Wow, pre-emptive breed banning. That's even more ridiculous than "regular" BSL. If the dog is secure and has no history of aggression, these petition-signers need to find something more constructive to do.

That's ridiculous. You know, I've seen a lot of kids that are pretty intimidating looking, too. Maybe they should be taken off the street. Not that they did anything wrong, I just don't like the way they look. Same nonsense as this.

I am the owner of an american pit bull terrier, and I don't understand the panic, that a breed of dog can cause. except for the yellow journalism that has caused this. My Princess would rather love somebody to death with licking and cuddling, than any kind of aggression. I just wish people would start to use the brains God gave them, instead of just what the news tells them. Of course that would also solve most of the world's problems as well.

There was an American Staffordshire Terrier who was a show dog that was recently shot and killed in Texas. Her owners had just bought their house and left her in their FENCED yard. A neighbor felt that she was vicious, so he shot and killed her. The dog was found shot dead, in her own yard.

Unfortunately, owners of pits or pit mixes need to be diligent in watching over their dogs, even when it seems they may be safe.

You frankly, I'm a little intimidated by the family next door to this dog owner and the others that signed this petition.

Do you think it would be ok if we just "banned" all of them and their offspring. I know I would feel safer.

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. The country where my neighbor can decide they think my dog *looks* intimidating and have my dog taken away from me. What has this country come to? I suggest we try first to control the abberant human behavior that leads to improper human citizens raising improper canine citizens, regardless of dog breed/mix. Let's stop scapegoating the pit bull, shall we, and focus on the real problems at hand.

http://www.dogassault.com/

Lout dog owners are out of control in our country- this website has a solution

I am a new pit owner, I have an adult mix, but my 8wk old is my first all pit dog. I am already starting to see the way that people automatically react to the fact that I have a pit. The only thing that I can think of is to make sure my pit is a great dog so everybody she meets will rethink what a pitbull is.

I just think it's sad that the only conclusion that people can come to is to just get rid of them. A dog acts as it is trained to act. Pit bulls are a larger breed, yes, but if they are trained correctly then they are as harmful as a shih-tzu. I've seen pit bulls let 2 year olds poke their eyes and pull their ears and they just sit there...yeah. Real harmful.

We also live in a democratic society and if the majority in any community think that any property (yes dogs are property and have no rights) should be banned do to danger or high potential of danger then the majority rules through the democratic process. I would like to see a state ban on this breed as well as several other breeds. I support these near 80 people in their effort.

And here's the problem with that, Brian (well, one of many). "Pit bull" isn't a breed, it's a descriptor applied (and VERY frequently mis-applied) to about 10 or so "breeds" (some AKC recognized, some not) and their mixes. No one can say with absolute certainty if a dog has "pit bull" in them or not. (Boxer mixes as particularly likely to be misidentified as "pit bull" mixes.)

Here's a quiz to identify an APBT:
http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Most people fail it.

Banning "pit bulls" is just an excercise to make the uninformed feel better. Rather than pass bad BSL laws that cause the death of thousands of innocent dogs, why not look at useful laws that target the OWNERS that are irresponsible? Take a look:

http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2008/04/good-ordinances.html

My suggestion would be that people read Pit Bull Placebo and Fatal Dog Attacks by Karen Delise
http://www.fataldogattacks.com/
and go to the National Canine Research Council
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/default.asp
for well researched facts and stats before either throwing out "stats" based on newspaper accounts or believing "studies" based on newspaper accounts.
People should read this and calm down.
National Canine Research Council
An "Epidemic" of Dog Bites?
http://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/historicCases.asp

The media want to sell their newspapers.
"Pit Bull" sells papers and gets hits through google alerts.
When the baby was sadly and tragically killed by the Jack Russell Terrier,"Pit Bull" was in every headline.
The "Pit Bull" had nothing to do with the death.It just happened to live in the house.
But the google alerts wouldn`t have picked up JRT.
You`re being suckered by the media, folks.
Look at the real issues and factors surrounding serious bites and the tragic but rare fatalities.
Attempting to demonize a type of dog or breed of dog is a waste of time, energy and resources.
36 breeds/types have been involved in human fatalities in the U.S. and that goes to ~ 50-52 worldwide.
There is obviously more to it than breed.
Should we just ban the ones that have killed and add to it as more kill?
Some people may be very surprised at which dogs are on the "Have killed" list and which dogs aren`t on that list.

This poor dog was in it's own FENCED yard and was shot to death for what!!!! They say he didnt like the dog b/c it barked. This is horrible it would be a totally diffrent story if the dog actually was coming at him or trying to harm him but he wasnt. I saw the pic's of this poor animal and watched the memorial on u-tube of gage and cried he looked like the most luving dog, who could be that cruel. That man that did this need's to be punished! I myself own a pitbull she is the most luving dog and is so gentle w/ my children I just couldnt imagine anything like that happening to her it would break my heart. I feel for this family and think that yes there are bad dog's but they are made to be that way and if you raise a dog in a good home w/ lot's of love they will not turn out to be aggressive.

So what if I think my neighbor's Yorkshire terrier is scary (and I have met Yorkshire terriers who would snap anytime a stranger touched them)? Should we ban all Yorkshire terriers?

Or, if you insist on viewing animals as property, what if I'm afraid of thorns? Should everyone in my neighborhood be required to cut down all their rose bushes?

Or what if I'm afraid of people wearing black? Should all black clothes be banned? That would really create a problem for professional musicians, who are required to wear black to work for performances.

This is ridiculous.

I am so tired of hearing about how bad pit bulls are. I have owned a pit since 1980 and five more since that. I am a animal groomer. I have owned my own shop for over 20 years. Its the breeders. Make sure its a good one when looking for a pit. Dont go to a back yard breeder. Its also how the animal is raised. Just like we blame parents for bad teenagers so should we blame bad parents on bad pit bulls!!!! Anyone out there ever have to groom a chow chow? Its the one dog we always turn away when it comes to the shop for grooming! Anyone ever watch that grooming show on tv late at night. Did ya see how they all freaked out when it was a chow they had to groom. They all said they would rather groom a pit, rotty or a dobie. My three pound yorkie would bite you over my pit! Judge every dog individually as we judge people. Any dog that isnt neutered or spayed is more agressive. People are to cheap or just dont wanna do it. Any breed is nicer and healthier when this is done. Im so tired of everyone thinking they are good breeders. Most I meet arent! They just want the staminia of a pit and the money!

Its not the breed. Its the owners! I own a animal grooming shop. I do many pit bulls, rottys, dobermans, mastifs. Id rather do them over a small Apso or a chi. The vet I work with dosent trust the pom breed as she has been bitten so many times by them she can no longer count. I guess just cause they are small peopel arent scared of them. Its totally rediculious to band pit bulls. Anyone who wishes is invited to come see my pits. The 14 pound yorkie beats him up. Everyone should neuter or spay their animals. It takes out some of the agression. Owners need to be responsible. No dog should be left outside in the yard for hours. Its their space and theya re going to protect it. I find people with larger dogs keep them outside more and dont sepend the proper time socializing them. Thats one problem. It seems the little dogs get away with more. Like the pug who lives next door to me that barks non stop for hours on end and charges the fence at me and bit me once while I was working in my flower bed and put my hand on the fence. The pit and the rotty get picked on because owners get these dogs cause they want a bad ass dog. They would probably raise any children they have the same way agressive. Just like parents are at fault for bad kids so should they be at fault for raising their dogs bad. The breed is not bad. Some parents and owners are just crappy.

Is it legal to let a pit bull go outside without being on a leash or chain?

I am in Michigan.

I wonder if this will be posted, since I see that all comments must be approved by the blog author....

I've had dogs all my life. Some have been in dog fights. Some have even bitten me. I have remained a steadfast dog-lover. I even tried to keep an open mind, and entertain the notion that not every pit bull is a bad or aggressive dog. I befriended the pit bull up the street from me. Pet her, when I walked my dogs by her house, let my dogs greet her. Three days ago, some switch in that dog flipped and she mauled my bichon, and bit me, as I walked my dog on the sidewalk in front of my house. Pit bulls are not normal dogs. This dog appeared loving and affectionate until this day, as far as I know. The problem is, pits are bred to fight to the death. This makes them different than other dogs. I wonder how many of the people defending the breed have ever witnessed an attack, much less been the victim of one? Why do we need this breed? Make a grandfather clause for the ones that have loving homes, now, and ban the breeding of any more. Why does anyone need a pit bull, instead of, say, a German Shepherd or a mixed breed??

Watch this video a see how wrong the fols in the city of plymouth are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtGT2apOlKw. Pit Bulls generic nature is to be lovable.