So I have to get rid of my dog because of Breed Specific Legislation...

Last week I adopted a pitbull. She's the sweetest dog. We were aware of our cities bylaws and chose to adopt her anyways.

Here's the kicker: Someone told us to check with our home insurance. We called saying we were thinking of getting a pitbull. Their response: If you get a pitbull or any pitbull type dog, you are uninsurable and your claim is void. This doesnt mean they arent covering the dog - this means they are cancelling our claim altogether. We shopped around, and the best we can find in the province where we live is an insurance company that will have us sign a waiver explaining that if anything ever happens with our dog, we are 100% liable and they are out of it. No matter who's fault it is.

In our city the bylaw is as follows:

-Dog must be muzzled in public.
-House must have a fenced, locked kennel on our land, roof and everything.
-Dog must follow obediance lessons
-Dog must be neutered within 2 weeks
-If dog is ever involved in any altercations, no matter who's fault it is, dog is at fault and put down.

We were willing to risk it with the city's bylaws by following them as much as we can, but now that we know that the insurance isnt behind us, this means that even if a stray dog comes on OUR land and attacks OUR dog and our dog defends itself, it's our fault, because it wasnt muzzled or in a separate enclosure, which means we are suable and sure to lose. I was reading about a case thats going on right now in our province and the person is being sued for 1.4 million dollars. That'll ruin a life right there...

Our dog is the sweetest girl, but accidents can happen really fast (and that's with any dog). We have decided we are not going to take the risk and have to get rid of the dog.

My heart is broken, and this is total bullshit. I can take care of my dog, it doesnt need to be treated like hannibal fuckin' lecter. Those people are the SPCA are going to see a full grown man cry this week

 

I am feeling really sorry for the dog.

 

my experience with Pitt bull dogs isnt one you will all like.. Fuck those wigger dog ..

 

Orison you liked them until a shitty, untrained, shit dog attacked you. Trust me, this isnt the case with my dog. Meeting her would change your mind.

 

I'm worried about where you got the dog from. Here in the UK, it's illegal to keep, breed, sell, abandon, or even give away a banned dog. It's a prison sentence and a hefty fine. The dog isn't allowed to be in public and can be instantly siezed by the police, even if it's wearing a lead and a muzzle. If your dog is in your home, the police will get a warrant to remove the dog from you. They are usually destroyed. However, if you refuse to give up ownership of your dog, you have to prove in court that your dog is not of the pitbull family. If you can't, then you're liable for a prison sentence and a fine and the dog is destroyed. Rarely, the dog is proven not to be a danger (perhaps because it only resembles typical pitbull features), and can still go back to the owner. It is added to a list of exemption and must be neutered, tattooed, kept on a lead and muzzled, and third party insurance must be sought.

Your dog is definitely more dangerous than others. The idea that you can look after your dog to effect, is ridiculous. Pitbulls constantly deceive their owners into believing that they would never cause harm or be of danger. Your pitbull is dangerous as long as you have her. There is no way on Earth that you would struggle to get insurance if they didn't have a reason not to allow you. Obedience lessons won't work. Your dog could be well behaved, loving and affectionate, before suddenly switching. Not only is she a threat to lives of others, she's a threat to you. Owners themselves who have loved and developed relationships with their pitbulls, have been fatally killed by them.

It's wrong that your dog even exists. Not just for human sake, but for her own. It hurts, and you love her, but remember you're doing it for her sake. The kindest thing is actually for her to be put down.

 

shivvy im so sorry, thats so sad. is there anything you can do as far as petitioning or talking to someone that can help?

 

I'm not even going to reply to the rest of your post and I'm going to let the above ignorance speak for itself.

Not really. The best I can do is keep her uninsured which means that if anything ever happens (god forbid), my life is pretty much ruined.

 

Sorry to hear this, man... Breed specific legislation at work again.

Can she be adopted out to someone else that's not under such laws? (meaning another area)

 

Why dont you just keep it and when it has to go out keep it on a leash and walk her yourself? I know its a pain in the ass but its really not that bad and its great exercise for both of you. This way you can be sure she stays out of trouble.

 

If you get rid of the dog over this, you don't deserve to own a dog in the first place.

 

I don't mean it quite as it sounds. I don't doubt that you love her. Sorry man.

 

Ah yes, here we go. Home insurance or a dog? I don't know on which planet you live on but where I'm from you need to have home insurance in order to have a mortgage. What happens in 3 years when we need to renew our mortgage? Say we don't have insurance because we chose to keep our dog instead and go homeless? Right....

This is what I already do, but for example, the other day, a stray dog came up to us. The dog wasnt hostile so mine didnt get hostile either, so things were ok, but you never know what could happen... I know for sure I'm not giving up the dog until I find a good alternative for her...

I'm looking in to it. I wouldnt mind driving her a few hours away either.

It's ok. I understand what you are saying. There is alot of fear around those dogs, and they do need to be treated responsibly.

 

I'm going to blame your ignorance on the fact that you appearantly live in an area with draconian and ignorant laws regarding pit bulls and therefore have not been exposed to pits very often.

Animals are products of their environment. Period. I've been around a lot of pit bulls throughout my life, included rescued dogs that were once used as fighting dogs. I've never once seen a pit bull living in a calm environment with a responsible owner flip and behave aggressively.

My best friend has a pit bull who cuddles with me everytime I stay the night over there. To suggest that sweet dog be put to sleep just because she's a pit is honestly over the top ridiculous. Educate yourself and read the history of the breed.

Shiva, I'm sorry about your doggie.

 

No, my thread was heartless and mean, Shivaya's upset about his dog and I wouldn't be happy to read what I'd written either.

Animals are indeed a product of their environment. Strike the period. You can never deny that an animal will always be an animal. I've heard of and witnessed my own horror stories, coupled with having read Shivaya's other thread where the dog was described in a different light, which is why I'm at the other end of the argument. There were a couple of remarks there that I didn't like, that certainly scared me. I personally, wouldn't take the risk.

Rightly or wrongly so, my opinions are based on reason.

 

Just one thing about the APBT (american pit bull terrier) that I would like to add - these dogs were not bred to be aggressive towards humans and almost never are. They ARE however aggressive towards other dogs, and they ARE a powerful dog that needs to be exercised often and to have a strong pack leader.

Another part of this whole pit bull problem is the people who are advocating for them stating that their dear old pit bull would never hurt a fly and that they take them to off leash dog parks and things like that. People like that are as much part of the problem than the people who are demonizing and condemning them. They are setting their dogs up for failure. These dogs are aggressive towards other dogs. Period. This is why they were bred, it's in their genes. Sooner or later, a vast majority of those dogs will want to fight. I'm not saying that this can't be controlled, and that they can't make a great pet, but this should be kept in mind at all times for people who want to own the breed. They are as loyal and eager to please as a dog can get, but it comes with a price.


This is a pit bull, not a golden retriever. They come with great responsibility, and that's the bottom line. It's the people who own them and deny and claim that it's possible that their dog has a killer instinct that end up having problems and further tarnishing the reputation of this great breed.

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Anyways. That being said, I might have to drive her two hours this weekend to a pitbull rescue near Montreal. This place has a great deal of land and a bunch of pits that are well taken care of with plenty of exercise while they are waiting for a family to adopt them. I'd rather drive her there than put her back at the SPCA.

 

I am glad you found a place that will take her. She really deserves a forever home. I am kinda wondering why the SPCA did not do that to start with rather than letting you get so attached to her. Have a safe trip.

 

I was going to suggest a pit bull rescue, glad she is going to a good place.

In regards to pits being aggressive towards other dogs, I agree that pit bulls need a strong leader. Not everyone should own a pit. However, I've known too many pit bulls that lived for years in a pack environment with other dogs without ever showing aggression to agree with this statement:

dolly, I do agree that dogs are both a product of their environment and their breed instincts. I just don't think pits are naturally aggressive. Akitas come to mind when I think of a dog that doesn't do well around other dogs and shows natural aggression. Not so much pits.

 

Thanks. I also think it's stupid that the SPCA doesnt warn people about those things. I mean when you think about it, they should give you all the information, and then you can make your decision based on that. This was like ''here's your new dog!'' and then the week after that the home insurance tells us they are dropping us - wtf.

Mel this is an age old debate, but pits were bred to fight other dogs, so my opinion remains that they have it in their genes. They can be trained not to fight, but it's in their genes. They use to let only ''game'' dogs breed. These are the dogs that will go against their own survivan instincts and fight to the death. After a few generations, it creates an imprint.

About the dogs living in a pack environment, that's fine, but take any of those dogs and watch what happens when a strange dogs comes after them in an agressive manner. There will be no backing down, there will be no wimpering. They are going to be ready to go, and ready to go hard, right away. That's their first reaction. In the case of my dog, that's her instinct, and as soon as I correct her, she looks at me and wait for my commands, but her first reactions remains : Kill.

 

Glad you found a place for her...

 

Thats the most fucked up thing I have ever heard, u should be burned at the stake. :devil: