I felt proud of myself that I was able to identify pretty much all the dog breeds as they popped up... One or two I wasn't 100% sure because they didn't look quite like standards of their breed though.
I just read a 2005 German study regarding "dangerous dogs" (the German länder have laws severely restricting ownership, and outlawing breeding and import, of certain breeds). In 2005, there were an estimated 5.3 million dogs here, and the breed registering the most bites was the German Shepherd, which is not subject to any restrictions. From 1968 to 2005, there were 58 cases of people being killed by dogs. That's 1.53 cases a year. Too many, for sure, but too few to explain the hysteria.
I knew most were not "pitbulls" but thought some of them were.
I think the OWNERS should be prosected for their dogs actions - if they raised them to be aggressive, they should pay the penalty if the dog attacks someone. Exceptions would be the ones used in police work.
But don't blame the entire breed of dog because of a few stupid owners/breeders!
I've always thought it was a shame that these beautiful animals get such a bad rap, just because a few bad people own them, and turn them into monsters. The majority of the breed is good, it's the human's that are at fault.