Someone was Bit as a Child

The libertarian in me shouts out at this one. In the past several years this issue has been all over the news, and slowly creeps closer to us here in Ohio, as illustrated by the Times Reporter . Yet again, some politician who thinks he should appear to take action when someone gets bit by a dog thinks it's a good idea to pass some legislation, shake some hands and remind his constituents to vote.

THERE ARE NO BAD DOGS. ONLY BAD OWNERS.

I know it sounds a little similar to the old saying that guns don't kill people, people do; but maybe they're not that different of concepts. I don't even have a dog right now, and this still makes me want to punch somebody.

I don't care what these politicians say, there is nothing that makes one breed of dog any more apt to attack someone than any other breed. A dog's temperament is a product of how it was raised by its owners, how it has been treated by humans during its life, and how it is approached by the alleged 'victim.' You can take any breed of dog, and if you beat it or mistreat the thing as a pup, or force it to fight other dogs, even if you neglect to scold it when it jumps up on someone, that dog is going to turn out bad. I'm talking from poodle to mastiff.

One of the meanest dogs I've ever met was a 10-pound Jack Russell terrier. Its owner had let the thing catch mange, kept it in its cage the majority of the day, and pretty much mistreated it in general. You couldn't walk in the room with the poor guy without him growling at you, hackles raised. Thinking myself Dr. Doolittle (which I usually am) I got a pretty bad bite when I reached out my hand for him to sniff.

In contrast, as a teen I remember a couple from our church (I think) who had a St. Bernard which probably topped out at over 200 pounds. The couple also had a couple toddlers. Those kids would climb over that dog like it was a jungle gym, pull on its tail, hang from its ears, and the dog acted like they didn't bother him at all. But if the kids were playing outside and a stranger approached them, you can bet 200 pounds of muscle and teeth stood between them and anyone that might do them harm.

Anyway, this is going to go on forever if I don't cut myself off. I haven't even gotten into why it's wrong for government to legislate something like this (which I'll address later in the week) but for now, let's just say this topic pisses me off.

You scared little politicians should think about adopting dogs instead of banning them.

For some updated info on the topic, this website has a pretty decent bulletin board.