Anyone wanting more info on this topic can head over to
www.pets.ca where there is an entire forum dedicated to the topic. Lots of links to good info, and lots of angst and name calling as well......
...and no just because I mentioned this site twice in one night does not mean I am working to publicize them or anything, pure coincedence.
I'm not sure I have enough factual information myself to have a firm opinion on the pitbull ban, but I do have an opinion on purebreds and breeders and all that.
It amuses me to see breeders going on about mixed breed dogs and how people who look for a cross bred dog for a pet are encouraging this cross breeding and poluting the dog lines etc.
Yet there is, to my knowledge, no breed listed on the AKC or CKC that does not state in it's history the fact that the breed was created by selective crossbreeding. Since all domestic dogs are generally believed to be the same species there is, in fact no way a breed could be anything but selective breeding created.
I believe that since these breeds were created for societies needs of the time period to fill roles why should we retain these specific attributes in dogs when the needs of society has very likely changed.
Most folks no longer use terriers to kill vermin, or wolfhounds to hunt the (now extinct) Sottish wolf. Pit fighting has been outlawed my many countries now.
Perhaps it is time to give up on some breeds who by their nature do not fit well into todays society's needs. In another 100 years, or 2, the cocker-poodle cross will likely be a recognized breed with feirce defense by breeders of protecting the purebred cockapoos blood lines.
Today is seems that most families looking for pets are looking for character traites that have not traditionally been selectively bred into the lines of the working and hunting dogs.
This is further brought to light by the fact that hunters and users of working dogs are complaining that the current trend to breed dogs to be champions in the show ring is making it harder for them to find working dogs that still know how to work. Yes they may physically look exactly the way the judge wants them to look, but are loosing the purpose of their origin anyways.