July 7, 2005

Street Talk by Carol Rosen

With the recent rash of pit bull attacks, should there be restrictions on pit bull breeding? Could this lead to restrictions for other dog breeds?
(Asked at Almaden Center)

“It’s the personality of the pit bull that should determine what kinds of restrictions, and it’s the owner’s responsibility to know the personality of the dog. If the dog doesn’t have a ‘good’ personality and know how to behave well around people then the owner should make sure it doesn’t get around people. I don’t know if we can limit such restrictions to just pit bulls. I’m a dog person. I have two chows. I generally don’t take them out.”

Dawn Whisnant, 42
Almaden
Assistant to a realtor


“Definitely, those dogs need to be restricted. Since so many tragedies have happened, many people have been hurt and some killed, and it mostly happens to children. My nephew was attacked by a pit bull and the dog attached itself to his throat and now my nephew can hardly talk. If you want to own pit bulls, that’s fine. But you shouldn’t let them loose, you should keep them fenced in. They should be restricted to their owners’ back yards. Any dog that’s dangerous to society should be restricted, especially around children.”

Charlotte Rodriguez, 69
Almaden
Retired


“I think every dog should have some sort of restrictions, be it obedience school or something like that. I think people should be cited when their dogs are off leash or have gotten out of their fenced yard. It should be stronger for pit bulls because the recent attacks have been so severe. I don’t think we should withhold restrictions out of fear [that it might lead to restrictions for all dogs]. We need to make the right choice.”

Pam Hembree, 46
Folsom
Homemaker


“Pit bulls can be vicious animals. I believe there should be restrictions. For example, they should be spayed or neutered, if that’s going to get rid of their aggression. I don’t think it will lead to restrictions for other dogs at this time, but we need to have a basis. Just like people can’t attack other people, dogs shouldn’t be allowed to hurt people.”

Bob Reghitto, 64
Almaden
Retired engineering manager


“It’s an interesting topic. I’m from Quebec and about 15 years ago, we had the same problem. A number of dogs attacked people. Dogs that were originally bred for fighting should only be owned by people who know how to handle them. It’s just like a driver’s license or something like that where a car could hurt people badly if you don’t know how to drive it correctly. It should be the same with pit bulls. I don’t think that pit bull restrictions will lead to restrictions for other dogs. For example, we were around Labrador retrievers yesterday, and they were very gentle in their dealings with our children. But I wouldn’t leave my kids alone in the same room as a pit bull.”

Christian Plante
Almaden
Marketing manager


“I think they do need to restrict pit bulls. I don’t think people should keep them as pets. They are quite muscular, vicious and very strong dogs. I don’t think restrictions for pit bulls will lead to restrictions for other dogs.”

Brenda O’Neill, 58
Worthing, England
Homemaker