By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A PARLIAMENTARIAN’S call for the possible ban of pit bulls has the support of a manager at the Bahamas Humane Society.

St Anne’s MP Adrian White urged legislators last week to consider banning the dogs after a constituent’s dog was attacked through a gate.

Peter Feldman, BHS’s assistant shelter manager, said yesterday it would “not be a bad idea at all” to ban the breeding and ownership of pit bulls.

Many countries restrict or ban the breed of dogs, including Australia, Denmark, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Singapore and Switzerland, among others.

Mr Feldman said: “Pit bulls are one of the most aggressive variety of dogs out there in the market and that’s why we have banned them coming into not just this country, but the United States has banned them and so has England.”

In the Bahamas, it is unlawful to import pit bulls.

“Has it been enough? Probably not because I think a lot of them have slipped, pit bulls have slipped through the cracks and there’s a lot of bully breeds out there,” Mr Feldman said.

He said complaints about pit bull attacks are common.

“It is a common complaint on a weekly basis, and most of them are pit bull related, yes. But at the end of the day, you know, two potcakes can chase you down the road as well. (Does that) mean are they going to bite you? Probably not, but it can happen. But if a pit bull chases you? Most of the time, it wants to draw blood. It wants to bite you.”

Supporters of the status quo say pit bulls are not the problem - weak enforcement of existing laws is.

“Yes, we’ve changed a lot of the laws on the books, but if we’re not enforcing them, then what does it actually mean?” Mr Feldman asked.