This was taken from an old post of mine on the subject:
Stories like this always make me wonder - they do always leave parts of the story out, that is what makes good news right?
No mixed feelings here.
These things make me so sad.
No mixed feelings here about banning any breed, Pits, Rotts, Dobes, etc. Once they ban one, it will lead to another, make no mistake. Don't think you are safe if you own a Dobe.
Breed bans won't work. Here are some reasons I think that way.
First of all, the type of people they are targeting with breed bans don't give a darn about the law anyway, so that pretty much doesn't reach their targets. So the only people the law effects are those that already obey the law in the first place. Those people are already responsible owners to begin with, real responsible owners, not the kind that think they are but let their dogs run off leash all over the neighborhood, don’t get their pets spayed or neutered, think owning an aggressive dog is cool, and so forth.
Second, most people don't know what a Pit Bull is to begin with, some have called my Dobes, Pits, my in-laws Lab has been called a Pit. The general public has a hard enough time telling purebred dogs apart that fit their standards perfectly, and many times can't do a good job of knowing the differences between those as they prove time and time again. Since many Pits aren't registered, who is to be the ultimate person to decide what is and isn't. I see many problems with this; even A/C officers don't know their breeds as well as they should. Here, take this test:
Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull
So how can we know that reported dog bites are really from Pits? Many dog bites go untreated and unreported if they are from other breeds. The statistics are skewed to begin with when it comes to the Pit Bull breed.
Third, when the government bans stuff like this, for instance, certain types of drugs, or criminals owning guns, decrees that people not kill each other, does that ever really work? No. The US is still a very dangerous place to live (some parts worse than others of course) despite all the laws. The solution isn’t to make more laws or do more banning, this is very ineffective. Dog fighting is against the law but it still goes on all the time. Dog abuse is illegal yet is happens every day. More laws are not the answer to all problems.
Fourth, what about those that own Pits and Rotts that are well bred and very stable, have good temperaments, and they are much loved family pets? Does that mean it is okay for animal control to get personal documents (that show ownership & care) such as vet records, vaccination records, and microchip information, perhaps training club records, a dog show catalog, or SPCA records where you adopted your dog and saved a life and then investigate every dog owner in their county and go seize the dogs to take them to the shelter to put them to sleep since one day they became "illegal"? This just makes me sick. To even imagine one day Dobermans being illegal, the county coming knocking on my door to take my pampered trained, well socialized, happy healthy canine good citizens away while they are sleeping at home on the couch, this has happened to some and my heart goes out to them. It is NOT okay.
Fifth, if they really do successfully pass a breed ban, bad owners will either back yard breed underground (and not even have the chance to socialize them, show them, walk them, or have access to adequate vet care for fear they will be taken away) or they will move onto to another powerful breed that is for the moment okay and do whatever they wish with that breed. Every dog breed, even the laid back Goldens and Labs are capable of aggression. Maybe they will get creative and make mixes that no longer look like Pits but are aggressive? What next, ban them too? And the good owners will have to give up their pets quickly to move them out of there for fear they will be killed, or move themselves from their established lives, or keep their dogs inside without chances to take car rides, go to show, get adequate vet care, go on walks, etc.
Sixth, in a country filled with dogs, that loves their dogs, dogs dogs everywhere on average there are 12 deaths a year according to Dog-Bite-Related Fatalities -- United States, 1995-1996. Fatalities are highly unusual period.
You would think that number would be much higher compared to the number of dogs America owns if they are sooooo dangerous. Parents kill their very own children more than dogs kill children each year. Humans murder each other way more and injure each other way more than dogs even get close to doing. More children die in cars than in any other way, should we ban cars? Probably so. We should also ban swimming, I believe around 500 children per year die while swimming. So take out that pool in your backyard, the city pools should be closed, no more lake or river trips, it is a dangerous activity, as a large amount of adults die per year in water too. 800 people die per year riding their bicycles, I know personally my grandpa used to ride cross country, was wearing a helmet when he crashed but still suffered massive head trauma (the helmet broke). We should really do away with bicycles, as they are dangerous. And on average 73 people die from lighting strikes each year. You have a much higher percentage of dying from being struck by lightening than getting killed by a dog. I think you get the point….
Seventh, why not start to crack down on the laws that are already on the books. You know, IMPORTANT stuff such as not allowing animal abuse and being strict about that, huge fines for loose dogs, enforcing leash laws, not allowing dogs to live tied to a chain, and the other things that lead up to bites. How about forcing owners not be so negligent? How about having dog education classes in schools so kids can learn what is okay and not okay and learn to read dogs better? And how about parents teaching their children not to go up to strange dogs without asking first? I read somewhere 50% of dog bites occur on the owners property. There is a bigger problem than just breed! Ownership really plays a big part. Many people can’t read dog behavior period. If they could, then many bites could be avoided, as dogs send clear signs and messages. It always amazes me that in a country so full of dogs people are so clueless about them or make excuses for their bad behaviors, chose to ignore those bad behaviors, or encourage aggressive behavior (in little dogs many think it is cute).
I have met many lovely Pits and Rotts at my training club and in life in general. Pits were never intended to be human aggressive. I understand that a few dogs of all breeds will have issues in their head that are beyond human control due to breeding and individual temperament and that is a shame and makes me very upset to hear about (this is a reason why I only support responsible breeding not BYB’ing) but that is not the norm fortunately for us humans. Many humans have no idea the right way to care for dogs but on the whole if you look at the sheer number dogs are very adaptable and not aggressive.
Eighth, first comes Pits and Rotts, you know what is next, Akitas, Chows, Dobes. I have seen Boxers and Danes on breed bans lists. Even GSD's. For while Dobes were America's most hated. It changes and shifts breeds. They can't ban them all, or can they? This is not acceptable. I grew up with Dobermans, they are the best breed in the world to me, I would die inside if the government told me I could not longer own them due to the outliers (in statistics this means those that do not at at all fit in the normal standard curve). Out of all the Dobes in the country rarely is there a problem of someone dying from them. More Dobermans gain their CH. or work as therapy and service dogs bringing joy to others than kill people.
Ninth, since when can you simply look at a person or dog on the outside from far away and automatically know what they are like? I hate this type of stereotyping, like all human or dog males are this way, all human or canine females are that way, all red dogs act this, all red heads act this way, black dogs act this, blue eyed people are this, it is so silly. I understand humans minds work this way, as we need everything to fit in our frame of reference, we don’t like not knowing.
However, these statements are not based on fact, they are based on blanket bias stereotyping, which doesn't leave any room for truth, life is not just black or white, one way or the other way, there is a lot of grey area. Not everything or everyone fits on neatly into one narrow minded box. Blanket stereotyping has been a source of oppression for many throughout history in the US. Yes, we may be working with dogs here but the basic premise is still the same.
Does that make any sense? The end result is breed banning is not the answer for even more reasons than I can list. We can restrict ownership, I feel like that is a more valid solution.