" It is not the breed that needs to be blamed it is the individual owners that create the "vicous" dogs. The animal only reacts to what they are shown in their environment. It disturbs me that there are some that continue to blame specific breeds instead of the owners. All breeds brought up in certain agressive environments will react in the same way- aggressive toward anyone and everyone other than their direct owner. The same breed in the environment of a loving caring family environment will not show signs of the aggression. It is a same that once again we don't hold pet owners responsible for the animal they created. Punish them and not the whole breed. SAME ON YOU! "

" too bad the owners couldn't be banned... instead of the dogs. It's been proven time and time again that those breeds of dogs are only a problem if the owners aren't educated on how to properly take care of them. "

" Way to go Osceola!! It's too bad more cities don't take similar actions. "

" This is terrible. I have owned three Dobermans and they are the sweetiest, most loyal breed of dog I have ever owned. And I've had a lot of dogs in my life mainly from all the city folks who dump them along the highways in hopes a farmer will take them in. I guarantee you one thing. It's really sad to see a town make a blanket statement about these breeds of dogs. It's not the breed. It's how they are raised and trained. This is pure DISCRIMINATION!!! I wonder how old Mayor Wendell would feel if someone came into his home and took his pet away. Shame on him for passing this ordinance. "

" What else did the dog owner do to tick off city council? All this over one dog, or a 'perceived' threat? Im sure Oceola is at the top of the list of all those breed owners to move to RIGHT NOW! However did Osceola stem the tide of these vicious breeds before the government came to the rescue? "

" How sad that this was done - banning these breeds will not solve the issue - we need to instead crack down on backyard breeders and puppy mills (Nebraska ranks high in both) to help eliminate dogs of poor temperment. And don't get me started on bad pet owners! "

" so the owners are bad but the dogs suffer. Labeling dogs as vicious just because of the breed is nonsense. Many places ban dogs that are mixed breed also if rhey contain any pit bull in them. Thank God they don't do that here in Lincoln. We adopted a pit/lab mix from the HUmane society about a year ago and Ihave never had such a lovable dog. It loves to cuddle , does not bite, is not vicious or mean, likes people and other animals and has never attascked anything or anyone. I am proud to be a pit mix owner. But because of un-enlightened people like those in Osceola and Omaha I would never be able to take this lovable creature there. "

" This is exactly what Lincoln needs. "

" I don't understand how the town can put a deadline on this. What happened to the "Grandfather clause"? I can understand not allowing more & waiting for original pets to expire naturally & not being replaced. This is SOOOO WRONG! "

" Why not ban the dog that bites the most, poodles? Or what about German Sheppards, they are a known aggressive dog? Nipping Chihuahua's should be top of the list as nuisance dogs, with their constant yapping. Ban them little creeps.

What a waste of time to ban any breed of dog. It is the owner of a dog that makes that dog aggressive, not the breed. "

" I am guilty of being a member of the "social norm" and siding with the stereotype of pits and/or any mix of them. I wouldn't allow them anywhere around or near my children, wouldn't even hear what anyone had to say about them. That is until I invited some displaced family members to stay with me, and low & behold along came a Pit Bull. I demanded they get rid of him. After a month of him being at our house, I'd have to say he's a much better dog than the pugs and poodles I've seen in my time. He's since been abandoned at our house. He has NEVER shown any type of agressiveness towards any of us, not even with food, which is amazing. I have done my own research and have found that it is DEFINATELY the OWNER and NOT the breed. Living in Colorado I have to be very careful due to the popularity of banning breeds these days. So Sad! "

" Lincoln needs a sound anti-barking ordinance. Something like $50 for first offense and $50 more for each after that. People who leave a dog in a kennel in the back yard all day to bark and howl need to be kenneled themselves. The owners are the problem not the breeds. "

" Get rid of all the cats from the city. They are nothing but glorified rodents anyway. I am so allergic to them, they make me sick. I should be protected. I get tired of them coming onto my property. "

" I understand that for the most part bad owners have bad pets. However, some breeds are more likely to attack than others. I have never read about a child being mauled by a beagle, basset hound, Great Dane, or Saint Bernard. Every week you can find a report of someone being attacked by pit bulls, rotts, and other "agressive" breeds.

Instead of a ban, maybe communities should consider requiring higher insurance for owners of these breeds. "

" Outside the box - actually I did hear of one case of a St. Bernard mauling a child - of course only after the child stuck a ball point pen all the way through its ear. People need to keep some perspective and raise their children to treat animals right! "

" Unless Osceola can produce some evidence relevant to their locale about the owner's negligence I think they are ripe for a lawsuit. I hope they get sued right out of office. Talk about stacking the deck against the minority. One dog owner in town and apparently this dog has bitten everyone else in town? "

" These are not dog problems, they are owner problems. Every time someone tries to tell me the personality of my two cocker spaniels I just laugh. They are as different as night and day. One actually belongs to my 13 year old and her dog is the miscreant. My cocker spaniel on the other hand refuses to play rough, chase balls, and basically wants the couch potato life.
When are we going to figure out it's the owner's personality that the dog adapts to. By the way, both are very loving to our two rats and kitten. One even lets the kitten suckle on her. So much for stereotypes.
Wouldn't it be better, albeit impossible, to just remove mean people from the town? Any dog who is raised in a mean environment can be taught aggression and have problems. "

" I have known Beagles to be quite nice, however we have a neighbor two doors down with a neurotic beagle and the dog scares me. It feels threatened by any attention whatsoever and is aggressive. My cocker broke her collar one time and took off to go play with this beagle and it was a really sad thing. The owners scream at me, despite being shown the broken collar, (new from petco, by the way - never seen another dog break one of their collars), but the owners of this neurotic animal were as mean as their dog. Funny, because the owner is a retired minister to boot! God didn't teach him anything.
The point is that you can make an angry, aggressive, person or animal that way if you treat them that way. The beagle tried to chew up my cocker spaniel, who thought all dogs were nice to play with. My other neighbor has a huge wolf/blue healer looking dog. That dog was raised right. He loves to play chase with my two dogs and he looks just the opposite of what you would expect. Friends get out of their cars at my house, worried about the neighbor's big dog when they have a much higher chance at being barked at and chased by one of my cocker spaniels! "

" As a local representitive of Dobie Rescue I find this quite disturbing and an easy fix to a bigger problem. Yes owners need to take responsibility in the care and training techniques of their working dogs, but for cryin out loud, You Have To Work Them! Know about the dogs requirements and needs BEFORE getting one. We receive dogs weekly with so many issues from preveious owners and they always claim they don't know what to do or what caused the behavior, when in all reality, a home consult reveals the truth which rarely falls in the owners favor. And we rehabilatate these dogs over the years to adopt to good homes. I have 4 rescue dobies, a rescue Rottie, and a boxer and they all have came back from the brink of euthenasia due to a commitment to help these dogs. Case in point, if you don't have time to work with the dog, maybe you should just get a cat. But banning a breed is a result of quick fix ignornance, fear, and overall lazziness to solve problems on an issue to issue basis. I always look at both sides of the story when it comes to this topic, but I also receive "vicious" dogs on a regular basis and with time , schedules, and picking up responsibilites these vicious dogs adopt out to many good homes with loving new owners. Osceola huh? Sounds like there could be a little more to the story then what we see here. "

" We had a rottie, who was the most gentle, and friendly dog ever. He was so calm and loveable. Would have never hurt a flea. Now our little terrier on the other hand--

What an ignorant mistake the town of Osceola has made. Glad I don't live there, and never will. "

" Nothing like living in a free country! If somebody don't like it BAN IT! God knows the gov'ment knows what is best for us! It is to bad that all Americans are to dumb to know what is good for them. Good thing we have the gov'ment to take care of us!

Russia is becoming more of a democracy and we are becoming more a socialist republic! "

" You can defend these animals all you want but whenever I read an article about a dog mauling someone its the same breeds each time, usually the pit bulls. Of course the owner always says that the dog never acted that way before - that should tell you something - its not the owner it the breed. Pit bulls have no business in town - they are a disaster waiting to happen. "

" As a member of a Vol. Ambulance service I have seen first hand what these dogs are capable of. Responded to a dog attack on a 9 yr.old girl. The family rotweiler totally mauled her to death. The vision of the aftermath will be with me forever! And then to see the family, and here the parents say "he's never done this before"!! Well I hope this wasn't the second time. This is a good law. DON'T WAIT UNTIL SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS! "

" Stupid law. Ban vicious people, that would be way more profitable. Without vicious people, you won't have vicious dogs. Oh and do you actually think it would be news if a bassett or beagle or poodle mauled someone. Probably not sensational enough. "

" It is not the breed, not the breed, not the breed...it is the owner...Over the years I have raised, rescued and rehabed a variety of breeds, Chows, Dobie's, and Wolf-hybrids. In fact I curently own a chow/pit...just an awesome dog...and there is no way someone would ever take away my dog...this mayor needs to turn on the NG channel, watch, Ceasar Milan - Dog Whisperer, he proves over and over again, it is not the dog but the owner. Dogs need exercise, discipline, structure, attention, love...so many pet owners have no clue how to raise a dog, heck most don't know how to raise their children...they are not yard ornaments, dogs live in the hear and now, an abused dog can be rehabed, and be a wonderful companion animal. Oh and by the way, statistically .1%of all breeds of dogs bite, leaving 99.9% who don't bite. The likelyhood of an unprovoked attack, are slim at best. I wonder how many of these attacks are caused by teasing or abuse of an animal....but your child would never do that....would they. "

" ....I think all pitbulls are a disaster waiting to happen and it's always the owner's kids that get hurt. I guess all you people that love your pit bull so much must love your dog more than your own child. Because you continue to defend them right up until someone dies. What a shame! "

" I think we should ban the owners of these dogs as well as the dogs. These dogs are dangerous, the owners like them because the image the dog possesses. These dogs are breed for their aggressivness. No matter how lovey dovey they may appear they can snap at any time. And since they have been breed to have the powerful jaw structure when they attack it is much more dangerous than other dogs.

To all of you pit bull/rottie lovers out there when was the last time there was a bassett hound mauling in the news? A poodle mauling? Or even a schnauzer mauling? A quick google search reveals 0 hits on all 3. i have a sneaky suspition that you can do that with just about any dog breed other than pit bulls, rotties and other aggressive breeds. "

" I like the idea of doggie insurance on these particular breeds. Also, I think the dog owner was treated unfair. They should definately be a grandfather clause not allowing more but allowing him to keep his current dog. "

" How would you feel if the pet that was like your baby had to be sent away? It isn't my puppies fault that his mother got out of the fence and a pit bull just happened to be around. He is wierd looking, but I love him like he is my child. I keep him in a fence and away from children (just because he is a puppy and has a lot of energy, not because he is dangerous). I don't know what I'd do faced with a law like this. Go underground, put bunny ears on him and try to diguise him? Couldn't those who already have a loved pet keep them, but no more allowed? "

" Can we also ban having more kids? If there were less kids there would be less for the pitbulls to attack. Sounds crazy doesn't it? But terrorizing children in church, the mall, the grocery store are also a product of the people who are supposed to be guiding their actions. A good pet owner will have control over their dog, cat, whatever. And a good parent will have control over their kids. We are becoming a communist society by banning everything someone else doesn't like. People need to take responsibility for their actions, and that includes having a big dog. A big dog will bite if provoked and so would I. Keep your dogs behind a fence, keep your kids out of other's yard and make sure your kids don't provoke anything. "

" I have had three Dobermans, a Great Dane, two German Shorthairs, a Saint Bernard, etc. Not a single one of them were ever a threat to me or anyone else. However, I have a scar to prove that a little yipper snapper Daschund nearly took my eye out. Are you going to ban them too? People need to stand up to this type of dictatorship or it will happen here in Lincoln as well. That mayor needs to be removed from office. No where in this article did it even mention that the dog in question had caused any problems. So what's the problem? "

" we have 250,000,000 in this country. a person or two gets sick or bit, we ban them. look at the percentages, not media hype. "

" It is the BREED folks! When have you ever heard of others breeds stripping the flesh off it's owners body? Not a small patch, but entire arms and legs. When have you ever heard of other breeds ripping the genitals off a small boy as a pitt bull did a couple of years ago in Omaha? Dogs have moods just like people. When a pitt bull has a bad day it can kill. Other breeds might bite, but they either seriously hurt or kill. Do you people not read the paper? When have you heard of several poodles getting together and seriously injuring a man while mowing his lawn? Lincoln and Omaha need to do the same and ban these dogs. Des Monies and Council Bluffs have done the same. People can walk in the city without fearing a pitt bull attack. You are right about the owners. Have you seen who owns those dogs. Usually the owners are as spooky as their dogs. "

" I just love all the comments of "we have (put your viscous dog breed here) and it is just the most loving pet" How much do you have to bet that all the people who have had kids mauled by these type animals said that exact same thing right up to the moment the breeds genetics kicked in and it tore their kids apart. While it does have some ONLY some to do with the owners certain breeds genetics make them more likely to snap and attack someone. In my opinion it is time to get rid of everyone of the barking, whining, annoying animals in town. I am tired of being woke up every night by their barking etc. "

" It is unfortunate that it comes to this. I think that everyone knows that in most cases the owners cause the problems with these dogs. But their are exceptions to the rule. Some dogs are more agressive by nature and with the right owner they will be great, loving, friendly dogs. But in some cases there is nothing that can be done. I know this for a fact. When I was younger we adopted a Lhasa Apsa from a reputable breeder. That dog was the most aggresive dog I have ever encountered. I had dogs before this and dogs after it and none of them have been that way at all. But I can assure you in that situation it was the dog not the owner. So if you take a naturally aggresive dog and put it with an owner who isn't going to take the time to train it or train it to be aggresive then you are going to have problems. "

" I am a father of a 5 year old son and I owner a Pure Breed Pit and my son wanted a dog so I got him a Shi Tzu. My pit has never done any thing to my son but the other has bitten my son at least three times, to were I got ride of that little dog. I did not crop my Pits ears so a lot of times people do not know until they get a good look at it that it is a Pit and I have had people that are really afraid of Pits tell me that it is the nicest dog. Then they ask me what it is and I tell them it is a Pit and they are shocked. Any dog can be mean the breed does not matter, the only reason why these dog look so bad is because papers only publish these dogs attacking and just make them look bad "

" Labs and Spaniels bit people just as much as rots and pitbull, but the media doesn't report that. The rots and pitbulls just have a more sevier bit. "

" Ban dogs, ban guns, you must wear a helmet and pillows tied to you just to be safe.....what happened to people being responsible for their own actions? I never knew a dog to bite unpervoked or a gun to fire on its own. Welcome to our great society of either conform or be shunned. "