November 7th, 2005
From what I understand SB861 has been passed in California and will go into effect Jan. 1st.
(source http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=2642
After reviewing the law and hearing Pit bull owners (and dog owners) freaking out about how it’s breed specific and that eventually the Pit Bull will be extinct etc… I find it hard to get my mind around the issue.
Why?
Basically the law says that counties and cities can enforce mandatory spay/neuter programs and breeding requirements.
What has the Pit Bull community in an uproar is they feel the cities and towns will start telling every Pit Bull owner to spay/neuter their dogs. By the way, somewhere (I have yet to find this in the actual law) it says dogs over 40lbs are to be subject to these mandatory laws.
Well, there goes a ton of breeding programs for Pit Bulls, Rotts, German Shephards, Coon hounds, Mastiffs, and a few other breeds that average 40+ lbs.
Part of me says, “Yes! Finally someone is attacking the problem at the root (breeders, puppy mills and moms wanting their children to witness the miracle of birth.)”
While the other part of me says, “well, you know, it’s not all pudding and smiles either.”
There is room for this bill to subject Pit Bull owners (and other large breed owners) to a different form of BSL. This is what gets my hackles up a bit.
However, on the surface, I would not be upset about this law until proven that I should be upset.
The problem with dog owners is, no law will ever be good enough to work for us all.
It is impossible to enact a bill that does not target specific breeds.
Why?
Well SB861 doesn’t say, “Pit Bulls are the only dog that this bill is for.”
It applies to all breeds.
Sure you can expect them to target “potentially dangerous breeds” they have dreamed up because of attacks etc…
However, if you think about it for more than 10 minutes you’ll see that there is no law that can be drafted that will satisy dog owners.
One reason is, if you try to attack the problem (breeding, whether hobby, professional, responsible or not) the registries will fly in their team of lawyers to fight tooth and nail and so will all the people who make a living from breeding dogs.
If you say dogs over 40 lbs should be automatically spayed and neutered then you subject HUNDREDS of dogs to a specific law targeting their breed due to size.
See the dilemma?
Bill SB861 is a step in the right direction in my opinion. Targeting the problem (breeding and over breeding) but the way the bill does it leaves too many holes for BSL anti-pitbull freaks to jump through.
Say No to bill SB861 not because it’s a bad law, but because it’s not at all comprehensive enough to stop polictical opportunitist from using it to their whims.
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel CGC and Honey
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
5 Comments
November 7th, 2005
Today I received an email from a lady who wanted to argue a statement she found on the PitBulllovers.com web site.
She wanted to dispute the fact that I said the Pit Bull is “A poor guard
dog; it is not a breed trait to be defensive of car, home, etc…”
Let’s examine the roots of this statement. If Pit Bulls were such great guard dogs why would breeders (even dog fighting breeders) need Dobermans, German Shephards and other guardian breeds to protect their Pit Bulls from theft?
If Pit Bulls were such great guardians why can Police walk right past them and into a persons home without much fan fair?
Yes, some dogs might alert bark when someone or something is around. However, it’s not typical of a (now pay close attention here) properly bred, properly raised, AMERICAN PIT BULL TERRIER.
If you have a mix or some other dog you think is a Pit Bull then sure, it might be the case they are pretty good guard dogs. But a purebred APBT, raised without encouraging territorial barking, aggression etc… will let someone walk right in and take whatever they want.
Okay, now let me expand on the woman’s email.
She first starts off by saying her dog is VERY VERY (even used big letters like that) territorial.
This is NOT a common APBT trait and I would suspect it has been encouraged because this woman and her boyfriend can not protect themselves.
She also states and I quote: “If she doesnt know who is coming in the house, and she is back in the bedroom …. she growls and barks like she’s ready to kill …”
Again, unsound and bad breeding, or improper encouragement has caused this completely unAPBT behavior.
She thinks it’s GOOD her dog does this. Ugh! (Hint: Get a gun or a German Shepard!)
She goes on to say… “As well as the car … If she knows who is
in the car before hand, and we go inside a store, for
a short period of time … and a stranger comes up to
the car … she’s VERY aggressive … she knows that
she’s protecting her mom and dad, and that it’s HER
car too.”
I want to point out a few troubling issues I see here.
First of all, she says she gets VERY aggressive if someone
approaches the car. This might seem like a good thing
at first. After all auto theft is one of America’s fastest
growing crimes.
On the other hand though, what happens if it’s oh,
I don’t know, a 15 year old kid who doesn’t know
any better and he gets to close?
Bam! News at 6, vicious Pit Bull takes 15 year olds
finger off.
Another distrubing issue in the above quote is
she says she knows she’s protecting mom and dad
(who by the way are in the store so you figure
that one out) and she knows it’s her car too.
Ummm, no she doesn’t. She’s a dog. She might
consider it her territory, but her car? lol. Anyway.
Also notice how this lady throws in a cover to
her actions, “for a short period of time.”
Meaning I don’t leave my baby in the car
for hours. Which is fine, but the fact she
gets “VERY aggressive” when she is
not around the car should be a major
red flag to these people.
And finally she states: “So … that statement is NOT completely true … at all … Just thought i’d clear that up a bit … thanx!!”
She cleared nothing up. The statement IS completely true in regards to properly bred Pit Bulls that have been raised correctly.
If people encourage the behavior or have an ill-mannered, non-trained, spoiled brat of a Pit Bull, then yes, the statement is not completely true.
I hope we don’t hear about this ladies dog hurting someone soon. The signs are all there. The only thing missing is one second of bad judgement and the rest is news at 6.
Best Regards,
Jason, Angel CGC and Honey
The Most Complete Pit Bull Information Site Online
Categories: Pit Bull Blog |
15 Comments
