" As much as I love dogs of all breeds, and train them as a career, banning Pitbull terriers and the other aggresive breeds only makes good sense. Over the past 10 years I have seen so many people choosing to own a Pitbull for no reason other than the scare tactic. I was visiting with a Pitbull owner last week and asked him flat out why he felt the need for such a breed of dog, his answer," people will think twice about messing with me because if they do they will pay the price." Sadly...this seems to be the mentality of a growing number of Pitbull owners. The breed itself is only part of the issue here, the owners are the major cause of the imposed bans. I look for the Banning of these and other breeds to sweep across the country in the years to come. I see people owning these breeds for protection purposes and I ask myself...protection from what? I bet most folks do not know that pitbull terriers are synonymous with aggresive people as well. Aggresive owner with an aggresive breed of dog is a bad mix and THIS is leading to the banning such animals. "

" Wow before long this breed wil no longer be aloud anywhere......thats sad theyr jus like any other breed that wants to love and be loved coming from a pitbull owner i believe it is all about how they are raised not about what breed they are. "

" Oh My how refreshing a town that is trying to actually protect innocent town people from dangerous animals! THANKS Minden and Osceola. "

" This is absolutely absurd! People are more dangerous to others than any dog out there. "

" I cannot believe that you would ban such a loving breed as the American Staffordshire Terrier. We have raised one, she will be 10 years old this year and she is as loving and gentle as a kitty cat. Every pet acts the way it was trained. If some idiot wants a "pit bull' as a status symbol then I would ban THAT idiot from having one! Everyone should not have to suffer because of the lack of brain cells of a few. Closed minded City Council.....BLAH!!! "

" as a trainer you should see the good sides in all dogs and support the owners of pit bulls. You should also know how easy they are to train to do good things such as therapy, search and rescue, and other good things. how dare you call your self a dog lover. The characteristics that make a pit bull so dangerous when used for good makes them one of the smartest and best trained dogs. "

" I have previously owned a pit bull, and the way that these animals are seen by the public is just ludicrous. My pit bull was by far the most obedient dog I have ever owned, and would never hurt anyone. She lived with a 3 year old and a baby for a while too, and both of their faces are still intact. Unfortunately, due to their muscular body habitus, pit bulls are often used and bred for all of the wrong reasons. These are the accounts that all of you ‘commoners’ hear about in the news each day, never the good stories. In all actuality, when raised right they are nothing more than lovers that are full of energy. In fact, I once caught a gentleman breaking into my car, and when I let my bloodthirsty pit bull go after him as he ran, she caught up to him just to run along side of him as if they were going for a jog. But I do give much gratitude to all of you for giving this criminal quite a scare because of the way pit bulls are portrayed. Maybe we should ban all residents in the Near South neighborhood, to the downtown area, because that is where all the crime happens in Lincoln. I’m sure they would do just fine in, oh, Council Bluffs. Congratulations Minden and Osceola on turning your blooming communities into pitbull free environments. I hope whom ever had a say in passing these laws gets attacked by a group of rabid Yorkies! "

" The breed is only a small part of the problem. Owners have a much bigger impact on how the dog behaves. I lived next to a pit bull for a number of years and he was always gentle around myself and my children. The owners, on the other hand, were neglectful and eventually the dog was taken away from them. "

" Well its good to know seven other breeds were also banned instead of singling out the pitbulls. Bottom line is that the owners are the ones who are to blame, not the breed. It doesn't matter what breed of dog you have, its all about how the dog is raised. If its raised to be mean, it will be mean, if its raised to attach when you say so...it will attack. Owners of these breeds should have to take a class of some sort, or at least have sort of insurance on their animals in case something bad happens. This alone will help keep the population of pit bulls and other viscious dogs lower, but at the same time allow owners who deserve the right to have the breed own the dogs. "

" Well i own a few APBT and i have never once seen them be mean or want to attack someone! these bans are dumb because it takes away my rights! The reason i decided to get American pit Bull was becasuse they are very owner responsive! unlike alot of dogs! if you folks want to think pit bulls are bad check out the temperment test that have been done on these dogs and the results are there! American Pit Bulls are GREAT dogs its some of the owners that are bad! So my question to all is what is a dog that we should own? APBT ARE THE DOGS OF CHOICE! So tell me if i live in that area what my choice is? Move or buy a paris hilton dog? i think not! To all who dont know do your research and tell me that they are bad!!!!!!!! or come visit mine!!!!! "

" As the owner of an American Stafforshire Terrier, I would like to say that I did not get my dog because I thought it was "tough" to do so. Bully breeds are extremely loyal and loving dogs. He is playful, energetic,and eager to please. I've owned many types of dogs over the years of my life, and this dog has been by far the easiest to train, is great with my daughter and all of her friends, and is scared of the cat. He is a wonderful dog. Are there people out there who get this type of dog for "status"? Probably, and they are giving the breed a bad name and reputation. Pits were never EVER bred to be human aggressive, and that trait was NOT favored by breeders. It is the back yard breeders who do not know how to breed that have let this trait come out in recent years. Breeding needs to be more controlled in this country, and that can be said for ALL breeds of animals. Puppy mills and backyard breeders are not a good thing for any breed of dog. American Stafforshire Terriers are a recognized breed of the American Kennel Club, and no where in the breed standard does the word "agressive" come into play. "

" Puppies are not born mean (he only exception could come from extensive in-breeding people make them mean!! Go after the ones who have trained/conditioned these dogs to attack, even 47 of the 53 dogs taken from Michael Vick have been retrained and placed in homes. Why should the dogs be condemmed for the actions of irresponsible humans? "

" The only aniamals that are Dangerous are humans!! "

" it`s funny how people say`s it not the dog it`s the owneres fault! well since we cant ban the owners we will have to ban the dogs because of the stupid people who own them. "

" People, IT'S THE OWNERS, NOT THE DOGS!!! How about we ban stupid people or punish those people whose dogs are aggressive or attack??? A total breed ban is ridiculous. "

" ...and again, to all those that defend having pit bulls in town: Do you have insurance through a homeowner's or renters policy so that you are able to pay the liability when the dog attacks? Probably not because insurance companies will not even consider insuring a home where there is a pit bull. If there's no insurance then you are not a responsible pit bull owner. Period. "

" Guess I won't be moving to Minden! Darn. This is ridiculous! "

" The nice thing is that we as people have the capability to move out of crime infested areas. The bad thing is that one foul temper in a seemingly mild mannered, well trained breed of attack dog can ruin a family by injuring a young child who happens to look at it wrong. Some people buy a pitbull to protect themselves while some people impose rational bans to protect themselves along with entire communities in which they live in.
Thank you Dog Lover for your input as a professional who knows because of your career the harmful possibilities of such a breed. For those of you who disagree with the good dog lover... statistics will back him. "

" It's kind of ironic. Now some of you law abiding dog owners know how law abiding gun owners have felt for years. "Dogs don't kill people, people kill people." Now all you have to worry about are the laws that prevent you from owning a dog that has been "imported" i.e. any dog that was originally breed outside of the United States. Oh and dont forget, you cant own a dog that has more than 10 teeth. Any dog that has a mouth that can hold more than 10 teeth is just dangerous and unecessary. Your dog needs to be at least 16 inches long also. Any dog smaller is too easily concealed and could be used to attack people without warning... I could go on but I'm sure some of you will get the point. "

" I own an 2 American pits, and have had no problems with them. If they are raised right and trained by a good person there is no problems. Stupid people have given these wonderful dogs a bad rep. I owned a boston terrier that was far more aggressive than my pits. So in my opinion stop letting irresponsible people own these dogs. "

" Well what is this world coming too! WE need insurance for our dogs! insurance is a scam its self kinda like the bans that they are putting on these dogs. Insurance is the "if" in the world! If my dog attacked! if a bomb landed here! if my house caught on fire! if you all owned one of these breeds you might know what loyalty means if if if if! instead go worry about something important and leave the dogs alone if yall only ha a brain! "

" "these bans are dumb because it takes away my rights! " I don't think I have seen a less intelligent comment until now. What about the rights of the many innocent people who have been mauled/killed by these "wonderful pets" of yours? I'll agree the majority of the problems with these animals lies with the owners, but these animals are also born with certain instincts and traits that no matter how much training goes into them sometimes they just SNAP and now a little boy is missing an arm. How many times have we heard lines like "My dogs are wonderful they'd never harm anyone" (usually followed by) "I don't understand it, he's never done anything like that before". It's about time the cities start being proactive and protecting it citizens from those that are more concerned with their "rights". "

" You can get home owners insurance owning a pitbull, it may be higher, but it's out there! "

" My "pit bull" is 35lbs of cross breed love. He is stupid as heck, but loves us unconditionally, as well as his brother poodle (who is meaner than he is). Unfortunatly, he jumps on people, a trait from the dog he was bred with. Can we outlaw those instead? I've tried everything to get him to quit, but someone showed him as a puppy (my husband) how cool it was to jump really high into his arms, now he thinks he is doing something cute, and I can't get him to see otherwise. Maybe I should just outlaw my husband. "

" Responsible people are willing to accept liability for the problems they create. "

" Hey guess what every dog owner says AFTER it attacks...OMG it's never done this before, it was such a kind dog. So where does that leave the argument that its not the dogs it the owners. "

" So in the cases of all the pit bull attacks, the owner has trained them to eat little children? Come on. These dogs are animals, and they do NOT just act like they are trained. "

" if there going to do this at least make it possible for responsible dog owners to obtain a license. i don't think i can live my life without a pit in the family. i know my kids would be upset also. "

" ALL dogs are "animals"...as are people. And I DO have insurance that covers my dog, but thanks for asking. "

" You know the only people who want pit bull bans are the people who sit in front of the tv or computer all day absorbing what the media wants them to hear. It's kind of like saying all urban black people are dangerous. You only think that because you see it in the news. How many of you have ever been in an urban area to see for yourselves? Probably none but you still believe everything you hear. Instead of reading the news, research the breed and get some facts. And don't just look for "pit bull attacks" just look up "pit bulls" and you will see that the consensus about this breed is everything the people who are against these bans say. But I'm sure you won't do that because it is easier to be ignorant than to find an answer. You should all go to an urban area and meet a pit bull owned by a black person, kill a few birds with one stone. "

" all you hear about is how pit bulls attack people in the paper and on the news, right after the most recent pit bull attack in omaha i was in my town with my dog witc is a pit bull and she had just told me that it makes her mad that every time a dog bite happens the only ones in the paper that are mentioned are pit bull bites, she had just got done telling me how her son has to have reconstructive surgery on his face because he got attacked by a black lab but we didnt see that in the paper did we??!?! "

" According to the Center for Disease Control, the top 10 most dangerous dogs are:

1. Pit Bulls
2. Rottweilers
3. German Shepherds
4. Huskies
5. Alaskan Malamutes
6. Doberman Pinschers
7. Chow Chows
8. Great Danes
9. St. Bernards
10. Akitas

I own a 3 yr old male unneutered Miniature Schnauzer, I'm here to tell you that he is VERY AGGRESSIVE to people and dogs he does not know. Some of his nature is due to poor training on my part. However he could not possibly inflict as much injury to a person as a Pit Bull or an a Akita, but he can bite non the less. ANY DOG CAN BITE. NOT ANY DOG CAN KILL YOU. "

" The American Staffordshire terrier has one of the highest temperament scores of any dog, they finish in the 98th percentile.
The Dog is the highest decorated dog in military history and was originally bred by farmers to keep rodents out of crops.
Even The Little Rascals owned a pit bull, and remember the RCA dog from the TV commercials, and Spuds Mckenzie?
I bought one for my two sisters and my mother when I enlisted in the navy 6 years ago to keep them safe.
This dog is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest and most beautiful animal we have ever been blessed to know.
She thinks she is a house cat the way she sits on everyone's lap and attempts to sleep on top of you.
Good luck getting her scared butt out of the bath tub on the fourth of July.
You can think the gang bangers, dog fighters and other aggressive low life's of the world who raise these strong animals in terrible ways for the bad reputation they have received...
Don't punish my 14 year old sister and mother for other peoples mistakes.
Look at the individual's background and decide if they are responsible enough to own the dog just like you would an automobile or a firearm.
They can be very dangerous in the wrong hands, it is an extremely strong breed by nature, but only aggressive if raised to be.
There are plenty of responsible and deserving owners out there. "

" It's not the dog, it's the training. Just the other day I had come accross a stray pit bull, and he was the gentlest dog I have ever come accross. I have even come accross other breeds, that no one ever thinks about being vicous (such as a toy poodle), that have been very aggressive. Don't blame the breed, blame the owner. "

" I don't think banning a breed is right. Dogs are not bad, people are bad. They should ban bad people not dogs. I think any dog can be good! I come to Nebraska and help you with your dogs. "

" Dogs are decendents from the wolfs. As dog owners we are responsible for their behavior. All breeds have their own temperments and dispositions and it is the owner's responsiblity to provide them with proper care and guidance. Pit bulls are in a bad rap with the media blasts. "

" Another less than intelligent argument: The only stories that are published are the pit bull attacks (bites as OMG put it). It's the media and tv giving them a bad name. Do you honestly think its the media creating this problem???? If it didn't happen so frequently and so violently it wouldn't be a story. Which story will more people read: A lab bite that puntured a kids skin or a pit bull who mauls a mother and her little boy as they walked down the the sidewalk.

If you can't control your dogs I will support any city ordinance that will control your animal for you. "