City May Crack Down On Pit Bulls (and Rottweilers)

[Rene Allegrini]

Law Would Require Dogs To Be Fenced

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news...08/detail.html

BOSTON -- The City of Fall River is considering a crackdown on dangerous dogs.

A proposed law would force owners to keep pit bulls and rottweilers behind 6-foot fences.

Owners would not be allowed to walk the dogs on city streets.

This proposal comes just weeks after a number of high-profile pit bull attacks.


A Brockton, Mass., man was mauled by a neighbor's pit bull and seriously injured.

The Boston Herald reported that 20,000 people went to Massachusetts hospitals between 2002 and 2004 for dog bites. Most of the bites were not from pit bulls but from the family dog.

[Baxter's Mom]

They think that's going to help... If the dog isn't walked, it's going to get frustrated, and then when it gets loose, it's going to attack... God, how can people be soo dumb.... I garantee if they start making it a felony when any dog attacks/kills someone and they have to go to jail for what their dog did, alot of irresponsible pet owners and dog attacks will go down... Nobody wants to get in trouble for what someone else did, including their dog...

[flyballmom]

Originally Posted by Baxter's Mom

They think that's going to help... If the dog isn't walked, it's going to get frustrated, and then when it gets loose, it's going to attack...

No of course it's not going to help. But not walking a dog is not going to make it attack. What will is poor breeding, poor or no training, lack of socialization, not to mention the things that are done to dogs in the name of making them "good guard dogs." Dogs that aren't walked will dig up your flowers, not kill people.

[Baxter's Mom]

Originally Posted by flyballmom

No of course it's not going to help. But not walking a dog is not going to make it attack. What will is poor breeding, poor or no training, lack of socialization, not to mention the things that are done to dogs in the name of making them "good guard dogs." Dogs that aren't walked will dig up your flowers, not kill people.

I'm not saying EXACTLY that if a dog isn't walked it will kill people, but a house and a fenced back yard is just a big kennel and if the dog doesn't get exercised, it leads to a very frustrated dog, that can turn into excited, excited dominant, and eventually dominant aggressive... I think back yards are a excuse to not walk/exercise a dog, I believe walking/excerising is VITAL to a dog's health, and it also takes part in socialization(meeting other people and dogs on walks). I don't think isolating a dog to a house/backyard is going to be the answer, I think they will find a dog's energy will go up, the dog will become destructive inside the home, some will become escape artist's due to frustratation, boredom, etc, some will just run/explore while others will be more destructive. Just my personal opinion. Linnea

[LadyEvil2172]

That is pretty sad. I have a Rottie that has been attacked twice while I was walking her by dogs that ignorant people let run free in there yard.

[SouthernRot]

...amazing those those stories never get told isn't it?

We are all owners of the feared, overpowerful... DOG... is it just me or are these people forgetting these are dogs. They need training, exercise, and the like just as any dog would need.

I spoke to a man last night at my work who said he got bit by twice by rotties.. the one rottie bit him tore his arm up (-rolls eyes- I couldn't see anything even near damaged on his arm like he was saying had happened) said the dog got transferred to another owner and then bit someone there and had to be put down. I tried to inform him that was all training and it didn't matter the owner if either owner didn't take it upon himself to set the dog straight it would not help... -sighs- This conversation was because he rented a horror movie named Rottweiler, which I happened to hold sadly in my hand and state, I have a Rottweiler.. he looked at me shocked. (5'4" 26 yr old female, he was over 6 ft, solid man)

Maybe instead of penalizing dogs that haven't done anything (because not all dogs have bitten someone there) they should enforce a training for people in order to get a certification to own and handle a dog in that area. Have different levels of certification since dogs cannot be just jumbled into one large group.... That's just my 2 cents.

-SR