Thursday, August 21, 2008

By gosh I think they've got it...


Banning pit bulls would be pointless because the breed does not exist
Vancouver SunPublished: Thursday, August 21, 2008

The seizure of four pit bulls reportedly involved in a series of attacks has led to renewed calls for a ban on the breed. Yet legislation banning pit bulls would be wrongheaded for many reasons, not the least of which is that there is no such breed.

When members of the public and the media speak of pit bulls, they're generally referring to mutts -- cross-bred dogs -- rather than to a breed recognized by the Canadian or American kennel clubs. Pit bulls are therefore identified not on the basis of their genetic makeup, but rather on how they look. Now, a dog's appearance is hardly a reliable indicator of its disposition, but appearance is all we will have to go on if we decide to outlaw pit bulls. That means that any such law will include many dogs that are not dangerous and exclude many dogs that are.

Indeed, dangerous dogs exist among every breed and cross-breed: The Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) studied 278 dog attacks requiring hospital admission, and found that they involved 50 different types of purebred dogs and 33 cross breeds. German shepherds were responsible for the most attacks, followed by Rottweilers and cocker spaniels.

That cocker spaniels had the dubious distinction of tying for second place shouldn't really come as a surprise, since many small dogs can be aggressive. And while dogs that people call pit bulls can inflict more damage than small breeds, small, aggressive dogs such as dachshunds have killed people.

Suffice it say, then, that banning dogs based on how they look is hardly a rational or effective way to protect adults, children or other dogs. For these reasons, many organizations, including the Canadian Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the National Companion Animal Coalition, the Canadian Safety Council and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control all oppose breed bans.

Instead, these organizations argue that our laws and policies should focus on dangerousness. Dogs that have attacked people or other dogs should be euthanized or confined, and dogs trained to attack, such as guard dogs, should similarly be confined. Significant fines, and where appropriate, criminal charges, should also be levied against the owners of dogs who attack. Of course once a dog attacks, the damage has been done, so we should work to reduce the chances of attacks occurring. Ethical and responsible breeders -- including those who breed dogs that some people call pit bulls, such as Staffordshire Bull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers -- do not breed for aggressiveness, and people who do breed or train dogs to fight should be dealt with harshly.

Confinement laws, including leash, muzzle and running at large laws, can also reduce the likelihood of attack, as can spaying and neutering. Owners should also be encouraged to ensure that their pets are properly socialized, receive proper veterinary care and complete obedience training. And people who abuse their dogs should be banned from ever owning another pet. Everyone, whether they own dogs or not, should know never to tease a dog, or to approach a strange dog, particularly if it's tethered, since it may attack out of fear. Children, especially, should be taught these things, because, as the CHIRPP studied found, children often act in ways that dogs find threatening.

This type of approach represents the best way to protect people and pets, because it requires us to focus our laws, policies and behaviours on eliminating dangerousness. And it's certainly a lot better than trying to eliminate a breed that doesn't exist.

- I could kiss the author of this letter... well done!!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That cute fluffy Golden Retriever is #4 on that CHIRPP list!

I guess all those "victims" of those alleged 'pit bulls' are too busy calling the Media to go to the Hospital for Medical Treatment.

No disrespect to the Real victims of actual bites by dogs of ALL Breeds/types.
It`s frightening to be bitten,speaking from personal experience.
Let`s hope we can get beyond blaming ANY dogs and start holding Owners responsible for those bites.
If the individual dog is truly dangerous then deal with that dog.
Dogs bite for many reasons.It doesn`t mean the dogs are dangerous.

Anonymous said...

It's funny, I have been bitten twice.

Once when I was a child by a white fluffy thing that ran out on the road, bit my foot and caused me to fall off my bike and break my wrist, and once when I was a teen by a German Sheppard who was exceptionally territorial if you can anywhere close to the vacinity of his yard.

C;est la vie. No one wants to hear these stories as they are not "sexy" enough to sell the papers.

**Editor's note: the first dog my family owned when I was growing up was guarnteed to bite anyone if they got near the car when he was in it unless it was a member of the direct family. I can remember a family friend running to the car to grab something (against warnings from my family) and a few seconds later hearing him yell as the dog had bitten his nose. (Boston Terrier)

Any dog can bite if given the right provacation.

Anonymous said...

It's funny, I have been bitten twice.

Once when I was a child by a white fluffy thing that ran out on the road, bit my foot and caused me to fall off my bike and break my wrist, and once when I was a teen by a German Sheppard who was exceptionally territorial if you can anywhere close to the vacinity of his yard.

C;est la vie. No one wants to hear these stories as they are not "sexy" enough to sell the papers.

**Editor's note: the first dog my family owned when I was growing up was guarnteed to bite anyone if they got near the car when he was in it unless it was a member of the direct family. I can remember a family friend running to the car to grab something (against warnings from my family) and a few seconds later hearing him yell as the dog had bitten his nose. (Boston Terrier)

Any dog can bite if given the right provacation.