South Dakota has voted in new laws which make it illegal to own any of either Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Bull Mastiffs or any cross of these breeds.
The breeds are all banned, unless they ‘help’ or are being trained to help people with disabilities.
Dean Schock, mayor, explained that the legislation was passed due to concerns from people who walk or bike around town. The legislation was voted in by 103-27.
— Excellent, well reasoned law.
So are we assuming that disabled people aren’t worthy of protecting from these ‘dangerous’ breeds?
Or do we conclude that these breeds are actually perfectly safe if trained and well socialised in a responsible manner?
Hmmmm?
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Welcome to the land of the free, unless it comes to the freedom to choose what kind of dog you want to own.
You can buy a weapon over the counter but you will be banned from owning certain breeds of dog in South Dakota!
Instead of the US Constitution saying:
‘The right to bear arms’
Maybe it should read:
‘The right to own what breed of dog you wish’
It says five breeds plus any crosses of them. does this mean that people who have dogs that look like they may be crossed with any of the five, but are not in fact of these breed types will be deemed illegal?
This is the UK Dangerous Dogs Act all over again!
Save the South Dakota Five!
I agree you can have any dog you wish. However, you must be able to control it or face the consequences. Including, prison time & bankruptcy….or death (of you of course and your dog) if your dogs kill a another human.
Of course! The guilty should be punished. The irony here is the fact that fellow human beings do much harm and kill their own race, in numbers beyond calculations and our developed societies banned capital punishment.
Yes the dog attacks are primarily happen due to negligence & ignorance. Negligence of the owners and ignorance of the people. With due respect to the suffered, any simple consensus will aptly reveal that almost all the people against the particular breed have no personal experience with them (Also they are hugely outnumbered). The law just built on the basis of fear and the political system that depend on numbers.
Many of the readers here probably know that any pet is not less than other family members!
The breed ban will simply deprive the future generations from taking their own chances and freedom, the fear will suppress deeply and deprive them from great and friendly canines. The reason – their elders had scared of them and fear is a ego booster – “Somebody have to vanish but human do resist, so let it be dogs…coz they look scary” and they will disappear helplessly and without resistance…
Sometimes it may appear human gods will only decide the fates and directed the original one to obey or get fired – Its just a number game dude!
aparenlty if you raise dogs to sell them you are also exempt.
and in america pit bull is often used to descibe the american pitbull terrier, the amercian staffordshire terrier, and the staffordshire bull terrier, so it is actualy 7 breeds
I’d move before I’d give up my German shepherd. It is the owner’s fault not the dog’s fault when a dog goes bad.
Training, proper socialization and exercise is what is needed. Not stupid laws.
Small dogs can be just as vicious.
I agree with you Di I would never get rid of my 2 GSD….they are extremely friendly, and have manners, all at 6 months old…..we work with each pup for an hour the day….they sit to be petted by strangers without being told and never jump on a new friend. I have seen here in this area more bites from smaller dogs than large breeds. People really need to start looking at what is truly going on instead of assuming the problems are caused by large breed dogs
How rediculous!! My Rotty-mix was just attacked by a Golden Retriever (“the perfect family dog”) and had part of his ear ripped off. We should BAN rapists, child molesters, etc. before banning dog breeds…shouldn’t we be more afraid of them than dogs?
This from a state that is mainly republican (you know the party that says it wants LESS government in our lives). I am very sure police dogs are also exempt. What about guard dogs for ranches? It shows that the govt. cares more about lawsuits than scientific data. Don’t they know that “PITBULLS” are one of the most loved Family pets in Great Britain. And you don’t read about any bad dog breeds in that country. I have read that in truth more people are bit by Labrador Retrievers than any other dog breed. So let’s ban all tail wagging labs and start cull the world of ALL dogs!!
Thats not strictly true. Pitbulls have been banned in the UK years, staffordshire bull terriers are very popular but get (unfairly) blamed for dog attacks. They are seen as a status dog by many youths who ‘train’ them to be aggressive. Unfortunately some British MP’s have jumped on the band wagon and calling for them to also be banned.
I don’t agree that ANY breed of dog should be banned, i think people should have to prove they can look after/train a dog before they can have one. If they cant prove it they should be banned from owning pets
perhaps the governments should stop trying to ban
Why would anyone want to ban any dog!IT’S THE OWNERS THAT NEED BANNING, bring in a law that states responsible dog ownership! bring in a licence for these dogs to be owned! make the owners go on a training course before they get one ,this will discourage any unsuitable dog owner.I myself own a GSD(fantastic family pet)and a dogue de bordeaux,the biggest softy!so why tar every dog with the same brush!!!!!!
This is a quote from the mouth of my veterinarian regarding Rottweilers, of which I have 2, and a Dalmation owned by another customer- “I’d rather work with a Rottweiler any day of the week. Your a lot more likley to be bitten by a Dalmation. They (Dalmations) are an anxious breed”
But no, lets live in the kindergarten culture that has become the USA and say if one person can’t raise a dog right, than no one can have that kind. PUH-LEASE.
You can make a donation to help fight this infringement on your rights at http://www.amrottclub.org.
Sarah
South Dakota should look at the Dog Owner Suitability Test that the Pet Owners Parliament has come up with for the UK.
I had 2 rottweilers and they were the best dogs I have ever had. I took them to obedience school and they were the biggest babies. My female was afraid of her own shadow half the time and I would have to remind her she was a Rottweiler and not to be a whimp..ha!
I bred for a while and people came back to me and told other people about my Rotts because of their temperament. It is all in how you raise a dog. I raise mine with lots of love and praise. And they respected me, so they were wonderful dogs. When people came to visit, they would want to love on them so much that I would have to put them outside to give my company a break. BREED TYPE has NOTHING to do with the way a dog behaves. It is the responsibility of the owner. Just like with guns………..it is the owner’s responsibility of ownership. Something goes wrong……the owner goes down for it. Simple as that. You can make a yorkie mean and many more times, they break skin before one of those 5 breeds would. Laws need revised!!!
I just found this site by accident while searching for dogs on the web, what a crock of a law. I am a disabled person with a German Shepherd. HMMMM, I think that this law should also pertain to the state and federal criminal justice system then, they also use a so-called dangerous dog breed. I used 2 own a pit, the most loyal dog breed I have ever had the pleasure of being around.
I agree with Di, small dogs can and sometimes are just as vicious if not more so than the larger breeds, again “What a crock of a law”.
I think banning the 5 breeds may be a good idea. I’m a former German Shepherd owner, & every once in a while she would surprise me & bite someone who acted afraid of her.
I think Pit Bulls & Rottweilers should be banned everywhere in the U.S. I ask myself; that with all the breeds available, why would anyone in their right mind want a pit bull?
All the answers that come to mind do not cast the owner in a very favorable light.
Perhaps like one responder said, the best solution would be to enact strong laws with prison time on owners of dogs that kill & maim.
Lloyd, do you have any idea of the amazing number of dogs in these breeds that are friendly, well adjusted, and owned by totally responsible owners that control them? The number of bites from these breeds is miniscule in comparison to the huge number of them out there. The only dog in our neighborhood that bit anyone in the years we have lived here was a GOLDEN RETRIEVER!
If your GSD bit, it was YOUR fault!
don’t ban the dog breeds, ban the idiot politicians who make those idiot laws.
why aren’t child molesters, rapists, murderers banned from society?
i have had two Rottweilers in the past, and they had the best personalities. hell i am meaner then my dogs, and i like my dogs sweet i have also had Dobes, and German Shepards, all good dogs. i have met more mean people, than mean dogs.
That is Ludicrous! I have a Pitbull…. and I would choose any of those “dangerous breeds” (rottweiler, german shepard, doberman, and pitbull) over any little dog or lab anyday. I have owned little dogs, “supposedly good smart labs and ect”… and the rottweiler and pitbull I have owned, well the pitbull I own now, were the smartest, loving, friendlist, and most wonderfull with children, never aggressive. They were house trained by 3 months old and by 4 months knew how to sit, shake, fetch, lay, roll over, and play dead. Never yippee barking dogs. NEVER would bite anyone, dropped all toys when told to, very loving cuddling dogs, do wonderfull with playing with other dogs. People need to wake up and realize its ALL ABOUT HOW YOU RAISE ANY DOG! It’s like saying I didnt shot the guy the gun did. WAKE UP AMERICA and realize you are accountable for the dogs actions, they are not born aggressive, it’s people that make them that way. Since that is the way South Dakota feels I will never go there again for a visit or sturgis bike week, I wont waste my money and state that obviously knows nothing and that is VERY close minded and just plain stupid.
I think what Lloyd wrote is completely ridiculous and unfounded. We got a pit bull from the shelter as a puppy and she is the sweetest dog you will ever meet. She went through 4 obedience classes and just got her therapy dog liscense a few weeks ago. We will be taking her to hospitals to cheer up patients. It all depends on the training that determines the dog, not the breed. People would want a pit bull because they are loyal family dogs, just like many other breeds. Our dog is great with our young neices and nephews and I don’t worry for aminute that she would ever hurt them. How would you like it if they decided to start banning people based on the same reasoning? Just becasue some people have given pit bulls a bad name, doesn’t mean they are all alike, it is stereotyping at it’s worst and the innocent dogs are the ones who suffer!
I agree 100 % with South Dakota ! My golden was recently attacked in Waikiki by two Bull Mastiffs … what's next someone walking two Bengal Tigers?
And I have owned 5 bull mastiffs and they were the sweetest things ever. Don't judge a breed based on what 2 dogs do. It's like saying all black men are criminals because my mate had a black guy rob his house, its like saying all muslims are terrorists because of 2 idiots who blew up the World Trade Center.
Also, my cat was savaged by a golden retriever so not all dogs are perfect.
I own a Mastiff as well. Biggest Gentle Giant there is. ANY dog can attack if not properly trained.
i own a bullmastiff cross english bull terrier here in england and though i can not get her officaly trained due to her breed at least thats what i’ve been told she is wonderfull with me helping me sit up in the morning getting things when i drop them she is learning to do the lights for me as you may have surmised i am disabled and in a wheelchair and i rarely get out without her though taking her with me limits the places i can go as dogs are banned from a lot of places in general here by the way i was bitten by a badly trained labrador you know the ones trusted by everyone and my dog was attacked twice once by a golden and once by a husky and she’s still fine with other dogs still wanting to play with anything as she has been well socilised also she is great with kids. before they were banned here i also had freinds with 2 rescue pitts both had sufferd horific abuse by previous owners both were great with us kids growing up we often used them as pillows whilst watching tv on a saturday morning which we couldn’t do with their whippet as he was grumpy and a bit skinney also before my condition detiriated to the point that i became a wheechair user i used to breed horses and had a rotwiler and a dobberman as trained guard dogs but they were also good with the kids who came to the stables with their pearents who were useing my empty stables to borad their horses
mr dahlberg,
dogs go for other dogs, that does’t make them mean, yes it is up to the owners to leash their dogs, but there are a lot of idiots out there, including you.
Every breed was made for a specific reason. These huge, highly intelligent breeds are made for security. They should be kept and owned by people who can afford them and also need them. They are very lovable and need a high amount of attention and discipline. I have 4 rottweilers , 4 dobermans , 2 german shephards at my residence for security and also my 2 year old kid plays with them daily. Many times we keep our child alone with our pets as our child is in full protection when our dogs are there to protect it.
I have a german shepherd and they are wonderful dogs. He wouldn’t hurt anyone and to the other extreme my neighbors have 2 brittany spaniels one of which bit my son. I do have to say though that I would never leave children alone with such a large dog pack. It’s just crazy. Something could happen between the dogs and the children could be in the middle. Better safe than sorry no matter how much you think you can trust your dogs.
Please think twice.
Dobermans and "Pits" were among the dogs that helped ensure the safety of our troops in past wars. This is how we repay their loyalty and devotion? You gotta be kidding me. I agree with whomever said their vet would rather interact with anything other than a Dalmation. I had an experience with one and it was crazy. Thought the dog was going to attack me for no reason!
there over 500breeds of dogs calm ones,i don't see the reason u guys will break your head over the most dangerous 5 dogs in fact too me any one that want to train any of those dogs will have a special country were the dogs can eat them when they are hungry.
You guys don't get it. Vicious dogs are the product of people who want vicious dogs, or in some cases simply the product of someone who really shouldn't have a dog having one. Dogs respond to their owners-like they have done for 10's of 1000's of years. My sister and I were attacked by 2 labradors when we walked past their house (they jumped the fence) on our way to school because their owner encouraged that kind of behaviour. If a mean person gets a dog, the dog will be mean. They've evolved along side people for so long that they just adapt into whatever situation they're brought up into. There is not a single breed I would trust from an evil owner, and not a single breed I wouldn't trust from a good owner. But people who are looking for an aggressive dog prefer the ones that have some kind of rep, who have a history of filling that kind of position and who can be made to look the part so they tend to choose certain breeds over others. What you have to understand is that if these people went out and bought a poodle or whatever, it would end up exactly the same, and there are cases to prove this, including what happened to my sister and I where 2 labradors attacked children. There are of course also many many cases to prove that in the hands of a good responsible owner, many of these banned breeds make the best pets-i.e they work as service dogs etc, and given that, I don't even understand how anyone can claim that it's the breed and not the owner that determines the temperament of the dog. I think having vicious animals in society is a serious problem, but banning particular breeds will do nothing to help with it. They need to monitor what kind of people are buying dogs and for what purposes, because not only is it potentially dangerous, it's also cruel on the animals-they're not born vicious, you have to work to make them that way and show them little in the way of the good side of humans. My family have only ever kept dogs on this list, a rottie, 2 german shepherds and now a dobe/rottie cross. Number of attacks or even signs of aggression-0, number of people who have been scared of any of our dogs-0. Please people, think rationally about this, don't deny good people the right to a great pet just because there are a bunch of stupid selfish people out there. And believe me, so long as those people have dogs, no matter what breed, they will be dangerous.
"South Dakota has voted in new laws which make it illegal to own any of either Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Bull Mastiffs or any cross of these breeds.
The breeds are all banned, unless they ‘help’ or are being trained to help people with disabilities.
Okay, lets keep this simple".
These five breeds are banned because they are too dangerous! Yes?
These five breeds will be allowed as disability assistance dogs because because they are safe and good at the job! Yes?
Oh dear, my head hurts!
I thought s.1 DDA was bad enough. How did I miss this ridiculous news first time round.
This is horrendous!!
in the UK the dog of CHOICE for the police is the GS – german shepherd/ alsatian. they also now use rotties too.
Are our police harbouring criminal killers……. this is political bull.
I have 2 english bull terriers – the ones from the oliver twist film with the flat faces – and 2 errrrm staffs (pits are illegal in UK)
they all live together and apart from the odd disagreement or scuffle (NEVER EVER a fight), like any brothers and sisters, they are brilliant! – truley amazing with kids – my biggest is nearly 90LBS and totally fit as we run a lot. He pulls my kids aroud by his ears on their heely’s ! and loves being mauled by kids.
My bulls are also very intuitive to how people feel about them. I had a situation recently where a child who always asks his dad for a dog met my big boy. He was very frightened due to my boys size…. my boy simply walked away and lay down. The kid then tried to get him out of his bed to stroke/play as he had more confidence then! My bully didnt move at all untill i let him after which he walked up to the child and lay n his back – the kid then fell asleep ON top of my boy and cried when he had to go home!! – he now calls my big lad his big bear!
when will beaurocrats learn!!
BTW we had a familly jack russel as i was a kid – great with the family but seriously wanted to fight anything other than people anytime he was out!!! – but its ok cause he was a small dog!!!! – how ludicrous the law is!
my neighbours rottie – and this is amazing! – walks with his daughter to school(no leash/lead), then comes home on her own! ( we live on a very nice developement no idiots)!!
PLEASE DONT BLAME A BREED FOR THE LAZYNESS OR IDIOCY OF THE OWNER!!!
I love the analogy of
“I DIDNT KILL HIM YOUR HONOUR – IT WAS THE GUN AND BULLET!”
What a shame, what a pity. My family has had three Germand Shepherds in the past, buried in loving spots with great care as they aged and died.
I’ll tell you about the last one, Lacy. After the death of my husband I was forced to go back to work, my son was 8. A gal at work at German Shepherd for sale and convinced me to get my son one. Being familiar with the breed, having one as a child, I wan’t afraid of this dog.
I brought Lacy home and her protection of ALL children on the street was remarkable. We lived in a rural area on a dead end street but there was approximately 30 children who rode the school bus. Lacy would follow them ALL to the stop and after each one was on safely, she would come back home and WAIT for the bus. She would then proceed to bring the children home. ALL the children loved her. Why? Because ANY dog no matter how many, no matter how big was royally beat down to the ground by my Sheperd if a child so much as cried out due to being afraid of another aggressive dog on the street. At that time there were three families that had several large aggressive dogs, and Lacy would take each and everyone of them down. When land owners got tired of the bad dogs, they would call the pound only AFTER my Sheperd was safe in one of their homes if I was at work. It went like this, “Bring Lacie in, we need to call the pound”
Talk about being proud of MY dog. I still beam with the knowledge of how she protected us.
This same dog was inside my house feeding her litter, I had left the door open while I stepped outside to check the mail. Five of those dogs gained up and came running up to me, snarling and being very aggresive. I never even HEARD Lacy coming. She had left that litter of pups and was in front of me bearing teeth and snarling like I had never seen. She wrapped her body around me and FORCED me back into my home. One of those dogs was a ‘pet’ wolf and two of those dogs were her half breed pups, another was a Pit Bull, and the last a chow.
She had met her MORE than her match and she won, hands down.
I had always taught my children to love, be kind to, and respect their animals, when one died we held funeral services for it. I could NOT go to Lacy’s funeral. It was month before I could even go to that part of the property.
Oh, not to diss on Pitts, but my son’s best friend had a Pitt who followed the boy of the house to our house daily. My daughter and her new boyfriend came over and the Pitt jumped up in the air when the man got out of his car and lunged for his face. Lacy also went straight up in the air taking down the Pitt and tore her a new asshole. My Sheperd understood they were welcome for she seen me hugging them, the Pitt who came over later did NOT see this and had spent so much time at our house she was trying to protect us also.
Only goes to show, dogs need to be trained. Was I afraid of the Pitt after that? No. It was doing what guard dogs that are NOT trained do.
But, it’s been five years since Lacy died and I’m ready for another big dog, and found this site by running google on Dobermans. I want to try the Doberman but have heard so many horror stories so I keep looking to see if any of it is really true. So far, it seems even a Sheperd will attack more readily than a Doberman, so if I can handle a Sheperd I can handle a Doberman.
Rest in peace all good dogs.
Rot in hell all bad owners who do not train your dogs properly, who do not socialize your dogs, and who LIKE the idea that your dogs readily attacks anything that moves.
Well Lacy and my chihuahua WERE a little blood thirsty when it came to wild game on the property. The chihuahua would get in the heavy underbrush and chase out the rabbits, then they both would run after it. Thankfully, the rabbit always went up the hill and got away.
Does anyone else think it’s odd that you can own a tiger as a pet in South Dakota, albiet if you register and licence it, but you can’t own a Rottweiler period… Geez, I can’t wait to take my 700lbs Amur tiger for a stroll around the neighborhood, god forbid we run into a dangerous roti on the way.
I’m a wildlife conservationist who has worked on tiger projects around the world and have a German Rottweiler – loving, very intelligent, wary of strangers but unconditional love once she gets to know you for more than ten minutes, her best friend is the cat, worst mauling – my favorate pair of slippers, very ugly site.
Responsible owners, responsible breeding, overbreeding, responsible training. Most people have no idea that there are various breeds of rottweiler bred for different purposes. First, the shadier roti, bred to be big bad and mean irregardless of potentially unstable genetic traits. Second, working rots, though smaller in size (for the most part German rots) they are fast, nimble and highly athletic and tend to be more headstrong and wary of anyone that is not their handler. These rots are protection dogs in the truest sense and are used by K-9 units and police dogs all over the world – not a dog you want just as a pet – though still noble and great with immediate family. They are usually Schutzund trained and have to pass one of the dog worlds most demanding pass fail tests in obedience, tracking, agility and protection. Three – Rotis that are bred for socialization, who still demand training and plenty of excercise ( I would still consider them to be working dogs) in fact many roti owners, myself included still train them Shutzhund because it is so rewarding for both handler and dog. These are not idle dogs no matter what. I train my roti in obedience, agility and tracking, though not protection. The difference between the latter two is mostly training and breeding temperment. I have owned Labs, Danes, Retreivers, Collies and though I love them all, none compare with a rotweiller for loyalty, intelligence, family life, and calm and stoic behaviour.
This is even more of an erosion of our civil rights as dog owners with cities, counties, and municipalities now trying to tell people what kinds of dogs you can have in their corportation limits.
You voted these people into office, if they are not protecting your interests then they are being led around by the nose, by big government.
People need to understand these bans can be fought as discriminatory and slanderous against a breed of dog, which the propaganda of the media has all but destroyed the legacy of a dog that was a hero to the soldiers of World War 1. And is owned by numerous Hollywood stars.
In fact, Linda Blair runs a Pit Bull rescue organization, and many stars have spoke up in support of the Pit Bull.
I have suffered nasty bites from a Poodle, but they are not being singled out, for euthanization, most officials that vote for these BSL and breed Restriction laws cannot pick a Pit Bull out of a 30 dog photo array and have actually chosen Jack Russell Terriers and dogs not even close to the Pit Bull.
So, how can these officials be held accountable for passing bans on these dogs when they cannot even identify one?
People, need to fight these archaic laws, when governments should be focused on things to help the country and economy, but are instead focused on trying to restrict the ownership of animals.
We need to get rid of these anti-dog politicians who will tell every lie necessary to get voted into office and stick the screws to the people afterwards.
That’s 103 people in South Dakota that need to be fired from office. In fact, their breed (blood line) should be banned from the state, for stupidity.
Just about every breed of dog has a history of biting someone at one point in time, but to pick a few is ludicrous. With all the members of those breeds that exist toady, it is only a very small minority that cause any harm.
I have had two German Shepard’s and they were great dogs. I can’t remember all the people that told me the same thing about their own Shepards. In fact, everyone of them said it was the best dog they ever had. My girl friend had a Rottweiler and it was also a great dog.
I’ve been bit a number of times in my life, but it has always been by smaller dogs. The worst was a Cocker Spaniel. Should we also outlaw Cocker Spaniels too?
I agree Steven…
This an unreasonable law I think that if you can’t handle the puppy/dog then sell it but don’t judge the dog if it tries to bite you unless it’s doing it meanly but now it’s a protective dog and it thinks you are trying to hurt it’s family then I would run and don’t come back till the dog is used to you.
Why ban the dogs?? Why don’t you make it a law that if you want one of these dogs… 1. check there background.. 2. go to there house and make sure there is a fence. 3. make them do research on the animal… Cigarettes kill a ton of people a year and so does guns and automobiles… but, we are not banding them now are we.. if you can’t deal w/ them down here on earth… then I hope by the time you get to heaven you will be able to deal with them… cause they will be up there..
Well this law is some major BS!!!!! I have 2 companion GSD, they are friendly to everyone and all other dogs. My GSDs also play frequently with a Pit Bull and Rottweiler, and there has never been an issue. Maybe the people making these laws need a reality check because last I knew it takes an owner to make a dog either aggressive or friendly. Also here are some stats regarding Pit Bulls (which are lovable dogs):
About 40 people (children) per year die by drowning in 5-gallon water pails. A person, during their lifetime, is 16 times more likely to drown in a 5-gallon water pail than to be killed by a Pit Bull; Approximately 50 children in the US are killed every year by their cribs – 25 times the number of children and adults killed by Pit Bulls; Approximately 150 people are killed every year by falling coconuts. Therefore, you are more than 60 TIMES MORE LIKELY to be killed by a PALM TREE than a Pit Bull; Each year, 350 people drown in their bathtubs. You are 151 times more likely to be killed by your bathtub than you are by a Pit Bull; Every year, more than 2,000 children in the U.S. are killed by their parents or guardians either through abuse or neglect. A child is more than 800 times more likely to be killed by their caretaker than by a Pit Bull; It can be estimated that for every Pit Bull who kills, there are 10.5 MILLION that DON’T
Now onto temperament testing……..
According to the American Canine Temperament Testing Association, 85.3%of the American Pit Bull Terriers that took the temperament test passed, compared to a 81.9% passing rate for all breeds on average. In the test a dog is placed in a series of confrontational situations. The first sign of aggression or panic is a failure of the test. Pit Bulls have achieved the fourth highest passing rate of all 122 breeds tested
Now this are just comparisons for just pit bulls…..Never-mind if these were compared to say GSD and Rottweilers and the Gentle Giant Bull Mastiff. Whomever looked up the stats on dog bites and attacks really should have looked at all the facts…..Never-mind the fact that my 92 yr old neighbor (whom my dogs will sit and allow him and his senior dog to walk by) was recently bit by a Maltese. The smaller breed dogs although not all do but most depend on being snippy for protection and are more apt to bite ….Come on America and STOP RESTRICTING BREEDS THAT ARE LOVING CARING MEMBERS OF A FAMILY.
I am absolutely amazed by the stupidity of our law givers.
The breeds aren’t the problem nor are the responsible owners. You really need to rethink this law. The breeds you have banned have served our country and our service men for years. Outlaw the trash who abuse the breeds.
There are more dog bites/attacks from small breed dogs. The cute ones can break skin and cause more damage than most people expect.
Maybe we need to ban the law givers and get some people in office who have a shred of common sense.
I think there is a problem with the article. I do not believe these breeds were banned in the entire state, just one town which the author omitted. Quoted is a Mayor, not a governor or other state official.
I think Ryan’s oversight is causing a panic. Granted, the ban is stupid for even just one city, but I have not heard it is for the entire state.
Ya know its a shame that even in a frontier state, a beautiful state like SD can be run by the same IDIOTS as the ones in DC, you get out of a dog what you put into it, plain and simple !! if it wasnt for these individuals ( Criminal ) who train these dogs to do the destrruction they are fully capable of, nothing would have been said, however its the Dogs fault ???? where in the hell do they find these polititans???? I have seen more fortitutde out of a jar of mayonaise, and more common sence from a comic book. I guess someone forgot to remind them that a collie, springer spaniel and lets not forget the Mighty and fearsome Beagal could do just as much damage as one of our breeds can do well before I get to riled up I will get off my soap box and calm down, and for those in SD next time the vote comes around……………. Vote them out!!!!
I agree. Some idiot politican in MN tried that, got voted down…
Let’s enforce the law for all breeds vs just banning certain breeds…
Put the blame where it belongs.. On the owners and not on the dogs…
The owners should be fined and banned from owning dogs of any breeds..
Taken from buzzle.com, had to see it to believe it.
“The whispers are true. Leola, South Dakota has indeed, tragically, passed Breed Specific Legislation, banning certain ‘types’ of dogs in their town. A summary of the details are as follows:
• The breeds involved are pit bulls, bull mastiffs, Rottweilers, Doberman
pinchers, German shepherds, and any mixes of those breeds.”
When are they going to learn its not the breed but the idiot human that owns them. Banning certain breeds isn’t the answer. Bringing down the unwanted dog population is! Laws need to be brought in to sort out the mess we are in. Bringing out dog licences is also not the answer, it didn’t work the first time around so what makes people think it will work this time? Those that don’t care just won’t pay and us responsible owners will be the ones that suffer, besides how do they hope to police it? They can’t even police laws already passed such as fining owners that let their dogs fowl the payment. Money would be better spent providing dog bins and bags on every street not just in the affluent areas, but around the council estaes as well. Also bringing in a individual dog licence could actually increase the amount of unwanted dogs and strays, as those on low income, that would struggle to pay a licence, are more likely to get rid of their dog/dogs.
Dog breeding is where the law needs to be changed. Breeders should have a licence and part of that fee should go to the breed rescue society. In my contract my pups are to come back to me, but there could be one that slips through the net and I feel as I bred that dog I am responsible for it for its entire life. The kennel club need to change its policy, and not register puppies from either non health tested parents or from parents with known hereditary problems such as epilepsy etc. And also from a bitch that has been bred on a back to back litter. The breeding age of a bitch should be raised from one to two years of age, as they are not mature enough at the age of one. And all dogs not registered to a licened breeder should be neutered. I just spent last friday travelling with a friend for our local GSD rescue society to pick up three 18 week old girls, from a lady that hadn’t had either her dog or bitch neutered and resulted in an unwanted litter of ten puppies, 3 of which she couldn’t rehome. They had no registration papers and neither of the parents had been health tested. This could of been avoided with the right laws in place. Back street breeders and puppy farms need to be stopped it dogs from these breeders that are more likely to end up in a rescue or attack someone as the homes they go to havn’t been vetted what so ever, they are just advertised in the local paper and sold to the first buyer. Breeders should have a ppovide a proper paper work trail, a genuin, legally binding contract should be produced and made law, breeders should have to provide proof of everything such as worming etc to prove things are being done correctly. Breeders should also only be allowed a certain amount of litters. All puppies, should be chipped and register to the breeder as well as the new owner. Yes the price of the puppies will go up but maybe only those that truely want the dog will find the money for it?
I am a registered British Association for German Shepherd Dogs Instructor and after instructing for the BAGSD for many years, have been running two busy training schools since the mid eighties. Our schools cater for all breeds and we have a significant number of GSD’s, Doberman, Bull Mastiff, Rottweillers etc., training with us all the time. Along with every breed from the smallest to the largest from puppy socialisation to advanced obedience we encourage responsible ownership, socialisation at all levels and cover the phsycholgy of the dog to help owners understand the K9 mind. While bad breeding of any dog can cause a multitude of problems more often with health issues than attitude, it should be remembered that correct training, brain stimulation and a happy environment are essential ingredients for any dog. It is the ‘I know it all’ owners that are in the main responsible for their dogs behaviour and reaction to other dogs and people. In thirty years of working with dogs and teaching owners, I have been bitten just twice once by a Jack Russell with attitude and once admittedly by a German Shepherd, that subsequently turned out to have a brain tumour. While the Pit Bull is currently outlawed in the UK, the other breeds mentioned are both popular and plentiful. I totally agree with Karen Capon with regard to back street breeding and puppy farms also her comments on the Breeders and for that matter Rescue organisations.
I live with an amazing dobermann. She is so sweet natured and loving. All she wants is to be hugged, constantly. I trust her 100% with my kids. I now never want any other breed of dog. Incidently, I had a cocker spaniel who’s favourite past time was to take chunks out of peoples bottoms!
And if those so called “bad” breeds can be used as disability dogs doesn’t that proove that it isn’t the breed that is bad, it comes down to individual temperament, breeding and training?
There is no such law in SD. The only law that is there is in the case of daycare it must be confined. The worst bite from a Rottweiler in south Dakota was a young lady was tripped by her own dogs leash when a rott came over to play and she tried to sue everyone and lost the suit. ICitys have yaken it to declare certian dogs aggressive dangers and the rukes they put on owners will cause agressin. Evidently they have not gotten profesional wisdom before making these laws. I know what I say I have trained many supposed aggressive dogs and returned them finding only pent up energy. I live in SD and our legislators would never make such a law. If anything Sd legislaters are model law makers respecting your rights.
According to the CDC there have only been 29 fatal dog attacks from rotts in 20 years with a couple million registered with AKC alone do how does that make them get on a viscious dog list, That is as sad as making a whole nationality responible fro the actions of 29 people.Professing themselves to be wise they became fools.
if the goverment wanted to do house to house inspection and siezures do you think they would want the hastle of dealing with possibly dangerous dogs at every other house? they would also like for you turn in your fire arms, then all theyve got to worry about is the criminals unfortunately for us there are to types of criminals in this world those with badges and those without. DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE DOGS, REALLY?
Banning these amazing dogs is horrible. I have a Bull Mastiff mix who looks like he might have Pit in him cause of his head. He decided one day to move in with us when he was a stray pup less then a year old and we kept him he’s now about three or four years old. I can see how people would be afraid of him at first but he’s the biggest baby and all he wants to do is give everyone hugs and kisses. never once bit anyone and wants so much attention that if you leave him alone he cries Mamma. he never once attacked any animal or person. heck we even had llamas, pigs, and a goat, 5 other dogs and puppies and all he wanted to do was play even stray dogs came into the yard and he’d play with them. we always had lots of people coming around and they’ed just walk right up to him and he’s give them big slobbery kisses. Also one of our family friends raised lots of mastiffs for years since before I was born I’m 20 now and he only has a beautiful Rotty whos sweet as pie none of his dogs would never ever or have ever hurt anything.
for Pitbulls I have always loved the breed and have always wanted one or two of them but we some how always ended up with strays so we always had to many dogs to go get another one. But my neighbors always had a few pits they never had them on a leash or fenced up so they’d come over all the time. they were the sweetest dogs never once fought another dog or attacked anyone. then one day this one evil woman stole one of their dogs and took it miles away from home and ran him over. Horible thing someone could do poor baby was left there to slowly die. Evil people like this shouldnt deserve to live plus she was one of their family friends.
The only time I have ever came near to being bit by a pit was when this family we knew had theirs locked up on a leash. she never got any attention or went near any kind of animals since she was pup. once she got older they didnt want to play with her or show her what its like to be loved she had avery bad attitude and only was fed and watered by her people nothing more and they’d be mean to her.
So yeah I do believe 1000% that it’s not the dogs it’s the owner. I don’t get why people blame these dogs and ban them when People go around killing, raping, child molesting, and more horrible things and all they do is get sent to jail and eventauly get turned loose. you think a child molester will stop mollesting children just cause they went to jail for a few years no they’ll will eventaully do it agian but do a better job hidding it. Instead of waisting time killing these dogs and making bans on them why not start bring back the death penalty and kill what really deserves to be killed not these poor sweet dogs and peoples beloved pets
People there is no such law in SD. This is one little town that has no intelligent input. Just a bunch of people that are not qualified to make intelligent laws. Thank God they are so small you can’t even find the mayer on google.The CDC said Breed Specific biting is not a scitific report. They found as the popularity of the breed goes up so does the rate of bites. Also they found that many alleged Rotts and pits were not even such. Study has found 3 of the 5 breeds mentioned are the top ten most intelligent dogs. And all were the most popular breeds. If you go to the CDC they have extensive study that says even a basege has killed. So lets out law them also
Nature vs Nurture
It’s a sad day when the idiots in society mean we have to ban certain dogs. Dogs are not naturally vicious, it is learnt behaviour, it is the idiots that buy these kind of dogs to look hard (though if you are hard why do you need a dog) but have no idea how to train them and are too stupid to realise that if you use your bare hands to play fight with a dog then it will learn to think biting hands is ok.
Education is the obvious answer, in the UK there are 27 million pets and around 60 million people, 7.3 million dogs. How many are needed before an hour of ‘animal welfare’ classes are introduced or something like that, perhaps a licence to own one of these breed of dogs – obtained after proving you can take care of the dog.
Something like this has to be enforced because sadly too many people in society are too stupid to research and learn about the lives they are responsible for.
But of course it’s cheaper just to ban these breeds and earn quick political points from the bunch of angry people who have nothing better to do than petition for the banishment of something they fear and can’t control.
Not many people want to own Wolves, beacause they are dangerous and will eat the kids on your weekend lay in. So, with there being a considerable number of responsible owners of these breeds I feel I can make an educated judgement that these dogs are safe and can be trained (otherwise they’d eat the kids on the weekend lay in). It’s all down to the owner’s intelligence and their ability to communicate with their dog and build it into a good character.
Nature vs Nurture – It is not the colour of the dog’s skin but the way it is raised and trained that determines the behaviour.