Thursday, 4:30 PM
Dog lovers lambaste lawmakers for considering ban on pit bulls
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff
Pit bull supporters vastly outnumbered opponents at a State House hearing Monday on whether the Legislature should consider a statewide ban on the breed.
About 150 dog owners, trainers, and animal advocates, many sporting T-shirts and jackets emblazoned with images of pit bulls, made for a sometimes raucous crowd, grousing at what they saw as antagonistic questioning from members of the committee considering the ban after a series of highly publicized attacks on children and others.
Most of the veterinarians and animal behavior specialists who testified said a pit bull ban would not protect people from attacks. Instead of focusing on the breed, they said, the state should hold breeders and owners more accountable for vicious dogs.
Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, also said that pit bulls were difficult to identify and therefore difficult for a law to target and that other big, strong dogs can be as dangerous as pit bulls if improperly cared for or bred.
"I think breed-specific legislation is odious," he said. "It’s fraught with all kinds of problems."
No legislation banning pit bulls has been filed, but Representative Vincent A. Pedone, House chairman of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, has expressed interest in the idea and scheduled the hearing to explore ways to control vicious dogs.
