News-Record.com

Thank God this didn't turn out worse for 2-year-old Christopher Martin. He survived a mauling by a pit bull.

Now Madison police Chief Perry Webster says he'll ask his Board of Aldermen Tuesday to pass an ordinance banning pit bulls and Rottweilers from town limits.

That should prompt an interesting debate.

Webster says "most times, the people who have these dogs don't have them to be friendly. These dogs are more apt to be violent and dangerous."

There's no doubt that many pit bulls are bred to be fighting dogs.

Rottweilers are big, strong and sometimes aggressive.

But any kind of dog can be dangerous.

In more than 35 years as a runner, I've encountered all kinds. I've been bitten twice during a run: by a collie and by a Great Dane. I was lucky to avoid being bitten by a pair of Dobermans that used to harass me years ago. Those were actually the meanest dogs I remember.

The worst bite I ever received, though, was delivered by a dachshund that belonged to a friend of mine. That dog latched on to my hand and wouldn't let go. Man, did it hurt!

There may be some problems with banning particular breeds. Which ones? What about mixed breeds? Who determines what's a pit bull, especially if it has strains of other breeds in it? What about people who have legitimate security concerns and want a fearsome dog to protect their property? If you can own guns for self-defense, why not a Rottweiler?

One idea to consider is limiting how many dogs one family can have on a piece of property in the city. Some people run breeding operations, which can cause problems in a neighborhood.

Of course, every city should have strong animal-control ordinances. Keep your dog under restraint or pay a penalty. If its behavior indicates it's potentially dangerous, make sure it's fenced in. If it ever threatens anyone, then it should be taken away.