Pitbulls banned in Denver

[draconix]

It's for their own good, really. Put them out of their misery before they can do further damage to themselves. We'd actually be doing them a favor. :thumbsup:

[Keanumoreira]

Well... Dogs were bred from wolves, so there is truth in the statement that dogs can be naturally aggressive. However, I don't think any one breed is more inclined than another to be aggressive, but I can imagine that some breeds of dogs are a hell of a lot more dangerous when they are aggressive. Does that mean that all dogs of a certain breed should be banned? Hell no, that's ridiculous. However maybe it would be a good idea for certain breeds to require the owner to have a license to own a breed of dogs that can be dangerous when aggressive, followed with examinations of the dogs of this sort at least every 2 years in order to ensure that the dog is of good temperament. If it's not, the owner could be fined.

 

That's just an idea that I came up with in a few minutes, and it's better than banning and killing entire breeds of dogs, who are referred to by many people as "members of their family." I would hope that a room full of legislators could do better. Of course, they can't. :wallbash: Then again, people who drive vehicles are required to have a license too, but all things considered, it hasn't been all that effective at keeping bad drivers off the road but it's at least a step in the right direction, rather than banning cars. :rolleyes:

 

I agree with this statement, because some owners are not fit to own animals in a responsible respect. However, this needs to be done cautiously and with responsibility because for one, what do we do with the shelters full of suffering animals we have now? Imagine adding millions more to these already overflowing facilities. This idea is an excellent way to control animal aggression brought on by owner ignorance, negligence, and irresponsibilty, but at the sametime, what measures do we have to take to ensure we don't bring more harm than help? We also have to bring to mind that we may have to sacrifice to reach that goal we strive for. It's a sad and unfortunate thing to consider, but sometimes we have to if we want to save more lives in the future.

 

You think we should euthanize the irresponsible owners? Yeah, that works. :D

 

Lol, that's not what I meant, but whatever society wants I guess. :laugh:

[marharth]

That's a idea.

 

Certain dog breeds that are commonly bred to be aggressive should have certain licensing before owning one.

[Maigrets]

@Maigrets

If the laws in your sector of Australia are so restrictive with standard breeds what is their application and attitude to Dingo's?

 

Dingoes are considered more or less vermin by many, particularly farmers, even though they are Australia's native dog. There is a move to consider them as a protected species because they are becoming endangered, but that's caused as huge debate between conservationists and farmers.

 

Dingoes in the wild are solitary and generally shun human contact unless they are starving which is pretty common since their habitat is shrinking all the time as with other species of animals. There's also been some interbreeding with feral domestic dogs which changes their basic nature and these are often the ones that take sheep or other livestock and doesn't do their reputation any good.

 

Then there have been a few controversies over the years, the most known being the Lindy Chamberlain story where her baby was apparently taken by a dingo back in 1980. The jury is still out on that for many people as there were many inconsistencies to the story so I won't go into it here as it's not the place to do so anyway.

 

What many people seem to forget is the dingo is (now) a wild animal not a pet dog, although many people keep them and usually have to have a license to do so in some states. People who do keep them and raise them do it to help the species and try to educate people but due to preconceived ideas and sensationalized news stories it's an uphill battle.

 

Dingoes are not at all like domestic dogs despite their appearance and by nature are more like wolves, but kept as pets they are very loving, smart and loyal. Historically the Aboriginal people used to value them as guard dogs and hunting companions so they weren't really that wild until much later when Europeans first came here.

 

Dingoes actually came to Australia from South East Asia 40,000 years ago according to DNA and genetic investigation. In fact I just discovered something else I didn't know by checking out a few sites. The Red and Blue Heeler and the Kelpie, (my own dog is a mix of Kelpie and Red Heeler), are dingo hybrids. The Red Heeler actually looks very dingo like except they are of a very much stockier build rather than lean and streamlined.

 

Europeans started crossing their own dogs with the Australian dingo. The unique Australian working dog strains like the Queensland Blue Heeler or the Australian Kelpie are recognised dingo hybrids.

 

Quoted from this small article all about the dingo, it's known history and nature.

http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/australian_dingo.html

[Deleted472477User]

I have often thought that people should be required to take an IQ test before having a child, a pet, or a computer. The dogs are the ones being punished in the end, by human stupidity.