Mother Seeking Pit Bull Ban in Georgia

Pit bulls should be banned from the state of Georgia. Sounds a little extreme right? Well, not for one group of people, who gathered on the steps of the state capitol in Atlanta.

Angela Rutledge of Fulton County planned the rally at the courthouse, in hopes of persuading Georgia lawmakers to take the steps necessary to ban citizens of owning pit bulls in the state of Georgia.

Rutledge became active for the cause after her two-year-old son was mauled and killed by their families pit bull Kissy Face in 2012. She explained that the dog had been their family pet for eight years, and had never acted aggressively until that day, which shows their extreme unpredictability.

You hear about dogs fighting, and you hear this dog is an aggressive breed, but a lot of people, me included, are like, ‘Well no, I’ve had this dog since she was a baby, She’s a sweetheart’.

If lawmakers will not issue the ban, she hopes that they will at least impose tighter restrictions on ownership. “Accountability such as muzzling possibly, banning breeding,” Rutledge explained.

No law will be able to resurrect my son but will happen is I would like to never see a mother go through the heartache I went through.

Through her own experiences, and the many experiences of the others that joined her for the rally, Rutledge has determined that pit bulls are “an aggressive breed” that can, and will, pose harm to their owners.

Rutledge shares her story on her website babybeaufoundation.org. She explains that their story is not simply about loving or hating pit bulls.

She reveals that their dog was a very loved part of their family for a long time. However, she says that people need to be educated and understand that some dogs are genetically wired to be aggressive, especially pit bulls and other fighting dogs.

The truth is this, there is not just this story, but 229 reported stories like ours since 1998 and 22 occurrences reported this year alone (as of November 7, 2013). There are countless child and adult fatalities and numerous attacks leaving a person maimed and traumatized because we have not been educated about the genetic predisposition of pit bulls and fighting dog breeds.

Joining Rutledge at the rally was Jeff Borchardt of Wisconsin. Borchardt founded Daxton’s Friends for Canine Education and Awareness after his 14-month old son was killed by a pit bull.

Do you think Georgia, and other states, should ban pit bulls? Leave your comments below.

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