I never understood why if foolish parents let their children do foolish things that anyone other than the parents should be penalized.   That’s why, for instance, I never understood why a child should have a city curfew when it’s up to the parents to make sure their children are home and in bed at a certain time.   Likewise, why would you pass a breed-specific law (BSL) simply because you saw a 10-year old walking a so-called “pit bull”?  

But that’s what’s going on in Columbia, South Carolina, where several Columbia City Council members are seeking regulations — including higher permit fees — for the dogs they call “pit bulls.”   Right, because as everyone knows, dog fighters always register their dogs with the city right?

Councilman Sam Davis noted during a council work session that,

You see 10-year-olds walking pit bulls, and they cant control them . . .  [adding that] Pit bull owners often have to have heavy chains to control their pets when they go out for a walk . . .

There are a lot of foolish parents out there whose dog ownership choice is not limited to the dogs that city councilmen call “pit bulls.”   So why punish law-abiding “pit bull” owners?   Why can’t Columbia simply add a provision to their existing leash law that prohibits anyone under the age of 18 from walking any dog?  

In other words, is this really a breed issue?   No, it’s not.   It’s a common sense issue, and since common sense is less and less common, then why not pass an ordinance that would apply to all dog owners across the board so it’s fair?

But Davis wasn’t done being nonsensical himself adding,  

Anytime you walk the street with a dog and the chain is big, that tells you something, Davis said. Theyre dangerous. They fight at night “ we just cant catch them.

People don’t walk so-called “pit bulls” on logging chains because that’s the only way they can control the dog.   They walk them on logging chains for street cred, and yes it’s ridiculous.   See comment above about foolish people and how foolish people own all kinds of breeds of dog.  

And really?   Anyone buy that the Columbia Police just can’t find these dog fighters?   Don’t you think that’s kind of disrespectful to your police force?   It makes them look like a bunch of Keystone Cops running around and just missing dog fighting perps by the hair of their chinny-chin-chins.   How ridiculous.

The Columbia, South Carolina Police Department may need some training in cracking down on dog fighting, but they are not hamstrung by their inability to find dog fights and dog fighting, I’m sure.   Chicago used to use that same old excuse until they started training their police force to look for the signs of dog fighting in urban areas and formed a dog fighting task force.  

Why doesn’t Columbia look into additional police training and form a dog fighting task force and crack down on the real problem since we have decades of ample evidence that BSL doesn’t work?   Passing a breed-specific law in a city where its elected officials are admitting the problem is dog fighting, not the dogs themselves, is like blaming a child for being child abused.   These dogs are abused and yet Columbia wants to blame the victim?

So, is a breed-specific law that only hurts people who were already abiding by the law really the answer?   No, as ever, BSL, no matter whether an outright ban or breed-specific restrictions, is not the answer.