Should it be mandatory for pit bulls to wear a muzzle when out in public?

[TheNinja]

I’ve long said they should not allow any more pit bulls to be sold or adopted. You can keep your current pets though as I don’t believe in taking someone’s pets away.

but I believe they should absolutely be muzzled. What’s the downside here ?

 

[cheesus]

What percentage of pitbulls in existence do you think have attacked people vs. haven't?

Also, Pitbulls aren't super aggressive, they are super tenacious (there is a difference).

I don't know, I do not have the stats for that but I do know they account for up to and around 65-70% of all dog attacks in the U.S alone and that they are highly over-represented as they make up at the very most 5% of total dog ownership. Look up all the 2020 dog fatalties in the U.S, a good 85 percent of them are from Pitbulls. There is no other dog breed that is even close to half those numbers.

Now I don't entirely think they should be banned, but extremely strict licensing, controlled breeding & possible mandatory muzzling doesn't seem unreasonable but being able to enforce these meausres is a different issue. It was a highly debated back and forth argument in my country, after a while they completely banned them after a 4 year old was mauled to death in front of her mother.

 

[cheesus]

Muzzles are not necessary. The bigger issue is that people need to be able to properly train and handle their pets regardless of the specific breed.
And it's obvious that the woman in the video failed at both. So, I don't think all "Pit Bulls" should be punished for her shortcomings as a pet owner.

I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback that could significantly hurt or even kill a person quick. He could even kill a Mountain Lion if he needed to. His training
started from day one. I've never had a problem with him and he's been around small children his entire life. He also spends a lot of time off the leash
when we are hunting and I feel I am in complete control the whole time even when we are around others. His specific breed gets a bad rap as well.

I owned a male American Pit Bull Terrier when I was younger and he was trained and well behaved his entire life too. I despise generalizations
of any kind, they usually come from a point of ignorance, like many of the comments in this thread. It's the same ignorance displayed with the
whole "assault weapons" ban argument.

Here we are though with our monthly thread calling to ostracize the entire "Pit Bull" breed because of a particular untrained animal's behavior.



_

Pitbulls are literally the most overrepresented dog breed by a huge margin when it comes to dog attacks and you're calling it a generalization ?

 

[WandySaku2]

I don't know, I do not have the stats for that but I do know they account for up to and around 65-70% of all dog attacks in the U.S alone and that they are highly over-represented as they make up at the very most 5% of total dog ownership. Look up all the 2020 dog fatalties in the U.S, a good 85 percent of them are from Pitbulls. There is no other dog breed that is even close to half those numbers.

Now I don't entirely think they should be banned, but extremely strict licensing, controlled breeding & possible mandatory muzzling doesn't seem unreasonable but being able to enforce these meausres is a different issue. It was a highly debated back and forth argument in my country, after a while they completely banned them after a 4 year old was mauled to death in front of her mother.

I feel comfortable saying that of larger breeds of dogs, 'pitbulls' have the highest population in the US.

One of the issues that most don't acknowledge (and probably don't have the knowledge to do so) is that when you mix dog breeds, you also mix their traits. I bring this up because the "What is a pitbull?" question is actually valid.

Say an American Pitbull Terrier has the typical traits (tenacious, driven, loving, etc.) then it is bred with a Bull Mastiff for example (protective, loyal, but bred for man stopping). When you mix those dogs, you very well could end up with a tenacious, protective, driven, man stopper. That would be a potentially dangerous dog. This leads to another unfortunate flaw with pitbulls...they look generic.

I've worked professionally with dogs for a good portion of my life. I would be able to look at that potential dog and know that it's a mix of some sorts (if you're interested, look up the term Bandog), but the VAST majority of people will see a blocky head and a short coat and just assume it's a 'pit bull', period. This is problematic because of peoples ignorance to different dog breeds and their appearance. If there was a ban on 'pitbulls', why should my American Bulldog/Staffordshire Terrier/Cane Corso/Dogo Argentino/Presa Canerio/etc. be lumped in?

I actually agree wholeheartedly with your 2nd paragraph. Most people know jack shit about dogs (that's why people like me can make a living), and I would like for there to be hurdles that keep potentially dangerous dogs out of peoples hands.

 

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Either way, all breeds should be leashed in public.

I fucking absolutely despise small dogs. I didn't much like cats but learned to appreciate them as I got older and actually don't mind them anymore. Cats are cats....what purpose do small dogs serve? They are utterly useless and annoying as all hell, I'd rather have a gerbil or hamster as a pet.

As far as big dogs go, if they are an aggressive breed, yes I agree they should be muzzled.

 

[Fatality]

All dogs and children should be muzzled while in public.

 

[mmafan2000]

https://fb.watch/1Gxbmv7Pgs/

I say yes. They say it’s the owner and not the dog, but I beg to differ.

The guy should show up in court wrapped up like a mummy with injury tape and a neck brace.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Im guilty of having a large agressive dog (towards strangers and other dogs) but I also live on a large rural property that our dog rarely leaves and on the occasion we do take her out its always away from the public ( state forrest ect). But on the rare occasions she is in public (vet visit) she is muzzlled and harnessed.

 

[horc00]

So you want to muzzle pitbulls, but my Cane Corso is cool huh?

That's a Cane Corso. It is NOT a pitbull. Ok so muzzle Cane Corsos too? What breeds should be muzzled then? Should a puppy pitbull that weighs 15lbs be muzzled in public? What if someone has a dog that isn't a pitbull but looks similar to one? What if someone has a 100lb poodle?

When you look at this argument with any minor amount of scrutiny, you quickly see if fall apart.

That's a bigass keychain you got there.