"I wish those vicious creatures could be banned." ***WARNING: GRAPHIC***

[Scootaloo]

206. Your point is weird.

Okay, we agree that mistreatment of dogs creates bad dogs, even dangerous dogs. On this, I think you and I can shake hands and admit common ground.

From there though, you veer off into some weird argument where the dog is to be held responsible for what was done to it - and not just that dog, but every dog that shares certain physical traits with it. You seem to assume that abuse is the "default" setting, and that the human in the relationship - the one and only sentient being in hte pair - bears no burden of responsibility.

And no, we don't allow people to own "any kind of animal. However, I think we can agree there is a large difference between any breed of domesticated dog, and captive wildlife, for instance. Or between a dog and the logistical problem of owning a livestock animal. In large part these are animal welfare laws, not "OMGFUCKINGSACARYANIMAL!" laws - Lions weren't banned as pets because they were dangerous (though, good lord, they are, but because the number of people in a given city capable of caring for one and giving it what it needs to be healthy and happy (as happy as we can expect from a captive lion, anyway) can be counted on one hand, without the thumb, and i'll bet most of them are bright, thoughtful people who would be horrified by the thought of a pet lion.

Same too with other "exotics" such as primates, wolves and coyotes, and so on down the line. It's not because they're dangerous (some are, some aren't) but because proper care in a private setting is next to impossible to guarantee. Know why skunks and raccoons aren't allowed as pets? Not because they're particularly dangerous (they're not), or even because they smell bad or something like that. it's simply because existing vaccines aren't proven to work on them. There is no rabies vaccine for raccoons, and skunks have to have both cat and dog vaccines, and it apparently still has something like a 50% chance of just not working. If your cheetah gets sick, who's going to take care of it? Your vet doesn't know a damned thing about how to treat a cheetah, they're not "just a big kitty," after all. What are you going to feed that tamandua, mealyworms for all of its life? etc, etc.

Comparing a domesticated animal to a wild animal is ignorant.