I think dog ownership in crowded cities is a problem full stop. If I took a child to the park and let them poop on the grass, attack other children and run up and jump enthusiatically at complete strangers, maybe biting maybe not, people would regard me as having a problem and the child as needing taking into some sort of care. But this exactly what I see any day of the week with dog owners.

My wife was attacked in Switzerland by an Alsatian and I was bitten when I intervened getting between her and the dog and she was knocked over in a local park injuring her back. A friend of mine decribed dogs as furry bags of sh___t.

>Do I have this right? After banning Pits, dog bites are up 60%? And they still think Pits are the problem?
>
>>Up 60% in Wales between 2000 and 2010 apparently : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8513921.stm
>>(I think it's a similar story in the UK as a whole ....)
>>
>>>Are there stats on how much difference it's made in dog bites and attacks on people? Here in Ontario the ban seems not to have made much of a dent if at all.
>>>
>>>>>>>It's a stupid and undemocratic ban IMO.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I thought it was sensible and democratic.
>>>>>>Last time I looked we had a democratically elected government and they chose to pass a law banning the ownership of a breed of dog whose sole raison-d'etre was to pick a fight with a couple of tons of beef :-}
>>>>>
>>>>>Was there a change like "you have to kill all pits xx month after the law is passed" recently
>>>>>or is the ban in effect now for more than one dog generation ?
>>>>
>>>>AFAIR, a dog born before 1991 would not be destroyed (unless there was good reason to believe that the dog was dangerous) but must be muzzled and kept on a lead.
>>>>
>>>>Ah - here it is : http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/introduction/enacted
>>>>
>>>>>As GB is one of the countries with least weapons on the streets,
>>>>>a harsher attitude there is quite in line with *their* context,
>>>>>
>>>>>I personally believe with most others here that the dogs behaviour
>>>>>is heavily dependant on the owner, but there have been enough incidents both
>>>>>with special breeds and stupid owners and "harmless" dogs and bad circumstances
>>>>>to allow arguing for some control to follow the rules on arms -
>>>>>where some types are forbidden as well and a lot of variation between countries exists ;-)