Eight-year-old boy mauled to death by neighbour's pit bull in Bloemfontein

[mojoman]

I see a Pit Bull, I immediately make several assumptions about the character of the owner. Volatile, petulent and obnoxious are just a few of them. Twice it was pretty spot on.

Lol, thats like assuming a labs owners are fat and lazy...Oh wait, they often are...

 

[Neptuner]

"The temperament of a dog is 70% inherited… you cannot rehabilitate a poor temperament out of a dog."

Lins Rautenbach, public relations manager for Pit Bull Federation of South Africa

 

[ninjaman509]

Did you just compare an animal that is responsible for (perhaps)less than 20 deaths a year to an object that kills thousands of people a year?

You want to regulate one but not the other? That is my only point.

I think there might just be more cars than pitbulls though

 

[Kosmik]

I agree with this, can we also add children to this list as well?

Lol, human license to breed, very progressive.

Quite frankly nothing wrong with home inspections etc. My dogs are all rescues and we've had that due diligence done as well as things like spaying etc. Don't have a issue with it, my animals are good and healthy, we're protected and everyone around knows my animals don't get out and cause havoc.

 

[Neptuner]

The analogies are important to show you how much of an issue or non-issue this is. If there are millions of dos in SA and the dog attacks make up less than 0.1% of the news, it's simply sensationalism. On the other hand, I can drive past an accident, almost daily - that isn't even counting the number of tired robots I see knocked over every week.

Yes but thats not what you doing. Deaths on the road has nothing to do with deaths related to a creature which is intended to be a companion and protect society. You make correlations about death rates across two independent problems and end up making invalid inferences. Thats like comparing aviation safety to road safety. People have a right to a safe society, and dragging common or accepted norms of other hazards in society as a criterion is flawed.

You making fruitless analogies like: because things are terrible there it might as well be terrible here, leading to what's the significance... put yourself in the shoes of the parent of the 8yr old who got ripped to shreds while there is a national discussion about these creatures. Don't search the net for inaccurate stats. What is being clearly echoed and what you refer to as sensationalism is many people giving there accounts how they've experienced these dogs showing aggression towards them.

It was an accident, no different to a child falling down a drain, drowning in a pool, drinking bleach or being squashed by a car that rolled. It doesn't excuse the owner for not controlling such a dangerous animal or allowing them to become so dangerous to begin with.

Yes of course, though:

"The temperament of a dog is 70% inherited… you cannot rehabilitate a poor temperament out of a dog."

Lins Rautenbach, public relations manager for Pit Bull Federation of South Africa

 

[Gyre]

I think there might just be more cars than pitbulls though

Absolutely, and there are far more cars around us everyday than pitbulls.

 

[NeonNinja]

Any "I was raised by Pit bull and it was the kindest, cutest dog I have ever known" stories yet ?

 

[s0lar]

Based on your solutions i'd like you to advise what you disagree with? Telling everyone what to do like a nanny state perhaps?

Why not be preemptive and give me 5 more dog breeds you don't like so we can prepare for those now?

Oh brother you are slow.

You are disagreeing with an imaginary argument in your head. Are the voices loud in there?

 

[Gyre]

Yes but thats not what you doing. Deaths on the road has nothing to do with deaths related to a creature which is intended to be a companion and protect society. You make correlations about death rates across two independent problems and end up making invalid inferences. Thats like comparing aviation safety to road safety. People have a right to a safe society, and dragging common or accepted norms of other hazards in society as a criterion is flawed.

You making fruitless analogies like: because things are terrible there it might as well be terrible here, leading to what's the significance... put yourself in the shoes of the parent of the 8yr old who got ripped to shreds while there is a national discussion about these creatures. Don't search the net for inaccurate stats. What is being clearly echoed and what you refer to as sensationalism is many people giving there accounts how they've experienced these dogs showing aggression towards them.

Yes of course, though:

"The temperament of a dog is 70% inherited… you cannot rehabilitate a poor temperament out of a dog."

Lins Rautenbach, public relations manager for Pit Bull Federation of South Africa

Lkewise you are making an issue of isolated cases and punishing an entire group with a blanket approach. You may argue that you think you're helping, but can you tell me how you'll realistically curb the breeding and harm of pitbulls?

I've grown up around plenty of dogs in my life, and their personalities and temperaments have always varied - I've also had a pitbull for a neighbor and it I saw with my own eyes that wasn't well looked after.

“Pit bulls are wonderful dogs that require a special owner. If you cannot meet their needs, please admire them from a distance,” said Rautenbach.

Lins recommends responsible ownership, but still ownership nonetheless. There could be better channels for reporting an animal that may be come a threat.

 

[ninjaman509]

Did you just compare an animal that is responsible for (perhaps)less than 20 deaths a year to an object that kills thousands of people a year?

You want to regulate one but not the other? That is my only point.

Cars are regulated though, you need a drivers licence. So the one is being regulated and not the other

 

[Gyre]

Oh brother you are slow.

You are disagreeing with an imaginary argument in your head. Are the voices loud in there?

I'll ask you again: Why will one pitbull maul a whole neighborhood to death, while another pitbull won't?

What will you do to the pitbull that hurts nobody?

 

[Gyre]

Cars are regulated though, you need a drivers licence. So the one is being regulated and not the other

Yet there are still hundreds of accidents a month, and people still drink and speed? How is that regulating going?

Imagine gutting every car in the country to not being able to exceed 120km - is that what we need to do to protect people?

 

[ninjaman509]

Yet there are still hundreds of accidents a month, and people still drink and speed? How is that regulating going?

Imagine gutting every car in the country to not being able to exceed 120km - is that what we need to do to protect people?

So even with dog licenses pitbulls will still attack and kill children?

If a car could only travel 120km that would add up to having to buy a new car every couple of days, that sounds like terrible range

 

[Gyre]

So even with dog licenses pitbulls will still attack and kill children?

If a car could only travel 120km that would add up to having to buy a new car every couple of days, that sounds like terrible range

120kmph, apologies

I agree people should have licenses as they are shown to be very difficult dogs to manage, but some people are calling for their outright ban. You can have no pitbulls or rottweilers and then there will be a new dog breed to cry about.

 

[Moosedrool]

Wonder what dog will be the scapegoat in 2030 and beyond...

Personally in this country I'd suggest all dog ownership should require a license and potentially an inspection by the spca that the yard is safe for the dog of choice. Then the owner can be held liable if something goes wrong regardless of the breed.

They're going to go after the rottweilers next.

 

[ninjaman509]

120kmph, apologies

I agree people should have licenses as they are shown to be very difficult dogs to manage, but some people are calling for their outright ban. You can have no pitbulls or rottweilers and then there will be a new dog breed to cry about.

Sorry I couldn't resist the 120km thing, I know it was childish Thanks for taking it well.

My un-obtuse opinion is power breed owners in general need training as well as the dogs themselves. Problem is we can't regulate sheet in this country

EDIT, probably all dogs actually not just power breeds

 

[Neptuner]

Lkewise you are making an issue of isolated cases and punishing an entire group with a blanket approach. You may argue that you think you're helping, but can you tell me how you'll realistically curb the breeding and harm of pitbulls?

What exactly is the punishment? is it anything close to being ripped to shreds?

I've grown up around plenty of dogs in my life, and their personalities and temperaments have always varied - I've also had a pitbull for a neighbor and it I saw with my own eyes that wasn't well looked after.

How does it feel knowing if you walk along the border of the fence your head could be munched off? thats beyond territorial.

“Pit bulls are wonderful dogs that require a special owner. If you cannot meet their needs, please admire them from a distance,” said Rautenbach.

Lins recommends responsible ownership, but still ownership nonetheless. There could be better channels for reporting an animal that may be come a threat.

Lin: any pitbull that shows aggression towards humans must be laid to rest. Thats a responsible owner... but who after raising a dog for years would do that? LOL hence the drive to remove human attachment to this vicious breed.

Stop being a liberale troll.

 

[ToxicBunny]

They're going to go after the rottweilers next.

Nah we have at least 1 more breed to cycle through before rotties get blamed again.

 

[s0lar]

I'll ask you again: Why will one pitbull maul a whole neighborhood to death, while another pitbull won't?

What will you do to the pitbull that hurts nobody?

You really doing your best to try and troll me.

 

[Craig_]

There is an obvious problem with alcohol.
There is an obvious problem with speeding.
There is an obvious problem with people dying over cheap thrills.

Why is it a false equivalence? I'm completely for people who have these dogs being held to a higher standard and for animal abuse to be curbed, but I don't see if person A neglects a dog then why person B needs to have theirs taken away. The same with guns, the same with fast cars, the same with alcohol.

Both alcohol and speed are regulated, so you're pro-regulation for this dogs then?