"they don't enforce the law."

Most law is not enforced, which is (a) why we keep getting new, unnecessary, laws and (b) why more or less everyone is guilty but people are arrested selectively.

Irresponsible humans are to blame...

Yeh, they are always real friendly dogs until they're not, then they can kill you.

The same can be said about other breeds. The biggest problem with dogs is not the dogs, but their owners. Too many owners let their dogs run loose. And too many owners don't know how to train and control their dog.

The owners need to face much more serious penalties when these dogs go out of control. I'm not for breed bans, but I am for serious consequences for the criminal negligence of not properly containing one of these dogs.

All dogs should be properly contained. It is one of the basic principles of responsible dog ownership.

Yes, for many reasons....yes.

Yes there are other breeds that have similar characteristics but none have the same combination of characteristics that is the pit bull, including an innate dislike of other dogs, lock jaw, thick skull and strength, aggression, etc.

anti social? lock jaw? thick skull? Do some research before showing your ignorance. you're the only thing here with a "thick skull"

Yeah, right.

Your reply is a stunning example of why some people should never be allowed on the internet.

Had it been a different breed, the police would have been able to free the tiny dog witha few whacks of his night stick.

Speculation.

Yeah, and they're real killers unless like millions of them they live their whole lives without biting anyone.

Pit bulls should be eradicated.

Together with some of their owners.

you should be eradicated.

Get ready for all of the pit bull lover outrage. I'm no fan of bans on breeds but I'm also generally no fan of the dubious types who own these dogs.

How about if we "ban" the "dubious types"?

Don't ban the breed. Increase the penalties for owners of these dogs who hurt people or property.

“The dog that was shot was actually a really friendly dog”

Until it wasn't.

And that is the problem with pit bulls. They are friendly, loving, loyal dogs until something sets them off--usually another dog, but sometimes small children or even adults. I'm not a 'kill 'em all' advocate, but pit bull owners should definitely be expected to exercise caution and control their animals at all times.

People who approach pitbulls with their other dogs also need to be aware of dog behaviour. It's not only the pitbull owners' fault all the time, unfortunately people are generally ignorant of dog behaviour.

It depends. Muzzles can make humans unnecessarily afraid, and dogs respond to fear.

A good point for all dog owners...your dog is not a toddler needing to 'meet and greet', and the dynamic changes even more when one animal is on-leash, and the other isn't.

The Telegraph News
The time is up for deadly dogs
MIRANDA DEVINE THE DAILY TELEGRAPH AUGUST 07, 2013

EVERY time a mere human is killed or mauled by a pit bull-type dog, all
the professional apologists line up to declare: "It's not the breed,
it's the deed".

It's the same mantra spewed by the gun lobby after every massacre in the US: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people".

Rubbish. The horrible death this week of two-year old Deeon Higgins in
Deniliquin has to mark the end of the line for dangerous dog breeds as
household "pets".

Deeon had just stepped outside his
grandmother's back door to get an icecream from an outdoor freezer when
his 24-year-old cousin's bull mastiff cross attacked him. For more than
15 minutes.

Deeon's frantic grandmother Joyce Higgins, and then
his mother, Vicki Higgins, tried in vain to save him. But he died in
Deniliquin hospital of "serious head and facial injuries".

You can only shudder.

Pit bull-type dogs are inherently dangerous.

They are responsible for a disproportionately large share of the most
serious dog attacks, and yet politicians continue to bow to the dog
lobby. Enough. A dangerous dog is a weapon which can be every bit as
lethal as a gun.

It's time for a "dog buyback", similar to John
Howard's gun buyback. There can be an amnesty of a few weeks before the
owner of every pit bull, or similar vicious breed, is required to
relinquish their dogs to the local council.

They can then
choose a safer breed from the tens of thousands waiting for a new home
in pounds and animal shelters. The owner can be recompensed by the
taxpayer for the small costs incurred. The dangerous breed is then
humanely put to sleep, while a dog on death row is saved.

A life for a life, you might call it.

Those owners who choose not to relinquish their dogs should be subject
to draconian laws, including mandatory manslaughter if anyone is killed
by their animal.

"Kingston", was a 57kg bull mastiff
cross. We don't know what it was crossed with, but a bull mastiff is a
big powerful breed considered akin to a pit pull because it is has been
bred for the same aggressive traits and muscular, stocky build.

Pit bull is a term generally used for the American pit bull terrier,
American Staffordshire terrier and Staffordshire bull terrier. Along
with similar breeds, they pose a clear and present danger to humans.

For instance, in May, jogger Rob Nelson, 49, was savagely mauled by
three American Staffordshire Terriers in Liverpool. When paramedics
arrived, his heart was visible through his wounds, his abdomen was
"hanging out", his bicep had been eaten and his armpit had been ripped
out. He only survived because of the intervention of bystanders.

The dog's owner is due in court later this month, to face a charge of
owning an attacking dog, which carries a paltry maximum fine of $5500.

In nearby East Hills last October, a 19-year-old man had his ear bitten
off by two American Staffordshire terriers as he walked his dog down
the street.

In 2011 District Court Judge Michael Elkaim described two pit bull-type dogs that killed four-year-old Tyra Kuehne as "trained killers". He awarded Tyra's family $120,000 in damages after they sued Warren Shire Council for negligence. S adly, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision.

In 2005, after three such attacks, then premier Bob Carr lashed pitbulls as "killing machines on a leash", but stopped short of banning them.

He declared certain pit bull-type breeds "restricted", which means they cannot be imported, or bred and should be desexed, muzzled in public, and live in a secure enclosure.

The idea was that they would die out and, hey presto, problem solved.

But, almost a decade later, dangerous breeds are still killing and maiming people.

Now Barry O'Farrell isn't even trying to sound tough, saying dog owners need to be more responsible. Sure, but plenty aren't.

Compare O'Farrell's response to that of
Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, who is also a vet, and is planning a
crackdown on after four-year-old Ayen Chol was mauled to death by a
neighbour's pit bull.

"Let's get rid of American pit bulls. They're just bred for attacking and they can do enormous damage," he said.

Unfortunately, in NSW the Australian Veterinary Association view holds
sway, that it is the "deed not the breed" and that breed-specific
legislation is illogical.

But there's plenty of evidence to dispute that view.

For instance, a paper in the Annals Of Surgery journal in 2011, found:
"Attacks by pit bulls are associated with higher morbidity rates, higher
hospital charges and a higher risk of death than are attacks by other
breeds of dogs".

A study in the Plastic And Reconstructive
Surgery journal found more than half the serious dog bites treated over
five years at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia were pit bulls.

Celebrity vet Dr Robert Zammit, of Vineyard Veterinary Hospital, near
Windsor, admitted on ABC radio yesterday that: "Certain breeds are worse
than others Certain breeds are very sharp and apt to attack."

He also said that any dog "in a bad situation, can attack," and that no child under 12 should be left alone with a dog.

Sensible advice, but sometimes children wander, and sometimes dogs escape. We need to minimise the risk.

So, if 1000 pit bulls have to die, that's a small price to pay to save one child.

Because they sued the Council, not the owner. The problem usually is that these owners have insufficient funds to compensate victims appropriately.

Perhaps one solution would be a compensation fund that each dog owner must contribute to, and the penalties for unlicensed dogs be increased. Perhaps each breeder should be responsible to ensure each dog is licensed when born and that the transfer of ownership is properly registered, after all, breeding is a business and licensing fees would help pay the cost of management.

'It's time for a "dog buyback", similar to John Howard's gun buyback. '

Why would you need a dog buyback program given that youngest legal pit bull in Ontario in already 9, and so not long to live? Anything under 9 is defector illegal and the owner is subject to fine and prison.

You're making this up. They aren't respondible for a disproportionate number of attacks. That is pure garbage. What you are proposing us to murder people's pets.

There are none so stupid as those who refuse to learn

Better a thousand murdered pets than one mauled child.

In ALL BSL's all existing pit bull type dogs are grandfathered in with restrictions to leash, muzzle, and S/N and in some cases kennel, signage, liability insurance until they die off naturally, only NEW pit bull type dogs are not allowed in.

In NO case are they put down or even forced to leave the community if they are a grandfathered in pit bull type dog.!

A pit bull BSL works EVERYWHERE it is useful in almost eliminating all serious dog attacks that maim, disfigure, dismember, maul, cripple.
or kill, this is a simply proven fact in all cases.The number of pit bulls is dramatically reduced as are the numbers of them put to death.

The need to have BSL is to have a preemptive capability to avoid a pit bull attack from happening due to it's extremely savage consequences.

no.

wrong.

Guns are inanimate objects...pit bulls have brains. Your argument is invalid.

It's the same mantra spewed by the gun lobby after every massacre in the US: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people".

***

Miranda misses the big difference that, unlike dogs, guns are inanimate objects incapable of acting on their own volition.

Knives and guns and bombs do not have a mind of their own and are safe unless misused.

A pit bull type dog has a mind based on killer genetics and instincts and acts on it's own and has the Genetic reality to Kill, Maul, Maim, Disfigure, Dismember, cause Life Flights or trips to the Intensive Care Unit with the human element moot as to the outcome and not in control over the outcome.

The human has nothing to do with what happens, it is all on the mutated undog, that was her point, ownership is moot.!!!!!

I see pit bulls all the time. The cops do nothing about the fact that they're illegal. Probably too much trouble for a guy who's only earning 100K and has to rush off to sit in traffic court all day, doing nothing.

When found, euthanize the owner(s) please.

Opposing Views:
ANIMAL RIGHTS
UK: Your Dog Kills Someone, You Get A Life Sentence
By Pat Dunaway, Wed, August 07, 2013

With 16 people dead by dogs since 2005, the UK now has a proposal that
can give the owner of a killing dog, a life sentence. Currently the law
can only give two years imprisonment for the act but the Ministers don't
fee that is enough for the deed. If your dog attacks, the sentence will be 10 years.

The union representing postmen and telecoms engineers welcomed the
proposal. Their membership sees 5,000 attacks a year and some owners are
fined a small amount. This proposal will match sentencing to the
serious nature of the offense. The proposal was launched yesterday by
the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The
UK wants to protect their citizens from vicious dogs and has had BSL in
force for awhile. This proposal broadens the original scope so that
owners can be prosecuted for attacks on private property and will give
the police more effective powers.

The UK is experiencing an all
time high for attacks on guide dogs. In addition a total of 240 attacks
were reported between March 2011 and February 2013.

Let's compare with the USA. Since 2005, the USA has had 167 deaths by pit bulls alone, Total deaths from all breeds since 2005 are 251. How are we protecting our citizens from these deadly attacks? Instead of passing laws, our society has decided to save these attacking killers.

It's not unusual for the dog, especially the pit bulls, to be "saved" and sent to sanctuaries such as Spindletop or Olympic Animal Sanctuary. These are 'sanctuaries' for those dogs unable to function in or unfit for society. Why are we saving these dogs, taking space for them, investing money in them, when so many are dying in shelter for lack of space and money?

There are over 400 breeds of dogs, breeds that were specifically and selectively breed for certain traits. Yet, one breed type is doing the majority of severe attacks and fatalities - the pit bull or gripping dogs.

Gripping dogs include the Presa Canario, the Dogo Argentino, the Tosa Inu, the Fila Brasileiro, the Cane Corso, and the Presa Mallorquin, all fighting dogs, bred for fighting. And these gripping dogs/Pit Bulls account for the vast majority of severe attacks and deaths. These breeds were never meant to be pets.

This country is moving much too slowly
in protecting citizens and beloved pets from these breeds. The backlash
from the No Kill movement and the pit bull advocates hinders moving
ahead to prevent these attacks and deaths.

Myths have evolved
to make the pit bull look more appealing as a pet, myths such as the
nanny dog. Never was the pit referred to as a nanny dog until a breeder
called them that in the 1980's. Even the group in the forefront of
protecting pit bulls admitted that the nanny dog is a myth on their
facebook page recently.

The pit community insists that the
attacks are from abused pits, although the evidence does show otherwise.
If that is the case, then why is this community fighting the one thing
that can keep pits from the hands of those abusers?

Could it be
that they don't want to change, they want to keep the "game" in the pit
bull? It is estimated that only 25% of pit bulls are neutered in
comparison to the national average of 87% for all canines. Again, the
pit community fights BSL that would dictate mandatory spay/neuter.

With all the evidence to show why we need BSL for pit bulls, the
writing is on the wall. It's time we stepped up to the plate about this
issue like the UK has done. Too many mothers and fathers have endured
closed casket funerals.

This father has endured it and now
speaks out about it. He believed the myth. Demand changes, demand that
legislators protect us with laws that try to prevent victims, rather
than the current laws that require a victim first.

You aren't
safe even in your own home when it comes to pit bulls. This is a serious
matter unless you are a hermit. If you function in society, take walks
in your neighborhood, go to dog parks, or even your own backyard, then
you need to be concerned.