Petition - Pitbulls

Help stop the banning of Pitbulls in Ontario

http://www.petitiononline.com/newban2/petition.html

 

Never! There are those who love pitbulls.

There are those who breed them to fight and are just generally horrible to them.

Guess which one owns by far the most amount of pitbulls.

I looked at the petition, I doubt that it's yours or anything but if you're big on this issue maybe check out the laws on petitions.. In order to be legally recognised sometimes they need to only be signed by actual voters with a name and address, things like that, it changes from place to place. So yeah, maybe check out if it'll actually be accepted as legit.

 

I've heard that pit bull bans are only put in place in cities or places with a large amount of pit fighting - is that true?

 

You can't ban all things that are dangerous. That's my main argument. There are so many rules. It just makes people go underground to break them. Where do we draw the line?

From what I've read this ban is not just for pitbulls it's for all bull dogs and it also gives police the right to enter anybody's property if the neighbour complains about the dog. They also have the right to shoot the dog if it "appears" agressive. Many breeds of dogs are protective of their property. They shouldn't be shot for that.

People also have pitbulls for "junkyard" dogs. IE to protect property... I see this a lot more than pit fighting. Actually, I've never seen pit fighting or even heard about it in the areas that I've lived.

Maybe dobermans and rotweillers should be banned next. Or maybe German shephards if they get bad publicity. My pitbull only has issues with other unneutered males. He loves everyone else. I hate the thought of someone walking into my house and shooting him because my neighbour has a grude against me.

That petition has the option of adding your address and stuff if you want to.

I don't care if you sign or not. It's personal choice. I just know there are a lot of pit supporters here and I put the petition up for them.

Saje

"Crawford doesn't believe a pit bull ban would work because it would be too breed-specific and not address the crux of the problem: the failure of breeders and owners to socialize their dogs early in their lives, to provide proper veterinary care and to get them spayed or neutered."
- Press Reporter 2004-09-11

 

Pitbulls are naturally aggressive, they were bred to fight for and 'defend' owners.. In NZ we've had a couple of tragedies where pitbulls who hadn't shown a glimmer of violence before randomly attacked children and adults for no reason.

No other type of dog has been bred to be instinctively aggressive, you can't train it out of them, and this is why they're targeted. Other aggressive dogs like dobermans and pointers and german shepherds (?? I'll take your word for that!) are either hunting dogs (not hunting humans or other dogs, hunting game) or are very protective of their owners, so unless they're actually trained to be, most aren't aggressive.

I'm against pitbulls because the initial point of them was for fighting, violent dogs. It's horrible. Any type of dog which is specifically bred to fight should be banned in my view, I don't see the point in spending quite a bit of money to get your hands on one unless you want it to be aggressive. Other dogs can be just as aggressive, but this is usually because of owners, and so no, we shouldn't ban types of dogs because of a couple of owners. In my head I draw the line where the dog is bought because of its reputation to be aggressive. It's not the dog's fault, it's the peoples, but its the only way to regulate this stuff.

 

I don't care what anyone says, any dog is as good as their owners are. You can teach almost any dog to be mean if you wanted to. The thing about Pitbulls and other big dogs like Rotweillers is when they do attack it is blown up all over the news and papers. There are many times that people and kids have been attacked by small dogs, its just not blown up in the news. And with Pitbulls there are different blood lines. You can not sterotype ALL Pitbulls to be aggressive. I have a Pitbull (Harley) and he is the mushiest dog I know. He doesn't have a mean streak in him. But he is also from a very good blood line. His father was from Ecador and he was the #2 showdog in the country. Also Strafordshire Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier all come from different blood lines. The nickname "Pit Bull" is used to cover all the bloodlines.

I'm trying to attach a pic of Harley, I already have it saved because I posted it in another thread so how do I post it in here?

 

i can see both sides of the issue, but the thing is.... every time you see another article on a pitbull attack in the papers (once a week usually..), the owner is always like, "he's never bit someone before! he's such a sweet docile dog, i swear!" etc.
i mean, sure, the dog's mushy around his owner, but then the next day he spazzes out when some little kid's too close to the yard and then what?

 

But that could happen with any dog if the owners abuse it. Why does it just have to be pitbulls. People always say things but they've never done the research on it. Its a typical stereotype. Unless someone is an expert on this issue and has a Pitbull no one will understand. Also dogs like that are extreamly loyal to their owners. What about all the times that having a dog like that has saved someone from burglery, rape or even something worse.

 

I did not "buy" my pitbull for fighting. I have him because he is a loving, playful dog. He gets along with all of my animals and when my bf is away he is very protective of me. He seems to know when I'm home alone. When my bf is here is sleeps like the dead but when he's away he's up at every sound, patrols the house and comes back to sleep.

My girl friend has her dog for the same reason. She's a pitbull rotweillerX and is the sweetest dog. She doesn't like the competition of other girl dogs though. But she loves her favourite toys and even knows how to "clean up."

Pitbulls have, sadly, been used for dog fighting. They are far from the only breed used for this. Pitbulls orginated from bulldogs and terriers and have been around in one form or another for centuries although they weren't an official breed until recently. In England the breed became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terriers and when it came to the U.S. it became the American Pit Bull Terrier.

These are the breeds of dogs originally bred as fighting dogs:
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Bull Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Tosa Inu
American Pit Bull Terrier
Akita Inu
Sharpei
Dogue de Bordeaux
Kerry Blue Terrier
Fila Brasileiro
Ca de Bou
Presa Canario
Alano Espa–ol
Bulldog (see bulldog breeds)
Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Dogo Argentino
Swinford Bandog*

You tell their owners that their pets shouldn't exist.

Pitbulls are used for other for lots of other tasks other than fighting. Their biggest trait is their dedication or "bull"headedness. Which is why they were good at dog fighting as well as protecting the home.
"This is how the public saw the pitbull before it got negative media:
In America, the Pit Bull flourished. It was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a wide variety of people. The Pit Bull was used to represent the US in WW1 artwork; popular companies like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Company used the breed as their mascots. A Pit Bull named Petie starred in the popular children's television series, Our Gang; a Pit Bull mix named Stubby became a decorated WW1 hero. Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer familes on their explorations. Laura Ingalls Wilder of the popular Little House books owned a working Pit Bulldog named Jack. Famous individuals like Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller owned the breed. It was during this time that the Pit Bull truly became America?s sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved."

"Pit Bulls are employed as police/armed services dogs, search and rescuers, therapy animals, and livestock workers."

I'm sure you've never had a pitbull so you wouldn't have any reason to research them. That's ok. Before I got mine I didn't know much about them except what I read in the paper. I just happene to believe that nurture plays a large role and that nature is not the only factor. Since getting my pit I have talked to a lot of other pit owners in person and TONS of happy owners on the web who are trying to quell the bad reputation they have now. I hope that you will look into it more.

I could go on and on about this. Obviously. But I've said enough - for now.

Saje

 

My Mikey - trying to figure out what a camera is:

 

Awww Mikey is so cute! I PM'd you back but I'm still trying to figure out the whole picture thing.

 

Mikey is cute! I love pit bull faces
I cared for one over the summer once....I was a stranger to the home and he barked at me for all of a couple of minutes and that same night he was sleeping with me in my bed. He was the sweetest, most devoted dog I have ever known and I cried when I had to leave him. When I have room, one day, I look foward to having my own.

 

They are pretty sweet but sadly misunderstood.

 

You're probably right, they are misunderstood. Mickey looks sweet as can be. And I truely hope not to offend you or any other responsible pitbull owners, but...

I realize its not the breed that matters, its the way the dog is raised. I probably even agree that a ban on a particular breed is probably kind of silly. But i also understand why there such bans, and have to admit that i'm not opposed to them. Not necessarily for them, but not against either. There is a perception (i'm not saying its fair or not) that many people who have pitbulls have them for the wrong reason, and the dogs end up being violent. I have a personal story that gave me this perception. When I lived in Houston I had some neighbors who bred pitbulls for fighting. Well, they'd breed them and get rid of the puppies pretty quickly, so I can't really say that they bred them for fighting. But they did train their adult dogs for fighting. And, yes, there is dog fighting in Houston. One day while i was at work their dogs broke through the fence and tore my dog up. From what neighbors told me, this pack of dogs bit and tore at my dog for about 2 hours before animal control got there. My dog (she was 11 at the time) almost died. It cost me over $2500 to put her back together. The neighbors never apologized or gave me a penny. When I threatened to sue the landlord, the neighbors just disappeared. The one good thing is that all the other neighbors were happy that these people left, and my dog was almost like a neighborhood hero. The thing is that these are the kinds of stories you hear about pitbulls. I don't know what a "typical" pitbull breeder is like, but I think there's a perception out there that pitbulls are associated with people like those neighbors. Again, I do realize that you can't blame it on the breed. And I don't mean to offend any of the responsible pitbull fans. I just wanted to give my point of view of why these bans get put into place. Its really a shame that this breed has become associated with that kind of an image.

 

Ahhh. I'm really sorry that happened to your dog. Is he ok now? You should post pics. I love pics.

They should ban all breeds used for fighting then. Or find a different way to stop dog fighting.

I think it's kind of like drunk driving - it kills. They don't ban alcohol, they ban drunk driving. It's irresponsible people who drive drunk and it's irresponsible who breed dogs for fighting. I hate people like that.

Maybe there's no perfect solution.

Saje

 

Probably not. There will always be irresponsible or flat out mean people that have dogs. And if there weren't any pitbulls, they'd just get another breed. Unfortunately for the breed, a lot of people who are violent or into the whole machismo image often choose pitbulls over other breeds.

Thanks. This happened over 4 years ago. She was 11 years old when it happened, but still acted like a youthful dog. She did recover and went on to live for 3 more years, but never regained any of that youthfulness she had before the atttack. I have some funny (well, funny in a sad, pathetic sort of way) before and after pictures that I'll post if i get around a scanner anytime soon. Here's an old picture of her and her sister. The dog in the story is the one on the right.

 

What pretty girls! They look so much alike. I love their faces.

They look well-behaved too.

 

I'm really sorry, but it's historical fact that the breed pitbull came about through years of cross breeding to create a 'perfect' fighting dog..I'm not saying all pitbulls are bad but it's like a duck to water for pitbulls and fighting, it comes naturally and of course a lot is about training and the environment but it's naturally in them to fight, any stressful situation or the wrong environment and they can snap back to their instincts..and I have studied it, I did it for a class assignment once because over a few months there were about 5 dog attacks publicised in which small children were ripped up, so I looked at dog types, principal uses, histories etc., I also studied the nature/nurture debate for psychology!! Dogs are wonderful and its horrible to stereotype them like we do but if something is gonna be done about dog fighting and breeding banning a dog like a pitbull is the best place to start.

I see people misunderstanding animals a lot, i volunteer for our animal welfare centre and our dog is totally hyper, people think he's going to attack them but he's just so excited to say hello..I'm not trying to say your dogs are bad at all, I'm just saying its their nature.

 

I'm sorry but i'm going to have to call everything you've said here as bullshit.

I've bred, owned and lived around American Staffordshire Terriers my whole life, and i currently own my ONE sweetheart, female, Hammer.

IT IS NOT in these dogs nature to be mean. It's the pure fault of bad owners, drug dealers "buying dogs to watch stash" and the fact that people have a pure preconcepted idea that ..."oooh, its a pit bull, it must be viscous!"

This is wrong, and is the SOLE fault of bad breeders, selling dogs to unscreened owners, and those owners not understanding the ways of bringing up a puppy of this breed.

The only solution i see, it making it law to muzzle the dogs in public, and have them tied when they're outside, and in public. Neutering and Spaying would also work, but out and out BANNING will do nothing. Ban the silly owners.

The only thing that can break the spirit of one of these dogs, it to not show it love, attention and just a bit of decent humanity.

Check out this video if i haven't convinced you. It's heartwrenching..
http://www.deviantart.com/view/11454716/



AND PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION, or write e-mails to your local MP's, or authorities that are purposing these laws! Our friends need the help.


P.s. I attached some photos of me and my OH so MEAN and VISCOUS pitties (eyeroll)

Enjoy!

 

Here's a few more links to help save the staffies, and bring knowledge to those who don't understand the sickness in "banning" a breed of dog.


http://www.dogwatch.net/myths/dog_bites.html

http://pitbulls.jentown.com/