Posted on 08/28/2010 7:42:34 PM PDT by Brad’s Gramma
See, now here’s an excellent example of my previous point.
Scythian is virulently anti-pet. He or she believes that they are giving us all kinds of parasites, and should be eliminated.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2233640/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2530037/posts
Not surprisingly, he found his message pretty roundly condemned on a forum full of animal lovers, so what does he do? Hitch his wagon to the anti-pitbull bandwagon, where he can espouse all the hatred he pleases, as long as it’s focused around one type of dog. Think he’d be happy to see only pit bulls eliminated? Guess again.
Bless your heart... :-)
I absolutely agree that the federal government should have nothing to do with it. If a ban happens at the local level, at least the owners have options.
I know a lot of conservatives hate the mere mention of HOAs, but I think if there IS any evidence of danger, a rational first step would be to pass a law that allows HOAs to vote on a ban within their communities.
That way, the people who live in a neighborhood would decide whether a dangerous dog breed was appropriate for their neighborhood, and people who wanted to own the breed could choose a home where the neighborhood hadn’t banned the dogs.
Already HOAs control things regarding pets in a way that encourages pet owners to choose their home purchases based on the HOA regulations. In my neighborhood, permanent “dog runs” are not allowed, so people who want their dogs outside are instead encouraged to put up fences. Not sure why dog runs are discouraged, but that’s the rule.
My pets are ferrets. So all of this is somewhat academic, except for the part about localities banning ferrets. Well, that and that I am required by law to get shots for my ferrets each year that, given they are indoor, mostly caged pets, make absolutely no sense.
"Ferrets are known for their unpredictable behavior, and they are prone to vicious, unprovoked attacks on humans. Ferret attacks reported nationwide over time have become notorious for their severity and capriciousness, causing serious injuries to some infants and young children in particular... In New York City's multiple dwelling residences, which are not natural habitats of ferrets, a ferret could crawl through holes in walls or travel along risers or ducts to other apartments, with potentially tragic consequences for the neighbor of a ferret owner."
-New York City Department of Health, Office of External Affairs Press Release #36 (1999)
The report, "Pet European Ferrets: A Hazard to Public Health, Small Livestock and Wildlife,"(California) claims that "ferrets sometimes unleash frenzied, rapid-fire bite and slash attacks on infants.... The animals have then been reported to drink the victim's blood and eat the shredded tissue."
Pretty hysterical, huh?
I wouldn’t own a ferret if I had infants in the house — they are definitely unpredictable.
On the other hand, they are pretty small, and unlikely to be able to cause much damage, even if they should decide they actually want to eat you.
Their normal habit of play is to bite though. They don’t bite hard enough to break their own skin, but human skin has less strength than ferret skin, so they can break your skin while having fun.
ON the other hand, if you don’t cut their nails regularly, or correctly, their use of nails to climb over you can be kind of harsh.
I did think it was funny that “multiple dwelling residences” are not the natural habitat of ferrets — as if they normally are found in single-family homes.
I keep my ferrets caged, except when we are playing. They can get into almost anything, and I would be afraid they’d get into something that would hurt them.
I have no doubt that a ferret could get from one crappy apartment to another. I’ve seen videos of ferrets getting out of a cage with 1-inch bars.
The ferrets are my daughter’s, although I ended up liking them more than I thought I would. I’m not a pet owner. I like playing with other people’s pets, and then leaving.
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