Time for America to ban pit bulls?

[Aristo]

And if society is cool with elminating a specific type of animal, there are plenty of others I would like to get rid of before a pit bull.

Like what? Alpacas?

[JackB1]

How would you go about banning a breed of dog anyway? I don't really care one way or another, although I probably should as I was attacked in college while running by a pit bull mix, but it just seems like an improbable thing to accomplish at this point, even if laws were passed. How would you determine pit bull mix %? How would you punish those that inevitably would still breed, sell, and own pit bulls? And aren't there plenty of other breeds that could just as easily be trained to do what a pit bull can do? Seems like an easy thing to talk about, but very difficult to accomplish. And if society is cool with elminating a specific type of animal, there are plenty of others I would like to get rid of before a pit bull.

You can ban people from keeping them as pets, just as you cannot keep a lion as a pet, but as you said, it's very tough to enforce. But again, it's people that are at fault here. We are the one's who have bred them to fight and trai them to be vicous for years ans years and now we decide it's gone too far? How about getting stricter about banning dog fighting and breedind fighting dogs and anythign to do with dogfighting...equipment sales, training devices, etc. The Mike Vick case was nice, but I am sure there are still tons of dogfighting rings still going strong to this day.

We created this problem....we should fix it. You can't just "ban the dog". Why not get rid of every animal that isn't in our best interests? How about sharks? poisonous snakes? birds that crap all over everything? sea lions that lay all over our docks? coyotes that threten our pets? lets get rid of em all while we're at it

[Feanor]

I like people showing their dogs in this thread rather than discuss the current original topic (write your congress-person people). My vicious Airedale 'Berman':

Not half as scary as my attack pug, Buster.

[Rodster]

Pugs are cool. The only dog I know to have Marty Feldman eyes.

[Rodster]

Pregnant San Francisco woman killed by pit bull
http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-san-fran ... 34927.html

A pregnant San Francisco area woman was killed by one of her pit bulls, her mauled body found by her husband, police said on Friday. The 32-year-old woman was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at the couple's home in the seaside village of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, Pacifica Police Capt. Dave Bertini said.

Authorities withheld the names of the victim and her husband. Bertini said the woman's husband told police he came home from work at around noon on Thursday to find one of the couple's pit bulls standing, bloodied, over his wife's mauled body. First responders to the scene found the woman unresponsive in a front room of the home with massive trauma to her upper body, Bertini said.

[MizzouRah]

Pregnant San Francisco woman killed by pit bull
http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-san-fran ... 34927.html

A pregnant San Francisco area woman was killed by one of her pit bulls, her mauled body found by her husband, police said on Friday. The 32-year-old woman was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at the couple's home in the seaside village of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, Pacifica Police Capt. Dave Bertini said.

Authorities withheld the names of the victim and her husband. Bertini said the woman's husband told police he came home from work at around noon on Thursday to find one of the couple's pit bulls standing, bloodied, over his wife's mauled body. First responders to the scene found the woman unresponsive in a front room of the home with massive trauma to her upper body, Bertini said.

Damn.. that's some crazy chit right there.

[bulls23]

Pregnant San Francisco woman killed by pit bull
http://news.yahoo.com/pregnant-san-fran ... 34927.html

A pregnant San Francisco area woman was killed by one of her pit bulls, her mauled body found by her husband, police said on Friday. The 32-year-old woman was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at the couple's home in the seaside village of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, Pacifica Police Capt. Dave Bertini said.

Authorities withheld the names of the victim and her husband. Bertini said the woman's husband told police he came home from work at around noon on Thursday to find one of the couple's pit bulls standing, bloodied, over his wife's mauled body. First responders to the scene found the woman unresponsive in a front room of the home with massive trauma to her upper body, Bertini said.

Damn.. that's some crazy chit right there.

Gruesome, but in some bizarre way, their own fault for keeping these vile creatures. Oh, my answer to the topic....YES! I can't keep a tiger or lion as a pet, can I?

[Rodster]

Tuscon man dies after his pit bull attacked him.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/tucsonfox11 ... 07473.html

[F308GTB]

http://blog.chron.com/newswatch/2011/09 ... ling-Kirk/

Cypress infant dies from pit bull mauling – KTRK
A Cypress infant mauled by the family’s dog died after being airlifted to an area hospital, KTRK-TV reports on its website.

The 13-day-old baby was in a swing in the same room as the pit bull when the attack occurred about 9 p.m. in the 16500 block of Cypress Bridge, near Barker Cypress and Huffmeister, KTRK reports. The case is being referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

[Feanor]

The practicality of enforcing a ban on pit bulls is questionable, but when there are hundreds of other less dangerous dog breeds people who want a dog could own instead I don't see any reason for civilized countries to allow especially dangerous breeds like the pit bull to be treated the same way pugs are.

I don't think there would be support for rounding up all pit bulls, taking them from their owners and putting them down, but forced sterilization could work.

[Rodster]

The deal with Pit Bulls is they are unpredictable. I was working on a customer's car one day and they had a pit bull. At first the dog was nice no problems. Some time passed and all of a sudden the dog starts barking and growling at me for no apparent reason.

The customer says I don't understand he's never like that.

[pk500]

The customer says I don't understand he's never like that.

That rates right up there on the idiot dog owner's list of excuses with, "Don't worry: He won't bite," when the dog is charging after me with fangs exposed when I ride or run past that dog's yard.

I take great pleasure in coating the corneas with pepper spray of any dog that attacks me with malice. And I definitely know the difference between a dog that's just trying to play or defend turf and one who is looking for a flesh snack. Too much experience with dogs both on wheels and on foot.

Strange incident last week with my buddy, though. He was riding slightly off a pace line when a Sheltie started running playfully alongside them. Since Walt was slightly out of line, the Sheltie moved over toward his wheels, almost in an effort to herd him back in line. Walt crashed and destroyed his collarbone, requiring surgery this week.

Just a freak accident. The dog wasn't menacing or attacking at all. Just following its herding instinct. And the owner was mortified, offering to help pay Walt's medical expenses if insurance didn't cover it, etc.

[Rodster]

That rates right up there on the idiot dog owner's list of excuses with, "Don't worry: He won't bite,"

[Spooky]

I'm a dog lover. But my goddam neighborhood in Chicago is overrun with hipsters and latinos prancing around with these unpredictable creatures (pitbulls). I swear that breed in this hood is like 75% of the total dog population. I carry pepper spray now.

[vinny-b]

I'm a dog lover. But my goddam neighborhood in Chicago is overrun with hipsters and latinos prancing around with these unpredictable creatures (pitbulls). I swear that breed in this hood is like 75% of the total dog population. I carry pepper spray now.

don't have an anti-Pitbull agenda. That said, literally hundreds of awesome dog breeds exist, to select from. Yet, everyone has to own a Pitbull.

people are f#cking sheep

[Rodster]

Pit bulls are just a bad breed of dogs that have very little upside other than for fighting.

[F308GTB]

Strange incident last week with my buddy, though. He was riding slightly off a pace line when a Sheltie started running playfully alongside them. Since Walt was slightly out of line, the Sheltie moved over toward his wheels, almost in an effort to herd him back in line. Walt crashed and destroyed his collarbone, requiring surgery this week.

Just a freak accident. The dog wasn't menacing or attacking at all. Just following its herding instinct. And the owner was mortified, offering to help pay Walt's medical expenses if insurance didn't cover it, etc.

Same thing happened last weekend to one of my pals. A herding dog saw a bunch of cyclists going by and said, "herd herd herd!" Took my pal down and bruised a few ribs. Despite the bad ribs he was out yesterday and was almost taken out by a renegade box (we are getting the winds but not the rain from the tropical storm).

[Rodster]

It's on the ballot in Miami.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/01/2 ... scuss.html

[macsomjrr]

It's on the ballot in Miami.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/01/2 ... scuss.html

This is hilarious. I don't where you guys live but at the animal shelter where I'm employed as a veterinarian you can't give away Pit Bulls for free. Dogs bite people. It doesn't matter what breed they are. People need to be properly educated about how to handle themselves around dogs. Alcohol kills plenty more people than dog bites you want to ban drinking too while you're at it? Sorry but I probably look at anywhere from 30-60 dogs daily 5 days a week and German Shepherds, Bull terriers, Chow Chows, Shar-Pei's and Chihuahua's (to name a few) scare me far more than a dough-eyed pit bull.

Mandatory reading if anyone wants to start talking about dog bites and banning specific breeds. Don't just read a CNN article and consider yourself an expert.

http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalS ... sheet.html
http://www.avma.org/press/story_ideas/dog_bites.asp

"Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten." (CDC). In contrast I've heard statistics saying the number of people dying from alcohol-related deaths is anywhere from 30,000-60,000 in the US yearly. You want to ban cars' while we're at it? I'm sure they kill plenty more people than alcohol.

[greggsand]

I appreciate that last post. Any mistreated dog is a liability. Walk through any animal shelter & it won't be all pits that have you back-up a step. There are well nutured dogs & poorly nurtured dogs. Pitts popularity in poor communities definitely contribute to the image. I'd probably never own a Pitt out of the hassle that comes with it, but my friends have Pitts that I'd gladly welcome into my house.

Personally, I know more people that have been bitten by cocker spaniels. I could prob get behind that ban

[macsomjrr]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSYgikHRt3U

This video always makes me chuckle:):):)

[Rodster]

Getting bit by a dog because you teased it or did something stupid like put your face up to it's grill like that recent TV reporter is one thing. It's totally different when you are nice to a dog and all of a sudden it decides it wants YOU !

That's my problem with Pit Bulls. A cocker spaniel you can kick the sh*t out of it, if it decided it wanted a piece of you. A pit bull gets a hard on and decides it now wants a bigger piece of you.

[Aristo]

http://dogbitelaw.com/images/pdf/Dog_At ... lifton.pdf

All dog bites are not equal.

[macsomjrr]

http://dogbitelaw.com/images/pdf/Dog_At ... lifton.pdf

All dog bites are not equal.

People will believe what they want to believe. Golden retrievers are reported to be the dog that most often bites veterinarians (not pit bulls). I'm not sure who Merritt Clifton is, and I'm certainly not familiar with "dogbitelaw.com" but if that is where you choose to educate yourself (versus the CDC and/or the AVMA) then by all means knock yourself out. Like I said, as someone who spends most of his week dealing with every dog breed and mix you can imagine I only fear one thing. A dog that had a crappy owner. Unfortunately the pit bull tends to be the dog with the crappiest selection of owners. Often the uneducated and the poor. That being said I've met some of the most downtrodden, beaten and abused pit bulls you can imagine and once we fix them up the level of trust, love, and devotion those dogs are capable of is inspiring. It's what gets me out of bed in the morning.

[macsomjrr]

dp