Pit bull laws in my town...

[mbc1963]

We've had a few serious dog attacks recently in my town: mastiff/pit bull/GSD.

 

The mayor's most recent newsletter describes how he's going to fix this problem. Here's a direct quote:

 

"The Mayor submitted to the City Council proposed amendments to the City’s laws regulating vicious animals. The amendment proposed by the Mayor would regulate all vicious dogs, not just pit bulls. The Mayor said the review by the City Solicitor revealed that the existing pit bull laws had been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court and that an amended ordinance was necessary."

 

Interesting, eh? (Pit bull laws in my town previously required PB owners to have them muzzled in public.)

 

All the dog attacks have taken place near the dogs' homes, and one of them took place with the dog inside its own home, when a kid ran in.

 

A big part of the mayor's solution is to have extra police patrolling the parks where people walk their dogs - where exactly zero attacks have taken place.

 

My opinion? The regulars who are out twice a day exercising their dogs are not the owners we should be cautious about.

 

Mary

[Bo Peep]

Pit bulls get a bum rap by bad owners. It's NOT the ones exercising their dogs and socializing them. It's the ones kept confined in the back yards and left unattended with zero training that are the worst ones. You are right on this one, Mary!!!!

[TDearstine]

In my area there have been alot of pitbull attacks over the past few years, in the past I have always blamed the owners for not having control of their animal, be it loose on the street or jumping a fence its the owners fault, I have never been a fan of the breed and I get alot of flack from friends when they defend them, my point has always been that if one of my B/C's bites someone its gonna leave a mark, problem with the pitbull is when it bites it either clamps and shakes or it takes a huge chunk out or its victim, the jaw power of a pitbull is just unreal, I have no problem with people owning them, just hope one never challenges me or any of my animals, cause it wont win, Tom

[Liz P]

I've had 4 dogs attacked by other dogs (by attacked I mean more than a single fast bite). In 2 cases it was pit bulls who WERE walked and socialized regularly. One of the other attacks was an Akita that essentially never left the yard (until the day it escaped and got my dog) and the last was actually a BC running loose at a trial.

 

Your right, when most dogs bite they let go, when PBs do they clamped down hard and shake. I am very, very careful now when I see a PB coming. I am not trying to blame the breed, I am trying to be realistic. I don't see how saying that PBs have a tendency to fight with other animals is any different than saying Border Collies have a tendency to want to round up other animals. It is what they were bred to do! If people want to own PBs that's fine, but they should understand the breed and their tendencies.

 

I've thought about this a lot lately because of my own experiences. I feel like there needs to be something in place, like maybe a 3 strikes and your out type policy. One of the pit bulls that got my own dog had a history of attacking other dogs but nothing was done about it. I don't want to see responsible people hurt by restrictive laws, but I do want to see irresponsible people punnished.

[Tranquilis]

... problem with the pitbull is when it bites it either clamps and shakes or it takes a huge chunk out or its victim, the jaw power of a pitbull is just unreal...

But you see, that's not a problem exclusive to APBTs. It's common to *all* terriers... They were bred to that, specifically. But then, it's not just a problem with only terriers, either! Your description could just as easily be applied to ANY of the molossers, as well... And there are a LOT of molosser breeds! Take a look. The APBT is the demon du jour, but it's only the latest in a long line of demonized breeds; Rotties, Dobies, GSDs... The list goes on and on.

 

The real problem is that too many people simply don't know how to keep, care for, and behave around dogs anymore. Yes, absolutely, some dogs are capable of doing massive damage, but that's not the dogs fault, nor should it be an issue if the dog is handled responsibly. I feel the same about dogs as I do about firearms. They do what they do - no more, no less. It's their *owners* whom are to be held responsible to their safe use and care. If an owner is irresponsible, then that *specific* owner is the one whom should be held to book, not anyone else, and certainly not broad swathes of the community whom are blameless. If a dog is utterly uncontrollable, well, then you know what must be done. But few - *very* few, IME - dogs are beyond control.

[FoxgloveBC]

I've had 4 dogs attacked by other dogs (by attacked I mean more than a single fast bite). In 2 cases it was pit bulls who WERE walked and socialized regularly. One of the other attacks was an Akita that essentially never left the yard (until the day it escaped and got my dog) and the last was actually a BC running loose at a trial.

 

Your right, when most dogs bite they let go, when PBs do they clamped down hard and shake. I am very, very careful now when I see a PB coming. I am not trying to blame the breed, I am trying to be realistic. I don't see how saying that PBs have a tendency to fight with other animals is any different than saying Border Collies have a tendency to want to round up other animals. It is what they were bred to do! If people want to own PBs that's fine, but they should understand the breed and their tendencies.

 

I've thought about this a lot lately because of my own experiences. I feel like there needs to be something in place, like maybe a 3 strikes and your out type policy. One of the pit bulls that got my own dog had a history of attacking other dogs but nothing was done about it. I don't want to see responsible people hurt by restrictive laws, but I do want to see irresponsible people punnished.

 

Liz I really think you are going about it in a right manner. Be careful around the breed especially out in the open or when walking into their "territory", but not to say "all of them are killers." I am cautious around bully breeds as well. I have a couple of scars from dogs and well, they are both from pit bull dogs. They just can be a lot of dog sometimes and most people are not prepared for the work it takes when you own such a dog. It is a shame, I have one in rescue right now that is a beautiful dog, we just neutered him, but he is going to take a lot of work as he is rather flamboyant! (a little dog aggressive, but not people aggressive at all...and very excited around people wanting attention.)

 

I know here, we take in rabies obs dogs. Three strikes...you're out. Sadly, the only ones that we have had to put to sleep and dehead while I have been there have been pit bulls. There is one that is on strike two, and she is so aggressive that we had to leave her in a covered run, and give her food and water through a watering pail. She is an absolutely striking dog, beautiful in every way, but man she is fierce! I got her to finally calm down and not attack the fence when I would attend to her, but she watched my every move. It is a shame, because we know most likely she is going to hit that 3rd strike before too long since she is so aggressive towards everything except the one owner.

[2 Devils]

It is not just terriers that try to "kill" the prey by shaking etc... It is a dog thing period. A couple years back a golden retriever grabbed my border collie mix by the head and was shaking her like a rag doll. This dog was not letting go and it took a couple folks to get the dog away from Charlotte. Charlotte was just over a year old at the time. She had been attacked by labs, goldens, unknown mixes at places from pet stores, walking the neighborhood and flyball tourneys. She had am Attack Me sign planted on her somewhere. I started not taking her places because she became very dog aggressive and for good reason. This all happened before she was 3 yrs old. She is no longer living since she was diagnosed with cancer when she was 4 yrs old so I could not work on her issues.

 

Anyways, don't blame the breed. It is usually stupid owners who cause the problems especially the ones who know their dog has issues. I managed Charlotte and so did my husband. She never attacked a dog (other than family squabbles with dogs at home - those were nixed with verbal correction).

 

I love pits, rotties and gsds. I have never been bit by one. I have been bitten by small mixes, poodles, hounds and border collies (all between childhood and now).

 

Yes I do believe something needs to be done to stop the aggression but banning the breed won't solve the problem. Truly making owners accountable for their dogs behavior might (jail time, high fines, mandatory education, etc..).