Minnesota Lawmaker Working to Get Five Dog Breeds Banned

Akitas, Chows, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers and Wolf Hybrids Are the Focus

By Sussy, published Jun 17, 2007
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Friday's Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that, in response to two high-profile pit bull attacks against children, Minnesota DFL State Rep. John Lesch will sponsor a bill during next year's legislative session to ban five popular dog breeds in the state: akitas, chows, pit bulls, Rottweilers and wolf hybrids. Currently, state law prohibits cities from banning dogs according to their breed. The Tribune says some municipalities have made attempts to enforce laws against certain breeds, but those laws often have been challenged.

No doubt there will be plenty of opposition to such a wide-sweeping legislative proposal. Opponents to breed-specific banning laws argue that such laws are unfairly based solely on the breed of a particular dog, as opposed to a dog's conduct. Mike Fry is the executive director of a no-kill shelter in Hastings, Minn. According to the Tribune, Fry says the number of reported dog bites has actually decreased in recent years. Further, Fry said, a pit bull does not belong to a specific breed. He said the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier all have physical characteristics of the so-called pit bull, and are often identified as pit bulls.

The term "pit bull" originally was a name given to dogs that had been bred for fighting and killing other animals. Their physical characteristics generally consisted of exaggerated jaw muscles, heavy or thick necks and shoulders, and a large physical mass.

In the United States, there has been a great deal of negative publicity with regard to both Rottweilers and pit bulls. However, wolf hybrids, akitas and chows have drawn much less attention in terms of aggressive behavior.

Minnesota Lawmaker Working to Get Five Dog Breeds Banned

Pit Bull

Credit: Martin County Humane Society

Copyright: Martin County Humane Society

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Read this and think, long and hard. "It's the owner, not the breed."

Posted on 07/04/2008 at 10:07:39 PM

 
i do think that the owner should pay for the dogs behavior........they should banned pitbulls that are really mean cause they there owner trained them......like that

Posted on 07/01/2008 at 7:07:25 PM

 
why ban pit bull? why not german shaperd

Posted on 05/28/2008 at 6:05:16 PM

 
Whoever does agree with this law is so sick. My aunt and uncle have had pitbulls for like the last 8 years, and all of them are the sweetest most kind dogs ever! They would not hurt anything! And they come from abusive homes! People are so ignorant! I have also had a chow/shepherd mix. Once again the sweetest dog alive! We had her from when I was 4 until I was 16 (she had to be put to sleep because of cancer). We could roll across her and use her as a pillow and everything! She never did anything unless agitated or aggravated. And even then it was nothing major. People need to educate themselves about breeds before they go and pick up one because they're cute! Or they need to stop letting backyard breeders breed every type of dog not just these five breeds. How about a Boston Terrier. I got attacked by one of those when I was like 5. Or what about parakeets...one attacked my dad years and years ago. Stupid people=Irresponsible pet owners=vicious/untrained/unsafe pets(of all forms and

Posted on 04/15/2008 at 12:04:42 PM

 
i have three pit bulls and all r the nicest dogs EVER. the worst "attacks" they can do is nibble (but then they lick your hand as if to say " oh, opps sorry Jacelyn") and the second thing to watch out for is the 99 miles per hour tail wag!!! it really would not be fair to have to get rid of my Vaeda-Butt (Vaeda) thena-nena (Athena) and zo-e-o-e-o-e (Zoey) just because some jack a$$ doesn't like them. He is not going to make me have to put down my poor baby, Vaeda. Then again, why stop there??? Why not just ban all dogs over 30lbs since they have the potential to inflict serious injuries if they were to bite?!?!?!?!?! Tiff, if u read this, u r too right. if he cared for the safety for children he should be afraid of swimming pools, atvs and bicycles.

Posted on 04/11/2008 at 10:04:39 PM

 
I agree with all you out there who say its the owner, not the breed. We have owned chow chows for years and never have had a problem with any of them. Have been around little kids, cats, and other dogs. I have 3 cousins and an aunt who have pitbulls, and not one of them are mean. If anything, they will lick you to death. I would love to get another chow, the only reason i havent, is i dont have the extra money right now. So for all you trying to ban them, maybe you should get to know one before you judge them all! If i cant get one again because they get banned, i seriously hope you are banned from this state too!

Posted on 02/28/2008 at 5:02:19 PM

 
This banning is a bunch of bull shit. They want to band these 5 breeds and the ones that are trying to make it happen has never owned any of these breeds to know anything about them. I have 4 PitBulls, 2 poodles and 4 kids not once did my pits ever did anything to my kids and strangers. WHat the hell does color have to do with anything with owning PitBiulls or Rotts? Mn doesnt Uthenize a human for killing but will take a whole breed out for 1-3 killings whats up with that? BAN THE DEED NOT THE BREED!!

Posted on 02/26/2008 at 8:02:54 AM

 
I agree, I own a pitt bull as well as a rott mix and they are the two sweetest dogs i have ever owned. I don't see how it is fair to take away someones pet because of a breed. perhaps a ban for stupid or "dangerous" people would be a good idea. How can we justify killing animals but not people? If someone wants a dangerous dog, they will do just that and train a poodle to be a killer if need be. Any dog can be mean and dangerous, it is up to the owners to control the behavior. The owners are the ones that are in control of determining how their dog acts. Punish those who are determined to raise a dangerous dog, not those who are determined to make a difference in how people look at these breeds!

Posted on 02/20/2008 at 12:02:04 PM

 
I propose we ban all stupid, closed minded, irresponsible, hate mongering, humans - let's start with racists. This post proves that all problems on this planet are man-made.

Posted on 02/20/2008 at 8:02:55 AM

 
I dont think it is the dogs fault and I have a rott I am 12 she has never hurt me she is kind and protective.

Posted on 01/28/2008 at 4:01:14 PM

 
Dogs for the most part react to humans based on their interaction with them as a young pup. If pups are treated harshly or mistreated or even treated with indifference then they will develop the same behavior patterns toward their owners and unfortunately worse---all people. Yes--just like humans dogs are tempered differently and not all dogs are the same, regardless of breed. Some dogs are simply nasty just like some people BUT usually there is an underlying cause. The dogs listed are naturally more high strung and can be aggressive but MOST of the time they are trained to be this way or abused into being this way. If you want to get technical....Dalmatians are not appropriate dogs for children as a general rule simply because their nature but then again I have exceptions to this rule as well. So let's not be so hasty to judge the dogs------JUDGE THE OWNERS AND TERMINATE THEIR OWNERSHIP RIGHTS PERMENTLY

Posted on 01/02/2008 at 7:01:07 PM

 
I am an owner of a blue pit. She is the most gentle dog I have owned! She is very good with my 1 year old daughter. I don't believe that they should be banned. To me most of the problem is the owners. Alot has to do with the way a dog has been raised. And it is owners like these that give the breed a bad name. And the only reason that you hear about these bites is because of the severity of the bite. Any dog can bite or be aggressive, I had a cocker spaniel, which are supposed to be great famliy dogs bite quite a few people, especially children. So I think that before they try to ban these dogs, people should have the right to have their dogs put thru aggression tests, because I sure as hell ain't getting rid of my well behaved dog!

Posted on 12/21/2007 at 6:12:38 PM

 
Word! BAD PEOPLE RAISE BAD DOGS! I HAVE A PIT BULL AND SHES SO LOVING. if ANY breed of dog feels scared or threatened...what do u expect them todo. They bite. They can't say...hey leave me alone..or push or hit...they only have there teeth. and i've been bitten by a little tiny dog. so what do u say about that.

Posted on 11/23/2007 at 4:11:00 PM

 
If Lesch cared about the safety of children perhaps he should focus on swimming pools, atvs and bicycles. Dogs have killed three people in the last 15 years in MN, in my town alone there has been two atv children's deaths in five years. The attack in Minneapolis. was dog abuse and bad ownership, you don't keep a human aggressive dog alive and chained up, even worse he was breeding that monster and creating more unsound dogs. Gee I wonder why there's "vicious" dogs around. Stop dog breeding by idiots and start mandantory spay/neutering for all non-shown dogs. Any overbred and abused breed of dog will end up with the same reputation, it's already happened to rotts, dobs, dalmations, german shepards, etc. Oh and I really love all the racism on here, I don't know a single black pit owner, only white.

Posted on 11/20/2007 at 3:11:00 PM

 
Banning specific breeds of dogs is rediuclous. I have a Pit Bull and she has more hart than most people that live in the planet.very good with children and other dogs at any age. There are more dangerous situations going on in the world and to mention PEOPLE! Putting another law stating what we can not have and do in this fabulous state of the freedom seems to be a favorite to the rich and coward.Instead of putting up stories of all the bad stuff that People do to these dogs there should be stories about all the good things these dogs do. Example is that the U.S. use these specific breed dogs ( pit bulls) for search and rescue, some use them for police inforcement dogs, retirement homes to give comfort and a freind to those people, etc.

Posted on 10/07/2007 at 3:10:00 PM

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