Pit Bull Bans: A Short History
July 3rd, 2008
Chances are this week’s string of pit bull attacks will bring back calls to ban ownership of the dogs in New York. There have been routine attempts at banning the animals since 1989, when the city’s health department put a temporary freeze on the pit bull population. And in 2004 — and again in 2006 — Staten Island City Councilmember Michael McMahon proposed a bill that condemned the State Assembly’s standing ban on “breed specific” dangerous dog-related legislation. If the the latest pit bull rampage does open up debate, expect some opposition from the animal rights crowd — one pro-pit bull Web site lists McMahon, now running for Congress, under “[people] who want to kill your dog.”
Where would all the pit bulls go if the City Council were able to ban ownership of them? This Associated Press offers one possible preview:
DENVER - A few weeks ago, two police cars and two animal control vehicles pulled up at the home of Stefny Steffan looking for her beloved 4-year-old pit bull, Xena. Seven officers hauled the animal off to the city shelter, putting her on death row.
Supporters of restrictions on the animal here have vowed to avoid such problems. In 2006, Councilmember Peter Vallone explained that a New York ban wouldn’t go after current owners:
The local law Mr. Vallone said he would like to see enacted would not apply to current pit bull owners, emphasizing that no dogs would be forced from their homes. He said he is not sure how it would apply to mixed-breed dogs.
Be that as it may, it’s been an overall bad year for animals of the dangerous, semi-domesticated variety: PETA partisans are still reeling from the city’s attempts to thin out JFK’s feral cat population.
In category: Crime, Gotham City, Health
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July 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 pm
DogsBite.org thinks the Manhattan-Staten Island region would be a feisty battleground if a breed-specific law (pit bull law) ever did gain traction. The ASPCA, who bitterly opposes pit bull regulation, is headquartered in Manhattan. PETA, on the other hand, is the only animal organization that supports banning the breed. It would make for one snarling “tiger on bear” battle.
July 4th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
HOLDING OWNERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT, CONTAINMENT, AND CONTROL OF THEIR DOGS IS THE ONLY WAY TO MINIMIZE INCIDENCE OF CANINE AGGRESSION. ALSO ON THE SITE: Politics & BSL (Breed Specific Legislation)
July 5th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Let’s talk about upping the criminal penalties for bad owners instead of banning the breed.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:39 am
Indeed, this is a very short history!
The real history is that in the mid 1970s New York city had over 30,000 reported dog bites per year!
In the last five years that records are available (2001-2005) Pit bulls consistently ranked in the top five most licensed dogs in NYC.
Guess what, in these same five years, NYC has the lowest number of reported dog bites in over 50 years! (Down to around 4,000 per year).
Also, there has not been a fatal Pit bull attack in NYC in over a decade!
These last three cases of attacks were simply cases of horrible and criminal owners.
Overall, NYC Pit bulls (with and without good owners)continue to show far more humanity and tolerance than many of their two-legged companions. (Check out the murder and child abuse rates in the city and then talk to me about “bad” Pit bulls!)
July 11th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Rather than give in to those lazy, unimaginative politicians clamouring for breed bans, maybe we should get serious about enforcing animal control laws and responding to citizen complaints regarding frightening dogs wandering around the neighbourhood. In my experience, calling 311 is unhelpful, usually requiring one to know the dog owner’s NAME and ADDRESS if you want to report a scary dog running loose in the street. How about an Animal Control officer coming to investigate and do his/her job?? I don’t want to be making random enquiries about these dog owners; some of them aren’t very nice people!
Leash law violations need to be taken more seriously. Activist dog groups like NYCDOG and FIDO have muddied the waters here. According to them, letting your dog romp off leash to play and “socialize” with other dogs is practically a sacred duty! If an off leash dog frightens you while you are walking along in a public NYC park, you’re on your own. Just try complaining about off leash dogs in the parks to 311 or DOPR..as far as DOPR is concerned, dogs are more important than people!
August 7th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
“Indeed, this is a very short history!
The real history is that in the mid 1970s New York city had over 30,000 reported dog bites per year!
In the last five years that records are available (2001-2005) Pit bulls consistently ranked in the top five most licensed dogs in NYC.
Guess what, in these same five years, NYC has the lowest number of reported dog bites in over 50 years! (Down to around 4,000 per year).
Also, there has not been a fatal Pit bull attack in NYC in over a decade!”
There is a mouthful right there, stop blaming the breed, hold owners accountable, then and only then will you see a change.