Some people get on my last nerve. Check out this idiocy that was in one of our state newspapers recently. Thankfully they printed a nice rebuttal opinion. I also wanted to share another response from one of the founders of SOME Pit! a bully rescue here in Maine, Jessica Dolce.
*A response to Fritz Spencer's call for a breed ban in Maine
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Loyalty, affability, gentleness, and strength – Fritz Spencer, author of "Maine should take the lead on the prohibition of vicious dogs," believes these are the finest canine attributes and ones that we should strive to protect as responsible citizens. I also value those wonderful canine qualities and that is why I own a pit bull. In 2008 I co-founded the group Southern Maine Pit Bulls (SOME Pit!) to improve the lives of pit bull type dogs here in our community. Unlike Mr. Spencer, I spend every day surrounded by pit bulls (I have all my fingers and toes, if you're wondering) and it is heart breaking and frustrating to read un-informed, prejudicial views such as the one published today in the Press Herald.
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Mr. Spencer has crafted a sensational, myth-based opinion piece in support of banning three breeds, the "pit bull", Rottweiler, and the Presa Canario here in Maine, despite there having been only two dog related fatalities in our state in the last 45 years. I can't be sure where Mr. Spencer found his dog bite statistics (since he failed to quote a source), but if he is basing his opinion on the oft-cited Center for Disease Control study of fatal dog attacks, he might like to know that the CDC strongly recommends against breed-specific laws, noting that data collection related to bites by breed is plagued with potential sources of error, such as the common misidentification of breeds. But before we discuss the larger problems of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), let's do some myth busting.
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First we can debunk the ridiculous notion that pit bulls attack with, as Mr. Spencer said, the "force of a shark." Pit bulls have been proven, in a test by Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic, to have a bite pressure that is the same as other large dog breeds –
approximately 320 pressure per square inch (psi). To put that in perspective for your readers, human beings bite with approximate 120 psi and a crocodile with approx 2,500 psi. Pit bull type dogs are strong, but not stronger than other dogs of their size, and they do not have locking jaws. They are anatomically the same as all other dogs. If they weren't they couldn't be classified as canines.
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Spencer also states, with no authority, that pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Presas are "vicious by nature." In contrast, the American Temperament Test Society, an independent group, reports that the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Staffordshire Terrier (the three breeds lumped together under the generic term "pit bull") consistently score as high as Golden Retrievers in their yearly assessments. They are steady and loving companions that, if temperamentally sound, are proven to show no aggression towards humans. If Mr. Spencer would like to learn more about pit bull type dogs, he's welcome to attend one of our free Pit Bull 101 for the Public Seminars where we break down myths just like the ones he's perpetuating, with actual facts.
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Myth busting aside, what proponents of BSL choose not to discuss, because they focus on inflammatory falsehoods and unreliable bite statistics, is what actually makes a dog dangerous. Any dog of any breed can become dangerous in the hands of an irresponsible owner. These dog owners are careless, reckless, abusive, and not law abiding and they will continue to own what ever type of breed they choose – banned or not. If you take away their dogs, they will move on to another breed and continue to create dangerous dogs. We cannot ban our way out of that problem.
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What needs to be recognized is that dogs (of all breeds) that are typically involved in attacks are usually allowed to run loose or are chained around the clock, they do not receive training or vet care, are bred relentlessly, are intact, and poorly socialized. They are not pet dogs. According the American Veterinary Medical Association, three quarters of all dog bites involve intact male dogs and the overwhelming majority of dog bites involved chained dogs. It seems obvious that the real culprit here it the human chaining the dog, not the actual dog.
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What makes communities safer are not breed specific laws, but focusing on enforcing dangerous dog laws, anti-tethering rules, and creating affordable spay/neuter options. Additionally, enforcing dog license laws, leash laws, animal fighting laws, and laws that require guardians of all dog breeds to control their pets are proven to reduce dog bites and make communities safer. By enforcing these laws in a consistent manner, reckless owners are caught before their dogs are put in a situation where they could potentially harm a person.
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Mr. Spencer points out a few locations that are implementing breed specific legislation and urges Maine to do the same. He conveniently left out cities like Denver where there has been a breed ban for more than two decades at a huge cost to its tax payers, but its citizens continue to suffer a higher rate of hospitalization for dog bite injury than Colorado's breed-neutral counties. Across the pond, the United Kingdom, after almost 20 years of BSL, reports that serious incidents involving dogs have continued to increase. Progressive countries like Italy and Denmark have repealed their BSL in recent years because there has been no decrease in dog bites despite the bans. Perhaps Mr. Spencer would not like your readers to know that in Council Bluffs, Iowa, following the enactment of a Pit Bull ban in 2005, Boxer and Labrador Retriever bites increased sharply, and total dog bites spiked. The same thing happened in Winnipeg. Breed Bans do not work.
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The fact is that Maine is a safe place to live and we do not currently have any breed specific regulations in place. The National Canine Research Council reports that over the last 45 years, there have only been two fatal dog attacks in Maine – one in 1969 and one in 1999. Considering that there are thousands upon thousands of dogs living in Maine, I'd say we're doing something right and there is no need to proactively punish dogs for crimes they haven't committed here.
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Not only is it short sighted to ban a breed, but it penalizes the countless law abiding, responsible dog owners in our communities. If Mr. Spencer thinks that pit bulls and their owners are menaces to society, I'd like to invite him to attend one of Southern Maine Pit Bull's free pit bull training classes held in Westbrook so he can meet our dogs and see them in action. Each week we work with a dozen or so pit bull families (and a handful of adoptable pit bulls from our local shelter), who are excited, motivated, and committed to learning how to be responsible dog owners. Among our group members are architects, judges, vet techs, animal welfare agents, police officers, teachers, nurses, day care workers, therapists, and dentists, to name a few. Many of their dogs have passed the Canine Good Citizen Test and a handful are working as therapy dogs here in Maine. We're hardly a group of thugs and our dogs are beloved family members. I'd bet that if he got know us and the facts about our dogs, Mr. Spencer would like to call many of us his neighbors.
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~ Jessica Dolce ~
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Loyalty, affability, gentleness, and strength – Fritz Spencer, author of "Maine should take the lead on the prohibition of vicious dogs," believes these are the finest canine attributes and ones that we should strive to protect as responsible citizens. I also value those wonderful canine qualities and that is why I own a pit bull. In 2008 I co-founded the group Southern Maine Pit Bulls (SOME Pit!) to improve the lives of pit bull type dogs here in our community. Unlike Mr. Spencer, I spend every day surrounded by pit bulls (I have all my fingers and toes, if you're wondering) and it is heart breaking and frustrating to read un-informed, prejudicial views such as the one published today in the Press Herald.
*
Mr. Spencer has crafted a sensational, myth-based opinion piece in support of banning three breeds, the "pit bull", Rottweiler, and the Presa Canario here in Maine, despite there having been only two dog related fatalities in our state in the last 45 years. I can't be sure where Mr. Spencer found his dog bite statistics (since he failed to quote a source), but if he is basing his opinion on the oft-cited Center for Disease Control study of fatal dog attacks, he might like to know that the CDC strongly recommends against breed-specific laws, noting that data collection related to bites by breed is plagued with potential sources of error, such as the common misidentification of breeds. But before we discuss the larger problems of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), let's do some myth busting.
*
First we can debunk the ridiculous notion that pit bulls attack with, as Mr. Spencer said, the "force of a shark." Pit bulls have been proven, in a test by Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic, to have a bite pressure that is the same as other large dog breeds –
approximately 320 pressure per square inch (psi). To put that in perspective for your readers, human beings bite with approximate 120 psi and a crocodile with approx 2,500 psi. Pit bull type dogs are strong, but not stronger than other dogs of their size, and they do not have locking jaws. They are anatomically the same as all other dogs. If they weren't they couldn't be classified as canines.
*
Spencer also states, with no authority, that pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Presas are "vicious by nature." In contrast, the American Temperament Test Society, an independent group, reports that the American Pit Bull Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Staffordshire Terrier (the three breeds lumped together under the generic term "pit bull") consistently score as high as Golden Retrievers in their yearly assessments. They are steady and loving companions that, if temperamentally sound, are proven to show no aggression towards humans. If Mr. Spencer would like to learn more about pit bull type dogs, he's welcome to attend one of our free Pit Bull 101 for the Public Seminars where we break down myths just like the ones he's perpetuating, with actual facts.
*
Myth busting aside, what proponents of BSL choose not to discuss, because they focus on inflammatory falsehoods and unreliable bite statistics, is what actually makes a dog dangerous. Any dog of any breed can become dangerous in the hands of an irresponsible owner. These dog owners are careless, reckless, abusive, and not law abiding and they will continue to own what ever type of breed they choose – banned or not. If you take away their dogs, they will move on to another breed and continue to create dangerous dogs. We cannot ban our way out of that problem.
*
What needs to be recognized is that dogs (of all breeds) that are typically involved in attacks are usually allowed to run loose or are chained around the clock, they do not receive training or vet care, are bred relentlessly, are intact, and poorly socialized. They are not pet dogs. According the American Veterinary Medical Association, three quarters of all dog bites involve intact male dogs and the overwhelming majority of dog bites involved chained dogs. It seems obvious that the real culprit here it the human chaining the dog, not the actual dog.
*
What makes communities safer are not breed specific laws, but focusing on enforcing dangerous dog laws, anti-tethering rules, and creating affordable spay/neuter options. Additionally, enforcing dog license laws, leash laws, animal fighting laws, and laws that require guardians of all dog breeds to control their pets are proven to reduce dog bites and make communities safer. By enforcing these laws in a consistent manner, reckless owners are caught before their dogs are put in a situation where they could potentially harm a person.
*
Mr. Spencer points out a few locations that are implementing breed specific legislation and urges Maine to do the same. He conveniently left out cities like Denver where there has been a breed ban for more than two decades at a huge cost to its tax payers, but its citizens continue to suffer a higher rate of hospitalization for dog bite injury than Colorado's breed-neutral counties. Across the pond, the United Kingdom, after almost 20 years of BSL, reports that serious incidents involving dogs have continued to increase. Progressive countries like Italy and Denmark have repealed their BSL in recent years because there has been no decrease in dog bites despite the bans. Perhaps Mr. Spencer would not like your readers to know that in Council Bluffs, Iowa, following the enactment of a Pit Bull ban in 2005, Boxer and Labrador Retriever bites increased sharply, and total dog bites spiked. The same thing happened in Winnipeg. Breed Bans do not work.
*
The fact is that Maine is a safe place to live and we do not currently have any breed specific regulations in place. The National Canine Research Council reports that over the last 45 years, there have only been two fatal dog attacks in Maine – one in 1969 and one in 1999. Considering that there are thousands upon thousands of dogs living in Maine, I'd say we're doing something right and there is no need to proactively punish dogs for crimes they haven't committed here.
*
Not only is it short sighted to ban a breed, but it penalizes the countless law abiding, responsible dog owners in our communities. If Mr. Spencer thinks that pit bulls and their owners are menaces to society, I'd like to invite him to attend one of Southern Maine Pit Bull's free pit bull training classes held in Westbrook so he can meet our dogs and see them in action. Each week we work with a dozen or so pit bull families (and a handful of adoptable pit bulls from our local shelter), who are excited, motivated, and committed to learning how to be responsible dog owners. Among our group members are architects, judges, vet techs, animal welfare agents, police officers, teachers, nurses, day care workers, therapists, and dentists, to name a few. Many of their dogs have passed the Canine Good Citizen Test and a handful are working as therapy dogs here in Maine. We're hardly a group of thugs and our dogs are beloved family members. I'd bet that if he got know us and the facts about our dogs, Mr. Spencer would like to call many of us his neighbors.
*
~ Jessica Dolce ~
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My only two cents to the fight is to consider this: If pit bulls, or any other breed for that matter, are so dangerous then WHY aren't professional dog trainers refusing to work with them?? I can answer that, it's because all dogs are a dog first and a breed second. We work with them as individuals and we teach people how to be appropriate with all dogs and how to communicate effectively with them. It is sad that because people fear what they do not understand they just want to kill the dogs as their response to the problem of irresponsible dog ownership. Breed bans equal killing due to the nature of how it works. Think about it, if you take a persons dog away because it has been labeled dangerous what is your next step? Sometimes the actions of the human race makes me want to vomit.
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The beautiful dog in the photo above is Jameson and is available for adoption. Click this link FMI.
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The beautiful dog in the photo above is Jameson and is available for adoption. Click this link FMI.
3 comments:
I'm proud to live in a state where such an ordinance would be unlawful! I'm hoping it stays that way!
Great post, great rebuttal, and fantastic point from your side of the argument - as a trainer you are not refusing to work with this breed/type. It speaks volumes to the idiocy of the anti-pit bull movement!
Excellent response! One of these days I'm going to have to adopt a pit bull. I think I have the husband convinced that its going to be our non-greyhound choice.
I have to admit I waffle for just this reason. I LOVE the breed and have met so many great ones over the years. But having to defend your breed choice all the time gets old. (been there with the akitas) On days where I feel spunky I would love to adopt one. On days I am low energy I think no, I don't want that hassle and I feel guilty about it because I think I should. It just seems so stressful to always worry that someone hates your dog simply because of it's breed. Not to mention the worry of traveling with one. It is just so aggravating. Why should owning a dog be such a trial for anyone??
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