Pit Bull Attacks Elderly Woman

I will say it again. These type of dogs must be ban. We must pass laws like this.

Dangerous Dogs Act is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was introduced in response to various incidents of serious injury or death resulting from attacks by aggressive and uncontrolled dogs, particularly on children. Under the 1991 Act (and as amended in 1997) it is illegal to own any Specially Controlled Dogs without specific exemption from a court. The dogs have to be muzzled and kept on a lead in public, they must be registered and insured, neutered, tattooed and receive microchip implants. The Act also bans the breeding, sale and exchange of these dogs, even if they are on the Index of Exempted Dogs.[1]

Four types in particular were identified by the Act:
Pit Bull Terrier
Japanese Tosa
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro
The Act also covers cross-breeds of the above four types of dog. Dangerous dogs are classified by "type", not by breed label. This means that whether a dog is prohibited under the Act will depend on a judgement about its physical characteristics, and whether they match the description of a prohibited "type". This assessment of the physical characteristics is made by a court.

The Act applies in England, Wales and Scotland,[2] with The Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 having a similar effect in Northern Ireland.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerous_Dogs_Act_1991
How is the Dangerous Dogs Act enforced?

If a person owns a banned dog the police or council are allowed to take it away and keep it regardless of whether or not it is acting dangerously or a complaint has been made.

If the animal is in a public place they can simply be confiscated there and then but in private police must have a warrant to take the dog.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1621022/dangerous-dog-breeds-banned-uk/

Here we go again: "it's not the dog, it's the owner." Yep, tell that to the elderly lady who's recovering...

While I agree with the idea that it isn't the fault of the dogs, rather it is the fault of the owner, I still think something needs to be done. The simple fact of the matter is that when a Pug freaks out and attacks someone, no one is going to die. Pit bulls have been bred to have the physical and psychological make-up to tear opponents (or old ladies) to shreds. There are always going to be irresponsible owners, but when something does go wrong the potential for harm is not the same across all breeds. Should we go around confiscating peoples beloved pets? Probably not. Should there be programs in place to actively discourage the breeding of more dogs capable of ripping off limbs? Probably.

Where's the line between eugenics and espousing the view that certain "breeds" of animal are inherently more dangerous than others?

WVM,

Last it was clear that the attacking dogs owner was a neglectful crack addict. This story told us little about the owner. So how do you know enough to form an opinion?

posted by: HewNaven on July 5, 2017 4:20pm

Where's the line between eugenics and espousing the view that certain "breeds" of animal are inherently more dangerous than others?
Your Point?

I was going to say something, but Paul might not print it.My pit will only lick you a lot, no teeth.
Good dog, good owner.

posted by: robn on July 5, 2017 7:53pm

WVM,

Last it was clear that the attacking dogs owner was a neglectful crack addict. This story told us little about the owner. So how do you know enough to form an opinion?

And If the dog owner in this case was not a neglectful crack addict?

My neighbor was bite by a pit bull trying to protect her Yorkshire Terrier about two years ago.The pit bull killed her dog.She has another Yorkshire Terrier. I was talking to her and she told me she is ready this time. She open her bag and show me her pistol permit . She carry a GLOCK 27.40, Sub Compact. She told me if this happens again, She will empty her clip.

Hope she has a permit!!!!! If not she might just go to jail. Hope she does not have more than 10 shots in clip. Does she have any idea where all those shots will go? ETC.

Robn, I can form an opinion from years of seeing these types of dogs maim and kill. But I realize, much like the second amendment zealots, there is little room for intelligent discussion on the issue. If I shot you accidentally with a water pistol instead of a loaded handgun, with the consequences to you be different?

Recently my 86-year-old mother, while going for a walk in her neighborhood, was attacked and knocked down by a midsize mixed breed dog. She was bruised and had a couple of bite marks and one trip to the doctors took care of it. Do you really think that had been a pitbull or a similar breed she could have fended it off while lying on her back on the sidewalk? She was just lucky it wasn't.

I know you are intelligent and very thorough in your research just from reading your posts. Isn't there enough evidence of the damage these types of dogs do to sway you at all?

WVM,

If you intend to instate a blanket ban on harmful mammals from the City of New Haven based upon statistics rather than actual behavior, you wouldn't start with dogs. Get my point?

If the BOA wants to be helpful, they should ask the NHPD to devise and formalize a reasonably simple procedure of citizen complaint and police response to intervene upon irresponsible dog owners before their animals cause any damage.

"Where's the line between eugenics and espousing the view that certain "breeds" of animal are inherently more dangerous than others?"
Easy, the line is between humans and animals. And it's simply a statement of fact that a pit bull is more potentially dangerous than other breeds. And really your use of the highly charged term "eugenics" is silly, because in the case of domestic animals it is redundant. Unless you are walking around with a timber wolf your pet has already been selectively bred for generations to enhance certain attributes, cuteness, hunting ability, herding ability... or in this case fighting ability.

Robn, I don't get your point, Why not start with these dogs? I'm willing to listen to your solution with an open mind. Tell me about the simple process to prevent this from happening? Not after the fact...

WMV,

I thought I did.

(identification, intervention, remedy)

The NHPD needs to establish a reasonable, accessible way for people to report agressive dogs, then an animal control officer needs to do follow up contact with the owner and dog to determine if the report has any merit (since there are many people who don't understand normal dog behavior and will simply report one barking behind a fence). If the report has merit (meaning an untrained dog with little owner return-control), they should then warn the dog owner that a future complaint will require them to attend formal training on their own dime and and will require them to verify that training with animal control. There could be layers of fines anywhere in the process to let he owner know that the city means business and if the owner totally blows them off, animal control could seize and shelter the animal. I'm not sure if its constitutionally possible, but I think a total blow-off might justify a court order disallowing the owner to posess an animal in city limits.

It also wouldn't hurt for undercover agents to look into dog-fighting as well as gangs that might be abusively training dogs to attack.

How about we get all the dogs on the list. Then the cats. The homeless. Pigeons, Trump people, etc.

ROBN,

HN,

I agree that its laughable to prioritize something which pales in comparison to the many young men shooting at each other in New Haven. However, WVM asked what I think would help lessen the number of aggressive dogs on the street ...since a blanket breed ban is illegal (not the first time this rediculous BOA has contemplated something unhinged from the law) you only have one other option; police owner behavior.

Robn, Just what I thought- far from a "simple" process. And a theoretical answer to a real, factual problem. What do you do about dogs who first exhibited their aggression with a mauling?

Until you you put forth some specifics on your proposal, it's all theoretical, and probably unworkable.

WVM,

Nothing about policing is simple so don't self aggrandize by setting me up with an unanswerable question. Policing starts by listening to the community about emerging problems. Problems rarely come up from out of the blue; they're rooted in peoples behavior which is observable.

ROBN - Apologies. I missed that part. But, your comment proves it would be a huge expense of time and money, and you're right that a "breed-ban" is illegal in Connecticut. So now we're all back to where we started. How do we deal with this issue in a meaningful way, when we're all itching to pull a trigger (some literally).

@ ROBIN

You say The NHPD needs to establish a reasonable, accessible way for people to report agressive dogs.

But this is what the Dangerous Dogs Act is of the Parliament of the United Kingdom does.My peeps are from the Caribbean.Trinidad and Tobago just pass The Dangerous Dogs Act. Pit Bulls are ban in Trinidad and Tobago along with other dangerous breed dogs.Eleven years ago we reached a clear consensus: pitbulls and other dangerous breeds were to be eliminated from Trinidad and Tobago. There was no need for further debate — we were in possession of the media reports and studies which demonstrated pitbulls are responsible for one third of the dog bite related fatalities, locally and worldwide. Trinidad and Tobago thus was resolute: we would join the league of sensible and progressive nations which for the protection of their citizens had banned dangerous breeds of dogs.

http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog/?p=5284

Individual Island Breed Restrictions

Antigua and Barbuda:

Dogs of the "pitbull" breed or mixes of this breed are not allowed to land on Antigua and Barbuda.

http://www.thecaribbeanpet.com/restricted-banned-breeds/

Already Banned in a Dozen Countries

In 1991, Singapore prohibited the entry of pit bulls into the country.
In 1993, the Netherlands banned pit bulls.
In 1997, Poland enacted legislation enforcing pit bull owners to display "clear warning signs" and keep the animal behind reinforced fencing.
In 2000, France banned pit bulls. The goal was to let the breed "die out."
In 2001, Germany banned pit bulls

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/pit-bulls-already-banned-in-a-dozen-countries-6446613

posted by: jim1 on July 6, 2017 5:29am

Hope she has a permit!!!!

Read what I wrote.She does have a pistol permit.

To all you pit bull lovers.I bet you if you go to a lawyer who handle Dog Bite cases.I bet you the major of the Dog bites are from pit bulls .Ban those Dogs Now!!!

3/5,

So my Swiftian quip about mammals just passed right over your head then?

Robn. You said "reasonably simple procedure". Now you say nothing is simple? Stop jockeying for position. You have none.

Robn. My last line was overly harsh. My apologies.

WVM,

No sweat.