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How long until they get your breed?
If you don't own any of these breeds or are not a fan of the breeds, this may be of no concern to you, and you may even agree with it. What you must realize is that if they are able to ban any particular breed they wish, what is going to stop them from coming after the breed you own?
Even if you own a Chihuahua, you should be concerned with Breed Specific Legislation. I know of at least a dozen Chihuahuas that have nipped at the children living with them- and there was recently a news story here (Fort Wayne, Indiana) where a Chihuahua caused mail delivery to be stopped on a certain block because it had been escaping from the fence and attacking the mail carrier! The owner finally removed the dog from her home and gave it to a relative, where it resumed it's mail carrier torments. What's next? Bad name for the breed. Bad Media. And then... Breed Specific Legislation. BSL is a law against an entire breed for the acts of a few dogs, and not fair.
You may have heard horror stories about dogs being fought, and completely vicious dogs and think that they should be banned. What you must realize is that it is not just those dogs that are being banned- this also affects pets who are owned by responsible people. The majority of pet owners are truly good owners- their dogs aren't a risk to society, they have wonderful attitudes and wouldn't think of harming anyone. These loving animals are being banned and their owners are being forced to either get "rid" of their pets, or move out of the cities that have passed this breed specific legislation.
In place of breed specific legislation, shouldn't we consider getting to the true source of the problem? Banning an entire breed because of what a few "bad dogs" did is no different than banning a race because of what a few bad people did. We need to educate pet owners before they even get the dog into their home. Pet owners need to be aware of what types of activities may cause a dog to be more aggressive, how to properly confine the dog and keep it out of situations where a bite can occur, and how to care for a dog in general.
You have to pass a test to drive a car, you have to have a license to catch a fish- so why not have stricter rules for owning a pet? Think it's impossible? It's not. The majority of dog rescue groups thoroughly screen potential homes prior to allowing them to have one of their rescue dogs- and rescue groups are mainly formed by volunteers and very low funded. If they can do it, why can't the local governments do this? To them, it's easier to just ban the breeds rather than take care of the real problem- pet owners who are either not experienced enough or who actually want their dogs to be vicious.
Not all dog bites are actually the dogs' fault.. It's their only defense in many situations, but sadly the dog will pay the ultimate price. All children need to be supervised when ANY dog is present. This goes for Chihuahua's, Pit Bull's, Cocker Spaniel's, Labrador Retriever's- all breeds.
You may not think that breed specific legislation is a big deal, but it can happen to any breed. The American Pit Bull Terrier seems to be the most targeted by this law so far. The majority of Pit Bulls that I have personally met are very outgoing, happy, and loving dogs. I've worked with nearly every mixed and pure breed of dog, and I have never had a problem with a Pit Bull, Rottweiler, or Doberman Pinscher, but I hesitate when reaching for a Chihuahua, Dachshund or Poodle.. Due to the amount of bites received.
You may think that only Pit Bulls who know you are sweet- if you're a stranger, they'll hurt you. This is not true at all. I work in a pet boarding facility, and as I'm sure you know, not all pets like being boarded. Each dog is confined to a 20' long, 4' wide, 6' tall indoor run. Over the July 4th holiday we had a Pit Bull boarding. This dog had never boarded with us, I had never seen him before in my life. "Chopper" did not like being boarded. I took him out for his walk, and when we came back in, he did not want to go back into that run. I walked in the run with him, and he followed me, when I went to leave the run, so did he. This went on for several minutes- I couldn't seem to get him in there and get the leash off of him and get out without him coming out of the run too. This dog was very unhappy with what he knew I wanted- him to be locked in this run by himself. After quite awhile, I had him "mostly" in the run. I was down on my knees (so he couldn't get passed me) and was trying to shut the run door but he was attempting to force his head out. I had my hand on his chest holding him there with all my strength (and he was an extremely strong dog), and he put his jaws around my arm. Did he bite me? No. he put his mouth on my arm, and softly tapped down on it a few times, and then began to lick my arm. This dog didn't know me at all- he had been at the facility less than an hour and this was the first time I had ever touched him. From the position I was in, he could have done anything to me- even killed me- if he was a "vicious" Pit Bull... he was just a dog who didn't want to be alone.
The fear of Pit Bulls is fueled by the bad press, plain and simple. Most of those who are afraid of the breed have never actually even met one. For example, I worked with a man who had stated that the only dogs he was afraid of was a Pit Bull. That weekend we had "Pete" boarding, who was a purebred Pit Bull. I knew about this mans fear, so I told him that Pete was a Boxer mix. He took Pete out for a walk, and when he came back in with him, he was laughing. He said this dog was all over him- he put his paws up on him and gave him a hug, when he sat down with Pete, he rolled over and got belly rubs, he was crazy about the dog. Once Pete was put back in his run, I told the guy what kind of dog Pete really was. He didn't believe me. So I went and got Petes boarding records, and where it states "breed", it said "Pit Bull".
The dogs being targeted by Breed Specific Legislation are good dogs- and they're being banned because of what a few bad ones did. The media has brought so much fear about the breed as if they're canine terrorists. I have never personally owned a Pit Bull, however I have a brother who has 2 of them, and my sister had one for over a decade. None of those dogs have ever shown any signs of being aggressive to any person- even with very young children. I didn't even know my sisters Pit Bull very well, and when she went on vacation, I went into her house several times a day to take care of the dog. "Q-ball" was a little unsure of what was going on, but thrilled to see me anyway... and she didn't know me very well and I was coming into her home.
The bottom line is: No breed should be banned.. But some owners should be banned from owning dogs.
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