Should certain types of dogs be banned?

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Petite Valentine

There was a news story today about a disabled Vietnam Veteran, and former police officer, who had his service dog taken away when he moved to his mother's town because the town had a ban on Pitbulls, and his dog, Snickers, is a Pitbull-mix.

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A judge has issued an order reuniting the pair but it is only temporary. The man is in the process of suing the town to keep his dog.

Should a town be allowed to ban certain types of dogs?

Answers (public voting - your screen name will appear in the results):

Yes, some breeds are inherently dangerous.

Avant-garde , Gunsmoke , BlooJay , CS2012 , jmex83 , ghalik , Falsepast , brevado

Yes, but it should be based on size, not breed.

No, but some breeds should require special leashes/muzzles.

No, but some breeds should require mandatory obedience training.

HannahPanda , K101 , wildorchid , Nora , SparklyGlitter , Alyxx , Raigne , MistressDandelion , gloomybear , LoveYouLikeThat , chantalgiardina

No, no breed is more dangerous than another.

underHim , KyotoAngel , Kitka , Subska , Jon S , Kithara , Ciao. , caligaliber , indiglo , Tangles , NurseKitty , HannahPanda , joja , smc3115 , ViVix , Lilith Bealove , PeaceToTheMiddleEast , Rossie , Rahel , Rin (aka Nire) , SexyRayne , Dnice , charletnarouh , goodeatz , OhMy! , TheSinDoll , wrmbreze , CoffeeCup , dhig , jc123 , Lucky21 , Various , DreamWolf , Undead , nosrslylol , darthkitt3n , ladychristie , Zombirella , slynch , Allstars316 , Positwist , Lock , SeductivelyCute , Breas , mistressg , hjtee , TameTemptress , roskat , blacklodge , MamaDivine , ellejay , asphyxia , Lacey Fennec , Oliver Gray , Alyxx , C-Rae , LAndJ , Anastasia Beaverhousen , pootpootpoot , hyacinthgirl , padmeamidala , Graniteal , Misfit Momma , A.Mari , Kate , Princess-Kayla ♥ , bayosgirl , Sohotdinosaur , griffonc , alayamae , True Pleasures , PropertyOfPotter , Khanner , MissBre , powerandintent , Petite Valentine , anonkitty , MistressDandelion , dv8 , VelvetDragon , xOhxSoxScandalousx , sunkissedJess , puppylove , richsam , melissa1973 , LoooveMonkey , Neotigress , charmedtomeetyou , GONE! , T&L , Beautiful-Disaster , lovebites

Other

Kindred , Beck , indiglo , Ghost , Rossie , ToyTimeTim , curious kitten , Master DarkWolf , Stinkytofu10 , Errant Venture , mpfm , Nora , Mwar , MissCandyland , Secret Pleasure , ghalik , Life's Little Secrets , SneakersAndPearls , Thumper Logic

Total votes: 130 (123 voters)

Poll is closed

03/22/2012

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underHim

Like people, it is all about how they are raised. I would not try to raise an agressive breed, because they require more training to be friendly, but in the right home with the right training most any dog can be friendly if trained properly from birth (like most people)

03/22/2012

Jaimes

It's so sad when one bad person uses a dog to ruin how a community feels about a particular breed.

03/22/2012

KyotoAngel

I feel it's not the breed that determines a dogs temper but rather, various events during it's life. We had a pitbull/rottweiler mix and she was the sweetest thing you could ever meet.
While it's true some breeds are perceived as dangerous I think it's more because those breeds are usually the kinds that are involved in dog fighting rings.
The problem isn't necessarily even with the dog or the owner in some cases, our current dog King Ceaser used to bark a lot more when we lived in a more dangerous area because he didn't feel safe, and you never want to be on the wrong side of a frightened animal.

03/22/2012

Kindred

I'm a veterinarian and feel strongly that breed banning laws are ridiculous and misguided. Any breed dog is potentially dangerous and depends on the breed temperament and any training that the dog has received. The majority of reported biting incidents in the US are from small breed dogs. That's not to say that a pitbull bite is not potentially more dangerous. However, I was bitten by a Chihuahua, hospitalized, and required surgery because the bite became so infected that it began to erode bone. Any dog can potentially bite. Any dog bite can potentially be serious.

I also have a problem with banning breeds because you can't tell pedigree without doing genetic testing. Areas with pitbull bans have mistakenly seized other breeds because they look like pitbulls. The American Bulldog for example looks very much like a large pitbull but is a completely different breed.

If a study showed that a majority of crimes were committed by African Americans (purely an example), would we tolerate a law that restricted the rights of all African Americans to protect the rest of the population? I would certainly hope not. Yet that same flawed logic is applied to dog breeds. Don't characterize all pitbulls because of the media hyped coverage of biting incidents. Pitbulls in fact are considered loyal and people-friendly.

03/22/2012

Gunsmoke

Yes - I think that cities have to have some latitude when protecting the general citizenry. I get the fact that how dogs are raised plays a big part.

However fighting dogs are specific breeds because those breeds are genetically stronger and more aggressive. You just don't see beagle fighting dogs - and there is a reason for it.

The veteran's case is regrettable - but it's easy enough to check for local restrictions before moving to a specific location.

03/22/2012

Kindred

Quote:

Originally posted by Gunsmoke

Those breeds are not more aggressive, they develop that way from negative conditioning and training. They are severely abused, that's why they're aggressive.

03/22/2012

Subska

If you raise a dog right it shouldn't be aggressive. Even if a dog is aggressive and you can't do anything about it I don't think it has anything to do with the breed.

03/22/2012

Kitka

Quote:

Originally posted by Kindred

Great points! I have to agree here with what you said, it all depends on how the dogs are raised and cared for. I cannot stand it when people say pitbulls are horrible aggressive dogs.

My parents used to breed Great Danes, a big dog and usually quite relaxed in temperament but there was a male Dane we day-sat once that was just insane. I believe it had something to do with how he was being treated at home which goes to show that not just "fighting" dogs can sometimes be aggressive. So using breed banning is just utterly ridiculous in my opinion.

03/22/2012

Beck

I am not sure how I really feel about this. My parents had a rottweiler and he was 175lbs. This is a dog that is equal in size to me. If I have to potentially fight that dog, I will be lucky to survive. Of course, as Kindred said, a Chihuahua can be just as dangerous. Really big dogs scare the hell out of me and many other people. I think an area should have the right to set laws that ban what they wish, but it seems silly that this area is limited to just Pitbulls.

03/22/2012

Ciao.

Domestic dogs are not inherently vicious animals. It's all about how they are raised. Personally I'm opposed to laws banning particular breeds.

03/22/2012

Kissy

This makes me so sad. I hate how dogs get a bad rap, but it is the owners or how the dogs were taught for years by the other dogs (who are like this because of owners!)

We go to the dog park almost daily and I know which dogs to avoid with my dog... based on the owners. The dogs that are rough and start fights are the ones who have the ghetto, mean owners. It is sad, but true!

03/22/2012

P'Gell

Quote:

Originally posted by Kindred

I love pitbulls, if they are raised properly. We have neighbors who have a few of them, and they are sweet and kind animals.

My concern comes in the fact that this breed and a few others have a very high PPSI bite, which in some cases can do a lot of damage, especially to small children or elderly people who can't get away or defend themselves.

I don't think this is a reason to ban the breed, though. But, as some people only get these dogs to seem "badass" and then don't raise them well, those dogs sometimes will become fear biters.

I think registering, neutering or spaying all except breeding stock owned by people who know what they are doing, and require a license for breeding. We have three back yard breeders in our neighborhood. One family has a totally inbred family of MinPins, and they are rapidly becoming unhealthy from the inbreeding.

I can hear those MinPins yapping away as I sit here. Their owners don't take them to the vet, the mother or sister bred with the mother's son, and it's a mess. And these are very small dogs.

Just some overview to make sure all dogs are being raised, fed, treated and taken care of properly, including their reproductive health, would be best. But, no banning of specific breeds.

Our own family has a very large dog, a Malamute (we've had Mals for years.) These dogs are actually at the top of the "biter list" mainly because people don't know how to raise them in a pack like family atmosphere. Our Mals never bit (although they do kill wildlife and there's nothing anyone is going to be able to do about that, as we live on an acre of woods and field) but, people are often afraid of them. Raising them well, and letting them live in a "Pack" is the best way to have a healthy happy dog of this breed. We also have labs, and they also do well in our "pack."

We've never had Pit Bulls, so I don't know enough about them. But, I think people should learn all about their breed before they get a dog of any kind.

03/22/2012

NurseKitty

People raise dangerous dogs, there are no "dangerous" breeds. That would be like saying there are certain races of people that are more likely to be murders.

I was bitten on the face by my friends family dog. It was not a pit bull or even on the list of "biter" dogs. I was a four year old child who sat down on the couch next to it and it felt threatened so it turned around and bit me.

The doctors all said I was lucky it just missed my orbital and my eye. I still have a scar under my left eye from it and am lucky that with out plastics it went from several inches to only 1/2 inch and not terribly pronounced.

This was a family pet, no one is really sure why it bit me. They think because he liked to hide his bones in the couch he got nervous when I sat down. I had known the dog since I was a baby, it had grown up with kids in the house. I guess my point is that ANY dog can turn in a minute and become "dangerous". Banning a particular breed is just flat out scapegoating

03/22/2012

sweetiejo

I don't think some breeds are from raising some I have to say are bad in blood. My cousin had a pit that was never hit trained amazingly and randomly one day bit my niece when she was walking by when the dog had a bone. The dog had never had an food aggression until then. It was a bad situation.

03/22/2012

HannahPanda

I think it's utter bs.

03/22/2012

ViVix

Quote:

Originally posted by Petite Valentine

I had a pitbull mix that was snuck out of an Ohio shelter before they put him down. He had scars on his legs and may have been fought, but he was the best dog we have ever had. The kids would lay down on his bed with him, and he never even once growled. Now he is a farm dog because we weren't home enough, and they've never had a problem even with all the other animals around!

03/22/2012

Incendiaire

I don't think an individual town should have that sort of authority, but I have no problem with the idea of banning certain breeds in general.

03/22/2012

Lilith Bealove

No. A dog is only dangerous if it is raised to be dangerous. My dad has 2 pits (has had more) that I trust around my 6 month old. The only dangerous thing about my dad's pits is that they get so excited when they see you that they'll jump up on you to lick your face. Now if my dad would have beat these dogs, yea, they would be dangerous, but so would my tiny mixed dog if I were to beat him.

03/22/2012

PeaceToTheMiddleEast

I don't agree. I think it is the pet owners job to keep the dog in line. If they can't then they have no business getting the animal.

03/22/2012

Rossie

It's not the dog, there should be a law banning owners with mean streak/bad and aggressive behaviors from having pitbulls (or similar breeds), as those are the trouble-makers; Pitbulls can be wonderful companions if the owners know how to train them properly to become kind and gentle dogs.

03/22/2012

Rahel

There are no bad dogs, only bad owners.

03/22/2012

Owl Identified

Dogs are animals. Any animal, no matter how domesticated, is still an animal. I don't believe any single breed of dog is any more likely to revert to its animal instincts in a stressful, abusive or threatening situation. The issue is that perhaps some dogs are bigger and a bit more physically fit to do damage when they respond like this, but any dog from a collie to a greyhound to a tiny chihuahua can tear your face off if it feels threatened. I've known a lot of very sweet pitbulls, and I've known some pitbulls I'd never want to come within a mile of.

03/22/2012

Owl Identified

Quote:

Originally posted by sweetiejo

I'm sorry to hear about your niece, and I hope she recovered quickly and fully from the bite. I had a friend with a lab that suddenly became aggressive and territorial with food/toys after several years of being very sweet. Labradors are notoriously easy going dogs. I do think that animals can experience personality changes in their lives. Maybe it's part of aging, maybe it's something chemical, maybe there are environmental triggers that they experience that we don't necessarily notice. I really feel any dog can become aggressive at any time. They're animals, even if we love them. People anthropomorphize their pets and it's dangerous to a degree. No matter how much you may feel that you have a mutually loving relationship with your dog, it is not capable of the kind of "love" that you feel. It's still an animal, and yeah, it can bite you after years of never doing so.

03/22/2012

ToyTimeTim

No but there should be a ban on some pet owners, in fact some should just be drawn and quartered.

03/22/2012

Gunsmoke

Quote:

Originally posted by Kindred

Those breeds are not more aggressive, they develop that way from negative conditioning and training. They are severely abused, that's why they're aggressive.

I don't buy it. Saying all dogs are equally passive or aggressive is like saying people are all the same.

It's the classic nature vs. nurture argument. Studies prove time and time again that genetics has a much greater impact on behavior and intelligence than most people want to admit.

03/22/2012

curious kitten

Just like children, it is all in the upbring, you teach a dog to love, by loving them and treating them right.

03/22/2012

Rin (aka Nire)

There's a saying you occasionally hear among those who work with pets: "Judge by the deed, not by the breed." Though the more accurate sentiment would be to judge the training, not the animal.

Are some breeds more inclined to be aggressive than others? Yes. But any dog in proper hands can become well-behaved and obedient. So perhaps regulation of who buys/adopts certain breeds and/or temperament tests of dogs moving into new areas may be more prudent than outright banning. It's not fair to make someone give up their friend because of some paranoid idea that every member of a breed is the same.

Incidentally, most breeds that fall under the label "pit bull" (it is not a breed unto itself, though one or two have the term "pit bull" in their name) should, by definition, be completely docile and submissive towards humans with even the most minimal teaching and socialization. It's said that they're the most likely to bite, but those that bite have likely either not been trained, have been trained to bite, or have been bred specifically to be aggressive. Plus bites from other breeds (especially smaller ones) tend to go unreported, and it doesn't help that there's no single official method of gathering bite statistics.

03/22/2012

charletnarouh

I'm a dog groomer and have been for 8 years. I've groomed many pets of many breeds, including a large number of pit bulls. More cocker spaniels, chihuahuas and yorkies have bitten or tried to bite me than pit bulls. I'll take a pit bull over a cocker spaniel on my grooming table any day.

03/22/2012

Buttercup Green

Quote:

Originally posted by Kindred

I could not have said it better myself!

03/22/2012

Total posts: 110 Unique posters: 90

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