Replies

Much of this thread has been like something out of the Twilight Zone and/or off Democratic Underground.

Self-proclaimed conservatives ranting about wanting the state to run roughshod over the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands (or more) of their law-abiding fellow citizens simply because they possess well-trained, well-cared-for pets which happen to physically resemble a relatively small number of dogs - out of a greater total number - who've attacked someone.

Plus, virtually every "argument" advanced as a rationale for doing so can be quite easily changed into one of the all-too-familiar ones for the wholesale banning of firearms merely by, in most cases, changing 2 or 3 words.

Where's the belief in property rights, individual liberties and personal accountability ???

Sheeesh !!!

I couldn't agree more. A genuine conservative is against unnecessary state intervention. They are also for individuals taking responsibility. In this case people who set out to keep savage dogs that will harm people are the ones that should be banned. I have no doubt that many dogs that savage people do so because they have been mistreated. BAN BAD DOG OWNERS AND NOT THE DOGS!

I think this site says it all:
http://www.dogbite.org/pages/dogsmostlikely.html

"Many small dog owners overlook their dog's behavior because they are small and/or think they cannot hurt anyone. The truth is, little dogs bite more than big dogs. There have been many cases involving dog bite attacks with smaller dogs such as the case involving a family Pomeranian dog and a 6-week old baby.

While there is no clear cut list in which all dogs can be categorized by levels of their dog-bite predictability, generally speaking:

Any dog, treated harshly or trained to attack, may bite a person. Any dog can be turned into a dangerous dog. The owner most often is responsible -- not the breed, and not the dog.
An irresponsible owner or dog handler might create a situation that places another person in danger by a dog, without the dog itself being dangerous, for example: leaving an infant alone with a dog.
Any individual dog may be a good, loving pet, even though its breed is considered to be likely to bite. A responsible owner can win the love and respect of a dog, no matter its breed. One cannot look at an individual dog, recognize its breed, and then state whether or not it is going to attack."

"Much of this thread has been like something out of the Twilight Zone and/or off Democratic Underground."

I don't know about that, but I've been mildly entertained by all of these 'conservatives' sounding like liberals arguing in favor of gun control.