Posted on 01/02/2007 8:54:10 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
The United Kingdom's first amnesty for pit bull terriers has begun in County Antrim.
Owners of the illegal breed of dogs who live in the Ballymena area have been given the month of January to hand in animals without fear of prosecution.
On Monday, a five-year-old girl was mauled to death by a pit bull terrier type dog, on Merseyside.
Ballymena council dog warden Nigel Devine said 14 dogs had been checked and most turned out to be legal breeds.
"There was one gentleman whose girlfriend or wife was about to have a baby. They contacted us asking us to come and check the dogs," Mr Devine said.
"Out of their four dogs, two were confirmed pit bull and two weren't. Those two dogs are being brought in.
"The vast majority that we have checked are from a family background. They have children, it is reassuring for them that they don't have a dog that at any time could turn on them."
The idea for an amnesty followed a pit bull attack on a family in County Antrim in November.
Sean and Deirdre Doherty, their son Ben and a family friend escaped with only minor injuries after an horrific attack by a pitbull-type dog in Randalstown Forest Park.
Recalling the incident, Mrs Doherty said someone would have been killed if the family's pet labrador, Troy, had not fought the dog off.
Troy was killed in the attack.
"(The dog) turned me on my back and was quite literally going to rip my face off when my husband got it from behind and pulled it off me," Mrs Doherty said.
"The dog then broke free from my husband and went after the kids, it was just about to pull them down from behind when Ben's dog (Troy) dived into the side of the dog and pulled it away from Ben and down into the gully."
Commenting on the County Antrim move, David Wilson, of the Ulster Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the criminal trade in dangerous dogs must end.
"There is a serious problem out there. We have seen evidence of that in the last 24 hours," Mr Wilson said.
"We are not in the business of having family pets put down. But there is a significant hard core out there with these dogs that are using them for criminal activities."
Well. First guns, then knives, now dogs are to be handed in. I wonder what will be next?
ping
Their genes are now incorporated into the pit bull breed.
Britain is enforcing laws their "Dogs of Peace" laws they've had on the books since the 1800's.
"In my experience, it is the mentality of the owners that causes most problems with these dogs."
ding ding ding we have a winner!
Any dog can be taught to be mean. I have a 100 lb German Shepard who gets pushed around by a 5 poung Yorkshire Terrier.
Granted getting mauled by a Yorkishire Terrier is usually not a life an death matter... and I don't like Pit Bulls at all(ugly dogs) but sad to see others being penalized for the actions of a few idiots.
Banning a particular breed across the board is as ludicrous as banning a particular race.
This is liberalism at its height, in my opinion, because it doesn't call for personal responsibility, just blanket rules.
Pisses me off!
By the way, most pit bulls are GREAT dogs. And ALL breeds have some that are aggressive.
wow, I didn't know that. thanks!
Bull.
Amnesty.
England is utterly, merrily, insane.
It's a damn shame about these dogs. The breed has been ruined by people. Take a female coon dog, and breed her to a male coon dog, and you'll get puppies inclined to tree coons. Take two mean pits and breed them, and you are likely to get mean pits.
A Lab is a big dog and well-armed.
A 100-pound dog dragged a jogger (a high school junior) down our little town's Main Street last weekpuncturing her legs from ankles to waist in the process. A motorist stopped the attack and transported her to the hospital. FReeper Bill Noble knows.
I've been bitten twice by the big dogs of strangersonce at age 11 and once at 55but I still love my much-smaller dogs. Something needs to get done, though.
Yes, of course. People have to maintain control of their pets. If they cannot control them, then they aren't worthy of ownership.(Many people fit this category, sadly)
bread>bred
thx
affectionate...
easily trainable...
and compliant...err...
...guys, I said compliant...That's a good dogs...
The fine breading of your dogs is readily evident, as is your rye sense of humour...;-)
I was loafing around with nothing better to do.
I figured as much....I was just trying to butter you up.
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