Arguing a Position- Breed Specific Legislation

[AudreyElizabeth]

I'm currently involved in research for my latest English paper, and given my love for the APBT I chose breed specific legislation. There are so many conflicting reports, opinions, stories and statistics that it is making my head spin. Are there any good books exploring this issue that I might be able to find in a library? Credible sources on the net? I have my personal experience, which is sharing a house with a female APBT and a female APBT mix, but that is not enough. Each group, the advocates and the opposing camp, argue that the statistics are skewed. Where can I get credible, non-biased statistics to back up the claim that bull terriers are not child-eating monsters?
I don't think I'll ever want another breed of dog, I've fallen for them head over heels. The thought that BSL is a reality in many areas is very frightening to me.
Thanks, I hope my fellow APBT lovers can help me out with this task. I've been looking at the CDC dog bite reports and the American Temperament Test statistics. Are these good starting points?
Again, thanks.

 

[pitbulllady]

I'm currently involved in research for my latest English paper, and given my love for the APBT I chose breed specific legislation. There are so many conflicting reports, opinions, stories and statistics that it is making my head spin. Are there any good books exploring this issue that I might be able to find in a library? Credible sources on the net? I have my personal experience, which is sharing a house with a female APBT and a female APBT mix, but that is not enough. Each group, the advocates and the opposing camp, argue that the statistics are skewed. Where can I get credible, non-biased statistics to back up the claim that bull terriers are not child-eating monsters?
I don't think I'll ever want another breed of dog, I've fallen for them head over heels. The thought that BSL is a reality in many areas is very frightening to me.
Thanks, I hope my fellow APBT lovers can help me out with this task. I've been looking at the CDC dog bite reports and the American Temperament Test statistics. Are these good starting points?
Again, thanks.

I ABSOLUTELY recommend obtaining "The Pit Bull Placebo" by Karen Delise. You can also contact her organization through their website here: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/ . Another good website is Living Safely With Dogs, which can be accessed via a link on this site, which gives a run-down of the only scientific study done in the US on dog bite statistics, broken down by breed: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dv...le/detail/613820?contextCategoryId=204&ref=25 . Of course you're aware that when it comes to statistics, there are no absolutes, due to misidentification of breed and even the widespread use of the terms "pit bull" or "pitbull" to refer to ANY dog that meets an individual's personal criteria for being a "pit bull", criteria which can be as vague as the dog barking at strangers or having short hair. Most people have no clue what a purebred American Pit Bull Terrier looks like, actually. Back when I had Japanese Akitas, a breed that is about as UN-APBT-like as possible in terms of appearance, I actually had people refer to my brindle Akitas as "pit bulls", because in their own mindset, "pit bulls" were brindle, so therefore ALL brindle dogs were "pit bulls"! Others assumed that "pit bulls" had to be huge dogs, so any large dogs(or what that person considered "large")must be "pit bull", as well. The problem is compounded today by the popularity and prevalence of large mixed-breed Mastiff-type dogs which are often sold as "giant" pit bulls or other things with the word "bully" or "bull" in the name, and these mixed breeds are far more common that the purebred APBT or AmStaff or Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Unfortunately, one of the primary components of BSL is often the clause, "any dog having the general appearance OF a "pit bull", which means, in a nutshell, that if someone is of the OPINION that your dog LOOKS like a "pit bull" or LOOKS like it MIGHT have some APBT or other banned breed in its genetic makeup, somewhere down the line, it's subject to the restrictions of that particular law, whether it's a mandatory spay/neuter of all "pit bulls" or an outright total ban. If any of you have been following the case of Ontario, Toronto, CA, where a strict "pit bull" ban is in effect, you will have seen cases where chocolate Labs, Boxer mixes and even a French Bulldog have been seized, their owners fined and/or jailed, and in at least one, the dog(a chocolate Lab) has been destroyed as being a "pit bull"! I'd strongly recommend a blog site, Caveat, as a source of information, including cases of misidentification of dogs as "pit bulls", in Ontario, to set a case-in-point: http://caveat.blogware.com/ .

pitbulllady

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

Thank you for the info and links pitbulllady. I was hoping you would see my post and respond. I've always respected your opinions and knowledge, on both bully breeds and large constrictors. I will try and find Karen Delise's book in the college library, perhaps I can obtain it through an inter library loan. I was aware of the clauses in most BSL conditions, and I find it disheartening that opinion alone can dictate what type of dog can reside in a household.
The ruinous image that this dog has acquired is heartbreaking, and the hysteria ensuing is ridiculous (you cited a few examples). Hopefully I can change a few opinions; I wouldn't trade my dogs for anything.
Thank you!

 

[LeilaNami]

If you are near a college, they often have databases free for students and visitors so that you may look up journal articles.

 

[Rue]

Look in the Dogs of Canada archives...they might have relevant papers. They're opinion pieces, but it's a leg. trade magazine and many professionals contribute.

BTW...our Amercian Bulldog was attacked and seriously injured last fall...by a German Shepherd. We had to file in small claims court before they paid the vet bills. The letter they wrote in their defence claimed our dog was a 'pitbull'. As if that somehow negated their responsibility in the matter.

 

[LeilaNami]

Look in the Dogs of Canada archives...they might have relevant papers. They're opinion pieces, but it's a leg. trade magazine and many professionals contribute.

BTW...our Amercian Bulldog was attacked and seriously injured last fall...by a German Shepherd. We had to file in small claims court before they paid the vet bills. The letter they wrote in their defence claimed our dog was a 'pitbull'. As if that somehow negated their responsibility in the matter.

Sounds like they were trying to implicate your dog instigating the fight simply because of the breed.

Edit: I just really don't get this prejudice of the public. Yes, I've met some nasty pitbulls but also many sweet ones. I've met far nastier chihuahuas. The problem is small dog bites go unreported because of the lack of severity compared to a larger dog. Many people also thing a growling chihuahua (and I'm guilty of this) is funny and cute. Most bites (in a vet office) are from small dogs. I might be able to look up that statistic in my veterinary medicine text book. That was one thing they stressed during my vet assistant certification.

 

[pitbulllady]

Look in the Dogs of Canada archives...they might have relevant papers. They're opinion pieces, but it's a leg. trade magazine and many professionals contribute.

BTW...our Amercian Bulldog was attacked and seriously injured last fall...by a German Shepherd. We had to file in small claims court before they paid the vet bills. The letter they wrote in their defence claimed our dog was a 'pitbull'. As if that somehow negated their responsibility in the matter.

Sadly, it is true that often violence against a "pit bull", by either a human or another animal, IS excused in court cases simply because the dog was a "pit bull"! Case in point, here in SC, locally, a man was videotaped by his neighbor tying his pit-bull type dog to a tree and savagely beating her to death with a shovel, and he was NOT convicted of animal cruelty-a felony in SC-because of the dog's "breed"! His story was that the dog had peed on the floor, and when he "disciplined" her for that, she allegedly bit him, even though he could produce no injuries to substantiate that. The court ruled that because the dog was a "pit bull" the man had reasonable cause to believe his life was in imminent danger and that therefore dragging the dog outside, tying her to a tree and beating her to death as she struggled and screamed in agony was justified "self defense"! Had this dog been a Lab or a Poodle or anything else, the public would have probably demanded that this man be put UNDER the jail and many would have retaliated themselves, but this was a "pit bull", so most people lauded the man's actions, saying they would do the same things themselves to one of these "evil monsters".

pitbulllady

 

[RoachGirlRen]

That is a horrifying story, PBL Yet sadly, unsurprising. I'm happy that most people I know aren't being fooled by media agendas, though my mom went through a stint of the PETA-esque view that we should ban them "for their own good" - a position she agreed with until she realized that BSL often means seizing and killing happy, well cared for dogs living in loving homes.

I have to say, from what I've seen people's atitudes towards pitbulls are actually better down here than they were in NY. At my job I see a ton of pitbulls every day, and the exchanges between the dog owners and public are always positive - whereas in NY, daring to bring your pitbull into a Petco/Petsmart always elicited at least one ignorant twit making some underhanded remark about bringing a dangerous, unpredictable, dog-aggressive breed out among the public

 

[AudreyElizabeth]

Those were some very good links. I especially liked the little article explaining the difference between a 'resident' dog and a 'family' dog. Since I've moved from my parent's home I've refused to have an outdoor only dog. It never made sense to me to have a dog that spends its entire life chained, especially since dogs are so needing of a family or pack. I do occasionally tether my dogs outside, but they get plenty of off-leash play in the yard. When we are outside they are outside, and it goes the other way as well. I also love to take Georgia to places like Rural King where she can display her nice manners and friendly nature. She is usually well received.

 

[Danyellef]

BSL Help?

I'm writing my final paper in my Composition class on BSL. It a research paper, I was wondering if anyone could give me any really god site, books, magazines, anything helpful, the catch is I cannot use a Dot com site. I've looked for books at my local library and they seem to not have anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated . THANKS IN ADVANCE DANYELLE:razz:

 

[pitbulllady]

I'm writing my final paper in my Composition class on BSL. It a research paper, I was wondering if anyone could give me any really god site, books, magazines, anything helpful, the catch is I cannot use a Dot com site. I've looked for books at my local library and they seem to not have anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated . THANKS IN ADVANCE DANYELLE:razz:

Try this site: http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/

pitbulllady