Ontario outlaws pit bulls

[Savage .250]

In the wake of serious attacks, the Canadian provience joins some U.S.
   cities that already ban the dog breed.  The measure makes it illegal to breed pit bulls or bring the dogs into the province. Those already in Ontario
  will be allowed to stay on a restricted basis, provided they`re spayed or neutered and leashed and muzzled in public.
  There`s a 60 day grace period, until Oct. 28th, for owners to comply with the law. Any pit bull born after that will have to be shipped out of the province, sent to a research facility or destroyed.
 Owners who violate the law can face up to 6 months in jail.
  The above was in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper this morning.
 
  Plus: Pit bulls are already banned in several cities across Canada, including Kitchener, Windsor and Winnipeg.
   In the US, pit bulls bans are in place in Denver, Miami and Cincinnati.
   If your a pit bull owner and are affected by the above i`ll bet your shorts are twisted in a knot or if your not a fan your thinking it`s about time.
   Anybody got a "take" on the above or pit bulls in general?
 
  " The best part of the hunt is not the harvest but in the experience."

[FWiedner]

I've got 2 pit-bulls.

Truthfully, they are the best dogs I've ever had.

Smart, friendly, and obedient.

They are so friendly, that I sometimes question their loyalty.

My dogs have never shown any indication of aggression toward man or beast, but I NEVER leave them alone with those men or with those beasts.  They are after all, just animals.  Animals do what animals do.

Pit-bulls, like every other breed, have inate breed characteristics which owners and handlers have to work around, because they will always be there.

Breed specific bans are the end result of a few irresponsible owners forcing the rest of the dog-owing  community to pay the price for their failure to monitor and supervise their misbehaving pets.

Can't blame people for responding to tragedy, but it's not the dog's fault.

 

[dukkillr]

Pit bulls kill more people every year than any other dog breed.  I'm not sure about simply making them illegal.  Some insurance companies refuse to offer home-owners insurance to owners of "mean" breeds.  I like that idea better.  Capitalism is usually better than government intervention.

[FWiedner]

Studies indicate that Rottweilers are responsible for about half of human DBRF (dog bite related fatalities) while pit-bull type dogs were involved in approximately one-third of human DBRF reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through 1992.

Note pit-bull type dogs.  Pit-bull type dogs could cover any of a dozen bull-dog breeds.

Other breeds have also been responsible for homicides.  There is document evidence that dogs of the following breeds had killed one or more persons: Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards, Akitas, and Pit-Bulls.

Although Rottweilers and Pit-bull mixes are most likely to kill or seriously maim, fatal attacks since 1975 have been attributed to dogs from at least 30 breeds.

Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, might bite a person. Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner or handler is responsible -- not the breed, and not the dog.

An owner or handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous

It is a falsehood to claim that any dog is more prone to attack than another because it is of a specific breed.

Breed specific legislation, like laws banning anything else,  are just another avenue designed to enable lawyers to snake their way into people's pockets, and for government to dictate to people how best to live their lives.

[dukkillr]

From 1979 through 1994, attacks by dogs resulted in 279 deaths of humans in the United States. (Sacks JJ, Sattin RW, Bonzo SE. Dog bite-related fatalities from 1979 through 1988. JAMA 1989;262:1489-92; Sacks JJ, Lockwood R, Hornreich J, Sattin RW. Fatal dog attacks, 1989-1994. Pediatrics 1996; 97:891-5.) In the latter study, which covered six years, the researchers made these findings:

There were 109 bite-related fatalities.
57% of the deaths were in children under 10 years of age.
81% of the attacks involved an unrestrained dog.
22% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog OFF the owner's property.
59% of the deaths involved an unrestrained dog ON the owner's property.
18% of the deaths involved a restrained dog ON the owner's property.
10% of the dog bite attacks involved sleeping infants.
The most commonly reported dog breeds involved were pit bulls (24 deaths), followed by rottweilers (16 deaths), and German shepherds (10 deaths).

[DirtyDan]

AMEN & AMEN MR Moderator- there is no such thing as one breed of dog being worse than another. Anybody that says otherwise DONT KNOW DOGS. Individual animals may have a bad disposition, but they were made that way by their owner or trainer. They certainly were not that way as puppies. One of my worst bites was from a Daschund, which were bred to go in the hole after badgers. You got to be tough to do that. D--n, maybe they need to be banned, too! Ya, think?

[ironglow]

I have bred, trained and competed with three different breeds of dogs during my life...no Pit Bulls...( Cairn terriers, Jack Russells and Airedales)
   
   Although Pit Bulls are often involved in attacks, it is unfair and defys logic to "outlaw" a breed.

   I could have MADE any of my dogs into the meanest thing walking...just as many PEOPLE do with Pit Bulls...
   The authorities should first look at the owner/handler...that may be where the fault lies.

   Penalties should be sterner for those that raise and train such dogs solely to fight each other or attack humans...

   ...Outlaw certain "breeds" of owners...!