When dogs attack, owners can go to prison (Pit bulls kill child - Owners get 7 years)

WFAA-TV ^ | 1/19/2009 | JIM DOUGLAS

[stinkerpot65]

The scene was so gruesome that even seasoned emergency responders broke down and cried.

"They were never agressive; never seen them agressive," Watson said. "Never bit no one."

"I'm scared," Watson said. "I've got three kids who are going to be without a mom to be there for them."

Watson was sentenced to seven years in prison; that's part of the reason she can't stop crying.

[goat granny]

Based on your answer I am sure that once a pit tastes blood, it will just back off and say to itself “I wasn’t bred to kill, just fight to the death with other dogs.”

[douginthearmy]

You must be a gun-grabber as well as a Pit Bull hater.

Is the straw man the only argument for pit bulls? Seriously, every single response has been a straw man. Right to bear arms is in the Constitution. The Right to own a particular breed of animal is NOT in the Constitution. Ergo, not the same thing. In logical argument using apples and oranges is the road to epic fail.

The Constitution protects my State's right to ban this animal. If my State does not wish to ban the breed, I can get a group of like minded citizens to ban the breed in either my county, township or even residential area.

You have no Constitutional right to own a pit bull and pit bulls have no Constitutional right to exist as a breed. I am not advocating harming animals as that is both illegal and inhumane. But I do whole-heartedly support communities banning this breed to the degree that demand drops to insignificance.

[brytlea]

Being in the country illegally is illegal, regardless of whether or not they kill someone. Are you suggesting that the ONLY reason to enforce our immigration law is to prevent illegal aliens from killing someone? Your analogy doesn’t hold water.

[deport]

Nope not suggesting that at all. Just saying your analogy to numbers doesn’t mean much as you can use that in many senarios.

But by the same token I’d bet that some to many of the pit bull dog attacks come from pit bulls who’s owner has some how broken an existing dog law within the juridiction where they live. I don’t condone killings by illegals nor pit bulls.

[editor-surveyor]

"They were never aggressive ..."

Yea, right, that's why they had them.

[Sudetenland]

Wrong!!! The right to keep and bear arms is not granted in the Constitution. The Second Amendment is not a grant of rights, it is a protection of rights already inherent in the people from government infringement.

"Seriously," learn the Constitution and what it does and does not "grant" or say.

I don't need a "Constitutional right to own a dog," I live in America which means that my rights inhere from our Creator...not from the government.

It is not a "straw man" argument, it is a perfect analogy. How can you call yourself a Conservative and not know what the Constitution is all about? The Constitution is a design for government. The Bill of Rights is a protection of all rights against the government...including those rights not enumerated.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

You probably believe that we live in a democracy too.

[Sudetenland]

Don't read too well do you granny. As I previously said, they kill very very rarely. They fight to the point of submission, just as do most dog breeds, not death.

Having strong opinions if great...as long as you know about what you are opining.

[Spokane]

You think I am immature to call pit owners IDIOTS.

Maybe you could go a step further and force iq tests to the population, and use them to set thresholds for dog ownership. A hundred twenty or less; no dog.

[Spokane]

Freedom is fine, but I cant own a machine gun, why should I own a pit bull. I

So then when you get rid of pit bulls, some other breed will be at the top of the most dangerous dog list. Should we get rid of them then also? Will this next group of owners be considered idiots too?

The thing that amazes me about this thread is how quickly some here give up freedom, and call other people idiots and want to punish them for not being as "smart" as they are.

[Sudetenland]

Pit Bulls are not demons in dog suits and they are not any more dangerous than any large powerful breed of dog...but they do make great headlines as has been proven here today.

It's amazing how much hysteria and how little knowledge has been shown by those who reflexively condemn a breed based on rumors and tales told by the same mainstream media that most here revile on a daily basis.

In order for a government...any government to pass a law against a breed of dog, you must first be able to positively identify the breed of that dog. What percentage of "Pit Bull" would be required before a dog is designated as a "Pit Bull?" 60%? 40%? 20%? 1%? Where would you draw the line.

I wonder how many mixed breed dogs rescued everyday from the pound or the SPCA has some percentage of Pit Bull in them. Maybe we should simply kill everystray dog picked up. Maybe we should kill all dogs. That would eliminate the problem. It's the sort of solution suggested for guns all the time.

Reason dictates another course, that of strong laws for all dog owners and tough penalties for violation of those laws. Swift and certain punishment is a far more American solution than the dog gulag mentality being expressed by so many here.

[brytlea]

Your analogy was bad. On the other hand, the total number of dogs compared to the number of attacks or killings is pertinent. Sorry if you don’t understand that.

[brytlea]

If you notice, they are not giving up their own freedom, just other people’s.

[Spokane]

But I do whole-heartedly support communities banning this breed to the degree that demand drops to insignificance.

Just wondering... where do you think we should set this threshold of "insignificance"?

The Right to own a particular breed of animal is NOT in the Constitution.

Will you try ban horses next? Bicycles? These aren't called out in the constitution either.

[deport]

Whatever floats your boat.........

Have a nice evening.

[Entrepreneur]

Your article is full of logical falacies. First they went back to 1965 for stats, when we all know the pit bull popularity phenomenon is recent. The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to pit bulls. In addition all the other "death stats" are straw man bunk.

Uh, 37 years of data are bunk? Gee, do you think the writer might have used the data available? Do you think 37 years might have been necessary to have enough data points to draw a conclusion? Or, do you want to extrapolate from a few points?

The other death statistics are to give the dog attacks perspective. It's sort of like libs running around screaming about our casualty count in Iraq. While the premature death of anyone is a tragedy, the average number of U.S. deaths over the six years of the war and its aftermath was 697/year (Source). The average number of U.S. military training deaths over the last six years of the Clinton administration was 869/year (Source). While each death is tragic, it does lend some perspective. Over six years, the casualty count remains less than the D-Day casualty count (

Hero pooch saves 7-year-old Queens girl

Pitbull Hero Helps Save 11 People

Dog Hero! Pit Bull Saves His Family From Intruder

WHEN HEROES ARE THE PITS

Pit Bull Saves Man's Life, Dies a Hero

Slain pit bull dies a hero

An American Hero - Pit Bull - watch more videos

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for pit bulls. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Let's take a couple of your statements and change one term...

The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to SUVs.

However, there is nothing on this great planet which necessitates SUVs. There is no reason for their existence other than to make otherwise inferior feeling persons feel superior.

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for SUVs. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Or...

The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to guns.

However, there is nothing on this great planet which necessitates guns. There is no reason for their existence other than to make otherwise inferior feeling persons feel superior.

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for guns. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Think. Don't feel. Feelings are too easily manipulated.

[mom4melody]

My dog is scared of me when I yell at him, too. Of course he’s also afraid of rolled up newspaper and the cat.

He’s REALLY afraid of the neighbor cat....

[Entrepreneur]

Oops. Missed a quote in the html. The above post should have read...

Your article is full of logical falacies. First they went back to 1965 for stats, when we all know the pit bull popularity phenomenon is recent. The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to pit bulls. In addition all the other "death stats" are straw man bunk.

Uh, 37 years of data are bunk? Gee, do you think the writer might have used the data available? Do you think 37 years might have been necessary to have enough data points to draw a conclusion? Or, do you want to extrapolate from a few points?

The other death statistics are to give the dog attacks perspective. It's sort of like libs running around screaming about our casualty count in Iraq. While the premature death of anyone is a tragedy, the average number of U.S. deaths over the six years of the war and its aftermath was 697/year (Source). The average number of U.S. military training deaths over the last six years of the Clinton administration was 869/year (Source). While each death is tragic, it does lend some perspective. Over six years, the casualty count remains less than the D-Day casualty count (Source).

People just refuse to use logic.

You can't have children without parents (except in a lab or something). Therefor, all (virtually) children will have parents. Some parents will be nuts/evil. Therefor some children will be killed by those insane/evil parents. We can do as much as possible to stop this, but we can't ban kids from being born to evil parents.

I confess. I don't quite understand your logic.

Accidental deaths. Ok, well we can do what we can to encourage safety, but accidents are still going to happen. We have traffic cops, OSHA, child services and a host of other organizations which are working to make sure our environments are safe. But accidents can't be banned.

EXACTLY!

However, there is nothing on this great planet which necessitates pit bulls. There is no reason for their existence other than to make otherwise inferior feeling persons feel superior.

Wow. I would submit the following...

Hero pooch saves 7-year-old Queens girl

Pitbull Hero Helps Save 11 People

Dog Hero! Pit Bull Saves His Family From Intruder

WHEN HEROES ARE THE PITS

Pit Bull Saves Man's Life, Dies a Hero

Slain pit bull dies a hero

An American Hero - Pit Bull - watch more videos

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for pit bulls. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Let's take a couple of your statements and change one term...

The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to SUVs.

However, there is nothing on this great planet which necessitates SUVs. There is no reason for their existence other than to make otherwise inferior feeling persons feel superior.

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for SUVs. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Or...

The recent #s show that the majority of deaths are due to guns.

However, there is nothing on this great planet which necessitates guns. There is no reason for their existence other than to make otherwise inferior feeling persons feel superior.

There should be at least local laws banning or requiring stringent licensing for guns. Personally I would support statewide laws.

Think. Don't feel. Feelings are too easily manipulated.

[mom4melody]

I was raised on a farm and am always careful with animals - pet, wild or stock. My yard is fenced, Diesel doesn’t get walked without a strong harness and leash, and he is trained with a special “pinch” collar. He is neutered and attends puppy class.

I have had many dogs over the years and the two pit bulls in the family are by far the best family dogs we have ever had. We did take the time to research the breed, we know other Pit owners and the dogs, and we have a house and yard of appropriate size for a large dog. i grew up on a cattle ranch with lots of animals and am used to varied animal temperments. As I said before, Pits are not for everyone.

[jdege]

Are you worried about Greyhounds? Afghans?

All of the sight hounds were bred to kill, and have prey drives at least as strong, yet nobody seems to be afraid of them.

For that matter, Springer and Cocker Spaniels are known to carry a recessive gene that results in unpredictable violent rage. Rage Syndrome in Cocker Spaniels

There is a known genetic defect that causes this aggressive violence in certain Spaniels. There is no such genetic indicator in Pit Bulls. The problem with Pit Bulls is the people who are raising them, and the same problem would appear no matter what breed they chose to raise.

[oldenuff2no]

If I use a gun in a manner that gets someone killed, or if I leave a gun sitting around so that some innocent child gets hurt because of my negligence then I am going to prison.
Why should keeping a dog that is known to kill and maim be any different? If your pit bull gets out and kills someone then you go to prison.
I keep my firearms either on my person, with a proper CCW, or locked in a fire proof gun safe. Not one of my guns has ever “gotten out”, or taken any action by it's own decision.
There is a huge difference between pits and guns. Guns do not move on their own or react to instinctual drives. Pitt Bulls do. To try and make an analogy between an inanimate object and a living thinking animal is beyond all logic and common since. It doesn't work. If you choose to keep an animal that can, has, and will figure out how to escape it's confines and attack people then there has to be an added responsibility and criminal cost when it happens. Not one of my guns can ever escape or cause anyone any harm in any way without the assistance of a warm breathing body. A Pitt Bull is capable of this all by themselves. No comparison of the two meets any standard of logic, fact, or reality. If you really want to make a comparison between a Pitt Bull and a non living substance or object try comparing it to dynamite. It must be stored separate and remote from any structure, residence, or roadway. If the owner ignores it and it gets too old it can sit in storage and blow up all by itself. If the owner abuses it by dropping it or tossing it around it will sweat and becomes dangerous to handle and can even blow up all by itself. Dynamite has a lot more in common with pitt bulls than guns do. Even then dynamite must be kept in a locked metal structure located remote from any public property.