Reader comments
Sandy may change dog laws

Don't forget St. Bernards. Before pit bulls became so popular St. Bernards killed more people in the U.S. than did any other breed. Chesapeake Bay retrievers also tend to have a higher incidence of attacks than most breeds. And can we get rid of those pesky little nipping and constantly barking schnauzers?

There is a simple solution: dog owners, keep your dog on a leash always. No exceptions. No excuses. No rationalizing that your dog is one of the nice ones, no reasoning that if you don't see anyone around it's okay to let your dog run free. If your dog needs to run, get some jogging shoes and run with the dog. We already have a county-wide law that is almost totally ignored. Let's pay attention to it and maybe we can cut back on these senseless and preventable injuries. In the interest of full disclosure, I've been attacked by a dog as I rode a bike, and I have no compassion for those who ignore the rules.

Ah, balony about the St. Bernards. I hate dogs, myself, and particularly dislike smelly, drooly, clumsy, oafish, lazy, stupid, shedding St. Bernards.

But that stat above regarding St. Bernards as killers is simply untrue. No they're not. I wish they were, so I could justify calling for their banishment, but the big smelly beasts are famously gentle and good natured, and have no history of being killers. Cujo was good fiction, but it ain't true.

Darn it.

I'm in favor of tougher regulations. Dog news stories seem to follow the same pattern. Bad dog, irresponsible owner, other owners saying a few bad owners give all a bad name. Dog owners, it's YOU. Unless you are 100% compliant, it's you. And the rest of us who love dogs have to accept responsibility for policing ourselves or we deserve more regulation. Pass tougher laws and make it hard for scofflaws to own animals.

Unbelieveable, the nonsense reporters will print.
Information on dog attacks from an attorney's website!
And Wyoming a leader in fatal dog attacks?? According to the National Canine Research Council, Wyoming has only had three fatal dog attacks over the past 40 years!
No wonder Pit bulls get blamed for everything, reporters print such garbage, using misinformation, outright inaccuracies and attorney websites for their information!

Its amazing to me that people are still owning pit bulls. The stigma and clich�s are so accurate of their owners. Can you say Napoleon's complex?!?!

I've worked in a Vets office for years. I love dogs and that includes all dogs. Most pit bulls, and others of their type pedigree, that come to our practice have wonderful owners and have been raised right. However, the sad truth is that there are two factors that determine a dogs personality. Nature and Nurture. No one can guarantee that a dog will not bite. Fighting breeds were bred to use their mouths aggressively and you won't eliminate that instinctual behavior by simply training them. There will be situations that will provoke them at some point in their lives. Sadly the damage done by a fighting breed is so much greater due to the musculature, size and strength of their jaws. My mini-poodle in her old age bit a caregiver. The puncture wounds were small and the damage minimal, had that been a pitbull the damage would have probably required medical attention. I want a dog that does not require the jaws of life to get it's teeth out of my neighbors kid. If you think you will never have a problem with your fighting breed, at any time in it's life, you are only fooling yourself.

I have a wheaten terrier. We have gone through many training classes, including agility. I work with my dog all the time. Trainers tell me to never let my terrier off her leash. Terriers are bred to run after small game. It's in their DNA and you can never trust a terrier off leash should they see something to chase. In an unfamilier environment we may never get her back. If a terrier cannot be trained not to chase, why would someone be arrogant enough to assume they can change a fighting dog not to fight? A guard dog not to guard? We have breed dogs for specific purposes for thousands of years and we are very good at it. Some breeds have no place in social setting where there are children, elderly, non-dog people that a fighting dog might view as a target. Every pit bull I've ever seen up close was a great dog. I fell it love with them, but I'd never have them around my kids. Sorry folks, your dogs need their own space. My killer maltease gets flipped upside down if he even growls. It's years before he growls again. Try that with your fighter.

And sadly, the most dangerous breeds of dogs are often owned by the most irresponsible owners. I can find NO justification for owning a pit bull unless you are into dog fighting, which is illegal in most areas of the country.

German shepherds, while they can be lovely dogs, can also be dangerous because they are very protective by nature. My husband was bitten by one, while in a home on business, and with the owner standing within 2 feet of the dog. I was with him, and the attack was entirely unprovoked by any movement on my husband's part. I was once bitten by one while in the presence of the whole owner's family's . We were all laughing and visiting, and I hugged the owner's daughter. Next think I knew, the German shepherd was hanging from my elbow with his teeth. Dog was well-intentioned, but I was still injured.
I hate to see animals kenneled or chained 24-7--I think it helps make dogs crazy. SO let's do some serious thinking about why and even whether we should keep dogs and what kind.
Unfortunately, the worst dog owners are too stubborn to do anything but what suits them.

Grandmas don't buy muscle cars and people who want nice dogs don't buy pit bulls.
I walk to work and back and have encountered many restrained pit bulls. None of them have acted like they wanted me to come pet them. All have acted like they were trying to jump the fence or break the chain they were on so they could come tear into me.

Simple Solution is bang on.Leashes!
Juan, St Bernards have killed
From Pit Bull PLacebo by Karen Delise(Pg 51)
[quote]The St Bernard presents a rather unique case of very sporadic episodes of severe/fatal aggression...Attacks are found around the turn of the century,then the Breed disappears from severe/fatal attack episodes,only reappearing in the 1970`s,in which a spate of fatal attacks are found.[/quote]

Pit bulls are the latest macho dog fad. it used to be doberman pinschers, and before that German Shepherds.

Its not the dog, people! It's the people.

A dog that bites people should not be allowed to live - period. I am no apologist for vicious dogs.

But after 20 years in Animal Welfare, it is incredibly clear that the breed is not the problem - the owner (or lack of owner) is.


and for this "reporter" to use stats from the website of an attorney who makes his living prosecuting homeowners for dog bites is simply irresponsible.

Why not use the CDC dog bite stats, huh?

No wonder this paper is collapsing. The whole state of journalism has collapsed.

"Pit Bulls" are
K9`s are Narcotics & Detection Dogs- See LawDogsUSA
SAR Dogs- See Forpitssake
Therapy Dogs with Kids and Seniors-See Forpitssake
Therapy Dogs
(Former Vick Fight Bust Dog now a certified Therapy Dog with Cancer Patients and Youth)
National Champions-See Wallacethepitbull-2007 Purina IDC Champ
Titled Pit Bulls-TDI,ATTS,CGC,Agility-See BadRap
For factual info on "Pit Bulls" please go to Animalfarmfoundation
Another Excellent site by a well respected Canine Researcher is National Canine Research Council

I hear of nice pit bulls once in a while. I also hear of lottery winners once in a while. Your odds of having a nice pit bull or rott seem about as good as your chances of winning a lotto.

Weiner dogs?

"Pit Bulls" are
What their owners want them to be.
Most of the owners of pit bulls seem to want them to be aggressive little monsters. If they wanted a nice dog they would have bought an Irish Setter.

Another classic case of misunderstanding animals. EVERY dog can bite/attack. Yes, even poodles and golden retrievers.

A dog that has been well-socialized from puppyhood, trained, well-cared for, well-exercised will more than likely be a wonderful dog, no matter the breed. A dog who has been kept in a cage, muzzled and not allowed to socialize normally with other dogs, mistreated, provoked, and even abused, will more than likely be a horrible problem. Sadly, it is usually the pit bulls, german shepherds, etc. who have these types of owners because that is what these owners WANT from their dog- an aggressive, fighting animal. Punish and regulate the humans, NOT the dogs.

In the vast majority of dog bite/attack incidents, it is human error that overwhelmingly plays a part. Either by the owner who has failed to properly take care of/socialize/restrain their animal, or of the person who unknowingly contributed to the attack by not picking up on the dog's body language and signals that it was going to bite/attack.

Frustratingly, most well-intentioned humans are not educated about the dogs they keep as pets. It is a huge responsibility to have a dog (any breed) and should not be entered into lightly.

Please do not ban or restrict pit bulls. Doing so will just have one of two effects:

1-Make these animals even more desirable to the very kind of owner who has no business with any dog; OR,

2-Cause the bad owners to destroy the reputation of some other breed as they jump on that band wagon.

Am I the only one to remember how popular (and dangerous) Doberman dogs were a couple decades ago when a matched pair were a regular feature of "Magnum P.I."? And what about the times when German Shepherds were all the rage? Or Chows? Vizslas are getting popular as are "Labrapoodles" (Lab / poodle mixes). The one's I've met are sweet enough. But in the wrong hands...?

I have no doubt that certain breeds present a higher risk than others. But ANY dog (and especially any mid to large sized dog) can be very dangerous and in my experience the key factor is how the dog is raised, treated, and handled. Irresponsible dog owners will be irresponsible with any breed.

Figure out some way to target bad owners, rather than focusing on breeds of dogs.

I volunteered at the Zoo here for several years. I used to walk around with various animals and let kids get up close to take a better look. I remember in our training we were taught. If a child asks if a particular pet bites??... Always answer. "If it has teeth it can bite."
All dogs bite even the nicest and most gentle of dogs. If a dog gets in a bad situation or some particular thing sets it off. It can and will bite. The problem is that owners buy these dogs with massive jaw power and don't take the responsibility of watching over them and making sure they are kept in yards, homes or on leashes.
Tougher laws need to be passed. And neglectful owners who have large aggressive dogs that attack need to be punished. And the fines need to be massive.
This little girl is lucky, she will ONLY have scars on her face. This dog could have killed her. Now she just gets to suffer through hours of surgery and possible scars for life. This child will have long term affects because of this OWNER. Where is the justice for her?

My son was attacked when he was 7 years old. His face still shows the scars 23 years later. Those who feel the need to own one of these dangerous breeds needs to be required to have a special license and at least $50,000-$100,000 of liability insurance beyond their home owners insurance.

Some would say, why should I have to pay for this, my German Shepard is harmless? We'll I am a very safe driver, and haven't had an accident in over 45 years, but they still make me buy liability insurance anyway. The insurance companies can assess the danger and charge a premium accordingly, safe dog low premium, bad dog high premium. Those who just have to have one of these breeds need to be responsible not only for the dog but to the neighbors. "I am sorry my dog tore half of your face off," isn't good enough.