Should pit bulls be banned?

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I think the city officials should strt enforcing the law with any dog that is violent,not just ban one breed in general.What we really need to do is get rid of our money pilfering mayor.I hope this recall pettition gets started soon.

- Cudahy Native, Cudahy,WI

I dont think we should ban a breed of dog at all,but any dog that attacks or is aggresive should be handled right away. This is probably the mayors next big controversy to get people to stop looking into his background since he became mayor.Set the focus on something else.Im sure he does not want people to know how much of your money he is spending and on what.I for one cant wait for the recall pettition to get started.

- Cudahy Native, Cudahy,WI

No scientific proof!! Come on!! Personally I don't have time to go through articles to find you your proof. However, what I can tell you is that insurance companies do have the time. I have included some information that an insurance site had listed. Give it a look over. Among other dogs Pitt bulls are on the list. Now, do you really think if these dogs are the same as every other dog, an insurance company would put a ban on insuring people who own them? They wouldn't take your money!! Who are you kidding. It's people like you Mr.Stewart who should be forced to see a victim after being attacked by a Pit bull. Maybe then you'll see your proof. And if you wouldlike to debate your point that it is the owner not the dog. Generally people that own these dogs do not treat them with the love the dog needs not to be aggresive, so in your theory we have a bunch of ticking time bombs walking around the street. There's no scientific evidence... Are you kidding??!!! When you see a pile of shit on the ground do you need to smell it, or get evidence before you know not to step in it? Or do you just base your decision off previous experience and common sense?

Currently, owners of pit bulls and Rottweilers have the most trouble finding insurance. Most companies look suspiciously at those breeds. See generally, Humane Society of the United States,January 2005. Some companies have a comprehensive list. Here is the list from Automobile Club:

Pit Bulls & Rottweilers (No full bred or mix) Akita - including Japanese and Akita Inu Bernese - including Mountain Dog, Berner Sennenhund and Bernese Cattle Dog Canary Dogs - including Perro de Presa Canario Chow Chow Doberman Husky - including American, Eskimo and Greenland (Siberian is OK) Karelian Bear Dog Rhodesian Ridgeback Russo-European Laika - including Russian Laika and Karelian Bear Laika Any breed of guard dog trained to attack Wolf Hybrids The foregoing applies to both purebred and mixed breed dogs.

- NEVERMIND, CUDAHY, WI.

We should ban them. Only a few people own them so who cares about them. If they don't like it, they can move. They are vicious dogs that can easily be trained to be mean. Remember property values.

- Jim Schermister, Cudahy, WI

It's not the dog that is aggressive by nature it is the owner that makes them that way. If the dogs owner is going to teach them to attack they will. If the dogs owner beats the dog the dog will learn to be afraid of man and attack. How many times has this been said to the city of Cudahy officials? I know a lot of people who own pit bulls and they are not "thugs" and the dogs are the sweetest animals. Cudahy officials here is a message for you...stop being so ignorant and educate yourselves!!! I know maybe we should put a ban on ignorant city officials!

- Cudahy Citizen, Cudahy, WI

Pit bulls shouldn't be banned. There's no scientific evidence what so ever to suggest that they're naturally vicious and agressive! Media reports of so-called dog attacks done by pit bulls are inaccurate, unreliable, and outright false! Infact, there was a story about an Illinois woman who was said to have been killed by her own two pit bulls. For one thing, later investigations (not reported in the news) revealed that the woman had died of a drug overdose and the dogs belonged to her boyfriend. This is just one of the many examples of not getting the whole story. The media is more concerned about deadline than about accuracy of the stories they present. If you don't believe me, look on the National Canine Research Council's website, go to the link "Dogs In the Media," and under that, look for a link that says, "The Media, A Reliable Source for Stories on Dog Attacks?" That will tell you all you need to know (among many other articles and websites.) Finally, this Breed Specific Legislation should actually be considered as Bull Shit Legislation: It doesn't work! If anything has happened, it's the fact that dog attacks (many of them not done by pit bulls or rottweilers) have actually increased since the legislation has been inacted.

- Dorvell Stewart, Independence, Mo.

Here we go again... 15 MONTH OLD BABY ATTACKED BY PIT BULL...NEEDS SCALP REATTATCHED!

Last nights news headline. Think if this was your child?? Not only was the baby attacked, the mmother and another sibling also were attacked. GET RID OF PIT BULLS!!!!!

- VERY CONCERNED!, Cudahy, WI

Keep the dogs and bring on the walmart! they sell cheap dog food, that probably makes the dogs crazy! See we can blame Walmart for everything..

Take out the vicious dogs in the city, and you won't have a problem. Once all of them are gone, next get rid of the politicians who have nothing else better to do, rather than waste tax dollars on this!

Put the dogs and the politicians on Metra, and send them out of town on a rail! ha ha.. Don't wait to the cho cho, lets just get rid of them.

Then who ever is left, the pit bulls and the decent politicians could run the city, and start to bring our taxes down! Did the city reassess based on # of dogs? My taxes are going to the dogs!!!

That is all. Charlie B.

- Charlie B, Cudahy

It's not the dog, it's the owner...................................................................................................................
were blaming one bred and banning it,,,,what's next the poodle because he went on your lawn.............................................................................socialism is in what cudahy is starting to be..............................

- karen, cudahy

this would make the manager of evergreen square for the eledering happy , she does not like dogs at all....

- Cudahy, cudahy

Actually, it is IGNORANT, to think that banning Pitbulls wouldn't reduce crime. Of all my life I have maybe met a small hand full of nice, law abiding citizens that own Pitbulls. A couple of them had to actually get rid of them due to the aggression in the dog. The fact of the matter is that the Pitbull breed is put on a pedestal by drug dealers, rappers,and thugs. This causes more of the same type of people to want the same type of dog. It's almost like when you see people of high respect or celebrity status eating, drinking, or wearing something. You generally see a flux in the sale of that item. Now, follow me on this. If we ban the type of dogs that these people usually have (Pitbulls), we save ourselves from not just a dangerous animal, but the dangerous animals that generally own them as well. It's a sad truth but never the less the truth. For the people who are nice and LAW ABIDING!You know who you are.. If you have a Pitbull I am sorry for this sad truth.

- NEVERMIND, CUDAHY, WI.

I disagree with the ban of pit bulls. If we ban them then we are also banning there owners. I think this will bring many altercations within the community. It is very ignorant to ban a certain breed when there are many mean dogs that are NOT pit bulls. If we ban pit bulls it would be like banning a certain race from our community.
Dogs are people too.

If you think that crime in Cudahy is because of pit bulls, you need to open up your eyes.

- Kay, Cudahy,WI

I Think we should Ban Pitt Bull HATERS from Cudahy. Put then on the same bus as Wal-Mart HATERS get them out of here!!

- Cudahy resident forever, Cudahy

Where else other than cudahy do you want to ban a breed, then get a dog for the police to attack people? Wow! Don't ban pit bulls, just enforce the laws on the books! Get the cops and the court to enforce the vicious dog ordinance with a real bite! Send those people to jail if you can.
A poodle can bite hard enough to kill, should we ban them too!

- Amos A, Cudahy, Wi

I agree STRONGLY with the Pit bull ban.. The argument that should stick with you should be this. Talk to an owner of a pure bread dog. Take a Shepherd for instance. My brother owns one. When there is a group of people standing around the dog actually tries to herd them.. Runs in circles, barks.. it's funny, and that's not the only shepherd I have heard of that does that. Blood hounds, if you watch a blood hound they are constantly with their heads down smelling.. Once again, that is what they are used for.. If you take any pure bread dog and research what that dog was bread for you will see characteristic's in it's personality showing it's true form.. A pitbull was bread to be an aggressive animal!.. Just because the person that owns it loves it doesn't take that dogs bloodlines away, or it's aggression. The dog's are dangerous, and I for one will do whatever I can to help get this ban in place.

- DOG LOVER!!, CUDAHY, WI.

i am in favor of banning pitbulls in cudahy. they can be a danger to the community. i realize there are some that are more tame than others but i would not want to take a chance. my aunt was attacked by a dog & now she is deathly afraid of all dogs & i know she is not alone.

- dawn dounar, cudahy, wi

I'm old enough to remember the BS when the feminists tried to tell us there was no difference between a man and a woman, it was all how you raised them. Same BS. To all those who claim there is no difference between a pit bull and a poodle, well then our security officer can patrol with standard poodles then. Can you imagine the howls of laughter if I demanded our security officers patrol with poodles? Why such laughter? Because it is self-evident that there is a hell of a difference between a poodle and a pit bull. We recognize the difference for an officers job but not for the life of a child. That in itself is very telling.

- kellamd, cudahy, wi

I will do everything to help my fellow pit bull owners in Cudahy keep their pets, their companions and their children.

It makes me truly sick to think that we as humans think we have the right to wipe a race of any animal. We don't like wolves anymore, so we just decide to slaughter them through aerial gunning. Yet, it was us who wanted them in Yellow Stone in the first place.

I am sickened to belong to a society that thinks they have the right to decide who belongs on this planet. We don't own this earth, we're simply passing time on it, and yet we treat the earth like crap, we treat other human beings like crap, we treat our children like crap, we treat our pets like crap, because everyone one person seems to only think of themselves.

I cannot believe some suit thinks that it's okay to ban a breed, without realizing he's only hurthing the good dog owners, not the bad, not the people abusing pit bulls and fighting them, or using them as bait dogs to train another dog.

Banning these wonderful dogs isn't going to affect the monsters like Michael Vick that abuse their dogs, who don't come out with them during the light of day, who keep them locked in cages, chained to rape stands or thrown into a ring with their mouths held shut so another dog that's being beaten will surely kill it.

This ban will not do anything to stop dog fighting, or animal abuse, it will only make it go deeper in the cities, and it will only get worse.

The breed is not the problem, it's the humans that think they have the right to torture these sweet dogs that are the problem.

Make it mandatory to license the dogs, all dog breeds, that can be checked. There can be consequenes for not licensing your dog or not taking dog training classes with your dog.

As a responsible dog owner myself, I would do anything possible to keep my dogs, so it I wouldn't have a problem taking a training class if it meant keeping my dogs. They will never be taken from me and I will never give them up.

- Katie, West Allis

I will keep my comment short and to the point.
If you do not want Pit Bulls in Cudahy why are there 3 Pit Bull/Pit Bull mixes advertised for adoption on this website?
If you look under Adoptable Animals page, three of the dogs are Pit Bulls. So adopt one now and in a few months we will ban them? That does not make any sense.
Should you really be advertising adoption for a dog you are trying to ban?

- SV, Cudahy, WI

As a dog groomer on the north side of milwaukee I have had numerous clients come in with pit bulls. I WILL NOT GROOM THEM. Blame the owner, blame the dog...whatever...there are NO good pit bulls. They turn on anyone!! Just like a doberman, just like a rotweiler. I see some comments from people who have owned pitbulls for long perios of time and no injuries reported from their dogs. BRAVO!!! God help you when that pit bull gets old and cranky....THEN WHAT???
And KUDOS to the Port Washington police department for shooting that pit bull last week. I would've done the same thing! What would have happened had that been a child the dog had it's jaws wrapped around???

- Very Concerned, Cudahy, WI

Absolutely NOT!!
I have only owned pit bulls.
It is not the breed of the dog that needs to be banned however the breed of the owner. Any animal no matter what breed needs to be raised and cared for just as you would a child. Any child or animal you raise in a hostile and aggressive environment they will replicate their surroundings.
I do believe there should be restrictions as to who may own and register certain breeds but no bans against any particular breed.

- Jen, Milwaukee WI

First recall the Mayor then get rid of Pit bulls. Not much of a difference. Out here we don't have a bad Mayor we have a bad County Ex that builds $100K bathroom that only he can use. And we alsohave bad bit bulls.

I had to save my dog and wife by killing one a few years ago. I didnt feel good about it, but I had to do it. It was owned by a "Lawyer". He said it was a "Show Dog" but it had two count against it. When we went to court all I had to do was show the pictures and videos of my dog chewed up. I won. BAN THEN...

- Kevin Jeffords, Silver Spring, MD

I am not in support of a ban. I think to single out one specific breed of dog is ridiculous. If the owner of a dog (pit bull or not) can not control and restrain their dog they should not have one peroid. To make all owners of dogs pay the price of a few is simple absurd. We have bigger problems in Cudahy to think about than this. "BAN" the "DEED" not the "BREED".

- SB, Cuhahy

Pit bulls are not the problem. It is the dog owners that give the breed a bad rap. But it is also the irresponsible media and city officials who perpetuate this stereotype. The majority of pit bulls in the general community are safe and family friendly pets. As with any dog, it is all about proper training and socialization.

Cudahy officials are practicing fear-mongering and it is shameful.

My pit bull Lucky and I were threatened one evening by another dog that got loose. This dog also attacked another woman and her dog later. Guess what it was? A yellow lab. Does that mean that breed should be banned as well? Of course not.

Fine bad dog owners. If their pets have a history of being unsafe, demand they participate in proper training and socialization at a local humane society. If a dog is viciously attacks someone without provocation, the dog needs to be taken to animal control and the owners need to be held responsible for any damages.

Frankly it is ridiculous that these officials consider banning a specific breed. There is no correlation between pit bull ownership and crime. It strikes me of knee jerk politics just so these officials give the appearance of doing something to get their faces in the news so their political careers will continue. It's opportunism at it's worst. Don't fall for it, Cudahy.

- Jim Warchol, Shorewood, WI

Thinking that banning any one breed of dog will reduce crime is absolutely ridiculous!!
Instead of attempting to ban any one breed, how about if we try to enforce the leash laws and harboring vicious animals that are already in place. If the owner does not comply, instead of threatening a fine, give them a fine, after that, remove the animal from the city, regardless of breed.

- Susan, Cudahy WI

My husband and I are currently looking at moving up from our current home to a newer home closer to where we work. We own two dogs-neither is a bully breed. We have ruled out entire towns in our hunt because we are so opposed to breed bans. Someone in Woodville can thank their village counsel's breed ban for me not buying their house.

Breed bans can impact more than what dog you can own.

- Christi, Menomonie, WI

Found this post on another board regarding breed specific legislation - I'd paraphrase but this post pretty well sums it up...


The problem is NOT "bully breeds". Any breed of dog has potential to be aggressive. The REAL problem is irresponsible people, lack of factual information about the breed, & lack of education/ ignorance.

As of December 2007 The American Temperament Test Society who test all dog breeds for their temperament in various situations. The American Pit Bull Terrier/Staffordshire Terrier passed with an 85% passing rate. Higher than a Border Collie. But you never hear that in the evening news.

It is unethical, uneducated, irresponsible to condemn an entire breed of dog because of the actions of a few... that is profiling. Get educated don’t fall into the media’s ignorant trap & DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

- Karen, Cudahy

I for one am very glad that this proposal was tabled. 3 years ago we looked at property in Cudahy. Thankfully we choose elsewhere. I have three dogs of this imaginary breed of "Pit Bull" and 2 of which have passed their Canine Good Citizen testing. 1 is taking her test in a matter of weeks. My male American Pit Bull Terrier is preparing to go through his Delta Society training. Menaces everyone.

Obviously Cudahy has more issues related to dogs than simply banning a breed. For registrations to drop that severe an amount means someone is not keeping track of that.

While I do not live in Cudahy, I can simply promise that my money will never touch another business that is based or run in Cudahy should a ban of this level go through. Actual enforcement of existing laws, rather than say they are on the books, is the initial step.

To touch on a few comments below.
Yes a Pomeranian has killed a person. Also the recipient of the first complete face transplant in France was attacked by Labrador Retrievers. The severity of the bite is not based on breed of dog rather it is based on size of dog.

Saying that you need to ban a breed of dog because gangs have them is like saying you need to ban the wearing of blue and white in your community because gangs do it. Perhaps working on forcing the gangs away might be more productive.

Someone asked what type of person owns a "Pit Bull". I am a married, white, 32 year old female homeowner. We have no children, but I work 4 jobs and my husband works 3. But here are a few famous names as well. Rachael Rae. Total gangster if you ask me. Michael J Fox. John Stewart. Yes, Michael Vick and DMX also own the breed, but they are sitting in jail and well we pretend they dont exist.

Pit Bull is NOT a breed of dog. There is no breed of dog by any dog registries that is labeled a PIT BULL. Plain and simple. Laws of this type target dogs that are large, with a square head and barrel chest. In all honesty out of my three dogs, the one everyone assumes is a "Pit Bull" is not. Boxers, Labs, Mixed Breeds, American Bulldogs, Coonhounds, Dalmations, and many more breeds have been mislabeled.

People will not flock to Cudahy if the ban is forgotten to avoid areas with legislation. I actually did not move to Cudahy WITH my dogs and instead moved to the City Of Milwaukee, which does have breed specific laws in effect. People are not swarming from St. Francis and South Milwaukee to Cudahy to avoid the laws in place.

Lastly, I wonder, when the breed is banned will Cudahy change their Watchdog photo? That could in fact be a pit bull.

I do remember that people who tried to wipe out a race of humans were vilified. People who now try to wipe out a breed of dog are applauded. I find the decline of morality to be sickening. This is a breed that defended the United States as far back as the Civil War. This is a breed that has a statue at Gettysburg for the valor a single dog, Sallie, showed to her platoon. This is an american made breed. Banning the breed does nothing more than make something else more "exciting". Breed issues started with bloodhounds and only progressed through Rotties, GSDs, Dobermans. There will be other breeds. Yours could be next.

- Cindy, Milwaukee (almost of Cudahy)

Maybe what we need to do is enact legislation that bans simple-mindedness. What else can explain the actions of this council and the way the treat the color of a fence as an issue, but not the condition of it.

The fence to which I refer is the one that surrounds Cudahy and its ability to move forward and upward.

50 years ago Cudahy was a place to come to look for work, and look for a home. Now it's place that people look to for as a butt of a joke. "South Milwaukee to Whitefish Bay, nothing stinks....."

The odors of business have changed. The rules of attracting business have changed, as have the rules of attracting solid residents.

This legislation will only deepen the fences that keep people out.

- Lontime Observer, around here

My husband and I (who are NOT by the way drug dealers or associated with drugs in any way) are greatly upset and offended by the idea of this ban.

Plain and simple, it’s discrimination.

We are the owners of a Pit Bull. She is a wonderful dog and in the near 3 years she’s been alive, she’s NEVER HURT ANYONE. We don’t take dog aggression lightly. We don't take dog ownership and its responsibilities lightly. No one should. The idea that she’d ever be aggressive JUST BECAUSE she’s a Pit Bull is RIDICULOUS. The idea that ANY DOG would be aggressive JUST BECAUSE of their BREED is crazy. We are responsible and law-abiding home owners in the city of Cudahy that sincerely plead with EVERYONE to consider the error in this particular thought process. We would not tolerate a vicious dog in any circumstance but that applies to ALL DOGS, not just Pit Bulls. PUNISH THE DEED AND NOT THE BREED.

- Dan & Erin, Cudahy, WI

Breed specific legislation is short-sighted and knee-jerk, which, gosh, this city appears to do in spades (Wal-Mart, anyone?) Does Mayor McCue hate pitbulls too? Cocker spaniels are by far the breed most likely to bite - should we ban them? Having a vicious dog ordinance on the books makes a lot more sense than any legislation banning a specific breed - I'm alot more scared of my neighbor's out of control collies who are trying to dig through the fence to kill my small dog than of the beautiful sweet pitbull being responsibly walked by a nice young man in my block.

Pitbulls were once the dog of choice in America - if you look at WWI era posters, the dog depicted on recruiting posters as quitessential American was a pitbull. Petey from the Little Rascals was a classic pitbull. In England, it's boxers which have the bad rap because they are considered mean, but bull terriers are considered ideal family dogs because of their sweet nature. Bull terriers, of which pitbulls are a member, are more than any breed dependent upon its training, because they love their owners and will do anything to please them, up to and including kill themselves. They are naturally sweet natured, very mothering and all around beautiful dogs.

You want an education, watch Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer - see how many of these dogs are NOT pitbulls. Ban the DEED, not the BREED.

- Lisa, Cudahy, WI

Well, The one reginsterd pit bull may not be the problem. It might be the others that are the issue. Responsible dog owners register their dogs.

- Fred, Cudahy

No existing dogs grandfathered in???Are you serious??These dogs are family members to many people just like your children are to you.How cruel a statement!!Murder an innocent animal because of the miss furtune of being born pit bull??These are ALL GODS creatures and we are to sharing the earth with them!!

Its the owners NOT the dog!! When will we get it!!

- Donna, Cudahy

Unfortunately it's the innocent dogs that are taking the heat in all of this, not the owners. Dogs are like children, taught to be a certain way by those that are raising them and a reflection of those people. The public needs to start realizing it's not the dogs fault that they act this way, it's the those that house them. People need to quit being racist to a particular breed, any dog breed can be taught to be mean and hurtful. I've met many a sweet pitbull in my life. R.I.P Sax!!!

- Heather, Milwaukee, formerly of Cudahy

Allow me to offer a compromise. Cudahy should allow pitbulls as long as they don't crap in the vacant lot that SHOULD HAVE BEEN a WalMart/Milwaukee Wave facility.

- Jim, Cudahy

Does anyone else find it ironic that this website shows a thumbnail picture of Alderman Joe Mikolajczak
being bit by a German Shepard? In case you missed it, you can see the picture as number 14 of 192 in the Cudahy Community Gallery. Maybe we should ban this breed too. Heck, why stop there. Let's ban all dogs. And perhaps all animals should be outlawed. Aren't there more important issues going on in this community?

- Dog Lover, Cudahy, WI

I have a multiple choice test for you. Who made this comment? --- "We must rid ourselves of this menace". Was it: A) a medieval doctor referring to the plague; B) a Nazi officer referring to the Jews; C) a Cudahy alderman referring to banning pit bulls; or D) President Bush referring to terrorists?

- Jim, Cudahy

I support enforcement of the vicious dog laws. I do not support or believe that this should be limited to any breed specific. Any dog can be vicious if it is mistreated and not trained properly. Tougher laws need to be made and enforced for people who own and do not control their animals.

- Robin, Cudahy

While walking my dog and my young daughter last summer, a juvenile pit bull came charging out of a residence that we were walking past. Thankfully the owners were available to take control of the dog, but when they got it into the house and locked it upstairs, the dog tried to jump through the upstairs window.

Another pit bull owner seen walking past our house mostly in the evenings uses one of those extendable leashes (clearly not strong enough for this breed). The dog is always running way ahead of the guy he is dragging.

Pit bull owners need to take the breed seriously and know that extreme care and control need to be excersised in order to ensure everyone's safety.

This isn't something that is likely to be the case with Pit owners in our community. Which is why I am in favor of a total ban of this breed with NO existing dogs to be allowed to be granfathered in under a new law.

- Audrey Gerber, Cudahy, WI

A couple of months ago, I had the good fortune to meet a man by the name of Tim Racer. Tim and his wife started a rescue organization called, BADRAP(Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls). You can access the website for more information here. http://www.badrap.org/rescue/

BADRAP took in the abused and fight trained pit bulls that the infamous NFL star Michael Vick kept at his dog fighting ring. Tim informed me of an astounding fact. Of the 60, dog-fight hardened pit bulls that came to him from Vick's ring, all but 10 were fully rehabilitated and placed with families as sound pets. Each and everyone of those families has found their dog to be an excellent, sound and trustworthy companion. Please feel free to contact Tim at the following email address if you would like confirmation of this fact. tim@badrap.org

My conversation with Tim compelled me to do further research into this issue and I can now confidently agree with Tim's statement that the burden of the dog's actions should never be placed on the breed. It is indeed, the owner who makes a dog of any breed, a good dog or a bad dog.

Naturally, I will support our village in whatever law we enact, but if some sort of breed specific legislation is passed, it will be a hard pill to swallow for me - if only for the fact that I know such a law to be prejudiced, superficially determined and ultimately only harmful to those numerous good folks who own pitbulls.

- Banach, Cudahy

Are we tending to scapegoat pit bulls for the crimes in Cudahy? Are dogs, especially a specific breed, the cause of crime? Sounds like a smokescreen for dealing with the real issues. If city officials think that keeping out a certain breed of dog will keep out gangs, then we need to ban Cadillac Escalades as well. It would make as much sense as banning pit bulls. It is press like this that has been ongoing since 1985 that draws the negative attention to the breed, no matter which breed, and increases the desire for the latest "bad boy" status symbol dog. This in turn increases ownership by the substandard owner, those who do not train, socialize or treat the dog humanely but treat it in ways to make it aggressive. Punish the deed, not the breed. Gangs don't abide by the laws, and will continue to have pit bulls regardless, or change to another breed. Laws like this will hurt those of us who are trying to live with the law.
Media has perpetuated much unsubstantiated claims and misinformation, increasing the hysteria. Fear coupled with ignorance gets rational people to pass notorious miscarriages of justice.
The stories that do not get told are the good side of this breed.
I am a current board member of the Cudahy Kennel Club and I've been an owner of pit bulls for over the last 20 yrs. My two pit bulls have been trained for over 10 yrs at the Cudahy Kennel Club and are currently both certified as Canine Good Citizens (American Kennel Club) and Delta Society Therapy Dogs. My two dogs volunteer as therapy dogs at Aurora St Luke's South Shore. Come media, do a positive article on my pit bulls.
Let's work with the laws that are currently on the books, such as the vicious dog law, dog fighting and leash laws. Punish the deed, not the breed.

- Pam Brown, Cudahy, WI

Several years ago, when I served on the Rules & Ordinance Committee, we grappled with a similar ordinance. With a great deal of diligence and discussion, we proposed an alternative that dealt with all vicious dogs.

I continue to support enforcement of the vicious dog laws on our books, I do not support or believe that this should be breed specific. Any dog can be vicious if it is mistreated and/or trained.

As to the reduction in crime,I wonder, how a dog can increase crime? If this ordinance is passed and the criminals/gang members switch breeds will we then ban that breed as well?

- Kay Duggan, Cudahy, WI

I am a homeowner in Cudahy, and believe that breed-specific ordinances do not work. If you must pass an ordinance on dogs, please issue an ordinance on all vicious dogs. I am an owner of two dogs that my family adopted from the Wisconsin Humane Society. I am an animal lover, and truly believe that how the dog is cared for and raised by the owners dictates how the animal will behave. If a dog is taught to be a guard dog, and to attack any strangers, it is the fault of the owner, not the dog. This can be done with all breeds of dogs, not just pit bulls. It could be a lab, or a boxer, or a Doberman, or even a beagle! Pit bulls are family-friendly dogs, and I wouldn’t hesitate to raise one with my own children. When it comes to the ordinance, how would the city distinguish a pit bull? Both of my dogs are “mutts” where I don’t know their specific breeds. One is a boxer mix…what he is mixed with, I have no idea…for all I know, it could be a pit bull. But, he is the most gentle dog...especially with children.

If this truly is an issue that has come up due to gang activity, why can't the city clamp down on the gangs, instead of dogs? Make some laws to remove gangs from our city...they are far more dangerous than pit bulls!

- Adrienne, Cudahy, WI

No, I think the idea of this for any community is ridiculous. It's right up there with them banning trans fats from the entire island of Manhattan. Nanny state, much? Telling people what dogs they can and can't own? What they can and can't eat? I know the city is just trying to protect the safety of individuals, but there's always a line, and I think this crosses it.

- GL, nee Cudahy

Here's a question - why are people owning pitbulls? Who owns a pitbull? In my mind, they are associated with drug dealers. Is this true? Let's have the facts first, before we enact a ban based on feelings, vague ideas, and emotions. I'm not a pitbull fan,for sure. But before we enact bans, we need facts to support them. Any badly trained dog will attack. A threatened dog will attack as well. Some dogs can hurt and kill. A threatened toy poodle will attack and nibble you to death (!) A threatened pit bull will kill you.

- Judith Novak, Cudahy

Most other cities are jumping on the bandwagon on banning pitbulls. Most are not trained properly and therefore a threat to anyone including our police officers, paramedics and fire personnel. Most of all they are a threat to children. If this ban is not passed this time around I would bet money that anyone from a surrounding city that has a ban would be moving to Cudahy with there pitbull.

- P. Windsor, Cudahy, WI