Dog attacks

[skpaw]

Over the last few years more and more fatal dog attacks have been in the news. A 6 year old girl was killed by the families two pitbulls a couple months ago. A 12 year old boy was killed recently in CA by the family pitbull.

What do you think of the proposed laws to limit ownership of these dogs (not allow them in some cities)?

I have been attacked by large dogs and I know they can be a real problem when allowed to run loose. I want the stories of dead kids to stop.

[gemini9961]

I think they should be limited to responsible owners only. Any breed can attack, pits always get a bad rap though. I have seen many on here that would not hurt a fly, so it all comes down to the owner in my opinion. Some breeds need an owner who is a little more experienced.

[finn's mom]

I think regulations could be put into place. Obviously, breeding should be restricted, i.e. spaying and neutering for all animals that aren't bred by licensed, educated breeders. I also think that it's ridiculous to ban a breed entirely. Guns aren't banned, and, they kill far more people than dogs do. It's more bad breeding, I think, even, than bad ownership. But, stupid people raising their dogs to be vicious, are definitely only making the situation worse for everyone involved. Outlawing a breed is only going to make it so that outlaws own the breed.

[Kfamr]

Stories of dead kids will stop when people stop being so stupid and irresponsible.

Pit Bulls are wonderful dogs, my favorite breed, when properly trained, raised, socialized, and when in hands of responsible owners. Unfortunately, the media is incapable of reporting good stories.

[finn's mom]

Originally posted by skpaw
Over the last few years more and more fatal dog attacks have been in the news.

And, keep in mind how the media works, too. They are going to put on the news what the majority of viewers want to see. Regardless of what actually might be going on out there in the world, the reporters have a quota to meet, and, they forsake a lot of other situations that are happening, in order to get a story they know will be shocking. News is trendy, really. If the big thing is hearing about razor blades in apples, you're going to see every possible story they can find about kids being injured while eating halloween candy. (remember that whole thing years ago?!) I'd be willing to bet that if you were able to really get ahold of some actual statistics, or even just local humane society reports, emergency room reports, etc...that you would probably be surprised at how many dog bites or attacks come from breeds that aren't labeled vicious. I had a friend that worked with animal control, and, she said she was bitten by more cocker spaniels than any other breed, and, she'd never been bitten by any of the large, "vicious" breeds (like rotties, pits, dobies, etc). And, I am not saying (and she wasn't, either) that cockers are vicious or that they bite more than any other breed. But, in her experience, the medium and smaller breeds were more likely to bite her than bigger breeds. But, the majority of the public don't want to hear about a cocker spaniel or a golden retriever or lab or poodle attacking someone. They want to hear about the pit bull, because that's what's trendy to be afraid of right now. (It used to be German Shepherds, Dobies, etc.) Anyway, my point is that you can't really gather accurate information on how many dog attacks are taking place solely based on your nightly news program.

EDITED: And, even if certain crimes are on a decrease from years past, if you see it over and over on the news, it's going to look like that particular crime has increased. Does that make sense?

[Bigyummydog]

I've only been "attacked" by small dogs. One did bite me. The other missed because I saw her coming. I won't say what breeds because I don't want to offend anyone. I don't hold it
against either breed. I would hold it against the owner. Besides,
small dog attacks, don't sell newspapers, or make the news.

[gemini9961]

Originally posted by Bigyummydog
I've only been "attacked" by small dogs. One did bite me. The other missed because I saw her coming. I won't say what breeds because I don't want to offend anyone. I don't hold it
against either breed. I would hold it against the owner. Besides,
small dog attacks, don't sell newspapers, or make the news.

I agree with you. Small dogs do not make the news. They only report about large dogs that attack people. It's so sad how large dogs get such a bad rap, it's not their fault.

[Ginger's Mom]

Originally posted by Bigyummydog
Besides,
small dog attacks, don't sell newspapers, or make the news.

Small dog attacks don't end in death, I am sure if it did it would be in the paper.

However, I do not agree with banning any dog. I don't know what can be done to ensure that everyone who owns a dog is responsible and compatible with the breed they bring into their home.

[senorita02]

I do NOT agree with banning any breed, however i DO agree with banning people from owning certain breeds, some larger breed dogs need only to go to owners with experience with that breed or another larger breed dog, it takes a LOT of training dedication and love to raise them, and in the wrong hands yes it can be deadly, they should screen people and also have them checked on making sure all dogs have good loving homes.

[elizabethann]

I love Pit Bulls but if I don't know the Pit Bull, I have to admit, I get VERY nervous. I've had Pit Bulls play with my 20lb terrier mutt at the dog park and they were fine. However, there is a Pit Bull at the dog park that has been aggressive toward big and small dogs so I won't bring my dog in if I see it there. I blame the owner for this aggressive Pit Bull because he is such an ignorant, uneducated fool who just stands there when his dog is aggressive to other animals. I've yelled at this creep before in the past about his stupidity but because he's so stupid, he just swore at me.

It all comes down to the owner. Some people really shouldn't own a dog (Pit Bull or even a 20lb terrier mutt). If you can't train your dog or have control over it, you need to get a fish. These are probably the same people who shouldn't have children either.

[cyber-sibes]

I do NOT agree with banning any breed, however i DO agree with banning people from owning certain breeds

To put it another way...... "I do not agree with banning any breed, however I do agree with banning CERTAIN people from owning certain breeds"
Anyone whose dog has been involved in serious attacks, whether on dogs or people, should NOT be allowed to own another dog, until they've gone through training and an evaluation. I know you can't enforce something like this, but wouldn't it be a good idea?
And if that person is involved in multiple attacks, like any other criminal they should not be allowed to own their "weapon" of choice. Fewer idiot dog owners would help curtail the problem.

[lv4dogs]

I agree with everything that was already said.

The breed itself is not bad it's the:
breeders that keep breeding such poor examples.
owners that don't know how to trian/control their dog.
stupid greedy people who train them to fight for money & fun.

I worked as a vet assistant for 5 years and was an intern for 2 years prior to that, I also volunteered at a few local shelters & assisted with obedience, agility & behavioral. I can't count the times that I have been bit by a pit bull or any other "bully breed" because I have never been bit by such a dog. I have however been bit by 2 different yellow labs and TONS of small/toy dogs.
All of the poeple that I have worked & volunteered with had about the same experience. We would all get bit WAY more often by small breeds than large breeds.


Cyber-sibes: That is one heck of an idea, I've been thinking about it for years!

[Daisy and Delilah]

Do we ever hear the part of the story that describes how the dog was provoked to initiate the attack? I don't ever remember hearing that portion. I agree with the others who believe that these attacks/deaths will stop when people become more responsible. I am personally very disgusted of the way the media sensationalizes these attacks just for the drama without really knowing or caring what the actual story was. Banning certain breeds is utterly ridiculous and not a sensible solution. Banning certain people from owning these breeds is a wonderful idea. As a matter of fact, I think some people should be banned from owning ANY breed of dog period!! Why do the animals ALWAYS get blamed for everything, but the humans never seem to have been held accountable for any of their actions? This is a very serious situation in this world and someone with good common sense should take charge to improve it. As soon as this happens, maybe kid's deaths will stop.

[IRescue452]

I got attacked by a hound/shepherd mix as a kid, a doxie severly bit my hand, my mom's cocker spaniel tore into me once,and currently the little skye terrier mix next door tries to bite me each time I ever so kindly rescue it from the road and take it home.
The first one was not my fault because the dog was running loose and didn't like any kids. The last three were my fault for bothering the dogs. I think dog owners should be educated and aware of their dogs and children should be more disciplined today. Other countries don't have very many dog bite cases at all because they don't have the overbreeding / overpopulation / irresponsible owners we have in the U.S.
I think it should be illegal to breed and sell dogs without proper licensing and we should crack down on this majorly. Not until we control the people selling the dogs will we be able to control the owners and dogs themselves.

[cali]

I did a presentation on this just the other day, what I found in my research was that while its the pit bull attacks that are covered by the media, many times these dogs were NOT pitties, when I read a lot of storys half the dogs were actually LAB mixes, and one turned out to be a dachshund and one a dalmation mix lol that and there has been 49 serious non pit bull attacks in the last 2 months alone, such as the toy poodle that ripped off a little girls face, and the pomeranian that was declaired a dangerous dog, a golden retr. that attacked a mom and child, and a lot of bull mastiff attacks and Lab attacks, and the sringer spanial attack, 2 labs and a chow attacked a woman etc.. the media also does not include the story behind the attacks, example, the familitys pitties attacked a kid. the story behind it:

-the male was intact
-the female was in season
-they had been kept locked away in the basment with no human contact
-they were malnourished
-the female hhad been previously shot and had a bullet in her groin.