We would like to thank South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the author of this great article, Nicole Brochu. Please lets spread the news and lets keep this controversial “dog specific breed band” out in the forefront.
TODAY’S BUZZ
Don’t blame the dog, blame the owner
To suggest that banning pit bulls as a breed will solve the dangerous-dog problem is pure ignorance typical of someone who doesn’t even own a pet and knows little about animals or those who own them. So, Gary, it doesn’t surprise me that your knee-jerk reaction is to zero in on the animal, based purely on its breed, and not the owner.
You want to know why it’s a dumb idea? Of course, you do. Because if bad pet owners don’t have pit bulls around to abuse and make mean, they’ll turn to Rottweilers or German shepherds or Dobermans or Chows or any of the other breeds that also make it to the top of the dangerous-dog list.
Are you going to ban all of them next? Why not just ban dogs altogether? That’ll end the dog-bite problem. Here’s an idea worth chewing on: How about euthanizing the bad pet owner. Now, that’s what I call a benefit to society.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dogs that are most likely to bite are not necessarily pit bulls, or Mastiffs, or Chows, or any one breed. They are un-neutered males. See? It all comes back to responsible pet ownership.
And you absolutely can require a pet owner be good to their pets — or you can punish them for being bad to their pets. That’s why there are animal cruelty laws — the same laws you scoff at for being overly considerate of animals. Those laws are in place not just for the pure humanity of requiring animals to be treated responsibly, but because it’s also a public safety issue.
There’s also a very good reason why Florida and many other states have prohibited the banning of dogs by breed. For starters, it’s discriminatory and so contrary to basic American principles of fairness, like rejecting someone based solely on their race or religion. More importantly perhaps, it’s also dangerous, because it presents an illusion of a solution, one not supported by science or empirical studies or realistic expectations. A false sense of security can be a scary thing. So can a shortage of humanity, decency and common sense.