Senator Dan Lederman says that his Senate Bill 75, to prohibit dog breed-specific local ordinances, will prevent "media hysteria" from driving "feel-good, knee-jerk reactions" against adorable pit bulls.
Medical experts disagree:
Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges, and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs. Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the US mortality rates related to dog bites [J.K. Bini et al., abstract, "Mortality, Mauling, and Maiming by Vicious Dogs," Annals of Surgery, April 2011].
It is not hysteria to note that certain breeds account for higher percentage of dog-bite injuries:
The objective of this study was to characterize the nature of dog bite injuries treated over a 5-year period at a large tertiary pediatric hospital and to identify relevant parameters for public education and injury prevention.
...More than 30 different offending breeds were documented in the medical records. The most common breeds included pit bull terriers (50.9 percent), Rottweilers (8.9 percent), and mixed breeds of the two aforementioned breeds (6 percent).
Pediatric dog bites are preventable injuries, yet they persist as a prevalent public health problem. Evaluation of data from high-volume tertiary pediatric health care institutions identifies predictable patterns of injury with respect to patient age and gender, animal breed, provocation, and seasonality [A.E. Kaye et al., abstract, "Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries: A 5-Year Review of the Experience at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia," Plastic Reconstructive Surgery, August 2009].
Senator Lederman must think the U.S. Army is hysterical. Fort Benning bans pit bulls. U.S. Army Garrison Policy Memorandum 08-10 declares pit bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, chows, and wolf hybrids "aggressive or potentially aggressive" and bans those breeds unless they are certified military working dogs boarded by their trainers or handlers.
Senator Lederman is fighting to protect pit bulls from justifiable discrimination even as he advocates a marriage discrimination bill that imperils his own family members' civil rights (just imagine a Christian baker refusing to sell a wedding cake to Lederman's kids because the baker thinks the Bible tells him not to serve Jews). Senator Lederman is also fighting to deny local control to elected officials who would act on scientific evidence to reduce injuries to children from an identifiable risk.
Senator Lederman's ignorance and pandering to a manly-man constituency seems very Republican; Senator Lederman's attack on local control does not.
Update 10:50 CST: An eager reader reminds me that Dan Lederman used to love local control. Recall Lederman's defense of last year's school gunslinger bill:
Allow schools the ability to make their own decisions on how to best keep students safe, and give them the tools to do so at their discretion. Most won’t use it, and that’s up to them. If only one District chooses to exercise local control in this manner, then it was still the right decision [Dan Lederman, "Allow Local Control for School Safety - School Sentinel Bill," blog, 2013.02.22].
I'm also reminded that in December 2012, the Aberdeen City Council rejected a pit bull ban, even though their own study of local violent animal incidents showed pit bulls are responsible for a disproportionate number of serious dog attacks.
Fort Benning is where we trained the terroristic control freaks that killed Archbishop Romero and some nuns. There has been an annual protest there at the gates of Fort Benning for over twenty years. That is our terrorist training camp to teach South American soldiers to control their people. So the army knows that if you are dealing with the most aggressive people, you can not let them have a pit bull or you will have very small problems escalate into a big problem. Those excessively aggressive people are the ones that want a pit bull. The pit bull in general is not a good thing where there is any amount of population. If you are scared of the world you should not just get a pit bull to put fear in your neighbors, you should live in the country with your pit bull so the only other people around are those who you might actually have a reason to be afraid of. Only your friends will come near.
The right to own weaponized dogs is in the US Constitution right next to the right to raise cannabis and kill slaves.
Roger, there is something literary in an institution that trains dangerous people banning dangerous animals.
I wonder what hysteria the senator is referring to which is so compelling to override local control?
I'm not a "pit bull" person, but then I prefer dog breeds other than terriers in general. However, this hysteria over "pit bulls" seems misplaced and sensationalized. As a general rule, a dog's disposition depends greatly on how the dog was raised and trained. Banning a particular breed isn't going to keep irresponsible owners from picking, say, a German Shepherd and training it to be vicious. In fact, wasn't there a time when German Shepherds were banned because they were "inherently" vicious, the way "pit bulls" are seen to be now?
On that same topic, if "pit bulls" are going to be banned, why aren't all terriers banned? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_Bull
Surely the existential danger they present must be present in all members of their breed. Or maybe it highlights the fact that some people train "pit bulls" to act a certain way, whereas they don't train Jack Russell terriers to be similarly aggressive. Banning a breed perceived to be dangerous is just a band-aid on the actual problem of irresponsible dog ownership.
Cory, while I love your site, your hysteria over pit bulls and obvious dislike of Dan Lederman's politics seems to be coloring your normally factual view on issues. Here is a link to a well-reasoned and researched discussion of the danger of pit bulls vis a vis other dog breeds: http://bestfriends.org/uploadedFiles/Content/Resources/Resources_for_Rescuers%281%29/Adoption/biteprevention.pdf. Best Friends is the organization that rescued and rehabilitated many of the Vick dog-fighting dogs. They are trained professionals and know what they are talking about. Dog breed legislation is simply lazy. Ban dangerous dogs and jail irresponsible dog owners. Don't just ban a breed because you are scared of it. And if you do ban breeds, German Shepherds better be at the top of your list. Whether we need a state law governing local issues is another topic and I have no trouble with you calling out Lederman on that issue.
This word "hysteria" is really popular in this debate. Why is that? What are people really saying when they trot out that term? It seems to be an effort to overgeneralize and dismiss reasonable concerns.
The dog breed research Aberdeen did found that "Pit bulls are involved in more incidnets than any other breed or species. They were involved in 33 (17.3%) of reported incidents. Yet they account for only 22 (2.4%) of all licensed dogs in the city. / The next most involved dog breed is Labs, with 25 incidents (13.1% of the total). By contrast, there are 167 Labs licensed in the City, comprising 18.5% of the licensed dogs."
If it's an owner issue, bad owners seem attracted to pit bulls. What's going on there? It seems if there is any "hysteria" or other mental illness, it's the ill-guided machismo of bad dog owners who think owning a pit bull makes them tough. Those bad owners appear to be falling for or even promoting any "hysteria."
So do we need to require training and licenses for all dog owners? Or just for owners of aggressive breeds?
I care about facts. But perhaps the most salient fact in this topic is the one SW and I agree on, the rank and multi-leveled hypocrisy of Lederman and this bill's GOP supporters.
Roger may be referring to the "School of the Americas" where thugs from Central and South America are CIA trained to overthrow left-leaning gubmints and install themselves as ruthless dictators,in league with the CIA and korporate amerikan interests. Noriega of Panama was one graduate.
I'm with you on this Cory. I've had many discussions with a friend you is big into animal rights. While I think the owner as a big effect on a pitbull or any dog my point is you don't always know how that dog has been treated. And it only takes one bad dog to take the life of a child.
But I feel this should be left to local control. Imagine that! Let the schools decide on guns in schools but the state can tell you to have any dog run around in your town.
As a city councilman I feel it should be left to the city to decide what rules it makes, not the state.
Finally I think it's sad that Lederman thinks that we shouldn't discriminate against dogs but supports a bill, SB67, that does discriminates against people. Shows where is priorities are.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=School_of_the_Americas
The name was changed to protect the guilty.
Cory, you again seem to be making the mistake of categorizing "pit bulls" as an actual breed, not just a wide range of dogs that have certain physical characteristics. I would also argue that it's also problematic to label certain breeds as inherently "aggressive" -- sure, there are some breeds that tend to be better with children, or are more even-tempered, etc., but I don't know of any breeds that are inherently dangerously aggressive.
I renew my question: Should we also ban German Shepherds or rottweilers, since they are also (or were in the past) viewed as dangerous? If not, then what makes the generic category "pit bull" worthy of banning? If it's simply that the dogs look mean, then that's silly. If it's because an individual dog has a tendency towards violence, then yes: municipalities should do something to address that dangerous animal -- which I believe they already are able to do without any reactionary banning of an entire breed. (And, as noted above, "pit bulls" aren't actually a specific breed, much less a "species" as the Aberdeen statistics assert.)
Your statistics also seem to confuse correlation with causation. If "pit bulls" were banned in Aberdeen and subsequently most dog incidents were caused by rottweilers, should Aberdeen then ban rottweilers? And if, after that, most dog incidents involved German Shepherds, should those dogs be banned? Or should the focus actually be on the irresponsible owners who train their dogs to be aggressive or encourage violent behavior?
*As a side note, I have to question the scientific validity of any study that categorizes "pit bulls" as an identifiable breed. Dogs referred to as "pit bulls" can belong to several different breeds, but basically have a certain look. That circles back to the point about owners being the problem. People who want to own aggressive dogs choose them for their look, regardless of their actual breed, then train them to be aggressive.
As I said, I don't particularly gravitate towards terriers, particularly the type colloquially called "pit bulls." However, if public safety is the real issue here, an indiscriminate, reactionary ban on a specific type of dog really doesn't address the core problem.
**Side note 2: If this same breed/species argument were made regarding crime statistics, certain offensive and unsupportable parallels with racial stereotypes would be glaringly apparent. Fortunately, we're just talking about dogs here.
P.S. I apologize for my long post above. I didn't realize I was getting so wordy. Mea culpa!
Owen: But if the problem is that "you don't know how the dog has been treated," then how does banning a particular type of dog address that? What if that fluffy-looking English sheepdog has been mistreated or trained to be aggressive? What if that charming collie is actually nervous and bitey? How does banning "pit bulls" do anything except let people feel they've done something to address a problem?
SW- http://blog.dogsbite.org/2009/07/pit-bulls-lead-bite-counts-across-us.html?gclid=CNK02ruCn7wCFa5DMgodHRQAeQ
Between 2005 and 2013,pitbulls killed 176 humans(62%) of reported fatalities. Toss in rotties and its 74% of human fatalities. Other stats are even more sobering with about half the victims being children.
big difference a english sheepdog and a pitbull. I'm not saying people can't have them, just maybe not in town. The point here is the state trying to tell cities what to do. If we lived in the same town then WE should have this discussion.
Lederman is saying don't discriminate against dogs, but it's ok to discriminate against people. That's what I'm trying to say.
A dog's instinct,as well as any other predator,is to pursue and catch whatever runs away from it. I certainly would never trust a child's life or an elderly person's life around a predator,regardless of how well trained they are supposed to be.
I'm not interested in what Lederman is saying in this instance vs. what he said in another instance. I don't know the first thing about Mr. Lederman. It's entirely possible for him (or anyone else) two support two separate bills, and to be completely right about one, and completely wrong about the other.
I'm frustrated by people confusing correlation with causation. Because a certain type of dog is involved in more incidents now, doesn't mean the "breed" itself is inherently bad. Because people driving red sports cars are more likely to speed, does that mean we fight speeding by banning red sports cars? Or is the problem the person, not the car? And in the case of dog incidents, is the problem usually the owner, not the breed of dog?
Again, I find this so annoying because I don't even like dogs that are commonly called "pit bulls." (Actually, there are a lot of dog breeds that just aren't my type.) However, I think it's inane to make public policy based on physical appearances. Again: "Pit bull" isn't actually a breed of dog. It's a wide swath of dogs with certain general physical characteristics. Owners who want "tough" or "mean" dogs pick them for the way they look. So, if that's the case, and if we've decided that the best public policy is to curb dog violence by banning dogs of a certain appearance, then wouldn't it make more sense just to say "All medium-sized dogs with compact heads, small ears, wide mouths, short coats, and light brown fur shall be banned from the city limits." If that doesn't make sense, then why not? It's essentially what the "pit bull" ban is arguing.
My argument is that if you want to reduce dog incidents, then the proper, most effective way to do it is to address irresponsible dog ownership — not by passing lazy, imprecise bans against entire types of dogs. But heck, if that's the way we're going, put me down for a ban on chihuahuas; I find them yippy and annoying.
@Mike, you have just argued for banning all dogs altogether.
@Chris S,all dogs are banned from where I live. When I go to a place that allows dogs,I don't take my eyes off them,unless they are small,ankle biters. As for the AKC-they recognize American Pit Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Terriers. Not every dog is violent,they all have those instincts. I'm all for local control,but in iowa that has been taken away from cities and counties by big ag and the Farm Bureau,especially when it comes to siting large animal confinements.
What is with these Republican legislators this session and their obsession to ban?
Usually, the only time you read or hear about pit bulls in the media is when they maim or kill children.
Is it "media hysteria" when these assaults are reported? Or, should they just go unreported?
We're talking two seperate issues here Chris.
I do care what Lederman does because, to me, discriminating against someone because they're gay. have an interacial marriage or wahtever is more important then if dogs are banned or not.
Lederman is one who screams for local control, expect for this. This IS a true local matter. This show what hypocrites the right is.
Properly raised, pit bulls are gentle, intelligent companions. It is certain humans who should be banned from owning dogs. In most towns all you need to get a dog license is proof of a rabies shot. Owning a dog is a privilege, not a right (that's why you need a license, duh!) and that privilege can be revoked by the town you live in.
Folks at the Humane Society are opposed to ordinances that ban specific breeds. One thing they've cited is the fact that there are very few genetically true "pitbulls" (for example). They claim there are probably no more than 20-30 in the entire state. So, if push comes to shove, any "pit bull" owner who's dog was banned from a town in SD could pretty well be assured of winning a claim in court - using DNA evidence that their dog was in fact "not a PITBULL".
Ten most dangerous breeds according to American veterinarians:
#10 - Saint Bernard (I can attest to this having owned two).
#9 - Great Dane
#8 - Chow Chow
#7 - Doberman Pinscher (most attacks are in defense of owner)
#6 - Malamute
#5 - Wolf-Dog hybrids (owned two of these as well - absolutely non threatening toward humans - not so much re: livestock though)
#4 - Husky
#3 - German Shepard
#2 - Rottweiler (also owned three of these - sweet gentle giants all - wouldn't hurt a fly - very intelligent)
#1 - Pit Bull (see genetics remark above).
What is it that these dogs really all have in common? SIZE (except the Pit Bull) that's what - not an "aggressive nature". Aggression in dogs is not so much an instinctive "breed specific" trait as it is a matter of how their owners TRAIN them.
Fact is smaller dogs bite more frequently - typically have more instinctively "aggressive" or "hyper-active" personalities - they just don't do as much harm - because they are SMALL.
Want to reduce danger to citizens from dogs in cities - ban any over 20 pounds.
And Anne steals the day by suggesting that people not equipped to own a pit bull shouldn't have the right to have one.
Oh my...where can we take that line of thinking?
I'm sure Anne will stand up for the gangstas though...arming themselves with canines and all.
There is no compelling science stating it’s justifiable to profile based on a dog’s breeds. Weaknesses are similar to the failures of profiling people. As pointed out previously, pit bulls are notoriously misidentified (ala Sikhs being profiled as Muslims). Reducing violence by exporting certain breeds out of town is no more justifiable than reducing crime by banning minorities.
Many of the problems with dog bites are social in nature. Research shows bias towards certain breeds. In addition to turning the public against particular breeds, these dogs reputation can lead to bad people getting these dogs as a status symbol and transferring there antisocial tendencies to the pet. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01961.x/abstract
Just like attempts to put categories of people into boxes, studies show that there is typically more variability among behavioral traits within a breed than there are between breeds. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131202082414.htm
Dogs identified as part of a dangerous breed are not found to inherently exhibit more aggressive behavior towards humans. http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/blog/new-study-finds-banned-breeds-no-more-aggressive-than-any-others/
But here is what happens in pit bull vs. ferrets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gg_bqbD7Us
Re: pitbulls-if it looks like a duck,walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it's a tax.
Anne Beal is an expert at everything. We should all feel fortunate and blessed by her wisdom and knowledge.
Remind me: who is harmed by local ordinances that focus on certain breeds of dogs? Who suffers if we apply certain regulations to pit bulls but not poodles? What liberty is lost by banning, licensing, or otherwise regulating a certain category of, basically, consumer products? You can't grow, cook, sell, or use specific types of drugs. Is such selective drug regulation unjust?
You really can't use Aberdeen's stats on "registered" vs. attacks. Would you register your dog if you didn't have to? My lab isn't registered with the city and if I was a pit owner I sure as hell wouldn't register it out of fear they would come knocking to take "man's best friend" one day. Don't give me any crap saying that can't happen either because it already has in a Missouri town.
Everyone suffers from the loss of liberty to choose which type of dog they can own. It isn't just people suffering but the breed itself, an unintended consequence would then be that particular breed being disproportionately euthanized at local shelters since nobody can adopt them. Banning something as natural and historical as man's best friend almost seems like a crime against nature let alone liberty.
As I left Denver several years back a story on the news about a pit killing a gal and severely injuring her boyfriend while out jogging. I wonder if that pit owner came running to claim the dog and or if the owner was ID'd, did they serve time? .
Mike from Iowa knows what I was talking about.
I commend Senator Lederman and support SB 75 -his fundamental goal is to achieve safe and humane communities. We want our communities to be protected against dangerous dogs – and we want abused dogs to be protected from reckless owners. Everyone benefits from a safe society – both people and pets.
Instead of punishing innocent dogs for being born into a certain breed, let’s hold owners accountable and responsible for dogs that are actually dangerous. Our state’s communities deserve comprehensive dog laws that demand responsible dog ownership… and that hold reckless owners accountable when their poor decisions wind up getting other dogs or other people hurt. Reckless owners should be punished… no exceptions, no excuses. Our communities – and abused animals – deserve better.”
Since 1986, 18 appellate decisions have upheld lower-court findings that pit bulls are more dangerous than other dog breeds.
Since 1988, four peer-reviewed studies published in leading medical journals have reviewed the severity of pit bull injury. "Mortality, Mauling and Maiming by Vicious Dogs," published in the Annals of Surgery in 2011, concluded the following:
"Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher hospital charges, and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other breeds of dogs. Strict regulation of pit bulls may substantially reduce the U.S. mortality rates related to dog bites."
No cake for lesbians, no voting stations for Lakota people, but due process for dogs. (facepalm) Priorities.
The American Bar Association, the National Animal Control Association, and the American Veterinary Medical Association oppose breed discrimination because studies done in the United Kingdom and Spain show that it doesn't reduce bites. Laws should focus on the behavior of any dog and the behavior of the owner.
Check out the ABA's 2012 Resolution and report calling for all cities to repeal breed discriminatory provisions and enact comprehensive breed neutral dangerous dog and reckless owner laws.
http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/mental_physical_disability/Resolution_100.authcheckdam.pdf
In America responsible dog owners should be allowed to own whatever breed of dog they choose-it's that simple.
Reckless owners should be prohibited from owning any pet.
And a new national survey conducted by Luntz Global shows that 84% of Americans believe that Federal, State, and Local governments should not dictate what type of pet dog a person can own.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/01/prweb11519175.htm
Does this also apply to cats? I don't want my neighbors having tigers or lions around. Afterall they are just a cat. I'd much prefer they stick with leopards since a leopard is statistically more likely to get its hooks into you than a lion or tiger,you stand a better chance of survival because of the leopards smaller size. And make sure you get to the doctor right away. Cats have all kinds of nasty bacteria under their claws and septicemia will kill you rather quickly if Chui or Ingwe or Nyalubwe or Senor Spots doesn't do for you.
Cory: I have always enjoyed reading your blog, and have found myself in agreement more times than not. But you are so totally off-base with this that I don't even know where to start rebutting your points. The American Veterinary Association commissioned a study on dogs, bites and fatalities. You can read a summary here: http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2013/12/new-study-points-to-many-factors-related-to-dog-bite-fatalities.html
Basically what it says is that when you are blaming a dog breed, you are looking at the wrong end of the leash. As the adopter of Cherry Garcia (one of the Vicktory Dogs) so aptly put it "The problem with pit bulls is sometimes assholes own them". Banning specific breeds of dogs does nothing to improve public safety. Requiring responsible pet ownership is the only way to go about addressing this issue. Dangerous dogs of ANY breed need to be dealt with.
Point #2 - According to the American Temperament Testing group, pit bull type dogs score extremely high on the testing instrument. 86.8% of the pit bulls tested passed. That is higher than Basset Hounds for goodness sake.
Point #3 - I am a native South Dakotan. Until 3 years ago I lived in and worked in State Government. My children and grandchildren live in SD. Eventually I will be ready to move back home to family. I will want to bring my furry/feathered family with me. But I might not be able to. Because I have adopted one of the Vicktory Dogs: Ray. Also known as RayRay, Raynman, and Goofus. He has a huge following on Facebook. His biggest issue is fear. Life has not been good to my boy, but he is willing to overlook what humans have done to him, and love his family. I shouldn't have to choose between my dog and my family. I am a responsible owner, and my dog should not be punished because of his looks. He sailed through his Canine Good Citizenship test. Which my lab would never pass on a bet. Please drop the hysterical approach to pit bulls. I would invite you to contact the Sioux Empire Pit Rescue and actually meet a couple of their dogs. Prejudice is not pretty in any form.
Hey for all you legal beagles out there, there is a great South Dakota case on due process for pet owners. City of Pierre v. Blackwell, 635 N.W.2d 581 (SCt. S.D. 2001)
The city brought criminal charges that the dog was "dangerous" so they had to prove it was "dangerous" beyond a reasonable doubt. There was no independent determination of “dangerous” by a neutral judicial officer as a part of the criminal proceeding. The court went on to discuss that this would have failed a procedural due process claim in the civil context, too, without exigent circumstances.
So if a South Dakota city enacts a breed discriminatory ordinance, the city as the burden of proving the dog is a certain breed. If it's a mixed breed dog- that's really hard. Studies done by Dr. Victoria Voith show that animal control is right in guessing the heritage of a mixed breed dog in only 25% of the cases so DNA would probably be required.
DNA testing is pretty darn expensive for most cities and a huge waste of tax dollars.
If you focus on the behavior of the dog you don't have that problem.
I used to buy the hype and was very fearful of pit bulls... or Staffordshire Terriers. But then I found a big guy starving on the side of the highway... he had just crossed 6 lanes (walking with the light) to try to find food. I had never been around the breed, but this guy clearly needed help. I gave him some food, which he wolfed down, but I couldn't coerce him into my car. So finally, I asked if I could pick him up and did... and he promptly sat down! All his ribs and spine were showing, but he was a love bug from the get go. He is now the love of my life, the most intelligent dog I've ever had and silly at the same time. I call him my super-intelligent goofball.
To me, breed specific legislation is akin to racism. An ignorant view to judge all dogs of the same breed by the behavior of a few. You can not judge a book by its cover, as someone said long ago.
A study in a state I used to live in found that more dog bites were caused by German shepherds, but I don't see anyone banning them.
The Staffy terrier, or pit bull, is a wonderful breed of dog... yes, some owners mistreat them and abuse them and I believe the dogs are raised in fear and react in fear.
But don't ban them all.... my guy is the best and I could not part with him.
Every fetus should be issued fencing pliers regardless of the health of the mother. If someone can't easily dispatch a pit bull with a claw hammer then trebuchets should be mandated for neighborhood watch volunteers.
It is odd that nearly every citation in this 'article' comes from a known cult-like group that does nothing to protect communities from dangerous dogs but instead focuses solely on dogs they can 'turn into pit bulls' through their creative expertise.
The most recent study published pertaining to dog attacks actually counters EVERY point made in this poorly researched article.
See http://www.whoiscolleenlynn.com
Dispelling Myths
Remember: There are few genetic differences between breeds.
Fear:
Pit Bulls have "locking jaws."
Fact:
"We found that the American Pit Bull Terriers did not have any unique mechanism that would allow these dogs to lock their jaws. There were no mechanical or morphological differences ." Dr. I. Lehr Brisbin, University of Georgia
Fear:
Pit Bulls have massive biting power measuring in 1,000s of pounds of pressure per square inch.
Fact:
On average, dogs bite with 320 pounds of pressure per square inch. The bite pressure of a German Shepherd, an American Pit Bull Terrier and a Rottweiler were tested. The American Pit Bull Terrier had the least amount of bite pressure of the three dogs tested. Dr. Brady Barr, National Geographic
Fear:
Family pet pit bulls turn on their owners.
Fact:
No single neutered household pet pit bull has ever killed anyone. * Karen Delise, founder of the National Canine Research Council
Fear:
Pit Bulls attack without warning.
Fact:
"Pit Bulls signal like other dogs." * The Institute of Animal Welfare and Behavior of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany, which temperament tested over 1,000 dogs.
Fear:
Pit Bulls are "ticking time bombs" that turn on their owners.
Fact:
"No single, neutered household pet pit bull has ever killed anyone." * Karen Delise, founder of the National Canine Research Council
Fear:
While there are some pit bulls with good temperaments, they are the exception not the rule.
Fact:
The American Temperament Test shows pit bulls consistently score above the average for all breeds tested, year in and year out! * The American Temperament Test Society
Fear:
Pit Bulls are more dangerous than other dogs.
Fact:
"A dog is only as dangerous as its owner allows it to be." * Diane Jessup, founder of LawDogsUSA
Miami-Dade County, which banned pit bulls in 1989, has avoided this loss of life. Other Florida counties — prohibited by state law from regulating dogs by breed — continue to experience deaths and disfigurements due to pit bulls. Since 1989, 18 Florida citizens have been killed by pit bulls — none within Miami-Dade.
The threat from pit bulls results from the combination of the animals' inclination to attack without warning — an essential trait of fighting dogs — and the type of injuries that pit bulls typically inflict.
Most dogs bite and retreat, but pit bulls have a hold-and-shake bite style, and tenaciously refuse to stop an attack once begun.
Often a pit bull releases its grip only when dead — the trait dog fighters describe as being "dead game."
Ban opponents often blame dismembering and fatal attacks on environmental factors, such as neglect. That, unfortunately, is the plight of too many dogs of all breeds, not just those who kill and maim.
Opponents also fail to distinguish dog-bite-injury severity. They argue that bans "do not reduce all dog bites." Of the 4.7 million Americans bitten by dogs each year, 9,500 require hospitalization for severe dog-bite injuries. The most extreme injury level, mauling injury, requires life-saving procedures at trauma centers.
The purpose of a pit bull ban is to eradicate mauling injuries and deaths inflicted by pit bulls, the breed involved in more than half of all severe and mauling attacks.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-05-24/news/os-ed-front-burner-pit-bulls-pro-20130523_1_pit-bulls-vicious-dogs-many-dogs
Pit Bulls are wonderful dogs! My daughter-in-law is a Vet & had a Pit Bull plus 2 Rotties & they all got a long fine. The Pit was very sweet & loved to cuddle. He never growled at any one in the house. Only barked or growled with the 2 Rotties when they all heard some thing.
It's the people that ruin the dog(s).
I support the Senator in his effort to ban BSL. BSL is un-fair and does not make the community any safer. The CDC, American Bar Association, and the White House all agree. I've owned pit bulls for 17 years and they have never even growled at a human being. My dogs get praised everywhere they go for their behavior.
I forgot to add that I also support the Senator's efforts to ban BSL.
read the links that knowledgeable people have posted. The number of fatalities caused by neutered family pet pit bulls is ZERO. Most fatal dog attacks are from unneutered, tethered dogs which are not family pets, but have been either under-socialized or trained as a protection/guard dog. Dogs on chains go insane. They are social animals and need the community provided by living with others.
Please provide peer-reviewed research if you are going to address this issue. Posting links that "The Truth About Pit Bulls" posts is akin to posting vegetarian information provided by the meat council. Highly suspect.
Here are some facts for you to consider:
Pit bulls are gentle, loving and loyal. And, like any dog raised responsibly, they make great family pets.
- No breed of dog is inherently aggressive or vicious.
- Resident dogs kept for guarding, breeding or fighting are victims.
- All dogs deserve humane care, socialization and training.
In the hopes that you want reliable and factual information on the subject of breed-specific legislation, an excellent five-year study was published in the Cincinnati Law Review in 1982, vol. 53, which specifically considered both Rottweilers and "Pit Bulls" and concluded in part that:
"... the statistics did not support the assertion that any one breed was dangerous. ... when legislation is focused on the type of dog it fails because it is unenforceable, confusing, and costly. ... focusing legislation on dogs that are `vicious' distracts attention from the real problem, which is irresponsible dog ownership."
In light of this and other studies, we need legislation that renders owners liable for the actions of their pets. The appropriate policy should be "blame the owner, not the dog." It is not the automobile that kills innocent people; it is the driver of that vehicle. People commit crimes in society, not dogs. The safety of dogs and our children largely depend on the responsible actions of adults. You must make dog owners accountable for the actions of their dogs!
Government needs the guidance of responsible, law-abiding citizens. Otherwise it will be the most reactive elements of society that end up writing the laws.
I completely disagree with BSL all together. There is no such thing as a bad breed of dog only bad people! How about we start banning bad people? What people need to understand is that all "power breeds" need to be heavily socialized and also need obedience training. If a dog acts out it is because of one of two things 1.) The owner did not do their part to properly socialize their dog. (Humans at fault here) 2.) A person was doing something to that dog that they should not have been doing (Again humans at fault here). Not to mention many studies have proven BSL does not reduce the number of hospitalizations or increase mortality from dog bites. People EDUCATE yourselves before making assumptions about dog breeds based on hearsay! Please look up the history of the breed. Pitbulls are called "Nanny" dogs for a reason. These dogs are not bad, it's the idiots that own them and choose not to socialize them or make sure they have obedience training, pure laziness! And for those that believe that they were bred to fight....wrong again!! If Pitbulls are made to fight for their lives this is again something that is brought on by humans!! They originally were never bred to fight. Please do not support BSL, this i just pure ignorance!! This is no different than being racist.
In temperament tests, the three breeds that fall under the term "pit bull" (American Pit Bull Terrier/ American Staffordshire Terrier/ Staffordshire Bull Terrier) scored an average of 87.3%. This is BETTER than the Golden Retriever at 85.2%.
For more info see http://www.atts.org
Some people post lies here as facts. Time lawsuits were started to those who lie and lie and lie some more.
I am a breast cancer survivor. All the dogs in the therapy program were pit bull dogs from shelters.There were children who did not survive their battle with cancer and their very last wish was to hold their therapy pit bull in their arms as they died. Why is the press not reporting on that?
BSL does NOT work. This has been proven everywhere it has been tried.
Bill Bruce, Director of Animal Services and Bylaws in Calgary, Alberta, Canada will come and tell you how to achieve safe communities without BSL. He will visit and advise you without charge. His city is the safest in North America.
To find laws that keep you community safe without using ineffective BSL, I refer you to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s study titled “A Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention”:
https://www.avma.org/public/Health/Documents/dogbite.pdf
I also refer you the NAIA publication, "A Guide to Constructing Successful, Pet Friendly Ordinances."
http://naiaonline.org/pdfs/PetFriendlyGuide.pdf
I refer you to Calgary's bylaw, which over the past two decades has become the most effective animal control ordinance in North America, and it funds itself. Bill Bruce will come and advise you free of charge.
Bill Bruce, as the Director of Animal Services and Bylaws in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, took over a struggling program. He has had remarkable success, developing a program which now boasts a licensing compliance rate for dogs of 91%, a return to owner rate of 85% and a euthanasia rate of only 6%. A newly implemented licensing program for cats already has a licensing compliance rate of 54%, a return to owner rate of 56% and only an 18% euthanasia rate. A majority of those animals being humanely destroyed are for behavioral issues and poor health or injuries. Aggressive animal incidents are almost non-existent. With a population base of over 1 million people, those are staggering statistics. In addition, Calgary has no limit laws, no breed specific laws, no mandatory spay/neuter ordinances and no interference from animals rights groups.
http://saveourdogs.net/2009/08/09/the-calgary-model-for-success/
Netherlands scrapped BSL because 15-year breed ban was INEFFECTIVE!
http://bestfriends.org/News-And-Features/News/The-Netherlands--BSL-ban-lifted!/
These are only some of the organisations AGAINST BSL:
United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
The American Bar Association (ABA)
American Kennel Club (AKC)
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
National Animal Control Association (NACA)
United Kennel Club (UKC)
National Canine Research Council (NCRC)
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
American Temperament Test Society (ATTS)
http://animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5L-Orgs-that-do-not-endorse-BDL.pdf
@Dave, if what you claim to be true about Miami-Dade, then why was it necessary for them to create the dangerous dog registry after a non-pit bull severely attacked a woman requiring 300 stitches to close the injury to her face?
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/02/3029298/miami-dade-commission-meets-tuesday.html
And where in the world do you get your 9500 statistic? More than 800,000 dog bite victims require medical care annually according to the CDC.
Nevada, USA: Animal advocates and pit bull lovers are celebrating the news that Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill that will ban breed specific legislation (BSL) in the state as of October 1, 2013.
Once it goes into effect, Assembly Bill 110 will prevent any governing body from enacting any type of laws or regulations that declare a dog dangerous or vicious based solely on a dog’s breed anywhere in Nevada, making it the 14th state to pass a law against BSL.
Sponsored by Assemblyman James Ohrenschall and spearheaded by Best Friends Animal Society, AB 110 was introduced in February and hit a few snags along the way, according to Stop BSL, but ultimately passed with no home rule exemption and no grandfather clause.
“I’m confident that this law will benefit dogs, dog owners and animal lovers throughout our great state. It has always been bad public policy to enact ordinances that target a certain breed of dog without considering that individual dog’s actions. I’m proud of sponsoring this legislation because it will help keep our innocent friends from being killed needlessly and senselessly. This bill will help strengthen the bond between humans and our beloved dogs,” said Ohrenschall.
Breed bans don’t just pointlessly tear families apart and kill innocent dogs for no reason, they are ineffective when it comes to keeping communities safe and are also extremely expensive. Best Friends also points out that breed bans are not supported by a number of organizations, including the American Bar Association, the National Animal Control Association or the American Veterinary Medical Association, which has stated that when it comes to pit bulls, “controlled studies have not identified this breed group as disproportionately dangerous.”
The National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors believes that “it is almost always the behavior of the owners of these dogs which makes them a danger to others.”
Best Friends has been working with animal advocates and government officials to end BSL and change the negative perception of pit bulls. The Vicktory dogs the organization took in offer living proof of what a little love and understanding can do and continue to help raise awareness about the breed’s plight and counter the negative stigma associated with pit bulls, including Mel – whose adoptive dad Richard Hunter testified before the Nevada Senate in support of this legislation.
“Our fundamental goal is to achieve safe and humane communities. We want our communities to be protected against dangerous dogs – and we want abused dogs to be protected from irresponsible owners,” said Ledy VanKavage, senior legislative attorney for Best Friends who helped draft the bill. “Because everyone benefits from a safe society – both people and pets.”
The media is biased and only reports " pit bull" attacks:
A 2008 report on media bias by the National Canine Research Council (http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/dog-bites/dog-bites-and-the-media/audience-interest) compared the type of media coverage given for dog attacks that occurred during a four–day period in August 2007 with intriguing results:
• On day one, a Labrador mix attacked an elderly man, sending him to the hospital. News stories of his attack appeared in one article in the local paper.
• On day two, a mixed–breed dog fatally injured a child. The local paper ran two stories.
• On day three, a mixed–breed dog attacked a child, sending him to the hospital. One article ran in the local paper.
• On day four, two pit bulls that broke off their chains attacked a woman trying to protect her small dog. She was hospitalized. Her dog was uninjured. This attack was reported in more than 230 articles in national and international newspapers and on the major cable news networks.
It is clear to see how such biased news coverage influences calls for breed bans.
the point is being missed here. This is a local control matter. A city council should be able to decide toban these breeds of dogs.
Now if there are people in that community who disagree with that then they can come forward to the city council and it'll be decided there.
Lederman as been about local control unitl now. These people had no problem last year passing a sentinal law that let local school boards decide if there should be guns in schools. Where PEOPLE and KIDS could get shot. Lederman is also a sponsor of a bill that will make it legal to discriminate against people that are gay. In other words you can discriminate against people but not dogs. Crazy.
The point here again is about local control and what a hypocrite Lederman is.
I support common sense legislation like this which is based on FACTS, not media hype. Criminalize animal abuse and neglect and create regulations to control and/or rehabilitate any pet that is deemed vicious, regardless of its breed.
French woman Isabelle Dinoire was the first person ever to undergo a partial face transplant, after her Labrador retriever mauled her in May 2005. Funny how the press never report on how her face got ripped off. All dogs can attack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabelle_Dinoire
National Canine Research Council is the only source for complete FACTS on dog attacks. There has never been a single fatality by a spay/neutered family pet pit bull. NEVER. Bad people are the problem. You take one dog away and they will simply get another breed and make them aggressive
as well.
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/
Personally, I think this bill should be supported. I've lived in places where they enacted bans against "inherently aggressive" breeds and less than a year later removed the bans do to: loss in tourism, decrease in citizenship, and the fact that truly enacting a full on ban is expensive! The only Sheriff in my home town quit when the ban was enacted (and promptly moved) and the town couldn't afford to hire someone to replace him because the only Deputy was working more than 80 hours a week by constantly answering calls of "my neighbor has a pit bull, come and take it away". Three months into the ban, at a council meeting, the council asked him if the ban was helping and he admitted, "More people are using it to get rid of their neighbors dogs, not because they are Pit Bulls, but simply because they don't like the dog. Most of my calls aren't Pit Bulls."
I realize that the Madville Times is a small-time, uneducated publication, but really the BASICS of journalism are to check FACTS and check RESEARCH and not just write lies to pursue an agenda. I am sure the Madville Times will report that the earth if flat and that the Holocaust never happened. Well done.
Recognizing and understanding dogs as individuals is important for our families and communities. It means that every dog must be judged and evaluated for their actual behavior, rather than on assumptions, generalizations, and stereotypes based on breed or looks. And all dog owners must be held equally accountable.
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Multimedia-Infographics
I would like to voice a strong voice of support for SB75
I have included a link tp a recent article with current, substantiated references.
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20140119%2FOPINION%2F401190315%2F-1%2FNEWSMAP
However, if you don’t want to read the entire article I have excerpted a few important paragraphs. This “war” is not new. Breed Specific Legislation has been the bane of the American people for long enough now that there is hard evidence that it DOES NOT WORK.
“In August, the White House issued a statement against breed discrimination. The statement issued was an adoption of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's community-based approach to prevent dog bites: Research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are ineffective and a waste of public resources.”….
“The American Bar Association issued a resolution in 2012 urging all governmental agencies to adopt comprehensive breed-neutral, dangerous dog and reckless owner laws that ensure due process protections for owners, encourage responsible pet ownership and focus on the behavior of both dog owners and dogs, and to repeal any breed discriminatory or breed specific provisions.”…
“There are several published studies reflecting the ineffectiveness of breed-discriminatory laws. These studies are consistent with a 2009 article discussing the effect of the Denver, breed-discriminatory law. Twenty years after the ban was enacted, the director of Denver Animal Control admitted that he is unable to say with any certainty whether it has made Denver any safer. Labrador retrievers are the most likely dog to bite in the Denver metropolitan area.”…
“Breed does not cause aggression. Aggression is a behavior, and behavior exists in reaction to an environmental stimuli. It would make more sense to train animal control officers to identify aggressive behavioral traits in an animal, and not discriminate based on appearance, which is nebulous and inconsistent. Let's move beyond the myth of breed stereotype and ineffective legislation.”…
SB 75 is clearly a step in the right direction.
BSL has failed on Denver.
Denver, CO enacted a breed ban in 1989.
Citizens of Denver continued to suffer a higher rate of
hospitalization from dog bite-related injuries after the
ban, than the citizens of breed-neutral Colorado counties.
Owen, I see your point about this matter being a local issue. However, there are a number of state (and federal) laws that are enacted that has immediate effect on ONLY local governments. This is no different. The fact that each year more states are passing this resounds the fact that state lawmakers are protecting both communities and tax payers from government waste.
Passing this proposed bill would have no negative impact on local governments from implementing dangerous dog laws, leash/confinement laws, or any other animal law that is designed to protect individuals in our communities and to keep pets safe as well.
Breed-discriminatory legislation not only hurts responsible pet owners by placing their pets at risk of being seized and killed, it forces taxpayers to pay for this arbitrary and ineffective practice. Additionally, local
governments that enact breed-discriminatory provisions will see their already underfunded animal control costs increase significantly. Let's look at Cory's town of Madison. Indeed, misguided breed-discriminatory laws restricting specific types of dogs will cost the citizens of The City of Madison more than $9,580, while accomplishing little. Estimated costs include:
• Animal control and enforcement: $5,937
• Kenneling and veterinary care: $1,441
• Euthanasia and carcass disposal: $175
• Cost of additional litigation necessary to prove the heritage of individual dogs and provide constitutional due
process protections before seizing family pets: $936
• DNA testing: $1,088
Actual costs to the community’s citizens could be much higher, since these estimates do not include a shelter veterinarian (if one is not on-site), increased staffing for added enforcement tasks (training, identification, seizure, testimony, etc.), or capital costs associated with increased shelter space necessary to hold seized pets during the often lengthy hearing and
appeal process.
It amazes me how many people do not understand how to read, interpret, quote, or discuss research and statistics appropriately. The overwhelming majority of statistics quoted in this discussion (and not just in this blog or it's following comments, but nationwide) are woefully misused and misunderstood. Unfortunately the average person, who understands very little to nothing about statistical analysis, is encouraged to come to inaccurate conclusions from the information posted here. While it is true that in some communities there are a greater number of dog bites associated with certain breeds (although the accuracy of breed identification is often questionable at best), that does not imply that these dogs are inherently more dangerous. In fact, it has been repeatedly shown through reputable research (and this is very important because a great deal of bad research is widely available) that breed is an incredibly unreliable predictor as to likelihood of a dog biting, while other factors (such as a dog being unneutered/unspayed, tethered outside while unattended, or running at large) have been found to be quite consistent in dog bite incidents regardless of breed. Not to mention that many cities who have enacted breed specific legislation have seen no decrease in dog bite incidents/severity (and some have even seen increases). On the other hand, cities who have opted to enact strict responsible dog ownership ordinances instead have seen incredible improvements in dog bite incidents/severity. This is because breed is not the issue, responsible ownership is. Breed specific legislation is not a viable solution. It is, however, very costly both in time and money. It is because of this incredible waste of time and money that more than 10 states have passed a bill like SB75 and encouraged communities to find truly productive solutions that not only protect its citizens, but respect their rights as well. Even if I were to disregard the overwhelming amount of credible information involved with this issue, I find the list of organizations opposed to breed specific legislation, in and of itself, notable: The National Animal Control Association, The American Bar Association, The American Kennel Club, The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, The Centers for Disease Control, and the American Veterinary Medical Association just to name a few. Unfortunately for many (prominent community leaders sometimes included) this turns into a personal crusade issue rather than what it should be, a discussion of facts and information analyzed appropriately with logic.
The fact that people ban breeds due "aggressive behavior" is ridiculous. 9/10 it's always the handlers fault not the breed, but no we humans are too idiotic to fathom that we are the reason they are fighting dogs to begin and pass the blame to them. In which we lable them as hazardous, dangerous, aggressive and uncontrollable breeds. I have had 3 Pitbulls over the years trained by myself, and NONE have ever shown signs of aggression or and hazard to anyone. Yes, they get territorial and protective over their handlers. ALL DOGS DO. It's called respect and keeping their family safe. It is no different as to a human being holding a gun to defend his property or family. A man pulls a trigger, but you do not see us blaming or putting the gun in jail. No gun don't kill people WE kill people. Pit bulls aren't aggressive unless WE raise them to be aggressive.
I have been around many so called bad breeds of dogs and have yet to be bit by any of them. It's not the dogs that are problems but the people that have them. They let their brats torment a dog until it bites or the train one to be mean. I was told that one Pitty would tear me up if I got close to it. It was sitting on me after a few minutes so I guess I wasn't close enough. The owner got real mad and I know he tortured that poor dog when I left. Instead of putting the dogs down pass a law that will put the owner in prison for having a bad dog when it bites someone and you will end the problem. As long as idiots can have them and not have to do anything more than have to buy another one when it is taken from them and put down. In England Pittys are called Nanny Dogs because they are very gentle naturally and are often used to watch kids while the parents are doing chores around the house. I do plan to get one and it will be trained to be poison safe so that thieves can't poison it and robbing me blind. I will have it trained to only eat and drink out of one set of containers. Then if the thieves get past it they will have to worry about getting shot by me when I catch them. My dog will not be involved in any way so they will have to put me down. I'm 66 and don't have that long to live anyway so if I can take a thief with me before I go it will be my pleasure.
http://www.dogsbite.org/pdf/9-year-dog-bite-fatality-chart-dogsbiteorg.pdf
Don't look good for pitbulls.
Obama Administration Opposes BSL:
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Obama%20administration%20opposes%20breed%20specific%20legislation%20-%202013.pdf
Mike from Iowa - You quote dogsbite, a totally discredited site run by a woman who LIES and MAKES THINGS up and has an obsession with killing dogs. That is like referring to a site that says the Holocaust never happened or to a site that says the world is flat. I know you are from Iowa but find your brain and use it!
http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statistics-fatalities-2013.php
Here are at least three known fatalities in 2013 alone that involved neutered dogs. Read 'em and weep,tools and stop spreading myths that can be easily disproved.
BSL does NOT work. This has been proven everywhere it has been tried.
Bill Bruce, Director of Animal Services and Bylaws in Calgary, Alberta, Canada will come and tell you how to achieve safe communities without BSL. He will visit and advise you without charge. His city is the safest in North America.
To find laws that keep you community safe without using ineffective BSL, I refer you to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s study titled “A Community Approach to Dog Bite Prevention”:
https://www.avma.org/public/Health/Documents/dogbite.pdf
I also refer you the NAIA publication, "A Guide to Constructing Successful, Pet Friendly Ordinances."
http://naiaonline.org/pdfs/PetFriendlyGuide.pdf
I refer you to Calgary's bylaw, which over the past two decades has become the most effective animal control ordinance in North America, and it funds itself. Bill Bruce will come and advise you free of charge.
Bill Bruce, as the Director of Animal Services and Bylaws in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, took over a struggling program. He has had remarkable success, developing a program which now boasts a licensing compliance rate for dogs of 91%, a return to owner rate of 85% and a euthanasia rate of only 6%. A newly implemented licensing program for cats already has a licensing compliance rate of 54%, a return to owner rate of 56% and only an 18% euthanasia rate. A majority of those animals being humanely destroyed are for behavioral issues and poor health or injuries. Aggressive animal incidents are almost non-existent. With a population base of over 1 million people, those are staggering statistics. In addition, Calgary has no limit laws, no breed specific laws, no mandatory spay/neuter ordinances and no interference from animals rights groups.
http://saveourdogs.net/2009/08/09/the-calgary-model-for-success/
I am a proud owner and foster parent for dogs that are labeled as pit bulls. I say that because in some cases dogs that are labeled as a pit bulls, after being DNA tested are determined to have very little if any pit bull in them at all. But they have the stereotyped appearance to them.
There is plenty of data posted already about this topic and some people will take from the data and studies what they want to hear regardless of if it is accurate or not.
Any dog can be aggressive if put in the right situation. Pit bulls by nature are not human aggressive. They actually love people and their devotion to their owner is one reason why they are commonly used in dog fighting.
There are breeds of dogs that I personally would not own but I do not think they should be banned and wouldnt want to prevent someone else from owning one.
Bottom line is that the owners need to be held responsible for the actions and behaviors of their dogs. If a dog has a behavioral problem that can not be managed with training it does not matter what the breed is something needs to be done in that specific situation.
Instead of putting time and money into trying to ban a breed it could be put to much better use by enforcing leash laws, enforcing the requirement that all pets be registered and up to date on vaccinations, and requiring mandatory spay and neuter of any animal not registered to be used for breeding. All of these things would cut down on the current problems with dog aggression and biting for all breeds.
Those of us that own a breed of dog that has a stigma attached have to work very hard to ensure their dogs are very well trained and socialized. This means they have to be better behaved than someone else's dog. When I take my dogs for walks I am the one that has been chased by other dogs in the neighborhood that are off leash. It is not my dogs causing the problems but because of what breed my dogs are I have to be extra careful because a pit bull will always be blamed for any altercation over a lab. To me this is not any different than when racisim occurs with people.
Mike from Iowa: I can show you a website that says all men called Mike are likely to be pedophiles. dogsbite does not use statistics or facts. It lies and makes things up. The only reliable source for dog bites is: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/
No breed is more dangerous than any other. There has never been a single fatality by a neutered family pit bull.
There have been many kids killed by men called Mike. Does that make you a killer?
I was mauled by a Black Lab 4 years ago... almost lost my left arm. I called the media and no one was interested in reporting it .... I was told ..."we only report pit bull attacks."
The Daily Mail from the UK reported on Betty Todd's death by pitbull. The Charlotte CBS local affilitae reported it,the Greenwood,SC Examiner reported the death. Did these organizations make this up,too? You are losing whatever credibility youmay have had. Don't accuse people of lying when you can't prove it.
The authors of the new The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) paper reported that the breed(s) of the dog or dogs could not be
reliably identified in more than 80% of cases. News accounts disagreed with each other and/or
with animal control reports in a significant number of incidents, casting doubt on the reliability of
breed attributions and more generally for using media reports as a primary source of data for
scientific studies.
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Co-occurrence%20Whitepaper%20-%202013.pdf
Mike - You are lying. The authors of the new The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) paper reported that the breed(s) of the dog or dogs could not be reliably identified in more than 80% of cases. News accounts disagreed with each other and/or
with animal control reports in a significant number of incidents, casting doubt on the reliability of
breed attributions and more generally for using media reports as a primary source of data for
scientific studies.
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/Co-occurrence%20Whitepaper%20-%202013.pdf
Since you didn't bother to peruse the article,I will do it for you. Betty Todd,65 y/o,Hodges,S.C. killed by neutered pit bull. Daxton Borchardt,14 mo,Walworth,Wi. killed by two neutered pitbulls. Beau Rutledge,2y/o,Fulton co.,Ga. killed by neutered pitbull.
Mike - The press get it wrong and lie all the time. I used to live in the UK - The Daily Mail is not considered press ... it is a gossip sight that posts lies and mistakes all the time.. They get sued by people all the time. They pander to right-wing extremists who hate minorities, hate women, hate gays, hate civil rights and have an agenda just like dogsbite. The people who read Daily Mail are uneducated, looking for celebrity gossip and have no idea what news means.
I had a girlfriend named Nicole,once. Didn't like her either.
Pit Bulls are of a breed that were bred to fight (human stupidity, no fault of their own), and b/c of this, it is predisposed to some aggression. So for this reason, I would never own one, nor would I ever trust one. I do feel bad that because of humans this breed is as messed up as it is.
Mike - The National Canine Research Council researched every one of those attacks you list and here is their response:
As you know not a single one of the breed identification found on the list you sent have been verified to be correct, nor at this time is there any available evidence to support them. Many of the "breeds" listed were taken from one media article, while another media article described the exact same dog as a different breed altogether (i.e., bullmastiff, or bulldog), while other sources have listed some of these dogs as a "mixed" breed dog.
Also a number of the cases on this list are still the subject of on going criminal investigations and NO ONE in authority has yet determined what the breed of dog, or in the cases of multiple dogs, which dogs (breeds) were involved.
NCRC waits until local law enforcements investigations are complete before attempting to identify the breed of dog involved in such incidents.
As you will see from our investigations into the fatalities that occurred in 2011, many of the dogs listed as "pit bulls" by the media, were later found to have no evidence to support these claims, and some were even found to be another breed of dog.
There is no evidence to support any of the breed identifications that the media chose to give these dogs.
See NCRC's Final Investigative Report for fatalities in 2011 to demonstrate that breed identifications found in the media and on various internet websites are often incorrect or impossible to verify.
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/2011%20Final%20Investigative%20DBRF%20Report.pdf
Karen Delise
Director of Research
National Canine Research Council
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com
Pit bull owners need to realize that owning such a dog is going to be a liability, and yes, more of a liability than owning a golden retriever or bassett hound. They are discriminated against- fact of matter, fairly or unfairly. I can tell you from personal experience when I take my small dog to the dog park, it is the Pit Bull kind of dog that are the most aggressive ones there. I'm not saying this to be discriminatory. l love dogs, but I am a bit leery of pit bulls. I'm leery of boxers and german shepherds also. These are dogs I would never own.
actually Jenny, fighting dogs are bred to be human friendly. During a dog fight the bout is frequently interrupted and the dogs "reset" to go at each other again. The humans are in the ring with the dogs, and will put their hands on the dog to reset. If any fighting dog shows any aggression towards a human, it is killed outright. I have worked with dogs for more than 40 years. I used to buy into the media hysteria about pit bulls. That was the only info I had, and I had never met one myself until I moved here. The media is not interested in stories about pit bulls that have saved their families. In the hills last year a 3 yr old wandered off in the dead of winter. The family dog stayed with the child and protected him until help arrived. Only one media outlet (the RC Journal) identified the dog as a pit bull. All of the other reports said "family dog". How about reading some stories about hero pitties? http://www.quickmeme.com/p/3vqtgg Or visit my dog Ray's Facebook page: Ray the Vicktory Dog. These are extremely human oriented dogs. The reason they are used for fighting is not because they are vicious...it's because they will do anything their person asks them to do.
Jenny - I am breast cancer survivor and all the dogs in the therapy program were pit bulls. There were children who did not survive their fight with cancer and their very last wish wanted to hold their therapy pit bull in their arms as they died.
My dog has been attacked by Golden Retrievers 3 times and this last time had to have his dead stapled together. The owners of that Golden had to pay the thousand of dollar in vet bills and were fined.
A Golden Retriever killed a poodle at my local dog park.
A woman had 2 un-neutered male Golden Retrievers and one killed the other.
I am leery of people like who - Jenny - who are so ignorant and uneducated. You are the true threat and danger. You are probably scared of people with dark skin too.
First of all, I am a pit owner. I am also a mother. My children are taught to respect all animals, and are not allowed to tease, torment, or hurt animals in any way. We teach our children to respect not just our pets, but all animals. I would seriously like a study done on the amount of animal attacks in general that were the product of the animal being tormented by the child. Weve never had issues with either of our dogs being ferocious or even growling at a person. But then again, our animals are loved, given positive attention, and we spend time with them. They are not locked in kennels all the time (except at night so they dont potty in the house and when we are gone) and arent tied to a chain in the yard, they have space, get outside for excercise frequently. I think it is in the way you raise them for the most part, not always just "training them to be mean" but locking them up or chaining them up. They like to walk and run, they need to play. I remember when i was little there was a dalmation that was fenced in a yard, and we couldnt even walk down that sidewalk because he would ram the fence. But my parents also taught me to respect animals, so i didnt want to even put myself into a possible dog attack situation. Teach your children to treat animals kindly, and to respect an animals boundaries. I would also lile it known that i am not a "gangsta", a felon, or a mean person in general who hates the outside world. I picked my dogs because my dad and sister both have pits, and they were good with my children. I did not pick them to eat or hurt people who come into my yard. We also gave friends and my children have friends who frequent our house, so our choice in dog breeds did not shut us off from the outside world. It kills me how much stereotyping about the owners comes with owning a pit.
Pit bulls living as family pets, therapy dogs, etc.
http://stubbydog.org/
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/
Yes, pit bulls are often vicious to other dogs. That's the main problem and why owning one is a liability. Really, any dog shouldn't be bred to fight unless it's strictly for policing.
Pit bulls are not breed to be human aggressive but unfortunately breed and trained to be dog aggressive which is what makes them good for dog fighting. But if someone is training dogs to fight they do not want the dog to turn around and attack them. The breed is loyal to their humans and in most cases can live and get along with other dogs as well.
See Cory, you can't have an intelligent conversation with the pit bull people. They start attacking, just like their lovely pit bulls.
Nicole-you are a freakin' maroon. You claim no neutered pitbull ever killed. I proved at least three did. Stop moving the freakin' goalposts. Better yet just clam up and go away,you pathetic little person.
Their pit bulls can do no wrong, Mike. It's like the parents that have bullying children. They're really just angels, they really are! No really they are!
Maryland. Between 1965 and 2012 there were 12 dog bite-related fatalities in Maryland with 9 different breeds assigned to the dogs in those cases. In that same time period, almost 20 different breed descriptors have been assigned to cases of severe, but non-fatal dog bites, with no single breed predominating.
PS I don't give a flying fig about your interpretation of what is or isn't a pitbull. If it looks like a pitbull on my property,it is a dead pitbull on my property. You sound an awful lot like a miserable troll.
Jenny: I don't feel like I have attacked you. I once believed the things you do. But that was before I worked with and got to know pit bulls. Of the 22 Michael Vick pit bulls that came to Best Friends, almost all have been adopted into homes with other animals. My boy lives with a lab, a minpin, a cat and 7 parrots. I am hyper-sensitive about him, because of his history. He is never allowed off leash. I would never take him to a dog park. He is microchipped. I am a responsible owner, and wish I could say the same about the neighbors whose mutts run at large, making it difficult for my boy to have his walk. There are no bad breeds. There are definitely bad, irresponsible owners. If you have any large breed dog you have a responsibility to train and socialize that dog. If you don't, you should be fined. Let's deal with bad owners, and not pile on specific breeds of dog.
In 2000, the government of Lower Saxony, Germany ruled certain breeds of dogs especially dangerous and placed restrictions on their ownership. The breeds included Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Pit Bull Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers, among others. Interesting to note is that the law did allow for an exception from the restrictions if the owner and dog passed a temperament test. Over 400 dogs of the targeted breeds were given temperament tests, along with 70 Golden Retrievers who were volunteered by their owners for comparison. Researchers found no significant difference between the Golden Retrievers and the dogs from the targeted breeds in showing inappropriate aggression. This study led to the repeal of the breed discriminatory law in Lower Saxony. The researchers concluded that a scientific basis for breed discriminatory policies simply does not exist.
Even experts mis-identify dogs. http://stubbydog.org/2013/10/study-shows-difficulty-in-identifying-a-pit-bull/
Jacque, my comment was directed toward Nicole, not you. Nicole called me ignorant, uneducated, dangerous and racist.
Mike - Those 3 fatalities you listed were researched, along with other dogs attacks by people who check the facts and these are the FACTS....
As you know not a single one of the breed identification found on the list you sent have been verified to be correct, nor at this time is there any available evidence to support them. Many of the "breeds" listed were taken from one media article, while another media article described the exact same dog as a different breed altogether (i.e., bullmastiff, or bulldog), while other sources have listed some of these dogs as a "mixed" breed dog.
Also a number of the cases on this list are still the subject of on going criminal investigations and NO ONE in authority has yet determined what the breed of dog, or in the cases of multiple dogs, which dogs (breeds) were involved.
NCRC waits until local law enforcements investigations are complete before attempting to identify the breed of dog involved in such incidents.
As you will see from our investigations into the fatalities that occurred in 2011, many of the dogs listed as "pit bulls" by the media, were later found to have no evidence to support these claims, and some were even found to be another breed of dog.
There is no evidence to support any of the breed identifications that the media chose to give these dogs.
See NCRC's Final Investigative Report for fatalities in 2011 to demonstrate that breed identifications found in the media and on various internet websites are often incorrect or impossible to verify.
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/2011%20Final%20Investigative%20DBRF%20Report.pdf
Karen Delise
Director of Research
National Canine Research Council
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.co
Mike - You are the LIAR. I realize you are a red-neck from a red-neck state and therefore have limited ability to reason and use your brain, but now I learned you also cannot read. Start reading the facts from experts who research this attacks, alongside the police, etc. They report that "not a single one of the breed identification found on the list you sent have been verified to be correct, nor at this time is there any available evidence to support them."
Now why don't you do take your gun out back and have some fun or go molest your little cousin or whatever it is you red-necks do.
Jenny - Pit bulls are not breed to be aggressive. There is no one breed that is more aggressive than others, and no breed is bred to be aggressive.
Yes, you are ignorant and uneducated.You have made that clear. Many pit bulls are great with other dogs, just like any other dog. Some prefer to be without other dogs, just like any other dogs.
My dog has been attacked by Golden Retrievers 3 times and this last time had to have his dead stapled together. The owners of that Golden had to pay the thousand of dollar in vet bills and were fined.
A Golden Retriever killed a poodle at my local dog park.
A woman had 2 un-neutered male Golden Retrievers and one killed the other.
Sorry, I realize I was not clear on what I was trying to say. Those 3 fatalities listed by Mike have been making the rounds on the internet since early 2013. Those specific incidents were researched by he National Canine Research Council and their findings are:
Quote
As you know not a single one of the breed identification found on the list you sent have been verified to be correct, nor at this time is there any available evidence to support them. Many of the "breeds" listed were taken from one media article, while another media article described the exact same dog as a different breed altogether (i.e., bullmastiff, or bulldog), while other sources have listed some of these dogs as a "mixed" breed dog.
Also a number of the cases on this list are still the subject of on going criminal investigations and NO ONE in authority has yet determined what the breed of dog, or in the cases of multiple dogs, which dogs (breeds) were involved.
NCRC waits until local law enforcements investigations are complete before attempting to identify the breed of dog involved in such incidents.
As you will see from our investigations into the fatalities that occurred in 2011, many of the dogs listed as "pit bulls" by the media, were later found to have no evidence to support these claims, and some were even found to be another breed of dog.
There is no evidence to support any of the breed identifications that the media chose to give these dogs.
See NCRC's Final Investigative Report for fatalities in 2011 to demonstrate that breed identifications found in the media and on various internet websites are often incorrect or impossible to verify.
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/2011%20Final%20Investigative%20DBRF%20Report.pdf
Karen Delise
Director of Research
National Canine Research Council
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com
End Quote
Jenny - I am breast cancer survivor and all the dogs in the therapy program were pit bulls. There were children who did not survive their fight with cancer and their very last wish wanted to hold their therapy pit bull in their arms as they died.
Why don't we arrange for you to come visit these dogs and this program. You can also meet with the parents of the kids who died and they will tell you what the therapy pit bull meant to their dying child. Contact me and I will arrange.
Maddville, at its best! Git along little doggies.
Guess the pit bull:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/32._Guess_the_Mix-_Pit_Bull_.jpg
Pit bull dogs are family dogs:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/31._Family_Poster_8.5_x_11.jpg
There is a big difference between resident dog and family dog:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Resident-v-Family_revised-Jan-2013.pdf
Nicole, excuse me, you are the one that that has come like a bat out of hell onto Cory's blog ready to fight You have belittled me continuously, and then you expect me to agree with you after the way you have treated Mike and I?
Read your pit bull history- pitbulls were BRED to fight. There is a genetic predisposition in them to have varying levels of aggression in them if they are not raised with the utmost love and care. It is pitbull owners like yourself that give all pit bull owners a bad name.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) & American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) against BSL:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5C._AVMA-CDC_Statement.pdf
Jenny - Scientists and experts say you a LIAR!
Aggression and Dogs “No significant difference found between breeds.”
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5H._Aggression-No_significant_differences_between_breeds_SCHALKE.pdf
The American Bar Association (ABA) and others against BSL:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5L-Orgs-that-do-not-endorse-BDL-2014.pdf
Why BSL does not reduce dog bites:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/NNtB-now-available-in-JAVMA.pdf
Visual identification of breed not accurate:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5B._Voith_AVMA_2009.pdf
Breed ban has failed in Miami:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5I._Miami-Dade_County_-_BSL_Case_Study.pdf
Breed ban had failed in Miami:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Denver-BSL-Brutal-Costly-and-Ineffective_Aug_2013.pdf
Fear vs Fact
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Fear-vs-Fact-2013.pdf
Breed ban had failed in Denver:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Denver-BSL-Brutal-Costly-and-Ineffective_Aug_2013.pdf
Until scientists have extensively studied a pit bull's brain structure and its DNA and compared it to other dogs, (which the research and experimentation will take many years to conclude scientific law, if ever) then I will believe what you say about pit bulls being no more aggressive than other dogs. Right now, I believe there is no scientific law or theory that proves otherwise. It is all just hypothetical.
So is this Nicole a snotty,li'l brat or what?
Bill Bruce, Former Director of Animal and By-Law
Services, Calgary: “BSL is intended to be the silver
bullet that will end animal aggression, and it never has.
When we see it applied, it typically tends to see an
escalation in animal aggression because it’s attempting
to deal with the dog, not the problem. The problem
is the owner. The other problem with it is that when
it’s that broad-brushed, you catch the wrong fish in
the net. So when you propose BSL, what you do is
you polarize the entire community. Instead of drawing
a community of responsible pet owners together, you
polarize them by attacking people who are not part
of your problem...”
She's just a troll, Mike, and I can't believe I wasted an hour of my time with the crazy dog people.
All I know is what I've experienced. The HSUS called the Vick dogs the "well trained killing machines" and the "most aggressively trained dogs in the country". Handsome Dan is inseparable from his human sister. His family has started a rescue based on their experience with Dan. Cherry Garcia adopted a kitty as his own. He lives with another dog as well. Squeaker lives with a pack of nine dogs and 2 humans. Little Red lives with several other dogs, from a tiny pom to a dog they call the Baby Rhino. None of these Vicktory Dogs has had any issue with humans or other animals. They have bitten no one. Their biggest issue is that they are frightened by anything new. I'd like to move home to SD eventually....and I'd like to know that Ray can come with me.
What you see on the outside – pure breed or mixed
breed – does not determine how a dog will behave.
Physical appearance alone cannot predict behavior or
personality. A dog’s entire physical appearance is
determined by a very small amount of genetic
material. For example, of the 19,000 genes in the
canine genome, as few as six can determine a dog’s
head shape; none of the genes associated with head
shape influence behavior or personality. (Report of
Dr. Kristopher Irizarry,” Nicholas Criscuolo et al. v.
Grant County et al., United States District Court
Eastern District of Washington 2011)
“Pit bull” dog owners are no different than other dog
owners; the overwhelming majority love and care for
their pets in a responsible manner, which includes
proper maintenance, control, and containment of their
dogs.
• There are millions of “pit bull” dog owners across the
United States who live peacefully and unremarkably
with their family pets. They are neighbors, family,
friends, public servants, and valued members of the
community. They are not the exception; they are
the rule.
• A very small minority of people who own dogs –
including but not limited to “pit bull” dogs – are reckless
owners, yet those few individuals account for a
disproportionate amount of reckless behavior.
• Reckless owners cannot be correlated with any
particular breed or type of dog; the only factor reckless
dog owners have in common is their problematic
behavior resulting from a disregard from public safety
and animal welfare.
• All dog owners, including “pit bull” dog owners, want
to be protected from the reckless few who disregard
the laws that govern responsible pet ownership.
Discriminating against dog owners because of what
their dog looks like will never make for a safer
community. Holding reckless owners accountable will.
I really don't have a dog in this fight, but I do have an observation.
Was just over at the so called #1 political blog in South Dakota and noticed thatPowers can't muster up more than 8 or 9 anonymous comments on any one thread.
It's a ghost town over there.
Jenny,I imagine we could sneak out of here and Nicole wouldn't notice. I gotta tell you,I prefer the liars to the dog eks-spurts on here anyway.
“Pit bull” dogs are increasingly popular family pets:
Banfield Pet Hospitals, the largest general veterinary
practice in the world, reports that the percentage of
“pit bull” dogs visiting their U.S. network of clinics has
increased by 47 percent over the past 10 years (2000
to 2010).
A recent survey by Vetstreet concluded that dogs
identified as “pit bulls” are one of the most popular
family dogs in this country.
“Pit bull” dogs live with and provide a service to many
of their owners and neighbors. Around the country “pit
bull” dogs are used as therapy dogs, service dogs, police
K9s, and military dogs.
Effective policies put the focus on the dog owners, not
the dogs. Dogs do not exist out of the context of their
owners. We must hold ALL owners equally accountable
for their actions and reckless behavior – no matter
what their dogs look like.
Breed neutral, Responsible Pet Ownership laws, such
as Calgary’s, are creating safe communities by putting
the emphasis on human behavior, “The whole model is
about responsible pet ownership . . . In North America,
we don’t really have an animal problem: we’ve got a
people problem. I think that’s the first realization you’ve
got to come to. It’s not about the animal, it’s about the
people.” Bill Bruce Former Director of Calgary Animal
Services and By-Law Services
Key elements of Responsible Pet Ownership laws
include, but are not limited to the following: licensing
and identification, spaying and neutering, training,
socialization, and medical care, and not allowing pets
to become a nuisance or threat in the community.
Once responsible owner laws are adopted, residents
should be educated about their benefits, facilitated in
complying, and then enforcement should hold those
that do not comply accountable for their actions.
130 comments on a proposal that would ban pit bull bans? Wow. I shouldn't be surprised, when I was in the legislature the craziest, puniest bills would get the most passionate support. The big stuff that had the greatest consequences for the most people often went through with little or no public input.
There are plenty of ways to deal with your neighbor's dogs.
Nick,
Does this pit bill qualify as one of craziest and puniest?
Another 10 rapid fire comments in the time it took me to type that last comment. Crazy.
Later, Mike! I'm outta here!
I would put it down with the crazy bills, and hope to God it wasn't assigned to a committee I sat on.
Jenny - If you paid for an education ask a refund. You are living proof that the US needs to invest more in education so as not to turn out people as stupid as you who cannot read research done over decades by scientists, geneticists AND INSTEAD KEEP ON REPEATING LIES. Open your brain and learn.
Aggression and Dogs “No significant difference found between breeds.”
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5H._Aggression-No_significant_differences_between_breeds_SCHALKE.pdf
• The claim that “pit bulls,” unlike all other dogs, do not
give notice prior to attacking a person is an outdated
myth and urban legend that has been overwhelmingly
refuted by science. All dogs signal intent.
There is no scientific evidence that “pit bull” dogs cause
more damage when they bite
• Regarding dog bites, there is no anatomical structure
that could be a locking mechanism in any dog.
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/files/BSL-Talking-Points-ebook_2.pdf
Therapy pit bulls:
http://stubbydog.org/stories-2/service-and-therapy-dogs/
There are plenty of ways to deal with your neighbor's stubby dogs.
Nicole, why don't you go hunt for some new breasts or go teach your pit bull a new trick?
Hey Nicole, by my count you have made at least 55 comments on this thread in the last 4 hours. I'll give you one piece of advice, if you want this ban on pit bans to pass. Calm down. If you go to the legislature to testify or lobby legislators in the hallways it is always a plus to come across as a reasonable person.
Thanks to Nicole, she has provided me a reason to never own such a dog.
Any animal that raises so many questionable behaviors could not be healthy to have around children or adults.
Arf! Ar!
Dear Senator Lederman,
SUPPORT for SB 75:
Here’s a REAL FEEL GOOD story that involves three nuns adopting a 9 yr. old Pitbull. You’ll love the video and the old girl “ Remi" is a sweetie. Pit Bulls are, for the most part, the underdog, the unpopular due to over zealous media reporters. So, sit back and enjoy! Just click this link:
http://hudsonvalley.news12.com/nuns-give-pit-bull-new-home-1.6865769
and……you’ll be sure to smile! Who doesn’t love a happy ending? Blessings to these nuns and to their caring nature, giving those with little time…….hope! They’ve got THE BEST BREED …..that’s for sure!:):):) A match made in Heaven!
Thank you, Senator, for supporting this breed. Awesome!
For all we know Nicole made a bunch of the other pro pit bull comments and just changed her handle. I suspect this post has been linked to on some pit bull owners web site and owners from around the country are coming out of the woodwork.
Kathy Gots-ch-all? Have we been punked?
Possibility...
Pitbulls are dogs, no different than any other dog. All the people that are posting about pitbulls and bites etc are posting false stats. Actually, pitbull type dogs have one of the highest temperaments at 84%. BSL doesn't work its a proven fact. Shared from Animal Farm Foundation:
HOW BSL FAILS:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Breed-Specific-Legislation
Specifically: JAVMA’s Exploring the Bond, Case Studies of Denver and Miami
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/tinymce/FAQs%20-%20BSL.pdf
http://stopbsl.org/bsloverview/the-failure-to-improve-safety/
HIGH COST OF BSL:
http://www.guerrillaeconomics.biz/bestfriends/
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Special-Projects-Officer-Sak
http://www.animallaw.info/articles/arus74fordhamlrev2847.htm
THE CDC STUDY:
http://animalfarmfoundation.org/files/5C._AVMA-CDC_Statement.pdf
http://animalfarmfoundation.org/files/Community_approach_to_dog_bite_prevention.pdf
CREATING SAFE COMMUNITIES:
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/pages/Building-Safe-Communities
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/uploaded_files/publications/1970766974_DogBitesProblemsandSolutions.pdf
http://www.avma.org/
Ms. Wismer stands on pit bulls.
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Actually I should be crying. 150 posts about *dogs*! Passionate heartfelt comments about *dogs! Outraged cries for/against legislation for *dogs*! Unfavorable comparisons of the rights of human beings versus the rights(?) of *dogs*!
There is something seriously messed up with that. Dogs are Pets! They are Owned! They urinate and defecate in Public! They cannot Communicate in spoken or signed language (ASL) with Anything!
Even 400 dogs do not equal one single human being. Consider a moral question:
400 dogs of varying breeds, ages, etc. are in an inescapable enclosure on your right. A little healthy, strong 3 year old girl is standing on your left. All are looking at you, making eye contact. In front of you are 2 buttons. If you push the button on your right, every single dog will die instantly. If you press the button on your left, the little girl will die instantly. There are no other choices. Your own death is not an option.
Which button do you press?
Jenny - As I said, I will pay for your trip to come meet therapy pit bull dogs who work with cancer patients. Why would you turn this down? As you also made disgraceful, flippant comments about women having mastectomies, I will also introduce you to women who have had this procedure. You have a lot to learn about being a human.
One more item that will hopefully lend more perspective here.
The whole idea of "pet parents" came from advertising by the corporations that rake in massive profits selling pet stuff. Purina, Petco, Pet Smart, etc. The idea was to further anthropomorphize pets and guilt their owners into buying more Stuff. It's been one of the greatest advertising schemes of all time! A bonanza!! It's insane.
BTW, I spent my first 35 years on a farm. We had dogs and cats, plus cattle, chickens, pigs and sheep. I enjoy animals. I have a cat and a dwarf hamster now in my St. Paul, MN, apartment. They are lots of fun and very good company.
I never forget that they are my Pets and I am their Owner. It leads to a better life for them. They are not humans and not my children. That is the height of absurdity.
Where are these dogs and breastless women, Ms. Nicole? I would like to see them myself.
Good thing Lederman's bill is designed to prevent hysteria...
Senator Lederman,
I applaud you for this bill. I was and raised in SD and served our country for 22 years in the Army. I really want to return to SD where the rest of my family resides, but I have to be very selective where I live because I own a pure bred American Pit Bull Terrier which I acquired after I retired from the Army.
I hope and pray for the success of this bill. I pray you are successful in educating the public so they know and understand the truth of this wonderful breed of dog which truly has a deep rooted American history.
In reality, Breed Specific Legislation is simply a form of racism applied to canines. Legislation that is enacted should always focus on owner responsibility and focus on an individual dog as the situation dictates.
Thank you very much,
Sincerely,
Art
This bill is going to get a lot more neighbors' dogs shot.
This post has sure minimized our differences eh Jenny, Mike? :)
"In reality, Breed Specific Legislation is simply a form of racism applied to canines"
I hope you feel the same about racism and discrimination when it comes to humans Art
Pitbulls don't bite people. People bite people.
So do you hate SB 75, Lederman, or Pit Bulls? Or all three? Just clarifying.
The fact is breed bans are expensive, difficult to enforce, and do not reduce dog bites. Denver county is a great example. The "hysteria" happens whenever a bite happens that is attributed to a pit bull (which, ps, are notoriously hard to identify)...as happened in Sioux Falls a few summers back. If you don't think the state should be able to tell communities what they can and cannot do, that's fine. But this article seems to rail indiscrimately against that idea, Lederman, and Pit Bulls.
As far as the bite statistics, especially the one from the plastic surgeons-how often have you know a small dog's bite to cause that kind of damage? Does that mean they bite less often? nope, it means big dogs can do more damage, unfortunately. When you really get into the stats, you will see that most bites are from unaltered male dogs, dogs running off leash, dogs left outside on a chain, and dogs not properly supervised while with children.
By the way, to whomever quoted dogsbite.org- that's a known anti-Pit Bull website. I wouldn't trust them for unbiased info there.
Also--now we are saying Army policies are the pinnacle of reason? Proud daughter and granddaughter of veterans, but you lost me there.
Pit bulls are not the problem, irresponsible owners are the problem. For some reason, every bad deed is reported in the press when a lot of good deeds are also accomplished by the Pit Bull. They thwart would be rapists and robbers. They alert families when fire breaks out. They pull people from vehicle accidents.
Regulate the irresponsible behavior by a few. These same irresponsible owners will go on and be irresponsible with some other breed. Most Pit Bull owners are families with children, elderly people and even nuns. They see the gentleness of the bully breeds. They are truly wonderful companions!
I could quote statistics but I think has been done enough here already. So let me speak from personal experience. I always believed that pit bulls did not deserve how they have been portrayed in the media. So I decided to volunteer with a pit rescue to try to help these dogs. (If I thought these dogs were vicious I would never be apart of an organization that would adopt a vicious dog to a family.) I learned much about the pit bull breed and a year ago I adopted a dog from the rescue. This dog is absolutely wonderful. I swear at times they can read your mind. My dog loves people and has adopted two families that he considers part of his pack. Yes both families have young children and my dog is wonderful with them. My dog and I have attended basic obedience class and graduated with flying colors. We have also attended therapy dog classes. I believe in introducing my dog to different situations so he knows how to act when out in pubic. He also knows that I will protect him or remove him from a bad situation.
I have a hard time with people who are not knowledgeable about this breed of dog but are quick to label these dogs as "vicious" because that is what the media is labeling them. All I ask is that you research your subject so that you are not spreading lies or spreading incorrect information.
Communities that enact BSL legislation are limiting the people that can live in that community. I will not live in a town that has BSL legislation. So, in a way, I have just been discriminated against due to the type of dog that I chose to own.
I just want you to knows I strongly support banning Breed Specific Legislation. If you read statistics on communities when're BSL has been enacted you will see that it doesn't work. Neutering is way more effective, as are leash laws that are enforced. Dog attacks are usually carried out by more than one dog.
Go away, all you crazed dog people.
I'm with Jenny!
And now I'm going to spend my time on human beings who are vilified far more than dogs.
How nice to see a coordinated blog-commenting campaign. If the petition to stop SB 67 and protect gays, Indians, and everyone else from discrimination in the marketplace fails to gather as many signatures and motivated supporters as Senator Lederman's oh-poor-mean-dogs bill, I will be very disappointed.
Amanda: hate isn't quite the right word.
I find SB 75 a distraction for people with misaligned political priorities.
I find Senator Lederman to be an opportunistic hypocrite.
I find pit bulls unpleasant, exploited as signs of machismo, and unworthy of this much political effort.
I'm surprised that we don't hear Senator Lederman and Senator Rhoden raising alarm bells about what sounds like a lot of out-of-state animal activists trying to impose their agenda on South Dakota.
BSL? You folks even have your own campaign acronym?
In the words of the immortal William Shatner, get a life.
I'm betting Powers hasn't seen 183 comments on any of his threads. Probably hasn't 183 comments total in the last two months.
Sorry, Roger. I'm not cheering. I'd like 183 comments to come in on a topic that will actually do South Dakota some good.
Made the big time at last. Got called liar,child molester and possibly even a murderer. Best night of my life and I owe it all to Madville Times.
Yes, Cindy--South Dakota et al who blame the media, it's always their fault. When all other arguments fail, blame the media. Shame on them for reporting pit bull attacks that never would have made the news had the dogs not attacked someone.
Mike, you forgot incestuous.
Good point, Rick.
Thanks for reminding me,Jim. :)
I think she had you confused with mike from Arkansas. If this is all the problem of bad owners, what do we do about that? They are usually only id'd as bad owners after someone has been bitten.
Let's have some OSL: owners of pit bulls are subject to high license fees and state-administered training courses to ensure that they are all as fine and morally unimpeachable as the pit bull fanatics driving this thread to distraction.
Why worry, Jim? Let's be reactive, not proactive. Let's not recognize risk and prevent it. Let's stoke these folks' egos, let them keep what ever dangerous pets they want, and let our children be the canaries in the coal mine who identify with their mauled faces the bad owners.
It is disheartening to see that this blog has become more about attacking people than what the actual issue is. This is not all about pit bulls. They are not the only breed of dog that are banned in communities. Yes I own pit bulls but I also have friends that own other dogs that are considered "dangerous".
Also not only are pit bulls being attacked those of us that choose to own one and advocate for the breed are being attacked. If someone doesnt want to own a particular breed than dont own one but you also dont have the right to tell someone that they can't own it.
I am an educated person with a career and a family. I have children and my children's safety is my top concern. I would never own a dog that I thought would hurt my children or anyone else. I am very proud of my children as they have so much compassion and they are growing up to learn that you should not judge anyone both humans and animals.
I have done a lot of research on the breed and have fostered dogs that have come from abusive and neglect situations. I have worked with dogs that have been involved with dog fighting and to even my surprise these dogs hold no grudges towards humans. Unfortunately us humans are not able to do the same.
Yes, one issue on which we disagree changes what "this blog has become." Give me a break. Pit bulls are a distraction. People focusing on this issue deserve criticism.
SDCL 41-1-1 defines "coyote, wolf, gray fox, red fox, skunk, gopher, ground squirrel, chipmunk, jackrabbit, marmot, porcupine, crow, and prairie dog" as varmints. This is SSL, and it is intolerable. Amend SB 75 to defend equality for skunks.
SB 46 only protects vertebrates from cruelty. It excludes invertebrates. Squid and grasshoppers deserve better than this subphylum-specific legislation. Down with SB 46!
Let's look at it as a property rights issue. This is the United States. If I am a responsible owner who obeys the law, I should be able to own any dog that I so desire. We all also have a right to safe communities, which means that we need to address bad owners and dangerous dogs.
Ban the chaining or tethering of dogs. Require neutering/spaying of any dog not registered as a breeder. Require licensing. Actually enforce leash laws. And have a supportable vicious dog law on the books. Have community supported obedience training available. We all want safer communities. None of us want to put children, adults or other animals at risk.
I am not an out of state agitator. I am a 50+ year old lifelong SD resident, who has voted in every election in SD since I was 18 years old. Yes, I am temporarily out of state, but I am still voting absentee, and my family (4 children and 10 grandchildren) lives in SD, from Pierre to Sioux Falls.
No, Jacque, you're not an out-of-state agitator. But Lederman's Republican friends have stirred false and childish fears of out-of-state agitators to challenge animal cruelty legislation. We actually have some SB 75 supporters on the record here as out of staters. Are not GOP conservatives obliged to dismiss SB 75 on those same grounds?
Property rights: City of Madison bans "any guinea fowl, ducks, geese, turkeys, or other domestic fowl, except pigeons and except falcons and hawks in the possession of a state and federally licensed handler within the City" (Article III Sec 5-82). The City of Madison is violating the property rights of duck owners and favoring the property rights of falcon owners over turkey owners by accepting licenses for the former but not the latter. Tyranny!
Madison also won't let people keep badgers (Art. V Sec 5-225). Tyranny!
If they say you can keep brown badgers but not white ones, then that is a relevant comparison. Saying you can keep dog A but not dog B infringes on my rights. Especially the laws that say "pit bull type dog". Which basically means anything from a boxer to an american bulldog; any short coated dog with a wide jaw and broad skull. When we did a Wisdom Panel on some of the smaller Vick dogs, the primary breed by DNA was Boston Terrier.
It is disheartening that this thread would warrant 199 comments and counting on a subject that affects such a small percentage of our population.
I can understand the passion of pit bull owners, we all have our passions. My passion is equality and civil rights.
The greatest gift we could have right now is for these passionate pit bull owners to share their passion and direct it where it will best be served.
Local control in South Dakota means impaired waterways, failing communities, sprawl, crime, meth, sexual violence. You can bet that Lederman and his gated enclave have everything to lose by having the feds crawling up the state's rectum with a flashlight.
Why would you think I am not as passionate about human rights? I spent 30+ years working for the SD Dept of Social Services. I am a proud member of my local GBLT group. I support gay marriage and equal rights for women under the law. However, I am just as passionate about caring for the welfare of animals. I work to end the killing of healthy adoptable animals in America's shelters. Those animals that are most at risk are neo-natal puppies and kittens, community cats and pit bull type dogs. Breed specific legislation greatly increases the number of dogs euthanized in a community.
30 years of kidnapping American Indian kids is a helluva way to make a living.
The rights of people being safe trumps a dog's rights.
Owen - Please excuse my comment, but your comment in reference to race and discrimination was really somewhat off an uncalled remark.
As a retired service member, I am very concerened about humans, discrimination and racism. We humans have an advantage over animals in that we can speak whereas the animal cannot not. I do not mean to sound insulting as we all know animals can not ariticulate information.
The point I was trying to make was in reference to the directing the effort in the right direction. If there is going to be some form of legislation directed at dogs, dog attacks, dog aggression etc., the legislation should be directed at ownership, responsible ownership and evaluation of the animal on a case by case basis. It is irresponsble to come with a public policy that blames a specific breed of dog for the unfortunate incidents that may or may occur.
In response to - Owen Reitzel - 2014.01.28 at 21:06
"In reality, Breed Specific Legislation is simply a form of racism applied to canines"
I hope you feel the same about racism and discrimination when it comes to humans Art"
I'll take your word Art that you care about humans and I'm not against a certain breeds of dogs. I have certain feelings toward different dogs but that wasn't my point.
First point is that this is about local control. As a city councilman I feel that this should be left to the city or town to decide.
Second it bothered me about the intensity of the posts here. While I respect the passion, I don't understand why that same passion isn't there for humans. What I'm talking about is the same legislator who is sponsoring SB75 is sponsoring a bill that would let businesses discriminate against against people like gays, interacial couples and so on. Where is the outrage? The Republicans cut Food Stamps that will hurt poor people. Where is the outrage?
You're gonna have to get some new material here Cory, caught myself agreeing with Lar here a handful of times and, God forbid, even agreed with Corny over on you're post on stress.
.
What's this world coming to? Where's Grud? I need some splainin on this matter.
It's called a "come to Jesus moment" Less
Me n Jesus appreciate your attendance brother Rog.
As a tax payer, and a Pitt bill owner I do not want to waste my tax payer money on a breed ban that won't work. Placing a breed ban will not change the fact that ANY dog can bite, EVERY dog has teeth and can bite. There so many circumstances to take into consideration when there is a dog bite, the first reaction should not 'the dog bit someone because of its breed'. I would much rather my tax money go toward enforcing current leash laws, current pet registration laws, and spay and neuter laws. I am a responsible dog owner, I own a Pitt bull as well as a different breed, I feel I should not be punished nor should my dogs because someone made poor decisions with their pets. I feel a breed ban is not the right answer, but stricter pet registration and pet law enforcement is needed. There has to be some middle ground to make both sides content.
It's the same reason we ban fully auto weapons. In the right hands, they are perfectly fine. In the wrong hands, they have the potential to do much more damage than any other weapon. I lived in the ghettos of Sioux Falls for a few years and if there is one thing I learned.....every thug had a pit or rotty. Now, if you could change their perception and get those people to have poodles.....you may still have issues with biting, but no one is going to lose their child or their entire face in seconds. Certain breeds just attract crappier owners, and its not because they are friendly and harmless dogs. They have the potential of doing an extreme amounts of damage.
By George I think Nick Nemec was right!
Scanning through the comments, there are a lot of first time posters to Madville on the pit bull thing.
Nick suggested that there must be a link somewhere that when pit bulls are discussed on a blog, owners are activated and come out of the woodwork to express their redundant opinions
There is good news and bad news, the good news is that they are reading a thread on Madville and participating, the bad news is that this is the only topic they have read and commented on.
It's just like the people who sign those darn initiated drug measure things, Mr. Cornelius. Except nobody needs a law to appropriately deal with a bothersome neighbor dog.
Yes, actually, this time there was a link. Some of us were sent here by SEPR via facebook. Our opinions are no more redundant than those who feel pits are dogs to be feared, but then again, people are scared of things they arent familliar with. I made one comment above about havin pits and children, and did so without calling people names. After my email going off all day because I chose to follow this post, I figured I better come back and see what was being said.
I am stil not a gangsta, nor am i someone who fears the outside world. I am not a nut job, a killer, a rapist, or someone who usually comments on blog posts. I am not going to bombard you with facts you will not read anyway, because your mind is made up. I am nothing like nicole up there who was posting faster than most of us can blink. I am a woman who loves her dogs because they are good dogs, and my family treats them very well, and they are very well behaved regardless of the fact the have been labeled killing mahines and monsters. Please, do not lump all pit owners into the same category, and for petes sake, stop with the pit owners stereotyping all together.
Obviously, DB, you have never been bitten by a poodle! Actually, don't think you've ever been bitten at all so thinking you really have no understanding what you are talking about.
After reading some of the comments on here I now know why I don't normally follow or post on here. I simply wanted to express something on this particular topic that yes I am passionate about. I do not believe that a ;particular breed should be banned by people that are not fully educated on rhe breed or the topic in general. But I did not make negative comments about anyone else's opinions or posts even if I do not agree with them. We need to stick with the facts and not personal opinion. The facts should speak for themselves if we are looking at reliable ones.
Vanessa, the facts are that reasonable people can deal with obnoxious dogs owned by their neighbors in a variety of ways. Behind the woodshed, so to speak.
grudz,
Didn't Stace Nelson take a pair of fencing pliers and kill a naughty dog?
Poodles are almost as hateful as swans.
Vanessa, by saying you do not agree with another opinion, you unavoidably make a negative comment about that opinion. You are saying it's wrong. You are saying people are not fully educated. That's negative. That's not a bad thing in itself. We need to negate and correct wrong opinions. We need to tell people to stop believing wrong things and fighting for wrong ideals. Democracy is not simply an open-mic brainstorming session. It is a competition of ideas in an effort to delineate right from wrong and choose the better policy path.
And crusading for pit bull rights is the wrong policy path, one that is flatly hypocritical for Republicans who spend their time suppressing the rights of lesbian and Lakota South Dakotans.
I don't get the part that some of us don't know or understand dog breeds. These pitbulls have killed people-infants,children, teens and adults and they do so at rates higher than other dog breeds. What is there not to know or understand? Someone,somewhere loved Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy or any other serial killer that ever was. Should they have been left in society because they were misunderstood? "Oh you just don't understand Bundy. See he was mistreated by mean old humans so it is their fault he killed." Give common sense a break,will you? And I can't believe this is still going on into day 3.
Bree S. "Poodles are almost as hateful as swans." I am trying to understand if this is sarcasm or not. Have you ever been around a wild swan? They are NOT pleasant. :)
to Mike from Iowa. You are missing the point. I agree that dangerous dogs should be dealt with. Just like dangerous people. You mentioned Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. Since they are dangerous and they are human, should all humans be banned? Or should we concentrate on the very small percentage of humans that truly are bad? The same goes with dogs. Should we lump all dogs together or look at them on a per dog basis? There are dangerous dogs just like there are dangerous people. But anybody with a modicum of intelligence would know you cannot judge a book by it's cover.
Harold-dangerous dogs should be banned. Pitbulls have proven to be dangerous. I have never advocated banning all dogs and I don't lump them all together,except on personal property(mine). The point is,dangerous dogs should not be allowed where they are not wanted. It works out best for the vicious dogs and for any human they choose to gnaw on. You are gonna have to work up a good sweat to convince me pitbulls aren't vicious.
Agreed Harold. And the poodles I have met have been mostly unpleasant. Meanwhile the pit bulls I have met were quite friendly. So I wonder what percentage of aggressive behavior from pit bulls is due to training rather than natural genetic tendency, and how much of it is public rumor and perception. Also, it seems to me that if people attempt to ban pit bulls the market for aggressive guard dogs would find a way around it such as by creating a new breed closely related to the preferred phenotype - the pit bull. Also, currently a lot of pit bull owners don't register their pit bulls as pure bred even though they are in order to get around rent contract prohibitions. But someone may have already brought that up - I haven't read the thread yet.
May another blizzard find you all.
Mike from Iowa. I would not have to work up any kind of a sweat. All you have to do is come to Petco in Sioux Falls from 1-3 this Saturday Feb 1st for the adoption event. Come meet several of those dangerous pitbulls. Not just one, but several. Even the ones that have come from bad situations like the Michael Vick fighting dog ring.
Mike from Iowa. One more thing. Ladders have proven to be dangerous when not used properly. Are you advocating banning ladders? How about just step-ladders? :)
I am compelled to battle prejudice when I find it, be it human or canine. You can not look at the actions of the few and tar the many with the same brush. I have had the distinct honor of working one-on-one with several of the Vicktory Dogs. One at a time they lived in my office, as we worked together to learn the skills they needed to be Canine Good Citizens. That 10 point test is incredibly tough. One at a time they passed the test, went into foster homes, and were ultimately adopted. These dogs proved to me that pit bulls have been unfairly stereotyped. These dogs were raised to fight. They were neglected, mistreated, and have no reason to trust humans. Every one of the ones I worked with went to a home with other animals and a family. What I learned from these dogs, who had the worst possible start in life, is that the breed wants so badly to please humans. And if asshole humans want them to fight they will. Not because they are inherently aggressive but because their drive to please is incredibly strong. Last spring we had a Vicktory Dog reunion here at the sanctuary. The dogs and their families stayed together in a large cabin. I went to visit, and the dogs were milling around each other and all the people in attendance. These were the same dogs that 5 years ago would have fought to the death. But now they were curled up on beds together. What changed? The people did. The dogs were not the issue....the scum humans that abuse, neglect or train them to be aggressive are the problem. We need to hold bad owners accountable. Enforce the laws that are already on the books. Powerful dogs of any breed require training, socialization, and boundaries. Responsible owners deal with problem behaviors immediately and do not allow their dogs to run at large or act aggressively to people or other animals. The scariest, most aggressive dog I have ever dealt with, who I have no doubt would have killed me given the opportunity, was a Springer Spaniel.
the worst dog i ever had was a springer spaniel rescued from ellsworth air force base by one of my ex-wives. we put him down after he bit a kid.
The current mentality of the South Dakota and their lack of logic on most things would be to Keep Pit Bulls, Ban Pit Bull Owners.
Nicole must have gone breast hunting.
Clearly the answer to the problem would be to ban Springer Spaniels as well. Apparently a percentage of the show lines suffer from Rage Syndrome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_syndrome
We should ban Chow Chows, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies, and my husband's dog (Bernese Mountain Dog) since there are reported cases of Rage Syndrome amongst these breeds as well according to Wikipedia. We have the supposed opportunity to save the world from dog bites, if only we ban all breeds that have ever demonstrated aggressive behavior. And since Rage Syndrome is an inheritable genetic trait, it only makes sense to ban these breeds in order to protect the public.
Ban fetuses.
Now you're catching on Les
Lederman goes Rascal and proves his point with a 50's movie short Our Gang...Little Rascals clip to show how Hollywood liberals prove his point.
Please Sen Lederman, show that on the Senate floor as proof and send a message to the rest of the country about how great South Dakota is governed!
GOP Dan uses Hollywood to influence policy! I think he might be a closeted liberal. Oops, no wedding for Dan in the Dunes!
Here's a video to show them Senator Dan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ihCqHdwWZs
Follow the money! Lederman is a bonds bailsman for criminals and gang members. What's their dog of choice?
Headline: Lederman defends clients right to have vicious dogs in gangs.
I can hear the boyz in the hood talking about who to get a bail bond from..."Yo...call Lederman, he did us a solid in letting us keep out pets."
Always looking out for his friends that old Dan.
SB 75 passed the Senate Committee this morning and now will go on to the Senate Floor. This just shows how far education goes!
2 People dead by dog attack in 2014.
Pit bull type dogs killed all of them.
One of the dead are children.
Stars indicate people killed by a ‘family’ pit bull – ones that had
been raised and cherished as an indoor pet, ‘never showed aggression
before’, and knew the victim.
Child fatalities by pit bull type dog (1)
Kara E. Hartrich, 4 years old, Bloomington, Illinois. **
Adult fatalities by pit bull type (1):
Christina Burleson, 43 years old, Houston, Texas.
That’s 100% killed by attacking pit bull type dogs.
Pit Bull type dogs are only about 5% of the entire dog population.
***************************************************************************************************
33 People dead by dog attack in 2013.
Pit bull type dogs killed thirty of them. sixteen of the twenty-nine dead are children.
Stars indicate people killed by a ‘family’ pit bull – ones that had been raised and cherished as an indoor pet, ‘never showed aggression before’, and knew the victim.
Child fatalities by pit bull type dog (16):
Christian Gormanous – 4 yrs old Montgomery County, TX
Isaiah Aguilar – 2 yrs old Sabinal, TX
Ryan Maxwell – 7 yrs old ** Galesburg, IL.
Dax Borchardt – 14 mos old ** Walworth, WI.
Monica Laminack – 21 mos old ** Ellabelle, GA.
Tyler Jett – 7 yrs old Callaway, FL.
Jordyn Arndt – 4 yrs old ** Prairie City, IA.
Beau Rutledge – 2 yrs old ** Fulton County, GA.
Ayden Evans- 5 yrs old ** Jessieville, AR.
Nephi Selu – 6 yrs old ** Union City, CA.
Arianna Jolee Merrbach – 5 yrs old Effingham, SC.
Daniel (surname as yet not revealed) – 2 yrs old (Gilbert, Arizona) **
Samuel Eli Zamudio – 2 yrs old** Colton, CA
Jordan Ryan– 5 yrs old Baker city, Oregon
Levi Watson-Bradford-4 years old** White County, Arkansas
Jah’niyah White - 2 years old ** Chicago, Ill
Adult fatalities by pit bull type (13):
Betty Todd – 65 yrs old ** Hodges, SC
Elsie Grace – 91 yrs old ** Hemet, CA
Claudia Gallardo – 38 yrs old Stockton, CA.
Pamela Devitt – 63 yrs old Littlerock, CA.
Carlton Freeman – 80 yrs old Harleyville, SC.
Linda Oliver – 63 yrs old Dayton, TX.
James Harding – 62 yrs old -Baltimore, MD
chased into traffic by two attacking pit bulls
Juan Campos – 96 yrs old Katy, Texas.
Terry Douglass 56 years old. **Baltimore, MD
Katherine Atkins-25 years old ** Kernersville, NC
Nga Woodhead-65 years old Spanaway, WA.
Joan Kappen, 75 years old Hot Springs Ark
Michal Nelson, 41 years old Valencia County, New Mexico **
(1 non-pit type killing) [Rachel Honabarger - 35 yrs old - mauled to death by her own GSD mix] Coshocton, OH.
(1 husky-mix killing, unknown if the other half of the dog was pit bull) [Jordan Lee Reed – 5 yrs old] Kotzebue, AK
(1 Shiba Inu killing) Mia Gibson - age 3 months, of Gibson, OH - mauled to death by family Shiba Inu.
Three of the pit bull type dogs were BULL mastiffs, ie 40% pit-fighting bulldog.
If 27 of 33 dead were killed by pit bull attack, that’s 82% dead by pit attack, 9% dead by ‘molosser’, 3% by some kind of GSD mix, 3% by a husky + possibly pit mix, 3% by Shiba Inu.
If you count the pit-mix mastiffs as pit bull types, that’s 91% killed by attacking pit bull types. Pit types are only about 5% of the entire dog population.
The man who ran into traffic kept pit bulls himself. He knew perfectly well what the two stranger pit bulls that were chasing him would do if they caught him, so he preferred to risk a swift death by oncoming car.
534 maimed by pit type dogs 2013 (as of November.28).
In a discussion of the Denver ban, Assistant City Attorney Kory Nelson recently told the San Francisco Chronicle that:
“Since 1989, when that city instituted a pit bull ban, ‘we haven’t had one serious pit bull attack,’ said Kory Nelson, a Denver assistant city attorney. His city’s assertion that ‘pit bulls are more dangerous than other breeds of dog’ has withstood legal challenges, he said.
‘We were able to prove there’s a difference between pit bulls and other breeds of dogs that make pit bulls more dangerous,' he said."
Sources: Denver Post
***************************************************
Toronto:
In a November 2011, public health statistics published by Global Toronto showed that pit bull bites dropped dramatically after Ontario adopted the Dog Owners Liability Act in 2005, an act that banned pit bulls:
The number of dog bites reported in Toronto has fallen since a ban on pit bulls took effect in 2005, public health statistics show.
A total of 486 bites were recorded in 2005. That number fell generally in the six years following, to 379 in 2010.
Provincial laws that banned 'pit bulls,' defined as pit bulls, Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and dogs resembling them took effect in August 2005. Existing dogs were required to be sterilized, and leashed and muzzled in public.
Bites in Toronto blamed on the four affected breeds fell sharply, from 71 in 2005 to only six in 2010. This accounts for most of the reduction in total bites.
***************************************************
Salina, KS
Rose Base, director of the Salina Animal Shelter who lobbied for the ordinance, told the Salina Journal:
The ordinance has made a difference, she said. Records at the Salina Animal Shelter indicate there were 24 reported pit bull bites in 2003 and 2004, and only five since -- none from 2009 to present.
Salina has 62 registered pit bulls, Base said. Before the ordinance she guessed there were "close to 300." Since the first of this year three of the registered pit bulls have died of old age.
"We definitely haven't had the severity of bites that we had in the past," Base said. "Our community has been somewhat safer because of the law that was passed
***************************************************
Prince George's County, MD
Prince George's County passed a pit bull ban in 1996. In August 2009, Rodney Taylor, associate director of the county's Animal Management Group, said that the number of pit bull biting incidents has fallen:
"Taylor said that during the first five to seven years of the ban, animal control officials would encounter an average of 1,200 pit bulls a year but that in recent years that figure has dropped by about half. According to county statistics, 36 pit bull bites, out of 619 total dog bites, were recorded in 2008, down from 95 pit bull bites, out of a total of 853, in 1996."
***************************************************
Salina KS (a second article)
Note that they admit that the pit bull ban did not reduce the number of bites, but it did reduce the severity of bites reported by all breeds. Proof that when pit bull deniers find a jurisdiction that banned pit bulls, but reported no decrease in overall bites, is a moot point. Its death and dismemberment we are focusing on, not bite counts.
In the monthly city newsletter, In Touch, published in September 2006, the City of Salina reported that the pit bull ban adopted in 2005 significantly reduced pit bull biting incidents in just a 12 month period.
The number of pit bull bites depicted in the "Salina Pit Bull Bites Reported" graph shows 2002 with 13 pit bull bites, 2003 with 11 pit bull bites, 2004 with 15 pit bull bites and 2005 with only one bite. The newsletter notes that "animal bites reported have remained constant, but the severity of bites have decreased dramatically" since the enactment of the pit bull ban.
***************************************************
Springfield, MO
In April 2008, the Springfield-Greene County Health Department released data to a local TV station - following the City of Springfield's adoption of a 2006 pit bull ban:
"The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reports that dog bites and vicious dog complaints are declining since the implementation of the Pit Bull Ordinance in the City of Springfield two years ago. In 2005 the health department fielded 18 vicious dog complaints, but only eight in 2007. Bites were down from 102 in 2005 to 87 in 2007."
***************************************************
Washington
In 2008, the City of Wapato passed an ordinance that bans new pit bulls, rottweilers and mastiffs. Nine months after its adoption, in March 2009, Wapato Police Chief Richard Sanchez reported successful results:
"Nine months into the ban and police calls about vicious dogs have been cut in half. The Wapato Police tell Action News they've gone from 18 reports in January, February and March of last year to seven so far in '09. "Seven calls in three months... that's nothing," says Chief Richard Sanchez, Wapato Police Department.
Chief Sanchez credits local cooperation for the decline of dangerous dogs."
***************************************************
Rhode Island
When the City of Woonsocket was debating a pit bull ordinance in June 2009, the animal control supervisor in Pawtucket, John Holmes, spoke about the enormous success of Pawtucket's 2003 pit bull ban:
"Holmes says he predicted that it would take two years for Pawtucket to experience the full benefit of the law after it was passed, but the results were actually apparent in half the time.
"It's working absolutely fantastic," said Holmes. "We have not had a pit bull maiming in the city since December of 2004."
***************************************************
Per section 8-55 of Denvers pit bull ban:
A pit bull, is defined as any dog that is an APBT, Am Staf Terrier, Staff Bull Terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of anyone (1) or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards set by the AKC or UKC for any of the above breed.
Over the course of 22 years, the Denver ban has withstood numerous battles in state and federal courts. It has been used as a model for over 600 USA cities that legislate pit bulls, as well as US Navy, Air Force, Marine and Army bases ( so much for Sgt Stubby).
without it, we'd see just what we see in Miss E's lame replies. Every pit owner would claim their land shark was anything but a pit bull.
Miami Dade county voted 66% to keep their pit bull ban, just as it is worded, last year.
Dog Attack Deaths and Maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to May.25, 2013.
By compiling U.S. and Canadian press accounts between 1982 and 2013, Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, shows the breeds most responsible for serious injury and death.
Study highlights
Pit bull type dogs make up only 6% of all dogs in the USA.
The combination of Pit Bulls, rottweilers, their close mixes and wolf hybrids and other Pit Bull Type Dogs:
84% of attacks that induce bodily harm.
75% of attacks to children.
87% of attack to adults.
72% of attacks that result in fatalities.
80% that result in maiming.
Wichita, Kansas
In January 2009, the Wichita Department of Environmental Services released a number of pit bull statistics. The figures are based upon the Wichita Animal Control department's investigation of 733 dog bites in 2008.
Included in the data are pit bulls encountered by the Wichita Police Department. In the 1-year period, 95% of police encounters with aggressive dogs were pit bulls.
The report also showed that the percentage of pit bull encounters had increased from 66% in 2004 to 95% in 2008. Subsequently, four months after the release of this data, the City of Wichita enacted a mandatory pit bull sterilization law.
55% of all dogs deemed dangerous were pit bulls (41 pit bull dogs deemed dangerous).
34% of attacks and bites involved pit bull dogs (246 pit bull attacks/bites).
28% of dogs found running at large were pit bulls (1,279 pit bulls found running loose).
25% of dogs impounded were pit bulls dogs (1,575 pit bulls impounded).
37% of all dogs euthanized were pit bull dogs (1,255 pit bulls euthanized).
23% of dog complaints involved pit bull dogs (2,523 complaints involved pit bull dogs).
9/10/2013
Bites by pit bulls have dropped dramatically since 2004
PAWTUCKET - The city has seen a dramatic decline in the number of attacks by pit bulls since a 2004 ban on the breed went into effect, according to data released by local officials.
In response to an open records request by The Breeze, the Pawtucket Police Department and Pawtucket Animal Control, through City Solicitor Frank Milos, provided documents showing just how rarely pit bulls have attacked people or animals in the city since the ban was enacted.
For the four years leading up to the ban, from 2000 to 2003, officers responded to 71 incidents of biting or scratching involving pit bulls in Pawtucket, a majority of those, 51, involving attacks on people.
In the 10 years since the ban was put in place, police responded to 23 total attacks involving pit bulls, with only 13 of those involving attacks on people.
For three years, 2008, 2010, and 2012, there were no attacks by pit bulls reported, according to the information provided by the city.
The following are the 71 pit bulls attacks separated out by year for the four years before Pawtucket's pit bull ban went into effect:
* 2000 - 20 incidents, 18 involving attacks on people, two involving other animals.
* 2001 - 14 incidents, nine involving attacks on people, five on animals.
* 2002 - 17 incidents, 14 involving attacks on people, three on animals.
* 2003 - 20 incidents, 11 involving attacks on people, nine on animals.
The following are the 23 pit bull attacks in the city for the 10 years since Pawtucket's pit bull ban was unanimously approved by the Rhode Island General Assembly:
* 2004 - Eight incidents, five involving attacks on people, three involving attacks on other animals.
* 2005 - One incident involving a person being attacked.
* 2006 - Three incidents, one involving an attack on a person, two on animals.
* 2007 - Four incidents, one involving an attack on a person, three on animals.
* 2008 - No incidents.
* 2009 - Two incidents, both involving attacks on people.
* 2010 - No incidents.
* 2011 - Two incidents, both involving attacks on people.
* 2012 - No incidents.
* 2013 - Three incidents, one involving an attack on a person, two on animals.
John Holmes, Pawtucket's veteran animal control officer and the key proponent of the 2004 ban, said the numbers before and after 2004 "speak for themselves."
"The law's worked," he said. "We didn't put this law in to destroy pit bulls, in fact, quite the opposite."
The last serious pit bull attack in Pawtucket was the day the bill was signed into law, said Holmes. Residents have been safer because of the ban, he said.
"Public safety has always been the issue," he said. "They're just missing so much of what this is all about. We're going backward here."
A pit bull BSL works EVERYWHERE it is useful in almost eliminating all serious dog attacks that maim, disfigure, dismember, maul, cripple.
or kill, this is a simply proven fact in all cases.The number of pit bulls is dramatically reduced as are the numbers of them put to death.
The need to have BSL is to have a preemptive capability to avoid a pit bull attack from happening due to it's extremely savage consequences.
It is enacted against all pit bulls as they all have the genetic DNA propensity to carry out these horrific attacks that are non existent in 99% of all other breeds, ban the breed and you ban the deed, simple as that.
Dealing with an attack after the fact is simply not acceptable due to the horrific nature of said attacks.
With any other breed other then Rottweiler's, wolf hybrids and Akita's and a few others in very small numbers it is not a naturally genetic reality for them to carry out such horrifying attacks.
Hence they need to be dealt with in an aggressive reactive modality where all of the breed are not looked on as one but rather based on the actions of the individual misbehaving dog.
This can be done in a very aggressive proactive manner so that as soon as a dog like a lab lets say starts behaving inappropriately severe consequences can be brought to bare on the owner and their dog in an escalating manner as needed to deal with a situation that has developed.
This duel track approach can deal with the pits issue as other normal dog breeds can be dealt with as well so vicious dogs of other mainstream breeds are also held accountable for their actions.
There should be mandatory Spay/Neuter programs for all breeds but clearly the one that needs it the most and where the most change would be effected would be with the Pit Bull type dog.
Last Summer, Riverside County supervisors unanimously passed an ordinance requiring pit bulls older than 4 months in unincorporated areas of the county to be spayed or neutered. Registered breeders, law enforcement and therapy dogs are exempt from the ordinance, which takes effect next month.
In 2010, San Bernardino County supervisors passed a similar ordinance for unincorporated areas of the county, such as Mentone. Owners of non-sterilized pit bulls can be fined $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second and $300 for subsequent offenses.
Highland and Yucaipa adopted the same ordinance, according to Brian Cronin, chief of the county’s animal control division, which handles animal control in those two cities.
The San Bernardino County ordinance said pit bull breeds account for about 20 percent of the dogs at animal shelters and are put down more often than any other breed.
Cronin emailed figures showing the county’s intake of pit bulls has decreased 28 percent since the ordinance took effect and that euthanization rates have dropped by 56 percent.
The ordinance was passed to reduce the number of dogs destroyed at taxpayer expense, Cronin said.
Animal Planet
Pit Bulls Already Banned in a Dozen Countries
Pit bulls have been banned the world over
Though a proposed ban on Broward County pit bulls was shelved last night, if the legislation reemerges in some form -- and actually passes -- the prohibition on the dog wouldn't be anything unusual.
In 1989, Miami may have been one of the first communities to ban pit bulls -- but it sure hasn't been the last, raising questions as to whether it's only a matter of time before every municipality imposes some sort of regulation on the animal.
Already, more than a dozen countries have banned pit bulls, making it, quite possibly, the most regulated and feared dog in the canine world.
Composed from various online resources, here's a breakdown of the bans and regulations:
Countries that have enacted regulation on pit bulls (or some deviation):
**In 1991, Singapore prohibited the entry of pit bulls into the country.
**In 1993, the Netherlands banned pit bulls.
**In 1997, Poland enacted legislation enforcing pit bull owners to display "clear warning signs" and keep the animal behind reinforced fencing.
**In 2000, France banned pit bulls. The goal was to let the breed "die out."
**In 2001, Germany banned pit bulls.
**In 2001, Puerto Rico banned pit bulls.
**In 2003, New Zealand banned the importation of pit bulls.
**In 2004, Italy banned pit bulls.
**In 2009, Australia prohibited the imports of pit bulls.
**In 2009, Ecuador banned pit bulls as pets.
**In 2010, Denmark banned pit bulls and pit bull breeding.
**In 2014, Venezuela will ban pit bulls.
Nationwide, a ban on pit bulls is also far from exceptional.
Cities that have laid down some sort of legislation:
Sioux City, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Independence, Missouri
Royal City, Washington
Denver, Colorado
Springfield, Missouri
Youngstown, Ohio;
Melvindale, Michigan
Livingston County, Michigan.
From the CDC (1998 report, page 4):
"Despite these limitations and concerns
(about identifying the exact ‘breed’ of pit bull type dog responsible for a
killing), the data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted
for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998.
It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the
United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a
breed-specific problem with fatalities."
Results of mandatory breed-specific S/N in SF: success in San Francisco, where in just eight years there was a 49% decline in the number of pit-bulls impounded, a 23% decline in the number of pit-bulls euthanized, and an 81% decline in the number of pit-bulls involved in fatal and disfiguring attacks.
Ed Boks, Executive director, Yavapai Humane Society (responsible Jan 2004 as director City Center for Animal Care & Control in NYC for trying to rename pit bulls New Yorkies; is pb owner)
Pit bull type dogs represent 3000% the actuarial risk compared to other types of dogs.
Insurance companies will have calculated the risks the other listed breeds represent based on what they’ve had to pay out through the years.
This isn’t ‘prejudice’, this is cold statistical reality. Actuarial realities don’t yield to sentiment or a feeling of entitlement — they just are what they are.
Toronto dog bites fell after pit bull ban
Patrick Cain, Global News : Monday, November 14, 2011 02:12 PM
The number of dog bites reported in Toronto has fallen since a ban on pit bulls took effect in 2005, public health statistics show.
A total of 486 bites were recorded in 2005. That number fell generally in the six years following, to 379 in 2010.
Provincial laws that banned 'pit bulls,' defined as pit bulls, Staffordshire terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers and dogs resembling them took effect in August 2005. Existing dogs were required to be sterilized, and leashed and muzzled in public.
Bites in Toronto blamed on the four affected breeds fell sharply, from 71 in 2005 to only six in 2010. This accounts for most of the reduction in total bites.
The fall in bites blamed on the four breeds tracks a reduction in the dogs themselves, data obtained separately by globalnews.ca under access-to-information laws shows. Some 1,411 Toronto dogs were in the four breeds in 2008, as opposed to 798 in mid-2011.
"It is encouraging to hear that fewer people are victimized by dangerous dogs," Ontario Attorney-General John Gerretson said in a statement.
About 1,000 Ontario pit bulls have been put down since the ban took effect.
With totals of Toronto dogs by breed and ten years of bite data, it is possible to see which dogs are most likely to bite in Toronto based on a ratio between dogs of a given breed in 2011 and reported bites over the decade between 2000 and 2010. Below are the 20 most bite-prone dogs. The four prohibited breeds all appear in the top eight slots.
Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Pit bulls are not only problematic in large cities; they threaten mid-sized cities and small towns as well. Located in the heartland, Council Bluffs, Iowa has about 60,000 citizens.
After a series of devastating attacks, beginning in 2003, Council Bluffs joined over 600 U.S. cities and began regulating pit bulls.
The results of the Council Bluffs pit bull ban, which began January 1, 2005, show the positive effects such legislation can have on public safety in just a few years time:1.
Council Bluffs: Pit Bull Bite Statistics.
Year Pit Bull Bites % of All Bites.
2004 29 23%.
2005 12 10% (year ban enacted).
2006 6 4%.
2007 2 2%.
2008 0 0%.
2009 0 0%.
2010 1 1%.
2011 0 0%.
http://www.dogsbite.org/legislating-dangerous-dogs.php
My Legislation Proposal to be enacted by all states, cities and counties in the US.
All dogs must be:
Or all dangerous dogs must be:
Or all dangerous molosser breeds, including pit bulls (Staffordshire bull terriers, American pit bull terriers, and any dog generally recognized as a pit bull or pit bull terrier and includes a dog of mixed breed with predominant pit bull or pit bull terrier characteristics), rottweilers, presa canarios, cane corsos, chow chows, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, mastiffs, dogo argentinos, fila brasieros, and their mixes must be:
* Licensed
* Micro-chipped with any bite history in database
* Insured: All dogs must be covered by mandatory liability insurance of $100,000 min. generic and $500,000 after a skin breaking bite with insurance companies based on actuarial statistic's determining said rate.
* Spayed/neutered (except for limited approved show dog breeders)
* All breeds involved in any bite incident must be kenneled in a locked five-sided enclosure with concrete bottom.
For all other dog owners language can be written that enclosure such as fences must be capable of containing your dog period, such generic language puts the onus on the owner, have the fines be so onerous that said owner will ensure this they make this so.
1,000 the first time, double the second time and permanent confiscation the third time with a ban on said person from owning any dog within city limits, this will create an effective outcome directly or indirectly.
* All dogs must be on leashes outside of home enclosure
* All molosser breeds must also be muzzled outside of home enclosure
* No transport of declared dangerous dogs for the purpose of re-homing. (Dangerous dogs must be dealt with where their history is known.)
* All of the rules listed above also apply to rescues: rescued dogs must be licensed and subject to inspection.
$1,000 fine for noncompliance
Elimination of the one-bite rule in all of the 50 U.S. states
Manslaughter charges for owner of dog that kills a human
Felony charge for owner of dog that mauls human, dog, or other domestic animal
ROYAL OAK (WWJ) - Royal Oak is about to unleash new regulations on dog owners.
The new rules, which go into effect Thursday, require owners of “dangerous dogs” to carry $1 million in liability insurance, post signs, complete an obedience class with the dog, and keep the dog in a locked, fenced-in area. Owners must also comply with seven pages worth of other requirements to keep their pets in the city.
Officials say a dog is deemed dangerous if it bites or attacks a person, or causes serious injury to another domestic animal. Exceptions include dogs protecting an owner or a homeowner’s property.
City leaders say they created the ordinance after receiving 32 reports of dog bites and attacks during 2012 in Royal Oak.
Royal Oak resident John Scott said the ordinance is a good move for the city, putting the responsibility on the owners instead of the dogs.
“If you’re a dog owner, you know that dogs are protective of their territory. There’s an old saying that there’s no bad dogs, just bad owners,” he said.
Lori Wosnicki, who has a Bernese Mountain Dog, she understands the reason for the new ordinance, but still thinks that it goes too far.
“Look at this dog, who goes to schools and has kids lay all over him. I have a really hard time with [the ordinance] because how do you decide what’s dangerous,” she said.
Violation of the dog ordinance is a misdemeanor offense, punishable by a fine up to $500 and 90 days in jail.
Coverage to End For Bites by Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Wolf Hybrids
Farmers Group, Inc., will stop covering homeowners for bites by three breeds, saying they are responsible for a quarter of all claims in California
By Sharon Bernstein
Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013
America’s infatuation with canines has led to a breathtaking rise in the number of dog bites – and in the amount of money that insurance companies pay to compensate the bitten.
In California, one major insurer is growling back.
Farmers Group, Inc., has notified policyholders that bites by pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids will no longer be covered by homeowners insurance in the state.
The move has drawn criticism from pit bull rescue groups and trainers.
"It is offensive," said Candy Clemente, who trains pit bulls for the Animal Planet show "Pit Boss." They are condemning these breeds indiscriminately without giving the home owners a chance to prove their dogs are not vicious."
But insurers say that bites from pit bulls and the other breeds have gone up dramatically in recent years - along with the cost of settling damage claims.
“We reviewed our liability claim history and we determined that three breeds accounted for more than 25% of dog bite claims,” said spokeswoman Erin Freeman. “In addition, these three breeds caused more harm when they attacked than any other breed.”
The move by Farmers, which will go into effect for California homeowners as their policies come up for renewal, is one of several efforts nationwide by insurance companies to limit an ever-increasing level of liability for dog bites.
Across the U.S., insurance companies paid out $480 million to people who were attacked by dogs in 2011 – a 50% rise in just eight years, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute. In California that year, insurers paid more than $20 million to settle just 527 claims.
Just last week, a 91-year-old Desert Hot Springs woman died after she was attacked by her two pit bulls. In San Diego on Monday, a woman and her daughter were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in another attack, after their two dogs attacked a 75-year-old woman who later died.
Emako Mendoza stepped outside her home to get a newspaper in June of 2011 when she was mauled by the two dogs. She suffered a heart attack and her left arm and leg had to be amputated. Mendoza died six months later.
To deal with the skyrocketing claims and attendant expense, insurers have adopted a number of new measures, the insurance institute said. Some, like Farmers, are asking customers to sign waivers acknowledging that bites will not be covered under certain circumstances.
Others are charging people extra for breeds like pitbulls, or refusing to cover dog bites altogether.
Still more insurers use what they call the “one-bite rule,” saying they’ll cover an attack the first time it happens – not if the animal bites someone else at another time.
Two states, Pennsylvania and Michigan, do not allow insurers to cancel or refuse coverage to owners of specific breeds.
Wapato, WA residents safer because of ban:
In 2008, the City of Wapato passed an ordinance that bans new pit bulls, rottweilers and mastiffs. Nine months after its adoption, in March 2009, Wapato Police Chief Richard Sanchez reported successful results:
"Nine months into the ban and police calls about vicious dogs have been cut in half. The Wapato Police tell Action News they've gone from 18 reports in January, February and March of last year to seven so far in '09. "Seven calls in three months... that's nothing," says Chief Richard Sanchez, Wapato Police Department.
Chief Sanchez credits local cooperation for the decline of dangerous dogs."
Another way of protecting the public is to mandate muzzling of dangerous dogs when they are "off property:
The Muzzle Up! Project strives to erase the social stigma that comes with owning a dog that wears a muzzle. After all, when dogs are trained using positive reinforcement, they come to enjoy their muzzle, because the muzzle predicts good things (food, walks, fun with their humans). Muzzles also keep fearful and aggressive dogs safe, preventing them from possibly hurting another human or dog, while allowing them to still enjoy being a dog. And, unfortunately, some dog owners have no choice, since breed-specific legislation requires their dogs to wear one.
This blog post is a celebration of the humans who are doing it right: Desensitizing and counter-conditioning their dogs to muzzles, finding creative ways to have fun with their dogs, and giving their dogs the gift of exercise and adventure.
Articles, Truths, Facts & News to be Publicly shared-about-the-Horror-that-is-a-Pit-Bull-type-Mutant-Undog
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Articles-to-be-shared-about-the-Horror-that-is-a-Pit-Bull-type-Mutant-Undog/504783452894089?success=1
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The Truth of the Pit Bull type dogs genetics and the reality of the outcome of those genetics which are mauling's and killings like these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhvYMRKjNlw
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Beyond the Interview: Father of Child Killed by Babysitter's Pit Bulls Speaks Out After Attack 'Believing the Myth is What Left Us Without a Son'.
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/07/beyond-the-interview-essay-of-a-fatal-pit-bull-mauling.html
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Learn and become educated about the genetic truth and reality of the Pit bull Type dog and the danger they present:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ban-All-Pit-Bull-Type-Dogs-Everywhere-Today-All-Dogs-must-be-on-a-Leash/180634022056782
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The Pit bull type dogs truth and genetic reality, watch and learn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt6FL6z1Nck&feature=share
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Fatal Pit Bull Attacks
Stop the Maulings
A growing archive of U.S. fatal pit bull attacks dating back to 1858
http://www.fatalpitbullattacks.com/
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Everything you ever wanted to know about the views of Pit Nutter, Pit Bull type dog apologists but were afraid to ask.!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=za7n_KNadMI
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This speaks volumes and in a nutshell reflects the reality of what animal shelters are doing throughout North America where vicious pit bull type dogs are misrepresented as family lassie or rin tin tin type dogs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6s0NCgKKkk
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Country's, Cities, county's, Provinces, Military Services & Towns where Pit Bulls type Dogs are Banned or severely restricted:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56495216/Estimated-U-S-Cities-Counties-States-and-Military-Facilities-with-Breed-Specific-Pit-Bull-Laws
Everybody is touting how the number of pit bull bites drop when pit bulls are banned. Duh. Figure the odds on that one. :) If there were no more planes the number of death due to plan crashes would be 0 also, right? One thing that is not mentioned is the total number of bites from all dogs. That number does NOT go down. This is why Dangerous Dog Legislation works and Breed Specific Legislation never does. Get all the facts, not just the ones you want to believe.
Anyone can cut and paste stuff from "The Truth About Pitbulls". But just because they post it on their site doesn't make it any more true. That site has been debunked more times than I can count.
I am not saying there are not dangerous pit bulls. There are. There are also dangerous shepherds, labs, springers, boxers, rotties, and bloodhounds. Banning a breed because of asshole owners just means the assholes will turn to a different breed. It makes no one in the community any safer and it cost a boat load of money.
Anyone can cut and paste stuff from "The Truth About Pitbulls". But just because they post it on their site doesn't make it any more true. That site has been debunked more times than I can count.
I am not saying there are not dangerous pit bulls. There are. There are also dangerous shepherds, labs, springers, boxers, rotties, and bloodhounds. Banning a breed because of asshole owners just means the assholes will turn to a different breed. It makes no one in the community any safer and it costs a boat load of money.
Addendum to this story: dog and cat poop contribute to the trillions we pay in medical care.
In Calgary, by Bill Bruce's own admission and documentation, pit bulls lead the serious bite count with 13% of the city's serious bites attributable to pit bulls, yet pit bulls account for less than 1% of the city's dogs.
In fact, pit bulls are responsible for nearly as many serious bites (13%) as the ENTIRE sporting breeding category (15%), which includes all of the most popular breeds (Labs, Goldens, Poodles, Spaniels, etc) and houses 70% of Calgary's dogs.
Why aren't these breeds attacking in the face of irresponsible ownership?
An example of why leashing and licensing laws don't work to solve the breed-specific problem of pit bulls:
Pitbull supporters always point to Calgary Model as the perfect solution when dealing with dangerous dogs. The city introduced its responsible pet ownership bylaw in 2006.
Calgary’s bylaw department emphasizes responsible pet ownership through intensive licensing, hefty fines and owner education.
Has their model worked? The statistics from the past four years would indicate a resounding "NO". For the past four years dog bites have risen steadily every year, and over 350% in the past 4 years, from 58 in 2009 to 203 in 2012.
And In 2010 Pit bulls led the 'bite' count. Meanwhile in Toronto, four years after implementing Breed Bans, dog bites were down 32%, from 486 to 329.
Bites in Toronto blamed on the four banned breeds fell sharply, from 71 in 2005 to only six in 2010.
Considering these breeds regularly inflict the most serious damage, this is an undeniable win for the citizens of Toronto.
About 31,400 dogs attacked about 61,500 other animals in the U.S. in 2013, killing 43,500 and seriously injuring 18,100.
The animals killed included about 12,000 dogs, 8,000 cats, 6,000 hooved
animals, and 17,000 other small domestic animals, primarily poultry.
The seriously injured included about 12,400 dogs, 4,000 cats, and 1,700
hooved animals. Few small mammals and poultry survived reported dog attacks.
Pit bulls inflicted 99% of the total fatal attacks on other animals
(43,000); 96% of the fatal attacks on other dogs (11,520); 95% of the
fatal attacks on livestock (5,700) and on small mammals and poultry
(16,150); and 94% of the fatal attacks on cats (11,280).
About 30,000 pit bulls were involved in attacks on other animals, many of them killing multiple other animals.
There are about 3.2 million pit bulls in the U.S. at any given time,
according to the annual ANIMAL PEOPLE surveys of dogs offered for sale
or adoption via online classified ads.
Thus in 2013 about one
pit bull in 107 killed or seriously injured another animal, compared
with about one dog in 50,000 of other breeds.
Complete details
of the year-long epidemiological survey that produced these estimates
will appear in the January/February edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE.
KEVIN COUTTS, Head Dog Ranger, Rotorua, New Zealand
There was concern among dog authorities about American pitbulls being allowed into New Zealand as they were dangerous, unpredictable animals, Mr Coutts said.
"A lot of people in this town get them because they are a staunch dog and they will fight. They are perceived as vicious ... It's frustrating they were ever allowed in the country ... we can't go back now though," Mr Coutts said.
COUTTS' comment on a pit car mauling
This sort of thing happens when people own this breed of dog and then don't look after them.
VICTORIA STILWELL, celebrity dog trainer
Presas are not to be fooled with, they're dangerous. You've got a fighting breed here. You've got a dog that was bred for fighting. You've got one of the most difficult breeds to handle.
CESAR MILAN, celebrity dog trainer
"Yeah, but this is a different breed...the power that comes behind bull dog, pit bull, presa canario, the fighting breed - They have an extra boost, they can go into a zone, they don't feel the pain anymore. He is using the bulldog in him, which is way too powerful, so we have to 'make him dog' (I guess as in a "regular" dog) so we can actually create the limits.
So if you are trying to create submission in a fighting breed, it's not going to happen. They would rather die than surrender.". If you add pain, it only infuriates them..to them pain is that adrenaline rush, they are looking forward to that, they are addicted to it...
That's why they are such great fighters." Cesar goes on to say..."Especially with fighting breeds, you're going to have these explosions over and over because there's no limits in their brain."
GARRETT RUSSO, dog trainer
I estimate Medical & Veterinary bills related to injuries caused by pit bulls in the Tompkins Square dog run in 2011, $140,000.00. Estimated Medical (human) & Veterinary (canine) bills from all other breeds and mixed breeds combined during the same period, $5,000.00. (Estimate gathered from reports to by owners to the dog park association.)
STEVE DUNO, dog trainer, pit bull owner
"The dogs that participated in these attacks weren't Pekingese. You don't have herds of Pekingese roaming the city attacking people. When someone says all breeds are created equal, well then they're denying the definition of what a breed is. Breed serves a particular purpose."
"I like them. They're eager. They're athletic. They're aesthetically pleasing. But even if they're bred perfectly, they can be problematic, particularly with other dogs."
"When you combine the breed specific behaviors ... with owners who either don't give a rip, or with owners who (have) too much dog, you have a problem."
JEAN DONALDSON, dog trainer
Most commonly, she sees dogs with aggression problems. While she's a fierce opponent of "breed bans" like the proposed outlawing of pit bulls that San Francisco debated two years ago, she believes it's undeniable that some breeds are predisposed to violence.
Many breeds that were bred as guardians or fighting dogs were carefully designed to not like strangers, she says. She thinks it's disingenuous of breeders to further enhance this trait, and then expect owners to compensate with training.
ARLENE STERLING, Newaygo County, MI Chief Animal Control Officer
"It is genetically inbred in them to be aggressive. They can be very nice dogs, but they are very prey driven and they are extremely strong. It makes them high risk dogs and it makes them extremely dangerous."
BOB KERRIDGE, New Zealand SPCA executive director
"That is the only real way to solve this problem - is to license owners and to give them the responsibility that goes with owning a dog. It would be extremely useful when you have a neighbour who is concerned about that dog next door. You can look at it and see they don't have a license and take it away. That's owner responsibility."
"We led the charge to stop the importation of the pitbull because of the concerns they would be crossbred with other dogs... But there's not a lot we can do about that because it's happened. We wish someone had listened all those years ago."
JIM CROSBY, pit bull hired gun
"Line breeding tends to concentrate recessive traits. The propensity for violent attacks by a dog would be a recessive trait."
MELANIE PFEIFFER, veterinary assistant
Working in a veterinary hospital, you are exposed to all kinds of animal trauma. One of the more common ones is dog fights. I can honestly say that in three out of four cases, an American pit bull terrier is involved. Many times, we are able to save the life of the afflicted, but yesterday, we were not.
I propose that all owned American pit bull terriers be registered and all breeding be halted indefinitely. How many mutilated faces, mangled limbs, butchered pets and even human deaths does it take to convince us that this breed needs to be phased out?
DIANE JESSUP, Washington pit bull owner and expert
"It's not sensible to get an animal bred for bringing a 2,000-pound bull to its knees and say I'm going to treat this like a soft-mouth Labrador," says Jessup, the former animal-control officer. She blames novice owners, as much as actual criminals, for bringing the breed into disrepute. "It's a capable animal, and it's got to be treated as such."
JOHN ROCKHOLT, South Carolina dogman
"It's inhumane not to allow them to fight. If you have to encourage them to fight they are not worth the powder it would take to blow them away. To never allow them any kind of combat...That's inhumane."
RAY BROWN, former pit bull owner, breeder, dog fighter
Pit bulls didn't become dangerous because we fight them; we fight them because the English specifically bred them to be dangerous.
MARK PAULHUS, HSUS southeast regional coordinator
If it chooses to attack, it's the most ferocious of all dogs. I've never known of a pit bull that could be called off (during a fight). They lose themselves in the fight.
F.L. DANTZLER, HSUS director of field services
"They're borderline dogs. They're right on the edge all of the time. Even if the dogs are not trained or used for fighting, and even though they are generally good with people, their bloodline makes them prone to violence."
TRISH KING, Director, Behavior & Training Dept. Marin Humane Society
"There is no direct eye contact or very little direct eye contact. It is very quick and over with. Which is one reason why with pit bulls and rottweilers, we have problems. Because they're bred to do direct eye contact and so they are off putting to other dogs and actually scary to other dogs."
The fourth undesirable characteristic - arousal or excitement - is actually the most problematic. Many bully dogs cannot seem to calm themselves down once they get excited. And once they get excited all their behaviors are exacerbated.
Thus, if a dog is over-confident and has a tendency to body slam or mount, he or she will really crash into the other dog or person when he's aroused, sometimes inadvertently causing injury. He may begin to play-bite, and then bite harder and harder and harder.
When you try to stop the behavior, the dog often becomes even more "aggressive." In this way, play can turn into aggression fairly quickly. Research on the brain has shown that excited play has exactly the same chemistry as extreme anger. This allows a play behavior to switch quickly into aggression. And, once the dog has become aggressive a few times, the switch is much easier.
DIANE JESSUP, pit bull expert, breeder, former ACO
"Jessup, the animal control officer in Olympia, uses two pit bulls to train police and animal control officers on surviving dogs attacks.
Unlike dogs who are nippers and rippers, her pit bulls are typically "grippers" who bite down and hang onto their victims."
Jessup believes that much of dog behavior comes from their genes. “I truly believe that a dog is about 90% genetics,” says Jessup.
on protection sports
This difference in “sheepdog versus bulldog” mentality in a trainer is best understood when training the "out!” or release command. It is common practice for those training shepherds and sheepdog types to use force such as hard leash corrections or electric shock to get the dog to release the sleeve.
Sadly, I had one young man come to me because a club trainer was slugging his little Am Staff female in the nose, till she bled, trying to get her to release the sleeve.
She would not! And of course she would not! She was a good little bulldog, hanging on for dear life, just as her bull and bear baiting ancestors of old did.
She was a super little gripping dog, who took the pain she experienced as just “part of the job” once her owner set her upon the sleeve. And this is the response from well bred pit bulldogs—to ignore pain while gripping. It is, after all, what they are bred for! Give me a bulldog like her, rather than one which will allow itself to be yanked off the sleeve due to pain.
MICHAEL BURNS, Los Angeles Animal Control Lt.
You have a dog that has aggressive tendencies enhanced through constant and incestuous breeding. If there are some recessive genes on the aggressive or psychotic side, they will make themselves manifest.
They are different. There's an absence of the normal sounds a dog makes when it attacks. It's almost a workmanlike way they hold on in an attack. It's a persistence I haven't seen in any other breed.
KURT LAPHAM, a field investigator for the West Coast Regional office of the Humane Society
Most breeds do not multiple-bite. A pit bull attack is like a shark attack: He keeps coming back.
DAVID GENDREGSKE, Clare County MI Animal Control Director
“In my opinion they appeal to the most irresponsible pet owners and to younger people,” he said.
“The younger people have no jobs to support the animal, or they have to move where animals aren’t allowed and (the dogs) end up here.” Certain people like pit bulls because they are intimidating, he said. “They want to scare people. It’s an intimidation thing.
They’re number one with those being incarcerated. If there’s a dog left behind (when someone is sentenced to jail or prison), it’s always a pit bull,” he said. He cited the time a pit bull got out of a car and attacked a horse.
He was pulled off, but he went back and grabbed the throat. He was pulled off again and again and went back after different parts of the horse. “What kind of a dog but a pit bull would do that?” he asked. “All dogs can bite but not with that ferocity. “ Some people will say that how a pit bull acts and reacts is dependent upon how the dog is raised, he said.
“But he was raised to kill for centuries,” he said. “You can’t breed it out in one generation.” If the popularity of pit bulls is a fad, it’s a long term one, he said. “I keep seeing more and more pit bulls,” he said. “It’s getting worse.”
Pit bulls, he said, are not good as a working dog, except for perhaps wild boar hunting. “And they’re not one of the smarter breeds,” he said, despite other’s beliefs that they are intelligent.
BONNIE V. BEAVER, BS, DVM, MS, DACVB, Professor and Chief of Medicine, Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University
Executive Director, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists
By its origin, a pit bull is a fighting dog that takes very little stimulous to initiate aggression, and it will continue to fight regardless of what happens.
Pit bulldogs have been responsible for about 70 percent of the deaths of humans killed by dogs since 1979.
The AVMA warns veterinarians to be careful about supplying behavioural evaluations of dogs for insurance purposes.
"It's risky for veterinarians," said Dr. Beaver, explaining that there are many situations in which a dog may behave aggressively, and temperament tests can't rule out the possibility of aggression. "You don't have temperament tests that can identify all possibilities."
KATHRYN HAWKINS, DVM
After seeing another dog die from a pit bull attack, I feel compelled to write. The opinion that pit bulls are "mean because of the way they are raised" is often not the case.
A Both of the dogs I took care of that died were attacked unprovoked by pit bulls that were in families that raised them responsibly. Just as a retriever is bred to hunt birds -- an instinct you can't stop -- many pit bulls have a genetic tendency to attack other animals.
When they do, they are extremely powerful and don't quit. I have never been bitten or growled at by a pit bull -- they are very friendly. But when the instinct to attack another animal occurs, they cause serious damage, or death.
They don't bite people any more often than other breeds but when they do, it's bad. The aggressiveness toward other animals and damage they do is not because of "the way they are raised" -- it is usually due to a genetic instinct not in the control of the owner.
ARTHUR HERM, veterinarian, animal control
He said he disagrees with those people who believe they can train aggressiveness out of dogs, and added he believes aggressiveness is “inherent” and “genetic” in all dogs while pit bulls “seem to have more of that.”
MICHAEL W. FOX, veterinarian, animal behaviorist
"I spent 20 years studying the behavior of dogs and it's not in their nature. Man, has created a monster, If you wish...These dogs were selectively bred to fight, they have greater propensity to fight than other animals, which is brought out in training."
"They can attack people, and because the attitudes of Pit Bulls it is more likely they will attack people. The worry is the power of the dogs jaw...to bite and not let go. It's quite sufficient to crush right through a child's arm or leg."
SHERYL BLAIR, Tufts Veterinary School symposium - Animal Aggression: Dog Bites and the Pit Bull Terrier
The injuries these dogs inflict are more serious than other breeds because they go for the deep musculature and don't release; they hold and shake.
Colleen Hodges, Veterinary Public Health spokeswoman
Some families think that they can raise a loving pet if they treat a pit bull like any other dog. They may not realize that the dog was bred to fight and that some of these dogs may have fighting in their genes.
They are tough, strong, tenacious. They are much more capable of inflicting serious damage, and some of them do. I would not recommend pits as a family dog.
GARY WILKES, animal behaviorist
No other breed in America is currently bred for fighting, in such great numbers as the American Pit Bull Terrier. No other breed has instinctive behaviors that are so consistently catastrophic when they occur, regardless of how rarely they happen.
The reality is that every English Pointer has the ability to point a bird. Every Cattle Dog has the ability to bite the heel of a cow and every Beagle has the ability to make an obnoxious bugling noise when it scents a rabbit or sees a cat walking on the back fence. Realistically, if your English Pointer suddenly and unpredictably points at a bird in the park, nobody cares.
If my Heeler nips your ankle, I’m going to take care of your injuries and probably be fined for the incident. If your Beagle bugles too much, you’ll get a ticket for a noise violation. If your Pit Bull does what it’s bred to do...well, you fill in the blank.
NICHOLAS DODMAN, BVMS, ACVB, ACVA
Rottweilers were originally bred to guard the money of peasants returning home from the city of Rottweil in Germany, so their fierceness was prized. Staffordshire bull terriers and pit bulls were programmed to deliver a full crushing bite to the noses of bulls. "They're locked and loaded," as Dodman puts it.
on breed profiling
But Dodman defends the practice. "The insurance companies have no ax to grind," he says. They base their decisions on actuarial statistics showing that certain breeds in certain homes are a recipe for trouble and the cause of lawsuits.
on the MA muzzling law
After a spate of attacks by pit bulls this summer, Massachusetts lawmakers passed legislation requiring the dogs to be muzzled in public. Some pit bull owners protested, but a Tufts expert says the law may be a good idea. Breeds like pit bulls and Rottweilers, says animal behavior expert Nick Dodman, are hardwired for aggression.
“Some of these dogs are as dangerous as a loaded handgun,” Dodman– director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at TuftsSchool of Veterinary Medicine – said in an interview with The Boston Globe Magazine.
Genetics play a big role.
“No doubt about it, pit bulls are genetically predisposed toward aggression,” he told the magazine. “Justas certain breeds of dogs were bred to herd, certain were bred to hunt, certain to point, and others to swim.”
While most pet owners accept that their dogs have certain genetic behavioral characteristics, there is still resistance to the idea that some dogs are more dangerous than others.
“Everybody accepts [genetic behaviors like herding or hunting] until you throw in the word ‘aggression’ and things like a full, crushing bite, which some breeds were specifically bred for in the past.”
Statistics on dog attacks reinforce the link between certain dogs and dangerous behavior.
“It’s like a scene from “Casablanca” when they say, ‘Roundup the usual suspects,’” Dodman told the Globe.“It’s always German shepherds, chow, husky, pit bull.The numbers do the talking.”
He added that pit bulls and Rottweilers alone account for more than 50 percent of the fatal dog attacks every year. Despite the danger, the owners of these dogs often fail to take proper precautions.
“A lot of owners of aggressive breeds are suffering from denial and ignorance, because no one wants to be fingered as having that kind of dog,” Dodman said.
“Genetics does play a role and people who think it doesn’t are kidding themselves,” says Dodman. “The pit bull is notorious for a very hard bite. They are always No. 1 in the lethal dog bite parade. The dog was bred for pit fighting. It was bred to never give up, to bite and hang on.”
KATHERINE HOUPT, VMD, PhD, DACVB
Says Katherine Houpt, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell and author of Domestic Animal Behavior: "Different breeds have genetic predispositions to certain kinds of behavior, though that can be influenced by how they are raised. The pit bull is an innately aggressive breed, often owned by someone who wants an aggressive dog, so they're going to encourage it."
“I have seen so many pit bulls taken by very nice, very dog-savvy people who did all the right things,” said Houpt. “They take them to socialization class, they take them to obedience school, they are fine for a few years, and then they kill the neighbor’s dog.”
9.16.2013
Legal Experts and the Enemy of Humanity
THOMAS J. MOYER, Chief Justice, Ohio Supreme Court 1987-2010
"The trial court cited the substantial evidence supporting its conclusion that pit bulls, compared to other breeds, cause a disproportionate amount of danger to people. The chief dog warden of Lucas County testified that: (1) when pit bulls attack, they are more likely to inflict severe damage to their victim than other breeds of dogs; (2) pit bulls have killed more Ohioans than any other breed of dog; (3) Toledo police officers fire their weapons in the line of duty at pit bulls more often than they fire weapons at people and all other breeds of dogs combined; (4) pit bulls are frequently shot during drug raids because pit bulls are encountered more frequently in drug raids than any other dog breed.... The evidence presented in the trial court supports the conclusion that pit bulls pose a serious danger to the safety of citizens. The state and the city have a legitimate interest in protecting citizens from the danger posed by this breed of domestic dogs."
WILLIAM M HOEVELER, US DISTRICT JUDGE, ADOA v Dade County, Florida
Despite plaintiffs' contention that there is no such animal as a pit bull, plaintiffs' own experts have written articles about their pedigreed dogs referring to them by the common nickname of pit bull. At trial, these experts identified photographs of dogs as pit bulls, rather than delineating the dogs into any one of the three breeds recognized by the kennel clubs. Moreover, veterinarians commonly identify dogs as pit bulls -- rather than one of the three recognized breeds -- by their physical characteristics.
Two veterinarians, testifying for the defendants, stated that they are often called upon to identify a dog's breed because it is an integral part of the animal's health record. This they do by reference to standard physical characteristics. Generally, these veterinarians testified, owners themselves know what breed their dog is.
There was ample testimony that most people know what breed their dogs are. Although the plaintiffs and their experts claim that the ordinance does not give them enough guidance to enable owners to determine whether their dogs fall within its scope, the evidence established that the plaintiffs themselves often use the term "pit bull" as a shorthand method of referring to their dogs. Numerous magazine and newspaper articles, including articles in dog fancier magazines, refer to pit bull dogs. Veterinarians typically refer to the three recognized breeds and mixed breeds with conforming characteristics as pit bulls. In addition, the veterinarians who testified stated that most of their clients know the breeds of their dogs.
DON BAUERMEISTER, Council Bluffs, IA prosecutor
All dogs can "get into it". The reality, though, for way too many dog owners is the sudden, unprovoked, violent and very serious attack from a pit bull. These folks have to pay the immediate vet bill. Yes, sometimes, the Court is able to intervene and order restitution, but what about the dead dog. What about the psychological damage to those who had to witness the attack. I have seen pit bulls attack and injure other dogs. It is something that you will never forget. A very purposeful bite, indeed. Pit bulls are pros and the rest of the dog world are amateurs. Man made them this way.
KORY NELSON, Denver, CO City Attorney
The most significant point about the justification for bans or restrictions of pit bulls is that these are not dependent upon a claim that every pit bull has a higher than average propensity for attacking humans. The justification is based on the clear evidence that, as a group, pit bulls, compared to other breeds, generally have a higher propensity to exhibit unique behavioral traits during an attack.
These behaviors havea higher likelihood of causing more severe injuries or death. The Colorado Dog Fanciers trial court made this clear, stating that, while it could not be proven that pit bulls bite more than other dogs, there was “credible evidence that Pit Bull dog attacks are more severe and more likely to result in fatalities.” The court, in great detail, noted fourteen separate areas of differences, including: strength, manageability and temperament, unpredictability of aggression, tenacity, pain tolerance and manner of attack.
A municipality that is experiencing a problem with pit bull attacks needs to consider for itself the best course of action to protect its citizens, especially those most likely to be unable to defend themselves from the tenacious and sustained attack of a pit bull, who will likely bite, hold, and tear at its victim despite efforts to stop it. However, given the clear rational evidence, breed-specific legislation is still a legally viable option.There is no new evidence that undermines the holdings of Colorado Dog Fanciers, only new relevant evidence that adds additional support for BSL, as the differential treatment of pit bulls is based upon logical, rational evidence from the scientific field of ethology.
BOB JOHNSTONE, Cincinnati, OH city attorney
We have amassed what I consider an overwhelming amount of information that demonstrates to me that pit bulls are, by far, responsible for more fatal or serious attacks than any other breed.
JUDGE VICTOR E. BIANCHINI, San Diego, CA
A pit bull is the closest thing to a wild animal there is in a domesticated dog.
U.S. SUPREME COURT, April 26, 1897, SENTELL v. NEW ORLEANS & C. R. CO.
Laws for the protection of domestic animals are regarded as having but a limited application to dogs and cats; and, regardless of statute, a ferocious dog is looked upon as hostis humani generis, and as having no right to his life which man is bound to respect.
Behaviorists/veterinarians
RANDALL LOCKWOOD, PhD
Randall Lockwood, who said he has witnessed the best and worst of pit bulls, said illegal dog-fighting is perpetuating dogs that are hazards to humans and other animals. Shaped by dog-fight enthusiasts, they are "a perversion of everything normal dogs should do. What they've created is a canine psychopath."
"Fighting dogs lie all the time. I experienced it first hand when I was investigating three pit bulls that killed a little boy in Georgia. When I went up to do an initial evaluation of the dog's behavior, the dog came up to the front of the fence, gave me a nice little tail wag and a "play bow" -- a little solicitation, a little greeting. As I got closer, he lunged for my face."
The pit bull, in its purebred or mixed form, has been responsible for most of the fatal dog attacks on humans in the last two years. In 1987, there were eight deaths from dog attacks in the country, and seven involved pit bulls. In 1986, there were 13 deaths, seven involving pit bulls. But pit bulls have been victimized by hype.
The dogs are no strangers to ordinances. A pit bull ban was passed in London in the 1400s.
These dogs can be canine crocodiles. They have a dark and bloody history.
In the United States, pets are considered property in the eyes of the law. And one of the most hotly defended rights of the individual is the right to own anything, no matter how stupid or dangerous the choice — even when what someone wants to own is a threat to them, their family, and the community around them.
FRANKLIN LOEW, dean of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine
I'm not aware of any other breed of animal that has ever been singled out this way. This is man biting dog.
HUGH WIRTH, veterinarian
RSPCA Victoria president Dr Hugh Wirth said the dogs were a menace and were not suitable as pets for anyone.
"They are time bombs waiting for the right circumstances.''
"The American pit bull terrier is lethal because it was a breed that was developed purely for dog fighting, in other words killing the opposition.
"They should never have been allowed into the country. They are an absolute menace."
“The fact of life is that the community doesn't want American pit bull terriers. They've said it loud and clear over and over again - they want them banned.”
GRAEME SMITH, veterinarian
My views about associating a breed with dangerous behaviours were challenged over time as I saw the impact of Pit Bull attacks. Talking to owners with dogs of this breed who have themselves been turned on, it became clear that these animals are unpredictable and when they attack they can cause serious injury or death.
It is very hard to give Pit Bulls the benefit of the doubt.
Avoiding the identification of dogs and their behaviours by their breed means the legislation in place can be such that allows these Pit Bulls “one free bite.” This “one free bite” can have fatal consequences.
If it looks like a Pit Bull, it is a Pit Bull.
What’s at stake is the safety of people and their own pets in the wider community, there is no room for gambling with an unpredictable animal.
And that is so often the case. No one knows where these dogs are until they come out and cause some form of grief. My position is about protecting the public and other animals from these animals.
MARK WULKAN, MD, surgeon at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
"There is a difference with the pit bulls. In the last two years we've seen 56 dog injuries that were so severe the patient had to be admitted to the hospital so this doesn't count just a little bite and then goes to the emergency room. Of those 56, 21 were pit bulls. And then when we look at our data even further, of the kids that were most severely injured, those that were in the hospital for more than 8 days or had life threatening injuries, 100% of those were pit bulls.
STEPHEN COHN, MD, professor of surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center
“I think this is a public health hazard, this particular dog. We just have to have them contained in a way that protects the general public. I don't want to see another kid come in dead.”
JOHN BINI, MD, chief of surgery at Wilford Hall Medical Center
“There are going to be outspoken opponents of breed legislation, who say: ‘My pit bulls lie with my baby and play with my rabbit.' And that's fine. I just think we're seeing something here, and I think it does warrant a discussion as to whether this is a risk that a community wants to take.”
MORTALITY, MAULING, AND MAIMING BY VICIOUS DOGS, April 2011 Annals of Surgery
“Fortunately, fatal dog attacks are rare, but there seems to be a distinct relationship between the severity and lethality of an attack and the breed responsible,” they wrote in an article published in the April issue of the medical journal Annals of Surgery. “These breeds should be regulated in the same way in which other dangerous species, such as leopards, are regulated.”
DAVID E. BLOCKER, BS, MD, Dog Bite Rates and Biting Dog Breeds in Texas, 1995-1997
Bite Rates by Breed page 23
One out of every 40 Pit Bulls (2.5%) and about one out of 75 Chow Chows (1.4%) generated a reported human bite each year (Table 29; Figure 7).
One out of 100 Rottweilers (1%) caused a reported bite, and less than one out of 250 German Shepherds (0.37%) bit a human each year, not statistically different from the average for all dogs combined (0.53%).
Huskies, Dobermans, and Australian Shepherds had bite rates slightly lower than German Shepherds but higher than Labrador Retrievers.
Less than one in every 500 Labrador retrievers (0.15%) was associated with a reported bite each year. All other breeds examined individually, including Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, and Dachshunds, had bite rates lower than Labrador Retrievers.
Odds ratios for each of the five most commonly biting dog breeds versus all others presented similar findings (Table 30). The odds of a Pit Bull in Bexar County causing a bite were 5 times greater than the odds for all other breeds combined, at 4.9 to 1.
Chow Chows and Rottweilers also had odds ratios significantly greater than the average, at 2.9 to 1 and 1.8 to 1, respectively. The odds ratios for German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers were significantly lower than the average, at 0.67 to 1 and
0.26 to 1.
PETER ANTEVY, pediatric E.R. physician, Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
Dr Antvey sees at least five dog-bite victims a month in his emergency room. Unfortunately, he said, "the biggest offender is the pit bull."
MELISSA ARCA, MD
The reality is that any dog can bite, and statistically speaking, a child is most likely to be bitten by the family dog or a dog that they know. When you're talking about bite severity resulting in life-threatening and even fatal injuries, pit bulls and Rottweilers are the main culprits.
Experience absolutely colors our perception, and in this case I can't help but be affected by what I've seen. I will never forget a young child I treated in the ER during my pediatric residency. She suffered severe facial lacerations and tears to her face after a pit bull attack in her local park.
HORSWELL BB, CHAHINE CJ, oral surgeons
Dog bites of the facial region are increasing in children according to the Center for Disease Control. To evaluate the epidemiology of such injuries in our medical provider region, we undertook a retrospective review of those children treated for facial, head and neck dog bite wounds at a level 1 trauma center.
Most dog bites occurred in or near the home by an animal known to the child/family. Most injuries were soft tissue related, however more severe bites and injuries were observed in attacks from the pit-bull and Rottweiler breeds.
Younger (under five years) children sustained more of the injuries requiring medical treatment. Injury Severity Scales were determined as well as victim and payer mix demographics, type and characteristics of injury, and complications from the attack.
DR RICHARD SATTIN, chief of unintentional-injuries section of the Centers of Disease Control
We're trying to focus public attention on this greatly underestimated public hazard.
In 1979, pit bulls accounted for 20 percent of fatal attacks by dogs. That figure had risen to 62 percent by 1988.
Nobody knows the dog population of the United States or the exact breakdown by breed. We do not believe that pit bulls represent anywhere near 42% percent of dogs in the United States. Therefore, we believe that the pit bull excess in deaths is real and growing.
ROBERT D. NEWMAN, M.D.
As a pediatrician I was disturbed to read Vicki Hearne's assertion that there are no bad breeds, just bad dogs (Op-Ed, April 15). There is ample evidence to suggest that certain breeds of dogs are more dangerous to children than others.
From 1979 to 1994, there were 177 known dog-bite-related fatalities in the United States. Of these fatalities, 66 percent were caused by five breeds: pit bull, Rottweiler, shepherd, husky and malamute.
If you include crosses among these five breeds, that number rises to 82 percent. Other breeds, like Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers were not implicated in a single fatality during this same period.
I laud the American Kennel Club's attempt to include information about dog breeds considered ''not good with children'' in the coming edition of ''The Complete Dog Book,'' and lament the fact that the book is being recalled at the request of some breeders.
Seattle, April 16, 1998
Dr. EDGAR JOGANIK (after trying to reattach scalp and ear to a pit bull victim)
Pit bull attacks are typically the most severe, and in about one-third of all attacks, the animals are family pets or belong to close friends.
That should be the message, that these dogs should not be around children, adults are just as likely to be victims.
Everyone should be extremely cautious.
DR. MICHAEL FEALY
When a Pit Bull is involved the bites are worse. When they bite, they bite and lock and they don't let go... they bite lock and they rip and they don't let go.
DR. CHRISTOPHER DEMAS
Bites from pit bulls inflict much more damage, multiple deep bites and ripping of flesh and are unlike any other domestic animal I've encountered. Their bites are devastating - close to what a wildcat or shark would do.
DR. AMY WANDEL, plastic surgeon
I see just as many dog bites from dogs that are not pit bulls as bites from pit bulls. The big difference is pit bulls are known to grab onto something and keep holding so their damage they create is worse than other breeds.
DR. PATRICK BYRNE, Johns Hopkins Hospital
I can't think of a single injury of this nature that was incurred by any other species other than a pit bull or a rottweiler.
ANDREW FENTON, M.D.
As a practicing emergency physician, I have witnessed countless dog bites. Invariably, the most vicious and brutal attacks I have seen have been from the pit bull breed.
Many of the victims have been children. In a recent study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pit bull attacks accounted for more ER visits than all other breeds combined.
In young children, the most common part of the body injured was the face. Numerous studies have proven that the number-one cause of dog bite fatalities is the pit bull breed.
I am certain that many attacks are due to owner negligence, but the fact remains that many were unpredictable and were perpetrated by formerly "loving and loyal" pets.
Dr. Chagnon has every right to leave our town as she claims she will if pit bulls are banned, just like every one of her patients has the right not to attend her clinic where she brings her pit bulls.
I applaud Mayor Pro Tem Joanne Sanders for bringing this issue to the forefront. In the interest of public safety, I recommend we enforce a spay/neuter requirement on pit bulls while reviewing and revamping all of our policies relating to animal bites
Count Me In As A Hater.
"That's Canine Racism!"
A common tactic used by the pit bull industry to shut down any public safety discussion is throwing out the pit bull race card. The Pit Bull problem is an entirely man made creation which could be solved by breeding safer dogs in responsible numbers.
Instead, the breed community seems to be locked onto the blaming others and creating excuses for the situation they've created. Pit Bull attacks are always the fault of the owner or victim, and never caused by reckless breeding or the dog fighting industry.
Then the tone deaf advocates hide behind the excess pit bulls they created and blame society for the "Hate".... totally oblivious that the hatred is not toward these poor animals, but that it is aimed toward the grotesque and criminally irresponsible breed stewardship that they toil day and night to perpetuate.
Race Card Phenomenon:
Frederick Schauer, who teaches a course on the first amendment at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, was reading about some dog lovers who claimed ''canine racism'' in response to measures to curb attacks by pit bulls in New York City.
That particular race card, he said, was an extreme example of how society has become so obsessed with avoiding any stereotypes that it ignores reality.
Pit bulls are more aggressive than other breeds, he said, just as statistics show older people have slower reflexes than the young, and there are more bad drivers in Massachusetts than in Vermont. A fair number of generalizations, he insists, turn out to be accurate.
Let's explore reasons to hate the $Billion dollar a year tax free Pit Bull Industry:
I hate it when a kid is laying on the coroner's table.
I hate it when someone's Grandmother is poured into the life flight helicopter.
I hate it that dogfighters kill 250,000 pits a year...hell bent on engineering a better mauler.
Fatal dog attack, Rosie Humphreys.
I hate it when a nice lady and her dog are killed by a chain breaking pit bull and the owner gets a mere $150 ticket.
I hate it that the dog lobby is behaving as corruptly as the tobacco lobby in the 50's and 60's.
I hate it that Pit breeders pump out one Million excess dogs that the taxpayer has to euthanize....to top it off they don't pay taxes.
I hate it that only convicted felons seem to be able to properly identify Pit Bulls.
I Hate it when well intentioned Dog Safety Legislation is perverted into a Pit Bull Breeder's and Dog Fighters Bill Of Rights.
I hate the grotesque breed stewardship exerted by the Pit Bull community.
I hate when family members of Officers in a state Pit Bull club are busted trafficking fighting dogs.
I hate The Nanny Dog Lie.
I hate it that Law Enforcement is continually having to shoot these animals.
I hate it that the Animal Control Professions and Animal welfare Community have abandoned their public safety responsibility.
I hate it when a pit bull owner leaves a blind person and their injured service dog helpless.
I hate it when radicalized Humane orgs like the Toronto Humane Society spent in excess of $400,000 saving a Pit Bull that attacked on 4 separate occasions, yet this woman can't get plastic surgery:
Marie-Helene Tokar
I hate it that Pit Bull mauling victims have to hold bake sales and blood drives to pay medical costs, while some Pit Bull advocates live in 500K plus houses.
I hate it that nearly 130 Americans have been killed by Pit Bulls since the Vick Bust in 2007, yet they claim success.
I hate it that Michael Vick's Beagles have been erased from history.
I hate it that Pit Bull advocates show zero respect to their victims by not wearing black on Pit Bull Awareness day.
I hate it when the neighborhood Mail Carrier is put on the disability rolls.
I hate it when a neighborhood dog is ripped apart by a Pit Bull.
I hate it that Pit Bulls are approaching 500 world wide DBRFS yet their breeders insist they aren't human aggressive.
I don't mind it so much when a consenting adult pit bull owner is attacked by their own animal, but I do hate the first responder costs...just being honest!
Oh well...Hose the blood off the sidewalk and pump out another litter!
Anybody who actually reads that deserves a "Good Job!" scratch 'n' sniff smiley banana sticker.
I see what you mean :-)
This issue isn't that hard. Pit bulls are dangerous. Regulate them, and get on with bigger issues.
1.) Lederman IS a hypocrite.
2.) I do not condone the state trying to take away any community's right of local control.
3.) Breed specific legislation really doesn't work.
4.) ALL dogs are dangerous no matter the breed or size of the dog.
5.) Certainly,"pit bull" attacks are widely publicized,but would an attack from any other breed receive as much attention?
6.) I've interacted with many so-called vicious dogs and the vast majority of those interactions have been very positive.
7.) No,I do not own a Pit or any of the other "bully" breeds.
8.) My dog is a GSD/Lab. mix which makes him another of the vilified dog breeds.
9.) Dogs should NEVER be owned as a status symbol of any sort and they are not ornaments.
10.)Any companion animal should be properly trained and is a product of it's environment. Treat the animal with respect.If the owner is a jerk then the animal will,most likely also be a jerk.
11.) My GSD/Lab is a highly intelligent dog. He obeys commands in English,German,and hand signals. Will he bite? Yes,he will if he's attacked by another large dog or aggressive human that wishes to cause him or me any harm.
12.) Try to harm my dog or take him away,then the person(s) should be far less concerned about what the dog will do and should be more afraid of what I will do. I would give my life for my dog as he would do for me. Mess with my dog or cats and we will have a huge problem.
13.) BSL should not only be an abbreviation for Breed Specific Legislation...but it should also stand for bulls*it Law.
Hello Mr. Lederman: I am a Forensic and Clinical Psychologist in AZ. I lived in SD from age 11 to 28. I received part of my Bachelor's degree in SD, all of my Masters in SD, and my daughter was born in Rapid. My family still lives in SD. My beautiful, sweet, loving, calm, gentle, furbaby Nikita is an 11 year old Pit Bull. My doctorate is from the University of Denver. Sadly, Denver County has BSL laws- I cannot visit Denver with my dog. I have to drive "around" Denver proper because my dog is "illegal!" All I can say to you is, "ignorance is bliss." I will be very proud that SD steps up and demonstrates to other states that people in SD believe "Intelligence is Integrity." One more comment..... my mother lives in SD, she was walking to the mail box in a rural area of Sturgis when out of no where a 2 yo unleased Malamute dog attacked her little Benji dog. She was bit, thrown to the ground, and her dog was lacerated. The owner of the dog was a very kind neighbor, a police officer. The Malamute dog just instinctively went on the attack. Dogs do bite. Owners need to keep dogs on leashes. My dog is NEVER off leash. Additionally, I have been in practice with families for 27 years. I have seen maimed children needing care, older people bit in the face, from their own dogs. None of them were Pit Bulls. My own daughter was 3 years old when a dog bit her behind the ear out of no where while we were visiting friends. The dog was a Blue Heeler. There was no provocation. Many times owners of dogs do not report the bites due to fear that their dog will be put down.
Please help South Dakotans show they believe "Intelligence is Integrity!" I am planning a "road trip" vacation with my girl Nikita and my husband to the Black Hills. I really prefer not to have to "drive around areas of SD that think my dog is some kind of monster.
Warm Regards, Dr. Wagner
I was wondering.... Do you think it is fair to allow one person to completely clog up this comment section Mr. McCartney? I believe this proves you believe the BSL will be eliminated in SD. Do your reading and get the true statistics. Misleading the public and using scare tactics based on lies is not going to work.
Just as fair as letting Nicole or others speak their mind.
SB 75 and our treatment of pit bulls should never be the primary, secondary, or tertiary measure of South Dakotans' intelligence and integrity.
Dr. Wagner, when your dog is in the Black Hills, keep it on a leash, and keep it away from my child.
It saddens me that you are teaching your children to fear and hate certain breeds of dogs caheidelberger. When you do that you are also teaching your children to discriminate against the humans that choose to own them as well.
Those people that own a pit bull or any other "dangerous" breed are just like everyone else. Yes there are people out there that choose to own a breed for the wrong reasons but there are people that choose to own guns for the wrong reason as well.
You are not going to spot me on the street and think "what a thug" I bet you own a pit bull". If your child chose to be friends with my child would you not allow them to be friends because we own pit bulls?
This issue is not about just pit bulls. It is about dealing with all "dangerous" dogs of any breed the same way and establishing laws for all dog owners that if not followed there is a consequence for.
It saddens me that wildlife is being slaughtered only to be replaced by disease-ridden cattle, sheep, hogs, dogs and cats.
No, I would not allow my daughter to go to a house that has a pit bull in it. I have a responsibility to protect my daughter. Get over it, pit bull lovers; you are not going to change our views on this breed. The facts speak for themselves. I do believe that there are good pit bull owners out there, but I'm still not going to take a chance on it when it comes to my family.
I'm with Jenny. I support, practice, and teach breed profiling of dogs. Vanessa, you will do well not to presume to tell me how to raise my daughter, who has more rights than your dog.
Over the years I've seen many different breeds of dogs and am amazed at how the same species has been so shaped by breeding. Dogs want to do what, through generations of selective breeding, they have been bred to do. My boarder collie is so focused on herding cattle it's almost scarey. The intensity and focus is unlike anything I've ever seen. He has no desire what so ever to go bird hunting. I have friends whose birding dogs show the same excitement and focus for hunting pheasants but could care less about cows.
I'm sure a fighting dog, despite a gentle upbringing, has a desire, determined by its genetic makeup, to do what generations of breeding designed it to do.
In response to Nick Nemec. If you want to bring in the genetic makeup then you should also know the dogs bred to fight in the pits were specifically bred to be NON human aggressive. The "pit bosses" had to be able to stop a fight without being attacked themselves. This breed is so human oriented they will do anything for their people. This is the reason people can use them to do evil. The bully love is their greatest gift and also their downfall.
One last thing. How many of the bully breed have you interacted with? It took me 40+ years to challenge my stereotype about the bully breed but less than a week to realize how wrong I was.
Harold, at no point in the last 40 years have I liked either squash or pit bulls. I really don't see much reason to spend a week convincing myself that I should like them.
Harold-this breed will do anything for their people. Does that include cosmetic surgery where they inexplicably decide to rearrange some human's face and torso? How about helping with weight loss surgery by removing vast chunks of flesh? Maybe their owner decided on a whim to have their "nice" pet doggy give them a permanent Halloween mask where the face used to be. Of course,there is the old standby about the owner feeling guilty about having too much money so the "pet' decides to use the neighbor as a chew toy so his/her owner can give away vast sums in court. Sounds like the type of companion everyone should have.
Caheidelberger - How do you know you do not like squash if you have never been around it? Are you just assuming based on someone else's opinion? Or have you tried it and did not like it. Big difference. At least you gave squash a chance. I did not say you had to spend a week convincing yourself you liked either one. I am saying that you should form your own opinion from first-hand knowledge.
Mike from Iowa. Ignorance is bliss. Don't abuse the privilege.
The extremist legislature wants to allow the torture of cougars with weaponized dogs. South Dakota: Land of Infinite Vacuity.
Harold,
Absolutely fantastic comment about the "non-human aggressive" pit boss comment.
Thank you very much,
Art
Ownership of weaponized dogs should be subject to federal license just as fully-automatic weapons and rocket launchers are. Prohibition doesn't work.
Some folks can train an elephant. I'm a dog owner and I've been in the service industry since 1982. I've experienced a total of 3 pits. All three were dangerous. I've met border collies who growled at me when I entered the vehicle but their jaw was not 12 inches open teeth bared charging me.
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I don't think regulations will help,this matter. I do agree owners should be held to the same responsibility as if they carelessly discharged a firearm injuring another, and time should be served when these dogs attack.