Georgia Bill Proposes Pit Bull Ban

Savannah, GA -- Animals loved as pets by some, hated as pests by others, could soon be outright banned in the State of Georgia. House Bill 78, calling for a ban on pit bull dogs, has some pushing for passage, while other are furious it's being considered at all.

Chaplin the pit bull is like a big brother to other dogs in the park. "He loves other dogs, he cleans their mouth with his, he kisses them, he just love them," said owner Kim Heinemann.

And Uno is a sometimes overly friendly six-month-old pit bull puppy. "He's not a biter, he's a lover not a fighter," his owner, Victor Burns, told us.

But not all pit bulls are as friendly. In 1999, a pit bull attacked and killed six-year-old Roger Dukes in Savannah. In 2002, a man was brutally attacked by two pit bulls in Garden City.

"They were tearing at his arms and legs," witness Kelly Banks recalled.

It's incidents like that which brought about House Bill 78, which, if passed, would ban pit bulls and any pit bull mix in Georgia. No new dogs could be bought or sold or live in the state.

Owners like Heinemann and Burns are irate.

"The people are the ones who make the dogs aggressive and bad, so we should put a ban on those people, not the dogs," said Heinemann.

Current owners would be able to keep their dogs, but they would also have to follow some new rules. Dogs like Chaplin and Uno would have to wear muzzles when taken out, and get neutered.

"I can't imagine walking this dog with a muzzle or taking something away from him that nature gave him or God, if you will," said Burns.

But people like Banks, who saw a vicious attack, feel differently. "I think it should be passed. Any breed can attack, but you hear more about pit bulls than any other breed."

And now it's up to the legislature to debate this heated issue over next few months.

You will get to have a say, too. Lawmakers will be holding public hearings before any votes are taken. We will let you know when they hold those hearings.

 

Hi All, I really can't believe I'm reading this! My hubby came home telling me some "craziness" about a pit bull ban in Georgia.......I thought it was craziness! We have a wonderful, lovable pit female named Tasha who has NEVER hurt, or tried to hurt anyone or anything. What is this world coming to? Thank God, we will be "allowed" to keep her if this ban goes through. This seems like a communist attitude to me... A BAN, come'on! Does anyone know how we can fight back against this? Please let us know, we'll do whatever necessary.

 

I ran across this reading up some of the dog bite laws, and thought you guys might find it interesting.

The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictibility is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family's Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed. Note, however, that they were bred to be watchdogs! The baby's uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. ("Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog," Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)

I sent a copy of it to Reps that are wanting to ban the kids, and told them I wanted Pomeranians banned also for being dangerous if they were going to banning dangerous dogs.

I also sent the the link www.atts.org that gives the stats for all breeds temperments, and also the Find The Pit page link (http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html). I sent a little note stating to them that most people can't even id a pit, and this page just shows them that for themselves. There is only one pit on the page. If you click on the dog, it will give you the breed. Maybe they will find out a little something about themselves, and mis-identification.

I am also from Georgia, and I think that this is the most retarded thing I have ever seen. We have them for hunting, and pets. Our dogs are taken out on a regular basis, and there has never been a problem. The Catahoulas we have are more tempermental towards strangers than the Pits. It is amazing that we live in a world where the news can claim that almost all dog bites are from Pits, when stat speaking the number 1 biters are Labs, & Cocker Spaniels. Pits are actually 4th from the bottom of the list. But the Pit is their scape goat. You could probably show them a boxer biting someone, and they would yell Pit first thing.