Bella Dea wrote:Don't even get me started on how ridiculous I think blaming a breed is.
The last thing I would want to do is get you started, Bella. But the fact is this particular breed (and I include all of the various breeds that make up the generic "pit bull" classification) was bred to fight. Not all of them attack, but it is in their nature to do so. It isn't a question of whether the owner has trained them to attack -- some do, and some don't -- some will attack whether they have been trained to or not. And when they attack, they attack viciously. They are ticking time bombs on four legs.
These are not dogs that have only been bred lately to fight -- they were bred INITIALLY to fight. Selective breeding created a strong and tenacious breed. Fighting other dogs is a relatively recent development. But from the beginning, this breed was supposed to fight ... that's why it's in their nature to attack, to bite, and not let go.
If you read about a dog attacking an innocent bystander, what are the odds that the dog involved was a pit bull variety? Very high.
And I have dealt personally with cases of innocent children being seriously maimed by marauding packs of pit bulls. They are more dangerous when they are running loose, several of them together.
While I don't know that banning the breed is appropriate, I certainly think there needs to be greater regulation, with higher insurance policies for ownership, higher fines if running at large, stronger and better fencing requirements, warning signs, etc.