Pit bull ban pushed

Columbus, GA -- magine this crime reported in your local news:

Police bust a guy for possession of pit bulls. They find the canines concealed in his truck after it's checked by a pit-bull-sniffing dog. They say the pit bulls have an estimated street value of $5,000 -- or more, as the dogs' price may be boosted by Georgia's banning them.

Banning pit bulls is the aim of Georgia House Bill 78. The proposal's what people in the dog business call "breed-specific legislation," as is any regulation targeting certain breeds, like if legislators tried to run all Rottweilers out of the state.

Like Rottweilers, pit bulls have a reputation for attacking people. Unlike Rottweilers, pit bulls win worst in show for killing the most people in the years for which fatal dog-attack stats have been studied. And unlike Rottweilers, pit bulls are not a breed recognized by the American Kennel Club.

This unleashes the question of whether you can have a breed-specific ban on dogs that aren't a breed. Apparently you can, as H.B. 78 puts all possible pit bulls in the same pen, like this:

"The term 'pit bull' means any dog that is an American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, or any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established by the American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club for any of the above breeds."

Can you pick a pit bull from a puppy lineup? The Humane Association of Georgia says up to 25 breeds are mistaken for pit bulls. That's the first flaw in a pit bull ban.

Then there's this paradox: Branding the pit bull undesirable makes it more desirable to the undesirable people who made it undesirable to begin with. And if they can't get pit bulls, they'll misuse another kind of dog, and then it will be undesirable, too.

Pit bulls were bred to fight. If abused or trained to attack, they can be lethal. The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a 2000 study showing "pit bull-type" dogs were involved in 66 dog-bite fatalities from 1979 to 1998, more than Rottweilers (39), German shepherds (17), "husky-type" dogs (15) and malamutes (12). A pit bull killed a Lanett, Ala., woman last week.

But focusing only on the type of dog ignores more critical factors contributing to attacks, particularly owner negligence. Listing only fatalities leaves out all other dog bites -- 4.5 million a year, with only about 20 deaths.

Both the Humane Association of Georgia and the Humane Society of the United States oppose breed-specific dog laws, urging authorities instead to target owner negligence. The veterinary journal made that same recommendation, noting even the dachshund has killed.

Treated affectionately, a pit bull makes a gentle family pet. Abused and provoked, a cocker spaniel can kill someone.

Dogs aren't born mean; people make them that way.
Contact Tim Chitwood at (706) 571-8508 or tchitwood@ledger-enquirer.com