Is It Time To Ban All Pit Bull Type Dogs?

[naomi24]

Six people were killed by these types of dogs last year and now we have what I believe to be the second child killed this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-64476833

Pit Bulls are banned - but the rest don't appear to be. And before someone says 'it's not the dog, it's the owner', I don’t believe it is. These dogs are renowned for their aggressive temperament which is why Pit Bulls have been banned. And yet we still have rogue breeders cashing in. I personally know someone who has just bought a 'Bully XL', an American Bulldog, on credit because she can't afford the £500 the breeder wants so how she is going to pay vet bills, etc, is anyone's guess. She lives with her nine year old son in a two bedroom high rise flat. Sensible? No! A status symbol for the hard of thinking? Yes.

[naomi24]

choux, //£500 seems cheap these days and I would take that as another reason to steer clear of the breeder.//

These breeders are looking for quick money. They don't care - and neither do the people who buy from them. The woman who bought the dog is paying the breeder weekly!

[choux]

naomi, that gives a new meaning to "the never, never" - "lord, we hope not".

[Untitled]

these dogs are extremely muscular and strong and are bred for their aggressive temperament... an average person cannot reasonably expect to control an animal like that even with training... i love dogs but i do not believe these breeds are appropriate pets... i don't let my dog near them when he's out and i have even seen people walking a large bully dog off leash... a very dangerous thing to do

[Untitled]

bullies are sometimes sold for five-figure sums even despite their numerous health issues... absolutely wrong and just extreme greed without scruples

[Redhelen72]

No I don't think its time to ban them but they should be heavily licensed.

[Zacs-Master]

A ban would just push breeding underground.

[Redhelen72]

I would also say that breeder is not a 'kosher' breeder - it would be interesting to have lankeela's opinion (perhaps she already has- in that case sorry)

[nero2024]

the press say it was an America bulldog know for there friendliness and make good house pets. not to be confused with an American pit bull

[Redhelen72]

I would say questions also need to be asked of the rescue that rehomed the dog.

The rescues that I volunteer at has a blanket ban of rehoming to homes with 5 and under, and certain types of dogs will not be rehomed with children under the age of 10. We get a lot of grief for it but better safe than sorry

[barry1010]

As far as i am aware a neighbour said it was a rescue, it hasn't been confirmed

[nero2024]

the press say it was an America bulldog know for there friendliness and make good house pets. not to be confused with an American pit bull
niaomi24
the ban dogs breeds are the druggies side kicks in an area a few miles from me, they walk about with them freely banned or not
these are the banned ones .
Pit Bull Terrier.
Japanese Tosa.
Dogo Argentino.
Fila Brasileiro.

[barry1010]

I couldn't tell the difference between an illegal pitbull and a legal bully xl if I saw one in the street.

[Peter Pedant]

The latest child in question was 4 yrs old and playing in her back garden with the dog that they hadn't had long.

I am glad someone is concentrating. Garden. dog just bought
Had the dog been sold because it had a temper?

Problem with the current Dangerous Dogs Act, which I dont think they are planning to change is definition of the devil dogs

[Redhelen72]

Peter the dog was rehomed from a rescue centre

[Peter Pedant]

I couldn't tell the difference between an illegal pitbull and a legal bully xl if I saw one in the street.

neither can the police or vets apparently

as for - that drug dealer doesnt have a Mangia-Bambino Argentina and so the dog he DOES have has to safe....
I note it is a normal day on AB

[Peter Pedant]

that is my point innit/
rescue - you never know....

[youngmafbog]

Difficult one. I'm not sure just banning is the answer, some (and likely to be the owners of such dogs) just dont care. Probably carrying a knife or firearms anyway.

In addition, where to stop. Many dogs can be dangerous, we had a 45KG Boxer if he had taken it into his head to attack it would have been a real problem as he was sheer muscle. And lets not forget the girl that was mauled to death by dogs 'packing' just recently.

I really think the answer lies in licencing. The licence should be issued by a vet who also chips the dog and in subsequent years verifies the chip matches and is kosher. Heavy fines for those caught, jail for serious offenders, dog put down (be very difficult to rehouse such a dog). Some Police should be issued with chip readers.

[rowanwitch]

I think the penalty must hit the owner. And if someone dies it should carry a significant jail term. Trouble s the American bull dog has been crossed with so many other high muscle breeds you don't know what you are getting. There are some staffie,x ABDs out there that look just like pitbulls. They are also crossing pitbulls with Rotties around here, They tend to take the Rottie colouring so the police don't check.shirt
I reported a Tozer that was being exercised locally in a park where other dogs were also off the leash. It apparently attacked a number of them but the police were not interested unless it attacked a child. Apparently the vet bills were a civil matter.

[pixie374]

I've only read as far as Barsel's first post so far. Buy this is exactly it. The reason why it is "always" the owners to blame- is because they keep putting the wrong kinds of dogs, in the wrong kinds of environments and situations.
Tbh though, I agree, Naomi, that dog breeds bred purely for aggression and fighting, should be banned- as there is unlikely to be a suitable environment for them nowadays.

[barry1010]

It is not 'always' the owner to blame. My very gentle older dog suddenly turned and lunged, if she had not been on a lead it could have been very nasty. Turned out she had a brain tumour although she had no signs of illness, just of being old.
Any and every dog can have a bad day for a number of reasons