Is it fair to ban certain breeds?
By charity123
@charity123 (23)
United States
January 4, 2008 2:43pm CST
I am concerned about the pitt bull bans. I live in Colorado, and some time ago Denver placed a pittbull ban. Hundreds of dogs were rounded up and put to death. There were many heart-broken owners. Around this time, up north, in Fort Collins, I read an article of how a pittbull saved a nine year old girl. It was very touching. So I did research of heroic dogs, and there are thousands of stories of all different breeds that saved their master or even complete strangers. I can see that there are particular breeds that certain types of people want for guard dogs. Because of their misunderstanding, they take a perfectly good dog and ruin it. Make it become aggressive. I know. I rescued such a dog. She is a german shepherd. I got bit a few times because of her fear, but now she is a wonderful animal. She is the most loving, affectionate, well behaved of all my dogs. I changed her by gentleness and love, and now she has a bond with me that makes her the most protective of me and my girls. So many people make these dogs aggressive by abusing them and being mean, and then the breed of these dogs are punished rather than the owners. It is really sad. I have a friend that hates pittbulls because her son was bit by one. Though she knows that the dog was abused and kept on a chain, and her boy approached the dog even though he was told not to go near it, somehow because of the type and that there are so many pittbull attacks, is what makes her blame the breed. Sure there are more pittbull attacks because it is the type of people that get the dogs. Gangsters and toughguys want them to make them look tough for having a mean dog. Their goal is to make the dog mean. There are plenty of pittbulls that are raised by loving families that are the perfect pets. One story was of one female pitt who became a sarrogate mother to an abandoned litter of kittens. My uncle raised pitt bulls so I was around quite a few when I was a child. They were all outgoing and playfull. Not at all aggressive. They were used to pull weights in competitions. He had a world champion and operated a large kennel, breeding him for top dollar. The city shut him down because they were pitt bulls. He invited the committee to come and watch. He could put all his dogs in one area with us children playing and there would not be any aggressiveness between them. They were never bred to be aggressive. They should not be banned!
4 people like this
10 responses
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
5 Jan 08
Sorry I don't agree with you. I think pit bulls should be banned in cities. There is no need for them and they pose a danger to humans and other animals if they attack them. Some people say they have them as guard dogs. Again in big cities people can afford a foolproof alarm system that costs them less per month than feeding and maintaining a pit bull in good health.
I live in a big city in Canada (Toronto) and last year a pit bull ban was introduced. There simply had been too many maulings of adults, children and pets. However, it was much more humane than what you describe of Denver. All existing pit bulls have to be muzzled and leashed when taken outside and it is forbidden to breed pitbulls. The fine is $ 10 000 dollars. So the people who are attached to their animals did not suffer trauma and can keep them as long as they are responsible dog owners. I think the breed may have a use in rural areas as watchdogs and to keep vermin at bay.
2 people like this
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
5 Jan 08
Hello Soccermom,
I am so glad your house was not robbed. Believe me, people who are robbed feel totally violated. You are probably right your dogs kept the robbers away and I am sure you are loving and caring dog owners but unfortunately so many people who keep dangerous breeds are not. It must also cost you a bit to feed your animals, take them to the vet, get shots etc. Where I live a monitored alarm system with one patio door costs around $ 30.00 per month depending on the company and installation is free. By the way I am not selling alarm systems. Happy New Year.
1 person likes this
@soccermom (3198)
• United States
5 Jan 08
Linda, I live ina decent sized ciy and have 1 full bred pit bull who hides under the bed when it storms and another half breed pit that is a wonderfully gentle dog. All of our neighbors were robbed in the time span of two months. We can't afford an alarm system, and even the cops think the only reason our house wasn't hit is because of how vicious our dogs sound. When in reality all a thief would probably have to do is tell them to sit and they would obey. Like I've said before, it's not the breed it's the owners.
1 person likes this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
5 Jan 08
I totally disagree with banning dogs based on breeds. It's the bad owners that need to be banned from "raising" these dogs. We have had pit bulls (full bred and mixed) and never had a bit of trouble other than normal dog behavior. (the one mother dog almost nipped my daughter when she got to close to the new puppies) Any mother dog would be likely to do that regardless of breed. I think banning by breed is unfair to responsible dog owners and it only exacerbates the fear of certain breeds.
2 people like this
@sunshinelady (7609)
• United States
6 Jan 08
I don't think any dog should be banned and shot simply because it is a certain breed of dog. There are contributing factors that you have to look at if a dog is mean. Not all pit bulls are mean. There are some very loving pit bulls. I think the pit bull has been given a bad rep and it is unfair. I agree with you they should not be banned simply because they are pit bulls.
1 person likes this
@UnselfishShellfish (1306)
• United States
6 Jan 08
No they should not be banned. I have a pit bull puppy and like you said, they are not aggressive unless you breed them that way. If you show them love and kindness, you'll get one stubborn but yet very loyal dog.
If you want to start banning 'aggressive' breeds, when do you stop banning all dogs? Who says pit bulls are any more aggressive than a poodle or a spaniel dog? Why is it only the pits that get the bad rap when any dog is to be considered 'dangerous.'
1 person likes this
@lightningd (1039)
• United States
4 Jan 08
Banning a particular breed is not the answer. I think before a city bans a breed, they should start some type of vicious dog ordinance. Then make every owner register their dog with the city. When a person applies for a license, they should have to present the dog for inspection. This said, I think there should also be a yearly check on the status of the dog for at least the first 5 years, this goes for any breed. Chihuahua's can be one of the most vicious dogs I have ever come across. The may be small, but their teeth can do damage just the same, especially to small children. You can equate the size of a chihuahua attacking a 3 or 4 year old to the same as a medium sized dog attacking a person of 5'6" and 165 pounds. It shouldn't matter the breed. Most dogs become more agressive the older they get if they are going to become agressive. By requiring that dogs be brought into the local police station for inspection yearly, the owners would have to demonstrate that the dog is social, and not an agressive type animal.
Just my thoughts for a possible solution. I am fortunate in that I live well away from a large city, and I am 3 miles from the local town of less than 300 people. I don't have to worry about such things, and people who come to my house know my dogs, or if we have someone coming that is not familiar with the dogs, we are outside with them to make sure they know it is ok for them to be here.
1 person likes this
@charity123 (23)
• United States
4 Jan 08
I see where your coming from but I must disagree with one thing. I love dogs and have a german shepherd that someone got and obviously abused. Because she could not be handled, she was sold to breeders and kept in a kennel with no human contact. She became afraid of people. When I was looking into getting a female shepherd I had spoke to these breeders. They had to find someone with the patience to work with this dog. She was three years old and I was her fifth owner. Her aggresivness was out of fear. It took me three days to get her to overcome her fear of me. Just with affection and kindness. Now she is the best dog I have, but because of her past she is aggressive toward strangers. I have to be extra cautious but I know her well enough that even if a stranger comes she would not attack unless he were up to no good. Her came is to scare with a mean bark. It makes people go from her. She is gentle and loving natured and perfect for my family. She would not pass an inspection for anyone else and there are many dogs that are that way, just because of their protective nature toward their family.
1 person likes this
@lightningd (1039)
• United States
5 Jan 08
I have seen dogs like yours who were "rehabilitated" like yours. As a matter of fact, I rescued a cocker spaniel (Whiskey)in high school, and he was afraid of people and especially so towards men. If I was walking this dog on a leash and a stranger approached me, he would growl and strain the leash. It wasn't through any fault of his own. The problem with rehabilitated dogs like yours and Whiskey, is that because of the abuse they have suffered, the risk of them getting loose, getting into a situation where he doesn't know the people, then he could strike out at a stranger. Thus the reason I say that dogs should be inspected. Especially if you live in a very populated area like Denver. I'm not saying they should put the dog through a field trial and taunt the dog, but to have it on a leash at the owner's side, allow people to walk by closely and see if the dog shows signs of agressiveness. Is your dog ok if you are with him and take him for walks? If so then his passing an inspection like I'm talking about would not be a big deal
1 person likes this
@johnrp (69)
• United States
4 Jan 08
I think it is fair to ban pitbulls in areas that are thickly settled. There have been many stories of pitbulls doing serious harm to people, including small children. Dog owners are often terribly lax and let their dogs go around outdoors without a leash. People should not have to be afraid to walk down a street because of a dog.
@charity123 (23)
• United States
4 Jan 08
Here's what I think. If you ban pitbulls in large cities, then the people that are making aggressive dogs are going to move to Rotweilers ban Rotweilers then they will do the same to dobermans, ban the doberman then it will be the German Shepherds causing all the dog bites. Pittbulls are born with sweet fun loving temperments, much like a lab. If these gangsters dogs of choice were labs then the lab would not be the most popular dog in the U.S. You'd here many stories of labs doing serious harm. So I say ban these owners from owning dogs period. If someone is in trouble because of unruly dogs, they should not be able to own them. What if I am a responsible dog person but I do not have freedom of my breed of choice because of the laws that are started.
1 person likes this
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
5 Jan 08
Pitbulls are being banned across the US and it is because of how aggressive the breed is according to the ASPCA.
@mbs730 (2147)
• Canada
5 Jan 08
Personally I don't agree with banning any breed. Yes pit bulls may have a bad rep but it doesn't mean they ALL are bad. A Bichon Frise can be vicious! I mean, it depends on the dog and the owner. I wouldn't recommend a young family with young kids get a pit bull but that doesn't mean the breed should be banned. I think the owners of these dogs should take more responsibility with their pets rather than banning these dogs all because they are pit bulls.
@soccermom (3198)
• United States
5 Jan 08
The only answer to this problem is more education. We adopted a pit bull puppy about a year ago from the local pound, he was so sweet. Only two months old and had never scene the outside of the pound. When we adopted him the lady at the pound told us she thought it was a mistake because he may be aggressice toward our other dog (also a pit mix). We've never had a problem with him. He is sweet, gentle and adores our kids.
Thank god I work in insurance so I could write our own homeowners policy because our comany won't insure houses with pit bulls in it.
THe dogs aren't the problem, it's the owners.
1 person likes this
@Cafountain (120)
• United States
5 Jan 08
Though the stereotype may be a misunderstanding, it is a wise decision. It not only protects the community, it protects potential mistreatment of pittbulls or other dogs. Pittbulls are friendly dogs given the right bloodline, treatment, and home. But I think it's wise to place bans on them.
