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Posted on September 12, 2009 by stopbslcom
Note: Nanimo already has BSL. Owners of “pit bulls†must follow certain restrictions that other dog owners do not have to follow. Nothing further has been officially proposed, but it should be noted that the media is pushing the idea of a breed ban.
Additionally, Nanaimo Animal Shelter manager Helen Roberts probably needs some education about “pit bulls.†Her comments in the first article:
Dog owners wage breed battle
Dealing with bad dogs and bad owners is not simple
By Paul Walton, Daily News
September 11, 2009
Like taxes and politics, almost everyone has an opinion about pit bulls, the infamous dogs viewed both as relentless killers and sweet family pets by those who either revile or adore the breed.
The dogs have been linked to many highly publicized attacks on people and other dogs. In three separate incidents in Nanaimo in the past six months, the owners of dogs attacked by pit bulls have called on the city to put in place tougher dog restrictions and penalties for owners of aggressive animals. Among their suggestions is an outright ban on the breed.
It’s a drastic and controversial step that has been taken by the province of Ontario and a handful of municipalities across the country. Dog behaviour experts back up the contention of the breed’s supporters, saying breed bans are not an effective way of protecting the public. And although Nanaimo city officials say they have no immediate plans to change the current dog bylaw, some city politicians have said in the past that they will consider a tougher law if they are convinced it is the only way to protect public safety.
Nanaimo’s courts may soon be asked to decide if a local mixed-breed pit bull will be euthanized after attacking a Labrador retriever on Saturday. Witnesses had to pry the pit bull’s mouth open with a stick to get it to release its hold on the Lab’s hind quarters.
City bylaw officers have fielded complaints about the dog for seven years. The city’s current bylaw requires that all pit bulls and pit bull terriers be leashed and muzzled when off their property. The owners have unpaid fines for violating the city’s existing dog bylaw, said animal control officer Dale Rusch.
The dog will remain at the city pound for up to three weeks while city officials decide if they should ask a judge to order the animal be destroyed.
It was not the first pit-bull attack to hit the news this year. In June, a local couple was saddled with expensive vet bills after their silky terrier was attacked by a pit bull. A month earlier, the owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier had to move from his townhouse complex after his dog attacked a neighbour’s smaller animal.
The expensive attacks prompted some dog owners at the time to speak out in favour of tougher enforcement of the city’s current bylaw, or even banning certain breeds completely. But while a breed ban seems like a simple solution, not everyone believes it is effective.
One of Canada’s recognized dog experts, Dr. Stanley Coren, makes a distinction between dog breeds and breed lines in explaining vicious dogs. Coren, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia, has written eight books about dogs.
“The data is clear. There are lines of dogs more aggressive than others,†said Coren.
Breed bans, said Coren, are ineffective. Dog breeds, he said, can have spontaneous aggression bred in or bred out of them, noting that was done with the doberman in North America by breeders who revoked papers on any doberman documented to have bitten a person.
In the case of the dogs named in the Nanaimo bylaw, what Coren said are “game-bred dogs†have created a line or strain within the breed that are dangerous. “Game-bred†is a euphemism for dogs trained to fight.
“This is a very hard form of genetic selection. The dogs become so vicious that a bitch must be separated from her litter at five weeks or she’ll kill them,†said Coren.
While not all dogs in those breeds may descend from vicious game-bred lines, he warns that without proper papers there is no way to know. He said there is a lot of “leakage†between the game-bred lines and others of the same breed.
Helen Roberts, manager of the Nanaimo city pound, is convinced that the dogs named in the current city bylaw are a real threat.
“I think our bylaw works very well. Pit bulls are very different from other breeds,†said Roberts.
She claims they have been bred to kill and does not believe changing the laws will be effective in controlling irresponsible owners.
“The problem is the people who train their dogs to be vicious are not trainable themselves,†said Roberts.
Nevertheless, Roberts argues that any pit bull has the potential for spontaneous aggression, no matter how good a dog it has been.
“When they attack, it’s unexpected,†she said.
Leon Davis, manager of the Nanaimo SPCA shelter, said nothing is achieved by targeting breeds and said he’s never seen a spontaneously aggressive pit bull. He said the problem is with owners who seek out breeds they believe will be more aggressive than others and train them to be vicious.
“You can train any dog to be aggressive,†said Davis. “The only animal we worry about and deter people from having is a wolf-cross.â€
While Coren cited a U.S. study in which pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terriers and the American Staffordshire terriers accounted for 46% of all fatal bite incidents, Davis said he has seen far more bites from small dogs than large ones, adding that he has yet to see a pit bull in Nanaimo euthanized for being aggressive.
Davis said the SPCA is focused on education, but agrees with Roberts there is a segment of the population they are not going to reach.
“There’s always going to be that tough-guy mentality,†he said.
Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan has said he thinks the current bylaw is sufficient but says their priority is preventing attacks against people.
But if attacks like the one that happened last weekend continue or increase, Ruttan said, “We may have to rethink our policy.
“I think it is time to insist that people who chose to have a certain type of dog must be responsible for not allowing that dog to escape from their yards,†Ruttan said.
Coun. Loyd Sherry said it’s an issue council members don’t hear about often.
“I personally receive very few phone calls from people wanting to ban pit bulls but if it were to come before council, we would have to consider it,†he said.
Breed-specific bans are worth discussing if the constituents push the issue, says Coun. Merv Unger, but agrees that the onus needs to remain on the owners.
“Can we really blame the dog though when a lot of the responsibility should be put on the dog’s owner?†he asked.
Coren believes that any municipal-licensing regime should focus on training and require a certificate of training when an owner seeks a dog licence.
“Generally speaking, we find that dogs, when given a basic obedience class, are 89% less likely to be involved in a dog-bite incident,†he said.
And since children make up half of all dog-bite victims, he said they also need to be taught about safe ways to interact with dogs. By training dogs and educating children, he said, the amount of dog bites can be decreased by 95%. That doesn’t mean he opposes appropriate laws to keep people safe from aggressive dogs.
“Any dog above a certain size and age without obedience training should be muzzled when outside,†he said.
He also proposed that when a dog attacks a person that the breeder as well as the owner face consequences. The problem, said Coren, starts with breeding aggression into certain lines of dogs.
“When we breed dogs, we also create their temperament. You can make them edgy or you can make them very soft through selective breeding.â€
PWalton@nanaimodailynews.com
250-729-4230
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We want to hear from you. Send your comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com . Letters must include your first and last names, your hometown and a daytime phone number.
Dog owners wage breed battle
Note: Nanimo already has BSL. Owners of “pit bulls†must follow certain restrictions that other dog owners do not have to follow. Nothing further has been officially proposed, but it should be noted that the media is pushing the idea of a breed ban.
Additionally, Nanaimo Animal Shelter manager Helen Roberts probably needs some education about “pit bulls.†Her comments in the first article:
“Pit bulls are very different from other breeds,†said Roberts. She claims they have been bred to kill… Roberts argues that any pit bull has the potential for spontaneous aggression, no matter how good a dog it has been.
Nanaimo Animal Shelter: (250) 754-1397
Dog owners wage breed battle
Dealing with bad dogs and bad owners is not simple
By Paul Walton, Daily News
September 11, 2009
Like taxes and politics, almost everyone has an opinion about pit bulls, the infamous dogs viewed both as relentless killers and sweet family pets by those who either revile or adore the breed.
The dogs have been linked to many highly publicized attacks on people and other dogs. In three separate incidents in Nanaimo in the past six months, the owners of dogs attacked by pit bulls have called on the city to put in place tougher dog restrictions and penalties for owners of aggressive animals. Among their suggestions is an outright ban on the breed.
It’s a drastic and controversial step that has been taken by the province of Ontario and a handful of municipalities across the country. Dog behaviour experts back up the contention of the breed’s supporters, saying breed bans are not an effective way of protecting the public. And although Nanaimo city officials say they have no immediate plans to change the current dog bylaw, some city politicians have said in the past that they will consider a tougher law if they are convinced it is the only way to protect public safety.
Nanaimo’s courts may soon be asked to decide if a local mixed-breed pit bull will be euthanized after attacking a Labrador retriever on Saturday. Witnesses had to pry the pit bull’s mouth open with a stick to get it to release its hold on the Lab’s hind quarters.
City bylaw officers have fielded complaints about the dog for seven years. The city’s current bylaw requires that all pit bulls and pit bull terriers be leashed and muzzled when off their property. The owners have unpaid fines for violating the city’s existing dog bylaw, said animal control officer Dale Rusch.
The dog will remain at the city pound for up to three weeks while city officials decide if they should ask a judge to order the animal be destroyed.
It was not the first pit-bull attack to hit the news this year. In June, a local couple was saddled with expensive vet bills after their silky terrier was attacked by a pit bull. A month earlier, the owner of a Staffordshire bull terrier had to move from his townhouse complex after his dog attacked a neighbour’s smaller animal.
The expensive attacks prompted some dog owners at the time to speak out in favour of tougher enforcement of the city’s current bylaw, or even banning certain breeds completely. But while a breed ban seems like a simple solution, not everyone believes it is effective.
One of Canada’s recognized dog experts, Dr. Stanley Coren, makes a distinction between dog breeds and breed lines in explaining vicious dogs. Coren, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia, has written eight books about dogs.
“The data is clear. There are lines of dogs more aggressive than others,†said Coren.
Breed bans, said Coren, are ineffective. Dog breeds, he said, can have spontaneous aggression bred in or bred out of them, noting that was done with the doberman in North America by breeders who revoked papers on any doberman documented to have bitten a person.
In the case of the dogs named in the Nanaimo bylaw, what Coren said are “game-bred dogs†have created a line or strain within the breed that are dangerous. “Game-bred†is a euphemism for dogs trained to fight.
“This is a very hard form of genetic selection. The dogs become so vicious that a bitch must be separated from her litter at five weeks or she’ll kill them,†said Coren.
While not all dogs in those breeds may descend from vicious game-bred lines, he warns that without proper papers there is no way to know. He said there is a lot of “leakage†between the game-bred lines and others of the same breed.
Helen Roberts, manager of the Nanaimo city pound, is convinced that the dogs named in the current city bylaw are a real threat.
“I think our bylaw works very well. Pit bulls are very different from other breeds,†said Roberts.
She claims they have been bred to kill and does not believe changing the laws will be effective in controlling irresponsible owners.
“The problem is the people who train their dogs to be vicious are not trainable themselves,†said Roberts.
Nevertheless, Roberts argues that any pit bull has the potential for spontaneous aggression, no matter how good a dog it has been.
“When they attack, it’s unexpected,†she said.
Leon Davis, manager of the Nanaimo SPCA shelter, said nothing is achieved by targeting breeds and said he’s never seen a spontaneously aggressive pit bull. He said the problem is with owners who seek out breeds they believe will be more aggressive than others and train them to be vicious.
“You can train any dog to be aggressive,†said Davis. “The only animal we worry about and deter people from having is a wolf-cross.â€
While Coren cited a U.S. study in which pit bulls, Staffordshire bull terriers and the American Staffordshire terriers accounted for 46% of all fatal bite incidents, Davis said he has seen far more bites from small dogs than large ones, adding that he has yet to see a pit bull in Nanaimo euthanized for being aggressive.
Davis said the SPCA is focused on education, but agrees with Roberts there is a segment of the population they are not going to reach.
“There’s always going to be that tough-guy mentality,†he said.
Nanaimo Mayor John Ruttan has said he thinks the current bylaw is sufficient but says their priority is preventing attacks against people.
But if attacks like the one that happened last weekend continue or increase, Ruttan said, “We may have to rethink our policy.
“I think it is time to insist that people who chose to have a certain type of dog must be responsible for not allowing that dog to escape from their yards,†Ruttan said.
Coun. Loyd Sherry said it’s an issue council members don’t hear about often.
“I personally receive very few phone calls from people wanting to ban pit bulls but if it were to come before council, we would have to consider it,†he said.
Breed-specific bans are worth discussing if the constituents push the issue, says Coun. Merv Unger, but agrees that the onus needs to remain on the owners.
“Can we really blame the dog though when a lot of the responsibility should be put on the dog’s owner?†he asked.
Coren believes that any municipal-licensing regime should focus on training and require a certificate of training when an owner seeks a dog licence.
“Generally speaking, we find that dogs, when given a basic obedience class, are 89% less likely to be involved in a dog-bite incident,†he said.
And since children make up half of all dog-bite victims, he said they also need to be taught about safe ways to interact with dogs. By training dogs and educating children, he said, the amount of dog bites can be decreased by 95%. That doesn’t mean he opposes appropriate laws to keep people safe from aggressive dogs.
“Any dog above a certain size and age without obedience training should be muzzled when outside,†he said.
He also proposed that when a dog attacks a person that the breeder as well as the owner face consequences. The problem, said Coren, starts with breeding aggression into certain lines of dogs.
“When we breed dogs, we also create their temperament. You can make them edgy or you can make them very soft through selective breeding.â€
PWalton@nanaimodailynews.com
250-729-4230
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
We want to hear from you. Send your comments on this story to letters@nanaimodailynews.com . Letters must include your first and last names, your hometown and a daytime phone number.
Dog owners wage breed battle