[Sayuri]

The pitbull problem is a slippery slope. You go banning one breed, thinking it won't affect you and thinking you've solved a problem...next thing you know there are legislators and uneducated yahoos calling for the banning of your breed too. (Border collies, Weimaraners, Corgis...I've seen them all on bsl lists).

I will never support any form of bsl. I echo other posters that say it's the deed and the owner, not the breed. Pits need a dedicated, intelligent, and well educated owner to ensure that they develop into the best dogs that they can be - I'm not for denying them that chance just because there's a bunch of jerks discovering how easy it is to exploit the characteristics that make them such amazing dogs.

The other thing that I think is important to note is that half the time the animals being reported as pits aren't pits at all. I've seen lab, gsd, mastiff, and border collie mixes that were reported as pits or pit mixes. I've seen dogs that were poorly bred monstrosities and mixes of large and powerful breeds, developed by jerks that were intending to make the ultimate fighting dog - and then they were given the label "pit bull." Well, the traditional and original pit bull, the *true* pit bull, is the American Pit Bull Terrier. It's not a 150 lb nightmare - it's somewhere around the neighborhood of 40-55 lbs, if I'm not mistaken. So now you have a boatload of people, both in the media, and outside of it, that are randomly deciding what gets called a pit bull and what doesn't. Our country actually has a list of around 5-6 breeds, as well as a list of characteristics to look for in mixed breeds, that are officially called "pit bulls." When you have that many opportunities to make statistics, as compared to something like a Sibe or a GSD which only has the members of its breed, of course you're going to look way worse in comparison.

So why don't we see stories about attacking Schnauzers or Chihuahuas? Well for one thing, many of those incidents don't get reported. Often times the owners don't think it's serious enough, the damage wasn't horrendous, or everyone just thinks "It's a harmless little dog." Other times it gets reported but it sure doesn't make for sensational news, so no one hears about it. Just because you don't hear about it, doesn't mean it's never happened. I volunteer at the Humane Society and did a stint at Noah's Pet Project. This put me in close contact with dozens of pit bulls. These were animals put into extremely stressful circumstances, and not once did I have a bad experience. Those dogs treated me as if I was their personal goddess. To date, the only breeds I've ever been bitten by? A toy Poodle and a Chihuahua. And again, I chalk it up to owners - in both cases the owners didn't think it was a big deal, because the animal was so small.

Another thing I like to look at is this: if we're going to include all of the breeds that media and society include as "pit bulls" let's take a look at the Staffordshire Terrier, and the American Staffordshire Terrier. I go to dog shows all of the time - to date I have never seen a judge, exhibitor, or another dog attacked in either of these rings. The animals are always excellently behaved, well-socialized, friendly, and outgoing. What gives? Again, I look at who owns them and who breeds them. People that love and understand their breed, don't take its power for granted, educate the public, and are the first to stand on the front lines of bsl.

I tend not to take anything in the bsl range for granted. My breed has never made the cut, but after looking at the breeds that *have,* I'd be a fool not to have my eyes open. Shibas are capable of doing a ton of damage, particularly if they're in the wrong hands. I'm not going to let my right to share my life with these animals be taken away because some idiot didn't do their research, or figured out that they could exploit the traits that, in better circumstances, make my breed an amazing one to live with.