Extremely disappointed in the government and our large breed dog owners in Florida

[Indigo Bully Connection]

I'm extremely disappointed in the Pit Bull/Large Breed dog community today. Not only did 15 opposers show up including ourselves, but the most of the speakers that represented us as a community spoke ignorantly. Obviously the catch phrase "punish the deed not the breed" was inserted in everyones speach... but these fools wanted to blame chaining and training dogs to be vicious. The senators were so misinformed with their facts... by the time they got to a lady who knew what the heck she was talking about they were irritated and rushed her. One senator through out the 1000 psi bite "statistic" in comparrison to a chihuahua arguement... most of the senators sat there and smiled and chuckled to themselves in a mocking manor at these people... ignorant or not, they deserved to be heard and respected. This is bad news Florida... bad news. I called my vets office to warn them about it being passed, to let them know that the Senator who proposed the bill is right out of Duval County who stated clearly many times before the bill was disgussed "We are talking about PIT BULLS, not any other breed but PIT BULLS". (the vets office was still ignorant enough to think they are safe because they all live in the neighboring county, Clay County) Later to be able to fall back on the vagueness of the bill that was proposed which didn't specify a particular breed. I could go on and on about how we as a community failed our dogs, as well as how our government has failed us.

I cannot count how many times they scoffed/complained about the influx of emails and telephone calls that were placed because of this bill. That is not enough people, it's time to get off your butt infront of that computer and down to the government agencies... get one on one.

These senators were throwing out recent media coverage about pit bull attacks. One that I know in particular was about the 3 year old little girl in Ocala, Florida who was attacked by a "pit bull"... in reality it was an attack from an American Bulldog.


Also, I kinda lost count with all of the "yes" votes, but I do know I counted at least 4 "Nos"

The concept that people seem to not grasp is that... it's only my dogs first, and then comes the rest of the population of dogs over 35 pounds. With this bill now that it has been passed with it's vagueness is a sure fire catch .22 for all of us pet owners.

IDK what the next step is for us to do... I just know something needs to be done. While I was there I had the pleasure of meeting Ernest Sims from the Detroit Lions who is completely on our side and is willing to fight the big fight along side of us, but the question still lies... where do we go from here? I'm coming to you guys for help/suggestions on where to begin. As a Floridian I've never had to face the reality that it can and will happen to us until this week... even then... being in communities like this... it still didn't pertain to ME ya know? I'm ready and motivated to do what needs to be done reguardless of the sacrifice.

[IRescue452]

Sorry to hear. Did anybody mention that golden retrievers are in third place for bite cases while pitties are in 14th?

[Indigo Bully Connection]

No, no one mentioned that. The only remedial comparisson that came up time and time again was a Chi vs. a pit bull... my big arguement about all of that is... when a pit bull is bred to type, there is zero tollerance for human aggression reguardless of the circumstances. A pit bull has been bred specifically to be human friendly for hundreds of years because of the necessary hands on activity which has to be done durring the old days in the box. Any pit bull who shows human aggression is what we call a Cull and one of two things need to be done with that dog... 1) put down by a licsensed veterinarian or 2) spayed/neutered to remove that trait from the gene pool and kept from any opportunity to bite a person.

This really is bigger than just my kind of dogs, it's a lot of peoples types of dogs on the line especially since the vagueness of the verbage in the bill.

[Suki Wingy]

I generally like to step back and stay out of the way when it come to politics but it's times like these that really make me angry because it's as if people know they're being ignorant but they just don't care to actually try and understand the facts in any case. In school I wrote a research paper on why breed specific legislation in any form just is not practical and there is no way anyone can unbiasedly look at the research and still think it's a good idea. This is coming from someone who finds it really hard to "take sides" or throw myself into any cause to thoroughly.

[kokopup]

I am neither for or against Pit bull terriers as a breed but the statistic on deaths
and maiming for them is not good. Dog bites are the number one reason people go to emergency rooms. The fact is any dog will bite if having a bad day or is bothered while eating or sleeping. The facts are also there that show when a Pit bull or Rotty has a bad day some one is maned or killed. Read the statistics by breed. http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Atta...%20Clifton.pdf

I think there were just a few more Pit Bull Maiming and deaths than Golden Retrievers.

[CountryWolf07]

I am neither for or against Pit bull terriers as a breed but the statistic on deaths
and maiming for them is not good. Dog bites are the number one reason people go to emergency rooms. The fact is any dog will bite if having a bad day or is bothered while eating or sleeping. The facts are also there that show when a Pit bull or Rotty has a bad day some one is maned or killed. Read the statistics by breed. http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Atta...%20Clifton.pdf

I think there were just a few more Pit Bull Maiming and deaths than Golden Retrievers.

Agreed. I have nothing against Pit Bulls either, I know they are wonderful dogs, it's just too many people in this world who have raised them to be 'viewed' as "mean" dogs, really.
And I have to say, I did NOT know that fact about Golden Retrievers.. interesting.

[IRescue452]

A pit bulls bite force is also no more than 235psi. There are no domestic dogs whose bite is more than 350 psi. I think some people are accidentally using the measurement in newtons if they are in the thousands.

[kokopup]

IRescue452

A pit bulls bite force is also no more than 235psi. There are no domestic dogs whose bite is more than 350 psi. I think some people are accidentally using the measurement in newtons if they are in the thousands.

I don't think the issue here is how much force there is in a Pit Bull bite. The issue is that they maim and kill more people than any breed and they are not predictable. Read the full writeup in the link :http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Atta...%20Clifton.pdf

[Alysser]

IRescue452


I don't think the issue here is how much force there is in a Pit Bull bite. The issue is that they maim and kill more people than any breed and they are not predictable. Read the full writeup in the link :http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Atta...%20Clifton.pdf

The fact that they're "not predictable" is complete BS, seriously you actually believe that? I've been around both small dogs and Pitbulls (I volunteer at a shelter) and I feel much safer in a cage with a most of the Pitbulls then some of those small dogs - some of the smaller dogs are absolutely psycho. I will never ever believe that a Pitbull is more unpredictable then any other breed of dog, because that's simply just not true. Granted, there are dogs who are unpredictable than any other dog, and I am sure some of them are pitbulls, but these dogs are in every breed. That's completely unjustified to say, that the entire breed is not predictable. Put similar variables in a situation with different breeds, they'll all become slightly less predictable.

[kokopup]

Alysser

The fact that they're "not predictable" is complete BS, seriously you actually believe that? I've been around both small dogs and Pitbulls (I volunteer at a shelter) and I feel much safer in a cage with a most of the Pitbulls then some of those small dogs - some of the smaller dogs are absolutely psycho. I will never ever believe that a Pitbull is more unpredictable then any other breed of dog, because that's simply just not true. Granted, there are dogs who are unpredictable than any other dog, and I am sure some of them are pitbulls, but these dogs are in every breed. That's completely unjustified to say, that the entire breed is not predictable. Put similar variables in a situation with different breeds, they'll all become slightly less predictable.

I agree that many dogs are unpredictable. i will not turn my back on my sons Chihuahua and i see it every day. There are many small dogs that I trust less than a PIt Bull. Without going in detail , I also have first hand experience with the predictablity of the APBT.

When I say unpredictable I am talking about having a pattern that tells you that the dog is dangerous. Most states have a one bite law that allows one bite before the dog is put down on the second bite. Unfortunately with the APBT the first bit is one of maiming or killing in two thirds of the documented cases. In these cases the dog had no prior history of being aggressive.

If you have a small high strung dog and a child rushes up and pets the dog, there is a very good chance that the child will be bitten. This dog is predictable and the owner has a responsibility to protect the child in how the dog is approached. I know most children rush in while the adult will usually ask if it is ok to pet your dog. With my dog Koko I would be up a creek if she was a biter because she is a kid magnet. Now I would say she is unpredictable if one day for no reason she attacked one of the kids that approached her. This is exactly the behavior that this study documented. where in two thirds of APBT attacks occur with no prior history.

I have documented proof with the sheriff that in addition to people they also kill or maim other dogs or farm animals.

[IRescue452]

The majority of dog bites are from family pets. None of those cases are predictable. I actually think a pit bite is more predictable because people are a little more cautios around them. You get bit by a labrador and I guarentee you'll be surprised they have teeth that work. A beloved family pet of any breed is much less predictable because you don't expect them to bite.

[kokopup]

IRescue452

The majority of dog bites are from family pets. None of those cases are predictable. I actually think a pit bite is more predictable because people are a little more cautios around them. You get bit by a labrador and I guarentee you'll be surprised they have teeth that work. A beloved family pet of any breed is much less predictable because you don't expect them to bite.

What you say is very true, that most dog bits are from family pets and I imagine some of the more social dogs are involved. Dog bite is the first single thing that is treated in the emergency room. There are literally thousands of cases every year. It the majority of cases there is a simple puncture or abrasion. The only cases that are closely documented is where a maiming or death is involved. If you look at overall statistics the majority of ALL bites are done by an over reactive family pet. I know that a Labrador and Golden both have very sharp teeth that could inflict much pain. I have to pry Koko mouth open every day to administer medicine. I have had her growl at
me because I disturbed her sleep of she percieved I was getting her food. I
knew that I should not proceed because she said NO with her growl. Kids get
bitten by the family pet because they do not take that NO seriously. There
would probably be more Retriever bits that any other mainly because they are the most popular family pet. A simple nip from a lab can inflict enough damage to require a EM visit. The problem with the APBT is either the No
is not given or not understood and the APBT doesn't settle for a simple nip.
They maim or Kill over 30 a year now in the US and Canada. That is Up from
just ten years ago.

And restate your Barons Quote

"There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion."

Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton

[Indigo Bully Connection]

Won't settle for a simple nip??? tell that to my finger yesterday when i got a cut as big as a hang nail because my girl was too excited for a treat hahah...

ANYWAYS, back on topic.... this is not just about Pit Bulls... love em... hate em... I couldn't give a care less! Not too long ago the American Pit Bull Terrier was the mascott of this country, not the Bald Eagle... the APBT. This is about all medium/large breed dogs. Like I said before... yes, it's my dogs first, then labs, corgis, collies, huskies and only the Lord knows what else someone in the United States of America will find to complain about next.

With this all set aside... breeds and such jibber jabber... do you guys honestly feel that it is right to take away my rights as to which type of dog I own as an United States citizen? I know I would never ever evvvver say that was the right thing to do if the roles were reversed... and trust me... one day it will be.

EDIT: I have one, and am in the process of getting three more of my dogs their CGC's so that when and if this becomes law in my county my dogs don't get put down for being just another happy dog.

Have you guys seen the photos from the Denver Pit Bull Ban?

[Lady's Human]

Not too long ago the American Pit Bull Terrier was the mascott of this country, not the Bald Eagle... the APBT.

When exactly was this?

[Indigo Bully Connection]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergeant_Stubby

http://hubpages.com/hub/Famous_Pit_Bulls

Before my time with the dogs, but they have not always been stigmatized like this.