We've all seen it on the news, heard it on the radio or read it online or in a newspaper- counties, cities and even entire states nationwide pushing for pit bull bans.
Some have already succeeded.
- Denver, Colorado passed their ban in 1989 and it still stands, despite numerous battles over the past twenty years in favor of the breed.
- The state of Ohio declared pit bulls "vicious" and requires owners to carry $100,000 in liability insurance. Pit bull owners in Ohio must also keep their pups securely constrained while they're at home and leashed up when they're not.
- Pit bulls in San Fransisco, California can stick around, but they are the target of strict spay and neuter laws. No fertile pits allowed.
- On January 1, 2005, the breed was banned from Council Bluffs, Iowa, population 60,000. About 500 U.S. cities followed suit after seeing how "effective" the ban was when not a single pit bull remained in the town only three years later.
Okay, so being a little more strict about getting pets "fixed" is a pretty good idea, but that goes for all breeds, cats and dogs.
According to ASPCA, five to seven million companion animals enter shelters annually and another three to four million are euthanized (killed...). If that didn't tug at a heart string, you're not allowed to read my blogs any more.
So, San Fran isn't terribly off-track...but what about all those other places?
The ASPCA website also features a page on pit bull cruelty, focusing on the use of pit bulls in illegal dog fights and the sad consequence of the breed's appeal to the "worst kind of dog owners."
Pet Pit Bull is a site that focuses on giving pit bulls positive press as opposed to the negative "these dogs are cold-blooded killers" la-dee-da everyone else insists on throwing out there. Stories of pit bulls that serve as search, rescue and therapy dogs and some downright feel-good, "hometown hero" kind of stories also can be found.
So what's your opinion?
I won't bore you too terribly long with mine. I'll just say that I agree 100% with this statement that can be found on the legislation page of the Pet Pit Bull site:
"Banning Pit Bulls would be like banning cars because people get killed in car accidents! Who's responsible, the car or the driver/manufacturer? Any car can be deadly in the wrong hands or if built with defective parts. Same thing with dogs... Any dog. Pit Bulls are no more responsible for the way they are bred, raised and trained, than cars are responsible for the way they are designed, built and driven."
Morning.. Well, I often am not a fan of answering a question with a question, "BUT"!!!
What's your stance on "Gun Control"?
Believe it or not, I feel that, this is an extremely relevant question in resolving the issue of Pit Bulls.
Thanks!! Will Comment more after the reply!
Oh, man! Ha, ha.
My stance on "gun control" actually is fairly similar to my stance on this issue. I personally do not own a firearm, but it is the right by the Constitution for U.S. citizens not in violation of the legal requirements to own a gun.
Guns and pit bulls both have been accused of causing tragedy in this country...but who's fault is it really? The owner.
Being in "the land of the free," everyone's rights can't be revoked because of a few bad apples. Likewise, an entire breed can't be booted from the country because of a lack of responsibility on the owners' behalf.
Call me sickeningly optimistic, but think of the positive. I hate guns, but there have been plenty of instances in which they are necessary for the safety and self-defense of the innocent. See the stories of pit bulls who work with therapy patients on a daily basis or who saved a little girl.
On the contrary, there's the so-called "shootout" that happened on Polk Street and the Arizona tragedy. There are stories of pit bulls mauling innocent smaller animals and attacking children.
It's a messy situation, but can we really just continue banning anything and everything that less responsible Americans can abuse?
What to do?
Hell, I don't know. That would be why I'm sitting in my kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee, visiting the voting booth when the time rolls around as opposed to being on the ballot.
Thank you for your comment, John! I look forward to your response. :)
The dog in the photo is adorable. Instead of banning pit bulls, let's ban bad dog owners.
You can't just ban one breed. The dogs are acting on how they were trained and raised! if you are going to ban one breed then ban them all. We can have better regulations on them but not ban them. ITs like saying lets ban all teenagers cause of a few that go out and shoot up a school, really there are solutions but not everyone is going to be happy with them thats part of being human.