It's "Gosh, you mean I can't own the canine equivilant of an aligator?" vs the rights of the public to be safe.

House Bill 568, Sec. 955.111 is too extreme, but if you want to have a pit bull, you SHOULD have to carry home-owner's insurance, a license to breed, and a 7ft fence, along with the understanding that your dog will get one strike before it's out.

John-
Please keep us posted if you hear of a larger campaign we can join. I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking or disgusting. These are amazing dogs- It is the owners who are problematic. It is the same mentality that eradicates an entire breed of animal that would eradicate an entire race of people. Who in their right mind thinks this way? While I can only take one, I would definitely drive to Ohio and offer a home to a dog facing euthanasia for this reason.

This may be going too far. I am for Pit Bull Banns and for euthenizing aggressive Pit Bull or ones that have attacked people or pets. My dog was attacked by one and barely escaped with a cut eye and I feel threatened by a few Pit Bulls at the dog park. However, I think they should allow the Pits that have not done anything to live under certain rules. They should be mussled when in public, the owner needs to have the proper insurance and the dog should have corrective training to prevent any aggressive outbreaks. Also if they are banned from replacing the dog with another Pit Bull then the problem will ultimatley take care of itself. In the length of a dogs life, there wont be anymore Pit Bulls in the area. Killing all Pit Bulls in the whole State is a bit extreme and this is coming from someone that does not like these dogs at all.

Has the Ohio legislators learned nothing from the Michael Vick case?? Why does the government continue to persecute the responsible pitbull owners over the actions of the few who exploit this breed. Target your efforts in these troubesome areas and let the rest of the people who care and hold these animals dear to their hearts and as wanted family members alone. Punish the offenders, not us!!!!!!!!

May God forgive them. I don't think I can.

Anne

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Who decides what a pit bull even is? Would my dog, who is part pit bull (I THINK) and has never shown any aggression, be hunted down? Who thinks it is a good idea to punish responsible pet owners along with the abusers? Do you feel that way about other large dogs? How about guns, which kill thousands more per year? Or knives?

And Brian, at the dog park I go to BOXERS are much more of a problem than pit bulls. Pit bulls who are raised right and fixed, and with owners who train their dogs and know their pet's limits are never a problem (LIKE ALL DOGS, David O).

Look at my pup's pictures and tell me that again.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annrc/2409998951/in/set-72157602744958902/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annrc/2511398511/in/set-72157602744958902/

Reply to David O -

Ohio law already has all that you want and more: you are required by law to have a special $100,000 animal liability insurance policy (homeowners insurance does not cover this), if you leave your dog in your yard unsupervised you must have a fence with locking gates, if you take your dog out in public it must be muzzled, and a few other requirements. If you violate any of the requirements and your dog kills or maims someone you get a fourth degree felony and the dog is immediately euthanized.

Aww, touching video.

That is truly carrying things way too far by carrying out a mass death sentence to a breed of dog, most of which have never harmed anyone! Hope it can be stopped in its track. Any chance that 'In Defense of Animals' has ever tried stopping a ban like this? They specialize in animals and the law. I believe for every so-called "vicious" dog, there is a bad 'owner.' When I read about a case of a dog biting someone, especially in their own household, and the dog is put to sleep, and the people say they wonder what happened, I always wonder if that dog was hit or otherwise treated badly in that home because it can't speak for itself and tell what really happened. No one ever says that they hit their dog or the kid was pulling, poking, prodding or otherwise hurting the dog but I'm sure it happens more than we know about. Just look at pet-abuse.com for how people treat animals, including their own. Not long ago, a dog (1 of 2 found in very poor condition in a basement) bit a child and the child's dad lost his temper and drilled 12 holes into the dog's head while the dog was in a cage. The dog didn't die directly from the injuries but was euthanized because of the severe injuries. Had the dad not been turned in by his brother, whose dog it was, it might've appeared like another case of the family dog attacking for no reason As stated, both dogs were in very poor condition so obviously weren't cared for properly. I suspect many of the cases of dog bites we hear about are not telling the whole story.

Anyway, I hope there is a huge and powerful enough outcry over this insane knee-jerk reaction bill to stop it before it can start.

As a pit bull owner I find this whole thing disgusting. My dog is sweet and not aggressive as are many other pits that I know personally. Its when you have people who are irresponable with thier pet and that is ANY breed you have a problem. If Ohio bands pit bull breeds then the people who fight these dogs will either switch to a different strong/bigger/more aggressive dog or they will try to hide them. The people this law would truely affect/hurt are those who are responsible loving owners and thier pets! Also just for the record my dog has NEVER bit anyone or any animal and I refuse to muzzle her because of insecurity, irresponsiblity by others and just plain ignorance! If you are afraid of my dog then cross the street its that simple I wont force something onto my dog that she doesnt deserve!

i am of the crowd that follows the 3 s's of dogs that run loose and bother my stock or threaten my people you should shoot, shovel, shut up, but this bill goes way too far, i believe pit owners should have to be registered where they live, have to carry large liability insurance, have appropriate facilities and have the dogs tattooed and microchipped so that there is no question of ownership, this needs to be done and paid for by fines and registration fees of owners and these unstable dogs, and anyone that doesn't follow that type of restriction should have their dog confiscated and hopefully rehomed or destroyed, but this goes too far, if they want to start with this extreme restriction than they need to grandfather the dogs already living in the area, not spring this on people who already have dogs and another thing the restriction i would like to see would give no chances on bites, 1st bite and dog is taken depending on circumstances, the only bites that should not count on this breed of dog is if the dog is defending it's owner or premises from harm, not the dog that bites the kid or someone invited in, but an attack on the owner or a breakin to the premises should not count against the dog. i feel this way even though my brother had the 3 sweetest pits on the planet and a baby could take a bone away from these dogs and the dog would do nothing, but i still feel a plan like i propose should be implemented and people that have children under the age of 17 should not be able to have these dog's, the parents should be told by CPS either you get rid of the dog or we will take the child, wait until you no longer have underage children before you get these dogs. i do not believe in banning the breed just restricting it so that it is only the responsible owner that has these animals, none of these idiots seem to get that this dog was bred origionally to control dangerous bulls, and these dogs would actually grab the enraged bull by the nostrils, is it any wonder that the breed gets in trouble around other animals and children, so regulate but don't ban

This is a heinous act of cruelty. Banning so called "pitbulls" is not a far cry from Hitler's Regime. Are these supposedly educated lawmakers aware that purebred American Pit Bull Terriers test on par with breeds like the Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever? Have these lawmakers whitnessed that big pitty smile, sloppy kisses kisses, and a thumping tail that often describes their TRUE temperament toward people? Once called Nanny Dogs, APBTs are gentle and good natured. The people drawn to their tough looking exterior are oftentimes thugs and street trash. The backyard breeders who have attempted to use the breeds amazing traits--loyalty, strength, and even temperament---to their advantage to create a tough looking guard dog, a mean dog, or a fighting dog are the problem. The dog is NOT the problem. It is the OWNER that should be banned. This is not a SOLUTION. There are hundreds of responsible owners in Ohio. I volunteer with a rescue group who places "pit" type dogs with amazing families who provide the love, obedience, exercise, and good nutrition that they need to thrive. These are owners who say that the "pitbull" has changed their life and they will never own another breed. These are the people who "get it". The people who have actually opened their eyes and not been influenced by the pathetic media portrayal of this breed. OR if they have been influenced, their minds have been changed after owning a "pit" type dog. It should be highly noted, too, that MANY dogs LABELED as "pits" are NOT even "pits" at all. They may be a combination of dozens of breeds. This is a HUGE hole in the theory of banning pits as well. I pray to God that ignorance will not prevail once again in OhIo. It would be a disaster.

Ummmm, comparing my dogs to an alligator? David, you have obviously never ACTUALLY met a pitbull. Media and ignorance are spreading this hype, if only people would educate themselves first..... The tenderness, love, and loyalty of this breed is unparalleled.

I was so shocked when I read this the first time that I could hardly think clearly. Now I've had time to consider the whole thing, and here's what I think:

This bill probably has almost no chance of being enacted into law. State legislators belong to the same species as all other politicians--they're political animals, publicity hounds if you will--and they want favorable publicity leading to more votes. Voting in favor of this will turn out to be political suicide.

All I had to do was imagine the horrible pictures that flashed through my mind yesterday being brought to reality. The news media (print and television) would be all over it. There would be terrible images of dogs being ripped from loving families, dogs in cages awaiting the end, mother dogs with puppies. There would be interviews of shocked, angry, and grieving human beings--weeping children, elderly folks stunned at the loss of their equally elderly dogs. There would be angry crowds and protests and police presence, most probably.

So to the people and organizations who are horrified by this, I'd like to say: Keep those images in mind as you try to do everything you can to bring this to wider public attenion.

And to Rep. Tyrone Yates, I'd like to say: The whole world is watching you. There's only one problem with "final solutions." It's hard to keep them secret.

I hope that this bill doesnt get passed. I mean its already illegal to own "APBT" in some states and its crazy. I agree that people are retards and think they can pick up the dog for an ego boost and than totally neglect it or fight it.. also these laws requiring muzzling and extra precautions are only pressuring the people who own them to stay home..Because they want to "show off"! there dog with out the harnesses and muzzles..mainly cause everything a dog explores with is his mouth he sweats through his mouth doing that makes the dog a little more tight edged as well as the owners to just be lazy and say i dont want to follow that rule so we will just keep him home and wait for a day to walk him somewhere else where leashes and muzzles are not required so the dogs left to be pent up. AGRESSION IS TRIGGERED FROM LACK OF EXERCISE AND PROPER OWNERSHIP. Making all these laws is crazy it helps yes in some way but not really. Same as registering your dog. Ok so I register my APBT and than what a bill passes in my state and than next thing you know I have the bad guys knocking on my door telling me they can take my dog from me??? uh no..I wont even register him with the UKC for fear they will turn on us when the time comes for all APBT's to be put down just cause some F'r couldnt do his f'n job right to raise "ONE PROUD ARROGANT AND HARD PLEASING BREED". or cause they decided to use them for bad. What the hell is this world coming too. If thats teh case they should start bsl for rotts, chiwawas..akitas..AKITAS arent even insurable because they are UNPREDICTIBLE!! they are nip happy. but no cause its a pitbull and its in gangster videos and they supposedly have lock jaws its a crime to keep them and its dangerous. Uh no Jack' a$$ they are energetic and stubborn and if they are determined to have something they want you sure as hello arent going to get them to give it up unless they are trained to release...I cant stand bsl and retards trying to take them from people who are great embassadors.

I will keep this short as I have commented numerous times on the subject.

I just hope that the delegates making this decision in Ohio have the sense that the ones in Baltimore County did. I attended the meeting and ALL agreed that if (when) CURRENT Animal Control laws were enforced, we would not have the problems with vicious dogs that we do now.

Please forgive me if I missed this point within someone else's comment already and am repeating, but to all of you that feel Pitbulls and their owners should be singled out to carry different insurance, etc, please know that the FACTS and STATISTICS do not support this. I can understand why you might feel that such measures are necessary based on what is put forth in news stories. However if you take the time to educate yourself regarding the statistics that are out there, Pitbulls have better rates of passing temperment tests than not only the national average but by breed, they pass more frequently than GOLDEN RETRIEVERS. The bite rate, by breed, is FAR less than cocker spaniels, Labs, Goldens and about 23 or 24 other breeds that come in above them in national statistics. Breed restrictions are absurd and will not work, period. Enforcing rules that target a specific dog/owner's issues is absolutely called for and would be effective. There are also facts to back this up as well...BSL does not work in its communities, but laws that address the individual dogs based on their actions DOES work.

I had this conversation with my friend who is a vet (and lover of pitbulls...it's little yappy types that scare her), and the dog down the street has killed one dog and mangled another on two different occasions.

The dog still gets out and runs loose in the neighborhood. Animal Control has done nothing. But I suppose that's ok, since he's a shepherd mix and not a pitbull.

I adopted this sweet amazing puppy a year ago from an animal rescue and was lied to about the breed. Through some research I found out he is a red-nosed pitbull mix. At a year old, he is the sweetest, most amazing dog I have ever owned. He loves children, other animals and plays tag with my cat on a regular basis. He will sit by the food dish and watch the cat eat every morsel without making a peep or showing an inkling of aggression.

I have seen him snuggle with babies. He adores children. He has never shown any signs of aggression. He has a better disposition than the dalmation I used to own, who would bite (he probably also has a better disposition than my husband). My neighbor's sheltie has bitten my children several times. Another german shepherd lab mix in the neighborhood completely tore up one of my older dogs. It was a bloody mess requiring stitches a trip to the vet and multiple stitches.

I live in Ohio. It scares me to think that the powers that be want to rip a kind gentle animal out a family home just because of a few irresponsible pet owners have created a bad name for this breed. My neighbor's little yappy dog is more dangerous than my big lovable mutt, but if this bill passes, the dog warden would have the right to come and take my beautiful friend and euthanize him for no reason other than a name.

Does this look like a vicious dog? Make you afraid? One that would hurt other people or animals? Mr. Yates sure does think so.

http://sharonwhaley.blogspot.com/2008/01/hes-on-strike.html
http://sharonwhaley.blogspot.com/2008/05/fetch.html
http://sharonwhaley.blogspot.com/2008/02/hangin-with-my-peeps.html

I will be writing my state representatives.