Poor research. They use dogsbite.org as a legit source, when it is a largely discredited source by all reputable canine organizations. not one trusted canine group agrees with anything that dogsbite.org has to say, as it is anti-pit bull lobbyist group, which was founded by some nutcase with no canine experience whatsoever. The founder, Colleen Lynn, is a dog bit victim, of what she thinks (not sure) was a pit bull, and is on a mission of revenge. She is a web designer that created a professional looking website, as that is her area of expertise, and posts way over-inflated stats, which are all lies. On top of that, she uses victims as pawns to fund her mission, which pulls at the heartstrings of people, rather than logic. She has reported in 2010, that 22 pit bulls killed people, when an official investigation was conducted by the National Canine Research Council, only 2 of those dogs were confirmed to be pit bulls, which were really mixes (mutts). Poor research on behalf of the Patch.

Restrictions focus on the symptoms of the disease, not a cure. The real issue with pit bulls are that fact that it is a very popular dog in the US, and that many people desire them for status and crime, and teach their dogs to be menaces. Most people I know that have pit bulls, are normal everyday people, who are animal lovers, and none of them have pit bulls that are a menace. Let's start focusing on the real issues, rather than making restrictions that do not solve the issues.

Walking a dog with a leash and collar - barbaric. Walking a dog with a bag full of dog mess - subhuman. Prohibit dog fouling in MV.

But according to Barack they are delicious.

A dog is a domesticated wild animal even a wolf can be trained . That being said,,you never know when a dog will bite, or who, or for what reason. The emergency roon has at least 2 or 3 dog bite victims a day ,all dogs bite even the sweetest dog in the world..A pitbull has jaws and teeth that kill . What trigers a dog to bite, is a primitive center in the dogs brain, a certain scent , so to speak trigers the dogs defensive attacking mechinism, all the training in the world will not stop a dog from biting.There are too many mangled childrens faces, not to ban the pit bull breed,and other large potentialy dangerous dog breeds, in places where children and mothers gather, and that goes for any 175 lb dog, that can't be controled by its dog walker, If you want statistics take them from the countrys emergency rooms, not dog shelters. and by the way I love dogs too,.when you go to the playground you should leave your dog at home,You can never tell which child or mother is giving off the bitting scent I can't tell you how many times, I've heard, but my dog never bites, after hes bitten someone.

Responsible pit bull owners?! Okay, of course we have responsible dog owners, of ALL breeds. What worries me, and why we have (had) laws and/or ordinances regarding pit bulls is for those owners who have no business owning any dogs, let alone a pit bull. I see many (wanna be) gangster, up to no good, been in trouble with the law regarding drugs, violence, people walking around... and why is it, their pet of choice just happens to be PIT BULLS?!!
We don't place those laws for the law abiding citizens, who keep up with their animals shots & vet visits, and behavioral issues..... come on guys, that's not what those against pit bull ownership are referring to.....

Breed specific legislation/law is nothing more than a knee jerk reaction. It puts undue pressure on responsible dog owners as well as the animal control officers attempting to enforce it. A better study, that was released in April 2012, was done by the AVMA. It's titled, " Dog Bite Risk and Prevention: The Role of Breed." The direct link is: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Backgrounders/Pages/The-Role-of-Breed-in-Dog-Bite-Risk-and-Prevention.aspx

Banning a breed is the same reaction to being scared of something or someone as Jim Crow. This banning is more race related than anything! The problem is that those wanting to ban didn't realize the many different types of owners, responsible that is, there are.

For over ten years I've been in contact with this breed & I'm still alive to write about it!

If we Ban "Pit Bulls" let's also ban the following:

Parents (they leave their kids to die in hot cars, 23 just this year)

Cars - Obviously they have killed more people than dogs & are not owned by humans!

Swimming Pools - Left lone with children they are likely to kill them....

Let's work on teaching people proper dog care, dog behavior and how to raise dogs & kids!

Peace & Pit Bulls,
The Pit Crew
Houston, TX

I was bit by a pit bull. My own. That may not sound good, but it was while we were walking & a Boxer mix that was running loose came after us. My dog was protecting me & herself. Of course, I was protecting her & didn't want her to get injured any more than she already was. So in attempting to break up the dogs I was bitten. I needed medical attention. I was not the intended victim. Neither dog ever intended to bite me. They were going after each other. But when I went to the ER, I reported dog bite & they had to report it. On a piece of paper all it says is "dog bite, pit bull, boxer." So while I know the real story & Statistics are just numbers, that can NEVER tell the whole story. Emma's 6-7 yrs. old & isn't mean or dangerous towards people. She's a terrible guard dog. But I found out she's protective when another dog charges @ us. I have 6 dogs, different mixtures & sizes in our family. She gets along w/all of them. It's my Beagle/Jack Russell who has the attitude problem. LOL! So to put a ban on "entire" Breed, is wrong. To say Emma is exactly like another pittie IS Wrong, b/c anotherowner hasn't socialized their pittie or they let their pittie live their life chained to a tree & doesn't know love & discipline. That dog needs help not death. ALL dogs can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong owners. I see it everyday. I'm not stupid enough to say my dog(s) will never bite, but I will say my Emma is not like every other pit bull in America.

NO, DONNY3666, not lucky responsible!

Sharp, I completely agree with you! My Chelsea was not like any other pit bull in America, either! I adopted my Chelsea from a pound in Chicopee, MA many years ago. She was amongst a population of dogs that was 90% pit/ pit mix vs. 10% other breeds at the time. She was a love bug and loved all humans. She had issues with some dogs, but then some dogs had issues with her though she was fine with them. When my partner and I introduced our dogs to each other, Chelsea was about 3 yrs old and 50 lbs and his beagle was about 4 yrs old and 30 lbs. They met on Chelsea's turf and the beagle had Chelsea on her back and submissive immediately. No fighting; that was just how it was and how they got along until the death of our beloved beagle. We eventually adopted another dog (foxhound mix) and again, Chelsea allowed the other dog to be the alpha. Chelsea never bit anyone in the 12 yrs I had her. Everyone she met loved her!
Someday, I would love to have another pittie. They are sweet and family oriented dogs if raised properly. It is we humans that treat them WRONG and cause them to behave in such a way that lends itself to a bad reputation. We shouldn't be outlawing specific breads! We should be educating (the dogs AND their humans) and socializing our dogs regularly and disciplining those who use dogs for fighting unlawful activities. Why do we continuously blame the animal for something we humans do?? The humans are the ones who should be held accountable!

@DavidKent: I'm not trying to be rude, but your logic is seriously flawed. You claim if a small percentage of of a population are dangerous (Muslims, pit bull type dogs, etc) then it follows that the entire group should be considered to be dangerous. Following your logic would mean that since most (if not all) rapists are men, then we should assume that all men are rapists; since the majority of people in prison are black, then every black person must be a criminal; since most prostitutes are women, then all women must be prostitutes - do you honestly believe this makes sense? It does not - not logically, not statistically, not mathematically, not in an y way. Pit bull dogs are no more dangerous nor likely to bite or attack than any other kind of dog,period. CREDIBLE sources- ethologists, veterinarians, zoologists, animal behavioralists, dog trainers, etc, who have years of experience, training, knowledge and education all say so. These should be the experts relied upon when making policy that affects everyone, not the opinions of web designers, sports writers, politicians or lawyers who all have only their own self interests in mind and all of whom lack any real knowledge of animals. Educate yourself please, before spreading such ridiculous and harmful "facts."

Patrick Ryan - seriously??? There is NO SUCH THING as a 175 pound pit bull. Occasionally you may see one at 85 pounds, but that's pretty rare. Pit bull type dogs aren't even as big as Labs; they average 50 pounds, and can even be as small as 30 pounds. 175 - REALLY? You obviously don't know a pit bull from a St Bernard. Some people will believe anything, I guess. Santa Claus, anyone? Sheesh.

I'm sure Pits can be great pets for the right person. While I try to teach my kids to approach each dog delicately, there is no way I will let them near a Pit or Rotti.. not happening. I saw a brother and sister Pit get loose, run the streets in Hyannis and made it to my backyard where they tore through a rabbit hutch killing both rabbits. Completely on their own, no one dared to approach them, including the police. Yes, all dogs can bite, but with the breed tenencies and lock jaws, why would I want to subject my kids to that? or expose my self to a law suit by getting a higher risk breed? I'll stick to our labs....

@Ben , first "lock jaw" is a myth. What prey driven animal could survive if its jaw locked? This pure proof of someone not getting nature!

Funny, but I'd imagine many a breed would eat rabbits! I find it interesting, these dogs, tore through the neighborhood hell bent on killing and the only thing they killed is something nature serves them as prey! I'm sorry for the loss of your rabbits! However, this was not a breed issue! This was a prey driven animal issue. Furthermore a prey driven animal that obviously had NO ONE taking care of it!

People kill me with the big mean pit bull killed a cat,rabbit etc...all dogs of a certain size can and do, do this!

Again, the issue is human lack of knowledge and action!

(PS; the story goes that ignorant humans who wanted both dog aggressive dogs & human aggressive dogs, bred in labs!)

(PPS: Many people mistake my chocolate & black pits as labs! So, when they try to ban them either I will get away with having labs or your labs will fall into the get rid of it line!)

YOU PICK!! I'll stick to you keep yours & leave mine alone!

Wow, just goes to show ignorance comes at all levels! I have had to rehome my pit bulls because we are moving to a Pit Bull ban town, and it's ridiculous, & why were they banned not because they have had any issues but because they've been told they were "bad" just like through the years Rotts were, and the German Shepherds, Dobermans etc, I also had two minature Dachshunds that have killed kittens, chickens, birds but would never even think of biting a human lets ban them too, heck before you know it they will of banned every dog breed because at some point in history each breed of dog has bitten someone or killed something! Most dogs have been bred for a purpose, the Pit Bulls these dogs were used as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, Basset Hounds to hunt rabbits, Dachshunds badgers, Labs used to fetch dead animals etc etc. I live in a very small community we don't have the gang issues or dog fighting issues. Our bans are based on stupidity! If you as a parent are not responsible enough to teach your child to respect an animal or take action when witnessing illegal use of an animal or neglect then you yourself are the problem! I myself have begun a petition in the state of Kansas to get breed specific bans terminated! By the way if anyone believes that they have the perfect breed of dog because theirs isnt on the NAUGHTY LIST you are just as ignorant as the morans that make the laws, ANY dog has the potiental of being aggressive not just Pits!

Babies & Children Bite People, sometimes causing serious injury & psychological damage. Lets legislate baby-bans.

(silly, right? this is the exact same as breed bans)

Violent crime is sometimes commited by black people. Lets legislate a ban on minorities.

(outrageous & disgusting right? EXACT SAME THING AS BREED BANS)

Drug Addicts / Mentally ill people / Homeless people could attack at any time. Let's ban them from barnstable, and send those that dont comply to be euthanized.

(a repulsive notion? EXACT SAME THING AS BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION!)

Holly any opinion on goats?