Also the city could make it mandatory to check on these breeds once a year around registration time and see if they are aggressive, check their welfare and make sure they are cared for properly, etc.
We don't even do this for breeders - a completely unregulated industry.
If we are going to invest vast amount of time and money in overseeing care and disposition of animal care, let's start where it will have a greater impact.
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Banning breeds is a terrible idea and good to see that the city agrees.
Punish owners of all dogs with fines and mandatory training after any offenses. Don't punish breeds.
How does it punish breeds? Are there going to be a bunch of Pit Bulls sitting around a bar in Taber drinking beer and lamenting the fact that they can't live in Calgary.
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We don't even do this for breeders - a completely unregulated industry.
If we are going to invest vast amount of time and money in overseeing care and disposition of animal care, let's start where it will have a greater impact.
Don't get me started with breeders, that industry makes me literally sick. But that is a world wide thing, I am just referring to what the city could do. If they could make some of these aggressive breeds more expensive to own, you will weed out some of the people that want to own these pups but not put the proper work in.
And if the city charged more for these breeds, they need to justify it, so that was my suggestion.
I haven't been following this thread, and am a bit too lazy to read through the whole thing... But I've read some of the recent posts and think that with some of the recent dog attacks, people (in general) are missing the point.
First of all, children (i.e 12/13 year olds) should not be left in control of 2 small yappy dogs at an off leash dog park. Dogs are typically 'play things' for children, and very few show the maturity and responsibility to be heavily involved with training and obedience.
That being said, all dog owners (or whoever is bringing them to off leash parks) need to have 'emergency commands' set up with their dogs. As mentioned above, your dog can be well trained, but when their 'prey drive' kicks in, most of their training goes out the window.
If your dog takes off after a squirrel/rabbit/running & screaming child/other dog, you need to be able to recall your animal in an instant. My wife (a certified dog trainer) uses a loud whistle to break the concentration of our dogs from their 'prey'. Different tricks work for different dogs.
My problem is that people tend to pick on 'bully breeds' (pitbull, etc.) because they are big, intimidating and get media coverage. In the recent case where the small dog was killed, another one injured and a young child was bit - I put major fault on the children that were supposed to be in control of their animals. The guys with his bully breed dogs on a leash and outside the dog park, has no responsiblity in this case.
Before we jump on a bandwagon demanding strict by-laws against bully breeds, people should understand dog psychology, because if YOUR DOG is well trained and has emergency recall, and if you as the dog owner can see signs of aggression (from other peoples dogs), you should NEVER end up in a position where you lose control and have a big dog fight......... Moral of the story, it's the dog owner, not the dog (or the breed) that is the problem.
Sure but you can't control owners effectively, so the logical solution is to not allow certain problematic breeds.
People can choose from hundreds of breeds, or if they want a pitbull - go live on a farm.
Safety of the public should be the main concern.
Like I said, you really don't need to control other dog owners. If YOU, as a dog owner, are knowledgable about dog psychology, have your dogs well trained with emergency recall, you should never be in that position.
Pitbulls and other bully breeds have been cast as 'aggressive' by fearful people and media coverage hasn't helped. There are many other dog breeds which have the same (or worse) unpredictability (Chow for example - which are very popular dogs).
Your fear (or anyone's fear) of pitbulls could be tamed by doing some research and gaining knowledge about the signs of aggression by any dog breed. And to be honest, dogs can sense your fear, which doesn't help the situation either.
I think the real bullies here are fearful, uneducated dog owners who insist that "something has to be done", only because their own ignorance has led them to be afraid of bully breeds. If you are concerned for public safety, maybe the City of Calgary should start up a 'dog behavior course', free to all dog owners, and have licensed certified dog trainers educate the public about these things. The more you know, the less you have to worry about everyone else.
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The fact remains though that when a PitBull does attack – either through the fault of his owner, or another owner, he is a more dangerous dog than other breeds. That’s the crux if it for me – they simply can do way more damage than most dogs.
I don’t need to educate myself at all to know that I don’t want my young daughter around a pit bull.
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Honestly, if you don't feel the need to become educated, neither you or your daughter should be attending off leash dog parks, and maybe, shouldn't even own a dog altogether.
Owning a dog comes with a responsibility to understand their behavior. It's not just cuddles and playing dress up.
It's a shame that you seem to think that a yappy/nippy Chihuahua or Terrier can't do similar damage as a Pitbull. Have you ever seen a Pug put a Pitbull in its place? I have. It's more than looks, and news/TV shows have obviously scared you enough not to care to understand.
If/when I have a daughter, I'll make sure she's educated rather than given incorrect information based on fear mongering.
Just an observation, and not an attack on dogs or dog owners, but this issue seems to have a lot in common with gun control with regards banning of certain breeds vs the right of owners to own the dog of their choice. There is a public safety issue as well as the argument that a few irresponsible dog owners are ruining it for the responsible owners. Just an observation, carry on
Honestly, if you don't feel the need to become educated, neither you or your daughter should be attending off leash dog parks, and maybe, shouldn't even own a dog altogether.
Thanks we don't attend off-leash parks, nor do we have or intend to own a dog. That doesn't mean we don't still encounter dogs, or pitbulls specifically.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HartAttack
It's a shame that you seem to think that a yappy/nippy Chihuahua or Terrier can't do similar damage as a Pitbull. Have you ever seen a Pug put a Pitbull in its place? I have. It's more than looks, and news/TV shows have obviously scared you enough not to care to understand.
Seriously? You don't think a Pitbull can do more damage than a Chihuahua?
Like I said, you really don't need to control other dog owners. If YOU, as a dog owner, are knowledgable about dog psychology, have your dogs well trained with emergency recall, you should never be in that position.
Pitbulls and other bully breeds have been cast as 'aggressive' by fearful people and media coverage hasn't helped. There are many other dog breeds which have the same (or worse) unpredictability (Chow for example - which are very popular dogs).
Your fear (or anyone's fear) of pitbulls could be tamed by doing some research and gaining knowledge about the signs of aggression by any dog breed. And to be honest, dogs can sense your fear, which doesn't help the situation either.
I think the real bullies here are fearful, uneducated dog owners who insist that "something has to be done", only because their own ignorance has led them to be afraid of bully breeds. If you are concerned for public safety, maybe the City of Calgary should start up a 'dog behavior course', free to all dog owners, and have licensed certified dog trainers educate the public about these things. The more you know, the less you have to worry about everyone else.
No kidding
And every person without a dog should also have to take training on pitbull psychology so they won't be attacked too.
This lady who was attacked by 3 pitbulls & wasn't even with her own dog, could have avoided the whole situation if she was trained in pitbull zen.
The responsibility is on her to know how to calm the dogs down to a calm, meditative state & avoid being attacked.
Don't blame the dog owners & expect them to be responsible for their pets, and don't blame the breed which is unfairly showcased by the media as dangerous.
The media reporting 3 pitbull attacks in 1 week, what are they trying to do?! Report the news!?
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lol... I retract the Pitbull vs Chihuahua statement in terms of 'damage causing ability'... However, a child screaming and waving its hands in the face of a dog (Chihuahua or Pitbull) is liable to get bit and extremely hurt... Which, of course can be avoided through proper training (of pet and child).
What I'm saying is that the root cause of dog attacks are not simply just the breed, and it is unfair to paint Pitty's with the brush you're using.
lol... I retract the Pitbull vs Chihuahua statement in terms of 'damage causing ability'... However, a child screaming and waving its hands in the face of a dog (Chihuahua or Pitbull) is liable to get bit and extremely hurt... Which, of course can be avoided through proper training (of pet and child).
What I'm saying is that the root cause of dog attacks are not simply just the breed, and it is unfair to paint Pitty's with the brush you're using.
