The Dog Whisperer isn't Feeling Miami's Pit Bull Ban

Miami-Dade county commissioners and Animal Services Director Dr. Sara Pizano could learn a thing or two from Cesar Millan. The Dog Whisperer recently chatted with Riptide about his take on the county’s ban on pit bulls, arguably the most maligned dog breed in the universe. Since 1988, it has been illegal to own an American Pit Bull Terrier, an American Staffordshire Terrier, or a Staffordshire Terrier in Miami-Dade.

That’s the wrong approach, opines Millan, who is master to 16 pit bulls. “Banning the dog doesn’t solve the problem,” Millan says. “It only creates fear and ignorance.” If only Millan had been here earlier.

This past October 2, during a public presentation, dog activists failed to convince county commissioners to repeal the ban. Pizano, a former head of the Broward Humane Society, did nothing to dissauade the bad rap on Pit bulls. “There have been many instances in Dade County that there were severe attacks by Pit bulls,” she told commissioners.

Millan argues that human engineering is to blame. “Pit Bulls were designed by people to be gladiators,” he explains. “It is a human’s responsibility to redirect that energy into something positive like search and rescue. It doesn’t matter the breed.”

The Dog Whisperer is in town Sunday November 11, holding a seminar at 2 p.m. at the Knight Concert Hall at the Carnival Center. Tickets are $25, and no pooches allowed. --Francisco Alvarado