It’s a long read – but if you truly care about finding real solutions to the pit bull crisis, PLEASE read to the end! What the PBFSA has been saying for years was echoed by Kommetjie Canine College in the Western Cape back in 2022. And yet… nothing has changed. When will the public and pit bull owners understand that realistic, honest EDUCATION is the key to progress? We cannot move forward unless we start addressing the root issues with the right knowledge and responsible action. Taryn Blyth, from Kommetjie Training College (20 years experience and advanced qualifications in dog behaviour and training) wrote on 24 November 2022: Those of you who follow this Face Book page know that I have been fairly outspoken about my concerns over the popularity of Pit Bulls in South Africa and where this popularity was leading to. Sadly, with the deaths of 4 young children in separate incidents over the last few weeks, we have reached a tipping point and things are falling apart rapidly. Not only have we tragically lost young lives in the most horrific circumstances, but communities are now turning on dogs, stoning them and burning them, because they now believe they are “monsters” that threaten society and must be removed to avoid more deaths. Scores of pit bulls are being abandoned at shelters and SPCA’s are overwhelmed. The Pit Bull Federation of SA is exhausted from fielding calls from the public and the press. Colleagues are getting endless calls for help with Pit Bulls, by people who have been motivated to address behaviour issues before it is too late. In the midst of this, an organisation has called for a complete ban on Pit Bulls and tight regulations on various other breeds. We are sitting with a volatile crisis: the welfare of all pit bull type dogs is at stake and the entire dog owning population is concerned about the repercussions of this situation. The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa, who I have often referenced in my posts due to their unfailing honesty about the breed, has asked for help from qualified behaviourists and trainers to help calm the situation and hopefully avoid more tragedy (for dogs and people). In this regard I wanted to contribute the following: A BREED BAN IS NOT PRACTICAL, WILL NOT STOP UNETHICAL BREEDING AND DOG FIGHTING RINGS – THOSE THAT WILL SUFFER THE MOST FROM IT WOULD WITHOUT DOUBT BE THE RESPONSIBLE OWNERS WHO DO IN FACT CARE FOR AND MANAGE THEIR DOGS PROPERLY. To elaborate: • Our law enforcement is under-resourced, lacks motivation to carry out current laws and does not have the capacity or knowledge to police a breed ban. • What is a Pit Bull? While we do also have registered pit bulls, the majority of pit bull dogs in South Africa are likely more a type than a specific breed. They are a type of dog developed mainly for dog fighting and have had various other bull breeds mixed into their lineage to increase size etc. We also sit with a situation where every second dog (and probably more) in shelters now seem to have some Pit Bull in them: Blocky heads, a patch over one eye, thick chests and well-muscled thighs are found more and more in our canis africanis type dogs that used to predominate in shelters. If we banned pit bulls, where would we draw a line as to how much pit bull in a dog is too much? I have heard stories from colleagues in the UK about the measurement of skull to muzzle ratio that is used to identify dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act and they feel it is capricious and quite ludicrous. • Will the ban entail removal and destruction of all pit bull type dogs (as defined by whatever criteria are decided) or will it entail strict enforcement of regulations such as a permit being required to own such a dog and restrictions on how the dog is managed (muzzled in public, sterilised etc)? If we are looking at the removal and destruction of every pit bull type dog in South Africa, the trauma that would be inflicted on people and dogs is too horrendous to contemplate. Again, those most deeply affected will be the responsible owners who are devoted to their dogs, because wrenching their dogs away from them would be like taking and killing a family member. The fear and chaos that would ensue from such a situation is unthinkable – never mind the burden placed on our welfare society’s such as the SPCA and their staff. On the other hand, strict regulations around ownership and management, while helpful in an ideal world, are simply never going to happen in South Africa – and if we try, we will likely get it horribly wrong. I am fiercely patriotic, but I am also a realist who has tried to work with law enforcement in holding a particularly callous and irresponsible dog owner to account and the process has been fraught with problems and a total lack of will on the part of the “higher ups” to actually do anything meaningful or communicate with complainants asking for their assistance. • Finally, if we bring in this type of legislation into being, where will it end? While at the moment there is no question that this type of dog in their vast numbers has become hugely problematic and is responsible for the vast majority of dog bite fatalities in South Africa, from what colleagues in countries that banned the breed tell me, people simply “create” a new type of dog of very similar looks and behaviour patterns, not technically banned, which ends up being just as problematic. SO, WHAT IN MY OPINION NEEDS TO BE DONE? What I have always called for is EDUCATION AND HONESTY. I have appealed time and again for colleagues to educate clients about the risks involved with having a dog that was bred to fight and