Editorial
Some people believe that if Pit Bulls are banned, dog bites will stop.
One of the arguments brought up in the comment section of "5 yr-old child's tragic death, and lessons to be learned" is that if ownership plays a part in Pit Bull bites, and irresponsible people own Pit Bulls, just ban the dogs.
It is implied in this argument that if the bad people no longer have access to the Pit bulls, the dog bites will stop. That somehow, the irresponsible dog owners will magically vanish from earth.
Does anyone buy that argument? Perhaps if Pit bulls are banned, the thugs will just forgo dogs? Wanna be tough guys will change their ways and irresponsible dog ownership will magically disappear.....
Perhaps they'll chain up logs, dead cars and barrels in their yard with a big "Keep out" sign instead of keeping an imposing dog there instead?
Does that sound plausible?
Or, perhaps these same ignorant souls will go and get another power breed. Perhaps they'll decide that Rottweilers are the dog of choice. So then the Rottweilers can become the highly sought after dog.
Money grubbing breeders can pair them up and sell puppies from the back of their truck to wanna be "tough guys".
Then the Rottweilers can be banned. So then the imbeciles can move onto another tough looking breed. How about Dobermans? German Shepherds? Great Danes? Boxers? (should owners of these breeds start to sweat a little? Is your companion next on the hit list?)
Let's ban every power breed. Every dog that weighs in over 30 lbs and can look menacing when it barks. Sure, that works, right?
If that train of thought were to win out, then we would be looking at Golden Retrievers, Labs and Collies on the government hit lists. Because let's face it - any dog can bite.
Treat a dog badly and it will get defensive - angry - reactive.
For the sake of argument, let's put a Black Lab into this sad scenario. Black labs are a well rounded, easy going breed of dog.
Let's say that the Black lab gets the hefty spike collar, latched onto the massive chain, attached to a metal stake in the trashy backyard. The dog gets no social time, food only rarely, no shelter, no comfort and zero affection.
What happens when a wayward child gets too close after this dog has spent 6 miserable years, day after day, in this situation?
The dog is hungry, defensive, frustrated and anti-social. Wager a bet that the child gets bitten? My money is on the bite.
And for every person that stomps their foot and says "not so!" A Pit Bull would definitely bite, but not a Black Lab - think again. Some will bite - yes. Many won't. Media loves to share the ones that do (without bothering to share the treatment of the dog prior to the bite).
So where do you go with this argument? Irresponsible people own Pit bulls, so ban the breed.....do the arguers of this point have any logic to fall back on? Does anyone agree with that line of thinking?
Do tell.....
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Comments
No logic to that idea at all. Do something about the irresponsible dog owners.
Banning the breed is STUPID! That's like saying all white people are because of a few bad apples like Ted Bundy, The Unibomber,and Al Capone, or all black people really do dance like Bll Robinson and sing lke Lena Horne. Give me a break!!! Dogs are individuals just like people! I've know pit bulls that were sweet, loving and gentle dogs, and others of different breeds I wouldn't go near. Prejudice is wrong wherever it falls., They need to deal with bad owners- they're the real problems, NOT the dogs!
why isn't the fact that chihuahuas and terriers are on the top of the list of dogs to ban???? is it because they are so cute and cuddley that if they bite it's just an "oopsie"??? i have three rescue dogs that are chihuahua or terriers and as much as i love my babies they are quicker to snap than any bully breed i have ever met. so please if they are going to put legislation then they should focus on bite percentages and not stereo types. i will fight to the death for my babies but lets look at the facts on dog bites.
ANY dog will bit, it's the owners at fault, not the dogs !!!!!
Once again it is the disgusting, irresponsible owners. It is a privilege to be an animal guardian, not a right. Responsiblity comes with privilege.
This is pathetic!! It's the irresponsible owners that should be banned NOT the dogs. What is this world coming to???
Ontario Canada has had a breed ban in effect for quite a while now. There was a report last year that there has been no decrease in the frequency of bite reports nor decrease in their severity. Obviously it's not a breed issue.
That logic makes about as much sense as saying all women should be banned and that will stop rapes, or banning children so that child abuse will stop. Great ball of fire. What kind of closed-minded idiots come up with that pile of dog manure? When I was a child, dobermans were considered to be a viscious breed, and there were the same types of media hysteria news flashes about dobies who killed their owners or killed children. Today it's the pibbles. ANY dog will attack or bite if the circumstances are right. But sadly, our news media is only focused on this one breed. We don't hear the hundreds of horror stories that DO involve labs or goldens or chows or any other breed, but they DO happen all the time. The public is being led by the nose by the media. People need to wake up and find things out for themselves about the truth of this loyal, passive, loving breed of dog.
If you ban pit bulls people will only go to the next breed and next breed and then the next. Then what breed is going to be left, Chihuahuas? If they can't raise tough bad@$$ pits to fight or guard their pot they will then go to another breed that that is just as tough. Any breed can be vicious with the right amount of abuse and neglect. It is not the breed it is the idiots. And those who think it is the breed are just as big of idiots as the ones who raise the dogs to be aggressive. Those laws will not stop the attacks. They will not stop idiots from raising vicious dogs. They will only make matters worse. Any dog, breed can be aggressive; but it is only humans that kill for fun greed or raise animals to do the same.
These egotistic idiots will definitely look for another "tough face" to sit in their yards or walk at the end of their leash. It's not the "breed" but the notoriety that is attractive to them. Rotties and Dobies would be next guaranteed !
You are totally right about the Black Lab biting. I rescued my labby from a high kill shelter, which had rescued her from a puppy mill (great quality of life so far, right?). She was defensive, aggressive, poorly socialized (if ever). The first couple weeks, she was so food aggressive she practically pulled off our spaniel's ears. Over time, with training, socialization, a great diet and a ton of love, she's a happy, healthy dog. But for those of you who don't believe a lab can have a mean bone in their body, they can; they really can.
Ban the sweetest companion dog on earth because some idiots mistreat them. Makes sense to me. NOT!
I'd go for serious penalties for animal abuse not to mention dog fighting. Pits need attention and socialization and when they are about 6 months old they turn in to shredding machines. I let mine shred the evening paper when I finished reading it. He looked so proud of himself! Some people haven't got sense (or morals) enough to own a guppy!
Just ban them from areas where the public gathers then, I'm tired and MANY others are tired of having to worry about what dogs are aggressive and which aren't, and you never know til the last second.....
i swear these people trying to bann the breed are absolutely ignorant and need to be educated. it's bad owners not bad dogs. it's just like stereotyping humans of different race...so if minorities commit a crime then should they all be deported back to their country and banned in the US? if the kkk and hells angels commit a crime, should all whites be locked up in jail? come on idiots....different dog breeds are just like different ethnic human beings and we should blame those who raise these individuals. bad parents = bad kids.... bad owners = bad dogs.
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