Breed-specific legislation is unfair

My mother brought Dolly into the family when I was 15. Ever since then, I’ve been defending… My mother brought Dolly into the family when I was 15. Ever since then, I’ve been defending her and pit bulls everywhere against the ignorant comments of the misinformed.

Well more than half of our 50 states have passed some form of breed-specific legislation. And an overwhelming amount of legislation is directed at pit bulls. Breed-specific legislation may entail extra insurance coverage, zone restrictions or all out bans.

Several cities and counties across the country maintain a total ban on pit bull ownership. Canada has several dozens of cities and towns that have breed specific legislation. Brazil has placed pit bulls on their vicious animal list. Denmark, Holland, Norway and Romania have all banned pit bulls.

Pit bulls were banned in Dekalb County, Ga., in May 2000. Any pit bull owner who cannot prove ownership prior to that date will be fined and have his or her pet seized and destroyed.

There are a dozen states, including New York and Virginia, that see things differently and prohibit the passage of breed-specific legislation. Dogs are judged by deeds, not breeds.

Punishment and education are needed to curb this cycle of abuse and poor legislation. Irresponsible owners must be held accountable for the actions of their improperly trained dogs.

Law enforcement around the country needs to make a sincere effort to crack down on the disgusting individuals who find it entertaining and lucrative to train innocent animals from their infancy to be killers and then watch them get torn apart amid the deafening roars of a dog fighting circle.

The general public, dog owners and dogs themselves need to be educated. Lawmakers must be made to realize an entire breed is not responsible for the actions of a few poorly trained dogs. And owners should act responsibly by treating their pets well and taking them to dog obedience classes.

Restricting and banning pit bull ownership accepts the absurd idea of an innate evil in all of them.

Hey, as long as we’re banning pit bulls, why not ban cats too. I once heard a story of a baby’s face being clawed by a cat.

And let’s kill all the elephants. Remember when that circus elephant went berserk, killed its handler and trampled through the streets of Honolulu? Elephants are dangerous.

And how about all those roosters involved in cockfighting. They can be vicious. Hell, let’s just kill all the roosters. Problem solved.

Let’s kill all the bears that maul us, bees that sting us and pigeons that crap on our heads.

Oh, I know, I once had a friend who trained his ferret to take food from his hand. I tried it and the damn thing bit me. So, new legislation: No more ferrets.

If we work really hard we can find the easy way out of every problem and issue. By the time my grandchildren are running around, they’ll have no crickets to catch or ducks to feed, no birds to watch and no bears or lions to capture their imagination.

Yes, dogs bite humans, cats claw babies and pigeons crap on heads. But not all dogs, cats and pigeons.

Every animal has a unique personality, and therefore deserves to be judged by its individual deeds, not the fears of the misinformed or the fluff of the tabloid headlines.

Breed-specific legislation is illogical and unjust. And if its passed in my county I’ll be waiting at my doorstep with a ferret, rooster, pigeon and elephant, and, oh yeah, my “vicious” pit bull prepared to fend off any bastard that tries to take her away.

Ben Magid is a columnist for The Pitt News. He can be reached at bmagid@pittnews.com.