BSL questions

[imported_nea]

For English in school now we're learing about argumentative writing, and have to write a short report (or whatever) about something controversial, or something. I'm going to do about Breed Specific Legislation ( I think thats what its called... but I'm not sure :oops: ). So anyway, I was wondering if someone could help me with a few questions I have. I'm going to search for the answers myself too, but I'm terrible at finding things :oops: .

1. Where can I find the dog bite statistics, or what are they?

2. What breeds do this concern? What breeds do people want banned?

3. How do these breeds help people? (like if they're police dogs, etc.)

4. Which shelters put to sleep pit bulls and pit bull mixes just because of the breed they are/have in them? How do these shelters reson that?

5. What was that about a pomerian or something that killed a kid?

6. Which dogs were considered "bad" and "vicious" before?

7. What are some really dumb articles about it that idot reporters have written? (I want to quote some to show how rediculace (sp?) it can be)

8. What breeds are already banned in what places? Have the number of dog bites gone down in those areas?

9. Where are those scores for some test where pit bulls were among the top? It was some test to see how the dogs would react to different things. I think.

10. What is the intelligence level of a dog about, in human years? I think I read it in some book... but I cna't remember.

11. In a book about pit bulls I borrowed from the library this summer, it started out with a story type thing. A kid was playing in a sandbox or something, and then a pit bull came running straight at the kid, and killed teh rattlesnake that was just about to bite the kid. And then it said how if it were a labrador or something, most everyone would assume it was going to do something brave or something, but since it was a pitbull lots of people assumed it was going to bite the kid. Does anyone know that story more in detail?

12. Could someone who has one of the dog breeds that this concerns write something that I could quote?


Thanks for any help! :)

[imported_nea]

Wow... Thanks K! :D

[imported_nea]

:lol: Thank you so much! :) I feel overwhelmed almost :lol: ... With all this information I'll have to do a good job! :)

[Peng1zrule]

1. Where can I find the dog bite statistics, or what are they?

the center of disease control has a dozen or more sociological reports on dog bites.

2. What breeds do this concern? What breeds do people want banned?

"bully" breeds and "pitbull type" breeds. the last one is so vague and all encompassing it's hilarious. or not.

3. How do these breeds help people? (like if they're police dogs, etc.)

I beleive in "Bandit..." Hearne writes about an area that approved the destruction of pitbulls and pitbull types. one teenage boy came home and found his pitbull hung from a tree. he went in a deep depression and wouldn't speak. he spoke once, when a therapy dog, a PITBULL was brought into his hospital room. he spoke about how much he missed his pitbull and asked if it would be possible to get another pit that looked like his dearly departed. I beleive he ended up committing suicide. this is anecdoctal but I think it speaks volumes as to the love these dogs give and receive.

4. Which shelters put to sleep pit bulls and pit bull mixes just because of the breed they are/have in them? How do these shelters reson that?

Any run by the beloved PETA puts down pits as a mirror to Ingrid newkirk's personal vendetta against pitbulls. I don't beleive PETA has any shelters of thier own, but they sponsor a few and either refuse or euthanize any pitbull that comes thier way. The Animal Cops shelter has that policy, too.

5. What was that about a pomerian or something that killed a kid?

not that I remember...a pom left on a bed beside a baby. mom left the room, the pomeranian for no reason apparently, killed the baby. this has happend with ferrets, too. In "Pets and Thier People" Bruce Fogle tells about a woman who gave away her terrier mix. She was 8.5 months pregnant and found the dog in the pound. She brought it home, and a few weeks later, brought the baby home. The dog was walking around the room while the baby lay on the couch. It began crying, and the dog jumped straight up, grabbing the baby by the head. the dog drug it away, but when the horrified parents ran up to save thier child, it simply let the baby go and moved away, showing no aggression. the baby died later that day. (this was in england, I think)

7. What are some really dumb articles about it that idot reporters have written? (I want to quote some to show how rediculace (sp?) it can be)

to me, when the san francisco dog mauling case came about and everyone called presa canarios overgrown pitbulls, almost the whole country became a big, steeping, mass of ignorance. presas are presas and pitbulls are pitbulls. and our dear friends peta claim that the only way to make sure pitbulls never hurt anyone is to make sure there are no pitbulls. you can find that article online if you search a little while, I beleive. Ms. Newkirk even lets it slip that the reason she hates pits is that she was bitten by one.

8. What breeds are already banned in what places? Have the number of dog bites gone down in those areas?

If you can get on AOL and look at thier pitbull message board (american pitbull terrier) you can find several areas where they are being banned or are banned or are fighting the ban legislation. also, lots of experienced dog people. Rottweilers, dobermans, mastiffs, pitbulls and other bull terriers, are all labeled under the ban in most instances. usually, there's a stipulation that if the animal control officer or whoever beleives that your short coated whatever is a pit, he can take it, too. If you get on the aol board, ask for the "can you identify the pitbull" website. Print it in color and show it around--it REALLY hits the nail on the head as to how easy it is for a casual observer to mix up a pitbull with an anything else. In fact, see if you can find this page just by searching the net, I really like showing it to people.

12. Could someone who has one of the dog breeds that this concerns write something that I could quote?
I just have Calliope (pronounced KUH LY UH PEE) but I know she is such a sweetheart. All I have is one more anecdote. I live in a community where the houses are spaced far apart, and between me and one neighbor is this forest-y area that actually dips down, it used to be a big creek bed but dried up and all sorts of things started growing in it. Right after I moved here, my patio umbrella (you know, those huge umbrellas you put in the middle of those outdoor tables) got blown away. I thought it was gone forever but found it in this area. It was all overgrown with ivy and honeysuckle and morning glory, but it was mine, so I went down in there and was trying to cut it free. My neighbor's mentally disturbed chowchow charged me, frothing and snarling. I wouldn't trust this dog with a dead log, she's so unstable. Little Calliope, who had NEVER had a problem with this dog before, whupped her, but good. She came out of nowhere and just lit into that chowchow. I lost track of the two of them and ran out of the forest, and around til I was in the clear. I could hear one whimpering and I started screaming for Calliope, who came up to me without a scratch. Of course, I told my neighbor and had him check his dog--no injuries, (whew) but Calliope is not "game" she once picked a fight just to pick one with a shepherd-mix (not one of mine) and gave up ten seconds into it. What she did for me was PURELY out of love, and a lesser dog wouldn't have done it! Also, when she went into the vet to be spayed, she was the place's darling for the day. I got a five minute waxing of praise on my little dog--on how everytime they went into the recovery room, her tail could be heard banging on the cage bars. They didn't muzzle her either before the operation when she was given a quick once over, and I expected that once I was gone, she would be more trouble-more likely to act up, and if a dog even seems very nervous, the doctor muzzles it. (he even muzzled gypsy, a ten pound maltese-shih tzu mix) anyway, NO muzzles have ever touched my little girl. she didn't even get muzzled when they removed the stitches, they all loved and beleived in her temperment so much




I know I rambled on and on, but I have to do the same paper (and am planning the same topic) later on this year--I hope I helped you!

[imported_nea]

Thank you Peng1zrule! :D

[Sanvean]

Another site:

http://www.fataldogattacks.com/

[abker17]

Wow! Lots and lots of info! :D That's great! I was gonna ask this same question just cause' I wanted to understand the whole pittie/BSL controversy a little better..... :D Thanks for the web pages, they helped me to! :D

[courtnek]

The "average " rating of dog intelligence puts most dogs at about the learning level of a 3 to 5 year old child. The mre "intelligent" breeds,
(BC's, Poodles, Goldens, Labs) rate a little higher. Average for most dogs
is equivalent to a 3 year old child.

I dont believe any of it, personally. I've seen dogs reason things out that some adults couldnt, but those are the stats.

[Guest Mutts4Me]

Peng1zrule napisał(a):

The Animal Cops shelter has that policy, too.

Right. The Michigan Humane Society, based in Detroit, Michigan, and featured in Animal Planet's television show "Animal Cops: Detroit" does have a policy that any pit bull or pit bull type dog, including mixes, is to be euthanized, no exceptions. This is for the animals' own protection.

I firmly believe this. It is a very sad situation, but it is true. Detroit is riddled with dog fighting rings, and anyone who has seen Animal Cops is probably aware of this. Not a show goes by without at least one abused pit bull or other bully dog being investigated, usually with suspicions of fighting.

Any pit bull being brought into the MHS is at severe risk of being purchased with the intention to fight it. If it is an innocent pup, then it may be trained to fight. If it is a grown pet, it may be used as bait for other dogs in training. If it was picked up as a fighting dog, even if it is amiable around humans, it may prove to be dog aggressive. Even if this is not the case, it may be recovered by its previous owner, or someone the previous owner paid a large sum of money to "adopt" the dog. Or a rival fighter may try to pick it up as well.

One episode actually documented this. A guy with about 15 pits in his backyard was forced to relinquish several of the dogs to the MHS investigators. With no proof of fighting, they had to resort to zoning violations. Not all of the dogs he gave up were his, and he provided the investigators with a list of which dog belonged to whom. Before too long, a guy showed up claiming that a specific red pit bull was his "pet," and he wanted him back. He was sent away with some harsh words, and someone in charge explained to the camera that this was common. She explained just how valuable a good fighting dog was to these people. How much of a loss they could sustain if one of their prize fighters was no longer theirs to fight. And so they are willing to go through great lengths to re-attain these dogs, or get other ones.

This is a very sad reality, but I do not think that this particular situation can be blamed on breed prejudice on the part of the shelter owners.

[Guest Anonymous]

1. Where can I find the dog bite statistics, or what are they?
Not sure if this is what you're looking for or not, but dog bite statistics are usually just data compiled from various sources, such as the media, hospital records, and animal control/shelter records. They are not always an accurate record of dog bites due to the fact that the information obtained from their sources is largely personal knowledge/opinion, and its accuracy is entirely dependent on how much they know, and whether their informtaion is correct.

2. What breeds do this concern? What breeds do people want banned?
The breeds most commonly involved are "pit bull types" - APBTs, AmStaffs, Staffies, and sometimes ABs and/or Bull Terriers, as well as mixes of these breeds, and sometimes includes any dog that looks like it could be more than 1/4 "pit bull". Less commonly included in BSL are Rotties, Chows, Presas, ABs (if not included under the "pit bull type" heading), Cane Corsos, Dogo Argentinos, Tosas, Fila Brasilieros, and other mastiffy guard type breeds. It's interesting to note that some places have banned some of the rarer mastiff breeds when there weren't even any of them IN their country/state at the time, I guess as a "precautionary" measure. Also, some places in europe have adopted "height" restrictions, rather than actual breed bans. I know in one place in/near Germany, there were over 40 breeds on the "restricted" lists, and they ended up changing it to where dogs over 15" tall at the shoulders were under restrictions (K might know more about this, I only saw a few tidbits about it here and there)

3. How do these breeds help people? (like if they're police dogs, etc.)
See these sites:
SAR pit bulls in California, they were at the Columbia shuttle crash site, as well as the search for Lacey Peterson... www.forpitssake.org
Pit Bull Press, tons of positive articles, take your pick... http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/ARTICLES.HOME.html

4. Which shelters put to sleep pit bulls and pit bull mixes just because of the breed they are/have in them? How do these shelters reson that?
There are too many to list, often shelters in big cities or cities where there is a high volume of pit bulls won't adopt them out. I wrote our humane Society several years ago asking them about their non-adoption policy for pit bulls, and was told by the president that their insurance policy doesn't allow them to adopt out pit bulls. He also mentioned that there was too much risk in placing pit bulls that had been fought, that they would always be dangerous to other animals (not entirely true, but that's not the point), and that most of the pit bulls they got in there had scars "consistent with dogs that had been fought" (again, assumption on their part, some dogs will be pretty scarred up after living for a few weeks on the streets, just as there are dogs who are/have been fought, but would have to be carefully scrutinized to fidn a sign of it). There is a lot of misinformation out there, not only about the breed, but also about the activities that surround it. Too many people see a pit bull with a few scars, and think "fighting pit bull", or if it's cold (non-dog aggressive), "bait dog". There are numerous ways a dog (not even a pit bull) can end up with bite scars, fighting is one of them, but definitely not the only one. In addition to that, because of all the myths about "training" pit bulls to fight, people assume that a dog that has been fought is automatically a danger to people and/or any other animal it comes into contact with.

5. What was that about a pomerian or something that killed a kid?
There have been numerous serious/fatal attacks on young people by various breeds, yes, including some small dogs. In addition to the pom attack (no information on that one for you), there was an attack n a baby sleeping in his crib last year in Southern MD by a dachshund. The attack was so serious that the baby went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital, and had to be recussitated(sp?). Even more scary is that afterwards, several Dachshund rescue groups were angry because the dog was PTS rather than rehomed :o

6. Which dogs were considered "bad" and "vicious" before?
In no particular order, GSDs, dobies, rotties, I've even heard Schnauzers were considered a force to reckon with in some parts of the world.

7. What are some really dumb articles about it that idot reporters have written? (I want to quote some to show how rediculace (sp?) it can be)
Here's one from 2002... http://www.jsonline.com/lifestyle/advice/mar02/31443.asp
There are a billion and one more if you search around, just type "pit bull" or the like into a news search engine, and see what happens :roll:

8. What breeds are already banned in what places? Have the number of dog bites gone down in those areas?
The sites K gave have lists on what areas have BSL. I can give a more in depth example of what has happened close to where I live, in Prince Georges County, MD. Pit bulls have been banned there since the 1990s, and the amount of dog bites hasn't decreased. In fact, the number of PIT BULLS hasn't even decreased much, despite AC's routine trips around the area to round up illegal dogs and haul them off to their death. The law has been SO inneffective that I recently heard the county is considering getting rid of it.

9. Where are those scores for some test where pit bulls were among the top? It was some test to see how the dogs would react to different things. I think.
The ATTS K listed above is one of the best known and most accurate temperament tests.

11. In a book about pit bulls I borrowed from the library this summer, it started out with a story type thing. A kid was playing in a sandbox or something, and then a pit bull came running straight at the kid, and killed teh rattlesnake that was just about to bite the kid. And then it said how if it were a labrador or something, most everyone would assume it was going to do something brave or something, but since it was a pitbull lots of people assumed it was going to bite the kid. Does anyone know that story more in detail?
I remember seeing some more info about the dog on another board a while back, but don't even remember what board it was. I think the book was this one though: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0876053835/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/102-8474910-9719364

[Guest Anonymous]

Ugh... that was me. I keep getting logged out, in the 15 mins it took me to type that post, it logged me out :-?

[imported_nea]

Thank you so much everyone!! :)

[imported_nea]

I'm done!! :D Thanks to you guys and all the information I got, I was able to write 3 and a half pages of text, adn have 3 and a half pages of pictures! :) This project was only supposed to be a paragraph long... :o Well, my teacher better not complain! :x :wink:
Thanks for all the help I've gotten! :)