In the Portland area one small town is proposing a ban on Pitbulls.  A first for the state of Oregon, we will have more info tonight.

In my lifetime I've seen various breeds targeted as dangerous; the first, German Shepards, then Dobermans, next Rotwiellers, now it's Pit Bulls. It's not the breed of the dog that makes them dangerous, but the people that own them. My kids (who are now 26, 28 & 30 years old) were raised around my sister's pit bull, Bounce the Wonder Dog, from birth. They climbed on him, rode  on his back, slept on him, and he pulled them around the pool in a raft. He was much more gentle with my kids than the Cocker Spaniel we eventually owned. Any breed can be dangerous but banning specific breeds is rediculous.

I have lived with pitbulls all of my life. my mother brought home a pit puppy  that was being tossed like a ball by kids when i was 5 and another she found beat up roaming the streets. Both of these dogs had been abused, wich is the real problem by the way, but ended up being really great dogs and my best friends growing up. Since then i have had 2 pitbulls and out of all these dogs i have never had an incident of aggression except from humans against my pets. My pitbull that passed away from cancer last year had 3 legs, why? Because while i was away he got loose and someone shot him with a rifle 6 times. I dont know why, he was a very sweet dog who loved kids and played with cats. $3000 in vet bills later he was the same dog less a leg. These dogs are very special and make great companions but are also very powerful in the wrong hands.

I think its a shame to even consider outlawing these great dogs that have such a colorful history of service to people...look it up! Pitbulls are all heart despite the cruel things that PEOPLE do to them. What needs to happen is we need to stick up for abused pitbulls and all animals alike. Dont look the other way if you suspect dog fighting or cruelty. Look for it and do something about it! Last, nobody is taking my dog and all you bully breed lovers out there know this. BSL wont end with pits and it might get your golden retriever next, after all pitbulls score higher on the temperment test, in fact higher than most breeds. Its time to demand equality for our k9 family members as we do in our society. 

I think the owners of pit bulls that seem dangerous should be banned, not the dog!

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MCRainwater

Absolutely not!  Punish the deed -- not the breed!

This is called breed specific Legislation (BSL) and has been popping up in various parts of the nation mostly promoted by extremist animal rights (AR) organizations that don't believe humans should own animals.

In many places where this has been accepted they haven't stopped with Pit Bulls. Also on the list of banned breeds are German Shepherd Dogs, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Huskies, Dobermans, Airdales, Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bull Terriers and many more. Are you starting to get the drift?

The agenda behind this has absolutely nothing to do with dangerous dogs.

For quotes from these extremist AR organizations see: http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/archives/animalrightsquote.htm

For the dark side of Peta you don't know see: http://petakillsanimals.com/

I loved my Pitt Bull and had to give her to my daughter when I was suddenly found not having a place to live where I could take her. I can lie in bed at night and listen to the guy upstairs abuse his wife and kids with them screaming and crying...and the police never take him away!

Roxy is the best dog our family has ever had. She has lived with cats her whole life and is afraid of them....goes to dog parks, and loves people and to play. She has taught me a thing or two about having a positive attitude and unconditional love.

I dealt with more prejudice against my dog than with anything else in the first 5 years of having her in my life. People would grab their kids in Petsmart and walk the other way, even when she was a puppy. Very sad.

Banning Pitt bulls is definitely not a good idea. Pitt bulls are eager to please, and in the wrong hands can become dangerous as will any dog.

 

I HATE POLITICIANS!...They bite me in my FREEDOMS!...Every pit bull I've ever run across was only an idiot if his master ALLOWED him to be an idiot. If the owner is an irresponcibe jerk then more then likely the dog is acting on his masters lack of dicipline. I've owned Rotts and Dobies and Shepards and a Pit and all were Aggressive dogs when they had to be but NEVER attempted to bite anyone unless they felt I was either in danger or gave them the ok to attack. They intimidated lots of people they didnt like or for some reason trust but attacks were never allowed behavior. As for the politician who wants to ban them....These people, All of these people work for us-not the other way around-we pay thier salaries and yet most of us to some extent or another fear our Government. Wake up people!...THEY ARE EMPLOYED BY US!...What ever happened to "We The People"?....The Pits should remain-The politician should go and the careless owners who allow or encourage bad behavior from ANY dog should be held liable.

No breed of dog should be banned. We need to change the focus to responsible custodianship and consequences for those who fail.

I am heartened that most of the people posting here are logical and sensible about this.  Breed specific legislation, as has been noted, does not work, and is not just.  Enforcing laws that require responsible ownership is the best way to preserve public safety. 

My 3 dogs are Staffordshire Bull Terriers, one of the breeds often referred to as "pit bulls" when legislation is passed.  Ironically, 2 of my dogs were badly mauled by my neighbors' dogs.  My two 30 pound dogs didn't have much hope against 3 dogs in the 80 pound range.  After a hefty vet bill, my dogs were okay, though the oldest is now afraid of large dogs.

I still don't think that Lab mixes and German Wirehair Pointers should be legislated against, though.  No more than my dogs should.

I think you're pretty close, but I think the owners need to carry insurance to cover any damages caused by this "bear trap with four legs". It's hard to recoup any losses from lowlifes who are drawn to this breed. Not saying all owners are lowlifes. Just my thoughts.

If Pit Bulls are outlawed only Outlaws will have pit bulls. It's not the dogs it's the owners.

I have a pit bull. She was a rescued dog about 6yrs old. She was neglected but no sign of physical abuse or violent type training. I didn't realize she was considered a pit bull when I got her but that wasn't important to me. What was important was her temperament. She has a kind personality and really a 'kick back' dog. She is great with children and only barks at people she doesn't take to. I was told that I had to prove dominence over her or she would rule the roost. I did this by winning (for awhile) our pull toy fights and towering over her while she laid on her back when she went overboard with her actions. I also used consistent commands and worked with her until she obeyed them. Nothing physical. One thing I did find out was that she doesn't play well with other dogs. While camping, our neighboring campers had 8 dogs that ran free. She demanded my dog be kept on a leash. Now, the law says that all dogs be on leashes so that is why mine was on a leash. This is when I realized she (my pitbull) didn't like other dogs as one of her dogs came into our campground and she jumped it. Thankfully neither dog was hurt but it made me take notice of a problem and new actions on my part would need to be taken to protect her as well as other animals. So, my dog is always leashed up and I kindly warn other dog owners of my dog's temperament towards other dogs. I don't take her to Petsmart or dog parks. An acquaintance who allows her dogs to run free, again, not obeying the laws, called me an a__hole for not muzzling my dog. She said that I should be sued if my dog hurts another. Hmmmm.....my dog is on a leash, yours is not, yours runs up to my dog and if it gets hurt, I should be sued? Even after I warned you? I guess desire and convenience is more important than accountability. I heard pitbulls can be trained to become aggressive easier than other breeds. Once again, this is the owner's responsibility. Keep the government out of everything but ensuring an owner's accountability.

If pitt bulls were outlawed what would that mean?  Would all pitt bulls be euthenized?  That seems like an extremely violent and inhumane solution to the problem.  The suggestion of requiring all pitt bull owners to obtain a special, expensive license also seems detrimental to me as it would discourage good people from taking in rescue dogs.

The problem is human created as pitt bulls were bred to be aggressive.  I beleive it is the breeders, not the dogs, that are guilty and should be penalized.

To me the most reasonable solution is to require all pitt bulls to be spade or nuetered...this will make them less aggressive and the dog can live out it's normal life and if not allowed to reproduce the breed will naturally die out.

Also...rather than coming to some arbitrary, rash, descision...there should be a committee formed of people of diverse perspectives to address the problem and find a humane solution.

To ban a breed of dog like Pit Bulls is asking for trouble.  Society should learn to punish the deed and not the breed.  I whole heartedly believe that it is up to the owners to train their dog.  I think that if a dog shows aggressive undertones that it is the owners fault.  At some point in time there has been a period where the dog learned the behaviior to be aggressive.  People have done this.  This is not just a naturally occuring trait.

Pit bites me, I shoot it and then the owners.period!!

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I belong to PETA...People Eating Tasty Animals