Gee Abdul, a dog lover. Check with the communities that have banned Pit Bulls, ZERO people killed or hospitalized from dog bites.

In part right as to individual animals may not easily be judged by their breed—but, consider that for over 10,000 years man has selected and bred various “breeds” for specific use. Therefore, there are basic inherited traits consistent within breeds. While may not seem fair to judge an animal simply by its breed–it is the best “first” judgement and could legitimately be the basis of decisions on management of the animals. Same basis as treating “wild animals” such as wolves, lions, tigers, etc. as if their basic instincts can always be depended upon to be surpressed.

A very interesting thought, Abdul, but not backed up by the statistics.

There’s a wicked cultural undertone to this situation. For some reason, perhaps glorified by rap videos and similar nonsense, pit bulls have become “de rigor” for thugs.

Imitators abound.

This breed is statistically much more inclined to gnarl than love. It’s just a fact. Even if they’re provided a loving home, sometimes animals revert to instinct.

Why even chance it?

Hundreds of folks patrol our streets daily as part of their job. Utility service people, LEOs, first responders, newspaper deliverymen…if everyone kept their eyes peeled, and reported roaming dogs, or homes where aggressive dogs had poor fencing, we might trim this problem.

Obama should appoint a dog Czar.

Better yet, I hear he’s looking for a dog for the White House. He should by a pack and unleash it on Congress. Alot of problems would be solved.

I agree 100%. I have a pit bull, and I raised him with love and care, and never would think of letting him fight, and now he is a very well behaved dog without a mean bone in his body. it’s the owners, not the animals. i would be very upset if the government told me i couldn’t have my dog anymore because of the actions of other irreponsible dog abusers.

LMAO @ dog Czar and releasing the hounds on Congress!
.
I find myself in the position of completely agreeing with Think Again. I tire of hearing pit bull owners tell us how loving and caring their animals are. Yah…they are loving and caring to YOU and YOURS (and that’s debatable if the animal reverts to instinct) but can these people guarantee the animal’s lack of aggression will spill over to the poor woman walking outside her house or the little boy down the street? You can’t. They’re dangerous and visicous animals.
.
Furthermore, most personal insurance companies will either not insure a home with the breeds Abdul mentioned or insure with a surcharge. Why? Countless and highly computed data poured over by actuarials that show these type of breeds, including pit bulls, tend to bite.

Pit bulls are harmless.Anyone who who is in jail for pit bulls ought to have their sentence commuted or pardoned by Pres.Obama.

Marliyn Moores to the rescue! A political hack hired by another political hack to save the dangerous dogs that attack and kill children everyday! Remember Marilyn Moores ? former Animal Control Board Member and now a (juvenile court judge??? (what a joke) who acted like a complete A.., while ignoring the children who were attacked by Pit Bulls, was donating money to help the Pit Bulls after they were put away! These dogs kill people everyday. Let the Pit Bulls go free and put Marilyn Moores in the Dog Pound, that is where she belongs! Can you believe that anyone would make this insane woman a judge?

Daw-g, it doesn’t hurt to agree with me!

I love dogs–have two myself. Both Humane Society mutts, and both loving. I had a third, until he got mean, bit my nephew hard for no reason, and, after a few weeks of observation and help from the vet, we put him down.

Because as much as I loved this mutt, the vet and I determined that something in his genetic makeup made him overly aggressive at 8 years old.

As I get older and cranky, I’m glad no one wants to put me down. But I haven’t bitten anyone yet.

Reality: most pit bulls that end up at the dog pound are vicious killers, trained by the likes of drug dealers & those who hold dog-fighting contests. If they are not put down, just who is going to pay for the food/care? -And so we pay more taxes so liberals can feel good about themselves….

Yesterday there were announcements of at least 74,000 lay-offs from various companies across the nation, with thousands more today. In Russia, Greece, other parts of Europe, Iceland, China, and other nations, reports are showing mass rioting over failing economic conditions. Normally sane/rational people who are losing homes and who can’t eat or feed their families are being stressed beyond their limits.
.
Some towns are losing their entire economic foundation as their largest employers are shutting down. DHL in Wilmington Ohio is a perfecgt example, with 20,000 employess laid off – and a town population of 60,000. It’s “Good Night and Good Luck” for those folks. And what’s gonna happen when they start getting their eviction notices in the midst of trying to afford food and heating bills? Think “Peace Frog” by The Doors.
.
Now translate that across our largest cities as the downturn progresses.
.
So why are we talking about Pit Bulls and which of them get to live or die? Shouldn’t we be encouraging city, county, and state officials to take steps to protect people as we watch the approaching economic avalanche? Does anyone still honestly believe this will get better? How about some legislation that grants people permission to remain in their homes upon foreclosure? Or should we just sit back and wait for refugee camps to form?
.
Something needs to be done now before it’s too late. If Animal Control can find solutions for Pit Bulls, I sure as hell hope that our government can take necessary steps to help people. In Ohio, at least one US Congress member has told the people “If your property is foreclosed, just stay”. And in at least one county the sheriff has declared that he won’t evict anyone who doesn’t have a safe, permanent place to go.
.
What steps has Indianapolis taken to protect the community and to help newly unemployed from becoming homeless as a result of potential mass layoffs? What has the State done to prepare? Is something gonna be done, or are we simply gonna wait until the fairgrounds need to be filled with families while their houses sit empty?
.
It’s coming, folks. I’m glad to hear some common sense regarding dogs, but we really need to focus on common sense regarding people. When New orleans collapsed and the people were homeless, there was eventual help from the rest of the nation. That won’t be the case when this economy continues to go south. We need measures to allow people to remian under their roofs. The alternative won’t be pretty.

Or maybe pit bulls shouldn’t get adopted out to homes in certain areas of town. How come all these attacks take place in busted neighborhoods? You don’t ever hear about these attacks happening north of 56th Street. I know this would never happen, but as the played out saying goes..let’s keep it real. In a lot of cases (not all), these dogs get “adopted” by PWT and thug life wanna be’s.

u r wrong, Abdul, about pit bulls. They are bred to be innately aggressive, no holds barred killers. Most live lives never having this instinct triggered. But when they do, they destroy lives… Even a pit bull never trained to attack or starved to fight has this potential. There needs to be greater responsibility for owners who insist on having this breed…

Abdul is right – it is the owners not the animals that should be blamed. Beef-up the criminal penalties for owners whose dogs attack – regardless of the breed.

The situation is analogous to guns. There are responsible gun owners and there are irresponsible gun owners. Far more people are hurt by guns than dogs. So I suggest you start by banning guns and then we can discuss pit bulls.

In the interim, some of you folks need to remember that the internet is a wide and wonderful place full of information. Check it out and you will see that when a dog acts vicious, it is usually the result of bad handling by humans.

shorebreak: Okay, let’s assume Abdul writes about your sky-falling examples. Exactly how is that going to happen the situation? Maybe he’ll blog about it and we’ll comment about it and that’ll make it go away.

happen==help

Who says noone wants to put you down, Think Again?
You are right, however. It is not just how a dog is raised. Pit Bulls are bred these days to be aggressive. That fact, and the fact that a high percentage of these dogs are the result of in-breeding makes a Pit Bull a dangerous breed. If a child has a genetic predisposition (for Down’s Sydrome, for example), could a parent prevent the malady by raising the child right? No. Everyone has a story about a lovable Pit Bull they know. I, being a dog lover, do not believe a dog should be put down simply because it’s a Pit Bull. However, the negative inherent traits, along with a bite of roughly 2,000lb of pressure per square inch, should require strict regulations on Pit Bull ownership. It is naive to think that a person can overcome the genetic ‘defects’ simply by providing a loving home.

Maybe instead of the dogs being banned, some other restrictions should be placed on ownership of Pit Bulls….I notice, usually (not always but usually) there is more than one dog involved in these attacks. How about a one (neutered or spayed) Pit Bull per household law….One Pit period…no other dogs in the home..Enforcement might be easier than you think. Scared neighbors would most likely rat out offenders.

btw, these dogs are not just ghetto dogs, I notice plenty of rednecks with them too…

Isn’t it funny that we now use the phrase ‘put down’ when discussing the euthanizing of animals as if the animal were simply being insulted? Remember when the term ‘destroy’ was used, as if a stick of dynamite were placed in the animal’s rectum before blowing it to smithereens?

To Rico:
That sounds like a blast. I can think of some cross-bred pitbulls in our Statehouse that could use some severe animal control.

wow…the conversation took a wicked turn there…dynamite in legislators’ hind-ends.

Not that it’s a bad idea. Who gets it first? I vote for a trifecta: Murphy, Hinkle, Bauer. Bloviators on deck: Tincher, Eric Turner, Jackie W.

There will be a time for me to be put down, Rico. Trust that. No time soon, tho…

I’ll bring the Sugar Cream Pie

Thank you, Abdul, for being a sane voice. Unfortunately it appears most of your readers don’t share your sanity.

If some of those who have commented above were treated the way too many pit bulls are — beaten, abused, tortured, starved, or thrown in the midst of a fight to the death — they just MIGHT get a little mean too. THE PROBLEM IS THE OWNERS. Go after the dogfighters that are rampant in this city. They make money by making dogs vicious. Get rid of THEM, and the “dangerous dog problem” will go away too. I’d much prefer the company of one of the gentle pit bulls I know of to most of these angry, hateful readers. Doug Rae is a smart and compassionate individual; he’s not about to release dogs to people who are going to perpetuate the problem. He cares too much about the welfare of the dogs.

I am disheartened after reading so many uninformed responses in opposition to ending our city’s policy of killing pit bulls and in favor of breed specific legislation.

The fact is that pit bulls do not bite people more often than other breeds. The reason that one might be misled into thinking that pit bulls are dangerous is because some statistics lump approximately 35 different breeds into the category of “pit bull”. The truth is that the “pit bull” isn’t even a breed. Nor is it recognized by any breed registry. Housed beneath the catch-all designation “pit bull” are as many as 35 different breeds of dog including: Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Guatemalan Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs, Boxers, Bull Mastiffs, Bull Terriers, English Bulldogs, and even Labradors.

If you lump over thirty breeds of dog together as one breed and you will have what looks like a breed problem as relates to dog bites! What you’ll also have is a massive skewing of the statistical data that misleads people into thinking that pit bulls are the problem.

Interestingly however, 91% of all dog bites are perpetrated by unneutered males. So the thinking and informed person can only conclude, it is not the breed, it is whether or not a dog is neutered that is most predictive of its inclination to bite.

Silent Bob:

Please list the cities that have enacted breed restrictions and have also reported “ZERO people killed or hospitalized from dog bites”

The truth is that NOT one city which has enacted Breed restrictions has seen a significant decline in dog bites or fatal maulings.

In fact, The Netherlands recently reversed a 15 year Pit Bull ban because it didn’t work.