Ont. Liberals Show Great Leadership

[maplesyrup]

I just can't believe this has taken so long, but kudos to the McGuinty Liberals for showing some courageous leadership in banning these vicious animals.

What is the rest of the country waiting for? More maulings? Deaths?

Bannng pit bulls is an idea whose time has come.

We will need to expand this program so that the rest of the country, and other vicious dogs are included in these bans as well.

[Hugo]

Funny how the stereotypical pitbull owner is a violent and aggressive skinhead, and yet whenever a story hits the press about pitbulls the animal is always owned by an average working guy or an old person who wants a companion or a guard dog.

Quite a lot of old and infirm people get viciously attacked and killed in their homes, usually as part of petty robbery. It makes me angry that, not only does the government refuse to provide them with any kind of decent police protection, it insists on banning anything they might use to defend themselves. I suppose the government expects old, bedridden people to just duke it out with thugs intent on stealing their VCR while they wait 20 minutes for the cops to show up?

[Newfie Canadian]

This is a great example of the slippery slope.

Ban pitbulls.

Then ban rottweilers.

Then ban dobermans.

Then ban German Shepherds.

But wait a second, German Shepherds are police dogs and seeing eye dogs.

Now I'm not saying that pitbulls, rottweilers and dobermans aren't dangerous, any dog can be dangerous, and steps should be taken to limit the danger. The problem here is the people that own them. Blame them, not the dogs.

[kimmy]

and yet whenever a story hits the press about pitbulls the animal is always owned by an average working guy or an old person who wants a companion or a guard dog.

...and whenever a story hits the press about pitbulls, it's because the animal brutally attacked someone.

I'm not sure I agree about the pitbull owners we see on the news either... most of them seem to be dumb-ass types.

But Newfie has a good point. If you ban pitbulls, what about pitbull crosses? What about other dogs with bad dispositions who are not registered as members of a designated breed? Ban purebreed pitbulls, and I'm sure some enterprising breeder will be hard at work raising a litter of puppies that will be just as vicious, strong, and won't be banned under the law.

There has to be some sort of way of making people responsible for their dogs.

-kimmy

[maplesyrup]

This is a great example of the slippery slope.

Ban pitbulls.

Then ban rottweilers.

Then ban dobermans.

Then ban German Shepherds.

But wait a second, German Shepherds are police dogs and seeing eye dogs.

Now I'm not saying that pitbulls, rottweilers and dobermans aren't dangerous, any dog can be dangerous, and steps should be taken to limit the danger. The problem here is the people that own them. Blame them, not the dogs.

I think the first three on your list, pits, rots, & dobs should be banned. Any animal that has the potential to kill humans should not be in the same vicinity as people. and we adults collectively have a responsibility to protect society's children.

Police dogs is a completely different kettle of fish, and they do a lot of good work, such as sniffing for drugs and searching for potential thieves after an alarm has gone off in a supposedly empty building.

[August1991]

I frequently see dogs with a muzzle around their mouth. Sometimes the muzzle is a plastic affair akin to a mini-goalie mask and sometimes it is merely a nylon band around the jaw. I suspect that liability insurance may be the cause of the owner putting this on the dog.

For the uninsurable, would a regulation requiring a muzzle for dogs in public places not solve this problem?

-----

Incidentally, Ontario's proposal is an example of bad policy. For example, I note that current owners would be exempt. (How to verify that?) What about breeding kennels? Can they sell their current stock? Future pups?

What happens if someone moves to Ontario in the future? What happens if a tourist crosses the Manitoba/Ontario border?

Canada increasingly has regulations that fewer people respect.

[playfullfellow]

Then ban dobermans

Then ban rottweilers.

Any animal that has the potential to kill humans should not be in the same vicinity as people

Potentially, any animal cam kill a human. Be it through a direct attack or reaction to a particular animal. This statement is way too broad MS and too hard to define. I know what you mean but we as people also have to respect an animals space. Growing up on farms with all sorts of animals, we learn very quickly you have to respect all animals and treat them carefully. As with people, you have bad tempered animals and good tempered animals, all within the same breed. Rule of thumb, animals that show any agressiveness towards people should be put down.

I have owned a doberman, this dog was a watch dog and did his job well, we didn't have any more theft after he joined our home. This dog never ever attacked anyone but we knew the potential was always there and never let the dog out when people were around. We had a dachshound who didn't like kids, they liked to yank her long ears, we kept the dog in a bedroom when young kids were over. I know people who have rotties and they are just big babies. These are all dogs that were raised properly and respected. Any dog has the potential to be dangerous. It has a lot to do with how these animals are raised and treated.

Banning the ownership of certain breeds of dogs may seem like a good idea and I am not necessarily against them but where do you draw the line? Here in Alberta we have a law against owning rats and so far that has been fairly succesful.

[maplesyrup]

pff.....what's the reason for the rat ban? Are the authorities worried that they will multiply and get loose into the sewers, etc.?

I know this dog thingy is a very emotional thing, and different people have had different experiences with animals but I just can't get out of my mind the young girl that was walking down a street in Vancouver minding her own business and has probably been disfigured for life. She is extremely lucky to be alive that poor spunky kid. She was attacked by two dogs.

I agree that we need to respect animals, but when push comes to shove we have to place living things in the following priority order:

1 - people

2 - animals

3 - plants

[Slavik44]

yay...lets all jump on the band wagon, this is pathetic. First it was the salem witch trials in America, then Mcarthyism in america, not it has moved up the border to Canada with Bulshitism, I mean pitbullism the next in a great line of pathetic witch hunts. Please you guys are smarter then this, don't be so judgemental research the dogs, talk to owners, talk to breeders, talk to the Canadian kennel club. Please all dogs are innocent untill proven guilty and the actions of one do not justify the sentencing of all. Likewise you cannto infer if one does it they all do it, or even if a few do it. You know who si really dangers the few dumb owners, perhaps screening owners is the way to do it. It sounds expensive but in comparison to patrolling borders for smuggled pitbulls it is not. MS drugs kill people a hell of alot mroe often then Pitbulls do, yet you seem to be so opposed ot the war on drugs, but not the war on Pitbulls. Why is this because you do not belive the war on drugs worked. So let me save you the time; the best way to stop drug use is through education and involvement. Likewise the best way to stop dog attacks is through education involvement and owner screening, not Bandwagon jumping.

[maplesyrup]

Slavik44.....how do we solve the pit bull attacks problem?

Simple. you put a little lead in the right ear of each pit bull. How do you do that, you say? With a fucking gun!

Just like Maslo's list of priorities, life has a priority list as well: first humans, then animals, and finally plants. I know if's tough on dog lovers, and tree huggers, but them's the breaks.

[maplesyrup]

Dog owners abdicated their responsibilities and as a result lost their doggie rights.

If over the years when someone was viciously attacked by a dog, the dog owners had risen up and spoken out agianst this kind of animal behaviour, then perhaps animal rights activitsts would have a leg to stand on. But they were SILENT. They didn't want to get involved in someone else's problem. Well screw them. We all have a collective responsibility to society and until we learn to understand that, and start getting involved, situations like this will continue to develop.

[Slavik44]

Slavik44.....how do we solve the pit bull attacks problem?

Simple. you put a little lead in the right ear of each pit bull. How do you do that, you say? With a fucking gun! 

Just like Maslo's list of priorities, life has a priority list as well: first humans, then animals, and finally plants.

And how do you solve the next Bad dog breed that comes along kill it? and then the next? kill it? and the next? kill it? Sure no pitt bulls-no pitt bull attacks, but there will be a dog that does the job. It is not the dog but the owner, the select few owners that destroy their dogs and destroy peoples lives they are the culprits, end their dog owning days and the problem will not be around. No, it is not a quick fix, but a quick fix is not a lasting fix and it does not fix anything it just replaces the problem, with something else. but if you end a Pit bulls life you do nto end the problem, you have accomplished nothing other then terrorizing little children by killing their pets.