Dog Attacks Prompts Call For Ban On Some Breeds (purchase, high school)

[BrianH]

Bite statistics dont show that. I can almost guarentee that most of them dogs (a large portion) were most likely XBreeds. In my experience, most of the dangerous dogs ive seen in town are way to large to be purebreds. I know one guy who runs a mill type set up his male is an Staff / AmStaff X breed with a very large (probably mix too) AmStaff.

At the same time, if they do ban it, its just as easy to get a Labrador or Shepheard to be dangerous.

[Delaneyland]

Hey all, I just had a thought. Why don't we, as voters, pass a referendum that would dignify all politicians, as dangerous breeds if deemed so by popular vote. Think about it, if our elected officials don't perform to their constituents standards and we could pass a referendum on them, that would end useless so called "law making", wouldn't it?

[PitBullMommie1206]

Originally Posted by JameeLynn25

PBM, I think I am going to have that heart attack before the age of 30 as well! Like you mentioned, it would be like trying to take away my young child and thats not going to happen. I would be damned if someone even tried to take her. If the law goes to pass, Josie and I are moving to Canada. There are alot, and I mean alot of owners in Mn with so called " potentially dangerous dogs" This is a very touchy subject for alot of Minnesotans. Not just for the people that live here but others with these types breeds in other states as well. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know of any states that have passed this law? I know a few cities have, but I wasnt sure if an entire state has passed this ridiculous law.

If anyone is ever interested please visit awholrottalove.com to check out a wonderful program here in the twin cities fighting this proposal. You can also order cheap fun items from there store and all of the money goes right into caring for these Pits and Rots and finding them a good home. Its a great website that will touch the heart of us dog lovers/owners who have to live with this media garbage.

That website doesn't work, it says it doesn't exist? I tried what you posted "awholrottalove.com" and that didn't work, so then I tried "awholerottalove.com" and that didn't work either??

Oh! Is this the website you were talking about.. A Rotta Love Plus, MN Rottweiler and Pit Bull Rescue, Rehoming, and Education - Hurricane Rescue Dogs (http://www.arottalove.org/hurricane.htm - broken link) it's arottalove.org

And here's the site where you can buy stuff... A Rotta Love Plus : CafePress.com

[sushigirlie]

I used to volunteer at the animal shelter and found pitt bulls to be the most gentle, smartest and loving animals. It's not their fault that some people abuse them and breed them specifically for fighting.

If you punish honest citizens who love and nurture their animals, people that illegally breed pit bulls for fighting are STILL going to do it. They are currently violating the law and they will continue doing it in the future. Banning the breed will not ban dog fighting and dog attacks. The laws should be inforced to punish people for breaking the law.

I guess some goverment representatives try to show they are doing something to make a difference. These ban legislators are NOT the brightest bulbs on the tree. We should unite and stop them from doing any more damage and tearing families away from their beloved dogs.

[sushigirlie]

Originally Posted by kuan

The pure statistics are overwhelmingly in favor of banning pit bulls. Pit bulls account for 1-3% of the dog population in the United States but are responsible for 50% of serious bites.



The only way to sway the statistics in favor of the breed is to show that of all those dogs which were involved, there was a serious error in the way the dog was handled by the owner, or that the owner was a felon, mentally unfit to own a dog, or had some previous violent criminal history. I have no interest in this, but if I were the dog lobby, I'd look into seeing if this was indeed the case.

Next step is of course to try and restrict the ownership of pits bulls and rotts to those who are actually capable and responsible. But hey, are we talking gun control here? is pet ownership a right or privilege?

This is the most pathetic piece of literature that I've read in a looooong time!! Better double check your stats! Also, you neglected to mention that most of these stats involve MIXED breed dogs, so you can not establish the correlation above.

[sushigirlie]

My heart goes out to people with own pit bull breeds. I spent a lot of time with the dogs and l love them. there is not a single mean bone in their body....

[kuan]

Originally Posted by sushigirlie

This is the most pathetic piece of literature that I've read in a looooong time!! Better double check your stats! Also, you neglected to mention that most of these stats involve MIXED breed dogs, so you can not establish the correlation above.

Hmm, perhaps. Here's where I found that stat. Dog Bite Statistics

Still it's just a website, and who knows where they got that statistic. (lawyer's website at that)

From 1979 through 1998, at least 25 breeds of dogs have been involved in 238 human dog bite related deaths. Pit Bulls and Rottweilers were involved in more than 50 percent of these deaths.

I've been trying to find counterexamples. This document breaks it down but not in a pit-friendly way. The complete .pdf is here: http://www.dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf (broken link)



Anyway to me it's a lot like the debate on global warming. When a majority of the stats seem to trend in one direction, a majority of people will be swayed in that direction. I still think irresponsible people shouldn't be allowed to have a dog. Then again, we let irresponsible people have kids, I don't think dog ownership is gonna be high on the permit list. Like bicycles, it's gonna be tough to change people's perception.

[roneb]

kuan has struck the nail on the head here. I'll start by saying that I DO NOT favor legislation to ban breeds. But kuan is right about the stats, anyway you slice it rott/pitbull breeds account for the majority of serious bites. The design of the breed creates a jaw cabable of inflicting more damage than the average dog's. Because of the reputation the breed has gained (justified or not) irresponsible / non-law-abiding people are attracted to these breeds. You favorite breed may be maligned; but without being realistic about what is happening, you won't succeed in you fight to save them. Make yourself visible as a sensible lobby group to legislators and the public. Find statistics about the owners in bite/attack cases and educate people. I'd suggest pushing for much tougher penalties for the owners of (all) dogs in bite/attack cases. Mandatory penalties and compensation might discourage the irresponsible types from acquiring dogs and appease the public as well. If you raise a loving pet and are responsible, you'd have nothing to worry about - regardless of breed!

[JameeLynn25]

[quote=kuan;1490392]Hmm, perhaps. Here's where I found that stat. Dog Bite Statistics

Still it's just a website, and who knows where they got that statistic. (lawyer's website at that)



I've been trying to find counterexamples. This document breaks it down but not in a pit-friendly way. The complete .pdf is here: http://www.dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf (broken link)



Thanks for this info. I know from a Rottie owners perspective that they do have that potential to bite. Any dog does. My girl wouldnt just run up to someone and bite them or attack. Now if someone broke into the house or came after me I know she would. Other than that she isnt a vicious (sp) dog at all. Maybe thats when these incidences occur. They never mention in these stats "The dogs were protecting there house/owner when burglar broke in" I bet you any money 99% of these attacks by Rots were when they were protecting there territory. How many poodles do you hear of attacking a burglar?

As far as the attacks on children well I dont know it all, but my guess would be these kids werent being supervised by an adult. Its tragic to hear these stories yes, but children need to be watched around any animal! They dont know any better. A close friend of mine was bit in the face by a shih-tzu when he was 12. It was his aunt's dog and he went to pet it then bit him. He had to get stiches and has a huge scar on his face now. Imo, if that was a Pit or Rot it would be all over the newspaper! How often do we read a headline "Shih-tzu attacks/bites kid in face"

[Isaysos]

Why does it always seem like the pit bulls are owned by a certain type of person, if you know what I mean?