Hot Topic (6/27): Pitbull bans

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

 From the ChicagoTribune.com: 

Two suburbs are considering restrictions on pit bulls after a 14-year-old girl was attacked by one, and a 6-pound Chihuahua was killed by two others.

Highland Park has all but abandoned a controversial plan to ban pit bulls, but owners of the dogs may soon be on a much shorter leash. Facing the threat of costly legal challenges, officials are opting instead to strengthen existing laws for all dog breeds deemed to be vicious.

The revised proposal was introduced at a packed meeting Monday with calls for fences, warning signs, mandatory liability insurance for vicious dogs, euthanasia for repeat offenders and jail time for their owners.

"If an owner violates a restriction that has been imposed on him, we'd be able to prosecute the owner as a misdemeanor offense, which could mean up to 6 months in jail," City Atty. Steven Elrod said. "That would be a significant forceful action -- significant teeth to put into our ordinance."

In Elgin, residents this month asked the City Council for laws banning pit bulls or at least compelling dog owners to be more responsible.

(Article continues here.)

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Your reaction?

What do you think of laws banned specific dog breeds?

[rocklovinggirl]

I'm honestly not sure... I personally have been attacked by a pit bull before so I do not care too much for these dogs BUT my brother has two and they are very sweet but that does not mean I am not scared of them.
I think that a lot of times the "ankle biter" dogs can be meaner it is just they are a lot smaller so the only thing they can kill is babies and toddlers but you don't hear about them attacking often... people usually just report the dogs that already have the bad reps.
Pit bulls have a bad reputation and I think it is because many people raise them mean. I really would like to know a way that people can still keep their dogs, no matter what breed, but they find ways to avoid the dog being raised as a fighter and attacker. Anyway, I would never own one because of the stories I hear about them turning on their owners or children; I would not take the chance (especially with children) in case the owners really did treat the dog nicely and it still turned on them.

[EireLass]

All dogs bite, and all dogs can maim. Too bad too many people don't know how to properly handle dogs. 90% of dog bites can be seen ahead of time if people would just learn to read the dog.

I have 3 dogs. 2 of them are on the "no-no home insurance" list. Jeez.....A Lab and a Weimeraner.

[alyssamj24]

my ex boyfriend had a pitbull and it was the sweetest dog i have ever seen.  i think that although pit bulls are known to be aggressive dogs, it depends more on how they are treated and raised by their owners.  any dog can become violent and attack someone if they are provoked or are mistreated by people.

i dont think certain breeds of dogs should be banned.  i think the owners should be held responsible and charged if their dog attacks someone, and if it happens again the dog should be taken away from them.

[Friday]

 I am completely opposed to BSL. It's stupid and targeting the animals when the owner is the one responsible.

I know many good family dogs who are pits or other "bully breeds". It has everything to do with how they are raised, trained and treated.

[Karatemomlisa]

Quoting Friday:

 I am completely opposed to BSL. It's stupid and targeting the animals when the owner is the one responsible.

I know many good family dogs who are pits or other "bully breeds". It has everything to do with how they are raised, trained and treated.

I agree.

[behappilyever]

i completely agree. they enforced a ban in northern Kentucky not too long ago that they actually gave the owners a certain time to find another place for the animals to live outside of the region, and when that time was up they seized the animals and put them into shelters. (which no doubt are probably kill shelters and they will be the first to go unless someone claims them, but they left that out of the report) it is sad. no matter what someone says they have been part of the family and they just get ripped away.

Quoting Friday:

 I am completely opposed to BSL. It's stupid and targeting the animals when the owner is the one responsible.

I know many good family dogs who are pits or other "bully breeds". It has everything to do with how they are raised, trained and treated.

[dereksmommy1227]

Do not blame a breed because of Owners. Any dog can be aggressive if you make them that way. I'm more afraid of a chiuhua then a pit.

[eaglemama2]

IDK - Personally, I don't like pitbulls and I would never have one, especially with kids.   We have a German Shepherd and a Black Lab, both are great with the kids.    The kids were raised with them and have learned to respect animals and treat them with care and caution.

As for bans, I know that one of the cities here in UT has banned the bred altogether, and other cities have a certain number of licenses to own the breed.     I think if there is cause for concern, bans are ok.

[evh]

The people who own the dogs should be held liable for them. Everyone should not have to suffer for a few people that cannot properly maintain there pets. There are laws in place already and it is sad that some people have to be idiots and not take care of there own pets.

[tericared]

 Below is a list showing how dogs from the online sample fared. The percentages in the middle four columns refer to the “snaps, bites or attempts to bite” responses. The last 2 columns are the averages, average of all and average of aggression against people. I ranked this chart based on the human aggression percentages but you can easily see the ranking based on the overall averages.

Breed	# of Dogs	Human – Stranger	Owners	Other Dogs	Dog Rivalry	Ave All	Ave People
Dachshund	68	21%	6%	18%	7%	10%	14%
Chihuahua	56	16%	5%	18%	4%	9%	11%
Beagle	63	8%	8%	10%	6%	6%	8%
Jack Russell Terrier	78	8%	4%	22%	9%	9%	6%
Australian Cattle Dog	136	10%	1%	21%	4%	7%	6%
Cocker Spaniel	107	5%	6%	7%	4%	4%	6%
Border Collie	163	8%	2%	13%	4%	5%	5%
Pit Bull	132	7%	2%	22%	8%	8%	5%

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/the-most-aggressive-dog-breeds-dachshund-1