>There are 56 breeds of dog that have taken human lives all over the world, and all of them have been reported as that breed when it was known, except for the pit bull. The CDC study so often referred to on this board is a testament to how innacuracies in media reports can turn any popular breed into a monster.
They use every type of Retriever/Lab breed and separate them all, all the spitz-type dogs have their own individual categories, even mixed breeds like wolf hybrids get their own, but any dog even remotely resembling a pit bull, (and some that don't) are all grouped together into "pit bull type".<
Thank you for making this point. For example, in 2005, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was ranked 84th out of 154 AKC breeds with only 856 individuals registered throughout the entire country. This is a breed that typically weighs around 35 pounds, and is expensive. Not your average meth lab protector.
That said, this breed gets lumped into the pit bull statistics, so it is included in breed ban legislation. Never mind the fact that no Staffordshire Bull Terrier has killed anyone in the US, it's still "a dangerous pit bull".
No kidding, I have heard of only one historic fatality by an Amstaff in all of Canada,
but some drug dealer and his dog's "trainer" get chewed up by their "pit bull" dog "Vise/Vice",
the media hyped it and the newly elected Liberal government in Ontario stoked the fear and hysteria,
and despite expert testimony from vets, dog trainers, humane societies and others,
who pleaded for a comprehensive approach to the problem of dog attacks,
based on education, increased penalties and rigorous enforcement of existing laws,
proceeded to ban Amstaffs as well as other breeds
while providing absolutely no funding for enforcement.
Of course responsible owners are following the law closely
but there is massive flaunting of the restrictions by others.
It was a feel good, look we're doing something, it's "for the children" dontcha know law,
meanwhile a couple of weeks ago a kid got his face ripped off by a couple of non-banned dogs
that had a history of having an irresponsible owner
and not a frikkin thing in the "pit bull" legislation did anything to prevent it.
It reminds me of what happened 2 years ago at Christmas in Toronto.
Shoot out by rival gangs in the downtown
and a innocent young girl gets killed.
Guess which one the liberals proposed...
Crack down hard on the gangs
or
Outlaw possession of handguns entirely.