Breed discrimination
The dog breed discrimination issue seems to be a hot topic lately. More and more cities have singled-out American Pit Bull Terriers and closely-related breeds by banning them from being owned within city limits.
I usually am one of the folks who repeats the mantra, "It's not the breed, it's the owner," when it comes to breed discrimination due to public safety concerns. Maybe I like breeds that have had pretty bad reputations in the past, but the working breeds such as Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Dobermans seem to usually be able to be called-off an attack and don't go as ballistic over other animals and people who are not being antagonistic.
Yes, Pit Bulls can be really sweet dogs and most probably make great pets.
But after numerous incidents of Pit Bulls mauling other dogs and humans over the past couple of years, I've re-evaluated. It's really not that Pit Bulls are being singled-out and over-reported for violence, it's that they really are dominating the vicious animal stories. A week or so ago, a PB dashed out of its yard and ripped another dog, whose owners had it out for a walk, to shreds, killing it right in front of them. The PB's owner shoved her own kids in the house and tried to call it off, but it just wouldn't listen until the smaller dog was dead. Then there was a case just a couple days ago of a PB smashing through its home's storm door and mauling an older gentleman who was just walking down the sidewalk. Those are just a couple more anecdotal cases on the massive pile of anecdotes regarding PBs being loose cannons that flip-out, ignore any and all commands their owners try to give, and maul other pets and humans.
Sure, a lot of it is probably still on the owners, since trashy people tend to breed and train fighting dogs and they favor PBs at the moment, and the trashiest town is the one where almost all of the incidents are taking place. Since you can't outlaw being trashy very effectively, I guess the next best thing is just to outlaw trashy people's favorite fighting breed until they find other hobbies.
It's just really a shame that a breed that had been known in more distant memory for being great, protective family pets are statistically involved in the most unprovoked incidents, the most serious injury incidents, and the most deadly mauling incidents in the past several years. There's something wrong with that picture, and it seems to be getting worse, not better.
I usually am one of the folks who repeats the mantra, "It's not the breed, it's the owner," when it comes to breed discrimination due to public safety concerns. Maybe I like breeds that have had pretty bad reputations in the past, but the working breeds such as Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Dobermans seem to usually be able to be called-off an attack and don't go as ballistic over other animals and people who are not being antagonistic.
Yes, Pit Bulls can be really sweet dogs and most probably make great pets.
But after numerous incidents of Pit Bulls mauling other dogs and humans over the past couple of years, I've re-evaluated. It's really not that Pit Bulls are being singled-out and over-reported for violence, it's that they really are dominating the vicious animal stories. A week or so ago, a PB dashed out of its yard and ripped another dog, whose owners had it out for a walk, to shreds, killing it right in front of them. The PB's owner shoved her own kids in the house and tried to call it off, but it just wouldn't listen until the smaller dog was dead. Then there was a case just a couple days ago of a PB smashing through its home's storm door and mauling an older gentleman who was just walking down the sidewalk. Those are just a couple more anecdotal cases on the massive pile of anecdotes regarding PBs being loose cannons that flip-out, ignore any and all commands their owners try to give, and maul other pets and humans.
Sure, a lot of it is probably still on the owners, since trashy people tend to breed and train fighting dogs and they favor PBs at the moment, and the trashiest town is the one where almost all of the incidents are taking place. Since you can't outlaw being trashy very effectively, I guess the next best thing is just to outlaw trashy people's favorite fighting breed until they find other hobbies.
It's just really a shame that a breed that had been known in more distant memory for being great, protective family pets are statistically involved in the most unprovoked incidents, the most serious injury incidents, and the most deadly mauling incidents in the past several years. There's something wrong with that picture, and it seems to be getting worse, not better.