Protect your pet from being labeled "Bad Breed"

Credit to www.pitbullpress.com for this article ^

[Alylonee]

THERE is a knock at the door. A uniformed official says he has come to take your dog. The dog has done nothing wrong, but his breed has been outlawed in the town where you live. You've had this dog since he was a puppy. He is obedience-trained, licensed and vaccinated. He never runs loose. He has never bitten anybody. And you love him. But it's bye-bye, Buffy, if he's the "wrong" breed.

All over this country - and in Allegheny County - owners of pit bull terriers and rottweilers have been ordered to get rid of them or have them seized by authorities. Now, a small but feisty group called American Dog Owners Association Inc. is battling officials on many fronts to put an end to this madness. The current battleground is Buffalo Grove, Ill., where both breeds are targeted.

Municipal officials don't ban any breed, outright. They just impose rules that the average pet owner can't live with: 8-foot fences, licenses that cost hundreds of dollars per year, proof of $500,000 in liability insurance. "Breed-specific" laws come in response to fear. A couple of well-publicized attacks, and the push is on to ban a breed.

So you say you don't like pit bulls or rottweilers and you would never own one. It's still your fight. They might come after your breed next, especially if it's a breed designed for guard and attack duties. On the local front, those of us who own and love Labrador retrievers should hug them tightly and donate generously to the ADOA. America's most popular purebred dog is also one of the top biters.

In 1995 - the last time I checked bites by breed - Labrador retrievers were No. 3 on the Allegheny County Health Department list. Labs logged 60 bites - right behind the 73 bites reported for pit bulls. German shepherds were No. 1 with 84 bites. There are no bad breeds. There are bad and irresponsible dog owners. There are bad and vicious dogs. Elected officials should go after them. The ADOA will help them devise laws to do so.

The association does not condone or defend bad dogs or their owners. They support laws requiring licenses and vaccinations. They are opposed to dogs running loose. Their main goal is "to promote, protect and defend responsible dog ownership."

"If your breed is banned, the ADOA has no legal standing to help you unless you are a member. And though the group has proved you CAN fight city hall, the cost is high - $20,000 to $30,000 for a full-fledged court fight. The group needs more members and cash donations. "

Their address is 1654 Columbia Turnpike, Castleton, NY 12033. Or check out their Web site, which includes an online membership form, at

No one bats a thousand, but the ADOA has won in court - usually because proposed legislation violates existing federal and state statutes. The group prefers to avert bad laws before they are put on the books. Pennsylvania has a very good "dangerous dog" law that arms local officials with effective remedies against dogs that bite and dogs that fight.

And Pennsylvania is one of 12 states that has laws specifically banning "breed-specific" legislation.

There are 52.9 million pet dogs in this country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Most of us have done nothing as dogs lost ground: breeds banned, dogs banned from parks and limits placed on the number of dogs we can own.

We could learn a lesson from what the National Rifle Association has accomplished with big membership rolls, generous donations and well-paid lobbyists. They fight effectively for everyone's "right" to own guns that maim and kill more people than dogs ever could.

[Varda]

As someone who has spent more than a day at the pound (as a volunteer) I have to say that the animal rights tack, i.e claiming to help homeless animals by advocating the elimination of specific breeds does NOTHING to help.

There are too many dogs put down and almost all are born the result of irresponsible owners. The number one purebred found at pounds is the Labordor Retriever. There are irresponsible owners who breed their animals and there are responsible breeders. It would not help the Labrador Retrievers to stop responsible breeding as a method of dealing with the irresponsible.

"We disagree on the value of this breed. If I were advising a friend, I would recommend other breeds. I won't campaign against them, but I don't pretend that there isn't a risk with them."

The value of the breed is in the eyes of the owners. I don't own this breed and have no desire to but I have no qualms about responsible people taking on the task. Some dogs are not apropriate for some people. (and even professional trainers make mistakes. If you're around enough animals you'll screw up with one or more)

"I don't pretend that there isn't a risk with them. They
need to be treated with much more care than most people have the knowledge to interpret."
I don't disagree with you here, the problem is that this risk is associated with many breeds including some people don't generally think of. It is the great fear of responsible breeders that their breed will be discovered or become popular. This has happened to Pit Bulls, it happened to Rottweilers and Dobermans before them. It may happen to Brasilerios or Dogue de Bordeaux, who knows. The decent folk associated with these breeds (like the Pit Bull rescue ladies)try to do what they can but they run against a tide created by animal rights tainted media.

Generally Pitt Bulls require a strong temperamented owner and require more training than other dogs but I have seen more than one Pitt Bull who were real marshmallows.

[HairOfTheDog]

We can agree on all of that... Have a good day!

[Jeff Chandler]

The number one purebred found at pounds is the Labordor Retriever.

 

I'm not at all surprised at that.  Labradors are absolutely the most worthless, destructive dogs you can imagine.. for the first couple years. Once they are fully grown they are perhaps the best dog a family can have-sweet personalities, protective, great with kids, etc.. The problem is, most people don't make it through the terrible puppy years. It takes a lot of patience to put up with chewed-up furniture, uprooted trees, etc..

[Alylonee]

I don't agree with that statement that "Pit's are more likely to fight to the death." Actually, they are more likely to bight someone and not let go for a while, but once again, it depends on the dog and the training. Dobies German Shepherds, and Rotties are generally more aggressive to human's in the first place. Some breeders of Pit Bulls will tell you a lot of the time they make lousy guard dogs because they are too friendly. This isn't the case with all of them, but my only point is that any of the above mentioned dogs are capable of killing or bighting someone if abused, mistreated and not trained. And I know the different traits that all of them have, and one should research those traits before getting any one of them. My statement just meant that all of those dogs can be aggressive and if you outlawed one of them, you would have to outlaw all of them. If Pit Bull's are the first to go, the criminal's will move on to the next breed, who will be the next "vicious dog's" and the next to go.

[Alylonee]

It's funny how dog's can tell the difference and become very careful around children. My dog lets kids and cats hang all over him. He doesn't like men that much though because he was abused at one point by a man. With women and children he is a doll though. Sit's on your lap and won't get up! I've never owned a Chow or even been around one, but I'm sure they make wonderful pets if trained properly.

[Alylonee]

Hi Varda, I agree with everything you said on this subject, I'm glad there is someone else who thinks like I do on this thread! I had a question though, I'm curious if you have a lot of Pit Bulls at the pound that you volunteer at? I volunteer as well for the Sacramento area and there are a lot of labradors here, but mostly mixed pit bulls and mixed rotties. We see a lot of Pit Bull abuse, and we get a lot of pure bred pits, but mostly mixed breed pits. That's the number one dog in our animal shelter. It was interesting that Labs were the #1 dog at your place.

[Jeff Chandler]

I don't agree with that statement that "Pit's are more likely to fight to the death."

Pit Bulls have been selectively bred to fight to the death. Rotties, German Shepherds, and Dobies have been selectively bred to be guard dogs. This selective breeding has resulted in certain traits innate to the particular breeds. To deny this fact is to engage in wishful thinking, perhaps blinded by affection? Kind of like a mother refusing to acknowledge the character of a beloved child.

Ownership of a powerful and potentially dangerous dog entails great responsibility. The more dangerous the dog, the greater the responsibility, and the Pit Bull is the most dangerous dog one can own, because of its tremendous strength, and because of the traits bred into it. Does that mean they should be outlawed? Probably not. But anyone considering one for a pet, and anyone who comes in contact with one should realize the difference between a born fighting dog and a guard dog. To refuse to acknowledge the difference is to invite disaster.

[HairOfTheDog]

I would tell you after researching the matter that those people buy Pit Bulls because the media has portrayed them to be monsters

They buy them because they win.

[Varda]

" Labradors are absolutely the most worthless, destructive dogs you can imagine.. for the first couple years."

When young they're high energy and can be hard to handle. They're a popular breed and there are lots of people who hear the words "good pet" or "good with children" and think that means "no work".

[Varda]

Actually there were never any Pit Bulls at the shelter where I volunteered. I read that Labs were the #1 breed at shelters country wide in an American Humane brochure. The shelter I was at was in a rural area and the dogs there tended to be variations of "huntin dogs" (labs & beagles) and collie mixes.
The Pit Bulls rescues I became acquanted with were with the rescue group whose members brought them to training class. That group also had people who bred and showed Am. Staffs (generally considered Pit Bulls). The abuse these dogs suffered seemed to vary, much of it was pure neglect. One just delightful girl was found abandoned in a building. She was extremely friendly and wonderful around other dogs.

[Jeff Chandler]

I've had a couple labs over the years. Lost a good couch to one of them.

The funniest Lab puppy story I've heard was told to me by a co-worker. Seems he came home from work one day, and when he went out to the back yard he sensed something was different. Finally it hit him: a young tree was missing. The puppy had uprooted it, and had chewed the entire tree, from roots to crown, into little tiny pieces!

[Varda]

Then you know! I've had a number of friends who love to train Labs because they never quit. They're always on and some even act like that when they're old. I've had one knock me down just wagging his tail and throwing me a body block just to say "hi".

[Jeff Chandler]

Every lab owner owes it to himself to take his dog to the water. It is a joy to watch them swim.

Our (now)13-year-old Lab mix used to play catch with herself. She'd drop a tennis ball into the swimming pool, wait for the current to take it to the other side of the pool, then jump in and retrieve it! She'd do this for hours.

[Alylonee]

Well, I'm sorry I do not agree with you. I will agree that they are strong, but I still believe that other breeds are equally as strong and aggressive as well. My friend's cousin was killed by two Rottweilers and my neighbor's Dobermans killed two horses one night when they got out. I am not denying that Pit Bulls are capable of being dangerous, I very much know that they can be if abused, neglected, and in the hands of an irresponsible owner... as with almost any large breed dog. Do you not realize as Varda pointed out that before Pit Bulls were the target of media hype, Doberman's and Rotties were?

And one more thing, Pit Bulls may be better designed for fighting other dogs, but I don't think that matters when it comes to humans. Comparing Pit Bull's to other large breeds is like comparing a rifle to a handgun... both can do serious damage and kill you, it doesn't matter which one is more dangerous, they are both going to harm you if shot. Now I realize that is a lousy comparison but it's the closest one I could think of this early in the morning! I still believe all the large breed dog's are equally as dangerous in different respects and one needs to research any breed of dog before you decide to own one. It seems like I just keep stating the obvious here, not being "blinded by affection" or "refusing to acknowledge my child's behavior". I am fully aware of what ALL these dog's are capable of, but I also think I have researched the breed more than all of you. If any of you had researched the American Pit Bull Terrier, you would know that not only were they not originally bred to fight, but they are known for being great family dogs and extremely FRIENDLY to humans. In temperament testing done worldwide, Pit Bulls generally passed with 89-91% as to the Golden Retriever passing in the 79-81%.

I am not ignoring that the Pit Bull has a high predatory drive and can be aggressive to other animals. But all of you are ignoring that other dogs have the EXACT same traits, with the capabilities of doing just as much damage. Especially when it comes to humans.

"Pit Bull is the most dangerous dog one can own"

Give me a break... tell that to the millions who have been bitten by dogs other than the Pit Bull. I volunteer for the animal shelter down here in Sacramento and help to find homes for animals to be placed in. Half of the time when you hear of a dog bighting someone and the news says it was a Pit Bull, the dog is brought back to us IS NOT a Pit Bull. More than 75% of the time it is a Bull dog mix, or a Bull Mastiff mix, or some kind of Labrador mutt mixed breed. We hardly ever get purebred Pit Bulls here either, but mixed breeds with Pit in them are most of what is in our shelter.

If you don't mind me asking, what is your story? What have you done to research this breed and come to the opinion that you have?

[Jeff Chandler]

I'm just a dog lover who has done a lot of reading about dogs, has owned dogs, talked to dog owners, etc.. I also come in contact with people who breed dogs for fighting, and guess what? They select Pit Bulls almost exclusively; aggressive Pit Bulls with fighting spirit. They sometimes mix in Rottie or Mastiff to increase the size, but PBs are the base stock. You will not find the aggressive, predatory traits being purposely concentrated to such a degree in other breeds. That is what is going on in the real world, not in "Golden Retrievers are more dangerous than Pit Bulls" Land.

[Jeff Chandler]

Here's a related post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/817259/posts

[Alylonee]

You are taking everything I say out of context. It is impossible to even try and reason with you. Never once did I say Golden Retrievers were more dangerous than Pit Bulls. I said that Pit Bulls passed temperament testing at a higher rate than Golden Retrievers. I also said that a German Shepherd, Rottie, Dobie, etc., are equally as dangerous as a Pit Bull if put in similar situations. I realize that a Pit Bull is more likely to win a fight with another dog, but aggressive to humans, they are not. You call yourself a dog lover, yet you come into contact with people who breed dogs for fighting and you have not reported them yet? You’re just as bad as the people who fight these dogs, thank you for proving my point.

[Jeff Chandler]

You call yourself a dog lover, yet you come into contact with people who breed dogs for fighting and you have not reported them yet? You’re just as bad as the people who fight these dogs...

Unless I actually witness the abuse of a dog, I won't go sticking my nose in the business of every degenerate thug in the world. People who do can get hurt.

[Jeff Chandler]

You call yourself a dog lover, yet you come into contact with people who breed dogs for fighting and you have not reported them yet? You’re just as bad as the people who fight these dogs...

Unless I actually witness the abuse of a dog, I won't go sticking my nose in the business of every degenerate thug in the world. People who do can get hurt.

[Jeff Chandler]

Never once did I say Golden Retrievers were more dangerous than Pit Bulls. I said that Pit Bulls passed temperament testing at a higher rate than Golden Retrievers.

Why even bring up some meaningless test if you're not trying to prove that Pitbulls are less dangerous than GTs? What is your point? Mine is that once a PB begins an attack, the victim is as good as dead because of the traits bred into the dog. The same cannot be said of GTs. You seem to be denying the existance of the traits everyone on the street knows are bred into the breed.