How do you feel about the banning of so called "dangerous" dog breeds?

It is an extremely difficult question. There is no doubt that some breeds more than others have the propensity to become vicious, by nature of the intent of their breeding. The breeds that came into existence for the sole purpose of guarding their owners or property, the breeds whose primary purpose was fighting with other dogs. But I have met dogs of all those specific breeds who have been peaceful members of families. And I have known golden retrievers and labs who were killers. So therefore BSL is not really the answer, nor is licensing unless there is the manpower to enforce it. I have always had akitas and they are often legislated against and yet mine have always been good members of society. Somewhere along the line discipline and abuse have come to mean the same thing and people try to train hard dogs with soft methods and it usually doesn’t work and that exacerbates the problem. So the simplest knee jerk solution is to ban the breed, I am against it, but I don’t know what the real solution might be other than heavy fines or even jail for owners who let their dogs run at large or injure other dogs or people.

I support a full-scale ban. It was wrong to create these monsters in the first place by selective breeding. Now is the time to undo the mistakes. I know attack dog fans don’t like to hear this.

@rooeytoo I pretty much agree with you. Like with your Akita’s I have had the same experience with Rottweilers. They are often in the news as mindless baby killers but I have yet to meet a Rottie that hasn’t been a complete softie and great family dog. I would HATE to see this breed in particular banned.

Most people in the dog community (and I include myself in there) oppose breed banning. As you noted, different breeds are banned as dangerous in different countries. Fashions regarding dangerous breeds change. In the 50s and 60s, German shepherds were regarded as a dangerous breed. In the 80s rottweilers were regarded as a dangerous breed.

The truth is any dog can inflict a serious bite. If you go by numbers, emergency rooms records indicate that the most dangerous breeds are small dogs like chihuahuas and dachshunds.

The idea of breed banning legislation is flawed. It does not really solve the problem of dangerous dogs caused by irresponsible owners.

Instead, I advocate:

1. Much more serious fines and possible jail time for owners whose dogs cause life threatening injuries to someone.

2. Requirements for huge liability insurance for people owning dogs that have escaped and bitten a person or attacked another dog in a non-life threatening manner.

3. Banning backyard breeding and licensing dog breeders.

4. Requiring spay and neuter of all pets.

5. Requiring owner education and owner-animal training for owners of dogs weighing more than 60 pounds.

As to the issue of the pit bull, the dogs, like all dogs, must be trained properly and socialized properly.

@Marina you are possibly my favourite person on this site!

It would be hard to ban the dangerous dog breeds since all dogs are wild and related to wolfs. You would have to cull and ban every dog .

My Rottweiler is the biggest softy I have ever seen. Hes a 100lb lap-dog. Rottweilers are generally docile dogs, but, as I have seen with my dog Moose, they sometimes don’t understand their size and strength. I honestly can’t imagine having to give him up.

What Marina said.

We in fact have a pit bull (65 pounds) and an American Bulldog (130 pounds). Neither have ever bitten anyone while living with us and both have been taught the command “Leave it!” just in case they think I want them to attack someone. They are otherwise loving and gentle dogs.

Ban the untrained owner, not the breed.

Ban the dog, not the breed.

Some of the SWEETEST dogs I know are Pit Bulls!!! The only bite I’ve ever received at the kennel where I work, was from a Maltese! Banning a whole breed is wrong, in my opinion. Every dog should be judged individually.

Dogs scare me shitless, but I feel like that’s my problem, not the dogs’. I’ve heard 2 different sides to the dangerous dog breed argument- 1. That there are just certain breeds predisposed (is that the right word?) to be more vicious, and 2. That it has nothing to do with breed and all to do with the animal’s upbringing and training. Actual personal experience, though, leads me to believe that the second is more correct. As scared as I am of dogs, I’ve only been bitten by some tiny little white yappy dog. I’ve known a few large “scary” dogs in my time, and most of them are so even tempered they barely make a sound. I was totally scared of a pit bull that charged at me in my yard, but I froze and she ended up just licking me and wanting to play. It seems like if the dog looks like he could do damage, people are so scared that they just don’t want to take a risk of that dog being around, but hell, I could say the same for some people. It’s no reason to ban them.

I think banning dog breeds based on “danger” is silly. Many pit bulls, for example, make great pets. Behavior is largely determined by environmental factors.

That said, I’m all for banning dog breeds that have a tendency to be born with genetic defects that make their lives painful and miserable. Bulldogs and pugs, for example, often have difficulty breathing. I don’t think you should be allowed to bring a living thing into the world that you know is probably going to suffer for most of its life. That’s my rationale for banning incest as well.

I think people should have to be certified to own a dangerous dog breed like a pit bull since so many pit bull owners are reckless and irresponsible. The price of their negligence to far too high.

I don’t believe in banning the breed, but I do support strict laws regarding owning certain breeds. Any dog can bite, not all dogs will lock on until the victim is dead. Most dogs bite and run. Not pit bulls.
a little story about my son’s friend’s family- the father got a pit bull and brought it home. He said his dog won’t bite because it is “well bred” and trained properly. Two years later it attacks their beagle, ripping it’s throat apart. It would not let go. The wife rushes in the break them apart (stupid but hell I would probably do the same thing). She gets her face bit, needed 20+ stitches. The beagle passes out, they thought it was dead. Pit bull releases it. Beagle wakes up, gets rushed to vet, lives. they keep both dogs(?!?!). Two weeks later, pit bull attacks beagle again. The beagle loses a leg. They keep both dogs (again, ?!?!). The husband still refuses to get rid of pit bull. There are three small children in the house. What is he waiting for? One of his small kids to get attacked? People like this should not own pit bulls, and I don’t even understand how they are allowed to keep this dog. I don’t blame the dog, it was doing what came naturally. But why put the dog in this situation? Why put your family in danger?

@Qingu So what you are saying is kill off the whole breed? How the hell is that humane? Yes, those breeds have some defects, but its not a 100% guarantee. And even then the dogs are never suffering. It’d be like having an abortion because you think your kid will have asthma.

I personally think that banning a dog breed is stupid. I live in an apartment complex now where we are not allowed to have “vicious breeds of dog.” The landlady gave pit bulls as an example. I’m just curious as to what other dogs are considered “vicious.” What about Chihuahuas who were originally bred as Mexican guard dogs? Or terriers who were originally bred for hunting small animals? The banning of entire breeds is preposterous.

@KatawaGrey I think the difference is that although any dog can be dangerous, a chihuaha isn’t strong enough to knock someone down and cause serious damage. You may get a bite on the ankle but he won’t kill you. Of course a child could get bit on the neck or face by a smaller dog, but he most likely will survive a chihuahua attack. In the case of apartment living, where other people are subjected to pets, any dog that has shown aggression should be muzzled while in common areas to prevent injury. If the owner won’t take steps to control their dog he should be evicted.

@elijahsuicide: I do understand that, but my point is many dogs, both large and small, have been bred for aggressive reasons. However, no one knows what certain dogs were for. Sharpeis are Chinese fighting dogs and are certainly big enough to knock someone down. Standard poodles are hunting dogs. Any dog has the potential to be vicious and dangerous, regardless of size.

@KatawaGrey I completely agree with you. Personally I would much rather be attacked by a vicious poodle than a vicious pit bull. Actually I would prefer not being attacked at all, but I’m just saying.
Anyway, the important thing is that owners need to be more responsible, regardless of the breed. Larger stronger breeds need responsible aware owners and stricter laws to prevent not only other people from being hurt but the dog himself from being put in a bad situation.

All species of dogs are animals who have been bred over years to exhibit certain characteristics. Pit bulls have been bred to increase their ferocity (bulldogs for instance were kept to help manage bulls, and would bite and lock on to their noses to subdue the bull; many pit bulls were created for the sport of dogfighting). Pit bulls are a much harder dog to handle/train/control than most other dogs.

Of course, a strong and proper trainer can successfully raise a pit bull that will not bite; and not all pit bulls are aggressive. But it should be acknowledged that the species IS more dangerous than say a shihtzu.

Is banning the entire species the ideal solution? No, because it sends the message that the breed of the dog is the main problem when it’s actually a combination of the breed, temperament, training, and ability of the owner. Instead of an outright ban, I would prefer legislation that made it so a first time dog owner could not own a pit bull, as well as legislation that ensure the dog is muzzled when around any non-consenting person such as children on others in a dog park (because accidents do happen, and if they can be avoided they should be). As well, the record of the trainer should be taken into consideration – if they have owned other dogs who were put down due to aggression, they should not be allowed to own a pit bull.

One of the biggest problems with such legislation versus outright banning is that only law abiding people abide by the law, and the more loopholes there are the harder it is to rectify a problem when it is found. It’s much easier, implementation-wise, to outright ban a species than to implement a system to allow correct people to own pit bulls. It also raises issues regarding who exactly will certify that a dog owner is responsible or not, etc.

@EnzoX24, “kill off”? Where did you get killing from anything I said?

I just said these breeds should be discouraged and possibly banned from reproducing. It’s not ethical to knowingly bring a living thing into the world that will probably suffer for most of its life. This is the reason why we spay and neuter cats—because we don’t want feral cats running around living miserable lives without people willing to take care of them.

@elijahsuicide: I agree with you 100%. I’ve only ever been bit by my own dog who is a medium sized dog from a breed meant for herding sheep. He’s only ever done it once because he was over excited and I was trying to take a toy away from him. I think what a lot of people forget is that dogs are predator animals whether they have been bred for fighting or herding sheep. Any dog will attack if provoked and any dog can seriously hurt you. However, most dogs, including members of dangerous breeds, do not want to hurt anybody.

@Qingu I fail to see how “killing off” and “banning from reproduction” are different. And dogs rarely “suffer” from genetic conditions like those of bulldogs ands pugs. Is it a hassle and a discomfort? Yes. But they are in no way suffering in the sense that warrents the purging of an entire breed.

They are different because one is killing and one isn’t? In the same way that not having a child is different from killing a child?

I guess I would have a lot of second thoughts about an outright ban on breeds. But I would oppose actively breeding such dogs. I think it’s immoral. The poor doggies. As far as the evocative word “purge,” those breeds only exist in the first place because of human meddling. Dogs are wolves. You think wolves could evolve into pugs in the wild? We created them, and their suffering is our responsibility to prevent.

My cousins pit bull is super ferocious. He runs away from newspaper, cowers at the word “NO”, and shakes like jello at any loud noises.

@benjaminlevi: Those are some signs of abuse. Did your cousin adopt the dog?

The dogs of dangerous breeds aren’t necessarily violent animals. I’ve known a couple very loving pit bulls, not at all suspicious or distrustful, just very excitable. On the other hand there’s a Jack Russel I know that will tear the face of any dog it can get near. And her owner doesn’t always keep her leashed.

I think how animals are raised is a greater determining factor in the risk posed by the animal. It would be a better route to have criteria for who can own a dangerous breed, like they do for firearms. And certainly breeding should be regulated.

A recent study shows that statistically the most aggressive breeds aren’t pits and rotts and the like. It’s Dachshunds, Chihuahuas and Jack Russells oh my. The bias towards pits and rotts comes from the fact that if someone is bitten by a rott or a pit, it will be reported, but people are significantly less likely to report a Dachshund bite, ie the size of their teeth.

Actually, bully breeds such as pit bulls and bulldogs were bred to be very responsive to their owners, and to be less sensitive to pain than most dogs. As such it is easy to teach them to be aggressive because they really want to do what they think their owner wants, and because the pain of fighting doesn’t bother them as much as it does other breeds. They are a bit stubborn so training is not as easy as with some breeds, but by and large they can be wonderful animals.

We also had a Shar-Pei at one time, a rather cat-like dog in terms of personality. We called her our “Chinese Bulldog” because her hard-headedness was so much like the bulldogs I grew up with.

I do agree that breeding dogs for specific traits really does need more oversight than it gets now. Way too many people breed dogs just because they can, and they have no idea how to breed out the genetic problems that have developed. Instead, they often concentrate the bad recessive genes, causing an even bigger problem.

I love English Bulldogs, but I hate the health problems so many of them face. I wish more of the modern ones were like the ones I grew up with, not quite as extreme in their look but without the breathing, arthritis, and incontinence problems so many pure breds fall heir to now.

And actually, all of our dogs are rescues, some of whom have had to have intensive training due to terrible mistreatment.

Most purebred dogs have some flaw. With cocker-spaniels, it’s a problem with their eyelids. No reason to destroy these breeds just for something like that.
On the other hand, I feel having a pit bull is like having a loaded gun left around. I have seen some that are just as sweet as can be, but my wife had 2 cats ripped to pieces by a neighbors allegedly well trained pitt bull.
That said, the meanest dog I ever owned (it was actually my sisters while we were kids) was a purebred Toy poodle. His name was Luv, but I thought it was Satan.
I love mixed breeds. I hope to get a mutt soon.

I guess I didnt fully answer your question…
I think banning a dog breed is an exercise in futility. Introducing a pit bull ban for example would likely trigger an increase in people getting them because the commodity is suddenly scarce thus increasing demand. It’s basic economics really.

I am against the banning of any breed. It shows a lack of the understanding of dogs, period. They are all vicious unless and until trained otherwise, and even then have to be watched constantly around little children. I have dogs and I love dogs.

I’m for banning dangerous or scary dogs. I don’t care how sweet they are with their own, if they are dangerous to others, we don’t need them. We have enough scary humans walking around.

I totally agree! I have an American bull dog mix and he looks just like a pit bull and everyone flips out whenever they see him. I think it’s ridiculous that people are banning others for having a certain dog.

@KatawaGrey Yeah she got him from a rescue shelter.

I’m for banning breeds….I’m also for fining the idiots who keep really vicious dogs of ANY kind of breed.

@EnzoX24 Actually a lot of Bulldogs, Pugs and other breeds bred to have very flat faces DO suffer and I agree with Quingo that we shouldn’t be breeding from these animals with the way they are at the moment. What we can do, rather than let the breed die out, is change the breed standard which is what the UK Kennel Club is currently looking at doing for such breeds. The way a lot of these breeds are now is very different to the way they were in the past and, especially with the British Bulldog, it would be much kinder if the breed standard went back to how it was in years gone by.

@benjaminlevi: Poor puppy. We had a dog who acted the same way. When my mom first got him, she would tell him to sit and he would flatten and shake. He died a few years ago after many years of being a very happy and loved dog. I hope the same is true of your cousin’s dog.

@KatawaGrey Her dog is not spoiled, but she treats him like her was her child. He has some sort of cancer and won’t be around much longer.

i think it’s ridiculously stupid. most of the dogs that are vicious were brought up to be vicious. obviously that’s not true in all cases, but that’s like not letting someone have children with a spouse who has anger problems, because their child would have a higher risk of being an abusive person.
we should stop treating dogs like items and start punishing the person who teaches their dog to fight, and not the dog breed famous for being able to fight.

the whole controversy over this and how so many people pin the vicious behaviour on the breed more than the people raising it makes me fucking sick.