Oklahoma looking to propose BSL!!! :(
http://www.channeloklahoma.com/news/4636103/detail.html?subid=22100424&qs=1;bp=t
MOORE, Okla. -- In the wake of an attack that severed the arm of a 3-year-old boy, an Oklahoma City-area lawmaker said Tuesday that he would propose legislation to ban the American pit bull terrier breed in the state.
Please, visit the link and vote NO and also stay tuned for petitions and addresses of who to contact to get this straightened out!
posted by Guitartists at 3:31 PM
4 Comments:
To doom a breed based on the actions of a very small percentage of the dogs would result in not only the end of the Pit Bull breed(American Pit Bull Terrier 83.4% passed the temperment tests) .... but also of Afghan Hound 72%, Airdale 76.5%, Akita 72.9%, American Bulldog 81.9%, American Eskimo 82.7%, Australian Cattle Dog 76.4%, Basenji 66%, Beagle 78.2%, Bearded Collie 53.5%, Bloodhound 71.9%, Border Collie 79.6%, Cardigan Welsh Corgi 76.8%, Chihuahua 70.6%, Shar-pi 69.7%, Cocker Spaniel 81.5%, Collie 79%, Dalmation 81.4%, Doberman 76.5%, English Setter 73.7%, Great Dane 78.6%, Greyhound 80% & MANY more! The Golden Retriever only passed by 83.6% one tenth of a point better than than Pit Bull.
Some other facts to consider...
Mixed breeds and not pure bred dogs are the type of dog most often involved in inflicting bites to people. The pure-bred dogs most often involved are German shepherds and Chow chows.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document that a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog. Which means that if more laws were put into place requiring people to house their dogs inside or in kennels, there would certainly be fewer dog bites. When a dog is left on a chain it becomes mentally unstable. It is unfortunate that many of your junkyard dogs are typically power breeds/mixes.
It is the instinct of any dog to bite. What has made it difficult for the Pit Bull to recover from the propaganda is the stigma attached due to dog fighting.
The Pit Bull is a breed that wants nothing more than to please their owners...so when people use them for illegal practices, they excel at what they are made to do. It is unfortunate for the breed that they are such good dogs :(
I agree about breeding regulations...for ALL breeds! Every popular breed in the world has suffered at the hands of bad & backyard breeding. Health defects, strained temperments & little to no ethics :(
But you cannot ban the further breeding of a dog breed based on the actions of the few. You can help restore the breed's good public image (see http://www.geocities.com/no1conners/positivelypit.html) by inacting laws and regulations that prohibit backyard breeding and illegal use of dogs. You can do even more to help lower dog bites/attacks by being firmer on dog ownership laws, putting laws into place that make chaining a dog as a living arrangement illegal and by making dog fighting a felony in EVERY state..and actually enforcing it!
And most importantly.... the most common thing that people overlook, is that in the event that Pit Bulls are wiped off of the planet... it will only be a matter of time before the real monsters, HUMANS, find the next breed to use for their own sick amusement, to make a quick buck with improper breeding, and to turn against in an attempt to have a Demon that can be vanquished, thereby making all of humankind feel falsly secure.
Pit Bulls are not the monster, people are. :( If you do away with the breed.... breed after breed after breed will fall victim in their wake.
Also...More often than not.... the dogs you hear about in these news articles are mixed breeds or breeds that simply LOOK like pit bulls. It is unfortunate that the term "Pit Bull" is thrown around so loosely.
You can play the game Find the Pit Bull here
http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v3.html
See how well you can identify a Pit Bull. And then, when you DO suceed, compare your intelligence and reasoning skills to all the other people you have met in life. And think about how the average person would do.
I have thought about sponsorship.... but aside from Google ads (which I may or may not endorse) I have not found too many things in regards to pits that would seem appropriate and or endorsable. I've tried to stay away from ads.
As to the temperment issue.... genetically speaking, I have heard mixed answers....
Some say that it is genetic and cannot be avoided.. that they have a natural tendency to have a strong small prey drive (which I don't of many dogs that DON'T) and are naturally dog aggresive and that they cannot be trusted after maturity. However, one must bear in mind that these statements come from those who are AGAINST Pit Bulls.
The other opinion is that they are not genetically dictated to be aggresive, that it is a STRICTLY learned trait, except for in the instance of bad breeding. Bad breeding however can have many ill effects on ANY breed. And that they are merely gaining a bad reputation due to bad publicity. Bear in mind that these statements come mainly from the side that is out to clear the name of the Pit Bull.
I fall in the middle.... I believe that due to much bad breeding/handling of Pit Bulls... that there may very well be many out there with unstable temperments. However! This does not mean that all pits are bad dogs...FAR from the truth! I have found that most are lovable, trustworthy, gentle, affectionate and loyal companions. Some may have a more solitary personality, like certain dogs of other breeds, and be best suited for homes where they have no competition for attention.... but most are just big wiggle-butt people lovers! :D
So, to ban Pit Bulls is to take a step in the direction that so many of us have fought so hard to avoid... the direction that takes away the rights of the honest, fair and law abiding citizen! Ban dog fighting, ban back-yard breeding, ban chaining dogs up for their lives... control the problems that are resulting in bad tempermented animals... this includes Rotts, German Shepards, Retrievers, Dalmations, Cocker Spaniels and many more. The problem is not any one particular breed. The problem is the fact that people are breeding dogs that shouldn't be breed for health and temperment reasons.
When a backyard breeder has a dog that ehibits bad traits, whether mental or physical, this does NOT stop this person from breeding the animal. The result is even MORE of the same problem :( It is so very unfortunate! With all of the strays and displaced pets across the globe that need homes and care.... it is insane that ANYONE should continue to breed their animals with no breeding knowledge, no standards, no control and no way to guarantee homes. All just to turn a quick buck :( This is the root of the Pit Bull problem. Prior to the problems with dog fighters and people mis-using the Pit Bull...it was one of our nation's most beloved and honored breeds! There is no reason that with some attention to the right problems, some common sense laws and putting a stop to sensationalized stories about Pits, that we cannot return them to their former glory!
My Uncle has a HUGE Golden Retreiver that he bought from a backyard breeder. Not only does the dog display unwanted mental characteristics, he has become increasingly more protective of their house and has even attacked their own daughter. They chose to keep the dog because they love him and hope it will not happen again now that he is older. But the point I am making is this.... ANY large dog, especially power breeds, have the ability to cause increased damage when they attack someone. So, I understand where people are coming from on that. But that is why not everyone should own a Pit, or a Rott, or a Mastiff or a German Shepard. Some people shouldn't even own dogs PERIOD! And while I realize that you will never be able to control the problem 100%... thru education and raised awareness, plus well thought out and well placed laws, you can make a HUGE difference!
Late last night I was throwing about these posts... and it occurred to me that it is much akin to the gun issue. Many people who don't like guns will say and do anything to prove their point...and many FOR guns will equally act insane in their defense. Yes, guns can and do kill people... but they are also a good defense in a time of extreme circumstance, they are used for hunting and recreation and in the right hands are safe and fine to have. But, put into the wrong hands..they becaome a weapon and something for the media to sensationalize... a war to be fought to make the people feel like they are doing something to better the world. But if we were to make it illegal for ANYONE to own firearms... guess what? Only the criminals would then have access to them.
Banning Pit Bulls will only insure that the only pit bulls left in this country will be violent, angry, mistreated, misbred, illegally bred, purchased and owned dogs. They will then truly become a force to be reckoned with. Banning them achieves NOTHING in the long run... it only gives a false sense of security. And what then... what happens when you ban the "Bad" Dogs... do people stop using common sense around the "Good" breeds? We have already witnessed the death of a child by a pomeranian because the parents never stopped to consider that a dog is STILL a dog! And that's what it boils down to.... Dogs are dogs.. tracing their bloodlines back to wolves and coyotes. Somewhere in their brains lies the primal urges and instincts that make them revert occassionally. There is no Safe dog... only good owners.
It's like I tell my Kids.... "If you would spend even a FRACTION of the time that you do fighting a futile battle, and put all of that energy toward something good and constructive... you might actually achieve something"
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