Isn't it clear that there is a problem with dog fighting and breeding in the community?

Until you deal with that issue, there will be a constant flood of pit bulls.

That will do things like this http://www.dogsbite.org

And if BARCs places a pit bull in a home, and it attacks, then BARCs will get sued and the county will get sued.

This is happening to other shelters!

Pit bulls have problems that other dogs don't have, and it is time to crack down on the breeding and fighting operations.

Anyone who really cares about pit bulls should be getting to the root of the problem.

i think it is unfair to stereotype an entire breed. The pitpull has gotten a bad rep due to the horrible ppl who raise/train them for fighting. They are taught violence and viciousness. It is not ingrained in their breed.

Pits are actually wonderful dogs. Pits used for fighting are subjected to constant abuse and neglect, and more often than not they are aggressive out of fear because of PEOPLE. So it is not the dogs that need to be addressed, it is people and an aspect of street culture that encourages this kind of inhumane violence against animals. I am completely against breed specific bans because they do nothing to curb dog fighting. If you ban pits you punish the dogs, you punish responsible pit owners, and the people involved with dog fighting will simply look for another breed and go unpunished. I have friends who have adopted rehabilitated pits and they are the most wonderful, sweet natured dogs.

I have to agree with Dawn and Audrey. Any dog that is forced to fight, is abused and neglected by it's owners is going to be a dog with some issues (if you put the ever-popular Lab in that situation, you would get the same results). With that being said, not every pit bull grew up in that environment AND they are not "bad" by nature. This past September I rescued a pit off of the street in West Baltimore (I work in a school there). She was about 20lbs underweight and dirty, but was, and continues to be an AMAZING dog. She is excellent around children and other animals, including our other, very small dog. She shows no signs of aggression. The biggest problem we have with her is the fact that she just wants to be loved...a lot in fact.
I have been to BARCS and believe it is an incredible organization. I hope that some day the pit bull epidemic there will be solved, with most of them in good homes. I do agree with Thomas on one point-we need to crack down on anyone who fights any type of dogs, as well as irresponsible breeders.

Audrey is right. Pits are wonderful dogs. All dogs are wonderful. It's cruel irresponsible owners that are the real monsters. There are also pet parents, with the best of intentions, who have no clue what it takes to be a responsible pet owner. They treat dogs as they would treat people. Dogs are pack animals, and the pet parent needs to act as the alpha dog of the family. That's a position of great responsibility that too many people don't take seriously. In the case of powerful breeds, a dog with a dominant personality that cannot be controlled by its owners will also become a threat to public safety.

I am happy to hear that the AA County police caught the person(s) involved in the horrible shooting of the Pit Bull in Odenton. As a proud parent of a Pittie, and a former employee of BARCS, I understand to the fullest extent about the terrible situations that this breed has to endure. Not only the most misunderstood, but the most abused breed of dog in the country. I pray these people do not "get off" with just a slap on the wrist, specially after what the nation has learned about abuse, thank you Mr. Vick.

Samantha, Hi. Thanks so much for giving us the update on that. MC