gooeydog

[quote]What's next? Once all the "bad breeds" are gone, who will they condemn? [/quote] The lawmakers are just going to keep running through the list of breeds until all are under some sort of "regulations", it may be an outright ban of the breeds, or it may just be restrictions like mandatory muzzles, altering, temperment tests, leash length limits, etc. Once the "bad breeds" are gone, there will still be dog bites, because there will still be irresponsible owners and many citizens who are uneducated about dogs. :-?

The three "main" breeds of dog known as "pit bulls" are Staffordshire Bull terriers (SBTs), American Pit bull Terriers (APBTs), and American Staffordshire Terriers (ASTs). These are the ones [i]always[/i] included in BSL. Sometimes the description or "pit bulls" in BSL also includes Bull Terriers (BTs) both miniature and normal size, and American Bulldogs (ABs). The differences between them aren't really that big, so it can sometimes be hard to tell what's what (one reason why BSL doesn't work). From what I understand and have read, the three main pit bull breeds (SBTs, ASTs, and APBTs) started out as one "breed", known simply as "bulldogs", because they were used to work bulls and other stock. They proved to be good at these jobs, so people began using them in bloodsports (bullbaiting, bearbaiting, dogfighting, etc). As people came to America, they brought over the dogs which would be the foundation for all APBTs and ASTs. Over time, bullbaiting and bearbaiting were outlawed in many places, so dogfighting took over as the prevalant "sport". Eventually dogfighting was made illegal, too, and that's how it is today... The "bulldogs" in England and countries near there, no longer used for fighting/combat became the SBTs that exist today. Short, stocky dogs, but still very powerful. They are the dogs known as "nanny dogs" in England for their excellent reputation with children. Most of them still have the "bulldog" attitude, they're just a "scaled down version" :wink: . They are usually around 15" at the shoulder, and are supposed to be 40lbs or under. As for the American "bulldogs", they were known by several names, including "pit bulldogs" and "pit bull terriers". They were turned down for breed registration by some registries because of the word "pit" in their name. The UKC was the first kennel to recognize the APBT as a breed, in the late 1800s. Then in the 1930s, the AKC recognized ASTs as a breed, so many APBT owners also registered their APBTs as ASTs. At that time, the two breeds, APBTs and ASTs were identical. Over time some differences have developed between them, ie: in ASTs, a red nose is considered a fault. APBTs are generally considered the "performance pitbulls", and ASTs are considered the "show pitbulls", but these are just generalities, and both breeds are "athletic". ASTs are usually about 18" tall, and their weight should be proportional to their height, but most are 30-70 lbs. Red (dudley) noses are a fault in ASTs, and are uncommon, but so appear occasionally. APBTs are usually divided into two "groups", the "show APBTs", and the "performance APBTs"(used for weight pull, schutzhund, hog catching, sometimes illegal dogfighting)"Show APBTs" are similar to ASTs in appearance. "Performance APBTs" look more athletic, and are often "ugly" to some people, but they are bred for their ability to work, not for their appearance. There is a wide variety in appearances in performance APBTs, some are smaller, some are larger, some don't even look like APBTs. All APBTs are usually in the 20-70 lb range, with dogs occasionally being more/less than those weights. There isn't really a set height, most are in the 18-21" range, but some are taller/shorter. Red noses are allowed in APBTs. Sorry this got so long :o , but I hope it helped some, or at least didn't confuse anyone anymore than they were :lol: terri

in Canada. [url]http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/macdonald.html[/url] He's pretty much repeating himself, except he seems a little nervous because not everyone agrees with him... and he calls pit bull owners defensive :o Murder weapon? Her? Nope. I would be though if they put those glasses and hat on me :lol: [img]http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jul/20027217355468938574183.jpg[/img]

[url]http://www.cfcnplus.ca/[/url] Here's the question: [b]Should the city declare dogs like pit bulls vicious even if they have not attacked anyone?[/b] Right now it's 70% (344 votes)-yes, and 30% (145 votes)-no. :(

Or at least in Ontario... [url]http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/macdonald.html[/url] His email address is at the bottom of the article, if anyone wants to try to educate him about the breed... terri

One in Splendora, Texas: [url]http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1499002[/url] [url]http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1500374[/url] One in Minnesota: [url]http://www.kstp.com/article/view/27539/[/url] One in Toronto, Canada: [url]http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-07-19-0004.html[/url] Why does it seem like the attacks always come in groups? There won't be any "newsworthy" dog attacks for a while, then all of a sudden they're everywhere... terri

I don't think so. Here are some in Missouri that need homes... [url]http://www.pbrc.net/doglist/nicodemop1934.html[/url] (pages 1 & 2) [url]http://www.pbrc.net/doglist/lldogrescuep2203.html[/url] [url]http://www.pbrc.net/doglist/muttsnstuffp1593.html[/url] (pages 1, 2, &3) [url]http://www.pbrc.net/doglist/mprp574.html[/url] (pages 1 & 2) [url]http://www.pbrc.net/doglist/colsecchancep1799.html[/url] From what I see there there are plenty of pit bulls in Missouri, and there's plenty of variety in color... Black, white, red, fawn, fawn & white, red & white, black & white, dark brindle, light brindle, blue brindle. There's different sizes, and some are cropped if that's what you like. You can even choose between pups and adults. If there's not any you like there, there's probably one in a state nearby... :)

The people involved with the dog(s) need to keep in mind that animal aggression and human aggression are two different traits, and are not in any way the same. Just because a dog is animal/dog aggressive, the person shouldn't assume that it is also human aggressive. :)

They can be rehabilitated, but you have to have realistic expectations, too. For example, I wouldn't expect a trained hunting dog to coexist with a pet rabbit (or any small prey type animal), nor would I expect a trained fighting dog to get along with dogs (and other animals). They might, but it's not the "rule". I think each individual dog would have to be evaluated, and then found appropriate homes, or euthanized. Many of the hunting/fighting dogs would need homes willing to deal with their "issues", and since there are enough homeless dogs out there without "issues", it might be hard to find homes for the hunting/fighting dogs. A lot of people wouldn't want to have to take the extra precautions that would be necessary, so there would have to be some sort of screening process in order to ensure good homes for the dogs. That's not to say that it's not worth it, but that it can turn out to be a lot of work for both the "rescuer", and the owner. I have an ex-fighting dog, she was fought and badly abused when she was a pup (we got her at approx. 6-8 months), and though it has sometimes been a struggle to deal with her problems, the rewards of having her around far outweigh the problems :wink: I really think it depends on the individual dog, owners, and situation.