Bothell considers new vicious dog law

In the wake of a pit bull attack that led to the death of another dog, Bothell City Council has begun looking at toughening its laws against vicious dogs, including imposing stricter rules on the owners of specific breeds.

[Loves2run]

Blame the owner, not the breed.

[turk]

Just ban all dogs over a certain weight, say, 30 or 40 pounds.

[Bothell]

turk wrote:

Just ban all dogs over a certain weight, say, 30 or 40 pounds.

"Just ban ALL dogs over a certain weight?" Seriously?! That makes no sense. Should we ban you for being over a certain weight? AND, what are you banning the dogs from exactly??

It's called a leash law that needs to be enacted. If someone is concerned about their dog they need to take responsibility and use a muzzle.

[turk]

Dogs are not humans. Would you think it A-OK for someone to house an elephant in their backyard? How about a Bengal tiger? Or to be more realistic how about a Clydesdale on a "standard" residential lot?

The problem is that far too many dog owners do NOT take responsibility for their pets and since animal control in Bothell is pretty much a joke anyway why would you think that having a leash law would make any difference?

Or maybe you're the clown that lives behind me with two large dogs that you basically ignore. Dogs that bark anytime the wind changes directions or I go outside.

I'm an animal lover (all animals) and I generally find animals to be better than people but a city is simply NOT a good place for large dogs.

[Bothell]

turk wrote:

Dogs are not humans. Would you think it A-OK for someone to house an elephant in their backyard? How about a Bengal tiger? Or to be more realistic how about a Clydesdale on a "standard" residential lot?
The problem is that far too many dog owners do NOT take responsibility for their pets and since animal control in Bothell is pretty much a joke anyway why would you think that having a leash law would make any difference?
Or maybe you're the clown that lives behind me with two large dogs that you basically ignore. Dogs that bark anytime the wind changes directions or I go outside.
I'm an animal lover (all animals) and I generally find animals to be better than people but a city is simply NOT a good place for large dogs.

Since the topic is about DOGS, we should keep it to DOGS and not include like you say Clydesdale horses, Bengal Tigers and Elephants, etc. A leash law is a GREAT place to start in any city. The council should pass this law easily. After all dogs are on leashes in the city I feel it is up to the owner to use muzzles if it's needed. The owners are ultimately responsible for what happens to people or other animals.

Again, I go back to your weight reasoning and it really makes no sense. There are certain breeds of smaller dogs that could rip into you, children or other animals. Also, certain breeds that tend to be larger (that for some reason don't get to be "full size") and are in the 30-40 lb range can do serious damage if not trained properly, mistreated, not on a leash and not muzzled. Again, ultimately up to the owner to do what is right.

[Big Dog]

Leashes and Muzzles? Come on people, is this how we want to treat our pets, specifically dogs? And what about the cat owners, will they be required to leash and muzzle Fluffy? Doubtfull. Having an animal is very similar as having children, with respect to responsibility. The animal is your responsibility. Period. If you don't take the necessary steps to train your animal to behave like a responsible citizen in your community then put a leash on. With this in mind you might as well put a collar on yourself. Training, training, training. Typically the bigger the dog the more important training becomes because even if you have the Great Dane on a leash, the 100 lbs woman at the other end does not stand a chance to keep control if it wants to take after something. It has been my observation that most people who have a dog do not know the first thing about training the beast to behave in our society. It is the humans responsibility. If your dog kills some thing, another animal or even a person, you should be held responsible. So train your dog, regardless of how big it is, and the dog will actually be better off.