Cute, cuddly killing machines to be bred out of existence

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Cute-cuddly-killing-machines-to-be-bred-out-of-existence/2005/05/03/1115092503046.html ^

[Grendel9]

Owners of pit bull terriers and four other breeds of dog will face heavy fines for breeding, selling or giving them away under laws planned by the State Government.

All pit bulls, American pit bulls, Japanese tosas, and Argentinian and Brazilian fighting dogs, now restricted to owners aged over 18, will have to be desexed.

"We want to breed these dogs out of existence," the Premier, Bob Carr, said yesterday. "They are killing machines on a leash."

But pit bull owners and breeders have attacked the crackdown. Colin Muir, president of the American Pit Bull Club of Australia, said: "This was an opportunity for the Government to look at some realistic measures to reduce the number of dog attacks in the community, but unfortunately they have gone for the knee-jerk reaction."

Mark, a Balmain pit bull owner who preferred not to give his full name, said he would refuse to allow his dogs to be desexed. "I'll send my dog away before I let them chop off his balls."

Moves to eliminate the dogs follow two recent attacks by pit bulls on five-year-old Jordan Wisby at Illawong and a 75-year-old man at Homebush.

[Grendel9]

I have no experience with this breed. It seems to hit the headlines frequently enough, but usually in illegal "dog pit" exposes where betting and loud shouting are the key ingredients of "the sport."

[martin_fierro]

Woof.

[brownsfan]

All pit bulls, American pit bulls, Japanese tosas, and Argentinian and Brazilian fighting dogs, now restricted to owners aged over 18, will have to be desexed.

They're requiring the dogs to get married?!

[Constitution Day]

[martin_fierro]

LOL

Yeah, that's a good one.

[anniegetyourgun]

I've known some very sweet natured Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers, so I'm not as convinced. (Most horror stories I've read involve cases of abused dogs, unsupervised dogs, bad owners, etc.) I have no experience with Tosa-Ken/Inu/Mastiff, so can't speak to it. However, I would without hesitation recommend the euthanization of ALL south American fighting dogs....now.

[Puppage]

....to be bred out of existence

I GUY CAN DREAM, CAN'T HE?

[madconservative]

If it was up to me, such dogs would all be rounded up and shot. It seems like the typical story for them goes something like "the dog was a big cuddly fuzzball, and the kids would poke it in the eye and it would just roll over and wag its tail. Then one day it ate my baby."

That being said, I'm not sure about such measures from government. I will be curious to see what everyone's opinions are. Is it the responsibility of the government to restrict dog breeding? If so, at what level of government? To think it is would imply that they should be involved in all breeding, since I could be breeding a new form of killer dog from aggressive German Shepherds, etc. There have to be some sort of measures with regard to pets, I would think; after all I would be uneasy if my neighbor owned a lion and kept it in a chain link fence. Interesting...

[Mister Baredog]

They're requiring the dogs to get married?!

OUCH, LOL.

But the food is really good.

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

I've owned pit bulls in the past. Mine were all dopey...they thought they were Labrador Retreivers.

They were, however bred for fighting other dogs. So, if one goes or is turned "bad", they are alot more dangerous then fluffy the poodle.

IMO, as far as dogs go, you can have no better friend, and no worse enemy, then an American Pit Bull.

I think it's ironic that the same sort of people(JMO) who are willing to sacrifice the occasional jogger or surfer to mountain lions and sharks, are rabidly trying to exterminate a breed of dog that is usually a good companion and protector of man.

[Sterco]

If a Pit Bull were ever to stray on to my property his owner would find him by the road in a very peaceful state. It is time to rid ourselves of this breed. The occasional docile pit does not redeem the species. They can turn on a dime. They are not the only breed that I feel this way about. Not real fond of Dobermans either.

[Kokojmudd]

I have known some very nice Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers also, however a lot pit bull owners seem to be idiots who shouldn't be allowed to own any animal. We have owned a very sweet rottweiler for 10 years and cannot say enough good things about the breed but again...many rottie owners seem to be knuckleheads who should be kenneled themselves.

What are s american fighting dogs?

[sinkspur]

It is time to rid ourselves of this breed. The occasional docile pit does not redeem the species. They can turn on a dime.

Yep.

[Hammerhead]

amen.

I knew a guy that had two of them. A very decent owner. But each of them had a nervous type personality and they were always chattering their front teeth (i.e., a nervous bite.) it was very unsettling having them next to me.

get rid of em all.

[doc30]

It's not the dogs that ar ethe problem. It's the owners. If you rasie a dog to be mean. Guess what - it's mean! The vairous 'pit bull' breeds are, and have been historically, very loyal, affectionate, people friendly dogs. They are very good natured and are wonderful with children. It's the animals that have been bred for fighting or made mean by gansta types that give them a bad name. The long term result of such bans will force these jerk owners to find another breed of dog for their sick pleasures. German shepherds, rottwielers, dobermans or even golden retrievers could be bred to be fighters and that's what will happen. If you sincerely wish to eliminate the possibility of having 'mean' dogs, then you must eliminate ALL dog breeds.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I think it's ironic that the same sort of people(JMO) who are willing to sacrifice the occasional jogger or surfer to mountain lions and sharks, are rabidly trying to exterminate a breed of dog that is usually a good companion and protector of man.

Random people can't generally bring sharks or mountain lions into your neighborhood as their pets. People swimming in the ocean or running through the wilderness are accepting some risk that a child playing in its family's front yard is not.

[Tribune7]

Awwwwwwwww

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

If it was up to me, such dogs would all be rounded up and shot.

(disclaimer:I'm not the pit bull union delegate.)

Just note that there is a bit of hysteria when it comes to the media reporting dog attacks. They basically assume that any dog that attacks a kid is a pit bull. And in the cases where it was a pit bull, it either seems like as soon as you look at the owner, you realise where the problem really is. (either they were being used as fighting dogs or they were abused) Or they were feral.

In alot of these cases, we're talking about mixed breeds.

I don't recall ever seeing an instance where a "family dog" pit just went plumb nuts and started hunting down kids.

All that said, pit bulls are genuinely dangerous if they go bad.

[theFIRMbss]

>They're requiring the dogs to get married?!
>>But the food is really good.

I knew a woman --
very, very beautiful --
and after some months

of marriage, she said
she was really getting good
at cooking. She said

just the night before
she'd made pork chops. So I said,
"That sounds good. Did you

make, like, potatoes
and veggies on the side, or
slow cook lots of stuff?"

She said, "Well, I just
put some pork chops in a pan
and fried them up. Then

we put on ketchup."
I don't think modern women
think much of cooking.

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

Point taken on the sharks, but aren't mountain lions pretty much comingling with humans in alot of places?