Pitbulls and Breed Specific Legislation
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JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
BSL, by utilizing all the wrong methods, not only fails to protect citizens but law-abiding dog owners as well. It falls well short of its stated goal by not recognizing that specific dogs rather than specific breeds constitute a problem, for no breed in and of itself is dangerous. Any individual dog of any breed may become dangerous, almost invariably due to bad owners.
In fact, "the dog problem" is not a dog problem at all but a "people problem" - more specifically, an owner problem.
Rather than ineffective BSL, the public needs robust legislation integrated with effective enforcement to punish all careless, indifferent, or criminal owners who fail to take full precautions to protect the populace from their dangerous dogs, without reference to breed. Classifying all members of a specific breed as being dangerous contravenes science and reason, flying in the face of experience and common sense. In this case, as always, tyranny's handmaiden is the closed mind that fixates on one irrational concept to the exclusion of all else and the refusal to accept rational argumentation or contrary evidence, scientific or otherwise.
Before and just after WWII, this far-flung proletariat discovered the German Shepherd, staying in that breed for many years and ruining its illustrious reputation before moving on to the Doberman which quickly became the bully-dog of choice. After ruining the Doberman's good name, it got hold of Rough Collies and then Saint Bernards, doing almost irreparable harm to both breeds' repute.
After a brief period of floundering, dwellers of the abyss concocted the notion of acquiring Pitbulls, a breed that had inhabited America for more than a century, becoming a widely admired American icon, including famous dogs such as Sally Ann Jarrett of Civil War fame, the Canton Bulldogs professional football mascot, and Pete of "Our Gang" movie fame. Having previously dealt with less dynamic and less complex canines, they undertook the task woefully unprepared to cope with the Pitbull which they began to acquire in numbers during the middle 1970's. Ignorant of "The Law of Unintended Consequences," they took on a great deal more than they had anticipated.
For one thing, the Pitbull turned out much easier to degrade than most other breeds. Possibly the greatest canine athlete, it possesses a temperament unlike anything they had ever encountered.. Incredibly tough and resilient, the dog can withstand much mistreatment with relatively little ill effect. However, contrary to media-induced legend, in temperament it is legendary for super-sensitivity to its owners' presence - or lack thereof - difficult as that may be for the general public to understand, having been force-fed media hyperbole about the "vicious, ferocious, voracious" Pitbull. True, it was originally a fighting dog bred specifically to fight only other Pitbulls, not as a berserker but coolly and carefully as does a professional human prizefighter. It was equally bred to tolerate human intervention by its handlers during fights, that is, it could never be allowed to bite humans under any circumstances, not even under duress. This remarkable duality of temperament is not unique among canines but may be most pronounced and unequivocal in the fighting dog. Their ignorant new patrons regarded love and attention as simply another matter to put on short ration and systematically ignored them, isolating them from human companionship and forcing them to exist without human affection. Most Pitbulls treated in this manner developed deviant and abnormal temperaments, becoming vicious parodies of the real thing. When turned loose to run in the streets, disaster followed as an inevitable result.
I own 2 dogs I am proud to have from Missouri Pitbull Rescue. This organization does not give a dog to anyone who wants one. In fact, 80% of the applications are rejected. Home
visits are done to make sure that the dogs are well cared of and taken care of responsibly. I am on disability and these dogs have empowered me physically and emotionally. These dogs by breed are not demons. I have seen comments here posted about the breed by uneducated people. If your only information is from your tv set - then I ask that you research
more thoroughly. This is for someone who would like to have a national ban on all of the pitbulls. To even figure out which dogs are true pitbulls would be nearly impossible. Most dogs
that you would naturally think as a pitbull - actually are mixed with another breed. Look up the Dogo Argentino for example. Do you not think that a cruel owner looking for a strong, protective and potentially vicious dog would not go out and find another breed of a dog to abuse? This is exactly what breed specific legislation has shown. This is a recent post to our
group and we are going after the PEOPLE involved in this:"Hi everyone. I'm writing to inform you of a pit bull training
facility in Lawrenceburg, TN. Timothy Morrow was investigated by
the Sheriff's Department and was found to possess 13 pits - all
emaciated and scarred, a rape cage, tread mill, 28 breaker sticks,
enhancement drugs, and several dead dogs in garbabge bags. There
was even a boar's head hanging from a puppy cage. This case never
saw the light of day and the dogs were returned to the man who
claimed they owned him - all because he said they were never
fought. His name is Steve McConnel of Pulaski, TN. Peta is now
beginning a campaign for this case and I'm asking everone to write
letters, send e-mails, and make phone calls. We want justice
served. I am attatching the local officials info."
Is this not a good place to start to do something about? Tens of thousands of us in America keep our dogs on leashes, safe, are AGAINST people who fight or mistreat animals (of
any kind), against breeding (many waiting for responsible owners), and know that some need to be euthanized if kept in places like as described above. CNN did some investigation
and it showed the Rottweiler to be the most aggressive and deadly breed. We can keep switching breeds to manifesto, but if we don't hold people responsible for their actions -
then how are things going to start to change?
I don't know if the above persons are white, brown, red, black or purple. Only, he or they, must be brought to justice. All those who promote and encourage animals to fight need
to be taken more seriously. Jeffrey Dahmer started out abusing animals. Promote the highest possible consequence to harming our animals, thus harming us as a people.