Online Petition _against_ the ban of Pitbulls.

[Nibi]

You can find it here: NO to a pitbull ban in British Columbia, Canada

Other related topics I have found:

Here's what started it all again.
Reaction to calls for B.C. pit-bull ban
Pit bull ban not popular in Peace


I am a person who hates to see bans on animals because of ignorant people. Every single person who is going to adopt an animal should have first properly researched them. I believe a proper owner that has educated themselves will almost always have an animal that is well behaved, healthy and happy. I think it's unfair that they'd even consider banning a whole breed because a bunch of people don't know how to handle their dogs. Maybe rather then ban them, they should make it so you have to have a license for the breed? As for education of a dog, that should include research into their breed, dog training courses AND, most importantly of all, a dog behaviour course. All animals give body language and generally never "randomly" attack. So being able to see the warning signs in a dog attack is a good step.

I also happen to have a friend who was attack by a Rottweiler (not a Pitbull, but another aggressive breed) when she was a kid. It severely injured her and she had to go to the hospital for medical attention, despite this though, it's one of her favourite breeds. She has recognized it isn't the breeds fault and has even told me the dog was being harassed by her younger sibling until she pissed it off enough.

I've also never met an aggressive Pitbull in my life. Ever single one I've ever known has been a big suckup, super friendly and relaxed. Some I've known even got scared when there were thunder storms. I have no personal negative view for the breed at all.

Anyways, what's your guy's opinions?

EDIT: Some YouTube videos of Pitties! xD

Dogs 101- American Pit Bull
Pitbull VS Kitten (Real Love Real Fights)
DOG FIGHT! Pitbull vs Chihuahua vs Cat

I'm so smitten with Pitbulls right now. <3 =w=

[tokar]

funny thing about animals.  people want to ban a pit bull but i know of a dog that can be just as vicious, just as dangerous, just as loving and makes a great pet.  very obedient, these dogs are very faithful and extremely intelligent.  these dogs are so smart that they require less training than other animals such as a german shepherd or rottweiler.  these dogs have a short snout, perfect for grabbing the throat (they have a natural instinct to go for the throat), and best of all is they are very protective of their guardians - i do not like owner to describe where a dog lives and who it lives with.

the dog i refer to is not the dog you would think.  when people hear this breeds name they think of the dog as a lightweight when it comes to a possible fight.  unfortunately the part of society that shows dogs have given this breed the bad rep.  when you think of this breed you think of the way the show circuit has the hair trimmed. 

this animal is a standard size poodle.  why don't they ban poodles then? 

[Nibi]

funny thing about animals.  people want to ban a pit bull but i know of a dog that can be just as vicious, just as dangerous, just as loving and makes a great pet.  very obedient, these dogs are very faithful and extremely intelligent.  these dogs are so smart that they require less training than other animals such as a german shepherd or rottweiler.  these dogs have a short snout, perfect for grabbing the throat (they have a natural instinct to go for the throat), and best of all is they are very protective of their guardians - i do not like owner to describe where a dog lives and who it lives with.

the dog i refer to is not the dog you would think.  when people hear this breeds name they think of the dog as a lightweight when it comes to a possible fight.  unfortunately the part of society that shows dogs have given this breed the bad rep.  when you think of this breed you think of the way the show circuit has the hair trimmed. 

this animal is a standard size poodle.  why don't they ban poodles then? 

This is so true. That's exactly why it bothers me when they try to ban specific breeds. Every breed has the potential to be just as dangerous as any other. They all just need a proper amount of dedication and time from their owners to ensure they behave appropriately.

I sometimes joke with my friends about what would happen if suddenly all "toydogs" (ex. chihuahua) suddenly became the size of larger dogs. They're would be so many attacks it would be insane! The only reason little dogs aren't banned is because when they attack, it doesn't do much damage, but most of the time they're poorly trained and aggressive. Of course I'm not saying this goes to all small dogs, I just notice they can get away with more because they're small and "cute". xD;;;

[Drake Wingfire]

I checked neutral. My opinion? ban the owners not the dogs, if someone wants to get any dog that takes real training to keep under control I say make them prove they are capable of handling that dog..

But then again the reason they are trying to ban the dogs as opposed to barring some people from having them is because you can never trust a person to not just lie about their intentions for the dog. They might as well have a real owners license and keep track of any complaints and be ready to ban individuals from owning certain breeds.. too bad the only way that it could even happen is if said dog attacks someone...

The real hole in the poodle argument is people don't generaly raise poodles to be "guard dogs", sure any dog can be made to be a attack dog. But people are choosing specific breeds in which to make into such things because of their physical builds or nature, if people were making poodles into guard/ attack dogs you can bet your ass they would be under the ban hammer debate pretty quick. When a situation like that arises.. there are not many options other than ban or heavily policing it.

[Tef]

True, ban the owners not the dogs.

I shall add a point to the list...it's ironic and sad that people have been selectively breeding dogs for all sorts of purposes - culling or letting the dogs be studs according to their own monetary interests. Forget the corruption of big companies, it's the corruption of the original - and still existing, people who experiment upon dogs and eugenically making them suit their purposes, and when the purpose becomes obsolete or too much to handle, they kill them off, as if it was the dog breed's - the pitbull in this case - fault for existing in the first place.

@Nibi: Oh, I do love toy spitzy dogs myself. If the yips and yaps don't drive you insane in the first place that is. xP

[Nibi]

That always gets to me too. Humans decided to selectively breed to get a Pitbull in the first place. It's rather cruel to blame the animal as if it's its fault it has certain physical and personality traits. But one of the main reasons it is worse is when it bites it hurts a lot more because of their shorter muzzle, dogs with longer muzzle like a German Shepard for example won't hurt _as much_. They were also bred to fight, so no wonder they can be more aggressive, but that's why they should license it and make it difficult for just anybody to own one.

I hate to use my brother as an example but he should never own a dog, especially a Pitbull, but he got one so easily and of course, it became aggressive and attacked somebody. A lot of people get them thinking they'll be like a golden retriever or some other generally loving dog, but they aren't and it's sad so many of them are put down. :<

[Silvermink]

I guess I don't feel like I know enough to make a decision. One of the unfortunate facts is that there's no (formal, at least) mechanism in place for judging someone's suitability as an owner and selling only to suitable owners, and I have my doubts that there ever will be. I'm not even sure how that would work.

I've always been a bit alarmed by the reports about dogs that were never a problem until suddenly they were - I like to be able to put some trust in my pets and under those circumstances I'd find it hard to do so. However, at the same time I recognize that, in general, the media is in the business of selling their product before they're in the business of providing impartial information, and they often use alarmist stories to do that.

That always gets to me too. Humans decided to selectively breed to get a Pitbull in the first place. It's rather cruel to blame the animal as if it's its fault it has certain physical and personality traits.

I'm not sure I'd cast that as "blaming the animal" - if it's viewed strictly as a safety thing I don't think there's necessarily a blame element, though I agree that if there is any blaming to be done it's clearly breeders and not dogs that should be blamed.

I love dogs - I grew up with two border collies - so I'm certainly in favor of dogs in general.

[Nibi]

I believe it'd be similar to how exotic animal licences works in B.C. If you're caught owning a Pitbull without one, you'd get a huge fine that could be worth thousands of dollars.

[Silvermink]

I believe it'd be similar to how exotic animal licences works in B.C. If you're caught owning a Pitbull without one, you'd get a huge fine that could be worth thousands of dollars.

Hm, maybe there is something for exotic animals that they can base it on to judge someone's suitability, then.

[Sevrin]

I think the solution is simple, a ban isn't the only way, give it like 40 years of selective breeding and the danger could be greatly reduced, in the mean time more violent dogs should be given free anti aggression training to increase the incentive of owners to get them trained. it wouldn't be the biggest project, could be run by charity or government, seems to me it shouldn't cost too much.

[Drake Wingfire]

I think the solution is simple, a ban isn't the only way, give it like 40 years of selective breeding and the danger could be greatly reduced, in the mean time more violent dogs should be given free anti aggression training to increase the incentive of owners to get them trained. it wouldn't be the biggest project, could be run by charity or government, seems to me it shouldn't cost too much.

Actually I like your second idea, Perhaps there should be mandatory obedience training for the more aggressive breeds (with at the very lease some subsidy for the cost of the training), at the end of which you are given a certificate/ license that shows your dog was successfully trained. That way it would be harder for someone to go "hey you got one of THOSE dogs.. they attack everyone!" cause you can whip out some hard proof and go "bitch please!" that and even in the off chance your dog attacks someone, you can at least prove that you had it properly trained and that its not all your fault.

[Sevrin]

I'm not sure that you would be able to say it's not your fault, people can un-train dogs by failing to take care of them in a certain way, so training or no training it's still greatly in part the fault of the individual, it's just that when someone gets an aggressive dog they need to know what they are getting into, not just getting a dog because they like the way it looks.

[Nibi]

With an animal there is no, "I trained it once so it's forever trained." XD It's a constant process and you have to be constantly training and reminding them how they're supposed to behave. That's an easy mistake most people make when they get a dog, they don't think they have to keep at it for as long as they're alive for. But taking a training/behaviour course would be a good stepping stone and it'd send the owners along the right path to having a well behaved dog.

I actually like the selective breeding idea, that way people can enjoy a Pitbull without all the inherited aggression the breed has. They did that with foxes in Russia for 50 years and now have fully domesticated foxes you can keep as pets. They're super expensive but it just goes to show that personality can be genetic as well.

http://cbsu.tc.cornell.edu/ccgr/behaviour/Index.htm

[velvetkytten]

i just signed and shared that petition. I believe with the right training all dogs can be amazing. If I ever got a dog I would consider a pittbull because I have NEVER met one that wasn't a complete suck up love bug. they are soooo beautiful and melt my heart with those faces.

[Nibi]

i just signed and shared that petition. I believe with the right training all dogs can be amazing. If I ever got a dog I would consider a pittbull because I have NEVER met one that wasn't a complete suck up love bug. they are soooo beautiful and melt my heart with those faces.

I would love one too! <3 They're so sweet. :-3