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In short breed specific legislation is a quick fix for a growing problem, only thing is it does not fix the problem.
Many cities, countries, states and provinces have now jumped on the bandwagon to implement BSL. Most recently Ontario and there ban against "Pit Bulls". What people do not realize is that it will not stop here, the bites will not stop, the government will not stop banning breeds. Sure ok, they get rid of pit bulls (which I do not agree with), so maybe the bite statistics will go down for a while. Then people start getting other dogs (of any breed) and start training them to fight and attack. What do you do now? It is a vicious cycle (no pun intended) that will never end. Some places have even brought in hyenas and apes and are training them to take place of their fighting dogs! It all comes down to the government making a hasty decision and not listening to the experts and irresponsible ownership.
So what is irresponsible ownership you say?
Well, this could be a long explanation, but I will try to keep it to the point. Irresponsible ownership primarily is:
1. Irresponsible breeding
2. Leaving your dog outside chained up with no human contact (or very little)
3. Training your dog to fight
4. Not giving your dog proper socialization with all kinds of people varying in age colour and sex
5. Walking your dog off leash in public
6. Not Spaying and neutering
7. Not keeping your pet's shots up to date
8. Not having your dog licensed by the city
9. Not keeping your dog on a proper diet
10. Not having a properly fenced yard
11. Not having your dog obedience trained
(These are in no particular order)
These are just things off of the top of my head. There are many more, but most of it is common sense or at least should be.
Do not get me wrong though. I am so very sorry to the people who have been severely injured by a dog or have lost someone because of a dog attack. But this happens with all breeds of dogs, from the smallest to the largest. We only hear about the bites and attacks from those dogs that are on someone's hit list... primarily, Pit Bull's, Rottweilers, Dobermans, German Shepherds, and Akitas. We don't normally hear about the Chihuahua that bit Jimmy last week and drew blood, or the Shihtzu that bit Julie last night and drew blood (names and breeds here are just an example)... why don't we hear about them? Because they are not on the hit list... yet. Every dog has the capability of severely injuring someone. They all have the same set of teeth, so the criminals, drug ops and so on will keep training whatever dog they can get a hold of to be their attack dogs, and soon, when there are no more dogs they will move to another animal... surprise, surprise.
Yes, there are some down right bad dogs out there, they have a screw loose in the head. These dogs should be immediately put down, and never, ever bred. But again this is with any and every breed, just like humans there always seems to be a couple in the crowd that are a little weirded out. We have psychiatrist's, behaviourist's etc. etc. that try to help these dogs, if it is to no avail then the dog will need to be put down, in this way you are saving yourself and your family and also putting the dog out of it's misery. (People are sent to a hospital or a halfway house to receive help).
Remember, dogs are pack animals. They love to be near their masters, no matter what. If you treat them well they will obey and this is one of the way's that they show their love and respect for you. If you treat them badly, well who knows where you will end up, but let me tell you it will not be a very nice situation.
I hope I have changed some people's views on the subject. The fight against BSL is a passion for me, I believe I am a responsible owner but I am still learning everyday and so is my dog. We have a strong bond that will never be broken because of one of us and I don't want the government to break that bond between us either.
About The Author: By Racheal Stacknick, member of: http://www.web-rover.com">http://www.web-rover.com . For more great articles and tons of other cool dog info, check out http://www.web-rover.com">http://www.web-rover.com
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