'Killing machine' a trophy dog

By Alex Mitchell
May 15, 2005
The Sun-Herald
Cassie Fitzsummons with the American pit bull puppies bred by her father.

Photo: Lee Besford

The price of pit bull terriers has tripled following the State Government's decision to designate them a banned species and desex them out of existence.

A pit bull puppy that would have fetched $300 last month was snapped up for $900 by an enthusiast of the breed described by Premier Bob Carr as "a killing machine on a leash".

A dog breeder told The Sun-Herald: "Pit bulls have become a trophy dog since the Government decided to ban them. People are saying, 'I want to own the last pit bull'."

Under the Government's proposed laws, five species of fighting dogs will be banned and it will be an offence to breed, sell, give away or acquire them.

When it becomes law later this year, it will be mandatory for owners to have their dogs desexed, which will lead to the extinction of the five breeds in NSW.

There are currently about 3300 dogs of the restricted breeds - pit bull terriers, American pit bulls, Japanese tosas, Argentinian fighting dogs and Brazilian fighting dogs - in the state.

Since Mr Carr announced the drastic law changes, some pit bull owners have been attracted by the higher rewards of selling, while others have decided to start breeding programs to enlarge the number of the species before the desexing regulations are enacted.

Pit bull bitches are on heat only twice a year when they are fertile for a period of one week. Because the legislation is not expected to pass through Parliament for several months, breeders have an opportunity for one more litter before they will be compelled to desex their animals.

A spokeswoman for Local Government Minister Tony Kelly yesterday warned breeders that they should "exercise caution" and "be mindful of the Government's intentions".

"If they are planning to breed more pit bulls in the next few months, we would urge those planning to breed more dogs to think again," she said.

"When the act becomes law, you will have to desex your animals and you won't be able to sell them or give them away.

"Any breaches of the new law will be dealt with very strongly."

Mr Kelly will call for a national consensus on banning pit bull breeds when Federal and State Government ministers meet on August 4.

If an agreement was reached, it could make it impossible for breeders to profit from the traffic in restricted species to other states.

Local Government Department figures show that Wollongong is the pit bull capital of NSW, with 241 registered pure-bred pit bulls.

Sydney vet Julia Meares said the Government's proposed measures brought NSW into line with the laws in the European Union and many other countries around the world.

"These are species that were bred for fighting and that's what they do," she said. "They tend to be bought by people who are making a statement - 'I'm tough and so is my dog'.

"Regrettably, while there are very responsible pit bull owners whose dogs are a real delight, there are irresponsible owners whose dogs are highly dangerous."

She said the difficulty with the legislation would be deciding which animal was on the list of five restricted species and which was a cross with another animal.

"Sometimes it is very difficult for vets to decide on a species, so how will dog inspectors be able to make that decision?" she said.

Attacks end dream for family

The Fitzsummons family hoped to start a business breeding American pit bulls.

But just after their bitch Stitch gave birth to her first litter, news broke of a series of violent attacks across Sydney.

Faced with laws that would force Stitch to be compulsorily desexed, they have been forced to ditch the business plan.

And, while they have managed to sell five of their nine-week-old pit bull puppies, they are starting to feel a little nervous about their chances of shifting the remaining six dogs.

Cassie Fitzsummons, a year 12 student, said many potential buyers were now worried the dogs could attack strangers and children.

"It's the owner who is responsible, not the dog," she said.

"The owner teaches the dog to be vicious. Instead of trying to ban the dogs, they should do more background checks on the breeders."


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