Comments on: Help. The stupid is finally in the state

By: Thomas Trevathan, CPT

Thomas Trevathan, CPT — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 02:19:00 +0000

The Most Dangerous Breeds?

I’ll tell you the most dangerous breeds - write these down!
#1 All Time Dangerous Breed:

The #1 most dangerous breed are media outlets that deliberately breed fear, spreading myths and lies about dog breeds and canine behavior through irresponsible reporting and reinforcement of undeserved and negative breed stereotypes

What You Can Do About It:

� Call up the paper, the TV station or email the website and complain about the biased dog story

� Ask for the Editor, Sales Manager and/or Program Director

� Tell them you won’t read, watch or visit

� Tell them you won’t patronize their advertisers until they stop their biased coverage

� Tell them they have the opportunity to spread knowledge, not fear

� Tell them My Dog Votes!

#2 All Time Dangerous Breed:

The #2 most dangerous breeds are the local and state politicians that feed on the fear created by the irresponsible media, and the public’s ignorance.

They are greedy for the headlines, campaign dough and do the bidding of the private sector instead of truly advocating for the public health, safety and welfare.

They pass breed bans , weight or size restrictions, public space bans, and mandatory microchip laws, and other anti-dog legislation limiting the rights of responsible tax-paying citizens rather than deal with their criminal and social problems.

What You Can Do About It:

� Call or write the offending local of state elected official and complain about the breed ban or other anti-dog legislation

� Tell them you want the ban overturned in favor of breed-neutral legislation

� Tell them you want any other anti-dog legislation stopped or overturned

� Tell them you will vote them out in the next election

� Tell them you will vote out any politician that supported the ban

� Tell them you will rally every dog owner in town against them

� Tell them they have the opportunity to educate instead of legislate

� Tell them My Dog Votes!

#3 All Time Dangerous Breed:

The #3 most dangerous breeds are the apathetic dog owners who say nothing, or do nothing because they think they cannot affect change, or fight the sytem, or it doesn’t affect them directly. Or maybe they just don’t care - or won’t care - that is - until they come for their dog.

What You Can Do About It:

� Tell all of your friends, neighbors, relatives and associates, regardless of whether or not they own a dog about the breed ban or other anti-dog legislation

� Tell them they must support their fellow dog owners, friends, and neighbors

� Tell them if we don’t stand together now, we all fall

� Tell them they have the opportunity to unite the community, not divide the community

� Tell them to do it for their dog

� Tell them My Dog Votes!

Now get off your butts and go do it.

By: Thomas Trevathan, CPT

Thomas Trevathan, CPT — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:57:40 +0000

The point of view, that BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is the way to fix the problem of dogfights in the metro parks, is wrong. The problem exists because of ignorant or irresponsible dog owners, not by any particular breed. And if you think that pit bull or pit bull type dogs are the only breed quick to engage in fighting than you are also wrong. There are numerous breeds that have a genetic disposition to aggression and bully breeds are not even on the top of that list. Many dogs in the hound group are ferocious dog fighters. And the working group of dogs has some of the most aggressive breeds of all.
When we support or ignore any BSL, we are doing our self and our dogs a great injustice.
When we say that pit bulls are dangerous, we are making a generalization. Pit-bull bans involve a category problem, too, because pit bulls, as it happens, aren’t a single breed. The name refers to dogs belonging to a number of related breeds, such as the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and the American pit bull terrier-all of which share a square and muscular body, a short snout, and a sleek, shorthaired coat. Thus the Metro ban prohibits not only these three breeds but also any “dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar” to theirs; the term of art is “pit bull-type” dogs. But what does that mean? Is a cross between an American pit bull terrier and a golden retriever a pit bull-type dog or a golden retriever-type dog? If thinking about muscular terriers as pit bulls is a generalization, then thinking about dangerous dogs as anything substantially similar to a pit bull is a generalization about a generalization. A pit-bull ban is a generalization about a generalization about a trait that is not, in fact, general. That’s a category problem.
The BSL in Metro parks is not treating the problem of dogs getting out of control of their handlers, but rather the symptom of peoples fears of a breed that they perceive as a big, nasty, scary dog breed that bites.
I am a professional Dog Trainer and while my own well-trained dogs have the pleasure of playing off-leash with other well-trained dogs, I don�t think much of off-leash areas in public dog parks. If we must have them, then the only way to assure the safety of the dogs and their handlers is to ban them according to their individual temperament and actions and not according to breed or breed type.

By: Ameliorations

Ameliorations — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 17:55:27 +0000

Slow Day So Far

Stacey Campfield not only takes on E.D. in his blog posts, but fights back the anonymous coward trolls in his comments section and actually advocates the free-market system at least with regards to property rights! Go Campfield!
One of my goals beyond …

By: Gun Toting Liberal

Gun Toting Liberal — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 08:47:21 +0000

“… it�s that I don�t trust you or your dog.”

Yep.. exactly. “Moonbat” checkin’ in… Keep up the good fight, bro…

By: cube

cube — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:14:15 +0000

Right now i am trying to trian my roomates min pin (Miniature Doberman Pinscher) to attack peoples nads on command.

By: R. Neal

R. Neal — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 21:02:08 +0000

At these parks, they shouldn�t screen the dogs, they should screen the owners.

Bingo.

The problem with problem “pit bulls” (and Rottweilers, and some other breeds) is how they are raised and how they are taught to be aggressive. You can usually tell the “problem” dogs by taking one look at the owners.

By: tgirsch

tgirsch — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:50:41 +0000

I actually wouldn’t have a problem with them banning unaltered male dogs, irrespective of breed, at off-leash dog parks.

I go to the Shelby Farms dog park almost weekly (it’s an important part of our socialization regimen), and have never had a problem with a Pit (which are quite common there). I have had some problems with irresponsible owners, but we learn to recognize and avoid them.

Interestingly, what few problems I have had were with labs and similar breeds. Again, though, this is an owner problem, not a breed problem.

By: brittney

brittney — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 20:17:30 +0000

Weird. I’ve had a different experience. Dog owners at parks I’ve been to have been especially concientious. Of course, I’m a first-time dog owner, so what do I know?

By: Captain Holly

Captain Holly — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 19:14:34 +0000

I’ll just note that in my personal experience, leash-off parks are where the especially irresponsible dog owners congregate, usually with their chocolate labs or german shepherds.