There's a report about aggressive pit bulls in today's Sun (p. 4).

"the semi-automatics of the dog world"? What is that supposed to mean? Read the history of the pit bull and you will see why pit bulls were bred and the traits that are evident in responsibly bred pits. Like anything else, the media preys on sensationalism and shock value. No one comments or reports when a dog owner walks their pit and returns home with no incident, but those types of events outweigh the attacks and maulings that are plastered all over the internet and evening news. By your comments, I can see you are not knowledgeable about firearms or pit bulls.

Tim -- See my comments further down the string.

Bad comparison..

Food for thought, M. Some things are just born bad due to being bred that way, Nobody buys a pit bull because they want a loving even-tempered dog around the house.

No owner has 100% control over any dog at all times. This "bad owner" vs "bad dog" argument is worthless. The fact is; if a Pit Bull has even a short loss of control or a momentary reaction from fear, surprise, or anger, the results can be a lot more devastating than from other breeds. This is strictly due to the power and structure of a Pit Bull's head and neck.
An out of control tractor trailer will do far more damage than an out of control Civic.

And yet the tractor trailer owners seemingly want any extra safety restrictions to apply to civics as well even though there's no evidence that civics have ever been part of the problem. Nice example. Thanks.

M. Sullivan let me correct you here. "PIT BULL" is not a breed. Pit Bull is a description for a how a dog is trained. Now there may some breeds of dogs that are better suited to be a pit bull but any dog can be trained to be a pit. You can have a LAB trained as a "PIT BULL". Any dog trained to be a "pit bull" is doing what it is trained to do when it attacks. This is where the general public is misinformed and the they speak on it as if they know.
"PIT BULL" IS NOT A BREED!!!

That may be true up to a point, Brian, but are Labs in fact trained as "pit bulls"? How about Pekes and Poodles? The fact is that certain characteristics are BRED into certain dogs, and it is those dogs that are "trained to be a pit". And those dogs are then purchased by people who value those characteristics, just as semi-automatics are bought by people who value their characteristics.

A 'pit bull" is essentially an American Staffordshire Terrier and IS recognized by the AKC.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_staffordshire_terrier/index.cfm
"Until the early 19th century, the Bulldog used for bullbaiting in England was more active and longer-legged than the breed as we know it today. It is thought that the cross of this older Bulldog and a game terrier breed created the Staffordshire Terrier. Originally called the Bull-and-Terrier Dog, Half and Half or Pit Dog, it became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in England. When accepted for AKC registration in 1936, the name changed to American Staffordshire Terrier to reflect the heavier American type and to distinguish them as separate breeds."

Brian C. Surely you must realize that I am referring to the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or similar crosses of the three, particularly as are being discussed in the courts and legislature. Sorry, I just don't know of any Pit Bull Poodles!

I don't buy that argument.

M. Sullivan , ...and this is where the problem lies, nobody really knows what a "PITBULL" is because it is not a specific breed. ....and you are correct Sir I do know the type of dogs of which you are referring. But those who are not as knowledgeable as us may not know. To generalize ,"PITBULL" is to perpetuate the unwarranted fear of most of these dogs.

Bottom line. If you want a dog that will kill, then the pit bull, aka American Staffordshire terrier, is your dog of choice.

American Staffordshire Terrier (pit bull) IS a breed and IS recognized by the AKC.

American Staffordshire Terrier is a breed Recognized by the AKC. Pit Bull is not. Pit Bull is a label given to dog that fights in a pit. How hard is that for people to get that ?
Bottom line if you want a dog the will kill aka Dalmatian , train it to kill. If you want a dog for a pet, train it.aka Am Staff.
Lack of knowledge is dangerous.

What is funny is I have never owned nor do I desire to own an AM Staff. I just think it is wrong when people fall victim to the ignorance of the media. DO YOUR HOMEWORK people.

Brian i think you are confused. See the AKC description regarding the BULL part of the breed. It has nothing at all to do with pits or fighting other dogs. "the Bulldog used for bullbaiting"

Lack of knowledge is dangerous as you attest.

@ Joe, Bulldogs were used for bullbaiting. This is correct but the "PITBULL" is directly related to the fighting of dogs in pits. No questioning that. It still doesnt change my statement that PITBULL is not a breed. It is a generalized type of dogs and dog mixes.
Lack of knowledge is dangerous

How can you prove that a pit bull is a pit bull and not a cross that might appear to be?

So you pulled PITBULL from PIT dog. hmmm...... why not call it a BullHalfPit dog? Or HalfBullPit dog? Come on man you are reaching trying to make a PITBULL a breed. It just isnt a breed.

To be fair, Buck, the "lawmakers" did not "make a law". That is the purport of Bryan Sears' report. Their inaction leaves the law in the state that the judges declared it. Things could be worse.

Are you a moron 'Buck?' Lawmakers didn't do this. The Court did. And quite frankly, what the court did was hold someone responsible for the brutal mauling of a young child by a dangerous animal. I understand the problems with the decision and I agree that parts should be overturned. But please try to be an educated poster and not a total idiot. Don't you think this young child who was brutally attacked should be compensated? Shouldn't any innocent victim of an attack like this be compensated? Speak when you know what you are speaking about, Buck.

Breeder, This is not about the incident that you describe....it's about corrupt courts and bad law makers. Calling me a moron only proves that you are an un educated poster with regard to what both the court and the lawmakers have done here. I do feel sorry for any human being that is harmed in any way, including those damaged by bad law and bad court rulings....think your emotions got the best of you here.

You didn't read the article, Buck. The lawmakers were addressing the pit bull issue because of a court decision. And indeed, that was certainly an emergency worth calling a special session for. >eye roll<

Buck. So nice of you to feel bad for dog bite victims. Sadly, your feelings don't help compensate someone when they end up with scars on their face or the suffering of terror of being attacked. The civil justice system does that. The 'bad law' that you speak of compensates a child victim of a dog mauling. What exactly is bad about that? Shouldn't everyone be held responsible when their animal attacks another person? Or should we just accept that you feel bad for them? Do us a favor and don't run for office.

@BreederII The problem is the bill is breed specific. It does hold all dog owners to the same standard.On top of that it was also trying to open up landlord to unjust law suits by making them strictly liable. Unacceptable!!!

BreederII, I have no problem at all with holding the owner of any dog that harms someone accountable... the problem comes from singling out one perceived breed, in this case the Pit Bull. Any law that is made should be applied equally to all breeds and all owners. To single out one breed is in my opinion discriminatory and therefore very bad law that will be difficult to enforce fairly. If you encourage discrimination, I would have to ask that you never run for office and also that you re think your position here....it's wrong in my opinion.

ooopssss should have said * doesnt hold all dogs to the same standard.*

Buck. So. Now that you have said that you think all owners should be held accountable (a good opinion in my opinion), you should apologize to the State Senate. The Senate passed a bill in Special Session to do just that. Why you criticized the legislature is beyond me. The Court? Yes. The House of Delegates? Yes. But if you did your homework instead of spouting off about leadership, you would know that the Senate of Maryland passed the very bill you say you support. The House of Delegates decided not to go along.

Don't you think you owe it to the blog reading public to be correct before you spout off opinions, Buck. The Senate voted to overturn the breed specific law created by the Court. The Senate voted to make sure innocent victims of all bites were protected under the law. The Senate did exactly the right thing.

Buck, you're pushing it a bit here. There's a reason they're not called Pansy Poos. But in any case the facts are in on pit bulls.

I am sorry that "Breeder" used the word moron. He let the side down.

@Paul the facts are in and let us let them speak for themselves.

Agreed...I did push it, but if they were called Pansy Poo's they would not be perceived in the same way that they are now.

lol Buck you have a point. LOL A miniature pincher named "Killer" is cute. A Doberman Pincher by the same name is intimidating. LOL