I'm a pretty big canine fan so the notion of banning a breed kind of rubs me the wrong way. On the other hand, dogs mauling children is something we should deal with if at all possible. We obviously can't prevent all dog bites or maulings. So what can -- and should -- we do?
I won't be surprised if Lincoln ends up with stricter breed-specific legislation in the near future. The first problem, though, is defining breeds. Several different breeds may be classified as "pit bulls", depending on who is making the list. You can't just say "ban pit bulls" and have it hold up.
We already have a dangerous dog ordinance (PDF), so a portion of the issue is pretty well covered. Unfortunately, that sort of ordinance only works after the fact. We need to ask ourselves if we want to make incremental changes to the existing law or if we should instead start from scratch. Perhaps other communities have great laws on the books that we could largely make our own. Then again, we would probably end up spending as much time arguing about the particulars of a borrowed law as we would drafting our own anew.
Let's take these two things as given: First, nobody wants kids -- or anyone! -- to be attacked or mauled by any animal. Second, certain breeds or classes of dogs are more likely than others, relative to their proportion in the general dog population, to cause bites that result in severe injuries. So Lincolnites, what, if anything, do we do about that?
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The immediate issue is identifying the problem first, and it seems to me that the problem mainly is reckless irresponsibility on the part of the owner that leads to a lot of these attacks. I would favor greater regulations for owners, with costs passed down on owners themselves through license fees. But if it came down to it, would I pay a few cents more in property taxes to help prevent little kids from getting mauled by pitbulls? Yes I would.
Banning pit bulls does not solve the problems caused by irresponsible pet owners. It is like saying if we just banned rap music there would be no more gang violence.
I have two boxers so I understand the risks of having “potentially” dangerous dogs. My wife and I have discussed at length the pitbull issue. Is it the breed or is it the way the dog was raised? We’ve often wondered if a pitbull raised by ourselves from birth would ever attack anyone. We doubt it. But we would never take the chance and put anyone at risk.
I agree that vicious dogs need to be removed from the social setting. Eliminating the “breed” is extreme but it’s probably the only way to prevent future attacks.
“Eliminating the
I don’t want the breed eliminated. I agree with you that if you ban the dogs, people will still possess them. Just like drugs and guns and whatever.
I disagree with your statement “The problem is people who assume that their dog would never harm a child.”
The problem, in my opinion, is the deviant types who obtain a specific breed of dog and then train or abuse it until it becomes the mauling, attacking dog regardless of breed.
Unfortunately, West A Dad, it’s not just “deviant types” whose dogs attack people. For whatever it’s worth, I haven’t seen anything in the media to suggest that Lisa Burton is a “deviant type”, for example, nor that she was negligent in any way other than being unable to hold on to her leashed pup. Deviant types are part of the problem, yes, but they are not the problem.
I agree with what you’re saying Mr. Wilson.
We could debate this topic forever because I was bitten as a child and I have strong feelings about the subject.
I think its actually AT LEAST both those types of owners (and often they can be the same) that are the problem: the kind that like the idea or thrill of owning a potentially dangerous pet, and the type who just don’t think their pet is capable of harming a person.
I find the latter type of person to be more problematic because its probably the more widespread. After all, in hindsight all owners will say “I didn’t think my dog was capable of doing that” after they maul some kid. As we know, not all pitbull owners would be as vigilant or cautious as you are Andrew.
I would support requiring pit bull owners to at least undergo some form of training/education that comes with licensure for owning a breed like a pitbull, as well as ownership of high liability insurance if their dog does go on a rampage.
Bottom line, when the potential for danger is higher, I think its fair to impose higher social costs on the owner/bearer of the danger.
I was bitten as a child too (by a German Shepard) but I don’t blame the breed or the dog. I blame the stupid ass owners that got a dog because they thought it was cute or liked it or whatever and then spent zero time socializing or training it. Oh, and then they just let it loose on a backyard of sugar hyper 10 year old children at a birthday party. Great plan. I agree that some people get pit bulls specifically because they WANT an aggressive dog, but if they couldn’t do it with a pit bull, they could do it with a golden retriever too. Many dogs will become aggressive when improperly trained or worse, abused.
These was a blog post in the star city blog a bit ago that addressed this issue- the video accompanying it was telling, but has been removed since. I’ve seen lots of animals showing predatory behavior around children, and it always scares me.
http://www.starcityblog.com/2009/05/are-you-a-responsible-dog-owner.html
<i>I haven
...or banning guns would stop gun violence.
Exactly. I own a rescued pit bull and a rescued pit mix. And I go to great lengths to be a good citizen and “breed ambassador.” People who want a mean dog can make any dog mean. Those people should be held accountable. I’m doing the right thing and shouldn’t be punished.
Many cities have created dangerous dog acts that work. Calgary, Alberta is a great example, and they’ve had a decrease in dog attacks despite an increase in pit bull ownership. A lot of the better-crafted ordinances don’t just punish after the fact; they target the dogs that show warning signs as well.
Take any dog, not just a pit bull, and do the following to it: make sure it’s male and don’t alter it; keep it chained in the yard with no socialization; and beat it regularly. That’s a recipe for disaster, and one that is followed all too much by too many people, unfortunately.
“Exactly” was meant to be a reply to Beerorkid’s post…not sure how it ended up here.
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