Hayley, I don't support the DDA although to me it is very obvious the breed needs protection from the wrong sort of people, I'm frankly quite surprised you cannot see this.
I support the ban on Pit Bulls because if they were to ever made legal it would be a total disaster, we already have enough Stafford owners in the UK that cannot cope and dump their dogs in rescues everyday.
If the ban were ever to get lifted think of the suffering those poor dogs will go through being used and abused to line the pockets of low life scum who think nothing of the dogs, only the money they can make from them using them in illegal activities. These dogs suffer enough, we don't need that kind of suffering in the UK, dogs that are legal to own already get used in illegal dog fighting in the UK, rescues just pick up the pieces of those mashed broken souls, do we need the Pit Bull adding to those statistics?.
There are enough breeds for people to take their pick from without fighting a cause that was lost in the 90's when the DDA came into force, why can't people ever be happy with what they have and support the dog breeds that are perfectly legal to own?
The harder the DDA gets pushed and shoved under all the 'wrong' legal eagles noses the easier it is for them to extend that ban adding dogs that are currently perfectly legal to own, the harder you push the easier you make it for them.

I am relieved to hear that Hayley your posts past and present did rather make one wonder .

So your signature is not correct then

How can you truly love your breed when all you do is try and change it, Because if you did truely love your breed you would not want to change any aspect of it

you are happy to see one aspect changed then . Many people have tried to reduce aggressive tendencies with selective breeding and therefore to make dogs less dangerous to other dogs and I guess that is true of PBT too. Perhaps you should change your signature to avoid further confusion..

Not sure if this is the right place to put this, (if it's wrong many apologies) but this article is about some vets and trainers who are attempting to rehabilitate some pit bulls, some of whom were used as fighters and some of whom were used as breeders.

What i found very surprising (and it could be a one off or not, I have no idea ) is that one dog who had been used for fighting, Sam, never attempted to start a fight with the other dogs.

Here's the link:

http://www.learningaboutdogs.com/td5.htm

I'm finding it really hard to pass comment - I don't think I know enough about the pit bull to do so I've never met one as far as I know.

Wys
x

Hi Wysywig please feel free to comment, your views would be most welcome whatever they are.

I found the link most interesting, it says two of the dogs were human aggressive and to me that is no reflection on the poor dogs, but attributable to the dogs previous circumstances.

I also believe with gentle care it would be possible to rehabilitate some PBT, sadly though many do not get the chance. If I had the time and money I would love to have a go , what greater reward can there be than to watch the real dog emerge from a sad shell

That's a really nice thought.

Minihaha i think you really need to address what you say as this is a thread i have posted on here which does say and show i do not agree with dog fighting very clearly and there there are others too.


http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=9972

These pieces are not what the anti-Pit media want to know about. Thought I`d even things up a bit

PitBull uses in Therapy, Service and other work

http://www.americanpitbullregistry.c...ngpitbulls.htm

SPANKY THE ARTISTIC PITBULL

http://www.pitbullpress.com/ARTICLES/spanky.html

A lovely piccy loaded vid of Pits with their families

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=80025&fr=

From http://www.pbrc.net/breedspecific.html
[ Pit Bull rescue Central ]

1. Dog problems are generally problems with owner responsibility and are not limited to breeds. When breeds are singled out as dangerous or vicious, responsibility is removed from the dog owner which is where it belongs. Irresponsible people are also less likely to follow the law - and as a result, everyone has to suffer.


From : http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/pospress.html

Popsicle, Cool K9! One year ago, Popsicle helped the feds seize 3,075 pounds of cocaine from a pineapple-laden truck at the Mexican border-the biggest drug bust ever at the Hidalgo, Texas, port of entry.

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When the deadly cottonmouth snake struck out at "her" children, Dixie never hesitated. The dog pushed the children aside, putting her 50-pound body between them and the snake. Dixie, Heroic pit bull

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Petunia visits area classrooms with the Greenbelt-based Partnership for Animal Welfare's Responsible Pet Owner (RPO) program. "Petunia waited while 40 children petted her," said Towson parent Karen Sindall. "I've never seen a more warm, loving and patient dog." Yet Petunia is a pit bull, a name applied to several breeds originally bred for strength, agility, dog-fighting and -- worth noting -- absence of aggression toward humans, because handlers had to work closely with the dogs. Today, bull breeds score high on temperament tests, and the majority are family pets. Man makes dogs bite .

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Heroic Pit Bull: Dog Finds Help For Injured Neighbor. Move over Lassie. A pit bull terrier has shown Auburn's resident that heroic dog deeds don't just happen in the movies or on TV.

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As I unload my dog, one of the Sheriff's deputies says, "Hey, is that a Pit Bull?" "Yes Sir it is," I proudly say with a smile (this happens every time).

"I didn't know they can be search dogs?" he said. I tell him that they are perfect for search work. They are strong and athletic which helps them get through the roughest terrain. They have very good drive which keeps them focused on what they are doing. They can work for hours, and they LOVE people.
Search & Rescue .


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The dog, who's lived with her more than two years, helped save both Tollison and her sister from a fire that erupted early last Wednesday in her Pine Ridge Road home. Pit bull a hero in Holly Hill home fire


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I first met RCA when she was first in training and living with her trainer, John. I was captivated by her charm and obedience. Later, when I got my first Sheltie and I would bring him over to John's to visit, she was incredibly tolerant to this rambunctious puppy and would bring him toys to play with. Of course, her favorite toy was a tug toy and she always won.
Alaska's First Certified Hearing Dog .

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We are still living in a nursing facility and Spike has become a part of the facility. Over the past year he has gained about 8 pounds. Residents and staff keep dog cookies in their rooms and as we go down the hall he has to visit everybody.
Service dog Spike

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Sunni loves to catch Frisbees and chase tennis balls. But the 4-year-old American pit bull terrier also participates in something far more important - donating blood. "She's what they call a universal blood donor," said Toni Klemstein, the dog's owner. "She's missing the antigens that cause other dogs to react to a donation. She's already donated blood three or four times."
Pit bull saves other dogs with its blood

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Waterloo, Ontario -- NORTON, a five-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier cross breed was the only one to hear Ann Mathews collapse after a severe reaction to a spider bite. Norton managed to rouse Ann's husband Barrie, still asleep in bed, and lead him to the main floor of the house where Ann was losing consciousness. Barrie called 911, and as ambulance attendants arrived she stopped breathing. Ann was revived at the hospital and spent several days recovering.
Norton Hero dog

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Periodically, over a month's time, sixty-five pound Weela crossed the flooded river to bring food to seventeen dogs and puppies and one cat, all stranded on an island. Each trip she pulled thirty to fifty pounds of dog food that had been loaded into a harnessed backpack.
The animals were finally evacuated on Valentine's Day.

On another occasion, Weela led a rescue team to thirteen horses stranded on a large manure pile completely surrounded by floodwaters. The rescue team successfully brought the horses to safe ground.

Finally, during one of Weela's trips back from delivering food to stranded animals, she came upon a group of thirty people who were attempting to cross the floodwaters. Weela, by barking and running back and forth, refused to allow them to cross at that point where the waters ran deep and fast. She then led the group to a shallower crossing upstream, where they safely crossed to the other side.

Stong, gentle intelligent and brave, Weela,CGC,TT, is the ultimate American Pit Bull terrier, epitomizing the best that the breed has to offer. But her story also highlights an important yet often misunderstood fact about the breed. The Pit Bull is a dog that loves to please its owner and tries to become whatever kind of dog its owner desires. Weela has had two owners.

The first owner dumped her in an alley to die when she was less than four weeks old. Her present owner, Lori Watkins, found five starving Pit Bull puppies whimpering in an alley, took them home and raised them. later, the Watkins family placed four of the puppies in loving homes and kept the little female they named Weela. They believed Weela was special, and she proved them right. Most Pit Bull puppies grow up to become a reflection of both their owners' personality and the care and training they receive. One can only imagine what a different dog Weela would have become if her original owner had raised her, and she had done her best to please him.
Weela, Ken-L Ration's Dog Hero of the Year (1993)

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"Taylor, a 4-year old pit bull mix, shows a real knack for his job. In his first two years on the job, he has sniffed out more than $30 million worth of narcotics...
Out of more than 100 dogs in the San Diego [CA, USA] district K-9 unit, Taylor ranks as a top performer." The Pit Bull who Fights Drugs

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Put in a wheelchair by a 1996 horseback riding accident, Morrison is now assisted in her daily activities by Panda, a pit bull mix she found wandering the streets and trained to switch on lights, retrieve dropped objects and pull her wheelchair. "I needed a dog and she needed a person," said Morrison. Doggie devotion makes life easier

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Fantastic post, beautiful and heart warming stories

Thanks Mini I need some time to really study the thread so's I dont just repeat what anyone else has said

I suppose I'd like to know a lot more about how the dogs were kept who have shown aggressive tendencies, as i mentioned to Dawn I think a fair bit at least of the really serious problems must be attributed to the dogs having a terrible life or at least kept without the care they need, not just as pit bulls but as dogs.

I was thinking about my beloved Belgians and wondering how I'd feel if the "baddies" decided to use them as fighting dogs and subject them to drugs, kept them in cellars or dark kennels as pit bulls owned by dubious folk often are, only taken out to be paraded and fought or given stress, and I'd have to say I'd rather the breed disappeared than suffered.

Although another breed might then take that place. So much to think about, and I'm not sure I'm saying anything of value or that I'm answering the original question!!

Wys
x

A very good post Nicci it is difficult to speak out against what I call 'the bull breed mafia' who seem to do everything they can to misinterpret views, to see animosity where none exists and to condemn anyone with a constructive view that does not accord with their own.

I think your points are valid, made even more so by the breeds you own and I respect you for that.
It is only by discussion that we can arrive at conclusions and ever hope to change things