Time to ban Pitbulls from Calgary

[driveway]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I have never heard a reasonable argument for why anyone should have the right to own a potentially dangerous animal and one from a breed that is known to attack and kill other humans.

In most of Canada you can own a tiger if you want to.

Hell, in Ontario, which has a pit-bull ban incidentally, you can legally own a hippopotamus. The only animal other than a pit-bull you can't own in Ontario? Cobra? Nope. Crocodile? No way, totally legal. Polar bear? Sure, if you want one.

Orca. You can't own an orca.

Regulation of the ownership of animals falls to the provinces in Canada, who themselves frequently turn that responsibility over to municipalities so it's different jursidiction to jurisdiction.

In Alberta there are no prohibited species, but for many you have to get a permit. I have no idea how hard that permit is to get for, say, a gorilla.

BC and New Brunswick have pretty good laws in place, apparently. Just google 'exotic pets canada' and you'll find we're allowed to own all kinds of crazy crap. Which, I'd suggest taking a look at before anyone spends the time, energy, and poltical capital to implement a pit-bull ban.

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/1..._12312092.html

http://www.slice.ca/breaktime/photos...-pets-capybara

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I have never heard a reasonable argument for why anyone should have the right to own a potentially dangerous animal

So you are advocating for nobody to be able to own medium to large dogs, horses, cattle, ostrich or other large birds, goats, llamas, etc....

[Raekwon]

Just make the owners more liable for all breeds of dogs, the list Johnny made is a fine place to start but no need to single out breeds. We have had violent dog on dog attacks 2-3 times a week in Airdrie and its all different breeds, we avoid the dog parks because of the people that just go there and let their dogs do whatever they want which causes these issues.

Maybe its true a Pitbull could be more dangerous if it decided to attack but I don't see them attacking more than other breeds in and around Calgary anyway. Its Canada though, we barely make people responsible for what they do to others I can't see them enforcing dog punishments.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

So you are advocating for nobody to be able to own medium to large dogs, horses, cattle, ostrich or other large birds, goats, llamas, etc....

You cut off the part where I said in towns. So no, I don't think people should own livestock in town.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by driveway

In Alberta there are no prohibited species

You cannot own a pet/domesticated rat in Alberta.

The province is so serious about preventing the rodents from getting established in Alberta that it is illegal to have any types of pet rats.

[Travis Munroe]

Originally Posted by Raekwon

Just make the owners more liable for all breeds of dogs, the list Johnny made is a fine place to start but no need to single out breeds. We have had violent dog on dog attacks 2-3 times a week in Airdrie and its all different breeds, we avoid the dog parks because of the people that just go there and let their dogs do whatever they want which causes these issues.

Maybe its true a Pitbull could be more dangerous if it decided to attack but I don't see them attacking more than other breeds in and around Calgary anyway. Its Canada though, we barely make people responsible for what they do to others I can't see them enforcing dog punishments.

Very similar to my point. It is not a breed specific problem. It is a size of the dog problem. A 90 lb dog will do more damage than a 20 lb dog. A 90 lb pitbull vs 90 lb sheppard vs 90 lb lab all have equal ability to do harm if set off. A 120 lb pitbull raised in a loving house who has been trained and is in social situations often is going to be a lot safer than a 90 lb golden retriever who is abused and never been around other people or dogs.

It would be a shame to see breed specific bylaws put in place before trying something else.

I do however believe there should be a ban on importing pitbulls or any dog for that matter who have had previous issues. Canada shouldn't be rehab for crazy dogs country.

[chemgear]

http://edmontonsun.com/news/crime/ow...7-0518a1b1585d

Owner watches in horror as pit bull kills her dog on northwest Calgary street

“The guy had his windows down and that big, big dog jumped out and got Trip by the neck. He was shaking Trip around in his mouth. He latched onto Trip like there was no tomorrow.”

The owner of the vehicle came out, grabbed his dog and fled the scene in a pickup truck, said Anne.

She said police told her that the dog who attacked her pet was just cleared Wednesday from another incident.

“I guess he had done it before, the police said,” said Anne, who is visiting from Ontario.

[troutman]

Ban Pitbull

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

You cut off the part where I said in towns. So no, I don't think think people should own livestock in town.

OK, fair enough. So you are advocating the ban of all medium to large dogs in towns?

[Ducay]

Replace PitBulls with Guns and finally you understand how the 99.9% of responsible gun owners feel.

Sadly, you can't just legislate away stupid. Stupid owners of both are what give the rest a bad name.

[Heavy Jack]

I honestly feel the biggest thing that is needed is a licence to own when it comes to very specific breeds like the pitbull, or Rottweiler etc. Dog training is expensive and for your average type of family, domestic dog I feel like the 'hey, don't go to the bathroom here; hey, don't bark at night' type treatment from a loving owner who takes the time to self-train is more than sufficient enough but for these bigger more storied history type dogs that have unfortunately been known to be more dangerous and aggressive especially at full size should be held to a different standard in terms of ownership for specific breeds.

It's not always the dogs fault here; sure its part of what they were bred for but look at who was breeding them ~ animals and their actions are in a very large way a by product of their environment and holding these bigger, more dangerous types of dogs to a different ownership standard would be a big step in the right direction.

I have met Rotties that are the biggest sucks, so funny, so nice... and I have met Rotties that have scared the #### out of me. Environment is everything ~ for the owners that truly do love these breeds I feel like a licensing and training program would ultimately be welcomed which would weed out the owners that strictly own these types of dogs for what they 'think' they are meant for.

Quick story from when we were out in Vancouver. The guitar player in our band was walking home from night shift in poco ~ if anyone has lived out there they would/will know how spaced out the street lights were at night; at least at that time. He took in his American Strat to sell to a work bud who offered him 200 $ (lol) yea no. So fast forward to the walk from Coquitlam Center bus loop and he gets to the petcetra just before our street... he said it was like he bit into a fork as he walked around the corner of the street. He sees the shadow of this dog move through the light of one of the street lamps before disappearing behind a van. He has his lunch bag, hoodie in his hand, guitar (he didn't sell), untied work boots (dumb mistake now) and a heartbeat. He begins to walk up the street towards the right turn onto our street and hears a distinct growl before he hears paws clicking against the pavement and thinks (run?) before throwing his lunchbag towards the sound... the dog leaps but towards the lunch bag before immediately turning his attention back to him. He grabs his guitar (still not sold) off his back and holds it in front of him as the dog lunges and bashes him directly in the head as he starts to scream... finally after a 15 or so second tussle with the dog and his guitar the owner comes our and says 'did Hercules get out?? sorrrrrry!'

Environment...

That guitar still remains with us; never sold lol ~ just had the thing setup for the first time in like a decade (since that happened really) and the trust rod was completely out lol. Still has teeth marks on the bottom of the guitar body; awesome.

[Erick Estrada]

We have a traditional dog/cat house and yet this is such a difficult topic for me as I can see both sides of the argument as even though my dog is only 25 lbs and mild mannered I’m always a little terrified when little kids run up to my dog trying to pet him. There’s always a little bit of unpredictability with any animal and when you own one like a Pitbull that’s able to seriously injure or kill a person it’s just a responsibility and risk I don’t want to assume.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

OK, fair enough. So you are advocating the ban of all medium to large dogs in towns?

If it's a breed that in known to attack humans, then absolutely.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If it's a breed that in known to attack humans, then absolutely.

So as I stated, every medium and large breed dog.

[Eastern Girl]

I have a rottie mix, but rottie is the dominant breed in him. He is a big bugger and very strong and solid. People cross the street to avoid us, even though he's a pretty even keeled dog on a leash and I'm probably more likely to attack you than him.

I worked really hard to get him to this point. He was never aggressive when I first got him, but he was very reactive to everything, very curious and excitable, so it was very off putting and I am sure scary for people around us. It was basically him taking me for a walk wherever he wanted to go. I took him to obedience classes, but they were terrible and had very little effect outside of draining my bank account, so I am not sure those who are advocating mandatory training would see the results they'd like. He improved tremendously when I worked with him on my own, outside of the classes, so for me, it is more about being dedicated to training them than just going to a couple classes for an hour each week.

I personally would love to just see cities/towns enforcing the rules that already exist. Honest question -- but has anyone ever seen someone being fined or cited for having their dog off leash outside of the designated areas or letting them poop wherever/jump on people/dig, etc? I haven't ever seen that or even heard of it happening.

Start monitoring the parks and popular dog walking places and start fining the crap out of people who are taking their dogs off leash outside of designated areas. I really think that would be a good start. There are just so many people that think because they can take their dog off leash and it doesn't run away it means they have control over their dog and therefore it's okay for them to be off leash. If you have to call your dog 15 times and they still don't listen, you don't have control. It's so frustrating for me because I am very careful with my dog. I know that people don't like him based on his breed alone. I know that if he did anything that people didn't like, there'd be a Facebook campaign to put him down, so I am overly cautious with him (short leash, never off leash, he's never left alone in the backyard). It's not fair that the few areas that are grassy where he can go for walks are generally crawling with poorly behaved dogs and stupid owners, so we have to go elsewhere.

I think everyone needs to be more responsible. Parents need to teach their kids not to tease dogs or approach a dog without the owner's permission. All dog owners need to be more responsible and aware with their dogs when out in public or when they are around people.

And I want to highlight the above, all dog owners, not just those of us with large dogs or bully breeds. I hate that I am yelled at at a park for having my dog there, even though he's behaving well, on leash and I am very responsible with him, but the owner with the 15 pound dog that is off leash, 50 feet away from them, pooping everywhere and barking at people is left alone.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

So as I stated, every medium and large breed dog.

Yeah, I would be perfectly fine with that.

Although I am not sure "every" medium or large breed has a history of attacking humans. For example, you rarely hear of greyhounds attacking people.

[OMG!WTF!]

I know for a fact the right person can own the worst, most violent pit bull and never have an issue with it attacking anyone or thing. Training, muzzles, exercise, safety at all times. It's not rocket science. But yet it is for some people. It would be nice if you could qualify the people owning the dogs, as you would a gun in a rational and sane society.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Minnie

You cannot own a pet/domesticated rat in Alberta.

You also can’t own turtles.

Edit: or so I thought... but can’t find confirmation. Maybe you can own some types of turtles.

[RichKlit]

Originally Posted by Minnie

You cannot own a pet/domesticated rat in Alberta.

Thank everything holy for that rule!! Disgusting, vile, putrid things of my nightmares.

[RichKlit]

I grew up on a farm with huge Shepard’s, black labs, cows, pigs etc etc basically a regular smallish farm. From my experience environment plays a very large role in all the animals we raised. Although in every species we raised regardless of the treatment occasionally we would get an asshat of an animal. No matter the training the love the food the care they where dumb or stubborn or vicious, every species. It happens.

Every animal has the propensity to attack regardless of the owner. That being said the numbers seem to be showing a higher number of extreme violent attacks with the breed Pitbull or hybrids of the Pitbull. We are at a point where regulation of some sort seems necessary.

I don’t see the coralation to regulating guns and regulating dogs, as guns are an inanimate object that requires a human to function. Dogs are independent entity that regardless of training, can and sometimes will act upon it’s own accord. I should also say I grew up with guns as most farmers have a rifle or two on the farm. I see reasons for regulations on both sides but I’m not seeing how the two arguments can be tied together.