Punish the deed, not the breed
This is another alarmist example of how breed specific legislation gets started:
A Murfreesboro woman wants to know why a police officer freed a pit bull terrier from a chicken coop Sunday, allowing it and another dog to kill her family’s cat.
The dogs were running loose and got in a chicken coop and killed the chicken. One dog got trapped in the coop. The policeman showed up and freed the dog. Then the two dogs killed the same lady’s cat.
The owner (regardless of how loveable his dogs are) should have his dogs in a fenced in yard and not running loose. Dogs are hunters and they naturally are inclined to kill things.
Had this been a Golden Retriever instead of a pit bull, it likely wouldn’t have made the news.
July 16th, 2003 at 6:04 pm
I see the bias there.
But I lived next door to a pit bull for a few years (my neighbors tied it up but it constantly got loose) and never exited my house without a sharp object in my hand after the first time it came after me.
So, yes, I also think there may be a problem with that particular breed.
July 16th, 2003 at 6:10 pm
Oh yeah… and just to clarify. There was a fence between my yard and theirs. The bitch (female dog) had to come out of their yard, and into mine to attack.
It’s just lucky that she did respect sharp objects.
July 17th, 2003 at 8:54 am
That’s what happens when you tie an animal up. I’ve trained many police dogs and i have an american bulldog (a larger version of a pit bull) and a mix breed. All my dogs were and are nice and socialized. If you treat a dog a certain way they will act a certain way.
There are plenty of mean collies, labs, and other dogs too. The thing about pit bulls that makes them nasty when they get riled up is their incredible pain tolerance. If a pit gets into a fight, it is difficult to call them off because their breed has a history in dog fighting. That is why you socialize these animals with other dogs early and often. This prevents them from fighting.
Performance dog breeds (like pitts, shepherds, and others) are not for everyone. They require constant monitoring and early socialization or you could have a terror on your hands. It’s about owner responsibility.
November 28th, 2003 at 2:16 pm
I agree w/ “sayuncle”. I own 3 pit bulls a lab and a cat. I also have a 4 year old daughter who is “specail”. my dogs arent in no way animal agressive. acutally my lab is the one who is most aggressive. My pits are the best dogs on earth. So for you Kathy, how can you say that just because of bad owners that all pit bulls are bad. You would agree with breed specific leg. wouldnt you. But can you tell me why Scientific studies show that no one breed is more “dangerous” that any other??
November 28th, 2003 at 2:22 pm
“(my neighbors tied it up but it constantly got loose)” my neighbors also keep there dog tied up and are never there to tend to it, and it does the same thing, but you know the difference? Its a Black Lab. and when he comes over here he jumps on my oldest female pit and she does nothing because its in the way you bring your dog up. my 4 year old can hit, pull on , and roll around on any of my dogs because they love ppl. but you are right. there are ppl in this world that would want nothing more than to have a dog that will tear a person apart on their say. Thats where pits are given a bad name, they want nothing more than to please their human.