Guest Editorial: Dangerous Dog Legislation
July 22nd, 2008 by Guest BloggerA letter from one of our readers…
Dear Editor:
I discovered Halo products via the Ellen show several months ago, and I’ve been following the blog for several weeks now. After spending the weekend in Toronto, I decided to write in and see how people are feeling about dangerous dog legislation.
Ontario enacted a dangerous dog bill on March 1, 2005, and as of that day forward, you could no longer bring a pit bull into the province, and all pit bulls currently in the province, had to be sterilized. You can’t even drive through Ontario with a pit bull in your car. This, of course, generates a great deal of discussion between all of us dog lovers. I hate the idea of the ban; it’s so draconian, but admittedly, I cringe every time the neighbor’s pit bull goes crazy at the fence when I’m walking by.
I personally approach this discussion from several different angles. My best friend in the world has two Pit Bulls that I would trust with my children’s lives, whereas my Golden Retriever almost died because a woman couldn’t control her Cane Corso. On top of that, my heart was broken several years ago when my one-eyed Shitzu, who we rescued from the pound, had to be put down because he bit a child.
When you wrap all this together, I understand that every dog is its own person, but when something does go wrong, it can be devastating, and something can go wrong when you least expect it.
So what do we do?
The answer can’t possibly be this knee-jerk reaction that will effectively weed out an entire breed of dog. What gives us the right to make that kind of decision?
It’s baffling that the Ontario government was so shortsighted. Why not look at this as an opportunity? Instead of clearing out dogs, create more industry for dog trainers. Why not have all large breed owners attend certified training? You’d be creating a better bond between owner and dog, creating a better pet community, and in the process, identifying the problem dogs.
I’m sure some will say that forcing owners of certain breeds to go through training is discrimination, they’ll feel that most owners are good owners and don’t need the extra expense of certification. However, we can’t forget that when my Shitzu bit, the wound was fixed with a band aid, but when that Cane Corso attacked, it was 40 stitches, draining tubes, and two months of healing time.
Opinions either way are welcome on this, as long as we keep talking about it and not hide our heads in the sand. With similar legislation popping up all around the world, it’s feasible that we could see the loss of several magnificent breeds if we can’t come up with a workable solution.
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July 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Woow que tierno blog tienes, me encanta los perros!!
Disculpa si te escribo en español, pero es que no se el ingles..
saludos!
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Great post. I agree with what you are saying..ban the deed, not the breed. I too have had both positive and negative experiences with bully breeds, but I don’t see eradicating them as a solution. Education and responsible ownership is the only way to solve these issues.
“Pit Bulls” as they are lumped aren’t the only ones affected. Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and American Staffordshire Terriers, both have had long standing success in dog sports like agility and flyball, as well as the show ring are now also affecting by the “Pit Bull” ban. For Ontario residents (where I reside), all the years of training and showing, and travelling with their dogs are gone and for nothing!!
Both these breeds, esp. the Staffie Bull have had long standing history and the thought that they soon could no longer exist is just sad.
It starts there..but soon when will Doberman, Cane Corso, American Bulldog, etc. be added to the list of “dangerous” breeds, and thus banned?
Just because they are dogs, does not make Breedism right.
Melissa + Simba (who never met a Pit Bull or Staffordshire Terrier he didn’t like!)
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July 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 am
I live in New York, and the pit bull situation is out of control in my neighborhood where all the kids have them for status symbols, to look tough. I had my nose broken by one that jumped up and slammed his head into my face a couple of years ago, and while a friend was walking my dog, one came flying across the street, grabbed my dog by the neck, picked him up off the ground and shook him like a rag doll. My friend had to kick and fight the pit bull to get it off. Down in Florida, my grandmother’s cat was literally ripped in two by two pitbulls while she tried to fight them off with a broom. I am a dog person and always grew up with them, but it says something to me when I have been affected by all of these terrible incidents by this one particular breed and no other. These dogs can be sweet and cute, but when they get out of control, there is no stopping them. They are set off very easily for some reason. I don’t know why, but they are dangerous, and even when they’re in loving homes, they can just go off.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:12 am
As the owner of a Doberman Pinscher, and a Pit Bull Mix (plus a Jack Russell Terrier) I have to say I’d much rather take my dogs through an obedience course, than having to surrender them. All 3 of my dogs are well behaved and obedient, so getting certified wouldn’t be an issue to me anyways, but honestly, when given the choice, I would hope the owners would prefer the obedience course!!
Yes, some might say it’s discrimination. But then, what is a BSL?! Isn’t that “racial” profiling and discrimination as well?
We must stand up and fight BSL, but we must also be prepared to compromise a little bit. As long as it’s not in the form of them coming to get my dogs, then I’m ready to negotiate!
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:52 pm
As the previous owner of a Pit and the current owner of two shepherds I have to object to breedism. If they do it for one or two breeds then there is nothing to stop them from adding other breeds later on. Who is to decide what breed is more dangerous. I have known little chi’s that would bite before my shepherds would even consider it, not to mention other little dogs that are nippy like poodles. They did try to ban the Pits here in the Keys but several people including the local vets got up in arms and got them to drop it. The realistic thing is training, not the dogs but the owners. Pits are still banned in Dade County, but not Broward just north of there. It’s the people not the dogs that make them dangerous. The owners need to be responsible pet owners and make sure they have control, no matter what size the dog is.