Experts debate merits of pit bull ban after deadly attack over weekend

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – There was fury online this weekend as many people in southern Alberta called for a pit bull ban after a woman was killed near Langdon.

Police say she jumped in to protect a toddler from being attacked. The woman was the dog’s owner.

That has prompted throngs of people online to call for a ban on owning pit bulls.

The owner of Canine Minds and Manners, Kirsten Rose, said the bans are just not effective, partially, because it’s hard to narrow down exactly what a pit bull is because of the cross breeding is.

“It could be a pit bull-lab, or boxer, who knows? So, what is a pit bull?”

She says attacks like the one near Langdon are tragic but incredibly rare.

“Obviously the majority of the dogs are great. Because otherwise, we would be seeing and hearing issues every single day because there are hundreds of supposed pit bull type breeds out there.”

Instead, she believes owners and breeders should be held accountable.

“Regulating more with respect to breeders, where these dogs are coming from in the first place and then once they are born, how are these dogs being raised? Because they can be raised in some pretty horrific conditions as can any dog,” she said. “The responsibility is with the owner to make sure that they have a dog that has been properly socialized and trained.”

Dr. Eddie Lang is the Scientific Director of the Emergency Strategic Clinical Network.

He told CityNews some of the research around the world shows more than one breed that can cause problems.

“Some of the date from the US from the Centre for Disease Control identifies German Shepherds, for example, as being most often implicated in serious wounds,” he said. “I’m not aware of any data that shows that the risk of dog bites and presentations to the emergency department are any different in provinces that have bans.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today