Pitt Bull Poll to FReep (Allowed in neighborhoods or not)

NBC10 ^ | April 8, 2006 | NBC10

[Wristpin]

The breed is still a 100 year genetic mistake IMO...Pit owners and the whole industry are guilty by denying the genetics of the animals and inviting new unqualified owners to take them into homes.

Someone could do a college thesis on the history and evolution of the breed.

I don't see UKC turning away the blood money by denying registrations of the Muggleston freaks. Nor do I see loyalist owners screaming for restrictions on who should be allowed to own and breed the animals. The whole industry has blood on it hands. Thats without even considering the thousands of cast off Pits doomed to the shelters.

I think it is too late for the Pit Bull community to solve this problem themselves.

[solosmoke]

That is the problem. The UKC, although they have done a lot to benefit animals, tend to be less picky than the AKC. The AKC only registers American Staffordshire Terriers, which were named so that people with pit bulls back in the day could register them.

There really isn't a difference in the breeds, but it's considered more the show version of the pit bull. There are maybe 2 deaths attributed to American Staffordshire Terriers in the history of these statistics, and zero for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the smaller relative of the pit.

There are lots of things going on that shouldn't. For one, the standard needs to be adhered to. The maximum weight of a male pit should be 60 pounds. That would eliminate the majority of these lookalike giants from even being called pit bulls. They can be called mutts, because that is what they are. I agree that there is a lot of money making going on for the wrong reasons. That does need to change.

And as for "loyalists" wanting a change, believe me. We do. Every single day, I am online with other people like me who see what is going on and want to change. Nothing would please me more than to see people having to be certified to own a large breed dog of any kind. They are animals, after all, and no one can train that out of them.

I believe the only people who should be breeding dogs are people with the sole intention of making the lines better, both physically and mentally. And I believe the only people who should have big dogs of the guardian/fighting history type are people with extensive knowledge about their chosen breed, enough physical strength to handle them, and enough money to keep the dogs and the public safe, no matter what.

But before any of that can happen, people need to come to the realization that there is a problem. Not with the breed, but with the entire idea of what a dog's purpose should be. If they aren't pets, or working dogs/police/search and rescue/therapy/assistance dogs, or intended for showing and improving the breed, why should they exist?

No one needs a dog to guard property, to attack people, to look vicious, etc. These types are just accidents waiting to happen (the people, not the dogs).

Now, pit bulls are being trained to do all kinds of good for us. There are many assistance dogs, therapy dogs, police dogs, search and rescue dogs, drug sniffing dogs, and even seizure dogs. These animals have solid temperaments and love what they do. They can pretty much be trained to do anything any other dog can do.

I would like to see this breed more carefully restricted when it comes to who can breed it, as I believe that is the root of the problem. If thugs aren't allowed to breed their nasty mutts anymore, the bad ones will slowly die out, and all the good ones that no one ever hears about will be all that is left. Of course, as with any breed, there will always be bites. They are just animals after all, but it doesn't have to be this way.