I posted this in the General forum, but haven't had any responses yet, so I thought maybe the "pet people" would have some input 
I was reading some of the comments in the survey section about what to do about pit bulls, and dangerous dogs in general, and thought it would be interesting to see everyone's thoughts on the problem and possible solutions. My thoughts on the subject of dangerous dogs is that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. The dangerous dog problem isn't about dogs, it's about the irresponsible people who own the dogs and let them run off leash, encourage bad behavior from them, or just don't bother to control them. That's why breed bans don't work. The irresponsible owners will just move on to another breed. I live in Baltimore County, and last summer Baltimore City tried to pass a ban against all pit bull type dogs. This ban would have included American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs), American Staffordshire Terriers (ASTs) , Staffordshire Bull Terriers (SBTs) , Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs (ABs) , and any other dog that looked like it had one of these breeds in it's lineage. That's a lot of dogs condemned for no reason except their appearance, name, and reputation. In defense of BSL, people often bring up the many "vicious pit bull attacks" and the bite statistics (especially CDC's). In reality, the pit bulls in these attacks are often mixed with other breeds, or don't even have pit bull in them. To be honest, pit bulls aren't even a breed, they are a group, or type, comprised of the breeds mentioned above. However, since the CDC counts all "pit bull type" dogs as one group, of course there are going to be a lot of pit bull attacks. You also have to take into account where the CDC gets it's records from; the media, hospitals, and animal control. How accurate are these sources in telling breeds of dogs apart? Not Very. There is no test that you can do to be sure, and there is such a variety in most breeds that they may be registered as a breed, but look completely different. This is especially true in APBTs, who's breed standard calls for dogs ranging in size from 30-65 lbs, however sometimes dogs may be as little as 25 lbs or as much as 80 lbs. Most "pit bulls" larger than that have mastiff or other large breeds mixed in. Even if the dog that attacks is proven to be a "pit bull type" dog, you have to take into account the environment in which the dog is kept. Too many of these dogs are kept outside on chains with little attention, or even worse beaten or fought. This kind of treatment will make most dog's (of any breed) good nature give way to fear aggression or unsound temperment. Sometimes people do breed dogs of unsound temperment, in order to make money, or because they like having a "mean dog", and then these irresponsible breeders sell their dogs to irresponsible or inexperienced owners, who either don't want to or know how to control them, and you have a tragedy in the making. Dog bites (especially serious or fatal ones) really are a tragedy for everyone involved, the person bitten, who has to live their life with scars (emotional & physical) and sometimes other physical damage, their family and friends, who see them like that, the dog, who is either condemned to a life in a cage or euthanized, and the owner. So there is my (very long ) list of reasons as to why we need to regulate dog owners instead of dogs. But how do we go about regulating the owners? Here are some possible solutions:
1. Work to Make Sure That Only Responsible Dog Breeders Can Sell/Produce Puppies. Thousands of dogs die everyday in shelters across the US, many of them purebreds. Responsible dog owners carefully plan their litters in order to have the best match possible. They produce very few litters, and work to better the breed, and most are active in rescue and also compete in canine sports with their dogs. They also screen their dogs for health problems before breeding them, and offer lifetime guarantees againt genetic defects. Irresponsible breeders breed dogs indiscriminantly, often inbreeding, and often breed poor tempered dogs. They produce many puppies, often several litters a year, and don't really care if their dogs go to good homes or not, just as long as they get their money. They do not screen their dogs for health problems, and usually offer a health guarantee for one-two years, but many health problems don't begin to show until after that.
*I think that legislation should be passed so that dog owners must get a license before breeding their dog, and that the dog being bred must be free of genetic defects and have completed & passed at least a Temperment Test or Canine Good Citizen test.
2. Push for Tougher Laws Against Animal Cruelty. Currently, fighting dogs in the state of Maryland is a Felony, but it is only a Misdemeanor to be a spectator at a dog fight, and it is LEGAL to own dogs used in dogfights. Many times these laws aren't even enforced. My father works in Baltimore City, and has often seen people standing on the corner, cheering as they watch two dogs rip each other apart. This happens in broad daylight in plain view of passersby, but no one cares. Police often drive right by these streetfights without even stopping. It is supposedly illegal to leave an animal outside without shelter or food, or to abuse an animal, but if someone calls animal control about it, they just say they can't do anything until the animal has injured someone.
3. Hold Owners Accountable for Their Animal's Actions. If dog owners know they are responsible for their dog's behavior, then maybe they will be a little more careful about choosing their dog and raising it. It would definitely make having a "big bad dog" a lot less appealing to those who want one to scare people. The CA dog mauling case is a good example of this. I bet that if those lawyers had known they might spend the rest of their lives in jail, they would have thought twice about having dogs they couldn't control.
4. Educate Young People About Animals. Maybe if we educate the youth of today, then we'll have better pet owners in years to come. Many children don't know how to behave around a strange dog, which can cause big problems if they meet up with one on the street. Most people bitten by dogs are children, so if we teach them how to handle dogs, dog bites would probably decrease somewhat. Also, many children/teens today see older people abusing animals or fighting them, and end up following that path later in life. There is a pit bull rescue center in California that works with "High Risk" children and their "High Risk" pets in order to show the children the proper way to care for them and train them. Why not start something like that here in MD?
I agree with the recently proposed law, HB562 (with amendments), but though it protects the innocent animals, and does punish owners somewhat, I don't think it's enough to stop irresponsible owners. Here's a good website on Maryland's Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) : http://www.geocities.com/afopgc/ and if anyone's interested, I have a page about BSL on my dog's website : http://www.mel-dogs.cityslide.com/pages/page.cfm/1219118 Anyway, sorry this was so long, just wanted to get some feedback from other people in MD.
mel
I was reading some of the comments in the survey section about what to do about pit bulls, and dangerous dogs in general, and thought it would be interesting to see everyone's thoughts on the problem and possible solutions. My thoughts on the subject of dangerous dogs is that there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. The dangerous dog problem isn't about dogs, it's about the irresponsible people who own the dogs and let them run off leash, encourage bad behavior from them, or just don't bother to control them. That's why breed bans don't work. The irresponsible owners will just move on to another breed. I live in Baltimore County, and last summer Baltimore City tried to pass a ban against all pit bull type dogs. This ban would have included American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs), American Staffordshire Terriers (ASTs) , Staffordshire Bull Terriers (SBTs) , Bull Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, American Bulldogs (ABs) , and any other dog that looked like it had one of these breeds in it's lineage. That's a lot of dogs condemned for no reason except their appearance, name, and reputation. In defense of BSL, people often bring up the many "vicious pit bull attacks" and the bite statistics (especially CDC's). In reality, the pit bulls in these attacks are often mixed with other breeds, or don't even have pit bull in them. To be honest, pit bulls aren't even a breed, they are a group, or type, comprised of the breeds mentioned above. However, since the CDC counts all "pit bull type" dogs as one group, of course there are going to be a lot of pit bull attacks. You also have to take into account where the CDC gets it's records from; the media, hospitals, and animal control. How accurate are these sources in telling breeds of dogs apart? Not Very. There is no test that you can do to be sure, and there is such a variety in most breeds that they may be registered as a breed, but look completely different. This is especially true in APBTs, who's breed standard calls for dogs ranging in size from 30-65 lbs, however sometimes dogs may be as little as 25 lbs or as much as 80 lbs. Most "pit bulls" larger than that have mastiff or other large breeds mixed in. Even if the dog that attacks is proven to be a "pit bull type" dog, you have to take into account the environment in which the dog is kept. Too many of these dogs are kept outside on chains with little attention, or even worse beaten or fought. This kind of treatment will make most dog's (of any breed) good nature give way to fear aggression or unsound temperment. Sometimes people do breed dogs of unsound temperment, in order to make money, or because they like having a "mean dog", and then these irresponsible breeders sell their dogs to irresponsible or inexperienced owners, who either don't want to or know how to control them, and you have a tragedy in the making. Dog bites (especially serious or fatal ones) really are a tragedy for everyone involved, the person bitten, who has to live their life with scars (emotional & physical) and sometimes other physical damage, their family and friends, who see them like that, the dog, who is either condemned to a life in a cage or euthanized, and the owner. So there is my (very long ) list of reasons as to why we need to regulate dog owners instead of dogs. But how do we go about regulating the owners? Here are some possible solutions: 1. Work to Make Sure That Only Responsible Dog Breeders Can Sell/Produce Puppies. Thousands of dogs die everyday in shelters across the US, many of them purebreds. Responsible dog owners carefully plan their litters in order to have the best match possible. They produce very few litters, and work to better the breed, and most are active in rescue and also compete in canine sports with their dogs. They also screen their dogs for health problems before breeding them, and offer lifetime guarantees againt genetic defects. Irresponsible breeders breed dogs indiscriminantly, often inbreeding, and often breed poor tempered dogs. They produce many puppies, often several litters a year, and don't really care if their dogs go to good homes or not, just as long as they get their money. They do not screen their dogs for health problems, and usually offer a health guarantee for one-two years, but many health problems don't begin to show until after that.
*I think that legislation should be passed so that dog owners must get a license before breeding their dog, and that the dog being bred must be free of genetic defects and have completed & passed at least a Temperment Test or Canine Good Citizen test.
2. Push for Tougher Laws Against Animal Cruelty. Currently, fighting dogs in the state of Maryland is a Felony, but it is only a Misdemeanor to be a spectator at a dog fight, and it is LEGAL to own dogs used in dogfights. Many times these laws aren't even enforced. My father works in Baltimore City, and has often seen people standing on the corner, cheering as they watch two dogs rip each other apart. This happens in broad daylight in plain view of passersby, but no one cares. Police often drive right by these streetfights without even stopping. It is supposedly illegal to leave an animal outside without shelter or food, or to abuse an animal, but if someone calls animal control about it, they just say they can't do anything until the animal has injured someone.
3. Hold Owners Accountable for Their Animal's Actions. If dog owners know they are responsible for their dog's behavior, then maybe they will be a little more careful about choosing their dog and raising it. It would definitely make having a "big bad dog" a lot less appealing to those who want one to scare people. The CA dog mauling case is a good example of this. I bet that if those lawyers had known they might spend the rest of their lives in jail, they would have thought twice about having dogs they couldn't control.
4. Educate Young People About Animals. Maybe if we educate the youth of today, then we'll have better pet owners in years to come. Many children don't know how to behave around a strange dog, which can cause big problems if they meet up with one on the street. Most people bitten by dogs are children, so if we teach them how to handle dogs, dog bites would probably decrease somewhat. Also, many children/teens today see older people abusing animals or fighting them, and end up following that path later in life. There is a pit bull rescue center in California that works with "High Risk" children and their "High Risk" pets in order to show the children the proper way to care for them and train them. Why not start something like that here in MD?
I agree with the recently proposed law, HB562 (with amendments), but though it protects the innocent animals, and does punish owners somewhat, I don't think it's enough to stop irresponsible owners. Here's a good website on Maryland's Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) : http://www.geocities.com/afopgc/ and if anyone's interested, I have a page about BSL on my dog's website : http://www.mel-dogs.cityslide.com/pages/page.cfm/1219118 Anyway, sorry this was so long, just wanted to get some feedback from other people in MD.
mel