Should there be an age limit on owning pit bulls?

As this issue tends to be a "hot topic" nowawadays with BSL & ways for us to fight back, I wanted to ask this question: How many of you out there are in favor of a set age at which one can acquire & own a pit bull? I can't tell you how many kids 18 & under (some as young as 12 & 13) come into our clinic with poor pitiful looking pit bulls who are only used as moneymaking breeding dogs, status symbols, & streetfighting dogs by the young crowd. Owning a pit bull is just the "cool" thing to do & I have yet to see someone under the age of 17 bring in a healthy well-cared for (not just physcially but also mentally/emotionally) pit bull in my 2 yrs of working there. It breaks my heart. Most of our pit bull abuse cases also come from this age group. As harsh as it my seem, I am all for someone having to be 18 to have a pit bull registered in their name (listed as owner). Although I'm not naive & I know this won't stop many, if we can just help 1 dog escape a non-stop breeding life & streetfighting life, I'm all for it. For change can begin 1 dog at a time.

 

I really don't think age matters, It's just if the person is educated enough on how to properly take care of a dog. I mean when or if I have kids they are going to be early dogmen/women lol

 

it depends on person any younger than 21 ain't mature enough yet unless it is a family pet thgen they learn how to care for em and what to expect
though alot of people no matter what age shouldn't own an APBT or any animal

 

18 is when you are legally responsible for yourself so that should be the age. Any earlier and your in school, way too young to own a pit, unless its by the whole family.

 

hell yeah it matters,,,if ya aint old nuff to buy a beer you shouldnt own a pit..period

 

i agree blue the age limit should be 18 but alot of people will still get them anyway from byb i would like to see a 18 age limit for owning a dog even tho i really wouldnt matter but i would like to see it on all animals not just pits because that jus gives them more reason to try to ban this breed

 

I feel that an age restriction would be great. Everyone I knew that had a bulldog that were teenagers did not take good care of their dogs. They were fed well. But, they all seemed to feel that they had to beat the dogs to get them to listen. It seems that there are an awful lot of people who feel this way.
I had one guy tell me that my dog was going to attack me one day because when we were playing, my dog was growling. He said "you have to show them who is boss." Later on, he pulled out a rolled up newspaper that was taped up from top to bottom and he began beating the dog with it. Just because the dog didn't get in his crate.
I can not even begin to count how many times I have seen these young idiots beating and mistreating their dogs to "show them who is boss."
There are exceptions. But, the majority of youngsters do not know what they are doing, are abusing their dogs, and a good chunk of them are participating in these streetfights. All of which is causing us to suffer the consequences. Sadly, I don't think an age restriction is actually possible. But, it would be great if it happened. I think 21 is a reasonable age.

 

Also a point to think about....is a person under the age of 18 (let's say) actually financially capable of taking care of this dog w/out cutting corners? Can they afford vet visits, shots, monthly heartworm prevention, & most importantly, emergencies? I don't think most high school jobs provide an adequate salary for all this, & most kids get these dogs WITHOUT their parents' permission on the basis of "I'll take care of it. You won't have to do or pay for a thing. I promise!" kind of thing.

 

great point mia why i said as a family owned dog then yeah its alright plus the person learns responsible ownership well if they live with parents who are responsible that is

 

I'm not gona lie I am 16 and own 2 dogs starting my yard off good but slowly, I do have the money to take full care of them i have 3 independant jobs i love doing, I spend so much time outside taking care of the dogs, just as the old dogmen did, they started off young, but i live in the country i'm not some teenager that likes streetfights and gets into trouble like that. I learn alot everyday, No i'm not going to start breeding untill i know i'm ready and my mentor knows i'm ready he is here to help me out alot. But i do agree most people under 21 doesn't need to own this breed, but, their are alot of dumb ass adults breeding fad dogs, I think its who your learning from, And hell no i don't beat my dogs infact they might be a lil too pampered lmao

 

eli that goes back to what i said depends on person some are raised right and can handle the responsibility

by the way way to go on being honest and working for what you want alot of 16 year olds couldn't do it or want to do it either

 

the younger people start to learn about this breed the better for the long term then they wont become some dumbass adults breeding fad dogs as you have stated

 

It is a great thing to hear of people like Eli working to do some good for the breed. Unfortunately, there are not many youngsters like himself out there. These dogs are a status symbol to many, regardless of fad breeding. When kids get these dogs because it is popular is where the problems begin to arise. These kids don't care about the history or future of the breed. They just want a pit bull to walk up and down the street with an occassional street brawl.
I, myself am only 24 and I have seen all of this firsthand. Many of the kids I grew up with had this point of view and most of them still do. To this day, they don't know what a game bred dog is. So, I am not prejudging or making assumptions. This is all things I have seen.
I feel if people weren't allowed to have these dogs until 21, they would have plenty of time to spend researching the breed before they can actually get one.

 

i would have picked an older age than 21, but that is as high as it goes, i do not believe anyone who is not an adult should own a pit bull PERIOD. shit....half the adults in this world shouldnt own them.....

 

I know what your saying, we just need to educate everyone on this breed, I myself was brought into this breed by the stupid streetfighters but i learned more and know more then them. Now i am teaching them all I know ...but like i said before some people just don't want to hear it...

 

I agree. These aren't basset hounds or some other kind of lazy dog. They require a much higher level of responsibility, maturity and something that probably no other breed needs to properly raise one. Ambition.

 

i'm 20 years old and have loved the breed as far back as i can remember.i feel that there are young irrisponible owner as well as many old irrisponsible owner of any type of dog. and putting an age limit on owning a breed that you love only disgruges the positve movement of the breed.i can also afford all the vet visit and anything my dog needs.

 

There were these two teenage street punks who were always parading their dogs around like they were the cock-o'-the-walk. These guys were idolized as "expert" doggers by all their "homeys." There was nothing about bulldogs these two didn't know.:rolleyes: So-and-so's father was a dog fighter in El Salvadore, therefore so-and-so "knew his shit" about "pitbulls." So-and-so's buddy was "big-time" as well because So-and-so taught him everything he knew. One day, while the whole entourage was standing around watching, these two know-it-all kids each put their "best" dogs into each other (So-and-so only owned two, and his buddy had one.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: ) After 5 minutes, the group of So-and-so-worshippers are clearly amazed that the dogs are still going at it - yes, I said five minutes.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: A couple minutes later, both So-and-so and his buddy's eyes are popping out of their heads and their jaws are hanging, completely dumfounded themselves that the dogs still haven't let up. A few more minutes tick by for a total of maybe 12, 13, and the two geniuses decide to break it up. They begin wrestling with the dogs - huffing and puffing and cursing and straining, trying to get these two dogs to release their holds. Evidently, since their intellectual capacity was full to bursting with brilliance, there was no room left for the concept of a simple breaking stick. Finally they get the dogs apart and pat each other on the back for owning such truly awesome warriors. To keep going like that for almost fifteen whole minutes and still have to be wrestled apart, they had to be two of the best dogs in the country.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Of course, So-and-so and his buddy are now treated like gods by their peers. The pups from the awesome dogs are going for as much as 150, sometimes even 200 dollars. Word is, some dogger from Mexico wanted one so bad that he paid 300! So if any of you are looking for one of the best purebred American Rednoses around, I can prolly hook you up.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


Yes! I definitely think there should be age restrictions on ownership of this breed.

 

I voted for 18,but believe it should be between 18-21 for most people,if at all.HOWEVER,there can be few exceptions.If the young person has been raised with a good dogfamily,and they have the elevated mental maturity and stability.My son has his own dog,which you see on the Tshirts.That female came to me as a 12 week old rescue with both of her back legs broken by her previous owner.Oh sure he brought her to the vet.But when he found out they wanted 500 bucks to fix her,he said put her to sleep.I can go buy 2 more for that price!Well,he happened to had taken her to a doctor who believes in no-kill.They fixed her up,poor baby had huge pins coming out of both legs.They sent her to me for foster care and rehab.My son took to her like glue,and she to him.HE sat down every evening after school and cleaned her pins himself.He would spend an hour just tending to her legs and taking her out to potty because she had to be confined.She went in for weekly check ups and on just her first checkup,the vet like to fell out when he saw her walking.She wouldn't walk for them at all in the clinic.Not even try.Well this 12 week old wreck is now 3 years old,and the best thing as far as his resposibility you could think of.He also has a Hyena curr(Lol) that he bottle fed from 3 weeks old.But If you were to meet him,you would agree ,he has the maturity of an older person.Always worrying that I have this or that,or calculating ways to make money for himself to buy stuff for his dogs or us.Lol.Sometimes I think he's older then me!

 

its the same thing as having a child at a young age, i see 14 year old girls with babies and i know that they are not even old enough to take care of themselves let a lone a baby, i think someone has to be emotionally developed in order to really care for an animal right