Do a quick search for pitbull news and you will be likely to find many stories about violent dog attacks, often resulting in the death of the dog. Just today, I read a horrifying story about how a pitbull got loose from his family’s backyard, somehow managed to get into a barber shop, and injured three children on a rampage, hospitalizing one of them. A little two-year-old girl was attacked by a pitbull in her own home when it went after another dog in heat. The dog was shot and killed by an officer trying to save the girl.

We hear these stories each and every day. Some cities are even working on ordinances to ban the dogs entirely, which isn’t fair to them or their owners. The thing is, this violence—like other instances of violence in our country—does not exist in a void. It is perpetuated by our culture, our media, and especially by dog owners who treat their animals poorly. Many of them train their dogs to fight—if not for illegal dog fighting rings, then for so-called protection. Then the dogs, smartly following their training, hurt or even kill people, and are then killed themselves while their owners either go free or go to jail.

The solution to this problem, of course, would be to ban poor dog ownership rather than ban the dogs themselves. But how could you do that? Here are a few ideas…

• Establish dog permits. People who own dogs must have them, and take a dog care and safety course prior to getting a dog. Unfortunately, this would likely result in fewer adoptions and more costs, but it would probably prevent some violence and injuries from occurring.
• Carefully monitor pitbull breeding. Owners of pits (and other breeds of concern) should be registered and register their dogs’ pregnancies with an authority, or even with a local veterinarian. Hey, this could create jobs!
• Crack down harder on dog fighting. It’s definitely getting better with laws being implemented (though they are being fought; a puppy mill bill in my area was voted for by the people, but, incredibly, cut down by our own Congress members), but puppy mills, pet shops, and secret businesses are still alive and thriving. As long as these exist, so will dog attacks.
• Establish leash laws in areas that do not have them, as well as higher fencing laws for owners of large dogs. Perhaps a tax break or other incentive could be added with this to help with costs.