didn't "just turn". The dog owner ignored the dogs cues time and time again. APBT, AmStaffs, mixes of those, bull terriers and every other breed on earth uses the same dog language.
The real problem are humans who fail to interpret the warning signs. And then we have owners who think this type of thing is "cute" to do to a dog........
A story popped up on my FB feed about a flat coated retriever who was dumped at the local shelter because it "nipped" at a toddler "for no reason". Except upon prodding the owners said the child was HANGING OFF THE DOG'S EARS AT THE TIME.
But the dog is to blame for issuing warnings?
No. In almost every case of a dog biting, there are cues and causes.
True human aggression cases are few and far between and dogs who ARE truly human aggressive should be put to sleep, regardless of breed, and certainly never be allowed to breed. The problem with some of the back yard breeders breeding these monstrosities that they will call XXXXL pit bulls or creating these mastiff/pit bull type crosses is that they don't take genetics into account and will breed a dog who isn't wired right or has a parent who wasn't wired right simply because they look good or because they think that being aggressive towards humans is "funny". Responsible breeders of ANY breed don't breed dogs with temperament issues and will cull puppies who show human aggressive tendencies.
Exactly this^. And that video is disturbing, clueless owners.
(a) because, like you, and so many others, they choose to believe the headlines and don't bother to learn the facts.
(b) see (a) above.... and fwiw... State Farm does not breed discriminate.....
(c) see (a) above
(d) because these stories generate interest... viewership, readers, etc. .... Also, the pit bull is THE most abused dog in this country... far too often falling into the wrong hands for the wrong reasons, which is also the reason you see so many of them in shelters......
(e) If you have volunteered or worked in a shelter, I assume you are familiar with the term kennel crazy?? Also.... see the second part of (d) above.....
Look, I am not saying that all are perfect angels.... they are not... but then, no breed is.... I was bitten (badly) by a poodle, but am not running around advocating poodles be banned....
and lastly, based upon my own vast experience in transport, I would have to say that if dogs are as calm and affectionate as these two were that day, then it is a safe assumption that that is a reflection of their true personalities..... it is the nervous, frightened, even shut down passengers that will require time to decipher....
(a) Please provide references to these so-called "facts" that Pit Bull attacks are somehow falsified, so that we can verify them. Really, the statistics don't lie - time and again Pit Bulls top the annual lists on most serious and/or fatal attacks.
(b) Your one example of one insurance company does not offset the many insurance companies that do punish Pit Bull ownership.
(c) See above.
(d) The "bad owners" argument has been debunked over and over. There are many "bad owners" who own other breeds of dogs -- why don't we see more abused Labs or Collies going around mauling people? Owners do not make Pit Bulls dangerous; rather, owners (who do not know better) are attracted to Pit Bulls because they are a dangerous breed, and as such they think it makes them look cool. It is absolute foolishness to deny the genetics and genetic predisposition of Pit Bulls. You might as well deny the reality of animal husbandry.
(e) There are many other breeds of dogs in shelters, not only Pit Bulls. If you are going to attribute "kennel craziness" to Pit Bulls that have come from shelters, you'd also have to apply that to all the other adopted shelter animals as well. Yet, again, it is only the Pit Bulls that have been the most susceptible to attacking.
And frankly, the fact that the Pit Bulls remained calm throughout the transportation -- while other dog breeds were usually nervous -- is actually a bad sign. See, unlike normal dogs, Pit Bulls do not recognize or appreciate signs of submission, and do not know fear as a normal dog would. This is why, during an attack when a Pit Bull latches onto your leg, it will not let go regardless of how many times you beat it on the head with a pipe.
The ability of Pit Bulls to not know fear or pain is *precisely* what makes them so dangerous -- and this is also the reason Pit Bulls engage in sustained maulings rather than the less harmful bite-and-leave style of other dog breeds.
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