Germans started two world wars....maybe Germans should be outlawed

[Coventina]

Maybe there should be laws forbidding the breeding of Germans, because there is EVIDENCE that as a breed they are aggressive and dangerous! I don't want Germans around MY children. If they are startled, they might try to put my child in an oven or something!! I hear that's what Germans do, after all.
:sarcasm:

I hate breed-specific targeting. That thread in LBN has my hackles raised, so to speak. I've never owned a pit or rottie, but I don't think they should be "outlawed" either.
*sigh*

[Warpy]

1. It would be nice if we could legislate common sense

so that people with small children would know not to get unpredictable breed dogs, but we haven't found a way to do this. We haven't found a way to get the owners of these dogs to put them inside adequate fencing, either. Since some dog owners insist on being stupid and/or careless, the only thing to do is make it very difficult for them to own some breeds within city limits. That's what those bans are for.

Every pit bull I've ever met has been a lover, not a fighter, but they can be unpredictable, especially around children. Every rottweiler has been hostile, since those are very strong pack dogs and will accept only those humans within their own adopted family. Both breeds inflict a great deal of damage to anyone they maul, to the extent that a lot of homeowner's insurance policies have exemptions for people who insist on owning them.

I'm afraid your analogy to the Germans was misplaced, as the Germans weren't the only warlike people in Europe. The French and the English had been at least their equal in the centuries after the fall of Rome. The church, itself, was responsible for many Crusades. You simply can't single out one ethnic group over another as the most warlike.

You can single out certain breeds of dogs, though. Toy poodles are the most common biters, but they don't inflict much damage. Rotties and pit bulls do.

[Coventina]

5. Here's my problems with "banning" certain breeds

1) After the ban is passed, how is it enforced? Do people who own the banned breed have to turn in their beloved pet for destruction? Even though it has never done anything wrong or shown evil tendencies?

2) How do you determine what a "pit bull" or whatever you've banned is? Pit bull is a term thrown around VERY loosly. How about dogs who sometimes look like pit bulls, like boxers, bull mastiffs, various bulldog or "bully" mixes? Same would go for Rotties and any other breed. Is it a Doberman if it is half dobie? Quarter? Eighth?

I say, strengthen the laws that punish BAD OWNERS! That's where the real problems are.

[RebelOne]

2. I started that thread. I posted about the pit bulls

killing the little boy. It burns me up when the media jumps all over a story about a pit bull or Rottie mauling. Do you think there would be that much publicity if the dog had been a Lab or cocker? No, I don't think so.

I own a Rottie and I have owned a pit bull. My Rottie is a sweet, good-natured dog and does not have a mean bone in her body.

[purr]

3. I've known people with pits, dobes, and rotties...

Not ONE had a mean streak in them. Sure they were protective, but does that make the dog aggressive and dangerous?

I was debating on getting a doberman.. I was looking at a breeder with champion bloodlines and what she told me was the truth. Its all in genetics and HOW you raise the dog. I didnt have the 5k she wanted for one of her pups so I politely declined and got a beagle mutt from the shelter. Yes, I have 2 young kids.

She also stated if a prowler saw kids with a dobe/rott/etc. in the yard, they would more than likely NOT come around.

My cousin had 3 dobermans while raising her kids and those dogs would let their kids do whatever they wanted to them. If someone stepped in their yard the dog would round the kids up and 'protect' them. Her kids today now have their own dobermans with their children. Very LOYAL dogs.

Any dog can be aggressive.. if you sat there and beat the dog on a daily basis I dont give a damn WHAT breed it is, it will be nasty.

I had a German Shepard while growing up and that dog treated me like I was his kid. Never ONCE did he growl or snip at me or maul someone. When I had my son that dog would sleep by my sons crib, if someone he didnt know came to see the baby he wouldnt let them in his room.

He died a few years ago at age 15 from cancer. I would not hesitate to get another.

[CornField]

4. It isn't the dog in as much as it is the owners

People who want "tough" dogs often trend toward dobbies, shepherds, danes, rotties & pits. The problem isn't necessarily with the dogs, but with the owners who refuse to properly train the dogs and spend little or no time with them.

Case in point: my oldest daughter has a large scar on the lower, right side of her face. A neighbor's dog, which she had pet in the past, attacked her. The dog (a Shepherd) bit completely through her lower lip and ripped into neck. The dog's owner was a younger guy who had always wanted a shepherd. It was one of the first 'possessions' he acquired when he moved out on his own.

The dog:

1) Had never been to an obedience class
2) Was not up to date on immunizations (including rabies)
3) Rarely had interaction with the owner
4) Was left tied up in the yard for long periods of time

The owner:

1) Liked the idea of owning a shepherd, but not the work involved
2) Had never previously owned/trained/loved a dog
3) Didn't have enough disposable income to care for the dog
4) Didn't know to post warnings
5) Had no experience with training *any* animal
6) Often resorted to physical punishment as a method of training
7) Encouraged aggressive behavior

Experienced dog owners can sense a dog's personality and act accordingly (place the dog in an adult-only environment, ensure the dog is not around other pets, have the animal put down if it is a true danger, etc.) Inexperienced dog owners simply don't have a clue how a dog is supposed to act nor do they understand the dynamics of the pack. Many do not take the time to attend obedience classes with their dog and many become frustrated when the dog doesn't act as they think it should. Then, many of these dogs are placed in a back yard tied to yard stake. If the dog barks, they toss water on it or worse. Aggression builds. If the dog gets loose, they chase it down (what a great game says the dog!) and then admonish it or beat it. Aggression builds some more.

Finally, after several weeks (months or years) of being isolated, threatened, ignored and abused a small child walks up and goes to pet the dog's hind quarters. Anyone want to guess what the dog is going to do?