A Minnesota lawmaker has recently worked to get BSL - breed specific legislation - Pit Bulls banned
Currently Minnesota state law prohibits cities from banning dogs according to their breed. In response to two high-profile Pit Bull attacks against children a Minnesota lawmaker has been seeking legislation to ban Pit Bulls,
BSL - Breed Specific Legislation
BSL is legislation that dictates what breeds are considered dangerous. It is designed to outlaw ownership of these breeds. Depending on the state or county you live in, though the most popular breeds that end up getting legislated (restricted or banned) are Pit Bulls. It is more popular throughout the world than you may realize. These laws apply to a city or a region, and they take a specific breed and either completely ban this breed with no exceptions or restrict it.
Currently, the biggest target of these laws is the American Pit Bull Terrier, and it is banned in countries like Germany, Australia, England, France, and sadly, regions of the United States, such as Denver, Colorado. The Pit Bull dogs that were already living in these countries before the laws were passed are restricted, and their owners have to deal with various rules and ordinances that they have to follow just to keep their loved pet. In these areas, it can also be costly to keep your dog because they require you get a special kind of insurance, which would cover you "just in case" your dog hurts someone or another dog, and this insurance can you up a pretty high bill, it can be as much as $200,000 per dog.
Dog attacks can be for a variety of reasons, including organized dog fighting.
Dog fighting is illegal. Well-trained dogs will not randomly attack another person. If more people would train their dogs and not mistreat them (for those abusers out there) we would not have a need for BSL. Mistreatment of dogs includes hitting, kicking, tying them out all day with no food, water or shade.
Pit Bulls are just like any other dog, who wants to just be a dog and not fighting machines. Pit Bulls are highly intelligent, loving and very eager to please. These characteristics and their tenacity is why they are chosen as fight dogs. But these qualities, also, make them good dogs to rehabilitate. Dogtown dogs, Meryl, was aggressive towards people. They worked with her and she made great improvement. Meryl, actually, went up to a stranger with her tail wagging, licked her face and wanted pets. This Pit Bull was extremely aggressive, but with the right training and care has been changed into the dog she was when she was born. Dogs are made aggressive and made into fighting machines by humans, this is not something dogs are born with.
Millions of Pit Bulls are euthanized every year due to this horrendous crime of dog fighting. Minnesota lawmakers need to examine whether humans should be sentenced to harsher punishments. Cesar Milan and Dogtown have rehabilitated fighting dogs. It can be done. There should be more rescues dedicated to rehabilitating dogs that have had to suffer from dog fighting rather than laws that ban certain breeds and these dogs being sentenced to automatic death.
Dog fighting and animal cruelty needs to stop. Minnesotans looking at these dogs will clearly see all they want is love. And they give enormous amounts of love back. It makes me so angry that these criminals are only seeing dollar signs when they look at Pit Bulls and not seeing how loving these dogs are. Dogs just want to be a human's companion not a fighting machine.
Misconceptions have led to breed specific legislation against Pit Bulls.
There is a misconception that has led to the banning of Pit Bulls in many cities in the United States. This misconception is based on a fact that has been misconstrued by legislators on an ever-increasing basis.
There has been a thought for years that Pit Bulls do not feel pain in the same way as other dogs. The fact in this case that has been misconstrued is that Pit Bulls are naturally more dedicated then other dogs. If they have a task to do, they will continue that task despite any pain that they might feel at the time.
National Canine Research Council reveals biased media reporting about Pit Bulls.
Citing four examples, Karen Delise, a researcher for the Council, concludes that "a fatal attack by an unremarkable breed is not nearly as newsworthy as a non-fatal attack by a Pit bull."
The Council also believes that people, including lawmakers, routinely get their "proof" that Pit Bulls are more dangerous than other dogs based solely on unfair and biased media reports. This "proof" then results in public policies and laws that unfairly punish Pit Bull owners and stigmatize family pets that have no history of aggressive behavior. http://www.NoPitBullBans.com
Comments
Pitbulls are nothing but pawns being used by useless and failing politicians with the help of very sick organisations like PETA.Their agenda would even shock Adolph Hitler.
smarock10@yahoo.com
I have been attacked in my neighborhood 6 different times by six different dogs. BUT ALL OF THEM HAVE BEEN PITBULLS. I support any ban on any dog that is as aggressive as pitbulls. Look at the type of people that get them... They are NOT family pets.
Well, Tired of Pitbulls, I do not believe you. I have known numerous pitbulls and NONE of them are aggressive. If any dogs attacked you, there had to have been a reason. Did you kick at them? Did you yell at them? Some pitbulls run up and try to lick people? Did you misconstrue this kind of behavior as an attack? Some people And what do you mean by "look at the type of people that get them?!" My DENTIST owns a pit bull, and so does his lab assistant! People like you disgust me because you spread the garbage about these wonderful dogs. Some people think just because a pitbull walks towards them that they are being attacked. No, I do NOT believe that you were just idly walking through your neighborhood and got attacked for no reason at all.
I've known a number of pit bulls, too, and not one of them was mean or capable of the type of behavior you're describing! I've known a number of dogs I wouldn't trust, however, including the dog that lives 2 doors down from me, which is the MEANEST dog in our neighborhood. NO ONE GOES NEAR THAT DOG! Between the 2 houses is a pit bull. Believe it or not, I've seen that pit bull cower at the aggressive behavior of the dog next door; in fact, the cop who owns that monster built a 10 foot fence to protect the pit bull from his dog (I am NOT making this up!)! Just because you obviously have some very bad neighbors who are willing to abuse and misuse their dogs DOES NOT MEAN THAT EVERY PIT BULL HAS BEEN TREATED THAT WAY!!! Do we judge: all white people by Ted Bundy; black people by Michael Vick; or Chinese people by Chairman Mao? Are we supposed to look at the victim of abuse as if they were the abusers? THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!! ANY dog can become mean. If you treat a dog well, you will be rewarded. If scum owns the dog, you have a problem. Stop judging an entire breed by the scum that misuses and abuses them- they are VICTIMS.
yes, look at the type of people who get them... i have one, im a mother of two children and she is a wonderful family pet! she is a gentle big headed baby! any breed of dog can be agressive, its all in how you train and raise them. so im wondering what "type" of people you are refering to. not everyone who owns a pitty is a bad owner!
Out of thousands of dogs that I have meet and surrounded my life with, I have only met maybe 6 bully breeds that where not pets and should be Euthanized. Their behaviors where brought on by their treatment of humans. I believe that the spitz breeds are the most violent of breeds towards people. But in truth its the people who do not socialize or properly train any dog no matter the breed.
We have a household with one Female 2 1/2 year old American Stafford shire Terrier (often referred to as a pit bull), one 4 year old Male Beagle,a White Bully who is just 6 months old, and also 2 adult female cats. ALL of our animals alert us (in their own ways) if something just isn't right whether it be inside, out in our yard, or around the corner. I believe good socialization is the key to a successful "Pit Bull" household, as well as dominant humans. These dogs NEED to know their place in the household (pack). They will be the most loyal dog to their owners and will protect the whole house if need be. I think they get a bad rap from the media and it is not fair. They are often breed to FIGHT other dogs under VERY high stress but to NEVER attack their trainer, the referee, or any other human while under that stress. All too often everyone hears of the attacks whether they are protecting their property, their people in their home from something that does NOT belong in their environment, this how dogs behave it is nature. You don't hear about a dachshund biting a human or another animal however my husband has been bit by 4 DIFFERENT ones, and they were ALL the "family dog". How often do you hear of a "Pit Bull" turning on it's owner and attacking them? Most Pit Bull attacks are provoked by outside sources, something or someone that didn't belong. That is the whole reason I have my dogs.......loving companionship, alarm system, and PROTECTION!!!!
For all you pit bull lovers I have something to share with you.
target: law makers
sponsored by: Gail Hinshaw
signature goal: 10,000
signatures: 225
Since pits are seen as dangerous and deadly dogs, which is not true, it is the owner that makes them this way. I believe that anyone wanting to own a pit must be required to have a permit. Just like a FOID (firearm owner identification card) this would be a P.O.I.D , (pitbull owner identification card) before you can purchase this breed, going through the same application process as the F.O.I.D., background check, etc.
Current owners must also apply and obtain a permit or face fines for not complying .
These dogs are not dangerous..lets give them a chance at a better reputation and life!!
This is not going to be an overnight fix to the problem, but I believe it's definately a step in the right direction!!
Please sign and share with friends and family, Thank You,
Its a petition started on Care2 by an individual that cares about pitts. So if you really think that they (pitt bull) deserve a chance to live life than please sign the petition and share it with your friends and family. Thanks
@ Tired of Pitbulls
Please describe for me the "type" of people that get pit bulls. I have two (at the moment) and run a dog rescue for abused, neglected and abandoned dogs. Are you saying I'm a bad guy, or a drug dealer, or a lowlife? I've had pit bulls in and out of my life for over 20 years and have never had one that did not love people. I agree with the others that say you probably did something to provoke an attack (which is the most likely scenario considering you've been attacked by six different dogs).
*sorry, hit the 'add comment' button by mistake
To continue...
I live in Ontario, Canada where a misguided Liberal government banned pit bulls six years ago. Has anything changed in Ontario besides the needless slaughter of thousands of innocent animals? If you were to ask for statistics on whether or not the number of dog bites against citizens of this province by pit bull breeds has decreased I can assure you the answer would be 'no'. Why? Because the number of bites by pit bulls is minuscule compared to bites from other breeds of dogs. You only hear about bites by pit bulls because the media likes to sensationalize such stories. Of course what you don't hear about are the reasons for the bites, usually caused by human misconduct (provocation). I'll give you there are people out there that simply should not own a dog let alone a pit bull, but it boils down to irresponsible ownership, not bad dogs. A gun, alone, is harmless. It's the person that owns the gun that makes it dangerous.
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