The biggest problem I have with all of this is the suggestion of a NATIONAL ban. Many communities can, and do, outlaw pit bulls within their community, and that is their right, so long as the democratic process is observed.

But a national ban fails to recognize that there are many places where even the meanest pit bull around could be kept and never have the chance to endanger another person. Frankly, if I live in the middle of the Arkansas countryside, I'm not about to get a french poodle to patrol my property.

Hi I was just searching the web to find current news on someone who is apparently getting away, so far with what I will copy and paste hereHi everyone. I'm writing to inform you of a pit bull training
facility in Lawrenceburg, TN. Timothy Morrow was investigated by
the Sheriff's Department and was found to possess 13 pits - all
emaciated and scarred, a rape cage, tread mill, 28 breaker sticks,
enhancement drugs, and several dead dogs in garbabge bags. There
was even a boar's head hanging from a puppy cage. This case never
saw the light of day and the dogs were returned to the man who
claimed they owned him - all because he said they were never
fought. His name is Steve McConnel of Pulaski, TN. Peta is now
beginning a campaign for this case and I'm asking everone to write
letters, send e-mails, and make phone calls. We want justice
served. I am attatching the local officials info../ I OWN 2 Pitbulls and I am a part of Missouri Pitbull Rescue if anyone is interested, they might like to look them up on the web.missouripitbullrescue@mprgroup. We are all writing to the officials
in the town of Lawrenceburg, TN to make sure the individuals involved in this particular case are prosecuted. We look for cases such as these so that people who are known to be abusing this breed are brought to justice. People like Jeffrey Dahmer
started out abusing animals. If you took someone, like Patty Hearst, kidnapping her and putting her in a closet and who was subjected to radical treatment - she may come out later with automatic weapons and help rob banks. BSL - breed specific
legislation doesn't work. Studies have shown that if pitbulls are banned in a city, then people who owned them - just go out and get another type of dog and try to make it aggresive as they did
the last. My stepfather once shot a dog, a German Shepherd for chasing me on my bike. He also said that pitbulls should all be shot and killed. He heard the same type of media that is being
shown today. Have you heard of this story in TN? Do you remember the "killer bees are coming" story from the 80s? MPR rejects 80% of its applications for various reasons. Home checks are made.
We abide by leash laws. The propensity for the dog to be aggressive towards people or animals is evaluated while in foster care. Both of my dogs were abused before I got them. One was left
with no food or water in a pile of trash. The other shows signs of abuse as she is quite timid and it looks like her ears were cropped by someone who was definately not a vet. We believe we
have to start holding PEOPLE responsible. If you see a dog (any dog) who is left for extended periods of time, barking aggressively - call animal control. You may laugh, but I've done it. They came
out, evaluated it right there, said it was too dangerous to be in the neighborhood and took it away. This was in Florida. Vermont has an animal task force as all states should. Three Rotweillers
once knocked me down when I was out jogging and bit the back of my shirt off. Luckily, the owner came running out. If they banned Rots, she may have went out and bought pitbulls. What
she needed was a better fence. Thirteen different types of dogs are thrown into the pitbull classification. In fact, my dog who looks like a pit - also looks like a dogo argentino. Before and just after WWII, the German Shepherd, staying in that breed for many years and ruining its illustrious reputation before moving on to the Doberman which quickly became the bully-dog of choice. After ruining the Doberman's good name, it got hold of Rough Collies and then Saint Bernards, doing almost irreparable harm to both breeds' repute
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of well-bred Pitbulls, owned by responsible citizens and kept under loving control at all times, remain at home as model canine citizens - but that situation never seems to qualify as "news" in the media's eyes But BSL, by utilizing all the wrong methods, not only fails to protect citizens but law-abiding dog owners as well. It falls well short of its stated goal by not recognizing that specific dogs rather than specific breeds constitute a problem, for no breed in and of itself is dangerous. Any individual dog of any breed may become dangerous, almost invariably due to bad owners.

In fact, "the dog problem" is not a dog problem at all but a "people problem" - more specifically, an owner problem.

Rather than ineffective BSL, the public needs robust legislation integrated with effective enforcement to punish all careless, indifferent, or criminal owners who fail to take full precautions to protect the populace from their dangerous dogs, without reference to breed. Classifying all members of a specific breed as being dangerous contravenes science and reason, flying in the face of experience and common sense. In this case, as always, tyranny's handmaiden is the closed mind that fixates on one irrational concept to the exclusion of all else and the refusal to accept rational argumentation or contrary evidence, scientific or otherwise.

Baby girl mauled by family pit bull in Santa BarbaraSANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - A baby girl will need extensive surgery after being mauled by her family's pit bull in Santa Barbara. Police Lieutenant Paul McCaffrey says the dog attacked the eleven-month-old yesterday afternoon inside their apartment. The infant suffered bite wounds to her face, forehead, and scalp. She was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where she is listed in stable condition. At the familys request, the dog was taken into custody by Santa Barbara Animal Control and euthanized. McCaffrey says the eight-year old pit bull mix had no prior history of biting people. He says the child's mother kept the dog at the girl's grandmother's house in Santa Barbara. McCaffrey says yesterday was the first time the pit bull had been introduced to the infant. From: Michael Edgecomb, KKFX-TV, Santa Maria

A year later but another story of a "Harmless Pitbull" mauling someone; this time an infant.

Many before have argued that the Pitbull breed is a harmless breed; harmless unless provoked or harmless unless kept by evil ruthless owners. Well in this case the maul'ee was an infant; how threatening can an infant be?!

Whether it is a National, Statewide, Countywide or even a Townwide Ban, Pitbulls need to be taken off the streets and made ILLEGAL to own. We are not allowed to have Wolves and fucking Tigers as pets because they have too much killing power and have proven they can not be domesticated animals. What will it take to put this kind of breed on this LIST?

I wonder if the couple above were one of the ones who Blogged on this very site saying "Pitbulls are cute and harmless, cause I got one... They would never ever bite someone because it is part pf our family"

The only thing worse would have been if it was not their own child but a friends who came over with a kid and asked if the dog was SAFE.

+ "Umm i'm a little nervous about your dog and my infant..."
- "Ohh, Pitbulls are safe, the media has made them out to be killers.. totally out of context...fucking pisses me off..."
+ "So he's safe?"
- "ohh yeah, Pitbulls are the most loving breed...it's only bad owners that make bad dogs.. pisses me off when I see ban pitbull signs"
+ "well ok then... puts down child..."

(The next minute is a horror scene where the dog grabs the child like a meat flavored beanie-bag and the dogs owner shouting histerically "it's not the dog's fault... the baby must have provoked the dog!!")

This is sickening.

In all that time, how many infants have been killed in car accidents? Should we ban those, too?

You mean well, sushi, but I stand by my original position.

In all that time, how many infants have been killed in car accidents? Should we ban those, too? You mean well, sushi, but I stand by my original position.

But you make a good point, if there was defect in a certain car that was causing deaths, it would be recalled.
Also cars do not suddenly lunge forward while parked mauling someone sitting in front of them!

But you make a good point, if there was defect in a certain car that was causing deaths, it would be recalled.

But you haven't proven a "defect" in pit bulls, only in their husbandry. Big difference.

But you haven't proven a "defect" in pit bulls, only in their husbandry. Big difference.

It is my belief Pitbulls contain the same "Defect" that Lions, Tigers and Bears contain. And it is for this "Defect" that these kind of animals are not allowed depending on the state to own without special licenses.

I think pitbulls should require a license to own.

It is my belief Pitbulls contain the same "Defect" that Lions, Tigers and Bears contain

The first three words of this sentence explain exactly why such a ban should never be allowed. Your belief does not translate to fact, sushi, nor does mine, for that matter.

The first three words of this sentence explain exactly why such a ban should never be allowed. Your belief does not translate to fact, sushi, nor does mine, for that matter.

Sometimes personal beliefs are the catalyst a situation needs to be propelled into motion. I have only caught glimpses of your CPS arts, but is there really much difference between this and your call to a change within CPS? Both of us make a call for change. I make a call to have these dogs reclassified as exotic animals and taken off the streets.

My opinion is guided from stories that pop up on the media again and again. The stories vary but the outcome is always the same with someone getting mauled, mostly children that have no voice or choice in the matter.

I have only caught glimpses of your CPS arts, but is there really much difference between this and your call to a change within CPS?

HUGE difference. They're exact opposites, in fact. I am calling for smaller government, you are calling for bigger government.

HUGE difference. They're exact opposites, in fact. I am calling for smaller government, you are calling for bigger government.

But you are calling for a change based on your opinion

But you are calling for a change based on your opinion

No, I am calling for a change based on FACTS, sushi. The FACTS are that incidents of abuse and neglect are substantially higher in foster homes than among the general public, the FACTS are that 580,000 children languish in foster homes, and while only 3% of their parents will even be CHARGED with criminal abuse/neglect, only 44% of them will ever be returned, leaving over a quarter million children as part of a new "lost" generation, to "age out" without the family support that is so essential to the proper functioning of many within society, the FACTS are that many children are removed based on hysteria rather than objective analysis, and almost all removed without due process.

To call my position opinion is to ignore a LOT of facts that I, and many others, have offered in support of our position. The facts you have presented to support your case do not lead to such an obvious conclusion. IF there was evidence that pit bulls could not be socialized properly to fail to be a threat to those around them, IF there was evidence they were the most dangerous breed of animal, then perhaps a ban would be a reasonable solution. But in the absence of such evidence, all you do is potentially increase the authority of the federal government, which was never meant to have such far reaching authority, frankly.

Now, in the case of local ordinances, that's not my call, sushi. While I would even oppose bans at the local level, IF bans on pit bulls should be put in place, THAT is where it should happen, NOT at the federal level. The federal government is already wasting its resources in many other areas where it has no business meddling, there is absolutely NO reason to add banning pit bulls to that list.

I am the proud owner of over 15 american pitbull terriers, who are loving, caring, non aggressive animals. My 3 year old daughter loves the dogs, and they are very gentle and kind to her. So I do not agree with your ban. For more info. on dogs go to pitbulls for dummies.com.