Another Town Passes Vicious Dog Ordinance

I wonder if you think Bull Terriers should be banned too?
 
Imagine that, the newest winner of Westminster BANNED because he is a "Bully Breed" and lumped right in most legislation with Pit Bulls, or how about Staffordshire Terriers?
 
It's amazing how many breeds get added into the "Bans" once they start.

Whew! I had to take notes of what I wanted to say as I read through all that !  Anyway down to business...

First of all what really defines the "bad", "dangerous breeds"? TV and movies do.  Also newspaper stories... A weenie dog bit a child today and the child was rushed to emergency room (small cut stiches so forth)...no they will pass.  But - A pitt bull attacked a child today and the child was pretty much ok but very shaken... they will jump on it, that is so crazy. New movie comming out the vicious chihouhas gaurd the presidents house - attack trespasser, uh no thanks. 

As those before me have said its the small dogs which usually will be more likely to snap at a child. Small dogs can cause seious injury to children and adults as well... infections and so on.

About that article where they somehow defended the POM after killing a baby is unbelievable, why not do some research and write how ALL breeds can do this, and how often small dogs are not good with children, very protective and such?  Why not do this?  Because they have spent so much time driving it into our heads which breeds are bad and which are not, they cant go change their mind now! [sm=rolleyes.gif]  They might look stupid if they did... they have to say no, we were right all along. Anyway,

Look up info on the "dangerous breeds" and children.. lets!

[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanpitbull.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanpitbull.htm[/link]
"excellent with children in family"
"happy to put up with rough child play" - hmm wonder if a little "safe" dog would be so tolerant...  anyway lets continue

[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanmastiff.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/americanmastiff.htm[/link]
"love children"
"protect the children"
"wise, kind, gentle, patient"

[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm[/link]
"loyal & affectionate"
"people oriented"

[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/rottweiler.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/rottweiler.htm[/link]
"good playmate for the children"

[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/germanshepherd.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/germanshepherd.htm[/link]
"agressive attacks on people are largely due to poor breeding, handling, and training"
"excellent with children in the family"

These are just a few of the most common breeds associated with being dangerous, and at that site you can get quick temperment info on most any breed.

Now, these dogs are most certainly bigger and can do more damage to a person should an attack occur, which is why they need more care with training and such, and its the people getting these dogs and not doing their part who should be punnished. eople with common sense know not to run up and torment or frighten these dogs or as a stranger to the dog, run up and stick you face in his, etc.  And as far as other dogs are concernd, most good dog owners are careful when their baby meets another dog of any breed.  Simple thinking and care will solve the problem more so than trying to make certain breeds and owners criminals. 

And, yes, while sometimes even good owners and careful strangers end up involved in an attack for one reason or another, such things will happen in life, with everything, with every breed.. there are always the exceptions.  Such as the POM story, you see. Why are they let off the hook as a breed and that one dog was deemed a bad apple? or that owner was deemed a bad apple? ... well we are just trying to say thats how it should be for all breeds.

Now if here was a breed that was born with some instict to attack or be violent or quite easily provoked, and with proper training and care were still quite dangerous, I would agree that that breed should be banned... however none of these breeds are that way... they have just been given a bad name by people who dont know any better. 
Equal treatment for all breeds!!! [sm=dance.gif]

Btw - I have been bitten, once by a lab mix, he was old and I was young and I was pulling on his collar trying to get him to get up, he ut up with it for a good while the bit me - hard.  My fault, that was dumb.
Also by a oung rott, for petting him while he was eating.  Owners fault- they need to be trained better.
Also by some yorkie looking thing for petting it while he was eating - again owners fault.  I cant see justice in blaming the dogs.
And God forbid it should be mine or one of your doggies or children in one of the freak accidents that will happen even when utmost care is given, you cant label a whole breed, or all the breeds would be bad.

Lots of good stuff here.  I have been bitten once, I was a year old, I do not remember, but Mom said it was an Irish Setter and he didn't even break the skin--I was trying to drag him by his ear.
 
Both of my boys have been bitten and each time it was a German Shepherd.  The youngest got it in the face.  He was sitting in front of me at a company picnic and as the vice president's shepherd walked by, someone tossed it a bone and he turned and nailed my son right in the face.--qick trip to emergency room, 4 months later staff infection shows up in the scar on his forhead.  Oldest son had a paper route, was riding down the road on his bike throwing papers,the sheperd jumped the fence and nailed him on his thigh--3rd child bitten by that dog, a 4th was bitten 2 months later and that took care of the dog.  The 4th had his leg really chewed.  He was also on a bike in the drive way across the street when the dog got him.
 
I use to walk  my dogs on the street two streest over as it is at the end of our little town and "country."  One unfenced yard has a rottie chained and when we would walk by he would run, lunge hit the end of his chain so hard he would be jerked off his feet.  I stopped walking my dogs on that street as i was scared one day he would break that chain and my goldens would not stand a chance against that big do.  One other yard, fence, has a rottie and it would run up and down the fence and bark as we went by, but it was not an agressive type  bark.  And my niece has a great rottie.  But i was terrified of the one on my walk
 
 In the one corner of our yard where 4 yards meet--us and the lady behind, neighbors on the left & the yard beind him, there is a slight gap, about 1 1/2 " as there is a utility pole there.  In that catty corner yard ae 3 pitties and they do their best to get at my dogs thru that gap, and also at the dogs in the yard behind me.  They are snarling and carrying on if my dogs happen to go to that side end of the yard..  The lady behind me fosters and has several foster dogs, plus a couple of her own.  She is terrified that one day those pitties will get into her yard.  We all have 6 foot wood  rivacy fences, so I think it doubtful, but you should hear the noise they make.  Linda's fosters will bark and growl back, but for some reason mine mostly ignore them.  As a matter of fact, my girls rarely go to that area unless I am out doing yard work in that area.  My male will go there, but he usually just barks a couple of times and comes back to the patio.  
 
My neighbors on the left, whose yard backs to to that yard is also scared to death they will get in her yard and kill her dog.  As far as I know, those dogs have never bitten anyone.  But they are scaring the neighbors and I suppose this kind of thing is why some cities are making the law.  Oh, about 3 years ago the 9 year old girl two houses down from us was attacked by a lab/pit mix and he did awful damage to her face, arm, leg and back.  He was killed that day as it was determined he had actually tried to kill her.  He was on a chain in the front yard, no shade, no shelter.  There was a cable that ran from porch post to neighbor fence post and the chainewas attached to that cable so the dog could run up and down.  There had never been a problem with the dog and kids before.  That day she was chasing a butterfly and went into the yard--as she had many times and he nailed her.  A neighbor had to pull him off her.
 
I think most people have had a bad experinece with one breed or another.  And as some said, the only dog attacks we really hear about usually involved pitties,  There were 2 or 3 in Corpus last year that involved 2  attacking a person.  Each time the person was badly mauled.  One was a meter reader.  Cops actually had to shoot one to get it off the guy.  I guess that is why they make the news.

I was bitten by a shepard as a kid--21 stitches, but would never advocate the banning of the breed.  It was also never in the paper--I bet you if a pit had done it it certainly would be.  In Chicago they even reported that 2 pit bulls chased a cop after the owner set the dogs loose and told them to go after him.  The cop wasn't bitten, but chased, and it was reported on the radio.  Would that have happened with other breeds?  I think not.

Any animal that has teeth can bite.  And any bite can do damage, or cause serious infection.  In my experience, a larger dog will bite ONCE, while the little ones bit multiple times.  Again, I would rather have ONE bite to treat than several.  No the smaller teeth can't penetrate as far as the larger ones can, but they are still TEETH and they still do damage.
 
My husband is in a business that tends to be pretty transient.  We don't own a home and our only major asset is a protected retirement annuity.  But, I still carry one million dollars liability on my renters insurance.  And of my SIX german shepherds the only one who is reactive is my female, and she's an air snapper if pushed.  I can't see any of my dogs being involved in an unprovoked attack....as in the ONLY time I can see any of them attacking is in defense of me.  BUT, to be safe and to be a responsible owner, I have enough coverage to protect myself AND any potential victims.
 
My state has a dangerous dog law that is NOT breed specific and that is as it should be.  Recently the stray shelter had THREE dogs quarenteed for biting.....not one of them was a bully breed or any of the other dogs typically considered to be dangerous.  They were a lab mix, a pom and a terrier mix of some sort.
 
We need to look at the whole picture of dogs that bite, and not just the attention grabbing headlines.

Jaye, I hope that you don't stop participating in this thread...or at least that you don't stop reading it.  I don't have a breed that would fall under the *current* umbrella of so-called "dangerous breeds", so I don't really have a personal stake in this topic...other than the fact that I used to have beliefs such as yours. That was 25 years ago, and back then it was Dobermans that were the focus of all the media-fueled hysteria.  I don't recall the Bully breeds or Rotties ever being considered "part of the problem" in those days.  Consequently, I was scared of Dobermans and couldn't understand why anyone would want to own one of those flesh eating demon dogs.  Then I met one. lol  The sweetest, most loveable and well-trained pooch I'd ever met in my life.  I thought she must be the exception to the rule.  It turned out I was wrong about that too. Why were Dobermans the focus then?  Because they were the breed of choice for certain elements of society to breed, raise and train as guard and attack dogs.  Every time an attack took place, the headlines screamed "Doberman Attack" and then listed every other Doberman attack from across the country in the previous umpteen years.  It gave the impression that the country was full of maniacal Dobermans who were running around tearing people up.  It was not true.  How often do you hear about Doberman attacks these days?  I can't even remember the last time I heard about one.  I'm sure that there have been some, but they aren't the current "bad boys", so they don't get the press. If you rely strictly on news reports about attacks and maulings, I guarantee that you will get a very biased and inaccurate picture.  I read in another thread that you have two young children, so I'm sure that is where some of your concern and fear is coming from.  And I don't blame you, but the problem is - if you buy into the current hype and ignore the facts...if you focus completely on a size and/or breed that makes you feel safe because they aren't currently in the news, or because of what you incorrectly believe about their "damage potential", then you are approaching your dog search from an ill-informed and un-dog-savvy perspective.  And consequently, you might very well end up getting a dog that is completely unsuitable for your family. 

Minimom, that was a wonderful post.  Thank you so much for sharing that.  I hope Jaye is still around to benefit from that information.  I, too, was concerned that he'd be passing up some of the best breeds for his kiddos.

I saw that about the corgi and relayed it to my family who said no way not a corgi.............[]
 
But it just goes to show you, any dog can attack, not just certain breeds. Its up to the owners to be responsible.

A couple of months back, one dog attacked several people over the space of a few days.  It was a German Shepherd...and a K9. It made the paper all right--way back on page 110 (so to speak). If this had been a bull breed, it would have made page ONE.

Right now, the sweetest dog we have at the shelter is an INTACT Pittie.  He likes eveyrbody--even other intact male Pits[sm=eek.gif]! Go figure.

I think what everyone has said (with the exclusion of jaye) is right. I try to volunteer at my shelter at least a couple of times a week and I can tell you I am more comfortable sticking my hand in the PB cages than I am sticking my hands in the smaller dog cages. I have yet to meet a vicious pit bull even at the local shelter.
 
They actually IMO are the friendliest, they are the ones who squeeze up beside the cages so you will pet them. It is sad that few make it out alive and even sadder that they have such a horrible reputation.
 
My best pal there is a beautiful PB, who I will take in a second if her time runs out. (Which will probably happen) She isnt even the sweetest PB in the shelter!
 
I think pit bulls are great dogs. I have only known a couple but IMO they were the most reliable dogs I have met. My mom has a 25 lb dog who I am more afraid of than I am of PBs. If BSL comes here (which I pray it doesnt) you bet I will be fighting it. I have gotten in SO many arguments about PBs, it is really sad how people think of them and it is due to poor ownership.
 
 

yes, im still reading the thread, i wanted to post something i saw when i was searching online at nearby animal shelters, but i will no longer respond to anyone who posts negatively about me.  if we disagree thats fine i just want to keep it respectful.  by the way lexibelle i am a single mom.  anyway, this is what i wanted to share, its not an argument for or against breed bans (actually it sticks up for pit bulls) but i thought it was relevant to the topic:

"We got this incredible email from a very caring lady. Hello, My name is Laura . I'm involved in rescue, locally and nationally. I'm also a volunteer for Cascade K9, the adoption event being held on March 19th. A rescue buddy sent me the link to Peaches and her story. Would you mind if we use this story when talking with others about the dangers of offering a pet "free to a good home". Her story could be a great lesson for others, and possibly save numerous lives. Thank you, Laura I don't know if anyone is ready to hear this. But, this little girl was going to be used as "bait". Bait is when a little dog or puppy, that can't hurt the other dog, is thrown in with pit bull terriers to teach them to fight and kill. Now remember, there are great, lovable pit bull terriers out there. We have had several and found great family homes for them. These pits have to be trained to fight and kill. They really don't come by it naturally. Anyway, we got a call from one of our foster moms telling us all about this situation. We bought the dog from the people that were on drugs and wanted to use her as bait. Yes, we at Barks R Us Rescue, will go to any length to rescue a dog." 

the thing about small dogs vs. large dogs is that if the woman babysitting had been there at the time of the attack she probably could have stopped the small dog before serious damage was done.  probably not so if it had been a large one.  im not arguing about who bites more i know all dogs can bite and i know there are good and bad dogs in every breed.

anyway, some of the more respectful posters here are starting to make a wee teeny bit of sense to me, just a teeny tiny bit mind you  

anyway, my kids and i went to our local animal shelter today just to look, for now,  and there were a lot of pit bulls there (by the way why are there SOOOOOOO many more pits in shelters than any other dog?  all the shelters i look up online and my local one are just overflowing with them!) and most of them (although they DO look scary just cuase, well, they just do!) looked really sweet and friendly but i would still be reluctant to adopt one because how would you know what the previous owners have taught it??
 
by the way whoever it was that brought up dobermans, i still consider them a dangerous breed and always have.....

minimom, i have to choose a small dog anyway because i live in an apartment, and i realize some small dogs have bad temperments.  i plan on doing lots of research before getting a dog (which is why im here )  but im pretty much limited to whatever small dog i can find at a shelter which is hard since they mostly only have pits which im sure would not be happy with apartment living.  i also plan on getting to know the dog as well as i can before adopting it.


  edit: oh yeah, i forgot to say, i actually have read that in some dog breeds its kinda programmed in their brain that at some point they just snap and go psycho..... for whoever it was that made reference to that.  in fact the only pit bull i have ever known extremely well did exactly that.  and she was raised by my neighbors at the time who were very nice people who treated her as a member of the family.  she was realy sweet and was practically my best friend before she snapped.

HI jaye

it was me who said something to the effect of :
Now if here was a breed that was born with some instinct to attack or be violent or quite easily provoked, and with proper training and care were still quite dangerous, I would agree that that breed should be banned... however none of these breeds are that way... they have just been given a bad name by people who dont know any better. 

But - I also said :
And, yes, while sometimes even good owners and careful strangers end up involved in an attack for one reason or another, such things will happen in life, with everything, with every breed.. there are always the exceptions.  Such as the POM story, you see. Why are they let off the hook as a breed, and that ONE dog was deemed a bad apple? or that owner was deemed a bad apple? ... well we are just trying to say thats how it should be for all breeds.

And:
And God forbid it should be mine or one of your doggies or children in one of the freak accidents that will happen even when utmost care is given, you cant label a whole breed, or all the breeds would be bad.

Just wanted to let you know that I dont disagree with you at all, yes, it can happen even with all things done right, but those things will happen - nothing is perfect, its not the whole breed, and can happen within any breed.

Yes, you say that some are bigger and can do more damage, well I think that depends on the situation, again refer to the POM who killed a baby, or a pitt who attcked and did minimal damage, or a POM attacked and did minimal damage and a pitt who killed. 

It depends more on what provoked that attack, whos around, where it takes place, etc than the size.  

As for your own preference I would like to recommend a whippet (a mini greyhound).  If you are looking for a sweet snuggle bug whos smart and all good things look no further.  I recommend this because my Kayla was part whippet, she was from th pound we think mostly whippet w some german shephard. They really are sweet sweet dogs  [linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/whippet.htm]www.dogbreedinfo.com/whippet.htm[/link], smarter and more loving than you will be prepared for. [sm=angel.gif]

Jaye, there is no such thing as a dog's brain being "programmed to snap".  I don't know what took place with the dog you spoke of, but there are numerous otential causes for a dog to suddenly start showing aggression.  Very often it is illness/disease related and it can happen with any breed. I was the one who brought up Dobermans.  Why do you consider them a dangerous breed? 

because thats all ive ever heard about them in all my 31 years.

Hi Jaye,

I've know lots and lots of lovey dovey dobermans. My best dog in the world, with whom I could trust any child, any person, anyone, was Stevie, a doberman/rottweiler mix. He is pictured below.

He never even lifted his lip at anyone, not EVER. And yet he protected me very quietly and effectively. He greeted everyone in my store. Everyone loved him. People came just to see him! People came and wanted their pictures taken with him!

I got him as a stray. Apparently he'd been a failed fighting dog, he'd fallen out of the back of a pickup, and he'd been shot, but he went on and lived for over 17 years with a bullet right up next to his heart. (Dog fight people often shoot their dogs who aren't mean enough, or who won't fight.)

So here is what you fear the most, a mix of two "dangerous" dogs, plus he's been fought. And what is he like? Incredibly smart, totally grateful to be rescued, and absolutely rock solid temperment with every man, woman, child and baby.

I don't suggest you get a pit bull, of course. Or a rottie or dobie. I hope to counter all the sensational stuff you've heard and read. It isn't necessarily true. Lots of things are extremely exaggerated. I thought you might like to know that these dogs can be incredibly safe, too, and from someone with experience with them.