[Willowy]

Oh yay: http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm/Dog_Attack_Spurs_Conversation_/?Id=132918

So what can be done? It sounds like they've gotten plenty of letters on both sides, though I don't know what's been said. The mayor doesn't sound in favor of a ban but I don't know if the majority vote of the city counsel would overrule him or not.

 

[NozOnyCalAur]

A national study presented to the council shows that more than 70 percent of all dog bites or attacks are from pit bulls and Rotweilers.

I actually had to do some research and googling to find 'said' national study. According to the 'study' breeds are determined by and I quote, "clearly identified breed type or ancestry, as designated by animal control officers or others with evident expertise." I went to the website that supposedly did the study and I can't find it. I did visit the CDC website and they said, and I'm quoting again, "There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill."

I think banning a breed of dog based on heresy is extreme. I'm not a breed expert, I can easily say my friend's boxer is a pit (No offense to boxers or pits intended.) because to my uneducated eyes they look the same, which is what I'm trying to get at. I think there is a huge possibility that most pit and/or rot dog attacks have been mistaken for pits and rots.

I recommend people be educated about how to behave around dogs they don't know.

 

[Willowy]

Well, the dogs in question were owned by an idiot, currently up on charges of assaulting his girlfriend. The guy who was bitten was just playing basketball, I don't know if his behavior toward the dogs precipitated the attack or not. http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=132569
They haven't shown any pictures of the dogs so I don't know if they really are pit bulls or not.

But of course banning idiots would be a lot harder .

 

[odiesmom]

I read an article recently, wish I had the link , and it listed the top dogs for attacking and pitbulls werent even in the top 3 . Akitas were number one. I say its not the dog or breed that is the problem, its the owners !!! One reason pitbulls can be more dangerous IF they bite is the way thier jaw is constructed they cannot nip like most dogs making the ones that do bite worse than some dogs .

 

[LittleFr0g]

I read an article recently, wish I had the link , and it listed the top dogs for attacking and pitbulls werent even in the top 3 . Akitas were number one. I say its not the dog or breed that is the problem, its the owners !!! One reason pitbulls can be more dangerous IF they bite is the way thier jaw is constructed they cannot nip like most dogs making the ones that do bite worse than some dogs .

This completely untrue. Pit Bulls jaws are no different than any other breed and they bite and nip exactly the same as every other dog breed. The breed has more than enough issues without misinformation like this being spread about.

 

[Amaryllis]

I read an article recently, wish I had the link , and it listed the top dogs for attacking and pitbulls werent even in the top 3 . Akitas were number one. I say its not the dog or breed that is the problem, its the owners !!! One reason pitbulls can be more dangerous IF they bite is the way thier jaw is constructed they cannot nip like most dogs making the ones that do bite worse than some dogs .

There is literally no difference between a pit bull's jaws and a yorkie's.

There is a website, I forget what it is, that shows that in every jurisdiction with BSL, dog bites WENT UP, not down. Why? The Animal Control Officers were so busy hunting down innocent pit bulls (or dogs that might possibly look kinda like a pit bull if you were blind and the lighting was bad) and not responding to calls about potentially dangerous strays, off leash dogs, etc. of other breeds.

That is proof alone that BSL does not make people safer. It does remove the breed from your jurisdiction (sort of), but you end up making your citizens less safe.

 

[odiesmom]

Sorry , guess I was misinformed. I was told this when one of my kids was bit by a pitbull when they were a toddler. I am not against pitbulls at all as long as like any other dog they have an owner that doesnt raise them like an idiot !!

 

[Amaryllis]

Sorry , guess I was misinformed. I was told this when one of my kids was bit by a pitbull when they were a toddler. I am not against pitbulls at all as long as like any other dog they have an owner that doesnt raise them like an idiot !!

misinformation abounds. and a lot of the stories told about pit bulls today were told about dobermans and rottweilers decades ago. fear sells, i suppose.

 

[LolaBaby102410]

My family owned a Pitt for almost ten years and she was the sweetest dog we had. She was excellent with children and never bit anyone. If you raise them right they are just as well mannered as any other breed.

 

[Zairah]

I am not necessarily against any breed of dog, however I do have a problem with just anybody being able to own any animal that could kill/seriously wound a human easily. I absolutely don't think it's a problem with any certain breed of dog. It is a problem with a huge number of humans not being smart or responsible enough to own such breeds. I'm not sure what the solution is, other than to either ban owning such breeds outright (which is sad cause lots of people do own them responsibly) or perhaps require a license of some sort. "you're an idiot so you may only own a dog under 15 pounds" may not go over well either, hah.
To have to sort of what breeds would qualify as potentially deadly would be the first step, and a mess all by itself...

 

[Willowy]

ALL dogs over a certain size are "potentially deadly". And even the little ones are to small babies and other helpless people. But, beds and bathtubs and cars and buckets and swimming pools and ladders all kill more people per year than dogs do.

Sioux City, IA (the nearest big city besides Sioux Falls) banned pit bulls a few years ago, and dog bite incidents haven't gone down. You'd thing SF would have learned from them.

 

[trainingjunkie]

My husband just took a job transfer to this town. Great. So now in addition to all of the changes that come along with re-locating 100s of miles from my life, I also get to wonder if I will have to immediately move again to keep my dogs safe. Makes me want to crawl under the covers and never come out.

I will NEVER own this breed again. I can't take the pain and drama of the worry. Best dogs ever, but the hatred kills the joy. I am sick of defending them to idiots. It slays me that the public can seize MY property (dogs) when I have not violated any law or infringed on anyone else's safety.

 

[Zairah]

ALL dogs over a certain size are "potentially deadly". And even the little ones are to small babies and other helpless people. But, beds and bathtubs and cars and buckets and swimming pools and ladders all kill more people per year than dogs do.

I completely agree. Like I said, I don't have a problem with any certain breed and I really wish humans weren't so irresponsible . But I still do have a problem with idiots owning dogs that could easily kill an (average) human. It's just a bad scene for everyone. I just have no clue what the answer to that is.
I know dog attacks are not a common thing, however they should be a 99.9% preventable thing...

 

[trainingjunkie]

I think that the safest thing is to kill all dogs over 20 pounds. That way, a bad dog from any breed can't creep up and kill someone. Better to be safe than sorry.

And I think that all dogs should be banned from any home with a child under 4 years of age.

We need to think of the children.

(yes. bitter. sarcasm.)

 

[Willowy]

My husband just took a job transfer to this town. Great. So now in addition to all of the changes that come along with re-locating 100s of miles from my life, I also get to wonder if I will have to immediately move again to keep my dogs safe. Makes me want to crawl under the covers and never come out.

I will NEVER own this breed again. I can't take the pain and drama of the worry. Best dogs ever, but the hatred kills the joy. I am sick of defending them to idiots. It slays me that the public can seize MY property (dogs) when I have not violated any law or infringed on anyone else's safety.

Ooh, bad timing. That stinks . I hope nothing comes of it. Otherwise, Sioux Falls is a wonderful city! Really nice. If it does happen you could live in one of the satellite towns like Tea or Brandon--which are really part of the city, it's all grown together now. Hopefully they wouldn't do the same.

They discussed banning breeds in my town but there's one guy on the city counsel who is basically a libertarian and it won't happen as long as he's around. If he ever gets voted out I don't know. . .ugh.

 

[trainingjunkie]

Tea already has breed restrictions.

 

[JulieK1967]

Having never been around powerful dogs in any close way, I will admit to being a bit afraid of them, especially when I'm with Molly & a Rottie is hanging over his too low fence barking pretty ferociously at us and struggling to get over, which happened 2 days ago, but my fear is much less so than it used to be. I think a lot more education about the facts by responsible owners is required to help turn the image around. Before I joined this forum, I would have supported a breed ban but what I've learned here has completely changed my mind about that. Having learned here & done my own research, I now find myself defending Pit Bulls, for example, and trying to educate people to myths like the locking bite. Education is the key.

 

[JohnnyBandit]

You can beat this.... Just from what I read in the article, these are the first things that jump out.

1) You need to find out what "national study" they have been presented with. Then you can tear it apart because the only "studys' out there are compilations of media reports. Those are not studies. There has been no actaul studies. Even the CDC reports on death by dogs is just a compilation. The CDC even admits that if people actually read the report rather than just look at the graphs.

2) You need to compile factual data showing that there is nothing different about the way a pit bull bites. There is data that proves a pit bull is not capable of biting exceptionally hard. There is data that shows that the average GSD is capable of biting harder than the average pit.

Then....

3) You need to get organized and active. Letter writing is good but it will not get the job done. BTW stamped and mailed letters are better than emails.

4) You need knowledgable people willing to make appointments with the Council members and present them with facts.

5) You NEED BODIES IN SEATS AT COUNCIL MEETINGS. You need to make it standing room only at the meetings, with people filing out the door. and into the street.

6) You need knowledgable people that are willing to get put on the list to speak and that are capable of standing up and presentings the facts publically. (you have two minutes in most cases. )


These things are not hard. But it takes work and dedication. What are your chances? Good to great if the AR crowd does not get wind of it. I know you have argued that the AR does not jump on breed ban issues. But they do. And if they do you have a bar brawl on your hands.

 

[Zairah]

I think that the safest thing is to kill all dogs over 20 pounds. That way, a bad dog from any breed can't creep up and kill someone. Better to be safe than sorry.

And I think that all dogs should be banned from any home with a child under 4 years of age.

We need to think of the children.

(yes. bitter. sarcasm.)

This is why no rational discussions can be had about this topic.

 

[trainingjunkie]

The reason that it's hard to have to have a rational discussion is because people are coming after my well-managed, highly social, highly trained pets. One is 35 pounds, the other is 42 pounds, and no one is looking at the 150 pound vicious St Bernard down the street from me that has an extensive bite history and runs at large regularly. Looking at dangerous dog laws makes a world of sense. Looking at "pit bull" laws when no one can even define what they are is just crazy-making. What is a pit bull? Seems easy enough, but it isn't. Some "pit bull" laws include huskies and presas and cane corsos... All under the label of "pit bulls."

I am ALL for legislation that requires responsible ownership. My dogs (shelter dogs) are altered, chipped, trained, contained, have passed TDI and CGC and have multiple perfomance titles in 3 venues. My yard is fenced. None of my dogs have ever been lose. I wear a fanny pack and clean up after my pets. I carry a million dollar liabilty policy, mostly due to my teen aged drivers, but despite all of this, I could have my dogs taken from me or have to move and the owner of the vicious and loose St. Bernard gets to skate free.

It causes frustion. Certainly that isn't entirely irrational.