To ban or to regulate, that is the question

PIT BULLS have come back into the spotlight recently, with a number of reports of people being attacked and, in some cases, killed. Many have argued that they should be prohibited from breeding and entering South Africa since they are “aggressive and deadly” dogs.

I absolutely think that dogs are not born vicious, just like people. Pit bulls have already failed due to external factors – bad socialisation skills, poor training and a lack of breed knowledge - as soon as they find the wrong owner.

I myself own a "power breed" (bull terrier), and when I walk my dog the proverb "If it has teeth, it can bite" is often heard. In all cases, when I convince the person to interact with or rub my dog, they see that not all of them bite.

“I genuinely do believe that every dog could bite under certain circumstances and, given the wrong conditions, any dog can be unpredictable, but is it reasonable to put all blame just on the breed, though?

As the owner of a power-breed dog, it is your responsibility to look after, train, and, most importantly, socialise your dog with other dogs and people. If your dog is not socialised properly, he or she will see other dogs and people as threats and therefore protect their owner and property.

On many occasions I have seen dogs tied up to a pole with a chain. Children will walk past and throw stones at the dog or walk with a stick and pull it against the fence to entice the dog. The dog receives no love or compassion from its owner, its sole purpose is to be an alarm for the owner. The only things the dog receives are food and water. The abuse builds up, and when the dog finally gets loose, any person walking past the fence or entering the yard will be dealt with accordingly.

On a ‘smaller scale’, I have witnessed a number of tiny breed dogs, including poodles, Jack Russells and chihuahuas, be quite violent, lunging forward and biting for the tiniest reason. Their size and their inability to inflict the same damage with their little fangs are the only things separating them from the pit bull breed. They are not necessarily less aggressive because they are smaller.

The majority of respectable pit bull owners I've spoken to describe their dogs as giant teddy bears full of love and devotion. These owners are aware of how to handle and care for the breed. I, for one, won't hesitate to allow anyone who has my permission to enter my yard because my dog is accustomed to both humans and other dogs.

But what do others say?

More than 35,000 people have signed a petition demanding that pit bulls be prohibited from being kept as domestic pets. The Sizwe Kupelo Foundation started the petition, which currently seeks 50,000 signatures. The organisation is demanding the immediate prohibition of pit bulls after "years of horrific attacks on innocent individuals, particularly small children”.

Calls have also been made for the pit bull terrier breed to be banned in South Africa.

Injuries caused by animal bites in 2017 were mostly caused by dogs (76% to 94%).

Now that the call for a ban is a hot topic, it has led many to question who the “bad guy” is between the dog and its owner. This is a major concern that everyone has.

Pit bull owners argue that the ban is unreasonable for a “small number” of incidents and have pointed out that not all dogs are aggressive.

“If they believe they can come and take my children away from me, they can go fly a kite,” says city resident Sally Howes, the owner of two pit bulls.

"My dogs are the loveliest and most devoted dogs in the world; they are like my children. Additionally, they are there to safeguard me and my belongings, particularly during the frequent load-shedding evenings,” she remarked.

Howes recounted how her dogs rush to the fence and bark maniacally whenever people or other dogs cross the sidewalk in front of her house. "Dogs do what dogs do; all dogs bark; all dogs jump up and down. Keep them confined to your yard and prevent them from escaping," she said.

Howes contends that it is crucial to control the breeding of the breed and to work to reduce the breed's population. She said that purchasing a pit bull shouldn't be as simple as it is right now and that you should only get one from a registered breeder.

Anzel Bothma, another city resident, asserted that not everyone should own a pit bull.

"I have one, and I really adore him, even though he's growled and flashed his teeth at me. Even with all the love that I put into raising him, he still warned me that day. He was constantly watching out for my children as he grew older, but I won't acquire another pit bull, and I wouldn't advise anyone to get one," she added.

Bothma said that she could understand other people's perspectives.

“Pit bulls have strong personalities and can snap easily, so they are not for everyone. I love him a lot, but I don't trust him fully. I recently got another dog, and they play well together; the pit bull has bitten him several times but nothing serious.

“The other dog I got is an American bully; people don't really know the difference between the two, but the differences between the breeds are night and day, and I will choose 20 American bullies over a pit bull any day.”

Inspector Keshvi Nair, the National Council of SPCAs' public relations officer, claimed that pit bull owners had done an “excellent job” of persuading the public that the issue is with how owners care for their dogs, but that this was only a “convenient solution”.

Nair acknowledged that while a number of factors affect a dog's behaviour, how owners raise their canines does play a part.

"We also need to acknowledge that factors other than training, such as the environment, the owner, heredity, etc, have an impact on this. Pit bulls were bred for fighting and animal aggression for hundreds of years. They have an extremely low sensitivity to pain and were specifically designed to be more aggressive,” says Nair.

When discussing dog attacks, Nair said that it is sometimes overlooked that people are not the only victims. Other animals are often mauled to death during pit bull attacks, she pointed out.

Nair lamented the lack of regulations governing the care and breeding of animals.

Her thoughts were mirrored by Lehanda Rheeder of the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa (PBFSA).

Rheeder advised owners to embrace the likelihood that their pit bull will eventually develop animal aggression and require separation from people and other animals, regardless of how well it was bred and socialised.

Rheeder said that dog fighting was a factor in South Africa's barbaric treatment of pit bulls. And that dog fighters display their canines around the townships while using terrible handling techniques and while using these dogs for security.

The simple way out, according to Rheeder, is to blame the dogs. She urged people to cease supporting backyard breeders and rescuers that make claims that the dog's aggression is caused by how it was raised.

“Pit bulls are not the right breed of dog for every home,” she emphasised. “To maintain them in a secure habitat, an owner with breed knowledge, patience and love for the breed is required.”

“To ban the pit bull breed in South Africa is the easy way out, I think. Putting all the blame on the dog and not on the owner is very unfair. I think that all parties should come together and work on a solution to manage the breed that is loved by so many.”

One pit bull owner said the following: "If they can ban the breed so easily out of South Africa because they do harm to some, then they should also ban all the rapists and murderers that kill and destroy lives."