I feel badly for the doggies. I think that many of these folks get them as fashion accessories and not taking into account it is a living being with a 12-14 year lifespan.

Pit bulls are used as weapons these days. But most people do not know that the dalmation is one of the most vicious breeds.

Many dogs other then the pit bull have lock jaw. And they are pets. I know many people that have very tame loving pits.

I do agree a dangerous dog needs to muzzled, but like Mr. Anderson says, others will have to be also. And where would they have protective custody for the animals?

What a joke. These officials don't even seem to understand that a pit bull isn't a breed of dog, but rather a description of several different breeds (which includes staffies). Even without addressing the bred-to-latch-and-kill nonsense, it's clear that this is not about eliminating POTENTIALLY aggressive dogs, but about inventing yet another excuse to intrude upon (and eliminate) those "other kinds of people" - you know, the ones who "don't care to be responsible," and "those who might be "especially violent because of how...[they were] bred."

It's all in how a person raises the dog.

First off "lock jaw" is not a mechanism in the dogs jaw. But certain breeds have what some people will call lock jaw. It is because of the size of the jaw and the jaw muscles. Again a dog cannot lock, but its power its so strong it is hard to open the bogs jaws. The Pit/German Shepherd and Rott can clamp down at over 320 bite pounds of pressure. Wilds dogs are at 310. These are facts from the board of American dog owners, al w. Stinson and Cornell.

So again they cannot lock. But with that amount of power, the breed is locked on.

But again it comes down to the owners. And what's good for the pit is good for all dogs. Any animal bite is dangerous.

I agree with Elvis. This type of dog is used as a weapon these days. It's better then banning the pitbull like other places have.

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I have had pitbulls in the past and they were wonderful pets. I did not get them as a weapon. A dog or any animals tempermant depends on the way it is raised. I take offense to Mr. Kinnon's statements as "those kinds of people," and the comment of restitution. I think Mr. Kinnon needs to know a little more about dogs and the people who do own them before making such slanderish remarks. I would also like to know when a public hearing will be held for this ordinance. It is a city ordinance and the city should know the truth about the cities dog bites, cat scratches and snake bites. He also does not care about the people he was chosen to represent by saying he does not care if he looses votes, HE does not like the dog.

Kim, you're in the minority then, because most people that get a dog that is known for being more viscious, get it for just that reason. I also don't think I'm wrong to say that most dog owners (no matter what the breed) don't know how to train their pet, so as a father I do worry that dogs like these are out on the streets.

I'm with Kim, i own a pitbull and honestly she is the sweetest dog i have ever known. Never once has she even nipped while p laying.I think you all need to start researching the dog before you make such comments about them and their owners. and if you look, this list says that they are only number 6 of aggresive dog breeds...dachshund and the chihuaha are number one and two...are you going to require them to be muzzled too? http://www.kpho.com/slideshow/family/16820327/detail.html

Mr. Joseph, as a mother of 3, a grandmother of 1 and guardian/owner of 2 large dogs (an American Pitbull Terrier and an American Staffordshire Terrier) I don't think you should be talking about who is in the minority. I understand the danger my dogs would pose IF they were to attack a person, a small child, a smaller animal BUT, my dogs are gentle, loving creatures. YES they require constant supervision, YES they are powerful, YES they have the POTENTIAL to do serious damage but myself, my husband, my family all understand the responsibilities of keeping such strong and loyal creatures. We understand the need for training and control. Yes there are people out there that think of powerful dogs as a status symbol or a show of some twisted sense of strength but the city needs to enforce the laws already on the books about dogs being licensed and being off-leash and irresponsible owners not picking up after their pets. The dog officer told me flat out that he didn't have the man power to go out and ticket people who don't follow those laws yet they want to make me muzzle my APBT who is licensed, never outside without a leash and always gets picked up after and would lick your face or run and hide behind my legs rather than do anything to hurt somebody.

@Erin, that's like comparing a pirahna to a great white... they both could do damage, but only one could completely overpower even the strongest of people.
@Jennifer, I have great respect for animals of all sizes, but when it comes to the safety of my children, I feel it's better to be proactive than seeing what POTENTIAL damage these animals could do.

"State Police are investigating the death of a 7-month-old girl who was attacked by the family dog. Police say Annabelle Mitchell was found dead Tuesday afternoon in the living room of the family’s home in the Waldo County town of Frankfort. Her mother, Katrina Mitchell, told police the family’s Rottweiler had attacked her daughter. The baby was home with her mother and 2-year-old brother at the time of the attack. A Waldo County sheriff’s deputy shot the dog to death at the request of the child’s father, John Mitchell, and the local animal control officer. An autopsy was scheduled yesterday"

My guess is that the family would have said a week ago that their dog was gentle and loving too!

the problem with pit bulls is the idiots training them as fighting and killing machines and as there are many dogs that are strong and can due alot of damage the pit bull is the dog of choice for fighting and once there trained like that they are always going to be dangerous especially if there is another dog around because it has been trained to kill it what you should do is put a muzzle on the morons that train them to kill and throw them in jail for awhile

The problem is the owners not the dog, I have a beautiful 1yr. Old pitbull she is awesome. When I first walked her in my new neighborhood ppl were crossing the street, it brought tears to my eyes, she is friendly great with children, my step daughter(4yrs.) Sits on her and rides her around the house. Her two sisters share a room and my dog sleeps with them(8,9 yr) I took my dog to training classes and she has a citizenship certificate... I hate ppl who judge my dog based on her breed.. I know there are mean dogs out there but they are in all breeds jus like ppl. I love my pit and wouldn't trade her for the world.. if u do own or plan on owning a pitbull please seek professional training so when these ignorant ppl are in your face saying how mean your dog is, you can proudly show them there's two sides to everything ppl,pits, and life... Heather... a proud pitbull owner...

from Boston.com "A pitbull was euthanized last month after it escaped its home on Lowell Street and seriously injured a 10-year-old boy."... "Carine Cetoutte, the dog's owner, was not cited or charged in the case, but will be liable for fines and the cost to board the animal before it was put down" . . ."The dog had previously bitten another child in May, Alkins said, but that incident occurred inside the owner's home where city leash laws don't apply."
I'm sure this was most likely the result of improper care, but how can we know that, How do we know that the dogs that are raised properly truly are? It's the same as parents... Every parent can think they are the best parent because of the way they were raised. If you beat your kid, you think that it is the right thing to do, because that is how you were raised, but when your child beats the fudge out of someone you may question, Why would they do that?

But dogs are animals, they may be special to your family, but they are still animals, they can not vocalize their feelings. So you will only know they are angry after it might be too late. A muzzle would protect both sides of this issue.

I resent your statement about owners of Pitbulls and their dogs being irresponsible because as a dog officer you don't have an fair impartial opinion on the matter because all you see is the bad owners and bad dogs because responsible owners and good dogs dont have the police or animal control at their house. Pitbulls are one of the most popular breeds in recent years and are being over bred and abused at an alarming rate. But remember there are three million pitbulls out here and 99% never break any laws. Human aggression is directly contributed to a dogs owner its not a genetic trait its a learned behavior. Every dog is a individual !
And as far as Mr kinnon lets just be happy that your not allowed to make a decision on your own because im sure it would be made with out putting any thought or research into it all. Meaning it would be the same as your comments , The exact definition of ignorance.

I was personally bit by a dog (not a pitbull) in the city of Malden and the dog had several incidents prior to mine including a child and also had biten another dog, but the dog officer never fined nor had this dog put in quarentine for any of these bites. I know it's not the dog and it is the owners that have them. As a professional animal behaviorist I reported this dog several times, and nothing was done. I feel at this point the animal control officer should spend more time doing his job and maybe the city should spend more money maybe on teaching all officers in every city about ways to approach any dog and signs to look for aggression before they just shoot them. This is insane. They should be passing a law that requires dog owners to have their dogs trained when they are licensed. Instead of blaming them, why don't we make sure they are training them. Humans included.. espeacially the animal control officer. You think in that line of work he'd have a passion to help, instead he has obviously the passion to hurt. Are we forgetting that pitbulls served as military dogs..all this is ,is pure ignorance and lack of education..

I'm proudly owned by two american staffordshire terriers and a American pit bull/ mastiff mix. I have done all the training with my girls! My neighbors use to walk to the other side of the street till they met them... This is all a joke! The law should be all dogs to be trained.. All animal control needs to learn animal behavior.. No actually the public should! I'm so sick of these laws only being against pit bulls! Keep fighting for these bologna laws when how many rapist, murderes, child molestors walk the streets? And anyone who owns" pitbulls" register them as their breed not nick name for breeds! I had city clerk tell me I couldn't register my american staffordshire terriers as that she said they had to be registered as pit and I'm sorry I register mine as their breed not a group nick name! Muzzle one breed doesn't stop anything muzzle all breeds!!

This country can't even get a handle on dogs that are abandoned and abused, you honestly think it's logical to require proper training for all dogs?

I believe this is a disgrace. I am a very proud owner of a beautiful pitbull and she is the friendliest, most down to earth dog I know. Pitbulls have a bad name, and its because of the ignorant, heartless cruel people who decide to use them as weapons. There are plenty of good responsible pitbull owners like myself and plenty others that I know personally. Unfortunately these dogs got such a bad reputation that now most of the world wont even give them a chance. Its how you raise your pets. Just like children, if you raise then with no structure or manners they will be out of control. Pitbulls are named the most "misunderstood " breed for a reason. I think the people who have such negative beliefs about this breed should really do their homework before they speak. "The greatest ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about." Get real people!

I agree with tommy garret!

@Tee and how do you explain the justice for a dog that had made several attacks in a neighborhood to a child an adult and a small no aggressive dog but yet still the owner was never fined, or dog taking from this owner. Currently this dog is with the owner after she hid this dog in a boarding kennel which protected her. Then the owner got the dog back from there after being taking on Judge Judy for non payment to the facility it was in while hiding out.. I'm not sure the city has the right people and educated people doing their jobs. Enough's enough. The dog was not a pit-bull and currently still residing in the city of Malden. Seriously, there's alot of behind the scene's that people aren't looking into that just want to judge. Many pit-bulls, German Shep, Rottweilers, and Dobie's have served this country and for our police forces..Why don't we recognize the good.

People are way to ignorant to recognize the good in these dogs. Who's inhumane now?..

Hi Folks - People who think a breed-specific muzzle law is unneccessary and/or unenforceable and/or a "red herring" at a time when Malden needs many other, more important, and more useful safety measures: Please make your opinion known to your Ward Councilor and our three At-Large Elected Councilors. The City Council will meet and probably vote on their proposed ordinance TONIGHT, Tues. April 3, at 7 pm. You are allowed and encouraged to attend this public meeting at Malden Government Center!

Please Everybody pass this around to pet owner
This was a email sent to me
have good news. I spoke to a woman from the mayors office. She is listening to everyone. She talked to me for over 1 hour and did talk to the MSPCA woman and does plan to talk with Alan Bogel too! She is watching the council meeting and she seen and is hearing what a lot of people are concerned about with what city councilors said. This Ordinance has not made it's way to the mayor's office so it doesn't mean that it is a done deal. I told her that spaying and neutering works better than a muzzle law is going too and that there is no way that they can control who is coming and going with dogs in the city.I told her if Kevin was able to enforce the leash law there would have been no bites in the city as all 57 bites were from dogs off leash. Dogs escaping houses and fenced yards even with a muzzle law will not have a muzzle on when they escape. We talked about responsible pet ownership and proper collars and control of dogs that come through education. I told her about our trainer and she is interested in talking too him. I think people have to ban together and rationally get their point across. They are listening and there is a chance so let's work together to get rid of this stupid ordinance.

Subject: Re: Malden pitties affected by new ordinance

They are aware of the what happened at the meeting and they are also aware that there is a lot more to this.
One of the biggest facts is that the 57 bites were on off leash dogs. If they broke the leash law and Kevin couldn't enforce that law how is he going to enforce another law.
People need to call and they need to be respectful. She did say that a lot of people were calling because of the negative remarks by the city council.
Anyone who is a dog owner and she is knows how important the dog is and the breed that they love is to them. Everyone needs to talk about people being responsible - spaying and neutering a better answer than a muzzle law.

Keep the calls going in so it keeps things alive. If the calls stop, then there is no reason to not rethink this law.

They are aware of the what happened at the meeting and they are also aware that there is a lot more to this.

Go to You tube and watch pit bull attacts 7 year old Then tel us there a nice predictable dog.