Marty
08-15-2005, 12:49 PM
Birmingham, AL -- A pit bull breeder has formed a new group dedicated to protecting the dogs from being trained to attack or being banned.
The South Carolina Pit Bull Organization had its first meeting in Lexington on Sunday and about 65 people showed up, some toting their pets.
Branham, a former state trooper, said any dog with the wrong training or upbringing can become a "deadly weapon with a brain."
"Punish the deed and not the breed," Branham said.
Federal statistics show at least 25 different breeds of dogs, from Saint Bernards to cocker spaniels, have killed at least one person each since 1979. But pit bull breeds and Rottweilers were responsible for more than half the 238 dog-bite related deaths nationwide between 1979 and 1998.
"There appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities," concluded a 2000 study led by a researcher from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people have said the dogs should be banned, as Miami and Denver have done, but the study said many bite fatalities could be prevented by stronger leash and fencing laws as well as stiffer punishments for violating such laws.
Trae Edwards, who has bred dogs for six years, said dogs that repeatedly bite or are aggressive with small children should be killed.
Branham said parents should never leave children alone with any dog, and should teach children how to behave around them.
Children should approach dogs slowly from the side or wait for dogs to approach and sniff. The dogs also should be rubbed under the neck, instead of on the head and you shouldn't stare into the dogs' eyes, he said.
On the Net:
South Carolina Pit Bull Organization:
The South Carolina Pit Bull Organization had its first meeting in Lexington on Sunday and about 65 people showed up, some toting their pets.
Branham, a former state trooper, said any dog with the wrong training or upbringing can become a "deadly weapon with a brain."
"Punish the deed and not the breed," Branham said.
Federal statistics show at least 25 different breeds of dogs, from Saint Bernards to cocker spaniels, have killed at least one person each since 1979. But pit bull breeds and Rottweilers were responsible for more than half the 238 dog-bite related deaths nationwide between 1979 and 1998.
"There appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities," concluded a 2000 study led by a researcher from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some people have said the dogs should be banned, as Miami and Denver have done, but the study said many bite fatalities could be prevented by stronger leash and fencing laws as well as stiffer punishments for violating such laws.
Trae Edwards, who has bred dogs for six years, said dogs that repeatedly bite or are aggressive with small children should be killed.
Branham said parents should never leave children alone with any dog, and should teach children how to behave around them.
Children should approach dogs slowly from the side or wait for dogs to approach and sniff. The dogs also should be rubbed under the neck, instead of on the head and you shouldn't stare into the dogs' eyes, he said.
On the Net:
South Carolina Pit Bull Organization: