[ZTWsquared]

Flofocus,Apr 2 2007, 09:52 AM Wrote:While were at it, lets ban rotties, German shepards, Huskies, Dobermans, Great danes, Bouviers, Bull Mastifs

:rolleyes:

I never think about what could happen, I make sure that it doesn't happen.  Anybody that owns this breed (or any large/dominant breed) should be aware of the damage they can do.  I have a 6 foot high fenced in yard and I STILL go out with him everytime when he's locked down in the backyard.
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I don't know anyone who is in favour of this legislation who doesn't believe that the root cause of the problem is irresponsible dog owners ... but here's the rub: irresponsible ownership of a chihuahua results in an annoyance ... irresponsible ownership of a dog on the list you cite above results in a potentially lethal danger ... see the difference? Dog owners in general only have irresponsible dog owners to blame for any ban of a breed ... the rest of us are just doing what's necessary to mitigate the damage done by irresponsible dog ownership.

If there was any reasonable way to 100% ensure that irresponsible owners don't ever get a potentially lethal dog without a ban, I'd say let's do it ... if you can think of a way, I'm all ears.

And there's another difference ... unlike guns or powerful cars or anything else inanimate that's potentially dangerous to the public, dogs have a will of their own and they have breed specific abilities and tendencies that drive their behaviour with or without human intervention ... and depending on the breed, that behaviour can either represent no danger or a lot of danger to a person ... so there are other elements that factor into the potential danger a specific breed represents.

Just because they're pets and they have a special place in our society is no reason to throw good and common sense out the window when it comes to the safety and well being of our kids and anyone else at risk due to the irresponsible ownership of dogs capable of killing.

If dog owners in general can't control irresponsible dog owners, then they shouldn't be surprised or angered if other elements of society do it their way.