I don't live in MD but go there to train several times a week

[AmberLamps]

I'd go as far as saying that law is a step in the right direction, more emphasis should be placed on the owner to be responsible, it's much better than outright banning dogs just because it's a certain breed. All the US has to do is look to western Europe to see that passing laws that outright ban certain breeds of dogs just doesn't work.

For instance the UK passed the DDA act over 20 years ago that banned a number of breeds including the APBT, this has had no effect on either dog bites or the amount of "Pitbull type" dogs on the streets of the UK. Only 3 years ago there was a fatal attack by an APBT on a four year old boy, Jon-Paul Massey and a few years before that, Ellie Lawrenson. Proof enough the DDA act doesn't work ?

Shortly after the DDA act was passed the majority of western Europe passed BSL type laws that banned the APBT, including the Netherlands, who I believe passed their laws around the same time as the UK, only the Netherlands have been the only country so far to scrap their BSL laws, stating they don't work..

The point i'm trying to make is that the US is doing nothing but wasting it's time in introducing laws to ban the APBT, the only people to suffer from these laws are the responsible law abiding pet owners. Instead of wasting time passing laws to ban the breed, they should be focusing on passing laws that affect the irresponsible owner that this breed attracts, like the original post in this thread.. If someone wants to own an APBT, then they sure as hell should be responsible for that dogs actions. Holding people accountable and fully responsible for the actions of their dog and giving them stiff penalties, might just make the retards think twice about either; owning this breed in the first place or taking the responsible steps to make sure their dog isn't a threat to the public.

[JUG]

i think the laws on owning any dog should be strick ! i wish they passed a law where you and you dog would be put down for attacking some one who was in no way wrong , by means of Treaspassing , tring to harm you , walking in front of your yard ECT. .. i've had 2 bad experences with my PetBulls . first was when Kristal from the beganing of the road drove to our house with her Shitsue following her barking .. i was cleaning water buckets and Rascal was playing with my son on the flirt pole .. i didn't see or hear Snookie coming , but Rascal did .. before i could get a handle on him he was shaking like a ragdoll .. i broke him off and Snookie ran back home hollaring .. Kristal was crying and the kids where upset for what he did ..

i explained to her that my dog was in my yard playing with my kids , her dog came running through barking .. Rascal was protecting my kids from what he thought was a threat .. but , i said since i shouldn't have had him running loose , i'll pay & bring the dog to the vet .. Cost me $400.00 bucks to patch Snookie up , but my neighbor was very understanding ..


Second , was when a grand son to Rascal bit a friend of mine while he was walking through his chain spot .. my son kept Boss and played with him alot , he was Trevor's "Ole Yeller" .. well trevor thought it was cool to have a dog that was so protective over him , he made him human agg. .. i never said anything because i believe we must learn on our own until we submit to taking advise .. well Trevor was in Boss' dog house when my friends drove up and figured it would be funny to scare them .. before they came to the house to introduce themselves they started their way into the yard .. as Brain pass by the dog house of Boss' he seen Trevor and went after him playing .. well he made it to the end of the chain before Boss latched on to his pants and ripped them .. Brain only had a scratch but Trevor knew what he had to do .. he cryied like a baby as he took Boss on his last walk down the headland , only to return with the collar .. from that point on Trevor has made every dog he handles very honest to people , going as far as to asking everyone who comes over to pass by and pet his new pup Turner ..

IMO
guess what im getting at is if it's not worth the Work , Time , Stress or Money , most irresponsible APBT owners won't bother with the breed because of their laziness and lack of love for the breed ..

[Officially Retired]

I put in my own book that I think people should have to get a license for a pit bull, and take a basic competency test to own one.

You have to have a license to drive a car (because of potentially deadly accidents), you have to have a permit to carry a gun, and IMO an owner should have to prove some pretty good canine competence before he owns a bulldog.

The way it is now, any idiot with no understanding of the breed (and no knowledge of how to confine one) can get a bulldog and have it in the neighborhood. Banning is (was and always will be) wrong, but I think having to get a license to own a pit dog should be mandatory.

And, as you said, only the lazy (or non-serious) would balk at that.

Jack