I for one am APPALLED that people would honestly consider killing an animal because of its breed! You dont see me walking around killing people like the Japanese just because thats their heritage! Its appalling and down right disgusting! I have three pitbulls, a bull mastiff and a coon hound and not one of my dogs has bit, growled or attacked ne one... but u better be dang sure that if u walk anywhere near my house or try and walk into it they are going to bark! DOGS BARK! If u want to ban something ban stupid people from thinking of ways to rid the world of what they believe to be dangerous... who do u think u r? U dont know me or my situation and there is no way i would ever give up my dogs because u think they r dangerous.. me n my dogs would move out of state if need be.

So what you idiots are saying is because a yorkie or shih-tzu cant kill you when it bites you that those breeds are fine. Its ok for them to go around biting and drawing blood and leaving people to get stitches. Just as long as it can't "kill" someone when it bite???? Do you even know how ridiculous you sound? How about we ban you from owning a gun? You might flip your lid one day and kill someone with it.

I own 2 bullies and I don't walk them on heavy chains or put spike collars on them. They have regular collars and leashes. They are extremely well trained and controllable. We do not allow them to roam, they are let out in our fully privacy fenced yard to do their "business" and then come inside. Never are they left outside at any time while we are gone. So because YOU people think all pitbulls should be banned I should euthanize my family members? I don't think so.

I am a groomer and the number one dog that gives us the most problems is Golden Retrievers. We usually have to muzzle most of them just to bath them. Let's talk about the little dogs who try to bite us at every turn because their owners have NEVER diciplined them. Yes my dogs have the power to kill, thats what they were bred to do. HOWEVER, they have been loved and trained and socialised. THAT IS THE DIFFERENCE. If you ban pitbulls, you will push the irresponsible owners under ground and they will still continue to breed, and misuse them. What needs to happen is EVERY dog owner no matter what breed should be held accountable for their dog. No matter how big or small. No dog big ro small should be allowed to bite.

Hey S W, when is the last time that a yorky or pomeranian has ripped a small child into pieces? Yeh exactly. The problem here, is that it's the reputation and the unknown that people are afraid of. You see a pit bull, and you have know idea if the owner trained them properly or not. By the time you find out, it could be or would be too late! We have a 15 year old pomeranian that never had any formal training, and has never even nipped at anyone, including little kids that were teasing her. However, multiple times while walking her, leashed, she was attacked by "bigger" breads, including german shepard, bull dogs ect. and if we weren't able to protect her, would have been severly injured or killed. EVERY single time the owner said, "I don't know what got into him/her, they have never done anything like that before". As far as I'm concerned, BAN THE PIT BULLS!

I've been bitten by many dogs in my life. Yorkies, Shih tzu's, beagles, But NEVER by a rottweiler, German shepard, "pit bull", or any other large dog.

Maybe we should ban all dogs lower than knee height.

If you train them right, which responsible owners of large dogs do, then there is no danger, and they are not viscous.

If you don't train them right, or cuddle them and tell them "Oh...poor baby" when they're scared (like people do with small dogs), then you're looking to get bit. Every dog that I've been bit by has had owners who treated them like babies.

If you take care of a gun and responsibly use them, they cause no harm. Use the gun to attack, it will do what you command. Pit bulls are born with the tools to kill, but it doesn't mean they will use them.

Have we not learned that sterotyping in humans is false? Now we are going to more unlikely prospect that animals can be sterotyped to behavior (not as species, but breeds)? They are supposed to be more simple than us in behavior. Sterotypes are complex.

As someone who has owned Rottweilers and "pit bulls" for my entire life (never by choice - they always have found me), I can tell you that it's not the dog - it's the owners! If you ban them, it will only hurt people like me who are responsible and have their animals properly trained and registered with the city and local government - it won't do anything to stop the irresponsible dog owners who are already breaking the law and breeding these animals to fight or worse.

Instead of a ban on the dogs, I would urge you to look at more reasonable options that include cracking down on irresponsible dog ownership and breeding practices. There is plenty that has been written about this subject, and I hope you will all take the time to become better informed before trying to use a Band-aid to repair a severed limb. Sweeping "bans" hardly ever accomplish what they set out to do - which is ostensibly to punish those who deserve it and protect those who need it. For the ASPCA's stance on the issue, please visit http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/breed-specific-legislation.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=89045230.

My Rottie was the first of her breed to pass the test to become a certified Children's Hospital Dog in 1994, and my "pit bull" is already following in her footsteps (see photos attached). Both of these dogs have blessed the lives of so many people that it breaks my heart to think they could be banned - please, please reconsider!

Best,
Kirsten E. Silven-Hoell

I have raised dogs all my life, I am 44 years old. All of my adult life I have had dogs, I have had mastiffs, pitt bulls, golden retrievers,english setters,and rotweilers, and non of these dogs are differnt from the other. I have seen good english setters and I have seen mean english setter, I have seen gentle giant mastiffs and I have seen very mean mastiffs.The same with pitt bulls,when I was a child back in the 1970's german sheppards were the bad dog, there was one in our neighborhood that tore up a little 5 years old child, she did not die but had very exstensive fascial injuries. PEOPLE,ITS NOT THE DOG,ITS THE DOG OWNERS AND BAD BREEDING. You can't just blame one breed of dogs,that just makes no sense.My husband and I have raised our child with all of these dogs and if your are a responsible pet owner you by attention at all times, and have control.The way I see it is they are just like people, there are bad ones and good ones.

Everytime there is a pit bull attach, the naive owners claim that the dog was always very sweet and loving, that is until it severly injurs someone. I bet that one of the pitbull lovers that you interviewed will have such an incident in their future and they too will act so surprised. For some owners, it is an ego trip to own and "control" such a powerful dog. Pit Bulls have proven through thier history that they should be outlawed or at the very least have to register them and carry added liability insurance for their future victims. I know how it feels to have a child severly bitten and this is nothing to mess around with!

Go to www. petopitbulls.org and you will learn all you need to know about how this dog is abused over and over again.

The breed is dangerous no matter who is the owner. I've always believed that a dog's temperment is directly related to how the owner treats and trains it. Except where pitbulls are concerned I witnessed an attack at a family function where a so called well mannered and trained pitbull picked my grandson out of 12 children and chased and bit him for no reason. We made the relative musel and remove the dog from the party and insisted that the dog never be brought to a function again. This breed should be made extinct. It's obvious how strong they are by the leashes used to restrain them while walking them. They are bred to fight to the death, just ask Mike Vick. They are the devils breed!!

I hear all these people tell how safe their pit bulls are, and then see that one's using a heavy chain for a leash! Give me a break!!

This has been a growing problem for years now. Most of the owners do not have the pit bulls in kennels. The dogs aren't being properly cared for. They're on flimsy leashes. At one point, we were surrounded. Each of our neighbors owned pit bills, none of them had kennels. This is so sad. These owners should be fined. It needs to be enforced and patroled.

Pit bulls were just recently bumped to number 2 right under labrador retrievers on the dog aggression towards humans list, I think every person who owns a pit bull should be required to give the dog a certain amount of training with small children and small dogs. I have personally witnessed people, purposely not showing affection to there pit bulls and abusing them, strictly just to make them attack people, all a pit bull aims to do is to please his/her owner, and if you have an ignorant dog owner with such a powerful breed, telling the dog to do something aggresive, what is the dog to do, to please his owner? I for one PRAY that Flint doesn't ban the breed, because they are a wonderful terrier, that's will to please could be used for so much more good than bad.