QUESTION: Would you support a ban on pit-bulls in the City of Concord?

Absolutely, but I think you have to change State law first.

It’s not the dog’s fault that they are aggressive. It’s up to the owner to socialize the dog from a young age, because I know some pit bulls who are the most loving dogs

Some dogs are harder to train than others.
Some dogs are naturally stronger than others.

Owning a Pitt bull requires more dedication than most other breeds. I’ve met some really nice pitts all of wich were trained by knowledgeable people who had trained dogs before.

Having freedom means having the freedom to make mistakes, I wouldn’t be so reactionary to restrict people’s freedom because of an incident like this.

obviously the dog owners should be held responsible for the dogs actions, but lets not make yet another move towards becoming a society where we impose bans and sanctions on everything to protect people from themselves and in the process allow people to shed even more responsibility for their actions.

Also I’d rather not hear any more talk about “DNA” and “Genes” from people who clearly don’t know what they are talking about.

Think of all the room the shelter would have, it would be like a ghost town.

Think of all the room the shelter would have, it would be like a ghost town. The people who think pit bulls are not dangerous are probably the same people who think they are OK to drive after a six pack. They live in there own little world with blinders on.

As has been posted many times, the problem with Pitbulls is not the dog, it’s the OWNER! The owner, not the dog, has the responsibility to ensure the safety of children when near his dog(s), whether the dog is a Pitbull or a Chihuahua. Children, especially very young ones, are apt to do things (unknowingly) that frighten or anger pets and should always be supervised when in the presence of pets.
With that said, my condolences to the family for their tragic loss. Doesn’t matter in the end where blame is placed…nothing can bring back their treasured child or fill the empty place in their hearts.

#5, I keep demanding Allen’s resignation and I have started a recall which is an enormous and almost impossible task. The best way to be sure laid off workers don’t get so darn much money plus a huge going away lunch that cost the city dearly as well, is to vote the bastards out. VTBO.

And I will not tolerate an increase in city sales tax while the pompous city council has not done an audit of each city department and cut it to the bone….

Breed-specific laws are counter-productive. Many mixed breed dogs “look” like pit bulls. In study after study, people who are shown pictures of dogs with known parentage get the breed wrong.

For a good discussion on breed-specific law – pro and con, go here:
http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/breedlaws.html

And, for a good overview of the problem, look at the whole site:

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/

It comes down to the owner. The owner is either responsible or not. Personally, unless a dog is injured and bites because it’s hurt, I’m of the opinion that one bite and you’re done. My dogs better not bite me unless I’m setting their broken leg with no anesthesia. But that took months of training and handling. We take dogs for granted and we get away with it most of the time because they are so attuned to us. But it’s up to us to learn good dog practices – after all, we’re the ones with the “big” brains!

Does anyone else think it’s ironic that CLAYCORD has adoptable animals on it’s site including a pitbull “Snoopy”?

I vote for PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! This owners/parents or grandparents showed HUGE negligence. They are the ones that need to be punished!!!! If your going to take the responsibility to bring a child in this world than take the responsibility to look after them, not throw them to the wolves… PEOPLE are to blame here NOT dogs. PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE Is anyone hearing me?

Any takers on standing up for personal responsibility????????

C’mon Major, you’re going to get a lot of knee jerk votes because of what happened today. Banning pit-bulls will not solve this problem, you would have to ban all dogs for that to take effect, and you’ll only create a black market for pit-bulls. Cities are going broke just delivering basic services as is, you’re better off stopping stupid people from having kids in the first place.

Anonymous #14

You have every right to not care to be around pit bulls or dogs in general. You do not have the right to tell others to move just because you dislike something.

YOU DON’T WANT DOGS AROUND, YOU MOVE AWAY. THEN EVERYONE WILL BE A LOT HAPPIER.

I feel sorry for you child or children, their parent is incredibly self centered.

Must be a democrate.

I myself am a Pit-bull owner. He has been with me since he was 6 weeks old. He grew up with other animals as well as being raised around children. I have taken him out to the park, walking around town, and everyplace in-between. He is now going on 6 years of age and not once in that time frame has he even growled, jumped or snapped at a child or anyone for that matter. Heck, he’s even been used as a jungle gym by by niece. He will bark at the door, like any other dog does when someone comes knocking, but thats normal. By no means am I condoning the horrible, horrible tragedy that took place today that took the life of a beautiful young child, but to suggest that all pit-bulls should be band in our town is absurd. Has anybody taken into consideration why a family would have 5 poorly maintained, and sadly neglected dogs at their home with a toddler of that age just walking around completely unattended. In this type of situation and using some of your own common sense would realize that these dogs were not members of the family, they weren’t cared for or even loved in anyway. They most likely were under-fed and kept in a state of wanting They more then likely were kept that way for unlawful purposes. I am truly sadden for the lost of any child or any individual to attacks of this nature, and I truly hope that the owner of these dogs is punished to the fullest extent of the law. I wish everyone to understand that I am not a bleeding heart animal activist. I’m just your average joe that actually looks at both sides of the coin equally and I use what god gave me…a brain and common sense, before I just go off half-cocked and want to just band things without a true understand of what has transpired

Thank you

The dog was bred to fight. Get that through your head and stop peeing on our leg as you tell us you love your wonderful Pitt bull. The dogs were bred to kill. That is what they have done often in our country every year.

If a city is willing to ban pitbulls, they should consider banning illegal immigrants first.

If pitbulls were banned, would SF be a “dog sanctuary city”?

The YES vote on this is absolutely sickening. This is the United States people. Laws are excessive as it is. If anything we need to start thinking about lifting some bans and repealing some restrictive laws.

Pit bulls are naturally vicious dogs. But so are all dogs. This is there defense. We have to remember that this could have had happened weather the dog be German Shepperd, Akita, Rottweiler, Doberman Pinscher, Boxers and the list goes on. Also I’m sorry to say but, small children don’t know how to treat dogs, they pull on their tails, ears etc. I know its not the child’s fault but its not the dogs either. This need to be put on the parents. Why would any one think its okay to leave there child in a room with a group or dogs. I would never leave my child alone with my chichi. and Pit bulls are very loving family dogs but you should never have More then 2 and that goes with any group of large to medium dogs. when you have more then two they tend to get jealous and that’s when the fight start. This is a very tragic thing and i’m very sorry that it happend.

David1, it is such a waste of your energy to try for a recall when the election is right around the corner. Go to a Council Mtg. and ask her to resign. Get behind a candidate that can take her out. So you recall her and she runs again in Nov. what have you accomplished?

It’s the power of the vote. Investigate the candidates, look who is running, can we say puppets of the same developers who put HA in place. Remember the more people they get to run, it’s harder for someone really good person to win.

This topic should be on another thread….So back to Pitts, When we moved here and got house insurance we had to state and agree to no to certain types of dogs and no trampolines. I agree that state prob won’t let a total ban but could manatory proof of insurance and then some huge fee if none is proven with dog license is issued. If dog is caught without license then up the fees and dog isn’t released until license/insurance (which not sure if you could even get)..

Can we put a ban on “bad” owners. Chihuahuas and Mini-poodles bite just as much pitbulls do….so now what???

Pit bulls are the problem…. Kill the breed all of them all over the united states. I’ll be more then happy to help get rid of those monsters. It’d be the only time I’d ever consider kicking / killing a puppy..

Kill a pit-bull save a childs life…

I know 6 people with pitbulls and every single one of them are sweet as can be. You wouldn’t feel threatened or anything if they came running to you.. Don’t ban pits it’s the owners that should be held responsible. If u want to ban a breed of dog then ban the annoying little yappy dogs that never stop barking. Ban poodles or any other small yelper. Pitbulls are good dogs. Ban illegal Mexicans and clean up the monument area.

B-rye…really? I think we can all agree that you aren’t smart enough to own a pit bull. Let’s move on from there.

1. Dogs kept in the garage are not family dogs.
2. Dogs should never be allowed unsupervised around young children regardless of breed.
3. Breed specific legislation is inherently flawed. Rottweillers are on the list, yet nobody’s talking about killing all the Rottweillers. Ten years ago they were. Rotties aren’t as popular so they aren’t in as much trouble because dumb asses aren’t getting them.

A dog is only as good as their trainer. Dumb ass owner, no training bad things happen. Sometimes really bad things. Arresting the owner was the right thing to do. Banning the breed is not.

I am not a pit bull owner, although mine died peacefully after 15 years and no bite history whatsoever.

I support the ban on anyone who wants to ban things.

Sorry pit bull supporters but those dogs have a bad rep. Stop telling us stories about how sweet your dog is and asking us not to be ignorant, it’s not balancing the death of a 2 year old. For you hippies that like to keep saying “it’s not the dog, it’s the owner” then allow me to start carrying a loaded gun in public and claim “guns don’t kill people, people kill people and Im a good person” It’s the same thing. You don’t want us to judge but If I never judged anyone or anything based on… well judging, then everytime I saw a McDonalds’s commercial I’d go buy a damn hamburger because it looks so tasty, ignoring the fact it’s crap food. Then next time I see a lion I’d go pet it because Christian the lion was so cute in that youtube video. So please, stop being jerks in society and having pitbulls as pets. There is nothing special about that breed except bragging rights. We all know it’s just a reason for you and your non pitbull owner friends to talk about how great your dog is and sharing stories about those scared reactions from family members when they ask “is he friendly” so you can giggle and say “of course he is, Im a responsible owner!” The only exception I have for pitbulls is if you need a watch dog for a large private property, but America keep them out of suburbia for god sakes we are not going to pretend. Hey this goes for people to… If you’re a black man who walks tough and wears a hoodie, stop doing it you’re being judged by 99% of the population.

“I would also support a ban of pit bulls across the county. I’m afraid to walk past one.”

I’m afraid to walk by young black men. Chould we ban them, too? They tend to cause a lot of trouble as well…

One Word – EXTINCTION

ahhh
Mr Mayor I think your vote is rigged because most of the comments are aginst a ban but the vote in support, whats up with that, ah wait I know all the ignorant people are voting but not bothering to read the comments maybe thats it.

I am a dog groomer, and I deal with dogs 5 days of the week at work. And let me tell you; everytime I have ever been bit it’s been by a small dog. NEVER a pittbull or any other larger dog. It’s the owners!! You have to take the time to teach yourself about the breed you are getting and how to handle them. Then you need to teach the dog. Owners have to be smarter than the dog. If you ban Pitts’ from Concord, that’s just the begining. Soon it will be Rott’s, German Sheps, Doberman’s, New Foundlands, etc. If it starts it will probably not stop.

Why don’t we ban people who don’t know how to raise dogs? The most dangerous breed is the bad owners……I say arrest to owners who neglect dogs or any animal. STOP THE HATE ON PITBULLS!

This is equivalent to racism with humans. So many ignorant people out there. It’s the owners as compared to parents with their children. Aren’t humans by nature “aggressive” or “deadly”…..some of you out there need to educate yourselves.

There has been a lot of conversation pro and con on pit bulls. And I see it as a right and left issue.

A person who thinks toward the right or conservative can decide if he wants one or not. He can decide.

A person on the left, or modern progressive as they call themselves now, decides he does not like pit bulls so no one should have a pit bull.

The problem is not the dog, it is the people who train them. That is the bottom line.

Just like human children, if you train them to rob or don’t teach them at all they become hoods or drug users or something else that keeps the police busy. Should we ban bad parents? Well, that is worth dicsusson but at another time.

If you love and teach your child kindness and goodness, chances are pretty good they will turn out to be good people.

So, the blame has to go to the owners of the dogs. They are ultimatly responsible for the dogs actions just as they should be responsible for the action of their children.

Some may think that the analogy is a bit of a stretch, but I look at it this way. Both children and pets thrive in a loving caring environment and do not thrive in a harsh or hostile environment.

At the end, it is only the people who own the pets who are responsible for their behavior. Anything else is like blaming the hammer for hitting your thumb.

Kristen

Once yorkies and beagles start ‘mauling kids to death’ on a regular basis, I’d say ban them too. We are not talking biting here, we’re talking mauling. To all the idiot Pit owners there’s a difference between biting and mauling.

anonymous 57
If you like the way things are done in the Netherlands perhaps you should live there.

Confiscation of animals? Then what, difficult children? We have that problem today with children being taken from parents for some pretty vague reasons.

It is not the government bureaucratic oafs who should have any control over the citizens. The citizens need to be responsible, accountable and abide by simple rules of law that are straight forward and no nonsense.

“Hey, this Mexican raped a girl last night. Let’s ban all Mexicans from Concord and maybe girls won’t get raped anymore!”

The idea of banning Pitbulls is exactly the same, and just as idiotic.

Barb, you are correct and I have pretty much stopped my work on the recall.

I have been to council meetings and I have not spoken on the record. I will do so at the next meeting.

Thanks

Banning a breed won’t save any lives . It’s about personal responsibility .
This was a tragic incident .

If you really love the breed you would support a ban or at least having to have a permanent. These dogs are filling up the shelters and being treated like toys that people just toss out when they are done. How many pits are put down a day because the shelters are over run with them? How many of these pits live a horrible life in the back yard chained up? If its not the dog then the people who Owen them are not responsible enough to have them. You would think that pit lovers would be happy to not have so many put to death. or treated poorly. Just because you treat you pit well does not mean that you should not care how the others are treated. Basically you are selfish.

The problem isn’t owning pit bulls; it’s owning *multiple* pit bulls and leaving them alone to start behaving like a vicious pack. The real issue is responsible and competent pet ownership, and heck, so many people fall down on *that* in so many ways with any breed or species I’d support a ban on unlicensed pet ownership *period*. People need to prove they are competent and capable of providing responsible care, or they shouldn’t have pets of any kind, and a breed like pit bulls needs more capable care than most. Letting small children wander into the middle of a pack of pit bulls strikes me as the most irresponsible kind of parenting, so let’s start licensing people to have children, too. Geez, so many problems would be solved by *that*…

Mr. Mayor….your poll is not accurate. I just signed on, saw the chance to vote, so I did. It responded that I had already voted #18. Not important, but it’s wrong….
Just fyi

“…but state law prohibits banning certain breeds from an entire city.”

OK, but I see some loopholes here:

* Ban them from *parts* of the city. Namely, any household with small children.
* Ban known violent breeds in general. Any way that could be squeaked by the “banning certain breeds” stipulation? Might need a pack of lawyers to work on that one. Oh, wait…

LegalMatch Law Library Managing Editor, Ken LaMance, Attorney at Law
Rottweiler and Pit Bull Laws
Where Can I Own a Rottweiler or Pit Bull?

The answer to this question depends on the city in which you live. Although no states have restricted Rottweilers or pit bulls, many cities and towns do. For example, the city of Santa Monica in California has restricted pit bulls, and Walkerton, Indiana has banned Rottweilers. Other places such as Westfield, Illinois and Jacksonville, Lonoke, North Little Rock and Beebe Arkansas have banned Dobermans. These types of restrictive laws are called Breed Specific Legislation. Refer to this list of breed specific legislation ban cities.
http://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/rottweiler-and-pit-bull-laws.html
———————

We as aware adults should have a Lawyer and know all the laws when we keep a Specific Mean Breed.
Where I live it’s a status symbol to have a ”big mean dog” riding in your pickup bed.
Within the city there is an ordinance saying you register that dog for 100 bucks so the city knows where they are.
Laws only work where there a people who will use them.
Who is going to fine that Redneck with his toothy grinning dog?

But then I live in the woods, where the law is a tease.
We need to make laws that are tough, we need to stand behind the law,and make sure our neighborhoods are safe.

IMHO Laws were made to be broken.
~
sad-

Anonymous 50
You are most definatly a modern progressive. You don’t like the dog so no one should like the dog. Then you call people hippies and jerks because they chose not to belove as you do or follow your twisted analogy and logic.

People should be free to own any animal they wish. The community needs to decide (not the state or federal government) what rules the community members need to observe.

I am not sure why you brought up guns, the comments made no real sense. You want to carry one, go ahead. Just be careful who you decide to shoot. McDonalds? If you want to eat there go ahead. You have the choice. You have all sorts of choices, don’t you dare take away mine.

I would definitely support a ban on pitbulls in Concord. They are banned in the Netherlands and it works just fine. Any pitbulls born after the date of the ban were confiscated. They don’t have vicious dog attacks in the Netherlands.

No, not true.

http://www.expatica.com/nl/news/local_news/Dutch-Agriculture-Minister-scraps-pit-bull-ban.html

Unfortunately we may never know what “triggered” these three Pit bulls to attack this child, – the victim/witness is dead.
The person who owned the dogs and the person who should have been supervising this child are to blame. There should have been a lock on that door to the garage, which a toddler could not open.
Banning the breed will not work. In Denver, Colorado and Miami-Dade County, Florida despite the “ban on the breed’ there are still pit bulls. When you ban a breed- the breeding is driven underground so more and more ignorant people trying to make a buck, breed and sell them. These backyard breeders tend to breed for aggression, outrageous size and other characteristics that are not on the AKC list of desirable traits.

I use to volunteer one day per week at an animal shelter for almost two years and have worked with literally hundreds of Pitbulls. My experience at the shelter taught me that there are some wonderful Pit-bulls (especially the one that I ended up adopting). However, there are others who came to the shelter after being mistreated, neglected and abused. These dogs were usually beyond saving.

Having a Pit-bull is a HUGE responsibility. I normally wouldn’t recommend them around small children. More importantly, I would definitely not recommend that anyone have more than one Pit-bull or Rottweiler etc. around small children. Having 5 Pit-bulls, a 2 year old and a 4 year old in the same house is a recipe for disaster.

As far as the hysteria….You are far more likely to be attacked and killed by a person in Claycord than you are a dog of any kind. Maybe we should ban cars. They kill tons of people in Claycord.

Banning Pitbulls is not the answer – no child of that age should be left unattended, as this child was…. Step-Grandpa or whatever should be held accountable…..

Anon #75

Thank you, I agree

#47 – Please leave your and your childrens’ names. When your child is mauled to death because of your irresponsibility, I would like to attend his/her funeral, and I would want to be sure you are put away! How DARE you allow those dogs to sleep with your children!!! Save your $$!!!!!!!!

aye you csn mske any dog a devil dog not just only pit’s so i think they shouldnt ban pitt’s

what idiots let their 2 year old in a garage un-supervised? there is a million things that can go bad in a garage for a 2 year old without the dogs being there. I own a pitbull and he is the nicest, loyalist, sweetest, most lick you to death dog you will ever meet, and plays daily with 2 small dogs( 7 and 13 lbs) and he is 105lbs and they all play great together. it is TOTALLY and 100% solely on the owners and the upbringing of the dog. it is NOT normal for a family to have 5 pitbulls, there must have been illegal activity going on with the house and/or dogs. This is a sad sad story, and it sucks that it will give all properly raised pitbulls a “bad name” as well

Actually, the problem is fads. The problem with rottweilers was that they were very popular a while back, so they were being bred like rabbits. When more dogs are bred, the percentage of “poorly bred” dogs does not increase; but their numbers do. Breeders who turn these poor dogs into money making machines are the real culprits. If I was locked in a 20 sq ft cage with 10 other dogs for 3 months, I would be snappy with people too. We have owned 2 rottweilers, and have never had any sort of a problem with them. The second dog was from an abused home, so she was frightened and skittish at first. After a few months of family life she opened up, and 4 years later her personality is friendly as can be! It is a true fact, that pitbulls and rottweilers are more work than other dogs though, they need more care and attention.

Banning one breed is not the answer. Three dogs per household is too many; two are more than enough.

We need more regulation for ALL owners to follow. The ability to report dogs and owners who do not behave appropriately and know that action will be taken to correct problem(s) is very important.

For once, I think San Francisco got something right. They passed a law requiring pit bulls to be fixed.

I would also vote YES to:
No pit bulls for Convicted felons.
Can’t own more than one pit bull.
Pit bull must be micro chipped with address and owners name.
All veterinarians are required to report pit bulls in violation of county and city laws.
No WIC for pit bull owners.
No affordable housing for pit bull owners.
No medical marijuana for pit bull owners.
and Pit Bulls cannot be within 1,000 ft of a school.

Lets ban irresponsible pet owners instead!!!! It makes me so mad to think that people dont see the real problem here pit-bulls are not the problem its the people who own them. This is a people problem!!!

David1, hope to meet you next Tues., I usually sit in the back with walker.

when I pressed “no” on the poll no was the first option then when the results were shown no was on the bottom,there is a majority of comments for pitbulls and yet the “poll” shos a majority want a ban, I question the credibility of this poll.

I understand the part that an owner has in an aggressive dog. when attacks are reported look at the high percentage are from pits. the breed also has to play a part in the high percentage, as many owners are found to say, the dog never showed signs of aggression before. so it would be interesting to get some real stats to find out what breeds are involved in attacks and has the dog been aggressive prior, as well as some info. on the owner such as a criminal record. so definitely come down harder on owners with aggressive dogs that lose control of them, that would help take care of that problem, but also take into consideration the real facts on the pit what really is the nature. is the pit more unpredictable and does it have more of a tendency to attack? anyone have any real facts?

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html

Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author’s observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening.

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed–and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

Clifton’s opinions are as interesting as his statistics. For example, he says, “Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all.”

I agree this is a people problem. An example is El Dorado Middle School recreation area. The sign reads dogs must be on lease, but everyday adults have their pets off lead letting them run and not bothering to pick up their dogs droppings. I have to admit I have a fear when I see a pit or any other dog off lead. It can no longer take my dog there because of the dogs off lead. Come on Animal Services do something about this problem before there is a problem at this site. It is only a matter of time before someone gets bitten.

to 107

Not yet.
What if one of those kids, appears to not be welcome by a stamping foot, a scream for fun, rough housing..where the dog thinks ”that visitor” is harming your family?
What if?

You can GUARANTEE us that this dog ALWAYS KNOWS the difference between ”good” guests and ”bad” guests.?

Totally GUARANTEE us?

I think that there should be more stringent criteria for a person wanting to adopt a pitbull as opposed to say, a cocker spaniel. I agree that if a pitbull is loved and treated right, the dog is very safe, even around children.

Breed Bans are illegal under the California Ag code- Opportunist and King of the Nanny State Gavin Newsom tried this. What is allowed is mandatory Spay and Neuter – SB861. Now, this can be enacted as Breed Specific or all breeds. The county would save a whole lot of money if they enacted mandatory spay and neuter requirements for all breeds with exceptions for legitimate breeders.

I could not support a ban on pit bulls. However, I would surely like to increase education for dog owners so that all dogs are trained properly and so that owners understand what their dogs are capable of.

I used to have a cute 25 pound Lhasa Apso. He was very unfriendly and I had to keep him away from people. I would never have adopted him had I known. I now have a cute 10 pound poodle mix who loves everyone. I let her go places with me and socialize. I still watch her carefully when she is around children. Just makes sense.

What about the law similar to SF. All Pits must be fixed…

This is ridiculous- even the idea of it. Pit-bulls aren’t the danger it’s the people! How many pit-bulls have killed someone this year in Concord and how many people killed people this year?. Do the f’n math. Cars are the #1 killer in the U.S. that doesn’t mean we should all ban cars now does it?

If we should ban anything regarding dogs…it should be breeding. Their are thousands of animals waiting to be rescued or waiting to be euthanized in our County.

I find it very sad that their are so many people out there that do NOT like animals or have pets, yet they are quick to comment on issues they have no experience with. Get educated, get experience and find some compassion.

I own two Dalmations and one little spaniel mix. Honestly, when kids run up to the Dals I stand in front of the Dals because I genuinely don’t know what may happen.

I’m no mind-reader of a dog

I can be a bitch at times and cranky and so can the dogs, so my body is always between the little kids and the dogs.

A message to all the Dog owners out there – you best inform your homeowners insurer you own a dog, any type of dog. Most insurers will put an exclusion on your policy for any liability caused for any type of dog.

If you don’t declare the dog, you are violation of your insurance terms and conditions and the insurer can cancel your policy.

Then again, some insurers only care about certain breeds.

According to dogsbite.org, the following cities have mandatory sterilization ordinances for Pit Bulls:

Gilroy, Lancaster, Manteca, Ripon, San Bernardino, San Francisco, and Sonoma County.

1) You can’t compare a dog to an inanimate object. A car/swimming pool/gun isn’t going to jump a fence and attack someone. They also won’t act unpredictably in groups or around children.
2) You can’t compare banning an animal to banning a person/race. Dogs don’t get the rights of people and no matter how much a person loves one, will never be people or deserve human rights.
3) Based on statistics, some breeds of dogs are lethal. They should be treated as a weapon. Require background checks, registration, laws around how they should be secured, etc. If we want people to be responsible for their animals, let’s make sure they can be before they get one.

Personally, I have had run-in’s with pitt bulls in my neighborhoods. Bad owners have allowed them to run loose (actually break out of a back yard that wasn’t secure) and run around the neighborhood on numerous occasions. On time the pair ran down and slaughtered another neighbors cat. With small children who have every right to play ball in their front yard also in the neighborhood, it makes for an unsafe environment. It is very unfair to the people in the neighborhood when a lethal weapon isn’t secured properly. Like with guns, I don’t oppose people owning them but my expectation is that the people who do have them are qualified/approved to own one. The pain and aggravation of dealing with the paperwork should be on the owner and not those who are impacted by the person owning the weapon.

@ Antler –
I’ve been thinking the same thing. And for the cops, it very well could be the same ones that responded to the attempt murder/suicide two days before. It’s just ugly all the way around.

@ Mayor -
I’m seeing comments awaiting moderation….not sure I should be seeing those.

banning a dog breed will result in people smuggling them in, like ferrets and oh.. drugs! It’d ridiculous to think about it.

San Francisco has a law that states all dog owners MUST neuter or spay their pets. According to channel 2 new this morning, this law has had positive affects. the animals aren’t as wild looking for a good time they aren’t going to get and redcuces the aggressiveness.

Well once again.. Claycord gets on the national news for some dog owner’s lack of common sense.

It’s not the dog, it’s the owner at fault.

Take a minute to watch this. Make an educated decision…
http://www.hellobully.com/pb101/pitbull101.html

The site as a whole is great.
http://www.hellobully.com/bsledu.html.

Anon 126 – As a responsible pit owner I completely agree with the idea that additional criteria for the adoption of larger breeds should be in place for the protection of the animals and people.

Ok so when I was in high school I got a pit bull pup. She was my best friend thru college and beyond. She was good around me and my family (my brother was 6 when I got her) . Always great with everyone. Our pets, our friends…. Great dog. Once in college my roommates cat got out and was in a fight at our front door with another cat. My roommate ran out of course to protect her cat…. My dog right behind her as she was aroused by the sound of a cat fight. My dog ran right over our own cat, grabbed the other cat and in one quick but violent shake killed the other cat right in front of us. I NEVER saw that coming. Not in a million years. She was over 6 yrs old by then and had never done anything aggressive. So while I love the breed , I know the power of instinct and the strength of these dogs. You don’t have to train a dog to kill….my example is true. I was a young female college kid who took my dog everywhere. From that point on I had to live with being very careful she never got near another cat (though she always remained fine with our own). She died of old age a few months before my first born…. Perhaps that was a blessing…. I don’t know…. All I’m saying is that a pit bull owner who says their dog could never, would never is not operating with a full knowledge of the breed. Things happen, their prey drive is strong, their bite style unique. I’m not saying a lab or a poodle might not have reacted the same way in the example cat fight… But I bet it wouldn’t have been fatal. People who own pits just need to be aware of the terrier mentality. The risk for a high prey drive reaction. They are not for everyone.

Coco County has a no dog over 20lbs may be owned by a convicted felon law. That’s smart. Also- many Insurance carriers have dog exceptions – Allstate will not give new Homeowners policies to people who own Malamutes, Boxers, Amstaffs, Akitas, APBT, Huskies, Wolf Hybirds, Rottweilers, German Sheps, English Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Chows etc ad nauseum. Although they will make exceptions in some cases. Farmers requires a temperament test. What the Pitch Fork and Torch crowd here doesn’t get is that these people were not responsible- don’t take it out on the rest of us.

I would support a ban on un-altered dogs in Concord regardless of breed.

CPD would be allowed to make handful of nut checks without a warrant and without a Miranda Warning.

All these asinine comments re: ban a pit is like banning cars, guns and swimming pools, are laughable.
You have a choice whether to drive a car, shoot/own a gun and swim.
But you don’t have choices with a large mean dog with a death wish, bearing down on you.

We have all kinds of freedoms.We are free because of our heritage. But, we don’t have the FREEDOM to put other’s in danger. That is being an accomplice to murder.

When people grow up and take responsibility for themselves and their possessions, they will know living in a city, crowded up next to neighbors and kids and cats — is no place for a dog that deserves to be a one person pet, in the wide open spaces.

If you don’t have the proper facilities, get yourself a Yorkie or a Beagle. A Beagle can be vicious if that is what you desire, but he isn’t big enough to not be fought off.

My Aunt in Castro Valley had a biting poodle. After I gave her a swift kick in the jaw…she didn’t nip me again. A pit would have fought back.

Wake up~you can’t do everything you want, especially if it puts your family and/or neighbors in danger. If you do, you need mental help.
So stop with these silly analogies. You all sound like advocates for dog fights.

Why do we have so many pit bull attacks? Because of the volume of people who for some reason hold on to the myth that its the owner and not the breed. We don’t need studies or discussions on genes, their is no racist component here, just plain old common sense. We breed dogs for different traits and they show these traits without training, and no one has any problems with it except for pit bull owners and the traits of aggression. No one trains a dog to kill a child, yet children are killed, adults are killed, other animals are killed. Many pit bulls are treated like very loved pets, but they still attack and kill. Other breeds are abused, such as racing greyhounds, and they rarely if ever kill. Anyone who owns a dog should be for limitations on an animal who was bred to want to fight and kill your pet. If pit bull owners do not like those limitations, they have a choice: choose a different breed, or police their own to educate owners properly and stop attacks on innocent people. Punishments after the fact do not erase scars or bring pets back to life – we need prevention as pit bull owners have proven themselves incapable of owning pit bulls safely.

“BSL is the canine equivalent of racial profiling and is every bit as wrong.”

Simply stunning in how asinine this line of “reasoning” is.

hey why dont you come by my place so i can kick the s##t out of you while my pitbull licks your face you clown

Cats RULE and dogs drool, and kill.

163 why don’t you read things more closely before you go ape on someone Nowhere is it mentioned in136 that there are children in the house with the dogs she said when children run up to her and her dogs – my advice to parents is teach your kids not to run up to dogs.

Mayor, please disregard the above post, I’m making a duplicate below, I forgot one thing.

#165 NEVER!!! (unless it’s a poll about our councilwomen from roseville or poor financial decisions from the city) hehe

I have owned my Pit Bull Mix since she was 3 mos old and will turn 11 this year. She is a very sweet loving dog who is afraid of her own shadow. I once had to pull another dog off of her that attacked her, she would not defend herself.
Instead of banning Pit Bulls in Concord why not do what they do in SF make all Pit Bulls owners spay or neuter there dogs, which keeps them from being agressive.
I have seen many unneutered male dogs at the dog park of various breeds and think this is a very unsafe practice of putting any unneutered male dog in with multiple dogs. Example Doberman Pincher and Pit bull unneutered males turned loose in the dog park, turned into a fight. If you are going to ban anything ban unneutered and spayed dogs unless you have a special license ie to show the dogs.

@156 – You contradict your own argument! If I (we) have the right to own a gun, drive a car, smoke in public, then we “have the right” to put others in danger since each of these actions HAS THE POTENTIAL to cause harm to others. Owning ANY dog, similarly, has the potential to cause harm to others. All of these scenarios require PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for one’s actions and for ensuring (to the best of one’s abilities) that harm does not come to others. Personal responsibility is the cost of freedom, one most true adults are happy to pay. I, for one, am not about to relinquish any freedom because others fail to take responsibility for their actions or their lives.

Any Dog can be fatal. I had taken a behavior class at marin humane and for a fee the owner can go have their Dog evaluated. and in some instances A Dog thats not good around children gets rehomed as such, or put down. but to say all pitbulls are bad is not right.check out http://www.badrap.com I had a beagle stay with me He wasn’t normal he would always try to bite. I warned the owners that when he fence fights he goes for your face , they didnt take me seriously > Two weeks later they told us thay had him put Down as the husband had to have a plastic surgeon put his upper lip back on. Better to be safe no matter what kind of Dog. maybe laws should be on a case by case basis but not just to outlaw a breed. As I have taken care of many good pitbull terriers

So much propaganda on these comments from those pit bull spammers the Washington Post wrote about http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/08/AR2007120800094.html . They turn out in force whenever you say ban or regulate. These are those with a vested interest in stopping any law that would protect people from these dangerous animals. Pits are mauling and killing in numbers like no other breed in history but these people don’t care about that, they are protecting their ill gotten incomes, incomes they pay no taxes on. And the “save them all” rescues fall right into bed with the dogmen and pit bull breeders with their lack of caring what happens to people, just save those pits. Check out a website that these people DON’T want you to see because the truth is there http://www.DogsBite.ORG And if you want to see just how bad the problem is look at all the media reports, less than a whole year, on http://www.pitattacksbystate.blogspot.com Try to find another breed that compares in numbers to what the pits are doing. PREVENT THE DEED, SAVE LIVES, REGULATE THE BREED. No family should have to attend a closed casket funeral.

#66

A mauling starts with a bite. Do you deal with dogs on a regular basis?
Plus what are you going to do with the dogs that have Pitt in them. So if a dog is 1% pitt they can’t be allowed in Concord?

Who the hell would want to own a dog, or any animal , that couldn’t be trusted to be left alone with another human without the fear the animal would maul that person to death?

I grew up with dogs all my life and have NEVER been in fear of losing my life or that the dog would kill someone. NEVER!. But then again I never owned or wanted to own a breed that has a ‘pattern’ of killing people.

So I guess all you who are against a ban are also against the ban that states we can’t keep a polar bear as a pet in the backyard.

Are they banned in Rosevill and Navado ????

Dogs that have been bred to kill for centuries will possibly kill, regardless of if they are raised in a loving family. It’s the ignorant people that will not accept this. Ban pit bulls, they are killers.

Dog Park Regular

Responsible Pit Bull owners never, never, let their dogs off leash. Same is true for those that adopt Greyhounds.

And the winner is:

http://www.petsdo.com/blog/top-ten-10-most-dangerous-dog-breeds

1. Is it really true that felons can’t own dogs over 20 pounds in Contra Costa County?

2. How much do Pit Bulls weigh?

3. How difficult would it be to enforce this law?

Haha, man do I get a kick out of the psychotic Pit Bull apologist crowd.

“I train my pit.”
Yeah right, like you’re all master dog trainers. Teaching your dog to sit & stay doesn’t mean you’ve “trained” the vicious instinct out of it…as if such a thing is even possible.

“Banning a breed is equal to racial profiling.”
Shit, although hard to conceive of such a notion, this is actually more stupid than the “I train” theme. First of all, it’s an f-ing dog, not a person. Second, racial profiling used to be called “good police work” until the ACLU and various ultra-PC-activist pain-in-the-ass types worked their “magic”. Car full of young black dudes driving around residential areas in Lafayette? Yeah, I think it might be a good idea for a cop to light ‘em up and ask them what they’re doing in the area. Same holds true for some white dude in a Saab cruising slowly down Cherry St. in Oakland.

i agree with Anonymous….. wich one you ask???? the world will never know! kinda like getting to the center of a lollipop.

not all pits are beasts if u vote yes ur retarted….i have been raised up around pits and never been attacke—————

josh, aka Pot,

“if u vote yes ur retarted”

Stop calling me black.

Sincerely,

Kettle

BAN THE DEED (Irresponsible Owners) & NOT THE BREED

I own a 5 year old pit bull who I have SOCIALIZED, TRAINED, etc. We are allowed in our local Starbucks, Home Depot, and Blockbuster because he’s so well behaved. I’ve seen some ‘gnarly’ pit bulls. That is the result of bad breeding, back yard breeding. If you get a well-bred pit bull, you will get a dog that doesn’t have the aggression issues. BAN BACK YARD BREEDERS & STUPID OWNERS

WHICH WOULD YOU BAN:

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/3/6/c/1/highres_10034017.jpeg

Every day in California alone, people are killed due to drunk drivers, child abuse/neglect, guns, spousal abuse, etc. The National Canine Research Council (NCRC) reports that you have 5 times more chance of being struck by lightening than being bitten by a dog. The media seems hell bent on trashing these wonderful family pets. As a dog person, I’ve been bitten by a Golden Retriever, a Cocker Spaniel & a Pit Bull. The GR was mine, & the bite was NOT on purpose. The CS WAS on purpose & was a rescue. The PB was NOT an intentional bite either, just my own stupidity when I tried to break up a fight. Since learned that even a glass of water will break up a dog fight no matter what kind of dogs they are. The bottom line is PEOPLE MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ANIMALS!!!!! Don’t blame the breed!

#187

How did the hybrid breed get invovled in this? Dogs will bite if they are scared or provoked. This is a tragic accident. But it was NOT the dogs fault. Those dogs were in the garage for a reason. Everybody need to ask, why? And since they were aggressive what got them to that point? THE OWNER AND HIS ACTIONS!! Plus shouldn’t there have been someone watching the two year old? ONCE AGAIN THE OWNER! The #1 breed to turn on someone and the owner is a Chow Chow. It’s just not in the press because everybody is on the “I hate Pitts” bandwagon. If people want to educate themselves, you should watch the Animal Planet special on the dogs they rescued from Michael Vicks home.

Also maybe people need to push the shelters, rescue groups, and pet stores to have free seminars on dogs. They do a different breed each time. And people can come and ask questions and get the 411 on a breed they are thinking about getting.

All of you people who are claiming pit bull should be banned because they were “trained to fight” need to do a little research before making these statements. Pit bulls have a high prey drive, much like MANY other dog breeds. The fact that they are sometimes “bred to fight” has NOTHING to do with whether a dog would attack a human. Not all pit bulls are bred to fight. In fact,if you see one out of a walk or in your neighbors backyard, there is a 98% chance they were NOT bred to fight. Dog fighters do not take care of their animals to the extent that they would take them out on a walk. When you talk about dog fighting, the dogs fight DOGS not people (I do not support dog fighting, just making a point). Pit bulls are not human aggressive dogs. If you come across or hear about a human aggressive pit bull it was most likely mixed with a human aggressive breed, like a German Shepard. Do some research on dogs. Terriers, retrievers, shepards, etc… all behave differently and need to be trained accordingly. For example, you wouldn’t buy a poodle to use to herd sheep.

I am the proud owner of a one year old APBT, belong to a responsible pit bull meet-up group of over 400 people, socialize him on a daily basis, and give him ample exercise, all of which I would expect any DOG owner to do. I know more Dachshunds that are human aggressive that pit bulls! They are just extremely unlikely to be able to kill someone. I’m afraid of them but don’t think we should ban them. People need to realize that the media only puts out negative stories on pit bulls and most of the time they are mixes, who just happen to look like pit bulls. Pit bulls are “scary” because of the social implication put on them. Pit bulls are like any other dog. Open your minds and stop only listening to the media as your source of truth.

#209……..you and so many others are not “hearing” what we anti-pitbull folks are really saying. The breed itself was DEVELOPED so as to increase ON PURPOSE the physical and dispositional characteristics making it subject to rage triggers and “fighting to the death”. Professional breeders originally CULLED those pitbulls which would not fight, and they only bred the killers. That instinct is still in the breed!!! No amount of tender, loving care and no amount of training can remove the breed’s genetic propensity to be “set off” by something…….and you would be surprised at how small a thing can be a rage trigger. Many years ago, I leased a young pit bull which was prancing back and forth across the four lanes of Concord Boulevard as he visited in a friendly way with children walking home along sidewalks on both sides of the boulevard. He was very glad to be sweet-talked on leash into my backyard, where he played very nicely with our Brittanies. Time passes, and no one answers the ads in the paper. So my husband, an expert dog trainer and AKC field trial judge, started seriously working with “Tux” (so named because he was black and white in a distinctive pattern) on more advanced obedience training . The dog learned quickly and was dependably obedient, until one evening after the dogs had been fed and it was time to put them each in their own kennels. The Brittanys obeyed the command to “Kennel up, please!”. The pit bull did not obey; first he backed away from my husband and wagged his tail. Then my husband pointed toward the kennel and said, “Tux, kennel!!!” No response, except the pit bull stopped panting and extended his neck a little. Then my husband (who just like in all the apologists’ tales “never saw this cute young dog be anything but gentle”) commanded, “TUX!!! HERE!!!” So Tux attacked him!!! Fortunately, the biting did only minimal damage to one arm, and my husband was able to kick the dog repeatedly until he could grab the dog’s leather collar and twist it enough to subdue the animal, which he took the next day down to Animal Control and paid to have euthanized.

One more true pit bull story. We were outdoors at the Solano County Fairgrounds many years ago when our children were earning their Junior Handler points with several of our Brittanys in our breeds’ conformation ring. Hearing a vicious dog fight in the next ring over, I turned to see two pit bulls fighting and each of the professional handlers (you can tell because they always used to wear suits) BEATING his own dog with a long, thick baton. (As evidence that that kind of behavior happens frequently, every handler in the show ring carried a baton!) Evidently, when the judge awarded the placements for that class and the four top dogs were lined up in order,…..something triggered rage in one of the dogs and the other reacted in kind. Okay—-the fighting and beating was bad enough (and the following speaks to the point of viciousness being tolerated in that breed), but then the judges did not DISQUALIFY either dog!!!!! They got their third and fourth place rosettes. And the whole point of these AKC conformation shows is so other breeders can choose to what animals they might want to outbreed their own kennel line (i.e. a dog competing in an AKC sanctioned show must be purebred and must not be spayed nor neutered). In the case of this breed, it is the horrific consequences of what it MIGHT do, and do until its prey is DEAD. And the majority of UNPROVOKED and FATAL maulings nationwide indeed are attributable to the Pit Bull.

Never mind the fact that out-and-out bans on any one particular breed of dog are against the law in the state of Calif, I was always under the impression that people in Calif were a bit more enlightened and “with it” than folks in places like Denver, CO where they have had a COSTLY and ineffective ban on the breed for over 20 years.
I believe… legislators should, instead of worrying so much about their careers and votes, should focus more on genuine public safety. The bulk of this concern involves going after individual owners and holding them accountable for the damage their property/ dog has caused and not passing all blanketing laws that stereotype an entire breed and their owner… guilty or not.
Though most Americans suffer from short attention spans, not so long ago there were people and theories that passed judgment and stereotyped an entire social group (ie McCarthyism, The Holocaust, Salem Witch Hunts, etc). With modern medicine, satellite technology, and the internet… one would think we have evolved past such Dark Age mentality.

Chef David Edelstein
& Team Pit-a-Full
Orange, CA

it wasn’t the dogs fault the owner raised them wrong, left along with the kids without supervision or they were teased or provoked by the kids. it’s most likely a human error in training or being unsupervised around the kids. this would not get this much attention if they were Labradors or Poodles, this is a good way to strike fear in the heart of those people that never met a goodhearted Pit Bull before.

It sadness me that once again we blame the thing that is not in change. Pitbulls are not to blame for the violence humans are. Pitbulls are a very smart loyal breed that have the nick name “Nanny breed” Look up why!! Helen Keller had a Pit for her service dog. Do you homework. Yes maybe people should be licensed to own a pit like you are licensed to own a gun. That way these great dogs would only be allowed to be owned by loving responsible people that know what they have and respect it. Don’t punish the dog, punish the man!! Just like children, a dog is a reflection of its owner/parent!

I love how there’s the discussion of “pit Bulls” when there is not even a breed “Pit Bull”. It is a group of breeds (Staffordshire Terriers, Am Staffs, American Bulldog, and APBT) that make up the commonly referred “Pit Bull”. So, now that you banning fans are slightly more educated, get your heads out of your posteriors and look at facts. Ban Pitties, then which breed will these people go to next? Something bigger, scarier, more easily trained to aggression? Bans have been PROVEN not to work. England has had a ban in place for over 15 years – dog bites are UP more than ever. Gee, I wonder why? OWNERS, you morons! And, BTW, guess who has climbed steadily up the ranks in dog bites statistics . . . .ready? Labs! That’s right the “oh it would never hurt a fly” labrador. It’s a function of popularity of the breed and nothing more as to which breed bites “most”. And while we’re looking at the top vicious breeds – dauchunds lead that list, followed by chihuahuas and the Jack Russel terriers – they are most likely to BITE. Look it up! The media will use anything to stir up controversy to make money – they are not interested in FACTS or lab bites would be reported with equal frequency and outrage. But that doesn’t sell papers or air time.

OK, go ahead and ignore state law. First and foremost, BSL do not work and cost enormous amounts of money, Second, why does everyone ignore the fact that obviously the dogs were not pets as they were in the garage and there were three of them. Has anyone asked why that is? What sort of socialization had these animals had? How long did the owner have them? These are questions that everyone needs to ask. I personnaly hate little dogs, Every little dog owner I know thinks its absolutely ok to have a anti social aggressive mean dog and it apparently is ok because it is a little? You do realize that they still have teeth and maybe they cant kill but they can disfigure, Because of my experience with small dogs should I request they be banned? Check out the resent repealed ban by Italy. They had almost 90 breeds banned, including Welsh Corgi’s. See what happens when you ban one breed. today my breed, tomorrow yours.

Ignorance is so sad. The media can portray anything they way they want it. They can report what they want as well as not report what wont get attention. People need to educate themselves. Its sad when society chooses to educate themselves through the media who twists things in any way they want to. There area many dog bit/attack incidents daily. Many are not reported. For the ones that are reported if it is not a story that may not draw a bunch of attention the media is not going to put the spotlight on the story. The media is only going to put out there what will get the publics attention… Which lets face it people feed off this garbage. The sicker and more twisted it sounds the more people eat it up. Its sickening and disturbing…

hi ok 1 thing is i rescue pitbulls and have for over 14yrs and none of mine have bit anyone or anything but guess what some of the mean pits that are out here is inbred or cross bred like son and mother or father daughter or sister brother ect and i dont like to hear about anyone dieing from being attack but again not the breeds fault ,,,,,,,,,,, i have some real sweet pitbulls and i have 1 right now i rescue off the net and she is something else i have to have her in the house with me at all times she is a good girl unless someone comes to my house i always put all my pits in cages when people are around to many people and they get upset and i dont take a chance at all i had 1 just pass 2 yrs ago aand he was raised with my nephew and my nephew would lay on him and pull his ears anything and everything u can think of he would do to him and jumpingjackflash never even tried to bite him or anyone but i just put hm up to be safe and i had a female pit and she slept with hm and if i was to try and wake my nephew up she would protect him from me and she was murder and another 1 of mine was murder right before fathers day 2010 and they did nothin to know one and tehy are dead now ,,,u never know when a dog has a tooth ache or ear ache or just some kind of pain so why leave a small child or infant around with no one ther to watch tehm and ther is more then just pitbulls that will tear up a person but hell no ya dont see them in the paper on the tv and u dont see them shot and ya dont hear about it so think before ya kill any dog hey i have been for many years rescueing pitbulls on my own and i want to learn more about them everyday i read alot of stuff on the net and i will get in to chat groups and still till this day i will ask for more info on them please do not ban the pitbulls

I volunteer in an animal shelter 5 days a week. We have many pit bulls brought in for various reasons and the vast majority of them are sweet dogs. It is the idiot owners who are to blame for the problems the dogs get into. My granddaughter has been raised with two pit bulls who have never harmed her. She even got in their kennels with them when she was littler and took food away from them. But they were also never starved or beaten. My experience is that the breed is high energy so they need exercise regularly and good quality food. Is that what those garage dogs were getting? I’d bet NOT!

If the child had been killed by a Golden Retriever, would everyone suddenly be demanding that Golden Retrievers be outlawed? Pit Bulls are not the only breed that has ever killed or bitten a person – any large powerful breed is capable of that. Banning breeds does nothing to prevent these situations. Dog owners of all breeds must be held accountable for the way they treat their animals and for the actions of their animals. The Pit Bull issue is a man-made problem and the media hype perpetuating the stereo-types does nothing but add to the cache for people who want a dog to mistreat and weaponize.

Breed-specific legislation doesn’t tend to help; cracking down on the people who are ALREADY pursuing illegal activities (dog fighting, drug dealing, etc) is the only way to deal with it. “Pit bull” isn’t even a breed; it’s a label that can include four or five breeds “…and mixes thereof” in a lot of laws and media hype; does that mean my rescue mutt could be confiscated and put down because his *markings* are similar to an American Staffordshire? In some cities with breed-specific laws, it does. Some “dog warden” can say “Hey, that looks like a pit bull to me,” and TAKE MY DOG.

From Antler – “#209……..you and so many others are not “hearing” what we anti-pitbull folks are really saying. The breed itself was DEVELOPED so as to increase ON PURPOSE the physical and dispositional characteristics making it subject to rage triggers and “fighting to the death”. Professional breeders originally CULLED those pitbulls which would not fight, and they only bred the killers. That instinct is still in the breed!!! No amount of tender, loving care and no amount of training can remove the breed’s genetic propensity to be “set off” by something……”

That can be said of quite a number of breeds; most dog breeds were bred to be aggressive toward SOME kind of animal, be it birds, rodents, rats or other dogs. Terriers were bred to go after animals that burrow, hence the name. Interestingly enough, while breeder of “fighting” dogs were breeding IN aggression toward other *dogs*, they were systematically breeding OUT any aggression toward humans–so the “breed’s genetic propensity” has pretty much nothing to do with attacking even a small, vulnerable human. The bully breeds are actually the breeds that are KNOWN for their affection towards humans and even strangers… *except* when owners train them to be “guard dogs” and keep them in numbers, as some kind of tough guy status symbol.

And of course I agree with several people who have already said this: letting a child go anywhere near ANY dogs without supervision is just plain wrong. I wouldn’t bring someone’s baby into my house and let it WANDER AROUND to encounter danger! whether that’s in the form of my murderous electrical sockets, my obviously aggressive kitchen stove, my VERY dangerous gas grill, or my two dogs.

In our family, the pretty hound-pointer mix is the one we have to keep an eye on; the worst my Boxer-AmStaff mutt will do is LICK you to death! I think if someone came to steal the TV, he’d probably go up to the intruder with a wagging tail.

Punish the deed; punish the negligence that allowed this ragedy to occur; punish the guy who owned FIVE dogs and let a kid wander around without supervision in his home. But don’t pass a law that punishes the GOOD owners and GOOD dogs out there. If anything, pass a law that requires education for ANYONE owning a dog, or parrot, or tiger, or ANY OTHER potentially dangerous household pet. Pursue more aggressive spaying and neutering laws. Pursue more aggressive pursuit of illegal breeding and dogfighting operations. Because honestly, the “pit bull” problem isn’t going to be stopped by BSL; the people causing the “pit bull” problem are, for the most part, people who aren’t really concerned with obeying laws in the first place (dog fighting is a felony here, I believe.) Dogs attack people for any number of reasons, and in the vast majority of cases those reasons are NOT genetic.

People should be banned, the idiot worthless individuals who agree with BSL should be banned!!! Those who mistreat a dog or any animal…should be banned!!! It’s nothing but pure ignorance of those who dont understand these dogs. I have a Pit Bull and she is the best baby in the world, and the person who said take their teeth out? I am sorry but you are an IDIOT!!! You obviously are ignorant as well, its THE WAY THE ANIMAL IS RAISED THAT DETERMINES THE TEMPERMENT!!! Punish the deed not the breed. People make me absolutely disgusted I dont understand. Here’s a scenario of how a pit bull is made mean: take a puppy about 6 weeks old, put him or her in a cage, beat them daily, starve them, give them no attention, toys or love. Put the cage in a dark room and give them zero contact then show them to an aggressive dog when the puppy reaches a year old. You honestly think that dog isnt going to fight? Especially if it means he or she might get food afterwords? Then when the dog has fought toss them in the cage, wounds open and bleeding, in incredibly horrific pain and leave them to suffer. NOW that makes them mean!!! The people who do that are SICK and deserve to same treatment. Like any other dog, take my Bella (yes full blooded pit bull) and raise her around people, kids, babies adults other dogs and animals and I promise you she is the sweetest and loveable girl ever. She would never harm anyone!!! Think about this BSL supporters~ do the above to a human child and tell me if they are mean. DO your RESEARCH and then FORM an opinion!!! I will always support pit bulls ALWAYS. For those of you who don’t~ you are missing out on love, tons of kisses, an oversized lap dog who wants nothing more than you to love them back.

Insert “African American” and all the appropriate forms of it in place of “pitbull” in this debate, and you have a conversation that very well may have taken place in 1950… why do i own a pit bull? they’re a beautiful breed, why do you own a cocker spaniel? a good owner of any animal wouldn’t say “yeah she goes crazy sometimes” and blow it off. animals dont have the same rights, just like certain races of people didn’t have the same rights years ago… have you already forgotten that back then “colored folk” were compared to dogs? you might not be able to compare a dog to a race now, but the similarities between the fights are undeniable. oh,and by the way, as a police officer, i will take my dog and leave. you dont deserve for me to put my life on the line for you when you dont want me and my dog here.