bill to eliminate ALL pitbulls in montana

[SoulFire]

i can't begin to explain how rediculous i think this is.

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/breed-bans/pendingbill/651

[thefinalfrontier]

I have seen similar bills like this one, If i remember correctly it was Florida was looking into this, Either way its a lose lose situation for all involved,, The owners lose their pets and the complainers will jump for joy and fooling themselves thinking the problem as a whole is taken care of but in reality there will be people who will still keep these dogs regardless of the law (Montana is an awful big state and difficult to patrol), How would law enforcment enforce such a law? I would think that the police will finally get tired of all the calls and be into other more pressing issues than tracking down a dog with court papers in hand;

Thats my point of view,

Regards;

TFF

Edited January 15, 2009 by thefinalfrontier

[DJK0320]

That's like dog racism. I have a pitbull and it is by far the nicest dog I have ever had. Maybe they should just ban the people that make em bad.

Edited January 15, 2009 by DJK0320

[Neognosis]

If this nonsense passes, they should just rename the dog breeds.

[Lilix_Vixen]

I think this bill is so stupid! Dogs behave they are trained to behave. So good owners equals good pits and vice verusa. If this ridiculous bill gets passed then the dog fighters in Montana will only turn to another kind of dog for their dog fighting entertainment. I think they'd have better luck getting rid of the stupid sick people who are using these poor dogs for dogfighting.

[The Silver Thong]

Well yup this is pretty dumb and Montana of all places. Montana is pretty big and the only way to really inforce this would be through fines for the owners when cought or reported. I'm with most here, it's the owners not the dog!

[rassy]

Banning dogs or certain breeds doesn't help with the bad pet owner problems. We have a pitbull and he's awesome! We got him a week before the ban kicked in over here.

[SoulFire]

Banning dogs or certain breeds doesn't help with the bad pet owner problems. We have a pitbull and he's awesome! We got him a week before the ban kicked in over here.

he's beautiful. he reminds me of "mojo" (my avatar). pits are the best dogs . anyone that doesn't like them, hasn't had one.

[BrigitTheGreat]

Is there anything that can be done about this? Like a petition against the bill or something...

[thefinalfrontier]

Is there anything that can be done about this? Like a petition against the bill or something...

Well unfortunatly probly not anything we could do because this is a bill that has gone into the house and most likely will be in the senate where it will hopefully die, Thats what im hoping for,

Regards;

TFF

[Quill]

Ridiculous. My uncle has a pit bull and she is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met. She wouldn't hurt a fly.

People gave the dogs a bad reputation.

Edited January 15, 2009 by Quill

[Luca-RoseElsie-Raemom1921]

I think pit bulls and other large dogs get a bad rep, there is no such thing as a bad breed of dog there are dogs of other breeds that also bite, my brother had a bull terrier who was a sweet dog not the blood thirsty breed they are made out to be, the term for banning dog breeds is called BSL breed specific legislation, rassy your dog is so cute it looks like its smiling.

[Princess Serenity]

Bill's stupid. My sister and brother-in-law have two pitbulls. Trinity and Cain. Trinity is the oldest and the nicest pitbull I have ever met. She's the mother figure and protective of everything. Cain's the youngest and is a bit wild. Still a little untrained I think. >>

They should lock up the people who cause some pitbulls to go mad. It's the people not the dog.

I dislike people who dislike pitbulls.

Edit:

Like my sister's sticker

Punish the deed not the breed.

Edited January 15, 2009 by MoonPrincess

[Smeagol1]

Blam the ghetto trash. The trash that needs to be taken out.

[shadowlark]

Banning dogs or certain breeds doesn't help with the bad pet owner problems. We have a pitbull and he's awesome! We got him a week before the ban kicked in over here.

Lucky! He's awesome. I'd been planning on getting a pitbull when we got a house, but we didn't get a house before the ban. Stupid Michael Bryant

[sarah snow]

There has been a similar debate going on on my local Forum in the UK. A dog got attacked on the beach by one of the breeds that has a bad reputation and online a lot of discussion. I've kept out of that as I did not witness it and don't own a dog (work sure gets in the way of a lot of fun stuff in life ) so have not voiced opinions there. But was quite shocked to read normal people who usually post so calmly and are obviously good hearted, and are saying things like 'all dangerous breeds should be put down'.

I can identify a bit with their concerns. Years ago I was attacked by a dog. Just walked out of my student house and was walking down the street minding my own beeswax, and heard this really deep growling...turned round and this dog literally went for me! Really trying to bite, like something demented. Was just in the street, no lead and nobody but me around. I was only a few yards from my house so I legged it down the street and up our path squealing like a stuck pig for my housemate to open the door as I hurtled towards it. My housemate was a heroine- she'd seen what happened, door opened, and she flew out armed with an umbrella and gave it a right good pasting til it ran off.

But even now if a dog runs up to me I freeze out of instinct. It didn't help that about 3 years ago a known local criminal who I reported to the Police tried to intimidate me out of forming a residents group to combat issues of crime in our neighbourhood. I was walking on the beach to meet friends at the pub there, and he intercepted me and used his dogs to intimidate me in the most isolated part of my journey. That brought all the memories flooding back, but I'm dead proud that I didn't let him see how scared I was. Not of him, cos he's a little poof that I could take with one hand tied behind my back. But his dogs are nasty. My ex husband had a big mouth and low life friends, so suspect he heard through the grapevine this would be a good way to place me in a position where I'd be afraid. It's people like this, the chavs of society, that use 'trophy' dogs, that should be put down. IMO.

I love dogs. I think they are beautiful creatures and how much they enrich our lives. I've not had a dog for 20 years but I can't wait until I have the luxury of not working full time and a place I own that is big enough. Then pooch and I will be inseparable, I'll have the time to give for all the walks we'll have. I don't care about foreign holidays and when I had a cockatiel wherever I went, he went too. We did canal barge holidays and all kinds of cottages and rented places. Where I went, the bird went too. It was not my choice to have a bird, but if you take a pet on then it comes first, that's the deal. We have our work, lives, friends, families, television, pubs, PCs.......but they have only us. We should not forget that, and for me I want to be in a place in life where I can devote as much time for walks, fun, silliness, as my dog will need. Not snatched. My life fits around my pet, not the other way round

So in spite of a couple of bad things where I could have turned into a breed racist I would say the boot is on the wrong foot in Montana. There are no bad dogs, there are only bad owners. Someone said that once. I don't know who, but I believe it's true.

I hope Cesar Millan gets on the case. He's inspirational IMO in changing people's attitudes towards so-called dangerous breeds.

Oh dear, I seem to be on a soap box. Oooooops

Edited January 16, 2009 by sarah snow

[Fluffybunny]

Hows ridiculous, they are dogs, not alligators for god sakes. You can train any kind of dog to be good or be mean, helpful or harmful. If they want to ban Pits, then they should have to do the same for Rotts, or German Shepards, Huskies, or any of a number of large bodied dogs that could do damage to a human should they be trained or raised to do so.

Just as with anything that can be dangerous if not handled properly(knives, guns, cars) a larger dog needs to be handled correctly to be safe. Some animals have a higher prey drive than others, Huskies will go after cats that try to run away from them, that kind of thing...If you look at these idiots that have them for weapons and abuse them to make them mean, well...there is no surprise when a kid gets killed by an animal that has been trained to attack.

You cant ban any one ban, it just doesn't make any sense.

[rassy]

Thanks to everyone for the lovely compliments abt my dog SoulFire, I've seen you around the forums and have commented to my family before how remarkably alike your avatar looks to our Bolt...he even has similar white markings and the same smile...hehehehe

It's not so hard to understand that some people would generally target a breed instead of looking at the owners, especially with a type of dog like a pitbull. They've been bred for specific traits and mostly people always heard abt pit fights. Then these dogs get so popular with typical owners that want to look badass, and they get the dog while being ignorant to its needs, even it's basic needs. Then, on top of it all, they want a mean dog... *sigh* Then when something goes wrong, they stupidly don't understand and can't acknowledge it's their fault. Then with the popularity of a breed, puppy mills come along, you get inbreeding, stuff screws up and some innocent family ends up with a dog that ends up hurting someone without any signs that there was something wrong in the first place. All dogs can bite, but it's not all dogs that will go so far as to cause serious damage if they do, and pitbulls are one of those dogs. So it is easy to understand why people can get upset about a certain breed of dog. The same can be said in the past abt rotweillers, doberman pinscers and german shepherds. (I bet I spelled something wrong there LOL)

What gets me is that when a legislature comes along like this, why the experts don't speak up (although some do) and why legislature does not research the problem thoroughly enough. And it's been shown time and time again that they won't listen to the people in general, who are usually more against this type of decision, and this really should be a heads up to the people in legislature, if anything. I don't agree with bans and breed specific restrictions, although I do agree with some restrictions but that they ought to be with all dogs, not just certain breeds, and that consequences should fall heavily on the owners of dogs should there be some sort of ongoing problem.

The BIGGEST problem I have had with raising my pitbull, with all the restrictions, is the fact that I cannot have him on a leash any longer than 5 foot. These dogs have ALOT of energy that needs to be burned up! Especially if you want to train your dog properly and have a nice disposition. Do they seriously want me to have a nervous, skittish pitbull that's more apt to bite? I have resolved this problem with no other choice than to break the law. I have found a place where I can run my dog because no one goes there. I just run him on a 50foot lead. I haven't been able to train him to run alongside the bike, which would be great for him, because he absolutely hates his muzzle. Still, after 3 1/2 years, he's trying to rip it off even though I got him a super huge one and have rigged it with a haltie so there's barely any direct pressure on his face. So, some of these restrictions can actually hamper efforts of respectable owners who want to do the best for their pets, making them great sociable dogs.

[jesspy]

I don't think they should ban a breed of dog unless it poses an extreme risk. I think people should be banned from having breeds or from having dogs all together. Its not just genetics that determine behavior and such a lot of the time its from how the dog is brought up. Mis managed and abused dogs become abuse to other animals and humans

[Blue Raven]

Why not "eliminate" the people that abuse these animals. It is not the breed - any dog no matter what breed will try to defend himself in a dog fight or anywhere else and eventually after enough abuse the dog will associate any person with the one that abused him. Instead they should really focus on these scum of life people that abuse these dogs becuase of their size, strenght and ability to fight and to make a quick buck or they think it is cool to have a dog so angry that it will attack anything that moves :angry2:

I think people should really get pre-approval before they can own animals, get a lisence or something.

I have two dogs that are considered "dangerous" a rottie & boerboel and they are the most lovable, sweetest animals, because of the way they were raised, with love.

I really hope that some one wakes up and realizes that it is not the breed of dog.

[Barnacle Battlefront]

I used to know some people that had a Pit Bull and some little Shi Tzuh thing. Their very young son would grab hold of the Pitties ears, pull himself up by grabbing its neck scruff, and would tug its tail. The Pittie was always very gentle with the kid and never hurt it (apart from one time when it sat on him, but it didn't realise it was so big ). If anyone went near the Shi Tzuh, they'd be attacked. A lot of those small breeds of dog are savage little buggers. The reason their big dog was so gentle was because it had been raised with a lot of love and caring. As for the little dog, it was just angry for no reason

Banning a breed does nothing towards fixing the problem. So they ban Pit Bulls, so what? The people who make these dogs savage are just going to find a new breed to turn savage. Then that one gets banned, so they find another. This isn't going to stop the "Pit Bull Problem", because the problem isn't the breed, it's the owner.

And as for those people who support it... It's like someone wrote on the internet: As soon as they ban the Pit Bull, who is to say your favourite breed won't be next?

[Luca-RoseElsie-Raemom1921]

I have read the list of dogs that are supposedly dangerous and my dog Ruby would be on the list because shes half a Australian cattle dog,

one of my cousins would grab her tail and be draged around on the floor laughing Ruby did nt mind, she s never bitten anyone,

we once had a German sheppard who was a loveing as any thing she would try to mother our cat.

[SoulFire]

thank you all soo much for your replys on this thread. i have a soft spot in my heart for all animals, but even more so for dogs, and particularly for pits. when i saw this article, i was outraged & had to post it. people have alot of mixed feelings when it comes to this subject. i almost got into a fist fight at a bar a year or so ago, arguing this point with a drunk. turns out his son had been bitten pretty badly by a bulldog. so in that case, i can understand the prejudice a bit more (the fact he was drunk made him even more passionate about it too). i can understand that totally. however, i DO NOT believe dogs are born mean & blood thirsty - NEVER. they are made that way by a stupid human or an unhealthy environment. anyway, thanks again. i'm glad to see the intellegent and well informed dog lovers here speak-up about this foolishness.

[Rhincewind]

I agree with whats being said here. If the animal has been trained properly then there should be no problems. Sadly there are lots of people who exploit them and don't care about their welfare. Pit bulls have been illigal in the uk for a very long time

[Fluffybunny]

My wife wanted to foster some pets for a while some years back. we had dozens of acres of land...a river, lots of room to play. One of the first dogs we got was a rescue Greyhound that had been racing at the tack for a couple of years(think Santa little helper in the Simpsons) and had slowed too much so they pretty much throw them away. There was a time when they would just kill them, but there is something to be said for all the folks that worked to make up "retirement" organizations for them.

Greyhounds are like no other dog. They can run at 40+ mph and can get up to full speed in two strides. You can not have them on a long leash for the fact that if they decide to run after a cat, by the time they reach the end of the leash you will have a dislocated shoulder...Their prey drive is mega high, anything that bolts in front of them is like the fake rabbit they were trained to chase- and you will never catch them in time. Cats can get killed if you aren't careful.

They were the laziest dogs ever! they would outsleep the cat, and then want to go out and play for 15 minutes, and then they were out cold again.

Beautiful to watch run at full speed. Playing fetch with them was awesome as they would take off like a shot and pounce on the tennis ball and have it back in a snap...no dilly dallying for those guys.

You had to teach them that the cats were part of the family, and they understood pretty quickly and you had to have good control of them at a dog park, as Fifi the Pomeranian kinda looked like a target when the sun hit it just right. You worked with them though and that drive got channeled into tennis balls and toys.

Still though, there were a lot of people that thought that Greyhounds were too aggressive to be in the public, even the older racing owners still felt they should just be put down...crazy.

It is all in how you handle, train and care for the dog. Some breeds might need certain training others dont, but outside of a dingo that has never been tamed in its history, dogs can be worked with.