Posted on 12/28/2006 6:47:33 AM PST by presidio9
Regarded as dangerous pets by their detractors but loved for their assertive nature by their owners, pit bull terriers may find themselves banned from New York City.
Queens City Councilman Peter Vallone said Tuesday that he wants to ban the canines, calling them a danger to public safety.
"Pit bulls are responsible for many, many attacks,'' the Democrat said. "A parent on the street can't protect their children, or themselves from this, what is actually a weapon.''
Vallone said that many gangs and criminals train pit bulls to be attack dogs.
The canines do account for 15 percent of animal attacks in the city. They are also among the most commonly abandoned, found in disproportionately high numbers at the city's pet shelters.
But pit bull lovers said they don't think pit bulls are inherently dangerous and that they don't need to be banned.
Pedro Rosario, who owns four pit bulls and has worked at the Manhattan shelter and adoption center for more than a decade, said Tuesday that the dogs' temperament depends on how their owners raise them.
"With a responsible owner, this could be a great pet in the house,'' Rosario said, as he sat in the shelter, ruffling the fur of one of the famously tough dogs.
Another pit bull owner, Greta Godoy, agreed with Rosario. "It all has to do with how you teach them, how you nurture them,'' she said. "If you do abuse them they will become very aggressive.''
Vallone's proposal would ban pit bulls from being sold or bred in the city. Current owners would be able to keep their pit bulls.
Other cities have placed similar bans on pit bulls - including Denver, Kansas City and Miami - after high-profile attacks involving the canines.
I agree that there should be no bulls in the city's pit.
There should be no moooslems in NYC.
They can with a .357 or a .45.
No kidding. I'm currently looking to adopt a dog for the family here in the NYC area, and no lie, pit bulls make up about 90% of the available dogs in shelters.
Another wonderful gift to our society from hip-hop culture.
In NYC? You've got to be kidding! I think they meant "law-abiding" parents. Only the criminals have the .357s in NYC.
Another pit bull owner, Greta Godoy, agreed with Rosario. "It all has to do with how you teach them, how you nurture them,'' she said. "If you do abuse them they will become very aggressive.''
That's the problem. It's usually thugs and idiots who buy these dogs. These dogs are attractive mostly to idiots who will not be responsible owners. Irresponsible owner + Pit Bull = killing machine.
No trans-fats, no pit bulls... I think we should ban the color purple next.
NO!!! Not purple! It would be red, for the Red Sox!
bump for later
I got slobbered by a St Bernard once on the pants leg of my jeans. Never got the stains out. I don't hate dogs, I just like it when they aren't taking a dump in my yard. I also like it when they aren't barking all night long because they're adopted parents have taken them inside for the night.
You hit upon the reason why banning them won't solve the problem: These same people will just go buy rotweilers, and neglect and abuse them the same ways.
It is media hysteria and irrational fear that leads to proposals to ban particular breeds of dogs. In a recent Google search, Ledy VanKavage, ASPCA Attorney, found the following:
Media Reports of Dog Attacks: June 9, 2006
Attacks by non-pit bull dogs are rarely taken up by national or international media sources, while this is regularly the case with pit bull attacks.
• An 11-year-old girl was bitten in the leg and received "serious, but not life-threatening injuries", when she was attacked by two Pit bulls in California. Her injuries required hospitalization. This incident was reported in over ninety-one national and international newspapers. Forbes, FOX News, along with the Washington Post, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and dozens of other major news organizations headlined this"Pit Bull Attack".
• A three-year-old Virginia boy was admitted to the hospital with "extensive injuries". The child was attacked by a Golden Retriever mixed breed dog. The wounds to the child required 300 stitches; and the child will require additional surgeries to "functionally repair muscles, nerves and work on scars". This incident was reported in only two local Virginia newspapers.
• A 3-year-old girl is admitted to Children's Hospital in Denver with serious lacerations to her face and head. The hospital declined to release the child's name or information on her condition. She had been attacked by at her home by a Labrador retriever. This attack was reported four times and only in Colorado media sources.
• An Indiana woman is attacked and knocked to the ground by a German Shepherd dog. The dog she was walking, a small Sheltie mix was also attacked. Neighbors responded and managed to restrain the German Shepherd, but not before the woman was bitten twice in the face. Her small dog was so gravely injured that it was euthanized. This incident was reported in only one local Indiana newspaper.
We can’t make policy based on headlines.
All information was researched and is fully documented by Karen Delise LVT, author of
FATAL DOG ATTACKS: THE STORIES BEHIND THE STATISTICS
Anubis Press, Manorville, New York 2002
www.animalfarmfoundation.org
More excellent info can be found here: http://badrap-blog.blogspot.com/2006/11/fun-with-numbers.html
Everyone seems to miss the point of this. The dogs are a red herring. They're an excuse to reduce the rights of law abiding citizens. Once a visible minority has its rights reduced, it's easy to move on to larger groups and eventually the whole population. If we don't kick, scream, yell and stop this in its tracks, your rights will be slowly whittled away.
IMO, one of the only smart things done in the city of Detroit in recent years has been the decision of its Animal Control to euthanize ALL pbts in its custody. Detroit barely has the resources to keep AC up and running. With no pbts to house and feed, it gives a lot of other dogs a better chance of being adopted.
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