The intent of the legislation was to protect Ontarians from a perceived threat from dangerous dogs. There are a lot of people lined up against that legislation, and NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo has introduced a private members bill to trash it. Those who want to keep the ban in place will argue that pit bulls are dogs bred for fighting, and have the tools to do a lot of nasty damage. On the other side, many people argue that these dogs can make fine pets, are good with children and so on.
One thing that is sure in my little brain is that outside of any argument about the inherent qualities of the breed, the larger problem is a population of morons who want these dogs for fighting, or to help them act tough, or to be extensions of their oh so small and limp members. I guess it’s easier to ban a breed of dogs than it is to ban a moron though.
Some people argue in the gray area that says, well a pit bull isn’t a breed at all so how can you ban it, and if you ban a pit bull why not ban the various other similar dogs bred to be all strength and jaw? The same folks naturally know exactly the dog they want though, when they buy a pit bull.
I’ve had a dog since spring. Most of you have seen pictures of Memphis, my adorable landseer newf. Newfs have notoriously “soft mouths”, but let me tell you, in the unlikely event that she decided to bite someone, she could easily do a lot of damage. Even though “Newfs are great with kids” and “Newfs love everybody”, and even though Memphis fits those stereotypes, she’s still a dog and I supervise her around kids every time. I figure it’s my responsibility to ensure that my dog doesn’t cause any problems. The fact that she is fairly submissive and super-friendly doesn’t mean I should stop paying attention to her interaction with others – especially kids.
The best behaved and best trained dog I’ve seen in a long time is a German Shepherd that lives in our area. He’s an alpha dog, a tough boy, but he’s always under the control of his human companion. If he wasn’t trained so well, he would be way more of a wildcard than a big suck like Memphis, but the fact is that he is trained incredibly well. He obeys commands without question, and his owner watches him like a hawk, and stops him from getting into trouble well before he thinks about getting into it. I don’t worry about this dog because his owner is so totally responsible.
Ultimately, a pit bull ban doesn’t do anything to stop aggressive morons from owning tough dogs. There are plenty of other tough breeds of dog out there, and even dogs that are known to be gentle breeds can be nasty in the hands of a nasty owner.
When we started thinking about a dog, we did carefully consider breed characteristics. We wanted to find the most non-aggressive, friendly to everyone goofy dog we could come up with. To me, getting any kind of head start in that direction by choosing a breed with a gentle rep seemed to be the way to go. I don’t think banning tough dogs is ever going to accomplish much. I just don’t get why anybody would want one.
27th Street 
I always thought that the ban wouldn’t solve anything. Can we draw up a “ban the moron” bill?
It’s far too easy for people to adopt animals. I’ve always thought that animal adoption should be near as rigorous as adopting a baby. It’s another life that’s in someone’s care afterall.
Most Humane Societies and most dog trainers will support removing the ban, saying that pitbulls are lovable family pets in general. The problem is that it when a pit bull loses control they can kill children and maim adults. There are lots of breeds of lovable family pets without the need for pitbulls roaming free in parks and backyards. I support banning them entirely and I dont care how well behaved some of them are. I have not had many experiences with them but I can recall 2 in which the owner was unable to control their dog while the beast was on leash.
To some extent I understand the “its not the breed” argument. I have a border collie and the people who read the hydro meters all tell me that they fear the border collies the most because they will bite if they think it is the right thing to do. While my dog is a sweety and loves all other dogs and people I watch him like a hawk just in case.
Certainly in light of all the horrible publicity that surround pitbulls it must take a fairly warped sort of person to want to own one. There are so many wonderful breeds available that I also dont understand why you would want one. Certainly it cant be for protection because many many breeds bond more strongly to their owners and are much better defenders
I guess it’s easier to ban a breed of dogs than it is to ban a moron though – that pretty much sums up the whole debate, doesn’t it?
It’s never the dogs it’s the humans.
Generally I avoid ‘reality’ shows like the plague but I love The Dog Whisperer.
The ban was problematic, I ended up seeing pit bulls being let loose at night in parks without collars to trace the owners. (they didn’t want to get caught with an unmuzzled dog)
Batty is very uncomfortable around children, he’s prefer not to be near them and I watch him closely in situations where kids are too close. I’m not worried about him hurting a child with his velvet mouth, but he sure can scare the hell out of them.