BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION
Spur all the way.
This topic is near and dear to my heart.
Having just put down my American Pit Bull Terrier of 7 years (see Indy's memorial here), I was prepared to defend my dog's right to be a useful member of society.
Be that he is no longer walking amongst us, I am still willing to fight in his memory and to defend the rights of RESPONSIBLE dog owners everywhere.
To understand the law as it will be imposed, or to join the fight against breed specific legislation in Ontario, please visit www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org
To support the fight against breed specific legislation please visit the www.bannedaid.com website.
To understand why it doesn't work, and why the implementation of such a ban is based on faulty reasoning, please read the following personal essay.
The public must not be mislead by the term 'pitbull'. This term is a generic term devised by the media to catch reader's eye. The registered names for dogs that are commonly mistaken for 'pitbulls' are; American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier and often Bull Terrier and Boxer. For the ban to work without litigation against the province, one has to be accurate with one's terminology.
Members of the public and politicians must not rely on the popular media for pertinent information. For instance; is it known if any of the dogs involved in attacks were registered? If not; in Canada it is illegal to refer to your animal as a specific breed, unless that animal has registration papers. If not, the animal is a mongrel or a mutt.
How will the genetics of the proposed banned dogs be determined without a doubt? Currently and for the forseeable future there is absolutely no way (barring registration papers) to determine the actual genetics involved in a dogs makeup. For instance the breeds listed above are often mistaken for the wrongly named "pitbulls". As well, Parson (Jack) Russell Terriers, small sized Great Danes, chocolate coloured Labrador Retrievers, small sized Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, Neopolitan Mastiffs, French Mastiffs, Mastiffs, Bull Mastiffs, Fila Brasileiros, Tosa Inus, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, Bulldog, and the Shar Pei have all been mistaken by the general public and the media as 'pitbulls'.
Who is going to travel the province and verify the identities of these 'pitbulls'. Who will provide these 'dog police' with the training to properly evaluate the so charged animals. My suggestion is judges from the American Kennel Club, the Canadian Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club. Please keep in mind, these judges get paid a contract wage, travel expenses and accomodation expenses. The representatives from these clubs are against breed specific legislation, so are the most likely people to provide an unbiased education.
Is legislation going to be enacted that protects the 'dog police' from civil suits against them by distraught families who are having their pets removed, breeders who are seeing their life's work being put to sleep, and other involved parties?
Have the various countries that have implemented bans throughout the world been contacted to validate/verify their successes.Many countries, states and cities have had to revoke bans as being too expensive to implement and maintain, the bans have created too many lawsuits to defend and that the bans simply didn't take into account the fact that the dogs are not the issue, that banning a breed either makes it a tantalizing 'bad' dog to own - albeit under another name OR (and this is more likely) the irresponsible owners simply move onto another 'aggressive, dangerous' breed.
There are currently over 400 dog breeds in the world today, probably 50% of those breeds, of the size necessary to do harm to people. Probably 50% of that number have been bred specifically to guard homesteads and families, in other words bred to take down HUMANS, something that the American Pit Bull Terrier and its contemporaries have never been bred for.
For the record; if you are still convinced that the public will now be safe from dog attacks when 'pitbulls' are banned, here are some myths that need to be addressed.
Myth 1. The locking jaw scenario - 'pitbulls' do not have locking jaws, nor do they have a stronger jaw than any/all other breeds. They and other dog breeds have exactly the same jaw structure - other than size, there is no difference between the jaw of a 'pitbull' or a chihuahua. There have never been any useful tests developed to measure the pressure of a 'pitbull's' bite. So there is no basis for any media suggestions that 'pitbulls bite harder and lock on.'
Myth 2. 'Pitbulls' were bred to kill. - At no time was the 'pitbull' bred to kill. Fight - yes - dog fights were popular in Britain and North America just before, during and after the turn of the century. Oddly enough this actually made the 'pitbull' dog a very good family dog - see next myth. First - in a dog fight, two dogs were in a walled in area, with their respective handler and a referee. All three humans in the 'pit' were to handle the dogs at any time - meaning the dogs might fight each other, but not bite the handlers. Most dog fights were not to the death - although unfortunately for the participants, sometimes (not often) depending on the skill of their owners, shock did set in and otherwise end the life of a successful fighting dog. Fighting dogs were treated as royalty, fed well, vetted well, exercised frequently to keep in shape, kept in the house often under human guard and their genes were guarded as well. The dog's death was not the intention of the fight.
Myth 3. 'Pitbulls' are particularily dangerous to little kids. In fact the majority of well-bred American Pit Bull Terriers are attracted to children so they can lick them, beg them to play ball games and otherwise hang out with their charges. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is known as the nanny dog in Great Britain, due to its tendency to allow children many liberties that other dogs would not accept. Since these dogs have a high tolerance to pain, they also allow such odd behaviour from children, such as the children's teething on their ears, riding them like horses, landing on them, accidental eye pokings, etc.
Myth 4. 'Pitbulls' are unpredictable, volatile, liable to 'go off' at any moment. Oddly enough any dog has this propensity, the 'pitbull' is no worse, nor better than any other breed. Actually since 'pitbulls' have been so specifically bred to be DOG aggressive, they probably are very predictable. Basically if there is a chance of a dogXdog encounter, responsible 'pitbull' owners keep their pets leashed and under control.
Myth 5. 'Pitbulls' make great guard dogs. This one is an odd myth, since so many irresponsible people create 'pitbulls' who will attack humans, which is against the nature of the breed. Responsible owners who own well bred dogs often have to have a second dog of a guard breed to protect their household against intruders or install alarm systems since their 'protective' pit bull seems very happy to welcome all visitors in the house regardless of their intent.
If you disagree with my comments or would simply like to contact First Dog regarding this essay, please feel free to email info@firstdogofftheporch.ca with your comments, questions or concerns.