Proposed breed ban after pit bulls attacked park-goers...need non-hysterical feedback

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Sioux Falls recently had a high profile pitbull attack. I believe two dogs were allowed to roam free and attacked a pedestrian (who needed hospital care) and were caught when the attacked a second party. Suddenly BSL (breed specific legislation) is on the table using stats I don’t recognize:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20120610/NEWS/306100021/Council-puts-dog-attacks-topics-list?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

Now an OP ED piece has brought Dobermans into the mix:

http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2012/06/

[banging my head against the wall]

I would like to write a letter to the editor, but am looking for actual facts/stats/etc. on the effectiveness of BSL, dog bites, etc. I own two dobermans fwiw. Anecdotally the only dog that has ever bit me was a spaniel, which I did not report. sigh

[HydroPHILE]

Contact StubbyDog, a group based out of Atlanta, Georgia that deals with protesting BSLs, letter-writing, etc. and can provide intelligent and factual information in regards to dogs-at-large and such.

http://stubbydog.org/

http://stubbydog.org/resources/

[vtdobes]

Gee…I have two Dobermans (and two prior to the current two) and I don’t recall ever having to “train the nastiness” out of them. Where was/is this nastiness???

What an idiot…

[wendy]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2834488/pdf/16187720.pdf

little old, and in canada, but very informative. And published in the scientific literature, which should give it more weight than websites and candidacy groups.

[scierra]

If you do write an op ed piece please stress that it wasn’t just the dogs, the people behind the dogs let them down. It is up to the owners to make sure dogs are trained and under control. I have had Rotties, Dobermans and now a Bull Mastiff, and know that it is up to me to be extra diligent with the training and public persona my dog has. Any dog can be dangerous if not trained or socialized. Even small dogs can cause damage, albeit not as much as a large breed, but still to another small pet or child it is all in perspective. I believe that the owners of dogs that do harm such as this should be prosecuted. I do not believe in BSL at all. Make it a criminal offense if a person is not responsible and other animals or persons are hurt by another pet. Same as if someone was driving a car and was not in control or firearms not being handled with caution.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Well that would be my whole point. Also, there seems to be some backlash that it’s “those types of people” who want to be “tough” who own these dogs. Undeniably true in some people’s case, but actually their point demonstrates why BSL will fail. If they outlaw pitbulls, rotties, and dobermans then “those people” are just going to go get GSDs, boxers, Akitas, or whatever else will satisfy the tough dog requirement.

The fundamental issue is that dogs were allowed to roam free and attack people.

[Also, I think there is a reason in some neighborhoods why someone who can’t afford an alarm system may want to own a dog that is perceived as more protective–not everyone can afford to live in suburbia]

[PoohLP]

There is a really famous PIt BUll rescue group that does a lot of education in anti-BSL laws. I think they were involved in helping evaluate many of the Michael Vick dogs. They do a calendar every year too. I am NOT referring to the big sanctuary place out west that took a few of the dogs in and had a show on animal planet.

It is Bad Rap. THeir website is http://www.badrap.org/home.

[robinb]

[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;6376582]
Sioux Falls recently had a high profile pitbull attack. I believe two dogs were allowed to roam free and attacked a pedestrian (who needed hospital care) and were caught when the attacked a second party. Suddenly BSL (breed specific legislation) is on the table using stats I don’t recognize:

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20120610/NEWS/306100021/Council-puts-dog-attacks-topics-list?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

Now an OP ED piece has brought Dobermans into the mix:

http://blog.keloland.com/lund/blog/2012/06/

[banging my head against the wall]

I would like to write a letter to the editor, but am looking for actual facts/stats/etc. on the effectiveness of BSL, dog bites, etc. I own two dobermans fwiw. Anecdotally the only dog that has ever bit me was a spaniel, which I did not report. sigh[/QUOTE]

I also have two Dobermans! Here are some talking points from the AKC, on BSL. Thanks for taking the time to write a letter to the editor.

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/canine_legislation/toolbox_bsl.pdf

[Lucindasky]

The one dog that chased me down the street was a chihuahua, a really nasty little fellow whose owners obviously did not train and accidently let it go off the leash. It was not fun.

Comparatively, I’ve walked passed tons of Mastiff and Pitbull types without incident, and it really is all about the owner ( their owners were there controlling the situation). It’s sad to see this kind of discrimination without much pressure on these owners who are not training/treating their dogs properly.

[JanM]

Some of the nastiest dogs on Cesar Millan’s show were Chihuahuas, Mini Dachshunds, and some other tiny little balls of rage. Most of the really big dogs were aggressive to other dogs, and not humans, or were afraid and phobic about things like slick floors. I think Cesar’s own pack of mostly pits should show that all dogs are individuals, and punishing a breed for the acts of a few is wrong.

Instead of BSL I’m in favor of strict enforcement of leash laws, prosection of owners of vicious dogs, and criminal penalties for owners who fail to follow restrictions on vicious dogs and let them attack again. I think the penalties for the owner should be severe when there are serious injuries to others, and I think there needs to be a vicious dog standard that includes when animals attack animals, instead of just when a human is harmed. I still remember the SF Animal cops episode where a neighbor’s dog broke through the owners fence and killed a neighbor’s animal, and there was nothing in the law to fine the owner, or do anything about an obviously out of control animal.

[vacation1]

Two bits of advice.

Don’t use the ever-popular “cost of BSL” numbers put out by the pit bull lobbying group which calls itself the National Canine Research Council (NCRC); this “study” is also being used by the Best Friends Animal Society (also a rabidly pro-pit organization.) It was created by a PR firm hired by NCRC, and the numbers are meaningless.

Defend your breed, not the pit bulls. This is NOT an equal fight. Dobes are not pit bulls, and lack several of the very big problems facing the pit bulls. Dobes were never bred for dog-aggression, they are not so wildly popular among thugs that 99.99999% of them are from a genetic background which encouraged aggression, and from what I understand, the Doberman did actually undergo a purposeful effort in the mid-20th century to reduce their “sharpness” and make them more pet-quality in temperament. In other words, Dobe people did their time as the “bad breed” focus, and they responded by remaking their dogs as good citizens who, even with bad owners, don’t make daily headlines for mauling or killing other dogs or people. On the other hand, the pit people have responded by screaming victim at the very IDEA of having their rights curtailed, even though restrictions on pit bulls have at least a chance in hell of stopping the hellish situation their breed is in - dying by the millions in shelters, driven to murder their own species by genetically triggered instincts created by soulless humans for the pleasure of watching something die.

Getting into bed with the pit bull people might work; they fight dirty, they’re loud and bullying and they are supported by several organizations with deep pockets and a rabid attitude toward any breed restrictions. But you’d be aligning yourself with some ugly allies, people who are notorious for having little interest in others. Look at the way all BSL proposals are fought with “Ban the deed, not the breed” rhetoric. Then when the BSL is defeated, and it’s time to strengthen dog laws, push for enforcement, etc.,
where are the loud, passionate pit bull owners who swear they’re good owners who HATE the bad owners who are such a terrible minority?Crickets.

[JanM]

Reported.

[Chall]

Reported before I saw Jans post.

[diffuse01]

Reported as well.

[dacasodivine]

I hate reading stuff like this. The owner is irresponsible and the dog is blamed. If PBs are banned, the irresponsible people will just get a different breed and be just as irresponsible. Instead of trying make and enforce a ban, they should enforce leash laws and heavily fine repeat offenders.

[JanM]

Dacasodivine-in my experience (I used to live near Denver and read about the ban there, and incidents since then) the people who have pits and want live where there are bans, and want to fight them smuggle the dogs in, and keep them indoors or out of sight. They’re not just switching to other breeds, because they want them for one purpose, and it isn’t for pets. I think the original pits and Rots were grandfathered (I’m not sure, and it’s been a long time since then), but they still have problems with attacks, but mostly of people inside the residence where the animals are (mostly) caged and kept inside.

[dacasodivine]

Jan, that’s horrible but not really a surprise. Of course owners of fighting dogs are probably not the ones allowing dogs to roam loose. Too much of a chance of losing them either to being picked up, run over, shot, etc.

I think this case is more about idiots being irresponsible. These idiots have pit bulls as a status symbol. They will get a different breed as a status symbol if pit bulls are banned but will still be irresponsible.

[JanM]

There was a case locally last year, where eleven dogs escaped a yard and mauled a little boy and his own dog to death in their own backyard. The county sheriff said there were absolutely no laws that made the owner of the dogs liable, because they didn’t have a bite history. Everyone was very upset about this, and right after this the county passed a vicious dog ordnance, but it still won’t do anything about a first bite situation. The only thing the owner could be cited for was having too many dogs on his property (I think in the county it’s something like four or five animals per household without a special license), but I believe the childs parents and grandparents (it was on their fenced property where it happened) are suing the owner of the dogs.

[halo]

The problem with bringing up aggressive chihuahuas is that chihuahuas have never killed anyone. Pit bulls have and will again.

I have no problem at all banning pit bull ownership. I feel the same when I encounter a loose pit bull as I would feel if I encountered a wolf. Im sorry, but they absolutely horrify me. There have been people killed around here from pit bulls.

I disagree that the bad guys will just get a different breed. A different breed wont do what they want them to do, instinctively attack and kill. Its a real difficult issue, and I just dont see any answer for it.

[kateh]

A;LKSJDF;ALK! From working at a kennel, and volunteering regularly with a rescue group, the most aggressive individual dogs I have met have been:

-Labrador (came thisclose to nabbing my face)
-Keeshund
-Springer Spaniel
-Boxer (horribly abused)
-Chihuahua
-Maltese

I have NEVER had a single problem with a Rottie, Pit bull, or Dobie and I’ve met plenty of all three breeds. That guy’s blog post made me grit my teeth. Just because the dogs are barking from the other side of the fence means they want to rip him apart? Guess he never met Candy, my old bichon.